NewzIntel.com

Category: Americas

  • MIL-OSI China: Small parcels rule exemption gives respite to US customers

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

    The U.S. Commerce Department is seen in Washington, D.C., the United States, April 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    US customers of Chinese online discount retailers such as Shein and Temu have got a respite from high prices with a reduction in duties on smaller packages.

    The administration of United States President Donald Trump announced on Monday it would reduce tariffs on low-cost packages from China that fall under the de minimis exemption — from 120 percent to 54 percent.

    The de minimis tax law is a loophole that allows low-cost parcels to enter the US duty-free and avoid customs inspections if they have a retail value under $800. The announcement was made on the same weekend when the US and China paused higher tariffs on each other for 90 days.

    A flat fee of $100 will remain on parcels starting Wednesday, while the $200 charge that was to be imposed from next month was canceled.

    Z. John Zhang, a professor of marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, told China Daily that Shein and Temu have become popular with US shoppers “because they get the order and then produce it”, allowing them to be “fast, low-cost and have a lot of choices”.

    The move is widely seen as another step in de-escalating trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. It will also enable the companies to import more goods amid the pause.

    “This is great for Shein and Temu, if nothing else, to replenish their US inventory,” Yao Jin, an associate professor of supply chain management at Miami University of Ohio, told USA Today.

    Estimates by Baird Equity Research suggest that in 2018, at least 75 percent of all the packages that entered the US under de minimis were from China. Today, it is more than 60 percent.

    In February, Trump suspended the rule for China by imposing a tax of 120 percent of the package’s value or a planned flat fee of $200.

    The administration initially described it as a “critical step in countering the ongoing health emergency posed by the illicit flow of synthetic opioids into the US”.

    However, the pause sparked confusion as the US Postal Service said on Feb 5 that it would stop accepting parcels from China temporarily. It reversed course 12 hours later, and the service was resumed.

    The Trump administration then delayed the implementation of the rule until the Commerce Department could set up a system to process inspections and levies on the shipments.

    Sufficient systems

    Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed to the administration last month that sufficient systems were in place to collect tariff revenue.

    On April 2, the so-called Liberation Day, Trump signed an executive order to eliminate de minimis for China.

    In fiscal year 2024, at least 1.36 billion shipments utilized de minimis, an increase of 637 million compared with 2020, according to US Customs and Border Protection.

    In 2018, Chinese exports under de minimis were worth $5.3 billion, but rose to $66 billion in 2023, the Congressional Research Service found. Much of the parcels are shipped directly from China to the customer.

    It could have cost US consumers between $11 billion and $13 billion if the rule was eliminated, according to the paper “The Value of De Minimis Imports” by the Department of Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Yale University.

    Zhang, from the University of Pennsylvania, who helps companies on pricing strategies, market entry and channel and retail management, had warned that Temu and Shein might have to adjust their business models if de minimis ended.

    He advised that the way they can keep US-based customers, despite any higher fees, is to keep the ethos of fast fashion alive — such as providing low-cost goods, using automation and shifting more production to the US.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China, LatAm brewing stronger coffee biz ties

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

    Agricultural trade and economic ties between China and Latin American countries are deepening, exemplified by Chinese tea and ice cream chain Mixue Group’s 4-billion-yuan ($555.4 million) deal with a Brazilian business on Monday.

    Industry leaders and experts also said they see vast potential for high-value, sustainable cooperation, as closer trade continues to bring a broader range of quality produce to Chinese consumers and enrich the country’s dining tables.

    An MoU was signed on Monday between Mixue and Brazilian trade and investment promotion agency ApexBrasil to deepen cooperation in agricultural trade and accelerate the former’s market entry into the South American country.

    Under the agreement, Mixue will expand the use of Brazilian agricultural products in its global supply chain, such as coffee beans and fruit products, and ApexBrasil will provide support for the company’s business operations and retail expansion in Brazil.

    Mixue plans to invest no less than 4 billion yuan in sourcing agricultural products, primarily coffee beans, from Brazil over the next three to five years.

    The initiative is expected to create around 25,000 jobs in Brazil. Mixue will also open its first store in Brazil this year and begin construction of a local supply chain facility to establish a production and sales model.

    Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, plays a major part in China’s agricultural imports. Coffee has become a key component of Sino-Brazilian trade, particularly amid the rising popularity of ready-to-drink coffee in China.

    Brazil’s coffee exports to China have seen particularly strong momentum. The Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council said Brazilian coffee exports to China surged 186.1 percent year-on-year in the 2023-24 crop year to reach 1.64 million 60 kilogram-bags — the fastest growth among all destination markets — while overall coffee exports from Brazil rose 32.7 percent to a new record high.

    “Latin American coffee — particularly Brazilian beans — is showing strong growth potential in the Chinese market,” said Roolee Lu, director of food and drink, and food services, Mintel China. “As Chinese consumers become more sophisticated in their coffee preferences, quality is taking precedence. At the same time as more brands adopt low-price strategies, Brazilian beans are one of the emerging popular choices that strike a balance between convenience, quality and affordability. Overall, Latin American coffee is gaining wider recognition in China for its value and improving quality.”

    Surging demand for the beans comes from the up-scaling of global operations for Mixue, which launched its ground coffee brand in 2017. The company, which currently operates more than 46,000 stores globally — including over 5,000 across 12 overseas markets — began international expansion with its first store in 2018 in Vietnam.

    In addition, Guo Jinyi, co-founder and CEO of Luckin Coffee, said while attending the China-Brazil Business Seminar in Beijing on Monday that the coffee house is promoting Brazilian coffee culture in China.

    Luckin Coffee, which had already signed a cooperation memorandum with ApexBrasil in November, plans to purchase 240,000 metric tons of Brazilian coffee beans worth 10 billion yuan in the 2025-29 period — the largest procurement plan by the company so far.

    “Brazil is a major agricultural powerhouse, and our collaboration reflects the strong complementarity between Chinese demand and Brazilian supply,” Guo said.

    “We aim to introduce high-quality Brazilian coffee to our 355 million users and build Luckin Coffee into a platform for Sino-Brazilian cultural exchange.”

    Bilateral trade between China and Latin America continues to grow steadily. According to the General Administration of Customs, trade between the two sides reached $518.47 billion in 2024, a 6 percent year-on-year increase. Imports from Latin America surged 46 percent over the past five years to $241.3 billion, reflecting China’s rising demand for high-quality, value-added goods.

    Latin American agricultural products are increasingly present on Chinese dining tables. Imports of Chilean cherries, Ecuadorian bananas, Nicaraguan honey and Honduran white shrimp have surged in recent years.

    During the recent Spring Festival, a period noted for increased fruit consumption and a tradition of gifting cherries, high-end cherry varieties from Chile saw record sales in China. Chile has become China’s second-largest supplier of fresh fruits. According to ProChile’s data, cherry exports for 2024 totaled $3.09 billion, with more than 90 percent destined for the Chinese market.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Release of the Financial Stability Report

    Source: Bank of Canada

    Good morning. Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Rogers and I are pleased to be here to discuss the Bank of Canada’s Financial Stability Report (FSR).

    Each year, the Bank assesses the stability of Canada’s financial system and highlights risks that could threaten that stability. While some risks have diminished, the current trade environment has pushed risks higher overall.

    But let us look back for a minute before we look ahead.

    The country’s financial system has faced unprecedented shocks in recent years, and it has proven resilient. Households, businesses, banks and other financial institutions weathered the upheaval of the pandemic and the sharp rise in inflation and interest rates that followed. It was a difficult period for many Canadians, and pockets of stress remain. But proactive steps taken by households and businesses, together with substantially lower interest rates, put the system on a more resilient footing heading into 2025.

    Now, the Canadian economy and financial system face a new threat. US trade policy has taken a dramatic protectionist shift. Tariffs and uncertainty have sharply reduced prospects for global economic growth. And financial markets have been rocked by chaotic policy announcements and reversals.

    A long-lasting trade war poses the greatest threat to the Canadian economy. It also increases risks to financial stability.

    There are two key concerns.

    In the near term, the unpredictability of US trade policy could cause further market volatility and strains on liquidity. In an extreme case, market volatility could turn into market dysfunction.

    In the medium term, a prolonged global trade war would have severe economic consequences. It would reduce growth and increase unemployment. This could, in turn, have important ramifications for our financial system. With debt still at high levels, some households and businesses may be unable to keep up with payments. If loan losses occur on a large enough scale, banks could cut back on lending in response. This would exacerbate the economic downturn and put more pressure on businesses and households.

    What we are evaluating in this report are the indications of stress in the overall financial system. There are many uncertainties—we still do not know what tariffs will remain, whether they’ll be reduced or escalated, or how long all of this will last. That makes it particularly difficult to anticipate the risks to the financial system.

    In our April Monetary Policy Report, we presented two illustrative scenarios to show how a trade war could affect the economy. In the FSR, we’ve focused on the more severe of those scenarios to explore how the trade war could affect different parts of the financial system. To be clear, our analysis is not a projection. It is an assessment of vulnerabilities—pockets of existing or potential stress and how they could spread across the financial system.

    Let me turn to the Senior Deputy Governor to outline how these vulnerabilities affect the four key sectors of the financial system: households, businesses, banks and institutions known as non-bank financial intermediaries—a broad category including finance companies, pension funds, insurance companies and fund managers.

    I’ll start with households. Total debt relative to disposable income is lower than it was a year ago, but still high by historical standards. Despite lower interest rates, signs of financial stress have risen over the past 12 months, particularly among households without a mortgage. For example, the share of these households that are behind on credit card or auto loan payments has continued to go up.

    Among households with a mortgage, 60% are facing renewal this year or in 2026. Most of those renewing will see their payments rise because they took out their mortgage during the pandemic when rates were very low. But the average increase will be smaller than what we expected a year ago.

    Still, if a large economic shock causes job losses, it will be harder for some households to keep up with their debt payments.

    A prolonged trade war may be that shock. It would cause demand for Canadian exports to fall and disrupt supply chains, threatening jobs and incomes. Workers in trade-dependent industries could find it particularly difficult to continue managing their debt.

    A prolonged trade war would matter for businesses too. Most Canadian businesses have managed to adjust to past interest rate increases, and the surge in small business insolvencies last year proved to be temporary. But businesses in trade-related sectors—especially those with high debt, low profitability or low cash reserves—could also fall behind on debt payments.

    A strength of our financial system is that Canadian banks are well positioned to absorb higher credit losses. Banks have increased their capital buffers in recent years and, more recently, they’ve increased provisions for credit losses, bolstering their resilience. Liquidity levels remain high, and bank access to funding remains strong. But if credit losses occur on a large enough scale, banks could cut back on lending in response. Struggling households and businesses would have less access to credit to get through tough times. This cycle could exacerbate the economic downturn.

    In the non-bank financial sector, the growing presence of hedge funds in the market for Government of Canada bonds raises some concern. Government bond markets are the foundation of the financial system. They need to function smoothly for other markets to work. The increased activity by hedge funds has helped absorb increased issuance of government debt, keeping yields lower and liquidity higher. But hedge funds have also taken on increasingly large amounts of leverage to fund their purchases of government bonds. This makes them more likely to pull back from these crucial markets in periods of stress, introducing added volatility.

    The recent gyrations in the US Treasury market clearly illustrated this risk. If the trade war causes a larger spike in volatility than we have seen so far, leveraged hedge funds might rush to sell their holdings. That could strain liquidity across core markets, increasing stress throughout the financial system. Moreover, growing connections between banks and non-bank financial institutions could make it easier for stress to spread. Against a backdrop of increased market volatility, and given their importance in government bond markets, hedge funds need to make sure that they are prepared to respond to sudden liquidity needs without disrupting market functioning.

    It’s time to wrap up.

    The Canadian financial system is resilient. Despite high indebtedness and the economic turbulence of the pandemic, households, businesses and banks weathered a rapid rise in interest rates. That was a big test, and the financial system proved to be a source of stability.

    But we must all remain vigilant. Vulnerabilities remain and there is another test on the horizon.

    By identifying vulnerabilities, we can help the financial system prepare for future stress. We are watching developments closely and remain in regular contact with financial system participants and with other authorities in Canada and globally. A stable and resilient financial system absorbs shocks rather than amplifying them, and this benefits every Canadian.

    With that, the Governor and I would be pleased to take your questions.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Bank of Canada Media Interview – Wall St. Journal

    Source: Bank of Canada

    The Canadian economy ended 2024 in a strong position. However, the trade conflict and tariffs are expected to slow growth and add to price pressures. The outlook is very uncertain because of the unpredictability of US trade policy and the magnitude of its impact on the Canadian economy.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Release of the 2024 Bank of Canada FMI Oversight Activities Annual Report

    Source: Bank of Canada

    The Bank of Canada today published the Bank of Canada Oversight Activities for Financial Market Infrastructures 2024 Annual Report. The Report reviews the Bank’s oversight of designated clearing and settlement systems, also known as financial market infrastructures (FMIs).

    The Bank has a mandate to ensure that designated FMIs are following sound risk management practices. The Report, which outlines how the Bank fulfills this mandate, provides stakeholders with information about:

    • the Bank’s approach to oversight of FMIs
    • improvements that designated FMIs made to their risk management practices in 2024
    • ongoing and new expectations set by the Bank for designated FMIs to enhance their risk management practices in 2025 and beyond

    Throughout the year, designated FMIs continued to make progress on key priorities, including modernization initiatives. In addition, they improved their risk management practices, addressing gaps the Bank had previously identified.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Additional amendments to election legislation: Minister Amery

    Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Joins Push Urging Trump Administration to Reverse Plans to Eliminate Consumer Product Safety Commission

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
    Getting Rid Of This Commission Will Make Everyday Products More Dangerous For Americans
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined a letter urging Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to reverse plans to eliminate the bipartisan, independent Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC is the only government entity tasked with developing and enforcing product safety standards, facilitating recalls of unsafe products, and educating consumers and businesses about product hazards and best practices. The proposal to absorb some of CPSC’s core functions into a nonexistent division within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as the Department’s budget is being cut, is unrealistic and threatens public safety.
    “Since its inception, the CPSC has played a vital role safeguarding American families, and in particular infants, children, and older Americans. Thanks to the CPSC’s critical work, residential fires and fire-related deaths have decreased by over 40 percent. Crib deaths and child poisonings have dropped by 80 percent. The Commission’s work continues today, identifying emerging threats and protecting Americans from dangerous and banned imported products,” the Members wrote.
    “With the rapid growth of e-commerce and imported consumer products, especially from countries with less stringent safety regulations, CPSC plays a critical role to prevent unsafe and counterfeit goods from entering the U.S. market unchecked…We strongly oppose any attempt to eliminate, defund, or weaken the CPSC and demand that you immediately roll back any efforts to dissolve the agency. Americans rightfully expect that the products they bring into their home are safe, and only the CPSC has the authority and expertise to ensure that expectation is met,” the Members concluded.
    The full letter can be found HERE.
    Senator Rosen has worked to protect American consumers. Just this year, Senator Rosen was part of a letter pressing the Trump Administration on how mass firings at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will hurt Nevada families. She’s also introduced legislation to crack down on price gouging by corporate investors who are driving up housing prices. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Questions HHS Secretary Kennedy on Cuts to NIH Research, Alzheimer’s Program Workforce

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
    Q&A on NIH Research Indirect Costs Cap: Click HERE to watch and HERE to download
    Q&A on Alzheimer’s Law Implementation: Click HERE to watch and HERE to download
    Washington, D.C. – Today, at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to review the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Senator Susan Collins questioned HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Her questions focused on the Department’s proposed cap on indirect costs for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research, as well as how workforce reductions at the Department could harm the implementation of laws such as the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Reauthorization Act, a bill Senator Collins authored that was signed into law last year.
    Q&A on NIH Research Indirect Costs Cap
    Senator Collins:
    I chaired, recently, the first Appropriations Committee hearing of the year, and we focused on biomedical research and how important it is that America not lose its global edge in innovation that’s producing life-saving and life-enhancing discoveries. Among the many issues that we covered, as you might expect, the hearing explored the 15%, arbitrary, one-size-fits-all cap that NIH has imposed on indirect, but still research-related, costs for its grants.
    What we heard is that this cap will mean less basic research, fewer clinical trials, and that it will also cause our scientists and researchers to leave the United States and go to other countries. I believe strongly that this proposed cap is poorly thought out, that it’s harmful, and I know that it violates current law, because since 2018 we’ve included in the appropriations bill specific language that prevents NIH from imposing such a cap. So, I know the system needs to be looked at, but are you reviewing how NIH’s approach of this one-size-fits-all 15% cap on indirect costs would affect laboratories, whether they’re private nonprofit labs, or whether they’re in universities, as far as doing crucial biomedical research?
    Secretary Kennedy:
    Senator, we are, and you and I have talked about this issue. And I think the impetus for the cap was that there were a lot of private universities with giant endowments, like Stanford and Harvard, that were getting indirect payments of 78%. What that means, if you get a million-dollar grant, the NIH then has to pay you an extra $780,000 for administrative costs. And a lot of those costs weren’t even going to anything to do with science.
    But I understand the University of Maine, the University of Alabama, many other universities and state universities were not abusing it. We lost about $9 billion a year in those kinds of costs. And so, we have a plan for how to address issues like what’s happening at the University of Maine.
    Q&A on Alzheimer’s Law Implementation
    Senator Collins:
    Mr. Secretary, nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and caring for people with this devastating chronic disease costs us some $360 billion a year. I am the author of a law that’s known as the BOLD Act. It takes a public health approach to Alzheimer’s, it educates providers, promotes earlier diagnosis, it helps caregivers and it also promotes lifestyle changes. I have worked very hard to make sure that HHS has the resources to carry out this law, which was just recently extended. I’m concerned that the reductions in force, of approximately 10,000 staff across HHS, will completely undermine this Act.
    For example, the Healthy Aging Branch administers the BOLD Act for Alzheimer’s. It has lost all of its staff. So, how can you ensure that the CDC continues to implement the BOLD Act and the Alzheimer’s programs under it, when all of the staff responsible for that administration have either been placed on administrative leave or let go?
    Secretary Kennedy:
    I know that that division has been folded into the Agency for a Healthy America. And a lot of the reports that whole divisions have been liquidated were just wrong. They were divisions that were being reassigned under the reorg.
    On that budget line, I will work with you, I’m committed. You know, Alzheimer’s has run in my family, as you know. You know my cousin, Maria Shriver, who’s deeply involved in it. The NIH had a very, very checkered history on studying Alzheimer’s because of the amyloid plaque scandal. And we have an opportunity now to do really good science and find a cure very quickly, and also find out, equally importantly, why so many people are getting Alzheimer’s in this generation. I want to make that happen. I want to work with you, Senator, to make sure that that happens and that those programs continue.
    +++
    At a recent U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing chaired by Senator Susan Collins, she questioned Dr. Hermann Haller, President of the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, on how the proposed NIH cap on indirect costs would affect the important biomedical research occurring in Maine and at institutions across the country.
    With Senator Collins’ support, funding for the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act has grown from $10 million in fiscal year 2020 to $34 million in fiscal year 2024. In September 2020, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services received one of the first BOLD Program Awards. This investment has allowed for great progress in implementing the Maine State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias. In September 2023, Maine received a second BOLD award from the CDC for Alzheimer’s prevention programs, which provides implementation funding to build on its initial investments and allow the state to carry out the Maine Alzheimer’s Prevention Program and the CDC’s Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: How China, LAC countries bolster shared development, boost Global South unity

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum and delivers a keynote speech at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2025. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping announced on Tuesday the launch of five major programs to advance China’s shared development and revitalization with Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries at the just concluded fourth ministerial meeting of a key cooperation platform for the two sides in Beijing.

    A container with the words “from Chancay to Shanghai” printed on it is pictured at Yangshan Port, east China’s Shanghai, Dec. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

    The five programs, ranging from solidarity, development and civilization to peace and people-to-people connectivity, provide a clear roadmap for deepening cooperation and advancing the common goals of both sides.

    Over the past decade since the China-CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum was established, political trust between China and LAC countries has been strengthened, their development strategies aligned, and cultural exchanges promoted.

    FROM SAPLING TO PILLAR

    The seeds of the forum were sown in July 2014, when President Xi paid a state visit to Brazil and attended the first meeting between leaders of China and LAC countries.

    At that meeting in Brasilia almost 11 years ago, the leaders agreed to establish the China-CELAC Forum, an institutional framework to advance the vision of building a China-LAC community with a shared future.

    “At that meeting, President Xi held a very frank dialogue with Latin American leaders, focusing on issues such as poverty alleviation and infrastructure improvement,” recalled Valdemar Carneiro Leao, who witnessed the historic event as then Brazilian ambassador to China.

    “The China-CELAC Forum is a newborn, just like a young shoot sprouting out of the earth, whose sturdy growth into a towering tree needs meticulous cultivation of both sides,” Xi said at the first ministerial meeting of the forum in 2015.

    In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the forum on Tuesday, Xi revisited the metaphor, saying that 10 years on, with dedicated nurturing of both sides, the forum has grown from a tender sapling into a towering tree.

    Having witnessed how China-LAC relations have withstood global turbulence with ever-growing mutual political trust, Leao said Xi’s initiative to create the China-CELAC Forum has a forward-looking vision of the times.

    Since its inception, the forum has grown into a robust platform for cooperation as China and the CELAC Quartet have held eight rounds of foreign ministerial dialogues to date, alongside more than 100 events spanning agricultural production, technological innovation, poverty reduction, green development, disaster response, defense cooperation, think tank exchanges and anti-corruption efforts.

    Meanwhile, a range of institutional platforms, including the China-LAC Sustainable Food Innovation Center and the China-LAC Technology Transfer Center, have also taken root, helping the forum become a pillar of China-LAC cooperation.

    “China-LAC cooperation has experienced a splendid golden decade, and is about to enter an even more promising diamond decade,” said Song Junying, director of the Department for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the China Institute of International Studies.

    COMMON GROWTH, SHARED FUTURE

    An electric and combustion dual-power train manufactured by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) Qingdao Sifang Co., Ltd. awaits departure at the central station in Santiago, Chile, Jan. 19, 2024. (Photo by Jorge Villegas/Xinhua)

    China and LAC countries ride the tide of progress together to pursue win-win cooperation, Xi said on Tuesday, noting that while embracing the trend of economic globalization, the two sides have deepened cooperation in trade, investment, finance, science and technology, infrastructure, among other fields.

    In the framework of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, China and LAC countries have implemented more than 200 infrastructure projects, creating over a million jobs and forging a path of cooperation bridging the Pacific.

    Notable examples include the China-LAC satellite cooperation program, which has become a model for high-tech South-South collaboration and the inauguration of Chancay Port in Peru, which has created a new land-and-sea connectivity link between Asia and Latin America.

    China has also signed free trade agreements with Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Nicaragua. Last year, trade between China and LAC countries exceeded 500 billion U.S. dollars for the first time, an increase of over 40 times from the beginning of this century.

    For ordinary people like Leonardo Talledos, an operations control engineer for Colombia’s Bogota Metro Line 1, the significance of China-LAC cooperation today goes far beyond trade figures and project counts — it shapes his career and supports his aspirations.

    Built and operated by Chinese companies, Bogota Metro Line 1 is Colombia’s largest infrastructure project to date. Once operational in 2028, it will cut travel time between terminal stations from nearly three hours to just 27 minutes.

    In 2023, Talledos traveled to Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, for a year-long training program in metro operations, where he witnessed the rapid development of China’s urban transit systems. Inspired by the experience, he returned to Colombia to help compile training materials and operational guidelines for the metro line.

    Trainees from Bogota pose for a group photo during the commencement of a metro operation training program in Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, Nov. 12, 2024. (Xinhua)

    “From the moment we were hired, we were told that being part of this project was being part of Bogota’s history, because it was the beginning, the first line of many lines to come in the future,” said Talledos.

    GREATER SOLIDARITY, BIGGER VOICE

    As part of the Year of the Snake celebrations, Brazilian soprano Marilia Vargas gave a moving performance of the Chinese song “I Love You, China” at Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Theater. Dressed in a flowing red gown, her voice echoed powerfully throughout the hall.

    Vargas, who has learned many Chinese songs in recent years, said her bond with China has deepened alongside the growth of the China-CELAC Forum. “Since the forum’s foundation, many more opportunities for cultural exchange between LAC countries and China have opened up.”

    She told Xinhua that in the future, she will continue to “explore more Chinese musical treasures” and remain dedicated to advancing cultural exchanges between China and Brazil as well as between China and other LAC countries.

    Over the past decade, cultural exchanges under the China-CELAC Forum have flourished. Joint archaeological projects have yielded substantial results, the number of exchange students has steadily increased, and interest in the Chinese language continues to surge across LAC countries.

    “Mutual respect, diversity, knowledge and understanding” were the words used by Rogelio Rivero, Mexican archaeologist and director of the Archaeological Zone of Teotihuacan, to describe his experience in the cultural exchanges and dialogues held in China.

    Members of China National Symphony Orchestra perform at the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sept. 9, 2024. (Photo by Claudia Martini/Xinhua)

    Rivero believes that LAC countries, by strengthening cultural exchanges with China and other Global South countries, will effectively contribute to breaking with “Western-centrism” and balancing unilateral narratives at the global level.

    Despite differences in civilizations and cultures, independence and self-determination remain a shared and defining spirit of the Global South, said Ninfa Montano, president of the China-Mexico Cultural Development Foundation.

    “The China-CELAC Forum unites the strength of the Global South, promoting unity and cooperation among many developing countries, and will contribute to establishing a more just and equitable global governance system,” Montano said.

    Montano’s view was echoed by many analysts, who see the ministerial meeting as a chance to deepen cooperation, address global challenges and reinforce South-South solidarity.

    The cooperation between China and LAC countries has set a model of mutually beneficial South-South collaboration, said Manuel Alberto Hidalgo, economist at Peru’s National University of San Marcos.

    By deepening bilateral partnership, both sides have effectively strengthened solidarity and cooperation in the Global South and made positive contributions to promoting the bloc’s greater role in global governance, he said.

    For Ingrid Chavez, executive director of the Colombian-Chinese Chamber of Investment and Commerce, the cooperation helps build up “a common voice as a bloc,” empowering LAC countries to negotiate more effectively on the global stage.

    It helps LAC countries “establish interregional, multilateral relations and somewhat change the power dynamics that have existed until now at the global level,” she added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Van Orden Votes to Advance Agriculture Committee Reconciliation Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Derrick Van Orden (Wisconsin 3rd)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Derrick Van Orden (WI-03) released the following statement after voting to pass the House Agriculture Committee’s budget reconciliation bill:

     

    “Transparency, sustainability, accountability: these are the three things this bill delivers for the American people. Every SNAP dollar fraudulently spent is a dollar that does not go toward feeding a hungry child. That is why we are holding states accountable for their waste, fraud, abuse, and ensuring benefits are directed to the Americans who need them most. 

    “Being fiscally responsible and protecting benefits for vulnerable Americans can exist in the same universe. I am grateful to Chairman Thompson for working with me to adjust state cost-sharing responsibilities based on SNAP error rates. It is fair, proportional, and incentivizes good program management by holding high-error states accountable without dragging the states with smaller error rates, like Wisconsin, down with them.”

    The House Agriculture Committee’s reconciliation bill includes the following provisions that will save billions of taxpayer dollars while protecting vulnerable populations and rural communities:

    • Increasing the dairy Tier I cap
    • Investing in agriculture research
    • Bolstering trade promotion
    • Strengthening the farm safety net
    • Encouraging states to administer SNAP program benefits more efficiently and effectively
    • Limiting a state’s ability to exploit loopholes that allowed them to inflate SNAP benefits
    • Strengthening SNAP work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents
    • Refocusing SNAP eligibility on American citizens and legal permanent residents

    Prior to markup, Rep. Van Orden delivered opening remarks on the committee’s bill. Click here to watch.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Salinas Votes Against “Cruel and Inhumane” Republican Budget in Agriculture Committee

    Source: US Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06)

    Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06) issued the following statement after voting against advancing Republicans’ budget bill out of the House Agriculture Committee: 

    “This Republican budget bill is both cruel and inhumane. It punishes working families, taking away their health care and threatening food assistance for over 800,000 Oregonians. This legislation hurts farmers and small business owners who depend on SNAP purchases as a critical source of income, and it leaves Oregon’s rural communities without enough resources to fight wildfires and other natural disasters. What’s more, Republicans are doing all of this just so they can give more tax breaks to their billionaire donors.

    Over the last two days, my Democratic colleagues and I have been working tirelessly to stop this disastrous legislation from moving forward out of the Agriculture Committee. We introduced dozens of amendments, many of them straightforward fixes that would have protected food assistance for children and ensured fired Forest Service workers are reinstated ahead of wildfire season. Yet at every turn, Republicans refused to work with us and were often absent from the committee room as we held these important discussions.

    By forcing through this harmful legislation, Republicans have also shot down any chance of a truly bipartisan Farm Bill getting passed this Congress. They have sold out our farmers, seniors, veterans, and rural communities in order to line the pockets of Elon Musk and his rich friends. My constituents deserve better, and I will keep fighting to stop these massive cuts and protect Oregonians’ hard-earned benefits.” 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Baird Applauds Passage of House Agriculture Committee’s Section of the One Big, Beautiful Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Baird (R-IN-04)

    Congressman Baird Applauds Passage of House Agriculture Committee’s Section of the One Big, Beautiful Bill

    Washington, May 14, 2025

    Today, Congressman Jim Baird (IN-04) released the following statement after the House Agriculture Committee markup and passage of the committee’s portion of the One Big, Beautiful Bill:

    “I was proud to vote to advance the House Agriculture Committee’s portion of the One Big, Beautiful Bill. This legislation represents an important step toward passing the Farm Bill to properly invest in our farmers, growers, and producers and prioritize rural America. The Agriculture Committee’s portion of this bill also enacts common-sense reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Throughout the process, I was deeply disappointed to hear my Democrat colleagues repeatedly fearmonger and mislead the American public. These reforms simply do not leave children, the elderly, veterans, or other Americans in need without a lifeline or access to nutrition. Instead, this bill prevents non-citizens, except green card holders, from receiving federal SNAP benefits, closes loopholes in work requirement waivers, corrects the Biden Administration’s overreach, roots out fraud, and creates incentives for Americans to find opportunities that lift them out of poverty. Republicans are putting our farmers and American citizens first and strengthening our federal programs for those truly in need. I look forward to passing this legislation through the full House and Senate and sending this One Big, Beautiful Bill to President Trump’s desk soon.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 05/14/2025 Blackburn, Barrasso, Daines, Lankford Raise Concerns with Biden-Era IRS Initiative Targeting Main Street Businesses

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Barrasso, M.D. (R-Wyo.),Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.) urged the U.S. Department of the Treasury to review the Biden administration’s harmful Internal Revenue Service (IRS) pass-through compliance unit that has been operating within the Large Business and International (LB&I) division. It appears the pass-through compliance unit, established by the Biden administration, was motivated by ideology rather than principles of sound tax administration.  

    Pass-Through Entities Are the Bulk of Main Street Businesses That Serve as Backbone of Our Economy

    “Pass-through entities form the bulk of Main Street businesses across the country. This includes countless family businesses, professional services firms, and real estate ventures that serve as the backbone of our local economies. Taxpayers have the lawful right to choose these structures for benefits like liability protection, operational flexibility, and simplified tax filing. The creation of an enforcement unit specifically focused on pass-through entities raises legitimate concerns about whether the focus is on improving compliance or simply targeting specific business structures based on institutional prejudice.” 

    Audits Are Particularly Challenging for Smaller Businesses to Navigate

    “This type of targeting is problematic no matter the size of the business, but is especially challenging for smaller businesses who have fewer resources to navigate such audits. In particular, the IRS’s October 2024 announcement about the unit stated that, going forward, ‘LB&I will be responsible for starting pass-through exams, regardless of entity size’ and touted ‘removing the entity-size barrier’ as a means to increase audit rates. This shift subjects small businesses traditionally handled by the Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE) division to LB&I’s complex examination procedures designed for sophisticated taxpayers. Most American small businesses lack the resources to navigate these intensive audits, creating disproportionate compliance burdens despite prior assurances that taxpayers under $400,000 would not face increased enforcement relative to historical levels.”

    Under this Program, IRS Could Unfairly Target Legitimate Business Structures

    “The IRS’s news release also referenced targeting ‘complex arrangements’ without providing clear definitions, creating the impression that legitimate business structures could be unfairly targeted based on their legal structure rather than actual compliance risk. Even more concerning, the announcement explicitly states that the bureaucratic changes were designed primarily to ‘achieve its goal of increased audit rates in this complex area’ rather than to address legitimate compliance concerns derived from an evidence-based risk assessment. This focus on increasing audits rathe than improving compliance suggests an agenda-driven approach to enforcement.”

    Click here to read the full letter. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Prime Minister Carney speaks with Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, spoke with the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez.

    Prime Minister Sánchez congratulated Prime Minister Carney on his election. The leaders discussed building on the strong bilateral relationship between Canada and Spain. This includes expanding trade and commercial ties, growing defence partnerships, and upholding international security.

    The prime ministers agreed to remain in close contact.

    Associated Link

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley, Kelly Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Law Enforcement Recruitment and Retention

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Wednesday, May 14, 2025

    Today, U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) introduced the Educational and Career Opportunities for Public Safety (EdCOPS) Act, bipartisan legislation to address staffing shortages in law enforcement by providing educational benefits to public safety officers and their dependents.  
    “There is no profession more honorable than one that keeps our streets safe. Our men and women in uniform deserve Congress’ full support. I’m proud to co-sponsor legislation this National Police Week and prove to law enforcement that we have their back every step of the way,” said Senator Hawley.
    “As the son of two police officers, I know how important it is to have experienced, trusted officers on the job. But right now, law enforcement agencies across the country are struggling to recruit qualified candidates and losing the people who know their communities best,” said Senator Kelly. “By expanding education and career opportunities, we’re helping officers build a more secure future for themselves and their families. It’s an investment that will help departments keep the experienced, dedicated officers that protect our communities.”  
    Law enforcement agencies across the country face a historic crisis in hiring and keeping qualified officers. The EdCOPS Act would help agencies attract and retain experienced officers by offering financial assistance for higher education to public safety officers who have served for at least eight years with a single employer and agree to serve an additional four years. An eligible public safety officer can transfer unused education benefits to a dependent. 
    Read the full bill text here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Secures Pledge from RFK to Review ‘Alarming’ Mifepristone Data, Support Bill Cracking Down on Big Pharma Ads

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Wednesday, May 14, 2025

    Today in a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) secured a commitment from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr. that he would review ‘alarming’ new data on the chemical abortion drug mifepristone. RFK Jr. also stated that in light of the new data, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) label for mifepristone should change to accurately reflect the adverse effects of the drug.

    A new study on the chemical abortion drug shows 11% of women experience adverse effects serious enough to send them to the ER@SecKennedy just pledged to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the drug – and said the FDA label needs to change
    That’s a win for life pic.twitter.com/gy65iCZjI5
    — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 14, 2025

    “You’ve previously testified to the committee that you would do a top-to-bottom review of mifepristone,” said Senator Hawley. “Do you continue to stand by that, and don’t you think this new data shows that the need to do a full review is indeed pressing?”
    “It’s alarming, and it indicates that at the very least, the label should be changed,”RFK said regarding the new mifepristone data. “I’ve asked Marty Makary at the FDA to do a complete review and report back.”
    RFK Jr. also promised he would submit his own recommendation to President Trump based on the data. This exchange comes after Senator Hawley has advocated for reinstating safety guardrails surrounding mifepristone since the new study was released, from introducing legislation to urging the Department of Justice to reconsider its defense of the Biden Administration’s policy on mifepristone.
    In the same hearing, Senator Hawley also questioned RFK Jr. on his stance towards tax breaks for Big Pharma’s television deals, prompting RFK Jr. to pledge his support for Senator Hawley’s bipartisan, bicameral bill cracking down on Big Pharma’s sweetheart deals.

    Now it’s on the record: @SecKennedy just pledged his support to pass my bipartisan, bicameral bill cracking down on Big Pharma’s sweetheart deals
    Let’s make it illegal for Big Pharma to make taxpayers foot the bill for Pharma advertisements pic.twitter.com/siN1GHd1r0
    — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 14, 2025

    Watch the full hearing here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden Announces Town Halls in Coos, Curry and Jackson Counties

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    May 14, 2025
    U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle will co-host senator’s upcoming open-to-all town halls in Coos and Curry counties
    Portland – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will hold town halls on Saturday, May 24 in Coos and Curry counties with U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle, and one more on Sunday, May 25 in Jackson County.
    Heading into these three open-to-all town halls, Wyden has held 1,117 open-to-all town halls in keeping his promise to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon’s 36 counties. 
    “As we remember our fellow Americans over Memorial Day weekend who made the ultimate sacrifice, I know Oregonians are always grateful for the freedoms of speech and assembly these heroes fought to preserve,” Wyden said. “And as a senator proud to represent all Oregonians, I believe it’s more important than ever to exercise those freedoms statewide with direct open-to-all conversations to hear Oregonians’ opinions and answer their questions. I’m glad Congresswoman Hoyle will be joining me in Coos and Curry counties, and look forward very much to those discussions on May 24, as well as my town hall in Jackson County on May 25.”
    “I’m proud to join Senator Wyden for town halls on Memorial Day weekend to remember those who lost their lives in service to our country and to hear directly from south coast residents on issues of importance to them,” said Hoyle. “Their opinions help us to better represent their interests in Washington, D.C., which is essential for a healthy democracy.”
    The schedule for the town halls with both Wyden and Hoyle on Saturday, May 24 is as follows:
    Coos County, 2:30 pm, North Bend Middle School Gym, 1500 16th St, North Bend
    Curry County, 6 pm, Driftwood Elementary School Gym, 1210 Oregon St., Port Orford
    The schedule for the town hall just with Wyden on Sunday, May 25 is as follows:
    Jackson County, 4 pm, Medford Armory, 1701 S Pacific Hwy, Medford
    Although these were the largest venues available for these three town halls on these dates, space may still be limited. Doors will open one hour before the town hall start times for attendees. For everyone’s security, backpacks and large bags will not be allowed in the town hall.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: May 14th, 2025 Heinrich Demands Answers on Public Lands Transfer in Southern New Mexico

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    Heinrich to Hegseth: “I have deep concerns that the Trump Administration is bypassing due process for individuals who either intentionally or unintentionally enter this newly restricted area, including United States citizens who may be stopped and detained by U.S. Army soldiers for trespassing on an unmarked military base”

    WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding answers on a number of significant questions that have arisen from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s transfer of approximately 109,651 acres of public land in Doña Ana, Luna, and Hidalgo Counties, New Mexico, to the U.S. Army.

    Local residents along New Mexico’s southern border use these lands for hiking, mountain biking, hunting, camping, and experiencing New Mexico’s natural heritage, while ranchers depend on them for grazing access critical to their livelihoods. These lands also include the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, NM State Highway 9, and significant acreage within New Mexico Game and Fish Hunt Units 25, 26, and 27. 

    Crossing into a National Defense Area can lead to charges under Title 50 of the U.S. Code, which can carry penalties of up to one year in custody and fines up to $100,000. During a visit to the newly designated National Defense Area along New Mexico’s southern border with Secretary Hegseth, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico Ryan Ellison said, “Trespassers into the National Defense Area will be Federally prosecuted — no exceptions.”

    The Trump Administration has thus far failed to install appropriate signage at the perimeters of the National Defense Area to clearly mark its boundaries.

    “I have deep concerns that the Trump Administration is bypassing due process for individuals who either intentionally or unintentionally enter this newly restricted area, including United States citizens who may be stopped and detained by U.S. Army soldiers for trespassing on an unmarked military base,” Heinrich wrote to Secretary Hegseth.

    “While I understand the Department’s stated interest in reducing migrant crossings at the border, this transfer raises a number of urgent questions,” Heinrich continued.

    In the letter, Heinrich demanded Secretary Hegseth answer the following questions:

    1. What is the current public access status of the lands under the NDA designation? Are these areas now closed to public entry, or are they still accessible to U.S. citizens or persons legally present in the United States?
    1. If this area is not fully open to the public, will the Department install signage to clearly mark the boundaries of the NDA along the perimeter of every restricted area? For example, will signage be installed adjacent to NM State Highway 9, such that individuals can see the signage before entering the northern boundary of the NDA? Similarly, will signage be installed at the southern perimeter of the NDA such that individuals can see the signage before entering the NDA?
    1. Are you enforcing trespassing on the NDA north of the Roosevelt Reservation? If not, why did the Administration withdraw the entire NDA?
    1. Will you notify the public about any new public access restrictions on the NDA?
    1. The NDA includes significant acreage within New Mexico Game and Fish Hunt Units 25, 26, and 27. Will hunting continue to be allowed within the NDA, and if so, under what additional regulations or conditions?
    1. Are other recreational uses, including hiking, camping, and off-road vehicle use, still allowed within the NDA?
    1. Can hikers on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail access the southern terminus, which is located within the NDA?
    1. Are there any grazing permits previously authorized in the affected area? If so, will ranchers retain access under the new designation?
    1. How many private individuals or entities currently hold rights-of-way (ROW) or easements within the newly withdrawn boundary? Will they still have access to their ROWs?
    1. How many mining claims are within the boundary of the NDA?
    1. Can the New Mexico State Land Office access state land within the NDA? Can lease or permit holders on state land within the NDA continue to utilize those state trust lands pursuant to those leases or permits?
    1. Does the NDA limit road access to any private property within the boundaries of the NDA? If so, how is the department providing access to those private property owners?
    1. Are DOD personnel crossing private lands or using private roads to access DOD-managed land within in the NDA? If so, which properties? Are they doing so with the consent of those property owners? If military personnel are entering private land without permission of the landowner, under what authority are they accessing that private land?
    1. It has been reported that at least 300 individuals have been detained within the NDA area since the designation. How many of these individuals were U.S. citizens or were legally present in the United States?

    “The residents of southern New Mexico have longstanding relationships with these lands — whether as business owners, stewards, sportsmen, ranchers, or recreational users. As such, decisions that significantly alter their access or legal standing must be made transparently and with meaningful consultation. Further, it is of upmost importance that federal laws and the Constitution are upheld, ” Heinrich concluded the letter.

    The full text of the letter is here.

    For a list of Heinrich’s actions to keep public lands in public hands, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Warren, Pressley Reintroduce Legislation To Suspend Garnishments for Student Loan Borrowers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), along with U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), reintroduced the Ending Administrative Wage Garnishment Act of 2025, legislation that would provide borrower relief and support by suspending garnishment as a tool for student debt collection by the federal government.

    On April 22, 2025, the Department of Education announced that, starting May 5th, it will resume collections on defaulted federal student loans, including wage garnishments, tax refund interceptions, and seizure of Social Security benefits. For the nearly 5.5 million people currently in default—and soon for the projected 8 million additional people in delinquency—this means that they will face the government’s harsh collection tactics for the first time in over five years. This shift coincides with mass firings at the Department of Education and limited access to income-driven repayment plans, leaving students without critical support to navigate the repayment process.  

    “Wage garnishment allows the government to instruct employers to withhold up to 15 percent of an individual’s hard-earned wages, as well as intercept tax refunds, and seize Social Security benefits in order to collect student loan debt,” said Senator Booker. “If resumed, this harmful practice will hurt millions of Americans already struggling to make ends meet while paying off their student loans. This legislation will put an end to the Trump’s administration’s attempt to punish vulnerable student loan borrowers.”

    “It’s cruel for the Trump administration to restart collections while it crashes the economy and fires employees that help people navigate the loan repayment system,” said Senator Warren. “Our commonsense bill stops the administration from going after working people and improperly taking a chunk of borrowers’ paychecks.”

    “No one should have their hard-earned wages, tax refunds, and Social Security checks seized by Donald Trump—and our bill would ensure they do not,” said Representative Pressley. “The Trump Administration should not be in the business of picking the pockets of our most vulnerable borrowers, gutting the Department of Education or exacerbating the student debt crisis. I am proud to partner with Senators Booker and Warren to push back against this Administration’s shameful garnishment tactics and stand up for our student borrowers.”

    “Amidst unprecedented economic uncertainty and as millions of working families are struggling with the rising costs of everyday essentials, the Trump Administration’s calloused decision to unleash abusive and uncontrollable collection tools that have the power to take borrower’s hard earned wages without safeguards. Instead of helping the 5 million borrowers that have fallen into default and the millions more that are behind and now at risk of default later this year, this Administration appears set on inflicting massive economic harm on millions of Americans—a decision that will further drag down an already struggling economy,” said SBPC Policy Director Aissa Canchola Banez. “We applaud Senator Booker and Congresswoman Pressley for introducing the Ending Administrative Garnishment Act which will rein in the Secretary of Education’s authority to subject borrowers to administrative wage garnishment and ensure that critical safeguards are in place.”

    The Ending Administrative Wage Garnishment Act of 2025 would:

    1. Suspends the Secretary of Education’s authority to garnish wages, tax refunds, Social Security checks, or other earned benefits.
    2. Mandates the Department of Education to:
      1. Promptly refund improperly garnished wages within one week.
      2. Establish the ability to independently suspend or terminate garnishment operations upon identifying errors.
      3. Ensure employers verify garnishment information quarterly.
    3. Prohibits garnishment on loans that have been outstanding for more than 10 years.
    4. Establishes a private right of action allowing borrowers to sue employers who improperly garnish wages after a garnishment order is suspended.
    5. Requires the Department to pay double damages to borrowers whose wages are improperly garnished.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Gallego, Whitehouse, Warren, DeLauro, Colleagues Demand Action to Prevent Corporations from Using Trump’s Reckless Tariffs as an Excuse to Price Gouge Hardworking Americans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), along with U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), led 31 of their Senate and House colleagues in demanding the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigate which large companies are using the Trump Administration’s tariff policies – and the confusion surrounding them – as an excuse to raise prices in excess of actual cost increases, and to prosecute individuals and companies that price gouge American consumers.

    “President Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs build an especially fertile environment for price-gouging. The new tariffs have created a cloud of uncertainty that gives companies cover to raise prices on all goods, regardless of whether they are subject to new tariffs or whether their costs have meaningfully increased, above and beyond what is necessary to cover any cost increases,” the lawmakers wrote.  

    The lawmakers continued, “While small businesses operating on thin profit margins will be forced to pass on many costs to stay afloat, the chaotic and sweeping nature of President Trump’s tariffs is especially conducive to price gouging by large companies with significant market power […] Even if President Trump decides to reduce or eliminate tariffs, companies may nonetheless decide to maintain higher prices—or raise them even further, claiming ‘market uncertainty.’”

    The members note that many large corporations have already admitted to raising prices regardless of the actual impacts of tariffs, such as when the CEO of AutoZone said on an earnings call last September, “if we get tariffs…we generally raise prices ahead of [when] we know what the tariffs will be,” or when, during the first Trump Administration, manufacturers raised the price of dryers, even though only washing machines were subject to tariffs.  

    To combat this type of corporate price gouging at the expense of working families, the members urge FTC Chair Ferguson to fulfill his public commitment and to ensure President Trump’s trade war is not a “green light” for price gouging by:

    1. Using his authority under Section 6(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act to require large companies to report their costs and retail and wholesale prices since November 6, 2024, and the extent to which tariffs have increased their costs.
    2. Using his authority under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act to investigate and prosecute companies engaging in “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.”

    The members also criticized Chair Ferguson’s decision to abruptly close an FTC investigation into corporations using Americans’ personal information to tailor their pricing and gouge individual consumers. The tactic, known as “surveillance pricing,” is used by corporations to target consumers with increased prices based on their location and browsing history.

    “Armed with the knowledge that the FTC has turned a blind eye to this price-gouging tactic, companies now have free rein to use surveillance pricing to price gouge consumers. A former FTC official said, ‘The message that is coming out of this administration…is that the watchdog is gone and companies feel emboldened to rip people off.’ We urge you to fulfill your public commitment and to ensure President Trump’s trade war is not a ‘green light’ for price gouging,” the lawmakers concluded.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker Leads Members of NJ Congressional Delegation in Letter to Senate and House Appropriations Leaders Urging Emergency Funding to Strengthen FAA Air Traffic Control Infrastructure

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    NEWARK, N.J. – This afternoon, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) led members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation in sending a letter to Senate and House Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee Chairs and Ranking Members. The letter is signed by eight members of the state’s Congressional delegation and urges an immediate surge of at least $2 billion in emergency federal appropriations to address the ongoing situation at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and telecommunications failures at other airports across the country.

    The legislators wrote: “We write to request emergency supplemental funding for key programs at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that will address the technology and equipment failures that are causing ongoing disruptions to the National Airspace System (NAS).  

    “Specifically, we ask for emergency supplemental funding for the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization (ATO) through the Operations and Facilities and Equipment (F&E) accounts. F&E supports upgrades of our air traffic control system infrastructure including the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities. As you know, the Philadelphia TRACON facility’s faltering technology and outdated equipment has been the cause of a major and protracted disruption to the airspace primarily utilized by aircraft departing from and arriving at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).”

    The legislators conclude: “Across our country, dozens more TRACON facilities rely on the same outdated technology and equipment and the installation of fiber wires, upgraded facilities, and modern telecommunications equipment will ensure that the chaos and disruptions ongoing in Newark do not soon occur in other regions of the nation as well.  

    “In order to resume operations at EWR and begin to expeditiously upgrade our nation’s air traffic control infrastructure, we request robust emergency supplemental funding to the FAA’s F&E account. This supplemental funding must include at least $2,000,000,000 dedicated to regions with repeated instances of a complete failure of the telecommunication system between TRACON facilities and approaching aircraft.”

    A full copy of the May 14 letter can be found here and below:

    Dear Chair Collins, Ranking Member Murray, Chairman Cole, Ranking Member DeLauro, Chair Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Gillibrand, Chairman Womack, and Ranking Member Clyburn: 

    We write to request emergency supplemental funding for key programs at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that will address the technology and equipment failures that are causing ongoing disruptions to the National Airspace System (NAS).  

    Specifically, we ask for emergency supplemental funding for the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization (ATO) through the Operations and Facilities and Equipment (F&E) accounts. F&E supports upgrades of our air traffic control system infrastructure including the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities. As you know, the Philadelphia TRACON facility’s faltering technology and outdated equipment has been the cause of a major and protracted disruption to the airspace primarily utilized by aircraft departing from and arriving at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). 

    A complete shutdown of communications between air traffic controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON facility and approaching aircraft on April 28, 2025, and on two subsequent occasions, brought the operations at EWR to a halt. EWR operates within the busiest airspace in the nation and a ground stoppage immediately causes a ripple effect throughout the entire NAS. The ongoing weeks of delays, cancellations, and the significant reductions in flight capacity at EWR is disrupting the lives of our constituents, spreading uncertainty among the traveling public, and negatively impacting the operations of our entire interconnected national aviation system.    

    It is unacceptable that our air traffic control facilities—which rely on technology and equipment such as floppy disks and copper wire—are vulnerable to a region-wide blackout. In Newark, the initial disruption resulted in 90 seconds of zero communication or radar visibility between the air traffic controllers and approaching aircraft. The subsequent failures on May 9 and May 11 reinforces that the telecommunications system at the Philadelphia TRACON facility needs to be replaced in order to restore regular operations at EWR as soon as possible. 

    Across our country, dozens more TRACON facilities rely on the same outdated technology and equipment and the installation of fiber wires, upgraded facilities, and modern telecommunications equipment will ensure that the chaos and disruptions ongoing in Newark do not soon occur in other regions of the nation as well.  

    In order to resume operations at EWR and begin to expeditiously upgrade our nation’s air traffic control infrastructure, we request robust emergency supplemental funding to the FAA’s F&E account. This supplemental funding must include at least $2,000,000,000 dedicated to regions with repeated instances of a complete failure of the telecommunication system between TRACON facilities and approaching aircraft. 

    We appreciate your careful attention to this request. It is critical that Congress act to restore full flight operations in our region while also beginning the work of restoring the American people’s confidence in a safe, effective, and reliable aviation system.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wicker Encouraged by Trump-Zelensky Deal

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker

    On February 24, 2022, Russia rolled tanks into Ukraine, expecting to conquer its neighbor in a matter of weeks. The free world rallied to supply military, economic, and humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people, who have fought valiantly against the thugs invading their homeland. Now, three years later, President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky have signed an economic investment agreement. The deal plants a flag regarding America’s intentions toward Ukraine, and it could help pave the way to peace and freedom in that war-torn country.

    The new plan was negotiated by the president, his Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, and his Ukraine envoy, respected American General Keith Kellogg. It sets in motion a more formal, binding pact. Ultimately, Ukraine and the United States will create a jointly owned fund to give America a real stake in Ukraine’s post-war commerce. The eastern European country has vast energy resources – including natural gas, oil, and critical minerals. President Trump is working to rebuild our critical minerals supply chains, and I am advancing legislation that would fund those efforts. Ukraine will be a key part of that work.

    President Trump Sends a Message to Putin

    With these terms, President Trump brings the credibility of the American economy to a nation poised for stability and growth. The president campaigned on a pledge to end the brutal war unleashed by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who has consistently rejected President Trump’s offers to engage in peace talks. Instead, he has tried to wear down Ukraine’s resolve by bombing non-combatant civilian neighborhoods.

    After the attacks, President Trump stated that Putin “has to be dealt with differently.” Treasury Secretary Bessent echoed those comments, labeling Putin a war criminal. As the administration pursues peace negotiations, it is taking into account Putin’s character, aware that he will respond only to strength.

    The agreement clearly indicates that America is committed to the long-term peace of Ukraine. Additionally, the president has taken more steps to assist Ukraine by approving the transfer of American air-defense systems to the country.

    Ukraine Understands the Stakes

    The Ukrainians are also sending a message. When he signed this agreement, President Zelensky showed that his people will work with the United States to increase the security and prosperity of both our nations.

    From day one of this war, Ukrainians have refused to bend the knee to Putin. They know better than anyone the lengths he will go to accomplish his goals. He has unleashed horrors on thousands of Ukrainians – even women, children, and Christians traveling to and from Palm Sunday celebrations. He has formed increasingly tight bonds with the dictators who control North Korea, Iran, and China.

    Russian success in Ukraine would embolden each of those rogue nations. For his part, Putin would gain strategic military positions on the borders of countries we are treaty-bound to defend. Stopping Putin now can weaken his resolve to threaten even more of the free world.

    Lasting Peace Comes Through Strength

    In the long run, lasting stability will be made possible only by strengthened Ukrainian and European militaries, supported by U.S technological and strategic resources. The Biden administration handcuffed Ukraine by slow-walking the tools it needed to stop Putin. President Trump is correcting course and strengthening the U.S. military at the same time

    For the past year, Presidents Trump and Zelensky have been echoing Ronald Reagan’s “peace through strength” philosophy. They both believe that the best way to avoid conflict is to prepare for it. President Trump has already started working to rebuild U.S. military readiness so that no adversary dares to move against America.

    Under his direction, the Pentagon can work with Ukraine to produce more weapons and create new defense relationships. Both steps will improve security for both nations. As Ukraine plans its recovery from Putin’s war, we must work together to deter the next dictator from starting one.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sullivan, Hirono Introduce Legislation to Increase Funding for USDA Program Supporting Farmers and Ranchers in Alaska and Hawaii

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan

    05.14.25

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) this week reintroduced the Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment (RTCP) Revitalization Act, legislation to secure additional funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) RTCP Program. The RTCP program enables geographically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in Alaska, Hawaii, and other insular areas to receive reimbursements for costs incurred when transporting supplies such as feed, fertilizer, and equipment parts. This legislation also increases the amount of funding these producers can receive.

    “Alaska’s farmers and ranchers face greater obstacles getting their goods to market due to our state’s vast size, many remote communities, and general lack of infrastructure,” said Sen. Sullivan. “I’m glad to join my colleagues in Hawaii to support a vital USDA program that makes it possible for these hard-working Alaskans to support our economy and feed their fellow Americans from the bounty of our great state.”

    “Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural producers work tirelessly to provide healthy and fresh produce for their communities, and those located in geographically disadvantaged areas deserve to be fairly compensated for the lengths which they go to transport supplies,” said Senator Hirono. “As we continue working toward increased agricultural sustainability, I am glad to reintroduce this bipartisan legislation to support food producers in Hawaii, Alaska, and other insular areas, helping to ensure that local producers can continue their work as valuable food sources in their communities.”

    The RTCP program was established in the 2008 Farm Bill in recognition of the increased costs producers face in geographically disadvantaged areas. USDA began administering the program in 2010 and throughout its history, demand for this popular program has substantially exceeded available funds. In addition to Alaska and Hawaii, the program is also available to farmers, ranchers, and producers in Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and the Virgin Islands.

    Due to the increase in both demand for the program as well as costs for producers, the RTCP Revitalization Act aims to secure additional funding for the program. Specifically, the bill would:

    • Provide mandatory funding for RTCP, starting with $10 million in fiscal year (FY) 2026, increasing by $1 million each year to $15 million in FY 2031, and then provides $15 million each fiscal year thereafter;
    • Remove the $15 million payment cap for any given fiscal year that is currently in statute;
    • Provide language saying that the Secretary may not impose a cap to individual producer payments for any fiscal year that program funds exceed demand; and
    • Retain the authority for appropriators to fund the program.

    In addition to Senators Sullivan and Hirono, the legislation was also cosponsored by Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).

    The full text of the legislation is available here. A one-page summary of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China, LAC countries forge new chapter in solidarity, cooperation

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

    BEIJING, May 14 — Tuesday’s successful ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum demonstrated the solidarity and good momentum of bilateral relations. This key event in Beijing unveiled measures to deepen cooperation and exchanges between China and Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries.

    A decade into the official launch of the China-CELAC Forum, closer cooperation holds immense promise as China and LAC countries advance hand in hand as a community with a shared future, which is founded upon equality, powered by mutual benefit and win-win, invigorated by openness and inclusiveness, and dedicated to the people’s well-being.

    At the fourth ministerial meeting of the forum, China systematically summarized the successful experience of the development of China-LAC relations, and announced the launch of five programs on solidarity, development, civilization, peace, and people-to-people connectivity respectively, advancing shared development and revitalization and contributing to a China-LAC community with a shared future.

    Development and modernization are an inherent right for people of all countries. As important members of the Global South, China and LAC countries are advancing their own modernization drives and sustainable development. Against the backdrop of mounting global challenges, solidarity and coordination among nations are indispensable for safeguarding world peace and stability and promoting common development and prosperity.

    In this regard, China and LAC countries have set a brilliant example. The two sides champion true multilateralism, uphold international fairness and justice, promote multipolarization in the world, and advocate for greater democracy in international relations.

    Practical cooperation in various fields has proven to be fruitful and mutually beneficial. The trade volume between China and LAC countries doubled in the past decade, reaching 518.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Additionally, more than 200 infrastructure projects and multiple industrial projects built by China have generated over one million jobs. More than 20 countries have synergized development strategies with China under the Belt and Road cooperation framework. Colombia, the latest, on Wednesday signed a cooperation plan with China on jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

    Notably, cooperation between China and LAC countries has no geopolitical calculations. China’s investment in the LAC region has no political strings. China advocates extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefit. The cooperation respects the wishes of LAC countries, meets the needs of their people, and provides enormous opportunities for their development.

    China and LAC countries account for approximately a quarter of the world’s population and a quarter of the global economic output, and have great growth potential and development vitality. The two sides have reaffirmed their commitments to development, cooperation and solidarity at the latest ministerial meeting. They are set to make new and greater progress in building a China-LAC community with a shared future in the years to come.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Zheng ousts No. 1 Sabalenka in Rome; Gauff next

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

    China’s Zheng Qinwen claimed a straight-sets victory over top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals of the WTA Italian Open on Wednesday, reaching the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event for the third time in her career.

    The two players had met six times previously, with Sabalenka winning on each occasion. This match marked their first encounter on clay.

    In the opening set, both players held serve through the first three games, with Sabalenka leading 2-1. In the fourth game, Zheng saved two break points to hold, and then won four consecutive points in the fifth game to score a crucial break. Over the next four games, both players held serve, leaving Zheng ahead 5-4. In the 10th game, Zheng fired down two aces and took the set 6-4.

    In the second set, Zheng carried her momentum forward, breaking serve in the first game and then reeling off four straight points to take the second game. The following four games saw both players hold, with Zheng maintaining a 4-2 lead. Sabalenka saved four break points in the seventh game to narrow the gap, but Zheng stayed strong, holding serve and then breaking again to close out the match 6-3, reaching the semifinals in Rome for the first time.

    “Finally, I broke through! I’ve always known I have the ability to beat anyone, and I’m really happy that I truly did it today,” said Zheng after the match.

    Zheng gave herself a score of 7.5 for her performance. “I think I did well at the start, and I told myself I couldn’t lose those opening games so easily like before. When the match enters a tighter phase, I feel it’s more to my advantage, because actually, I’m better than her at playing long rallies. When the match goes into a three or four-shot exchange, statistically, I have the edge,” Zheng reflected.

    In this match, Zheng’s first-serve points won percentage reached a remarkable 82 percent, which became a decisive factor in her victory. “Today, one thing I did really well was that my first serve was there in the crucial moments, and I also controlled my unforced errors very well,” she said.

    “When I played against her before, maybe because she had the title of world number one and a Grand Slam champion, and also because when I was a teenager, I used to watch her play, so I couldn’t properly read the situation,” Zheng said. “In the first three matches against her, I felt really frustrated, because I only showed about 30 or 40 percent of my ability. When I stripped away the aura around her, I was able to see the match situation clearly and focus on attacking her weaknesses instead of trying to go head-to-head with her strengths.”

    In the semifinals, Zheng will face fourth seed Coco Gauff.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Leads Push Against Trump and Republican Attacks on Voting and Elections During Spotlight Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    WATCH: Padilla Leads Push Against Trump and Republican Attacks on Voting and Elections During Spotlight Hearing

    WATCH: Padilla convenes first Rules Committee Democrats spotlight hearing to expose dangers of SAVE Act and Trump’s executive orderWASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, convened a Rules Committee Democrats spotlight hearing titled “Protecting the Future of American Democracy: An Examination of Trump and Partisan Attacks on Voting and Elections.” Padilla’s opening remarks at the forum focused on Congressional Republicans’ Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act that recently passed the House of Representatives and Trump’s illegal anti-voter executive order, both of which threaten to disenfranchise millions of eligible American citizens.
    Padilla underscored Republican efforts to make it harder for eligible American citizens to vote through the SAVE Act, emphasizing that it is already a crime for noncitizens to vote, and pointed out that despite Republicans’ false claims, voter fraud is extremely rare.
    “As we convene here today, across the country, in state legislatures, as well as in the Oval Office, and sadly, even here in the United States Congress, there are extreme Republicans who are actively working to make it harder for eligible Americans to register to vote and to cast their ballot in elections.”
    “We cannot sit back and watch as our democracy is attacked — we owe it to the American people who have elected us to serve on their behalf: so we have to speak up. And that starts with recognizing the dangers at our doorstep.”
    “Currently pending before the Senate is the SAVE Act — a conspiracy theory bill that scapegoats immigrants to justify new barriers to voter registration. Not only is it wrong, it’s un-American. And it’s based on a shameless lie — the same ‘Big Lie’ that Donald Trump uses to claim that he won the 2020 election, which of course, he did not. He lost.”
    Padilla emphasized that the SAVE Act will cause the most harm to American citizens and highlighted the risks the bill poses to election workers who are already facing growing threats.
    “As you’ll hear today, it’s American citizens who will be most impacted by the SAVE Act, from first time voters and married women to servicemembers and rural voters.”
    “To make matters worse, at a time of rising threats and harassment to poll workers and election officials across the country, the SAVE Act actually threatens election workers with up to five years of prison time for registering someone without the correct documents, regardless of if they’re an American citizen.”
    Padilla concluded his opening remarks by criticizing President Trump’s support for these harmful restrictions through his executive order and welcoming election administrators and other Americans dealing with the direct impacts of these anti-voter policies.
    “Now despite the extreme policy proposals — or rather, because of them — Donald Trump is all in. He’s not even waiting for Congress to act. In fact, earlier this year, he signed an executive order to try to do all this and more unilaterally. That includes trying to upend the voting system standards and changing the deadline states can accept vote-by-mail ballots.”
    “60 years since the Voting Rights Act, it’s outrageous that these battles rage on. Yet, in the year 2025, here we are, and that’s what Americans are up against.”
    “So today, we want America to hear from the election administrators who are on the frontlines, along with Americans who are impacted by — and standing up to — these radical policies.”
    Video of Senator Padilla’s remarks is available to watch here and be downloaded here.
    Members heard from election officials and voter advocates regarding ongoing attacks on voter registration and election integrity during the forum. The panel included Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) CEO Juan Proaño, League of Women Voters CEO Celina Stewart, and Nicole Meek, an impacted voter as a member of a military family.
    This spotlight hearing kicks off a series of Rules Committee Democrats’ forums focused on protecting the future of America’s elections. The series will underscore the dangers of the Trump Administration’s unprecedented attacks on election security, integrity, and funding required to smoothly administer elections and protect American democracy.
    Senator Padilla has led the charge opposing President Trump and Republicans’ reckless attempts to restrict the right to vote. As President Trump marked 100 disastrous days in office, he recently led his Democratic colleagues on the Senate floor to speak out against the SAVE Act and attacks on election integrity. Last month, Padilla warned Secretaries of State, Lieutenant Governors, and Chief Election Officials across the country of the devastating potential impacts of Republicans’ SAVE Act, concerns that have been echoed by top election officials across the country. He also led a letter yesterday sounding the alarm on the devastating impacts of Trump’s anti-voter “election integrity” executive order and the SAVE Act on Native American voting rights.
    Additionally, Padilla led 11 Senators in introducing the Defending America’s Future Elections Act to repeal Trump’s illegal anti-voter executive order and prevent the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive voter registration data and state records. Padilla previously led 14 Democratic Senators in calling on Trump to revoke his illegal anti-voter executive order and issued a statement slamming the order when it was announced.
    A full transcript of Senator Padilla’s opening remarks, as delivered, is available below:
    Good afternoon, everybody, and thank you for joining us here today for this spotlight hearing that we’ve entitled “Protecting the Future of American Democracy: An Examination of Trump and Partisan Attacks on Voting and Elections.”
    I wanted to begin by thanking the witnesses who are participating today for joining us. I know that many of you have traveled from quite a distance, from different parts of the country to be here today and to share your experiences and reflect on the spectrum of challenges that both voters and election administrators are having to navigate in the year 2025.
    I hope today we’re able to discuss not only the challenges that we’re facing, but also offer some solutions that can help us better protect the right to vote.
    I also want to begin by saying to my colleagues as they join us later today that as the new Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee — and as former California Secretary of State — that this is a role that I don’t take lightly.
    Just as each successive generation of Americans has a role to play in preserving and protecting our democracy, each Senate Rules Committee has a duty to carry the baton as well, so that democracy truly does endure for the next generation.
    As Ranking Member of the Committee, I plan to do my part.
    So it’s important that we recognize the moment that we find ourselves in.
    As we convene here today, across the country, in state legislatures, as well as in the Oval Office, and sadly, even here in the United States Congress, there are extreme Republicans who are actively working to make it harder for eligible Americans to register to vote and to cast their ballot in elections.
    And we cannot sit back and watch as our democracy is attacked — we owe it to the American people who have elected us to serve on their behalf:
    So we have to speak up.
    And that starts with recognizing the dangers at our doorstep.
    Currently pending before the Senate is the SAVE Act — a conspiracy theory bill that scapegoats immigrants to justify new barriers to voter registration.
    Not only is it wrong, it’s un-American.
    And it’s based on a shameless lie — the same “Big Lie” that Donald Trump uses to claim that he won the 2020 election, which of course, he did not. He lost.
    As California’s former chief elections officer, I have firsthand experience administering elections in the most populous and most diverse state in the nation.
    And I can tell you personally: for all the disinformation and misinformation and fearmongering coming from Republicans — the truth of the matter is it is already a crime for noncitizens to vote.
    And it’s also extremely, extremely rare.
    As you’ll hear today, it’s American citizens who will be most impacted by the SAVE Act, from first-time voters and married women to servicemembers and rural voters.
    And to make matters worse, at a time of rising threats and harassment to poll workers and election officials across the country, the SAVE Act actually threatens election workers with up to five years of prison time for registering someone without the correct documents, regardless of if they’re an American citizen.
    Now despite the extreme policy proposals — or rather, because of them — Donald Trump is all in. He’s not even waiting for Congress to act.
    In fact, earlier this year, he signed an executive order to try to do all this and more unilaterally.
    That includes trying to upend the voting system standards and changing the deadline states can accept vote-by-mail ballots.
    60 years since the Voting Rights Act, it’s outrageous that these battles rage on.
    Yet, in the year 2025, here we are, and that’s what Americans are up against.
    So today, we want America to hear from the election administrators who are on the frontlines, along with Americans who are impacted by — and standing up to — these radical policies.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Joins Immigration Advocates to Reject Republicans’ Extreme Anti-Immigrant Budget Reconciliation Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla Joins Immigration Advocates to Reject Republicans’ Extreme Anti-Immigrant Budget Reconciliation Bill

    AUDIO: Padilla slams cuts to crucial services to support Republicans’ mass deportation agendaWASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined immigration advocates and his House colleagues to speak out against the extreme anti-immigrant provisions in Republicans’ reconciliation bill and to call on Congressional Republicans to reject harmful policies targeting immigrant communities. During the press conference hosted by the National Immigration Law Center, Padilla slammed Republicans’ plans to cut critical services Americans rely on in order to spend hundreds of billions on President Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
    Padilla criticized the Republican reconciliation bill’s proposed surges in funding for wasteful immigration initiatives, including increased funding for the border wall and immigrant detention centers, and policy changes to eliminate protections for children, reinstate family detention, and allow the continued terrorization of families through mass deportation.
    “They’re bending over backwards to make cuts to health care, to education, even SNAP benefits, the critical nutrition assistance program that so many families rely on. And why? That’s a good question! Why? Because they’re trying to fund more tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy in America. That just wrong, but it gets worse. They’re also trying to fund this massive and cruel deportation campaign that Donald Trump has insisted on.”
    “The huge increases in funding and staffing levels for ICE and CBP are indeed not just an increase in funding — it is a significant policy change. And we’re asking why? What’s the plan? What’s the strategy? Because it’s been so chaotic and disorganized. What’s their response? They say, ‘trust us.’ Trust you? Really?”
    Padilla slammed the Trump Administration for undermining due process, ignoring court orders, instilling fear in immigrant communities, wasting taxpayer dollars for staged photo ops, and sending both undocumented and documented immigrants to prisons in foreign countries. He emphasized the economic consequences of the Administration’s reckless and inhumane anti-immigrant actions. 
    “They’re terrorizing our communities with their raids and violent arrests, and they’re wasting millions and millions of taxpayer dollars for expensive photo ops like the ones they took at Guantánamo Bay.”
    “Because of it, there’s hardworking immigrants, long-term residents of the United States, who are now afraid to go to work, kids afraid to go to school, parents afraid to go to the store.”
    Padilla concluded his remarks by calling on Republicans to work with Democrats to modernize the United States’ immigration system, and vowed to keep fighting to create a pathway to citizenship for long-term undocumented residents.
    “You would think that maybe just for a moment, Republicans would take this reconciliation process as an opportunity to do what they said before they wanted to do and modernize our nation’s immigration system. But they’re not.”
    “I know we still believe that real reform is still possible. Because, yes, we all know we need a secure and orderly and humane border, but we also need to create the pathways to citizenship for the millions that have earned it and deserve it.”
    “And we will get there. We will get there together. But the next steps in this effort begin with fighting back on the cruelty of the proposed reconciliation plan put forth by Republicans. We have to kill that bill.”
    Representatives Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.-03), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.-37), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.-05), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-Ill.-04), and Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.-07) also joined the press conference.
    Senator Padilla is a leading voice in Congress opposing President Trump’s mass deportation agenda and anti-immigrant actions and rhetoric. Last month, Padilla, Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-08), and Representative Jayapal issued a joint statement condemning the Supreme Court’s decision to lift a hold on removals under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, and he joined 14 lawmakers in condemning President Trump’s unlawful invocation of the antiquated law. Padilla previously issued a joint statement with Senators Durbin, Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) slamming President Trump for his attempted invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to deport noncitizens without due process. Last year, Padilla emphasized the dangers and immense economic costs of the Trump Administration’s mass deportation plans during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
    Senator Padilla, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) also recently urged the acting Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to investigate several reports that the Trump Administration is potentially violating strict taxpayer privacy laws by providing highly sensitive and legally protected taxpayer data to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and personnel affiliated with Elon Musk across various federal agencies. Padilla, Cortez Masto, and Wyden previously condemned the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) plan to provide sensitive taxpayer information to DHS to locate suspected undocumented immigrants and led a letter to IRS and DHS leadership raising the alarm on reports that DHS and the Department of Government Efficiency had illegally requested this information.
    Audio of Senator Padilla’s remarks is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Severe Thunderstorm Watch 249

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Note:  The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports.
    SEL9

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 249
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    800 PM CDT Wed May 14 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of
    East-Central and Northeast Nebraska
    Southeast South Dakota

    * Effective this Wednesday night and Thursday morning from 800 PM
    until 300 AM CDT.

    * Primary threats include…
    Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2
    inches in diameter likely
    Scattered damaging winds likely with isolated significant gusts
    to 75 mph possible
    A tornado or two possible

    SUMMARY…Thunderstorms over central Nebraska will becoming
    increasingly organized and track northeastward through the evening
    and overnight period. Damaging wind gusts and large hail will be
    through across the watch area. A tornado or two is also possible.

    The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 50
    statute miles east and west of a line from 5 miles west northwest of
    Mitchell SD to 25 miles west southwest of Grand Island NE. For a
    complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline
    update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU9).

    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

    REMEMBER…A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are
    favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
    Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening
    weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible
    warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce
    tornadoes.

    &&

    OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 247…WW 248…

    AVIATION…A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
    2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 65 knots. A
    few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector
    25035.

    …Hart

    Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas.
    SAW9
    WW 249 SEVERE TSTM NE SD 150100Z – 150800Z
    AXIS..50 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE..
    5WNW MHE/MITCHELL SD/ – 25WSW GRI/GRAND ISLAND NE/
    ..AVIATION COORDS.. 45NM E/W /59W FSD – 38SSW OBH/
    HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..2 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..65 KNOTS.
    MAX TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25035.

    LAT…LON 43799712 40839781 40839972 43799913

    THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A
    COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS
    FOR WOU9.

    Watch 249 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.

    Note:  Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes

    Probability of 2 or more tornadoes

    Low (20%)

    Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes

    Low (5%)

    Wind

    Probability of 10 or more severe wind events

    High (70%)

    Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots

    Mod (30%)

    Hail

    Probability of 10 or more severe hail events

    Mod (60%)

    Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches

    Mod (60%)

    Combined Severe Hail/Wind

    Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events

    High (>95%)

    For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Smuggle Pesticides & Veterinary Drugs into the United States

    Source: US Justice – Antitrust Division

    Headline: California Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Smuggle Pesticides & Veterinary Drugs into the United States

    Ruben Montes, of Calexico, California, was sentenced in federal court to 16 months in prison and ordered to pay $12,710 in forfeiture for conspiring to smuggle and distribute more than $3 million worth of Mexican pesticides and veterinary drugs that are not approved for use in the United States.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Freehold Royalties Announces Results from Annual Meeting of Shareholders

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CALGARY, Alberta, May 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Freehold Royalties Ltd. (Freehold or the Company) (TSX:FRU) announced today that all nominees listed in its notice of meeting and information circular dated March 26, 2025 were elected as directors of Freehold at its Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the Meeting) held today. In addition, all other matters considered at the Meeting were approved by Freehold’s shareholders.

    A replay of the Meeting is available on our website at the below link, under the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders:
    https://freeholdroyalties.com/investors/events-and-presentations/

    The results of the votes on the director nominees are as follows:

    Nominee Votes For (%) Votes Withheld (%)
    Gary R. Bugeaud 98.02 1.98
    Maureen E. Howe 98.56 1.44
    J. Douglas Kay 76.51 23.49
    Kimberley E. Lynch Proctor 97.18 2.82
    Valerie A. Mitchell 97.79 2.21
    Marvin. F. Romanow 97.81 2.19
    Mathieu M. Roy 98.39 1.61
    David M. Spyker 99.16 0.84
    Aidan M. Walsh 98.75 1.25

    KPMG LLP was appointed as the auditors of Freehold with 93.69% of the shares represented at the Meeting voting in favour of their appointment.

    The resolution to accept Freehold’s approach to executive compensation was approved by 95.14% of the shares represented at the Meeting voting in favour of the resolution.

    Freehold is uniquely positioned as a leading North American energy royalty company with approximately 6.1 million gross acres in Canada and approximately 1.2 million gross drilling acres in the United States. Freehold’s common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada under the symbol FRU.

    The MIL Network –