NewzIntel.com

Category: Americas

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner & Kaine Applaud Senate Reapproval of VA Medical Facility Leases, Including for New Outpatient Clinic in Hampton Roads

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) issued the following statement after the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works voted to approve updated authorizations for 18 Veterans Affairs (VA) major medical facility leases, including a proposed lease for an outpatient clinic in Hampton Roads:
    “We are very encouraged to see the Senate EPW Committee heed our request to quickly reauthorize 18 VA medical facility leases, including one for a new outpatient clinic in Hampton Roads. This facility would fill a critical gap, providing broader access and more convenient services for veterans on the south side of the region, who currently represent over 60 percent of the Hampton VA Medical Center’s patient base. We will continue to press our colleagues in the House of Representatives to finalize the reauthorization process and ensure that our nation’s veterans are not forced to endure unacceptable wait times or travel burdensome distances to access the high-quality care they have earned through their sacrifice and dedication.”
    While these leases were originally authorized under the PACT Act, which both senators strongly supported, updated cost estimates and rent bids prompted the VA and the General Services Administration (GSA) to seek reauthorization from four congressional committees. To date, the leases have been reapproved by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. One final approval, from the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, remains.
    Warner and Kaine have long fought to expand health care and benefits for Virginia’s nearly 700,000 veterans. Warner and Kaine began raising the alarm about the significant backlog of unapproved VA leases in 2016. After putting significant pressure on officials across the federal government, Congress unanimously passed the Providing Veterans Overdue Care Act, legislation written by Warner and supported by Kaine, to cut the backlog and get over two dozen delayed VA medical facilities’ leases approved.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: PSG crush Real Madrid 4-0 to reach Club World Cup final

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

    Fabian Ruiz scored two first-half goals as Paris Saint-Germain reached the FIFA Club World Cup final on Wednesday with a 4-0 rout of Real Madrid.

    Ruiz struck either side of an assured Ousmane Dembele finish as PSG raced to an early 3-0 lead before substitute Goncalo Ramos added a fourth goal three minutes from time.

    The reigning French and European champions will meet Chelsea in the final at the same venue on Sunday.

    PSG took control from the outset in the all-European semifinal, with Ruiz cutting inside and forcing a diving save from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

    The Belgian goalkeeper was again called into action a minute later, showing sharp reflexes to turn the ball away after Nuno Mendes’ goal-bound attempt.

    The Parisian outfit went ahead in the sixth minute when Raul Asencio dithered inside Real Madrid’s box and the ball fell to Ruiz, who slotted into an empty net after Courtois rushed off his line.

    Dembele then finished clinically after Antonio Rudiger gave the ball away in his own half. The former Barcelona forward has now scored 27 goals in 33 games for his club in 2025.

    PSG was in rampant form and Ruiz made it 3-0 by firing low past Courtois following Dembele’s cross.

    At times it looked as if PSG was toying with Real Madrid’s defense. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia went close to scoring again when he beat Asencio with ease in the penalty area, dancing around the center-back before lashing just wide.

    Courtois prevented his team from entering halftime with a four-goal deficit, executing a fingertip save after Mendes’ dipping shot from distance.

    Real Madrid moved the ball with greater fluency after the break and Kylian Mbappe sent a 20-yard attempt over the bar after a slick exchange with Federico Valverde.

    Vinicius Junior, who struggled to make an impact in an uncustomary role on the right wing, then had a rare shot on goal before Jude Bellingham’s powerful long-range effort was blocked by Lucas Beraldo.

    One of the few highlights for Real Madrid was the encouraging form of Eder Militao, fit again after suffering the second anterior cruciate ligament injury of his career in November last year.

    The Brazilian defender, who replaced Asencio in the 64th minute, helped tighten Madrid’s defense and twice went close to scoring late on – sending a header just wide and drawing a full-stretch save from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with a low drive.

    But Paris Saint-Germain’s defense proved unbreakable, while at the other end, its appetite for goals remained undimmed.

    Ramos completed the rout by receiving Bradley Barcola’s pass and turning superbly out of trouble before rifling a shot past Courtois. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Djokovic survives late fall to set Sinner SF at Wimbledon

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

    Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic battled past Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in a hard-fought match on Wednesday, securing his place in the Wimbledon semifinals, where he will face Jannik Sinner in a highly anticipated showdown.

    The Serbian star, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, rallied from a set down to defeat Cobolli 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4.

    Djokovic converted six of his 12 break points, while Cobolli’s 44 unforced errors – double Djokovic’s 22 – proved costly.

    Novak Djokovic set up a mouthwatering Wimbledon semi-final against world number one Jannik Sinner as he moved a step closer to claiming a historic 25th Grand Slam title.

    Top seed Sinner overcame lingering discomfort from an elbow injury to defeat American Ben Shelton 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4.

    The 23-year-old Italian had injured his right elbow after slipping during his fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov on Monday. Wearing a protective sleeve, Sinner showed little sign of trouble as he controlled the match against Shelton.

    After the match, he admitted trying to ignore the injury during play. “When you are in a match with a lot of tension, you try not to think about it.”

    “It has improved a lot from yesterday to today. Yesterday my day was very short on the practice court,” he added.

    Friday’s semifinal will be a rematch of their 2023 encounter, which Djokovic won in straight sets.

    The other men’s semifinal will feature world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz against fifth seed Taylor Fritz.

    In the women’s draw, 18-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva’s impressive run came to an end with a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) loss to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic.

    The 35th-ranked Swiss, a former Olympic champion, will now face eighth seed Iga Swiatek, who booked her semifinal place with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova.

    The other semifinal will see world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka take on American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RI Delegation Welcomes $1.5 Million In TRIO Funds to Help RI College Students Succeed

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – As Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation continues working to make college more affordable and protect Pell grants from budget cuts, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo today announced $1.5 million in federal funding to support existing college success and completion programs at Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) and Rhode Island College (RIC) through the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program.  For fiscal year 2025, CCRI will receive $949,145 and RIC will receive $544,728 in TRIO funding.

    TRIO is a federal grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Education.  TRIO represents the largest federal investment aimed at assisting low-income or first-generation college students or individuals with disabilities to successfully advance through the academic pipeline and navigate academic and financial barriers.

    First-generation college students, those who meet low-income qualifications, or those with a disability are eligible to apply for TRIO.  In order to help these students navigate college life, the SSS program offers specialized tutoring, along with workshops on issues like financial literacy, leadership development, and finding a career path.  The federal program is designed to increase graduation rates and help students transfer from two-year to four-year colleges.

    Last year, Congress appropriated $1.2 billion for the program.  This year, the Trump Administration is seeking to eliminate federal funding for TRIO programs.

    “TRIO helps students not only get on the college track, but succeed once they are on campus.  It helps them acclimate to college life and prepares them to overcome key higher education hurdles.  Through skills workshops, summer learning, and other support services, this program can be a real lifeline for first-generation college students.  It teaches them things like time management, good study habits, and helps set them up for success in the college classroom and beyond.  I am proud of the work CCRI and RIC are doing and will continue working to ensure more deserving students have the opportunity to attend college and the resources to afford it,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee, who got into a notable back and forth with Education Secretary Linda McMahon over TRIO funding at a recent hearing.  Reed had to set the record straight and disabuse the Secretary of Education of the incorrect notion that the federal government has spent over $1 trillion on TRIO programs.

    “TRIO programs have opened the door to higher education for many first-generation college students and students facing other obstacles,” said Whitehouse.  “This federal funding will support the outstanding work CCRI and RIC do to bring higher education within reach for more Rhode Islanders.”

    “Every student deserves a fair shot at college success, and the TRIO Student Support Services program provided at CCRI and RIC help make that possible by providing the mentorship, tools, and support students need to thrive,” said Magaziner. “I will keep fighting to protect federal education funding and expand programs like TRIO that open the doors of opportunity for more Rhode Islanders and strengthen the state’s workforce.”

    “Every student deserves the tools to reach their full potential. Today’s federal TRIO grant brings $1.5 million to support first-generation and low-income students at the Community College of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College,” said Congressman Gabe Amo. “But let’s be clear, Trump’s budget proposal to eliminate TRIO funding is a direct threat to these students and the progress we’ve made. I’m fighting in Congress to protect these programs, defend educational opportunity, and ensure that Rhode Islanders aren’t left behind.”

    CCRI’s successful TRIO SSS program, known as “Access to Opportunity,” was first launched in 1980 and serves approximately 440 CCRI students annually.  Previous graduates have gone on to a variety of careers, including some current full-time and adjunct faculty and staff at CCRI.

    Rhode Island College offers its TRIO programs through the Center for Scholar Development.  These programs are designed to provide educational pathways in an affirming environment for first-generation scholars.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed Welcomes $7M Federal Grant for URI Microplastics Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Researchers have estimated that the bottom of Narragansett Bay is now covered with a layer of tiny plastic particles, commonly referred to as ‘microplastics,’ that is about 2 inches deep.

    While microplastics are found everywhere these days, from products on the shelves to streams across the planet, experts are racing to better understand and inform the public about the impacts that these pollutants have on public health, ecosystems, and the environment.

    These scientists include URI associate professor of chemical, biomolecular, and materials engineering, Daniel Roxbury, who is leading a URI research team dedicated to informing local communities about the dangers of microplastics and key steps to take in reducing plastics pollution. Roxbury’s research team was just awarded $7 million in federal research funding through the National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR E-RISE Program.

    Senator Reed, a longtime proponent of the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program at NSF, welcomed the funding and thanked URI researchers for helping to increase knowledge about microplastics and better inform local, state, and national mitigation plans for plastics pollution.

    “Microplastics are a macro-problem. We need comprehensive, coordinated action to help protect people, communities, and public and environmental health.  Researchers at URI have been on the cutting-edge of this kind of discovery,” said Senator Reed, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee who advocates each year for increased NSF research funding and has led efforts to ensure Rhode Island’s eligibility for the EPSCoR program since 2004.  “This federal investment in URI’s important research comes at a time when the Trump Administration’s attacks on higher education and federal research funding threatens our understanding of science and the world we live in.  But developing a better understanding of microplastics is not a partisan issue – it’s a public health, economic, and environmental imperative.  I’m proud of the top-notch work Rhode Island scientists are doing and will continue fighting to support their work with federal research investments.”

    EPSCOR is designed to fulfill NSF’s mandate to promote scientific progress nationwide.  Through the program, NSF establishes partnerships with government, higher education, and industry that are designed to effect lasting improvements in a state’s or region’s academic research infrastructure, research and development (R&D) capacity, and hence, its national R&D competitiveness.

    Researchers and scientists at URI will use the $7 million federal grant to advance a four year project in partnership with local stakeholders and other colleges and universities, such as Brown University, Roger Williams University, and Rhode Island College, to educate Rhode Islanders about microplastics in the coastal ecosystem and develop better tracking, modeling, and research processes that help identify sources of pollution.

    The research project also aims to better understand the impact of microplastics on the livelihoods of Rhode Islanders who work on the Bay or in other local coastal waters.  

    Last August, Senator Reed joined Save the Bay and top researchers from Roger Williams University and URI to discuss the threat of microplastics and outline steps that households, communities, and elected officials can take to better protect people from the threat of microplastic pollution and preserve access to clean, safe water. Reed and the advocates called for stepped-up research, regulation, and coordinated action around plastic pollution.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: July 9th, 2025 Heinrich Urges Trump DOE and DOI Nominees to Lower Energy Costs, Keep Americans Safe, and Maintain America’s Competitive Edge

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON — In his opening statement, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, grilled several pending Trump Administration nominees on the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget request and his Big, Beautiful Betrayal bill, which will raise costs on American families by gutting investments in energy efficiency and clean energy programs. Ranking Member Heinrich additionally sought commitments to enforce surface mining laws and regulations, and pressed the nominees on the need to maintain U.S. competitiveness and secure global economic alliances with our allies.

    The hearing considered the nominations of Lanny Erdos to be the Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement of the Department of the Interior; Audrey Robertson to be Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Timothy Walsh to be Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management, and David Eisner to be Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs.

    VIDEO: Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivers opening remarks on the nominations of several pending Trump Administration officials before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, July 9, 2025.

    “One of President Trump’s first acts after being sworn in for his second term was to abandon our efforts to transition to a clean energy economy,” Heinrich said in his opening remarks, zeroing in on how Republicans will raise utility costs on American families with their cuts to critical programs. “The Department has announced plans to cut dozens of energy efficiency rules that save consumers hundreds of dollars on their utility bills annually. It has proposed a 74 percent reduction in next year’s budget for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. These cuts combined with the rollback of the clean energy tax credits in the reconciliation bill that Republicans supported will undoubtedly drive up energy prices.”

    Heinrich continued, “The reconciliation bill alone is estimated to increase annual energy costs more than $16 billion in 2030 and more than $33 billion by 2035. And American families will bear those increased costs.  I need to ask you, Ms. Robertson, whether you intend to continue the Department’s longstanding efforts to improve energy efficiency and develop renewable energy sources or whether you plan to abandon those programs.”

    A video of Heinrich’s opening remarks is here.

    A transcript of Heinrich’s remarks as delivered is below:

    Thank you, Chairman Lee.  And welcome Mr. Erdos, Ms. Robertson, Mr. Walsh, and Mr. Eisner.

    The Committee meets today to consider nominations to four very different offices.

     They range from expertise in coal mining to energy efficiency and renewable energy; from cleaning up nuclear weapons sites to international affairs.

    Two things that the four jobs have in common, however, is their importance and the responsibility the office holders will have to do well by the American people.

    Our task this morning, as in every confirmation hearing, is to determine how the nominees we are asked to entrust with these important offices plan to use them to do well by the American people. 

    Mr. Erdos has the advantage of having been nominated and confirmed to the position 5 years ago.  

    And while much may have changed in the past 5 years, the need for the Office of Surface Mining to protect communities and the environment during mining, to restore the land after mining, and to reclaim abandoned mine lands remains as great as ever.

    Indeed, the need may be even greater as this Administration seeks to increase coal production.

    We need your assurance, Mr. Erdos, that you remain committed to enforcing our surface mining laws and regulations and to restoring and reclaiming abandoned mine lands.

    Similarly, we seek assurances from you, Mr. Walsh, that you will work diligently to clean up the environmental legacy of the Manhattan Project and Cold War weapons sites.

    Secretary Wright testified last month that the Department remains committed to the cleanup program, and we want to hear that commitment from you as well.

    I harbor greater concerns for your offices, Ms. Robertson and Mr. Eisner. One of President Trump’s first acts after being sworn in for his second term was to abandon our efforts to transition to a clean energy economy. 

    The Department has announced plans to cut dozens of energy efficiency rules that save consumers hundreds of dollars on their utility bills annually. 

    It has proposed a 74 percent reduction in next year’s budget for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.

    These cuts combined with the rollback of the clean energy tax credits in the reconciliation bill that Republicans supported will undoubtedly drive up energy prices.

    The reconciliation bill alone is estimated to increase annual energy costs more than $16 billion in 2030 and more than $33 billion by 2035. And American families will bear those increased costs.

    I need to ask you, Ms. Robertson, whether you intend to continue the Department’s longstanding efforts to improve energy efficiency and develop renewable energy sources or whether you plan to abandon those programs.

    I am similarly concerned by the 40 percent reduction in the Department’s budget request for International Affairs and this Administration’s apparent disdain for our allies and global alliances. 

    The work of DOE’s International Affairs office is critical to maintaining U.S. competitiveness and securing economic alliances with our allies.

    And I will seek your assurance, Mr. Eisner, that the Department will remain committed to working with our allies on international energy issues.

    I look forward to hearing from our nominees on these and other issues this morning, and I appreciate their willingness to take on these important and challenging responsibilities.

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: July 9th, 2025 Heinrich Grills Trump Administration Nominee on Maintaining a Robust Energy Grid That Keeps Utility Costs Low for Families, Oil Spills in New Mexico

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON — During a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to consider Trump’s Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of the Interior (DOI) nominees, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Committee, grilled Audrey Robertson, an oil and gas executive, who is nominated to spearhead DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office, on energizing our grid with renewables to keep costs low for families, and her record of managing oil spills in New Mexico as the co-founder and an executive of Franklin Mountain Energy.

    VIDEO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M), Ranking Member of the U.S. Energy and Natural Resources Committee, grills DOI and DOE nominees.

    On Maintaining a Robust Energy Grid to Keep Costs Low for Families

    Heinrich began by questioning Audrey Robertson on Texas’ grid, “I’ve been looking closely at NERC’s 2025 summer reliability assessment in Texas. Texas added seven gigawatts of solar power in 2024, nearly seven and a half gigawatts of battery storage in 2024 alone, which is helping the state meet growing electricity demand from AI data centers and some of the things that you’ve articulated. As a result of those additional capacities, the risk of power emergencies has dropped to just 3% now, as opposed to 15% a little over a year ago. So, Ms. Robertson, do you agree that in the face of rising demand, that the grid requires more, not less affordable, reliable energy?”

    Robertson responded, “Undoubtedly the grid demands and we need to deliver more reliable, affordable, secure energy. Are you specifically asking about best systems, or solar systems?”

    Heinrich pressed, “Looking at Texas, would you agree that deploying both energy storage in tandem with renewable energy technologies can actually increase grid reliability, hold prices down and add new generation sources?”

    Robertson followed, “It certainly has the capability to do that. Texas still relies primarily on natural gas as its base load power, and that has to be the base load and the maximum because solar, solar plus wind, excuse me, solar plus batteries can provide a number of benefits, both at a large scale and a small scale, but we have yet to see the 5 or 10 year implications of these large battery systems, which unfortunately or ironically, the environments that are wonderful for solar Texas are not great for batteries. And so battery degradation and the life, the lifetime of a utility scale battery is something that is going to be a further effort of my Department, if I’m so fortunate to be confirmed. But those technologies have yet to play out.”

    Heinrich countered, “I would beg to differ. In New Mexico, we were an early adopter of grid scale storage. At this point in my personal grid in the Albuquerque area, we’re not only 35% solar, 7% nuclear, 15% wind, but using 15% battery storage, we’ve been able for a number of years now to maintain a high level of reliability, and not just a high level of reliability, but a low retail cost, which is the other thing that American consumers care about. I pay about 10.8 cents. Now I rarely pay that, because I have solar on my roof at a scale that I don’t get an electric bill most months. But when I do, I pay 10.8% – 10.8 cents, which is, if you look at the country as a whole, much lower than what you see in the Midwest and the East.”

    On Oil and Gas Spills in New Mexico

    Heinrich pressed Robertson on her company’s record of oil and gas spills in New Mexico, “Ms. Robertson, I wanted to ask you, give you something that’s been raised to me, and I wanted to give you a chance to speak to it is that Franklin Mountain Energy has had a number of both Clean Air Act [violations] and spills in the state of New Mexico, several dozen spills, in fact. And what would you just say to my constituents that are concerned about that record in the Permian?”

    Robertson responded, “Senator Heinrich, happy to speak to that. Franklin Mountain Energy is now sold, but when we built this company from a few barrels a day to over 65,000 barrels a day of oil production. Growing an organization from raw BLM leases in Southeast New Mexico, to running five rigs at one time is a massive 24/7 manufacturing operation for which our team has an outstanding safety record and an outstanding EPA air quality record. We did have a number of violations that were cited, the vast majority of those were remedied within a day or two. The majority of those issues came from third party equipment that were on our facilities. We take great pride in both building and operating some of the most remarkable oil and gas facilities in the United States and in this great state of New Mexico. So I guess… Having spills is part of running a big, complicated business. There is not an oil and gas company that can move the amount of fluid, gas, and people that we do without having an occasional spill, but our record within the community is outstanding, and I’m very proud of them.”

    Heinrich responded, “I appreciate your response to that. I think that while these impacts are reality, they also have very real impacts on my constituents and so I think the goal as challenging as it should, should be zero. But I appreciate your focus on that and your response to those questions.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Speaks Out Against President Trump’s Efforts to Cut Federal Funding for Public Broadcasting

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)

    Welch Defends Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Public Radio, Public Broadcasting Service 
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, spoke out against President Trump’s request to cut $9.4 billion in federal funding—which was already appropriated by Congress—including $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. If Senate Republicans approve the President’s request, $700 million of federal funding for local public media would be rescinded, impacting more than 1,500 public radio and TV stations across the country. 
    “One of the things that allows us to be united, despite our differences, is a shared understanding and knowledge of what is going on in our communities. That’s what the news is about. It’s not a propaganda machine. It’s not advocating the point of view of the President or the point of view of the Senator from Vermont. It is giving information,” said Senator Welch. “So, the question I have for us—in respect to the responsibility that you have, and I have, to the people we represent—is when we know that there are these extraordinary globalizing pressures…why would we compromise an institution that has served so many, so well, for so long? It weakens that sense of community. So why would we do that? There is not a good reason that we would do that.” 
    “We must not abandon the people we represent and the right they have to public broadcasting. And we cannot abandon the trust we must have in one another to keep our word. An agreement made must be an agreement kept.” 
    Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) led Senator Welch and seven Democratic colleagues in speaking from the Senate floor about the cuts to CPB and public media.  
    Watch Senator Welch’s speech below: 

    “These news deserts that are afflicting all of us…what has helped us so much is that many of these extraordinarily gifted reporters—who care about a sense of place, who have been on community newspapers—have now become the talent that has created this extraordinary institution of Vermont Public. Great reporting. So, in a democracy, we all know we need this. And it’s not because it’s going to be an agent for our point of view, but it’s going to be a cohesive force in the community to help people figure out the path forward.” 
    Senator Welch has been outspoken in his opposition to the Trump Administration’s unlawful efforts to dismantle and defund vital programs. In June, Senator Welch took to the Senate floor to slam the Trump Administration’s reckless rescissions request for Congressionally-appropriated funding. 
    Learn more about Senator Welch’s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Speaks Out Against President Trump’s Efforts to Cut Federal Funding for Public Broadcasting

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    Welch Defends Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Public Radio, Public Broadcasting Service 
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, spoke out against President Trump’s request to cut $9.4 billion in federal funding—which was already appropriated by Congress—including $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. If Senate Republicans approve the President’s request, $700 million of federal funding for local public media would be rescinded, impacting more than 1,500 public radio and TV stations across the country. 
    “One of the things that allows us to be united, despite our differences, is a shared understanding and knowledge of what is going on in our communities. That’s what the news is about. It’s not a propaganda machine. It’s not advocating the point of view of the President or the point of view of the Senator from Vermont. It is giving information,” said Senator Welch. “So, the question I have for us—in respect to the responsibility that you have, and I have, to the people we represent—is when we know that there are these extraordinary globalizing pressures…why would we compromise an institution that has served so many, so well, for so long? It weakens that sense of community. So why would we do that? There is not a good reason that we would do that.” 
    “We must not abandon the people we represent and the right they have to public broadcasting. And we cannot abandon the trust we must have in one another to keep our word. An agreement made must be an agreement kept.” 
    Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) led Senator Welch and seven Democratic colleagues in speaking from the Senate floor about the cuts to CPB and public media.  
    Watch Senator Welch’s speech below: 
    “These news deserts that are afflicting all of us…what has helped us so much is that many of these extraordinarily gifted reporters—who care about a sense of place, who have been on community newspapers—have now become the talent that has created this extraordinary institution of Vermont Public. Great reporting. So, in a democracy, we all know we need this. And it’s not because it’s going to be an agent for our point of view, but it’s going to be a cohesive force in the community to help people figure out the path forward.” 
    Senator Welch has been outspoken in his opposition to the Trump Administration’s unlawful efforts to dismantle and defund vital programs. In June, Senator Welch took to the Senate floor to slam the Trump Administration’s reckless rescissions request for Congressionally-appropriated funding. 
    Learn more about Senator Welch’s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Speaks Out Against President Trump’s Efforts to Cut Federal Funding for Public Broadcasting

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)

    Welch Defends Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Public Radio, Public Broadcasting Service 
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, spoke out against President Trump’s request to cut $9.4 billion in federal funding—which was already appropriated by Congress—including $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. If Senate Republicans approve the President’s request, $700 million of federal funding for local public media would be rescinded, impacting more than 1,500 public radio and TV stations across the country. 
    “One of the things that allows us to be united, despite our differences, is a shared understanding and knowledge of what is going on in our communities. That’s what the news is about. It’s not a propaganda machine. It’s not advocating the point of view of the President or the point of view of the Senator from Vermont. It is giving information,” said Senator Welch. “So, the question I have for us—in respect to the responsibility that you have, and I have, to the people we represent—is when we know that there are these extraordinary globalizing pressures…why would we compromise an institution that has served so many, so well, for so long? It weakens that sense of community. So why would we do that? There is not a good reason that we would do that.” 
    “We must not abandon the people we represent and the right they have to public broadcasting. And we cannot abandon the trust we must have in one another to keep our word. An agreement made must be an agreement kept.” 
    Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) led Senator Welch and seven Democratic colleagues in speaking from the Senate floor about the cuts to CPB and public media.  
    Watch Senator Welch’s speech below: 

    “These news deserts that are afflicting all of us…what has helped us so much is that many of these extraordinarily gifted reporters—who care about a sense of place, who have been on community newspapers—have now become the talent that has created this extraordinary institution of Vermont Public. Great reporting. So, in a democracy, we all know we need this. And it’s not because it’s going to be an agent for our point of view, but it’s going to be a cohesive force in the community to help people figure out the path forward.” 
    Senator Welch has been outspoken in his opposition to the Trump Administration’s unlawful efforts to dismantle and defund vital programs. In June, Senator Welch took to the Senate floor to slam the Trump Administration’s reckless rescissions request for Congressionally-appropriated funding. 
    Learn more about Senator Welch’s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: On Senate Floor, Klobuchar Stands Up in Support of Public Broadcasting

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar

    WATCH KLOBUCHAR’S FULL REMARKS HERE

    WASHINGTON — On the Senate Floor, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) spoke in opposition to the Administration’s attempt to clawback funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and foreign aid that Congress had already approved on a bipartisan basis. 

    “As the daughter of a newspaperman, I know how important public media and the free press are to our country. Public Broadcasting reaches nearly 99 percent of Americans. 99 percent with programming they don’t have to pay for delivering educational programming for our kids, coverage of local news stories and life saving emergency alerts …

    We have long agreed on a bipartisan basis to support the more than 1,500 local and regional public TV and radio stations throughout the country…I think we must continue this support.

    The Corporation for Public Broadcasting supports public TV stations in my state, in places like Duluth and Granite Falls and Austin, and supports 16 public radio stations across our state, like the ones in Grand Rapids, in Bemidji, and in Brainerd. We have a long history of producing public programming that is quite outstanding in our state… from Prairie Home Companion …to Marketplace. 

    Public Media in Minnesota has also created amazing original TV series like the ones to inspire more young people to enter STEM fields and spotlighting our artists and our local chefs…

    Twin Cities PBS launched the nation’s first 24/7 TV channel broadcasting real time emergency alerts. And recently, in the wake of the horrific shooting of the state lawmakers in the state, when portions of our state were in shelter in place, when a madman was out loose, Minnesota Public Radio kept people informed around the clock, about how to stay safe, about where the shelter in place areas were, and what was happening with the manhunt. It’s MPR that continues to report on State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who I got to talk with yesterday about their recovery, even when the national attention has moved on. That’s what local public TV and local radio do for us.”

    Download Klobuchar’s full floor speech here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: On Senate Floor, Klobuchar Stands Up in Support of Public Broadcasting

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar

    WATCH KLOBUCHAR’S FULL REMARKS HERE

    WASHINGTON — On the Senate Floor, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) spoke in opposition to the Administration’s attempt to clawback funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and foreign aid that Congress had already approved on a bipartisan basis. 

    “As the daughter of a newspaperman, I know how important public media and the free press are to our country. Public Broadcasting reaches nearly 99 percent of Americans. 99 percent with programming they don’t have to pay for delivering educational programming for our kids, coverage of local news stories and life saving emergency alerts …

    We have long agreed on a bipartisan basis to support the more than 1,500 local and regional public TV and radio stations throughout the country…I think we must continue this support.

    The Corporation for Public Broadcasting supports public TV stations in my state, in places like Duluth and Granite Falls and Austin, and supports 16 public radio stations across our state, like the ones in Grand Rapids, in Bemidji, and in Brainerd. We have a long history of producing public programming that is quite outstanding in our state… from Prairie Home Companion …to Marketplace. 

    Public Media in Minnesota has also created amazing original TV series like the ones to inspire more young people to enter STEM fields and spotlighting our artists and our local chefs…

    Twin Cities PBS launched the nation’s first 24/7 TV channel broadcasting real time emergency alerts. And recently, in the wake of the horrific shooting of the state lawmakers in the state, when portions of our state were in shelter in place, when a madman was out loose, Minnesota Public Radio kept people informed around the clock, about how to stay safe, about where the shelter in place areas were, and what was happening with the manhunt. It’s MPR that continues to report on State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who I got to talk with yesterday about their recovery, even when the national attention has moved on. That’s what local public TV and local radio do for us.”

    Download Klobuchar’s full floor speech here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: On Senate Floor, Klobuchar Stands Up in Support of Public Broadcasting

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar
    WATCH KLOBUCHAR’S FULL REMARKS HERE
    WASHINGTON — On the Senate Floor, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) spoke in opposition to the Administration’s attempt to clawback funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and foreign aid that Congress had already approved on a bipartisan basis. 
    “As the daughter of a newspaperman, I know how important public media and the free press are to our country. Public Broadcasting reaches nearly 99 percent of Americans. 99 percent with programming they don’t have to pay for delivering educational programming for our kids, coverage of local news stories and life saving emergency alerts …
    We have long agreed on a bipartisan basis to support the more than 1,500 local and regional public TV and radio stations throughout the country…I think we must continue this support.
    The Corporation for Public Broadcasting supports public TV stations in my state, in places like Duluth and Granite Falls and Austin, and supports 16 public radio stations across our state, like the ones in Grand Rapids, in Bemidji, and in Brainerd. We have a long history of producing public programming that is quite outstanding in our state… from Prairie Home Companion …to Marketplace. 
    Public Media in Minnesota has also created amazing original TV series like the ones to inspire more young people to enter STEM fields and spotlighting our artists and our local chefs…
    Twin Cities PBS launched the nation’s first 24/7 TV channel broadcasting real time emergency alerts. And recently, in the wake of the horrific shooting of the state lawmakers in the state, when portions of our state were in shelter in place, when a madman was out loose, Minnesota Public Radio kept people informed around the clock, about how to stay safe, about where the shelter in place areas were, and what was happening with the manhunt. It’s MPR that continues to report on State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who I got to talk with yesterday about their recovery, even when the national attention has moved on. That’s what local public TV and local radio do for us.”
    Download Klobuchar’s full floor speech here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy on rescissions: “It’s gut-check time. We need to pass this bill.”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

    Watch Kennedy’s comments here. 

    WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today delivered the following remarks on the U.S. Senate floor:

    “We’ve got a $7 trillion budget. I don’t know how much of that $7 trillion is waste, but every fair-minded person would have to agree that there’s some money being spent in that $7 trillion that shouldn’t be spent. It just shouldn’t. It’s wasted money.

    “So, President Trump and this Congress made one of its objectives trying to reduce spending. Not spending that we need but spending that needs to be reduced. I call it spending porn. 

    “The president has sent us a bill. He’s saying to Congress, I want you to reduce spending in the current budget by [$9.4 billion]. Let me tell you what constitutes the spending I want to reduce. 

    “First, [$9.4 billion] out of a $7 trillion budget, we’re not talking about a lot of money here. We’re talking about one-tenth of 1%. That’s all. That’s point one. 

    “Point two: You need to look at what the president is asking us to cut out. I’ll just give you a couple of examples. I didn’t make this up.

    “The president is saying we’re giving $3 million to Iraq to produce ‘Sesame Street.’ Maybe we could use that money for something else. 

    “The president is saying we’re giving $3 million to Zambia for circumcisions and vasectomies. The president is saying we don’t need to do that. We’ve got other priorities.

    “We’re giving $500,000 to Rwanda to buy electric buses. The president is saying to us, Congress we don’t need to be spending money on that. There are more important things.

    “We’re spending $67,000 to give insect powder to kids in Madagascar. I don’t even know what insect powder is, but the president is asking us to cut it out. 

    “We’re giving $3,600,000 to Haiti for pastry cooking classes, for cyber cafes, for dance focus groups for male prostitutes. The president is saying I don’t think so. I don’t think the American people support giving their hard-earned money to male prostitutes in Haiti. So, he’s asking us to cut it out.

    “He’s asking us to reduce the budget by $833,000 because some of President Biden’s bureaucrats gave a contract to [assist] transgender people, sex workers, and their clients in Nepal. The president is saying I don’t want to do that and he’s right. You get the idea.

    “That’s what I call spending porn. It triggers our gag reflex. You look at this stuff and you go, ‘What in God’s name? Who decided to do this?’ Well, Congress didn’t. The bureaucrats did. It’s money we appropriated, but we didn’t tell them to go spend money, $833,000, and give to sex workers in Nepal. They just took the money we appropriated and used it for that. So, the president is asking us to do what’s called a rescission and cancel the spending.

    “Now, I’ve been here eight years, Mr. President, and I’ve listened to a whole bunch of people talk about the need to reduce spending. But you’ve got to watch what people do, not what they say because talk is cheap.

    “And around here, I’ve learned pretty quickly that reducing spending, it’s like going to heaven. I want to go to heaven. I bet you want to go to heaven, Mr. President. I bet our guests in the gallery want to go to heaven, but everybody wants to heaven. Raise your hand if you’re ready to take the trip today. Most people—you are, sir, and I admire that—but most people want to live a little longer, and that’s the way we are with reducing spending around here.

    “‘I want to reduce spending. I support it but not just yet because I’ve got this project.’ And I’ve listened to that, and I especially listened to it for the past hundred days. ‘Go get them, President Trump. Reduce that spending. We’re behind you a thousand percent.’

    “Well, he has. One-tenth of 1% he’s asking us to reduce. And I’m not saying senators shouldn’t ask questions and make some changes if they need to be made, but here’s the bottom line: It is gut-check time. You either believe in reducing spending or you don’t. And if you talk the game and say, ‘Let’s reduce spending,’ and you vote against this bill, in my opinion, you ought to hide your head in a bag because you will be able to cut the hypocrisy with a knife.

    “It’s real, real hard, Mr. President, to preach temperance from a barstool. It’s gut-check time. We need to pass this bill.”

    Watch Kennedy’s speech here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Trump sends tariff letters to 8 more countries

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

    U.S. President Donald Trump sent letters to the leaders of eight countries Wednesday, notifying them that tariffs ranging from 20 percent to 50 percent will be charged on goods imported from these countries starting Aug. 1.

    Trump first posted letters to seven countries — the Philippines, Brunei, Moldova, Algeria, Iraq, Libya and Sri Lanka — on Truth Social, his own social media platform.

    According to the letters, 30 percent tariffs will be imposed on Libya, Iraq, Algeria and Sri Lanka, 25 percent on Brunei and Moldova, and 20 percent on the Philippines.

    Later in the day, Trump announced that tariffs of 50 percent will be charged on goods from Brazil, also effective on Aug. 1.

    His letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva claimed that “Due in part to Brazil’s insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans … we will charge Brazil a Tariff of 50% on any and all Brazilian products sent into the United States.”

    “Any unilateral measure to raise tariffs will be responded to in light of Brazil’s economic reciprocity law,” Lula said Wednesday on X.

    Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin said Wednesday it was “unjust” for Trump to impose tariffs of 50 percent on Brazilian products.

    “I see no reason to increase tariffs on Brazil. Brazil is not a problem for the United States; it is important to reiterate that. The United States has a trade deficit, but a surplus with Brazil,” Alckmin said.

    Trump sent the first batch of tariff letters to 14 countries on Monday, with tariffs ranging from 25 percent to 40 percent.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Revamped Leverkusen prepares for unknown journey

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

    The 2023-24 Bundesliga champion Bayer Leverkusen is gearing up for a full reorganization due to the departure of coach Xabi Alonso, along with Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Jonathan Tah.

    The journey into the unknown is guided by 55-year-old coach Erik ten Hag, who is relishing a second top-level chance after his dismissal from Manchester United in 2024.

    Florian Wirtz (L) of Bayer 04 Leverkusen vies with Ozan Kabak of TSG Hoffenheim during the first division of Bundesliga match in Leverkusen, Germany, March 30, 2024. (Photo by Joachim Bywaletz/Xinhua)

    The team’s pre-season plans reinforce the idea of a complete restart, including its unusual trip to Brazil from July 14 to 24 where it will visit the training ground of Flamengo.

    “You can’t sail on yesterday’s wind,” said Ten Hag. “We start from zero and have to readjust our compass.”

    Sporting director Simon Rolfes said the club’s goals include finishing in the top four in Germany and the top 16 in Europe.

    “In these spheres, you are inevitably a candidate for winning silverware,” he stated.

    With 150 million euros (about 176 million U.S. dollars) earned from Wirtz’s transfer, Leverkusen has signed Jarell Quansah, Malik Tillman, Ibrahim Maza, Abdoulaye Faye and Mark Flekken.

    The Brazil trip is said to create an inspiring atmosphere far away from local concerns about the future and display the club’s intention to strengthen ties to South America.

    “If you want, ties to South America have been growing over the past decades as we had several players from there in our shirt,” said Rolfes.

    While Ten Hag emphasizes that “everyone has to keep it as a pleasant memory to be ready for a new start,” the team is already ahead with tactical changes, as the new coach seems to prefer a back four.

    After the departure of Alonso, the team adopted a different model as Ten Hag is said to rely on strict discipline.

    Like his predecessor, Ten Hag favors a dominant playing style centered on a high level of ball possession.

    He discussed a “perfect foundation” established by Alonso. “It’s on us to rely on these pillars and, at the same time, create something new.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Payback time as Pedro goals cover part of transfer fee

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

    Very few new signings have made an instant sporting and economic impact in the same way that striker Joao Pedro did for Chelsea, as his goals took his new side to the FIFA Club World Cup final in a 2-0 victory over Fluminense on Tuesday.

    Joao Pedro of Chelsea reacts after scoring his first goal during the semifinal match between Fluminense FC (Brazil) and Chelsea FC (England) at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 at the MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, the United States, July 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ming)

    Pedro only signed from Brighton & Hove Albion a week ago, flying straight to the United States from Brazil to join up with his new side, as he was allowed to play in the Club World Cup – unlike Jamie Gittens, who has also joined Chelsea but is unable to play in the tournament as he has already represented Borussia Dortmund.

    It took Pedro just 18 minutes to open the scoring with a stunning curling shot into the corner of the Fluminense net.

    He sealed the win 11 minutes into the second half after latching onto Enzo Fernandez’s through ball and scoring with a shot that bounced off the crossbar and into the net.

    The fact Pedro scored goals after so little time adapting to his new teammates could be a sign that Chelsea’s long search for a center-forward is finally over.

    In just one game, Pedro has already paid back a big chunk of his transfer fee. Chelsea paid Brighton 55 million pounds (75 million U.S. dollars) for his services, and by taking Chelsea to the final against either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid, he has already earned the club a further 21 million pounds in prize money – over a third of his fee.

    If Chelsea wins the final and Pedro scores again, he will have already paid for himself.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Environment – EPA bans crop insecticide after reassessment

    Source: Environmental Protection Authority

    The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is banning a crop insecticide, chlorpyrifos, after reassessing the chemical.
    The ban will come into effect progressively during an 18-month phase-out period.
    Chlorpyrifos is a broad-spectrum organophosphate insecticide used to control pests in pasture and grain crops such as wheat and for biosecurity treatment of pests.
    The chemical is banned in the European Union and Canada, and its use is heavily restricted in Australia. It is in the process of being phased out internationally via the Stockholm Convention, of which New Zealand is a signatory.
    As part of the reassessment, the EPA considered new information, called for submissions, and held a public hearing. A decision-making committee found that risks to people and the environment of using the insecticide outweighed the benefits.
    “Operators spraying the insecticide and bystanders are most at risk from immediate and long-term health issues,” says Dr Shaun Presow, Hazardous Substances Reassessments Manager. “New evidence shows that even full personal and respiratory protective equipment don’t fully mitigate the health risks.
    “The health risks for children exposed to chlorpyrifos in particular are concerning, which is why we have put in place an immediate ban on using the chemical in public places,” says Dr Presow.
    “Chlorpyrifos also has harmful effects on plants and animals on land and in waterways.”
    An EPA decision-making committee set an extended phase-out period for the use of chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-containing substances to allow users to transition to alternative products.
    “We acknowledge the concerns of some farmers who will need to find alternatives to chlorpyrifos products to control New Zealand grass grub,” says Dr Presow. “This is why we have approved and extended the 18-month phase-out period for farmers to find other ways to manage native grass grub.
    “We are equally mindful of the risks to human health and the environment, and that the phasing out of chlorpyrifos is supported by some industry groups. Furthermore, our international trade partners are already imposing restrictions on the use of chlorpyrifos on food crops.”
    From 10 July 2025 the use of chlorpyrifos will be phased out:
    – over 18 months for those using the active ingredient to control grass grub
    – over six months for all other industries
    – immediately in public places.
    Notes:
    – Chlorpyrifos is used only by professional users.
    – Pronunciation guide for “chlorpyrifos”: clore-pir-ee-fos 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI: YZi Labs Announces Support for 10X Capital’s BNB Treasury Company in the U.S.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    New York, NY, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — YZi Labs, an investment vehicle fueling impact in Web3, AI, and biotech, today announced its support for 10X Capital, a leading investment firm focused on digital assets & digital asset treasury companies, in establishing the BNB Treasury Company, an independent U.S. initiative for digital asset treasury management on BNB Chain.

    The BNB Treasury Company, which intends to pursue a public listing on a major U.S. stock exchange, aims to create a business that will provide investors in the USA with exposure to the growth and benefits of BNB, the world’s 4th largest digital asset token by market cap, and will be focused exclusively on the BNB Chain ecosystem.

    The development of the BNB Treasury Company will be led by an accomplished management team, including digital assets veteran David Namdar, Senior Partner at 10X Capital and co-founder of Galaxy Digital (Nasdaq:GLXY), formerly of Millennium Management; institutional investor Russell Read, CIO of 10X Capital and former CIO of CalPERS, the Alaska Permanent Fund, the Gulf Investment Corporation, and former deputy CIO of Deutsche (Bank) Asset Management; and former Kraken director Saad Naja, who sits on the executive board of directors of global retail brokerage firm Exinity.

    10X Capital, whose recent track record in digital asset treasury companies includes Nakamoto (Nasdaq:NAKA), has partnered with Cohen & Company Capital Markets, a division of Cohen & Company Securities, LLC, and Clear Street LLC to raise capital to fund its initial acquisition of BNB. 10X Capital will serve as the asset manager of the BNB Treasury Company.

    “BNB Chain is one of the most widely adopted blockchain ecosystems. BNB is the gas, the glue, and the governance layer for a scalable, decentralized future — powered by builders, for builders, and we believe expanding its institutional access can deliver meaningful benefits to the broader public,” said Ella Zhang, Head of YZi Labs. “By supporting this initiative, we aim to combine the strengths of the BNB ecosystem with 10X Capital’s institutional asset management and capital markets expertise. While we advocate for the adoption of BNB as a treasury asset, YZi Labs remains highly selective in formal partnerships and will only communicate any official collaborations through our official channels.”

    “BNB Chain is one of the largest, highest performing digital assets ecosystems globally, powering hundreds of millions of users, however institutional and retail investors in the U.S. have limited exposure to the growth of BNB.” added Hans Thomas, Founder & CEO of 10X Capital. “In line with our thesis on the unique ability of US-listed treasury companies to provide investors with access to digital assets opportunities globally, we believe the time is right for a well-capitalized, institutionally managed, pure-play treasury company to emerge as a gateway between U.S. investors and decentralized innovation on BNB Chain.”

    The BNB Treasury Company will emphasize transparency and verification of holdings, strong engagement with the BNB ecosystem and community, and expects to announce the closing of its related financing in the coming weeks.

    About YZi Labs

    YZi Labs manages over $10 billion in assets globally. Our investment philosophy emphasizes impact first—we believe that meaningful returns will naturally follow. We invest in ventures at every stage, prioritizing those with solid fundamentals in Web3, AI, and biotech.

    YZi Labs’ portfolio covers over 300 projects from over 25 countries across six continents. More than 65 of YZi Labs’ portfolio companies have gone through our incubation programs. For more information, follow YZi Labs on X.

    About 10X Capital

    10X Capital is a next-generation investment firm focused on digital transformation, including digital assets and digital infrastructure. 10X brings institutional capital to exceptional opportunities worldwide, via public & private structures, our portfolio companies, treasury business, and our affiliated investment bank.

    With capabilities in corporate development, asset management, treasury management, and capital markets, the firm takes a holistic merchant banking approach to building Digital Assets Treasury companies around the world, to help develop disruptive strategies with global reach. For more information, follow 10X Capital on X.

    Disclaimer:
    The information provided in this article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, endorsement, analysis, or recommendations with respect to any financial instruments, investments, or issuers. This article may contain forward-looking statements which are by nature subject to risks and uncertainties. Investment in cryptocurrency and DeFi projects involves substantial risk, including the risk of complete loss. This article does not take into account the investment objectives, financial situation, or specific needs of any particular person and each individual is urged to consult their legal and financial advisors before making any investment decisions.

    Media Contacts:

    Yuna Y,

    YZi Labs

    yuna.y@yzilabs.com

    Alexander Monje

    10X Capital

    info@10xcapital.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hagerty Announces Staff Additions, Trump Admin Appointments

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
    WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) announced 6 additions to his staff in Tennessee and Washington, D.C. Hagerty’s team continues to be fully operational and serving the great state of Tennessee.
    Brian McCormack will soon assume the role of Chief of Staff. McCormack is currently serving as the Chief of Staff for the National Security Council at the White House. Previously, he served at the White House Office of Management and Budget responsible for nearly a dozen agencies and as the Chief of Staff at the Department of Energy. The current Chief of Staff, Adam Telle, was nominated in March by President Trump to serve as the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works where he will oversee the Corps of Engineers.
    “I’m glad to have someone of Brian’s caliber and experience to lead this exceptional team. He brings a set of highly-relevant perspectives to the role where the paramount focus is to serve the people of Tennessee and the interests of our nation,” said Senator Bill Hagerty. “Brian’s background and relationships within the Trump Administration will support my objective of making the federal government work for the American people.”
    “I’m thankful for the many years of service Adam has put in leading our team from day one in the Senate, which has helped me build a strong foundation for success here in the U.S. Senate going forward,” said Senator Bill Hagerty. “I’m so proud of the opportunity he’s been given to once again serve as an outstanding member of President Trump’s administration, and his management of the Corps of Engineers will bring the responses we’ve seen in my Senate office to bear on an organization central to Tennessee and our nation.”
    Robert Donachie is now serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications. Donachie served as Vice President of a Washington, DC-based public relations and literary agency. He spent several years working in the House of Representatives. He also served as the White House correspondent for The Washington Examiner and as a political reporter for The Daily Caller. Donachie has appeared on Fox News Channel, nationally syndicated radio programs, and provided commentary for The New York Times, POLITICO, Newsweek, The Hill, and other outlets.
    Tiffany Delgado recently joined as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, replacing Jim Durrett.  Delgado served as Senior Vice President of a Washington, DC-based marketing agency specializing in custom targeted voter contact, fundraising and issue advocacy programs, where she was recognized with the Rising Star Award from Campaigns and Elections.  Previously she worked at the National Republican Senatorial Committee as the Director of Direct Response.  Tiffany holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia, and is currently pursuing her MBA from Georgetown University.
    Michael Sullivan will become Senior Advisor to Senator Hagerty, where he will continue to be involved in state operations while also providing strategic advice on the Senator’s larger operation, leveraging Sullivan’s experience to benefit Hagerty’s broader mandate.
    Alec Richardson will become the State Director for Senator Hagerty. Currently, he serves as Senior Advisor to Governor Bill Lee and Director of External Affairs at the State of Tennessee. In this role, Richardson is responsible for overseeing strategic operations, managing federal relations, and advising on key legislative issues. He formerly served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Personal Aide to the Governor. He resides in Nashville with his wife and their one-year-old son.
    Kalleigh Ahern is now serving as Press & Digital Assistant in the office of U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty. Prior to joining the Senate, she worked as a Public Relations and Communications Intern at a national PR agency, where she contributed to strategic campaign planning, media monitoring and cross-sector client research. Ahern also gained firsthand experience in federal outreach and constituent services while working in her home congressional district in Tennessee. She graduated summa cum laude from The University of Alabama with a focus in public relations and political science.
    Serving in the Trump Administration
    Adam Telle has been advanced out of the Armed Services Committee and Environment and Public Works Committee to lead the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. Telle has served as Hagerty’s Chief of Staff over the last four years and will continue to serve Hagerty while his nomination is pending before the Senate. Telle served during the first Trump Administration as the White House’s Senate lead in its Office of Legislative Affairs.  Prior to that role, Telle served as the top staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Homeland Security and as the top policy advisor to the late Senator Thad Cochran. Telle holds degrees in computer science and journalism from Mississippi State University.
    Jim Durrett is now the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President and Deputy Assistant to the President. Previously, he served as Deputy Chief of Operations for Senator Hagerty. Durrett is a native of Clarksville, Tennessee.
    Luke Pettit has been advanced out of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions. Pettit has served as Senator Hagerty’s Senior Policy Advisor and will continue to serve Hagerty while his nomination is pending before the Senate. Previously, he worked at the Senate Banking Committee, Bridgewater Associates, and the Federal Reserve. Luke holds a B.A from the University of Pennsylvania, and graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and Johns Hopkins University.
    Jonathan Greenstein is nominated to be Deputy Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Finance. Previously, he served as Senator Hagerty’s Senior Policy Advisor. Greenstein is a graduate of Harvard Business School and Yale Law School.
    Daniel Zimmerman has been confirmed to be the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. Zimmerman previously served in a Congressional Executive Fellowship in the office of Senator Hagerty. He previously has held many roles in the agency realm, and holds both a bachelor’s degree from Asbury University and a master’s degree from the Patterson School of Diplomacy at the University of Kentucky.
    Julia Hahn is serving as the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Department for the Office of Public Affairs. Hahn joins the Department after serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications for Senator Hagerty. Prior to the Senate, Hahn served in the first Trump White House over all four years, most recently as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy White House Communications Director. Before that, she served as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Rapid Response and Surrogate Operations. Hahn has also worked in media as the Executive Producer of The Laura Ingraham Show and a reporter at Breitbart News. She also worked on Capitol Hill as Press Secretary to former Congressman Dave Brat. Hahn graduated from the University of Chicago with a BA in Philosophy.
    Clark Milner is serving as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor for Policy, focusing primarily on domestic policy. Milner formerly served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Chief Counsel to Senator Bill Hagerty. Milner previously served as Deputy Counsel to Governor Bill Lee.
    Natalie McIntyre currently serves as a Special Assistant to the President for the Office of Legislative Affairs where she handles the Healthcare, Education, Labor, Banking, and Agriculture portfolio. Previously, she was Senator Hagerty’s Legislative Director overseeing the legislative team and managing the Health, Education, Labor, Pension, and Veterans portfolio. Prior to her role in Hagerty’s office, she was part of the legislative office at OMB where she managed the Senate offices. She also served as a Senior Policy Advisor and White House liaison at ONDCP.
    Jason Hoffman is currently the Executive Secretary at the White House Office of Management and Budget. Hoffman formerly served as a Policy Advisor for Senator Hagerty, focusing on homeland security and judiciary issues. Previously, he worked at the Office of Management and Budget during President Trump’s first term and as a Legislative Assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives.Nels Nordquist is serving as Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Policy and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council. Nordquist was Senior Fellow for Economic Policy in the office of Senator Hagerty. In addition, his prior service includes as Staff Director for the National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee. From 2018-2021, Nordquist worked in the National Security Council and National Economic Council, first as Director for Trade & Investment and later as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for International Economic Policy. Nordquist graduated from Stanford and earned an MBA from the University of Virginia.
    Joel Rayburn is the Trump Administration’s nominee to be Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. He is a historian, former diplomat, and retired military officer who previously served as special advisor for Middle East affairs in the office of Senator Hagerty. Rayburn is currently a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. In the first Trump Administration, he served as a senior director on the National Security Council staff and, from July 2018 to January 2021, as the U.S. special envoy for Syria. Before joining the State Department, Rayburn served 26 years as a US Army officer and co-authored the Army’s official history of the Iraq War. He holds an MA in history from Texas A&M University and an MS in strategic studies from the National War College.
    Kevin Kim serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He previously worked as a National Security Fellow for Senator Hagerty. Kim was also the Senior Advisor to the Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea as part of the U.S. delegation to the 2020 U.S.-Russia arms control negotiations.  From 2018 to 2020, he served as the Chief of Staff to the Special Representative for North Korea and the Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun and worked closely with then-U.S. Ambassador to Japan Hagerty as he participated in various rounds of U.S.-DPRK nuclear negotiations. Kim received a BA from the Johns Hopkins University, MA from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
    Daniel Tirosh now serves on the National Security Council. Tirosh previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor and Counsel for Senator Hagerty. He holds a bachelor’s degree from University of California, Santa Cruz, and graduated from Stanford Law School.
    Walton Stivender Mears has taken on a new role as scheduler for Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner. Mears joined HUD earlier this year after serving as Director of Scheduling for Senator Hagerty. She previously handled scheduling and assisted the chief of staff for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and as a Staff Assistant for Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL). Mears is a graduate of Auburn University.
    J. Cal Mitchell is serving as Special Advisor for the Office of Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of Treasury. He joins the Treasury Department after serving as Personal Aide to Senator Hagerty. Mitchell is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College.
    Nick Checker, a former national security fellow for Senator Hagerty, currently serves as Deputy Executive Secretary on the National Security Council. In that role, Checker provides senior-level review of NSC products for substance, policy relevance, and appropriateness for the President and senior White House officials. Checker has spent the last decade prior to his service on Senator Hagerty’s staff at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as a military analyst covering conflicts in the greater Middle East. Most recently, Checker worked in CIA’s office of Congressional Affairs, where he supported the confirmation process for Director John Ratcliffe. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University.
    Nicholas Elliot is the Confidential Assistant and Policy Advisor to the President’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets. Previously, Elliot worked on Senator Hagerty’s 2020 campaign team and spent nearly four years working for Senator Hagerty on the Senator’s financial services and banking portfolio, where he advanced the Senator’s work on the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Elliot is a graduate of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business where he received a BS in Business Administration with a major in Finance and a minor in Mandarin.
    Taylor Asher serves as Senior Policy Advisor to Chairman Paul Atkins. From April 2023 to January 2025, Asher served as Policy Advisor and Confidential Assistant to Commissioner Uyeda. Prior to his time at the SEC, Asher was Personal Aide to Senator Hagerty. His tenure in public service began with Congresswoman Julia Letlow’s Office, where he served as Staff Assistant and Intern Manager. Asher is currently pursuing a Master of Economics at George Mason University. He holds a Master of Finance with an Energy Specialization as well as a Bachelor of Science in Management from Tulane University. He is originally from Nashville, Tennessee.
    Cole Bornefeld will be serving as Director of Correspondence for the Office of the Vice President. He previously served as a Legislative Aide to Hagerty, assisting in the Judiciary, Homeland Security, Commerce, and Rules portfolio. Bornefeld previously served as a Legislative Correspondent, Staff Assistant, and Intern in Senator Hagerty’s office. He graduated from Western Kentucky University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and public relations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: The Keg Royalties Income Fund announces July 2025 cash distribution

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Keg Royalties Income Fund (the “Fund”) (TSX: KEG.UN) today announced that its July 2025 distribution of $0.0946 per unit has been declared and is payable to unitholders of record as at July 21, 2025. The July 2025 distribution will be paid on July 31, 2025.

    The Fund is a limited purpose, open-ended trust established under the laws of the Province of Ontario that, through The Keg Rights Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of the Fund, owns certain trademarks and other related intellectual property used by Keg Restaurants Ltd. (“KRL”). In exchange for use of those trademarks, KRL pays the Fund a royalty of 4% of gross sales of Keg restaurants included in the royalty pool.

    With approximately 10,000 employees, over 100 restaurants and annual system sales exceeding $700 million, Vancouver-based KRL is the leading operator and franchisor of steakhouse restaurants in Canada and has a substantial presence in select regional markets in the United States. KRL continues to operate The Keg restaurant system and expand that system through the addition of both corporate and franchised Keg steakhouses. KRL has been named the number one restaurant company to work for in Canada in the latest edition of Forbes “Canada’s Best Employers 2025” survey.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: The Keg Royalties Income Fund announces July 2025 cash distribution

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Keg Royalties Income Fund (the “Fund”) (TSX: KEG.UN) today announced that its July 2025 distribution of $0.0946 per unit has been declared and is payable to unitholders of record as at July 21, 2025. The July 2025 distribution will be paid on July 31, 2025.

    The Fund is a limited purpose, open-ended trust established under the laws of the Province of Ontario that, through The Keg Rights Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of the Fund, owns certain trademarks and other related intellectual property used by Keg Restaurants Ltd. (“KRL”). In exchange for use of those trademarks, KRL pays the Fund a royalty of 4% of gross sales of Keg restaurants included in the royalty pool.

    With approximately 10,000 employees, over 100 restaurants and annual system sales exceeding $700 million, Vancouver-based KRL is the leading operator and franchisor of steakhouse restaurants in Canada and has a substantial presence in select regional markets in the United States. KRL continues to operate The Keg restaurant system and expand that system through the addition of both corporate and franchised Keg steakhouses. KRL has been named the number one restaurant company to work for in Canada in the latest edition of Forbes “Canada’s Best Employers 2025” survey.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 07/9/2025 Blackburn Releases Fact Sheet and Video Debunking Democrats’ Lies on the One Big Beautiful Bill and Highlighting Wins for Tennesseans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released a fact sheet, “Fiction v. Fact: Exposing Democrats’ Lies About the One Big Beautiful Bill,” to set the record straight on how the law will not cut Medicaid benefits for Tennesseans, provides historic tax relief, and gives low-income workers the largest percentage reduction in their tax liability.

    Senator Blackburn also released a video highlighting the once-in-a-generation victories for Tennesseans in the One Big Beautiful Bill, including the key provisions she secured. On behalf of Tennesseans, Senator Blackburn led the fight to provide tax relief for seniors and independent music creators; help local law enforcement enforce immigration laws; require DNA testing and fingerprinting of illegal alien children to protect them from exploitation; make the enhanced child tax credit permanent; and secure additional funding for Oak Ridge National Lab and the Coast Guard in Memphis. 

    Click here to download this video of Senator Blackburn highlighting the wins for Tennesseans.

    “Instead of telling the truth about how the One Big Beautiful Bill will improve life for Americans and Tennesseans, Democrats are resorting to fearmongering and lies,” said Senator Blackburn.“The facts are clear: this bill delivers historic tax relief, boosts wages, saves and creates jobs, provides the largest-ever investment in border security, eliminates wasteful spending, and bolsters the military. Tennesseans have every reason to celebrate now that the One Big Beautiful Bill is the law of the land.”

    Click here to download this fact sheet.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 07/9/2025 Blackburn Releases Fact Sheet and Video Debunking Democrats’ Lies on the One Big Beautiful Bill and Highlighting Wins for Tennesseans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released a fact sheet, “Fiction v. Fact: Exposing Democrats’ Lies About the One Big Beautiful Bill,” to set the record straight on how the law will not cut Medicaid benefits for Tennesseans, provides historic tax relief, and gives low-income workers the largest percentage reduction in their tax liability.
    Senator Blackburn also released a video highlighting the once-in-a-generation victories for Tennesseans in the One Big Beautiful Bill, including the key provisions she secured. On behalf of Tennesseans, Senator Blackburn led the fight to provide tax relief for seniors and independent music creators; help local law enforcement enforce immigration laws; require DNA testing and fingerprinting of illegal alien children to protect them from exploitation; make the enhanced child tax credit permanent; and secure additional funding for Oak Ridge National Lab and the Coast Guard in Memphis. 

    Click here to download this video of Senator Blackburn highlighting the wins for Tennesseans.
    “Instead of telling the truth about how the One Big Beautiful Bill will improve life for Americans and Tennesseans, Democrats are resorting to fearmongering and lies,” said Senator Blackburn.“The facts are clear: this bill delivers historic tax relief, boosts wages, saves and creates jobs, provides the largest-ever investment in border security, eliminates wasteful spending, and bolsters the military. Tennesseans have every reason to celebrate now that the One Big Beautiful Bill is the law of the land.”

    Click here to download this fact sheet.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 07/9/2025 Blackburn Releases Fact Sheet and Video Debunking Democrats’ Lies on the One Big Beautiful Bill and Highlighting Wins for Tennesseans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released a fact sheet, “Fiction v. Fact: Exposing Democrats’ Lies About the One Big Beautiful Bill,” to set the record straight on how the law will not cut Medicaid benefits for Tennesseans, provides historic tax relief, and gives low-income workers the largest percentage reduction in their tax liability.

    Senator Blackburn also released a video highlighting the once-in-a-generation victories for Tennesseans in the One Big Beautiful Bill, including the key provisions she secured. On behalf of Tennesseans, Senator Blackburn led the fight to provide tax relief for seniors and independent music creators; help local law enforcement enforce immigration laws; require DNA testing and fingerprinting of illegal alien children to protect them from exploitation; make the enhanced child tax credit permanent; and secure additional funding for Oak Ridge National Lab and the Coast Guard in Memphis. 

    Click here to download this video of Senator Blackburn highlighting the wins for Tennesseans.

    “Instead of telling the truth about how the One Big Beautiful Bill will improve life for Americans and Tennesseans, Democrats are resorting to fearmongering and lies,” said Senator Blackburn.“The facts are clear: this bill delivers historic tax relief, boosts wages, saves and creates jobs, provides the largest-ever investment in border security, eliminates wasteful spending, and bolsters the military. Tennesseans have every reason to celebrate now that the One Big Beautiful Bill is the law of the land.”

    Click here to download this fact sheet.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Blumenthal Support Legislation to Fund Community Violence Intervention

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    July 09, 2025

    WASHINGTON–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) co-sponsored the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, legislation that would create a new Office of Community Violence Intervention (CVI) and a new grant program within the Department of Health and Human Services to award $5 billion in grants to community-based, nonprofit organizations and eligible units of local government to create or support evidence-based and prevention programs to interrupt cycles of violence. U.S. Representative Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04) introduced companion legislation in the House.

    “Community violence intervention programs work – we’ve seen proof of that in Connecticut and in cities across the country. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act made a historic $250 million investment in these programs, helping lead to the largest two-year drop in gun violence rates in our country’s history. This legislation doubles down on that investment and makes sure we keep putting federal dollars behind evidence-based strategies that save lives and make communities safe,” said Murphy.

    “The gun violence epidemic requires tested and true community-centered solutions to break tragic cycles of violence. Here in Connecticut, dozens of organizations are saving lives through community violence intervention programs, but they do so with severely limited resources. While the Trump Administration slashes the life-saving grants these organizations depend on, our Break the Cycle of Violence Act makes investments that will save lives and make our communities safer,” said Blumenthal.

    Murphy’s past support for robust community-based violence intervention programs includes his Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which provided millions in grants to community-based nonprofits that directly provided counseling and support to at-risk youth, and families traumatized by gun violence. On day one of his presidency, President Trump shut down the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention responsible for coordinating efforts across the federal government and working with states and local governments to identify available resources for impacted communities. On April 30th, the Department of Education (ED) notified grant recipients of the School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) and Mental Health Service Professional (MHSP) Grant Programs, which BSCA funded, that their funding would not be continued after this fiscal year.

    The Break the Cycle of Violence Act provisions include:

    • $5 billion investment in anti-violence programs to create and support violence interruption and crisis management initiatives.
    • $1.5 billion investment in workforce training and job opportunities, including improved youth employment and training activities, paid work experience for school aged youth, and partnerships with community-based organizations to serve youth in high-crime and high-poverty areas.
    • An Office of Community Violence Intervention at HHS to implement evidence-based violence reduction initiatives.
    • A Community Violence Intervention Advisory Committee to ensure people with expertise in community violence intervention have a voice in CVI policies.
    • A National Community Violence Response Center to provide technical assistance for implementing community violence intervention and prevention programs.

    The bill is endorsed by Community Justice, Sandy Hook Promise, Giffords Gun Violence Prevention & Advocacy, and Everytown for Gun Safety.

    The Break the Cycle of Violence Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

    To read the full text of the bill, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Blumenthal Support Legislation to Fund Community Violence Intervention

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    July 09, 2025

    WASHINGTON–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) co-sponsored the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, legislation that would create a new Office of Community Violence Intervention (CVI) and a new grant program within the Department of Health and Human Services to award $5 billion in grants to community-based, nonprofit organizations and eligible units of local government to create or support evidence-based and prevention programs to interrupt cycles of violence. U.S. Representative Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04) introduced companion legislation in the House.
    “Community violence intervention programs work – we’ve seen proof of that in Connecticut and in cities across the country. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act made a historic $250 million investment in these programs, helping lead to the largest two-year drop in gun violence rates in our country’s history. This legislation doubles down on that investment and makes sure we keep putting federal dollars behind evidence-based strategies that save lives and make communities safe,” said Murphy.
    “The gun violence epidemic requires tested and true community-centered solutions to break tragic cycles of violence. Here in Connecticut, dozens of organizations are saving lives through community violence intervention programs, but they do so with severely limited resources. While the Trump Administration slashes the life-saving grants these organizations depend on, our Break the Cycle of Violence Act makes investments that will save lives and make our communities safer,” said Blumenthal.
    Murphy’s past support for robust community-based violence intervention programs includes his Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which provided millions in grants to community-based nonprofits that directly provided counseling and support to at-risk youth, and families traumatized by gun violence. On day one of his presidency, President Trump shut down the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention responsible for coordinating efforts across the federal government and working with states and local governments to identify available resources for impacted communities. On April 30th, the Department of Education (ED) notified grant recipients of the School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) and Mental Health Service Professional (MHSP) Grant Programs, which BSCA funded, that their funding would not be continued after this fiscal year.
    The Break the Cycle of Violence Act provisions include:
    $5 billion investment in anti-violence programs to create and support violence interruption and crisis management initiatives.
    $1.5 billion investment in workforce training and job opportunities, including improved youth employment and training activities, paid work experience for school aged youth, and partnerships with community-based organizations to serve youth in high-crime and high-poverty areas.
    An Office of Community Violence Intervention at HHS to implement evidence-based violence reduction initiatives.
    A Community Violence Intervention Advisory Committee to ensure people with expertise in community violence intervention have a voice in CVI policies.
    A National Community Violence Response Center to provide technical assistance for implementing community violence intervention and prevention programs.
    The bill is endorsed by Community Justice, Sandy Hook Promise, Giffords Gun Violence Prevention & Advocacy, and Everytown for Gun Safety.
    The Break the Cycle of Violence Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
    To read the full text of the bill, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Blumenthal Support Legislation to Fund Community Violence Intervention

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    July 09, 2025

    WASHINGTON–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) co-sponsored the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, legislation that would create a new Office of Community Violence Intervention (CVI) and a new grant program within the Department of Health and Human Services to award $5 billion in grants to community-based, nonprofit organizations and eligible units of local government to create or support evidence-based and prevention programs to interrupt cycles of violence. U.S. Representative Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04) introduced companion legislation in the House.

    “Community violence intervention programs work – we’ve seen proof of that in Connecticut and in cities across the country. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act made a historic $250 million investment in these programs, helping lead to the largest two-year drop in gun violence rates in our country’s history. This legislation doubles down on that investment and makes sure we keep putting federal dollars behind evidence-based strategies that save lives and make communities safe,” said Murphy.

    “The gun violence epidemic requires tested and true community-centered solutions to break tragic cycles of violence. Here in Connecticut, dozens of organizations are saving lives through community violence intervention programs, but they do so with severely limited resources. While the Trump Administration slashes the life-saving grants these organizations depend on, our Break the Cycle of Violence Act makes investments that will save lives and make our communities safer,” said Blumenthal.

    Murphy’s past support for robust community-based violence intervention programs includes his Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which provided millions in grants to community-based nonprofits that directly provided counseling and support to at-risk youth, and families traumatized by gun violence. On day one of his presidency, President Trump shut down the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention responsible for coordinating efforts across the federal government and working with states and local governments to identify available resources for impacted communities. On April 30th, the Department of Education (ED) notified grant recipients of the School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) and Mental Health Service Professional (MHSP) Grant Programs, which BSCA funded, that their funding would not be continued after this fiscal year.

    The Break the Cycle of Violence Act provisions include:

    • $5 billion investment in anti-violence programs to create and support violence interruption and crisis management initiatives.
    • $1.5 billion investment in workforce training and job opportunities, including improved youth employment and training activities, paid work experience for school aged youth, and partnerships with community-based organizations to serve youth in high-crime and high-poverty areas.
    • An Office of Community Violence Intervention at HHS to implement evidence-based violence reduction initiatives.
    • A Community Violence Intervention Advisory Committee to ensure people with expertise in community violence intervention have a voice in CVI policies.
    • A National Community Violence Response Center to provide technical assistance for implementing community violence intervention and prevention programs.

    The bill is endorsed by Community Justice, Sandy Hook Promise, Giffords Gun Violence Prevention & Advocacy, and Everytown for Gun Safety.

    The Break the Cycle of Violence Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

    To read the full text of the bill, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy Joins Bicameral Letter to Defense Secretary Hegseth to Rein In Dangerous, Wasteful “Golden Dome” Missile Plan

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    July 09, 2025

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, joined colleagues in a bicameral letter urging U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to refrain from mindlessly pouring resources into the Trump administration’s unproven and ill-defined “Golden Dome” comprehensive missile defense shield. The letter emphasized how Trump’s proposed Golden Dome program would be technically unfeasible, strategically unwise, and overwhelmingly expensive. Instead of making the U.S. homeland safer from missile threats, this program sets the stage for the Trump administration to waste hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars, open the door to enormous corruption, and set off a destabilizing nuclear arms race that would make Americans less safe.
    In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “The Trump administration’s plans for Golden Dome could make it prohibitively expensive, operationally ineffective, massively corrupt, and detrimental to U.S. and global security by igniting a nuclear arms race with Russia and China. We are concerned that Golden Dome will be much more effective at wasting taxpayer dollars than countering missile attacks.”
    The lawmakers continued, “Countering a possible Russian or Chinese attack involving hundreds of warheads would require a much larger, more technologically advanced, and more costly system. That is why Congress, since 1999 on a bipartisan basis, has specifically said that U.S. national missile defenses should aim to counter only ‘limited’ threats, not Russian and Chinese arsenals. Golden Dome would overturn that long-standing consensus with the stroke of a pen.”
    The lawmakers requested responses to the following questions by July 21, 2025:
    What is the intended purpose of Golden Dome? How many missiles (and of what types) is it being designed to intercept? What system architecture will be used? Has the threat been validated as a requirement by the Joint Chiefs of Staff?
    How does the Administration plan to spend the proposed $175 billion on Golden Dome?
    What is the 20-year estimated cost of Golden Dome?
    How does the Administration plan to deal with known and anticipated countermeasures to space- and ground-based missile defense, including nuclear detonations in space?
    What aspects of the system would be based in space?
    Will the Administration propose a third missile defense interceptor site on the East Coast?
    How does the Pentagon plan to meet requirements for developmental and operational testing of the elements of the proposed system, given the very short timeline for deployment?
    How will the Administration award contracts under Golden Dome? Will SpaceX get preferential treatment?
    How does the Administration expect China and Russia to react to Golden Dome? How does the administration plan to reconcile its arms control goals with these reactions?
    The letter was co-signed in the U.S. Senate by U.S. Senators Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.); and in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-Va.-8), John Garamendi (D-Calif.-8) Bill Foster (D-Ill.-11), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Greg Casar (D-Texas-35), and Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas-37).
    The full text of the letter is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy Joins Bicameral Letter to Defense Secretary Hegseth to Rein In Dangerous, Wasteful “Golden Dome” Missile Plan

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    July 09, 2025

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, joined colleagues in a bicameral letter urging U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to refrain from mindlessly pouring resources into the Trump administration’s unproven and ill-defined “Golden Dome” comprehensive missile defense shield. The letter emphasized how Trump’s proposed Golden Dome program would be technically unfeasible, strategically unwise, and overwhelmingly expensive. Instead of making the U.S. homeland safer from missile threats, this program sets the stage for the Trump administration to waste hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars, open the door to enormous corruption, and set off a destabilizing nuclear arms race that would make Americans less safe.

    In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “The Trump administration’s plans for Golden Dome could make it prohibitively expensive, operationally ineffective, massively corrupt, and detrimental to U.S. and global security by igniting a nuclear arms race with Russia and China. We are concerned that Golden Dome will be much more effective at wasting taxpayer dollars than countering missile attacks.”

    The lawmakers continued, “Countering a possible Russian or Chinese attack involving hundreds of warheads would require a much larger, more technologically advanced, and more costly system. That is why Congress, since 1999 on a bipartisan basis, has specifically said that U.S. national missile defenses should aim to counter only ‘limited’ threats, not Russian and Chinese arsenals. Golden Dome would overturn that long-standing consensus with the stroke of a pen.”

    The lawmakers requested responses to the following questions by July 21, 2025:

    1. What is the intended purpose of Golden Dome? How many missiles (and of what types) is it being designed to intercept? What system architecture will be used? Has the threat been validated as a requirement by the Joint Chiefs of Staff?
    2. How does the Administration plan to spend the proposed $175 billion on Golden Dome?
    3. What is the 20-year estimated cost of Golden Dome?
    4. How does the Administration plan to deal with known and anticipated countermeasures to space- and ground-based missile defense, including nuclear detonations in space?
    5. What aspects of the system would be based in space?
    6. Will the Administration propose a third missile defense interceptor site on the East Coast?
    7. How does the Pentagon plan to meet requirements for developmental and operational testing of the elements of the proposed system, given the very short timeline for deployment?
    8. How will the Administration award contracts under Golden Dome? Will SpaceX get preferential treatment?
    9. How does the Administration expect China and Russia to react to Golden Dome? How does the administration plan to reconcile its arms control goals with these reactions?

    The letter was co-signed in the U.S. Senate by U.S. Senators Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.); and in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-Va.-8), John Garamendi (D-Calif.-8) Bill Foster (D-Ill.-11), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Greg Casar (D-Texas-35), and Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas-37).

    The full text of the letter is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –