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Category: Americas

  • MIL-OSI Global: AI is bad for the environment, and the problem is bigger than energy consumption

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Hamish van der Ven, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Business Management of Natural Resources, University of British Columbia

    The growing use of artificial intelligence has led to larger and more powerful data centres, with increased demands on the environment. (Shutterstock)

    Artificial intelligence technologies, like chatbots, are attracting growing scrutiny for their voracious energy demands. However, energy consumption is only one part of their broader environmental impact.

    Late last year, ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot run by OpenAI, celebrated its second birthday. In its brief existence, the platform has amassed over 300 million weekly users who send roughly one billion messages to the chatbot per day.

    With US$6.6 billion raised in its last funding round, OpenAI has emerged as one of the most valuable private companies in the world.

    Soaring emissions

    Elsewhere in tech, other companies marked less savoury milestones. Alphabet — the parent company of Google — recently announced that its GHG emissions are up 48 per cent since 2019. At roughly the same time, Microsoft announced that its emissions are up 29 per cent since 2020.

    Both companies cite emissions associated with the need for more data centres to support AI workloads as a key factor in surging GHG emissions. AI is notoriously thirsty for energy — according to one researcher, one query to ChatGPT uses approximately as much electricity as one light bulb for 20 minutes.

    The collective energy demand of data centres in the United States is so high that Microsoft recently reached a deal to reopen Three Mile Island, the site of the worst nuclear accident in American history.

    The burgeoning AI industry needs so much electricity that plans to decommission several coal plants have been delayed. By some estimates, the collective demand of AI and other digital technologies will constitute 20 per cent of global electricity use by 2030.

    Insidious effects

    The energy use of AI is important, but it does not tell the whole story of AI’s environmental impacts. The social and political mediums through which AI affects the planet are far more insidious and, arguably, more consequential for the future of humanity.

    In the Business, Sustainability and Technology Lab at the University of British Columbia, we specialize in evaluating the social and political ways in which digital technologies affect the environment.

    In our recently published paper, “Does artificial intelligence bias perceptions of environmental challenges?,” my students and I argue that AI changes how humans perceive environmental challenges in ways that obscure the accountability of powerful entities, ignore marginalized communities and promote cautious and incremental solutions that are drastically out of sync with the timeline required to avert environmental crises.

    We asked four chatbots the same series of questions about the issues, causes, consequences and solutions to nine environmental challenges. We found evidence of systematic biases in their responses. Most notably, chatbots avoid mentioning radical solutions to environmental challenges. They are far more likely to propose combinations of soft economic, social or political changes, like greater deployment of sustainable technologies and broader public awareness and education.

    Chatbots by OpenAI and Anthropic exhibited a reluctance to discuss the broader social, cultural and economic issues that are entangled in environmental challenges. For example, the term “environmental justice” is absent from nearly all chatbot responses. Chatbots also avoided references to dismantling colonialism or rethinking infinite economic growth as solutions to these challenges.

    Chatbots may be programmed to avoid raising the broader social, cultural and economic issues that are entangled in environmental challenges.
    (Shutterstock)

    AI bias

    Biases also exist in who chatbots see as responsible or vulnerable to environmental challenges. The chatbots we studied were far more likely to blame governments for environmental challenges than businesses or financial organizations. Similarly, while the vulnerability of Indigenous groups to climate change and biodiversity loss was mentioned frequently, the susceptibility of Black people and women to these same challenges received scant attention.

    All of this is particularly worrisome given the increasingly widespread use of AI chatbots by educators, students, policymakers and business leaders to understand and respond to environmental challenges. Chatbots present information in an oracular way, usually as a single text box written in an authoritative manner and understood as a synthesis of all digitalized knowledge.

    If AI users treat this text uncritically, they risk arriving at conclusions that propagate biased conceptions of environmental challenges and reinforce ineffective efforts to avert ecological crises.

    In the near future, the problem of bias in AI looks to get even worse, as OpenAI and other AI companies consider incorporating advertising to generate the revenue needed to train newer and more complex large language models.

    While it remains unclear what advertising will look like when integrated into ChatGPT, it is not difficult to see a world in which a description of climate change and its attendant solutions will be brought to you by the good folks at ExxonMobil or Shell.

    Hamish van der Ven receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. AI is bad for the environment, and the problem is bigger than energy consumption – https://theconversation.com/ai-is-bad-for-the-environment-and-the-problem-is-bigger-than-energy-consumption-247842

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Bennu asteroid reveals its contents to scientists − and clues to how the building blocks of life on Earth may have been seeded

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Timothy J McCoy, Supervisory Research Geologist, Smithsonian Institution

    This photo of asteroid Bennu is composed of 12 Polycam images collected on Dec. 2, 2024, by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. NASA

    A bright fireball streaked across the sky above mountains, glaciers and spruce forest near the town of Revelstoke in British Columbia, Canada, on the evening of March 31, 1965. Fragments of this meteorite, discovered by beaver trappers, fell over a lake. A layer of ice saved them from the depths and allowed scientists a peek into the birth of the solar system.

    Nearly 60 years later, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission returned from space with a sample of an asteroid named Bennu, similar to the one that rained rocks over Revelstoke. Our research team has published a chemical analysis of those samples, providing insight into how some of the ingredients for life may have first arrived on Earth.

    Born in the years bracketing the Revelstoke meteorite’s fall, the two of us have spent our careers in the meteorite collections of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and the Natural History Museum in London. We’ve dreamed of studying samples from a Revelstoke-like asteroid collected by a spacecraft.

    Then, nearly two decades ago, we began turning those dreams into reality. We joined NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission team, which aimed to send a spacecraft to collect and return an asteroid sample to Earth. After those samples arrived on Sept. 24, 2023, we got to dive into a tale of rock, ice and water that hints at how life could have formed on Earth.

    In this illustration, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collects a sample from the asteroid Bennu.
    NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

    The CI chondrites and asteroid Bennu

    To learn about an asteroid – a rocky or metallic object in orbit around the Sun – we started with a study of meteorites.

    Asteroids like Bennu are rocky or metallic objects in orbit around the Sun. Meteorites are the pieces of asteroids and other natural extraterrestrial objects that survive the fiery plunge to the Earth’s surface.

    We really wanted to study an asteroid similar to a set of meteorites called chondrites, whose components formed in a cloud of gas and dust at the dawn of the solar system billions of years ago.

    The Revelstoke meteorite is in a group called CI chondrites. Laboratory-measured compositions of CI chondrites are essentially identical, minus hydrogen and helium, to the composition of elements carried by convection from the interior of the Sun and measured in the outermost layer of the Sun. Since their components formed billions of years ago, they’re like chemically unchanged time capsules for the early solar system.

    So, geologists use the chemical compositions of CI chondrites as the ultimate reference standard for geochemistry. They can compare the compositions of everything from other chondrites to Earth rocks. Any differences from the CI chondrite composition would have happened through the same processes that formed asteroids and planets.

    CI chondrites are rich in clay and formed when ice melted in an ancient asteroid, altering the rock. They are also rich in prebiotic organic molecules. Some of these types of molecules are the building blocks for life.

    This combination of rock, water and organics is one reason OSIRIS-REx chose to sample the organic-rich asteroid Bennu, where water and organic compounds essential to the origin of life could be found.

    Evaporites − the legacy of an ancient brine

    Ever since the Bennu samples returned to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023, we and our colleagues on four continents have spent hundreds of hours studying them.

    The instruments on the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft made observations of reflected light that revealed the most abundant minerals and organics when it was near asteroid Bennu. Our analyses in the laboratory found that the compositions of these samples lined up with those observations.

    The samples are mostly water-rich clay, with sulfide, carbonate and iron oxide minerals. These are the same minerals found in CI chondrites like Revelstoke. The discovery of rare minerals within the Bennu samples, however, surprised both of us. Despite our decades of experience studying meteorites, we have never seen many of these minerals.

    We found minerals dominated by sodium, including carbonates, sulfates, chlorides and fluorides, as well as potassium chloride and magnesium phosphate. These minerals don’t form just when water and rock react. They form when water evaporates.

    We’ve never seen most of these sodium-rich minerals in meteorites, but they’re sometimes found in dried-up lake beds on Earth, like Searles Lake in California.

    Bennu’s rocks formed 4.5 billion years ago on a larger parent asteroid. That asteroid was wet and muddy. Under the surface, pockets of water perhaps only a few feet across were evaporating, leaving the evaporite minerals we found in the sample. That same evaporation process also formed the ancient lake beds we’ve seen these minerals in on Earth.

    Bennu’s parent asteroid likely broke apart 1 to 2 billion years ago, and some of the fragments came together to form the rubble pile we know as Bennu.

    These minerals are also found on icy bodies in the outer solar system. Bright deposits on the dwarf planet Ceres, the largest body in the asteroid belt, contain sodium carbonate. The Cassini mission measured the same mineral in plumes on Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

    We also learned that these minerals, formed when water evaporates, disappear when exposed to water once again – even with the tiny amount of water found in air. After studying some of the Bennu samples and their minerals, researchers stored the samples in air. That’s what we do with meteorites.

    Unfortunately, we lost these minerals as moisture in the air on Earth caused them to dissolve. But that explains why we can’t find these minerals in meteorites that have been on Earth for decades to centuries.

    Fortunately, most of the samples have been stored and transported in nitrogen, protected from traces of water in the air.

    Until scientists were able to conduct a controlled sample return with a spacecraft and carefully curate and store the samples in nitrogen, we had never seen this set of minerals in a meteorite.

    An unexpected discovery

    Before returning the samples, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft spent over two years making observations around Bennu. From that two years of work, researchers learned that the surface of the asteroid is covered in rocky boulders.

    We could see that the asteroid is rich in carbon and water-bearing clays, and we saw veins of white carbonate a few feet long deposited by ancient liquid water. But what we couldn’t see from these observations were the rarer minerals.

    We used an array of techniques to go through the returned sample one tiny grain at a time. These included CT scanning, electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, each of which allowed us to look at the rock at a scale not possible on the asteroid.

    Cooking up the ingredients for life

    From the salts we identified, we could infer the composition of the briny water from which they formed and see how it changed over time, becoming more sodium-rich.

    This briny water would have been an ideal place for new chemical reactions to take place and for organic molecules to form.

    While our team characterized salts, our organic chemist colleagues were busy identifying the carbon-based molecules present in Bennu. They found unexpectedly high levels of ammonia, an essential building block of the amino acids that form proteins in living matter. They also found all five of the nucleobases that make up part of DNA and RNA.

    Based on these results, we’d venture to guess that these briny pods of fluid would have been the perfect environments for increasingly complicated organic molecules to form, such as the kinds that make up life on Earth.

    When asteroids like Bennu hit the young Earth, they could have provided a complete package of complex molecules and the ingredients essential to life, such as water, phosphate and ammonia. Together, these components could have seeded Earth’s initially barren landscape to produce a habitable world.

    Without this early bombardment, perhaps when the pieces of the Revelstoke meteorite landed several billion years later, these fragments from outer space would not have arrived into a landscape punctuated with glaciers and trees.

    Timothy J McCoy receives funding from NASA.

    Sara Russell receives funding from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

    – ref. Bennu asteroid reveals its contents to scientists − and clues to how the building blocks of life on Earth may have been seeded – https://theconversation.com/bennu-asteroid-reveals-its-contents-to-scientists-and-clues-to-how-the-building-blocks-of-life-on-earth-may-have-been-seeded-248096

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: SRC Indigenous Action Plan Builds on Decades Long Reputation of Collaboration

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on January 29, 2025

    An Indigenous Action Plan being set in motion by the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) aims to engage and advance the participation of Indigenous Peoples within the organization and communities across Saskatchewan. 

    SRC is proud to launch a new Indigenous Action Plan that centers on Indigenous Peoples, communities and businesses to help achieve shared goals. Continuing to build trust and strong relationships with Indigenous communities is a hallmark of this plan. 

    “The Saskatchewan Research Council has a long history of collaboration with First Nations and Métis communities, spanning more than 40 years in areas such as ecological studies, student enrichment and job training opportunities, and longer-term initiatives including remediation of former mine and mill sites in northern Saskatchewan,” Minister Responsible for SRC Warren Kaeding said. “The new Indigenous Action Plan further builds upon these relationships to ensure continued Indigenous participation in Saskatchewan’s key economic sectors and growing workforce.” 

    SRC’s Indigenous Action Plan has been built to align with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) Call to Action 92 and will be lifted by four integral pillars: Employment, Leadership, Indigenous Community Relationships and Business Development. 

    “Continuing to build trust and strong relationships with Indigenous communities is a hallmark of this plan,” President and CEO of SRC Mike Crabtree said. “Advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples is not only the right thing to do, it is simply good business. We encourage all our staff, collaborators and clients to embrace reconciliation each and every day.” 

    Of particular importance within the Plan will be two new programs supported by the Employment pillar: an Indigenous Workforce Program and an Indigenous Summer Student Program, Kiskiyihta (Kiskee ih-taah), which is a Cree word meaning to learn or to know. 

    Together, these programs will help SRC increase recruitment and hiring of Indigenous Peoples by collaborating with Indigenous educational institutions and training entities to develop strategies for the retention and advancement of Indigenous employees. The collaborating organizations will also support SRC in finding potential candidates for SRC job openings and for the Indigenous Summer Student Program.  

    Other important initiatives within the Plan include the formation of an Indigenous Advisory Committee, increasing Indigenous procurement via SRC’s Indigenous Procurement Policy, growing the number of Indigenous learning opportunities for SRC employees, and strengthening meaningful engagement and collaboration with Indigenous communities and Tribal Councils.  

    SRC would like to recognize and thank Saskatchewan-based Indigenous artist Arnold Isbister for his valuable contributions to the Plan. Isbister provided much of the document’s original artwork, helping bring the Plan’s holistic approach to life with his colourful interpretations of its four Pillars and its symbolic cover pages. 

    SRC is Canada’s second largest research and technology organization with 1,400 clients in 22 countries around the world. With more than 350 employees, SRC has been helping clients solve technology problems, make improvements, increase productivity and develop new markets for more than 77 years. More details about SRC’s Indigenous Action Plan can be found at src.sk.ca/IAP. 

    -30- 

    For more information, contact:

    Allison Collins  
    External Relations 
    Saskatchewan Research Council 
    Phone: 306-385-4208 
    Email: allison.collins@src.sk.ca 

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Prime Minister announces a change to the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced the following change to the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians:

    • Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Member of Parliament for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, will serve as Chair of the Committee.

    Ms. Lattanzio has been a member of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians since 2022. She replaces the Honourable David J. McGuinty, who had been Chair since the Committee’s launch in 2017 and was recently appointed as Minister of Public Safety.

    The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians follows a non-partisan approach to review national security and intelligence activities carried out across the Government of Canada, including by the Communications Security Establishment, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. It provides the Prime Minister with an annual report, and special reports when needed. The reports, which include findings and recommendations, are then tabled by the Prime Minister in both the House of Commons and the Senate.

    Quick Facts

    • Under the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, a Minister of the Crown, a Minister of State, or a Parliamentary Secretary cannot serve as a member of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians.
    • With this change, the members of the Committee are:
      • Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal (Chair)
      • Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc Québécois
      • Don Davies, NDP
      • The Honourable Patricia (Pat) Duncan, Senate
      • The Honourable Marty Klyne, Senate
      • Rob Morrison, Conservative
      • Alex Ruff, M.S.C., C.D., Conservative
      • Brenda Shanahan, Liberal
    • The Committee was first created under the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, which received Royal Assent on June 22, 2017. It is dissolved when a general election is called and Parliament is dissolved. New members are appointed within 60 days of a new Parliament opening.
    • Since its launch, the Committee has produced a number of comprehensive reports on issues ranging from foreign interference, to cyber threats, to diversity and inclusion within the security and intelligence community.
    • The Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians assists the Committee in fulfilling its review mandate.

    Associated Link

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: NAVFAC Southeast Awards $72.4 Million Contract for Airfield Repairs at NAS Key West

    Source: United States Navy

    The project will include critical repairs to airfield runway and taxiway pavement surfaces, including milling, resurfacing, joint sealing, and full-depth repairs as needed.

    “The comprehensive airfield pavement project will restore runways and taxiways used in support of the Chief of Naval Operations’ 2024 Navigation Plan—focusing on readiness for the possibility of war and enhancing the Navy’s long-term advantage by training warfighters,” said Lt. Cmdr. Aaron Buren, public works officer for Public Works Department Key West.

    NAS Key West is a vital hub for military aviation, supporting 79,000 flight hours for 1,220 aircraft in fiscal year 2024. It enables both readiness and advanced training for U.S. and coalition forces. The planned repairs will significantly extend the airfield’s operational life, ensuring its capability to support mission readiness, training, and national security operations for years to come.

    The scope of work includes milling and resurfacing of runways 4-22, 08-26, and 14-32, including overruns, blast pavements, and shoulders. Repairs to Taxiways A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and M will address milling, resurfacing, shoulder corrections, and pavement slope drop-offs where required.

    The contract includes two unexercised options which, if awarded, would increase the total contract value to $96.9 million.

    The contract was competitively procured using the Best Value Trade-Off Source Selection method, which evaluates technical factors alongside price to determine the best overall value to the government. Three offers were received, with Head/Diaz 2022 selected based on superior technical capability and competitive pricing.

    Work will be performed at NAS Key West, Florida, with an expected completion date of January 2027.

    NAVFAC Southeast, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, provides planning, design, construction, contracting, environmental services, public works, real estate, and facility maintenance for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Space Force, and other federal agencies across the Southeast. Its area of responsibility covers installations from Charleston, South Carolina, to Corpus Christi, Texas, and extends south to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Jersey Man Convicted for Conspiring to Traffic Fentanyl-Related Substances and Launder Money

    Source: US State of Vermont

    A federal jury in Newark convicted a New Jersey man on Jan. 27 for conspiring to traffic fentanyl-related substances and launder money.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from approximately January 2014 through September 2020, William Panzera, 51, of North Haledon, and other members of a drug trafficking organization, agreed to import and distribute controlled substances and controlled substance analogues, including fentanyl analogues, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylone, and ketamine. Co-conspirators ordered controlled substances and analogues from a source in China and paid those sources hundreds of thousands of dollars via wire transfer and cryptocurrency. The conspirators distributed the substances throughout New Jersey in bulk and in the form of counterfeit pharmaceutical pills that actually contained fentanyl analogues. Eight other defendants have pleaded guilty in the case.

    The jury convicted Panzera of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of furanyl fentanyl and 100 grams or more of 4 fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl and conspiracy to commit international promotional money laundering. Panzera faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10 million for the drug trafficking conspiracy charge, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 for the money laundering conspiracy charge. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna for the District of New Jersey, and Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark made the announcement.

    HSI Newark is investigating the case. HSI Philadelphia, the FBI Newark Field Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Newark Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Newark Police Department, and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office provided valuable assistance.

    Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit Chief Stephen Sola of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sammi Malek and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Hasapidis-Sferra for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case. Financial Investigator Kathryn Montemorra of the MLARS Special Financial Investigations Unit supported the investigation.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Modernizing the Staten Island Institute for Basic Research

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul announced in her FY 2026 Executive Budget proposal a $75 million investment aimed at modernizing the Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities. This Office for People With Developmental Disabilities initiative includes the establishment of a Genomic Core Facility to enhance New York’s research capabilities and expand access for genetic testing. This groundbreaking investment will also fund the renovation of “Building 29,” a previously abandoned structure on the former Willowbrook State School grounds, transforming it into a Center for Learning, commemorating the institution’s role in disability rights history.

    “New Yorkers need and deserve access to advanced genomics research to improve therapies for people with developmental disabilities,” Governor Hochul said. “This proposal aims to modernize a community space into a nationally recognized Center for Learning, fostering innovative treatments and educational opportunities while preserving history. I am proud to include this investment in my Executive Budget and I look forward to seeing this campus revitalized as a hub for research and innovation.”

    The Institute for Basic Research (IBR) opened in 1968 as the first large-scale institute in the world with a mandate to conduct basic and clinical research into the causes of developmental disabilities. The IBR became part of the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) in 1979. This proposed funding would be the largest single financial commitment to the IBR since it opened nearly 60 years ago and will help re-establish New York as a leader in this field. The proposed Willowbrook Center for Learning provides an opportunity to memorialize the history of Willowbrook as a birthplace of reform while establishing a space for learning about the past and fostering innovation for the future.

    The Willowbrook State School was opened on Staten Island in 1947 to house and care for children with developmental disabilities. Census at the school grew to 6,000 children by 1965 making it the largest state institution in the country for people with developmental disabilities. The school made national headlines in 1972 when the deplorable conditions and treatment of the children living there were exposed by journalists Jane Curtin of the Staten Island Advance and Geraldo Rivera. Since its closing in 1987, Willowbrook has symbolized the importance of community inclusion and living with dignity for people with developmental disabilities.

    New York State OPWDD Acting Commissioner Willow Baer said, “We are thrilled at the prospect of this investment in the future of people with developmental disabilities and thank Governor Hochul for making this transformation a priority of her administration. New York State’s — and the nation’s — history of institutionalization of people with disabilities is one we continue to learn from every day, making a goal of full community inclusion the heart of everything we do, alongside our self-advocates, families and provider partners. As our nation-leading research arm, the Institute for Basic Research continues to advance our understanding of developmental disabilities, and this investment will allow New York State to be at the forefront of genetic research and testing for the benefit of people with developmental disabilities and their families.”

    New York State’s Chief Disability Officer Kim Hill Ridley said, “With this proposal, and under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State cements its commitment to improving the lives of New Yorkers with disabilities through cutting-edge research that will serve as a national resource and model for genetic testing. Reimagining the former Willowbrook School campus as a Center for Learning is a fitting project to highlight and learn from our past while remaining focused on the future, especially as it pertains to inclusion and deinstitutionalization.”

    State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton said, “As a member of the New York State Senate Disabilities Committee, I’m pleased to see the $75 million investment in the Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, which will also enable the establishment of the Willowbrook Center for Learning. This funding marks an important step in ensuring that my constituents, particularly those with disabilities, have access to the care and support they need to live with dignity. These improvements will lead to meaningful, life-changing advancements that will enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities, reinforcing New York’s commitment to the most vulnerable members of our community. I want to thank Governor Hochul, OPWDD, all the advocates, and especially my friend and colleague, Mike Cusick, for his tireless work in championing this effort year after year during his time in the Assembly. I look forward to working alongside OPWDD and the Governor’s office to support my constituents with developmental disabilities and their families throughout this important project.”

    State Senator Andrew J. Lanza said, “The Institute for Basic Research has long been a vital resource providing medical, behavioral and research services to people with developmental disabilities. A strong supporter of their important work, I thank Governor Hochul and Acting Commissioner Willow Baer for their commitment to modernizing IBR into a premier center for science and learning for years to come.”

    Assemblymember Angelo Santabarbara said, “As Chair of the New York State Assembly’s Standing Committee on People with Disabilities, I fully support this investment in modernizing the Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities. This effort enhances essential research capabilities, expands access to diagnostic tools and advances education and community inclusion, ensuring the Institute remains a leader in progress for individuals with developmental disabilities. It reflects our collective commitment to innovation and the development of resources that empower individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, building a future grounded in dignity, inclusion, and opportunity.”

    Assemblymember Charles D. Fall said, “Willowbrook is a symbol of how far we’ve come and how far we can still go. Governor Hochul’s $75 million investment honors that journey, turning a painful past into a hopeful future through cutting-edge research and education. It’s personal to me, and I know it’s personal to so many Staten Islanders who carry Willowbrook’s legacy in their hearts.”

    Assemblymember Michael W. Reilly said, “I want to thank Governor Hochul and the team at the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities for making this significant investment into our Staten Island community to help drive the next generation of cutting edge scientific research through a refreshed Institute for Basic Research. I also applaud the transformation of the historic Willowbrook site into a Center for Learning — a meaningful step that ensures this property is used to support those in need for generations to come. I look forward to working with my partners throughout government to ensure this vision becomes a reality and serves as a lasting commitment to our community.”

    Assemblymember Sam Pirozzolo said, “As Staten Islanders, we have a unique responsibility to lead the way in disability research and care, given the horrific history of the Willowbrook State School. As a legislator, I appreciate the opportunity to work with the Governor on projects that not only benefit my district but all New Yorkers. I am thrilled that New York State is proposing such a significant investment, to continue and expand life-changing research while also honoring the victims of one of the darkest chapters in our history. Thank you to Governor Hochul for this proposal, and to OPWDD and the incredible team at IBR for the work you do every day.”

    Staten Island Economic Development President and CEO and Former Assemblymember Michael J. Cusick said, “This $75 million investment for the Institute for Basic Research, the largest in the institution’s history, is a significant investment by the State of New York. With this funding, Governor Hochul has shown the State’s commitment to solidify the history and footprint of the Willowbrook State School, ensuring that the tragedy is never forgotten while strengthening IBR’s mission to advance research and improve lives. Staten Islanders are grateful to Governor Hochul for including this proposal in her Executive Budget, which aims to bring critical improvements to IBR while helping re-establish the borough and New York as national leaders in research and innovative treatment for people with developmental disabilities.”

    PEF President Wayne Spence said, “Governor Hochul’s investment in IBR is a testament to her recognition of the critical work performed by our members and PEF will work with the Governor to secure this important proposal in the final budget agreement. This funding not only secures the future of IBR but also reinforces the State’s commitment to advancing research and services for developmental disabilities. We are proud to have an administration that values and supports our mission.”

    New York City Councilmember David Carr said, This investment in IBR’s modernization is not only funding to bring Staten Island to the head of the pack with critical, cutting-edge programs in the field of developmental disabilities and the fight to provide better services for patients and their families. It also represents a new chapter in Staten Island’s history. After the closure of the Willowbrook State School, the name became synonymous with the horrors perpetuated there. Now, Willowbrook will have a new meaning, one that represents a brighter future filled with hope for people with developmental disabilities and their families. I want to thank the Governor for making this investment.”

    Former Willowbrook Resident and Advocate Bernard Carabello said, “It’s always good news when New York announces new funding and new directions to benefit people with developmental disabilities. This necessary funding announced today is going towards programming in a building that I actually grew up in as a little boy: Building 29. I arrived at Building 29 on the Willowbrook State School campus at 5 years old. The ward that I was on was split between the day room and dormitory where I slept at night. Many years later, I was able to come back to this campus, now the College of Staten Island, to receive my honorary doctorate. Back when I lived at Willowbrook I could never have imagined that the building I slept in would be used for research to benefit people with developmental disabilities like those who grew up here. I want to thank the Governor for this funding and her efforts to support people with developmental disabilities in New York.”

    Family Advocate and Brother of Former Willowbrook Resident Jose Rivera said, “By preserving this history through a Center for Learning, Governor Hochul and Acting Commissioner Willow Baer of OPWDD are making a commitment to us and future generations — a commitment that the mistakes of the past will never be repeated.”

    About the Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities

    Through its five mission-focused areas of research encompassing 25 laboratories, the Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities focuses on the causes of developmental disabilities and furthers the understanding of brain development and pathology. IBR’s goals are to provide the means to diagnose, prevent and treat developmental disabilities more effectively.

    The Institute also provides extensive, specialized biomedical, psychological and laboratory services to people with developmental disabilities and their families, and educates the public, researchers and health and education professionals regarding the causes, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of developmental disabilities. IBR’s George A. Jervis Clinic offers specialized diagnostic and consultative services for children, adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lankford, Coons Lead Bill to Incentivize Charitable Giving

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford
    WASHINGTON, DC – Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced the Charitable Actto expand and extend the expired non-itemized deduction for charitable giving. The bill would ensure Americans who donate to charities, houses of worship, religious organizations, and other nonprofits of their choice are able to deduct that donation from their federal taxes at a higher level than the previous $300 deduction.  
    This provision was first included under the CARES Act passed by President Donald J. Trump. The policy resulted in 90 million tax returns utilizing the deduction, and households making between $30,000 and $100,000 saw the largest increase in charitable giving. Charitable organizations received $30 billion in increased donations as a result. 
    “America’s first safety net should never be the government—government is the least efficient caregiver by far. Our families, churches, and other nonprofits do incredible work to lift up those who need it most. Updating the tax law to incentivize giving empowers Americans to make an even bigger impact for the homeless, hurting, and hungry,” said Lankford. 
    “Delawareans have always risen to the occasion in support of our communities,” said Coons. “Last year, Americans demonstrated our generosity by donating a collective $557 billion to charities, houses of worship, and nonprofits. I am proud to reintroduce the Charitable Act with Senator Lankford to help the federal government encourage even more Americans to embrace the civic virtue of giving to those in need.”
    Lankford and Coons were joined on this bill by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Curtis (R-UT), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Katie Britt (R-AL), and Tim Scott (R-NC).
    This bill is supported by numerous organizations including National Council of Nonprofits (25,000 member organizations), Charitable Giving Coalition (175 member organizations), the Nonprofit Alliance, Faith & Giving Coalition, Leadership 18, Independent Sector, YMCA, Council on Foundations, American Endowment Foundation, Philanthropy Southwest, Christian Alliance for Orphans, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, United Philanthropy Forum, National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, Association of Art Museum Directors, ECFA, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Americans for the Arts, American Heart Association, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement, Maryland Nonprofits, Boys and Girls Club of America, March of Dimes, and Habitat for Humanity.
    “Bravo to Senators Lankford and Coons on this much-needed support for America’s nonprofits. They both understand from personal experience the key role the nonprofit sector plays both as a provider of critical services to millions of Americans and as a major employer in Oklahoma and nationwide. In this era of historic inflation and ever-rising costs, the need for nonprofit services has not declined — in fact, we are needed more than ever. The Charitable Act will help recreate an environment of years past where charitable givers at every level can feel incentivized and appreciated—after all, we are all in this together,” said Marnie Taylor, President & CEO, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. 
    “Nonprofits are the backbone of our communities, addressing critical needs and enhancing the quality of life for all. The Charitable Act is a vital step in restoring a proven incentive that encourages generosity and empowers nonprofits to meet growing demands, even in challenging times. We applaud Senators Lankford and Coons for their leadership and steadfast commitment to strengthening the nonprofit sector, ensuring we can continue to deliver essential services and drive positive change.” said Sheila Bravo, President and CEO, Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement.
    “Faith & Giving heartily thanks and commends Senators James Lankford and Chris Coons for reintroducing the Charitable Act to restore a charitable deduction for taxpayers who do not itemize. Giving by individuals is the financial lifeblood of many thousands of American faith communities and faith-based organizations. Yet since 2017 individual giving to religion has fallen billions of dollars short of keeping pace with inflation. No single policy is more important for restoring the health of individual giving and faith-based charities than a non-itemizer charitable deduction like the one Congress created to stimulate giving in 2020 and 2021,” Brian Walsh, Executive Director, Faith & Giving. 
    “Nonprofits need tools like the nonitemizer deduction proposed by the Charitable Act to meet growing and changing community needs,” said YMCA of the USA President and CEO Suzanne McCormick. “We saw this policy unlock more giving when it was enacted temporarily during the pandemic, and we know that making it permanent will help YMCAs serve and support more neighbors every day. Senators Lankford and Coons recognize the important role nonprofits play in communities and understand that the universal charitable deduction helps nonprofits like the Y make their communities stronger. I’m grateful for their leadership.”
    “The temporary non-itemizer charitable deduction implemented in 2020 and 2021 led to an additional $18 billion in donations to nonprofits. As nonprofits are faced with higher demand for services, increased costs, workforce challenges, and declining donations, the Charitable Act presents an opportunity to reinstate that incentive and provide nonprofits with more resources to carry out their mission. The networks of the National Council of Nonprofits enthusiastically endorse this vital legislation and appreciate leaders like Sen. Lankford and Sen. Coons who continue to be stalwart champions for these efforts and the nonprofit sector,” said Diane Yentel, President & CEO, National Council of Nonprofits.
    “Generosity is a core American value that should be incentivized to help meet the evolving needs of communities,” said Kathleen Enright, Council on Foundations president and CEO. “The temporary non-itemizer deduction in the CARES Act successfully sparked more people to give. We hope Congress will cement this effective policy into law and inspire many more generous Americans to give charitably to support one another and the causes they value. We thank the House and Senate sponsors of the Charitable Act for their leadership on this issue.”
    “American Endowment Foundation (AEF) is mission-motivated to expand philanthropy, and many current and potential donors are seeking new ways to connect with their communities and give back. However, today’s tax code excludes nonitemizers from deducting their charitable contributions, limiting their ability to give. The Charitable Act would level the playing field, offering all donors—regardless of whether they itemize—more opportunities to support their communities. We are proud to support this important legislation and look forward to collaborating with Congress to enact policies that expand philanthropy for everyone,” said Ron Ransom, Chief Executive Officer, American Endowment Foundation.
    “The Charitable Act represents an opportunity to continue to strengthen the philanthropic ecosystem with tax incentives that will reverse a downward trend in levels of charitable giving. Philanthropy Southwest, its members and the charitable sector continue to confront unprecedented needs. By recognizing tax code should support giving at all levels and from all Americans, and encouraging more Americans to support nonprofit organizations, this legislation has the potential to create meaningful, lasting impact across our most critical social challenges,” said Tony J. Fundaro, President & CEO, Philanthropy Southwest. 
    “The generosity of ordinary citizens reflects America at her best and provides immense public good.  It fuels vital projects and services, from aid to the needy, to education for the young, to parks, museums, and civic life, and so much more.  Citizen-giving also nurtures strong, healthy accountability for nonprofits, insisting that they prove their worth in order to earn the support of their neighbors.  Finally, as many studies now confirm, generosity benefits givers, too — measurably boosting happiness, connectedness, and overall well-being.  The Charitable Act will significantly advance all of these benefits and more,” said Jedd Medefind, President, Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO). 
    “Churches, faith-based organizations, and other non-profit institutions that depend on charitable giving are the backbone of a healthy civil society, contributing to our communities and serving those in need. Southern Baptists have long understood this principle. Therefore, the ERLC fully supports Sen. Lankford’s reintroduction of the Charitable Act that would extend the Charitable Deduction to 100% of taxpayers. This legislation deserves broad support and quick passage,” said ERLC’s President, Brent Leatherwood. 
    “Charitable giving supports lifesaving work, provides essential services, and strengthens our communities. The past few years have offered incontrovertible proof that tax incentives impact giving: when everyday Americans had access to the charitable deduction, they gave more generously. Fortunately, Congress has a rare opportunity to strengthen the work of charitable organizations and the fabric of our nation by passing the Charitable Act this year,” said Independent Sector President and CEO Dr. Akilah Watkins.
    “United Philanthropy Forum commends these Congressional champions for their steadfast support of America’s charitable sector and the vital services these organizations provide to communities nationwide,” said Deborah Aubert Thomas, President & CEO of United Philanthropy Forum. “The Forum maintains that implementing a non-itemizer deduction would modernize giving incentives, strengthen our nation’s philanthropic foundation, and empower donors across all tax brackets to increase their charitable investments. This approach would be particularly impactful in engaging younger generations in meaningful charitable giving that strengthens their communities,” said Deborah Aubert Thomas, President and CEO, United Philanthropy Forum. 
    “We applaud the reintroduction of this important legislation that would provide all taxpayers with access to the charitable deduction for their generosity,” said Michael Kenyon, President & CEO of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners. “As gift planners, we know that once a donor starts to support a cause or organization, they are much more likely to continue giving in the future, no matter the size of their initial contribution. Restoring a non-itemizer charitable would encourage all taxpayers, irrespective of income level, to give, instilling a habit of philanthropy that will drive more dollars to charity for years to come from a new generation of givers.”
    “The Charitable Act isn’t just about tax policy – it’s about democratizing generosity and unleashing the full potential of American philanthropy. When teachers, nurses, and other everyday heroes can’t receive the same tax benefits for their charitable giving as wealthy donors, we’re reinforcing inequality in our giving ecosystem. We cannot afford to discourage giving from hardworking Americans. The Charitable Act would empower all donors, regardless of tax filing status, to make a bigger impact and strengthen the vital services that our communities desperately need,” said Shannon McCracken, CEO The Nonprofit Alliance. 
    “The Association of Art Museum Directors thanks Sens. Lankford and Coons for their leadership on the Charitable Act. Donations make possible free and reduced admissions, educational programs, and a host of community services.  We look forward to a resurgence of giving upon passage of their bill, just as gifts increased following the temporary enactment of a deduction for non-itemizers in 2020-21,” said Christine Anagnos, Executive Director of the Association of Art Museum Directors.
    “The charitable deduction sends a powerful message that America wants to honor and encourage openhanded generosity,” said ECFA President & CEO Michael Martin. “The Charitable Act wisely democratizes this proven incentive and supports habits of giving for all taxpayers regardless of whether they itemize on their tax forms or not.”
    “According to Q3 2024 data compiled by AFP’s Fundraising Effectiveness Project, the number of small gift donors (gifts under $100) saw a steep decline of -12.4%; this is a continued decline in the last two years since the charitable deduction for non-itemizers was not renewed.,” said Mike Geiger, President and CEO of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. “On behalf of our more than 26,000 fundraising professional members that raise more than $100 billion annually for charities, we are grateful for our Congressional champions reintroducing the bipartisan Charitable Act as this giving incentive will support nonprofits in their communities who rely on these funds to provide much needed services.”
    “We are grateful for the leadership of Senators Lankford and Coons in reintroducing the bipartisan Charitable Act, legislation that will ensure that all American taxpayers, regardless of income, are encouraged to give more to support local soup kitchens, homeless and domestic abuse shelters, disaster relief organizations, schools, cultural organizations, and religious congregations and ministries—among innumerable other crucial charities. We know from experience that a charitable deduction for non-itemizers will generate additional giving. In 2020 and 2021, the CGC and its members successfully worked with Congress to enact a modest temporary charitable deduction for non-itemizers that led to increased giving, particularly through a significant increase in small gifts. In 2020, 42 million taxpayers used the temporary universal charitable deduction to give $10.9 billion to charities, with a quarter of the Americans taking that $300 deduction made less than $30,000. We look forward to working with Sens. Lankford, Coons and their colleagues to ensure that this important proposal is included in tax reform legislation,” said Brian Flahaven, Chair, Charitable Giving Coalition. 
    “Donors invest in schools, colleges, and universities because of the essential role they play in transforming lives and society. By restoring a charitable deduction for non-itemizers, the bipartisan Charitable Act will encourage more Americans to make donations aimed at funding scholarships, educating and preparing students, supporting ground-breaking research, and strengthening academic programs. We applaud and thank Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Chris Coons (D-DE) for re-introducing the Charitable Act and look forward to advocating for its speedy enactment,” said Sue Cunningham, President and CEO, Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
    “Small donations are crucial to the nonprofit arts and culture sector, which generated $151.7 billion in economic activity, supported 2.6 million jobs, created $29.1 billion in tax revenue, and provided residents $101 billion in personal income in 2022. Those who do not itemize on their taxes are a crucial part of this sector,” said Suzy Delvalle, co-CEO of Americans for the Arts.
    “When we support the arts through small donations, we invest in both economic and community well-being, particularly in rural areas. We thank Senator Lankford and Senator Coons for their leadership on this important issue,” said Jamie Bennett, co-CEO of Americans for the Arts.
    “Charitable organizations work tirelessly to improve and enrich communities nationwide. The bipartisan Charitable Act would support the life-changing work of our nation’s charities by encouraging middle- and lower-income taxpayers to contribute to nonprofits making an impact across the country. The American Heart Association thanks the congressional champions reintroducing the Charitable Act and looks forward to working with these lawmakers to pass this bill,” said Mark Schoeberl, Executive Vice President of Advocacy, American Heart Association.
    “Charitable giving is for everyone, and everyone who donates should have the same opportunity to receive a tax deduction. The Charitable Act expands access to these incentives, ensuring that all Americans—whether they itemize deductions or not—can benefit from a tax break on their contributions. This legislation empowers more people to support the vital work of nonprofits in their communities,” said Heather Iliff, President & CEO of Maryland Nonprofits. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Votes Against Bill to Sanction International Criminal Court Officials

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released the following statement after Senate Democrats blocked legislation that would have caused irreparable harm to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has a mandate to prosecute and punish war crimes: 
    “Building lasting peace requires justice and ensuring accountability for violations of international humanitarian law in Ukraine, in Gaza, and wherever they occur. The United States was instrumental in establishing the International Criminal Court to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide when domestic justice systems fail to act. That is a key limitation which the ICC’s critics—including Senate Republicans—often neglect to acknowledge: the ICC does not supplant the courts of any country. It has jurisdiction only when domestic justice systems fail to prosecute and punish war criminals.   
    “Yet, instead of waiting to hear the evidence, the White House and some in Congress attempted to selectively sanction the ICC’s judges and prosecutors, which would have damaged our own credibility, the credibility of the Court, and the rule of law. The ICC is only as effective as the international community’s willingness to enforce the Geneva Conventions and hold violators accountable. And while its indictments and rulings, like any court, will always have detractors, there cannot be one standard of justice for war crimes committed by our adversaries and a lesser standard for our allies.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Green Line gets the green light: Minister Dreeshen

    Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Premier’s statement on National Day of Remembrance of Quebec City Mosque Attack

    Premier David Eby has issued the following statement marking the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia:

    “On Jan. 29, 2017, in a terrible act of anti-Muslim hatred, the lives of six men were taken at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City.

    “Today, we remember them: Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzedine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti. We mourn with the families and friends who were left behind, and we stand with those who were injured in this heinous attack.

    “This hateful act of terrorism remains as shocking today as it was that evening eight years ago.

    “Our government stands against hate in all its forms. There is no place for Islamophobia in British Columbia.

    “Building a more welcoming, inclusive province is a priority for our government. We created the Anti-Hate Community Support Fund to help protect community organizations and places of worship from hate-motivated crimes, and passed the Anti-Racism Act to address racism within government programs and services. We also launched a racist incident helpline to support people who have experienced or witnessed an act of hate.

    “Our diversity is our strength in British Columbia. Today and every day, we stand with the Muslim community.”

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Province Seeks Leave to Intervene in Newfoundland’s Equalization Action

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on January 29, 2025

    Saskatchewan has applied for intervenor status in Newfoundland and Labrador’s challenge against the federal equalization formula. Saskatchewan’s application was issued on January 23, 2025. 

    Newfoundland and Labrador filed its statement of claim with the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador on June 21, 2024. 

    “The equalization formula has consistently failed in its intended goal to create fairness for all Canadians,” Justice Minister and Attorney General Tim McLeod said. “Like Newfoundland and Labrador, we have serious concerns with the current formula, which has repeatedly punished provinces with strong natural resource sectors like Saskatchewan.” 

    Though equalization was meant to ensure reasonably comparable access to public services across the provinces, the formula unfairly affects Saskatchewan and other provinces due to the inclusion of resource revenues. The formula also fails to take into account the structural costs of delivering public services and overcompensates recipient provinces by distributing surplus payments to them.

    “Under the current equalization formula, Saskatchewan has not received payments for the last 18 years,” McLeod said. “Four other provinces will receive nearly $3,000 per resident in 2025-26, while Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia receive nothing. This hardly seems equitable, even by the most basic standards.”

    Saskatchewan taxpayers pay for equalization through federal income taxes like income tax and GST. Every Canadian pays, on average, $634 per year to the $26 billion equalization program, which results in a $786 million total contribution from Saskatchewan taxpayers. 

    This intervention application is set to be heard in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador on October 20, 2025.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI: BexBack Unveils 100x Leverage Crypto Trading with Double Deposit Bonus & $50 Welcome Offer—No KYC Needed

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As the price of Bitcoin surpassed the $100,000 mark and many analysts believe that it will enter a long-term high-volatility market. Holding spot positions may not continue to generate profits in the short term. BexBack Exchange is stepping up its efforts to provide traders with irresistible preferential packages. The platform now offers a 100% deposit bonus, a $50 welcome bonus for new users, and a 100x leverage on cryptocurrency trading, creating unparalleled opportunities for investors.

    What Is 100x Leverage and How Does It Work?

    Simply put, 100x leverage allows you to open larger trading positions with less capital. For example:

    Suppose the Bitcoin price is $60,000 that day, and you open a long contract with 1 BTC. After using 100x leverage, the transaction amount is equivalent to 100 BTC.

    One day later, if the price rises to $63,000, your profit will be (63,000 – 60,000) * 100 BTC / 60,000 = 5 BTC, a yield of up to 500%.

    With BexBack’s deposit bonus

    BexBack offers a 100% deposit bonus. If the initial investment is 2 BTC, the profit will increase to 10 BTC, and the return on investment will double to 1000%.

    Note: Although leveraged trading can magnify profits, you also need to be wary of liquidation risks.

    How Does the 100% Deposit Bonus Work?
    The deposit bonus from BexBack cannot be directly withdrawn but can be used to open larger positions and increase potential profits. Additionally, during significant market fluctuations, the bonus can serve as extra margin, effectively reducing the risk of liquidation.

    About BexBack?

    BexBack is a leading cryptocurrency derivatives platform that offers 100x leverage on BTC, ETH, ADA, SOL, and XRP futures contracts. It is headquartered in Singapore with offices in Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina. It holds a US MSB (Money Services Business) license and is trusted by more than 200,000 traders worldwide. Accepts users from the United States, Canada, and Europe. There are no deposit fees, and traders can get the most thoughtful service, including 24/7 customer support.

    Why recommend BexBack?

    No KYC Required: Start trading immediately without complex identity verification.

    100% Deposit Bonus: Double your funds, double your profits.

    High-Leverage Trading: Offers up to 100x leverage, maximizing investors’ capital efficiency.

    Demo Account: Comes with 10 BTC in virtual funds, ideal for beginners to practice risk-free trading.

    Comprehensive Trading Options: Feature-rich trading available via Web and mobile applications.

    Convenient Operation: No slippage, no spread, and fast, precise trade execution.

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    Take Action Now—Don’t Miss Another Opportunity!

    If you missed the previous crypto bull run, this could be your chance. With BexBack’s 100x leverage and 100% deposit bonus and $50 bonus for new users (complete one trade within one week of registration), you can be a winner in the new bull run.

    Sign up on BexBack now, claim your exclusive bonus and start accumulating more BTC today!

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    Contact:
    Amanda
    business@bexback.com

    Disclaimer: This content is provided by BexBack. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the content provider. The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities. Please conduct your own research and invest at your own risk.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d653f906-7908-4200-ab66-0a9a33b3d84e

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5b9f6b25-c7eb-436a-8fb8-e59f1ccd5634

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/101ef4e2-f376-4588-a21e-03d8031d15c5

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5a9c839a-4633-419f-92e6-dfaeefb06023

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Bank of Canada provides operational details for restarting asset purchases to end quantitative tightening

    Source: Bank of Canada

    Today, the Bank of Canada is announcing its plan to complete its balance sheet normalization, ending quantitative tightening. Beginning in early March, the Bank will begin purchasing assets as part of normal balance sheet management. Purchases are intended to replace maturing assets, to offset the growth of currency notes in circulation and to stabilize settlement balances within a range over the course of the year.

    Asset purchases will begin with the restart of the regular term repo program, followed by Government of Canada (GoC) treasury bill purchases to restore a more balanced mix of assets on the Bank’s balance sheet.

    As such, the Bank will restart its term repo program effective March 5, 2025 and operations will be conducted every two weeks. Terms will alternate between 1-month operations and 1- and 3-months operations depending on the week. Initially, term repo operations will range between $2bln and $5bln. The sizes will increase over time as the Bank’s needs for additional assets grow. Final operational details, including the size and specific maturity date of the term repos, will be published 1 week prior to the operation date. See the updated terms and conditions for additional information.

    Treasury bill purchases will resume later this year and be conducted via GoC auctions. Purchase amounts will be announced via the regular call for tender process. The timing for the resumption of treasury bill purchases will ultimately depend on the evolution of the Bank’s balance sheet, including take-up of the term repo program. 

    Purchases of GoC bonds will likely not need to start until towards the end of 2026 at the earliest based on current projections for the Bank’s future asset needs. When they begin, they will be conducted in the secondary market. A subsequent market notice containing operational details will be published well in advance.

    Director
    Financial Markets Department

    Director
    Financial Markets Department

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Bank of Canada announces an adjustment to the deposit rate and some changes to terms and conditions for Overnight Reverse Repo Operations

    Source: Bank of Canada

    The Bank announced it is making an adjustment to the deposit rate. Effective January 30, the deposit rate will be set at a spread of 5bps below the Bank’s policy interest rate. This change to the monetary policy implementation framework is being made to improve its effectiveness. The intent of this change is to improve the circulation of settlement balances as they decline towards steady state levels over the coming months and support the functioning of short-term funding markets. Adjusting the deposit rate should also help mitigate some of the upward pressure that has been seen on the overnight rate relative to the Bank’s target rate in recent months and help reinforce the effect of the Bank’s Overnight Repo (OR) operations.

    Occasional adjustments to the deposit rate spread may be required in the course of normal operations. These spread adjustments would be considered, among other factors, following a period of sustained and persistent upward, or downward pressure, on CORRA and would be communicated via a market notice. We will assess the impact of this change as the balance sheet continues to evolve and evaluate the need for any additional adjustments to our implementation framework.

    In addition, the Bank is realigning its framework for Overnight Reverse Repo (ORR) operations with that of OR operations. Effective January 30, when they are required, ORR operations will be conducted through a uniform price auction with an aggregate cash value amount offered in each operation of a minimum of $8 billion and individual dealer limits for each ORR of $3 billion. The terms and conditions of ORR operations have been updated to reflect this change and provide further operational details.

    Director
    Financial Markets Department

    Director
    Financial Markets Department

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Readout of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s Call With Australia Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles

    Source: United States Department of Defense

    A Senior Defense Official provided the following readout:

    Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Australia Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles held an introductory call yesterday to discuss key initiatives across the breadth of the U.S.-Australia Alliance.  The leaders exchanged views on the strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific region, U.S. force posture priorities with Australia, AUKUS, and defense industrial collaboration, including our cooperation in support of Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) enterprise.  The Secretary conveyed the enduring commitment of the United States to the bilateral alliance with Australia and pledged to remain in close coordination with Deputy Prime Minister Marles.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: OMB Q&A Regarding Memorandum M-25-13

    Source: The White House

    In implementing President Trump’s Executive Orders, OMB issued guidance requesting that agencies temporarily pause, to the extent permitted by law, grant, loan or federal financial assistance programs that are implicated by the President’s Executive Orders.

    Any program not implicated by the President’s Executive Orders is not subject to the pause.

    The Executive Orders listed in the guidance are:

    Protecting the American People Against Invasion

    Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid

    Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements

    Unleashing American Energy

    Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing

    Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government

    Enforcing the Hyde Amendment

    Any program that provides direct benefits to individuals is not subject to the pause.

    The guidance establishes a process for agencies to work with OMB to determine quickly whether any program is inconsistent with the President’s Executive Orders. A pause could be as short as day. In fact, OMB has worked with agencies and has already approved many programs to continue even before the pause has gone into effect.

    Any payment required by law to be paid will be paid without interruption or delay.

    Q: Is this a freeze on all Federal financial assistance?

    A: No, the pause does not apply across-the-board. It is expressly limited to programs, projects, and activities implicated by the President’s Executive Orders, such as ending DEI, the green new deal, and funding nongovernmental organizations that undermine the national interest.

    Q: Is this a freeze on benefits to Americans like SNAP or student loans?

    A: No, any program that provides direct benefits to Americans is explicitly excluded from the pause and exempted from this review process. In addition to Social Security and Medicare, already explicitly excluded in the guidance, mandatory programs like Medicaid and SNAP will continue without pause.Funds for small businesses, farmers, Pell grants, Head Start, rental assistance, and other similar programs will not be paused. If agencies are concerned that these programs may implicate the President’s Executive Orders, they should consult OMB to begin to unwind these objectionable policies without a pause in the payments.

    Q: Is the pause of federal financial assistance an impoundment?

    A: No, it is not an impoundment under the Impoundment Control Act. It is a temporary pause to give agencies time to ensure that financial assistance conforms to the policies set out in the President’s Executive Orders, to the extent permitted by law. Temporary pauses are a necessary part of program implementation that have been ordered by past presidents to ensure that programs are being executed and funds spent in accordance with a new President’s policies and do not constitute impoundments.

    Q: Why was this pause necessary?

    A: To act as faithful stewards of taxpayer money, new administrations must review federal programs to ensure that they are being executed in accordance with the law and the new President’s policies.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

    Source: The White House

    1:06 P.M. EST

         MS. LEAVITT:  Good afternoon, everybody. 

    Q    Good afternoon.

    MS. LEAVITT:  How are we?  Good to see all of you.  It’s an honor to be here with all of you.  A lot of familiar faces in the room, a lot of new faces.

    And President Trump is back, and the golden age of America has most definitely begun. 

    The Senate has already confirmed five of President Trump’s exceptional Cabinet nominees: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.  It is imperative that the Senate continues to confirm the remainder of the president’s well-qualified nominees as quickly as possible.

    As you have seen during the past week, President Trump is hard at work fulfilling the promises that he made to the American people on the campaign trail.  Since taking the oath of office, President Trump has taken more than 300 executive actions; secured nearly $1 trillion in U.S. investments; deported illegal alien rapists, gang members, and suspected terrorists from our homeland; and restored common sense to the federal government.

    I want to take a moment to go through some of these extraordinary actions. 

    On day one, President Trump declared a national emergency at our southern border to end the four-year-long invasion of illegal aliens under the previous administration.  Additionally, President Trump signed an executive order to end catch and release and finish construction of his effective border wall.  By using every lever of his federal power, President Trump has sent a loud and clear message to the entire world: America will no longer tolerate illegal immigration. 

    And this president expects that every nation on this planet will cooperate with the repatriation of their citizens, as proven by this weekend, when President Trump swiftly directed his team to issue harsh and effective sanctions and tariffs on the Colombian government upon hearing they were denied a U.S. military aircraft full of their own citizens who were deported by this administration.  Within hours, the Colombian government agreed to all of President Trump’s demands, proving America is once again respected on the world stage.

    So, to foreign nationals who are thinking about trying to illegally enter the United States, think again.  Under this president, you will be detained, and you will be deported. 

         Every day, Americans are safer because of the violent criminals that President Trump’s administration is removing from our communities.

    On January 23rd, ICE New York arrested a Turkish national for entry without inspection who is a known or suspected terrorist.  On January 23rd, ICE San Francisco arrested a citizen of Mexico unlawfully present in the United States who has been convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child aged 14 years or younger.  ICE Saint Paul has arrested a citizen of Honduras who was convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.  ICE Buffalo arrested a citizen of Ecuador who has been convicted of rape. 

    ICE Boston arrested a citizen of the Dominican Republic who has a criminal conviction for second-degree murder.  This criminal was convicted of murder for beating his pregnant wife to death in front of her five-year-old son. 

         And ICE Saint Paul also arrested a citizen of Mexico who was convicted of possessing pornographic material of a minor on a work computer.

    These are the heinous individuals that this administration is removing from American communities every single day.  And to the brave state and local law enforcement officers, CBP, and ICE agents who are helping in the facilitation of this deportation operation, President Trump has your back and he is grateful for your hard work.

    On the economic front, President Trump took immediate action to lower costs for families who are suffering from four long years of the Biden administration’s destructive and inflationary policies.  President Trump ordered the heads of all executive departments and agencies to help deliver emergency price relief to the American people, untangle our economy from Biden’s regulatory constraints, and end the reckless war on American energy.

    President Trump also signed sweeping executive orders to end the weaponization of government and restore common sense to the federal bureaucracy.  He directed all federal agencies to terminate illegal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs to help return America to a merit-based society.

    President Trump also signed an executive order declaring it is now the policy of the federal government that there are only two sexes: male and female.  Sanity has been restored.

    Before I take your questions, I would like to point out to — all of you once again have access to the most transparent and accessible president in American history.  There has never been a president who communicates with the American people and the American press corps as openly and authentically as the 45th and now 47th president of the United States. 

    This past week, President Trump has held multiple news conferences, gaggled on Air Force One multiple times, and sat down for a two-part interview on Fox News, which aired last week.  As Politico summed it up best, “Trump is everywhere again,” and that’s because President Trump has a great story to tell about the legendary American revival that is well underway.

    And in keeping with this revolutionary media approach that President Trump deployed during the campaign, the Trump White House will speak to all media outlets and personalities, not just the legacy media who are seated in this room, because apporting — according to recent polling from Gallup, Americans’ trust in mass media has fallen to a record low.  Millions of Americans, especially young people, have turned from traditional television outlets and newspapers to consume their news from podcasts, blogs, social media, and other independent outlets.

    It’s essential to our team that we share President Trump’s message everywhere and adapt this White House to the new media landscape in 2025.  To do this, I am excited to announce the following changes will be made to this historic James S. Brady Briefing Room, where Mr. Brady’s legacy will endure.

    This White House believes strongly in the First Amendment, so it’s why our team will work diligently to restore the press passes of the 440 journalists whose passes were wrongly revoked by the previous administration. 

    We’re also opening up this briefing room to new media voices who produce news-related content and whose outlet is not already represented by one of the seats in this room.  We welcome independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers, and content creators to apply for credentials to cover this White House.  And you can apply now on our new website, WhiteHouse.gov/NewMedia. 

    Starting today, this seat in the front of the room, which is usually occupied by the press secretary staff, will be called the “new media” seat.  My team will review the applications and give credentials to new media applicants who meet our criteria and pass United States Secret Service requirements to enter the White House complex.

    So, in light of these announcements, our first questions for today’s briefing will go to these new media members whose outlets, despite being some of the most viewed news websites in the country, have not been given seats in this room. 

    And before I turn to questions, I do have news directly from the president of the United States that was just shared with me in the Oval Office from President Trump directly — an update on the New Jersey drones: After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons. 

    Many of these drones were also hobbyists — recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones.  In meanti- — in the — in time, it got worse, due to curiosity.  This was not the enemy.  A — a statement from the president of the United States to start this briefing with some news.

    And with that, I will turn it over to questions, and we will begin with our new media members: Mike Allen from Axios, Matt Boyle from Breitbart. 

         Mike, why don’t you go ahead.

    Q    Thank you very much.  Karoline, does the president see anything fishy about DeepSeek, either its origins or its cost?  And could China’s ability to make these models quicker, cheaper affect our thinking about expanding generation data centers, chip manufacturing?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Sure.  The president was asked about DeepSeek last night on Air Force One when he gaggled for, I think, the third or fourth time throughout the weekend with members of the traveling press corps.  The president said that he believes that this is a wake-up call to the American AI industry.  The last administration sat on their hands and allowed China to rapidly develop this AI program.

    And so, President Trump believes in restoring American AI dominance, and that’s why he took very strong executive action this past week to sign executive orders to roll back some of the onerous regulations on the AI industry.  And President Trump has also proudly appointed the first AI and crypto czar at this White House, David Sacks, whom I spoke with yesterday — very knowledgeable on this subject.  And his team is here working every single day to ensure American AI dominance.

    As for the national security implications, I spoke with NSC this morning.  They are looking into what those may be, and when I have an update, I will share it with you, Mike.

    Q    And, Karoline, you say “restore” U.S. dominance.  Is there fear that the U.S. either is falling or has fallen behind?  And how would the president make sure the U.S. stays ahead?

    MS. LEAVITT:  No.  The president is confident that we will restore American dominance in AI. 

    Matt.

    Q    Yeah.  So, Karoline, first off, thank you to you and President Trump for actually giving voices to new media outlets that represent millions and millions of Americans.  The thing I would add — the — I’ve got a two-part question for you.  The first is just: Can you expand upon what steps the White House is going to take to bring more voices, not less — which is what our founder, Andrew Breitbart, believed in — into this room, where they rightly belong?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Yeah, absolutely.  And as I said in my opening statement, Matt, it is a priority of this White House to honor the First Amendment.  And it is a fact that Americans are consuming their news media from various different platforms, especially young people.  And as the youngest press secretary in history, thanks to President Trump, I take great pride in opening up this room to new media voices to share the president’s message with as many Americans as possible.

    In doing so, number one, we will ensure that outlets like yours — Axios and Breitbart, which are widely respected and viewed outlets — have an actual seat in this room every day.  We also, again, encourage anybody in this country — whether you are a TikTok content creator, a blogger, a podcaster — if you are producing legitimate news content, no matter the medium, you will be allowed to apply for press credentials to this White House. 

    And as I said earlier, our new media website is WhiteHouse.gov/NewMedia, and so we encourage people to apply.  Again, as long as you are creating news-related content of the day and you’re a legitimate independent journalist, you’re welcome to cover this White House. 

    Q    And secondly, Karoline, you sa- — you laid out several of the actions that President Trump has taken.  Obviously, it’s a stark contrast to the previous administration and a breakneck speed from President Trump.  Can we expect that pace to continue as the hun- — the — you know, the first 100 days moves along here and beyond that?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Absolutely.  There is no doubt President Trump has always been the hardest working man in politics.  I think that’s been proven over the past week.  This president has, again, signed more than 300 executive orders.  He’s taken historic action. 

    I gaggled aboard Air Force One to mark the first 100 days of this administration — 4:00 p.m. last Friday — first 100 hours, rather.  And this president did more in the first 100 hours than the previous president did in the first 100 days. 

    So, President Trump, I think you can all expect to — for him to continue to work at this breakneck speed.  So, I hope you’re all ready to work very hard.  I know that we are.

    Zeke Miller.

    Q    Thanks, Karoline.  A question that we’ve asked your predecessors of both parties in this job.  When you’re up here in this briefing room speaking to the American public, do you view yourself and your role as speaking on — advocating on behalf of the president, or providing the unvarnished truth that is, you know, not to lie, not to obfuscate to the American people?

    MS. LEAVITT:  I commit to telling the truth from this podium every single day.  I commit to speaking on behalf of the president of the United States.  That is my job. 

    And I will say it’s very easy to speak truth from this podium when you have a president who is implementing policies that are wildly popular with the American people, and that’s exactly what this administration is doing.  It’s correcting the lies and the wrongs of the past four years, many of the lies that have been told to your faces in this very briefing room.  I will not do that.

    But since you brought up truth, Zeke, I would like to point out, while I vow to provide the truth from this podium, we ask that all of you in this room hold yourselves to that same standard.  We know for a fact there have been lies that have been pushed by many legacy media outlets in this country about this president, about his family, and we will not accept that.  We will call you out when we feel that your reporting is wrong or there is misinformation about this White House. 

    So, yes, I will hold myself to the truth, and I expect everyone in this room to do the same. 

    Q    And, Karoline, just on a substantive question.  Yesterday, the White House Office of Management and Budget directed an across-the-board freeze with — with some exceptions for individual assistance.  We understand just federal grants.

    MS. LEAVITT:  Right.

    Q    It’s caused a lot of confusion around the country among Head Start providers, among providers — from services to homeless veterans, provid- — you know, Medicaid providers, states saying they’re having trouble accessing the portal.  Could you put — help us clear up some confusion —

    MS. LEAVITT:  Yes.

    Q    — give some certainty to folks?  And then also, is that uncertainty — how does that uncertainty service the president’s voters?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Well, I think there’s only uncertainty in this room amongst the media.  There’s no uncertainty in this building. 

    So, let me provide the certainty and the clarity that all of you need.  This is not a blanket pause on federal assistance in grant programs from the Trump administration.  Individual assistance, that includes — I’m not naming everything that’s included, but just to give you a few examples — Social Security benefits, Medicare benefits, food stamps, welfare benefits — assistance that is going directly to individuals will not be impacted by this pause. 

    And I want to make that very clear to any Americans who are watching at home who may be a little bit confused about some of the media reporting: This administration — if you are receiving individual assistance from the federal government, you will still continue to receive that. 

    However, it is the responsibility of this president and this administration to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars.  That is something that President Trump campaigned on.  That’s why he has launched DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, who is working alongside OMB.  And that’s why OMB sent out this memo last night, because the president signed an executive order directing OMB to do just this.  And the reason for this is to ensure that every penny that is going out the door is not conflicting with the executive orders and actions that this president has taken. 

    So, what does this pause mean?  It means no more funding for illegal DEI programs.  It means no more funding for the Green New Scam that has ta- — cost American taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.  It means no more funding for transgenderism and wokeness across our federal bureaucracy and agencies.  No more funding for Green New Deal social engineering policies.  Again, people who are receiving individual asintan- — assistance, you will continue to receive that.

    And President Trump is looking out for you by issuing this pause because he is being good steward of your taxpayer dollars.

    Q    Thanks, Karoline. 

    MS. LEAVITT:  Sure.

    Q    How long is this pause going to last?  And how is the Trump administration recommending that organizations that rely on federal funding make payroll, pay their rent in the meantime?

    MS. LEAVITT:  It is a temporary pause, and the Office of Management and Budget is reviewing the federal funding that has been going out the door, again, not for individual assistance, but for all of these other programs that I mentioned.

    I also spoke with the incoming director of OMB this morning, and he told me to tell all of you that the line to his office is open for other federal government agencies across the board, and if they feel that programs are necessary and in line with the president’s agenda, then the Office of Management and Budget will review those policies. 

    I think this is a very responsible measure.  Again, the past four years, we’ve seen the Biden administration spend money like drunken sailors.  It’s a big reason we’ve had an inflation crisis in this country, and it’s incumbent upon this administration to make sure, again, that every penny is being accounted for honestly.

    Q    Why impose this pause with so little notice?  Why not give organizations more time to plan for the fact that they are about to lose, in some cases, really crucial federal funding —

    MS. LEAVITT:  There was —

    Q    — at least for a — for a period of time?

    MS. LEAVITT:  There was notice.  It was the executive order that the president signed. 

    There’s also a freeze on hiring, as you know; a regulatory freeze; and there’s also a freeze on foreign aid.  And this is a — again, incredibly important to ensure that this administration is taking into consideration how hard the American people are working.  And their tax dollars actually matter to this administration. 

    You know, just during this pause, DOGE and OMB have actually found that there was $37 million that was about to go out the door to the World Health Organization, which is an organization, as you all know, that President Trump, with the swipe of his pen in that executive order, is — no longer wants the United States to be a part of.  So, that wouldn’t be in line with the president’s agenda. 

    DOGE and OMB also found that there was about to be 50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza.  That is a preposterous waste of taxpayer money. 

    So, that’s what this pause is focused on: being good stewards of tax dollars. 

    Q    And so, this doesn’t affect —

    MS. LEAVITT:  Jennifer.

    Q    — Meals on Wheels or Head Start or disaster aid?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Again, it does not affect individual assistance that’s going to Americans.

    Q    To follow up on Nancy, do you think there will be a list of who is affected and how much money is affected?  How — how will these contractors and organizations know if they are actually being — having their funding frozen?

    And then, secondly, if you’re willing, can you just clarify, is the end goal of this to essentially challenge Congress or to — to prove that the president can withhold federal funding?  Is — in other words, is this an attempt to pick a fight to prove that he can do this?

    MS. LEAVITT:  No, absolutely not.  As it says right here in the memo, which I have — and I’d encourage all of you to read it — it says, “The American people elected President Trump to be the president of the United States and gave him a mandate to increase the impact of every federal dollar.”  “This memo requires federal agencies to identify and review all Federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities consistent with the president’s policies and requirements.” 

    The American people gave President Trump an overwhelming mandate on November 5th, and he’s just trying to ensure that the tax money going out the door in this very bankrupt city actually aligns with the will and the priorities of the American people. 

    (Cross-talk.)

    Brian Glenn.

    Q    Yes.  Welcome. 

    MS. LEAVITT:  Thank you.

    Q    You look great.  You’re doing a great job. 

    MS. LEAVITT:  Thank you.

    Q    You talked about transparency.  And some of us in this room know how just transparent President Trump has been the last five or six years; I think you’ll do the same. 

    My question is, do you think this latest incident with the president of Colombia is indicative of the global, powerful respect they have for President Trump moving forward not only to engage in — in economic diplomacy with these countries but also world peace?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Absolutely.  I’ll echo the answer that the president gave on Air Force One last night when he was asked a very similar question by one of your colleagues in the media: This signifies peace through strength is back, and this president will not tolerate illegal immigration into America’s interior. 

    And he expects every nation on this planet, again, to cooperate with the repatriation of their citizens who illegally entered into our country and broke America’s laws.  Won’t be tolerated. 

    And as you saw, the Colombian government quickly folded and agreed to all of President Trump’s demands.  Flights are underway once again.

    (Cross-talk.)

    Diana.

    Q    Two questions on deportations, if I may.  President Trump had said on the campaign trail that he would deport pro-Hamas students who are here on visas, and on his first day in office, he signed an executive order that said, quote, “The U.S. must ensure that admitted aliens and aliens otherwise already present in the U.S. do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.”  So, should we take this executive order as Trump saying he would be open to de- — deporting those students who are here on visas, but, you know, hold pro-Hamas sympathies?

    MS. LEAVITT:  The president is open to deporting individuals who have broken our nation’s immigrations laws.  So, if they are here illegally, then certainly he is open to deporting them, and that’s what this administration is hard at work at doing. 

    We receive data from DHS and from ICE every single day.  From what we hear on the ground, ICE agents are feeling incredibly empowered right now because they actually have a leader in this building who is supporting them in doing their jobs that they were hired to do, which is to detain, arrest, and deport illegal criminals who have invaded our nation’s borders over the past four years.  That’s what the president is committed to seeing. 

    Q    One more. 

    MS. LEAVITT:  Peter.
        
         Q    Just following up on that, Karoline —

    Q    Karoline, if I could ask you very quickly, just following up on the question on immigration.  First, President Trump, during the course of the campaign in 2024, said the following about illegal im- — immigration.  He said, “They’re going back home where they belong, and we start with the criminals.  There are many, many criminals.”  NBC News has learned that ICE arrested 1,179 undocumented immigrants on Sunday, but nearly half of them — 566 of the migrants — appear to have no prior criminal record besides entering the country illegally. 

    MS. LEAVITT:  (Laughs.)

    Q    Is the president still focused exclusiv- — which is a civil crime, not a — not a — it’s not criminal —

    MS. LEAVITT:  It’s a federal crime. 

    Q    It’s a fed- — so, I’m asking though, he said he was going to focus on those violent offenders first.  So, is violent offenders no longer the predicate for these people to be deported?

    MS. LEAVITT:  The president has said countless times on the campaign trail — I’ve been with him at the rallies; I know you’ve been there covering them too, Peter — that he is focused on launching the largest mass deportation operation in American history of illegal criminals. 

    And if you are an individual, a foreign national, who illegally enters the United States of America, you are, by definition, a criminal.  And so, therefore —

    Q    So, to be clear, it’s not exclusively —

    MS. LEAVITT:  — you are subject deportation. 

    Q    I apologize for interrupting.  So, to be clear, it’s not — violent criminals do not receive precedence in terms of the deportations taking place?

    MS. LEAVITT:  The president has also said — two things can be true at the same time.  We want to deport illegal criminals, illegal immigrants from this country.  But the president has said that, of course, the illegal dr- — criminal drug dealers, the rapists, the murderers, the individuals who have committed heinous acts on the interior of our country and who have terrorized law-abiding American citizens, absolutely, those should be the priority of ICE.  But that doesn’t mean that the other illegal criminals who entered our nation’s borders are off the table. 

    Q    Understood.  Then let me ask you a separate question about the confusion that still exists across the country right now as it relates to the — the freeze — or the pause, as it’s described.  President Trump, of course, ran — one of the key policy items was that he was going to lower prices, lower the cost of everything from groceries, as he often said.  But in many of the cases, it would seem that some of these moves could raise prices for real Americans on everything from low-income heating — that program; childcare programs.  Will nothing that the president is doing here, in terms of the freeze in these programs, raise prices on ordinary Americans?

    MS. LEAVITT:  What particular actions are you referring to that would —

    Q    I’m referring to LHEAP right now.  That’s the low-income heating program, for example.  We can talk about — there’s no clarity, so I could refer to a lot of them.  We don’t know what they are specifically.  Can you tell us that LHEAP — that LIHEAP is not one of those affected?

    MS. LEAVITT:  So, you’re asking a hypoc- — -thetical based on programs that you can’t even identify?

    Q    No, I just identified — I —

    MS. LEAVITT:  What I can tell you is that the —

    Q    Well, just to be — just to be clear, since you guys haven’t identified, let’s do it together, just for Americans at home.  Medicaid, is that affected?

    MS. LEAVITT:  I gave you a list of examples — Social Security, Medicare, welfare benefits —

    Q    Medicaid too, correct?

    MS. LEAVITT:  — food stamps — that will not be impacted by this federal pause.  I can get you the full list after this briefing from the Office of Management and Budget.

    But I do want to address the cost cutting, because that’s certainly very important, and — and cutting the cost of living in this country.  President Trump has taken historic action over the past week to do that.  He actually signed a memorandum to deliver emergency price relief for American families, which took a number of actions.  I can walk you through those. 

    He also repealed many onerous Biden administration regulations.  We know, over the past four years, American households has been essentially taxed $55,000 in regulations from the previous administration.  President Trump, with the swipe of his pen, rescinded those, which will ultimately put more money back in the pockets of the American people.  So, deregulation is a big deal. 

    And then, when it comes to energy, I mean, the president signed an executive order to declare a national energy emergency here at home, which is going to make America energy dominant.  We know that energy is one of the number-one drivers of inflation, and so that’s why the president wants to increase our energy supply: to bring down costs for Americans.  The Trump energy boom is incoming, and Americans can expect that.

    Q    Please share that memo.  Thank you.

    MS. LEAVITT:  I will.

    (Cross-talk.)

    Q    Karoline, I think — some of the confusion, I think, may be here with this pause on federal funding.  You’ve made it clear you’re not stopping funds that go directly to individuals, but there certainly are lots of organizations that receive funding and then may pass along a benefit — Meals on Wheels, for one.  They provide meals for over 2.2 million seniors. 

    What is the president’s message to Americans out there, many of whom supported him and voted for him, who are concerned that this is going to impact them directly, even if, as you said, the funding isn’t coming directly to their wallet?

    MS. LEAVITT:  I have now been asked and answered this question four times.  To individuals at home who receive direct assistance from the federal government, you will not be impacted by this federal freeze.  In fact, OMB just sent out a memo to Capitol Hill with Q and A to — to clarify some of the questions and the answers that all of you are a- — are asking me right now. 

    Again, direct assistance will not be impacted.  I’ve been asked and answered about this OMB memo.  There’s many other topics of the day. 

    Jacqui Heinrich. 

    Q    But on indirect assistance, Karoline —

    Q    Thank you, Karoline.

    Q    — if it’s going to another organization and then trickling down?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Direct assistance that is in the hands of the American people will not be impacted. 

    Again, as I said to Peter, we will continue to provide that list as it comes to fruition.  But OMB right now is focused on analyzing the federal government’s spending, which is exactly what the American people elected President Trump to do. 

    (Cross-talk.)

    Q    Thank you, Karoline.

    Q    And one question on immigration, Karoline.  On immigration. 

    Q    Thank you, Karo- —

    Q    Of the 3,500 arrests ICE has made so far since President Trump came back into office, can you just tell us the numbers?  How many have a criminal record versus those who are just in the country illegally.

    MS. LEAVITT:  All of them, because they illegally broke our nation’s laws, and, therefore, they are criminals, as far as this administration goes.  I know the last administration didn’t see it that way, so it’s a big culture shift in our nation to view someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal.  But that’s exactly what they are. 

    Jacqui.

    (Cross-talk.)

    Q    Karoline, on tariffs.

    Q    But you made a point of going with the worst first. 

    Q    On tariffs.

    Q    They all have a criminal record?

    Q    And welcome to the briefing room.

    MS. LEAVITT:  If they broke our nation’s laws, yes, they are a criminal. 

    Yes.

    Q    Thank you.  On stripping security details for figures like John Bolton, Pompeo, Brian Hook.  Senator Tom Cotton said that he’s seen the intelligence and the threat from Iran is real for anyone who played a role in the Soleimani strike.  He voiced concern it wouldn’t just impact those individuals but potentially their family, innocent bystanders, friends — anyone who is near them when they’re out in public.  Is the president open to reconsidering his decision?

    MS. LEAVITT:  The president was asked and answered this yesterday, and he was firm in his decision, despite some of the comments that you had referenced.  And he’s made it very clear that he does not believe American taxpayers should fund security details for individuals who have served in the government for the rest of their lives.  And there’s nothing stopping these individuals that you mentioned from obtaining private security. 

    That’s where the president stands on it.  I have no updates on that. 

    Q    Is there any concern that this decision might jeopardize the administration’s ability to hire the best advisers for these kinds of positions in the future?

    MS. LEAVITT:  No.  In fact, I’ve talked to the Presidential Personnel Office who has told me directly that there is such an influx of resumes for this administration that it’s incredibly overwhelming.  There is no lack of talent for the Trump administration. 

    Reagan Ree- —

    Q    And would he — would he take any responsibility —

    Q    Thanks, Karoline.

    Q    — if anything happened to these people?  Would he feel at all that his decision was a factor in that?

    MS. LEAVITT:  The president was asked and answered this yesterday.  I’d defer you to his comments.

    Q    Thanks, Karoline.

    Q    Karoline —

    MS. LEAVITT:  Reagan, since you’re in the back row, I hear y- — the back row hasn’t gotten much attention in the last four years —

    Q    Yes, thank you.

    MS. LEAVITT:  — so I’m happy to answer your question. 

    Q    And I can project.  (Laughter.)

    Does the president intend to permanently cut off funding to NGOs that are bringing illegal foreign nationals to the country, such as Catholic Charities?

         MS. LEAVITT:  I am actually quite certain that the president signed an executive order that did just that, and I can point you to that.

         Q    One more, Karoline.

    MS. LEAVITT:  Yeah.

    Q    President Trump issued an executive order on increased vetting for refugees in visa applications. 

    MS. LEAVITT:  That’s right.

    Q    Part of that order was considering an outright ban for countries that have deficient screening processes.  Has the president considered yet which countries might fall into this category?  Are countries like Afghanistan or Syria under consideration for a full ban?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Yeah.  So, the president signed an executive order to streamline the vetting for visa applicants and for illegal immigrants in this country who are coming, of course, from other nations. 

    It also directed the secretary of State to review the process and make sure that other countries around the world are being completely transparent with our nation and the individuals that they are sending here.  And so, the secretary of State has been directed to report back to the president.  I haven’t seen that report yet.  We’ve only been here for a few days.

    (Cross-talk.)

    Q    Karoline, two questions for you.  One on the freeze in federal funding.  Who advised the president on the legality of telling government agencies that they don’t have to spend money that was already appropriated by Congress?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Well, as the OMB memo states, this is certainly within the confines of the law. 

    So, White House Counsel’s Office believes that this is within the pe- — president’s power to do it, and therefore, he’s doing it.

    Q    Okay.  So, they disagree with lawmakers who say that they don’t have the power to — to freeze this funding?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Again, I would point you to the language in the memo that clearly states this is within the law.

    Q    And on what happened on Friday night.  The — the administration fired several inspectors general without giving Congress the 30-day legally required notification that they were being fired.  I think only two were left at DO- — DHS and the DOJ.  And then, yesterday, we saw several prosecutors — I believe 12 — fired from the Justice Department who worked on the investigations into the president.  As you know, they are career prosecutors; therefore, they are afforded civil service protections.  How is the administration deciding which laws to follow and which ones to ignore?

    MS. LEAVITT:  So, it is the belief of this White House and the White House Counsel’s Office that the president was within his exe- — executive authority to do that.  He is the executive of the executive branch, and, therefore, he has the power to fire anyone within the executive branch that he wishes to. 

    There’s also a case that went before the Supreme Court in 2020: Scaila [Seila] Law LLC, v. the Customs — the [Consumer Financial Protection] Bureau Protection.  I would advise you to look at that case, and that’s the legality that this White House has rested on. 

    Q    So, you’re confident that if they bring lawsuits against you — those prosecutors who were fired — that — that they will succeed?

    MS. LEAVITT:  We will win in court, yes.

    Q    And did he personally direct this, given they worked on the classified documents investigation and the election interference investigation?

    MS. LEAVITT:  This was a memo that went out by the Presidential Personnel Office, and the president is the leader of this White House.  So, yes.

    Q    So, it did come from him?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Yes, it came from this White House.

    (Cross-talk.)

    Q    Karoline.

    MS. LEAVITT:  Sir.

    Q    Thank you.  Congrats on your first day behind the podium.

    MS. LEAVITT:  Thank you.

    Q    President Trump ended funding for UNRWA and also designated the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization.

    MS. LEAVITT:  That’s right.

    Q    Both were decisions that the previous administration had reversed.  So, here’s my question: Will there be an investigation into who gave the previous administration this terrible advice?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Well, that’s a very good point.  I haven’t heard discussions about such an ins- — investigation, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea, considering that the Houthis cer- — certainly are terrorists.  They have launched attacks on U.S. naval ships across this world, and so I think it was a very wise move by this administration to redesignate them as a terrorist group, because they are.  And I think it was a foolish decision by the previous administration to do so. 

    As for an investigation, I’m not sure about that, but it’s not a bad idea.

    (Cross-talk.)

    Josh.

    Q    Thank you for the question.  I appreciate it.  Can you give us an update on the president’s plan for his tariff agenda?  He spoke a lot about this yesterday, and there’s a couple of dates coming up that —

    MS. LEAVITT:  Sure.

    Q    — he’s spoken to.  Number one, February 1st.  He’s alluded to both the potential for tariffs for Canada and Mexico but also China to take effect on those days.  Where is — what’s he thinking about that?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Yeah.

    Q    Should those countries expect that on the 1st?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Again, he was asked and answered this question this past weekend when he took a lot of questions from the press, and he said that the February 1st date for Canada and Mexico still holds.

    Q    And what about the China 10 percent tariff that he also had mused about last Tuesday going into effect on the same date?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Yeah, the president has said that he is very much still considering that for February 1st.

    Q    And then, separately, yesterday, he talked also about sectoral tariffs on, for instance, pharmaceuticals, as well as semiconductor computer chips.  He talked about steel, aluminum, and copper.  What’s the timeline on those?  Is that a similar sort of “coming days” thing or —

    MS. LEAVITT:  Yeah, so when the president talked about that in his speech yesterday, that actually wasn’t a new announcement.  That was within a presidential memorandum that he signed in one of the first days here in the White House on his America First trade agenda.  So, there’s more details on those tariffs in there.

    As far as a date, I don’t have a specific date to read out to you, but the president is committed to implementing tariffs effectively, just like he did in his first term.

    Q    And then — and then, finally, he also was asked on the plane when he gaggled about the potential for a universal tariff.  He was asked maybe about two and a half percent.

    MS. LEAVITT:  Yeah.

    Q    There was a report about that.  He said he wanted “much bigger than that.”  Should we understand that these tariffs would add up?  You know, in other words, you might have country-specific tariffs like Canada, Mexico, China.  You might have sectoral tariffs, like on pharmaceuticals, as well as a potential universal tariff on top of that.  Do these stack on one or the other, or would one sort of take precedence over another?

    MS. LEAVITT:  All I can point you to is what the president has said on this front: the February 1st date for Canada and Mexico and also the China tariff that he has discussed.

    He rejected the 2.5 percent tariff.  He said that was a little bit too low.  He wants it to be higher. 

    I’ll leave it to him to make any decisions on that front.

    Q    Do you have any comment on what the —

    (Cross-talk.)

    Q    — what the Mexicans and Canadians —

    MS. LEAVITT:  Phil.

    Q    — have done so far?  Do you have any comment on whether that has met the bar of what he wants to see on fentanyl?  Thank you.

    MS. LEAVITT:   I — I won’t get ahead of the president, again, on advocating to foreign nations on what they should or shouldn’t do to get away from these tariffs.  The president has made it very clear, again, that he expects every nation around this world to cooperate with the repatriation of their citizens.  And the president has also put out specific statements in terms of Canada and Mexico when it comes to what he expects in terms of border security.

    We have seen a historic level of cooperation from Mexico.  But, again, as far as I’m still tracking — and that was last night talking to the president directly — February 1st is still on the books.

    Q    Thank you.

    MS. LEAVITT:  Phil.

    Q    Thank you, Karoline.  Quick programming note, and then a question on taxes.

    MS. LEAVITT:  A programming note.

    Q    Well, in terms of programming, should —

    MS. LEAVITT:  That sounds fun. 

    Q    — we expect to see you here every day?  How frequently will these —

    Q    That’s a good question.

    Q    — press briefings be?

    MS. LEAVITT:  It is a good question, April.

    So, look, the president, as you know, is incredibly accessible.  First day here, he wanted all of you in the Oval Office.  You got a 60-minute press conference with the leader of the free world — while he was simultaneously signing executive orders, I may add.  That’s pretty impressive.  I don’t think the previous office holder would be able to pull such a thing off. 

    So, look, the president is the best spokesperson that this White House has, and I can assure you that you will be hearing from both him and me as much as possible.

    Q    And then a question about tax cuts.  You know, the president has promised to extend the tax cuts from the previous term.  I’m curious, you know, does the president support corresponding spending cuts, as some Republicans have called for in Congress?  And will the new Treasury secretary be leading those negotiations with the Hill, as Mnuchin did during the first administration?

    MS. LEAVITT:  The president is committed to both tax cuts and spending cuts.

    And he has a great team negotiating on his behalf, but there’s no better negotiator than Donald Trump, and I’m sure he’ll be involved in this reconciliation process as it moves forward.

    (Cross-talk.)

    Q    Karoline, in the announcement that you made last night on the Iron Dome, it said the president had directed that the United States will build this Iron Dome.

    MS. LEAVITT:  Yeah.

    Q    When you read into the executive order, it seemed short of that.  It asked for a series of studies —

    MS. LEAVITT:  Yeah.

    Q    — and reports back on — can you tell us whether the president has directed this and, if he is this concerned on this issue, why the suspensions that we saw listed by OMB included so many different nuclear programs, nonproliferation programs, programs to blend down nuclear weapons, and s- — and so forth?

    MS. LEAVITT:  First of all, when it comes to the Iron Dome, the executive order directed the implementation of the — of an Iron Dome.  It also, as you said, kind of directed research and studies to see if — or — or how the United States can go about doing this, particularly the Department of Defense.

    When it comes to the other question that you asked about those specific programs, again, I would say, this is not a — a ban; this is a temporary pause and a freeze to ensure that all of the money going out from Washington, D.C., is in align with the president’s agenda.

    And as the Office of Management and Budget has updates on what will be kick-started, once again, I will provide those to you. 

    Q    Can you clarify for a sec what you were saying before on Medicaid?  It wasn’t clear to me whether you were saying that no Medicaid would be cut off.  Obviously, a lot of this goes to states before it goes to individuals and so forth.  So, are you guaranteeing here that no individual now on Medicaid would see a cutoff because of the pause?

    MS. LEAVITT:  I’ll check back on that and get back to you. 

    Jon.

    Q    Thanks a lot, Karoline.  As you know, in the first week that the president was in office, signed an executive order as it relates to birthright citizenship — trying to eliminate that.  Now, 22 state attorney generals have said that this is unconstitutional.  A federal judge has just agreed with their argument.  What’s the administration’s argument for doing away with birthright citizenship?

    MS. LEAVITT:  The folks that you mentioned have a right to have that legal opinion, but it is in disagreement with the legal opinion of this administration. 

    This administration believes that birthright citizenship is unconstitutional, and that is why President Trump signed that executive order.  Illegal immigrants who come to this country and have a child are not subject to the laws of this jurisdiction.  That’s the opinion of this administration. 

    We have already appealed the rul- — the lawsuit that was filed against this administration, and we are prepared to fight this all the way to the Supreme Court if we have to, because President Trump believes that this is a necessary step to secure our nation’s borders and protect our homeland. 

    Monica.

    Q    And then on foreign policy — on foreign policy, Karoline —

    Q    Thank you, Karoline.  It’s great to see you, and you’re doing a great —

    Q    — on foreign policy, if I may.  The president’s commitment to the NATO defense Alliance, is it as strong as the prior administration?  Is it the same as when he served as president in his first term in office?

    MS. LEAVITT:  As long as NATO pays their fair share.

    And President Trump has called on NATO Allies to increase their defense spending to 5 percent.  You actually saw the head of NATO at Davos last week on Bloomberg Television saying that President Trump is right and if Europe wants to keep itself safe, they should increase their defense spending. 

    I would just add that there was no greater ally to our European allies than President Trump in his first term.  The world, for all nations in Europe, and, of course, here at home was much safer because of Presidents Tru- — Trump’s peace through strength diplomatic approach. 

    Monica.

    Q    Karoline —

    Q    Thank you.  Thank you, Karoline.  And it’s great to finally be called on as well in the briefing room.  I appreciate that. 

    MS. LEAVITT:  You’re welcome. 

    Q    Of course, we know President Trump just got back from North Carolina and California meeting with victims of natural disasters.  There’s the two-year anniversary of the East Palestine, Ohio, toxic train derailment.  Does the president have any plans to go visit the victims of that toxic spill or just visit in general?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Not — no plans that I can read out for you here.  If that changes, I will certainly keep you posted. 

    What I can tell you is that President Trump still talks about his visit to East Palestine, Ohio.  That was one of the turning points, I would say, in the previous election campaign, where Americans were reminded that President Trump is a man of the people.  And he, as a candidate, visited that town that was just derailed by the train derailment — no pun intended — and he offered support and hope, just like I saw the president do this past week. 

    It was a purposeful decision by this president, on his first domestic trip, to go to North Carolina and to California to visit with Americans who were impacted by Hurricane Helene and also by the deadly fires — a red state and a blue state, both of which feel forgotten by the previous administration and the federal government.  That has now — that has now ended under President Trump. 

    He will continue to put Americans first, whether they’re in East Palestine, in Pacific Palisades, or in North Carolina.

    (Cross-talk.)

    Sure.

    Q    Thank you, Karoline.  On California, could you please clarify what the military did with the water last night, as referenced in the president’s Truth Social post?

    MS. LEAVITT:  The water has been turned back on in California, and this comes just days after President Trump visited Pacific Palisades and, as you all saw, applied tremendous pressure on state and local officials in Pacific Palisades, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, to turn on the water and to direct that water to places in the south and in the middle of the state that have been incredibly dry, which has led to the expansion — the rapid expansion of these fires.

    Q    So, could you clarify what the military’s role was, where the water came from, and how it got there?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Again, the Army Corps of Engineers has been on the ground in California to respond to the devastation from these wildfires.  And I would point out that just days after President Trump visited the devastation from these fires, the water was turned on.  That is because of the pressure campaign he put on state and local officials there, who clearly lack all common sense. 

    And I will never forget being at that round table with the president last week and hearing the frustration in the voices of Pacific Palisades residents who feel as though their government has just gone insane.  Before President Trump showed up on the scene, Karen Bass was telling private property owners that they would have to wait 18 months to access their private property.

    So, this administration, the president and his team that’s on the ground in California — Ric Grenell, who he has designated to oversee this great crisis — ha- — will continue to put pressure on Karen Bass and state and local officials to allow residents to access their properties. 

    This is a huge part of it.  These residents want to take part in their own clearing out of their properties.  They should be able to do that.  It’s the United States of America.  What happened to our freedom?  Clearly, it’s gone in California, but not anymore under President Trump.

    Q    Karoline —

    MS. LEAVITT:  April.

    Q    Karoline, welcome to the briefing room.

    MS. LEAVITT:  Thank you.

    Q    Several questions.  One on the pause.  Will minority-serving institutions, preferably colleges and universities, have those monies held back temporarily at this moment?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Again, I have not seen the entire list, because this memo was just sent out.  So, I will provide you all with updates as we receive them.  Okay?

    Q    Karoline —

    Q    And secondly — als- —

    Q    Karoline.

    Q    Also, secondly, when it comes to immigration, there is this southern border focus.  What happens to those who have overstayed their visas?  That is part of the broken immigration system.  In 2023, there was a report by the Biden administration, the Homeland Security Department, that said overstays of visas were three times more than usual.  Will there be a focus on the overstays for visas as well?

    MS. LEAVITT:  If an individual is overstaying their visa, they are therefore an illegal immigrant residing in this country, and they are subject to deportation.  

    Q    And also, lastly —

    MS. LEAVITT:  Yes.

    Q    Lastly, as we’re dealing with anti-DEI, anti-woke efforts, we understand this administration could — is thinking about celebrating Black History Month.  Have you got any word on that?  Anything that you can offer to us?

    MS. LEAVITT:  As far as I know, this White House certainly still intends to celebrate, and we will continue to celebrate American history and the contributions that all Americans, regardless of race, religion, or creed, have made to our great country.  And America is back.

    Christian Datoc.

    Q    Thanks, Karoline.  Just real quick.  You mentioned the inflation executive order the president signed, but egg prices have skyrocketed since President Trump took office.  So, what specifically is he doing to lower those costs for Americans?

    MS. LEAVITT:  Really glad you brought this up, because there is a lot of reporting out there that is putting the onus on this White House for the increased cost of eggs.  I would like to point out to each and every one of you that, in 2024, when Joe Biden was in the Oval Office — or upstairs in the residence sleeping; I’m not so sure — egg prices increased 65 percent in this country.  We also have seen the cost of everything, not just eggs — bacon, groceries, gasoline — have increased because of the inflationary policies of the last administration.

    As far as the egg shortage, what’s also contributing to that is that the Biden administration and the Department of Agriculture directed the mass killing of more than 100 million chickens, which has led to a lack of chicken supply in this country, therefore a lack of egg supply, which is leading to the shortage.

    So, I will leave you with this point.  This is an example of why it’s so incredibly important that the Senate moves swiftly to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees, including his nominee for the United States Department of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, who is already speaking with Kevin Hassett, who is leading the economic team here at the White House, on how we can address the egg shortage in this country.

    As for cots, I laid out — costs — I laid out the plethora of ways that President Trump has addressed saving costs for the American people over the past week.  He looks forward to continuing to doing that —

    Q    Karoline, what —

    MS. LEAVITT:  — in the days ahead.

    (Cross-talk.)

    Thank you, guys, so much.  I’ll see you soon.

    END                1:52 P.M. EST

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement by the Prime Minister on Korean New Year

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement to mark Korean Lunar New Year:

    “Today, Korean communities in Canada and around the world celebrate Seollal, the Korean Lunar New Year, and welcome the Year of the Snake.

    “During this special three-day celebration, families and friends will gather, share traditional meals, and play games like yunnori. A symbol of wisdom and ambition, the snake inspires us to reflect on the past year – and to embody the lessons we learned as we start anew.

    “On Seollal, we also celebrate the significant contributions that Korean Canadians have made – and continue to make – to our country. Canada is home to one of the largest Korean diasporas in the world. This vibrant community of nearly 220,000 people has profoundly enriched Canada’s social, economic, and cultural fabric – reminding us that diversity is one of Canada’s greatest strengths.

    “On behalf of the Government of Canada, I wish everyone celebrating Korean New Year a very happy and healthy Year of the Snake.

    “새해 복 많이 받으세요!

    “Saehae bok mani badeuseyo!”

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FEMA Inspecting Homes After Hurricane Helene

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: FEMA Inspecting Homes After Hurricane Helene

    FEMA Inspecting Homes After Hurricane Helene

    After Georgians apply for FEMA assistance following Hurricane Helene, a home inspection may be necessary to help determine if an applicant is eligible for various types of assistance. Due to the number of counties impacted by the hurricane and the number of homes needing inspections, it may take time for an inspection to be scheduled.Inspectors will make an appointment with the applicant before coming. They will already have the applicant’s FEMA application number. They carry photo identification and will show it to the applicant. For security reasons, federal identification may not be photographed or recorded. Inspectors will never ask for, or accept, money. Their service is free.The inspectors will call or text applicants to arrange to meet at the home. They will leave messages and/or texts on the phone number listed on the FEMA application. These communications may come from unfamiliar phone numbers, and it is important that applicants respond so their application can be processed.Inspectors do not make decisions regarding eligibility for assistance. Information gathered during the inspection is part of several criteria used by FEMA to determine if applicants are eligible for federal assistance.The inspector will consider:The structural soundness of the home, both inside and outside.Whether the electrical, gas, heat, plumbing and sewer/septic systems are all in working order.Whether the home is safe to live in and can be entered and exited safely.A typical home inspection takes about 45 minutes to complete. After the inspection, applicants should allow seven to 10 days for processing. If they have questions about the status of their application, they can call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362.Georgians can apply at DisasterAssistance.gov. You can also apply using the FEMA App for mobile devices or by calling toll-free 800-621-3362. The telephone line is open every day and help is available in most languages. Survivors can also contact the Georgia Call Center Monday through Saturday at 678-547-2861 for assistance with their application. To apply in person, visit a Disaster Recovery Center. You may visit any open Disaster Recovery Center. For locations and hours, go online to fema.gov/drc. All centers are accessible to people with disabilities or access and functional needs and are equipped with assistive technology.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.###FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during and after disasters.Learn more at fema.gov/disaster/4830 
    jakia.randolph
    Wed, 01/29/2025 – 13:45

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Makeup of Charter School Governing Board Could Impact Whether They Offer Religious Education

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    While it may seem like a stretch almost as long as the Amtrak route from Chicago to California, a 1995 U.S. Supreme Court case involving the National Railroad Passenger Corp. could influence the future of charter schools and help answer the latest hot-topic question of whether they can offer religious education.

    With 7,800 charter schools serving 3.7 million students nationwide, the larger question of whether they must respect students’ constitutional rights like their public counterparts is one that affects families almost as much as whether the morning bus was on time.

    UConn’s Preston Green, the John and Maria Neag Professor of Urban Education and a professor of educational leadership and law, explains that courts since the early 2000s have found that charter schools are at once government entities and not, depending on the situation.

    Preston Green, the John and Maria Neag Professor of Urban Education and a professor of educational leadership and law (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

    The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held in 2010 that an Arizona charter school was not considered public when a teacher sued over false statements made about him related to his job.

    But the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2022 found that a North Carolina charter school was a public entity and must adhere to the Equal Protection Clause when it comes to a dress code – it couldn’t require female students to wear skirts simply because they are “fragile vessels.”

    “Charter schools were designed as a hybrid of public and private schools, where they would have the best of both worlds,” Green says. “They’re public in terms of how they’re funded, that they cannot charge tuition, and that they must proctor state exams. But they also get a lot of flexibility in how and what they teach and freedom from many of the rules and regulations that apply to public schools.”

    In Green’s latest law review, “All Aboard!: Making Charter School Boards All-Purpose State Actors Under the Supreme Court’s Amtrak Case,” published this winter in the Drake Law Review with Suzanne Eckes from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the problem with the public-private ambiguity becomes even more apparent when Oklahoma in 2023 approved the country’s first virtual religious charter school. The U.S. Supreme Court decided Jan. 24 to hear an appeal of the case.

    Green explains that when charter schools started popping up in the 1990s, people raised concerns about separation of church and state and questioned whether charter schools – which often designate areas of focus, like in the arts or STEM, to draw students – could do the same with religion.

    To mitigate this, charter schools were codified into law with the intent of defining them as public institutions, he says, therefore secular and unable to provide religious education, but over the years courts sometimes have disagreed.

    “Religion is important, but we’re also talking about search and seizure, due process, equal protections, freedom of speech,” Green says of the constitutional rights determined by the public-private question. “People are paying attention now because of the conversation around religion, but it’s not just religion.”

    He continues, “If a student is suspended or expelled, do they get due process in the same way a public-school student would? All these issues are in play when charter schools claim they operate as private schools, and I think states ought to be concerned about this and have been surprised to find that charter schools might be able to act in these ways.”

    The 1995 case Lebron v. National Railroad Passenger Corp. determined Amtrak was behaving as a governmental agency, in part because Amtrak serves certain governmental objectives, and its board comprises members appointed by the government.

    As a governmental agency, the Supreme Court found, it must abide by the First Amendment and allow the plaintiff, Michael A. Lebron, to purchase advertising space on the side of buses to display political messages.

    Green says courts have applied the Lebron case in other seemingly disparate situations, including one when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was found to be a governmental agency and therefore required to uphold the Fourth Amendment and its protection from search and seizure.

    The plaintiff in this case claimed the Center had no business searching his email, despite a message being flagged as child pornography, because it was a governmental entity. The court agreed.

    When applied to charter schools, Green says, the Lebron litmus test falls short. Sure, their governmental purpose is to educate children. But since most have independently appointed governing boards – bodies that don’t include members appointed by a mayor, town manager, or board of education, for instance – he contends any court would be justified in calling them private schools.

    That means religious education could conceivably begin to appear in publicly funded charter schools from sea to shining sea.

    “States need to be thinking about this and find ways to make sure these schools remain public in the way they were intended,” Green says.

    This is more than just a red state-blue state issue, he adds, one that’s only applicable in rural communities and not big cities. It’s a conversation that needs to be had in the 45 states with charter school legislation on the books.

    “Schools are about community, they’re the glue that keeps communities together,” Green says. “When you start losing schools as that glue, then it impacts the community. I’m not saying there can’t be school choice, but we must be very thoughtful about how that choice exists to balance a system that has a lot of competing issues.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Biology Associate Professor Awarded Nation’s Highest Honor for Early-Career Researchers

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    On Jan. 14, UConn ecology and evolutionary biology associate professor Jill Wegrzyn was among nearly 400 individuals honored by President Biden with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). This is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers who are in the early phases of their careers. UConn engineering professor Arash Zaghi also received this award. 

    Established by President Clinton in 1996, PECASE recognizes scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential for leadership early in their research careers. The award celebrates innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology. 

    “This award recognizes Professor Wegrzyn’s exceptional contributions to computational and evolutionary biology, and I am immensely proud of her achievement,” says Ofer Harel, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “Her innovative research pushes the boundaries of genome science and has significant implications for biodiversity conservation.” 

    A computational biologist, Wegrzyn develops computational applications for analyzing both single genomes and entire populations, aiming to understand how organisms adapt to their environment. 

    “I have always aspired to integrate computer programming and genetics within the broader context of the natural world,” Wegrzyn says.  

    This curiosity led to a precocious start to her research career: as an undergraduate at the University of California, Davis, she started to develop some of the university’s first courses in bioinformatics, the study of biological sequence data (like genetic codes). 

    Now at UConn, where she leads the Plant Computational Genomics lab, Wegrzyn has worked to develop reference genomes for various “non-model” plant species. In contrast to model organisms, whose genomes have been sequenced and studied extensively, non-model plant species are still genetic mysteries – and many of them are of conservation concern. What’s more, since some of their genomes can be nearly ten times as long as the human genome, effectively sequencing them is no easy task.  

    I’m very interested in finding ways to assemble genomes better, faster, and more efficiently, especially when they’re large and complex.

    Wegrzyn describes them as the “species that are a little bit harder to work on, and present new computational challenges” — the underdogs of the plant kingdom. 

    The lab also works to develop software that can help genomic researchers perform crucial tasks like assembling, analyzing, and annotating genomic data. 

    “A lot of the software currently available to tackle those issues has traditionally been very focused on human genetics or model species,” Wegrzyn says. “I’m very interested in finding ways to assemble genomes better, faster, and more efficiently, especially when they’re large and complex. How do we identify genes more efficiently? And how can we scale from working with a single genome to studying entire populations on the landscape, to understand how they’re adapting to a changing climate?” 

    This research is assisting conservation efforts for many tree species across the country, which are important for protecting biodiversity and ecosystem health, timber production, and even the nation’s annual Christmas tree crop. 

    For example, Wegrzyn says, her lab has identified regions of the genome (genes) that confer resistance to invasive pests or pathogens. Managers can then select for this resistance and plant hardier trees. In the world of forests, where generations are measured not in annual growing cycles but in decades, this could potentially save countless years. 

    “Trees can have generation times of 12 to 15 years or more before you can even determine how they’re going to respond to their current (or future) environment,” Wegrzyn says. “So the sooner we can predict how they’re going to perform in a particular environment, the more we can do.” 

    The lab is also responsible for creating and maintaining the international CartograPlant database and application, which empowers scientists of all backgrounds to explore how genetics, phenotypes (traits), and environmental factors combine to shape plant population responses. 

    Wegrzyn is one of the lead PIs of the NSF-funded Evolving Meta-Ecosystems (EVOME) institute, which seeks to understand how Arctic species (including birds, plants, fish, and insects) will respond, along with their ecosystems, to rapid climate change. 

    In addition to her teaching duties and lab research, Wegrzyn is also the Lead Bioinformatician in the Computational Biology Core within the Institute for Systems Genomics. She’s also a PI on UConn’s NSF-funded Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates (RaMP) initiative. RaMP is geared toward recent college graduates who did not have the opportunity to pursue dedicated research as undergraduates, providing them with hands-on lab experience that can culminate in new graduate study or professional opportunities. 

    Most recently, RaMP scholars helped generate the first chromosome-level genome of the desert hairy scorpion; this year’s cohort is aiming to do the same with the threatened Everglades mink. 

    Wegrzyn became eligible for the PECASE after receiving the NSF’s prestigious CAREER Award in 2020. This award helped fund the development of her EASEL (Efficient, Accurate, Scalable Eukaryotic modeLs) software: an open-source genome annotation tool that leverages machine learning, RNA folding, and functional annotations to enhance gene prediction accuracy. 

    “Our software has been applied to everything from deep sea corals to desert invertebrates to high elevation conifers, which represent an incredible range of complexity,” Wegrzyn says. “Through our software, we aim to facilitate fundamental questions in evolution while also providing actionable targets for conservation and restoration programs. Receiving this prestigious award in the midst of climate change elevates the importance of this work and also inspires the students and trainees who contribute to its success.” 

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Simpson Joins Pro-Life Letter to Encourage Trump to Reinstate Life-Affirming Policies

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Rep. Simpson Joins Pro-Life Letter to Encourage Trump to Reinstate Life-Affirming Policies

    Washington, January 29, 2025

    WASHINGTON—Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson signed a letter encouraging President Trump to reinstate and broaden the life-affirming pro-life policies in the early days of his new administration. This bicameral letter, led by U.S. Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and James Lankford (R-OK), has support from 36 Senators and 108 Representatives. 
    “Defending the right to life has been one of my top priorities since coming to Congress,” said Rep. Simpson. “My pro-life colleagues and I are deeply grateful for the Trump administration’s unwavering commitment to life, and we stand ready to support their efforts to restore life-affirming policies and secure meaningful victories for pregnant women, mothers, and their children—born and unborn.”
    The full letter is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan Invest in Livestock and Forage Research

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on January 29, 2025

    Today, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay and Saskatchewan’s Minister of Agriculture Daryl Harrison announced $6.9 million to jointly support livestock and forage-related scientific research in Saskatchewan in 2025, combined with co-funding from industry partners for a total of $7.2 million.

    The investment is part of Saskatchewan’s 2024-25 Budget of $37 million for agriculture research and is delivered through the province’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP). The ADF is supporting 30 livestock and forage-related research projects this year which focus on a variety of topics.

    “We are working with the provinces and territories to deliver vitally important programming through Sustainable CAP,” MacAulay said. “Our shared investment with the Government of Saskatchewan in these Agriculture Development Fund research projects will help create growth and make sure our great sector remains on the cutting edge.”

    “Innovation is the key to staying competitive and allowing Saskatchewan to remain a global leader when it comes to new and best practices in agriculture,” Harrison said. “We continue to support this and help Saskatchewan’s livestock producers to keep doing what they do best through investments of this nature, which enables the kind of world-class scientific work that constantly moves the industry forward.”

    The selection and approval of projects supported by the ADF is based on an annual competitive process to identify research with the potential to help Saskatchewan’s livestock producers and agriculture industry remain innovative, profitable and competitive. This year’s livestock and forage-related projects include a range of topics such as enhancing the capacity to research pathogens and manufacture vaccines and therapeutics to help control infectious diseases, including those that cause pandemics; evaluating the combined impact of prescribed fire and post-fire herbicide applications to control woody plants (snowberry) in rangelands; and investigating how trace-mineral supplementation could help feeder calves respond better to vaccines.

    The Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan work closely with industry partners to leverage funding to support research that aligns with industry priorities. This year’s ADF projects were supported by an additional $216,000 contributed to 10 projects by the following industry partners:

    • Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association
    • Saskatchewan Forage Seed Development Commission
    • SaskPork
    • Western Dairy Research Collaboration (BC Dairy, Alberta Milk, SaskMilk, and Dairy Farmers of Manitoba)

    “Investment in research is critical for our industry,” Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association Chair Keith Day said. “We appreciate both levels of government recognizing its value and investing in our research priorities, which focused on animal health and forage production this year.”

    The ADF is supported through Sustainable CAP, a five-year, $3.5 billion investment by Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments that supports Canada’s agri-food and agri-product sectors. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.

    For more information, including a full list of the above projects, please visit:
    https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/agriculture-natural-resources-and-industry/agribusiness-farmers-and-ranchers/sustainable-canadian-agricultural-partnership/programs-for-research/agriculture-development-fund.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement by the Prime Minister on Chinese New Year

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Chinese New Year:

    “Starting today and for the next two weeks, Chinese communities in Canada and around the world will celebrate Chinese New Year and the arrival of the Year of the Snake – a symbol of wisdom, introspection, and renewal.

    “Chinese New Year – also known as the Spring Festival – offers families and friends an occasion to gather, share traditional meals, and exchange good wishes for the year ahead. Red lanterns and fireworks will light up the sky in communities across the country, representing good fortune and showcasing the rich cultural heritage and enduring spirit of Chinese Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

    “As we celebrate together, let’s take this opportunity to reflect on the incredible contributions of the more than 1.7 million Chinese Canadians. They make Canada a more inclusive, diverse, and prosperous country.

    “On behalf of the Government of Canada, I wish everyone celebrating a joyful, healthy, and auspicious Chinese New Year. May the Year of the Snake bring health, happiness, and prosperity to all.

    “新年快乐! “新年快樂! Xīn Nián Kuài Lè! Sun Nin Fai Lok!”

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Warns Businesses Against Price Gouging of Eggs and Poultry Amid Bird Flu Outbreak

    Source: US State of New York

    NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today issued an alert warning businesses against price gouging of eggs and poultry amid a national bird flu outbreak. The bird flu has affected poultry and dairy farms across the country, causing shortages and driving up prices. New York’s price gouging statute prevents businesses from taking advantage of consumers by selling essential goods or services at an excessively higher price during market disruptions resulting from emergencies like the bird flu outbreak. Attorney General James urges New Yorkers who see significantly increased prices on eggs or poultry to report the issue to her office. 

    “Eggs are an essential grocery staple in households across the state, and New Yorkers should not pay ludicrous amounts just to feed their families,” said Attorney General James. “The bird flu is affecting poultry farms and causing a national shortage, but this should not be an excuse for businesses to dramatically raise prices. My office is monitoring the situation, and I am urging New Yorkers to report excessive prices to my office.” 

    In 2021, Attorney General James secured a settlement with one of the country’s largest producers and wholesalers of eggs, Hillandale Farms Corporation, for illegally price gouging eggs during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the settlement, Attorney General James delivered 1.2 million eggs to New Yorkers.

    New York law prohibits businesses from taking unfair advantage of consumers by selling goods or services that are vital to health, safety, or welfare for an unconscionably excessive price during emergencies. The price gouging statute covers New York vendors, retailers, and suppliers, and includes essential goods and services that are necessary for the health, safety, and welfare of consumers or the general public. These goods and services include food, water, medicine, gasoline, generators, batteries, flashlights, hotel lodging, and transportation options. 

    When reporting price gouging to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), consumers should:

    • Report the specific increased prices, dates, and places that they saw the increased prices; and,
    • Provide copies of their sales receipts and photos of the advertised prices, if available.

    Price gouging violations can carry penalties of up to $25,000 per violation. New Yorkers should report potential concerns about price gouging to OAG by filing a complaint online or calling 800-771-7755.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: $96M Investment in Niskayuna Advanced Research Center

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that GE Vernova has committed to investing at least $96 million into the company’s Advanced Research Center in Niskayuna, Schenectady County. The company plans to create 75 new jobs on-site, strengthening the Center’s electrification and decarbonization efforts, while advancing transformative technologies including carbon dioxide removal, alternative fuels for power generation and developing the grid of the future. Today’s announcement will support technological advancements that reduce emissions and drive New York State toward a future where clean energy not only boosts the state’s economy, but also reflects the State’s shared commitment to sustainability and opportunity.

    “The clean energy future is bringing new investments, good-paying jobs and a cleaner environment to our state, and we’re proud to work alongside GE Vernova as we further our shared vision in Niskayuna and beyond,” Governor Hochul said. “New York is becoming a leading manufacturing and R&D hub for clean energy; bringing us closer to achieving our climate agenda and building a better, cleaner future for generations to come.”

    The company has committed to investing at least $96 million and plans to build two new state-of-the-art laboratories focused on electrification and decarbonization, expand existing facilities, and rehabilitate two other buildings at the on-site Renewable Learning Center in support of its clean energy research and development efforts. The company has committed to creating at least 75 new full-time jobs at the Advanced Research Center. Empire State Development has agreed to provide up to $9.635 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits to support GE Vernova’s job creation effort. Additionally, Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority has been invited to pursue FAST NY grant funding to support future on-site infrastructure projects.

    GE Vernova Advanced Research Vice President David Vernooysaid, “GE Vernova is committed to strengthening its world class research and development center designed to advance the world’s progress in the energy transition, continuing our long history of innovation here in the Capital Region. This investment aims to enable game changing technologies through state-of-the-art labs, a new customer experience center, and collaboration space to advance partnerships with governments, customers, thought leaders and innovators alike. We are ready to lead, and excited about the breakthroughs this investment will bring forward.”

    Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State continues to invest in the companies, technologies and jobs of the future to promote sustainable economic growth. GE Vernova’s Advanced Research Center has a rich history of next-generation developments, and the investments announced today will create new jobs and support new solutions to complex challenges that further the Capital Region’s legacy of innovation.”

    GE Vernova’s Advanced Research Center in Niskayuna has a legacy of developing game-changing technologies, from gas turbines designed to be the world’s most efficient, to advanced algorithms for efficient and resilient grid planning, operations and maintenance, to small modular nuclear reactors and 100 percent hydrogen combustion for carbon-free power generation.

    This project will support research and development efforts that advance new innovations and technologies in clean, sustainable and alternative fuels. GE Vernova will build a cutting-edge, premier laboratory space designed to drive down the energy use and capital expenditure of carbon capture, while developing and delivering fuels that will allow combustion without carbon. The company’s investment will also prioritize research into multi-terminal high-voltage direct current, a key to expanding the capabilities and functionality of the United States power grid of the future. It will also strengthen the ability to connect multiple sources of power generation to the grid. By driving advancements in clean energy technology, this investment will help reduce the cost of renewable power, making sustainable energy more affordable and accessible for both consumers and businesses.

    Through the New York Power Authority’s RechargeNY low-cost power program, GE Vernova has been awarded 9,440 kW in return for its commitments to the State.

    New York Power Authority President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said, “General Electric’s legacy of innovation is closely tied to Schenectady County, and this $96 million investment will help ensure that clean energy jobs of the future remain here in New York State. With support from NYPA low-cost hydropower, GE Vernova’s expansion will help develop and explore new, transformative technologies that will help decarbonize our state and others, and strengthen our electric grid.”

    New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “Innovation, research and technology are the cornerstones of New York State’s transition to a sustainable and affordable clean energy transition. The GE Vernova Advanced Research Center innovation investments will help further the State’s climate and energy priorities while spurring additional economic development as part of our growing green economy.”

    Schenectady County Legislature Chair Gary Hughes said, “We are grateful to Governor Hochul and Empire State Development for their dedicated efforts that have resulted in this historic investment in GE Vernova’s Advanced Research Center. These transformative investments will create high-tech jobs, fuel economic growth, and strengthen our position as a hub for innovation. We thank our Metroplexteam for collaborating with ESD and we are proud that GE continues to make substantial investments in Schenectady County.”

    Niskayuna Supervisor Erin Cassady-Dorion said, “We thank GE Vernova for making this investment and commitment to Niskayuna’s Advanced Research Center. The Town will continue to work with State and County partners to move this project forward, and we thank Governor Hochul and Empire State Development for their efforts that were key in making this happen.”

    New York State’s Climate Agenda

    New York State’s climate agenda calls for an affordable and just transition to a clean energy economy that creates family-sustaining jobs, promotes economic growth through green investments, and directs a minimum of 35 percent of the benefits to disadvantaged communities. New York is advancing a suite of efforts to achieve an emissions-free economy by 2050, including in the energy, buildings, transportation and waste sectors.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why building big AIs costs billions – and how Chinese startup DeepSeek dramatically changed the calculus

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Ambuj Tewari, Professor of Statistics, University of Michigan

    DeepSeek burst on the scene – and may be bursting some bubbles. AP Photo/Andy Wong

    State-of-the-art artificial intelligence systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude have captured the public imagination by producing fluent text in multiple languages in response to user prompts. Those companies have also captured headlines with the huge sums they’ve invested to build ever more powerful models.

    An AI startup from China, DeepSeek, has upset expectations about how much money is needed to build the latest and greatest AIs. In the process, they’ve cast doubt on the billions of dollars of investment by the big AI players.

    I study machine learning. DeepSeek’s disruptive debut comes down not to any stunning technological breakthrough but to a time-honored practice: finding efficiencies. In a field that consumes vast computing resources, that has proved to be significant.

    Where the costs are

    Developing such powerful AI systems begins with building a large language model. A large language model predicts the next word given previous words. For example, if the beginning of a sentence is “The theory of relativity was discovered by Albert,” a large language model might predict that the next word is “Einstein.” Large language models are trained to become good at such predictions in a process called pretraining.

    Pretraining requires a lot of data and computing power. The companies collect data by crawling the web and scanning books. Computing is usually powered by graphics processing units, or GPUs. Why graphics? It turns out that both computer graphics and the artificial neural networks that underlie large language models rely on the same area of mathematics known as linear algebra. Large language models internally store hundreds of billions of numbers called parameters or weights. It is these weights that are modified during pretraining.

    Large language models consume huge amounts of computing resources, which in turn means lots of energy.

    Pretraining is, however, not enough to yield a consumer product like ChatGPT. A pretrained large language model is usually not good at following human instructions. It might also not be aligned with human preferences. For example, it might output harmful or abusive language, both of which are present in text on the web.

    The pretrained model therefore usually goes through additional stages of training. One such stage is instruction tuning where the model is shown examples of human instructions and expected responses. After instruction tuning comes a stage called reinforcement learning from human feedback. In this stage, human annotators are shown multiple large language model responses to the same prompt. The annotators are then asked to point out which response they prefer.

    It is easy to see how costs add up when building an AI model: hiring top-quality AI talent, building a data center with thousands of GPUs, collecting data for pretraining, and running pretraining on GPUs. Additionally, there are costs involved in data collection and computation in the instruction tuning and reinforcement learning from human feedback stages.

    All included, costs for building a cutting edge AI model can soar up to US$100 million. GPU training is a significant component of the total cost.

    The expenditure does not stop when the model is ready. When the model is deployed and responds to user prompts, it uses more computation known as test time or inference time compute. Test time compute also needs GPUs. In December 2024, OpenAI announced a new phenomenon they saw with their latest model o1: as test time compute increased, the model got better at logical reasoning tasks such as math olympiad and competitive coding problems.

    Slimming down resource consumption

    Thus it seemed that the path to building the best AI models in the world was to invest in more computation during both training and inference. But then DeepSeek entered the fray and bucked this trend.

    DeepSeek sent shockwaves through the tech financial ecosystem.

    Their V-series models, culminating in the V3 model, used a series of optimizations to make training cutting edge AI models significantly more economical. Their technical report states that it took them less than $6 million dollars to train V3. They admit that this cost does not include costs of hiring the team, doing the research, trying out various ideas and data collection. But $6 million is still an impressively small figure for training a model that rivals leading AI models developed with much higher costs.

    The reduction in costs was not due to a single magic bullet. It was a combination of many smart engineering choices including using fewer bits to represent model weights, innovation in the neural network architecture, and reducing communication overhead as data is passed around between GPUs.

    It is interesting to note that due to U.S. export restrictions on China, the DeepSeek team did not have access to high performance GPUs like the Nvidia H100. Instead they used Nvidia H800 GPUs, which Nvidia designed to be lower performance so that they comply with U.S. export restrictions. Working with this limitation seems to have unleashed even more ingenuity from the DeepSeek team.

    DeepSeek also innovated to make inference cheaper, reducing the cost of running the model. Moreover, they released a model called R1 that is comparable to OpenAI’s o1 model on reasoning tasks.

    They released all the model weights for V3 and R1 publicly. Anyone can download and further improve or customize their models. Furthermore, DeepSeek released their models under the permissive MIT license, which allows others to use the models for personal, academic or commercial purposes with minimal restrictions.

    Resetting expectations

    DeepSeek has fundamentally altered the landscape of large AI models. An open weights model trained economically is now on par with more expensive and closed models that require paid subscription plans.

    The research community and the stock market will need some time to adjust to this new reality.

    Ambuj Tewari receives funding from NSF and NIH.

    – ref. Why building big AIs costs billions – and how Chinese startup DeepSeek dramatically changed the calculus – https://theconversation.com/why-building-big-ais-costs-billions-and-how-chinese-startup-deepseek-dramatically-changed-the-calculus-248431

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement by the Prime Minister on Vietnamese New Year

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Vietnamese New Year:

    “This week, Vietnamese communities in Canada and around the world will celebrate the beginning of the Lunar New Year and usher in the Year of the Snake.

    “On Tết Nguyên Đán, or Tết, families and friends gather to share meals, exchange wishes for good health, happiness, and prosperity, and celebrate their rich traditions passed down through generations. Bright coloured flowers and fruits will adorn homes in communities across the country. As people look to the future with determination and hope for the year to come, they will find inspiration in the values of wisdom and strength the snake symbolizes.

    “Canada is home to over 275,000 Vietnamese Canadians who have made – and continue to make – extraordinary contributions to our country. On Tết, we are reminded of the important role of diversity in shaping a stronger and more vibrant world for everyone.

    “On behalf of the Government of Canada, I extend my warmest wishes to everyone celebrating. May the Year of the Snake bring peace, success, and joy to all.

    “Chúc mừng năm mới.”

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement by the Prime Minister on the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia:

    “On January 29, 2017, a gunman opened fire at the Centre culturel islamique de Québec in Sainte-Foy. Six Canadians died and 19 others were wounded. Today, we remember the victims of this senseless act of hate.

    “Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzeddine Soufiane, and Aboubaker Thabti were proud Muslims, Quebeckers, and Canadians. They were murdered because of their faith. Our thoughts are with the communities of Quebec City, as well as the brave first responders who risked their lives to help others in the wake of this tragedy. We stand in solidarity with Muslim communities in Canada and around the world to fight the hate that led to this attack. We are also not immune to its resurgence, especially as we see the rise in Islamophobia and hate across our communities.

    “We’re taking action. We appointed Canada’s first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, to support our efforts to combat Islamophobia. We have renewed Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy to ensure diverse voices shape federal policies, programs, and services. We invested in the Canada Community Security Program to increase security at places of worship and community centres.

    “To protect communities, we passed the toughest gun control measures in over 40 years. With the measures announced last month, we’ve now banned more than 2,400 makes and models of assault-style firearms and their variants. We expanded background checks and prohibited the sale, purchase, and transfer of handguns in Canada. We also introduced ‘red flag’ laws, which are already in force, allowing anyone to apply to the court to remove firearms from individuals who may pose a risk to themselves or others.

    “Today, we remember those whose lives were tragically taken at the Centre culturel islamique de Québec and we reaffirm our commitment to standing with Muslim communities in Canada in the face of racism, hate, and discrimination. Together, we will continue to build a safe, welcoming, and prosperous country for everyone.”

    MIL OSI Canada News –