NewzIntel.com

Category: Americas

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Farmers must be at the heart of biodiversity action

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Climate and Environment

    “Without the farmers, it is only political policy without implementation” – that was the stark message delivered by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Director-General on Tuesday to delegates attending the latest round of UN biodiversity talks in Rome. 

    Over 150 countries will be meeting from 25 to 27 February to advance biodiversity finance, accountability and the integration of agrifood systems into global conservation strategies.

    Despite groundbreaking agreements on genetic data and recognising the stewardship role of Indigenous Peoples at the first round of the COP16 conference in Colombia late last year, this new Conference of the Parties – or COP16.2 – aims to close some crucial gaps which are instrumental for implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

    With nature declining at an alarming rate, the challenge now is turning commitments into action.

    Farmers on board

    FAO chief Qu Dongyu called for urgent action to transform agrifood systems, stressing that biodiversity must be embedded in food and farming policies. A key focus is the Agri-NBSAPs Support Initiative, launched at COP16 in Cali, Colombia.

    The initiative is designed to help governments integrate agrifood systems into their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, to eliminate any conflicts between agricultural policy and biodiversity goals.

    Colombia’s COP16 President, Environment Minister María Susana Muhamad, and Agriculture Minister Martha Carvajalino, underscored the importance of full implementation.

    Mr. Dongyu highlighted the deep connections between biodiversity and food security, noting that over half of the Kunming-Montreal Framework’s 23 targets are directly linked to agriculture.

    He explained that “biodiversity is also in the soil and in the water” and that it is critical “to look at biodiversity from a holistic, three-dimensional perspective”.

    ‘On the brink’: Guterres

    Despite commitments made at COP15, funding remains a sticking point.

    Secretary-General António Guterres, warned in a statement that biodiversity is “on the brink” and urged governments to translate pledges into investment. “Success requires accountability. And action demands finance,” he said.

    With only a fraction of the required $200 billion per year mobilised, developing nations are pushing wealthier countries to meet their financial obligations.

    Discussions in Rome are expected to focus on accountability frameworks to track spending and ensure resources reach the communities most affected by biodiversity loss.

    What’s next?

    In the coming days, negotiators will work to finalise agreements on biodiversity finance, implementation strategies and monitoring frameworks.

    Mr. Dongyu closed his statement by calling for an integrated approach across government sectors.

    “We need an integrated approach across government sectors, across Ministries, to ensure the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, better environment and a better life – leaving no one behind,” he said.

    With time running out to meet the 2030 targets, COP16.2 is a key test of global commitment – whether countries will step up or risk falling short on protecting the planet’s ecosystems.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Delivering care close to home in La Crete

    Alberta’s government is committed to ensuring all Albertans have access to high-quality care when and where they need it, including in remote Alberta communities. The new La Crete Maternity and Community Health Centre will provide enhanced access to maternal health and advanced ambulatory care, underscoring the Alberta government’s dedication to meeting the health care needs of communities across the province.

    “Every Albertan deserves high-quality health care close to home. This expanded access will ensure Albertans living in La Crete and the surrounding areas will receive timely, exceptional care when they need it most.”

    Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health

    Alberta’s government first announced the project in 2021, with planning for the new facility beginning at that time and the design phase being completed in early February of this year. The construction phase of the project will see Alberta’s government invest $80 million over the next three years as part of a total investment of about $86 million for the project.

    Designed to meet local needs, the facility will include a birthing centre, midwifery program, advanced ambulatory care and a two-vehicle ambulance bay to improve emergency services. These new services will offer Albertans in the northern community and its surrounding areas more timely and accessible care by improving maternal health, emergency response and overall health care options in the area.

    “With shovels going in the ground, northern Albertans in La Crete are looking forward to having their very own maternity and community health centre. I am pleased that we are now entering the construction phase for this new facility within the community, keeping Peace Country a beautiful place to raise a family.”

    Dan Williams, MLA for Peace River

    In addition to the existing public health services, residents will have access to expanded services including pre- and post-natal care on site. This health facility, expected to open in 2027, is the result of a close collaboration with the La Crete community to address its unique health care needs. It will be operated by Covenant Health. As Alberta’s government continues to refocus the health care system, working closely with local leadership will ensure these services are aligned with community priorities.

    “This much-needed facility will make a real difference for families in the community, providing essential care closer to home. Its opening can’t come soon enough.” 

    John Knelsen, reeve, Mackenzie County

    The centre will also include a laboratory for timely blood testing and storage, as well as diagnostic imaging services, including ultrasound. Dedicated space will also be available for counselling and psychiatrist referrals to support individuals, families and groups.

    “This is an exciting milestone for the community of La Crete, surrounding areas and Covenant Health. Guided by our values of compassion, respect and stewardship, we look forward to welcoming and integrating our new employees while providing seamless, high-quality health care for the community.”

    Patrick Dumelie, CEO, Covenant Health

    Alberta’s government will continue investing in future projects that provide Albertans in rural and remote communities with access to high-quality care, both now and in the future.

    Quick facts

    • The new facility will provide integrated health services for about 9,200 people living in La Crete and the surrounding areas.
    • Covenant Health will assume operations of the existing health facility and continuing care centre by fall 2025.
      • Plans for Covenant Health to operate the new health facility were announced in April 2022.
      • To foster transparency and dialogue, Covenant Health and Alberta Health Services hosted a town hall for affected staff and La Crete community members on Jan. 30, 2025.

    Related information

    • Covenant Health

    Related news

    • Covenant Health to operate new La Crete health centre (April 3, 2022)
    • New maternity, community health centre for La Crete (Aug. 11, 2021)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Grand jury indicts El Salvadoran national with illegally reentering United States after sex offense convictions, Honduran national with illegally possessing firearms

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury indicted two separate immigration cases here today involving a previously convicted felon and a repeat immigration crimes offender.

    Carlos Gonzales-Hernandez, 55, is charged with illegally reentering the United States after a conviction for an aggravated felony. Gonzales-Hernandez is a citizen of El Salvador.

    According to his court documents, Gonzales-Hernandez was detained in January 2025 following a traffic stop in Madison County. He was then transferred into ICE custody. The defendant had been removed from the United States following a local prison sentence for sex offenses. Gonzales-Hernandez was previously convicted in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas of three counts of gross sexual imposition and received a prison sentence of six years.

    Elmer Edison Rodriguez-Guzman, 46, is charged with possession of a firearm or ammunition of an illegal alien and with illegally reentering the United States.

    Rodriguez-Guzman is a citizen of Honduras and has no legal status in the United States. He has been removed from the United States on numerous prior occasions and either deported to Honduras or allowed to voluntarily return to Mexico.

    According to his court documents, Rodriguez-Guzman was in a vehicle that was stopped in Cambridge, Ohio, in July 2024 due to no taillights. Law enforcement officials discovered items including a handgun, a double-barrel shotgun and ammunition. Rodriguez-Guzman was arrested in Guernsey County and then transferred into federal custody.

    Illegally reentering the United States is a federal crime punishable by up to two years in prison. If the offender has multiple prior misdemeanor charges, the penalty is increased to 10 years in prison, and if the offender has been previously convicted of an aggravated felony, the defendant faces up to 20 years in prison.

    Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit, and Robert Lynch, Field Office Director, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Detroit Field Office; announced the cases. Assistant United States Attorney Sheila G. Lafferty is representing the United States in these cases.

    An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

    These cases are being prosecuted as part of the Southern District of Ohio Immigration Enforcement Task Force, which dedicates agents, attorneys and other staff to investigating and prosecuting immigration violations.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Cartel Cocaine Quality Tester Extradited from Mexico

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ATLANTA – Irma Elvira Cruz, also known as “Huzipol” and “Madre,” 60, of Mexico, has been arraigned before Russell G. Vineyard, Chief United States Magistrate Judge, on federal charges of Conspiracy to Unlawfully Import Cocaine into the United States and Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute.  Cruz was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 14, 2017. 

    “Cruz allegedly played a critical role in the trafficking of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine into the United States,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “Cruz’s extradition from Mexico is an important step in holding her accountable for her alleged role in bringing dangerous drugs into the United States and into our local communities. We thank our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners for their work in this investigation and our international partners for their cooperation in helping us bring Cruz to justice.”

    “Drug traffickers exploit vulnerable members of our community to generate profits,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “Cases like this clearly demonstrate the resolve of the DEA to hold drug traffickers accountable.”

    “The extradition and arraignment of Irma Elvira Cruz, an alleged key figure in an international cocaine trafficking organization, demonstrates the unwavering commitment of HSI and our partners to dismantling transnational criminal networks,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta, which covers Georgia and Alabama. “By targeting those who facilitate the flow of dangerous narcotics into our communities, we are sending a strong message that we will pursue justice across borders and hold traffickers accountable.”

    According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, Jr., the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2013, United States law enforcement identified a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization that, between approximately 2013 and 2016, imported large quantities of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and into the United States for distribution, and transported drug proceeds from the United States to Mexico. The investigation identified Irma Elvira Cruz as an associate of the drug trafficking organization, allegedly responsible for the quality control testing of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine, sent from Colombia to Costa Rica and Mexico, and intended to be delivered into the United States.

    Cruz allegedly conspired with others in Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, and elsewhere to coordinate the transportation of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine from Colombia through the coast of Central America for distribution in Mexico and the United States, including Atlanta, Georgia. Specifically, Cruz was allegedly responsible for testing the quality of a large shipment of cocaine ultimately destined for Atlanta.

    The investigation revealed that on or about September 3, 2015, Cruz traveled to the organization’s stash house in Heredia, Belen, Asuncion, Costa Rica, to test the purity of the cocaine to be delivered into the United States. The following day, law enforcement authorities stopped vehicles driven by Cruz’s associates leaving the stash house and seized approximately 100 kilograms of cocaine. Law enforcement authorities then searched the stash house and seized approximately 221 kilograms of cocaine.

    Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges.  Cruz is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

    This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Coast Guard, United States Navy, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, United States Border Patrol, DeKalb County Police Department, and Georgia State Patrol.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas M. Forsyth, III and Elizabeth M. Hathaway are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Tarvin contributed to the prosecution as well. Also, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Cruz.

    This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.  OCDETF identifies and eliminates 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 https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6280.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Vice President JD Vance Swears In Secretary of the Army

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    The White House

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVtkR7BNiDY

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Trump’s Gaza reconstruction proposal is unlikely to work

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ali Asgary, Professor, Disaster & Emergency Management, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies & Director, CIFAL York, York University, Canada

    There have been many conversations around U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal to permanently displace Palestinians from Gaza to neighbouring countries and turn the strip into a luxury resort development. Criticisms of Trump’s comments often focus on the proposal’s illegality, immorality and impracticality.

    However, little has been discussed from the perspective of post-disaster and post-war reconstruction. Post-conflict reconstruction, as part of post-disaster reconstruction studies, has a very long history, scholarly literature, lessons learned and is one of the well-studied phases of disaster and emergency management.

    Where to rebuild

    When it comes to where to rebuild or reconstruct after disasters, including human-made disasters such as war and conflict, there are three main options:

    1) reconstruction in the original location;

    2) reconstruction in a new location; and

    3) reconstruction and integration in existing settlements.

    Each of these approaches has its advantages, disadvantages and challenges. One of the key principles of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction is minimizing post-disaster relocation.

    While a significant majority of post-disaster reconstruction happens in the original locations, there has been reconstruction and resettlement to new locations and beside or inside existing settlements.

    For example, after the 1974 conflict in Cyprus, the city of Famagusta was abandoned and residents were relocated to new areas. Relocation after the 1995 volcano eruption that buried Plymouth in Montserrat is another example. After the 1990 Manjil earthquake in Iran, many villages were relocated and rebuilt in new locations.

    Rebuilding in the original location

    Studies show that reconstruction in the original location is generally the most preferred and effective option. People impacted and displaced by war and disasters usually prefer to live in their original community.

    In some cases, reconstruction in the original location may still require some forms of temporary resettlement. This temporary relocation is a preferred option when the affected areas do not have enough space or ability to support the population during the reconstruction period, particularly during debris removal and infrastructure restoration.

    Past reconstruction efforts in developed and developing countries, show that recovery and reconstruction are more effective, democratic and faster when the impacted population is in charge of the reconstruction process, and remain close to their damaged homes.

    The closer a temporary settlement is to the reconstruction site, the better. Proximity allows the impacted population to participate effectively, monitor and benefit from the reconstruction process without distance and accessibility barriers.

    Rebuilding in new locations

    Reconstruction in a new location is usually considered as one of the last options when rebuilding in the original place is not possible due to various hazards like landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, flooding or volcanos.

    This usually occurs when mitigation measures are neither possible nor feasible. This option requires relocating the impacted population and rebuilding everything from scratch. Its success very much depends on the availability of land, resources and the willingness of the impacted population to relocate.

    Even when relocation is the only viable option, impacted people must be fully involved and given discretion regarding their place of relocation. Involuntary resettlement programs are impracticable. Even when the population is displaced, studies show that people return to their original homes if they can.

    Rebuilding near existing settlements is an extension of this option except that instead of rebuilding in a new location, reconstruction happens beside existing settlements to minimize infrastructure costs.

    This option can still be challenging. Implementation can be very complex even when new settlements are in the same country or area. Reintegrating people into a new place, even when they are willing to be relocated, requires many livelihood support initiatives, land availability, legal frameworks for land distribution and dispute resolution.

    Rebuilding options for Gaza

    Trump’s proposal is close to that last option, with three major differences. The first difference is that there is no consultation with Palestinians in Gaza.

    The second difference is that the impacted population will be forcefully and involuntarily relocated to settlements in other countries (Egypt and Jordan).

    The third difference is that the United States would “own” Gaza, and rebuild it for other purposes and uses, not for the benefit of Palestinians.

    As mentioned above, one key justification for rebuilding in a new location is that the original place is not permanently safe. Trump’s proposal assumes that Gaza is not safe for Palestinians but somehow safe for others.

    Post-disaster and conflict reconstruction is not just a physical reconstruction project. Rather, it is a complex, multidimensional process, with potentially very high negative impact if not properly planned and implemented.

    Top-down approaches in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction often fail because these approaches ignore the complexity of the built environment, the local conditions, and the needs of the affected population.

    Displacing entire populations, their economic activities and their social networks and relations can have significant impacts — direct and indirect — on the population and on governments. Community relocation fails because it disrupts social networks, and increases negative sentiments and dissatisfaction with living conditions in new location.

    Post-war reconstruction programmes must be multi-dimensional and based on a clear understanding of local conditions and careful consultation with the affected people. The alternative to large-scale resettlement is to reduce the risks people face in their current location.

    In the past, international solidarity has played an important role in reconstruction. Such solidarity increasingly exists for the Palestinians of Gaza, and with that, rebuilding in the same location can still be a viable and preferred option.

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

    – ref. Why Trump’s Gaza reconstruction proposal is unlikely to work – https://theconversation.com/why-trumps-gaza-reconstruction-proposal-is-unlikely-to-work-249680

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: More than just a game: How sports are reflecting Canada-U.S. tensions

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Noah Eliot Vanderhoeven, PhD Candidate, Political Science, Western University

    Canada emerged victorious in the 4 Nations Face-off hockey tournament on Feb. 20, but the event was overshadowed by growing political tensions between Canada and the United States.

    In the lead-up to the final game, American fans booed the Canadian national anthem, likely in response to Canadian fans booing the American national anthem ahead of a game between the two teams on Feb. 15.

    This was not the first recent airing of grievances from Canadian fans at a sporting event. Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of tariffs against Canada and repeated calls for Canada to become the 51st state, fans at a Toronto Raptors game and Ottawa Senators game booed the American national anthem.



    Read more:
    How Donald Trump’s attacks on Canada are stoking a new Canadian nationalism

    Despite the proposed tariffs being postponed for 30 days, Trump’s antagonistic vision for Canada-U.S. relations has stoked anti-American sentiments among Canadians, including calls to boycott American goods and a deteriorating belief in close Canada-U.S. relations.

    Those anti-American sentiments boiled over again when Canada faced the U.S. in Montréal, showcasing how sport can be used as an expression of nationalism — especially at a time of increased tensions between the two countries.

    Why sports matter politically

    It’s not surprising that sport has become an arena for nationalist political rhetoric. Sport possesses powerful symbolism that can be exploited to great affect in forming a coherent national identity.

    In this way, sporting events are a way fandoms can reinforce national identity as an objective symbol that connects to primitive forms of national ideology.

    Sport is also a powerful psychological setting for national rhetoric. A person’s social identity, or how they see themselves in relation to others, can be reinforced through sport. This can happen, for instance, when someone views themselves as a member of a team and celebrates their success, or views a rival team or country in a negative light after a loss.

    Additionally, the outcome of a game can boost in-group favouritism, which can influence whether consumers buy goods from a specific vendor.

    Nationalism versus patriotism

    Generally, research suggests sports reinforce a national in-group identity that is more patriotic than nationalistic. However, the vitriol Canadians have expressed during the American national anthem leans towards expressing nationalist views rather than patriotic ones.

    Patriotism typically focuses on why a country is great without necessarily disparaging outsiders or other countries. Nationalism, on the other hand, tends to play up why one’s country is great while vilifying another country or group.

    Trump’s focus on using tariffs to bully Canada into increasing security at the border has undoubtedly soured relations between the two countries. If Trump decides to flex the United States’ capacity to be a bully in U.S.-Canadian relations, Canada is stuck with limited options.

    But are Canadians playing right into Donald Trump’s hand by leaning into an adversarial relationship?

    How Trump uses sports for political gain

    Trump has a history of using major sporting events to his political benefit. During his last presidential campaign, he attended the Army-Navy football game and became the first sitting president to attend the recent Super Bowl in New Orleans.

    Trump also considered attending the 4 Nations final between the U.S. and Canada in Boston, but couldn’t attend due to a scheduled speech with U.S. governors. Still, he made his presence felt by calling the American team the morning before the game to wish them luck.

    Looking ahead, Trump may continue to use international sporting events to assert his vision for U.S. relations with Canada and Mexico.

    In January, Trump invited Gianni Infantino, the head of FIFA, to his inauguration, just as preparations have begun for the 2026 World Cup, which is to be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the U.S.

    With Infantino and Trump becoming increasingly friendly, it seems likely Trump will use the upcoming World Cup to influence North American relations. At the very least, he will likely try to insert himself into its coverage.

    Trump using sport to reinforce his image

    Beyond politics, Trump uses sports to play into his crafted image as a hyper-masculine man. This image has played a large part in Trump’s popularity among young men and helped him win a second term as president.

    Yet Trump does not necessarily fit the masculine norms his supporters lionize. Trump is fairly tall, which has been shown to be preferred among American voters. However, unlike past presidents such as Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, who played college football, Trump’s athletic background is limited to high school football.

    Nor did Trump serve in the military like previous presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, both of whom served in the Second World War. Trump, by contrast, avoided service during the Vietnam war for medical and educational reasons.

    Despite a lack of traditional masculine bonafides, Trump has shown an ability to use sporting events for his political gain. He has used sporting events as potent media environments to insert his talking points and burnish his masculine image.

    In the end, the boos from Canadian fans may be music to Donald Trump’s ears. He wants to be hated by outsiders so he can turn around to his supporters and say that the U.S. is under attack at its borders. He wants the sporting accomplishments of the American men’s teams to reflect on his strength.

    It can still go against him, as we saw Thursday night with Canada beating the U.S. in overtime. Justin Trudeau wasted no time using that moment to respond with strong rhetoric in a tweet.

    What happened on the ice was out of Trump’s control. But he used the event to serve his own goals, sowing greater divisiveness across borders. The shadow of his combative rhetoric loomed large over the entire event.

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

    – ref. More than just a game: How sports are reflecting Canada-U.S. tensions – https://theconversation.com/more-than-just-a-game-how-sports-are-reflecting-canada-u-s-tensions-250385

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Donald Trump is a relentless bullshitter

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Tim Kenyon, Professor, Faculty of Humanities, Brock University

    There have been many questions raised about the intentions behind Donald Trump’s spate of radical public statements about Canada, in which he claims trade deficits amount to subsidies, massive amounts of fentanyl are flowing across the border and the country should become the 51st American state, among other things.

    The U.S. president’s comments have fuelled speculation about what he means when he makes these kinds of false claims — or whether he means anything at all.

    After all, rounded to the nearest percentage point, zero per cent of illicit fentanyl entering the U.S. comes from Canada, trade deficits are not subsidies and annexing Canada is an absurd proposal.

    So why say things that are so untrue?

    Is Trump serious about any of this?

    Ignore Trump? Or fear him?

    The aggregate opinion seems to be both an unhelpful no and a yes, so the answer remains unclear.

    If we take every provocation seriously, we’re falling for the “flood the zone” strategy as Trump spews out outlandish claims as a form of distraction.

    If we shrug off his claims, we’re ignoring the potential danger.

    But there are patterns and incentives behind Trump’s flouting of basic communicative norms. One illustrative example dates back to 2018 talks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, when Trump complained about the U.S. trade deficit with Canada. Later, he told prospective donors in Missouri that he’d made this claim up on the spot.

    Why make up a claim like that? And, having done so, why admit and even brag about it, and then renew this knowingly false claim six years later?

    My colleague Jennifer Saul and I are scholars in the political philosophy of language. We’re among those who cite this example of Trump bullshit in our work on bullshit in authoritarian political speech and how bullshit can succeed even though everyone recognizes that it is, in fact, bullshit.



    Read more:
    Bullshit is everywhere. Here’s how to deal with it at work

    Why Trump bullshits

    Our notion of bullshit is a refinement of the term that was the subject of American philosopher Harry Frankfurt’s seminal 2005 book On Bullshit.

    Most liars care enough about the truth to try to conceal it. But simply not caring either way is a different vice, which Frankfurt called bullshitting.

    An example would be claiming a trade deficit without having any idea whether that’s true or false. Other examples include uttering falsehoods that are so obvious they couldn’t possibly be intended to deceive anyone.

    Really obvious bullshit can succeed politically, we proposed, because there are many audiences in mass communication. Bullshit targeted at Audience A can be a big hit with Audience B, if B thinks A deserves it.

    Then it becomes a display of power over A, with B enjoying the spectacle. This overt bullshitting lends itself to authoritarian politics for someone cultivating a strongman image. It marks an opponent for disrespectful treatment, and advertises that the bullshitter cannot be held to account.

    So Trump’s admission that he bullshitted Trudeau in 2018 was a successful strategy because he revealed it to a sympathetic audience, who got to see themselves as part of the performance and not as its target. Asking: “Does Trump really mean this?” is often less revealing than: “How does this promote Trump’s image as an authority figure, and to which audience?”

    Similarly, Trump falsely remarked in 2019 that Hurricane Dorian’s projected path included Alabama. He responded to fact-checking by showing an official storm track map that he literally altered by hand, with a marker.

    Such a ridiculous invention couldn’t be meant to deceive. But it showed Trump’s base, many of whom distrust mainstream information sources, that he couldn’t be made to back down for reporters, no matter the facts.

    Some claims appear deceptive lies to one audience and bullshit to another, like Trump’s recent claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a dictator who started the war in Ukraine.

    Some audiences might believe it. Others will see it as false and designed to be deceptive, yet recognize it as a threat to treat Ukraine as an aggressor with American demands for Ukraine’s rare earth minerals at stake.



    Read more:
    Ukraine’s natural resources are at centre stage in the ongoing war, and will likely remain there

    Credibility matters in unexpected ways

    Even conservative pundits initially worried that Trump’s propensity to bullshit would diminish the finite resource that is credibility.

    They didn’t recognize that credibility is a dubious virtue in strongman politics. Its absence can even be an asset. Acting without credibility is a chance to flex — to show that you can compel others to take you seriously whether they believe you or not.

    These incentives link frivolous outbursts of bullshit with very serious doubling-downs. Trump first spoke about Canada becoming the 51st state in a meeting with Trudeau in late November so offhandedly that it was not immediately mentioned in news reports.

    Once Fox News seized upon it, Trudeau was forced to publicly dismiss the comment as a joke.

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in November 2024. Trudeau apparently thought Trump was just bullshitting when he made mention of Canada becoming a 51st state during the dinner.
    (X/@JustinTrudeau)

    A great deal more commentary revealed liberal-leaning Canadians and Americans were angry and even frightened by this sort of talk — conditions that made it attractive for Trump to double down rather than back down.



    Read more:
    Canada as a 51st state? Republicans would never win another general election

    Combing through Trump’s speech and actions towards Canada to discover what he really means may just be an attempt to “sane-wash” them; meaning trying to figure out if they reflect a stable and sincere attitude, or even a stable and insincere negotiating strategy.

    What makes Trump’s bullshit so dangerous is that it rarely reflects fixed, coherent meanings or convictions. It lurches from triviality to deadly seriousness, depending on how his various audiences provide the approval and the outrage Trump seeks for his performances of strength.

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

    – ref. Why Donald Trump is a relentless bullshitter – https://theconversation.com/why-donald-trump-is-a-relentless-bullshitter-249896

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How hockey’s politics played out at the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Braeden McKenzie, Postdoctoral Fellow & Equity Data and Research Analyst, University of Victoria

    The National Hockey League’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament captured attention across North America as hockey’s first best-on-best competition since the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

    The tournament, which featured competitive round-robin games between Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden, was a massive success for the league. The final game between Canada and the U.S. averaged 9.25 million viewers with Canada defeating the United States 3-2 in overtime.

    The recent rise in political tensions between Canada and the U.S., amid continued threats of a trade war, have made their way onto the ice. Canadian fans in Montréal loudly booed the Star-Spangled Banner before both of Team USA’s round robin games.

    In response, Bill Guerin, Team USA’s general manager, encouraged U.S. President Donald Trump to attend the championship game in Boston. For his part, Trump used the tournament to reiterate his threat to annex Canada in a Truth Social post.

    An apolitical image

    Historically, hockey has been marketed as an apolitical space. The culture celebrates players that demonstrate a willingness to do their talking on the ice, praising their quiet reverence for the game’s traditions above all else.

    Superstar players like Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby have been admired for being modest, respectful and even bland in their conduct, approach to the game and leadership style.

    Perhaps unsurprisingly, when players and coaches for the American and Canadian teams were asked about the political context the tournament had been thrust into, most reiterated that hockey should not be political and instead should operate as a space for people to escape.

    However, such notions belie a culture of masculinity that is decidedly white, and which ingrains expectations about tradition, professionalism and respect and works to uphold hockey’s political status quo.

    Fans boo American national anthem ahead of a showdown between Canada and the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off. (The Canadian Press)

    Hockey’s preferred political acts

    In reality, hockey has always been a political space. Acts like playing national anthems, saluting flags or honouring military service are all inherently political. So, too, are displays of gigantic national flags in stadiums or arenas, military jet flyovers and public subsidies for professional sports facilities.

    It is noteworthy that those political acts are seen as acceptable in sports, while others — like booing or kneeling during an anthem — have faced widespread criticism from players, coaches and management.

    Performances of nationalism and militarism are somehow seen as apolitical, while expressions of protest are unpatriotic and too political. Such distinctions are less about preserving hockey as an apolitical space and more about maintaining unity and consensus in support of the brand of politics that is celebrated throughout the culture.

    Because the game’s history is largely based in white masculinities and traditions, political positions which reflect those ideologies (such as Don Cherry’s brand of nostalgic working-class populism and the MAGA movement’s views on nationalism, family structure or race) have been whole-heartedly accepted within hockey culture.

    A false neutrality

    Framing hockey as somehow neutral or apolitical simply reinforces the politics of the status quo, which benefits those in power and is, in itself, a clear expression of politics.

    Wayne Gretzky, perhaps Canada’s best ever player, has become an example of this very political reality. Gretzky recently faced criticism for attending the U.S. election night celebrations at Mar-A-Lago and Trump’s inauguration. Trump himself has suggested that Gretzky could be Canada’s governor if it becomes the 51st state.

    P.K. Subban, a gold medal-winning Canadian defenseman, was also criticized after he tweeted a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post, suggesting Trump may make the difference in the final game’s result.

    While many Canadians might disapprove of Gretzky attending the inauguration and Subban’s post, the acts are not likely to receive any major push-back within hockey itself (with the exception of former Canadian NHL player Akim Aliu calling out Subban).

    Having historically developed as a symbol of white masculinity, hockey will continue to represent a haven for ideologies rooted in inequity, division and extreme nationalism. While silence from players and coaches throughout the tournament is not wholly ill-intentioned, it without question represents complicity in the face of growing hatred, extremism and political turmoil.

    In contrast, acts of resistance or dissent are likely to continue to be cast off as too political by management, coaches and players. These individuals seem fine with politics in sport — just not politics that challenge their own.

    The authors 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. How hockey’s politics played out at the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament – https://theconversation.com/how-hockeys-politics-played-out-at-the-4-nations-face-off-tournament-250602

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Premier Houston Thanks Premier Furey for Service

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    NOTE: The following is a statement from Premier Tim Houston. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey announced today, February 25, that he will leave office later this year.

    Premier Furey led the people of Newfoundland and Labrador through challenging times, and our region is thankful for his service.

    Together, we created the Atlantic Physician Registry, opposed the federal carbon tax and worked together on a Team Canada approach to the threat of U.S. tariffs.

    I want to thank Andrew for his friendship and collaborative approach and wish him, Allison and his family all the best in their future.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CFTC Releases Enforcement Advisory on Self-Reporting, Cooperation, and Remediation

    Source: US Commodity Futures Trading Commission

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Division of Enforcement today issued an advisory on how the Division will evaluate a company’s or individual’s self-reporting, cooperation, and remediation when recommending enforcement actions to the Commission and establishes the factors the Division will consider. This marks the first time the Division will use a matrix to determine the appropriate mitigation credit to apply. The advisory provides fair notice to the public and guidance that is designed to ensure due process in the Division’s investigations and enforcement actions.
    “Today, the CFTC is finally making the improvements that I have long proposed are necessary to ensure lawful enforcement, and also implements the Administration’s Executive Order,” said Acting Chairman Caroline D. Pham. “From the beginning, I have encouraged firms to self-report to proactively take ownership, ensure accountability, and prevent future violations. By making the CFTC’s expectations for self-reporting, cooperation, and remediation more clear—including a first-ever matrix for mitigation credit—this advisory creates meaningful incentives for firms to come forward and get cases resolved faster with reasonable penalties.
    “Critically, it will enable the CFTC to do more with less and free up enforcement resources to focus relentlessly on catching fraudsters and scammers, helping victims, and promoting market integrity. Today’s advisory gets back to basics by returning to decades of prior CFTC policy on self-reporting and is aligned with best practices for assessing penalties followed by the Department of Justice and other U.S. financial regulators. This ‘no-surprises’ approach is straightforward and demonstrates the CFTC’s renewed commitment to fair treatment under the law and principles of regulatory consistency, transparency, and clarity.”
    “Our goal with this advisory is to obtain accountability while encouraging efficiency and conserving government resources by giving entities a clear reason to self-report and cooperate,” said Division of Enforcement Director Brian Young. “This advisory informs both staff and the public precisely how to do that. Based on my experience in criminal practice, I believe policies that encourage transparency and cooperation yield efficiencies and better justice outcomes.” 
    Specifically, the advisory details the framework the Division will use to assess self-reporting, cooperation, and remediation in investigations and enforcement actions: 

    Self-Reporting: The Division will evaluate self-reporting on a three-tier scale: No Self-Report; Satisfactory Self-Report; and Exemplary Self-Report. To receive full credit, disclosures must be voluntary, made to the Commission, made in a timely manner, and complete. Reports can be made to either the Division of Enforcement or to one of the Commission’s other Divisions with oversight responsibility. The Division of Enforcement will provide a safe harbor for good faith self-reporting if any inaccurate information in the self-report or voluntary disclosure is supplemented and corrected promptly after discovery of the inaccurate information.
    Cooperation and Remediation: The Division will evaluate cooperation on a four-tier scale: No Cooperation; Satisfactory Cooperation; Excellent Cooperation; and Exemplary Cooperation. The Division will evaluate remediation as a part of its evaluation of cooperation and consider whether a party engaged in substantial efforts to prevent a future violation. Other CFTC Divisions will be involved in the assessment of remediation. In some cases, a compliance monitor or consultant may be recommended to ensure the completion of undertakings. The advisory also provides examples of uncooperative conduct.
    Mitigation Credit Matrix: The advisory includes a Mitigation Credit Matrix describing the presumptive mitigation credit—as a percentage of the Division’s initial calculation of the civil monetary penalty—that a party may be eligible for if that party has self-reported and/or cooperated. The presumptive Mitigation Credit ranges from 0% for no self-report and no cooperation to 55% for an exemplary self-report and exemplary cooperation. The Division retains the discretion to deviate from the Mitigation Credit Matrix given the unique facts and circumstances of a particular case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: One Month of Secretary Noem: Making America Safe Again

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: One Month of Secretary Noem: Making America Safe Again

    lass=”text-align-center”>“President Trump and this Administration are saving lives every day because of the actions we are taking to secure the border and deport illegal alien criminals.” – Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem
    WASHINGTON – In her first month on the job, Secretary Kristi Noem returned the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to its core mission of securing the homeland.
    Under Secretary Noem’s strong leadership, DHS is hard at work securing our borders, arresting and removing criminal aliens, safeguarding the U.S. cyber infrastructure, protecting America’s leaders, deterring terrorism, and keeping America safe.
    Below is just a sample of Secretary Noem’s accomplishments from her first month:

    Secretary Noem has empowered our brave men and women in ICE, Border Patrol, and the Coast Guard to use common sense to do their jobs effectively. 

    ICE arrests of criminal aliens have doubled and arrests of fugitives at large as tripled.
    Single day border apprehensions hit a 15-year low and daily border encounters have plunged 94% since President Trump took office. 

    Secretary Noem rode with ICE agents on an operation in New York City that resulted in the arrest of a Tren de Aragua ringleader. 
    DHS has returned the Temporary Protected Status immigration program to its original status: temporary. No longer will this program be abused and exploited by illegal aliens.  

    Secretary Noem ended the previous administration’s extension of Venezuelan Temporary Protected Status.
    Additionally, the Secretary rescinded the previous administration’s extension of Haitian Temporary Protected Status.   

    Under the Secretary’s leadership, DHS is enforcing President Trump’s first major piece of legislation, the Laken Riley Act. This law mandates the federal detention of illegal aliens who are accused of theft, burglary, assaulting law enforcement, and any crime that causes death or serious bodily injury.   
    To stop policies that were magnets for illegal immigration, Secretary Noem froze all funding to non-governmental organizations that facilitate illegal immigration. 
    Secretary Noem has deputized the Texas National Guard, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Marshals, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, special agents from the State Department and the IRS to help with immigration operations. 
    To fulfill President Trump’s promise to carry out mass deportations, the administration is detaining illegal aliens, including violent criminals, at Guantanamo Bay.  

    Already, 176 illegal aliens being held at Guantanamo Bay have been returned to Venezuela.  
    125 of these individuals were violent criminals including Tren de Aragua gang members and weapon and drug traffickers. 

    DHS ensured a safe and secure Super Bowl for the more than 100,000 fans celebrating in New Orleans.   
    Secretary Noem launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign urging illegal aliens to leave the U.S. voluntarily or face deportation with no chance of return.   
    Secretary Noem is embracing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts to make sweeping cuts that eliminate government waste, return DHS to its core mission of protecting the homeland, and fulfill the Founders vision of returning power to the states.

    Bottom Line: President Trump and Secretary Noem will continue fighting every day to make America safe again. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Takes Its 1st Images of Asteroid Donaldjohanson

    Source: NASA

    NASA’s Lucy spacecraft has its next flyby target, the small main belt asteroid  Donaldjohanson, in its sights. By blinking between images captured by Lucy on Feb. 20 and 22, this animation shows the perceived motion of Donaldjohanson relative to the background stars as the spacecraft rapidly approaches the asteroid.

    Lucy will pass within 596 miles (960 km) of the 2-mile-wide asteroid on April 20. This second asteroid encounter for the Lucy spacecraft will serve as a dress-rehearsal for the spacecraft’s main targets, the never-before-explored Jupiter Trojan asteroids. Lucy already successfully observed the tiny main belt asteroid Dinkinesh and its contact-binary moon, Selam, in November 2023. Lucy will continue to image Donaldjohanson over the next two months as part of its optical navigation program, which uses the asteroid’s apparent position against the star background to ensure an accurate flyby.
    Donaldjohanson will remain an unresolved point of light during the spacecraft’s long approach and won’t start to show surface detail until the day of the encounter.
    From a distance of 45 million miles (70 million km), Donaldjohanson is still dim, though it stands out clearly in this field of relatively faint stars in the constellation of Sextans. Celestial north is to the right of the frame, and the 0.11-degree field of view would correspond to 85,500 miles (140,000 km) at the distance of the asteroid. In the first of the two images, another dim asteroid can be seen photobombing in the lower right quadrant of the image. However, just as the headlights of an approaching car often appear relatively stationary, Donaldjohanson’s apparent motion between these two images is much smaller than that of this interloper, which has moved out of the field of view in the second image.
    These observations were made by Lucy’s high-resolution camera, the L’LORRI instrument — short for Lucy LOng Range Reconnaissance Imager — provided by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.
    Asteroid Donaldjohanson is named for anthropologist Donald Johanson, who discovered the fossilized skeleton — called “Lucy” — of a human ancestor. NASA’s Lucy mission is named for the fossil.
    Lucy’s principal investigator, Hal Levison, is based out of the Boulder, Colorado, branch of Southwest Research Institute, headquartered in San Antonio. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provides overall mission management, systems engineering, and safety and mission assurance. Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft. Lucy is the 13th mission in NASA’s Discovery Program. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Discovery Program for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
    For more information about NASA’s Lucy mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/lucy
    By Katherine KretkeSouthwest Research Institute
    Media Contact:Nancy N. JonesNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AGU 2024: NASA Science on Display in the Nation’s Capital

    Source: NASA

    Introduction
    The American Geophysical Union (AGU) returned to the nation’s capital in 2024, hosting its annual meeting at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC from December 9–14, 2024. NASA Science upheld its long-standing tradition as an AGU partner and exhibitor, leveraging the meeting as an opportunity to share NASA’s cutting-edge research, data, and technology with the largest collection of Earth and planetary science professionals in the world. Many of the estimated 25,000 students, scientists, and industry personnel who attended the conference visited the NASA Science exhibit, interacting with NASA subject matter experts as detailed in the essay that follows – see Photo 1. Visitors also watched live Hyperwall presentations and collected NASA Science outreach materials, such as the 2025 NASA Science Planning Guide.

    Highlights from the NASA Science Exhibit
    NASA Hyperwall Stories
    The NASA Hyperwall has been a focal point of the agency’s outreach efforts for over two decades, serving as both a powerful storytelling platform and the primary vehicle through which the public engages with the award-winning visualizations published by NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS) – see Photo 2. Forty-nine NASA mission scientists and program representatives shared NASA science with the public from the Hyperwall stage during AGU24. NASA leadership shared mission news and outlined upcoming research across all five of the NASA Science divisions: Earth science, planetary science, heliophysics, astrophysics, and biological and physical sciences – see Photos 3–8. A catalog of NASA project scientists and mission representatives, who provided colorful overviews of everything from NASA’s Mars Sample Return to the Parker Solar Probe’s historic flyby of the Sun, delivered additional presentations. 

    The complete AGU24 Hyperwall schedule is available at this link. Readers can view YouTube videos of the presentations via links over the individual names in the photo captions below.

    During AGU, NASA also celebrated the winners of the 2024 AGU Michael Freilich Student Visualization Competition, an annual competition honoring former NASA Earth Science Division director Michael Freilich that inspires students to develop creative strategies for effectively communicating complex scientific problems – see Photo 9. See the summary of “Symposium on Earth Science and Applications from Space…” [The Earth Observer, Mar–Apr 2020, Volume 32 Issue 3, 4–18] to learn more about Freilich’s career at NASA and impact on Earth science.  A list of the award’s past recipients, dating back to the 2016, is published on AGU’s website.

    Face-to-face With NASA Experts
    AGU opened its exhibit hall to the public at 10:00 AM on December 9. Thousands of eager attendees poured into the space to engage with exhibit staff, representing a variety of universities, research institutions, and private organizations from around the world.

    NASA Science welcomed AGU attendees, who gathered within the perimeter of the exhibit shortly after opening – see Photo 10 – where NASA staff distributed the 2025 NASA Science Planning Guide – see Photo 11.
    Attendees filtered through the NASA Science booth by the thousands, where more than 130 outreach specialists and subject matter experts from across the agency were available to share mission-specific science and interface directly with members of the public – see Photos 12–15.

    AGU attendees met with project scientists and experts at a new exhibit, called “Ask Me Anything.” The discussions spanned a variety of NASA missions, including Mars Sample Return, James Webb Space Telescope, and Parker Solar Probe, with specialists from these and other missions who spoke during the sessions – see Photo 16. An installation of NASA’s Earth Information Center also made an appearance at AGU24, providing attendees with additional opportunities to speak with Earth scientists and learn more about NASA research – see Photo 17.

    2024 SMD Strategic Content and Integration Meeting
    As they have done for many years now, staff and leadership from NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Engagement Branch convened in Washington, DC on December 8 (the day before the Fall AGU meeting began) to discuss agency communications and outreach priorities. This annual meeting provided personnel from each of SMD’s scientific divisions a valuable opportunity to highlight productive strategies and initiatives from the previous calendar year and chart a path for the year ahead. During the single-day event, team leaders shared information related to NASA’s web-modernization efforts, digital outreach strategies, and exhibit presence. Approximately 150 in-person and 50 online NASA staff joined the hybrid meeting.
    After a welcome from Steve Graham [GSFC/GST—NASA Science Support Office Task Leader], who covered meeting logistics, the participants heard from NASA Headquarters’ SMD Engagement and Communication representatives throughout the day. 
    Amy Kaminski [Engagement Branch Chief], who recently replaced Kristen Erickson in this role, used this opportunity to more formally introduce herself to those who might not know her and share her visions for engagement. Karen Fox [Senior Science Communications Official] discussed the evolution of communication for SMD missions over the past decade – moving from siloed communications a decade ago that very much focused on “my mission,” to a much more cooperation between missions and focus on thematic communications. Following up on Kaminski’s remarks that gave an overall vision for engagement, and Fox’s remarks about how having a vision will help streamline our messaging, Alex Lockwood [Strategic Messaging and Engagement Lead] delved into the nuts and bolts of strategic planning, with focus on the use of work packages and memorandums of understanding for promoting upcoming missions.
    After the leadership set the tone for the meeting, Emily Furfaro [NASA Science Digital Manager] gave a rapid tour of many of NASA’s digital assets intended to give participants an idea of the vast resources available for use. Diana Logreira [NASA Science Public Web Manager] then laid out some principles to be followed in developing unified vision for the NASA Science public web experience.
    In the afternoon, there were individual breakout sessions for the Earth Science, Planetary Science, and Heliophysics divisions. These sub-meetings were led by Ellen Gray, Erin Mahoney, and Deb Hernandez, Engagement Leads for Earth Science, Heliophysics, and Planetary Sciences respectively.  These breakout sessions afforded participants with an opportunity to focus on ideas and goals specific to their own divisions for 2025. In the Earth Science breakout session, participants heard from other several other speakers who discussed the beats, or content focus areas, that had been chosen for Earth Science Communications in 2024 – including oceans and Earth Action (formerly known as Applied Sciences) – and those that have been identified for 2025: technology, land science, and continued focus on Earth Action.

    After participants reconvened from the breakouts, Nicola Fox [Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate] gave a mid-afternoon presentation in which she presented her perspective on integrated NASA science, which led into a one-hour “Ask Us” panel with Division Directors to conclude the meeting. Participants included: Mark Clampin [Astrophysics], Lisa Carnell [Biological], Julie Robinson [Earth Science, Deputy], Joe Westlake [Heliophysics], John Gagosian [Joint Agency Satellite], Charles Webb [Planetary Science, Acting].
    Based on this meeting, and other communications guidance from NASA HQ, a few general SMD/Earth Science content and engagement priorities for 2025 have emerged. They include:

    Conclusion
    The NASA exhibit is an important component of the agency’s presence at AGU, and NASA leverages its large cohort of scientists who participate in the exchange of information and ideas outside of the exhibit hall – in plenary meetings, workshops, poster sessions, panels, and informal discussions. AGU sessions and events that featured NASA resources, scientists, and program directors included the Living with a Star Town Hall, NASA’s Early Career Research Program, NASA’s Sea Level Change Team: Turning Research into Action, and many more. Click here for the complete list of NASA-related events at AGU24.
    As the final event in a busy calendar of annual scientific conferences, AGU is often an opportunity for NASA scientists to publish findings from the previous year and set goals for the year ahead. Just as they did in 2024, the agency’s robust portfolio of missions and programs will continue to set new records, such as NASA’s Parker Solar Probe pass of the Sun, and conduct fundamental research in the fields of Earth and space science.
    The 2025 AGU annual meeting will be held at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, in New Orleans, LA, from December 15–19, 2025. See you there.
    Nathan MarderNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Global Science & Technology Inc.nathan.marder@nasa.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sharing PLANETS Curriculum with Out-of-School Time Educators

    Source: NASA

    Out of school time (OST) educators work with youth in afterschool, community, and camp programs. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) learning in OST can be challenging for multiple reasons, including lack of materials and support for educators. The NASA Science Activation program’s PLANETS project – Planetary Learning that Advances the Nexus of Engineering, Technology, and Science – led by Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ, provides both written curriculum and virtual educator support on planetary science and engineering.
    PLANETS offers three curriculum units focused on themes from NASA’s strategic priorities and mission directives in planetary science over the next decade:

    Space Hazards for learners in grades 3-5,
    Water in Extreme Environments, and
    Remote Sensing for learners in grades 6-8.

    PLANETS recently exhibited at two national conferences for educators to share these free NASA partner resources: the Space Exploration Educators Conference at Space Center Houston in Houston, TX on Feb 6-8, 2025 and the Beyond School Hours conference in Orlando, FL on Feb 13-16, 2025. Approximately 500 educators interacted with PLANETS team members to learn about the curriculum and to share their needs for OST learners. Some educators shared how they are already using PLANETS and how much their learners enjoy the lessons. In addition to sharing PLANETS resources, the team also had QR codes and flyers providing information about all the other Science Activation project teams, making sure educators grow in awareness of all that NASA’s Science Mission Directorate does to engage the public.
    OST educators appreciate the integrity and quality of NASA-funded resources. One educator shared, “Free resources are always critical to youth-serving organizations. PLANETS also has everyday materials and educator dialogue on how to deliver, making it easy to pick up and use.”
    Another OST educator said, “There are programs out there, like PLANETS, that truly help people of all backgrounds,” and yet another expressed, “I love the activities, and could see our youth engaging with it in a fun way.” Disseminating these types of NASA Science Activation program resources at regional and national venues is vital.
    The PLANETS project is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC53A and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Diamonds from NASA’s X-59

    Source: NASA

    NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft took another successful step toward flight with the conclusion of a series of engine performance tests. During maximum afterburner testing, a test demonstrating the engine’s ability to generate the thrust required for supersonic flight, the aircraft showed off a phenomenon known as Mach diamonds, seen in this image from Jan. 22, 2025. Mach diamonds, or shock diamonds, appear in the exhaust of supersonic aircraft like the X-59.
    The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to commercial supersonic flight over land by making sonic booms quieter.
    See what’s next for X-59.
    Image credit: Lockheed Martin/Gary Tice

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA’s Europa Clipper Uses Mars to Go the Distance

    Source: NASA

    The orbiter bound for Jupiter’s moon Europa will investigate whether the moon is habitable, but it first will get the help of Mars’ gravitational force to get to deep space.
    On March 1, NASA’s Europa Clipper will streak just 550 miles (884 kilometers) above the surface of Mars for what’s known as a gravity assist — a maneuver to bend the spacecraft’s trajectory and position it for a critical leg of its long voyage to the Jupiter system. The close flyby offers a bonus opportunity for mission scientists, who will test their radar instrument and thermal imager.
    Europa Clipper will be closest to the Red Planet at 12:57 p.m. EST, approaching it at about 15.2 miles per second (24.5 kilometers per second) relative to the Sun. For about 12 hours prior and 12 hours after that time, the spacecraft will use the gravitational pull of Mars to pump the brakes and reshape its orbit around the Sun. As the orbiter leaves Mars behind, it will be traveling at a speed of about 14 miles per second (22.5 kilometers per second).
    The flyby sets up Europa Clipper for its second gravity assist — a close encounter with Earth in December 2026 that will act as a slingshot and give the spacecraft a velocity boost. After that, it’s a straightforward trek to the outer solar system; the probe is set to arrive at Jupiter’s orbit in April 2030.
    “We come in very fast, and the gravity from Mars acts on the spacecraft to bend its path,” said Brett Smith, a mission systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “Meanwhile, we’re exchanging a small amount of energy with the planet, so we leave on a path that will bring us back past Earth.”

    [embedded content]
    This animation depicts NASA’s Europa Clipper as it flies by the Red Planet. The spacecraft will use the planet’s gravity to bend its path slightly, setting up the next leg of its long journey to investigate Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. NASA/JPL-Caltech

    Harnessing Gravity
    Europa Clipper launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 14, 2024, via a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, embarking on a 1.8-billion-mile (2.9-billion-kilometer) trip to Jupiter, which is five times farther from the Sun than Earth is. Without the assists from Mars in 2025 and from Earth in 2026, the 12,750-pound (6,000-kilogram) spacecraft would require additional propellant, which adds weight and cost, or it would take much longer to get to Jupiter.
    Gravity assists are baked into NASA’s mission planning, as engineers figure out early on how to make the most of the momentum in our solar system. Famously, the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, which launched in 1977, took advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime planetary lineup to fly by the gas giants, harnessing their gravity and capturing data about them.
    While navigators at JPL, which manages Europa Clipper and Voyager, have been designing flight paths and using gravity assists for decades, the process of calculating a spacecraft’s trajectory in relation to planets that are constantly on the move is never simple.
    “It’s like a game of billiards around the solar system, flying by a couple of planets at just the right angle and timing to build up the energy we need to get to Jupiter and Europa,” said JPL’s Ben Bradley, Europa Clipper mission planner. “Everything has to line up — the geometry of the solar system has to be just right to pull it off.”

    Refining the Path
    Navigators sent the spacecraft on an initial trajectory that left some buffer around Mars so that if anything were to go wrong in the weeks after launch, Europa Clipper wouldn’t risk impacting the planet. Then the team used the spacecraft’s engines to veer closer to Mars’ orbit in what are called trajectory correction maneuvers, or TCMs.
    Mission controllers have performed three TCMs to set the stage for the Mars gravity assist — in early November, late January, and on Feb. 14. They will conduct another TCM about 15 days after the Mars flyby to ensure the spacecraft is on track and are likely to conduct additional ones — upwards of 200 — throughout the mission, which is set to last until 2034.
    Opportunity for Science
    While navigators are relying on the gravity assist for fuel efficiency and to keep the spacecraft on their planned path, scientists are looking forward to the event to take advantage of the close proximity to the Red Planet and test two of the mission’s science instruments.
    About a day prior to the closest approach, the mission will calibrate the thermal imager, resulting in a multicolored image of Mars in the months following as the data is returned and scientists process the data. And near closest approach, they’ll have the radar instrument perform a test of its operations — the first time all its components will be tested together. The radar antennas are so massive, and the wavelengths they produce so long that it wasn’t possible for engineers to test them on Earth before launch.   
    More About Europa Clipper
    Europa Clipper’s three main science objectives are to determine the thickness of the moon’s icy shell and its interactions with the ocean below, to investigate its composition, and to characterize its geology. The mission’s detailed exploration of Europa will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet.
    Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. APL designed the main spacecraft body in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The Planetary Missions Program Office at Marshall executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, managed the launch service for the Europa Clipper spacecraft.
    Find more information about Europa Clipper here:

    Europa Clipper

    News Media Contacts
    Gretchen McCartneyJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.818-287-4115gretchen.p.mccartney@jpl.nasa.gov 
    Karen Fox / Molly WasserNASA Headquarters, Washington202-358-1600karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov 
    2025-024

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Is There Potential for Life on Europa? We Asked a NASA Expert: Episode 52

    Source: NASA

    [embedded content]

    That’s a great question. And it’s a question that NASA will seek to answer with the Europa Clipper spacecraft.
    Europa is a moon of Jupiter. It’s about the same size as Earth’s Moon, but its surface looks very different. The surface of Europa is covered with a layer of ice, and below that ice, we think there’s a layer of liquid water with more water than all of Earth’s oceans combined.
    So because of this giant ocean, we think that Europa is actually one of the best places in the solar system to look for life beyond the Earth.
    Life as we know it has three main requirements: liquid water — all life here on Earth uses liquid water as a basis.
    The second is the right chemical elements. These are elements like carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur. They’re elements that create the building blocks for life as we know it on Earth. We think that those elements exist on Europa.
    The third component is an energy source. As Europa orbits around Jupiter, Jupiter’s strong gravity tugs and pulls on it. It actually stretches out the surface. And it produces a heat source called tidal heating. So it’s possible that hydrothermal systems could exist at the bottom of Europa’s ocean, and it’s possible that those could be locations for abundant life.
    So could there be life on Europa? It’s possible. And Europa Clipper is going to explore Europa to help try to answer that question.
    [END VIDEO TRANSCRIPT]
    Full Episode List
    Full YouTube Playlist

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Single Day Border Apprehensions Hit 15-Year Low Under President Trump

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Single Day Border Apprehensions Hit 15-Year Low Under President Trump

    lass=”text-align-center”>“Under President Donald Trump, the days of open borders are over.”- Secretary Noem
    WASHINGTON – Today, Secretary Noem announced on Saturday, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered only 200 aliens at the U.S. Southern border. That is the lowest number of apprehensions in a single day in over 15 years.
    These record low numbers come days after Secretary Noem launched a multimillion dollar nationwide and international ad campaign warning illegal aliens to stay out.

    View Original “Warning – International” video
    A statement from a senior DHS spokesperson is below:
    “President Trump and Secretary Noem have sent a clear message to illegal aliens: do not come to our country. You will not be allowed in. And if you get in, we will hunt you down and deport you.
    That message has been received. This weekend, we saw the single lowest apprehensions at the southern border in more than 15 years. This is yet another sign the President Trump’s commonsense immigration and border security policies are working.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Science in Orbit: Results Published on Space Station Research in 2024

    Source: NASA

    NASA and its international partners have hosted research experiments and fostered collaboration aboard the International Space Station for over 25 years. More than 4,000 investigations have been conducted, resulting in over 4,400 research publications with 361 in 2024 alone. Space station research continues to advance technology on Earth and prepare for future space exploration missions.
    Below is a selection of scientific results that were published over the past year. For more space station research achievements and additional information about the findings mentioned here, check out the 2024 Annual Highlights of Results.

    NASA’s Microgravity Investigation of Cement Solidification (MICS) observes the hydration reaction and hardening process of cement paste on the space station. As part of this experiment, researchers used artificial intelligence to create 3D models from 2D microscope images of cement samples formed in microgravity. Characteristics such as pore distribution and crystal growth can impact the integrity of any concrete-like material, and these artificial intelligence models allow for predicting internal structures that can only be adequately captured in 3D. Results from the MICS investigation improve researchers’ understanding of cement hardening and could support innovations for civil engineering, construction, and manufacturing of industrial materials on exploration missions.

    The JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Colloidal Clusters investigation uses the attractive forces between oppositely charged particles to form pyramid-shaped clusters. These clusters are a key building block for the diamond lattice, an ideal structure in materials with advanced light-manipulation capabilities. Researchers immobilized clusters on the space station using a holding gel with increased durability. The clusters returned to Earth can scatter light in the visible to near-infrared range used in optical and laser communications systems. By characterizing these clusters, scientists can gain insights into particle aggregation in nature and learn how to effectively control light reflection for technologies that bend light, such as specialized sensors, high-speed computing components, and even novel cloaking devices.

    NASA’s Optical Imaging of Bubble Dynamics on Nanostructured Surfaces studies how different types of surfaces affect bubbles generated by boiling water on the space station. Researchers found that boiling in microgravity generates larger bubbles and that bubbles grow about 30 times faster than on Earth. Results also show that surfaces with finer microstructures generate slower bubble formation due to changes in the rate of heat transfer. Fundamental insights into bubble growth could improve thermal cooling systems and sensors that use bubbles.

    The ESA (European Space Agency) investigation Cytoskeleton attempts to uncover how microgravity impacts important regulatory processes that control cell multiplication, programmed cell death, and gene expression. Researchers cultured a model of human bone cells and identified 24 pathways that are affected by microgravity. Cultures from the space station showed a reduction of cellular expansion and increased activity in pathways associated with inflammation, cell stress, and iron-dependent cell death. These results help to shed light on cellular processes related to aging and the microgravity response, which could feed into the development of future countermeasures to help maintain astronaut health and performance.

    The CSA (Canadian Space Agency) investigation Wayfinding investigates the impact of long-duration exposure to microgravity on the orientation skills in astronauts. Researchers identified reduced activity in spatial processing regions of the brain after spaceflight, particularly those involved in visual perception and orientation of spatial attention. In microgravity, astronauts cannot process balance cues normally provided by gravity, affecting their ability to perform complex spatial tasks. A better understanding of spatial processes in space allows researchers to find new strategies to improve the work environment and reduce the impact of microgravity on the spatial cognition of astronauts.

    The Roscomos-ESA-Italian Space Agency investigation Mini-EUSO (Multiwavelength Imaging New Instrument for the Extreme Universe Space Observatory) is a multipurpose telescope designed to examine light emissions entering Earth’s atmosphere. Researchers report that Mini-EUSO data has helped to develop a new machine learning algorithm to detect space debris and meteors that move across the field of view of the telescope. The algorithm showed increased precision for meteor detection and identified characteristics such as rotation rate. The algorithm could be implemented on ground-based telescopes or satellites to identify space debris, meteors, or asteroids and increase the safety of space activities.

    For more space station research achievements and additional information about the findings mentioned here, check out the 2024 Annual Highlights of Results.
    Destiny Doran
    International Space Station Research Communications Team
    Johnson Space Center

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: That Phone Call You Blocked May be FEMA Calling

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency 2

    t is important for Georgians who applied for FEMA assistance need to answer calls from unknown numbers. FEMA is calling applicants to ensure they receive all the assistance they are eligible for, which could include housing options, additional funds, or referrals to agencies or organizations who may be able to provide help that FEMA cannot.
    This is why you should stay in touch with FEMA and update your contact information if it changes. FEMA needs to be able to reach you.
    You can update your information through your account at DisasterAssistance.gov, on the FEMA app for your smartphone, or by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. The Helpline is available daily, and assistance is available in most languages. You can also call the Georgia Call Center at 678-547-2861 Monday through Friday.
    For the latest information about Georgia’s recovery, visit fema.gov/helene/georgia and fema.gov/disaster/4821. Follow FEMA on X at x.com/femaregion4 or follow FEMA on social media at: FEMA Blog on fema.gov, @FEMA or @FEMAEspanol on X, FEMA or FEMA Espanol on Facebook, @FEMA on Instagram, and via FEMA YouTube channel. Also, follow Acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton on X @FEMA_Cam.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Prepares Gateway Lunar Space Station for Journey to Moon

    Source: NASA

    Assembly is underway for Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element, the module that will power the lunar space station’s journey to and around the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign.

    NASA’s Artemis IV astronauts will be the first to inhabit the Gateway lunar space station, opening the door to greater exploration of the Moon and paving the way to Mars. Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element, which will make the station the most powerful solar electric spacecraft ever flown, takes shape at Maxar Space Systems. In lunar orbit, Gateway will allow NASA to conduct unique science and exploration while preparing astronauts to go to the Red Planet.
    Technicians install key hardware on the element’s Propulsion Bus Module following installation of both electric propulsion and chemical propulsion control modules. The image highlights a propellant tank exposed on the right, positioned within the central cylinder of the element.  
    The Power and Propulsion Element will launch with Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) ahead of NASA’s Artemis IV mission. During Artemis IV, V, and VI, international crews of astronauts will assemble the lunar space station around the Moon and embark on expeditions to the Moon’s South Pole region.
    The Power and Propulsion Element is managed out of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and built by Maxar Space Systems in Palo Alto, California.
    Gateway is an international collaboration to establish humanity’s first lunar space station as a central component of the Artemis architecture designed to return humans to the Moon for scientific discovery and chart a path for the first human missions to Mars.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James’ Office of Special Investigation Releases Report on the Death of Woody Smith

    Source: US State of New York

    NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Office of Special Investigation (OSI) today released its report on the death of Woody Smith, who died on October 13, 2023, after an encounter with members of the Troy Police Department (TPD). Following a thorough investigation, which included reviews of police body-worn camera footage, interviews with civilian witnesses, and comprehensive legal analysis, OSI determined that a prosecutor would not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers’ use of force against Mr. Smith caused his death, and therefore criminal charges would not be pursued in this matter.

    On the afternoon of October 13, two TPD officers responded to a report of someone trespassing at a residence in Troy. As the officers were investigating, they saw Mr. Smith climbing out of a first-floor window. The officers, with their guns drawn, repeatedly ordered Mr. Smith to get on the ground. A struggle ensued as the officers attempted to place Mr. Smith in handcuffs. During the struggle, which lasted just over a minute, Mr. Smith said he could not breathe. Once Mr. Smith was handcuffed, the officers rolled him onto his side, and he became unresponsive. The officers rendered first aid until EMS arrived. Mr. Smith was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The medical examiner found that Mr. Smith had died from the combined effects of acute drug intoxication, his pre-existing health conditions, and his exertion during the struggle with the officers. The medical examiner found no evidence of asphyxia, and after viewing the body-worn camera videos, found no reason to believe that the officers’ actions in restraining Mr. Smith would have caused his death.

    Under New York’s justification law, a police officer may use physical force to the extent they reasonably believe it to be necessary when arresting or attempting to arrest someone for a crime. In this case, the evidence shows that there was cause for the officers to have reasonably believed that Mr. Smith had committed an offense. A 911 caller had reported an intruder and when officers arrived at the residence, they knocked on the door, announced themselves, and then saw Mr. Smith climbing out a window on the opposite side of the house. At that point, the officers had reasonable cause to believe that Mr. Smith had committed an offense and therefore were legally permitted to arrest him and to use force, if necessary, to effect the arrest.

    While the struggle between the officers and Mr. Smith may have contributed to his death, given the evidence, OSI concludes that there is insufficient proof that the officers caused Mr. Smith’s death.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Construction Starts on 433-Unit Affordable Housing Project

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the start of construction on 1760 Third Avenue in East Harlem, a 433-unit affordable and supportive housing project in East Harlem that is the first residential project to get underway using capital financing through her landmark $1 billion mental health initiative. Funded by New York State Homes and Community Renewal and New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development with support from the Office of Mental Health and the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the $264 million project will transform a vacant former CUNY dormitory into affordable apartments, including 261 units of supportive housing for individuals living with mental illness.

    “By investing state resources into communities like Harlem, we can create the modern, affordable apartments that New Yorkers need,” Governor Hochul said. “This development on Third Avenue will bring new life to a vacant building by transforming it into affordable apartments that over 400 households will be able to enjoy for generations to come.”

    Breaking Ground, the project developer, will transform the vacant structure at 1760 Third Avenue into a 433-unit mixed-use development for households earning up to 60 percent of the Area Median Income. The redeveloped property will include 261 units reserved for formerly homeless individuals living with serious mental illness, with services provided by Breaking Ground.

    The project will include a subset of units for young adults aging out of foster care or who have experienced homelessness. Onsite support services will include case management, medical and mental health care, benefits and entitlement counseling, and connections to employment.

    The renovations to the building will incorporate sustainability measures such as energy-efficient rooftop air conditioners and hydronic heating system pumps that use water—rather than air—to transfer heat. The building will also feature water-conserving plumbing, efficient lighting, vegetative roofs and ENERGY STAR ® refrigerators to support cleaner living.

    The outdoor spaces along Third Avenue will also be transformed, creating new public-facing areas with landscaping, seating, and community-focused spaces. Constructed in 1974, the 1760 Third Avenue building originally housed a Florence Nightingale Nursing Center. The structure was later converted into a dormitory for the City University of New York’s Hunter College and Baruch College.

    The project received $75 million from HCR’s Supportive Housing Opportunity Program and a $24.6 million first mortgage structured as a 501(c)3 bond from its Housing Finance Agency. In addition, the development was awarded $126 million from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s Supportive Housing Loan Program.

    In the past five years, HCR has financed nearly 6,600 affordable homes in Manhattan. 1760 Third Avenue continues this effort and complements Governor Hochul’s $25 billion five-year Housing Plan which is on track to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide.

    The State Office of Mental Health provided $21 million through Governor Hochul’s landmark $1 billion mental health initiative, which included funding to establish 3,500 units of specialized housing. So far, the mental health initiative has established nearly 1,300 new units including supportive housing and apartment treatment units, with 2,150 capital housing units in the pipeline. OMH has conditionally awarded more than $831 million in capital for community residence single room occupancy, supportive single room occupancy, and transitional residential units.

    The project also received $10 million through the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s Homeless Housing and Assistance Program and a $2 million discretionary capital grant from New York City Council Member Diana Ayala from Fiscal Year 2024. The New York City Acquisition Fund provided an acquisition loan originated by the Low-Income Investment Fund. Wells Fargo is providing the construction letter of credit.

    New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “This $264 million development is a testament to the power of innovation in addressing New York’s housing crisis. By transforming this former college dorm into affordable and supportive homes, we can provide security, stability, and a way forward for more than 430 individuals, families, and young people in need. 1760 Third Avenue exemplifies the Governor’s commitment to creating housing opportunities that are accessible, sustainable, and supportive for all New Yorkers, particularly the most vulnerable members of our community. We thank our partners, including Breaking Ground, for their collaboration on this important project.”

    New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, “Supportive housing provides critical services that enable people living with mental illness to live and thrive in their communities. The project to redevelop 1760 Third Avenue will fill an important need in the East Harlem area and will provide much needed housing stability for individuals experiencing homelessness, including 261 units for those living with mental illness. This project demonstrates Governor Hochul’s continued commitment to increasing specialized housing for New Yorkers living with mental illness.”

    New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn said, “We are grateful to Governor Hochul for making landmark investments to expand supportive housing across New York State, recognizing that stable housing is the foundation for stable health, a stable life, and strong communities. The 1760 Third Avenue project will provide residents who have experienced homelessness with safe, affordable, energy-efficient apartments they can call home and onsite access to support services that will help them thrive in their community. Thank you to all our project partners and special thanks to Breaking Ground for their longtime leadership in providing supportive and transitional housing.”

    Assemblymember Edward Gibbs said, “Today, we celebrate a major milestone in our collective effort to address the affordable housing crisis and provide supportive services to those who need it most. The groundbreaking of 1760 3rd Avenue marks a significant step forward in our mission to create a more just and equitable society. As we continue to address the affordable housing crisis, projects like this remind us that together, we can create a more just and equitable society for all. I’m honored to play a part in supporting this project, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on our community.”

    New York City Council Member Diana Ayala said, “We are excited to celebrate the start of construction at 1760 Third Avenue. Our office was pleased to have invested $2 million in capital discretionary funding in this project and we look forward to welcoming residents home once construction is complete. Thank you to all our partners.”

    Breaking Ground President and CEO Brenda Rosen said, “Transforming underutilizing buildings like 1760 Third Avenue into much-needed affordable and supportive housing is an unparalleled opportunity – not only for the individuals who will soon call it home but also for the future of adaptive reuse development in our city. We are grateful that our public and private sector partners share our vision to create hundreds of safe, stable homes while preserving and revitalizing existing infrastructure. As we begin renovations, we mark an exciting milestone in our commitment to expanding services in Harlem and ensuring more New Yorkers have access to the housing and support they need.”

    Low Income Investment Fund Director Northeast Region Molly Anderson said, “LIIF was honored to work with NYS Homes and Community Renewal, NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to secure a $29.5 million acquisition and predevelopment loan in partnership with the New York City Acquisition Fund. This collaboration made a complex transaction a reality – and solidifies our relationship with a mission-aligned recipient, Breaking Ground, as we continue to strengthen historically underserved New York City communities such as East Harlem.”

    Wells Fargo Head of Public Affairs Jason Rosenberg said, “We thank Breaking Ground and the many community partners and neighbors who participated in bringing a long-term supportive and affordable housing option to East Harlem, strengthening the community and making lives better. We were pleased to provide Breaking Ground with $24.9 million in construction financing which will help enable them to transform the property into permanent housing, plus a $500,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation to provide amenities that will help residents feel at home for decades to come.”

    New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrion, Jr. said, “It is truly fitting to see this building continue its service to this community, first in public health, then as a home for CUNY students and now by providing hundreds of affordable supportive homes and deepening our city’s commitment to affordable housing in Harlem. This success story is another example of the effective collaboration of the City and State, across multiple agencies, to bring dynamic programming, advance green construction design, and inclusive housing solutions to create investments that tackle the drivers of our housing crisis. HPD is proud to be part of the team and excited for the individuals and families that will call this place home”

    Governor Hochul’s Housing Agenda

    Governor Hochul is committed to addressing New York’s housing crisis and making the State more affordable and more livable for all New Yorkers. As part of the FY25 Enacted Budget, the Governor secured a landmark agreement to increase New York’s housing supply through new tax incentives for Upstate communities, new incentives and relief from certain state-imposed restrictions to create more housing in New York City, a $500 million capital fund to build up to 15,000 new homes on state-owned property, an additional $600 million in funding to support a variety of housing developments statewide and new protections for renters and homeowners. In addition, as part of the FY23 Enacted Budget, the Governor announced a five-year, $25 billion Housing Plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations, plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes. More than 55,000 homes have been created or preserved to date.

    The FY25 Enacted Budget also strengthened the Pro-Housing Community Program which the Governor launched in 2023. Pro Housing Certification is now a requirement for localities to access up to $650 million in discretionary funding. Currently, 275 communities have been certified, including New York City.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: One Month of Secretary Noem: Making America Safe Again

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    “President Trump and this Administration are saving lives every day because of the actions we are taking to secure the border and deport illegal alien criminals.” – Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem

    WASHINGTON – In her first month on the job, Secretary Kristi Noem returned the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to its core mission of securing the homeland.

    Under Secretary Noem’s strong leadership, DHS is hard at work securing our borders, arresting and removing criminal aliens, safeguarding the U.S. cyber infrastructure, protecting America’s leaders, deterring terrorism, and keeping America safe.

    Below is just a sample of Secretary Noem’s accomplishments from her first month:

    • Secretary Noem has empowered our brave men and women in ICE, Border Patrol, and the Coast Guard to use common sense to do their jobs effectively.
       
      • ICE arrests of criminal aliens have doubled and arrests of fugitives at large as tripled.
      • Single day border apprehensions hit a 15-year low and daily border encounters have plunged 94% since President Trump took office.
         
    • Secretary Noem rode with ICE agents on an operation in New York City that resulted in the arrest of a Tren de Aragua ringleader.
       
    • DHS has returned the Temporary Protected Status immigration program to its original status: temporary. No longer will this program be abused and exploited by illegal aliens. 
       
      • Secretary Noem ended the previous administration’s extension of Venezuelan Temporary Protected Status.
      • Additionally, the Secretary rescinded the previous administration’s extension of Haitian Temporary Protected Status.  
         
    • Under the Secretary’s leadership, DHS is enforcing President Trump’s first major piece of legislation, the Laken Riley Act. This law mandates the federal detention of illegal aliens who are accused of theft, burglary, assaulting law enforcement, and any crime that causes death or serious bodily injury.  
       
    • To stop policies that were magnets for illegal immigration, Secretary Noem froze all funding to non-governmental organizations that facilitate illegal immigration.
       
    • Secretary Noem has deputized the Texas National Guard, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Marshals, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, special agents from the State Department and the IRS to help with immigration operations.
       
    • To fulfill President Trump’s promise to carry out mass deportations, the administration is detaining illegal aliens, including violent criminals, at Guantanamo Bay. 
       
      • Already, 176 illegal aliens being held at Guantanamo Bay have been returned to Venezuela.  
      • 125 of these individuals were violent criminals including Tren de Aragua gang members and weapon and drug traffickers.
         
    • DHS ensured a safe and secure Super Bowl for the more than 100,000 fans celebrating in New Orleans.  
       
    • Secretary Noem launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign urging illegal aliens to leave the U.S. voluntarily or face deportation with no chance of return.  
       
    • Secretary Noem is embracing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts to make sweeping cuts that eliminate government waste, return DHS to its core mission of protecting the homeland, and fulfill the Founders vision of returning power to the states.

    Bottom Line: President Trump and Secretary Noem will continue fighting every day to make America safe again. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Missouri Scholarship & Loan Foundation Announces Mission-Mini Grant to Support Career and Technical Education

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHESTERFIELD, Mo., Feb. 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As the nation recognizes February 2025 as Career and Technical Education Month, the Missouri Scholarship & Loan Foundation (MSLF) and MOHELA are proud to support Missouri students through its Career Development Mission-Mini Grant initiative. This grant program is designed to connect students with career opportunities, corporate partnerships, and pathways to success beyond high school.

    “Investing in our students means investing in the future of our workforce,” said Melissa Findley, Executive Director, Missouri Scholarship & Loan Foundation. “Through the Career Development Mission-Mini Grant, we are strengthening career pathways and equipping Missouri students with real-world skills to thrive in high-demand industries.”

    The Career Development Mission-Mini Grant opportunity focuses on career exploration, job shadowing, internships, mentorships, and workforce development. High schools, colleges, and nonprofit organizations are encouraged to apply for funding of up to $1,000 to support initiatives such as:

    • Career Counseling & Exploration – Connecting students with advisors and professionals to help them navigate their career interests.
    • Business & College Tours – Providing opportunities for students to visit local employers and higher education institutions.
    • Job Shadowing & Mentorships – Pairing students with professionals in their chosen career paths.
    • Career Events & Workshops – Organizing job fairs, industry panels, and hands-on experiences.

    To date, MSLF has received 27 applications, with 18 already approved for funding. Examples of funded projects include:

    • Hamilton R-II – Job shadow partnerships and guest speaker events for sophomore Career course students.
    • Fair Play High School – “March Madness Career Match-Up,” a basketball-themed career exploration program.
    • Carl Junction High School – Incentives for students completing job shadowing or college visits.
    • Ozark Mountain Technical Center – Mock Job Fair featuring over 30 employers.
    • Mexico High School – “Show-Me Opportunities” local workforce development event.
    • Salisbury R-IV – Transportation and incentives for job shadowing experiences.
    • Bolivar High School – Student certifications in high-demand fields such as Google IT, CDL, OSHA, and restorative nursing.

    “Providing students with opportunities to explore career pathways is critical to building a strong workforce and a thriving economy,” said Scott Giles, Chairman of the MSLF Foundation Board and CEO of MOHELA. “We are proud to support this initiative, which empowers students to make informed career choices and gain the skills necessary for long-term success.”

    Applications for the Career Development Mission-Mini Grant will be accepted through April 1, 2025, or until funding is depleted. Interested schools and nonprofit organizations can request an application by visiting the Missouri Scholarship & Loan Foundation page.

    For more information on how MSLF is empowering Missouri students and supporting career and technical education, visit www.moslf.org.

    About Missouri Scholarship & Loan Foundation
    MSLF is dedicated to providing innovative financial solutions and career development opportunities for Missouri students, particularly those with financial need, to prepare for and successfully complete their higher education journeys.

    About MOHELA
    MOHELA is a non-profit, governmental corporation with 40 years of experience and a track record of providing exceptional customer service to the borrowers it serves. MOHELA plays an essential role in the student loan ecosystem, providing support and assistance for around 9 million borrowers.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell-Led Fusion Energy Commercialization Commission Releases Roadmap to Secure American Leadership in Fusion Energy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    02.25.25
    Cantwell-Led Fusion Energy Commercialization Commission Releases Roadmap to Secure American Leadership in Fusion Energy
    Cantwell: Expanding fusion can help “meet our growing electricity demand, lower emissions, & increase export opportunities”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the Commission on the Scaling of Fusion Energy, which is co-chaired by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee; Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and Ylli Bajraktari, President, Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), released a preliminary report titled “Fusion Power: Enabling 21st Century American Dominance.”
    “Fusion could provide vast amounts of the type of power we need to keep electricity prices down and increase America’s economic competitiveness,” said Sen. Cantwell. “This preliminary report provides a roadmap for how the United States could lead the world in fusion commercialization in order to meet our growing electricity demand, lower emissions, and increase export opportunities.”
    Fusion, the same process that powers the sun, typically utilizes an inexhaustible supply of water as its fuel, and produces negligible atmospheric emissions and zero greenhouse gas emissions. Fusion reactors cannot melt down, and do not generate the high-level, long-lasting radioactive waste associated with nuclear fission reactors.
    The Commission’s recommendations are organized into three categories:
    Declare Fusion a National Security Priority: The United States should prioritize fusion energy development. A presidential executive order should articulate a National Fusion Goal and establish a national fusion strategy led by the Department of Energy (DOE), with a 90-day action plan to streamline regulations, organize public and private stakeholders, and align the necessary resources. This will ensure U.S. leadership in fusion energy, which is vital for national prosperity and security.
    Establish Fusion Leadership and Drive Commercialization: A political appointee at the DOE should be appointed as the national “Fusion Lead” and be empowered to implement the Fusion Executive Order (EO). This senior leader should report to the Secretary and oversee existing DOE fusion commercialization programs, develop the 90-day action plan, and dismantle bureaucratic obstacles.
    Strategic Investment to Win the Fusion Race: The United States will not be able to achieve fusion power unless it invests in the fundamental building blocks of commercial fusion: infrastructure, supply chain, and talent. To outpace China, the United States should make a one-time investment towards these strategic assets, de-risk multiple commercial fusion pathways, and sustain basic research to cultivate the next generation of fusion science.
    The 13-member Commission on the Scaling of Fusion Energy, first announced in Fall 2023 at SCSP’s Global Emerging Technology Summit, aims to position the United States not only as the leader in fusion science but also in its scaling as the technology matures. The Commission will hold sessions throughout 2025, culminating in its final report later this year.
    This effort represents a step towards ensuring U.S. leadership in a transformative technology, with implications for national security, economic prosperity, and energy independence. The Commission’s work will lay the foundation for a future where fusion energy could be the key pillar of global energy infrastructure.
    Sen. Cantwell is a leading Senate champion for the development and deployment of fusion energy.
    In July 2024, Sen. Cantwell hosted a Pacific Northwest Energy Summit, joining U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and regional energy stakeholders to discuss technological and policy solutions that will ensure NW ratepayers and our regional economy continue to benefit from abundant, affordable, and reliable clean energy. More than 200 business, government, and non-profit energy professionals attended the event.
    In May 2023, Sen. Cantwell applauded Everett-based Helion Energy’s announcement that they plan to be the first company in the world to generate and sell electricity from a fusion reactor.
    Thanks to leading fusion companies like Helion, as well as Everett-based Zap and Seattle-based Avalanche, many consider the Puget Sound region to be the world’s biggest fusion energy hub.
    During a Senate hearing in April 2023, Sen. Cantwell pressed Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm about plans to expand federal support for fusion research.
    At an Energy Committee hearing in September 2022, Sen. Cantwell asked fusion experts like Dr. Scott Hsu, Lead Fusion Coordinator for the Department of Energy, and Professor Steven Cowley, Director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, about what more we can be doing to boost fusion R&D and make sure we can manufacture fusion components domestically.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn, Hassan, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Ensure Veterans’ Access to High-Quality Mental Health Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Gary Peters (D–MI) today introduced the Veterans Mental Health and Addiction Therapy Quality of Care Act, which would require an independent organization outside of the government to conduct a study to assess the quality of care veterans receive for mental and addiction health treatment from providers within and outside the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA):

    “The brave men and women who served our nation should never be denied access to the high-quality care they deserve,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation recognizes the unique mental health challenges our veterans face and aims to improve the VA system by providing an independent evaluation of the quality of life we’re providing for our nation’s bravest.”

    “Veterans deserve the health care that they have earned, and that includes mental health care,” said Sen. Hassan. “This bipartisan legislation will help veterans make informed choices about whether to seek mental health care through the VA or community providers, and will help identify potential areas of improvement for mental health care for veterans. I will continue to work to ensure that New Hampshire’s veterans who have sacrificed so much to keep our communities safe, secure, and free are able to access high-quality care.”

    “Our veterans have sacrificed so much to keep us safe, and we must do everything we can to ensure they have the care and resources they’ve earned,” said Sen. Bennet. “Our bipartisan bill is an important step toward understanding the barriers veterans face and improving their access to high-quality substance abuse and mental health services.”

    “Every veteran must receive the care and services they need to address the risk of suicide and addiction,” said Sen. Cassidy. “There is no room for failure.”

    “Our veterans made the honorable decision to serve our country, and we have a responsibility to ensure they receive the best possible health care during and after their service,” said Sen. Collins. “Too many veterans face serious mental health struggles, including PTSD and addiction, yet they often encounter barriers to getting the care they need. By reviewing the quality of mental health and addiction treatment available to them—both within and outside the VA—this bipartisan legislation would help improve access to higher-quality care, so that fewer veterans are left without the support they deserve.”

    “We must do everything we can to ensure veterans have access to the quality and affordable health care they need,” said Sen. Peters. “I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan bill that would assess the current state of mental health and addiction services available to veterans to determine any potential changes that are needed to deliver first-rate care for our nation’s heroes.”

    This legislation was also cosponsored by Senators John Fetterman (D-PA) and Thom Tillis (R-NC).

    Background:

    The Department of Veterans Affairs is home to the nation’s largest integrated health care system that provides comprehensive health services to U.S. military veterans who are enrolled. However, recent estimates indicate that as many as 70% of VA-eligible veterans received their care from external providers. Given the high rate of veteran suicide due to mental and addiction health conditions, a study is needed to better understand if current practices provide our veterans with the best mental and addiction quality of care.

    The Veterans Mental Health and Addiction Therapy Quality of Care Act would require an independent and objective organization outside of the VA to conduct a study to:

    • Analyze the results of comparable instances of addiction and mental health care between inside and outside providers using objective criteria such as symptom scores and suicide risk;
    • Ascertain to what extent outside providers are using evidence-based practices in the treatment of addiction and mental health issues;
    • Identify potential gaps in coordination between internal and external providers in responding to individuals seeking addiction or mental health care;
    • Evaluate the availability of coordinated care for veterans who have separate or related conditions which may be impacting their mental health;
    • Assess providers’ military cultural competency;
    • Gauge the ease and flexibility of sharing medical records with a veteran’s health care team;
    • Consider to what extent providers are conducting outcome monitoring throughout a veteran’s treatment to track progress or lack thereof;
    • And measure overall patient satisfaction.

    The legislation is supported by the Disabled American Veterans Association, the American Psychological Association, and the Veteran Health Care Policy Initiative.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Minister of Infrastructure resignation: Premier Smith

    Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Regional Dialogue on Social Justice Hosted by India Concludes at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi

    Source: Government of India

    Regional Dialogue on Social Justice Hosted by India Concludes at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi

    Over 500 Participants from Asia-Asia Pacific Region and beyond Enriched Regional Dialogue

    Collaborative Approaches Explored for Responsible Business Practices, Promoting Decent Work within Global Value Chains and Harnessing AI for Decent Work & Equity

    Coalition Partners Reaffirmed the Need for Continued Dialogue And Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration to Drive Global Agenda for Social Justice

    Posted On: 25 FEB 2025 7:39PM by PIB Delhi

    Ministry of Labour and Employment and Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in collaboration with Global Coalition for Social Justice and International Labour Organization, with the support Confederation of Industry (CII) – Employers Federation of India (EFI) hosted a two-day Regional Dialogue on Social Justice under the Global Coalition for Social Justice at Bharat Mandapam from 24-25 February 2025 in New Delhi.

    The event brought together more than 500 representatives from Coalition partners, governments, concerned Ministries of Government of India, employers’ and workers’ organizations, academia and enterprises, experts from international organizations bodies and ESIC members and officers.

    Union Minister of Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the two-day Regional Dialogue and launched key publications on  Responsible Business Conduct, Transforming India’s Social Protection Landscape, Compendium of Social Protection in India, and Shram Samarth, in the presence of Director General, International Labour Organization (ILO), Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Ms. Shobha Karandlaje, and Ms. Sumita Dawra, Secretary, Labour & Employment.

    The event also marked the 74th foundation day of ESIC celebrating seven decades of the organisation’s service to workers and their families across the country. The highlight of the occasion was the start of the ESIC Special Services Fortnight, a 15-day initiative aimed at enhancing worker welfare. Running from February 24th to March 10th, 2025, this initiative will involve participation from ESIC Field Offices, Hospitals, and Medical Institutions in a series of activities, including seminars, health talks, awareness camps, hygiene education, health check-ups etc.

    Global experts, policymakers, and industry leaders shared their insights during technical sessions to advance social justice in the region. Experts from international organizations including International Labour Organisation (ILO), United Nations India, UNICEF, UN Women and UNESCAP shared crucial insights and global perspectives.

     

    Representatives from Australia, Japan, Namibia, Philippines, Germany, Brazil, showcased their respective experiences and learnings, while participants discussed strategies on empowering the youth to drive sustainable growth for enterprises, expanding social security to informal workers, responsible business practices in safeguarding worker well-being, promoting decent work, living wages within global value chains and human centric approach to harnessing AI for decent Work & equity. Emphasizing corporate accountability and compliance with international labour standards, the discussions reinforced the importance of multi-stakeholder partnership in driving sustainable and inclusive economic growth while upholding workers’ rights and well-being.

     

    Representatives from Ministry of Labour & Employment presented its key initiatives and achievements including NCS and e-Shram, social security coverage and OSH in changing world of work during the technical sessions.

    Ms. Sumita Dawra, Secretary (Labour & Employment) emphasized the need for collaboration among social partners- industry and workers’ organizations for fostering social justice by promoting sustainable business models, driving inclusive growth and advancing quality employment generation. She further highlighted India’s commitment to leading global efforts on social justice in collaboration with the ILO as well as OECD on the development of an International Reference Classification of Skills and Occupations under the G20 framework.

    In her concluding remarks, Secretary, Labour and Employment elaborated on the strides taken by India towards Responsible Business conduct. She appreciated the efforts of Indian businesses who showcased practices for promoting responsible business conduct by ensuring health & safety of workers, living wages, and youth skilling while expanding social protection coverage.

    Ms. Dawra also emphasized India’s demographic dividend, skilling youth for future of work, quality employment generation, and workforce well-being as top priorities.

     

    Ms. Sana De Courcelles, Director of the Global Coalition for Social Justice, praised India’s pioneering efforts and strong commitment to taking the lead in the coalition as an active partner. She commended India not only for its leadership in the coalition but also for delivering concrete outcomes, fostering tangible actions for job creation, promoting shared prosperity, and encouraging collective efforts for ongoing dialogue.

    Interactive digital kiosks of Ministry of Labour and Employment and its organizations including ESIC, Employees’ Provident Fund Organization, Director General of Employment and Director General of Labour Welfare, received good response from the participants.

    Landmark initiatives of the Ministry including e-Shram, NCS portal, labour reforms Gig & Platform Worker, ELI Schemes, EPFO and ESIC were showcased through digital flipbooks. These engaging kiosks emphasized India’s commitment to leveraging technology to make social security more accessible, transparent, and efficient.

     

    The seminar concluded as the Joint Secretary, Labour & Employment, Shri Rupesh Kumar Thakur reaffirmed the need for continued dialogue and multi-stakeholder collaboration of Coalition Partners to drive the global agenda for social justice.

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    Himanshu Pathak

    (Release ID: 2106221) Visitor Counter : 53

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –