NewzIntel.com

Category: AM-NC

  • MIL-OSI Security: Thirteen Indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Cocaine as well as Illegal Possession of Machine Guns

    Source: US FBI

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ten Mexican nationals, one Guatemalan national, and two United States citizens have been indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine as well as numerous counts of distribution of those controlled substances, illegal possession of machine guns, alien in possession of firearms, felon in possession of firearms, and illegal reentry of removed aliens.

    The investigation began in January of 2024 and continued through June of 2025, during which time investigators seized approximately 40 kilograms of methamphetamine, two kilograms of cocaine, and 11 firearms, three of which had been equipped with machine gun conversion devices and functioned as fully automatic weapons.

    A law enforcement operation conducted on June 18, 2025, resulted in nine arrests. Three defendants were already in custody, and one defendant remains at large. More than a dozen law enforcement agencies were involved in the operation which also resulted in the seizure of nine additional firearms.

    Uriel Lopez-Farias, 31, a Mexican national; Jesus Adrian Meza-Meza, 42, a Mexican national; Walter Fernandez, 34, of Kansas City, Mo.; Carlos R. Lepe-Virgen, 52, a Mexico national; Pedro Ivan Roldan-Minjares, 44, a Mexican national; Joel Armando Guillen-Rodriguez, 31, a Mexican national; Jose Rodriguez-Vasquez, 44, a Mexican national; Jose Aroldo Troches-Reyes, 33, a Guatemalan national; Adalberto Meza-Meza, 37, a Mexican national; Maximiliano Oliva-Verdin, 30, a Mexican national; Osvaldo Chiapas-Aguilar, 38, a Mexican national; Jesus Alvarez-Giron, 23, a Mexican national; and Kenneth Baez, 25, of Kansas City, Mo., were charged in a forty-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on June 11, 2025.  The federal indictment was unsealed and made public today following the initial appearances of those in custody.

    Lopez-Farias is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine, alien in possession of a firearm, illegal possession of a machine gun, distribution and attempted distribution of cocaine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

    J. Meza-Meza is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine, alien in possession of a firearm and reentry of a removed alien. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

    Fernandez is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

    Lepe-Virgen is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

    Roldan-Minjares is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine and reentry of a removed alien. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

    Guillen-Rodriguez is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

    Rodriguez-Vasquez is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine and reentry of a removed alien. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

    Troches-Reyes is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and attempted distribution of cocaine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

    A. Meza-Meza is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

    Oliva-Verdin is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

    Chiapas-Aguilar is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

    Alvarez-Giron is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

    Baez is charged with illegal possession of a machine gun and felon in possession of a firearm. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole for this charge.

    The maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan A. Baker and Heather Siegele.  It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Jackson County Drug Task Force in conjunction with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

    Wednesday’s law enforcement operation included the FBI, DEA, ATF, HSI, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Postal Service, the Internal Revenue Service, Jackson County (MO) Drug Task Force, Johnson County (KS) Drug Task Force, Kansas City Missouri Police Department, Kansas City Kansas Police Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Lee’s Summit Police Department, Sugar Creek Police Department, Wyandotte County (KS) Sheriff’s Department, St. Joseph (MO) Police Department, Buchanan County (MO) Drug Strike Force, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Missouri and the District of Kansas.

    The investigation and arrest operation were part of the Kansas City Regional Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) which is dedicated to identifying and prosecuting criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

    Operation Take Back America

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Chesterfield Doctor Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Healthcare Fraud

    Source: US FBI

    ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Friday sentenced a doctor who committed healthcare fraud to five years in prison and ordered him to repay $2.87 million.

    Dr. Stanley L. Librach, now 64, of Chesterfield, pleaded guilty in August in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy, one count of illegally prescribing controlled substances, one count of paying illegal kickbacks for referrals and one count of health care fraud. He admitted participating in healthcare fraud schemes involving both kickbacks and the illegal prescribing of controlled substances.

    In one scheme, Dr. Librach, Dr. Asim Muhammad Ali, and chiropractor Jerry Dale Leech agreed to send urine samples for testing to Central Diagnostic Laboratory (CDL) in exchange for illegal kickbacks that went to business entities owned by Leech and Denis J. Mikhlin. CDL then sought reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid for the testing. Dr. Librach also sent urine samples directly from his own separate private practice clinic to CDL. In exchange, Dr. Ali paid the wages of Dr. Librach’s employees.

    In another scheme, Dr. Librach, Dr. Ali and Leech wrote prescriptions for the powerful pain medication oxycodone and other controlled substances when there was no legitimate medical purpose and while acting outside the usual course of professional conduct. Drs. Librach and Ali had not examined the patients at the pain clinics with which they were associated. They did not determine that the patients whose names appeared on prescriptions had a medical need for the controlled substances. Instead, they spent several hours one day a week pre-signing prescriptions that would be used for patients at upcoming visits. The doctors did not examine or evaluate the patients and rarely looked at patient charts before signing prescriptions. The doctors signed prescriptions for patients whose test results indicated that they were selling or otherwise diverting the controlled substances and did not address that obvious drug diversion. The conspirators knew that pharmacies would seek reimbursement for the medications from Medicare and Medicaid.

    “This provider was involved in multiple elaborate healthcare fraud schemes that involved accepting kickbacks and illegally prescribing dangerous and addictive opioids for financial gain,” said Linda T. Hanley, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG).  “HHS-OIG remains committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to protect patients and protect the integrity of federal healthcare programs.”

    Special Agent in Charge Michael A. Davis heads the Drug Enforcement Administration division that leads DEA investigations in Kansas and Missouri. “Because opioids are highly addictive, doctors have a duty to ensure they are prescribing controlled medications according to law to protect their patients’ health and safety,” said Davis.

    Eleven defendants were indicted in 2020, including three doctors, their staff and purported patients. A twelfth was added in 2022. All have pleaded guilty.

    Dr. Ali, 54, of Creve Coeur, pleaded guilty in May of 2024 to charges similar to the ones to which Dr. Librach pleaded. He is scheduled to be sentenced in August. Leech, 52, of Creve Coeur, pleaded guilty in 2021 to one count of conspiracy, one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, one count of paying illegal kickbacks for referrals and one count of health care fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced in September. Mikhlin, 46, of Chesterfield, was sentenced in 2021 to nine years in prison and ordered to repay $181,265.

    The HHS-OIG, the DEA, the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Sestric, Derek Wiseman and Jonathan Clow are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Nonprofit Founder and Accountant Charged with Stealing Over $100M from Special Needs Victims

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    An indictment was unsealed today charging two Florida men in connection with a fraudulent scheme to steal over $100 million from a nonprofit organization that managed funds for people with special needs and disabilities.

    “As alleged, for over 15 years, the defendants conspired to use the funds of special needs clients as a personal piggy bank, stealing $100 million dollars meant for the most vulnerable members of our society to enrich themselves,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s charges reflect the Criminal Division’s ongoing commitment to prosecuting sophisticated fraudsters who abuse the trust of their victims. Thanks to the relentless efforts of our multiagency partners, we will continue to aggressively pursue accountability for perpetrators who exploit Americans out of greed.”

    “Protecting the most vulnerable members of our society is a priority of the U. S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “The fraud alleged in this nationwide scheme is unfathomable. Due to the diligence and interagency collaboration by our dedicated law enforcement partners, these crimes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

    “The subjects charged are accused of creating a slush fund to divert millions of dollars away from a nonprofit organization helping people with special needs,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Not only were the organization’s resources drained, but the accused subjects betrayed the trust of the community and ultimately bankrupted a lifeline for vulnerable families. The FBI will not tolerate the exploitation of charitable missions for personal enrichment.”

    “The scale and audacity of the alleged fraud in this case are deeply troubling,” said Criminal Investigation Chief Guy Ficco of the IRS. “Stealing funds intended to protect and support people with special needs is as cruel as it is criminal. IRS-CI special agents are dedicated to uncovering complex financial schemes, especially those that prey on the most vulnerable in our society.”

    “The defendant disrupted access to critical services for individuals with disabilities and defrauded federal health care programs with the sole purpose of financing a life of extravagance,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, will continue to hold those who’s illicit actions seek to assail enrollees and the nation’s federal health care programs fully accountable.”

    According to court documents, Leo John Govoni, 67, of Clearwater, Florida, co-founded the Center for Special Needs Trust Administration (CSNT) in or around 2000 and John Leo Witeck, 60, of Tampa, Florida, worked at CSNT as an accountant. CSNT allegedly was a nonprofit that managed money for people with disabilities and other special needs, including those who received court awards, settlements, and other payments. CSNT grew to be one of the largest administrators of special needs trusts in the country, with beneficiaries located in almost every state. As of February 2024, the indictment alleges, CSNT managed over 2,100 special needs trusts containing approximately $200 million.

    As alleged in the indictment, from June 2009 through May 2025, Govoni, Witeck, and their co-conspirators solicited, stole, and misappropriated CSNT client-beneficiary funds — which they treated as a slush fund to enrich themselves and others — and concealed their illegal activities through complex financial transactions and deceit, including sending fraudulent account statements with false balances to disabled victims. Govoni allegedly used stolen money to purchase real estate, travel via private jet, fund a brewery, make deposits into his personal bank accounts, and pay personal debts. In 2024, CSNT filed for bankruptcy and disclosed that more than $100 million in client-beneficiary funds were missing from its trust accounts. Govoni is alleged to have made false declarations to the bankruptcy court related to the CSNT bankruptcy proceedings.

    Separately, Govoni is also alleged to have committed bank fraud related to a $3 million mortgage refinance loan and to have laundered $205,054 of the proceeds to pay off a home equity line of credit on his residence.

    Govoni and Witeck were both charged with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering conspiracy. Govoni was additionally charged with bank fraud, illegal monetary transactions, and false bankruptcy declarations.

    If convicted, both defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and money laundering conspiracy charges. If convicted, Govoni faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on the bank fraud charge, 10 years in prison on the illegal monetary transactions charge, and five years in prison on the false bankruptcy declaration charge.

    The FBI, IRS-CI, HHS-OIG, and SSA-OIG are investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney Lyndie Freeman of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U. S. Attorneys Jennifer Peresie and Michael Gordon for the Middle District of Florida are handling the prosecution.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Met officer charged with sexual assault offences

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    A serving Metropolitan Police officer has appeared at court following sexual assault charges.

    Inspector Michael Richards, attached to Learning and Development, was charged with two counts of sexual assault by touching on Sunday, 25 May.

    He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 23 June. He was bailed to next appear at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, 21 July.

    He remains suspended from duty.

    Insp Richards was arrested on Wednesday 17, September on suspicion of sexual assault by touching. The allegations relate to a male and a female victim, both over the age of 18. They are alleged to have taken place on the same day as the arrest while Insp Richards was off-duty.

    The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards is aware.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The Learning Refuge: How women-led community efforts help refugees resettle in Cyprus

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Suzan Ilcan, Professor of Sociology & University Research Chair, University of Waterloo

    A grassroots organization in Paphos, Cyprus, is bringing women together to address the needs of refugees in the city. (Shutterstock)

    Since 2015, the Republic of Cyprus (ROC) has seen a steady rise in migrant arrivals and asylum applications, primarily from people from Middle Eastern and African countries like Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon.

    But many asylum-seekers face significant challenges. Refugees formally in the asylum system are often denied residency permits, which means they face persistent insecurity, poverty and isolation

    These conditions are compounded by restrictive and limited services for asylum-seekers. This deepens the precarity and exclusion refugees face within a political and economic system that treats them more like economic burdens than as human beings with rights who need help.

    In response to these institutional failures, citizens, volunteers and refugees themselves have begun to build grassroots networks of care and solidarity in the ROC and beyond to support refugee communities.

    In 2022 and 2023, we conducted interviews with women volunteers and refugees affiliated with The Learning Refuge, a civil society organization in the city of Paphos in southwest Cyprus that cultivates dialogue and collaboration among these two diverse groups.

    Women-led initiatives

    Many displaced people first arrive on the island of Cyprus through the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). However, the absence of a functioning asylum system or international legal protections leaves them in limbo.

    With no viable path to status in the TRNC, most cross the Green Line that bifurcates Cyprus into the ROC, where European Union asylum frameworks exist but remain limited in practice.

    Women-led community-building is often a response to the negative effects of inadequate state support and humanitarian aid for refugees. In Cyprus, this situation leaves many refugees without access to sufficient food, satisfactory health care, accommodation, employment, clothing and language training. In this current environment, refugees are increasingly experiencing insecure and fragile situations, especially women.

    In Cyprus, ss in many other countries, a variety of community-building efforts are important responses to limited or restricted state support and humanitarian aid for refugees.

    Women-led efforts offer opportunities to deliver educational activities and establish networks, and to help improve the welfare and social protection of refugee women, however imperfectly.

    These and other similar efforts highlight how women refugees and volunteers can mobilize to foster dialogue and collaboration.

    The Learning Refuge

    Founded in 2015, The Learning Refuge began as community meetings in a city park. The organization then used space from a nearby music venue to conduct support activities, and later, established itself in a dedicated building.

    Organizations like The Learning Refuge emerged to address the limited state support and humanitarian assistance services available to refugees.

    The Learning Refuge cultivates dialogue and collaboration among a diverse group of community volunteers.
    (Suzan Ilcan)

    As Syrian families began arriving in Paphos in 2015, local mothers started working with Syrian children, assisting them with homework, providing skills-training opportunities and language classes.

    The Learning Refuge cultivates dialogue and collaboration among a diverse group of community volunteers, including schoolteachers, artists, musicians, local residents, refugees and other migrants.

    With the aid of 20 volunteers, the loosely organized groups provide women refugees with material support and resources to enhance collective activities, including art and music projects, while also engaging in educational and friendship activities.

    While modest in scale, the organization has formed partnerships with local and international organizations, including Caritas Cyprus, UNHCR-Cyprus and the Cyprus Refugee Council to extend its outreach to various refugee groups.

    The organization has also launched creative initiatives aimed at cultivating additional inclusive civic spaces. One such effort, “Moms and Babies Day,” was developed in response to the rising number of single mothers from Africa arriving on the island. These women often face poverty and isolation, and struggle with language barriers.

    These efforts highlight how grassroots responses — especially those led by women — can offer partial but vital educational and emotional support to refugees struggling to find their footing in a new country.

    Negotiated belonging

    Through participation in The Learning Refuge, refugee women in Paphos engage in a dynamic process of negotiated belonging, navigating challenges like language barriers, gendered isolation, domestic violence and poverty while contributing to broader community-building efforts.

    For example, Maryam, a Syrian woman and mother of three, told us how The Learning Refuge helped her children establish friendships and learn Greek. She also highlighted that it helped her form close ties with volunteers and other Syrian women living in Cyprus, and find paid work in the city.

    The volunteers and women refugees participating in The Learning Refuge’s activities emphasized not only their capacity to develop new forms of belonging and solidarity; they also help reshape communal knowledge and generate supportive spaces for women from various backgrounds.

    Our research shows that women-led community-building is an effective, though short-term, response to insufficient state support and humanitarian aid systems that leave many refugees in precarious situations.

    In varying degrees, these efforts offer women and their families spaces to learn and cultivate new relationships, and foster collective projects and better visions of resettlement and refuge.

    Suzan Ilcan receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada.

    Seçil Daǧtaș receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. The Learning Refuge: How women-led community efforts help refugees resettle in Cyprus – https://theconversation.com/the-learning-refuge-how-women-led-community-efforts-help-refugees-resettle-in-cyprus-252682

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Alberta youth have the right to school library books that reflect their lives, including sexuality

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jamie Anderson, PhD Candidate, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary

    Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has expressed fondness for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, most recently wagering a a friendly public bet on the NHL hockey playoffs. In 2023, she said she wanted Albertans to enjoy some of the same freedoms available to citizens in certain American states, including Florida.

    Her government’s latest proposal aims to take more than a page from DeSantis’s playbook, setting its sights on how Florida has targeted school library books, effectively purging and banning many.

    Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides recently announced the province will move ahead to develop provincial standards “to ensure the age-appropriateness of materials available to students in school libraries.” This followed a public engagement survey related to what he said were concerns about “sexually explicit” books in Edmonton and Calgary schools.

    The province says the survey results show “strong support” for a school library policy, even while the majority of respondents don’t want the government setting standards for school library books.

    This marks the Alberta government’s latest effort to restrict the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ children and youth.

    New proposed school library standards

    Like Florida’s statute on K-12 instructional materials, Alberta’s proposal centres on age-appropriateness and increasing parental choice in learning materials.

    Despite claiming a need for new standards, Nicolaides has acknowledged there are already mechanisms in place in Alberta’s school jurisdictions for parents to challenge materials. Many school boards already have policies governing school library materials.

    Additionally, librarians are trained professionals who follow established practices around organizing materials that reflect developmental appropriateness.

    Florida school book purges

    Florida’s statute, framed by DeSantis as empowering parents to object to obscene material, has targeted 2,700 books. More than 700 were removed from libraries in 2023-24.



    Read more:
    Ron DeSantis shows how ‘ugly freedoms’ are being used to fuel authoritarianism

    Confusion and a climate of fear caused by the bill has led Florida teachers and librarians to self-censor. Florida’s Department of Education urged districts to “err on the side of caution” to avoid potential felony charges.

    Such fear and surveillance lead to unnecessary restrictions on students’ rights.

    Targeting 2SLGBTQIA+ books

    Nicolaides has emphasized that developing the new standards in Alberta is not a question of “banning certain books,” and has acknowledged he does not have that authority.

    However, as PEN Canada notes, the implications of the proposed policies raise alarm bells, with the government’s actions “paving the way to a new era of government-sponsored book banning.” Singling out books has the same effect as a ban, according to the CEO of the St. Albert Public Library.

    By labelling four books as inappropriate — three of which include 2SLGBTQIA+ authors and themes — Nicolaides suggests these books don’t belong in K-12 schools. One of the books, the graphic novel Flamer, has won several awards, including the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Young Adult Literature in 2021.

    PEN America interview with Mike Curato, author of ‘Flamer.’

    The education minister refuted the idea that singling out the books is anti-queer or anti-trans, and did so in an inflammatory manner, characterizing concern as being about protecting children from seeing porn, child molestation and other sexual content.

    Nicolaides also said the proposed policy is focused on sexual content, so themes and depictions of graphic violence are “probably not” an issue.

    Rolling back trans, queer rights

    Alberta has already rolled back the rights of trans and non-binary children and youth to use different pronouns, access gender-affirming care and participate in sports.

    Queer and trans identities are also absent from all subjects in the K-12 program of studies, including recently updated K-6 curriculum. New sexual health resource guidelines prohibit the use of learning materials that primarily and explicitly address sexual orientation or gender identity unless they have been vetted and approved by Alberta Education (except for use in religion classes).

    Survey amplifies moral panic

    Through specific communication tactics, the minister’s public engagement works to exacerbate moral panics about sexuality as a threat to childhood innocence. This influences broader messages about 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion.

    The government-created survey shared illustrations and text excerpts on their own, without context or consideration of their narrative purpose in each book. Although the excerpts flagged by the minister make up between 0.1 to two per cent of the total page count in each book, the books as a whole are labelled “extremely graphic.”

    In a media appearance, Nicolaides stated the books in question were available to “elementary-aged” students. This is misleading because K-9 schools include junior high students.

    In a social media post, the minister’s press secretary said “these problematic books were found in and around books like Goldilocks,” suggesting targeted books are alongside children’s storybooks. But the image he shared showed Flamer near the graphic novel Goldilocks: Wanted Dead or Alive, aimed at middle-grade readers aged nine to 12 years old.

    Survey respondents

    The survey reported 77,395 responses by demographics, including parents, teachers, school administrators, librarians and other interested Albertans.

    Forty-nine per cent of parents of school-aged children were not at all or not very supportive of the creation of government guidelines, compared to 44 per cent of the same demographic who were somewhat or very supportive (eight per cent were unsure). Across each other demographic, most respondents expressed that they didn’t support the creation of new government standards. But the ministry plans to move ahead anyway.

    Socially conservative lobby

    The Investigative Journalism Foundation reports two conservative activist groups have taken credit for giving the Alberta government names of books believed to be inappropriate.

    Parental rights groups and far-right activists have long asserted that 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion in schools “indoctrinates” and sexualizes children.

    We’re concerned the Alberta government may be reinforcing this message to manufacture a greater public consensus in support of wider policies against 2SLGBTQIA+ rights.

    Since at least 2023, United Conservative Party (UCP) members have embraced socially conservative “parental rights” rhetoric and supported motions for purging school libraries and mandating parent approval of changes to kids’ names and pronouns.

    Traditionalist ‘parental rights’

    Far-right activist groups like Take Back Alberta have shaped the UCP government’s policies alongside special interest groups like Action4Canada and Parents for Choice in Education.

    A common thread among such groups is parental authority over one’s own children framed in traditionalist or hetero-normative terms. Significant mobilizing has happened against the inclusion of sexual orientations and gender identities in school curricula, trans-inclusive health care, drag shows, conversion therapy bans and more.



    Read more:
    Pride, pages and performance: Why drag story time matters more than ever

    Queer and trans identities are viewed as a social contagion threatening to change anyone exposed to them, and efforts for inclusion are labelled “gender ideology.”

    These misconceptions, combined with political and religious biases, frame queerness and transness as “adult topics” that will confuse or harm children. However, research confirms ignoring these topics is of far greater concern when children may already experience discrimination about their gender expression by the age of five.

    Earlier learning about diverse forms of gender expression and relationships can reduce victimization, and prevent young children from becoming perpetrators of, or bystanders to, anti-2SLGBTQIA+ harassment and violence.



    Read more:
    ‘Parental rights’ lobby puts trans and queer kids at risk

    The United Nations recognizes that governments need to resist political pressure “based on child protection arguments to block access to information on [2SLGBTQIA+] issues, or to provide negatively biased information.”

    Access to self-selected literature is important for all students, and can be a lifeline for 2SLGBTQIA+ students who don’t see themselves in the curriculum.

    If Alberta Education will not prepare students for the world they live in — where we queer and trans people exist, flourish and are loved — then students should be able to seek out stories that reflect that world. It’s a matter of protecting their freedom of expression.

    Jamie Anderson has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the University of Calgary.

    Tonya D. Callaghan receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Killam Trusts.

    Caitlin Campbell and Nicole Richard do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Alberta youth have the right to school library books that reflect their lives, including sexuality – https://theconversation.com/alberta-youth-have-the-right-to-school-library-books-that-reflect-their-lives-including-sexuality-258265

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Dan Goldman Demands Transparency Around Immigration Proceedings for Unaccompanied Minors

    Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)

    REP. DAN GOLDMAN DEMANDS TRANSPARENCY AROUND IMMIGRATION PROCEEDINGS FOR UNACCOMPANIED MINORS 

     

    Trump’s March Attempt to Terminate Federally Funded Legal Aid for Unaccompanied Migrant Children Has Thrown System into Disarray 

     

    Juvenile Dockets Safeguard Unaccompanied Children from Trafficking, Exploitation, and Abuse 

     

    Read Letter Here 

    Washington D.C. – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) led 77 of his colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee to direct the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) to submit a report to Congress detailing the status of unaccompanied children’s immigration proceedings. The letter also asks the Committee to include language in its FY2026 report encouraging EOIR to continue using specialized juvenile dockets to improve fairness, efficiency, and child protection in immigration court proceedings. 

    “The immigration courts have a critical role to play in administering justice efficiently while maintaining standards that ensure due process, which can be especially difficult in proceedings where children are the sole or principal respondent.  Utilization of specialized juvenile dockets with robust anti-trafficking safeguards and child-appropriate accommodations can both help protect children from dangers and achieve much needed efficiency benefits for the backlogged immigration courts, all while improving due process in children’s cases,” the Members wrote. 

    Children as young as two are often left to navigate America’s complex and unforgiving immigration system entirely on their own, exposing them to serious risks of abuse, human trafficking, and long-term harm. Earlier this year, Donald Trump terminated the federal contract that provided critical legal assistance to these unaccompanied migrant children, stripping away one of their few remaining protections for over 26,000 unaccompanied migrants. The Members asked for the following language to be included in the FY26 federal budget: 

    “The Committee encourages EOIR to continue using specialized juvenile dockets across the immigration courts to improve the fairness and efficiency of immigration adjudications involving unaccompanied children, better protect those children against trafficking and exploitation, and connect children with legal assistance. The Committee directs EOIR to submit a report to the Committee, within 180 days of enactment of this act, detailing the status of unaccompanied children’s immigration proceedings.”  

    Congressman Dan Goldman has consistently fought to ensure unaccompanied minors receive support and proper legal representation when navigating the U.S. immigration system.  

    Congressman Goldman was instrumental in prompting the Biden Administration’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) to release new guidance for children’s immigration proceedings. This guidance established specialized children’s dockets in every immigration court, overseen by dedicated judges. 
    The Biden Administration’s Executive Order followed the introduction of Congressman Goldman’s Children’s Court Act, which intended to reduce the immigration court backlog and strengthen due process rights for children. 

    In March 2025, President Trump terminated federal funding for legal services that protected and provided legal aid to over 26,000 unaccompanied migrant children. 

    Read the letter here or below:  

    Dear Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Meng:  

    As your committee considers appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, we urge you to direct the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) to submit a report to Congress detailing the status of unaccompanied children’s immigration proceedings.  

    The immigration courts have a critical role to play in administering justice efficiently while maintaining standards that ensure due process, which can be especially difficult in proceedings where children are the sole or principal respondent. The immigration courts are also an important element of creating a system that ensures unaccompanied children are protected from dangers like human trafficking, exploitation, and abuse. Utilization of specialized juvenile dockets with robust anti-trafficking safeguards and child-appropriate accommodations can both help protect children from dangers and achieve much needed efficiency benefits for the backlogged immigration courts, all while improving due process in children’s cases.   

    In December 2023, EOIR clarified in the Director’s Memorandum on Children’s Cases in Immigration Court that each immigration court would have a specialized juvenile docket for cases where the sole or principal respondent was under 21 years old. These dockets would be held separately from adult cases and would be overseen by judges who receive specialized training. The Memorandum also outlined certain procedures and practices that immigration judges should follow to create a system where children could better comprehend their proceedings; where indicators of trafficking would be identified; and through which the courts could work towards streamlining benefits.   

    Unfortunately, EOIR rescinded the Director’s Memorandum this year and reinstated 2017 guidance that offers fewer trafficking safeguards, efficiency benefits, and pragmatic processes. This change threatens to create unnecessary delays which further exacerbate the severe immigration court backlog. It also diminishes critical safeguards designed to ensure that children can seek relief for which they may be eligible and that they comply with their immigration responsibilities, including updating their address with government agencies.   

    Given the important role of Congress in overseeing the immigration courts’ handling of juvenile proceedings, we ask the Committee to include the following language in its report:  

    The Committee encourages EOIR to continue using specialized juvenile dockets across the immigration courts to improve the fairness and efficiency of immigration adjudications involving unaccompanied children, better protect those children against trafficking and exploitation, and connect children with legal assistance. The Committee directs EOIR to submit a report to the Committee, within 180 days of enactment of this act, detailing the status of unaccompanied children’s immigration proceedings. This report shall address: the name and number of immigration courts implementing juvenile dockets; training that has been provided to juvenile docket judges; any restrictions imposed on judges’ ability to use docket management tools for children’s proceedings; methods that courts are using to facilitate legal representation for children; and other relevant matters, as appropriate.  

    We appreciate your consideration of this important issue.  

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Letlow Files Bill Directing Tariff Revenue to Farmers

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Julia Letlow (LA-05)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Congresswoman Julia Letlow has filed legislation to support American agricultural producers impacted by disruptions to the global trade market.

    The bill would create a dedicated fund, administered by the Secretary of Agriculture, to provide a timely and targeted safety net for American farmers and producers. The Tariff Responses and Damages to Exports (TRADE) fund would equip the Trump Administration to respond swiftly to trade-related agricultural losses, allowing the President to deposit revenue from tariffs on foreign agricultural products directly into an account used to offset related losses suffered by American producers.

    “As President Trump works to fix unfair trade practices, I’m moving to make sure our farmers receive the support they need,” said Congresswoman Julia Letlow. “This bill would dedicate money collected from tariffs on foreign ag products to American farmers. Our farmers are the lifeblood of Louisiana and our nation, and I’ll have their back every step of the way as President Trump works to create a level playing field with our trading partners.”

    The fund could compensate agricultural producers affected by market changes as measured by a decrease in exports, increasing input costs, and tariffs and other trade barriers imposed by foreign countries.

    To learn more about Congresswoman Letlow’s focus on agriculture issues on behalf of Louisiana’s 5th District, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PHOTOS/VIDEO: Capito, Noem Celebrate Opening of Monarch Hall at Advanced Training Center

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
    [embedded content]
    Click here or on the image above to watch Senator Capito’s remarks.
    HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), former chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, today joined Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott, as well as Congressman Riley Moore (R-W.Va.), at the ribbon cutting ceremony for Monarch Hall, the newest addition to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Advanced Training Center (ATC) in Harpers Ferry.
    During her time as the top Republican on the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Capito led efforts in the Senate to secure federal funding for Monarch Hall, which will enhance training capacity for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other Homeland Security personnel as they prepare to meet evolving threats at our nation’s borders and beyond. Senator Capito secured funding for this project in Fiscal Years (FY) 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
    “Facilities like Monarch Hall are critical to ensuring that the men and women who protect our homeland receive the cutting-edge training they need. I was proud to lead the effort to secure funding for this project, and I’m grateful to Secretary Noem and Commissioner Scott for joining us today to celebrate this important milestone and see the important work happening here firsthand. West Virginia plays a vital role in our national security, and this facility is another example of how our state is contributing to the safety and security of the American people,”Senator Capito said.
    “I want you all to know that I believe she [Senator Capito] is going to go down in history as one of the most effective senators that this country has ever seen. She has been so incredibly powerful in her advocacy for things that truly do matter…For years now, she has championed bringing the dollars that are necessary here to get this hall built,” Secretary Noem said.
    “I think it’s important to understand that we would not exist without Senator Capito’s support. Not just financially through appropriations, but the conversations behind the scenes, learning about the organization…I’m in a unique position coming up through the organization where I got to see the senator come out in the field when I was a Sector Chief and she just wanted to learn. I want to thank you for that because getting to know what’s behind the curtain is the important part,” Commissioner Scott said.
    The ribbon cutting ceremony highlighted the federal government’s continued commitment to supporting law enforcement training initiatives. Senator Capito has visited the facility several times, including in 2017 and 2021.
    Photos from today’s event are below:

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) participates in the ribbon cutting ceremony for Monarch Hall at the Advanced Training Center in Harpers Ferry, W.Va. on Monday, June 23, 2025.

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) delivers remarks at the ribbon cutting ceremony for Monarch Hall at the Advanced Training Center in Harpers Ferry, W.Va. on Monday, June 23, 2025. 

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) participates in the ribbon cutting ceremony for Monarch Hall at the Advanced Training Center in Harpers Ferry, W.Va. on Monday, June 23, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy Delivers Speech on Dangers of Unregulated AI During CODEL to Europe

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    June 20, 2025

    PARIS—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) delivered a major speech on the threats posed to the U.S. economy and spiritual health of Americans by unregulated artificial intelligence technology at the Paris Institute of Political Studies during a congressional delegation to Paris, France and Bucharest, Romania.

    Murphy acknowledged the potential benefits of this transformational technology: “It will likely turn out to be one of the most socially and economically disruptive technologies ever. It’s probably going to be bigger than the printing press or advanced medicine or the internet. And there’s also no doubt that it has enormous practical upsides. Medical advances will come more quickly. Production will be cheaper. Administration will become more efficient. Complex societal problems will be solved more easily.”

    But Murphy warned the Trump administration is downplaying the potential risks of unregulated AI technology, evidenced by a speech given earlier this year by Vice President J.D. Vance: “The current U.S. administration is right now fully captured by the AI industry, and they are focused only on driving up the industry’s profits at the expense of the American worker and the American family. The vice president said at that summit that the White House refuses to view AI as a purely disruptive technology that will inevitably automate away our labor force. But this is exactly what unregulated, unchecked AI will do. The vice president claimed that the White House wanted the AI driven internet to be a safe place, but refused to endorse a single rule or a single idea that would keep it safe, apparently believing the industry whitewash that they will just self-regulate and prioritize family and citizen safety above profits, something the tech industry has never done.”

    He argued the industry leaders lobbying against AI regulation are prioritizing profit over the common good: “The leaders of these companies, brimming with dangerous hubris, rapacious in their desire to build wealth and power, and far too comfortable in shrugging off the destructive power of their product… They’re in a race to deploy and commercialize and profit, and they are paying mere lip service to the ways in which AI and AGI could destroy the already fraying fabric of our country…If we don’t decide collectively as a transatlantic community to protect ourselves from the most transformational technology of our lifetime. And as I said, perhaps in the history of the world, we won’t have democracies to be able to protect the values that we care so deeply about. We won’t be able to debate domestic and foreign policy.”

    He pushed back on those who argue regulating AI in the U.S. will give China a strategic advantage in developing the technology: “Frankly, China is likely rooting for us to use American and European citizens as guinea pigs for the AI revolution because they aren’t doing that. China’s attempts at regulation have been lighter than the EU, but it’s just not true that China believes that the way to beat the United States towards AI prominence is by not regulating the industry. China would love for the United States economy to collapse, because we are less thoughtful than Beijing in controlling the job loss they would love for unchecked fake video and audio to turn our culture into chaos. They would love for our young people to become even further lost and isolated as robot friends replace real friends and real interaction. Regulating AI isn’t a gift to China – it’s a way to make sure that we manage the growth of AI in a way that makes sure that we beat the Chinese in this race.”

    ##

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Upcoming Presentations by Staff of CBO’s Health Analysis Division

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    This summer, several of my colleagues in the Congressional Budget Office’s Health Analysis Division will present their work in three sessions at the 14th Annual Conference of the American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon) in Nashville, Tennessee. The presentations are part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to engage with the broader research community. Those efforts include calls for research, such as the agency’s recent blog post on nutritional standards in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; public posting of code; and updates on ongoing work. By engaging with researchers outside the agency, CBO improves the quality of its analysis and makes its methods and findings more transparent and available. We look forward to discussion and feedback on the following topics of this summer’s presentations:

    Spotlight Session: Putting Research to Work: How CBO Uses Research to Inform Policymakers

    Presenters
    Noelia Duchovny (CBO), Sean Lyons (CBO), Jared Maeda (CBO), J. Michael McWilliams (Harvard Medical School), Mark Shepard (Harvard University), and Bryan Tysinger (USC Schaeffer Center)

    Moderator
    Tamara Hayford (CBO)

    Session
    Spotlight Session: Putting Research to Work: How CBO Uses Research to Inform Policymakers

    Description
    CBO uses published research and discussions with experts to inform the agency’s analytical work, including estimates of the budgetary effects of proposed legislation. In addition, CBO actively engages with the research community to develop the agency’s evidence base and analytical methods. For example, CBO has published four blog posts in the past two years calling for new research on topics in the health space ranging from how health care providers respond to cost shocks to take-up rates and costs of treatment for complications from hepatitis C. Because CBO is often tasked with projecting the impact of new programs or policies on the federal budget, descriptive data and research on the impact of policy, health, and pricing shocks on health care service use and spending are particularly valuable to the agency. In this session, CBO’s Health Analysis Division highlights three examples of research that have been particularly helpful. The session will include short presentations by study authors, discussions of how the work was used and what made it helpful by CBO analysts, and a Q&A at the end for session attendees to learn about CBO’s work and what makes research particularly useful and informative.

    Tracking the Incidence of Medicare Advantage Payments

    Presenter
    Eric Schulman

    Session
    Poster Reception

    Authors
    Jared Maeda (CBO) and Eric Schulman (CBO)

    Abstract
    This paper investigates how nominal payments to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have changed over time and how those changes have shaped economic outcomes for plans and beneficiaries. The question is policy-relevant because of differences in the relationships between benchmarks, enrollment, and benefit generosity under the Benefits Improvement and Protection Act (BIPA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which potentially contributed to inaccurate forecasts of the ACA’s impact. A potential reason for the difference between projected and actual outcomes is that regulatory rulemaking shaped actual payment amounts in unexpected ways. For example, although the ACA lowered MA benchmarks, total payments increased because of simultaneous growth in risk adjustment payments, complicating efforts to measure the economic incidence of the ACA (that is, which parties ultimately benefited from or bore the burden of payment changes). Our project examines the extent to which local-level, rule-based changes in payments affected who benefited or bore the burden of the ACA payment changes, compared with changes to plans and beneficiary behavior.

    Initial descriptive statistics suggest that BIPA’s payment floors functioned as a progressive subsidy that primarily benefited rural, low-spending counties, whereas the ACA payment cuts were proportional to spending and concentrated in high-spending urban areas. That geographic pattern suggests that local market conditions—such as insurer competition, beneficiary health profiles, and physician practices—may significantly shape the incidence of payment reforms. Our descriptive findings so far highlight the need to further investigate how local market characteristics interact with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’s (CMS’s) rulemaking around plan finances to determine which parties benefit from or bear the burden of payment changes. As a next step, we intend to decompose the variation in plan payments, premiums, and benefits into components explained by observable factors (such as benchmarks, risk scores, quality bonuses, and rule-based elements in the CMS bidding tool) and unobservable factors (such as behavioral responses) to better understand the economic incidence of the ACA.

    Substitution Between Medicare Advantage and Medigap

    Presenter
    Daria Pelech

    Session
    Enrollment Decision-Making in Medicare Advantage

    Authors
    Daria Pelech (CBO) and Margaret Kallus (UC Berkeley Economics)

    Abstract
    Though Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) covers many benefits, the program’s cost-sharing structure can expose beneficiaries to substantial financial risk. To protect against that risk, most beneficiaries obtain additional coverage. Historically, many beneficiaries have purchased supplemental Medigap policies—private insurance plans that “wrap around” Medicare FFS and cover Medicare FFS deductibles, copayments, and coinsurances. Increasingly, however, Medicare beneficiaries have enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, in which a private insurer covers enrollees’ Medicare benefits and often restructures their cost-sharing to reduce enrollees’ financial risk. As of 2024, just over half of all Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in MA, up from less than a third a decade earlier. Because Medigap and MA fill some of the same financial needs for many beneficiaries—defraying the cost of the traditional Medicare benefit—the premiums and availability of Medigap policies likely influence beneficiaries’ choices between Medicare FFS and MA. In the past decade, Medigap premiums have grown with inflation while MA premiums have largely stayed flat. The diverging affordability between those options might explain some of the increase in MA enrollment over the past 20 years.

    This paper combines detailed data on Medigap premiums and Medicare enrollment to estimate the effect of Medigap premiums on MA enrollment. Specifically, we estimate how variation in Medigap premiums affects the probability that beneficiaries who are newly enrolling in Medicare choose MA. We also estimate the probability that MA enrollees leave their plans following a health shock or an increase in MA premiums. Using brokerage data on Medigap premiums, we estimate the average and minimum premiums each individual might face on the basis of their age, gender, zip code, and eligibility for an open-enrollment period. We combine that with a 10-year panel of individual Medicare enrollment data identifying beneficiaries who are new to Medicare or who disenroll from their MA plans. For enrollees who are new to Medicare, we estimate their probability of enrolling in MA on the basis of Medigap premiums and characteristics of the MA market in their area. For individuals who are enrolled in MA, we match Medicare enrollment data to external data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services using MA plan identifiers to identify which plans have experienced changes in premiums or benefits (which might induce a beneficiary to shop for a new plan) and which plans have been canceled (which requires a beneficiary to select a new plan). We also use individual-level beneficiary risk scores to identify beneficiaries who experience large health shocks, to compare their probability of leaving MA with that of other beneficiaries.

    The results of this study will help us better understand Medigap’s role in the increase in MA enrollment, which in turn will help improve future projections of MA enrollment growth. The results will also inform estimates of policies that might change Medigap or MA availability—such as guaranteed open-enrollment periods for those who leave their MA plans or changes in payments to MA plans.

    Chapin White is CBO’s Director of Health Analysis.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Israel further tightens grip on the West Bank amid Iran escalation

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Jerusalem – As international focus shifts to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, Israeli forces have ramped up their activities in the West Bank, Palestine. Increased military operations in Jenin, Nablus, and Tulkarem governorates, along with additional troop deployments, have led to heightened restrictions on Palestinians. Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) warns that these actions exacerbate the already dire situation for Palestinians in the West Bank, who face significant barriers to accessing healthcare and essential services, especially since October 2023. MSF urges an immediate halt to measures that contribute to forced displacement and a system of annexation, including prolonged military presence, movement restrictions, demolitions, excessive use of force, and denial of basic services. 

    “On 13 June the Israeli forces raided my village in Tulkarem,” says Karim,* an MSF staff member in the West Bank. “They took over two residential buildings and turned them into military barracks, displacing the people who were living there. Since then, they have been patrolling the village regularly, conducting investigations, interrogations, arrests, searches, and detentions.” 

    “Over the past week, West Bank communities have seen their lives further controlled by an occupying power while the world looks away,” says Simona Onidi, project coordinator Jenin and Tulkarem. “This cannot continue.” 

    On 13 June, the day the escalations started, the Israeli authorities blocked all major Israeli checkpoints and road gates entrances to Hebron for four days. This forced people seeking medical care to cross between areas on foot, pushing critically ill people to walk long distances, taking the risk of being shot at, or being prevented from crossing at all.  

    “On 14 June, I tried to take my brother from Bethlehem to a medical appointment in Hebron – a trip that should take 25 minutes,” says Oday Al-Shobaki, MSF communications officer in the West Bank. “But due to the new Israeli restrictions, all main entrances and exits were closed. It took us three hours, and in the end, despite being very ill, he had to walk through a closed checkpoint on foot, like many others, which is not safe.” 

    MSF has suspended mobile clinics in Hebron and Nablus that provide mental health, sexual reproductive care, and basic healthcare due to these checkpoint closures and security concerns from the intensified military operations. In Jenin and Tulkarem, mobile clinics had to adapt working hours, running on some days, not others, because of Israeli forces’ presence in nearby villages. This has forced patients to rely on phone consultations.  

    Military operations and violent raids by the Israeli army have been going on for years in the West Bank. 2022 saw a then-record number of Palestinian deaths due to violence by Israeli forces or settlers. Since October 2023, Israeli forces have increased the number of coercive measures and use of extreme physical violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including severe movement restrictions, military raids, and systemic barriers to essential services.  

    In January 2025, the Israeli forces began the ‘Iron Wall’ military operation in northern West Bank, which is still ongoing. Violently emptying well-established camps and preventing anyone from returning, more than 42,000 people have been forcibly displaced and left without stable homes, and with limited access to food, water, and medical care. 

    “This latest wave of restrictions and violence over the last week, seems to be an opportunity for Israeli forces to entrench control, deepen the fragmentation of Palestinian communities, and further the system that the International Court of Justice has described as amounting to racial segregation and apartheid,” says Onidi. “We urge third states to move beyond words of condemnation and put real pressure on Israeli authorities to end excessive force and lift movement restrictions blocking access to essential services and humanitarian aid, and scaling up support for displaced and isolated communities across the West Bank.” 
     

    *name changed to protect our colleague’s identity.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Video: The EU-Canada Summit, 2025, Brussels

    Source: European Commission (video statements)

    On 23 June 2025, during the the EU-Canada Summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will hold a press conference together with António Costa, President of the European Council, and Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada.

    The summit is an opportunity to enhance the EU-Canada strategic partnership and for leaders to reinforce their cooperation at different levels, from trade to economic security, energy, crisis management, and justice and home affairs, in light of the rapidly changing geopolitical and economic context.

    The EU-Canada Security and Defence Partnership is expected to be agreed. Leaders will also issue a joint statement.

    Follow live events and access media content here:
    https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/

    Stay updated — follow us on X: https://x.com/EC_AVService

    Follow us on:
    -X: https://twitter.com/EU_Commission
    -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/europeancommission/
    -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanCommission
    -LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/european-commission/
    -Medium: https://medium.com/@EuropeanCommission

    Check our website: http://ec.europa.eu/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0KCSNDwqG8

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: What is the IAEA? 5 Facts about the International Atomic Energy Agency | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (video statements)

    Established in 1957 to promote peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the International Atomic Energy
    Agency (IAEA) is an autonomous part of the United Nations system with 180 member countries. The IAEA monitors nuclear facilities, reports on nuclear activities, oversees safety, urges diplomacy and promotes the use of nuclear technologies for a better future.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEGSr62N7HI

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Cliff Bentz Statement on Recent Bombing of Iran

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Cliff Bentz (R-Ontario)

    WASHINGTON, D.C.– On June 22nd, using B2 bombers, 30 tomahawk missiles, and six 30,000 pound “Bunker Busting” bombs, the United States attacked three nuclear sites in Iran. The reason for the attack was to prevent Iran, a country hostile to the United States, Israel, and peace in the Middle East, from using the enriched uranium it had produced at those sites to construct an atomic bomb.

    Said Congressman Cliff Bentz (OR-02): “I support President Trump’s decision to use our military to damage and hopefully destroy Iran’s immediate capability to produce nuclear weapons. To quote my fellow Congressman Dan Crenshaw, ‘The regime that’s spent decades chanting “death to America” just got the message: you don’t threaten the United States or our allies without consequences.’ 

    Unless Iran immediately surrenders which is highly unlikely, this is not the end of this crisis. Therefore, every American must be vigilant and report to authorities any activity that even hints at terrorist activity. I thank the incredibly brave men and women that carried out this mission, and I pray for those currently stationed in the middle east protecting us from those who may at any time retaliate.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Cliff Bentz Statement on Recent Bombing of Iran

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Cliff Bentz (R-Ontario)

    WASHINGTON, D.C.– On June 22nd, using B2 bombers, 30 tomahawk missiles, and six 30,000 pound “Bunker Busting” bombs, the United States attacked three nuclear sites in Iran. The reason for the attack was to prevent Iran, a country hostile to the United States, Israel, and peace in the Middle East, from using the enriched uranium it had produced at those sites to construct an atomic bomb.

    Said Congressman Cliff Bentz (OR-02): “I support President Trump’s decision to use our military to damage and hopefully destroy Iran’s immediate capability to produce nuclear weapons. To quote my fellow Congressman Dan Crenshaw, ‘The regime that’s spent decades chanting “death to America” just got the message: you don’t threaten the United States or our allies without consequences.’ 

    Unless Iran immediately surrenders which is highly unlikely, this is not the end of this crisis. Therefore, every American must be vigilant and report to authorities any activity that even hints at terrorist activity. I thank the incredibly brave men and women that carried out this mission, and I pray for those currently stationed in the middle east protecting us from those who may at any time retaliate.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Reliable quantum computing requires progress across the full stack, from error correction to hardware. With new 4D codes reducing error rates 1,000x, and our co-designed quantum system with Atom Computing, we’re bringing utility-scale quantum closer than ever. Read more about the latest quantum advances we announced today.

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Reliable quantum computing requires progress across the full stack, from error correction to hardware. With new 4D codes reducing error rates 1,000x, and our co-designed quantum system with Atom Computing, we’re bringing utility-scale quantum closer than ever. Read more about the latest quantum advances we announced today.

    Reliable quantum computing requires progress across the full stack, from error correction to hardware. With new 4D codes reducing error rates 1,000x, and our co-designed quantum system with Atom Computing, we’re bringing utility-scale quantum closer than ever. Read more about the latest quantum advances we announced today: https://lnkd.in/gGiG8QT6

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Fred Smith shaped the world of commerce and logistics as we know it today. His vision, leadership and relentless drive to innovate won’t be forgotten. Rest in peace, Fred.

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Fred Smith shaped the world of commerce and logistics as we know it today. His vision, leadership and relentless drive to innovate won’t be forgotten. Rest in peace, Fred.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: New Mu language model powers the agent in Windows Settings

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: New Mu language model powers the agent in Windows Settings

    We are excited to introduce our newest on-device small language model, Mu. This model addresses scenarios that require inferring complex input-output relationships and has been designed to operate efficiently, delivering high performance while running locally. Specifically, this is the language model that powers the agent in Settings,  available to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel with Copilot+ PCs, by mapping natural language input queries to Settings function calls.

    Mu is fully offloaded onto the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) and responds at over 100 tokens per second, meeting the demanding UX requirements of the agent in Settings scenario. This blog will provide further details on Mu’s design and training and how it was fine-tuned to build the agent in Settings.

    Model training Mu

    Enabling Phi Silica to run on NPUs provided us with valuable insights about tuning models for optimal performance and efficiency. These informed the development of Mu, a micro-sized, task-specific language model designed from the ground up to run efficiently on NPUs and edge devices.

    Encoder-Decoder Architecture compared to Decoder-only Architecture

    Mu is an efficient 330M encoder–decoder language model optimized for small-scale deployment, particularly on the NPUs on Copilot+ PCs. It follows a transformer encoder–decoder architecture, meaning an encoder first converts the input into a fixed-length latent representation, and a decoder then generates output tokens based on that representation.

    This design yields significant efficiency benefits. The figure above illustrates how an encoder-decoder reuses the input’s latent representation whereas a decoder-only must consider the full input + output sequence. By separating the input tokens from output tokens, Mu’s one-time encoding greatly reduces computation and memory overhead. In practice, this translates to lower latency and higher throughput on specialized hardware. For example, on a Qualcomm Hexagon NPU (a mobile AI accelerator), Mu’s encoder–decoder approach achieved about 47% lower first-token latency and 4.7× higher decoding speed compared to a decoder-only model of similar size. These gains are crucial for on-device and real-time applications.

    Mu’s design was carefully tuned for the constraints and capabilities of NPUs. This involved adjusting model architecture and parameter shapes to better fit the hardware’s parallelism and memory limits. We chose layer dimensions (such as hidden sizes and feed-forward network widths) that align with the NPU’s preferred tensor sizes and vectorization units, ensuring that matrix multiplications and other operations run at peak efficiency. We also optimized the parameter distribution between the encoder and decoder – empirically favoring a 2/3–1/3 split (e.g. 32 encoder layers vs 12 decoder layers in one configuration) to maximize performance per parameter.

    Additionally, Mu employs weight sharing in certain components to reduce the total parameter count. For instance, it ties the input token embeddings and output embeddings, so that one set of weights is used for both representing input tokens and generating output logits. This not only saves memory (important on memory-constrained NPUs) but can also improve consistency between encoding and decoding vocabularies.

    Finally, Mu restricts its operations to those NPU-optimized operators supported by the deployment runtime. By avoiding any unsupported or inefficient ops, Mu fully utilizes the NPU’s acceleration capabilities. These hardware-aware optimizations collectively make Mu highly suited for fast, on-device inference.

    Packing performance in a tenth the size

    Mu adds three key transformer upgrades that squeeze more performance from a smaller model:

    • Dual LayerNorm (pre- and post-LN) – normalizing both before and after each sub-layer keeps activations well-scaled, stabilizing training with minimal overhead.
    • Rotary Positional Embeddings (RoPE) – complex-valued rotations embed relative positions directly in attention, improving long-context reasoning and allowing seamless extrapolation to sequences longer than those seen in training.
    • Grouped-Query Attention (GQA) – sharing keys / values across head groups slashes attention parameters and memory while preserving head diversity, cutting latency and power on NPUs.

    Training techniques such as warmup-stable-decay schedules and the Muon optimizer were used to further refine its performance. Together, these choices deliver stronger accuracy and faster inference within Mu’s tight edge-device budget.

    We trained Mu using A100 GPUs on Azure Machine Learning, taking place over several phases. Following the techniques pioneered first in the development of the Phi models, we began with pre-training on hundreds of billions of the highest-quality educational tokens, to learn language syntax, grammar, semantics and some world knowledge.

    To continue to enhance accuracy, the next step was distillation from Microsoft’s Phi models. By capturing some of the Phi’s knowledge, Mu models achieve remarkable parameter efficiency. All of this yields a base model that is well-suited to a variety of tasks – but pairing with task-specific data along with additional fine-tuning through low-rank adaption (LoRA) methods, can dramatically improve the performance of the model.

    We evaluated Mu’s accuracy by fine-tuning on several tasks, including SQUAD, CodeXGlue and Windows Settings agent (which we will talk more about later in this blog). For many tasks, the task-specific Mu achieves remarkable performance despite its micro-size of a few hundred million parameters.

    When comparing Mu to a similarly fine-tuned Phi-3.5-mini, we found that Mu is nearly comparable in performance despite being one-tenth of the size, capable of handling tens of thousands of input context lengths and over a hundred output tokens per second.

    Task Model Fine-tuned Mu Fine-tuned Phi
    SQUAD 0.692 0.846
    CodeXGlue 0.934 0.930
    Settings Agent 0.738 0.815

    Model quantization and model optimization

    To enable the Mu model to run efficiently on-device, we applied advanced model quantization techniques tailored to NPUs on Copilot+ PCs.

    We used Post-Training Quantization (PTQ) to convert the model weights and activations from floating point to integer representations – primarily 8-bit and 16-bit. PTQ allowed us to take a fully trained model and quantize it without requiring retraining, significantly accelerating our deployment timeline and optimizing for efficiently running on Copilot+ devices. Ultimately, this approach preserved model accuracy while drastically reducing memory footprint and compute requirements without impacting the user experience.

    Quantization was just one part of the optimization pipeline. We also collaborated closely with our silicon partners at AMD, Intel and Qualcomm to ensure that the quantized operations when running Mu were fully optimized for the target NPUs. This included tuning mathematical operators, aligning with hardware-specific execution patterns and validating performance across different silicon. The optimization steps result in highly efficient inferences on edge devices, producing outputs at more than 200 tokens/second on a Surface Laptop 7.

    Mu running a question-answering task on an edge device, using context sourced from Wikipedia: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft)

    Notice the fast token throughputs and ultra-fast time to first token responses despite the large amount of input context provided to the model.

    By pairing state-of-the-art quantization techniques with hardware-specific optimizations, we ensured that Mu is highly effective for real-world deployments on resource-constrained applications. In the next section, we go into detail on how Mu was fine-tuned and applied to build the new Windows agent in Settings on Copilot+ PCs.

    Model tuning the agent in Settings

    To improve Windows’ ease of use, we focused on addressing the challenge of changing hundreds of system settings. Our goal was to create an AI-powered agent within Settings that understands natural language and changes relevant undoable settings seamlessly. We aimed to integrate this agent into the existing search box for a smooth user experience, requiring ultra-low latency for numerous possible settings. After testing various models, Phi LoRA initially met precision goals but was too large to meet latency targets. Mu, with the right characteristics, required task-specific tuning for optimal performance in Windows Settings.

    While baseline Mu in this scenario excelled in terms of performance and power footprint, it incurred a 2x precision drop using the same data without any fine-tuning.  To close the gap, we scaled training to 3.6M samples (1300x) and expanded from roughly 50 settings to hundreds of settings. By employing synthetic approaches for automated labelling, prompt tuning with metadata, diverse phrasing, noise injection and smart sampling, the Mu fine-tune used for Settings Agent successfully met our quality objectives. The Mu model fine-tune achieved response times of under 500 milliseconds, aligning with our goals for a responsive and reliable agent in Settings that scaled to hundreds of settings. The below image shows how the experience is integrated with an example showing the mapping from a natural use language query to a Settings action being surfaced by the UI.

    Screenshot demonstrating the agent in Settings

    To further address the challenge of short and ambiguous user queries, we curated a diverse evaluation set combining real user inputs, synthetic queries and common settings, ensuring the model could handle a wide range of scenarios effectively. We observed that the model performed best on multi-word queries that conveyed clear intent, as opposed to short or partial-word inputs, which often lack sufficient context for accurate interpretation. To address this gap, the agent in Settings is integrated into the Settings search box, enabling short queries that don’t meet the multi-word threshold to continue to surface lexical and semantic search results in the search box, while allowing multi-word queries to surface the agent to return high precision actionable responses.  

    Managing the extensive array of Windows settings posed its own challenges, particularly with overlapping functionalities. For instance, even a simple query like “Increase brightness” could refer to multiple settings changes – if a user has dual monitors, does that mean increasing brightness to the primary monitor or a secondary monitor?

    To address this, we refined our training data to prioritize the most used settings as we continue to refine the experience for more complex tasks.

    What’s ahead

    We welcome feedback from users in the Windows Insiders program as we continue to refine the experience for the agent in Settings.

    As we’ve shared in our previous blogs, these breakthroughs wouldn’t be possible without the support of efforts from the Applied Science Group and our partner teams in WAIIA and WinData that contributed to this work, including: Adrian Bazaga, Archana Ramesh, Carol Ke, Chad Voegele, Cong Li, Daniel Rings, David Kolb, Eric Carter, Eric Sommerlade, Ivan Razumenic, Jana Shen, John Jansen, Joshua Elsdon, Karthik Sudandraprakash, Karthik Vijayan, Kevin Zhang, Leon Xu, Madhvi Mishra, Mathew Salvaris, Milos Petkovic, Patrick Derks, Prateek Punj, Rui Liu, Sunando Sengupta, Tamara Turnadzic, Teo Sarkic, Tingyuan Cui, Xiaoyan Hu, Yuchao Dai.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: AI at Work: Harvard’s Karim Lakhani on how AI is shifting from tool to ‘teammate’

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: AI at Work: Harvard’s Karim Lakhani on how AI is shifting from tool to ‘teammate’

    Harvard Business School Professor Karim Lakhani doesn’t just have theories about AI transforming work—he studies how it’s actually happening.  

    In a groundbreaking paper called “The Cybernetic Teammate,” he and his co-authors showed how individuals working with AI can be as effective as entire teams working without it. He is also rapidly evolving Harvard’s MBA program for the age of AI, which includes the launch of a new required course called Data Science and AI for Leaders. 

    When I hosted Karim for a conversation at the Microsoft 365 Community Conference last month in Las Vegas, he raised a provocative question: will AI drive the marginal cost of expertise down toward zero? As AI democratizes access to specialized knowledge across domains, it follows that expertise will shift from being rare and costly to abundant and accessible. “This will dramatically impact the nature of our organizations and strategy,” he told me, “because what are companies but bundles of expertise? And all of us invest to become deep experts in a domain.”  

    Here’s our conversation about organizations and leadership in the AI era (edited and condensed for clarity). 

    It’s a pleasure to talk with one of my friends about where AI is going and what it means for leaders. Karim, I want to start with that “Cybernetic Teammate” study, done with Procter & Gamble. Could you give us the backstory?  

    KARIM LAKHANI: The institute I run at Harvard, the Digital Data Design Institute, is looking at generative AI like a new “drug” in the economy. We don’t know its efficacy, the right doses, the side effects, or the right diet to follow while using it. We don’t know how actual work will transform with the introduction of this technology, so we run the equivalent of “clinical trials”—randomized controlled trials. 

    Victor Aguilar, head of research and development for Procter & Gamble, wanted to understand how generative AI could radically transform the innovation process at P&G. In innovation, there’s often this interaction between R&D and commercial people: R&D comes up with the technical ideas, but the commercial team asks, “is there a market for this or not?” The best practice is to have them collaborate in a team.  

    We designed this study of 758 professionals as what we call a two-by-two design: We had commercial and marketing folks work on challenges given by their business leaders—one group working without AI and one with AI. We also tested individuals under the same conditions. Then we randomized who was in which treatment and had them solve their problems with those tools.  

    Let’s talk about the results. This is the study that showed an individual equipped with AI could perform at least as well as—and sometimes outperform—entire teams of people without AI. It’s a landmark finding. Can you tell us about that? 

    LAKHANI: What does a teammate provide? They provide you with functional expertise, help you with coordination, and give you a sense of camaraderie. We measured these three elements remotely using Microsoft Teams as the platform.  

    The first finding was that when you look at pure performance, the quality of the ideas being created, individuals with AI were as good as a team without AI—and often as good as a team with AI. That was remarkable from our perspective. 

    The other interesting thing we saw was that individuals without AI tended to veer toward their functional expertise: marketing people gave marketing-based solutions, R&D people offered R&D-based solutions. But individuals with AI produced balanced solutions—comparable to the balanced solutions we saw from teams. That was a big moment for us. 

    Were there any other surprises in how people used AI, reframed their work, or wanted to use it going forward? 

    LAKHANI: We had done various studies before showing the productivity effects of AI, in terms of both quality and time. The time compression was actually quite remarkable. Teams normally experience a time penalty [because coordination takes time]. But with AI, that time penalty disappeared.  
     
    That was a big surprise. Another surprise was how people felt while using AI. They reported more positive emotions and fewer negative ones as they were doing the work. 

    The big aha for us was that AI shifted from being a tool to a teammate. This is unprecedented. We now have intelligence and expertise on tap. 

    I imagine what’s on people’s minds is, “I get it. I understand where the technology is…but what does this mean for me? What do I do as a leader?” What advice might you have for the group? 

    LAKHANI: Do you remember debates about whether we should have Wi-Fi in our offices? I’m sure some of you participated in them. The question maybe went up to your boards. Or remember the question, “Should employees have browsers? Access to global information?”  

    Those things didn’t fundamentally change the nature of work. But intelligence on demand, expertise on demand—these technologies are about work itself. You need to drive as much organizational transformation as technical transformation. We often say it’s 30% tech, 70% organization. Staple yourselves to your HR teams. Or have Copilot teach you the things about HR that you should know. It creates great tutorials, as you know. That’s the first thing. 

    Second: People are worried—really worried—about these technologies. That’s part of the conversation you need to have. How do we have an abundance mindset around this? What are the capability unlocks? Again, these are things that technology leaders have not typically been asked about. But you need to own it and engage in a conversation with your leaders and teammates about it. 

    Third: This type of change has to come from the top. I came up in the era of Wired magazine and Fast Company in the 1990s, when the internet came to workplaces. Fast Company was all about change agents. But change agents get massacred in most corporations. Why? Because if there’s no top-down buy-in, the change agents die on the vine. The key for us here is to make sure our top leaders understand this and see AI as a work and business technology, not as an information technology. Leaders in companies need to “do AI” (use Copilot as a thought partner all the time, build their own agents) as much as they “talk AI.” 

    Is there any last concept or idea that you feel has been left unsaid? 

    LAKHANI: Well, if I was good at predicting the future, I would be in the stock market, not academia. I tend to be very much an empiricist: I’ll come in with a discovery mindset, we’ll run the experiment, and then we’ll get the facts. But I’d love to offer a framing around this intelligence view.  

    I decided to become an academic in the 1990s when I discovered open-source software. We’re at the same juncture now. This stuff works in practice, but our management theories or economic theories don’t know how to handle this kind of technology. 

    Think back to the ‘90s again, when the browser became available. What did the browser and the internet really do? Essentially, they lowered the marginal cost of information transmission. If you go on a Teams call today with a global or national team, you don’t think twice about all the videos that are coming in. Thirty years ago, every one of us would have needed a camera operator, a sound operator, a satellite truck uplink, and a downlink. This would be prohibitively expensive. But today, the marginal cost of information transmission has gone down to zero, and we can seamlessly connect with anyone or any device globally. 

    In this moment, we’re predicting the same thing for expertise: the marginal cost of expertise is going to zero. 

    The clinical trials with our collaborative partners (Boston Consulting Group and P&G) are pointing in this direction, and this will dramatically impact the nature of our organizations and strategies. Because what are companies but bundles of expertise? We have finance, marketing, sales, R&D, and brand. You have all this expertise. As that cost of expertise drops, what a company does—what all of our roles are—is all up for invention and reinvention. 

    The direction of this change is up to all of us. We can’t just be the receivers of it; we have to understand what’s happening and then set the direction for ourselves and our companies. 

    Listen to Karim Lakhani’s recent appearance on the WorkLab podcast. For more insights about AI and the future of work, subscribe to this newsletter

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Initiative Marianne

    Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development

    Presentation

    In 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the launch of the Marianne Initiative for human rights defenders, aimed at better supporting them in their fight, both abroad and in France.

    The Marianne Association for Human Rights Defenders was created to federate the actors involved in our country (State, organisations and associations for the promotion of human rights and reception, local authorities, qualified personalities, etc.) and to carry the initiative’s support pillar in France, for the benefit of about fifteen laureates per year (reception, personalised support, networking, etc.).

    “France is and will remain a land of welcome for human rights defenders

    Après la réception d’une première promotion exclusivement féminine en 2022, trois nouvelles promotions mixtes se sont suite ensuite succédées, en 2023, 2024 et plus récemment 2025.

    Some fifteen men and women from every continent have been welcomed to France for six months as part of the Initiative. The winners benefit from a training program designed to strengthen their skills and commitment in their home country or in France, whether in favor of civil and political rights, women’s rights, minority rights or environmental rights.

    A look back at past years

    “The protection of human rights is more than ever a topical battle, in a context where repression is multiplying in every corner of the world”.

    Emmanuel Macron – President of the Republic, at the launch of the second promotion

    “Fundamental human rights are under increasing threat around the world. On this international day, I wanted to launch the Marianne Initiative for Human Rights Defenders. To take these rights everywhere. To protect and support its defenders.”

    Emmanuel Macron – President of the Republic, on Human Rights Day 2021

    Read more

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Joint Statement: Enduring Partnership, Ambitious Agenda

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    1. Today marks a historic milestone as we, the leaders of the European Union and Canada, met to renew our enduring commitment and take a pivotal step to further reinforce the strategic partnership between the European Union and Canada. Our strong partnership is deeply rooted in trust and common values and shaped by a shared history of human connection and robust economic ties. Most importantly, our partnership is grounded in the core values we share: democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and open, rules-based markets. In a rapidly changing world marked by geopolitical uncertainty, shifting economic dynamics, and the accelerating impacts of climate change, this partnership is more important than ever.
       
    2. We stand united in our objective to forge a new ambitious and comprehensive partnership that responds to the needs of today and will evolve to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future. This marks the beginning of a long-term effort that will help us promote shared prosperity, democratic values, peace and security. To do this, we have decided to further build on existing ties and launch a process that will move Canada and the EU closer together and that lays out immediate and long-term actions outlined in an ambitious agenda at the end of this document. We also agreed today on an EU-Canada Security and Defence Partnership.
       
    3. Our citizens are looking for responses to the unprecedented challenges we face. This is why it is more important than ever to work together to promote our shared values and the rules-based international order. We will also pursue our common interests, while continuing to promote and deepen our vibrant trade and investment relationship, and our strong people-to-people contacts. We will stand together even more firmly in support of peace, stability, and prosperity in the world, including in Ukraine, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.
       
    4. We confirm our unwavering commitment to the rules-based international order with the United Nations and its charter at its core. The EU and Canada will continue to cooperate closely in promoting international peace and security. Our commitment to sustainable development remains a key pillar of our relationship. We will continue to be key partners in promoting democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, gender equality and the rule of law globally. We will take further action to ensure respect for the rights of women and girls, and to end to all forms of discrimination, including against LGBTI persons. We will continue supporting the implementation of the UN Pact for the Future and the ambitious reforms sought under the UN80 Initiative. We reaffirm our steadfast support for the independent functioning of the international criminal justice system, particularly the International Criminal Court. We condemn threats to the independent functioning of the ICC, including measures against individual officials.
       
    5. We are determined to continue working together in responding to the growing challenges to the international economic and trade order. We reiterate our mutual commitment to sustainable, fair and open trade, grounded in the rule of law and in respect for internationally agreed trade rules, as embodied by the World Trade Organization. This is essential to maintain global economic stability and to safeguard our supply chain resilience.
       
    6. We reaffirm our resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a manifest violation of the UN Charter and international law. Our commitment to ensuring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders is unshakeable. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to providing continued political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes and as intensely as needed, in full respect of the security and defence policy of certain EU Member States and taking into account the security and defence interests of all EU Member States. We support the conclusion of a just and lasting peace agreement, in full compliance with the principles of the UN Charter and international law, and join the call for a full, unconditional ceasefire of at least 30 days, which Ukraine has unilaterally committed to. We will continue to support the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children co-chaired by Ukraine and Canada, and we reiterate our urgent call on Russia and Belarus to immediately ensure the safe return of all unlawfully deported and transferred Ukrainian children. We will continue our close coordination of efforts to provide military equipment and training to the Ukrainian Armed Forces —including through the work of the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM Ukraine) and Operation UNIFIER.
       
    7. We will increase pressure on Russia, including through further sanctions and taking measures to prevent their circumvention, and by ensuring that Russian sovereign assets remain immobilized until Russia ceases its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates it for the damage caused by this war. We are committed to ensuring full accountability for war crimes and other serious crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression, including by the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. We also remain committed to supporting Ukraine’s repair, recovery and reconstruction including through the Ukraine Donor Platform and in-country coordination mechanisms. We welcome Canada’s continued support, through the extension of an expert deployment to the Ukraine Donor Platform. The Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome in July 2025 will be particularly relevant in that context.[1]
       
    8. We also reaffirm our continued support for the Republic of Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, enhancing the country’s resilience in dealing with the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the hybrid activities by Russia to undermine Moldova, in particular in the run-up to the Parliamentary elections. 
       
    9. In relation to the situation and latest developments in the Middle East, we reaffirm our commitment to an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and the resumption of unimpeded humanitarian aid at scale into Gaza in line with humanitarian principles, in order to address the catastrophic humanitarian situation on the ground. We reiterate our strong condemnation of the escalation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, following increased settler violence, the expansion of settlements, which are illegal under international law, and Israel’s military operation. We emphasize the importance of pursuing a lasting and sustainable peace based on the implementation of the two-state solution. We see no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza. 
       
    10. We express our deepest concern at the dangerous escalation following Israeli strikes on Iran, and Iran’s response. We reiterate our strong commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East, including the security of Israel, and call on all sides to show restraint and abide by international law. We have been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. A diplomatic solution remains the best way to address concerns over Iran’s nuclear program. The EU and Canada stand ready to contribute to a negotiated deal, which imposes verifiable constraints on Iran’s nuclear program, with the International Atomic Energy Agency in charge of monitoring and verification. We also remain committed to addressing Iran’s destabilizing behaviour, including its nuclear proliferation risks, military support for Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, backing of regional armed groups, transnational repression, and systematic human rights violations.
       
    11. Security in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is increasingly interconnected. We reaffirm our shared interest in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, including in the East and South China Seas and across the Taiwan Strait. We will continue working with regional partners, including ASEAN, to uphold a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region based on international law. We continue to be deeply concerned by DPRK’s ongoing nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs and condemn Russia-DPRK military cooperation, which violates UN Security Council resolutions and undermines international security.
       
    12. We will continue deepening our cooperation and dialogue, together with partners from around the world, to address key regional issues, in particular in relation to the broader Middle East – notably Lebanon and Syria. We will also continue engaging with each other on issues related to Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean, including Haiti. We will stay engaged in fragile and conflict-affected countries, facing instability or in complex settings, to support populations, in particular the most vulnerable.
       
    13. The Arctic will remain an area of close collaboration to foster peace and security, stability, and sustainable economic development, in particular of the blue economy, in full respect of the interests, priorities and rights of Indigenous Peoples in line with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
       
    14. The EU and Canada will continue to be reliable and responsible partners. We reiterate our steadfast commitment to advancing global sustainable development, working with partners across the globe. We are determined to deliver on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, together with international partners and in multilateral fora. We look forward to the upcoming 4th International Conference on financing for Development (FfD4), which will take place in Seville from 30 June to 3 July 2025. We will continue to deepen our cooperation and dialogue on humanitarian aid, including on respect for International Humanitarian Law and response to humanitarian crises.
       
    15. We recognize the existential threat of the interdependent crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation and pollution. The EU-Canada Green Alliance is our steadfast, joint commitment to ambitious environment and climate action on the global stage. Carbon pricing, carbon removal and industrial decarbonization are key to reaching net-zero and decarbonization goals, while a high integrity carbon market can contribute to enhancing the global ambition. The EU is a dedicated participant in Canada’s Global Carbon Pricing Challenge (GCPC). At COP30, the EU and Canada aim to further promote carbon pricing as a tool to combat climate change, foster innovation and to modernize our industries. COP30 will also be an opportunity to highlight the importance of decarbonizing the transport sector and to promote sustainable transportation solutions. We reiterate our commitment to the swift and full implementation of the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including through the Nature Champions Network.
       
    16. We agree that the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) and the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) are at the core of the EU-Canada relationship. Through these agreements we are developing and deepening our partnership continuously in response to an evolving global context. We will continue to ensure their effective implementation and remain committed to achieving their full ratification. The SPA and CETA have allowed us to boost our cooperation over the past eight years.
       
    17. We are committed to further enhancing our EU-Canada trade and investment relationship, to advance and diversify our trade, promote our economic security and resilience, create investment opportunities and ensure our long-term security and prosperity. Our relationship is underpinned by CETA and its benefits are clear: bilateral trade has increased by over 65% compared to pre-CETA levels. We welcome the efforts being made to remove barriers to interprovincial trade in Canada and reduce barriers within the EU Single Market as they will further ease trading and doing business for our companies.
       
    18. Ensuring reliable and sustainable supply chains is a mutual priority and we have a shared interest in diversifying our supply chains and strategic investment. We will foster a closer cooperation on targeted industrial matters driving global competitiveness and strategic autonomy, such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, space, cyberspace, aeronautics, biotechnologies, new energies, minerals and critical metals, advanced manufacturing and cleantech. We intend to maintain a secure transatlantic supply chain on key technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), supercomputers and semiconductors. We welcome the recent announcement of a Canadian strategic nickel project under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and will work to identify opportunities for co-investment in projects of mutual interest. We welcome the G7 Global Critical Minerals Action Plan agreed under Canada’s Presidency.
       
    19. We also remain committed to pursuing mutually beneficial collaboration on digital and tech policy issues and bolstering the bilateral digital trade relationship. Through the Canada-EU Digital Partnership, we are already working hand in hand on concrete projects in crucial areas for a robust digital economy, such as research in cutting-edge technologies, and we look forward to Canada hosting the first EU-Canada Digital Partnership Council later this year. We intend to enhance cooperation on AI innovation, including collaboration on AI Factories, to link our high-performance computing infrastructure and to deepen research cooperation in strategic technology areas such as AI and quantum. We also intend to align our frameworks and standards in the regulatory field, to make online platforms safer and more inclusive, to develop trustworthy AI systems and to establish interoperable digital identities and digital credentials to facilitate interactions between our citizens and our businesses.
       
    20. We have agreed today an EU-Canada Security and Defence Partnership, which provides a coherent, high-level political framework for our joint efforts in this field and will strengthen and widen the scope of cooperation and dialogue between the EU and Canada. We remain committed to continuing our strong cooperation, notably through Canada’s contributions to EU missions and operations, and welcome possible further collaboration on crisis management in the future. Canada will strengthen its defence relationship with the EU by posting a defence representative to the EU. We underscore the value of Canada’s participation in the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) projects and look forward to pursuing additional initiatives within this framework. In line with our shared security interests, we attach particular importance to collaboration on defence. For Canada and those EU Member States who are NATO Allies, NATO remains the cornerstone of their collective defence. Our aim will be to help deliver on our capability targets, including through our defence industries, more quickly and economically and with enhanced interoperability in ways that deliver mutual benefit and reinforce the European contribution to NATO. All of the above is without prejudice to the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain EU Member States, and taking into account the security and defence interests of all Member States, in accordance with the EU Treaties. We appreciate Canada’s continued commitment to European security, which includes the largest deployment of Canadian Armed Forces overseas.
       
    21. Recognizing the importance of the Women, Peace and Security as well as the Youth, Peace and Security agendas, we will continue supporting the full, equal and meaningful participation of women and youth in conflict prevention, mediation, resolution, peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and post-conflict reconstruction. We recognize that an enabling environment, is fundamental to ensuring the safe participation of women, and remain committed to fostering such environments. We will ensure that Women, Peace and Security is integrated in all aspects of cooperation on security and defence. Gender equality is a shared political and security priority, and we will collaborate to counter setbacks against gender equality and the rights of women and girls.
       
    22. To ensure comprehensive and sustainable progress, Canada and EU senior officials will meet at regular intervals to review progress and identify opportunities to deepen cooperation, in line with existing CETA and SPA consultation mechanisms, and in view of the next EU-Canada Summit. 

    Annex – The New EU-Canada Strategic Partnership of the Future 

    Together, we will: 

    Increase trade flows and promote economic security 

    • Support businesses to grow and diversify markets by fully and effectively implementing CETA.
    • Modernize our approach to trade by launching work towards a Digital Trade Agreement that would complement CETA.
    • Create tools for businesses to better support trade diversification, such as facilitating B2B matchmaking, cluster-to-cluster cooperation, and supporting the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
    • Advance our collaboration in the EU-Canada Economic Security Dialogue. Political and technical exchanges will allow us to identify trends and risks of mutual concern that could affect our economic security, and cooperation on possible policy responses.
    • Reduce barriers and strengthen agriculture and agrifood trade.
    • Prepare ourselves for the energy needs of the future, by cooperating more closely and exploring options to work together on more resilient, diversified, reliable energy supply chains, including clean tech value chains, LNG, renewables, safe and sustainable low-carbon hydrogen and other safe and sustainable low-carbon technologies, in view of increasing bilateral trade and strengthening energy security.
    • Continue the existing cooperation on nuclear technologies, including fuels and fuel cycle services, through the negotiation of a modernized and comprehensive Canada-Euratom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.
    • Strengthen labour mobility by facilitating the movement of highly skilled workers, and explore shared interests in exchanging information about immigration partnerships. 

    Foster competitiveness and resilience through strengthened cooperation in strategic value chains 

    • Launch a new EU-Canada Industrial Policy Dialogue to boost industrial and supply chain cooperation in strategic sectors.
    • Promote projects and investments that reduce supply chain risks and foster resilience and the competitiveness of our industries and critical goods (e.g. semiconductors), including by promoting projects that abide by environmental, social and governance standards.
    • Work together closely to ensure security and diversity in the supply of minerals and metals critical to our mutual security and the green and digital transitions, including by exploring new opportunities to facilitate the two-way flow of investment, materials and expertise through the EU-Canada Strategic Partnership on Raw Materials.
    • Complete the negotiations for a renewed Canada-EU Competition Cooperation Agreement, providing a legal framework to coordinate enforcement activities and share information obtained through investigative powers in full respect of data privacy guarantees in both jurisdictions, as soon as possible. 

    Deepen regulatory alignment 

    • Identify opportunities for increased regulatory alignment between Canada and the EU, including through advancing work under CETA’s Protocol on the Mutual Acceptance of the Results of Conformity Assessment.
    • Bolster formal consultative mechanisms on EU and Canadian legislation and regulations, including CETA’s Regulatory Cooperation Forum. 

    Increase transatlantic security through a new era of EU-Canada security and defence cooperation, including the full implementation of the EU-Canada Security and Defence Partnership 

    • Bolster our bilateral dialogue and operational cooperation in all areas of joint interest in support of peace, security and defence – such as maritime security, cyber issues and hybrid threats.
    • Advance cooperation on the climate-security nexus and expand joint efforts in maritime security by identifying opportunities for coordinated naval activities.
    • Expand cooperation on defence capabilities, in particular by creating opportunities for increased defence industrial cooperation.
    • Secure and protect our democratic institutions by preventing and countering foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) through increased cooperation through relevant EU, Canadian and multilateral initiatives, such as the Canada-hosted G7 Rapid Response Mechanism.
    • Consider Canada’s further participation in EU Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) projects, with an aim towards joint development of capabilities and greater interoperability.
    • Increase defence procurement cooperation through Canadian collaboration with ReArm Europe/Readiness 2030:
      • launch work towards a bilateral agreement related to the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument
      • explore the possibility of establishing an administrative arrangement between Canada and the European Defence Agency 

    Shape the digital transition and promote exchanges in education and on innovation for technologies of the future 

    • Deepen cooperation in the framework of the EU-Canada Digital Partnership, and hold the first EU-Canada Digital Partnership Council later this year to drive this process forward.
    • Advance cooperation on AI, cybersecurity, secure digital communication and advanced connectivity, secure and trusted communications infrastructure (including 5G and subsea cables), the transparency and resilience of global tech supply chains, digital identity, quantum science, data spaces, online platforms and fighting FIMI.
    • Advance regulatory cooperation under the Digital Partnership, notably in AI and cybersecurity, so as to work towards the mutual recognition of AI and cybersecurity product certification including under the CETA Protocol on Conformity Assessment.
    • Deepen collaboration by leveraging Canada’s association to Horizon Europe, including on high priority topics, and exploring its potential participation in EU’s 10th Framework Programme.
    • Expand cooperation for access to world-class high-performance computing infrastructure through Horizon Europe.
    • Support research and industrial collaboration in research security, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum sciences, cyber security, climate change, oceans, circular economy, polar research and researcher mobility and training, including through the Canada-EU Digital Partnership and under the EU-Canada Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement.
    • Promote and defend the freedom of academic and scientific research and the protection of scientists.
    • Increase people to people ties, improve mobility and recognition, including in higher education and research through Erasmus+, the European Research Council and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions. 

    Fight climate change and environmental degradation and facilitate the transition to climate neutrality 

    • Support for carbon pricing and industrial decarbonization as priority cooperation areas to combat climate change.
    • Bolster competitiveness through cooperation on carbon pricing systems and carbon border measures.
    • Work with international partners to promote the full, swift and effective implementation of the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
    • Collaborate to achieve an internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution covering the full lifecycle of plastics at INC 5.2.
    • Collaborate on the implementation of the Just Energy Transition Partnerships.
    • Jointly call for ambitious action to implement the Paris Agreement, in line with efforts to keep the 1.5°C warming goal within reach.
    • Continue working with other international partners to promote relevant international instruments to combatting climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
    • Welcome Canada joining the Global Energy Transition Forum launched by the European Commission to deliver on the goals of tripling the world’s renewable energy capacity and doubling the global annual rate of energy efficiency improvement by 2030 in parallel to a transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems.
    • Work together as co-conveners of the Global Methane Pledge to deliver on the goal of reducing global methane emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.
    • Advance cooperation on the climate–security nexus by exploring a Climate-Security Dialogue. 

    Crisis management 

    • Advance public and private investments, notably in sustainable, inclusive, resilient and quality infrastructure, including through our shared G7 commitment under the Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment and the EU’s Global Gateway strategy. At the same time, we recognize that investments in human development are a key enabling factor for just and sustainable digital and green transitions.
    • Strengthen cooperation on international crisis response and enhance cooperation on emergency management with the signing of an Administrative Arrangement between the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada and the European External Action Service on international cooperation in emergency planning and crisis response.
    • Respond more effectively to humanitarian crises and explore the possibility of a humanitarian administrative arrangement to align priorities and facilitate coordination.
    • Build health security and resilience through enhanced partnerships, including an administrative arrangement on medical countermeasures.
    • Building on the sale of 22 Canadian-built DHC-515 water bombers to the EU and Member States, explore further opportunities to share mutually beneficial technology and expertise in combating disasters. 

    Justice and Home Affairs 

    • Explore cooperation between Eurojust, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Canadian authorities in the field of criminal justice.
    • Advance the implementation, ratification and entry into force of the-EU-Canada Passenger Name Record Agreement.

    [1]We note the reservations of one Member State regarding the strategic direction of certain EU policies towards Ukraine.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Neal Statement on Trump’s Unilateral Military Action in Iran

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

    Neal Statement on Trump’s Unilateral Military Action in Iran

    Springfield, MA, June 21, 2025

    Congressman Richard E. Neal released the following statement:

     

    “Tonight, President Trump offered the American people no strategy and no justification for his attack on Iran — only the prospect of another war that the American people do not want. That’s why Congress, as the voice of the people, is entrusted with the constitutional authority to decide matters of war.

    “I pray for the safety of our troops and the American lives that have been put in harm’s way in the region.

    “Congress must return to Washington to assert its authority and prevent any further unchecked escalation. The only path to peace in the region is one where we exhaust every avenue of diplomacy.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Neal Statement on the 2025 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

    Today, Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement on the 2025 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports:

    “Social Security and Medicare are essential commitments to the American people, earned with every paycheck and promised to all who work hard and play by the rules. Right now, they are under attack as Republicans plot the greatest loss of health care in American history with their signature legislation and weaken the Social Security Administration every chance they get. By working overtime to tear Social Security and Medicare from the fabric of our nation, Republicans are attempting to balance the budget on the backs of those who can least afford it—all while giving more tax cuts to those who don’t need them. 

    “At President Trump’s direction, Elon Musk and his DOGE operation have taken a wrecking ball to the Social Security Administration—gutting staff, closing offices, slashing phone service, and compromising Americans’ most sensitive personal data. All while refusing to adequately fund basic customer service. Seniors are being forced into long lines, and some are so fearful of benefit cuts or mishaps that they’re claiming early just to get in the door while it still opens. This is not a glitch or a misstep. It’s a feature of the Republican playbook, and it’s a backdoor benefit cut.

    “Republicans have made their goals clear: undermine trust in Social Security, sabotage its administration, and hand it over to their Wall Street allies for profit. But Democrats won’t let that happen. We will never stop fighting to defend and strengthen Social Security and Medicare for every worker, every retiree, and every generation to come.”  

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Federal Reserve Board announces that reputational risk will no longer be a component of examination programs in its supervision of banks

    Source: US State of New York Federal Reserve

    Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

    Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock (
    Lock
    Locked padlock icon

    ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Narcotics Trafficker Who Brokered Cross-Country Fentanyl Sales Sentenced to 75 Months in Federal Prison

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

                WASHINGTON – Melvin Edward Allen, Jr., 39, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 75 months in federal prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy which distributed hundreds of thousands of lethal fentanyl-laced pills from Southern California to destinations throughout the United States, including Washington D.C. Allen was one of 24 co-defendants arrested over the course of 2023 in D.C., Virginia, Maryland, San Diego, and Los Angeles and charged in the conspiracy.

                The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, Inspector in Charge Damon Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

                Allen, aka “21,” pleaded guilty on December 18, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams of fentanyl. In addition to the 75-month prison term, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Allen to serve five years of supervised release.

                According to court documents, Allen entered into the conspiracy after he was introduced to a Los Angeles-based drug trafficker, co-defendant Hector David Valdez, who was a distributor of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills. Allen was introduced to Valdez by D.C.-based fentanyl traffickers who were co-conspirators of Allen.

                Allen’s role was to travel to Southern California in order to facilitate the sale of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills from the wholesaler to D.C.-based fentanyl redistributors. Allen most frequently brokered the purchase of the pills in person, taking approximately 65 flights from the DMV to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Allen used his commissions from the sales he brokered to fund a lavish lifestyle and routinely boasted of his spending habits and wealth on social media.

                The impetus for the investigation was the overdose death of Diamond Lynch, a young mother in Southeast D.C. In addition to investigating and prosecuting the death resulting case, law enforcement followed the evidence and uncovered a vast network of traffickers who transported fentanyl from Mexico to Los Angeles to the District of Columbia. Since then, investigators have seized more than 450,000 fentanyl pills, 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, and 30 firearms.

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

               The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the DEA Washington Division and the USPIS Washington Division in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional support from the DEA Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside Field Offices, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office, and the Charles County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Central and Southern Districts of California, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the District of Maryland.

               The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, Solomon S. Eppel, and Iris McCranie, of the Violent Crimes and Narcotics Trafficking Division.

    DEFENDANT

    AGE

    LOCATION

    CHARGES/SENTENCE

    Hector David Valdez,

    aka “Curl”

     

    27

    		 Santa Fe Springs, California

    Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl;

    conspiracy to commit international money laundering.

    Craig Eastman

     

    21

    		 Washington, D.C. Sentenced Feb. 6, 2025, to 165 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl.
    Charles Jeffrey Taylor

    21

    		 Washington, D.C. Pleaded guilty Feb. 28, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Raymond Nava, Jr.

    21

    Bell Gardens,

    California

    		 Sentenced Sept. 17, 2024, to 14 years for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Ulises Aldaz

    28

    Bell Gardens,

    California

    		 Sentenced June 28, 2024, to 95 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Max Alexander Carias Torres

    27

    Bell Gardens,

    California

    		 Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; conspiracy to commit international money laundering.
    Teron Deandre McNeil, aka “Wild Boy”

    35

    		 Washington, D.C. Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

    Marvin Anthony Bussie,

    aka “Money Marr”

    22

    		 Washington, D.C. Sentenced June 28, 2024, to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Marcus Orlando Brown

    29

    		 Washington, D.C. Sentenced Oct. 3, 2024, to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Columbian Thomas, aka “Cruddy Murda”

    27

    		 Washington, D.C. Sentenced Oct. 22, 2024, to 160 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Wayne Rodell Carr-Maiden

    35

    		 Washington, D.C. Sentenced April 29, 2024, to 45 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Andre Malik Edmond,

    aka “Draco”

    23

    		 Temple Hills, Maryland Sentenced July 22, 2024, to 130 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Treyveon James Johnson,

    aka “Treyski”

    21

    		 Alexandria, Virginia Sentenced Sept. 5, 2024, to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Karon Olufemi Blalock,

    aka “Fat Bags”

    30

    		 Alexandria, Virginia Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; conspiracy to commit money laundering.

    Ronte Ricardo Greene,

    aka “Cardiddy”

    29

    		 Washington, D.C. Pleaded guilty Feb. 27, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Melvin Edward Allen, Jr., aka “21”

    39

    		 Washington, D.C. Sentenced June 20, 2025, to 75 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Darius Quincy Hodges,

    aka “Brick”

    34

    		 Glen Allen, Virginia Conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Lamin Sesay,

    aka “Rock Star”

    28

    		 Alexandria, Virginia Sentenced May 30, 2025, to 110 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Paul Alejandro Felix

    26

    Glendale,

    California

    		 Sentenced Nov. 12, 2024, to 164 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Omar Arana,

    aka “Frogs”

    27

    Cudahy,

    California

    		 Sentenced May 2, 2025, to 93 months, for conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Edgar Balderas, Jr., aka “Nano”

    27

    San Diego,

    California

    		 Sentenced May 8, 2025, to 148 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Raul Pacheco Ramirez

    31

    Long Beach,

    California

    		 Sentenced Nov. 26, 2024, to 95 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Giovani Alejandro Briones

    31

    		 Victorville, California Sentenced Feb. 20, 2025, to 90 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Alfredo Rodriguez Gonzalez

    26

    		 Rosarito, Mexico

    Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl;

    conspiracy to commit international money laundering.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hillsborough County High School Teacher Pleads Guilty To Conspiring To Provide Firearms To Trinidad-Based Transnational Criminal Organization

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Shannon Lee Samlalsingh (46, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to making false statements to a firearms dealer on June 20, 2025. Samlalsingh faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

    According to the plea agreement, in 2020 and 2021, Samlalsingh purchased several firearms and firearms components from federally licensed firearms dealers in Hillsborough County and Miami-Dade County where she falsely stated on ATF 4473 forms that she was the actual transferee or buyer of said firearms. In reality, Samlalsingh had received money via international wire transfers from members of a Trinidadian transnational criminal organization with instructions to purchase specific model firearms and firearms components, then transfer them to other members of the transnational criminal organization already in Florida, to smuggle them back to Trinidad. Samlalsingh kept a percentage of the wire transfer funds as compensation. The firearms were smuggled back to Trinidad and Tobago by concealing them in a large wireless speaker and punching bags.

    On or about April 21, 2021, authorities at the Piarco International Airport in Trinidad and Tobago seized a shipment from the United States containing two punching bags and other goods. Concealed within the two punching bags were approximately eleven 9mm pistols, two .38 caliber special revolvers, a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun, three AR-15 barrel foregrips, 19 lower pistol grip assemblies, 11 forearm bolt assemblies, three AR-15-style barrels with forearm grips, 32 AR-15 magazines, one AR-15 drum magazine, 470 rounds of AR-15 ammunition, 34 9mm magazines, three 9mm drum magazines, 284 9mm rounds, fifteen .38 caliber rounds, 36 shells, six magazine couplers, and two shotgun chokes.  Specifically, Samlalsingh purchased a SAR-9 9mm pistol, a Ruger-9 9mm pistol, a Taurus G3 9mm pistol, a Taurus G2C 9mm pistol which were all traced to the April 21, 2021, seizure in Trinidad and Tobago.   

    This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of National Security (Transnational Organized Crime Unit) and Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (Special Investigations Unit), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A. Chee and Adam W. McCall.

    This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Shawano Man Indicted for Child Pornography Production

    Source: US FBI

    Richard Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 17, 2025, a federal indictment was returned alleging that Brandon M. Boogren (age: 29) of Shawano, Wisconsin, used a minor child to produce child pornography in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a).

    According to court documents, in May 2019 Boogren created several videos of himself and a then two-year-old child involved in sexually explicit conduct. Boogren then is alleged to have distributed the images to an individual in Houston, Texas, via the internet.

    If convicted of the charge alleged in the indictment, Boogren faces a mandatory 15 years’ imprisonment and up to 30 years’ imprisonment. He may also be fined up to $250,000 and would be required to register as a sexual offender under state and federal law.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Shawano County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.

    An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.     

    # # #

    For Additional Information Contact:

    Public Information Officer

    Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

    414-297-1700

     

    Follow us on Twitter

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Wausau Investment Advisor Charged with Wire Fraud and Money Laundering

    Source: US FBI

    MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced the unsealing of a criminal complaint charging Stanley Pophal, 63, Wausau, Wisconsin, with wire fraud and money laundering. Pophal was arrested Saturday and made his initial appearance in federal court yesterday. He was detained pending further proceedings.     

    According to the criminal complaint, beginning in 2019, Pophal solicited investors to purchase promissory notes from him with supposedly guaranteed rates of return. In order to lure investors into the scheme, Pophal falsely represented that he was a wealthy businessman. Between May of 2019 and March of 2025, Pophal received more than $15,000,000 from at least 120 investors.

    The criminal complaint also alleges that Pophal did not actually invest the  majority of the money he obtained from his investors. Instead, Pophal used the money to live an extravagant lifestyle, including the purchase of over 300 snowmobiles. To keep the fraud scheme going, Pophal also used new investor money to make “lulling payments” to previous investors to make it appear as though those investors were earning investment returns.

    The charges against Pophal are a result of an investigation conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner.

    You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation, and a person named as defendant in a criminal complaint or indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Following Trump Attacks on TPS, Cortez Masto, Van Hollen Put Forward Bill to Protect TPS and DED Recipients

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and 29 of her Senate colleagues in putting forward legislation to provide qualified Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients a path to legal permanent residency. The Senators’ introduction of the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency (SECURE) Act comes as the Trump Administration and the Supreme Court undermine TPS, a program that has for years provided refuge to those living in America who have fled natural disasters, violence, and political insecurity.

    “After escaping horrific violence and persecution in their home countries, TPS and DED recipients come to this country in search of a better life,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “These hardworking men and women have been living in and contributing to our communities for years, and it’s common sense to give them the certainty they need to fulfill the American Dream.” 

    The Trump Administration has revoked TPS for an estimated 563,000 recipients from five countries – Venezuela, Haiti, Afghanistan, Cameroon, and Nepal – and while there have been legal challenges filed against this action, the Supreme Court has temporarily allowed the revocation to stand – putting hundreds of thousands at risk of deportation to their home countries where they would face serious danger.

    The SECURE Act will provide long-term stability for these individuals and their communities by giving them the ability to apply for legal permanent residency. Under the bill, all TPS recipients – current and past – and TPS and DED eligible individuals who have been continuously present in the United States for at least three years would be eligible to apply for legal permanent residency.

    Additionally, under the SECURE Act:

    • A spouse, domestic partner, child, or unmarried child of a qualifying non-citizen would be eligible to obtain permanent resident status (upon meeting certain requirements).
    • Individuals with a pending TPS application will receive work authorization and be eligible for travel authorization.
    • Non-citizens who have a pending application or is prima facie eligible for permanent status under the bill and intends to apply are shielded from deportation.
    • Information from an applicant’s application may not be shared or used for immigration enforcement purposes, with limited exceptions, such as for the identification of fraudulent claims.
    • DHS must report to Congress when terminating a country’s TPS designation with an explanation to justify the termination.

    The first and only Latina senator, Senator Cortez Masto has consistently supported immigrant communities in Nevada, calling on both administrations to protect TPS holders and other immigrants, as well as leading commonsense legislation to fix our broken immigration system. She has worked to pass meaningful immigration reform that balances critical border security measures with a path to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, and essential workers.

    MIL OSI USA News –