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  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Privacy & National Security Implications Of The 23andMe Bankruptcy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    June 11, 2025
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “23 and You: The Privacy and National Security Implications of the 23andMe Bankruptcy.” Today’s hearing will examine the bankruptcy of 23andMe, Inc., and the potential sale of the company’s database of customers’ personal genetic information. The hearing also will provide an opportunity to examine policy and ethical issues associated with the collection and use of personal genetic information, the need for a comprehensive federal data privacy law in the United States, and the treatment of consumer data privacy in the bankruptcy process.
    Key Quotes:
    “In short, 23andMe has access to deeply personal information about you and your health. Information that you would normally want to keep private—between you, your family, and your doctor. Yet no federal law—no federal law—prevents 23andMe from sharing this data with others, including insurance companies, future employers, and law enforcement. Rather, a patchwork of state laws and [23andMe’s] privacy policy are the only things protecting the genetic information of millions of Americans.”
    “If 23andMe’s customers are anything like [their] fellow Americans, they likely didn’t read this privacy policy. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, more than half of Americans say they always, almost always, or often agree with privacy policies without ever reading them. Who can blame them?” 
    “When 23andMe filed for bankruptcy on March 23, a lot of people suddenly became interested in that privacy policy. Because, buried in the fine print of their privacy policy is the following, listen carefully: ‘If we are involved in a bankruptcy, merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your Personal Information may be accessed, sold or transferred as part of that transaction.’”
    “So 23andMe’s 15 million customers were left wondering: Who is going to get access to my genetic information? What are they going to do with it? What rights do I have to stop it?”
    “Thankfully, 23andMe’s privacy policy gave its customers the right to delete their data upon request. And millions have done so—so many, in fact, that 23andMe’s website crashed with the traffic. But again, this wasn’t required by federal law.”
    “There are very few federal guardrails to protect your most sensitive data, including your DNA and who can share it. It’s time for Congress to put some protections in place for Americans.”
    “The American people deserve to have faith that their sensitive information will be in—and stay in—the right hands before they agree to share it. Yet, nearly 20 years after 23andMe came on the scene and at least that long since the surveillance industrial complex started taking over the Internet, America still lacks a comprehensive federal law to protect our privacy.”
    “There have been signs of hope, including in 2022 when the American Data Privacy and Protection Act passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee by a broad, bipartisan vote of 53-to-2. But the American people are still waiting.”
    Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
    Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
    Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: E-bikes are becoming e-waste – here’s how to reduce the environmental cost

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Yvonne Ryan, Associate Professor in Environmental Science, University of Limerick

    Electric e-bikes make cycling easier, faster and more accessible. They are already playing an important role in reducing the environmental impact of transport, particularly when they replace a trip in a private car.

    But when you scrap an e-bike, you also have to scrap its battery. And these batteries can be particularly dangerous and tricky to dispose of. This means the growth of e-bikes is leading to at least one related environmental problem: a rise in electronic or e-waste.

    The sector needs stronger regulations to encourage it to cut its waste. This includes encouraging bikes to be designed to be easier to repair or recycle, and establishing universal standards that allow parts to work across different brands and models, so components can be reused instead of thrown away.

    However, e-bikes often fall between legislative cracks, and their exclusion from the priority products under the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, introduced in 2024, was unfortunate.

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

    At the University of Limerick in Ireland, colleagues and I have been researching the environmental impact of e-bikes. We’re interested in their full lifecycle, from metals in rocks to extraction, manufacturing, years of use and eventual disposal – to see if there are ways to reduce the materials they use.

    We interviewed retailers and people who work in waste management. They expressed concerns about online sales of lower-quality e-bikes with easily broken components, as well as the high turnover rates of e-bikes.

    E-bike rental services like this one in Dublin, Ireland are growing fast.
    Brendain Donnelly / shutterstock

    Using data from the fleet of e-bikes loaned out at our university, we noted issues with design and compatibility of components. Bike tyres, for instance, have become increasingly non-standard and specialised.

    Additive manufacturing, such as 3D printing, may become more important for bike retailers and repairers, who could use it to “print” themselves replacements nuts, screws or even seats. This may be particularly needed in island states such as Ireland, where there are often delays in sourcing parts.

    But first, the e-bikes must be of sufficient quality to be repaired. Then, to create the replacement parts, people will need to access the necessary data – digital files with precise designs of objects such as a bicycle tyre or handlebar.

    Keeping e-bikes in use

    New business models are emerging. Some companies are lending e-bikes to their employees, with a management company taking care of maintenance and repair.

    There are also a growing number of mobile e-bike repair services, and specialist training for e-bike repair and retail through manufacturer platforms like Bosch and Shimano.

    E-bike brands are shifting from a focus on selling bikes towards offering ongoing services. For example, e-bike retailer Cowboy offers a subscription to mobile bike mechanics, and VanMoof partners with authorised repair services. But while these models work well in big towns and cities, they may not be suitable for rural and smaller urban areas.

    Care needs to be taken to ensure that consumers are not disadvantaged or locked out from repair options. In the US, e-bike manufacturers have been requesting exceptions to laws designed to make products easier to repair – while urging that the public should not be allowed to access data needed to make repairs.

    E-bikes can be hard to spot

    On the waste handling side, some of the innovations that have made e-bikes more accessible are also creating new problems.

    For example, e-bikes have evolved to be sleeker and sometimes indistinguishable from regular bikes. This makes it easier for them to end up in regular waste management facilities that aren’t equipped for electronic waste. If a lithium-ion battery inside an e-bike still holds charge and gets crushed or shredded, it can start a fire.

    But this is a problem we can solve. Computer vision and other AI technologies could help to recognise e-bikes and batteries at waste management facilities. QR codes on bike frames could be used to provide information on the entire product lifecycle, including repair manuals and service history – just like the EU’s proposed product passports.

    Consumer awareness, choice and education are key. While it’s up to consumers to initiate the maintenance and repair of e-bikes, policymakers need to ensure these options are available and affordable, and that consumers are aware of them.

    Retailers need support to embed “repair and reuse” in their business models. This includes cycle-to-work schemes for people to buy e-bikes, as well as better access to insurance and legal protections for selling refurbished e-bikes, and a workforce with the skills to repair these bikes.

    Across the world, bike libraries and “try before you buy” schemes are helping consumers make better decisions, as people can test an e-bike before committing. Moving away from traditional ownership – especially for expensive e-bikes – could make active mobility more accessible.

    Policies that drive sales, such as grants and incentives for new bike purchases, can work against efforts to reduce waste. We need more policies that support refurbished and repaired e-bikes.

    The e-bike sector is one with great potential to improve both environmental and public health. But to realise these benefits, we need to focus on making them last longer and use less resources.

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

    – ref. E-bikes are becoming e-waste – here’s how to reduce the environmental cost – https://theconversation.com/e-bikes-are-becoming-e-waste-heres-how-to-reduce-the-environmental-cost-258367

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: National Weather Service Reverses Cuts after Harder’s Outcry

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

    Sacramento, Hanford stations were targeted for reduction of operations

    Loss of 24/7 service would be catastrophic for disaster weather response

    WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) announced that the National Weather Service (NWS) is implementing emergency hiring plans to keep two Valley weather stations open in response to Harder’s advocacy. The Sacramento and Hanford stations were poised to lose 24/7 service because of staffing cuts which would have been catastrophic for emergency response to floods, wildfires, and severe storms. On Friday, Rep. Harder demanded the National Weather Service reverse its cuts and keep the only two Valley stations fully staffed.  

    NWS service crisis by the numbers:

    • DOGE terminated 500 NWS employees, representing a 12% reduction in force.
    • Sacramento has 7 vacancies out of 16 meteorologist positions, and Hanford has 8 vacancies across 13 positions – leaving the Valley half-staffed amid peak wildfire season.
    • Decreased service capacity leaves California water managers without critical forecasts needed to make life-or-death water supply decisions.

    “Ending 24/7 service operations that keep our families safe from floods and fires makes absolutely no sense – that’s why I called on NWS to immediately reverse these plans,” said Rep. Harder. “Today’s announcement is a step back towards sanity, but Valley communities need more than a temporary fix. I’m going to keep fighting to get these vacancies filled permanently, and I won’t rest until Valley families can rest assured that the federal government is actually at work keeping them safe.”

    In his letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Harder urged Washington to:

    • Reinstate all terminated workers at the Sacramento and Hanford offices.
    • Ensure that the Sacramento and Hanford weather forecast offices are adequately staffed to maintain 24/7 operations.

    Read the full letter here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department and FTC to Host Listening Sessions on Lowering Americans’ Drug Prices Through Competition

    Source: US State of California

    Sessions to Discuss Generic and Biosimilar Availability, Prescription Drug Formularies and Benefits, and Regulatory Barriers

    As part of implementing President Trump’s Executive Order No. 14273, Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First, the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission, along with the Department of Commerce and the Department of Health and Human Services, will jointly host listening sessions to discuss ways to make prescription drugs more affordable for Americans by promoting competition. The three listening sessions will occur under the direction of Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater and FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson.

    The listening sessions will focus on improving the affordability of pharmaceuticals by increasing generic and biosimilar availability and promoting competition through drug formularies and benefits. The sessions, which will feature remarks by practitioners and scholars, will cover anticompetitive practices as well as eliminating regulatory barriers and rent seeking. The listening sessions will inform the FTC and DOJ’s joint report on combatting anticompetitive practices in pharmaceutical markets, as mandated by President Trump’s Executive Order.

    The dates for the sessions are as follows:

    • Monday, June 30 at 2 p.m. ET – Anticompetitive Conduct by Pharmaceutical Companies Impeding Generic or Biosimilar Competition

    • Thursday, July 24 at 2 p.m. ET – Formulary and Benefit Practices and Regulatory Abuse Impacting Drug Competition

    • Monday, August 4 at 2 p.m. ET – Turning Insights into Action to Reduce Drug Prices

    The listening sessions will be streamed on the FTC and DOJ websites, with videos and transcripts posted after the events. Additional information will be posted to the event page to each session. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department and FTC to Host Listening Sessions on Lowering Americans’ Drug Prices Through Competition

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Sessions to Discuss Generic and Biosimilar Availability, Prescription Drug Formularies and Benefits, and Regulatory Barriers

    As part of implementing President Trump’s Executive Order No. 14273, Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First, the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission, along with the Department of Commerce and the Department of Health and Human Services, will jointly host listening sessions to discuss ways to make prescription drugs more affordable for Americans by promoting competition. The three listening sessions will occur under the direction of Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater and FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson.

    The listening sessions will focus on improving the affordability of pharmaceuticals by increasing generic and biosimilar availability and promoting competition through drug formularies and benefits. The sessions, which will feature remarks by practitioners and scholars, will cover anticompetitive practices as well as eliminating regulatory barriers and rent seeking. The listening sessions will inform the FTC and DOJ’s joint report on combatting anticompetitive practices in pharmaceutical markets, as mandated by President Trump’s Executive Order.

    The dates for the sessions are as follows:

    • Monday, June 30 at 2 p.m. ET – Anticompetitive Conduct by Pharmaceutical Companies Impeding Generic or Biosimilar Competition

    • Thursday, July 24 at 2 p.m. ET – Formulary and Benefit Practices and Regulatory Abuse Impacting Drug Competition

    • Monday, August 4 at 2 p.m. ET – Turning Insights into Action to Reduce Drug Prices

    The listening sessions will be streamed on the FTC and DOJ websites, with videos and transcripts posted after the events. Additional information will be posted to the event page to each session. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Chancellor pledges at least £445 million of rail investment as part of biggest ever Welsh funding boost

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Chancellor pledges at least £445 million of rail investment as part of biggest ever Welsh funding boost

    Major transport upgrade to drive growth and unlock economic potential across Wales, as UK Government delivers on Plan for Change.   

    Spending Review: Investing in Wales’ future.

    • Investment is part of comprehensive spending package to invest in UK’s renewal, creating thousands of jobs in clean energy, manufacturing and defence  
    • The Welsh Government will receive the largest real terms settlement since devolution began in 1999, with an average settlement of £22.4 billion per year, enabling the Welsh Government to deliver for working people in Wales.

    Working people across Wales will benefit from better access to jobs and opportunities thanks to a Welsh rail investment worth at least £445 million announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves today as part of the UK Government’s Spending Review which will invest in UK’s renewal.

    The transformative rail package will reconnect Wales’s industrial heartlands, improve commuter journeys and drive economic growth in communities that have long suffered from poor transport links.  

    The package will invest in both north and south Wales, fixing level crossings, building new stations, and upgrading existing lines  

    This strategic rail investment forms the cornerstone of the UK Government’s plan to reconnect, reindustrialise and renew Wales – addressing decades of underinvestment in critical infrastructure that has held back the Welsh economy.  

    The rail upgrades will specifically link centres of advanced manufacturing excellence in North Wales and improve vital connections between Cardiff and Bristol, making it easier for businesses to invest and for workers to access employment opportunities.  

    Alongside this major transport investment, the Spending Review delivers significant backing for Wales’s key industrial sectors.  

    In Port Talbot, a combined investment of up to £580 million will secure the future of steelmaking while transforming the port into a clean energy hub. Within this, £500 million for Tata Steel’s new Electric Arc Furnace will protect 5,000 jobs while reducing carbon emissions.  

    Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens, said:  

    This UK Government is investing in Wales’ future and driving economic growth across the country.  

    We promised we would deal with the historical under-investment in Wales’ rail network and the funding announced today in this Spending Review shows we are delivering on that pledge.  

    Along with a record financial settlement for Welsh Government to improve public services, £118m more to help keep coal tips safe and investment in growing industries like aerospace, we are backing Wales’ potential and delivering for working people.”    

    Growing Wales’ domestic aerospace and defence industries  

    Speaking in the House of Commons today, the Chancellor reaffirmed the government’s commitment to increase defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by April 2027, backing our Armed Forces, creating British jobs in British industries, and prioritising the security of Britain when it is most needed.  

    The Spending Review also backed Welsh industry by continuing investment in the defence industry right across the UK, including Wales.  

    Wales’s aerospace and automotive industries, already employing over 15,000 people, also stands to gain through UK-wide funding announced for the advanced manufacturing sector, enabling the development and delivery of ultra-low and zero-carbon emission vehicles and aircraft.   

    Coal tip safety   

    The Spending Review also confirms a further £118 million between 2026-27 and 2028-29 for the Welsh Government to maintain the safety of disused coal tips, on the back of £25 million already committed in 2025-26 during 2024 Autumn Budget. The money will see tips secured, homes protected and land unlocked for housing, industry and recreation.   

    The UK Government also pledged continued support for Welsh Investment Zones in Cardiff City Region and Wrexham and Flintshire, which will receive £160 million each over 10 years, driving growth and jobs.  

    Supporting Welsh businesses  

    The new Industrial Strategy and Public finance Institutions will collaborate with the devolved governments and local stakeholders to drive growth across the UK. Through the Nations and Regions Investment programme the British Business Bank is delivering £130 million across Wales to break down access to finance barriers and drive economic growth.  

    Local growth funding  

    A new local growth fund, and investments in up to 350 deprived communities across the UK, will maintain the same cash level as in 2025-26 under the Shared Prosperity Fund. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Wales Office will work with local partners to ensure money goes to projects that matter to local people. This investment will help drive growth and improve communities across all parts of Wales.  

    A record settlement for Welsh public services  

    The Welsh Government will receive the largest settlement in real terms since devolution in 1999, with an average settlement of £22.4 billion per year to deliver against the priorities of working people in Wales.  

    This comprehensive investment package is further delivery of the UK Government’s promise to invest in Britain’s renewal and ensure that economic growth benefits every part of the United Kingdom.

    ENDS

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Springwood Leisure Centre’s outdoor pitches to get major upgrade

    Source: City of Derby

    Derby City Council’s Springwood Leisure Centre is delighted to announce a major refurbishment of both its outdoor 3G football pitches, thanks to the successful acquisition of £147,000 in Section 106 funding. The funding will enable a comprehensive upgrade, including the installation of a state-of-the-art artificial playing surface, permanent line markings, and brand-new fencing around the pitches, to be completed at no cost to the Council.

    Work will start at the end of July and is expected to take five weeks, which means the refurbished pitches will be fully operational in time for the winter sports season, providing a much-improved playing experience for local clubs, teams, schools, and recreational users.

    This is the second time Springwood Leisure Centre has successfully secured Section 106 funding for infrastructure improvements. In 2023, the Centre received £190,000 to develop its immersive Spin Studio, which has been widely praised for its innovative design and contribution to local health and wellbeing. Together, these investments reflect the Centre’s growing role as a cornerstone of the local community and its commitment to expanding the range and quality of sports and leisure opportunities available to residents.

    In celebration of this latest milestone, Springwood Leisure Centre is also planning to launch its first-ever Springwood Community Cup. The tournament aims to showcase the upgraded pitches and create a legacy of community engagement through sport. Full details of the Community Cup will be shared in the coming weeks.

    Councillor Ndukwe Onuoha, Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Streetpride, Public Safety and Leisure, said:

    This is great news for the local community. The new pitches will support grassroots sport, improve facilities for residents, and it’s all been achieved at no cost to the Council.  I look forward to seeing the pitches in use and to the first Springwood Community Cup. Investments like this show our commitment to accessible, high-quality leisure for all.

    The upgraded facilities will support increased participation in grassroots football, provide a safe and durable all-weather playing surface, and accommodate a wide range of users, from casual kickabouts to league matches and school sports programmes. The work will be carried out by S&C Slatter, a leading UK specialist in sports construction and artificial pitch installations.

    Nathaniel Leney, Business Development Manager at S&C Slatter, said: 

    S&C Slatter are proud to have been appointed by Derby City Council to deliver the resurfacing of the 3G pitches at Springwood Leisure Centre. As a valued community facility, it deserves a first-class refurbishment, and we are committed to providing a safe, high-performance all-weather surface that will support and inspire local players, teams, and residents for years to come.

    Working in close partnership with the Council, we’ve developed a specification that meets the latest industry standards and ensures long-term performance and durability. We’re excited to begin work on this important project and contribute to the continued growth of sport and recreation in Derby.

    The Centre welcomes casual and block bookings for the new pitches. Whether you’re part of a club, organising a tournament, or just looking for a space to play, Springwood Leisure Centre offers a welcoming and professional environment.

    For booking enquiries or further information, please see our website or contact: springwood.sports@derby.gov.uk

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SWALWELL INTRODUCES BICAMERAL BILL TO REPEAL THE GUN INDUSTRY’S LEGAL LIABILITY SHIELD

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15)

    Legislation would give victims of gun violence their day in court & enable them to hold manufacturers accountable for negligence

    Legislation would give victims of gun violence their day in 

    court & enable them to hold manufacturers accountable for negligence

    Video of a virtual press conference announcing 

    the bill is available here

     

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – During the first week of Gun Violence Awareness Month, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) and U.S. Representatives Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Jason Crow (D-CO), Dwight Evans (D-PA), and Mike Thompson (D-CA) led a group of 81 Members of Congress in introducing the bicameral Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act, legislation to ensure that victims of gun violence have their day in court and that negligent gun companies and gun sellers are not shielded from liability when they disregard public safety. The bill would repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), passed by Congress in 2005, which gives the gun industry a unique and unjustifiable legal liability shield that protects gun manufacturers from lawsuits.  

    Blumenthal, Swalwell, Schiff, Murphy, Evans, and Thompson announced the legislation this week during a virtual press conference joined by leading gun violence prevention advocates: Kris Brown, President of Brady; Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director of Moms Demand Action; and Adam Skaggs, Chief Counsel and Vice President of GIFFORDS Law Center. Video of the press conference is available here.

    “PLCAA is the ultimate sweetheart deal – legal immunity afforded to basically no other industry for a product that kills tens of thousands of Americans every year,” Blumenthal said. “Despite the strength and perseverance of the Sandy Hook, Uvalde, and Highland Park families – and the tenacity of their legal teams – this is a problem that cannot be solved only through the courts. PLCAA must be repealed by Congress.”

    “No industry in American has a liability shield like gun manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and importers,” said Swalwell. “The NRA and their GOP stooges made sure that the gun industry has a unique immunity from accountability. This bill ends that ridiculous carve out. The Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act will finally repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) once and for all, allowing victims of gun violence to bring civil suits against gun producers and sellers. The time has long since come for Congress to be clear – if you put the most dangerous weapons in the hands of the most dangerous people, you will be held accountable.”

    “More than a 100 Americans are killed by a gun every single day in America. And yet, Congress does nothing to hold the gun industry accountable when the negligence of gun makers and dealers is responsible for the tragic consequences their products have on our kids, our families, and our communities. As long as gun violence continues to take the lives of so many in California and across the nation, I will fight to repeal the liability shield that wrongly protects negligent gun industry actors from liability,” said Schiff.

    “There’s absolutely no reason why the gun industry should get special treatment when it comes to negligence. Their immunity from lawsuits effectively gives them a license to kill. It’s past time for Congress to repeal PLCAA and allow gun violence victims their day in court,” said Murphy. 

    “Victims and survivors should be able to hold the gun industry accountable in court for negligent behavior. But right now, the gun industry is shielded from any liability when they disregard public safety. That’s wrong,” said Crow. “I’m introducing this bill so we can finally hold the gun industry responsible.”

    “As someone who’s advocated for this concept in Pennsylvania’s legislature and now in Congress, I’m proud to be a co-lead on this bill to restore this basic right of victims and survivors – a right that a heavy-handed federal government took away 20 years ago. So many American gun deaths could be avoided if we held companies accountable for things like illegal sales, defective guns and irresponsible marketing. State attorneys general were able to hold Big Tobacco accountable in the 1990s, and they should be able to hold gun manufacturing companies accountable in the 21st century since thousands of lives depend on it. This legislation would be an important tool in the toolbox to protect our citizens from gun violence,” said Evans. 

    “In the 20 years since PLCAA was passed, it’s become clear that negligent gun manufacturers and dealers have taken advantage of the law. Responsible manufacturers and dealers don’t need this legal protection – and irresponsible ones are hiding behind it. As a hunter, combat veteran and responsible gun owner, I’m proud to work with Senator Blumenthal and Representative Swalwell to introduce this sensible legislation,” said Thompson, Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. 

    When Congress passed PLCAA, its supporters argued that it was necessary to protect the gun industry from frivolous lawsuits, and that victims of gun violence would not be shut out of the courts. In reality, numerous cases around the nation have been dismissed on the basis of PLCAA, even when the gun dealers and manufacturers acted in a fashion that would qualify as negligent if it involved any other product. Victims in these cases were denied the right to even discover or introduce evidence. This legislation allows civil cases to go forward against irresponsible bad actors.

    In 2005, the National Rifle Association (NRA) identified PLCAA as their “number one” legislative priority, and the NRA celebrated the passage calling it the “most significant piece of pro-gun legislation in twenty years.” Letting courts hear these cases would provide justice to victims and their families, while creating incentives for responsible business practices that would reduce injuries and deaths. Effectively, the gun industry would once again be subject to the same laws as every other industry, just as it was prior to 2005.

    The legislation is endorsed by Brady, GIFFORDS Law Center, Everytown for Gun Safety, March for Our Lives, Guns Down America, Newtown Action Alliance, Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund, and Equality California.

    “PLCAA gives the gun industry a free pass to put profits over people—legally. When defective firearms or irresponsible gun sellers cause harm, victims are left powerless and justice is delayed or denied. No other industry gets this kind of special treatment,” said Mark Collins, Director of Federal Policy at Brady. “The gun industry has made it clear: they won’t change on their own, no matter how much devastation they leave behind. So the law must change. Brady is proud to endorse Senator Blumenthal’s bill to end the gun lobby’s stranglehold on accountability and remove the option of hiding behind PLCAA to dodge responsibility. The gun industry shouldn’t get special protection while communities suffer.”

    “For too long, gun lobby CEOs have operated above the law, shielded from accountability while families of gun violence victims are denied their day in court. The Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act will finally repeal the gun lobby’s sweetheart deal and restore Americans’ right to seek justice. When companies can be held responsible for harm, they have a reason to act more safely—it’s time to hold the gun industry accountable and put people over profits. We applaud Senator Blumenthal for championing this critical legislation and for his commitment to reducing gun violence and improving public safety,” said Emma Brown, Executive Director of GIFFORDS and GIFFORDS Law Center. 

    “The gun industry has a long track record of putting profits over public safety – and it’s the American people who are paying the price,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “We’re proud to stand with Senator Blumenthal and Representative Swalwell as they work to hold the gun industry to the same rules as every other industry.” 

    “Every student in America goes to school wondering if today will be the day they don’t come home. They practice lockdown drills while gun manufacturers hide behind PLCAA, a law that shields them from any accountability,” said Jackie Corin, Executive Director of March For Our Lives. “The families of Parkland victims fight for justice while gun companies profit from illegal gun sales and reckless marketing practices that fuel mass shootings, all while being protected from consequences. When grieving families are denied their day in court because of special protections for gun manufacturers, that is not justice. That is cruelty. Every family shattered by gun violence deserves a system that protects them, not the companies profiting off their pain. That’s why March For Our Lives is proud to support the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act and ensure the gun industry finally has to answer to us.”

    “The Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act restores the rights of the American people to seek justice from negligent corporations. People, families, and communities have been systematically denied access to valid litigation against the gun industry since President George W. Bush signed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act in 2005. This legal shield has privileged the gun industry with sweeping immunity, leading them to lean into more aggressive, more deadly, and ever more avaricious corporate actions that endanger every American,” said Hudson Munoz with Guns Down America. “We commend Senator Blumenthal and Representative Swalwell for their dedication to seeing that shield fall so every person impacted by gun violence has the ability to pursue justice again.”

    “As a neighbor of the Sandy Hook shooter and many victims, I carry the heartbreak of that day every single moment,” said Po Murray, Chairwoman of Newtown Action Alliance. “I’m grateful to Senator Blumenthal for reintroducing the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act—because no industry that profits from death should be shielded from accountability. The gun industry’s unique civil legal protection has allowed it to market weapons of war and other deadly firearms and accessories with impunity, fueling an epidemic that steals thousands of lives each year. The families impacted by gun violence from Sandy Hook to Chicago to Monterey Park—and every family member shattered by gun violence—deserve their day in court.”

    “The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) provides a pathway for the firearms industry to continue irresponsible practices in ways that no other industry is permitted to conduct. Under this legislation, the rights of victims – some of whom have been irrevocably harmed by these deadly products – are shown to be less important than the special interests of manufacturers, distributors, and dealers. This cannot be allowed to continue. We applaud Senator Blumenthal and his team for their leadership in re-introducing the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act, and call upon Congress to pass this bill,” said Mark Barden, co-founder and co-CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund and father of Daniel, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.

    The legislation is also co-sponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    The bill is also cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Gabe Amo (D-RI), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Wesley Bell (D-MO), Don Beyer (D-VA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Shontel Brown (D-OH), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Sean Casten (D-IL), Judy Chu (D-CA), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Danny Davis (D-IL), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Maxwell Frost (D-FL), John Garamendi (D-CA), Daniel Goldman (D-NY), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Timothy Kennedy (D-NY), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Betty McCollum (D-MN), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), Joe Morelle (D-NY), Kelly Morrison (D-MN), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Scott Peters (D-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), David Scott (D-GA), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Jill Tokuda (D-HI).

     

    Text of the legislation can be found here. 

     

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: BoldSign® Wins Developer’s Choice in the 2025 Postman API Network Awards

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Syncfusion®, Inc., the enterprise technology provider of choice, today announced that its eSignature solution, BoldSign®, won the Postman Developer’s Choice Award. Selected by Postman’s worldwide developer community, the award spotlights APIs that deliver exceptional user experience, measurable business value, and active community engagement. Syncfusion coming in at number one is a result of its commitment to building tools that developers and businesses trust.

    “BoldSign started with a simple goal: give developers an eSignature API that lets them plug in, sign, and ship without friction,” said Daniel Jebaraj, CEO of Syncfusion. “This award tells us we’re on the right path and motivates us to keep raising the bar with features that help our customers move their products forward.”

    Businesses choose BoldSign due to its:

    • Fast, friction-free signing: Legally binding signatures captured in seconds.
    • Easy implementation: Most teams roll out in under a day with no heavy IT lifting.
    • Web-to-mobile flexibility: Seamless experience for in-office and on-the-go staff.
    • Bank-grade security and compliance: Robust encryption and compliance with SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, and eIDAS regulations.
    • Scalability: Usage-based plans stay cost-effective for individuals, startups, and large enterprises.
    • Real-time human support: Direct access to BoldSign experts whenever questions arise.
    • Customer-driven roadmap: Continuous feature drops shaped by user feedback.

    “Winning Developer’s Choice is both humbling and energizing,” added Jebaraj. “We’re just getting started—look for new features, expanded SDKs, and deeper integrations so teams can scale from 10 to a million documents without switching platforms.”

    Learn more about the BoldSign® eSignature APIs in Postman. For more information about fast, secure, and scalable eSignature functionality in BoldSign, visit its website.

    About Syncfusion, Inc.
    Headquartered in the technology hub of Research Triangle Park, N.C., Syncfusion®, Inc. delivers an award-winning ecosystem of developer control suites, embeddable BI platforms, and business software. Syncfusion was founded in 2001 with a single software component and a mission to support businesses of all sizes—from individual developers and start-ups to Fortune 500 enterprises. Though its pilot product, the Essential Studio® suite, has grown to over 1,900 developer controls, its mission remains the same. With offices in the U.S., India, and Kenya, Syncfusion prioritizes the customer experience by providing feature-rich solutions to help developers and enterprises solve complex problems, save money, and build high-performance, robust applications.

    Contact: Brittany Kearns
    Phone: 571-271-7211
    Email: brittany@crossroadsb2b.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pfluger Participates in Energy Hearing with Secretary Wright

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11)

    Pfluger Participates in Energy Hearing with Secretary Wright

    Washington, June 11, 2025

    WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, participated in the Committee’s Energy Subcommittee hearing entitled “The Fiscal Year 2026 Department of Energy Budget.”

    Secretary of Energy Chris Wright testified before the subcommittee. During the hearing, Rep. Pfluger asked Secretary Wright about his top priorities for the year, for an update on the Mexico Pacific LNG export site, and how we can legislatively protect the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

    Click HERE or the image below to watch their full exchange.

    Watch their full exchange HERE or read highlights below.

    Rep. Pfluger: You have extreme expertise about how energy in this country works. I am worried about everybody who has testified here, especially those who have recently talked about data centers and the demand that we are going to see—rising demand for electricity consumption, and how we’re going to keep up with manufacturing. Just big picture priorities that you have set out that will enable us as a country to set the conditions for private industry to meet that demand with adequate supply. Love to hear your thoughts.

    Secretary Wright: Look, as you know, over the years, we’ve created huge regulatory burdens on building infrastructure, on building pipelines, on building power plants, on building transmission lines. If you make it harder and harder and more and more expensive to do things, well, guess what? You get less of them. And that’s what’s happened in the United States. I heard a comment earlier that U.S. oil and natural gas production were at all-time highs in 2023, which was true, but that’s because it’s dominantly on private land and state land, and it’s not on federal land. We’ve had huge federal obstruction efforts. They haven’t been entirely effective on oil and gas that’s produced on private lands and on state lands. But when you restrict the ability to build pipelines and grow the transportation, you ultimately restrict the growth of it. Power plants with the Clean Power Plan, if you build a new power plant today, you have to have carbon capture and sequestration injected underground, like 11 years from now. That’s a technology we don’t have at a commercial scale. A massively expensive parasitic load of maybe a third of the power plant has to go to that thing. People aren’t going to invest money and build power plants with constrictions like that. There are a lot of reasons we haven’t built as much new capacity as we should. And it’s critical for this administration and this Congress that we work together to remove these obstacles and barriers that chill investment. Because we need to lead in AI. We need to win in AI. We can lead and we can win in AI. But to do that, we need to get overly burdensome, truly not focused on the environment, regulations out of the way so that capital will flow and things will be built. We need some simplification with permitting. We need to make FERC move more efficiently. But I will tell you, in this administration, and I know in this Congress, there are many people working tirelessly to achieve just that, so I’m optimistic, but yes, big changes need to be made.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Schrier Demands Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Immediately Reinstate All Members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in New Letter

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), pediatrician and member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, led 86 of her colleagues, with the support of Democratic members of the Energy and Commerce Committee, on a letter demanding that Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. upholds his oath to protect the health of the American people by immediately reinstating the seventeen members of Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that were recently fired.

     “Secretary Kennedy’s dangerous decision to fire all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is a direct attack on science and a threat to our public health,” said Congresswoman Schrier, M.D. “For 61 years, this integral committee of seasoned health care experts has been trusted to evaluate scientific evidence, ask questions, and ultimately make fully transparent recommendations about vaccines. But now, Secretary Kennedy is gutting that expertise and may well use this opportunity to elevate conspiracy theorists and social media influencers to these decision-making positions. As a pediatrician and a member of Congress, I am outraged that the Secretary of Health and Human Services would dismiss science and the medical community and instead welcome those with fringe healthcare ideas into the heart of our public health system. It is just plain dangerous.” 

     Today’s letter comes on the heels of Congresswoman Schrier introducing the Family Vaccine Protection Act that will protect the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) and remove politics from the life-saving immunization schedule.

     A copy of the letter is below.

     Dear Secretary Kennedy,

     For over 60 years, in both Republican and Democratic Administrations, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has played a pivotal role in keeping Americans healthy and safe. As Members of Congress, we are outraged at your decision to unilaterally remove all 17 individuals from ACIP on June 9th. As Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), your duty to this country is to enhance the well-being of all Americans and this decision will cost lives. Your decision to disband the ACIP, a committee of medical and public health experts whose sole focus is to develop vaccine recommendations, completely undermines ACIP’s critical role and endangers this nation’s public health.

    On June 9th, in your opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, you blame conflict of interests and a lack of curiosity as a rationale for removing this panel of experts from their roles. Your statement belies the rigorous vetting process for ACIP members, including financial disclosures and a review of their previous work on clinical trials. ACIP members must recuse themselves from votes and discussions on vaccines they are studying, or on any other vaccines manufactured by companies that fund their research. In fact, just this year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set up a public, searchable database allowing transparency for any conflicts of interest for voting ACIP members dating back to 2000.

     These actions upend ACIP’s thoughtful, evidence-based decision-making and will weave unfounded or disproven theories into what has traditionally been a science-based process trusted by our health care providers. Conducting immunization reviews takes months of deliberation and review of research, and your unilateral decision to abruptly end ACIP’s existing work is detrimental. It has become abundantly clear that your intent is to sow doubt and fear in the American public that will cost lives. With an ongoing measles outbreak and the decline of routine child immunizations, we will see the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases across the country. Your politicization of vaccines has made American families less safe and will return the US to an era before mass vaccination prevented millions of infections and early deaths.

     We demand that you reinstate the fired 17 members to ACIP and uphold your oath to the American people.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luis Silvas Appointed Western Territory Special Representative

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    IAM International President Brian Bryant has announced the appointment of Luis Silvas as a Special Representative in the Western Territory, effective June 7, 2025. Silvas is moving from his role as an Education Representative at the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center.

    “Luis embodies what it means to be a union leader, grounded in experience, driven by purpose, and committed to empowering our members,” said Bryant. “His new role will only amplify the impact he’s already made.”

    Silvas brings a wealth of relevant and practical knowledge to the role and has been active in Local and District leadership since the beginning of his union journey. His knowledge and experience will immediately benefit IAM members.

    “Luis’s deep understanding of local procedures, coupled with his skills in organizing, negotiating, and servicing, as well as his background in developing and delivering training, will allow him to make an immediate and positive impact,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Robert “Bobby” Martinez.

    Silvas began his IAM career in Southern California with Local 1125 in 2013, quickly rising through the ranks as Shop Steward, Recording Secretary, and later Local President. In 2017, he became a Business Representative for District 725, where he also served as Political Facilitator and elected Trustee for the California Conference of Machinists.

    The post Luis Silvas Appointed Western Territory Special Representative appeared first on IAM Union.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: New group to drive down business costs

    Source: Government of Ireland – Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation

    11th June 2025

    • The Cost of Business Advisory Forum met today for the first time
    • Group chaired by Former Labour Court Judge Kevin Foley, and Vice Chaired by Mr. Ronan Byrne, Manager of Bloomfield Hotel

    The Inaugural meeting of a new Department of Enterprise-led group to examine the costs involved in running a business held its first meeting today. 

    The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke has established the new group with the aim of reducing the cost of running a business, and addressing delays which can impact the operation of businesses in Ireland. For the first time, regulators will be directly in the room to hear from business owners and representatives themselves.

    The Forum brings together business owners, retailers, tourism operators, accounting professionals and representative groups—alongside regulators and state agencies—to look at the structural issues that are driving up costs and the steps that could be taken to mitigate them.  

    “I’ve been looking forward to the first meeting of the Cost of Business Advisory Forum, and hearing directly from the people who run businesses, employ our citizens and keep our economy strong. I believe it is important for our regulators, our Government Departments and our decision-makers to hear directly from this key cohort, the people that are at the coal face when we implement policy and regulations.

    “I want to thank Mr. Kevin Foley, former Chair of the Labour Court, and Mr. Ronan Byrne, General Manager of Bloomfield Hotel for agreeing to be our Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, respectively. This Forum is about balance and reflecting all sectors of business, and ensuring all voices are heard in this important discussion.

    “After our initial meeting, each subsequent session will focus on a specific theme, like licensing, infrastructure, or regulatory fees, with the relevant regulators invited to attend and respond. The goal is to create a space where businesses can speak directly to decision-makers about the real-world impact of rules and charges—and identify areas to make practical changes.”

    ENDS

    Notes to Editors

    Group includes representatives from:

    • American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham)
    • Chambers Ireland
    • Chartered Accountants Ireland
    • Irish Business Employers Confederation (IBEC)
    • Irish Exporters Association
    • Irish Farmers Association (IFA)
    • Irish Small and Medium Enterprises (ISME)
    • Irish Tax Institute
    • Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC)
    • Retail Excellence Ireland
    • Small Firms Associations (SFA)
    • Central Bank 
    • Coimisiún na Mean
    • Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg)
    • Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU)
    • Companies Registration Office
    • Competition and Consumer Protection Commission
    • Eirgrid
    • Enterprise Ireland 
    • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
    • ESB Networks
    • Fáilte Ireland
    • Gas Networks Ireland
    • Health & Safety Authority
    • IDA Ireland
    • Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII)
    • Office of the Revenue Commissioners
    • Immigration Service Delivery

    Back to Department News

    Back to Top

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Resilient, sustainable food systems are Canada’s best defence against American tariffs

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Érick Duchesne, Professeur, Département de science politique, Université Laval

    Earlier this year, Donald Trump’s administration in the United States reimposed tariffs on Canadian items, including agricultural products, citing supposed national security concerns. Agricultural products have little to do with defence, and the move sent shockwaves through Canada’s farming community.

    We are members of the Common Ground Network, a national initiative of about 100 scholars promoting collaboration for sustainable agriculture and food systems in Canada.

    The Common Ground Network is closely monitoring the impact of tariffs and trade tensions on Canadian communities and the transition to a net-zero economy across all regions of Canada.

    The consequences for Canadian and American agriculture run deep — and could prove long-lasting. According to RealAgristudies’s survey of 660 Canadian farmers, 59 per cent expected a negative impact on their business, rising to 88 per cent in the livestock sector.

    Structural risk ahead if tariffs remain

    Trump’s tariffs have sharply reduced Canada’s agricultural exports to the U.S., with beef, pork and canola hit hardest. U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows an eight to five per cent drop in beef and pork exports in early 2025 compared to 2024.

    Fed cattle prices plummeted 22.6 per cent, with estimated revenue losses of C$4.02 billion. Canola exports are also expected to decline significantly.

    If current tariffs persist, Canada is at risk not just of short-term disruption but long-term structural damage to its agri-food sector. Rising input costs, shrinking revenues and market volatility are squeezing farmers and weakening overall competitiveness. Some Canadian producers are already struggling with oversupply due to market disruption.

    The tariffs could also threaten the economic sovereignty and food access of Indigenous farmers who rely on cross-border trade, and remote communities that depend on imported goods for food supply. If prolonged, these trade shocks could cut Canada’s GDP by three per cent, spark a recession and fuel lasting price volatility.

    American farmers also feeling the pain

    Ironically, Trump’s protectionism is also hurting American farmers. Canada, which supplies 20 per cent of agri-food imports to the U.S., has imposed retaliatory tariffs on goods like cheese and apples, prompting Canadian buyers to shift to other suppliers. That could result in long-term market share loss for U.S. producers.

    Integrated supply chains are strained, with American processors now facing higher costs for Canadian products like canola oil, beef and pork. Combined with domestic issues like water restrictions and labour shortages, U.S. agriculture is under mounting pressure on various fronts.

    Canada and the U.S. have built one of the world’s most integrated agri-food systems. In 2023, bilateral trade in the sector reached US$72.6 billion.

    This interdependence matters: a hamburger might include Canadian beef raised in the U.S., processed in Ontario and served on a Canadian wheat bun. But tariffs and mistrust now threaten this co-operation. Once lost, these market positions may be hard to recover, even after tariffs are lifted, as rebuilding supply chains and cross-border trust will be slow.

    Trade tensions are affecting food security and grocery baskets in multiple ways. Higher costs are passed on to consumers, creating lasting price increases — especially for goods with few substitutes, like coffee.

    The Consumer Price Index shows that prices of food purchased from stores increased 3.9 per cent between January 2025 and April 2025, fuelled by tariffs. Infant formula increased by six per cent, coffee by about 10 per cent and some beef cuts by about 13 per cent.



    Read more:
    Trump tariffs have sparked a ‘Buy Canadian’ surge, but keeping the trend alive faces hurdles

    Shortages from rising costs and reduced U.S. demand limit choices and drive prices up — especially hurting low-income households. These tariffs fuel food inflation and reduce access to essentials.

    Tariffs are also shifting behaviour: Food Processing Skills Canada found that 67 per cent of Canadians are buying more local products, 76 per cent are avoiding U.S. goods and 43 per cent have changed their grocery habits significantly. These trends were echoed in Angus Reid’s February 2025 study.

    The net-zero transition

    The tariffs will probably disrupt Canada’s ability to meet its net-zero emissions targets by 2050. Food processors and farmers in Canada relying on U.S. machinery and clean-tech components now face higher costs, slowing the adoption of low-emission technologies and sustainable agricultural practices.

    The tariffs are likely to undermine efforts to build a resilient, adaptive food system in Canada capable of withstanding climate-related disruptions. Dealing with the tariffs along with the need to reconfigure supply chains will likely increase Canada’s carbon footprint, whether that’s due to the increased transport emissions of distant markets or delayed or cancelled investments in carbon-reducing technologies.

    These trade disruptions also risk diverting political attention away from long-term sustainability goals. The current political focus may prioritize short-term economic stabilization, potentially stalling the momentum needed for a transformative food system change in Canada.



    Read more:
    Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council: A collaborative approach to strengthening food systems

    Canada needs to respond boldly

    Canada can diversify exports through its 15 trade deals, including the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Canada’s 15 trade agreements provide access to 51 countries, representing 66 per cent of global GDP, which is the total value of all goods and services produced in the world during a specific time period.

    Furthermore, Canada can pursue new trade agreements and partnerships in emerging markets and invest more to further help the agri-food sector expand globally.

    Canada can challenge unfair trade practices through the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement’s state-to-state dispute panels and the binational panel review mechanism to challenge U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.

    Canada can also leverage trade alliances like the Ottawa Group — a 14-member coalition that works on addressing multilateral trade challenges — to voice its concerns on the global stage.

    Investing in agricultural innovation can also boost productivity, reduce emissions, enhance global competitiveness and build resilience against tariff shocks.

    Improvements to transportation networks, storage and processing facilities, and broadband connectivity are also critical for reducing supply chain bottlenecks and enabling rural producers to access broader markets.

    Trump has repeatedly threatened Canada’s supply management system, which controls the dairy, egg and poultry industries. Supply management has been a reliable system for Canadian farmers and consumers. Easing interprovincial trade and supporting local food systems to reduce the unnecessary exports of dairy products and cold-climate fruits, beef and seafood could result in greater national self-reliance.

    Dairy cows at a Québec farm.
    THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

    Strategy over retaliation

    In response to American tariffs, there has been a shift in consumer sentiment. This presents an opportunity to encourage consumers to support local producers, reduce dependence on imports and build national economic resilience.

    Canada must rethink its trade and agricultural frameworks for the decades ahead.

    The future of Canada’s farming sector — and by extension its food security, rural communities and economic sovereignty — will depend on its ability to turn today’s crisis into tomorrow’s opportunity.

    Érick Duchesne is a member of the Common Ground Network, which is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

    Gregory Cameron is a member of the Common Ground Network, which is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

    Gumataw Abebe is a member of the Common Ground Network, which is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

    Monika Korzun is a member of the Common Ground Network. She receives research funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) as well as Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). Monika Korzun is a board member of the Atlantic Food Action Coalition (AFAC).

    – ref. Resilient, sustainable food systems are Canada’s best defence against American tariffs – https://theconversation.com/resilient-sustainable-food-systems-are-canadas-best-defence-against-american-tariffs-257946

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI: CentralReach’s Market-Leading Autism and IDD Care Platform™ Wins Gold in 2025 Stevie Awards for American Business

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Fort Lauderdale, FL, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CentralReach, a leading provider of Autism and IDD Care software for ABA, multidisciplinary, and special education, today announced it has been named a Gold winner in the ‘Healthcare Technology Solution’ category of the 23rd Annual American Business Awards® for its market-leading, end-to-end Autism and IDD Care Platform™.

    Building on the momentum of last year’s Silver award in the same category, CentralReach has introduced several new additional features to its Platform. CentralReach rebranded and relaunched its special education data collection and IEP management software, CR LiftEd – a cornerstone in the company’s special education program. The company also announced the launch of several AI solution integrations including CR ClaimCheckAI, CR NoteGuardAI, and CR ScheduleAI, all aimed at alleviating clinical administrative tasks to enhance the quality and consistency of care. Lastly, the company’s acquisitions of Silas, a social and emotional learning and behavior solution, and Behavior Science Technology Inc. (BST), a research-backed platform designed to collect and track treatment fidelity for ABA therapy, expanded the Platform’s capabilities into new territory.

    “We’ve always believed that technology should be a force multiplier for providers across the autism and IDD care continuum,” said Chris Sullens, CEO of CentralReach. “This recognition by the Stevie Awards validates the significant strides we’ve made over the past year, from embedding powerful AI tools into our platform to expanding our capabilities through strategic acquisitions, all with the singular goal of helping our customers deliver better outcomes for the individuals they serve.”

    The American Business Awards are the United States’ premier business awards program for public and private, for-profit and nonprofit, large and small organizations. More than 3,600 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration this year, judged by more than 250 professionals worldwide.

    This year’s winners were honored at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on June 10. Details about The American Business Awards and the full list of 2025 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA. To learn more about CentralReach’s suite of solutions, visit: https://centralreach.com/. 

    About CentralReach

    CentralReach is a leading provider of autism and IDD care software, providing a complete, end-to-end software and services platform that helps children and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) – and those who serve them – unlock potential, achieve better outcomes, and live more independent lives. With its roots in Applied Behavior Analysis, the company is revolutionizing how the lifelong journey of autism and IDD care is enabled at home, school, and work with powerful and intuitive solutions purpose-built for each care setting.

    Trusted by more than 200,000 professionals globally, CentralReach is committed to ongoing product advancement, market-leading industry expertise, world-class client satisfaction, and support of the autism and IDD community to propel autism and IDD care into a new era of excellence. For more information, please visit CentralReach.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Spending Review: Billions to back Scottish jobs

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Press release

    Spending Review: Billions to back Scottish jobs

    UK Government’s Plan for Change delivers record settlement for Scottish Government with an extra £9.1 billion over the SR period to deliver public services

    Working people across Scotland will benefit from significant investment in clean energy and innovation, creating thousands of high-skilled jobs and strengthening Scotland’s position as the home of the United Kingdom’s clean energy revolution.  

    The UK Government has confirmed £8.3 billion in funding for GB Energy-Nuclear and GB Energy in Aberdeen. This is alongside an increased commitment to the Acorn Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage project, which will receive development funding.   

    The Spending Review, outlined today, Wednesday 11 June, announces targeted investment in Scotland’s most promising sectors to grow the economy and put more money in working people’s pockets.  It delivers an extra £9.1 billion over Phase 2 of the Spending Review, through the Barnett formula.

    The government also confirmed £25 million for the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Freeport.   

    These investments are part of a wider package, with funding for hydrogen production projects at Cromarty and Whitelee.

    Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, said:  

    Putting more money in the pockets of working Scots by investing in the country’s renewal is at the heart of this Spending Review and our Plan for Change.

    The Chancellor has unleashed a new era of growth for Scotland, confirming billions of pounds of investment in clean energy – including new development funding for Acorn – creating thousands of high-skilled jobs.

    Scotland’s leading role at the heart of UK defence policy has been strengthened and there is also significant investment in our trailblazing innovation, research and development sectors.

    And the Scotland Office will work with local partners to ensure hundreds of millions of pounds of new targeted support for Scottish communities and businesses goes to projects that matter to local people. This means that the UK Government is now investing almost £1.7 billion in dozens of important growth schemes across Scotland over 10 years.

    To maximise the benefit of recent trade deals with India, US and the EU we are continuing the Brand Scotland programme to promote inward investment opportunities boosting Scottish exports of our globally celebrated products.

    And we are delivering a record real-terms funding settlement for the Scottish Government with an extra £9.1 billion over the Spending Review period through the Barnett formula. That’s more money than ever before for them to invest in Scottish public services like our NHS, police, housing and schools.

    This is a historic Spending Review for Scotland that chooses investment over decline and delivers on the promise that there would be no return to austerity.

    Investment in Scotland to strengthen UK defence  

    Speaking in the House of Commons today, the Chancellor reaffirmed the government’s commitment to increase defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by April 2027, backing our Armed Forces, creating British jobs in British industries, and prioritising the security of Britain when it is most needed.  

    The long-term future of the Clyde is secured through an initial £250 million investment over three years which will begin a multi-decade, multi-billion pound redevelopment of HM Naval Base Clyde through the ‘Clyde 2070’ programme.   

    Investing in innovation and R&D  

    Scotland will also become home to the UK’s largest and most powerful supercomputer, with up to £750 million committed to its development at Edinburgh University. This world-class facility will give scientists across all UK universities access to extraordinary computer power, further strengthening Scotland’s research and innovation capability.   

    The UK Government is backing Scottish industry with a share of increased UK-wide R&D spending set to grow from £20.4 billion in 2025-26 to over £22.6 billion per year by 2029-30. Scotland will also benefit from a £410 million UK-wide Local Innovation Partnerships Fund.  

    Targeted support for Scottish communities   

    The government is also investing £160 million over 10 years for Investment Zones in the North East of Scotland and in Glasgow City Region, and confirming £452 million over four years for City and Growth Deals across Scotland.  

    A £100 million joint investment for the Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth deal with the Scottish Government (£50 million from UK Government and £50 million from Scottish Government), demonstrating the UK Government’s continued commitment to the Grangemouth industrial area.  

    A new local growth fund, and investments in up to 350 deprived communities across the UK, will maintain the same cash level as in 2025-26 under the Shared Prosperity Fund. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Scotland Office, will work with local partners and the Scottish Government, to ensure money goes to projects that matter to local people. This investment will help drive growth and improve communities across Scotland.  

    Supporting Scottish businesses  

    The National Wealth Fund (NWF) is trialling a Strategic Partnership with Glasgow City Region to provide enhanced, hands-on support to help it develop and finance long term investment opportunities. The NWF has already made its first investment in Scotland with £43.5 million in direct equity for a sustainable packaging company, which is to build its first commercial-scale manufacturing facility near Glasgow.  

    Through its Nations and Regions Investment programme the British Business Bank is delivering £150 million across Scotland to break down access to finance barriers and drive economic growth.  

    The settlement also allocates £0.75 million each year to champion our ‘Brand Scotland’ trade missions to promote Scotland’s goods and services on the world stage and to encourage further growth and investment.

    A record settlement for Scottish public services   

    The Government has been clear that local decision-making against local priorities is central to delivering growth.   

    The Scottish Government will receive the largest real terms settlement since devolution began in 1998, with an average £50.9 billion per year between 2026-27 and 2028-29, enabling the Scottish Government to deliver for working people in Scotland.  This includes £2.9 billion per year on average through the operation of the Barnett formula, with £2.4 billion resource between 2026-27 and 2028-29 and £510 million capital between 2026-27 and 2029-30. 

    This investment and record settlement is made possible by the tough but necessary decisions taken in the October Budget.

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Oklahoma Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Residents Affected by Spring Storms

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses, nonprofits, and residents in Oklahoma of the July 11 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset physical damage caused by severe storms and flooding beginning April 19.

    The disaster declaration covers the Oklahoma counties of Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Grady, Kiowa, Stephens and Tillman.

    Small businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

    Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.

    Applicants may also be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damage, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include strengthening structures to protect against high wind damage, upgrading to wind rated garage doors, and installing a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage.

    “One distinct advantage of SBA’s disaster loan program is the opportunity to fund upgrades reducing the risk of future storm damage,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “I encourage businesses and homeowners to work with contractors and mitigation professionals to improve their storm readiness while taking advantage of SBA’s physical damage loans.”

    SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to this disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.

    Interest rates can be as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.62% for nonprofits, and 2.75% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms, based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    The deadline to return physical damage applications is July 11.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sec. Wright Agrees: “Absolutely” Electric Transmission Lines Should Get Parity with Natural Gas

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, during an Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) budget, DOE Secretary Chris Wright agreed that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should give electric transmission lines the same fast-track, one-stop-shop permitting process, that natural gas pipelines and Liquid Natural Gas export facilities currently get.  

    Large, high-voltage, interregional transmission lines are crucial for moving energy from all sources, including clean energy from renewables and nuclear, from where it is produced to where it is needed. Currently, the process to permit and build transmission lines requires reviews by states, localities, multiple federal agencies and can take more than two decades to complete. In comparison, natural gas pipelines go through one unified federal review at FERC and can be completed significantly faster as compared to transmission.  

    During the hearing, Representative Peters asked Secretary Wright, “Since 2005, FERC has had the authority to act as the sole permitting agency for large multi-state transmission lines that your department deems to be in the national interest, but the federal government has not once used this authority due to litigation and endless bureaucracy regarding DOE’s role in the process. That’s Bush, Obama, Trump, Biden, never use the authority. The backstop permitting authority for transmission is also a fraction of the authority that FERC has long had over natural gas pipelines and LNG, which always get their one-stop permitting shop at FERC. So, my question is, would you support bipartisan efforts in Congress to streamline this permit authority for large transmission lines, including would you be supportive of establishing permitting parity at FERC between natural gas and transmission? 

    Secretary Wright responded, “Absolutely. The United States needs to build more energy infrastructure of all kinds and certainly including transmission lines.”  

    Watch Rep. Peters’ full question line here.

    Background: 

    SPEED & Reliability Act 
    Representative Peters’ and Senator Hickenlooper’s SPEED and Reliability Act would accelerate the siting and permitting of interregional transmission lines by:  

    • Allowing individual transmission lines to be deemed as “national interest high-impact transmission facilities.”  
    • Requiring the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to conduct a single environmental review for these transmission lines, rather than requiring duplicative reviews by FERC and the Department of Energy. 

    FASTER Act:  

    Representative Peters’ FASTER Act will strengthen FERC’s permitting authorities by designating it as the lead agency for large, interstate transmission lines and by: 

    • Giving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) siting authority and establishes it as the lead agency to coordinate state, local, and federal authorizations for National Interest Electric Transmission Facilities, defined as 345 kV or 750 MW, crosses two states, or a designation from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that the route proposed by a developer is consistent with the purpose of a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor. 
    • Incentivizing communities and project sponsors to negotiate an enforceable Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) and ensures greater community engagement by developing clear protocols to help communities negotiate a CBA. 

    BIG WIRES Act 
    Representative Peters’ and Senator Hickenlooper’s BIG Wires Act would update the country’s patchwork energy transmission system by:  

    • Coordinating the construction of an interregional transmission system. 
    • Establishing minimum-transfer requirements to move large amounts of energy from one U.S. grid region to another.  

     

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Under President Trump, America is Defeating Inflation

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    America is beating inflation as President Donald J. Trump leads the country into the new Golden Age with lower costs, higher pay, and economic opportunity for all.
    Here’s what you need to know from the latest Consumer Price Index:
    In May, inflation came in lighter than expected for yet another month.
    Since President Trump took office, inflation has come in below economists’ expectations every single month.

    Core inflation held steady and remains at the lowest level since March 2021.
    Under President Trump, core inflation has tracked at just 2.0% on an annual basis — levels not seen since the first Trump Administration, when prices were low and stable.

    Wage growth remains strong under President Trump.
    In May, real wages for production and nonsupervisory workers saw the highest monthly increase in nearly a year — rising each month since President Trump took office and up nearly 2% over last year.
    The average private sector worker is on track to see their real earnings increase by around $1,200, adjusted for inflation.

    Prices for everyday Americans continue to fall.
    Energy prices fell by 1.0% over the last month — down 3.5% over the past year.
    Gasoline prices have fallen each month since President Trump took office, down 2.6% over the past month and down 12% over the past year.
    Prices in key areas — such as meats, poultry, eggs, airfares, used and new cars, and apparel — all went down over the past month.

    Here’s what they’re saying:
    CNN’s Matt Egan: “We got ANOTHER month of positive inflation news. Despite these historic tariffs, the latest numbers do show that inflation remained relatively tame in May … This was better than expected … We did see a drop in energy prices. In particular, gas prices were low.”
    CNBC’s Mike Santoli: “There’s no way to look at these numbers and say they’re not welcome news.”
    CNBC’s Steve Liesman: “Not only did we get a decline in inflation expectations earlier this week from the important New York Fed report … I do not see broader impacts on inflation from the tariffs.”
    CNBC’s Rick Santelli: “Inflation certainly looks like it is cooling.”
    Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo: “That is much better than expected.”
    Commentator Adam Johnson: “Now we’re talking about numbers that are down in the low twos — under 2.5% — and we’re seeing that now for three months in a row, so this is wonderful news.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Latta and Wright Agree: It’s Time to Unleash American Energy

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green Ohio)

    Today, Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH-5), Chairman of the Energy Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright discussed strengthening American energy policy during an Energy Subcommittee hearing. Congressman Latta emphasized the urgent need to unleash domestic energy production and secure U.S. energy dominance. 

    To watch Congressman Latta’s opening statement, click here.

    Below, please find excerpts from Latta’s conversation with Secretary Wright:

    Congressman Latta: “Do we need to have more energy or less energy produced in this country?”

    Secretary Wright: “Unquestionably more energy.”

    Congressman Latta: “You know, as, we look at this, we’re looking at a widening gap between our projected reshoring of domestic manufacturing, the amount of reliable energy entering the system to meet that demand. As you know, record levels of base load generation are prematurely retiring. How is the department viewing this existential threat, and what do you see as a potential consequences for not meeting the moment?”

    Secretary Wright: “If we’re to look at recent data, growth in electricity production and energy more broadly in China has been rapid. And in the United States, particularly in the electricity sector, we saw almost no growth in American electricity production during the four years of the last administration. Yet with almost no growth in production, we saw across the country an average 25 increase in electricity prices. This is clearly a pathway to losing the AI arms race. If we can’t grow our electricity production and keep prices in check, America’s in trouble. Our administration is entirely focused on unleashing private capital, getting the government out of the way to grow and expand our supply of reliable firm electricity. That’s what AI needs, 24/7/365 electricity. But, of course, that’s what the American electricity grid needs as well.”

    Watch Congressman Latta’s questions here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Peters’ Bill to Shore up Funding to Address Toxic Wastewater in the Tijuana River Valley Passes in the House

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)

    Washington, D.C. – Yesterday evening, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed Representative Scott Peters’ (CA-50) legislation, H.R. 1948, to authorize the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) to accept funding from other federal agencies as well as and non-federal sources for wastewater treatment, flood control projects, or other water conservation efforts. Currently, the IBWC relies almost solely upon annual appropriations from Congress or emergency funding to build and maintain its facilities. 

    Rep. Peters and the San Diego Congressional delegation have now secured a total of $650 million for IBWC, which is enough to fully repair and expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plan (SBIWTP). SBIWTP is the primary facility on the U.S.-side of the border responsible for treating cross-border sewage. Operations and maintenance projects are currently underway on both sides of the border to combat cross-border sewage pollution, and the region will see incremental improvements as each phase is completed. An increase in funding available from non-federal sources such as cities, states, or non-profits would support these projects, bolster future operation and maintenance of the SBIWTP, and strengthen coordination between local, federal, and binational agencies.  

    “I’ve worked with our Congressional delegation and local advocates for years to bring attention to cross-border sewage pollution, and we now have enough money to fix the SBIWTP and double its capacity,” said Rep. Peters. “Our state and local partners have witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of this environmental and public health crisis. Additional funding pathways for the IBWC provide the flexibility we need to better invest in the long-term health and well-being of our region. I urge my Senate colleagues to quickly pass this commonsense legislation.” 

    “Together, our Congressional delegation has successfully secured over half a billion dollars in federal funds to combat cross-border pollution. Our legislation will open up additional funding pathways and help us send more resources to the Tijuana River Valley,” said Rep. Juan Vargas (CA-52). “I’m glad to see this critical bill pass the House and hope to see it swiftly passed in the Senate as well.” 

    “Our San Diego congressional delegation has proudly brought home more than $650 million in federal funds to address the sewage and pollution flowing through the Tijuana River Valley – but we know it’s not enough,” said Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51). “This fix would give the IBWC the permanent flexibility it needs for strategic, long-term investments to improve our health, well-being, and safety on both sides of the border.” 

    This bipartisan legislation would allow other federal agencies or non-federal entities like the Department of Defense, the State of California, the City of San Diego and others to provide funding to IBWC. Specifically, it would: 

    • Allow federal and non-federal entities to provide up to $5 million in funding to IBWC to invest in flood control infrastructure. 
    • Include important legislative safeguards to prevent foreign entities of concern from contributing to the agency. 

    “The passage of H.R. 1948 is a victory for our binational region. It provides the International Boundary and Water Commission with the long-needed ability to accept funding from federal, state, and local government agencies, unlocking resources to advance critical infrastructure that will help mitigate the ongoing transboundary pollution crisis,” said San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Chris Cate. “For far too long, communities in our region have faced devastating public health, environmental, and economic impacts from untreated sewage and urban runoff. With the passage of this bill, we take a meaningful step forward in safeguarding public health, protecting our shared environment, and supporting the region’s economy and community prosperity. We commend our congressional leaders for their ongoing leadership to address these issues.” 

    Letters of support from the City of San Diego can be found here and from the City of Coronado here. 

    A one pager of the bill can be found here. 

    Further Background: 

    Representative Peters has, for years, worked to address the cross-border pollution fouling San Diego’s coastal waters, including pushing for additional funding to fix and expand the dilapidated SBIWTP. The following are some recent actions: 

     

    2025 

    1. In March, Rep. Peters introduced legislation to authorize the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) to accept funding from federal and non-federal entities for wastewater treatment, flood control projects, or other water conservation efforts. 

    2024 

    1. In January, Rep. Peters took to the House floor to demand that the President’s requested $310 million to fix and expand the dilapidated SBIWTP be included in any upcoming spending deal. 
    1. In February, Rep. Peters joined members of San Diego’s Congressional delegation to ask U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro about the effects of cross-border pollution on Navy operations. 
    1. In March, Rep. Peters celebrated the inclusion of $156 million, at his request, for the International Boundary and Water Commission’s (IBWC) construction budget in the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations bill. The IBWC is the federal agency tasked with operating and maintaining the SBIWTP. 
    1. In May, Rep. Peters joined Rep. Veronica Escobar (TX-16) in a bipartisan request for $278 million for the IBWC’s construction budget in the Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations bill. 
    1. In August, Rep. Peters hosted Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma on a tour of the broken wastewater treatment plant. 
    1. In September, Rep. Peters joined members of San Diego’s Congressional delegation to reiterate their call for a federal state of emergency declaration amid high levels of toxic gases. 
    1. In December, Rep. Peters and the Congressional delegation successfully fought to include an additional $250 million to fully repair and expand the capacity of the SBIWTP in the government funding bill. This brought the total amount of funds secured to $650 million. 

    2023 

    1. In June, Rep. Peters led a letter with other members of the San Diego Congressional delegation to the governor of Baja California urging accountability for the Mexican government’s commitments to build wastewater treatment infrastructure. 
    1. In July, members of the San Diego congressional delegation requested that the Environmental Protection Agency assist with directing environmental justice funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act to help stop the flow of pollutants and urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to tour the broken plant. 
    1. Also in July, they sent a letter to President Biden and submitted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, calling on the administration to declare this crisis a federal emergency. 
    1. In August, he led two letters to the Office of Management and Budget and to OMB and the State Department, calling for urgent additional funding to confront this crisis.  
    1. In September, he proposed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2024 Interior, Environment, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill to boost U.S.- Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Grant Program funding. Additionally, he proposed two amendments to the Fiscal Year 2024 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill to boost annual construction funding to the USIBWC to $100 million. 
    1. In October, Rep. Peters led a bipartisan letter to the Department of State demanding a complete account of how the SBIWTP fell into such a severe state of disrepair. 
    1. In December, he led a letter urging leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate to include President Biden’s $310 million supplemental budget request to repair the SBIWTP in any upcoming funding package. 

     

    In previous years, Peters and colleagues have secured funding, introduced legislation, called for investigations, and arranged a visit by EPA Administrator Regan in response to the wastewater contamination crisis.  

      

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to R&D elements of the Spending Review

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Scientists comment on the R&D elements of the Spending Review, as announced by the Chancellor.

    Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, said:

    “The Chancellor has today backed British science with the commitment of £86bn over the next four years. This is a welcome show of support for the UK’s outstanding science base. In difficult circumstances this will give some certainty to those looking to lead research and invest in the UK.

    “It is good to see the Government recognise the skills gap, but we need a fundamental reset to maths and data education, for all ages, to equip young people with the skills they need for modern well-paid jobs. The Chancellor’s speech also had a welcome emphasis on a clean and secure energy future for the UK.

    “While today’s commitment to protecting the research and innovation budget is encouraging, we continue to lag behind our competitors in the G7 on research and innovation investment when we should be looking to lead. We must also go further to attract and retain global talent. The UK’s sky-high upfront visa costs are an unnecessary deterrent at a time when our competitors are rolling out the welcome mat for the brightest minds.”

     

    Steve Bates OBE, CEO of the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA), said:

    “The Chancellor’s investments in R&D through UKRI and scaling life science companies through the British Business Bank is a huge vote of confidence in our sector’s ability to drive economic growth.

    “Investments into life sciences and AI will transform drug discovery and deliver greater NHS efficiency, the Health Data Research Service could make the UK the go-to destination for health innovation, while new funding for medicines manufacturing will help us attract internationally mobile investments to the UK and create well-paid rewarding jobs across the country.

    “Greater operational freedom and budget for the British Business Bank will allow it to play an even greater role in boosting our venture capital ecosystem and complementing the Chancellor’s pension reforms to increase investment in Britain’s growth sectors. This is the critical element of the Chancellor’s Plan for Change that really must be delivered to the full, with no stone left unturned.

    “We await the Industrial Strategy and Life Sciences Sector Plan later this month to see the full details of how the spending plans announced today will be delivered in reality, and look forward to working in partnership with Government to make every penny count for Britain’s economy, people and patients.”

     

    Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, UKRI Chief Executive, said:

    “This multi-year settlement confirms the government’s continued commitment to the critical role of research and innovation in delivering a high-productivity, high-growth economy, improving public services and creating high-quality jobs across the UK. 

    “Over the coming months we will work with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on the allocations process to ensure we can best support the research and innovation critical for the UK’s prosperity.” 

    Dr Joe Marshall, Chief Executive of NCUB said: 

    “We welcome the Government’s ongoing recognition that research and innovation are at the heart of sustainable economic growth. The headline commitment to an £86 billion R&D budget over four years is critical. Our analysis shows that every £1 invested in research leverages an additional £4 from business in the long term — generating profound economic, social, and cultural benefits for the UK. 

    “The Spending Review shapes not only the scale of funding for research, innovation, and skills but also its strategic direction. We applaud the pledge to extend R&D impact across the whole UK — notably through the new Local Innovation Partnerships Fund in England and reforms following the Green Book Review. The guidance for developing Local Growth Plans in England rightly references the critical importance of involving local businesses, higher education providers and bodies such as UKRI.”  

    “The allocation of the £86 billion research budget reveals important priorities. The substantial increase in defence-related R&D spending — rising from £1.7 billion in 2025/26 to £2.4 billion in 2028/29 — signals a shift in the research landscape that will have significant implications for the kinds of projects funded.” 

    “While the commitment to R&D funding is welcome, it is vital that key risks within the research and innovation system are addressed. UK universities play an indispensable and multifaceted role but continue to face severe funding pressures. The Chancellor’s acknowledgement that our universities are a national asset was encouraging, yet proper, sustained investment is essential to enable universities to drive UK innovation and progress forward.” 

     

    Dr Alicia Greated, Executive Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), said:

     “The Chancellor’s speech today has brought welcome confirmation of the announcements made at the weekend that the UK R&D budget is being protected in tough fiscal circumstances. Supporting UK R&D is an essential way to generate growth in the economy, ensure excellence in UK universities and research institutes, stimulate private sector innovation, and improve lives and livelihoods across the UK.

    “It is important that we now consider the full detail of the spending review publications, as well as, critically, future departmental allocations. CaSE will be working to analyse the plans and assess the impact they will have on the R&D sector, particularly as there are several promising new initiatives that will need accounting for alongside existing commitments””

    Declared interests

    The nature of this story means everyone quoted above could be perceived to have a stake in it. As such, our policy is not to ask for interests to be declared – instead, they are implicit in each person’s affiliation.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Robust Operational Results from Lithium Facility Strengthen Summit Nanotech’s Commercial DLE Readiness

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DENVER, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Summit Nanotech Corporation (“Summit”) is proud to announce the one-year operating anniversary of its US direct lithium extraction (DLE) system, which integrates commercial-height columns and high-performance sorbent. The process includes a unique method of flow sequencing, which delivers high efficiency and reliability levels that are not possible in conventional ‘simulated moving bed’ (SMB) processes. Over the past year, the system has played a pivotal role in advancing Summit’s DLE technology, denaLi™, for commercial-scale deployment. It has enabled a direct translation of operating parameters to Summit’s field demonstration plant in Chile.

    The Colorado DLE facility recently processed brines from a major South American salar, yielding impressive metrics and setting new performance benchmarks for the industry:

    • Lithium recovery rate: >98%
    • TDS rejection rate: >95%
    • DLE-specific water makeup: 7 m³/t-LCE

    This operational milestone follows independent, third-party testing of Summit’s proprietary sorbent, showing significantly higher capacity and a higher concentration product compared to leading competitors.

    “All of these data support the commercial readiness of our lithium-selective sorbent and denaLi™ system,” said Amanda Hall, CEO and Founder of Summit. “We worked hard to get our DLE right, and that work has paid off, putting us in a leading position on all-in lithium cost.”

    Looking ahead, the facility is now preparing to process live brine from the Smackover formation in the southern United States, which will further validate the versatility and efficiency of Summit’s technology across diverse assets.

    Joe Arencibia, President & COO of Summit said, “Operating our Colorado facility at commercial-level complexity has allowed us to validate our DLE process on real-world brine. Our denaLi™ platform has delivered consistent results and it’s ready for scaled, global deployment.”

    In the past year, the facility has drawn significant attention from across the lithium ecosystem, hosting visits from investors, industrial partners, university researchers, government, and industry associations. The steady flow of high-profile visitors highlights growing industry confidence in Summit’s technology.

    DLE Done Right

    Summit Nanotech has developed and deployed one of the most reliable and efficient direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies on the market. Its modular system and high-performance sorbent, engineered in North America and designed for commercial complexity, produce high-purity lithium from brines in Chile, Argentina, and the United States, with industry-leading water efficiency.

    Summit is operating a field demonstration plant in northern Chile and a multi-column system in Colorado that enables rapid testing, process development, and sorbent optimization on customer feedstocks.

    Summit is actively developing sorbent and technology supply agreements for projects over 5 kT/y LCE and scaling production to meet global demand. Learn more about how the denaLi™ platform reduces project costs, increases recovery rates, and delivers the lowest levelized cost of lithium at www.summitnanotech.com.

    Media Contact:
    Kristen Gray
    Manager, Communications & Investor Relations
    kristen.gray@summitnanotech.com

    Commercial Sales:

    Rodrigo Mery
    Manager, Business Development
    rodrigo.mery@summitnanotech.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a1434ff6-8e90-46ac-b78e-82749369318d

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung Expands Footprint and Embraces Partner Network at InfoComm 2025

    Source: Samsung

    Samsung Electronics is showcasing its latest display technologies, solutions and partner-integrated offerings at InfoComm, the largest professional audio-visual industry trade show in North America, held in Orlando, Fla., from June 11 to 13. This year, Samsung is expanding its presence across the show floor through strategic partner collaborations and a dedicated meeting space (Room W206BC).
    “The future of connected experiences lies in bringing together the best in display technology, immersive sound and collaboration tools,” said David Phelps, Head of Display Division, Samsung Electronics America. “By integrating partner technologies into our display ecosystem, we’re helping businesses rethink how they engage employees, serve customers, deliver content and optimize their spaces. Whether it’s flexible meeting rooms, interactive classrooms or seamless retail environments, we’re setting new standards for experience-led innovation.”
    Cisco and Samsung showcase stunning collaboration experiences
    During Infocomm, Samsung and Cisco (Booth #3381) will debut a new collaboration featuring the Samsung 105-inch 5K UHD Smart Signage display, which will be the first 21:9 screen to receive certification from Cisco. To harness the capabilities of the ultra-wide screen, Cisco has optimized RoomOS for its devices to support the 21:9 aspect ratio natively, resulting in a better view of meeting participants and shared content in Microsoft Teams Rooms and Webex Meetings. The widened display area allows new ways to display both meeting participants and shared content on a single display in an engaging meeting experience.

    Additionally, large supersized displays, like the new Samsung 136-inch The Wall 16:9 All-in-One LED paired with Cisco collaboration devices, and the newly announced Cisco Room Vision PTZ cameras, delivers a highly immersive large-screen meeting experience. Stunning video quality with natural, eye-level views are possible with a solution that’s simple to install. Deploy in hours, not days with Samsung’s modular all-in-one screen assembly and Cisco’s single-cable power over ethernet (PoE) cameras.

    “We are delighted that the innovative partnership between Cisco and Samsung continues to deliver the most engaging and inclusive employee experiences in the industry,” said Espen Løberg VP Product Management, Cisco. “Our certification program creates a solid foundation for seamless integrations that reduce complexity and enable scalable deployment and maintenance of collaboration rooms.”
    Together, Samsung and Cisco are raising the bar on the collaboration experience possible with these advanced displays. Powered by NVIDIA chipsets and Cisco RoomOS software, Cisco collaboration devices intelligently track, group and frame meeting participants, optimizing the use of screen real-estate afforded by Samsung Smart Signage displays, ensuring everyone can be seen in amazing detail.
    Samsung’s 136-inch The Wall with 16:9 aspect ratio, and 105-inch 5K UHD Smart Signage 21:9 aspect ratio will be on display in Cisco’s Partner Lounge (W203A) at Infocomm. During the show, demonstrations will highlight how Samsung displays paired with Cisco’s solutions and cameras optimize the meeting experience in corporate workspaces. Demonstrations will take place on Wednesday, June 11 and Thursday, June 12 from 9:00-10:00 a.m. ET.
    Logitech and Samsung redefine the modern workplace
    Building on their five-year-long partnership in video conferencing and productivity, Samsung and Logitech are collaborating to showcase joint solutions for Microsoft Teams and Copilot. These integrated offerings will be on display at Logitech’s booth (#3012). Highlights include an entry-level Teams Room setup featuring the Logitech MeetUp 2 and Tap with USB Kit, paired with a Samsung 65-inch display. Attendees can also view a demonstration of multi-stream functionality in Teams Rooms on Windows, also utilizing a Samsung 65-inch display. Additionally, the booth will present a desktop productivity package that combines Logitech’s MK955 keyboard-mouse combo—with dedicated Windows and Copilot keys—with Samsung monitors, offering an optimized Microsoft 365 Copilot experience for enterprise users. The collaboration reflects a shared commitment to innovation, simplicity and enhanced productivity in modern work environments.

    “Our enduring partnership with Samsung has always centered on transforming workplace experiences through smarter, more seamless solutions,” said Sudeep Trivedi, Head of Alliances and Go-to-Market, Logitech. “By innovating on solutions for Microsoft Teams and Copilot, we’re making significant gains in addressing the needs of Microsoft 365 users. Together, we’re redefining productivity and enabling businesses to thrive in today’s dynamic work environments.”
    Integrated partner display solutions drive customer success
    Throughout the show floor, InfoComm attendees can explore how Samsung’s portfolio of commercial display products integrates seamlessly with best-in-class technologies from its ecosystem partners. These integrated solutions are designed to elevate customer and employee engagement, streamline operations and drive better business outcomes across industries.
    For instance, FORTÉ (Booth #1742), the leading provider of communication and collaboration solutions designed to transform the modern workplace, will feature the Samsung 146-inch The Wall All-In-One 4K and WMB Interactive Display in its booth. Vu Technologies, another key partner of Samsung, will showcase its all-in-one studio solution, Vu One Mini, integrated with the Samsung 146-inch The Wall display. The activation will be fully powered by Vu’s proprietary production software, Vu Studio.
    ADI Global Distribution (Booth #3728), the leading distributor of security, AV and low-voltage products, will showcase the WAD Interactive Display and The Wall All-In-One 4K on the show floor.
    InfoComm attendees can experience how Samsung displays and solutions empower businesses to redefine visual engagement and operational efficiencies at additional partners’ booths, including:

    Bluestar (Booth #980)
    TD Synnex (Booth #1900)
    United Communication (Booth #3817)

    Elevating corporate, retail, educational and other business environments with display innovations
    In its dedicated meeting room W206BC, Samsung will showcase recently launched displays, including the Color E-Paper, 105-inch 5k UHD Smart Signage and WAF Interactive Display, as well as software solutions like the Visual eXperience Transformation (VXT) platform and SmartThings Pro. Welcoming guests at the entrance of the meeting space is a larger-than-life 136-inch model of The Wall that delivers stunning picture quality with optimized brightness and contrast powered by the advanced NQM AI Processor.

    Launched on June 5, Samsung Color E-Paper expands upon its portfolio of energy-efficient digital signage. Featuring digital ink technology, this latest model delivers ultra-low power consumption, high visibility and a lightweight design, offering businesses a sustainable and flexible display alternative. With a fully charged integrated battery, users have the ability to install and use Color E-Paper freely without being connected to a power source. During content updates, the display still uses significantly less energy than LCD digital signage, which helps reduce operational costs.
    The Samsung 105-inch 5K UHD Smart Signage display elevates workplace collaboration and audience engagement. At just 48.1mm in depth, the display’s slim design makes it a perfect fit for sleek and modern workspaces, retail stores and high-traffic places such as airports, rail stations or sports arenas. Users can make a big impression by installing the QPD-5K display vertically, with its screen reaching eight feet tall in portrait mode. The 105-inch display’s expansive, ultra-wide screen is an ideal solution for video conferencing in modern meeting spaces. Ultra-clear 5K resolution and non-glare technology ensure crisp, vivid visuals to deliver important information from every angle.
    Available in 65-, 75- and 86-inch models, the WAF Interactive Display delivers a captivating classroom experience for students. Powered by the Android 14 operating system, the WAF builds on the successes of Samsung’s first Google Enterprise Devices Licensing Agreement (EDLA)-certified classroom display, the WAD series, and introduces new features to enhance classroom instruction and engagement. The “Annotation” button empowers users to take notes anytime without interruptions, even over videos and other visuals on the screen, making collaborating and engaging during lessons more seamless and less intrusive. The Note app on the display has been updated to allow multiple students to use the whiteboard at once. Dr. Micah Shippee, Director of Education Solutions & Channel Sales, Samsung, will be in the Samsung meeting room and at the Cisco, TD SYNNEX and Bluestar booths demonstrating the WAF’s capabilities.

    Samsung solutions unlock the full potential of display ecosystems
    The newest iteration of VXT, a cloud-native Content Management Solution (CMS) that combines content and remote B2B screen management, adds expanded compatibility and app enhancements to streamline operations management and a new hybrid cloud deployment option. The solution is compatible with Samsung’s latest digital signage products and offers robust screen management for Android and Windows devices within an organization’s B2B display network.

    Users can now remotely adjust screen settings, including backlights and screen orientation, and security controls. Scheduling allows remote control of screen operations based on business hours or holidays to help optimize energy usage. Additionally, VXT provides over 200 templates and Pre-Integrated Repeatable Solutions (PIRS) apps created by Samsung and its partners to simplify custom content development.
    Samsung has launched the VXT CMS Transformer, an innovative application designed to help users transition smoothly from the legacy Samsung MagicINFO digital signage platform to VXT. To make the transition even easier, Samsung now offers a powerful on-premise compatibility analysis tool that automatically scans users’ existing MagicINFO setup to identify which devices and content are ready for VXT, flag potential compatibility issues and generate a clear, actionable migration-readiness report—all without requiring server access.
    For a limited time, Samsung is offering a special migration incentive to help users get started with minimal cost and maximum value. To take advantage of this offer, simply download the VXT CMS Transformer and run the compatibility analysis report today.
    Newly launched integrations between PIRS apps and the SmartThings Pro IoT platform enable dynamic automation, allowing screens to display content based on sensor triggers, such as exit directions in the event of an emergency. SmartThings Pro extends Samsung’s hyper-connected smart home technology to business environments, providing a scalable platform for intelligent device management. With its intuitive dashboard, users can monitor, control and create custom automations for connected devices across their business. It also features an AI Energy Mode, an intelligent power-saving technology that reduces energy consumption based on ambient brightness, content analysis and motion detection.

    Samsung’s commitment to delivering sustainable signage has earned a Silver rating from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), an environmental rating system managed by the Green Electronics Council (GEC) in the United States. EPEAT evaluates products across a range of sustainability criteria, including hazardous substance use, energy efficiency, recycled packaging and corporate social responsibility. This recognition is especially noteworthy as every model in Samsung’s standalone signage lineup is now certified with a Silver rating.
    Samsung offers special savings this summer
    Samsung is running special promotions in June and July on select displays to show its support for small businesses. Throughout June, Samsung is offering up to $1,000 off its 105-inch 5K UHD Smart Signage and up to $500 off the Color E-Paper display. Additionally, Samsung is offering up to $400 off its LCD Video Walls, which create a virtually seamless large-format viewing experience to elevate any business setting, and up to $280 off the Samsung Kiosk, which meets the demands of any high-traffic self-service environment. Business owners can enjoy up to $200 off Samsung Pro TVs — which range from 43- to 85-inches — to match the screen size requirements of any location.
    From now until the end of July, customers can also take advantage of the buy one WAF Interactive Display, get one Samsung Pro TV free promotion.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: Talkdesk shatters outdated customer experience paradigm with launch of Customer Experience Automation platform

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALO ALTO, Calif. and LAS VEGAS, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Talkdesk®, Inc. today upended the customer experience (CX) market with the launch of Customer Experience Automation (CXA)—a new software category and platform purpose-built to automate the full complexity of modern customer journeys.

    Customer Experience Automation goes far beyond traditional contact center as a service (CCaaS) and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions. This next-generation platform replaces fragmented, manually coordinated workflows with a unified system of intelligent, autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents. These agents collaborate in real time to orchestrate and resolve complex challenges across the entire customer experience lifecycle.

    “For years, businesses have faced a false choice: deliver personalized service or operate efficiently at scale,” said Tiago Paiva, chief executive officer and founder of Talkdesk. “CXA ends that tradeoff. It’s not just automation—it’s coordinated, autonomous resolution of complex business problems with speed, scale, and impact, without sacrificing the personal touch customers expect.”

    The pursuit of effective, scalable processes to solve complex customer situations isn’t new, but the specialization of tools and expertise to address them has often led to dated systems, siloed knowledge, and fragmented data—ultimately breaking the customer journey into disjointed pieces. Spotty attempts at automation have frequently resulted in a patchwork of disconnected bots and brittle integrations that deliver poor and inconsistent experiences, eroding customer trust rather than building it.

    The Talkdesk CXA platform is engineered to shatter this paradigm. It introduces a new operating system for customer experience—built on multi-agent AI orchestration and fueled by the Talkdesk Data Cloud, which unifies structured and unstructured data across every customer interaction, channel, and system of record. By turning transcripts, call recordings, messages, and case notes (combined with customer data points from multiple CRMs and specialized systems) into actionable knowledge, the Data Cloud gives AI agents the context they need to solve real business problems intelligently, autonomously, and at scale.

    This foundation powers a virtuous cycle of automation: discover high-impact opportunities, build intelligent workflows, orchestrate coordinated teams of AI agents, and measure outcomes to drive continuous improvement.

    With multi-agent orchestration, Talkdesk CXA moves beyond one-size-fits-all automation. Instead of relying on a single system or bot to handle everything, it deploys a network of specialized AI agents—each with a clear role, shared context, and the ability to collaborate in real time. This makes it possible to automate complex, cross-functional processes that span the front and back offices with precision, speed, and adaptability.

    “With the launch of CXA, Talkdesk is taking a fundamentally different approach,” said Zeus Kerravala, founder of ZK Research. “Rather than simply layering AI onto legacy infrastructure, they have created a platform focused on autonomous, multi-agent orchestration. This innovation allows enterprises to automate complex workflows with precision—an area where traditional solutions often fall short.”

    Talkdesk CXA is also built for speed. With preconfigured use cases, low- and no-code tooling, and both industry-specialized and general-purpose AI agents, organizations can go live fast and start seeing value quickly. Talkdesk CXA supports everything from cross-industry workflows to vertical-specific journeys in healthcare, financial services, retail, utilities, and government. Whether automating a single high-friction workflow or scaling across business units, it accelerates time to value.

    As part of the Talkdesk CXA launch, Talkdesk also introduced a new AI agent for omnichannel campaigns. This agent automates high-volume outbound voice campaigns. Businesses can easily scale appointment reminders, billing alerts, service updates, and other time-sensitive communications without taking up live agents’ time. It’s a powerful way to improve reach, reduce costs, and deliver timely engagement across outbound service and sales use cases.

    “The customer experience bar is higher than ever, and getting it right is no longer a differentiator—it’s essential for survival,” stated Paiva. “Talkdesk CXA represents a monumental leap forward. We’ve gone deeper into problem-solving for specific industries, uncovering unique use cases where traditional solutions failed. Our new CXA platform is not about flimsy automations or bolted-together tools; it’s about intelligent, coordinated, autonomous, and outcome-focused resolution that transforms the entire customer lifecycle.”

    Automating Customer Experience for Enterprises Worldwide

    Talkdesk CXA replaces reactive, human-coordinated workflows with a dynamic network of AI agents, each designed for specific tasks and orchestrated to operate as a single, intelligent system in any industry. Whether it’s a pharmacy callback, fraud alert, or complex insurance claim, CXA executes seamlessly across systems, roles, and channels with a personal touch that customers expect and appreciate.

    More than half of Talkdesk customers are already leveraging CXA capabilities, including BankUnited, Ouro Global, United Rentals, Memorial Healthcare, Michaels, and TEKA.

    “As a health system, we need solutions built specifically for our needs and for the communities we serve, and Talkdesk consistently delivers. Having leveraged their advanced AI tools, we’re particularly excited about the new CXA platform. It’s a monumental leap, with its autonomous, multi-agent AI approach and industry-specific capabilities set to transform how we orchestrate seamless healthcare consumer interactions and critical operational workflows. This is a key differentiator for us,” said Jeffrey Sturman, senior vice president and chief digital information officer at Memorial Healthcare System.

    “Our long-standing partnership with Talkdesk is grounded in a shared drive to innovate and elevate how businesses connect with their customers. That’s why we’re excited about—but not surprised by— their latest announcement. Talkdesk continues to demonstrate its commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in this space. Their new Customer Experience Automation platform is a bold step forward, and we believe it has the potential to fundamentally change how organizations design and deliver customer journeys,” said Amber Scott, vice president of customer experience at Serta Simmons Bedding.

    “Talkdesk consistently delivers innovation built for the specific needs of our industry. We’ve leveraged their advanced AI to improve banking interactions, and the new CXA platform is truly transformational. Its autonomous, multi-agent AI approach redefines how we deliver intelligent, secure, and outcome-focused service, cementing Talkdesk as a vital partner,” said Jeiner Morales, senior vice president and director of data analytics and business systems at BankUnited.

    “When CAI chose Talkdesk, we went all in. We harnessed everything we felt we needed to hit the ground running and maximize ROI as quickly as possible, including Talkdesk Workforce Management, Customer Experience Analytics, and Talkdesk Copilot—all components of Talkdesk CXA,” said Thomas Grosso, executive director of service desk at CAI.

    Built for Trust and Scale

    Talkdesk has been at the forefront of AI innovation since 2018, putting AI at the core of better customer experiences. Talkdesk CXA is built with inherent AI guardrails to mitigate hallucinations, ensure policy compliance, and provide human-in-the-loop oversight, making AI agents as trustworthy as highly trained human agents.

    A unique differentiator of the platform is the AI Gateway that enables Talkdesk CXA to sit on top of any third-party contact center, whether on-premises or cloud-based. This allows businesses to seamlessly integrate Talkdesk AI-driven solutions, optimizing self-service, agent assistance, quality management, and security to deliver superior customer experiences, without replacing existing systems.

    While powerful on its own, CXA truly shines as part of Talkdesk CX Cloud, which gives businesses every part of the contact center platform—from voice to digital and performance and workforce management—with CXA built inside. Talkdesk is globally recognized as a modern cloud-based contact center, but what sets the company apart is its commitment to AI innovation and how seamlessly it’s woven throughout both the customer and agent journey. CXA now takes this to a whole new level.

    Talkdesk is showcasing Talkdesk Customer Experience Automation at Customer Contact Week (CCW) Las Vegas at Caesar’s Forum in booth 638.

    About Talkdesk

    Talkdesk® is leading a new era in customer experience with Customer Experience Automation (CXA)—a new category and platform designed to automate the full complexity of modern customer journeys. CXA replaces fragmented, human-coordinated workflows with autonomous, multi-agent AI orchestration that delivers intelligent, scalable, and outcome-focused service across the entire CX lifecycle.

    At the core of CXA is the Talkdesk Data Cloud, which turns transcripts, call recordings, case notes, and customer records from across CRMs and systems of record into real-time, actionable knowledge. This enables AI agents to operate with full context, collaborating seamlessly to resolve complex customer problems with speed, precision, and adaptability.

    Talkdesk CXA supports both cross-industry workflows and industry-specialized use cases in sectors like healthcare, financial services, retail, utilities, travel, and government. With prebuilt AI agents, a virtuous automation cycle (Discover, Build, Orchestrate, Measure), and rapid time-to-value, Talkdesk helps enterprises modernize customer experience without the need for a full rip-and-replace.

    Trusted by global brands and recognized for continuous innovation, Talkdesk empowers organizations to grow revenue, reduce costs, and transform service delivery through coordinated, AI-driven automation. Companies that love their customers use Talkdesk.

    Talkdesk is a registered trademark of Talkdesk, Inc. All product and company names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.

    Media Contact:

    Talkdesk Public Relations

    pr@talkdesk.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici, Salinas, Dexter, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Repeal Gun Industry’s Legal Liability Shield

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

    June 11, 2025

    Legislation would give victims of gun violence legal avenues to hold manufacturers accountable for negligence in court

    Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Andrea Salinas and Maxine Dexter, said today they have joined colleagues in introducing legislation that would ensure victims of gun violence have their day in court and that negligent gun companies and gun sellers are not shielded from liability when they disregard public safety.

    The Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act—co-sponsored by the Oregon lawmakers—would repeal a 2005 federal law that gives gun manufacturers a unique and unjustifiable legal liability shield that protects them from lawsuits. 

    “It is absolutely unacceptable that this industry is absolutely immune from any accountability,” Wyden said. “Other industries are subject to scrutiny for the safety and use of their products, and I believe Congress should enact common-sense gun safety regulations like the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act.”

    “As we continue to face a nationwide gun violence crisis, we must ensure that gun companies and gun sellers are held accountable when their negligence costs lives,” Merkley said. “For the sake of all those who have lost loved ones to this tragic epidemic, we must take our pain and grief and turn it into real action, with the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act and other common-sense gun safety reforms.”

    “Gun violence is a leading cause of death in the country, yet unscrupulous gun companies and gun sellers continue to evade accountability because of a legal shield passed two decades ago. I am grateful to join my colleagues in this long-overdue effort to overturn this misguided law and allow gun violence victims to seek justice,” Bonamici said.

    “Current laws give negligent gun makers unprecedented special treatment that shields them from accountability for malpractice, leaving victims of gun violence without recourse in the courts. The Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act is a way for Congress to stand up for victims of gun violence through our judicial system,” Salinas said.

    “As a mother, I’ll never forget the terror of not being able to reach my daughter while she was in lockdown for over 12 hours during a mass shooting at the University of Virginia. As a physician, I’ve held the hands of patients and families devastated by gun violence. And as someone who has volunteered with Moms Demand Action and served on gun violence prevention task forces, I know this crisis demands urgent action. No other industry gets a free pass when their negligence leads to death. Repealing PLCAA is a necessary step to give survivors and families their day in court and to finally hold the gun industry accountable—just like every other industry. I’m proud to support the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act,” said Dexter.

    When Congress in 2005 passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) giving the gun industry legal liability, its supporters argued it was necessary to protect the gun industry from frivolous lawsuits, and that victims of gun violence would not be shut out of the courts. In reality, numerous cases around the nation have been dismissed based on this law, even when the gun dealers and manufacturers acted in a fashion that would qualify as negligent if it involved any other product. Victims in these cases were denied the right to even discover or introduce evidence. This Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act allows civil cases to go forward against irresponsible bad actors.

     In 2005, the National Rifle Association identified PLCAA as its “number one” legislative priority, and celebrated its passage by calling it the “most significant piece of pro-gun legislation in twenty years.” Letting courts hear these cases would provide justice to victims and their families, while creating incentives for responsible business practices that would reduce injuries and deaths. Effectively, the gun industry would once again be subject to the same laws as every other industry, just as it was prior to 2005.

    The legislation is endorsed by Brady, GIFFORDS Law Center, Everytown for Gun Safety, March for Our Lives, Guns Down America, Newtown Action Alliance, and Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund.

    The legislation was led in the Senate by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn. In addition to Wyden and Merkley, the legislation is also co-sponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Chris Coons, D-Del., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, Tim Kaine, D-Va., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Peter Welch, D-Conn., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.

    The legislation was led in the House by U.S. Representatives Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., Jason Crow, D-Colo., Dwight Evans, D-Pa., and Mike Thompson, D-Calif. In addition to Bonamici, Salinas and Dexter, the legislation is also cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Gabe Amo, D-R.I., Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., Wesley Bell, D-Mo., Don Beyer, D-Va., Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, Julia Brownley, D-Calif., Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., Sean Casten, D-Ill., Judy Chu, D-Calif., Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., Danny Davis, D-Ill., Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., Lizzie Fletcher, D-Texas, Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., John Garamendi, D-Calif., Daniel Goldman, D-N.Y., Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Hank Johnson, D-Ga., Robin Kelly, D-Ill., Timothy Kennedy, D-N.Y., Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., Betty McCollum, D-Minn., LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., Kelly Morrison, D-Minn., Seth Moulton, D-Mass., Joe Neguse, D-Colo., Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., Scott Peters, D-Calif., Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, Mike Quigley, D-Ill., Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., Brad Schneider, D-Ill., David Scott, D-Ga., Lateefah Simon, D-Calif., Dina Titus, D-Nev., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii.

    The full text of the bill is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: In its first gaming partnership, Louvre launches Age of Empires exhibition

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: In its first gaming partnership, Louvre launches Age of Empires exhibition

    Emma Bridle

    Today we are thrilled to announce that Age of Empires is partnering with the world’s most-visited museum, the Louvre in Paris!

    On April 30th, the Louvre launched an exhibition on the Mamluk sultanate (1250-1517), a European first. The exhibition aims to share the story of this golden age of the Islamic Near East, showcasing its breadth and richness, all told from a transregional perspective. The Mamluks appear in three Age of Empires titles and players around the world have discovered their prowess and story through our games since 1999.

    With a shared passion for history at its heart, this collaboration between Age of Empires and the Louvre serves to share the story of the Mamluks to people around the world and encourage them to learn more about this golden age of medieval history, which isn’t often told.

    Throughout the month of June, we’ll be collaborating both at the museum in Paris and online. For an overview of our collaboration, check our dedicated webpage.

    Age of Empires and the Louvre Partnership Page

    You’ll be able to experience content from the partnership at the museum, on our websites, on social media and via the first ever livestream from the museum, on June 12th, starting at 11:00 AM PT (2:00 PM ET / 18:00 UTC).

    We are so honored to be working with the Louvre, we share a passion for sharing the stories of history with the world.

    “World’s Edge is honored to collaborate with Le Louvre. The Age of Empires franchise has been bringing history to life for more than 65 million players around the world for almost 30 years. We’ve always believed in the great potential for our games to spark an interest in history and culture. We often hear of teachers using Age of Empires to teach history to their students and stories from our players about how Age of Empires has driven them to learn more, or even to pursue history academically or as a career. This opportunity to bring the amazing stories of the Mamluks to new audiences through the Louvre’s exhibition is one we’re excited to be a part of. We hope that through the excellent work of the Louvre’s team, the legacy of the Mamluks can be shared around the world, and that people enjoy their stories as they come to life through Age of Empires.”

    — Michael Mann, Studio Head at World’s Edge

    The Mamluks in Age of Empires

    The Mamluks have been an iconic part of the Age of Empires franchise since Age of Empires II (1999). Players today can experience these mighty warriors in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, and in Age of Empires IV (via the best-selling Sultans Ascend DLC).

    There’s more information about how you can play as the Mamluks in Age games on our partnership webpage.

    Play as the Mamluks in an All-New Scenario

    To celebrate the partnership, we’re releasing a brand new custom scenario for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on PC, “Ayn Jalut”. Created by World’s Edge Senior Business Manager, and famed Age campaign designer, Ramsey Abdulrahim. In this scenario, you play as Baybars before the pivotal battle when the fate of the Muslim world held in the balance. Prepare your forces, set up your ambushes, and use your cunning and strategy to overcome the Mongol horde. Like the Mamluks, can you be the first to defeat the Mongols?

    When finished, try again and best your friends for the highest score!

    The entire world trembled before the Mongols. Rulers of China and Persia, the fearsome horsemen swept through the cities of the Islamic world, leaving ruins. Only Baybars and the Mamluks of Egypt stood in their way. Baybars had gathered an army at Ayn Jalut, the site where the Biblical David slew the giant Goliath. Baybars had been born a thousand miles away, but he knew the Mongols well: they had slaughtered his family and sold him–as a mere boy–into slavery. At Ayn Jalut, he was determined to have his revenge–and slay his own giant.

    The Mamluks and the Exhibition

    The Mamluks, freed slave-soldiers of primarily Turkish (and later Caucasian) origin, built their legend on their military prowess. They conquered the last bastions of the Crusaders, fought and repelled the Mongols, survived Timur’s invasions and kept threatening neighbors at bay, before succumbing to Ottoman expansion. The sultanate encompassed a vast territory, including Egypt, Bilad al-Sham (modern day Syria, Lebanon, Israel/Palestine and Jordan), parts of Eastern Anatolia and the Hejaz region of Arabia, which includes Mecca and Medina.

    The exhibition takes visitors beyond the military legend of the Mamluk sultanate and shows the complex and multi-faceted society they formed. They created a world in which sultans mingled with emirs and rich civil elites, all actively engaging in artistic patronage. Women had active roles in Mamluk society, as well as Christian and Jewish minorities. At the meeting point of Europe, Africa and Asia, people and ideas circulated, as well as arts and trade.

    The exhibition is an unprecedented opportunity to discover this glorious and yet little-known empire, through a collection of masterpieces from around the world. Visitors will be exposed to a new perspective on medieval Egypt and the Near East.

    To make sure you can enjoy all the partnership content, make sure you’re following Age of Empires and the Louvre on social media!

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Ghana and Zambia have snubbed Africa’s leading development bank: why they should change course

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Misheck Mutize, Post Doctoral Researcher, Graduate School of Business (GSB), University of Cape Town

    The governments of Ghana and Zambia recently took a decision that could have serious consequences for other African countries. The decision relates to arrangements on how the two countries will repay the debt they owe to Africa Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).

    They have both taken decisions to relegate Afreximbank to a commercial lender from a preferred creditor. This means that the terms on which Afreximbank has lent money to these two countries will change. And it will lose certain protections. For example preferred creditors are repaid first, before any other lenders.

    This protects preferred creditors’ balance sheets and enables them to continue lending during crisis periods when others cannot. In contrast, commercial banks get paid later or might not get paid at all. This higher risk factor means that they charge higher rates.

    Based on decades of researching Africa’s capital markets and the institutions that govern them it’s my view that the long-term consequences of this precedent are detrimental. If other African borrowers follow suit, treating loans from African multilateral development banks as ordinary commercial debt during restructuring, it will erode the viability of these institutions. Investors who fund Afreximbank through bonds and capital markets may reassess its risk profile, pushing up its cost of funding and making future lending less affordable.

    The ultimate losers will be African countries themselves, especially those with limited access to international capital. Afreximbank, along with other African financial institutions, is a lifeline for trade finance, infrastructure development, and crisis response. Undermining its legal protections weakens the continent’s capacity for self-reliant development.

    Afreximbank was created under the auspices of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 1993. It was set up with a public interest mandate to develop African trade and promote integration. Its legal status and structural features place it closer to international multilateral development banks than to private creditors, justifying its treatment as a preferred creditor.

    The decision by Accra and Lusaka signals lack of confidence in African financial institutions. It suggests that they do not trust them to the same extent as global institutions like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. These are treated as preferred creditors, on the assumption that they will lend to countries in crisis or distress when commercial lenders retreat.

    The actions of Ghana and Zambia set a dangerous precedent by sidelining African financial institutions in favour of external creditors. That risks weakening Africa’s financial institutions and undermining the very concept of African solutions to African problems. Investors will become more sceptical and pessimistic, demanding more interest.

    The continent needs to develop an ability to independently design, finance and implement its economic development policies without support from external financial institutions. Afreximbank helps to achieve this through financing African-designed infrastructure and counter-cyclical lending.

    Ghana and Zambia still have an opportunity to correct course. In my view they should do so for the sake of the bank, its member states and the future of African economic sovereignty.

    The background

    Ghana and Zambia have both defaulted on their external bonds in the last four years. Zambia in October 2020 and Ghana in December 2022. This forced them to negotiate new sustainable terms with creditors.

    During their respective debt negotiations, both countries have announced that they would include African multilateral development banks such as Afreximbank and the Trade and Development Bank in the debt restructuring.

    This followed private and bilateral creditors contesting unequal distribution of restructuring burdens, where they face losses while some multilateral institutions are shielded. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank, which are preferred creditors, do not fund infrastructure, they only offer balance of payments support.

    The decision by Ghana and Zambia to relegate Afreximbank was made during an ongoing comprehensive debt restructuring. Ghana and Zambia have been negotiating with creditors for over a year in an attempt to resolve their sovereign debt crises.

    The two countries were complying with International Monetary Fund supported restructuring terms. Bilateral creditors were also demanding fair burden sharing with African multilateral banks.

    Afreximbank: not just another lender

    Ghana and Zambia don’t have a legal leg to stand on.

    Afreximbank’s preferred creditor status is not an informal privilege but derives from Article VX(1) of its founding agreement. The agreement has been signed and ratified by member states into national laws, including Ghana and Zambia.

    This status is further reinforced by the bank’s diplomatic immunities and privileges and its ability to operate across African jurisdictions under protected legal frameworks. The role of Afreximbank, therefore, goes beyond that of a traditional commercial bank.

    Preferred creditor status protects development finance institutions in a number of ways. The biggest protection is that lenders are prioritised for repayment. This protects their balance sheets, enabling them to continue lending when others cannot.

    A preferred creditor status is accorded for a reason. It is to ensure that development finance institutions can lend in times of distress with confidence, on the guarantee that they will be repaid ahead of other creditors. Country actions that violate this principle disrupt the implicit covenant that enables counter-cyclical financing. This is breaking the financial lifeline that countries might need when nobody else is willing to help them. This is precisely the kind of support that Ghana and Zambia relied on during their respective debt crises in December 2022 and October 2020, respectively.

    A bank that has consistently stepped up

    It is worth recalling that during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2021) and again when global markets closed access to Eurobond issuances for African countries, investors didn’t want to lend African countries for fear of defaulting. Afreximbank was one of the few institutions that continued to lend to African sovereigns. This included US$750 million to Ghana and US$45 million to Zambia.

    When Ghana, Zambia and other commodity export-dependent countries faced acute foreign currency shortages and tightening global liquidity caused by the 2015/16 commodity crisis of low prices, Afreximbank did not hesitate to deploy resources.

    Zambia has also benefited significantly from Afreximbank’s trade and development finance in energy, agriculture and healthcare. These are areas that many commercial banks view as too risky or low-margin.

    For Zambia and Ghana to classify Afreximbank in the same category as hedge funds, bondholders or purely commercial lenders, is ahistorical and unwarranted.

    Restructuring loans from Afreximbank risks inadvertently raising the cost of capital for African countries. If Afreximbank can no longer be shielded under preferred creditor status norms, it may be forced to adopt more conservative lending practices, charge higher risk premiums or retreat from high-risk markets altogether.

    The knock-on effect is reduced access to affordable, timely financing for countries that need it most.

    Afreximbank has rejected the idea that its loans ought to be restructured.

    Ghana and Zambia should correct course

    Ghana and Zambia still have an opportunity to correct course. They can reaffirm Afreximbank’s preferred creditor status, exclude it from restructuring tables meant for commercial creditors, and honour their legal commitments.

    In doing so, they would not only preserve their reputations as reliable debtors but also strengthen the broader fabric of African financial solidarity.

    African countries must be cognisant that no one else will build their institutions for them. If they do not defend and respect them, they cannot expect the rest of the world to do so. The credibility, sustainability and legitimacy of Africa’s financial independence depends, in large part, on how they treat the institutions they have built.

    The decision to treat Afreximbank and the Trade and Development Bank like commercial lenders is short-sighted and self-defeating. It must be reversed.

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

    – ref. Ghana and Zambia have snubbed Africa’s leading development bank: why they should change course – https://theconversation.com/ghana-and-zambia-have-snubbed-africas-leading-development-bank-why-they-should-change-course-258467

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: House Passes Pappas-Backed Legislation to Ensure Equal Access to Small Business Resources

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

    Last night, the House passed the ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act, bipartisan legislation co-led by Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), which would require the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the National Council on Disability to collaborate to help people with disabilities pursue small business ownership and employment opportunities.

    “Entrepreneurs and small businesses face a range of unique challenges, and we know a one-size-fits-all approach by government agencies to provide support they need is simply ineffective,” said Congressman Pappas. “I’m glad the House passed bipartisan legislation I helped introduce to require the SBA to provide individuals with disabilities equal access to pursue small business ownership and employment opportunities. I remain committed to ensuring our Main Street economy can grow and thrive, and I urge the Senate to swiftly take up this bill to deliver to improve support for our small businesses and entrepreneurs.”

    Background:

    The ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act would require SBA and the National Council on Disability to collaborate to help people with disabilities pursue small business ownership and employment opportunities.

    Last summer, the ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act passed the House with bipartisan support. 

    The ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act is supported by the Commission for Disability Employment.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Lucidworks Launches AI App Studio to Transform Digital Customer Experiences With No-Code AI Agent Development

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN FRANCISCO, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lucidworks, the leader in AI-powered search and discovery solutions, today announced the launch of AI App Studio™, a breakthrough capability within the Lucidworks SaaS Platform that enables businesses to create sophisticated AI-powered customer experiences without writing any code.

    As consumer expectations shift toward intelligent, conversational digital interactions, AI App Studio empowers marketing teams, digital experience managers, and business users to build the advanced AI applications their customers now expect, without waiting for technical resources or navigating complex development processes.

    “Today’s customers expect LLM-level intelligence in every digital interaction,” said Keri Rich, VP of Product at Lucidworks. “AI App Studio puts that power directly into the hands of the people who understand customer needs best. Whether it’s creating search experiences that truly understand intent or building conversational agents that feel natural and helpful, businesses can now deliver the modern, AI-driven experiences that keep customers engaged.”

    AI App Studio pre-built AI agents are designed to enhance every aspect of the customer journey, with new agents being added regularly, including:

    • Interactive Q&A: Generate dynamic question-and-answer pairings for specific products that customers can explore directly on your site.
    • Q&A Chatbox: Deploy conversational interfaces where customers can ask questions and receive instant, relevant answers.
    • Generative Answers: Create AI-powered response systems that provide comprehensive overviews grounded in your data.
    • Product Review Summary: Automatically analyze customer feedback to generate concise, insightful product summaries.
    • Recommendations: Deliver personalized product suggestions based on user content preferences and behavior patterns.
    • Spec Summary: Transform complex technical specifications into clear, digestible information for customers.

    AI App Studio delivers immediate competitive advantages through its comprehensive toolkit:

    • Visual Designer: Build sophisticated AI applications with easy-to-use, intuitive tools.
    • Ready-Made Templates: Launch quickly with pre-built solutions designed for common customer experience challenges.
    • Live Testing: Preview and perfect your AI applications in real-time before deployment.
    • Performance Analytics: Understand how customers interact with your AI experiences and optimize continuously.
    • Advanced AI Orchestration: Built on the Lucidworks AI Orchestration engine and Data Ingestion Platform for enterprise-grade performance and scalability.
    • Multi-Modal Intelligence: Our agents feature advanced vision-understanding capabilities, processing not only text but also charts, images, and other visuals to provide comprehensive expertise and accurate user engagement.

    As part of the Lucidworks Platform, AI App Studio integrates seamlessly with Commerce Studio™ and Analytics Studio™, creating a complete ecosystem for building and optimizing next-generation digital experiences that keep pace with evolving customer expectations, with new AI agents being released regularly to expand capabilities.

    For more information, visit www.lucidworks.com.

    About Lucidworks
    Lucidworks transforms complex data into actionable insights through AI-powered search solutions. Clients achieve 391% ROI and are 2.5x more likely to successfully deploy AI initiatives. Global leaders like Lenovo, Morgan Stanley, and American Express rely on Lucidworks to power digital experiences that drive business results. Learn more at Lucidworks.com.

    Contact: 
    pr@lucidworks.com

    The MIL Network –