NewzIntel.com

Category: Americas

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Dan Goldman Bashes Elise Stefanik for Using Congressional Committee for Her Gubernatorial Campaign, Condemns Republicans for Rubber Stamping Trump’s Authoritarian ICE Raids

    Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)

    Rep. Dan Goldman: “I’m sorry you have to deal with this crap. Governor Hochul, I want you to know, as a proud member of the delegation of your state, I am not going to use my five minutes to mount a campaign for governor against you as my colleague from the North chose to do.” 

     

    Goldman: “You’re going after people who actually are going through the lawful process you say they should. But just because Donald Trump and Stephen Miller need to bump up their numbers because they can’t do a good enough job in actually finding convicted criminals, you’re going after Moms and Dads, separating parents from children. You have a voice, Republicans. Speak up.” 

     

    Watch the Full Committee Exchange Here 

    Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today excoriated Rep. Elise Stefanik for her desperate theatrics in the Oversight Committee that were clearly designed to generate five minutes of internet fame in pursuit of her quixotic 2026 gubernatorial campaign. Goldman then challenged committee Republicans to stand up to the Trump administration’s authoritarian crackdown on law-abiding, non-violent immigrants. 

    A rough transcript of the committee is available below. Watch Congressman Goldman’s committee remarks here. 

    Rep. Dan Goldman: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  

    I would urge you to reserve comment on what happened to Mr. Padilla until you get full information. In fact, I would urge all of my Republican colleagues to take a breath before you once again desperately run to bend the knee to Donald Trump and to Kristi Noem, because anyone with two eyes that can see can see that that was authoritarian, lawless behavior that no person in America, much less a senator conducting constitutional oversight, should have received. 

    And I know it’s hard for all of you to speak up against Donald Trump and that’s why we’re here at this hearing, talking all about Joe Biden, talking all about Joe Biden’s policy. 

    Is it just because you’re consistently trying to ignore the fact that Joe Biden is not President? Donald Trump is President. And what he’s doing right now, which you all know, is he is going after people who are lawfully present. 

    Now, I appreciate the governors being here. I’m sorry you have to deal with this crap. Governor Hochul, I want you to know, as a proud member of the delegation of your state, I am not going to use my five minutes to mount a campaign for governor against you as my colleague from the North chose to do. 

    I will give you the opportunity to actually answer some questions, unlike she did. And I will allow you to explain exactly what the policies in New York are, as it relates to cooperation between the state and federal agents.  

    Governor Hochul: 

    First of all, I’m glad you’re not running against me. Thank you. Secondly, I appreciate the opportunity to break through all the noise here today and to stop the talking points that keep mischaracterizing our policies in the great state of New York. 

    New York is not a sanctuary or a haven for criminals. We devote an enormous amount of our energy working to keep New Yorkers safe. $2.5 billion, I’ve allocated just in the last few years.  

    We do cooperate with ICE when it comes to investigating or building a case against criminals.  

    We do this all the time, and when someone goes through the criminal justice system in the state of New York, they do their time in prison. 

    We alert ICE 30 days in advance of when they’re to be removed, and we send them away. That’s how it’s supposed to work. But what we do not do under our laws is divert our essential resources that protect everyday New Yorkers from crimes themselves, and have that help ICE with civil immigration enforcement. That is their job. That is the federal government’s job. And we cannot be told to enforce federal laws.  

    Goldman: Or to use all your limited resources to spend all that time doing their job.   

    Hochul: My concern is that every minute that ICE officers are going after moms and dads and kids and separating families, perhaps one more criminal is still out there at large. 

    Goldman: I actually, in my district office down in lower Manhattan, witnessed ICE officers waiting for immigrants to come out of a courtroom.  

    These are immigrants who have asylum applications. And I’m sure you agree with me that asylum is a lawful pathway to immigrate to this country. Is that correct? 

    Hochul: That is absolutely correct.  

    Goldman: So, in order to make these immigrants here unlawfully, the DHS is now dismissing their cases, their own removal proceedings against them to void out the asylum claim. That way, when they go downstairs in the elevator, there are ICE agents that can be there to arrest them and put them in expedited removal. 

    And they don’t have an asylum claim that is live anymore because they’ve just voided it out. These are non-criminal, nonviolent immigrants who are here going through the lawful process. And this is who the Trump Administration is going after every single day. It’s a disgrace. 

    You said you were going to go after the worst of the worst. You were going to go after convicted criminals. You’re here questioning about all these criminals.  

    You’re going after people who actually are going through the lawful process you say they should. But just because Donald Trump and Stephen Miller need to bump up their numbers because they can’t do a good enough job in actually finding convicted criminals, you’re going after moms, dads, separating parents from children.   

    You have a voice. Republicans speak up. 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Dan Goldman Bashes Elise Stefanik for Using Congressional Committee for Her Gubernatorial Campaign, Condemns Republicans for Rubber Stamping Trump’s Authoritarian ICE Raids

    Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)

    Rep. Dan Goldman: “I’m sorry you have to deal with this crap. Governor Hochul, I want you to know, as a proud member of the delegation of your state, I am not going to use my five minutes to mount a campaign for governor against you as my colleague from the North chose to do.” 

     

    Goldman: “You’re going after people who actually are going through the lawful process you say they should. But just because Donald Trump and Stephen Miller need to bump up their numbers because they can’t do a good enough job in actually finding convicted criminals, you’re going after Moms and Dads, separating parents from children. You have a voice, Republicans. Speak up.” 

     

    Watch the Full Committee Exchange Here 

    Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today excoriated Rep. Elise Stefanik for her desperate theatrics in the Oversight Committee that were clearly designed to generate five minutes of internet fame in pursuit of her quixotic 2026 gubernatorial campaign. Goldman then challenged committee Republicans to stand up to the Trump administration’s authoritarian crackdown on law-abiding, non-violent immigrants. 

    A rough transcript of the committee is available below. Watch Congressman Goldman’s committee remarks here. 

    Rep. Dan Goldman: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  

    I would urge you to reserve comment on what happened to Mr. Padilla until you get full information. In fact, I would urge all of my Republican colleagues to take a breath before you once again desperately run to bend the knee to Donald Trump and to Kristi Noem, because anyone with two eyes that can see can see that that was authoritarian, lawless behavior that no person in America, much less a senator conducting constitutional oversight, should have received. 

    And I know it’s hard for all of you to speak up against Donald Trump and that’s why we’re here at this hearing, talking all about Joe Biden, talking all about Joe Biden’s policy. 

    Is it just because you’re consistently trying to ignore the fact that Joe Biden is not President? Donald Trump is President. And what he’s doing right now, which you all know, is he is going after people who are lawfully present. 

    Now, I appreciate the governors being here. I’m sorry you have to deal with this crap. Governor Hochul, I want you to know, as a proud member of the delegation of your state, I am not going to use my five minutes to mount a campaign for governor against you as my colleague from the North chose to do. 

    I will give you the opportunity to actually answer some questions, unlike she did. And I will allow you to explain exactly what the policies in New York are, as it relates to cooperation between the state and federal agents.  

    Governor Hochul: 

    First of all, I’m glad you’re not running against me. Thank you. Secondly, I appreciate the opportunity to break through all the noise here today and to stop the talking points that keep mischaracterizing our policies in the great state of New York. 

    New York is not a sanctuary or a haven for criminals. We devote an enormous amount of our energy working to keep New Yorkers safe. $2.5 billion, I’ve allocated just in the last few years.  

    We do cooperate with ICE when it comes to investigating or building a case against criminals.  

    We do this all the time, and when someone goes through the criminal justice system in the state of New York, they do their time in prison. 

    We alert ICE 30 days in advance of when they’re to be removed, and we send them away. That’s how it’s supposed to work. But what we do not do under our laws is divert our essential resources that protect everyday New Yorkers from crimes themselves, and have that help ICE with civil immigration enforcement. That is their job. That is the federal government’s job. And we cannot be told to enforce federal laws.  

    Goldman: Or to use all your limited resources to spend all that time doing their job.   

    Hochul: My concern is that every minute that ICE officers are going after moms and dads and kids and separating families, perhaps one more criminal is still out there at large. 

    Goldman: I actually, in my district office down in lower Manhattan, witnessed ICE officers waiting for immigrants to come out of a courtroom.  

    These are immigrants who have asylum applications. And I’m sure you agree with me that asylum is a lawful pathway to immigrate to this country. Is that correct? 

    Hochul: That is absolutely correct.  

    Goldman: So, in order to make these immigrants here unlawfully, the DHS is now dismissing their cases, their own removal proceedings against them to void out the asylum claim. That way, when they go downstairs in the elevator, there are ICE agents that can be there to arrest them and put them in expedited removal. 

    And they don’t have an asylum claim that is live anymore because they’ve just voided it out. These are non-criminal, nonviolent immigrants who are here going through the lawful process. And this is who the Trump Administration is going after every single day. It’s a disgrace. 

    You said you were going to go after the worst of the worst. You were going to go after convicted criminals. You’re here questioning about all these criminals.  

    You’re going after people who actually are going through the lawful process you say they should. But just because Donald Trump and Stephen Miller need to bump up their numbers because they can’t do a good enough job in actually finding convicted criminals, you’re going after moms, dads, separating parents from children.   

    You have a voice. Republicans speak up. 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Dan Goldman’s Statement on Israel’s Military Operation Against Iran’s Nuclear Program

    Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)

    “One fundamental objective must guide our foreign policy in the Middle East: Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon. This week, the International Atomic Energy Agency concluded that this possibility was closer than ever and censured Iran for violating its obligations.  

    “Iran has principally funded and supported the terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in their quest to eradicate Israel and western democracy writ large. At this dangerous time, diplomacy must continue to be the primary pathway towards ensuring a denuclearized Iran. But Iran must engage in diplomatic talks in good faith, not while rushing to build a nuclear bomb.  

    “While our Administration’s first priority is to ensure the safety and security of U.S. forces throughout the region, the United States must also defend our democratic ally and strategic partner Israel and continue to work with our regional partners to prevent a broader conflict. 

    “My prayers are with all those who may be in harm’s way.” 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Josh Stein Announces Western North Carolina Homeowners Can Apply for Single-Family Housing Recovery Program

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Josh Stein Announces Western North Carolina Homeowners Can Apply for Single-Family Housing Recovery Program

    Governor Josh Stein Announces Western North Carolina Homeowners Can Apply for Single-Family Housing Recovery Program
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today Governor Josh Stein announced the state is accepting applications for a new program to repair or rebuild homes in western North Carolina that were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene. The program is the first of a series of recovery initiatives to be offered by the North Carolina Commerce Department’s Division of Community Revitalization under the program name Renew NC.

    “Helene caused significant damage to thousands of homes across western North Carolina,” said Governor Josh Stein. “There is a lot of work to do, and the Renew NC Housing program is the next step in helping western North Carolinians recover. If your home was damaged by Hurricane Helene, you may be eligible for assistance depending on your income, so I encourage you to apply today.”

    The Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program is a key initiative to address remaining long-term recovery needs of homeowners in western North Carolina and will prioritize low-to-moderate income (LMI) families. Later this year, two additional Renew NC Housing programs will be offered to address multi-family housing and workforce housing for ownership. Infrastructure and Economic Revitalization programs will also be launched in the coming months.

    “We’re ready to get hammers swinging and home construction underway,” said North Carolina Department of Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “Today’s opening of the application period for our Renew NC Housing program is an important milestone for Hurricane Helene survivors and western North Carolina’s recovery.”  

    “We know the road to recovery from Hurricane Helene will be a long one,” said Division of Community Revitalization Deputy Secretary, and native western North Carolinian, Stephanie McGarrah. “We are moving with urgency and care to restore homes and rebuild communities through this program.”

    The Renew NC programs are funded through a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Of the total $1.4 billion in CDBG-DR funding that was allocated to the state for western North Carolina recovery needs, $807 million is allocated to the Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program. 

    Governor Stein encourages all low to moderate income homeowners in eligible counties whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene to see if they are eligible and apply for housing repair or reconstruction at www.renewnc.org.  

    Homeowners from these eligible counties can apply: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg (only from zip code 28214), Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey.

    For homeowners seeking more information about the Renew NC Housing program, please visit www.renewnc.org or call 1-888-791-0207. Program staff can help determine if you qualify for assistance from the program.

    Information about the administration of the Renew NC programs can be found at the Division of Community Revitalization’s website at CommerceRecovery.nc.gov. 

    Jun 16, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Leader of Multi-Million Dollar International Money Laundering and Drug Trafficking Ring Convicted

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ATLANTA – Monica Dominguez Torres, 36, of Mexico, pleaded guilty on June 13, 2025, to federal charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Dominguez led a transnational criminal organization that operated methamphetamine conversion laboratories in the Atlanta area and laundered millions of dollars of drug proceeds to Mexico.

    “Dominguez’s elaborate criminal operation has been dismantled, and more than $3.5 million of illicit drug proceeds have been seized as a result of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners’ diligent work,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office will continue to aggressively prosecute individuals like Dominguez who seek an undeserved life of luxury by trafficking deadly drugs in our community.”

    Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division stated, “Through hard work, this drug trafficking and money laundering network has been removed from our streets. This criminal organization had no regard for the destructive impact on our communities.”

    “This conviction sends a strong message to those who think they can live a life of luxury funded by illegal activities,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “Thanks to the dedicated collaboration between HSI and our law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and local levels, we were able to dismantle Monica Dominguez Torres’s multi-million dollar drug trafficking and money laundering ring, seizing millions in illicit proceeds and bringing her to justice.”

    “Monica Torres led a transnational organized crime organization, which like others of its nature, threatens the national and economic security of the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents, along with our other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners of the Atlanta Strike Force are working together to find, investigate, and bring to justice those who endanger American citizens lives through their drug trafficking and other illicit crimes.”

    According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges and other information presented in court: Monica Dominguez Torres’s organization operated methamphetamine conversion laboratories where liquid methamphetamine, obtained from sources in Mexico, was converted into hundreds of kilograms of crystal methamphetamine to be sold in the Atlanta area and elsewhere. Dominguez and her associates also used residences in the Atlanta area to collect and count millions of dollars in cash from these drug sales. The proceeds were laundered and sent to coconspirators in Mexico. 

    As part of the criminal operation, Dominguez and her associates purchased millions of dollars’ worth of real estate, vehicles, and luxury goods – all designed to conceal the illicit source of their wealth. The investigation revealed that Dominguez purchased five separate residences, including a seven-bedroom waterfront home in Jonesboro, Georgia. Three of these residences were purchased with bulk cash brought directly to the transaction. Dominguez and others also purchased nine luxury vehicles worth approximately $780,000. Dominguez also spent lavishly on high-end goods, including nearly $400,000 at Louis Vuitton and more than $425,000 at Burberry over roughly four and a half years. 

    During the investigation, agents seized nearly $3.6 million in cash from Dominguez’s residences, stash locations, and associates. When agents arrested Dominguez at her Conyers, Georgia home in February 2024, they seized more than $1.7 million in cash, five firearms, and three vehicles.

    Dominguez is scheduled to be sentenced on September 15, 2025, at 1:30 pm, before Chief United States District Judge Leigh Martin May. Regarding her drug trafficking conviction, Dominguez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life in prison, a maximum $10,000,000 fine, and a minimum of five years of supervised release. The money laundering conviction carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a maximum $500,000 fine or twice the value of the laundered funds, up to three years of supervised release, and forfeiture of property involved in the offense. 

    This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, with valuable assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, Georgia State Patrol, the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, and the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office.

    Assistant United States Attorneys John T. DeGenova, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Section, and Nicholas L. Evert are prosecuting the case.

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

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to eliminate the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

    The specific mission of the David G. Wilhelm Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force (Atlanta Strike Force) is to eliminate transnational organized crime syndicates and major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northern District of Georgia. To accomplish this mission, the Atlanta Strike Force will target these organizations’ leaders, focusing on targets designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets, Regional Priority Organization Targets, and their associates. The Atlanta Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, USMS, USPIS, and IRS, as well as numerous state and local agencies; and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Alien Sentenced to more than Three Years in Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Anniston, Alabama – A St. Clair County woman has been sentenced on multiple drug trafficking charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.

    U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze sentenced Claudia Montano Gonzalez, 43, a native and citizen of Mexico, to 39 months in prison. In October 2024, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

    According to the plea agreement, in October 2023, Gonzalez sold fentanyl at the Buc-ees travel center in Leeds, Alabama. Gonzalez’s husband and co-defendant, David Angel Alejandres, facilitated the transaction from Mexico, but Gonzalez delivered the fentanyl. After obtaining a search warrant for Gonzalez’s residence in Pell City, agents recovered approximately one kilogram of fentanyl. 

    In June 2024, David Alejandres was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Alejandres remains at large. 

    The Drug Enforcement Agency is investigating the case with the assistance of the Pell City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Brittany T. Byrd is prosecuting the case.

    An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Choose Canada this summer with the new Canada Strong Pass

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    OTTAWA, June 16, 2025

    This summer, Canadians can enjoy the very best Canada has to offer with the Canada Strong Pass. From museums and railroads to national parks and camping spots, the federal government is making it easier for families to choose Canada as they make their summer plans—and enjoy the places and experiences that bring us together and make Canada strong.

    From June 20 to September 2, 2025, the Canada Strong Pass will offer expanded access to Canada’s nature and culture across the country, helping families discover and celebrate Canada throughout the summer.

    The Pass includes:

    • Parks Canada: Free admission for all visitors to national historic sites, national parks and national marine conservation areas administered by Parks Canada and a 25% discount on camping fees.
    • National museums and the Plains of Abraham Museum: Free admission for children aged 17 and under and a 50% discount for young adults aged 18 to 24.
    • VIA Rail: Free travel for children aged 17 and under when accompanied by an adult and a 25% discount for young adults aged 18 to 24.
    • Selected participating provincial and territorial museums and galleries: Free admission for children and a 50% discount for young adults aged 18 to 24.

    By making these experiences more accessible, the Pass enables Canadians to connect with what unites us, discover our country’s diversity, take pride in our shared Canadian identity, and immerse ourselves in the stories and landscapes that shape who we are.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI: ROTH to Host 15th Annual London Conference on June 24-26, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LONDON, June 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — via IBN – Roth Capital Partners, LLC (“ROTH”), www.roth.com, will host the 15th Annual Roth London Conference on June 24-26, 2025, at the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane in London, UK.

    This event offers institutional investors an exclusive opportunity to engage directly with C-suite leaders and senior executives from approximately 80 companies with a strong focus on the Sustainability and Technology sectors. Designed to foster meaningful dialogue, the conference facilitates 1-on-1 and small group meetings in an intimate setting allowing investors to evaluate various businesses, assess market trends, and identify compelling investment opportunities.

    Throughout the event, ROTH’s team of Senior Research Analysts will be on hand to offer expert insights and facilitate introductions. Participating analysts include:  

    Sustainability: Justin Clare, CFA; Craig Irwin; Chip Moore, CFA; Philip Shen; Gerry Sweeney.

    Technology: Darren Aftahi; Richard Baldry, CFA; Suji DeSilva, CFA; Rohit Kulkarni; and Scott Searle, CFA.

    On June 25th, during the lunch session, Michael Darda, ROTH’s Chief Economist and Macro Strategist, will lead a discussion on Markets and Economics, covering key topics such as the US business cycle, inflation, interest rates, and asset allocation strategies across equities and fixed income.

    This will be followed by the Keynote Presentation by Dan Shugar, CEO and Founder of Nextracker, Inc. (NXT), exploring the technological, policy, and cost dynamics driving PV adoption. The session will be moderated by Philip Shen.

    Later that day, Suji DeSilva, CFA, will moderate a fireside chat with Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave Quantum Inc. (QBTS). The discussion will focus on D-Wave’s approach to quantum computing, its unique technology platform, and the growing market opportunities as AI compute accelerates industry demand.

    On June 26th, Suji DeSilva, CFA, will return to moderate a fireside chat with Waseem Shiraz, SVP of Strategic Initiatives & Chief of Staff at Quantinuum (PRIVATE). The conversation will cover Quantinuum’s advancements in quantum computing, the competitive landscape, and the anticipated impact of quantum technologies on AI and enterprise applications.

    Following will be JC O’Hara, CAIA, CMT, ROTH’s Chief Technical Strategist, presenting insights on portfolio allocation in a globally connected yet increasingly fragmented world.

    “We look forward to hosting the 15th edition of our flagship London conference,” said Byron Roth, Executive Chairman of ROTH. “This event creates a unique environment for our corporate clients to engage directly with international financial professionals on a personal level.”

    Sagar Sheth, CEO of ROTH, added, “Given the current macroeconomic headwinds and geopolitical tensions, this year’s conference is especially timely. We’re proud to present nearly 80 innovative spanning sustainability, technology, media, and the consumer sector, each addressing some of today’s most critical global challenges.”

    AGENDA

    TUESDAY | June 24, 2025 – All Times are listed in British Summer Time (BST)
    4:00pm – 6:00pm – Pre-Conference Registration
    6:00pm – 10:00pm – ROTH Summer Social  

    WEDNESDAY | June 25, 2025
    8:00am – 9:00am – Registration and Morning Coffee
    9:00am – 12:00pm – 1-on-1 / Small Group Meetings
    12:00pm – 1:30pm – Lunch

    12:15pm – 12:45pm – Market Overview with Michael Darda – ROTH Chief Economist and Macro Strategist

    12:45pm – 1:25pm – Keynote Presentation with Dan Shugar – CEO and Founder of Nextracker, Inc. (NXT)

    1:30pm – 5:15pm – 1-on-1 / Small Group Meetings
    4:30pm – 5:10pm – Fireside Chat with D-Wave Quantum Inc. (QBTS) by Suji DeSilva, CFA – ROTH Senior Research Analyst

    6:00pm – Cocktail Soiree 

    THURSDAY | June 26, 2025
    8:00am – 9:00am – Registration and Morning Coffee
    8:45am – 12:30pm – 1-on-1 / Small Group Meetings
    10:15am – 10:55am – Fireside Chat with Quantinuum (PRIVATE) by Suji DeSilva, CFA – ROTH Senior Research Analyst
    12:30pm – 1:25pm – Lunch
    12:45pm – 1:15pm – Presentation – Portfolio Allocation in a Connected yet Divided Global Landscape by JC O’Hara, CAIA, CMT – ROTH Chief Technical Strategist

    1:30pm – 3:40pm – 1-on-1 / Small Group Meetings

    Participating Companies & Sectors (As of 06/12/2025 – subject to change)
    This is not an offer or solicitation of the securities herein.

    ACM Research, Inc. (ACMR) – Technology & Media
    Allot Ltd. (ALLT) – Technology & Media
    Ameresco, Inc. (AMRC) – Sustainability
    American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) – Sustainability
    Angel Studios (PRIVATE) – Technology & Media
    Applied Digital Corporation (APLD) – Technology & Media
    Arbe Robotics Ltd. (ARBE) – Technology & Media
    Arq, Inc. (ARQ) – Sustainability
    Array Technologies, Inc. (ARRY) – Sustainability
    Bitdeer Technologies Group (BTDR) – Technology & Media
    Blue Bird Corporation (BLBD) – Sustainability
    Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. (BWMN) – Engineering & Construction
    Byrna Technologies, Inc. (BYRN) – Consumer
    Cadiz, Inc. (CDZI) – Sustainability
    Canadian Solar (CSIQ) – Sustainability
    CECO Environmental Corp. (CECO) – Sustainability
    Ceragon Networks Ltd. (CRNT) – Technology & Media
    CEVA Inc. (CEVA) – Technology & Media
    ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. (CHPT) – Sustainability
    Cognyte Software Ltd. (CGNT) – Technology & Media
    CPI Card Group Inc. (PMTS) – Financial Technology
    Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd (CRDO) – Technology & Media
    CSG Systems International, Inc. (CSGS) – Technology & Media
    D-Wave Quantum Inc. (QBTS) – Technology & Media
    Drilling Tools International Corporation (DTI) – Energy (Oil & Gas)
    Electrovaya Inc. (ELVA) – Sustainability
    Energy Vault Holdings, Inc. (NRGV) – Sustainability
    EnerSys (ENS) – Sustainability
    Enphase Energy, Inc. (ENPH) – Sustainability
    EVgo Inc. (EVGO) – Sustainability
    EZCORP, Inc. (EZPW) – Technology & Media
    FingerMotion, Inc. (FNGR) – Technology & Media
    First Solar, Inc. (FSLR) – Sustainability
    FTC Solar, Inc. (FTCI) – Sustainability
    Gambling.com Group Limited (GAMB) – Technology & Media
    Genius Sports Limited (GENI) – Technology & Media
    GigaCloud Technology Inc. (GCT) – Consumer
    Green Plains, Inc. (GPRE) – Sustainability
    HealWell AI Inc. (TSX:AIDX) – Technology & Media
    Hudson Technologies, Inc. (HDSN) – Sustainability
    indie Semiconductor, Inc. (INDI) – Technology & Media
    Innventure, Inc. (INV) – Sustainability
    InterDigital, Inc. (IDCC) – Technology & Media
    IREN (IREN) – Technology & Media
    KITS Eye Care Ltd.  (TSX:KITS) – Consumer
    Lakeland Industries, Inc. (LAKE) – Sustainability
    Magnachip Semiconductor Corp. (MX) – Technology & Media
    Marti Technologies, Inc. (MRT) – Technology & Media
    Nextracker Inc. (NXT) – Sustainability
    Niagen Bioscience, Inc. (NAGE) – Consumer
    Odysight.ai Inc. (ODYS) – Technology & Media
    Opera Limited (OPRA) – Technology & Media
    Ormat Technologies, Inc. (ORA) – Sustainability
    Perpetua Resources Corp. (PPTA) – Metals & Mining
    Plug Power, Inc. (PLUG) – Sustainability
    Powell Industries, Inc. (POWL) – Sustainability
    Quantinuum (PRIVATE) – Technology & Media
    RedCloud Holdings (RCT) – Technology & Media
    Redwire Corporation (RDW) – Technology & Media
    Rezolve AI Limited (RZLV) – Technology & Media
    Rimini Street, Inc.  (RMNI) – Technology & Media
    Riot Platforms, Inc. (RIOT) – Technology & Media
    Roth Quantitative Survey Group (QSG) – QSG Research
    Sandisk Corporation (SNDK) – Technology & Media
    Shimmick Corporation (SHIM) – Sustainability
    Shoals Technologies Group, Inc. (SHLS) – Sustainability
    Sivers Semiconductors AB (OM:SIVE) – Technology & Media
    SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. (SEDG) – Sustainability
    SoundThinking, Inc. (SSTI) – Technology & Media
    Sunrun Inc. (RUN) – Sustainability
    Tecogen Inc (TGEN) – Sustainability
    TeraWulf Inc. (WULF) – Technology & Media
    Terra Innovatum / GSR III Acq. Corp. (GSRT) – Sustainability
    The Elmet Group (PRIVATE) – Sustainability
    USA Rare Earth, Inc. (USAR) – Technology & Media
    W&T Offshore, Inc. (WTI) – Energy (Oil & Gas)
    Willdan Group, Inc. (WLDN) – Sustainability

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    The conference is intended for qualified investors, companies, service providers, and members of the media/press related to ROTH.

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Rep. Hinson Joins The Signal Sitdown

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-01)

    Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-02) joined Daily Signal’s Bradley Devlin on The Signal Sitdown podcast. The two discussed the media bias contributing to the cover-up of President Biden’s mental decline, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, countering the CCP’s illicit practices, and more.

    In case you missed it…

    Click here to watch the full episode of The Signal Sitdown.

    China Has Secret Police in the US. This Congresswoman Is Trying to Stop It.
    The Daily Signal
    Bradley Devlin
    June 12, 2025

    In December 2024, Chen Jinping, a 60-year-old Manhattan resident, pleaded guilty to opening and operating a secret Chinese police station for China’s Ministry of Public Security in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood. Chen was arrested with “Harry” Lu Jianwang in April 2023, following an FBI investigation into the outpost.

    Though these arrests were the first of their kind, according to Justice Department officials, American authorities suspect that China has these kinds of outposts all over the country. 

    And China’s nefarious activities in New York City hardly scratch the surface. For decades, Chinese operatives have infiltrated American universities and companies, smuggled drugs and human beings across America’s borders, and stolen American intellectual property and technology—even corn seeds from fields in Iowa.

    President Donald Trump was one of the first to see the threat of China clearly. Under the president’s leadership, Republicans in Congress are trying to prevent and punish this malign Chinese activity. This week, one of the House Republicans spearheading that effort, Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, joins “The Signal Sitdown” to discuss.

    “My passion for this policy started in my district,” Hinson said. The aforementioned seed-stealing spies were operating in Hinson’s backyard. “There was actually a Chinese spy ring busted stealing seeds out of a cornfield in Dysart, Iowa.”

    “They wanted to take them back to China. They want to cheat,” Hinson explained. “It’s all about reverse engineering because there is so much R&D that has gone into seed technology so that we can grow the most resilient, best yielding plants in the world.”

    China’s unfair trade practices can often be more subtle than outright theft, however. “[The Chinese] are using tactics like transnational shipment,” Hinson told The Daily Signal.

    “So, especially in the auto-parts industry, for example,” Hinson explained, “something coming in from China is gonna be tariffed, so then they ship it through Singapore or Vietnam or someplace with a lesser tariff to get around our tariff laws.”

    “They’re economically cheating and getting a better deal,” Hinson continued. “Meanwhile, you’ve got American producers trying to play on that same playing field and it’s not level.”

    Hinson has introduced the Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act with Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., to provide federal law enforcement more capacity to crack down on these trade practices.

    “What we’re trying to do is make sure that President Trump’s Department of Justice… [will have] the resources and a specific task force to be able to go after these malign actors who are, again, intentionally cheating,” she explained.

    “We think this cost is hundreds of billions of dollars every year on the low end,” Hinson said. “This has been decades in the making, right? You’ve got entire industries that have been ceded and now China owns them.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Westhaven Announces Non-Brokered Private Placement With Eric Sprott and Earthlabs, for Gross Proceeds of $3.16 Million

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Westhaven Gold Corp. (TSX-V:WHN) (“Westhaven” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the Company has arranged a non-brokered private placement (the “Offering”) for aggregate gross proceeds of $3,160,000 from the sale of 8,333,333 units of the Company (each, a “Unit”) at a price of $0.12 per Unit, and 12,500,000 flow-through units of the Company to be sold on a charitable flow-through basis (each, a “Charity FT Unit”, and collectively with the Units, the “Offered Securities”) at a price of $0.1728 per Charity FT Unit.

    Eric Sprott and Earthlabs Inc. are expected to be the subscribers for the Units and the end purchaser of Charity FT Units, following the charitable flow through donations in the Offering.

    Ken Armstrong, President and CEO of Westhaven, commented: “We are pleased to welcome Eric Sprott as a new shareholder of Westhaven, as well as the continued support of Earthlabs. This financing represents a strong endorsement of Westhaven’s approach to advance the Company’s Spences Bridge Gold Belt properties, particularly the Shovelnose gold project located adjacent to well-established transportation and power infrastructure, less than 2.5 hours by car from Vancouver in southern British Columbia. Proceeds of this private placement will allow the Company to expand our summer exploration drilling program to at least 5,000m and advance work towards realizing the potential outlined in a recently completed preliminary economic assessment of a high grade, high margin underground gold mining opportunity at the South Zone, FMN and Franz gold deposits at Shovelnose (please see news release dated March 3rd, 2025 for details).”

    Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (each, a “Unit Share”) and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a “Warrant”). Each Charity FT Unit will consist of one share that will qualify as a “flow-through share” within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and one half of one Warrant. Each whole Warrant shall entitle the holder to purchase one common share of the Company (each, a “Warrant Share”) at a price of $0.18 at any time on or before that date which is 24 months after the closing date of the Offering.

    The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the sale of the Units for working capital and general corporate purposes. The gross proceeds from the issuance of the Charity FT Units will be used for Canadian exploration expenses on the Company’s projects in British Columbia and will qualify as “flow-through mining expenditures”, as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the “Qualifying Expenditures”), which will be incurred on or before December 31, 2026 and renounced to the subscribers with an effective date no later than December 31, 2025 in an aggregate amount not less than the gross proceeds raised from the issue of the Charity FT Units.

    The private placement is expected to close on or around July 3, 2025, and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, receipt of all necessary approvals including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issuable in connection with the Offering will be subject to applicable resale restrictions in accordance with Canadian securities legislation and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.

    A finder’s fee, consisting of a cash payment of $66,823 and 250,000 non-transferable broker warrants will be paid to Red Cloud Securities Inc. in respect of the private placement. Each broker warrant can be exercised to acquire one common share at a price of $0.12 for a period of 24 months post-closing.

    This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to or for the account or benefit of a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

    On behalf of the Board of Directors

    WESTHAVEN GOLD CORP.

    “Ken Armstrong”

    Ken Armstrong, President and CEO

    Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

    About Westhaven Gold Corp.

    Westhaven is a gold-focused exploration and development company targeting low sulphidation, high-grade, epithermal style gold mineralization within the Spences Bridge Gold Belt in southern British Columbia. Westhaven controls ~61,512 hectares (~615 square kilometres) within four gold properties spread along this underexplored belt. The Shovelnose Gold project is the most advance property, with a recently updated 2025 Preliminary Economic Assessment that validates the Project’s potential as a robust, low cost and high margin 11-year underground gold mining opportunity with average annual life-of-mine gold production of 56,000 ounces and having a Cdn$454 million after-tax NPV6% and 43.2% IRR (base case parameters of US$2,400 per ounce gold, US$28 per ounce silver and CDN/US$ exchange rate of $0.72). Initial capital costs are projected to be Cdn$184 million with a payback period of 2.1 years. Please see Westhaven’s news release dated March 3, 2025 for details of the updated PEA. Shovelnose is situated off a major highway, near power, rail, large producing mines, pipelines and within commuting distance from the city of Merritt, which result in lower cost exploration and development.

    Qualified Person: The technical and scientific information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Peter Fischl, P.Geo, who is a Qualified Person for the Company under the definitions established by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

    Westhaven trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol WHN. For further information, please call 604-681-5558 or visit Westhaven’s website at www.westhavengold.com.

    Forward Looking Statements:

    This press release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws, which is based upon the Company’s current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs. The forward-looking information included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the Company’s expectations with respect to the Offering; the use of proceeds of the Offering; completion of the Offering and the date of such completion. Forward-looking statements or forward-looking information relate to future events and future performance and include statements regarding the expectations and beliefs of management based on information currently available to the Company. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information often, but not always, can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “potential”, “is expected”, “anticipated”, “is targeted”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved.

    Forward-looking information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, and without limitation: that the Offering may not close within the timeframe anticipated or at all or may not close on the terms and conditions currently anticipated by the Company for a number of reasons including, without limitation, as a result of the occurrence of a material adverse change, disaster, change of law or other failure to satisfy the conditions to closing of the Offering; the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to complete its planned exploration program; that the Company will not derive the expected benefits from its current program; the Company may not use the proceeds of the Offering as currently contemplated; the Company may fail to find a commercially viable deposit at any of its mineral properties; the Company’s plans may be adversely affected by the Company’s reliance on historical data compiled by previous parties involved with its mineral properties; mineral exploration and development are inherently risky industries; the mineral exploration industry is intensely competitive; additional financing may not be available to the Company when required or, if available, the terms of such financing may not be favourable to the Company; fluctuations in the demand for gold or gold prices generally; the Company may not be able to identify, negotiate or finance any future acquisitions successfully, or to integrate such acquisitions with its current business; the Company’s exploration activities are dependent upon the grant of appropriate licenses, concessions, leases, permits and regulatory consents, which may be withdrawn or not granted; the Company’s operations could be adversely affected by possible future government legislation, policies and controls or by changes in applicable laws and regulations; there is no guarantee that title to the properties in which the Company has a material interest will not be challenged or impugned; the Company faces various risks associated with mining exploration that are not insurable or may be the subject of insurance which is not commercially feasible for the Company; the volatility of global capital markets over the past several years has generally made the raising of capital more difficult; inflationary cost pressures may escalate the Company’s operating costs; compliance with environmental regulations can be costly; social and environmental activism can negatively impact exploration, development and mining activities; the success of the Company is largely dependent on the performance of its directors and officers; the Company’s operations may be adversely affected by First Nations land claims; the Company and/or its directors and officers may be subject to a variety of legal proceedings, the results of which may have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business; the Company may be adversely affected if potential conflicts of interests involving its directors and officers are not resolved in favour of the Company; the Company’s future profitability may depend upon the world market prices of gold; dilution from future equity financing could negatively impact holders of the Company’s securities; failure to adequately meet infrastructure requirements could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business; the Company’s projects now or in the future may be adversely affected by risks outside the control of the Company; the Company is subject to various risks associated with climate change, the Company is subject to general global risks arising from epidemic diseases, the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, rising inflation and interest rates and the impact they will have on the Company’s operations, supply chains, ability to access mining projects or procure equipment, supplies, contractors and other personnel on a timely basis or at all is uncertain; as well as other risk factors in the Company’s other public filings available at www.sedarplus.ca. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The Company cannot guarantee future results, performance, or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in the Company’s expectations, except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this offering document is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Novacap Reinvests in NDT Global as Part of Strategic Separation from Previan

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MONTREAL, June 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Novacap, a leading North American private equity firm, completed its reinvestment in NDT Global, a division of Previan, a Novacap portfolio company, who provides advanced in-line inspection, integrity management and robotics solutions. This transaction supports the formal separation of NDT Global into an independent company, backed by Novacap in partnership with La Caisse (formerly CDPQ) and management, and marks a significant milestone in its evolution.

    NDT Global operates worldwide, delivering industry-leading inspection technologies and actionable data insights that help operators in the energy sector ensure the safety, reliability, and longevity of critical infrastructure assets.

    The transaction results from Previan’s strategic realignment, which transitions its two core business units—Eddyfi Technologies and NDT Global—into standalone entities, enabling each to pursue tailored growth strategies and innovation roadmaps. Novacap will maintain its existing investment and ownership in Eddyfi Technologies, along with La Caisse and management. “This is a clear and strategic step that enables NDT Global to focus on its long-term objectives,” said David Lewin, Lead Senior Partner at Novacap. “As an independent organization, NDT Global is better positioned to pursue its operational priorities and create lasting value.”

    “We are pleased to support NDT Global as it enters this new phase,” said Samuel Nasso, Partner at Novacap. “With a strong foundation and a highly experienced team, the company is well positioned to grow and contribute to the ongoing evolution of the integrity management sector.”

    Martin Thériault, CEO and Chairman, and Paul Cooper, President of NDT Global, both add that “this transaction marks a natural evolution in our journey. Following this strategic realignment, we are confident that NDT Global is ideally positioned to thrive as an independent company. With Novacap and La Caisse’s continued support, and a leadership team deeply committed to innovation and client success, NDT Global is well positioned to accelerate its impact across the integrity management sector.”

    Building on favorable industry trends—including aging infrastructure, stricter safety regulations, and growing environmental responsibility—Novacap, will work closely with NDT Global’s leadership to accelerate strategic investments in technological innovation, automation and artificial intelligence, all aimed at delivering greater value through enhanced data analysis.

    About NDT Global

    NDT Global is the leading provider of in-line diagnostic solutions, integrity management and subsea robotics solutions, offering advanced data insights and services that ensure the safety and longevity of energy-sector infrastructure assets. Recognized as the forerunner in ultrasonic inspection innovations—including Pulse Echo, Pitch-and-Catch, Phased Array, and Acoustic Resonance (ART Scan) technologies — the company continues to push technological advancement and the introduction of revolutionary new inspection technologies, including for gas pipelines, to ensure the safety of its customers’ critical assets. NDT Global employs approximately 880 people. Learn more at www.ndt-global.com.

    About Novacap

    Novacap is a leading North American private equity investor and one of Canada’s most experienced private equity firms. Founded in 1981 to partner with visionary entrepreneurs, Novacap focuses on middle market companies in four core sectors: Technologies, Industries, Financial Services, and Digital Infrastructure. Novacap combines deep sector-specific expertise with strategic and operational excellence to support entrepreneurs and management teams. Since its inception, the firm has made primary and add-on investments in more than 250 companies. With over C$11 billion in assets under management and a presence across offices in Montreal, Toronto, and New York, Novacap continues to drive innovation and growth. For more information, please visit: https://novacapcorp.com.

    Media inquiries:
    Renata Kappaun
    Senior advisor, communications
    rkappaun@novacap.ca
    +1 514-234-4152

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LaLota and Stefanik Renew Charge Against Hochul’s Commuter Tax

    Source: US Representative Nick LaLota (NY-01)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Nick LaLota (R-NY), Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), and Members of the New York and New Jersey Congressional Delegations sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, thanking them for their leadership in fighting to block New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s controversial congestion pricing plan, calling it an unfair commuter tax on hardworking families and small businesses. They further urged the Administration to continue their work in stopping this proposal from moving forward, emphasizing that congestion pricing would disproportionately burden middle- and working-class commuters from Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and New Jersey.

    “Hochul’s commuter tax was never about improving transit—it’s about squeezing hardworking suburban families to paper over the MTA’s bloated, mismanaged budget,” said Rep. LaLota. “She’s forcing law-abiding, taxpaying commuters into a system riddled with crime, delays, and dysfunction—without demanding a shred of accountability. I’m proud to stand with President Trump and Secretary Duffy in the fight to stop Hochul’s commuter tax and protect our constituents from this reckless and unfair scheme.”

    “I stand strongly with President Donald Trump, Secretary Sean Duffy, and my fellow New Yorkers fighting Kathy Hochul’s insane and costly congestion pricing tax scheme that harms New York workers and families — all while Hochul further exacerbates subway crime! New Yorkers across the political spectrum oppose this insane and costly failed policy,” said Chairwoman Stefanik.

    “Governor Hochul’s congestion pricing is a shameless cash grab—punishing hardworking New Yorkers to cover up her own mismanagement. I’m grateful to President Trump and his Administration for standing up for our commuters and pushing back against this disastrous plan, and I urge them to keep up the fight,” said Rep. Andrew Garbarino. 

    “Thank you, President Trump and Secretary Duffy, for standing up to Kathy Hochul’s disgraceful commuter tax scheme on behalf of middle and working-class commuters. Hochul’s ridiculous push to stick them with a tax or ride a subway system plagued by violent crime. This out-of-touch tax grab is a slap in the face to hardworking New Yorkers, and I’ll keep fighting alongside this administration for real solutions that prioritize safety and affordability,” said Rep. Mike Lawler. 

    “The MTA’s reckless mismanagement has left law-abiding commuters to foot the bill, while fare evasion skyrockets, service and public safety decline — yet the Governor refuses to take responsibility. The Trump Administration is right and acting well within its legal discretion to rescind the Biden Administration’s rubber-stamping of this tax. We’ll keep fighting this cash grab by using every tool at our disposal and look forward to working with President Trump and Secretary Duffy,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis. 

    “Since January 5th, New Jersey commuters have faced a flawed and unfair cash grab under New York City’s congestion pricing plan,” said Congressman Kean. “We must put an end to this extremely dysfunctional program, created by Governor Hochul and New York State Democrats, which places many commuters at a disadvantage—especially New Jersey residents, who already pay some of the highest taxes in the nation. I am committed to standing up for New Jersey taxpayers to ensure this unfair burden is lifted, and I will continue working closely with President Trump and Secretary Duffy until congestion pricing is permanently canceled.”

    “I am proud to stand with my colleagues in thanking President Trump and Secretary Duffy for their unwavering commitment to stopping the deeply flawed commuter tax scheme peddled by Kathy Hochul,” said Congressman Langworthy. “It is heartening to finally have an administration who stands with working families, small businesses, and everyday commuters across our state. Thank you for standing with us and being steadfast advocates for the people of New York State and I look forward to our continued partnership.”

    In the letter, the Members highlighted the public safety crisis plaguing New York’s transit system, the MTA’s mismanagement and ongoing financial irresponsibility, and the devastating impact that congestion pricing would have on suburban communities across New York and New Jersey. They further emphasized that while the fight against this ill-conceived tax is not yet over, the Administration’s leadership offers hope to the thousands of commuters across the region who deserve better.

    To read the full text of the letter, click HERE.

    Background: 

    The Central Business District Tolling Program is part of New York City’s broader congestion pricing plan, which charges vehicles for entering Manhattan’s Central Business District below 60th Street. New York Governor Hocul’s plan for congestion pricing began on January 5, 2025.

    In November 2024, LaLota, former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, and Reps. Garbarino, Lawler, and Malliotakis sent a letter to President Trump requesting an end to the planned implementation of the congestion pricing.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: A flesh-eating fly is spreading north to the US. It could devastate livestock farming if not controlled

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Hannah Rose Vineer, Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Infection, Veterinary & Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool

    Emily Marie Wilson / Shutterstock

    A flesh-eating parasitic fly is invading North and Central America. The consequences could be severe for the cattle industry, but this parasite is not picky – it will infest a wide range of hosts, including humans and their pets.

    The “New World screwworm” (Cochliomyia hominivorax) was previously eradicated from these regions. Why is it returning and what can be done about it?

    Flies fulfil important ecological functions, like pollination and the decomposition of non-living organic matter. Some, however, have evolved to feed on the living. The female New World screwworm fly is attracted to the odour of any wound to lay her eggs. The larvae (maggots) then feed aggressively on living tissue causing immeasurable suffering to their unlucky host, including death if left untreated.

    Cattle farmers in Texas estimated in the 1960s that they were treating around 1 million cases per year.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Between the 1960s and 1990s, scientists and governments worked together to use the fly’s biology against it, eradicating the New World screwworm from the US and Mexico using the sterile insect technique (SIT).

    A female screwworm mates only once before laying her eggs, whereas the males are promiscuous. During the eradication process, billions of sterile males were released from planes, preventing any female that mated with them from producing viable eggs.

    In combination with chemical treatment of cattle and cool weather, populations of the screwworm were extinct in the US by 1982. The eradication campaign reportedly came at cost of US$750 million (£555 million), allowing cattle production to increase significantly.

    For decades, a facility in Panama has regularly released millions of sterile flies to act as a barrier to the New World screwworm spreading north from further south.

    However, since 2022 – and after decades of eradication – the New World screwworm has once again spread northwards through several countries in Central America. Cases exploded in Panama in 2023 and the fly had reached Mexico by November 2024.

    Scientists have suggested several hypotheses for this spread, including flies hitchhiking with cattle movements, higher temperatures enhancing fly development and survival, and the possibility that females are adapting their sexual behaviour to avoid sterile males.

    Around 17 million cattle are now at risk in Central America, but worse may be to come. Mexico has twice as many cattle, and the spread towards the US continues, where around 14 million cattle would be at risk in Texas and Florida alone.

    Humans are not spared, with at least eight cases of the flies infesting people in Mexico since April.

    Live animal ban

    The US has responded by temporarily restricting live animal imports from Mexico. The governments of the US, Central American countries and Mexico are also working together to heighten surveillance and work towards the eradication of the New World screwworm by stepping up sterile insect releases.

    Sterile male screwworm pupae (juveniles) are currently produced and safely sterilised by irradiation at a rate of over 100 million per week at a facility in Panama. This is jointly funded by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Panama’s Ministry of Agriculture Development. However, a successful eradication campaign may need several times this number of sterile flies.

    For example, sterile fly production for releases in Mexico in the 1980s were reportedly in excess of 500 million flies per week. To combat this shortfall, the USDA is focusing releases in critical areas of Mexico and is already investing US$21 million to equip a fruit fly production facility in Metapa, Mexico, to also produce 60 million to
    100 million sterile screwworm per week.

    Fly production, sterilisation and release is a long process, and a reduction in wild screwworm populations would not be immediate. History has shown us that integrated control with anti-parasitic veterinary medicines are essential to repel flies and treat infestations as they arise.

    Surveillance with trained personnel is also essential but is a great challenge due to an entire generation of veterinarians, technicians and farmers who have no living memory of screwworm infestations.

    Finally, climate warming means that we may not be blessed with the cool weather that facilitated previous eradication, and further work is needed to determine how this will impact current eradication plans.

    Hannah Rose Vineer receives research funding from the UKRI (https://www.ukri.org/) research councils.

    Livio Martins Costa Junior receives funding from Brazilian agencies, including CNPq, CAPES, FINEP and FAPEMA.

    – ref. A flesh-eating fly is spreading north to the US. It could devastate livestock farming if not controlled – https://theconversation.com/a-flesh-eating-fly-is-spreading-north-to-the-us-it-could-devastate-livestock-farming-if-not-controlled-258937

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Kevin Greenidge: A legacy of excellence – resilience, reflection, renewal

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    Good evening, everyone.

    What a joy it is to see all of you here this evening, gathered not just in your finest, but in full celebration mode as we honour a truly remarkable group of colleagues and reaffirm the legacy of excellence that defines the Central Bank of Barbados.

    Tonight, we are recognising 27 members of our Bank family, each of whom is celebrating a significant milestone – five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and even 40 years of dedicated service. That’s not just a list of numbers. That is decades of experience; that is decades of contributions, that is decades of wisdom and above all, that’s decades of resilience.

    In addition to our long service awardees, I want to recognise the recipients of this year’s Special Awards. These honours speak not to the length of service but the quality and impact of that service.  Each Special Award reflects a distinct and valuable dimension of what makes our team exceptional. Whether it’s for innovation, exemplary work, team spirit, or going above and beyond the call of duty, you have each elevated our standards and inspired those around you. I commend you for not only your achievements but the example you set.

    I’m sure you’ll agree with me that this year’s theme, “Legacy of Excellence: Resilience, Reflection, Renewal,” is perfectly suited to the moment. It speaks to who we are, what we’ve been through, and what lies ahead.

    Resilience

    Let’s begin with resilience. It’s a word we’ve become quite familiar with in recent years. But for the Bank, and especially for those we are celebrating tonight, resilience is more than just bouncing back. It’s about standing firm.

    Many of you have navigated the changing tides of our economy, technological transformation, organisational changes, and yes, even a global pandemic. Yet through it all, you showed up. You leaned in. You remained committed to our mission – to maintaining the fixed exchange rate that has served as well for almost 50 years and to promoting financial stability, to educating Barbadians and earning the public’s trust- to safeguarding our economy.

    And let’s be honest: some days weren’t easy. But your ability to adapt, to innovate, to support your colleagues, and to continue moving the Bank forward is the very definition of resilience. You are part of the foundation that keeps this institution strong.

    Reflection

    This evening also calls for reflection – not only on how far you’ve come individually, but on what we’ve built together.

    From those early years when we were spread across multiple locations, to our current home at Tom Adams Financial Centre, to the strategic vision we now pursue as a modern, efficient, forward-thinking central bank, a centre of excellence, every achievement has been made possible because of people like you.

    As we reflect on the past, we acknowledge the impact of your work across every department. Every function, every role, every contribution matters. The work you have done has enabled sound decision-making, safeguarded national assets, and enhanced the financial literacy of our people.

    And you didn’t just do the job. You passed on knowledge. You trained the next generation. You reminded us that institutional memory isn’t stored in files – it lives in people.

    Renewal

    But we cannot stop there. The final pillar of tonight’s theme is renewal – and this speaks to the future.

    We are in the midst of an exciting period of transformation. Digitisation is no longer an aspiration – it’s a reality. We are modernising our systems, redefining how we work, and becoming more agile and data-driven. We are changing not for change’s sake, but because a 21st-century central bank must meet 21st-century challenges.

    And that process of renewal depends on all of us – whether you are just starting your journey at the Bank or you are one of the distinguished individuals marking multiple decades of services tonight. Renewal means embracing new ideas, upskilling, mentoring, and staying open to change. It means choosing excellence – every day. 

    It is why I continue to champion our vision of internalising excellence. Because when excellence becomes embedded in how we think and act – in how we show up to work, how we support one another, how we serve the public – then we do more than meet targets. We create impact.

    A Castle and a Legacy

    Fittingly, we are gathered at a venue rich in legacy. Sam Lord’s Castle – restored and reborn – stands as a symbol of how history and renewal can coexist. Much like the Bank, it reflects endurance, reinvention, and enduring relevance.

    So as we celebrate tonight, let us take pride not only in what has been achieved, but in what is still possible. Let us honour our legacy by building on it – through resilience, through reflection, and with a constant spirit of renewal.

    Congratulations and Thanks

    To each of our awardees – whether this is your first milestone or your eighth – thank you. Thank you for your service, your loyalty, your hard work, and your heart. You represent the best of us. May you feel the pride that you have more than earned.

    To the organising committee: you’ve done a stellar job. This evening has been beautifully executed, and I thank you for giving our colleagues the celebration they deserve.

    And to the rest of us: may the legacy we honour tonight inspire us – and may we each commit to carrying it forward.

    Congratulations, and enjoy the evening.

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Province Awards Nova Scotia Lighthouse Project Funding

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Three organizations have been awarded funding under the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Project to address childhood obesity and chronic disease in the province.

    The successful applicants are Acadia University, Upward Mobility Kitchens East Inc., and Wasoqopa’q First Nation. The total amount of funding is $1.05 million.

    “Reducing childhood obesity and helping young people to establish healthy habits will help reduce the burden on our healthcare system and make a lasting impact on the overall health of our province,” said Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson. “These investments will provide more communities with the resources they need to raise healthy children.”

    The three projects, with funding amounts, are:

    • $320,643 to Acadia University in Wolfville to create a self-sustaining farm-to-school initiative that includes a greenhouse. It will address childhood obesity, food insecurity and declining physical activity by integrating nutrition education, sustainable agriculture and mental health support directly into the school curriculum at Northeast Kings Education Centre in Canning.

    • $334,384 to Upward Mobility Kitchens East Inc. to transform The Nook on Halifax’s Gottingen Street into a hub for youth-focused cooking classes and food literacy education. The Sharpen Up initiative will give youth the skills to take control of their nutrition, improve health outcomes and host community-centred meal events.

    The kitchen at the Nook (Province of Nova Scotia) Click or tap for larger image
    • $400,000 to Wasoqopa’q First Nation to create a space that fosters physical activity, mental resilience and community well-being through traditional Mi’kmaw teachings. The project includes an outdoor structure that supports traditional food sourcing, cleaning and preparation.

    Ninety-seven organizations applied for funding; nine were invited to submit a proposal and eight were received.

    The Nova Scotia Lighthouse Project is a partnership between the Province and Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. that brought together healthcare, academic and economic leaders to identify barriers and challenges that contribute to poor health outcomes. It invited businesses and academic and community organizations to submit proposals for funding to address them. The initiative is delivered in collaboration with the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub and Life Sciences Nova Scotia.

    Quotes:

    “At Novo Nordisk Canada, we are committed to engaging as a valuable and dedicated partner in improving the lives of Nova Scotians and fighting childhood obesity. We are proud to partner on this important issue and excited by this first round of funding announcements; these projects have the potential to drive change for a healthier Canada.”
    — Vince Lamanna, President, Novo Nordisk Canada Inc.

    “Over the past two years, we’ve delivered more than half a million meals to people in need in HRM, and we’re just getting started. After 15 years of building kitchens with purpose and running Sharpen Up in communities from New York to Vancouver, I’ve learned the most powerful thing we can give youth is belief, and the tools to back it up. Sharpen Up is not just a cooking class. It’s skill-building with real chefs, instilling confidence in yourself, and a chance to see all the pathways food can create through our non-profit and entrepreneur network. In a time when one in four kids in the Maritimes is food insecure, this kind of education and support is essential. I was raised in Dartmouth, and it’s an honour to come home and create this opportunity for my community.”
    — Mark Brand, founder, Upward Mobility Kitchens & A Better Life Foundation

    “When our Mi’kmaw youth are free to move, play and learn in culturally safe spaces, they build strength not only in body, but in spirit. When our Mi’kmaw families and community members have our own culturally safe spaces to learn through land-based knowledge and traditional food harvesting on our lands, we reclaim our health, our identity and our honour. We will build strong foundations for all our relations from our neighbouring communities and all Mi’kma’ki. That is true reconciliation.”
    — Melanie Robinson-Purdy, Director, Community Enhancement and Cultural Revitalization, Wasoqopa’q First Nation

    “The best way to build a healthier tomorrow is to begin upstream – where good food, joyful movement and self-worth take root early. Grow & Go is how we nurture that growth: from greenhouse to classroom, from kitchen to community. This is more than a project – it’s a path forward, and we invite others to walk and grow it with us.”
    — Tavis Bragg, project lead, Grow & Go; adjunct professor, Acadia University, and teacher, Northeast Kings Education Centre

    Quick Facts:

    • for profit, not-for-profit and public-sector organizations registered to do business in Canada were eligible to submit a proposal
    • the Province and Novo Nordisk Canada have each contributed $1.5 million toward the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Project, with another call for proposals to be announced later
    • the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Project is the result of a partnership with Denmark and is based on a concept from the Danish Business Promotion Agency; Danish Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs; Novo Nordisk; research institutions; and technology companies

    Additional Resources:

    Nova Scotia Lighthouse Project: https://www.lighthousens.ca/

    News release – New Partnership Will Address Childhood Obesity, Chronic Disease: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2024/03/05/new-partnership-will-address-childhood-obesity-chronic-disease

    News release – Nova Scotia Signs Health Agreement with Denmark: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2023/05/24/nova-scotia-signs-health-agreement-denmark

    Other than cropping, Province of Nova Scotia photos are not to be altered in any way.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: A new book of Edward Gorey’s drawings shows what’s lost when the artist’s sexuality is glossed over

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Elizabeth Wolfson, Assistant Director of Campus Partnerships for the Office of Public Scholarship, Washington University in St. Louis

    Edward Gorey on the set he designed for the Broadway revival of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ in 1977. Jack Mitchell/Getty Images

    Artist, illustrator and writer Edward Gorey would have turned 100 this year, and the recently published “From Ted to Tom: The Illustrated Envelopes of Edward Gorey” is a fitting celebration of his wit and talent.

    The book reproduces, in stunning detail, a series of 50 elaborately illustrated envelopes Gorey created in the mid-1970s. But when I started reading “From Ted to Tom,” I felt confused – and a little let down.

    The book makes no mention of Gorey’s queerness. To me, this is a missed opportunity to shed light on how being gay may have fueled some of his most personal work.

    The master of macabre

    Today, Edward Gorey is widely known for his sprawling, macabre-yet-humorous body of work, which spans nearly every medium.

    There are dozens of his own books, notably “The Doubtful Guest” and “The Gashlycrumb Tinies,” as well as cover designs for many others; sets and costumes for the 1977 Tony Award-winning revival of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”; the opening credit sequence for the PBS television series “Mystery!”; “The Fantod Pack,” a deck of Tarot-like cards; and hand-sewn, surrealist dolls.

    His stories often feature adults and children alike who meet untimely ends through mostly hilarious, unlikely accidents – and, yes, the occasional straight-up murder. But they’re never gratuitous, nor do they glorify violence for violence’s sake.

    As for his personal life, Gorey may have been what today we’d call asexual; Gorey himself used the term “undersexed,” but he also acknowledged, when asked directly about his sexuality, that he “supposed” he was gay.

    Mark Dery’s 2018 Gorey biography, “Born to be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey,” documents the artist’s participation in postwar gay life. The book details a handful of crushes Gorey had on various men, at least one of which – a brief affair with a man named Victor – involved some physical intimacy.

    To whatever extent Gorey entertained sex or romance, it was with men. As Dery points out, however, this fact largely goes unaddressed in discussions of the artist’s work.

    A chance encounter

    “From Ted to Tom” reinforces this silence.

    The “Tom” is Tom Fitzharris, the author of the book’s introduction and some commentary at the book’s end.

    In the introduction, Fitzharris explains that before he met Gorey, he was already collecting the artist’s “small, exquisite books.”

    After attending a gallery exhibit of Gorey’s work in 1974, Fitzharris mailed him one of the books from his collection to request Gorey’s signature, along with a cryptic inquiry about two of the book’s characters. Gorey obliged and returned the book with a similarly cryptic reply.

    Soon after this exchange, Fitzharris spotted Gorey on the street and introduced himself. The two soon began meeting regularly “for dinner, the theater, coffee, and especially the ballet, his great passion,” one that Fitzharris shared. When Gorey left to summer on Cape Cod, he began sending Fitzharris the envelopes collected in “From Ted to Tom.”

    Fitzharris shares almost no information about himself in the book, and he has never commented publicly about his own sexuality. However, even his dry, minimalist narration cannot conceal the intensity of their connection.

    Describing his first visit to Gorey’s apartment, he writes: “I thought I’d be at Gorey’s for ten minutes, but I left two hours later.” Whether Fitzharris lost track of time as the two explored their “dozens of shared interests” or simply couldn’t tear himself away, when he finally made it back to work, he was surprised that he still had a job.

    The envelope as canvas

    Given this voracious drive to create, it is no surprise that Gorey saw an object as humble as a letter envelope as a creative opportunity. As Dery points out, Gorey was also making his illustrated envelopes as the mail art movement was becoming popular. Sparked by artist Ray Johnson in the 1960s – who, like Gorey, lived in New York City – it involved artists using the postal service to exchange works of art, using it as an alternative to the commercial galleries and museums that artists had largely depended on.

    The 50 envelopes reproduced in “From Ted to Tom” was not Gorey’s first dalliance with the envelope as canvas; he’d experimented with it six years earlier, while in the midst of a collaboration with author and editor Peter Neumeyer, with whom he produced three children’s books.

    In his drawings to Neumeyer, Gorey mostly seems to be having fun playing around with a new formal challenge: how to integrate drawings with the prerequisite address text in a satisfying way.

    Because I study how people use images to make sense of the world, I couldn’t help but notice key differences between the Neumeyer envelopes and those that Gorey sent to Fitzharris.

    The Fitzharris series is poised and polished from the jump. Gorey’s distinctive hand-lettering is crisp, precise and perfectly straight, each envelope a complete scene. Some scenes are more complex than others, but each is a complete thought.

    There’s another notable difference between the Neumeyer and Fitzharris envelopes. While the former features a revolving cast of real and imaginary creatures, the latter has two co-stars: two black-and-white dogs, sides emblazoned with matching, serifed T’s.

    In his introduction to the book, Fitzharris confirms that the animals represent Gorey and him. Fitzharris is also clearly more than the lucky witness to a burst of creative genius. He is its muse.

    ‘Pen pal’ or something more?

    Whatever Gorey’s artistic ambitions for the project, it is also a visual diary of sorts: an album of their shared experiences, their common interests and hobbies, and a document of Gorey’s goings-on while they were apart.

    Take, for example, an envelope that depicts the canine duo standing amid a vast assemblage of blue bottles, with Fitzharris’ address displayed as labels.

    “All the blue bottles are a recollection of a window full of them in one of the antique shops I stopped in after you left that Sunday,” Gorey wrote in the accompanying letter. “The sun coming through them is not reproducible, at least by me.”

    In the same letter, Gorey struggles to convey the depth of his feeling upon receiving a recent letter from Fitzharris.

    “I used to maintain that if it couldn’t be put into words it didn’t exist; if anything I believe rather the opposite now. All of which is rather a strangled attempt to say that I appreciated your letter of the 23rd very much, but that I don’t know how to say so directly. Yes.”

    What did Fitzharris’ letter say that moved Gorey so much? What is the meaning of his singular, elliptical “yes”? Is it simply stylistic? Or is it a response?

    We’ll likely never know. But evidently whatever Fitzharris said moved him deeply.

    There are other poignant scenes. In his notes to “From Ted to Tom,” Fitzharris takes credit for introducing Gorey to the French phrase “heure bleue,” which translates to “the blue hour” and refers to the time of day just after the sun sets. Gorey’s delight is reflected in a lovely scene of quiet companionship.

    Tom and Ted stand at a low fence or porch railing, sharing drinks and gazing up at a darkening sky as dusk settles over thick foliage. For once leaving nothing to the imagination, he inscribes “HEURE BLEUE” next to the image in thick, bold letters – a rare act of captioning.

    This unusual relative directness continues into the accompanying letter. Though he can hardly bear admitting it, Gorey describes their recent visit as “a happy day,” immediately qualifying the comment as a “revolting phrase.”

    One “cannot help but think how seldom in life one knows one is having one at the time,” he continues. The phrasing is somewhat innocuous. But I wonder how much pleasure Gorey must have felt – and how strong his need to convey it must have been – to overcome the force of his “revulsion.”

    This push and pull between attraction to one another and repulsion at one’s own spontaneous emotion supplies the dynamism that make the drawings in “From Ted to Tom” so compelling.

    Despite this powerful current, Fitzharris, who is credited as the book’s editor, leaves the topic of Gorey’s sexuality untouched in both his introduction to the book and its end notes, where he provides a guide to some of the personal and cultural references in Gorey’s drawings and letters. The book’s back cover refers to Fitzharris as the artist’s “pen pal.”

    Denied access to the underlying details driving this dynamism, the reader loses the chance to reflect on the source of this electrical current, its impact on his art, and how Gorey’s struggles with intimacy and desire, which are all too universal, were also undoubtedly shaped by the challenge of being gay in a deeply homophobic society.

    Rather than limiting the understanding of his work, accounting for Gorey’s queerness invites viewers of his art and readers of his work into deeper communion with the artist – and themselves.

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

    – ref. A new book of Edward Gorey’s drawings shows what’s lost when the artist’s sexuality is glossed over – https://theconversation.com/a-new-book-of-edward-goreys-drawings-shows-whats-lost-when-the-artists-sexuality-is-glossed-over-257938

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Conflicted, disillusioned, disengaged: The unsettled center of Jewish student opinion after Oct. 7

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jonathan Krasner, Associate Professor of Jewish Education Research, Brandeis University

    Pro-Palestinian students pass the flag of Israel while walking out of commencement in protest at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on May 30, 2024. AP Photo/Charles Krupa

    As commencement season comes to a close, many campuses remain riven by the Israel-Hamas war. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the undergraduate class president was banned from walking at her graduation after delivering a fiery – and unauthorized – speech accusing her school of complicity in Israel’s campaign to “wipe out Palestine off the face of the earth.” Anti-Israel protests broke out at graduation ceremonies across the United States, from Columbia to the University of California at Berkeley.

    Since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack and Israel’s retaliatory invasion of Gaza, many American campuses have been punctuated by vigils, demonstrations and disruptions. But the loudest voices aren’t necessarily the most representative. Activists’ pronouncements on either side fail to capture the range of student opinion about the war and its reverberations at home, including the documented rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia.

    This is certainly true for Jewish students – buffeted by the war, the hostage crisis, campus protests and federal politics. Since January 2025, the Trump administration has used campus antisemitism and anti-Zionism as a pretext to assault higher education and implement hard-line immigration policies.

    Indeed, one of the most striking findings of my study
    on Jewish undergraduate attitudes, published in May 2025, is how many students described themselves as conflicted, uncertain, disaffected and even detached. Interviews across the country convinced my research team that any attempt to gauge Jewish student opinion with either/or categories are reductive and misleading.

    Moving beyond numbers

    In the wake of Oct. 7, my office hours quickly became a refuge for distraught Jewish students as they processed their thoughts. Few were content with pat answers.

    Students at USC attend a vigil on Oct. 10, 2023, days after Hamas’ attack on Israel.
    Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

    I began wondering how representative they were. Tufts researchers Eitan Hersh and Dahlia Lyss found that since Oct. 7, more students were valuing and prioritizing their Jewish identities, even while an increased number were hiding their Jewishness on campus.

    My Brandeis colleagues Graham Wright, Leonard Saxe and their research team, meanwhile, found that a clear majority of Jewish students said they felt a connection to Israel but were sharply divided in their views of its government. While most considered statements calling for the country’s destruction to be antisemitic, they differed about where to draw the line between reasonable and illegitimate criticisms of Israel.

    These findings were instructive. But I was interested in learning more about the “how” and the “why” behind the numbers. Over the spring 2024 semester, my team and I interviewed 38 students on 24 campuses across 16 states and the District of Columbia. Participants reflected the broad religious, political, economic, geographical, sexual and racial diversity within the American Jewish population, particularly among Jews under 30. Some of the campuses were relatively placid; others were hotbeds of protest.

    The ‘missing middle’

    As my team analyzed transcripts, we identified six categories.

    About one-third of the Jewish students we spoke with were actively engaged on either side of the conflict, whether through demonstrations or online advocacy. “Affirmed” students’ connection to Israel deepened after Oct. 7. “Aggrieved” students, on the other hand, had joined anti-war protests and voiced anger at Jewish organizations for ignoring Israel’s culpability for Palestinian suffering.

    Many more of our participants, however, were ambivalent, despondent or even apathetic. As journalist Arno Rosenfeld put it in an article about my research, the majority of Jewish students inhabit a “great missing middle” in Israeli-Palestinian discourse.

    Two-thirds of the students we spoke with are in this “missing middle,” divided into four categories:

    • “Conflicted” students were inconclusively grappling with the moral and political complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
    • “Disillusioned” students struggled to reconcile their sentimental attachment to Israel with their disappointment – their sense that the country betrayed its own values in its treatment of Palestinians.
    • “Retrenched” students turned inward, fearful of being identified as Jewish on campuses they perceived as hostile to Jews.
    • The last category, “disengaged” students, were detached or actively steering clear of controversy.
    Students gather at the University of Maryland to celebrate Hanukkah with a menorah lighting ceremony in 2007.
    Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    Out of the fray

    The most straightforward of these categories is the “disengaged” students. Some, like Bella, on the West Coast – all of the names in this article are pseudonyms – knew little about the conflict before the war. What they learned since convinced them it was unsolvable and that they were powerless to promote change.

    The distance that some students felt from events in Israel and Gaza made it all the more baffling and odious to them when peers protested in ways that implied Jewish Americans were complicit.

    “I’m not personally doing anything,” complained Salem, a first-year student in the Midwest. “I don’t have anything to do with this.”

    Students whom we classified as “retrenched” reported anxiety, loss of sleep and a sense of isolation. Many of them were concerned that rejecting Zionism – that is, the movement supporting the creation and preservation of Israel as a national homeland for the Jewish people – had become a litmus test in their progressive circles. That was untenable for these students, because they viewed Zionism as a constituent part of being Jewish.

    Interviewees like Jack, a junior in the Pacific Northwest, spoke of removing their Star of David necklaces and censoring elements of their biography, because they perceived a social penalty for being Jewish.

    Since the start of the war, more students have said they try to hide their Jewish identity at times.
    Maor Winetrob/iStock via Getty Images

    Rejecting simple narratives

    By far, the largest group of Jewish students were struggling with mixed feelings about the war and its reverberations. What united these “conflicted” or “disillusioned” students was wariness of grand narratives and talking points that reduce the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to a contest between good and evil, or the powerful and the powerless. They also eschewed labels such as “Zionist” or “anti-Zionist,” saying they lacked nuance.

    Consider Elana, a “conflicted” sophomore in the mid-Atlantic, who told us she was uncomfortable in most Jewish spaces on campus because they effectively demanded that she declare her Israel politics at the door. It seemed to her that activists on both sides were more comfortable retreating into echo chambers than engaging in dialogue across differences.

    Then there was Shira, a “disillusioned” first year in the Midwest who viewed Israeli-Palestinian coexistence, however implausible, as the only alternative to mutual destruction. She refused to participate in anti-war demonstrations on her campus because she couldn’t abide the organizers’ confrontational tactics – but also to avoid blowback from pro-Israel family and friends.

    Students from Bowdoin College light Shabbat candles during a visit to Shaarey Tphiloh Synagogue in Portland, Maine, in 2011.
    Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

    ‘Safe spaces’ and ‘groupthink’

    One unambiguous finding from our study was how often our interviewees used language prevalent in progressive discourse. They spoke repeatedly about the importance of “safe spaces,” and felt that listeners’ understandings mattered more than speakers’ intentions when evaluating “hate speech” and “microaggressions.”

    Leo, a “conflicted” junior in the Deep South who uses they/them pronouns, acknowledged that some protesters who chant slogans such as “Free Palestine” and “Globalize the Intifada” may not recognize how many Jewish students interpret them: as antisemitic calls for Israel’s destruction. But that was no excuse, they insisted. “What I’ve noticed is that the people who are at those demonstrations have created their own definition of antisemitism,” without input from the vast majority of Jews – something progressive protesters would not have stood for if another racial, religious or ethnic minority were being discussed.

    The use of provocative and arguably antisemitic language was responsible for keeping Jews like Leo and Shira, who evinced deep sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians, from joining the protests.

    Fundamentally, however, many of the Jewish students we spoke with said they’d welcome opportunities to discuss the war and the broader conflict. But the “groupthink” on campus was stifling, they complained, whether in Hillel centers that toe a reflexively pro-Israel line or student organizations that demand unquestioned buy-in to a set of progressive orthodoxies.

    Joe, a “disillusioned” student in New England who just received his diploma two weeks ago, reflected, “When my friends complain that the ‘Free Palestine’ stickers on my campus are antisemitic, I think they just don’t want to be uncomfortable.” Discomfort can be productive, he added – as long as it is expressed in an environment that values intellectual risk-taking, dialogue across difference, and empathy.

    Research discussed in this article was sponsored by the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education at Brandeis University.

    – ref. Conflicted, disillusioned, disengaged: The unsettled center of Jewish student opinion after Oct. 7 – https://theconversation.com/conflicted-disillusioned-disengaged-the-unsettled-center-of-jewish-student-opinion-after-oct-7-257521

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Sleep loss rewires the brain for cravings and weight gain – a neurologist explains the science behind the cycle

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, Associate Professor of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh

    Getting enough sleep is one of the most effective ways to restore metabolic balance in the brain and body. SimpleImages/Moment via Getty Images

    You stayed up too late scrolling through your phone, answering emails or watching just one more episode. The next morning, you feel groggy and irritable. That sugary pastry or greasy breakfast sandwich suddenly looks more appealing than your usual yogurt and berries. By the afternoon, chips or candy from the break room call your name. This isn’t just about willpower. Your brain, short on rest, is nudging you toward quick, high-calorie fixes.

    There is a reason why this cycle repeats itself so predictably. Research shows that insufficient sleep disrupts hunger signals, weakens self-control, impairs glucose metabolism and increases your risk of weight gain. These changes can occur rapidly, even after a single night of poor sleep, and can become more harmful over time if left unaddressed.

    I am a neurologist specializing in sleep science and its impact on health.

    Sleep deprivation affects millions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of U.S. adults regularly get less than seven hours of sleep per night. Nearly three-quarters of adolescents fall short of the recommended 8-10 hours sleep during the school week.

    While anyone can suffer from sleep loss, essential workers and first responders, including nurses, firefighters and emergency personnel, are especially vulnerable due to night shifts and rotating schedules. These patterns disrupt the body’s internal clock and are linked to increased cravings, poor eating habits and elevated risks for obesity and metabolic disease. Fortunately, even a few nights of consistent, high-quality sleep can help rebalance key systems and start to reverse some of these effects.

    How sleep deficits disrupt hunger hormones

    Your body regulates hunger through a hormonal feedback loop involving two key hormones.

    Ghrelin, produced primarily in the stomach, signals that you are hungry, while leptin, which is produced in the fat cells, tells your brain that you are full. Even one night of restricted sleep increases the release of ghrelin and decreases leptin, which leads to greater hunger and reduced satisfaction after eating. This shift is driven by changes in how the body regulates hunger and stress. Your brain becomes less responsive to fullness signals, while at the same time ramping up stress hormones that can increase cravings and appetite.

    These changes are not subtle. In controlled lab studies, healthy adults reported increased hunger and stronger cravings for calorie-dense foods after sleeping only four to five hours. The effect worsens with ongoing sleep deficits, which can lead to a chronically elevated appetite.

    Sleep is as important as diet and exercise in maintaining a healthy weight.

    Why the brain shifts into reward mode

    Sleep loss changes how your brain evaluates food.

    Imaging studies show that after just one night of sleep deprivation, the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making and impulse control, has reduced activity. At the same time, reward-related areas such as the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens, a part of the brain that drives motivation and reward-seeking, become more reactive to tempting food cues.

    In simple terms, your brain becomes more tempted by junk food and less capable of resisting it. Participants in sleep deprivation studies not only rated high-calorie foods as more desirable but were also more likely to choose them, regardless of how hungry they actually felt.

    Your metabolism slows, leading to increased fat storage

    Sleep is also critical for blood sugar control.

    When you’re well rested, your body efficiently uses insulin to move sugar out of your bloodstream and into your cells for energy. But even one night of partial sleep can reduce insulin sensitivity by up to 25%, leaving more sugar circulating in your blood.

    If your body can’t process sugar effectively, it’s more likely to convert it into fat. This contributes to weight gain, especially around the abdomen. Over time, poor sleep is associated with higher risk for Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, a group of health issues such as high blood pressure, belly fat and high blood sugar that raise the risk for heart disease and diabetes.

    On top of this, sleep loss raises cortisol, your body’s main stress hormone. Elevated cortisol encourages fat storage, especially in the abdominal region, and can further disrupt appetite regulation.

    Sleep is your metabolic reset button

    In a culture that glorifies hustle and late nights, sleep is often treated as optional. But your body doesn’t see it that way. Sleep is not downtime. It is active, essential repair. It is when your brain recalibrates hunger and reward signals, your hormones reset and your metabolism stabilizes.

    Just one or two nights of quality sleep can begin to undo the damage from prior sleep loss and restore your body’s natural balance.

    So the next time you find yourself reaching for junk food after a short night, recognize that your biology is not failing you. It is reacting to stress and fatigue. The most effective way to restore balance isn’t a crash diet or caffeine. It’s sleep.

    Sleep is not a luxury. It is your most powerful tool for appetite control, energy regulation and long-term health.

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

    – ref. Sleep loss rewires the brain for cravings and weight gain – a neurologist explains the science behind the cycle – https://theconversation.com/sleep-loss-rewires-the-brain-for-cravings-and-weight-gain-a-neurologist-explains-the-science-behind-the-cycle-255726

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Most Americans believe misinformation is a problem — federal research cuts will only make the problem worse

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By H. Colleen Sinclair, Associate Research Professor of Social Psychology, Louisiana State University

    Americans say the government and social media companies need to do something about misinformation and disinformation. Boris Zhitkov/Getty Images

    Research on misinformation and disinformation has become the latest casualty of the Trump administration’s restructuring of federal research priorities.

    Following President Donald Trump’s executive order on “ending federal censorship,” the National Science Foundation canceled hundreds of grants that supported research on misinformation and disinformation.

    Misinformation refers to misleading narratives shared by people unaware that content is false. Disinformation is deliberately generated and shared misleading content, when the sharer knows the narrative is suspect.

    The overwhelming majority of Americans – 95% – believe misinformation’s misleading narratives are a problem.

    Americans also believe that consumers, the government and social media companies need to do something about it. Defunding research on misinformation and disinformation is, thus, the opposite of what Americans want. Without research, the ability to combat misleading narratives will be impaired.

    The attack on misleading narrative research

    Trump’s executive order claims that the Biden administration used research on misleading narratives to limit social media companies’ free speech.

    The Supreme Court had already rejected this claim in a 2024 case.

    Still, Trump and GOP politicians continue to demand disinformation researchers defend themselves, including in the March 2025 “censorship industrial complex” hearings, which explored alleged government censorship under the Biden administration.

    The U.S. State Department, additionally, is soliciting all communications between government offices and disinformation researchers for evidence of censorship.

    Trump’s executive order to “restore free speech,” the hearings and the State Department decision all imply that those conducting misleading narrative research are enemies of the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech.

    These actions have already led to significant problems – death threats and harassment included – for disinformation researchers, particularly women.

    So let’s tackle what research on misinformation and disinformation is and isn’t.

    Misleading content

    Misinformation and disinformation researchers examine the sources of misleading content. They also study the spread of that content. And they investigate ways to reduce its harmful impacts.

    For instance, as a social psychologist who studies disinformation and misinformation, I examine the nature of misleading content. I study and then share information about the manipulation tactics used by people who spread disinformation to influence others. My aim is to better inform the public about how to protect themselves from deception.

    Sharing this information is free speech, not barring free speech.

    Yet, some think this research leads to censorship when platforms choose to use the knowledge to label or remove suspect content or ban its primary spreaders. That’s what U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan argued in launching investigations in 2023 into disinformation research.

    It is important to note, however, that the constitutional definition of censorship establishes that only the government – not citizens or businesses – can be censors.

    So private companies have the right to make their own decisions about the content they put on their platforms.

    Trump’s own platform, Truth Social, bans certain material such as “sexual content and explicit language,” but also anything moderators deem as trying to “trick, defraud, or mislead us and other users.” Yet, 75% of the conspiracy theories shared on the platform come from Trump’s account.

    Further, both Trump and Elon Musk, self-proclaimed free speech advocates, have been accused of squelching content on their platforms that is critical of them.

    Musk claimed the suppression of accounts on X was a result of the site’s algorithm reducing “the reach of a user if they’re frequently blocked or muted by other, credible users.” Truth Social representatives claim accounts were banned due to “bot mitigation” procedures, and authentic accounts may be reinstated if their classification as inauthentic was invalid.

    Research shows that conservatives are more susceptible to misinformation than liberals.
    klevo/Getty Images

    Is it censorship?

    Republicans say social media companies have been biased against their content, censoring it or banning conservatives unfairly.

    The “censorship industrial complex” hearings held by the House Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia Subcommittee were based on the premise that not only was misleading narrative research part of the alleged “censorship industrial complex,” but that it was focused on conservative voices.

    But there isn’t evidence to support this assertion.

    Research from 2020 shows that conservative voices are amplified on social media networks.

    When research does show that conservative authors have posts labeled or removed, or that their accounts are suspended at higher rates than liberal content, it also reveals that it is because conservative posts are significantly more likely to share misinformation than liberal posts.

    This was found in a recent study of X users. Researchers tracked whose posts got tagged as false or misleading more in “community notes” – X’s alternative and Meta’s proposed alternative to fact checking – and it was conservative posts, because they were more likely to include false content than liberal posts.

    Furthermore, an April 2025 study shows conservatives are more susceptible to misleading content and more likely to be targeted by it than liberals.

    Misleading America

    Those accusing misleading narrative researchers of censorship misrepresent the nature and intent of the research and researchers. And they are using disinformation tactics to do so.

    Here’s how.

    The misleading information about censorship and bias has been repeated so much through the media and from political leaders, as evident in Trump’s executive order, that many Republicans believe it’s true. This repetition produces what psychologists call the illusory truth effect, where as few as three repetitions convince the human mind something is true.

    Researchers have also identified a tactic known as “accusation in a mirror.” That’s when someone falsely accuses one’s perceived opponents of conducting, plotting or desiring to commit the same transgressions that one plans to commit or is already committing.

    So censorship accusations from an administration that is removing books from libraries, erasing history from monuments and websites, and deleting data archives constitute “accusations in a mirror.”

    Other tactics include “accusation by anecdote.” When strong evidence is in short supply, people who spread disinformation point repeatedly to individual stories – sometimes completely fabricated – that are exceptions to, and not representative of, the larger reality.

    Facts on fact-checking

    Similar anecdotal attacks are used to try to dismiss fact-checkers, whose conclusions can identify and discredit disinformation, leading to its tagging or removal from social media. This is done by highlighting an incident where fact-checkers “got it wrong.”

    These attacks on fact-checking come despite the fact that many of those most controversial decisions were made by platforms, not fact-checkers.

    Indeed, fact-checking does work to reduce the transmission of misleading content.

    Research shows little bias in choice of who is fact-checked.
    Liudmila Chernetska/Getty Images

    In studies of the perceived effectiveness of professional fact-checkers versus algorithms and everyday users, fact-checkers are rated the most effective.

    When Republicans do report distrust of fact-checkers, it’s because they perceive the fact-checkers are biased. Yet research shows little bias in choice of who is fact-checked, just that prominent and prolific speakers get checked more.

    When shown fact-checking results of specific posts, even conservatives often agree the right decision was made.

    Seeking solutions

    Account bans or threats of account suspensions may be more effective than fact-checks at stopping the flow of misinformation, but they are also more controversial. They are considered more akin to censorship than fact-check labels.

    Misinformation research would benefit from identifying solutions that conservatives and liberals agree on.

    Examples include giving people the option, like on social media platform Bluesky, to turn misinformation moderation on or off.

    But Trump’s executive order seeks to ban that research. Thus, instead of providing protections, the order will likely weaken Americans’ defenses.

    H. Colleen Sinclair receives funding from a variety of government and foundation sources. The statements and opinions included in this The Conversation article are solely the author’s. Any statements and opinions included in these pages are not those of the Social Research and Evaluation Center, the College of Human Sciences & Education, the Louisiana State University, or the LSU Board of Supervisors.

    – ref. Most Americans believe misinformation is a problem — federal research cuts will only make the problem worse – https://theconversation.com/most-americans-believe-misinformation-is-a-problem-federal-research-cuts-will-only-make-the-problem-worse-255355

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Is Mars really red? A physicist explains the planet’s reddish hue and why it looks different to some telescopes

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By David Joffe, Associate Professor of Physics, Kennesaw State University

    Siccar Point, photographed by the Curiosity rover, is near Mars’ Gale Crater. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS; Processing & License: Kevin M. Gill

    Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

    Is Mars really as red as people say it is? – Jasmine, age 14, Everson, Washington

    People from cultures across the world have been looking at Mars since ancient times. Because it appears reddish, it has often been called the red planet.

    The English name for the planet comes from the Romans, who named it after their god of war because its color reminded them of blood. In reality, the reddish color of Mars comes from iron oxide in the rocks and dust covering its surface.

    Your blood is also red because of a mixture of iron and oxygen in a molecule called hemoglobin. So in a way, the ancient connection between the planet Mars and blood wasn’t completely wrong. Rust, which is a common form of iron oxide found here on Earth, also often has a reddish color.

    Iron oxide, found in rust on old metal machinery, is the compound that colors rocks and dust on Mars’ surface reddish brown.
    Lars Hammar/Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

    In my current research on exoplanets, I observe different types of signals from planets beyond Earth. Lots of interesting physics goes into how researchers perceive the colors of planets and stars through different types of telescopes.

    Observing Mars with probes

    If you look closely at pictures of Mars taken by rovers on its surface, you can see that most of the planet isn’t purely red, but more of a rusty brown or tan color.

    You can see Mars’ rusty color in this photo taken by the Viking lander.
    NASA/JPL

    Probes sent from Earth have taken pictures showing rocks with a rusty color. A 1976 picture from the Viking lander, the very first spacecraft to land on Mars, shows the Martian ground covered with a layer of rusty orange dust.

    Not all of Mars’ surface has the same color. At the poles, its ice caps appear white. These ice caps contain frozen water, like the ice we usually find on Earth, but these ice caps are also covered by a layer of frozen carbon dioxide – dry ice.

    This layer of dry ice can evaporate very quickly when sunlight shines on it and grows back again when it becomes dark. This process causes the white ice caps to grow and shrink in size depending on the Martian seasons.

    This picture from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the planet with the same rusty color covering large parts of its surface.
    NASA, ESA, Zolt G. Levay (STScI)

    Beyond visible light

    Mars also gives off light in colors that you can’t see with your eyes but that scientists can measure with special cameras on telescopes.

    Light itself can be thought of not only as a wave but also as a stream of particles called photons. The amount of energy carried by each photon is related to its color. For example, blue and violet photons have more energy than orange and red photons.

    The rainbow of visible light that you can see is only a small slice of all the kinds of light. Some telescopes can detect light with a longer wavelength, such as infrared light, or light with a shorter wavelength, such as ultraviolet light. Others can detect X-rays or radio waves.
    Inductiveload, NASA/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    Ultraviolet photons have even more energy than the photons you can see with your eyes. These photons are found in direct sunlight, and because they have so much energy, they can damage the cells in your body. You can use sunscreen to protect yourself from them.

    Infrared photons have less energy than the photons you can see with your eyes, and you don’t need any special protection from them. This is how some types of night-vision goggles work: They can see light in the infrared spectrum as well as the visible color spectrum. Scientists can take pictures of Mars in the infrared spectrum using special cameras that work almost like night-vision goggles for telescopes.

    The Hubble Space Telescope could take pictures in both visible light and infrared light.
    NASA, James Bell (Cornell University), Justin Maki (NASA-JPL), Mike J. Wolff (SSI)

    The colors on the infrared picture aren’t really what the infrared light looks like, because you can’t see those colors with your eyes. They are called “false colors,” and researchers add them to look at the picture more easily.

    When you compare the visible color picture and the infrared picture, you can see some of the same features – and the ice caps are visible in both sets of colors.

    A UV view of Mars with the MAVEN spacecraft.
    NASA/LASP/CU Boulder

    NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft, launched in 2013, has even taken pictures with ultraviolet light, giving scientists a different view of both the surface of Mars and its atmosphere.

    Each new type of picture tells scientists more about the Martian landscape. They hope to use these details to answer questions about how Mars formed, how long it had active volcanoes, where its atmosphere came from and whether it had liquid water on its surface.

    Astronomers are always looking for new ways to take telescope pictures outside of the regular visible spectrum. They can even make images using radio waves, microwaves, X-rays and gamma rays. Each part of the spectrum they can use to look at an object in space represents new information they can learn from.

    Even though people have been looking at Mars since ancient times, we still have much to learn about this fascinating neighbor.

    Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

    And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

    David Joffe receives funding from the NASA Office of STEM Engagement through a grant from the Georgia Space Grant Consortium

    – ref. Is Mars really red? A physicist explains the planet’s reddish hue and why it looks different to some telescopes – https://theconversation.com/is-mars-really-red-a-physicist-explains-the-planets-reddish-hue-and-why-it-looks-different-to-some-telescopes-256398

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: RNA has newly identified role: Repairing serious DNA damage to maintain the genome

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Francesca Storici, Professor of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology

    Double-strand breaks in DNA can be deadly. Victor Golmer/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Your DNA is continually damaged by sources both inside and outside your body. One especially severe form of damage called a double-strand break involves the severing of both strands of the DNA double helix.

    Double-strand breaks are among the most difficult forms of DNA damage for cells to repair because they disrupt the continuity of DNA and leave no intact template to base new strands on. If misrepaired, these breaks can lead to other mutations that make the genome unstable and increase the risk of many diseases, including cancer, neurodegeneration and immunodeficiency.

    Cells primarily repair double-strand breaks by either rejoining the broken DNA ends or by using another DNA molecule as a template for repair. However, my team and I discovered that RNA, a type of genetic material best known for its role in making proteins, surprisingly plays a key role in facilitating the repair of these harmful breaks.

    These insights could not only pave the way for new treatment strategies for genetic disorders, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, but also enhance gene-editing technologies.

    Sealing a knowledge gap in DNA repair

    I have spent the past two decades investigating the relationship between RNA and DNA in order to understand how cells maintain genome integrity and how these mechanisms could be harnessed for genetic engineering.

    A long-standing question in the field has been whether RNA in cells helps keep the genome stable beyond acting as a copy of DNA in the process of making proteins and a regulator of gene expression. Studying how RNA might do this has been especially difficult due to its similarity to DNA and how fast it degrades. It’s also technically challenging to tell whether the RNA is directly working to repair DNA or indirectly regulating the process. Traditional models and tools for studying DNA repair have for the most part focused on proteins and DNA, leaving RNA’s potential contributions largely unexplored.

    RNA plays a key role in protein synthesis.

    My team and I were curious about whether RNA might actively participate in fixing double-strand breaks as a first line of defense. To explore this, we used the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to make breaks at specific spots in the DNA of human and yeast cells. We then analyzed how RNA influences various aspects of the repair process, including efficiency and outcomes.

    We found that RNA can actively guide the repair process of double-strand breaks. It does this by binding to broken DNA ends, helping align sequences of DNA on a matching strand that isn’t broken. It can also seal gaps or remove mismatched segments, further influencing whether and how the original sequence is restored.

    Additionally, we found that RNA aids in double-strand break repair in both yeast and human cells, suggesting that its role in DNA repair is evolutionary conserved across species. Notably, even low levels of RNA were sufficient to influence the efficiency and outcome of repair, pointing to its broad and previously unrecognized function in maintaining genome stability.

    RNA in control

    By uncovering RNA’s previously unknown function to repair DNA damage, our findings show how RNA may directly contribute to the stability and evolution of the genome. It’s not merely a passive messenger, but an active participant in genome maintenance.

    One type of RNA that has been effectively used in treatments is mRNA.
    Aldona/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    These insights could help researchers develop new ways to target the genomic instability that underlies many diseases, including cancer and neurodegeneration. Traditionally, treatments and gene-editing tools have focused almost exclusively on DNA or proteins. Our findings suggest that modifying RNA in different ways could also influence how cells respond to DNA damage. For example, researchers could design RNA-based therapies to enhance the repair of harmful breaks that could cause cancer, or selectively disrupt DNA break repair in cancer cells to help kill them.

    In addition, these findings could improve the precision of gene-editing technologies like CRISPR by accounting for interactions between RNA and DNA at the site of the cut. This could reduce off-target effects and increase editing precision, ultimately contributing to the development of safer and more effective gene therapies.

    There are still many unanswered questions about how RNA interacts with DNA in the repair process. The evolutionary role that RNA plays in maintaining genome stability is also unclear. But one thing is certain: RNA is no longer just a messenger, it is a molecule with a direct hand in DNA repair, rewriting what researchers know about how cells safeguard their genetic code.

    Francesca Storici consults at Tessera Therapeutics. She has received funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

    – ref. RNA has newly identified role: Repairing serious DNA damage to maintain the genome – https://theconversation.com/rna-has-newly-identified-role-repairing-serious-dna-damage-to-maintain-the-genome-256429

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Will AI take your job? The answer could hinge on the 4 S’s of the technology’s advantages over humans

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Bruce Schneier, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

    Sometimes speed matters – and sometimes it doesn’t. Korakrich Suntornnites/iStock via Getty Images

    If you’ve worried that AI might take your job, deprive you of your livelihood, or maybe even replace your role in society, it probably feels good to see the latest AI tools fail spectacularly. If AI recommends glue as a pizza topping, then you’re safe for another day.

    But the fact remains that AI already has definite advantages over even the most skilled humans, and knowing where these advantages arise — and where they don’t — will be key to adapting to the AI-infused workforce.

    AI will often not be as effective as a human doing the same job. It won’t always know more or be more accurate. And it definitely won’t always be fairer or more reliable. But it may still be used whenever it has an advantage over humans in one of four dimensions: speed, scale, scope and sophistication. Understanding these dimensions is the key to understanding AI-human replacement.

    Speed

    First, speed. There are tasks that humans are perfectly good at but are not nearly as fast as AI. One example is restoring or upscaling images: taking pixelated, noisy or blurry images and making a crisper and higher-resolution version. Humans are good at this; given the right digital tools and enough time, they can fill in fine details. But they are too slow to efficiently process large images or videos.

    AI models can do the job blazingly fast, a capability with important industrial applications. AI-based software is used to enhance satellite and remote sensing data, to compress video files, to make video games run better with cheaper hardware and less energy, to help robots make the right movements, and to model turbulence to help build better internal combustion engines.

    Real-time performance matters in these cases, and the speed of AI is necessary to enable them.

    Scale

    The second dimension of AI’s advantage over humans is scale. AI will increasingly be used in tasks that humans can do well in one place at a time, but that AI can do in millions of places simultaneously. A familiar example is ad targeting and personalization. Human marketers can collect data and predict what types of people will respond to certain advertisements. This capability is important commercially; advertising is a trillion-dollar market globally.

    AI models can do this for every single product, TV show, website and internet user. This is how the modern ad-tech industry works. Real-time bidding markets price the display ads that appear alongside the websites you visit, and advertisers use AI models to decide when they want to pay that price – thousands of times per second.

    Scope

    Next, scope. AI can be advantageous when it does more things than any one person could, even when a human might do better at any one of those tasks. Generative AI systems such as ChatGPT can engage in conversation on any topic, write an essay espousing any position, create poetry in any style and language, write computer code in any programming language, and more. These models may not be superior to skilled humans at any one of these things, but no single human could outperform top-tier generative models across them all.

    It’s the combination of these competencies that generates value. Employers often struggle to find people with talents in disciplines such as software development and data science who also have strong prior knowledge of the employer’s domain. Organizations are likely to continue to rely on human specialists to write the best code and the best persuasive text, but they will increasingly be satisfied with AI when they just need a passable version of either.

    How AI is affecting the job market.

    Sophistication

    Finally, sophistication. AIs can consider more factors in their decisions than humans can, and this can endow them with superhuman performance on specialized tasks. Computers have long been used to keep track of a multiplicity of factors that compound and interact in ways more complex than a human could trace. The 1990s chess-playing computer systems such as Deep Blue succeeded by thinking a dozen or more moves ahead.

    Modern AI systems use a radically different approach: Deep learning systems built from many-layered neural networks take account of complex interactions – often many billions – among many factors. Neural networks now power the best chess-playing models and most other AI systems.

    Chess is not the only domain where eschewing conventional rules and formal logic in favor of highly sophisticated and inscrutable systems has generated progress. The stunning advance of AlphaFold2, the AI model of structural biology whose creators Demis Hassabis and John Jumper were recognized with the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2024, is another example.

    This breakthrough replaced traditional physics-based systems for predicting how sequences of amino acids would fold into three-dimensional shapes with a 93 million-parameter model, even though it doesn’t account for physical laws. That lack of real-world grounding is not desirable: No one likes the enigmatic nature of these AI systems, and scientists are eager to understand better how they work.

    But the sophistication of AI is providing value to scientists, and its use across scientific fields has grown exponentially in recent years.

    Context matters

    Those are the four dimensions where AI can excel over humans. Accuracy still matters. You wouldn’t want to use an AI that makes graphics look glitchy or targets ads randomly – yet accuracy isn’t the differentiator. The AI doesn’t need superhuman accuracy. It’s enough for AI to be merely good and fast, or adequate and scalable. Increasing scope often comes with an accuracy penalty, because AI can generalize poorly to truly novel tasks. The 4 S’s are sometimes at odds. With a given amount of computing power, you generally have to trade off scale for sophistication.

    Even more interestingly, when an AI takes over a human task, the task can change. Sometimes the AI is just doing things differently. Other times, AI starts doing different things. These changes bring new opportunities and new risks.

    For example, high-frequency trading isn’t just computers trading stocks faster; it’s a fundamentally different kind of trading that enables entirely new strategies, tactics and associated risks. Likewise, AI has developed more sophisticated strategies for the games of chess and Go. And the scale of AI chatbots has changed the nature of propaganda by allowing artificial voices to overwhelm human speech.

    It is this “phase shift,” when changes in degree may transform into changes in kind, where AI’s impacts to society are likely to be most keenly felt. All of this points to the places that AI can have a positive impact. When a system has a bottleneck related to speed, scale, scope or sophistication, or when one of these factors poses a real barrier to being able to accomplish a goal, it makes sense to think about how AI could help.

    Equally, when speed, scale, scope and sophistication are not primary barriers, it makes less sense to use AI. This is why AI auto-suggest features for short communications such as text messages can feel so annoying. They offer little speed advantage and no benefit from sophistication, while sacrificing the sincerity of human communication.

    Many deployments of customer service chatbots also fail this test, which may explain their unpopularity. Companies invest in them because of their scalability, and yet the bots often become a barrier to support rather than a speedy or sophisticated problem solver.

    Where the advantage lies

    Keep this in mind when you encounter a new application for AI or consider AI as a replacement for or an augmentation to a human process. Looking for bottlenecks in speed, scale, scope and sophistication provides a framework for understanding where AI provides value, and equally where the unique capabilities of the human species give us an enduring advantage.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Will AI take your job? The answer could hinge on the 4 S’s of the technology’s advantages over humans – https://theconversation.com/will-ai-take-your-job-the-answer-could-hinge-on-the-4-ss-of-the-technologys-advantages-over-humans-258469

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Amidst regional conflict, the Strait of Hormuz remains critical oil chokepoint

    Source: US Energy Information Administration

    In-brief analysis

    June 16, 2025

    Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration analysis based on Vortexa tanker tracking
    Note: 1Q25=first quarter of 2025

    The Strait of Hormuz, located between Oman and Iran, connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The strait is deep enough and wide enough to handle the world’s largest crude oil tankers, and it is one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints. Large volumes of oil flow through the strait, and very few alternative options exist to move oil out of the strait if it is closed. In 2024, oil flow through the strait averaged 20 million barrels per day (b/d), or the equivalent of about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption. In the first quarter of 2025, total oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz remained relatively flat compared with 2024.

    Although we have not seen maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz blocked following recent tensions in the region, the price of Brent crude oil (a global benchmark) increased from $69 per barrel (b) on June 12 to $74/b on June 13. This piece highlights the importance of the strait to global oil supplies.

    Chokepoints are narrow channels along widely used global sea routes that are critical to global energy security. The inability of oil to transit a major chokepoint, even temporarily, can create substantial supply delays and raise shipping costs, potentially increasing world energy prices. Although most chokepoints can be circumvented by using other routes—often adding significantly to transit time—some chokepoints have no practical alternatives. Most volumes that transit the strait have no alternative means of exiting the region, although there are some pipeline alternatives that can avoid the Strait of Hormuz.

    Between 2022 and 2024, volumes of crude oil and condensate transiting the Strait of Hormuz declined by 1.6 million b/d, which were only partially offset by a 0.5-million b/d increase in petroleum product cargoes. The decline in oil transit through the strait partially reflects the OPEC+ decision to voluntarily cut crude oil production several times starting in November 2022, which lowered exports from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In addition, disruptions in 2024 to oil flows around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Arabian Sea to the Red Sea, led Saudi Arabia’s national oil company Aramco to shift seaborne crude oil flows from the Strait of Hormuz, instead sending it over land through its East-West pipeline to ports on the Red Sea. Also, more refining capacity in the Persian Gulf states increased regional demand for crude oil and shifted some flows to local markets within the Persian Gulf.

    Flows through the Strait of Hormuz in 2024 and the first quarter of 2025 made up more than one-quarter of total global seaborne oil trade and about one-fifth of global oil and petroleum product consumption. In addition, around one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas trade also transited the Strait of Hormuz in 2024, primarily from Qatar.

    Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook, June 2025, and U.S. Energy Information Administration analysis based on Vortexa tanker tracking
    Note: World maritime oil trade excludes intra-country volumes except those volumes that transit the Strait of Hormuz. LNG=liquefied natural gas. 1Q25=first quarter of 2025

    Based on tanker tracking data published by Vortexa, Saudi Arabia moves more crude oil and condensate through the Strait of Hormuz than any other country. In 2024, exports of crude and condensate from Saudi Arabia accounted for 38% of total Hormuz crude flows (5.5 million b/d).

    Alternative routes
    Saudi Arabia and the UAE have some infrastructure in place that can bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which may somewhat mitigate any transit disruptions through the strait. The pipelines do not typically operate at full capacity, and we estimate that about 2.6 million b/d of capacity from the Saudi and UAE pipelines could be available to bypass the Strait of Hormuz in the event of a supply disruption.

    Saudi Aramco operates the 5 million-b/d East-West crude oil pipeline, which runs from the Abqaiq oil processing center near the Persian Gulf to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea. Aramco temporarily expanded the pipeline’s capacity to 7.0 million b/d in 2019 when it converted some natural gas liquids pipelines to accept crude oil. In 2024, Saudi Arabia pumped more crude oil through the East-West pipeline to avoid the shipping disruptions around the Bab al-Mandeb.

    The UAE also operates a pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. This 1.8 million-b/d pipeline links onshore oil fields to the Fujairah export terminal in the Gulf of Oman. In 2024, crude oil and condensate volumes originating in the UAE and traversing Hormuz were 0.4 million b/d less than in 2022 because refinery upgrades allowed more heavy crude oil to be refined locally. These upgrades also allowed the UAE to increase exports of its lighter crude oil grades, and use of the pipeline to the Fujairah export terminal increased. Increased use of the pipeline for day-to-day operations has limited the excess capacity available to reroute additional volumes around the Strait of Hormuz.

    Iran inaugurated the Goreh-Jask pipeline and the Jask export terminal on the Gulf of Oman (avoiding the Strait of Hormuz) with a single export cargo in July 2021. The pipeline’s effective capacity remains around 300,000 b/d. However, during the summer of 2024 Iran exported less than 70,000 b/d from ports (Bandar-e-Jask and Kooh Mobarak) using the Goreh-Jask pipeline and stopped loading cargoes after September 2024.

    Destination markets
    We estimate that 84% of the crude oil and condensate and 83% of the liquefied natural gas that moved through the Strait of Hormuz went to Asian markets in 2024. China, India, Japan, and South Korea were the top destinations for crude oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz to Asia, accounting for a combined 69% of all Hormuz crude oil and condensate flows in 2024. These markets would likely be most affected by supply disruptions at Hormuz.

    Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration analysis based on Vortexa tanker tracking
    Note: 1Q25=first quarter of 2025

    In 2024, the United States imported about 0.5 million b/d of crude oil and condensate from Persian Gulf countries through the Strait of Hormuz, accounting for about 7% of total U.S. crude oil and condensate imports and 2% of U.S. petroleum liquids consumption. In 2024, U.S. crude oil imports from countries in the Persian Gulf were at the lowest level in nearly 40 years as domestic production and imports from Canada have increased.

    Principal contributors: Candace Dunn, Justine Barden

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Israel says Tehran residents to ‘pay price’ after Tel Aviv, Haifa attacks

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (2)

    srael and Iran kept up their attacks, killing and wounding civilians and raising concern among world leaders at a G7 meeting in Canada this week that the biggest battle between the two old enemies could lead to a broader regional conflict.

    The Iranian death toll in four days of Israeli strikes, carried out with the declared aim of wiping out Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, had reached at least 224, with 90% of the casualties reported to be civilians, an Iranian health ministry spokesperson said.

    Early on Monday, the Israeli military said it had detected more missiles launched from Iran towards Israel.

    “At this time, the (Israeli Air Force) is operating to intercept and strike where necessary to eliminate the threat,” the Israeli Defence Forces said. Live video footage showed several missiles over Tel Aviv and Reuters witnesses said explosions could be heard there and over Jerusalem.

    At least 10 people in Israel, including children, have been killed so far, according to authorities there.

    Group of Seven leaders began gathering in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday with the Israel-Iran conflict expected to be a top priority.

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his goals for the summit include for Iran to not develop or possess nuclear weapons, ensuring Israel’s right to defend itself, avoiding escalation of the conflict and creating room for diplomacy.

    “This issue will be very high on the agenda of the G7 summit,” Merz told reporters.

    Before leaving for the summit on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump was asked what he was doing to de-escalate the situation. “I hope there’s going to be a deal. I think it’s time for a deal,” he told reporters. “Sometimes they have to fight it out.”

    Iran has told mediators Qatar and Oman that it is not open to negotiating a ceasefire while it is under Israeli attack, an official briefed on the communications told Reuters on Sunday.

    FIRST DAYLIGHT ATTACK ON ISRAEL

    Explosions shook Tel Aviv on Sunday during Iran’s first daylight missile attack since Israel’s strike on Friday. Shortly after nightfall, Iranian missiles hit a residential street in Haifa, a mixed Jewish-Arab city, and in Israel’s south.

    In Bat Yam, a city near Tel Aviv, residents braced on Sunday evening for another sleepless night after an overnight strike on an apartment tower.

    “It’s very dreadful. It’s not fun. People are losing their lives and their homes,” said Shem, 29.

    Images from Tehran showed the night sky lit up by a huge blaze at a fuel depot after Israel began strikes against Iran’s oil and gas sector – raising the stakes for the global economy and the functioning of the Iranian state.

    Brent crude futures were up $1.04, or 1.4%, to $75.39 a barrel by 0115 GMT, having jumped as much as $4 earlier in the session. While the spike in oil prices has investors on edge, stock and currency markets were little moved in early trading in Asia on Monday.

    “It’s more of an oil story than an equity story at this point,” said Jim Carroll, senior wealth adviser and portfolio manager at Ballast Rock Private Wealth. “Stocks right now seem to be hanging on.”

    TRUMP VETOES PLAN TO TARGET KHAMENEI, OFFICIALS SAY

    In Washington, two U.S. officials told Reuters that Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

    When asked about the Reuters report, Netanyahu told Fox News on Sunday: “There’s so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I’m not going to get into that.”

    “We do what we need to do,” he told Fox’s “Special Report With Bret Baier.”

    Israel began the assault with a surprise attack on Friday that wiped out the top echelon of Iran’s military command and damaged its nuclear sites, and says the campaign will escalate in the coming days.

    The intelligence chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Kazemi, and his deputy were killed in attacks on Tehran on Sunday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said.

    Iran has vowed to “open the gates of hell” in retaliation.

    TRUMP WARNS IRAN NOT TO ATTACK

    Trump has lauded Israel’s offensive while denying Iranian allegations that the U.S. has taken part and warning Tehran not to widen its retaliation to include U.S. targets.

    Two U.S. officials said on Friday the U.S. military had helped shoot down Iranian missiles that were headed toward Israel.

    The U.S. president has repeatedly said Iran could end the war by agreeing to tough restrictions on its nuclear program, which Iran says is for peaceful purposes but which Western countries and the IAEA nuclear watchdog say could be used to make an atomic bomb.

    The latest round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.S., due on Sunday, was scrapped after Tehran said it would not negotiate while under Israeli attack.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Amo Leads Introduction of Bipartisan, Bicameral Resolution to Help Veteran Mental Health by Establishing “Vets Get Outside Day

    Source: US Congressman Gabe Amo (Rhode Island 1st District)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI) and Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) introduced a resolution to establish “Vets Get Outside Day” to support veterans struggling with mental health challenges. Nearly 460,000 veterans were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries between 2020 and 2022, and there were 6,146 veteran suicide deaths in 2020.

    U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Angus King (I-ME) introduced a companion resolution in the Senate.

    “Veterans were willing to lay it all on the line for our country, but service often comes with sacrifice,” said Congressman Amo. “Many veterans struggle with their mental health. Getting outside in a meaningful way can help ease the transition back to civilian life, which is why I am proud to work alongside colleagues in both the Senate and the House to introduce a bipartisan resolution designating June 14th, 2025, as Veterans Get Outside Day, and encouraging veterans to experience all the natural beauty Rhode Island has to offer.”

    “Resuming civilian life can be isolating. When veterans stay active and connected with their community, their mental health and quality of life improve. That is what today is all about,”said Senator Cassidy.

    “From beach walks on the rocky coast to a challenging hike in the woods, Maine’s extraordinary outdoor spaces can bring moments of calm during the most difficult times,” said Senator King. “I hope that ‘Vets Get Outside Day’ will encourage Maine veterans to find a relaxing outdoor space that helps them process their daily stressors. It’s a simple way to promote two of Maine’s greatest treasures — the great outdoors and our brave veterans.”

    “Veterans have sacrificed so much for our country, and many face unique, lifelong health challenges as a result of their service. As a Marine veteran, I know firsthand how healing simply spending time outdoors can be. The moments where I can go on a long run or spend time on the water are sacred,” said Congressman Moulton. “I’m proud to partner with my House and Senate colleagues to designate Vets Get Outside Day. This is a great way to remind every veteran to do something healing for themselves; and it’s another important step toward destigmatizing the national conversation around mental health. We are all in this together, and together we can build a community that leads the way on changing how we talk about mental health.”

    Veterans in crisis can dial 9-8-8 and then press 1 to be connected with the Veterans Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
     

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AMERICA/NICARAGUA – “President of Peace”: Violeta Chamorro, dies in exile

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Monday, 16 June 2025

    Twitter

    Managua (Agenzia Fides) – She marked the history of her country as a symbol of democracy. Violeta Barrios de Chamorro was the woman who defeated Ortega in Nicaragua and the first woman elected President in the Americas on April 25, 1990.”My heartfelt memory, my gratitude, and my prayers go out to Doña Violeta. She was a woman of integrity, courage, and faith. She now lives forever in the heart of God, in whom she believed and whom she loved. My condolences go out to her children and her entire family in this time of mourning. Thank you, Doña Violeta!” said the Auxiliary Bishop of Managua, Silvio José Báez, who lives in exile between Rome, Madrid, and Miami (see Fides, 22/6/2020).She took over a country ravaged by war and divided between the Sandinistas and the opposition. That year, Nicaragua suffered more than 50,000 deaths in the war between the so-called Contras and the army, as well as severe economic bankruptcy. “Doña Violeta” ruled from 1990 to 1997. Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, known in Central America as the “President of Peace,” died last Saturday, June 14, 2025, in exile in San José, Costa Rica, leaving a sign and a light that will forever reflect democracy in Nicaragua. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 16/6/2025)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: AMERICA/NICARAGUA – “President of Peace”: Violeta Chamorro, dies in exile

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Monday, 16 June 2025

    Twitter

    Managua (Agenzia Fides) – She marked the history of her country as a symbol of democracy. Violeta Barrios de Chamorro was the woman who defeated Ortega in Nicaragua and the first woman elected President in the Americas on April 25, 1990.”My heartfelt memory, my gratitude, and my prayers go out to Doña Violeta. She was a woman of integrity, courage, and faith. She now lives forever in the heart of God, in whom she believed and whom she loved. My condolences go out to her children and her entire family in this time of mourning. Thank you, Doña Violeta!” said the Auxiliary Bishop of Managua, Silvio José Báez, who lives in exile between Rome, Madrid, and Miami (see Fides, 22/6/2020).She took over a country ravaged by war and divided between the Sandinistas and the opposition. That year, Nicaragua suffered more than 50,000 deaths in the war between the so-called Contras and the army, as well as severe economic bankruptcy. “Doña Violeta” ruled from 1990 to 1997. Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, known in Central America as the “President of Peace,” died last Saturday, June 14, 2025, in exile in San José, Costa Rica, leaving a sign and a light that will forever reflect democracy in Nicaragua. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 16/6/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AMERICA/CHILE – Curacautín, arson attack: San Francisco chapel destroyed again

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Monday, 16 June 2025

    Diocesi Temuco

    Santiago de Chile (Agenzia Fides) – “With deep sorrow”, the Diocese of Temuco joins the Catholic community of Curacautín, where “another arson attack has devastated the San Francisco chapel, in the town of Radalco”. What happened in recent days, in the middle of the night, is the second attack on the chapel of the parish of San Pedro de Curacautín: already in 2023, in fact, the structure had been destroyed and immediately rebuilt, but now only ashes remain of this place of worship.In response to this latest act of violence, according to a statement released by the diocese, Bishop Jorge Concha Cayuqueo has expressed his closeness, inviting all believers to join in prayer for peace: “The fire at the San Francisco Chapel is a serious blow to the life of the Christian community and the local people, because it is a place of worship for Catholics for many years and because the chapel has also served the entire community in many ways, regardless of religious beliefs.”“This is a very hard-working community that had united in recent months to rebuild its chapel. Today, once again, they suffer a total loss. But we trust in faith”, said the parish priest of Curacautín, Father Víctor Núñez.The area of Temuco is at the center of the so-called “Mapuche conflict”, a conflict between the Mapuche communities and the Chilean state. The origin of the conflict are issues related to land, autonomy and indigenous culture. The statement released by the diocese concludes with a call for peace: “We raise our voice to reject all acts of violence that threaten spaces of faith, encounter, and prayer. We call on the entire diocesan community and people of good will to join in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Radalco, for peace in Araucanía and for the mutual respect that allows us to live together in fraternity. May Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of this chapel, intercede for his community and inspire us with his spirit of peace, reconciliation and love for all creation”. (Agenzia Fides, 16/6/2025)

    Diocesi Temuco

    Diocesi Temuco

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: AMERICA/CHILE – Curacautín, arson attack: San Francisco chapel destroyed again

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Monday, 16 June 2025

    Diocesi Temuco

    Santiago de Chile (Agenzia Fides) – “With deep sorrow”, the Diocese of Temuco joins the Catholic community of Curacautín, where “another arson attack has devastated the San Francisco chapel, in the town of Radalco”. What happened in recent days, in the middle of the night, is the second attack on the chapel of the parish of San Pedro de Curacautín: already in 2023, in fact, the structure had been destroyed and immediately rebuilt, but now only ashes remain of this place of worship.In response to this latest act of violence, according to a statement released by the diocese, Bishop Jorge Concha Cayuqueo has expressed his closeness, inviting all believers to join in prayer for peace: “The fire at the San Francisco Chapel is a serious blow to the life of the Christian community and the local people, because it is a place of worship for Catholics for many years and because the chapel has also served the entire community in many ways, regardless of religious beliefs.”“This is a very hard-working community that had united in recent months to rebuild its chapel. Today, once again, they suffer a total loss. But we trust in faith”, said the parish priest of Curacautín, Father Víctor Núñez.The area of Temuco is at the center of the so-called “Mapuche conflict”, a conflict between the Mapuche communities and the Chilean state. The origin of the conflict are issues related to land, autonomy and indigenous culture. The statement released by the diocese concludes with a call for peace: “We raise our voice to reject all acts of violence that threaten spaces of faith, encounter, and prayer. We call on the entire diocesan community and people of good will to join in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Radalco, for peace in Araucanía and for the mutual respect that allows us to live together in fraternity. May Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of this chapel, intercede for his community and inspire us with his spirit of peace, reconciliation and love for all creation”. (Agenzia Fides, 16/6/2025)

    Diocesi Temuco

    Diocesi Temuco

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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI: Athene Announces Key Leadership Appointments Aligned with Five-Year Growth Plan

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Company Veteran Grant Kvalheim Named Chief Executive

    Jim Belardi Named Executive Chair, Will Continue to Serve as CIO

    Mike Downing and Sean Brennan Named Co-Presidents of Athene USA

    WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, June 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Athene, the leading retirement services company and subsidiary of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE:APO), announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed Grant Kvalheim as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2025. Kvalheim, a 14-year veteran of Athene, most recently served as President, with responsibility for running the company’s U.S. operations, as well as growth initiatives. Jim Belardi, Co-founder, was named Executive Chairman and will remain Chief Investment Officer.

    Athene also announced that Mike Downing and Sean Brennan will be elevated to Co-Presidents of Athene USA. Downing will continue to serve as Athene’s Chief Operating Officer while Brennan will serve as Athene’s Chief Commercial Officer. Downing and Brennan will build upon Athene’s significant growth to date and drive plans to increase financial security for individuals and serve as a solutions provider to corporations.

    These appointments represent a natural evolution in Athene’s leadership and are aligned with the company’s ambitious five-year growth plan as announced at its 2024 Investor Day. To capitalize on the significant market opportunities ahead and drive growth, the company continuously works to elevate and align leaders both in senior leadership and next generation roles.

    Belardi said, “There is no one better positioned than Grant to lead the company through its next phase of growth. Grant, Mike and Sean have been instrumental to Athene’s tremendous success to date, and our market leadership directly reflects their efforts to grow our business by expanding distribution, creating best-in-class product offerings and establishing us as a partner of choice. My partnership with Grant has been critical to Athene’s success and I am pleased it will continue.”  

    Kvalheim said, “There is a massive opportunity ahead for Athene, driven by the growing retirement crisis in the U.S. and the need for guaranteed lifetime income. I look forward to leading Athene as our team meets this unprecedented need by expanding market share, prioritizing innovation, entering new markets and accelerating growth in the defined contribution channel. Athene is uniquely positioned to help an even greater number of people build remarkable retirements.”

    Kvalheim joined Athene in 2011 and has served as President since April 2022, leading its U.S operating companies with a focus on growing organic origination. Prior to joining Athene, Kvalheim was Co-President of Barclays Capital where he grew the European investment grade credit business into a leading global credit franchise across both securitized and non-securitized credit products. Prior to joining Barclays, he held senior executive positions in the investment banks of Deutsche Bank and Merrill Lynch.

    Since joining Athene in 2015, Downing has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Actuary and was elevated to Chief Operating Officer in January 2022. Before joining Athene, Downing held senior executive roles at The Allstate Corporation from 2008-2015. Previously, Downing was a Senior Partner at Aon Hewitt, leading the International Consulting practice following assignments in the UK and Switzerland.

    Brennan joined Athene in 2017 and has served as an Executive Vice President since 2020, with responsibility for various retirement services and reinsurance efforts. Prior to joining Athene, he served as Global Pensions Director for Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., and previously spent 14 years with Mercer, most recently as Partner in its Financial Strategy group.

    About Athene

    Athene is the leading retirement services company with over $380 billion of total assets as of March 31, 2025, and operations in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, and Japan. Athene is focused on providing financial security to individuals by offering an attractive suite of retirement income and savings products and also serves as a solutions provider to corporations. For more information, please visit www.athene.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains, and certain oral statements made by Athene’s representatives from time to time may contain, forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results, events and developments to differ materially from those set forth in, or implied by, such statements. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of Athene’s management and the management of Athene’s subsidiaries. Generally, forward-looking statements include actions, events, results, strategies and expectations and are often identifiable by use of the words “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “projects,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “might,” “should,” or “continues” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements within this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future growth prospects and financial performance. Although Athene management believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties related to Athene’s forward-looking statements, see its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, which can be found at the SEC’s website www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements described herein are qualified by these cautionary statements and there can be no assurance that the actual results, events or developments referenced herein will occur or be realized. Athene does not undertake any obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results.

    Contact:

    Jeanne Hess
    VP, External Relations
    +1 646 768 7319
    jeanne.hess@athene.com

    The MIL Network –