NewzIntel.com

Category: Americas

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC – No MDs are in effect as of Tue Apr 15 03:13:02 UTC 2025

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Current Mesoscale DiscussionsUpdated:  Tue Apr 15 03:15:03 UTC 2025 No Mesoscale Discussions are currently in effect.

    Notice:  The responsibility for Heavy Rain Mesoscale Discussions has been transferred to the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) on April 9, 2013. Click here for the Service Change Notice.
    Archived Convective ProductsTo view convective products for a previous day, type in the date you wish to retrieve (e.g. 20040529 for May 29, 2004). Data available since January 1, 2004.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC – No watches are valid as of Tue Apr 15 03:13:02 UTC 2025

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Current Convective Watches (View What is a Watch? clip)Updated:  Tue Apr 15 03:14:06 UTC 2025 No watches are currently valid

    Archived Convective ProductsTo view convective products for a previous day, type in the date you wish to retrieve (e.g. 20040529 for May 29, 2004). Data available since January 1, 2004.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Mann, Kaptur, Budzinski Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Prioritize Domestic Feedlots and Biofuels

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Tracey Mann (Kansas, 1)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Representatives Tracey Mann (KS-01), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), and Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Farmer First Fuel Incentives Act. The bill would restrict the eligibility of the 45Z Tax Credit to renewable fuels made only from domestically sourced feedstocks and extend the credit through 2034. U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced companion legislation in the Senate. 

    “American tax incentives should benefit American-grown products and American farmers, not foreign producers,” said Rep. Mann. “Foreign feedstocks can play a significant role in producing domestically manufactured ethanol, biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel, but we cannot allow them to displace harvest grown right in our backyard. Our tax code should reward the grit and tenacity of American producers, not prop up feedstocks grown overseas.”

    “Today, I joined my colleagues in this important bicameral and bipartisan effort because helping American farmers, producers, and growers goes beyond state and party lines, and is more important now than ever,” said Rep. Kaptur. “We must ensure the Clean Fuel Production tax credit is structured in a way that benefits domestic producers, and not one that advantages foreign-produced feedstocks from China or Brazil. Our legislation extends this credit through 2034 and will bolster American energy independence by prioritizing American producers and the production of domestic biofuels.”

    The Farmer First Fuel Incentives Act would extend the 45Z tax credit and give the ethanol industry the time and financial incentive to build up the infrastructure needed for the U.S. to be less reliant on foreign fuel, open new markets for farmers, and increase ethanol production across the Midwest. Additionally, this bill fixes the glaring flaw in 45Z that negatively impacts farmers wanting to sell feedstocks to the biodiesel and renewable diesel industry. If 45Z continues as-is, taxpayers are at risk of further subsidizing Chinese-used cooking oil and undermining the use of soy, canola, sorghum, and corn oil in renewable fuels.

    “The Farmer First Fuel Incentives Act is commonsense legislation that stops sending American taxpayer dollars to China, expands robust domestic markets for agriculture producers, and increases certainty for the biofuels industry,” said Sen. Marshall. “With President Trump in the White House and Republicans leading both the Senate and House, we are finally putting American farmers first and supporting biofuels made in the U.S.A. It’s time our energy and agricultural policies reflect that.”

    “Domestically produced biofuel strengthens our energy independence, supports our farmers, and boosts rural economies,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “The introduction of the Farmers First Fuel Incentives Act is an important step as we work to maximize the potential of the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit and clean fuel investments across rural America. By extending the credit for another ten years, this legislation gives farmers and biofuel producers the certainty they need to provide consumers with affordable, lower-carbon fuel options.” 

    The legislation is supported by Growth Energy, American Soybean Association, National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA), National Corn Growers Association, National Sorghum Producers, U.S. Canola Association, and Renewable Fuels Association.

    “We are deeply appreciative of these leaders for introducing legislation that establishes requirements for a tax credit that will level the playing field for America’s corn growers,” said National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman Jr. “This bill brings American farmers a step closer to unlocking an exciting new market with global reach.”

    “We appreciate the focus on “farmers first” legislation and the support of 45Z and domestic feedstocks like sorghum,” said Amy France, Chair of the National Sorghum Producers. “Domestic biofuel production remains critical to our farm and our country’s success.”

    In September 2024, Rep. Mann introduced the Farmers First Fuel Incentives Act in the 118th Congress. That same month, Reps. Mann and Kaptur penned a letter to then-Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, urging the Treasury to expedite the issuance of the 45Z tax credit. 

    ###

     

    For more information on Rep. Mann visit www.mann.house.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SUNDAY SHOWS: President Trump’s America First Trade Policies in Action

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    This morning, the Trump Administration’s top officials took to the Sunday shows to discuss the state of President Donald J. Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, how negotiations are progressing, and the results they’ve already delivered on behalf of American workers and businesses.
    Here’s what you missed:
    Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on This Week
    On tariffs for certain electronics: “Those products are going to be part of the semiconductor sectoral tariffs, which are coming … We need to have these things made in America.”
    On the constitutionality of tariffs: “Congress has passed laws that gave the president the ability to protect our national security … If we just run gigantic trade deficits and sell our soul to the rest of the world, eventually we are going to be the worker for the rest of the world.”
    On expanding market access: “Our farmers are finally going to have access to the world’s markets. Our farmers have never had the opportunity to sell corn in India — so what’s going to happen is as they sell more and more products, prices will come down.”
    Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing Peter Navarro on Meet the Press
    On tariffs negotiations: “This is unfolding exactly like we thought it would … We have a strategy here where the President says we’re going to charge them what they charge us … knowing full well that a lot of countries would come right to us and want to bargain.”
    On semiconductor tariffs: “The policy is no exemptions, no exclusions … What the Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, is going to do — and he’s doing it as we speak — is an investigation of the chips supply chain. The goal is stability and resilience.”
    On inflation: “We had really good news on the inflation front — both the Producer Price Index, which is your wholesale prices, and Consumer Price Index had the lowest print since fall of 2023.”
    National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on State of the Union
    On China: “In the 15 years after China entered the WTO, real wages went down — so wages went down by more than prices as we thought these cheap goods were going to revolutionize America. In fact, it was the opposite.”
    U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer on Face the Nation
    On trade deal negotiations: “My goal is to get meaningful deals before 90 days — and I think we’re going to be there with several countries in the next few weeks.”
    On the response to reciprocal tariffs: “President Trump has a global program to try to reshore American manufacturing and address the trade deficit. It’s a global issue. The only reason we’re really in this position right now is because China chose to retaliate.”
    On tariffs exemptions: “For the national security tariffs, you have to do an investigation in order to impose the tariffs … That’s why they don’t have a tariff covered right now because you have to go through the investigation … We expect there will have to be some kind of tariff.”
    Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on Fox News Sunday
    On trade: “For decades, the way we have been treated in this country and especially our farmers and ranchers is absolutely stunning. We have been living under a tariff regime but it has been the regime of other countries … The President is working to fix it.”
    On ethanol production: “Ethanol is a very important part of our energy independence strategy. President Trump has been unequivocal in his support for ethanol.”
    Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Sunday Morning Futures
    On the Panama Canal: “What President Trump said in his State of the Union address is that China has too much influence over the Panama Canal and America’s going to take it back — and that’s exactly what I was charged to do … Chinese influence cannot control our own backyard.”
    On Iran: “[President Trump is] dead serious that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon … He’s also dead serious that if we can’t figure this out at the negotiating table, then there are other options.”
    White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller on Sunday Morning Futures
    On tariffs: “When the President issued his reciprocal tariffs, our government at the time specifically said that chips and semiconductors, which are critical components of our national security, were going to be dealt with through a separate Commerce authority known as a 232. That was always the plan because those components are so essential to our national security. We need to have a separate process for dealing with how to reshore those essential industries … There are no exemptions.”
    On President Trump’s historic actions: “History will record that the actions President Trump has taken in recent days were the beginning of saving the West from complete economic domination by another power.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: No Safe Harbor for Illegal Immigrant Criminals Under President Trump

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Today, President Donald J. Trump hosts Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele at the White House, where they’ll showcase their historic partnership to make the world a safer place.
    Thanks to the two leaders, scores of violent illegal immigrant killers, rapists, gang members, and other sick criminals have been swiftly taken off our streets.
    Here is a tiny sample of the cold-blooded criminals deported to El Salvador:
    Jorge Luis Guerrero-Quintero, a Venezuelan national and confirmed Tren de Aragua gang member, convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl, second-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury, second-degree menacing with a weapon, and criminal possession of a weapon.
    Kerwin Arturo Leal-Estrada, a Venezuelan national and confirmed Tren de Aragua gang member, whose social media accounts show him displaying gang tattoos and signs, holding firearms, and revealing an apparent gunshot wound.
    Jorge Luis Zerpa-Belancourt, a Venezuelan national and confirmed Tren de Aragua gang member, convicted on making false statements, making terroristic threats, domestic battering, interfering with emergency communications, and theft.
    Jose Lopez-Cruz, a Salvadoran national and confirmed MS-13 gang member, with a previous conviction for felony assault when he was arrested and charged with multiple counts of felony assault, reckless endangerment, concealing a dangerous weapon, minor in possession of a firearm, and dangerous weapon with intent.
    Anderson Jose Querales-Martinez, a Venezuelan national and confirmed Tren de Aragua gang member, convicted on felony assault causing reckless and serious bodily injury with a deadly weapon.
    Miguel Angel Fuentes-Lopez, a Salvadoran national and confirmed MS-13 gang member, convicted on three counts of assault in the second degree, assault of a corrections employee, and probation violations.
    New York Post: 11 more violent illegal migrants — including 7 Tren de Aragua gangbangers — deported from US to El Salvador over the weekend
    They’re not alone. As part of separate operations, a litany of violent criminals — including dangerous MS-13 gang leaders, Tren de Aragua gang members, and some of El Salvador’s most wanted criminals — have been deported to the country:
    César Humberto López-Larios, a Salvadoran national and one of the MS-13 gang’s original “Twelve Apostles of the Devil.”
    Elmer Concepcion Romero Yanes, a Salvadoran national convicted of homicide.
    Keivis Jesus Arrechedera Vasquez, a Venezuelan national and Tren de Aragua gang leader with pending drug charges.
    Carlos Alvarenga Guillen, a Salvadoran national convicted of rape and aggravated assault of a minor.
    Felipe Gomez, a Salvadoran national convicted of homicide.
    Leandro Herado Zambrano, a Venezuelan national and Tren de Aragua gang member with pending charges for kidnapping and assault.
    Rafael Mejia, a Salvadoran national convicted of child molestation and multiple lewd acts with a child.
    Brayant Silva Rauseo, a Venezuelan national and self-admitted Tren de Aragua gang member.
    Lino Perez Delgado, a Salvadoran national convicted of sexual assault of a minor.
    Jose Morales-Hernandez, a Salvadoran national convicted of homicide and negligent manslaughter.
    Elmer Escobar Gonzalez, a Salvadoran national convicted of sexual assault.
    Jose Medrano Hernandez, a Salvadoran national convicted of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
    Alejandro Ramos, a Salvadoran national convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor under age 13 and aggravated assault.
    Maiker Espinoza Escalona, a Venezuelan national and Tren de Aragua gang member convicted of prostitution and human trafficking.
    Ricardo Jaramillo Labrador, a Venezuelan national and Tren de Aragua gang member convicted of unlawful detention and disorderly conduct.
    Victor Ortega-Burbano, a Venezuelan national and Tren de Aragua gang member with pending charges for discharge of a firearm and theft.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: TRUMP EFFECT: NVIDIA Leads American-Made Chips Boom

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    For the first time ever, chipmaking giant NVIDIA will manufacture its AI supercomputers entirely in the U.S., the company announced today — part of its pledge to produce $500 billion of AI infrastructure in the U.S. over the next four years.
    The company will build and test its advanced chips in Arizona and its AI supercomputers in Texas over a million square feet of new manufacturing space.
    It’s the Trump Effect in action.
    President Donald J. Trump has made U.S.-based chips manufacturing a priority as part of his relentless pursuit of an American manufacturing renaissance, and it’s paying off — with trillions of dollars in new investments secured in the tech sector alone.
    Earlier this year, President Trump announced a $500 billion private investment in AI infrastructure led by OpenAI, Oracle, and Softbank, while Apple announced a $500 billion investment and TSMC announced a $100 billion investment in chips manufacturing.
    Onshoring these industries is good for the American worker, good for the American economy, and good for American national security — and the best is yet to come.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Remarks by Director Kratsios at the Endless Frontiers Retreat

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    class=”has-text-align-center”>THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICAN INNOVATION
    AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
    Endless Frontiers Retreat, Austin, Texas
    April 14, 2025
    THE DIRECTOR: Thank you for the kind introduction. It is a pleasure to speak to you all this evening, here in the early light of the new Golden Age of America.
    President Trump has given all of us who serve in his administration a monumental task—the renewal of our nation.
    I know, and I think you know, too, that such a renewal will require the reinvigoration of American science and industry. Over the last few decades, America has become complacent, forgetting old dreams of building a wondrous future.
    But we know the American pioneer spirit still seeks the exploration of endless frontiers. Our technologies, and what we do with them, will be the tools with which we will make the destiny of our country manifest in this century.
    Yet this American hope in the possibility of progress and the power of science and technology does not allow builders and innovators to retreat from politics. Indeed, quite the opposite, which is what brings me here today. A Golden Age is only possible if we choose it.
    ***
    There is nothing predestined about technological progress and scientific discovery. They require the efforts and energies of men and women, the collective choice for order and truth over disorder and opinion.
    The last century was called the American Century, as—despite wars and domestic conflict—the United States stood at the forefront of science and technology, building the future. With the strength of our industry and ingenuity, we created the largest middle class the world has ever seen. As President Trump said to me in his letter laying out the science and technology agenda of this administration, “The triumphs of the last century did not happen by chance.”
    Ours was the Atomic Age. Ours the victory in the Space Race. And ours the invention of the Internet, collecting and connecting the multiplicity of human knowledge.
    Today we fight to restore that inheritance. As the failure of the Biden administration’s “small yard, high fence” approach makes clear, it is not enough to seek to protect America’s technological lead. We also have a duty to promote American technological leadership.
    ***
    A gap lies between our moment and the speed of transformation America experienced midcentury. Progress has slowed. Yes, large language models astonish us, rockets still turn our eyes upward, and satellites envelop the globe. But as we look forward to America’s 250th birthday celebration next year, our progress today pales in comparison to the huge leaps of the 20th century. Consider the country of fifty years ago.
    As the nation approached its bicentennial, Americans looked forward to electricity too cheap to meter. By the end of 1972, 30 nuclear plants were operational, 55 were under construction, and more than 80 were planned or ordered. That same year, the Apollo 17 astronauts became the 11th and 12th men to walk on the moon. Five years before, the X-15 rocket plane had set a speed record for a crewed aircraft of Mach 6.7. America was flying higher, faster, and farther than ever before…
    Today, however, energy prices still burden producers and consumers alike, and the grid remains precarious. Over the past 30 years only three commercial nuclear reactors have been built and 10 have been closed. Despite spending almost twice as much on healthcare as peer nations, we have the lowest life expectancy. Apollo 17’s steps on the lunar surface have proved mankind’s last. The X-15’s record still stands, and the Concorde was decommissioned more than two decades ago. Our passenger planes are slower than they used to be. Our trains crawl compared to those in other parts of the world. Our cars do not fly
    Advances have not stopped, but something has gone wrong.  
    ***
    Stagnation was a choice. We have weighed down our builders and innovators. The well-intentioned regulatory regime of the 1970s became an ever-tightening ratchet, first hampering America’s ability to become a net-energy exporter and then making it harder and harder to build. We seem to have lost focus and vision, to have lowered our sights and let systems and structures and bureaucracies muddle us along.
    But we are capable of so much more.  
    Our technologies permit us to manipulate time and space. They leave distance annihilated, cause things to grow, and improve productivity.
    As Vice President Vance said in a recent speech, the tradition of American innovation has been one of increasing the capacities of America’s workers, of extending human ability so that more people can do more, and, more meaningful work. But unrestricted immigration, and reliance on cheap labor both domestically and offshore, has been a substitute for improving productivity with technology.
    We can build in new ways that let us do more with less, or we can borrow from the future. We have chosen to borrow from the future again and again. Our choice as a civilization is technology or debt. And we have chosen debt.
    Today we choose a better way.
    ***
    Our first assignment is to secure America’s preeminence in critical and emerging technologies. This administration will ensure that our nation remains the leader in the industries of the future with a strategy of both promotion and protection—protecting our greatest assets and promoting our greatest innovators.
    To the degree it even tried to accomplish this, the Biden administration failed on its own terms, led by a spirit of fear rather than promise. The old regime sought to protect its managerial power from the disruptions of technology, while promoting social division and redistribution in the name of equity. They secured American technology poorly, and failed to strengthen our leadership at all.
    Promoting America’s technological leadership requires three things of government. First, we have to make the smart choices of creatively allocating our public research and development dollars. Second, we have to make the right choices in constructing a common-sense, pro-innovation regulatory regime. And third, we have to make the easy choice to adopt the incredible products and tools made by American builders and to enable their export abroad.
    In a moment of strategic significance, we must be more creative in our use of public research and development money, and shape a funding environment that makes clear what our national priorities are. Whether in AI, quantum, biotech, or next-generation semiconductors, in partnership with the private sector and academia, it is the duty of government to enable scientists to create new theories and empower engineers to put them into practice. Prizes, advance market commitments, and other novel funding mechanisms, like fast and flexible grants, can multiply the impact of government-funded research.
    At a time defined by the desire to build in America again, we have to throw off the burden of bad regulations that weigh down our innovators, and use federal resources to test, to deploy, and to mature emerging technologies. We know, for example, the greatest obstacle to limitless energy in this country has been a regulatory regime opposed to innovation and development. This, too, has been the chief barrier to pushing the envelope again in transportation, whether supersonic aircraft or high-speed rail and flying cars. The time has come to review the rules on the books and to ask whom they really protect and what they really cost.
    For a future stamped with the American character, the federal government must become an early adopter and avid promoter of American technology. Our innovators make incredible breakthroughs, but consumers, government included, require products that meet their needs, not just the wide-open country of frontier technology. Our industrial might, unleashed at home, and our technical achievements from AI to aerospace, successfully commercialized, can also be powerful instruments of diplomacy abroad and key components of our international alliances. American progress in critical technologies will make us the global partner of choice and the standards setter to follow if we enable and encourage American companies to distribute the American tech stack around the world.
    ***
    This approach to promoting America’s technological leadership goes hand in hand with a threefold strategy for protecting that position from foreign rivals. First, we must safeguard U.S. intellectual property and take seriously American research security. Second, we must prevent rival nations from infiltrating our infrastructure and supply chains, as well as from embedding themselves in the infrastructure of our allies. And third, we must enforce export controls and other measures that keep American frontier technologies out of competitors’ hands.
    We face many dangers as a nation, but thanks to decades of feckless American leaders, China in particular has grown into both a geopolitical rival and technological competitor. This threat requires us to protect our science and technology resources with heightened vigilance, and defend the vital work American researchers do in public and corporate contexts alike from misuse, theft, and disruption. To safeguard our intellectual capital, we must restrict foreign access to sensitive data and strengthen oversight of international collaborators.
    Our infrastructure, supply chains, and those of our allies must be secured, too. We cannot afford to remain dependent, as we are in too many essential industries, on Chinese inputs and products, nor can we allow our closest partners to become points of insecurity by relying on Chinese-controlled critical infrastructure, whether in telecom, the grid, or AI. We must establish and secure trusted supply chains, implement public-private partnerships to enhance supply-chain resilience, and create investment incentives to reshore more critical manufacturing.
    Finally, after thirty years of subsidizing Chinese growth, it is time for us to stop helping a rival catch up with us in this race. Strict and simple export controls and know your customer rules, with an unapologetic America-first attitude about enforcing them, are central to stopping China from continuing to build itself up at our expense. We want peace between our countries, and that peace depends on keeping America’s bleeding-edge technology out of our competitor’s hands.
    ***
    The Golden Age of American innovation is on our horizon, if we choose it.
    In a changing technological environment, the task ahead of us is to adapt to new realities without destroying the American way of life or dis-inheriting the American worker. We seek, in the most basic terms, to secure our economy, restore our middle class, and uphold America as the planet’s best home for innovators.
    For many years now the temptation for the kinds of people represented in this room—builders and discoverers—has been to withdraw from politics. In the face of burdensome regulation and inefficient government and the circus of election cycles, many of you have chosen retreat of various kinds.
    But there is no substitute for victory. You and your fellow Americans cannot afford to give up on the nation. In a world so shaped by politics as well as technology, we must take action in both of these domains. We need all Americans to continue to rise to the occasion, to make full use of their talents, and to build.
    All of us must labor to preserve the inheritance of the American Century to share with posterity, and to ensure that the technologies that give shape to our world help the American people secure the blessings of liberty we received from our forebearers. I bear that responsibility in my role as the President’s Science and Technology Advisor. You bear it, too, in exercising whatever powers and responsibilities you have, whether in business, education, or the laboratory—as Americans.
    It is the choices of individuals that will make the new American Golden Age possible: the choice of individuals to master the sclerosis of the state, and the choice of individuals to craft new technologies and give themselves to scientific discoveries that will bend time and space, make more with less, and drive us further into the endless frontier.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The NPR, PBS Grift Has Ripped Us Off for Too Long

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    For years, American taxpayers have been on the hook for subsidizing National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as “news.”
    As President Trump has stated, taxpayer funding of NPR’s and PBS’s biased content is a waste.
    Here are some examples of the trash that passes for “news” at NPR and PBS:
    In 2024, NPR ran a Valentine’s Day feature around “queer animals,” in which it suggested the make-believe clownfish in Finding Nemo would’ve been better off as a female, that “banana slugs are hermaphrodites,” and that “some deer are nonbinary.”
    In 2024, PBS produced a documentary making the case for reparations.
    In 2023, PBS’s Washington Week roundtable covered up Joe Biden’s clear mental decline, with far-left “journalist” Jeff Goldberg claiming Biden is actually “quite acute.”
    In 2022, NPR educated the nation on the “whole community of genderqueer dinosaur enthusiasts” and “trans-ceratops.”
    In 2021, a PBS station aired a “children’s program” that featured a drag queen named “Lil’ Miss Hot Mess.”
    In 2021, NPR reported on the “cousin of diet culture” known as “healthism, which is the idea that we have to be healthy” — as if that was a bad thing.
    In 2021, NPR suggested doorway sizes are based on “latent fatphobia.”
    In 2021, NPR lamented that “animals deserve pronouns, too.”
    In 2022, NPR ran a feature titled “What ‘Queer Ducks’ can teach teenagers about sexuality in the animal kingdom.”
    In 2020, PBS show Sesame Street partnered with CNN for a town hall aimed presenting children with a one-sided narrative to “address racism” amid the Black Lives Matter riots.
    In 2020, NPR explored “the racial origins of fat phobia.”
    In 2017, NPR ran a story titled “Cannibalism: It’s ‘Perfectly Natural,’” in which an author describes eating another human’s placenta: “It was really the prep that made it taste good. Granted, the [husband] was a chef and so he knew how to prepare it osso bucco style and used a really nice wine I had brought. It smelled great. It didn’t taste bad.”
    In 2017, PBS aired a panel devoted to what it “mean[s] to be woke” and “white privilege.”
    In 2017, PBS produced an entire movie celebrating a transgender teenager’s so-called “changing gender identity.”
    In 2015, NPR dedicated an entire segment to the “population of anthropomorphic animal enthusiasts known as ‘furries.’” 
    NPR and PBS have zero tolerance for non-leftist viewpoints:
    In 2020, NPR refused to cover the explosive Hunter Biden laptop scandal in the runup to the election, baselessly claiming there were “many, many red flags” and its “assertions don’t amount to much.”
    NPR wrote: “We don’t want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories, and we don’t want to waste the listeners’ and readers’ time on stories that are just pure distractions.”

    When a 25-year veteran NPR reporter and editor spoke out about the network’s refusal to report on the Hunter Biden laptop — and their obsession with liberal causes — they suspended him.
    The editor found that registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans 87 to zero in their newsroom.
    NPR prolifically reported on the Russian collusion hoax, with the editor describing “[Adam] Schiff talking points” as “the drumbeat of NPR news reports.”
    NPR management asked its editors to avoid the term “biological sex” when discussing transgender issues.

    NPR CEO Katherine Maher once called President Trump “racist,” shared a photo of herself wearing a “Biden for President” campaign hat, serves on the board of a Soros-funded activist group, and described the “reverence for the truth” as a “distraction.”
    In 2023, a study found that congressional Republicans saw 85% negative coverage while congressional Democrats saw 54% positive coverage on PBS’s flagship news program.
    According to a 2024 study, PBS news staff used 162 variations of the term “far-right,” but only six variations of “far-left.”
    Media bias rating agency AllBias — which surveyed nearly 24,000 readers — found NPR’s bias aligns with “liberal, progressive or left-wing thought and/or policy agendas.”
    In 2010, NPR terminated journalist Juan Williams, who said it was because he was not a “predictable, black liberal.”
    NPR repeatedly dismissed the theory that COVID-19 originated in a lab — a conclusion now deemed likely by the FBI, CIA, and Department of Energy.
    April 2020: “Scientists Debunk Lab Accident Theory Of Pandemic Emergence”
    May 2020: “As Trump Pushes Theory Of Virus Origins, Some See Parallels In Lead-Up To Iraq War”
    May 2021: “Many Scientists Still Think The Coronavirus Came From Nature”
    March 2023: “Virologist says COVID origin report could make it harder to study dangerous diseases”
    September 2024: “New research points to raccoon dogs in Wuhan market as pandemic trigger. It’s controversial”

    A 2024 Media Research Center study found that PBS’s coverage of the Republican National Convention was 72% negative, while coverage of the Democratic National Convention was 88% positive.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS FIGHT BACK AGAINST TRUMP’S ATTACKS ON THE FTC AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

    Washington, D.C. —  Today, Senate and House Democrats filed an amicus brief opposing President Donald Trump’s unlawful attempt to fire members of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). FTC Commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya are duly appointed, Senate-confirmed Commissioners at an independent federal agency created by Congress. Trump’s illegal attempts to terminate them threaten the integrity of independent federal agencies and the FTC’s ability to enforce civil antitrust law and protect the public from fraudsters and monopolists.

    The brief was led in the Senate by Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee Ranking Member Cory Booker (NJ), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (NY), Judiciary Ranking Member Dick Durbin (IL), Commerce Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (WA), Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA), and Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN). Co-Chairs of the House Litigation and Rapid Response Task Force, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse (CO-02), in conjunction with Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), and Antitrust Subcommittee Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (NY-12) are leading the brief in the House of Representatives. 251 Congressional Democrats signed the amicus brief. 

    “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are crippling the independent Federal Trade Commission, which is entrusted with protecting American consumers and ensuring a fair and competitive marketplace. These purported firings violate the law and a century of Supreme Court precedent, but they are no mistake. The FTC has been at the frontlines of holding to account the very billionaires and Big Tech CEOs who have donated millions to Trump and sat in the front row at Trump’s inauguration,” said Ranking Member Raskin. “That’s why Democrats are joining the fight to protect the FTC which has helped all Americans by stopping junk fees, ensuring prices are fair for American consumers at the grocery store, and preventing big business from stifling competition from small business owners.”

    “The unlawful firing of FTC Commissioners is yet another example of the Trump administration’s continued executive overreach, and threatens the agency’s ability to carry out its mission,” said Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse. “House Democrats won’t stand for it, and will continue to defend the constitution and rule of law.”

    “House Democrats are united in our overwhelming opposition to Donald Trump’s unlawful attempt to fire members of the Federal Trade Commission appointed by Democratic Presidents. Congress created this commission and required it to be bipartisan to protect consumers and we will not stand by while Donald Trump rips it apart. I thank my Senate Democratic colleagues, Rep. Raskin, Rep. Pallone, Assistant Leader Neguse and the entire Litigation Working Group and Rapid Response Task Force for leading our effort to push back on this unprecedented takeover,” said Leader Jeffries.

    “Trump’s attempt to fire the two FTC Commissioners—one of whom he himself appointed—is unlawful. Commissioners Slaughter and Bedoya must be reinstated to their rightful positions, and I’m proud to stand with my colleagues in fighting to restore an independent FTC that protects consumers,” said Ranking Member Pallone.

    “The law is clear–the President of the United States does not have the power to fire an FTC Commissioner without cause,” said Senator Booker. “The FTC catches scammers, breaks up monopolies, protects children’s privacy online, and encourages competition to keep prices low at the grocery store, pharmacy, and gas stations. Donald Trump’s illegal attempt to fire these Commissioners for no reason is a blatant attempt to strip the agency of transparency and accountability, at great cost to Americans. His actions violate nearly a century of Supreme Court precedent and Congress’ well-established constitutional practice of providing removal protections to members of the FTC and other independent agencies like the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Federal Reserve. I’m proud to lead this effort in the Senate and be joined by over 250 of my congressional colleagues to ensure the FTC continues to work for the American people and not for Trump’s billionaire friends.”

    “It is disgusting – but not surprising – that the Trump administration is working overtime to dismantle the agency that handles antitrust law and enforces consumer protections,” said Leader Schumer. “Lawlessness has been a hallmark of the first few months of this administration, and firing Senate-confirmed FTC commissioners is just one example. This reckless decision will lead to higher prices for American families by giving a green light to businesses across the country to gouge consumers. Senate Democrats will continue to fight against this corporate handout with every tool possible.”

    “President Trump is yet again abusing the power of the presidency by unlawfully removing two FTC Commissioners.  The law and Supreme Court precedent are crystal clear: Commissioners Slaughter and Bedoya cannot be removed without good cause,” said Senator Durbin. “I’m joining Senator Booker in filing this amicus brief to underscore that the President, whoever he may be, must follow the law.”

    “The FTC for 100 years has protected consumers—from stopping predatory scams to blocking illegal mergers.  You can’t just fire commissioners because you don’t like them, you can only fire them for cause.  The FTC should be an independent, bipartisan consumer watchdog that puts consumers ahead of politics,” said Senator Cantwell.

    “Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya are talented, dedicated public servants who stand up for consumers and workers against big corporations’ abuse. Their illegal firings are a gift to corporations who want a free pass to gouge and scam American families,” said Senator Warren. “We’re fighting back to make sure the Federal Trade Commission stays independent and fights for working people.”

    “President Trump’s firing of Commissioners Slaughter and Bedoya was not only illegal, it also undermines the critical, bipartisan work that the FTC has carried out for over a century,” said Senator Klobuchar. “We stand with the Commissioners and urge the court to immediately reinstate them so they can continue to take on monopoly power and protect consumers from fraud, scams, and corruption.”

    In Slaughter v. Trump, a case filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the unlawful attempted firings of FTC Commissioners Slaughter and Bedoya, the congressional amicus brief argues: 

    1. The Supreme Court’s 1935 decision in Humphrey’s Executor makes clear that Congress has the power to create independent multimember agencies like the FTC and provide removal protections for FTC Commissioners;

    2. Throughout our nation’s history, Congress has created independent agencies with multimember boards or commissions whose members enjoy removal protections, like the Commissioners of the FTC, and this established practice has been consistently upheld by the Supreme Court; and

    3. Constitutional text and history support Congress’ constitutional authority to temper the President’s exercise of removal.

    The full brief is available here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pelosi Joins House Democrats in Filing Amicus Brief Against Unconstitutional Trump Birthright Citizenship Executive Order

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

    San Francisco — Last week, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi joined House Democrats in their continued efforts to push back against President Donald Trump’s unlawful executive directives by signing onto an amicus brief in defense of the essential constitutional principle of birthright citizenship in the matter of State of Washington, et al. v. Trump, et al.

    The brief was signed by 208 members of the House Democratic Caucus, including leads and Litigation Task Force Co-Chairs Assistant Leader Joe Neguse and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, along with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Representatives Bennie Thompson, Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee, and Pramila Jayapal, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement.

    Also at the forefront of the endeavor are Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Yvette Clarke, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chair Adriano Espaillat, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Grace Meng, and Congressional Jewish Caucus (CJC) Co-Chairs Jerry Nadler and Brad Schneider.

    In their argument, the amici curiae (or friends of the court) presented overwhelming evidence that Trump’s day-one order to nullify birthright citizenship violates not just the Constitution and over a century of Supreme Court rulings, but also laws passed by Congress that have repeatedly guaranteed citizenship to children born in America.

    The full amicus brief is available . 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: MATSUI AND SCHNEIDER LEAD EFFORT TO PROTECT ESSENTIAL MEDICAL SUPPLY CHAINS FROM TRUMP TARIFFS

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA-07) and Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) led a group of 26 lawmakers in sending a letter toUnited States Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer and U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Howard Lutnick. The letter raises serious concerns that the Trump Administration’s tariffs may jeopardize the fragile supply chains of generic drugs and medical devices, risking dangerous shortages of these essential medical supplies. 

    “We write with deep concern over your Administration’s tariff actions affecting medical supply chains,” wrote the lawmakers. “Reckless tariffs, retaliatory measures, and an escalating trade war threaten the supply of essential medicines and medical goods, risking severe shortages that could harm U.S. patients.” 

    The vast majority of active pharmaceutical ingredients used for generic drugs come from overseas. The same is true of crucial medical devices. Imposing tariffs on these products will lead to shortages given the low tolerability of manufacturers to take on additional economic risk. These same factors could force manufacturers overseas where critical inputs are less expensive. 

    “The supply disruptions of critical medical products will unavoidably hurt U.S. patients, force providers to make impossible rationing decisions, and potentially even result in death as treatments are delayed and more effective medicines and products are swapped for less effective alternatives,” the lawmakers continued. 

    Congresswoman Matsui has been a leader in Congress to secure medical supply chains. Last Congress, she authored the Mapping America’s Pharmaceutical Supply (MAPS) Act, a bill to help the federal government prepare for and mitigate future drug shortages by identifying pharmaceutical supply chain vulnerabilities.

    Full text of the letter can be found below or HERE. 

    Dear Ambassador Greer and Secretary Lutnick,

    We write with deep concern over your Administration’s tariff actions affecting medical supply chains. Reckless tariffs, retaliatory measures, and an escalating trade war threaten the supply of essential medicines and medical goods, risking severe shortages that could harm U.S. patients.

    Critical drug supply chains are already fragile, with 271 drugs currently in shortage, down from a record 323 in early 2024 but still alarmingly high.  Many of these are low-margin generic sterile injectable drugs (GSI) crucial in hospital settings, including IV saline, chemotherapy, antibiotics, and anesthetics. Often priced at $2 or less per unit, these drugs are highly vulnerable to economic disruptions.

    These economic conditions discourage manufacturers from investing in reliable supply chains, leaving these drugs heavily reliant on foreign active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), particularly from China and India, which together account for 80% of registered API manufacturing sites.  The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response estimates that 90-95% of GSI for acute critical care depend on API from these countries.  This reliance threatens military readiness as well as general public health; in 2019, a Defense Health Agency official warned that disruption of Chinese supply could cause “severe shortages.” 

    Similarly, nearly 70% of U.S.-marketed medical devices are produced solely overseas.  The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) highlights the complexity of global medical device supply chains, where disruptions lead to prolonged shortages.  These supply chains are characterized by varying access to inputs across the globe, specialized regional economies and production capabilities, and an incoherent international regulatory landscape. If tariffs are implemented on medical products, it would be extremely difficult to coordinate a response such that the number and duration of shortages in the U.S. does not increase. 

    The supply disruptions of critical medical products will unavoidably hurt U.S. patients, force providers to make impossible rationing decisions, and potentially even result in death as treatments are delayed and more effective medicines and products are swapped for less effective alternatives. We have already seen these harmful effects during chemotherapy drug shortages in the U.S. in 2023. If tariffs are implemented, clinicians would be forced to make similar decisions on a much larger scale, having devastating impacts on patient care and resource allocation across the healthcare system.

    Tariffs may also backfire by driving manufacturers to cheaper foreign markets, undermining efforts to strengthen domestic and allied-country production. With generic drugmakers already operating on thin margins, cost spikes could force them to cut product lines, exacerbating shortages. For example, we aware of one large generics manufacturer that has identified 60 products that would immediately be at risk of being discontinued if the administration moved forward with tariffs as proposed. Onshoring production requires deliberate policy incentives, not blunt economic penalties.

    The shared goal of bringing more of our critical medical supply chains to the U.S. and allied countries requires the deliberate attention of the Executive Branch and Congress to incentivize manufacturing. Unfortunately, without additional policy changes, the blunt instrument of tariffs will likely result in more shortages of essential medicines and medical goods, threatening public health and inadvertently increasing reliance on foreign countries for our supply of critical medical products.

    To avoid devastating consequences to patients and our public health infrastructure, we urge you to consider the following in tariff decisions:

    • Assess the impact of tariffs on essential medicines and medical goods and seek input from manufacturers and experts.
    • Exempt or provide waivers for API, generic drugs, essential medicines, and critical medical supplies.
    • If tariffs are implemented, coordinate with the FDA to expedite approval of alternative sources.
    • Issue timely and clear guidance to manufacturers on tariffs, exemptions, and exclusions.
    • Collaborate with Congress and international allies to build resilient medical supply chains.

    Congress stands ready to work toward securing our medical product supply chains. We implore you to carefully weigh tariff decisions with respect to essential medicines and medical goods.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese, Senegalese drummers converse in harmonic rhythm

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The Central Conservatory of Music Percussion Ensemble perform during a cross-cultural performance titled “Drums and Music in Harmony” at the Grand National Theater Doudou Ndiaye Coumba Rose in Dakar, capital of Senegal, April 10, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    With synchronized movements and dazzling technique, percussionists from China and Senegal breathed life into diverse drum pieces during a cross-cultural performance titled “Drums and Music in Harmony” in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

    The show, held at the Grand National Theater Doudou Ndiaye Coumba Rose on Thursday evening, attracted nearly 1,000 spectators, eager to witness the captivating collaboration between Chinese and Senegalese artists.

    “This is more than a musical performance. It’s a spiritual exchange,” said Yin Fei, associate professor from China’s Central Conservatory of Music.

    He led a nine-member percussion group on a cultural visit to Senegal, where they engaged in face-to-face collaboration with the renowned Doudou Ndiaye Rose Percussion Ensemble.

    From Chinese lion dance drumming to Senegalese sabar drumming, the two ensembles, each with its distinct style, found common ground in both rhythm and spirit, showcasing the universality of percussion as a shared cultural language.

    The Doudou Ndiaye Rose Percussion Ensemble perform during a cross-cultural performance titled “Drums and Music in Harmony” at the Grand National Theater Doudou Ndiaye Coumba Rose in Dakar, capital of Senegal, April 10, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Opening the performance, the Doudou Ndiaye Rose Percussion Ensemble delivered a powerful display of sabar drumming. Dressed in traditional Senegalese attire, the performers moved in sync with their rhythms, weaving stories of Senegalese heritage and community through sound and motion.

    They were followed by the Central Conservatory of Music Percussion Ensemble, which presented a series of Chinese percussion pieces steeped in national character, evoking the profound cultural legacy of Chinese civilization through layered, resonant rhythms.

    Idrissa Faye, a resident of Dakar, watched the performance with his four-year-old daughter. “A few days ago, I passed by the theater and saw a huge poster for this event. I had never seen a Chinese performance before, so I came early with my daughter today,” Faye said.

    “The show was so amazing. I could really feel the grandeur and power of Chinese art,” he said.

    Yin introduced the audience to the long and rich history of Chinese percussion. “In traditional Chinese culture, drums often symbolize authority, sanctity, unity, and strength. In ancient times, the beat of drums marked the emperor’s processions, the departure of armies, and temple ceremonies.”

    “Today, drum music remains a vibrant part of Chinese festivals such as Spring Festival, temple fairs, and harvest celebrations, often used to convey blessings and festive joy,” he added.

    Sabar drumming, a symbol of African percussion culture, is a dialogue between drummers and dancers. The drummer shifts rhythms based on the dancer’s movements, while the dancer responds dynamically to the beat. This vibrant interplay is known as the “conversation of the drums.”

    The Doudou Ndiaye Rose Percussion Ensemble and the Central Conservatory of Music Percussion Ensemble perform together during a cross-cultural performance titled “Drums and Music in Harmony” at the Grand National Theater Doudou Ndiaye Coumba Rose in Dakar, capital of Senegal, April 10, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    For Mustapha Ndiaye, head of the Doudou Ndiaye Rose Ensemble, Thursday’s performance also profoundly pulled at his heartstrings.

    It served as a tribute to his late father, Doudou Ndiaye Rose, who brought traditional Wolof sabar drumming, once confined to weddings and festivals, to the global stage. The grand theater itself is named in the legendary drummer’s honor.

    “This exchange is a great opportunity to spark new artistic inspiration. We share so many similar stories. The drum is more than an instrument. It’s a vessel of culture and spirit,” said Ndiaye. “One day, I hope to bring Senegalese drumming culture to China.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New USGS Data Releases and Publication

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Kīlauea Tiltmeter Data Releases

    Tiltmeter data is routinely collected by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory for the purpose of monitoring ground deformation associated with volcanic processes and to provide public safety information before, during, and after natural disasters to minimize the loss of life and property. Tiltmeter data at Kīlauea aids in providing accurate assessments, enhanced understanding, long-term monitoring, short-term forecasting, real time information and communications, analysis of mitigation strategies, and distribution of information related to volcano hazards and risks.

    Monitoring lava lake fluctuations and crater refilling with continuous laser rangefinders

    Read the publication here: Monitoring lava lake fluctuations and crater refilling with continuous laser rangefinders | Journal of Applied Volcanology

    The USGS–Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has developed a new method to continuously monitor lava lake elevations. Since 2018, HVO has stationed a laser rangefinder on Kīlauea’s caldera rim. The instrument automatically measures lava lake elevation each second, with centimeter accuracy. A stream of elevation data flows to HVO’s database and public website, contributing a valuable channel to HVO’s volcano monitoring network. The data display is intuitive for users, providing essential information with a new level of clarity. HVO has used this method to track Kīlauea’s changing lava lake elevations over a series of eruptions, and the time series data show several volcanic processes: crater refilling, gas pistoning, lava lake surface behavior, and endogenous crater floor uplift. This technique is versatile, nimble, and easy to use. Continuous laser rangefinders may also prove useful for tracking lava lakes elsewhere, and for monitoring other hazards such as growing lava domes and debris flows. 

    Full References for new USGS Data Releases and Publication: 

    Ellis, A.P., and Johanson, I.A., 2025, Tiltmeter data from Kīlauea stations (ESC, IKI, JKA, KAE, POC, SDH, SMC, UWE) from January 1 to December 31, 2023: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P1435ZZ5.

    Ellis, A.P., and Johanson, I.A., 2025, Tiltmeter data from Kīlauea stations (ESC, IKI, JKA, KAE, POC, SDH, UWD, UWE) from January 1 to December 31, 2024: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P14APFQU.

    Younger, E., Tollett, W., Patrick, M., 2025, Monitoring lava lake fluctuations and crater refilling with continuous laser rangefinders: Journal of Applied Volcanology, 14, 4, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13617-025-00152-5.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Padilla, Western Senators Introduce Bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act to Combat Wildfires

    US Senate News:

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

    ICYMI: Padilla, Western Senators Introduce Bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act to Combat Wildfires

    A list of Senate Fix Our Forests Act provisions particularly impactful for California is available here
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — In case you missed it, last week, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Wildfire Caucus, and Senators John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) introduced the Senate version of the Fix Our Forests Act, bipartisan legislation to combat catastrophic wildfires, restore forest ecosystems, and make federal forest management more efficient and responsive.
    The comprehensive Senate bill reflects months of bipartisan Senate negotiations to find consensus on how to best improve forest management practices, accelerate processes to protect communities, advance watershed restoration, and strengthen partnerships between federal agencies, states, tribes, and private stakeholders. The Senate version of the bill would also bolster coordination efforts across agencies through a new Wildfire Intelligence Center, which would streamline the federal response and create a whole-of-government approach to combating wildfires.
    A one-pager on the bill is available here.
    See coverage on the Senate version of the Fix Our Forests Act below:
    LA Times: California Sen. Padilla hopes Fix Our Forests Act will prevent more L.A. fires
    By Faith E. Pinho
    Months after wildfires ravaged Los Angeles County, California Sen. Alex Padilla is hoping his bill to overhaul forest management and prevent wildfires might be the first bipartisan measure for President Trump to sign.
    “I don’t think anything could completely prevent wildfires, but through this work, if we can prevent just one more community from experiencing the heartbreak felt by the families in Santa Rosa or in Paradise or the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, then this effort would’ve been worth it,” Padilla said Thursday.
    Padilla, who chairs the Senate Wildfire Caucus, joined with a bipartisan group of senators from the West — Sens. John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) — to introduce the Fix Our Forests Act, which mirrors a bipartisan measure of the same name that the House passed in January.
    The Fix Our Forests Act would usher in sweeping changes to how the federal government manages its land — which constitutes 45% of the uninhabited, wildfire-prone land in California, according to the Congressional Research Service. It would create a wildfire intelligence center to centralize federal management, require assessments of fireshed areas and streamline how communities reduce their wildfire risk. It also would ramp up research into wildfire mitigation technologies and change some forestation treatments. […]
    Padilla argued that his bill improved upon issues brought by those groups, including adding a provision for prescribed burns, “building on the expertise and experience of Native American tribes that have been implementing prescribed fires for generations.”
    The Senate version also redefined projects eligible for grants, “to make sure that the L.A. would be eligible right now,” said Matt Weiner, chief executive and founder of the advocacy organization Megafire Action, which pushed for the legislation.
    “I think it’s pretty crazy, frankly, that we’re on the cusp of getting to the president’s desk here a bill that he could sign into law that would be bipartisan and one of the most comprehensive rewrites of federal wildfire policy in decades,” Weiner said. “Amid all the chaos, there’s an opportunity to do something really meaningful here in a bipartisan way.” […]
    California’s leaders — including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler — applauded the Senate version of the bill. Newsom pointed to his own efforts temporarily lifting state regulations to speed up rebuilding in the wake of the L.A. fires.
    “The Fix Our Forest Act is a step forward that will build on this progress — enabling good projects to happen faster on federal lands,” Newsom said in a statement.
    Axios San Diego: New bill aims to bolster fight against wildfires in California
    By Kate Murphy
    A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the West is introducing a bill to combat “catastrophic” wildfires and overhaul forest management.
    Why it matters: Climate change and drought are causing wildfires to become more intense, widespread and harder to put out.
    The legislation comes after the Los Angeles County blazes in January were called one of the costliest wildfire events in U.S. history, with estimated damages reaching up to $131 billion.
    State of play: Some highlights of the Fix Our Forests Act — sponsored by Sens. John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) —are :
    Reducing wildfire risks in certain areas with more cross-boundary collaboration.
    Creating an interagency program to help communities build wildfire-resistant measures.
    Increasing research to test and utilize wildfire prevention technologies. […]

    What they’re saying: As the state faces more frequent and catastrophic wildfires, this bill “prioritizes building fire-resilient communities, accelerating the removal of hazardous fuels, and strengthening coordination across federal, state, and tribal agencies, including through the creation of the first-ever National Wildfire Intelligence Center,” Sen. Padilla said in a statement.
    PoliticoPro: Western senators lead bipartisan push for wildfire mitigation bill
    By Jordan Wolman
    A bipartisan group Western-state senators is planning to introduce wildfire mitigation legislation that would expedite forest-thinning projects, establish an interagency risk-and-response center and set stricter limits on legal challenges.
    Republicans John Curtis of Utah and Tim Sheehy of Montana are joining Democrats Alex Padilla of California and John Hickenlooper of Colorado in sponsoring the Fix Our Forests Act, according to a draft of the bill shared first with POLITICO.
    The legislation, which passed the House in a bipartisan vote earlier this year after wildfires devastated Los Angeles, presents a rare opportunity for compromise in Congress and a chance for progress on forestry and wildfire issues that have plagued the West in recent years. […]
    The Senate bill also has support from groups including The Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, International Association of Fire Chiefs and Megafire Action.
    The Senate version of the bill has received significant support from environmental groups, first responders, and wildfire organizations, including:
    The Nature Conservancy; National Wildlife Federation; Environmental Defense Fund; National Audubon Society; Citizens’ Climate Lobby; Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership; Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition; The Stewardship Project; the Federation of American Scientists; CAL FIRE; the International Association of Fire Chiefs; Alliance for Wildfire Resilience; Megafire Action; the Association for Firetech Innovation; Climate & Wildfire Institute; Tall Timbers; Bipartisan Policy Center Action (BPC Action); Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO); the American Property Casualty Insurance Association; and the Property and Environment Research Center.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff, Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats Request U.S. Marshals Service Investigation Into Escalating Threats Against Judges

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Schiff, Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats Request U.S. Marshals Service Investigation Into Escalating Threats Against Judges

    Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats ask Marshals to proactively investigate unlawful threats and prepare to protect judges and their family members in the current heightened threat environment
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and all Committee Democrats warned the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) about the elevated threat environment for federal judges, Supreme Court justices, and their families and requested information about USMS’ ability to investigate the threats against the judiciary.
    “The USMS’s Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report noted an increase in ‘the need for protective services’ and ‘the number and intensity of concerning and potentially threatening electronic communications related to’ judges and other persons involved in the judicial process. Since then, federal judges at all levels of the judiciary and appointed by presidents of both parties have expressed concern for their and their colleagues’ safety as a result of this threat environment. The level of these threats was sufficient to spur the federal judiciary to establish a Judicial Security and Independence Task Force,” wrote the Senators.
    The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts announced the Judicial Security and Independence Task Force to respond to the growing number of threats to sitting federal judges, the judiciary’s latest effort to protect its judges and staff against violence and intimidation. In their letter, the Senators urged the Marshals to investigate the sources of these threats and determine whether they violate federal law. The Senators also asked whether the Marshals have sufficient resources to protect judges and their families and whether recent cuts to Justice Department funding and personnel have hindered the Marshals’ ability to conduct the necessary investigations.
    “The USMS, as the agency primarily responsible for the federal judiciary’s safety, must protect against these threats. As family members increasingly become targets, USMS should be prepared to provide protection as needed for targeted family members. USMS must also proactively investigate the sources of these threats, both for a full understanding of the threat environment and to determine whether civil or criminal remedies are appropriate,” continued the Senators.
    Federal judges, Supreme Court justices, and their family members have faced relentless attacks, especially on social media, which have escalated in recent years. A Supreme Court justice was the target of an assassination attempt, another justice’s family member received bomb threats at her residence, a federal judge’s child was threatened, and several federal judges have had deliveries anonymously sent to their residences in an apparent warning that people know their address.
    U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, led the letter. In addition to Padilla and Schiff, the letter was also signed by Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Acting Director Pittella:
    We write to request a briefing at your earliest convenience on the U.S. Marshals Service’s (USMS) response to threats against federal judges. These increasing threats of violence may endanger our system of government as well as the lives of these judges and their families— including in our home states.
    In February 2024, former USMS Director Ronald Davis testified that “[t]he number of verified threats against federal judges has doubled in the last three years.” Additionally, in January 2025, the USMS’s Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report noted an increase in “the need for protective services” and “the number and intensity of concerning and potentially threatening electronic communications related to” judges and other persons involved in the judicial process. Since then, federal judges at all levels of the judiciary and appointed by presidents of both parties have expressed concern for their and their colleagues’ safety as a result of this threat environment. The level of these threats was sufficient to spur the federal judiciary to establish a Judicial Security and Independence Task Force.
    The USMS, as the agency primarily responsible for the federal judiciary’s safety, must protect against these threats. As family members increasingly become targets, USMS should be prepared to provide protection as needed for targeted family members. USMS must also proactively investigate the sources of these threats, both for a full understanding of the threat environment and to determine whether civil or criminal remedies are appropriate, including potential violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1503.
    We would like to ensure that USMS has allocated its resources to fulfill these missions and to ensure that the USMS’s work has not been damaged by DOJ personnel and funding cuts. Please let us know if additional USMS resources are necessary to guarantee the protection of our federal judges and their families.
    To prepare for the briefing, we request answers to the below questions related to USMS’s work on this front.
    1. How has USMS responded to the threat environment with respect to federal judges?
    2. What steps has USMS taken to ensure the safety of judges’ family members as part of this threat environment?
    3. What is USMS’s current capacity to investigate threats against judges and their family members?
    4. What is USMS’s current capacity to analyze trends related to threats against judges and their family members, including the sources of those threat trends?
    5. Have any recent executive branch personnel or funding decisions affected USMS’s capacity to investigate or respond to threats against judges and their family members?
    6. Does USMS need any additional resources to investigate and respond to threats against judges and their family members?
    7. Has USMS, whether in conjunction with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices or otherwise, evaluated whether any threats against judges or their family members constitute potential obstruction under 18 U.S.C. § 1503 or any related federal statute? What is the investigation protocol USMS follows for such threats?
    Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to your response and a briefing.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Slams Trump Proposal to Rescind Public Broadcasting Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Boston (April 14, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and Congress’s leading proponent for funding for public broadcasting, released the following statement today after news reports stated that the Trump administration is seeking to rescind funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) as part of a larger rescission package it plans to send to Capitol Hill.

    There are 170 locally-operated, locally-controlled, locally-focused public television licensees in the country, which reach almost 97 percent of Americans, including many rural and remote communities where commercial television can’t succeed. For the 22nd year in a row, public television was ranked the most trusted institution, with 76 percent of Americans agreeing that public television provides an excellent value to communities.

    “The White House’s attempt to gut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is an outrageous and reckless attack on one of our most trusted civic institutions,” said Senator Markey. “The CPB supports a public media system that keeps communities informed, educates our children, and reflects the full breadth of America. This rescission package threatens that mission — and would harm the millions of Americans, especially in rural and underserved communities, who rely on public television and radio as their only source of news, culture, and educational programming.

    “From ‘PBS NewsHour’ to ‘Sesame Street,’ public television has set the gold standard for programming that empowers viewers, particularly young minds. Cutting off this lifeline is not budget discipline, it’s cultural sabotage. I will fight to ensure that the Trump administration doesn’t pull the plug on this essential public good.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SR 165 Carbon River/Fairfax Bridge closed until further notice

    Source: Washington State News 2

    Bridge provided access to Mount Rainier National Park Carbon River Ranger Station

    CARBONADO – Effectively immediately, the Washington State Department of Transportation has closed the State Route 165 Carbon River Fairfax Bridge to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic until further notice.

    The single-lane bridge is located at milepost 11.5, three miles south of Carbonado in Pierce County. The closure means there is no access across the 103-year-old bridge.

    Preliminary findings from recent inspections of the bridge revealed new deterioration of steel supports of the more than century-old span. In the coming weeks, WSDOT bridge engineers will perform further analysis on the bridge. Until those results are final, WSDOT is closing the bridge as a safety precaution.

    In 2024, WSDOT signed an emergency declaration that expedited work for an emergency detour route for first responders and local property owners south of the bridge. The emergency detour route is not open to the public.

    The bridge provided access to Mount Rainier National Park’s Mowich Lake Entrance and Carbon River Ranger Station and other outdoor recreation areas. Due to the closure of the bridge, there is no public access from SR 165 to these areas.

    Background

    In July 2024, the bridge’s load rating was reduced to 16,000 pounds (8 tons). This was the third restriction imposed on the bridge since 2009. In 2013, commercial vehicles were restricted from crossing the bridge.

    The 494-foot-long bridge opened to travelers in 1921. A bridge is expected to have a service life of 75 years based on current standards. The average age of state-owned vehicle bridges is 51 years. The Carbon River Bridge is 103 years old.

    There is no funding available to replace the bridge at this point. Years of deferred preservation work due to limited preservation funding resulted in the updated weight restrictions and now the indefinite closure.

    WSDOT’s bridge inspection program regularly monitors the conditions of all the state’s approximate 3,600 bridges.

    To get the latest information about road work on state highways in Pierce County, sign up for email updates. Real-time travel information is available on the WSDOT app and statewide travel map.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Scott, Secretary Turner Visit Affordable Housing Development, Opportunity Zone

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott
    CHARLESTON, S.C. — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R- S.C.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and Scott Turner, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, visited One80 Place, an affordable housing development project in Charleston, South Carolina. One80 Place also has a 6-story, $44 million housing and shelter project currently under construction. Located in an Opportunity Zone, the 70 affordable housing units and 65-bed family shelter will be the first of its kind in the area with hopes to replicate the project across the country in the future.

    “To have the Secretary of HUD to stop by Charleston, South Carolina, invest his valuable time in seeing the progress that we are making as a community, it is a blessing…and it is also a blessing to have One80 Place working so hard on behalf of a critical issue. One of our top goals on the [Senate Banking] Committee is housing and affordability, and I’m thankful that we have a partner who’s on the job every single day, leading the way from Washington, and many people in the local community, on the job, every single day, helping us take care of our own communities,” Senator Scott said at the visit. “Certainly, we’re focusing on the regulatory environment. And frankly, the private sector as well…you look at our bill, the ROAD to Housing Act, it focuses on relieving some of the pressure in the system from a regulatory perspective. [I believe] that will allow for more homeownership, faster.”
    Background
    Senator Scott’s Opportunity Zones initiative has driven $84.7 billion to underserved communities, unlocking economic opportunities that were not previously available. As the leader of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during President Trump’s first term, Secretary Turner has been key to the success of the initiative, which has drawn bipartisan praise from the likes of then-Governor John Hickenlooper, Governor Gavin Newsome, and then-Mayor Pete Buttigieg. The Senator is looking forward to working with President Trump and his Republican colleagues on a package to broaden and extend Opportunity Zones and continue driving economic development in the communities that need it most.
    The Opportunity Zones (OZ) tax incentive is helping tackle the nation’s housing crisis by making significant increases in housing supply. According to the Economic Innovation Group, OZs have led to: 
    A significant and immediate increase in new commercial and residential development activity in targeted low-income communities, according to a study of building permits across 47 large cities through June 2022.
    The likelihood of investment in a designated census tract in a given month jumped by over 20 percent after OZs were enacted.

    The doubling of new national multifamily housing developments.
    OZs are home to about 10 percent of the country’s population but now account for 20 percent of all new market-rate multifamily apartment units being developed in the country.

    The creation of 172,000 new apartment units across 972 developments and 2,014 cities.
    In his confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, Secretary Turner committed to visit areas like Charleston, South Carolina, to see firsthand the housing challenges Americans across the country face. In an interview earlier this year, Secretary Turner cited Senator Scott’s ROAD to Housing Act as a priority to help unleash investment in affordable housing initiatives across the country.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Krishnamoorthi: Flavored Vapes like “Strawberry Strudel” and “Sour Skittles” are Endangering our Youth—and it’s Time to Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

    WASHINGTON – Following his pointed questioning during an April 9th Oversight Committee hearing, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) renewed his call for urgent federal action to combat the youth vaping epidemic, warning that flavored e-cigarettes continue to drive nicotine addiction among children and teens.

    At the hearing, Congressman Krishnamoorthi challenged tobacco industry-backed witnesses who dismissed the ongoing crisis as “disputable,” despite over 1.6 million children still using e-cigarettes.

    “I assure you that the parents of the 1.6 million youth vapers do not believe this is somehow a disputable crisis,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “When companies market candy-flavored vapes like ‘Strawberry Super Strudel’ and ‘Sour Skittles,’ they are targeting our children—not adults trying to quit smoking.”

    During his questioning, Congressman Krishnamoorthi underscored how tobacco companies continue to frame their products as tools for adult cessation while using kid-friendly branding to expand their market.

    “There is no legitimate public health case for products like ‘Rainbow Road’ or ‘Sour Skittles,’” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “These products exist to hook children, and defending them as beneficial is both absurd and dangerous. I’m the father of three school-aged kids. We have a responsibility to protect this generation from another wave of addiction marketed in candy wrappers. The time to act is now.”

    Congressman Krishnamoorthi has been a leading voice in the fight to end youth vaping, co-founding the bipartisan Congressional Caucus to End Youth Vaping and spearheading legislation to regulate flavored e-cigarettes. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, Congressman Krishnamoorthi launched the first Congressional investigation into the youth vaping epidemic in 2019, spearheading subsequent legislation to crack down on e-cigarette makers and to close the synthetic nicotine loophole. In December, Congressman Krishnamoorthi, through his role as Ranking Member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), announced a new investigation into illicit vaping products from China with advertising targeted at children.

    The clip of the Congressman’s question line is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trump’s tariffs rollercoaster is really about Republican unity

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lester Munson, Non-Resident Fellow, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney

    After announcing Liberation Day – stiff “retaliatory” tariffs on every country and penguin-inhabited island in the world – US President Donald Trump rescinded the vast majority of tariffs eight days later when stock and bond markets crashed.

    He followed that with more exemptions for phones, computers and computer chips two days later. Ten percent tariffs remain across the board, along with rates up to 145% on China.

    Is Trump aligned with previous Reagan on tariffs?

    As with anything related to Trump, perceptions overwhelm reality. Trump’s showmanship – call him a carnival barker if you must – obfuscates what is really happening.

    Trump is seen as a protectionist and a populist. By comparison, former president Ronald Reagan was seen as a principled free trader and more ideologically conservative. Both images are misleading.

    Reagan slapped tariffs on cars, steel, lumber, computers, computer chips, motorcycles, machine tools, even clothes pins. The great guru of free markets, Milton Friedman, is reported to have said that the Reagan administration has been “making Smoot-Hawley look positively benign.” (Smoot-Hawley was an infamous tariff law enacted in 1930 at the beginning of the Great Depression.)

    Reagan went back and forth on tariffs, even attacking them in a radio address when Japan tried to impose them. At the end of the day, his record on the issue was as mixed as that of any American president.

    Trump’s politics, if not his showmanship, look a lot more like traditional Republican approaches in the cold light of day. The showmanship – provocative statements, grand exaggerations, outright falsehoods and even stand-up-comic-like aspects – is purposeful.

    Keeping Republicans united

    The main goal of Trump’s tariff showmanship, largely unreported in the press, is keeping congressional Republicans unified as he pushes his domestic policy agenda of lower taxes, budget cuts, expanded energy production and tougher immigration policies.

    Congressional Republicans have been working for months on legislating this agenda through the complex budget reconciliation process. This legislative process is difficult and involves passing budget resolutions through the Senate and the House on a specific schedule. This process is required because it allows for a path around the 60-vote filibuster in the Senate. With only 53 Republican senators and a Democratic Party that is committed to resisting Trump on almost every policy choice, Trump needs the reconciliation process to work this year.

    In one sense, all of Trump’s activities since his inauguration – the “waste”-cutting DOGE, spending cuts, ending foreign aid programs, laying off federal workers – have given him the political space with congressional Republicans, particularly fiscal conservatives, to advance his legislative agenda. It is important to know that Congressional Republicans have been ungovernable for quite some time.

    Over the past ten years, there have been five Republican Speakers of the House – John Boehner, Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, Patrick McHenry (acting) and now Mike Johnson. This unprecedented turnover is caused by a virtually unmanageable Republican coalition of mainstream business-oriented conservatives and the fiscal hawks who generally populate the Freedom Caucus. The Freedom Caucus is more than willing to vote against other Republicans – indeed they are proud of it. Because of this, speaker after speaker has had to reach out to Democrats for votes to pass legislation, ultimately dooming their time in the position.

    Trump has managed to keep this ungovernable group of House Republicans united, and this may be his true political gift.

    To achieve this, he has engaged in a comprehensive campaign of maximum pressure on just about everything: Canada, Greenland, NATO, Europe, China, Ukraine, American universities, federal workers, illegal immigrants, big law firms and even paper straws.

    Congressional Republicans, in appreciation of this shock and awe campaign, have stayed united. This means Trump’s legislative agenda can move forward.

    With his global tariff plan, Trump saw Republicans beginning to defect. In one Senate vote in April, four Republicans sided with Democrats against tariffs on Canada. Senator Ted Cruz warned that Republicans might lose the 2026 election because of tariffs. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the oldest senator and one of the most conservative, indicated he would support bringing tariff authority back to Congress and away from the president.

    Trump can read a room as well as anyone. When he saw Republican unity was at risk because of his tariff plan, he quickly pivoted to a much more moderate version. While Trump’s grandiosity is often highly criticised, it is that quality that gives him the ability to keep his party together, and therefore to govern.

    Sparking panic among Democrats

    The other major effect of Trump’s tariffs strategy is to sow discord among his opponents.

    Democrats, who want to criticise Trump but know their own party has often endorsed tariffs in the past, are reeling. Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she understood Trump’s “motivation behind the tariffs” and even agreed with Trump that we “need to make more stuff in America”. She was immediately criticised by fellow Democrats.

    Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, tried a slightly more aggressive anti-Trump approach. He said:

    Tariffs, when properly utilized, have a role to play in trying to make sure that you have a competitive environment for our workers and our businesses. That’s not what’s going on right now. This is a reckless economic sledgehammer that Donald Trump and compliant Republicans in the Congress are taking to the economy, and the American people are being hurt enough.

    This response won’t help Democrats climb out of their deep hole of unpopularity, measured last month at an historic low.

    Lester Munson receives funding from the U.S. Studies Centre at the University of Sydney.

    – ref. Trump’s tariffs rollercoaster is really about Republican unity – https://theconversation.com/trumps-tariffs-rollercoaster-is-really-about-republican-unity-254471

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI: PrairieSky Announces Results of the Annual Meeting of Shareholders

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CALGARY, Alberta, April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PrairieSky Royalty Ltd. (“PrairieSky” or the “Company“) (TSX: PSK) is pleased to announce that its shareholders approved all resolutions at the annual general meeting of shareholders of the Company held on April 14, 2025 (the “Meeting“) in Calgary, Alberta. The resolutions approved at the Meeting were as follows:

    The resolution to appoint the seven (7) nominees as directors of the Company to serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders of the Company, or until their successors are elected or appointed, was passed by way of ballot and each of the directors received the following votes for their election:

    Margaret A. McKenzie 212,802,872 (99.914%)
    Anna M. Alderson 212,841,516 (99.932%)
    Anuroop S. Duggal 209,670,592 (98.443%)
    P. Jane Gavan 204,866,881 (96.188%)
    Glenn A. McNamara 211,504,353 (99.304%)
    Andrew M. Phillips 212,830,654 (99.927%)
    Sheldon B. Steeves 211,493,978 (99.299%)
       

    The resolution to appoint KPMG LLP as the Company’s auditors was approved with 210,848,494 (97.387%) of the shares represented at the Meeting voting in favour of the resolution.

    The resolution to accept the Company’s approach to executive compensation was approved with 211,217,643 (99.170%) of the shares represented at the Meeting voting in favour of the resolution.

    The report on voting for the Meeting will be available at SEDAR+ www.sedarplus.com and on the Company’s website at www.prairiesky.com.

    ABOUT PRAIRIESKY ROYALTY LTD.

    PrairieSky is a royalty-focused company, generating royalty revenues as petroleum and natural gas are produced from its properties. PrairieSky has a diverse portfolio of properties that have a long history of generating funds from operations and that represent the largest and most concentrated independently-owned fee simple mineral title position in Canada. PrairieSky’s common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol PSK.

    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

    PrairieSky Royalty Ltd.
    Investor Relations
    (587) 293-4000

    www.prairiesky.com

    PDF available: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/60671034-79e9-439e-9f12-5e2456de6556 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen, Colleagues Demand Trump Reverse Damage to Program that Helps Lower Cooling & Heating Costs for Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Senate colleagues in a letter demanding that the Trump Administration reinstate federal workers who run a federal program that helps lower home cooling and heating costs for hardworking families. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) allows families with children and seniors on fixed incomes to stay cool in the extremely hot summers and warm in the winter. This month, every single worker who helps administer this critically important program was arbitrarily fired by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
    “Last year, LIHEAP provided over 6 million American households with the assistance they needed to heat their homes during extremely cold winters and to keep air conditioners running in the soaring heat,” wrote the Senators. “Without this bipartisan program, Americans throughout the country would be forced to make the unacceptable choice between putting food on the table, paying for prescription drugs, or heating their homes in the winter.”
    “Therefore, we urge you to immediately reinstate all of the LIHEAP staff that were terminated, reopen the Division of Energy Assistance (DEA) that administers this program, and disburse all of the LIHEAP funds that Congress has appropriated,” the Senators’ letter continued. “Being able to heat your home in the freezing cold and keep the air condition on in the extreme heat is not a luxury. It is a matter of life and death.”
    The full letter can be found HERE.
    For nearly 45 years, LIHEAP has helped families across Nevada pay home cooling bills in the summer and heating bills in the winter, and prevent energy shutoffs, restore services, make energy-related home repairs, and make homes more energy efficient. Rising energy costs have made this assistance even more important for working families, seniors, and people with disabilities. According to the Census Bureau, more than 23 percent of households report that they were unable to pay their energy bills in full last year. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Active families boost teens’ physical and mental health

    Source:

    15 April 2025

    Parents who exercise together with their teenagers are more likely to have kids with better physical and mental health.

    From bike rides to backyard footy, parents who exercise together with their teenagers are more likely to have kids with better physical and mental health, according to new research from the University of South Australia.

    Conducted in collaboration with Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute (CHEO RI) and a team of Canadian partners, a study showed that teenagers who exercise more frequently with their families were more likely to:

    • meet physical activity guidelines of 60+ minutes per day (23%)
    • meet recommended screentime guidelines of two hours or less per day (74%)
    • report better mental health (81%) including higher life satisfaction (67%), and lower stress (86%), anxiety (73%) and depression (89%).

    The study also showed that the more regularly the family exercises together, the better the outcomes.

    Data from the World Health Organization shows that 80% of teenagers are not getting enough physical activity and that one in five teens play on digital screens for at least four hours when they engage in gaming. Additionally, one in seven teenagers experiences a mental disorder.

    Dr Justin Lang, Adjunct Professor with UniSA and the Public Health Agency of Canada, says that simple, family-based interventions can make big differences to teenagers’ health and wellbeing.

    “We know that regular exercise is great for both body and mind. But with more teenagers glued to screens and devices, it’s easy for sedentary habits to take hold,” Dr Lang says.

    “Getting teenagers up and moving is crucial to reversing the slide into inactivity – and as our study shows, the key may be in getting the whole family involved.

    “We found that teenagers who exercise daily with their families are twice as likely to meet activity and screen time guidelines – and four times more likely to report stronger mental health and greater life satisfaction.

    “The message is simple: when parents get active with their teens and lead by example, everyone wins. Teens feel better, move more, and their mental health is stronger.”

    The study examined the responses of 8213 Canadian teenagers aged 12-17 years, using self-reported data from the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth.

    It found that only 11% of teenagers met national guidelines of 60 minutes of medium-to-vigorous physical activity per day; and just over half (56%) of teenagers engaged in less than two hours of recreational screen time per day.

    Co-researcher, CHEO RI’s Dr. JP Chaput, says parents play a powerful role in influencing behaviours in their children.

    “Exercising as a family does more than get hearts pumping – it may strengthen bonds, builds confidence, and can have a real impact on teenagers’ mental wellbeing,” Dr. Chaput says.

    “When parents take an active role in their teens’ physical activity, it can build stronger emotional bonds, improves communication, and helps create a protective buffer against mental health challenges like stress, anxiety, and depression.

    “So, when families prioritise being active together, they’re not only building healthy habits – they’re also investing in their teenagers’ long-term wellbeing.

    “Ultimately, it’s a reminder that even small, shared moments of movement can make a big difference.”

    The University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide are joining forces to become Australia’s new major university – Adelaide University. Building on the strengths, legacies and resources of two leading universities, Adelaide University will deliver globally relevant research at scale, innovative, industry-informed teaching and an outstanding student experience. Adelaide University will open its doors in January 2026. Find out more on the Adelaide University website.

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    Contact for interview (located in Ottawa, Canada):  Dr Justin Lang E: media@hc-sc.gc.ca
    Media contact: Annabel Mansfield M: +61 479 182489 E: Annabel.Mansfield@unisa.edu.au

    Other articles you may be interested in

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Sudan’s two years of war: Millions living in the world’s largest humanitarian crisis sink deeper into despair with no end in sight – MSF

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)

    Sudan – 15 April 2025 – The war in Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) enters its third year and people remain unseen, bombed, besieged, displaced and deprived of food, medical care and basic lifesaving services. 60 percent of the country’s 50 million people need humanitarian assistance, according to the UN, and people are facing simultaneous health crises and limited access to public health care.

    Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reiterates its calls on the warring parties and their allies to ensure that civilians, humanitarian personnel, and medical teams are protected and that all restrictions are removed on the movements of humanitarian supplies and staff, especially as the rainy season fast approaches.

    “The warring parties are not only failing to protect civilians — they are actively compounding their suffering,” said Claire San Filippo, MSF Emergency Coordinator. “Wherever you look in Sudan, you will find needs — overwhelming, urgent, and unmet. Millions are receiving almost no humanitarian assistance, medical facilities and staff remain under attack, and the global humanitarian system is failing to deliver even a fraction of what’s required.”

    As frontlines have shifted over the course of the war, especially in Khartoum and Darfur, civilians feared retaliatory attacks from both warring parties. For the past two years, both RSF and SAF have repeatedly and indiscriminately bombed densely populated areas. The RSF and allied militias have unleashed a campaign of brutality, including systematic sexual violence, abductions, mass killings, looting of aid, erasure of civilian neighbourhoods, and occupation of medical facilities. Both sides have laid siege to towns, destroyed vital infrastructure, and blocked humanitarian aid.

    Widespread starvation is taking hold, according to the UN, — Sudan is currently the only place in the world where famine has been officially declared in multiple locations. Famine was first declared in Zamzam camp, for internally displaced people, in August and has since spread to ten more areas. Seventeen additional regions are now on the brink. Without immediate intervention, hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk.

    In March MSF supported multi-antigen catch up vaccination campaigns for children under two in South Darfur.  The over 17,000 children, in 11 of the 14 localities, who received vaccinations were also screened for malnutrition showing 7% of those screened were suffering from severe acute malnutrition, with 30% with global acute malnutrition. In December 2024, during a therapeutic food distribution in Tawila locality, North Darfur, MSF teams screened over 9,500 children under five years old. They found a staggering 35.5% global acute malnutrition rate, with 7% of the children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

    Simultaneously, Sudan is facing multiple, overlapping health emergencies. MSF teams have treated over 12,000 patients — including women and children — for trauma injuries directly resulting from violent attacks. During the first week of February 2025, MSF teams in three areas of Sudan – Khartoum, North Darfur, and South Darfur states – treated mass influxes of war-wounded patients. Sudan is also experiencing one of the worst maternal and child health crises we are seeing anywhere in the world. In October 2024, in two MSF-supported facilities in Nyala, capital of South Darfur, 26% of the pregnant and breastfeeding women seeking care were acutely malnourished.

    “Outbreaks of measles, cholera and diphtheria are spreading, driven by poor living conditions and disrupted vaccination campaigns. Mental health support and care for survivors of sexual violence remain painfully limited. These compounding crises reflect not just the brutality of the conflict, but the dire consequences of the crumbling public healthcare system and a failing humanitarian response”, says Marta Cazorla, MSF Emergency Coordinator.

    Since April 2023, more than 1.7 million people have sought medical consultations at hospitals, health facilities and mobile clinics MSF supports or is working in, and more than 32,000 people were admitted in our emergency wards.

    More than 13 million people have been displaced by the conflict, according to the UN — many of them multiple times. Of these, 8.9 million remain displaced inside Sudan, while 3.9 million have crossed into neighbouring countries. Many live in overcrowded camps or makeshift shelters, without access to food, water, healthcare, or a sense of future. People depend entirely on humanitarian organizations — but only where these organisations are responding.

    Health facilities destroyed

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 70 percent of health facilities in conflict-affected areas are barely operational or completely closed, leaving millions without access to critical care amid one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history. Since the war began, MSF has recorded over 80 violent incidents targeting our staff, infrastructure, vehicles and supplies. Clinics have been looted and destroyed, medicines stolen, and healthcare workers assaulted, threatened or killed.

    “Buildings were destroyed, even beds were looted, and medicines were burned to the ground. From afar, it looked like a hospital, but when you entered it, it was a shelter for snakes and grass,” said Muhammad Yusuf Ishaq Abdullah, MSF health promotion officer in Tawila, North Darfur, about the state of Tawila´s hospital after being attacked and looted in June 2023.

    These attacks must stop — medical personnel and facilities are not targets.

    Upcoming rainy season

    The rainy season, fast approaching, threatens to make an already catastrophic situation even worse — severing supply routes, flooding entire regions, and cutting off people just as the hunger gap peaks and malnutrition and malaria spike.

    MSF calls for immediate preparedness measures ahead of the rainy season. More border crossings must be opened, and key roads and bridges must be repaired and kept accessible, especially in Darfur, where seasonal flooding isolates communities year after year.

    Humanitarian restrictions must be lifted, and unhindered access must be guaranteed. MSF urges all actors — including donors, governments, and UN agencies — to enable and prioritize the aid delivery, ensuring that assistance not only reaches the country but is transported swiftly and safely to the hardest-hit and most remote communities. Without a serious commitment to overcoming the political, financial, logistical and security barriers that hinder last-mile delivery, countless lives will remain beyond the reach of help.  

    The people of Sudan have endured this horror for two years too long, they cannot and should not wait any longer.

    MSF is an international, medical, humanitarian organisation that delivers medical care to people in need, regardless of their origin, religion, or political affiliation. MSF has been working in Haiti for over 30 years, offering general healthcare, trauma care, burn wound care, maternity care, and care for survivors of sexual violence. MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis. In 2022, more than 120 project staff from Australia and New Zealand worked with MSF on assignment overseas. MSF delivers medical care based on need alone and operates independently of government, religion or economic influence and irrespective of race, religion or gender. For more information visit msf.org.au  

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Vigil for Victims of Dominican Republic Nightclub

    Source: US State of New York

    arlier today, Governor Hochul delivered remarks at the vigil for victims of the Dominican Republic nightclub tragedy.

    VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

    AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

    PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page has photos of the event here.

    A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

    Buenas noches. They say that grief is the price you pay for love. What does that mean? You feel this overwhelming sense of loss, grief because you invested so much of your own emotions into another person. And for so many of our family here and in the beautiful country of Dominican Republic, that pain is so raw because grief is the price you pay for love.

    And tonight we gather in a sense of love, knowing the grief that our family members are feeling. We want to send that love from New York, from the Bronx, all the way to those families and say, we understand we’re here in solidarity with every one of you. And if we could lift up a little bit of your pain and your sorrow just for a few moments, we want you to know we are together in this.

    I want to thank our Borough President, an extraordinary leader who I’ve seen literally tested by fire. In her first days on the job when there was a horrific fire in an apartment building here, I saw the face of courage in this young woman who stood up, and I was so proud to be joining her as well in that. But even as this other night, we think about the sorrows so many people are feeling.

    The first Dominican member of Congress, my great friend Adriano Espaillat. I want to thank him for being such a strong champion of this community. We have spoken a number of times on the phone over this and what we can do to lift up the members of this community in this time of grief.

    And all the other electeds who are here. I want you to look around tonight as the sky darkens. You’ll see our landmarks from our bridges to our buildings all the way up to Niagara Falls will be lit tonight to show our love for the Dominican Republic. They’ll be lit in blue, white, and red. And our flags I’ve directed to be made to be lowered at half mask. Why? As a symbol of respect to say that your pain is our pain.

    And you think about the ordinary people, you talked about the celebrities, the well-known individuals called out by our Bronx President, but also the, the moms and dads, the brothers and sisters, the children, the parents, the aunts and uncles – ordinary people just got together to have some fun to enjoy life. Maybe take them out of their existence. Maybe work is hard and things are expensive. It’s hard to get a get by anymore, and they came together just to be lifted out of their existence for a nice evening.

    And that is the heartbreak of this particular tragedy, that in that moment of joy, in a flash, in an instant – it became a moment of tragedy. So I say this, we must always be reminded in these sad times of the fragility of life and how precious it is. And if you have children or people in your home when you wake up in the morning, you must give them a hug. You must kiss them. You must be reminded that you may not always see them at the end of the day. And I think about those individuals who maybe said goodbye to someone not knowing it’ll be their last time.

    But also, we never forget the first responders and their loved ones here across New York and in places like the Dominican Republic where they show up no matter how bad it is out there, and their family members know that with that fear in their hearts, but that sense of pride that they’re married to someone or the child of someone who will put on a uniform and run into the flames and into the danger when everybody else is running out. We’ve seen it here in this city and now we’ve seen it in a particular nightclub in Santo Domingo.

    New York is so proud to be the home of over 1 million Dominicans – 1 million. Anyone here, Dominican? I knew I was in the right place. And I’ve marched in your parades, and I called the President yesterday and expressed our love and our solidarity, our counsel Jenna, we work together. There is such an affinity, a tightness, a closeness. It is a sense of familia and I’m so proud to govern a state that is so diverse and so welcoming and so embracing of other people and their ideas and cultures and yes, amazing dances like the meringue. Don’t ask me to do it. At the next parade, I ask you, please do not ask. Adriano always says he is going to teach me.

    But the ties between our countries, the country, and our state are unshakeable. And I do believe as a result of this tragedy, they’re even stronger. So for all of our clergy here, I ask you to continue consoling this community, we draw on your strength and the teachings of Jesus Christ, who offers comfort as we approach this Easter weekend, at a time of sorrow, but also of deliverance and resurrection. We will be resurrected from our pain that we’re feeling today. I know it because that is the promise that God gives us.

    But until that time, know that we feel the love for each and every one of you, and especially those who’ve lost a loved one in that tragedy. But I am there for you and so proud. So proud to be here, to see the love in this moment. It inspires me to go back as I’m heading back up to our State Capitol to do the work of the people, but I leave all of you with a sense that you are here because you care and because you love, and that’s why tonight you are in grief.

    Thank you very much.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PLASKETT MEETS WITH VIRGIN ISLANDS PHYSICIANS AND LOCAL HOSPITAL BOARD ON STATE OF VI HEALTHCARE

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (USVI)

    For Immediate Release                                          Contact: Tionee Scotland
    April 14, 2025                                                    202-808-6129

    PRESS RELEASE

    PLASKETT MEETS WITH VIRGIN ISLANDS PHYSICIANS AND LOCAL HOSPITAL BOARD ON STATE OF VI HEALTHCARE

    Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Plaskett released the following statement:

    “Last week, I and my office met with key stakeholders in our healthcare sector.  Given the heightened concerns related to our hospitals in the Virgin Islands- including staffing shortages, supply deficits, and operational challenges, meeting with those responsible fr the hospitals was very relevant. On Thursday, we met with the Juan F. Luis Hospital physicians and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Regina Flippin, as well as the Schneider Regional Medical Center physicians and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. George Rosenberg, and on Sunday, I met with the Virgin Islands Government Hospital and Health Facilities Corporation Territorial Board Executive Committee (Corporation). I appreciate the responsiveness of the physician community and the Corporation, and value the respective, collaborative discussions.

    “We discussed the difficulties that the Virgin Islands hospitals are presently facing, including the problems listed above, and we discussed long term funding gaps which continue to plague our healthcare system.  There have been decades-long attempts to change multiple federal programs and funding formulas.  During the Biden Administration, I was able, in legislation, to change the percent of Medicaid payment by the federal government from 55% to 83% and raise the Medicaid cap. Medicare payments for the Virgin Islands are calculated using the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA). Under TEFRA, the respective base years are 1982 for the Schneider Regional Medical Center (SRMC) and 1996 for the Governor Juan F. Louis Hospital (JFL). The base year reimbursement system, which relies upon an inflation adjustment, does not accurately capture the expenses of patient care services. I have introduced legislation for healthcare equity in each Congress and included in annual appropriations legislation language to urge the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to update the payment data and formulas for the hospitals in the Virgin Islands.  Additionally, I have met with CMS leadership to urge the use of their administrative scope to assign a new base period, which is more representative of the reasonable and necessary cost of inpatient services.

    “Additionally, during the calls we discussed Medicare and Medicaid payment systems that allow rural and geographically isolated hospitals an increased reimbursement rate. I have been a longstanding advocate to extend and permit Medicaid and Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments to U.S. territories.  We also discussed during the meetings other programs and creative mechanisms to create larger funding for the hospitals, which we will pursue.

    “We also discussed in our Sunday meeting the Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center and the Morris De Castro Clinic on St. John and the vital support they provide to the community. I understand that the Request for Proposals for the construction contracts for both centers are now closed, and I am hopeful that they are reconstructed in short order, to ensure that providers and community members on St. John have the necessary infrastructure for their healthcare spaces.

    “My office is committed to working with everyone in the Virgin Islands healthcare space to ensure that our providers and community have the necessary support to ensure both short- and long-term stability. I am grateful for the commitment and passion of our doctors and healthcare professionals.  They have made a lifetime commitment to our community, and I respect their dedication to their patients.  I was also happy for the transparency of the hospital Board in discussing their ongoing work to stabilize and create positive change in the hospital. The hospitals provide essential care to everyone in the Virgin Islands, and I will collaborate with the federal and local government to protect our healthcare system.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Attorneys for Southwestern Border Districts Charge More than 1,020 Illegal Aliens with Immigration-Related Crimes During the Second week in April as part of Operation Take Back America.

    Source: US Justice – Antitrust Division

    Headline: U.S. Attorneys for Southwestern Border Districts Charge More than 1,020 Illegal Aliens with Immigration-Related Crimes During the Second week in April as part of Operation Take Back America.

    Since the inauguration of President Trump, the Department of Justice is playing a critical role in Operation Take back America, a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Applauds EPA’s Expedited Plan to Clean Up West Lake Landfill

    US Senate News:

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

    Monday, April 14, 2025

    Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) applauded Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin for announcing an expedited plan to clean up St. Louis’ West Lake Landfill two years earlier than originally planned. The EPA’s newly released report comes after Senator Hawley hosted Administrator Zeldin at West Lake Landfill and Coldwater Creek last month so he could witness the radioactive waste and its aftermath firsthand. 

    In the report, Administrator Zeldin notes the challenges that have plagued Missourians for years as a result of the federal government illegally dumping the radioactive waste decades ago.

    “Meeting and speaking with the St. Louis community members who have long endured radioactive waste in their community was beyond moving. This moment requires an unprecedented effort to clean up the West Lake Landfill and impacted sites in the area. I look forward to partnering with Senator Josh Hawley to achieve remarkable and urgent progress,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 04.14.2025 Sen. Cruz, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Allow American Victims of Terrorism to Sue International Organizations Supporting Terrorists

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and colleagues introduced the LIABLE Act, which removes immunity from, and allows suits against, international organizations that provide material support to designated terror groups which commit terrorism against Americans.
    Upon introduction, Sen. Cruz said, “The United Nations Relief and Works Agency officials have for decades knowingly provided support to Hamas terrorists, including salaries and materials. That support facilitated Hamas’s terrorist attack on October 7th, which was the worst one-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and included the murder and kidnapping of dozens of Americans. Those victims and their families deserve the ability to hold UNRWA accountable, and the LIABLE Act would give them that opportunity.”
    The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.).
    Sen. Cramer said, “International organizations who knowingly support foreign terrorist organizations should be held legally responsible for their complicity in terrorism. The LIABLE Act ensures those who provide material support to terrorism—whether through direct involvement or by aiding and abetting—can no longer hide behind legal immunity.”
    Sen. Budd said, “I’m proud to stand with Senator Cruz and my colleagues to introduce the LIABLE Act, which would ensure that victims of terrorism, along with their families, can seek justice and hold international organizations accountable for aiding and abetting terrorist acts. There is no better example of this than UNRWA, an organization with longstanding ties to Hamas, whose staff members participated in the horrific October 7th attacks.  America must send a clear message: supporting terrorism will never be tolerated or ignored.”
    Sen. Ricketts said, “UNRWA employees provided material support for Hamas terrorists and contributed to the barbaric October 7th attacks,” said Ricketts. “They need to be held accountable for aiding and abetting terrorism. This bill will enable American victims of terrorism to get justice.”
    Sen. Hagerty said, “UNRWA has provided material support to the terrorist organization Hamas and has cultivated anti-Israel extremism and terrorism. UNRWA employees directly participated in the terrorist attacks of October 7th that killed dozens of Americans and UNRWA schools produced over 100 graduates who participated in the atrocities of that terrible day. I am proud to cosponsor this necessary legislation that makes it possible to hold UNRWA accountable for its complicity in terrorism.”
    Sen. Barrasso said, “Any international organization aiding terrorist groups must be investigated and held accountable. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency has a lot to answer for after providing resources to Hamas terrorists. The blood of innocent Americans and Israelis who were kidnapped or killed on October 7 is on their hands. I am proud to join Senator Cruz and my colleagues on this important legislation to give victims and their families an opportunity for much-deserved justice.”
    Sen. Scott said, “For years, UNRWA has been aiding Iran-backed Hamas in their spread of hateful antisemitism. UNRWA has supported Hamas in enabling these terrorists to commit the horrific massacre and mass kidnapping of Israelis and Jewish Americans over 550 days ago, on October 7th, and the sick individuals responsible for this terrorism must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. I’m proud to join my colleague, Senator Ted Cruz, to introduce the LIABLE Act and ensure the victims and their families can finally bring UNRWA to justice.”
    Sen. Schmitt said, “International organization like UNWRA are deeply tied with Hamas and must be held accountable for playing a role in kidnapping, murdering, and maiming countless innocent lives on October 7th. I am proud to stand with Senator Cruz as a cosponsor of the LIABLE Act to hold these organizations accountable.”
    Read the bill text here.
    BACKGROUND
    The Limiting Immunity for Assisting Backers of Lethal Extremism (LIABLE) Act would allow American victims of terrorist groups to sue international organizations that provide resources to terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. These organizations would otherwise be immune from lawsuits pursuant to the International Organization Immunity Act (IOIA), which parallels the immunity provided to foreign states through the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA).
    During the Biden administration, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) received hundreds of millions of dollars which was poured into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. That process would normally constitute material support for terrorism, because the assistance directly and indirectly benefits Hamas—a known terrorist group. And yet, the Biden administration granted waivers among other legislative measures to circumvent the law and enable UNRWA to support Hamas.

    ICYMI: WSJ Op-Ed: “Let Terror Victims Sue UNRWA”
    Sen. Cruz and colleagues wrote to then-AG Garland urging the U.S. Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into UNRWA USA, a U.S.-based non-profit that raises funds for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), for providing material support for terrorism.

    Sen. Cruz is committed to being the Senate leader in supporting our ally, Israel, and bolstering the U.S.-Israel relationship.

    Sen. Cruz introduced a bill to designate the Iranian-controlled Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization.  
    Sen. Cruz led a letter to then-U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield opposing Palestinian effort to suspend Israel from the U.N. General Assembly.
    Sen. Cruz introduced the Terminating Unlawful Negligence and Nullifying Exemptions and Licenses to Sanctions (TUNNELS) Act of 2024, to rescind the licenses employed by the Biden administration to channel U.S. aid through international and non-governmental organizations to Gaza, and prevent these licenses from being reissued.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Social Security wrongly told disabled people and some seniors their benefits ended, causing alarm

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    April 08, 2025

    The Social Security Administration last week wrongly informed some recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the federal program that provides financial assistance to disabled Americans and low-income senior citizens, that they were no longer receiving benefits. 

    The agency’s website informed some SSI recipients they are “currently not receiving payments,” according to an April 7 letter from senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Mark Kelly of Arizona to Social Security Administration Acting Commissioner Lee Dudek. 

    The payment history and all data about benefits for SSI recipients had also vanished, they wrote, adding that they received multiple reports from constituents about the error.

    “In my 50 years of work on Social Security and SSI, I have never heard of this happening before,” said Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an advocacy group for the program, of the SSI error.

    Chris Hubbard, whose 37-year-old disabled adult son relies on the program to pay for his group home, told CBS MoneyWatch she became aware of the problem on March 31, when people in a Facebook group for mothers of autistic children flagged the problem. 

    Hubbard, who lives with her husband in Westborough, Massachusetts, said she checked her son’s account and was alarmed to find a similar message, leading her to stay up through the night to keep refreshing the page. She fell asleep at 5 a.m. without seeing a change, she said.

    “I was continuing to be worried because the message was still on the site, saying this beneficiary doesn’t receive payments,” Hubbard said.

    The next morning, however, the correct information was on her son’s page, and the money was deposited on April 1, as scheduled. But she and her husband say they received no outreach from Social Security about the problem, or an explanation of the error. They opted against calling the agency because of the long waits now often required to get someone on the phone.

    The Hubbards said they’re worried the glitch could signal more problems with the service, pointing to the potential impact of cuts to SSA’s workforce.

    “There’s great concern about this happening again, and why did it happen in the first place?” Tom Hubbard said.

    The Social Security Administration told CBS MoneyWatch that the issue was limited to SSI recipients, adding, it “did not impact Social Security or Medicare only beneficiaries.” A spokesperson for the agency said, “This particular issue was resolved less than twenty-four hours later. All my Social Security user logins are again able to connect and view the proper benefit information.”

    DOGE changes

    The SSI error is concerning because it impacts “some of the most vulnerable in the nation — low-income seniors and children and adults with disabilities — and [they] face extraordinary hardship if their benefits are delayed or disrupted,” the senators wrote in their letter. 

    The SSI issue could be the result of changes happening at the Social Security Administration under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, Altman said. Musk has claimed that the system is rife with fraud, and alleged the program is “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”

    In recent weeks, the Social Security website has suffered from a number of outages that lasted as long as a day, according to an April 7 Washington Post report. The Social Security Administration told CBS MoneyWatch that the “brief disruptions” lasted about 20 minutes each, on average.

    “Before Trump, Musk and DOGE took over, there were no major crashes or glitches on SSA’s website to speak of,” noted Maria Freese, senior Social Security expert at the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, an advocacy group focused on retirement issues. “Certainly there were no messages going out telling people erroneously that their benefits were discontinued.”

    The maximum monthly SSI payment is $967 for an individual in 2025, with the program aimed at helping people with disabilities and seniors with no or little income. Most SSI recipients have income below the poverty line, according to the Roosevelt Institute.

    “SSI recipients experience economic precarity at high rates, and even brief disruptions to benefits could have devastating impacts for these beneficiaries,” the senators wrote in their April 7 letter. “These recent reports of disruption—or threats of disruption— of Social Security benefits is deeply troubling.”

    Source: CBS MoneyWatch

    MIL OSI USA News –