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  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Baldwin Releases Statement on Bipartisan Bill to Fund Labor, Health, and Education Departments for Fiscal Year 2026

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, released the following statement after the full committee advanced her Fiscal Year 2026 funding legislation to the Senate floor. In addition to funding critical programs that the Trump Administration has tried to cut or withhold funding from – including Head Start, the National Institutes of Health, and Job Corps – the bipartisan bill takes further steps to mandate the timely delivery of Congressionally approved funding and adequate staffing levels at federal agencies to carry out the mission of these programs.

    “At the end of the day, my North Star is delivering for the people of Wisconsin. While no one got everything they wanted in this bill, I’m proud to say we found common ground and are doing just that to address the challenges facing working families across the country. From investing in cancer and Alzheimer’s research, to protecting the Department of Education and early education funding, to strengthening my 988 Suicide Lifeline, we came together to deliver for our constituents,” said Senator Baldwin. “This bill not only puts Donald Trump’s budget in the trash, it also reins in this President’s efforts to dismantle and withhold funding for critical programs our constituents rely on. This bill takes on the kitchen table issues families face by addressing childcare costs, connecting more Americans with good-paying jobs, and taking on the mental health and opioid epidemics. While it is not perfect, I look forward to getting it over the finish line on behalf of Wisconsinites who want to see a Washington that works for them.”

    As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, Senator Baldwin writes the bill that funds the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. A summary of the bill is available below.

    Key Points & Highlights – Department of Health and Human Services

    Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): The bill provides $116.6 billion, an increase of $446 million in discretionary funding for the Department of Health and Human Services over fiscal year 2025.

    The bill rejects the Trump administration’s harmful efforts to defund and dismantle critical work that HHS oversees—maintaining important funding for programs across HHS that touch the lives of nearly every American, while providing targeted increases to important bipartisan priorities. The bill includes new requirements to help ensure adequate staffing and the timely awarding of funding to prevent completely unnecessary delays and disruptions in programs that families and communities across the country count on—from child care and Head Start to substance use and mental health—and that support lifesaving research into cures and treatments for devastating diseases.

    Biomedical Research: The bill provides $48.7 billion in discretionary funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—an increase of $400 million to propel lifesaving and life-changing cures and treatments across NIH’s 27 institutes and centers and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).

    The bill rejects the catastrophic 40% cut to NIH proposed by President Trump, and instead of slashing funding for biomedical research, includes a:

    • $150 million increase for cancer research;
    • $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s disease research;
    • $30 million increase for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases;
    • $30 million increase for the Office of Research on Women’s Health;
    • $25 million increase for ALS research, fully funding the $100 million as authorized by the ACT for ALS Act of 2021;
    • $20 million increase for the IMPROVE Initiative for research on maternal mortality;
    • $12 million increase for BRAIN Initiative research;
    • $10 million increase for diabetes research;
    • $10 million increase for rare disease research;
    • $9 million increase for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network; and a
    • $5 million to implement the National Parkinson’s Project.

    The bill also rejects the Trump administration’s proposal—and illegal efforts—to cap indirect cost rates at 15%, which would devastate biomedical research, and continues a longstanding provision that prohibits NIH from implementing such a cap. The bill also rejects the Trump administration’s misguided elimination of programs across NIH by maintaining funding for HIV vaccine research, training programs that support the next generation of researchers, and the Safe to Sleep campaign, among others.

    The bill also includes, as part of a manager’s amendment, a new provision that would prevent implementation of the Office of Management and Budget’s misguided policy for NIH to fund significantly more of its multi-year research grants in one lump sum. This poorly thought-out new policy would significantly cut the number of research grants NIH awards this year and next year—according to NIH’s own estimate, by 40% in fiscal year 2025, reducing the percentage of cancer research grants it will award from 13% to 7%, and Alzheimer’s disease grants from 18% to 6%. OMB’s attempt this week to explicitly and illegally withhold billions in funding and halt all remaining NIH research grants through the rest of the year makes its intentions crystal clear. More needs to be done to protect NIH research programs, but the provision included in this bill is an important step in preventing the Trump administration from decimating the biomedical research enterprise Congress has built in a bipartisan manner over decades, which has long been the envy of the world and drives medical innovation that has saved millions of lives.

    The bill also includes a new authority for NIH to address loopholes in sexual harassment reporting and strengthen accountability by requiring institutions to complete investigations into concerns about harassment, bullying, retaliation, or hostile working conditions, even if the alleged perpetrator leaves their current position and is no longer employed by the institution. It provides the NIH Director the authority to decline the transfer of an award to a different institution, helping to close the “pass-the-harasser” loophole. It also provides the NIH Director the authority to share investigation reports on an as-needed basis with any institution that receives NIH funding.

    Child Care and Early Learning Programs: The bill includes $8.8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)—an $85 million increase over fiscal year 2025; and $12.4 billion for Head Start, an $85 million increase. Much more needs to be done to address our broken child care system and ensure every working family can find and afford child care, which is critical for businesses and our economy too—but sustained annual increases in these programs are critical in the meantime. The bill also sustains funding for Preschool Development Grants, which President Trump proposed eliminating in his budget request.

    Addressing Substance Use Disorders and Mental Health: The bill sustains funding to address the rising toll of opioid overdoses fueled by fentanyl, maintain access to substance use disorder prevention and treatment, and improve access to mental health services.

    The bill rejects President Trump’s proposed cuts to SAMHSA programs and maintains SAMHSA as its own, independent agency to ensure substance use and mental health remain a priority at HHS. The bill includes targeted increases to SAMHSA programs, including $2.0 billion, a $20 million increase over fiscal year 2025, for the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant; $1.6 billion for State Opioid Response grants, a $20 million increase; and $145 million for the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program.

    It protects key investments in mental health programs by sustaining funding for the Mental Health Block Grant, Project AWARE, Mental Health Awareness Training, and the National Childhood Traumatic Stress Network. The bill also provides $535 million, a $15 million increase over fiscal year 2025, for the 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline, to address continued increases in demand as 988 has been stood up over the last several years, and it restores dedicated funding for the LGBTQ+ youth specialized services line that President Trump eliminated this summer.

    Additionally, it includes approximately $180 million in investments within the Department of Education to address the shortage of school-based mental health professionals and services in our nation’s K-12 schools.

    Essential Health Care Programs: The bill protects investments in health care access and affordability and the health care workforce—maintaining investments in core programs, including $1.86 billion for Community Health Centers and $128.6 million for the National Health Service Corps. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is fully funded, and the bill affirms support for the mission and scientific integrity of the task force. The bill also includes a $9.3 million increase in rural health programs to boost recruitment of health care providers to practice in rural areas and support rural hospitals.

    Importantly, the bill provides a $5 million increase in funding for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Modernization Initiative to strengthen and reform the nation’s organ donation and transplant system. There are more than 100,000 individuals on the organ transplant waitlist, and this initiative, which began during the Biden administration, will allow the OPTN to better serve patients and families and strengthen accountability.

    Public Health: The bill rejects the approximately $4 billion—or 50%—cut to CDC programs proposed by President Trump’s budget request. CDC helps keep Americans safe and healthy by protecting against diseases and supporting states and local communities as they do the same. It also rejects the Trump administration’s haphazard proposal to dismantle CDC, which risks Americans’ health and safety, and requires HHS to support staffing levels to carry out the CDC’s programs.

    The bill also helps support state and local health departments by sustaining critical programs across the CDC, including funding for chronic diseases, the Office of Smoking and Health, injury prevention programs (including firearm injury and mortality research), global health programs, and immunization and infectious disease prevention programs.

    HIV/AIDS: The bill includes $613 million for the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative, which provides high-need jurisdictions with prevention and treatment services for people at high risk for HIV transmission. This includes $220 million within the CDC’s Domestic HIV/AIDS Prevention and Research programs to develop and deploy innovative data management solutions, increase access to PrEP, and better detect and respond to HIV clusters, and $128.9 million for the CDC’s global HIV/AIDS program. The bill also provides full funding for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, including dental services and training for health care practitioners, two initiatives that President Trump sought to eliminate in his budget proposal.

    Women’s Health: The bill sustains funding for reproductive health programs, including Title X and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, which President Trump eliminated in his budget proposal. The bill also increases investments in maternal health across CDC and NIH with a $53 million increase for programs that aim to address maternal mental health, prevent pregnancy-related deaths, support best practices to improve maternal health outcomes, and invest in women’s health research. The bill also provides funding for a new initiative to support survivors of sexual assault and creates a new menopause initiative within AHRQ to translate research best practices into clinical practice for women. Importantly, the bill includes increases in funding for the Maternal Mental Health Hotline and maternal health safety initiatives through the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health program.

    Pandemic Preparedness and Biodefense: The bill includes $3.6 billion for the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). It sustains funding for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA); Project Bioshield; the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS); and Industrial Base Management and Supply Chain (IBMSC) activities to help ensure that critical resources in the public health supply chain—including raw materials, medical countermeasures, and ancillary supplies—are manufactured in the United States. It also includes $4 million to support a new program to improve emergency medical services and trauma care during a public health emergency.

    Administration for Community Living: The bill maintains funding for the Administration for Community Living as its own agency within HHS to help support seniors and Americans with disabilities so they can live and participate fully in their communities. This includes providing $1.1 billion for senior nutrition programs and providing targeted increases for family caregiver programs.

    Home Heating and Cooling Assistance: The bill includes $4.045 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a $20 million increase over fiscal year 2025, to help low-income households heat and cool their homes.

    Key Points & Highlights – Department of Education

    Department of Education: The bill provides $79.0 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education.

    The bill rejects the Trump administration’s call to eliminate the Department of Education and maintains funding across the Department, including funding for K-12 formula and competitive grant programs, CTE and adult education programs, federal student aid, postsecondary competitive grants, and civil rights enforcement to provide the resources needed to help schools improve educational outcomes for students and protect all students from discrimination.

    The bill includes new requirements that the Department of Education maintain the staff necessary to ensure it carries out its statutory responsibilities, including carrying out programs and activities funded in this bill in a timely manner. The bill also includes new requirements for the Department of Education to make formula grants available to states and districts on time. While this should be unnecessary, this step prevents any administration from withholding key funding for students and creating chaos for states and schools, which distracts educators from helping kids thrive.

    Supporting Elementary and Secondary Education Students: The bill strengthens investments in foundational formula grant programs for elementary and secondary education and in public schools, teachers, and students—rejecting the $4.5 billion cut and the proposed consolidations in President Trump’s budget request for a new $2 billion block grant program.

    The bill boosts funding for Title I-A grants by $50 million above the fiscal year 2025 level to $18.457 billion. More than 80% of the nation’s school districts receive these funds, and nearly 25 million students go to schools receiving Title I funding. The bill also provides $15.224 billion, an increase of $50 million over fiscal year 2025, for all three IDEA Special Education State grant programs and retains each as a separate program. IDEA state grant programs support more than seven million students and children with disabilities and their families who receive IDEA services through these programs. The bill also includes new guardrails to prevent the administration from moving these formula grant programs to other federal agencies and disrupting the efficient and effective use of federal funds intended to improve outcomes for students.

    The bill also continues current investments, except for a few targeted reductions, across a range of other important formula and competitive grant programs authorized to improve teaching and learning in elementary and secondary schools, rejecting President Trump’s proposed elimination of $1.5 billion in total funding for nine important programs.

    Career and Technical Education (CTE): The bill provides $1.45 billion for CTE grants and $729 million for adult education grants and appropriates such funding to the Department of Education to carry out these programs, rejecting President Trump’s call to eliminate federal support for adult education. The bill includes new provisions requiring both CTE and adult education formula grants to be awarded in a timely way to prevent any administration from withholding these critical funds.

    Higher Education: The bill provides a total maximum Pell Grant award of $7,395 for the 2026-2027 award year, rejecting President Trump’s proposal to cut the Pell grant by over $1000. This coming school year, Pell Grants are expected to help over 7 million students at all stages of life pursue postsecondary education and further their careers. The bill also rejects President Trump’s proposals to eliminate a range of postsecondary education programs.

    Instead, the bill sustains funding for Federal Work Study and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant that provide additional need-based aid to students to help them afford postsecondary education. The bill also includes $65 million for the Teacher Quality Partnership program and $15 million for the Hawkins Centers of Excellence to help educator preparation programs address educator shortages. It also continues other investments available to recruit, develop, and retain an effective and diverse teacher and school leader workforce, including $90 million for the Supporting Effective Educator Development program.

    The bill sustains funding for TRIO at $1.191 billion; $388 million for GEAR UP; $75 million for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program (CCAMPIS); a $10 million for the Basic Needs Program; and $40 million for the Postsecondary Student Success Grant Program to help students prepare for and succeed in post-secondary education. The bill also sustains funding for Title III and V programs that support HBCUs, MSIs, Tribal colleges, and other institutions. President Trump had proposed to eliminate CCAMPIS, TRIO, GEAR UP, International Education, the Basic Needs Program, and the Postsecondary Student Success Grant, among other programs in his budget request.

    The bill also sustains funding for the administration of student aid programs. This funding supports a wide range of activities, including: implementing the FAFSA; disbursing student aid; ensuring services are available to student loan borrowers; implementing more affordable repayment plans; and fixing longstanding issues in student loan forgiveness programs. Finally, the bill includes important requirements to help Congress conduct oversight over the new higher education provisions contained in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

    Protecting Students from Discrimination: The bill rejects President Trump’s proposed cut of $49 million, or one-third of the total budget, for the Office for Civil Rights. Instead, the bill maintains the current budget level of $140 million and requires the Department to support the staffing levels necessary for OCR to fulfill its statutory responsibilities.

    Advancing Education Research, Statistics, and Assessments: The bill maintains current funding of $793 million for the Institute of Education Sciences for all programs and activities of IES funded in fiscal year 2024, rejecting the massive reduction of $532 million or 67% proposed in President Trump’s budget request. The Trump administration’s significant workforce reductions and program delays at IES this year have caused it to fail to meet statutory requirements. The bill requires the Department to support staffing levels necessary for IES and the National Center for Education Statistics to fulfill their statutory responsibilities.

    Key Points & Highlights – Department of Labor

    Department of Labor (DOL): The bill includes $13.7 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Labor. The bill rejects the harmful cuts proposed by the Trump administration, including the administration’s proposal to block grant our nation’s workforce training programs.

    Workforce Development: The bill includes $2.9 billion for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) formula grants, protecting essential investments made in recent years. It includes a new directive requiring DOL to award such funds in a timely manner. It provides $285 million for Registered Apprenticeships and $105 million for YouthBuild. The bill also rejects President Trump’s call to eliminate Job Corps and instead provides $1.76 billion for Job Corps. Rejecting President Trump’s proposed cuts for many of these programs and continuing funding for these key workforce development programs will help grow the economy, provide workers with the skills they need to secure good-paying jobs of the future, and help American businesses compete globally.

    Worker Protection: The bill rejects drastic reductions proposed in President Trump’s request and sustains key investments in DOL’s worker protection agencies charged with enforcing requirements for employers to pay workers what they earn and provide safe and healthy workplaces. The bill maintains $191 million in funding for the Employee Benefits Security Administration, which is responsible for, among other things, ensuring private sector employment-based group health plans comply with mental health and substance use disorder parity requirements. The bill also maintains $260 million for Wage and Hour Division to support the Division’s work to recover wages workers are owed and to combat exploitative child labor. Last year, the Division secured more than $273 million in back wages collected and damages for nearly 152,000 workers nationwide.

    The bill also provides $111 million, $41 million more than President Trump’s budget request, for the Bureau of International Labor Affairs to enforce labor provisions of free trade agreements and trade preference programs and combat international child labor and forced labor. Finally, the bill rejects the proposed elimination of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and Women’s Bureau, providing $106 million and $23 million, respectively.

    Key Points & Highlights – Related Agencies

    Social Security Administration (SSA): The bill includes $15.0 billion for SSA’s administrative expenses—an increase of $594 million over fiscal year 2025. This is $100 million more than President Trump’s budget request to help address staffing challenges and improve service to the public. The Trump administration has single-handedly created completely unnecessary chaos at SSA that has weakened Americans’ ability to get the benefits they are owed—and it has continually misled the public with easily disproven claims about widespread fraud. Instead of admitting to its lie, SSA has doubled down and pursued poorly planned and implemented policy changes. The American public and the beneficiaries SSA serves have paid the price, with unacceptable wait times to access the benefits and services Americans deserve, and that they have literally earned through a lifetime of work. Instead of chasing conspiracy theories, the administration should focus on actually improving services and addressing service delivery challenges impacting Americans across the country. The resources in this bill will help SSA do just that.

    AmeriCorps: The bill rejects President Trump’s elimination of AmeriCorps and sustains funding for all of AmeriCorps’ grant programs by providing a total of $1.25 billion to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to administer these programs. This bill also includes new provisions requiring any administration to award AmeriCorps state formula funding in a timely way and includes new requirements to ensure CNCS will award competitive grants in a timely fashion, too. The bill will support AmeriCorps members serving in communities across the country and working to address pressing challenges, including responding to natural disasters, assisting in schools, supporting our veterans, promoting economic opportunity, and conserving and protecting the environment.

    Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB): As a result of Congressional Republicans’ approval of the Rescissions Act of 2025—the first ever partisan rescissions bill signed into law—no funds are provided in the bill for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the more than 1,500 locally owned public TV and radio stations nationwide that have, for over 50 years, been supported by CPB funds and infrastructure investments. Republicans’ devastating rescissions bill will particularly hurt 120 stations that rely on CPB for more than 25% of their revenue, who are now scrambling to find new sources of support or significantly reduce programming or close in the coming months.

    Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS): The bill continues to invest $295 million in the nation’s libraries and museums through programs of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and requires IMLS to fund specified programs and activities at amounts identified in the Committee report.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall: Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Senator Marshall Joins the Sean Spicer Show Live
    Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined Sean Spicer on The Sean Spicer Show to discuss the tenure of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, the MAHA movement, and whether the Senate will stay or go for the August recess.

    Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full interview.
    On the economic growth so far in 2025:
    “What did the first thing I go to is our interest rate, and Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell, he’s got to be eating a little bit more crow here, in my humble opinion. You know, maybe he should have decreased the interest rate a quarter point a month ago, a quarter point today, and maybe a half point next month. So I think he’s eating a lot of crow.
    “We’re seeing unemployment stay low. We’re seeing inflation down, grocery, [and] gas prices are stabilized… good GDP, and why? You know, this isn’t just happenstance. I’ve never seen an economy and a country’s attitude turnaround in six months like it has. I think a lot of this goes back to rolling back the regulations and really just a re-establishment of law and order and people having faith in this country once again.”
    On whether Jerome Powell should resign or be fired:
    “So I think they’re going to grow louder, but my advice to the President, if he asked for it, is not to fire Jerome Powell. This guy reminds me of a lame duck coach that’s having three losing seasons. I mean, they’re having a horrible season right now, and he should resign.”
    “[If he fires Jerome Powell tomorrow] I will, absolutely, I’ll support the President’s decision. And I think it’s making the play call, right? Someone has to make the play call, and I’d be okay with that. But if Jerome Powell was a man, he should resign. And again, we just have no confidence in him. The economy has no confidence in him. He served his country, in my opinion, not very well. He’s added to the debt. He continues to have an upside-down balance of economic situation there at the Feds as well. I can’t believe that he’s losing money like he has. What they’ve done with quantitative easing is absolutely criminal. It goes back to 2008.”
    On whether the President has the authority to fire Jerome Powell:
    “You’re the political analyst here. I think we have to think about the political side of this as well. I mean, we can get all the lawyers in and all the king’s men in and give us an opinion, but there’s a huge political risk to this. And that’s if I was his advisor, that’s what I’d be talking to him more about. I think it’s one more reason you would go to Jerome Powell, have my chief go to Jerome Powell, and say, here’s the cause. Why don’t you help us all out here and resign and let the country get down the road? Look at just a new chapter, it’s a new day, this is the dawn of a new golden economic era and safety for this country. And it’s best for him to move along and enjoy his retirement.”
    On the trade deficits with the EU:
    “We haven’t sold a cheeseburger in Europe in maybe forever, certainly in this century, right? And we make the best beef in the world. No one can argue that. No one can replicate it. The cattle industry is what’s keeping our ag sector together right now. We’re struggling with our commodities like wheat and sorghum soybeans. So cattle is driving the agriculture industry right now in the state of Kansas. So selling them cheeseburgers is really important.
    “The other issue is ethanol. 40, 50% of our corn crop goes to making ethanol. We have capacity to do more. So selling it to them is a huge, huge opportunity. And remember, if you put the EU together, they’re the number one trade deficit that we have. It kind of caught me off guard, but China’s, I think, is closer to $300 billion and and the EU’s collectively is about $250 billion. So, between these two countries, between the EU and China, is half of our trade deficit.
    “So I think that agriculture is a great opportunity for us to grow back and to shrink that deficit. And want to emphasize all these deals, it’s not necessarily the tariffs that are important to farmers and ranchers. It’s the non-tariff barriers that the EU uses to keep us from selling American beef into that country.”
    On advocating for both farmers and ranchers and the MAHA movement:
    “Yeah, well, Sean, I feel like my whole life, God has prepared me for this moment. To be a fifth-generation ag kid, and spent 25 years in healthcare, managing a diabetic clinic for pregnant women was a big part of my practice. So, I think I’ve been prepared for this particular moment. And being able to have a great relationship with Secretary Kennedy and Secretary Rollins, with the Secretary of Agriculture, and at the same time know what Kansas farmers and ranchers are doing. And we’re doing so many great things already, and sharing that with the MAHA people and helping them to understand that we’re trying to get there.
    “Look, a Kansas farmer doesn’t want to have to use any more fertilizer or pesticide than they have to. They’re very, very expensive. So we’re developing modern regenerative agriculture practices, where we’re decreasing by 90% the drift of those chemicals leaving the field, and we’re using 60% less, again, through precision agriculture, through modern-day technology. So we’re getting there.
    “And I think just what can we do then on the Ag Committee, to help accentuate the positive, to help these early adapters, to spread that love, so to speak, as well. So I’m spending a lot of time educating MAHA on what we’re doing in agriculture, and kind of focusing on soil health. That healthy soil leads to healthy food, leads to healthy people, so motivating farmers to grow that healthy soil.”
    On processed foods and healthier nutrition in America:
    “I think we have a long way to go on what America chooses to eat, and that would be the ultra-processed food. I think that the boogeyman here is the ultra-processed food. I don’t think it. In my humble opinion, I’ve looked at the studies on plant-based seed oil versus fat from animals, and I don’t think that’s the issue. I know that my MAHA people disagree with me. I think it’s that they’re they happen to be using that seed-based oil in ultra-processed food. I think it’s the salt and the sugar that are in the ultra-processed food that’s the actual problem.
    “I think we’ve made huge strides when it comes to these potential toxins. Right now, we only put down most of these pesticides before we plant the seed. So by the time the seeds coming up… there’s minimal around to actually be left in a residue, which is what they call it. And we’re becoming more and more strict on what we’re doing to measure that residue, whether you’re at the a co-op elevator or whether you’re at the milling plant.
    “My sorghum growers especially have adapted these modern practices where they’re using just minimal, minimal, they’re measuring it, they’re proving that indeed, it’s healthy. And you’re concerned about our waters again – 90% less fertilizer is ever leaving the field by modern-day agriculture. So we’re getting there, Sean, but I’m not nearly satisfied…And remember, we’re we’re dads and grandfathers and mothers and grandmothers first. We happen to be farmers, but we want our children to be healthy as well. We certainly you don’t want to go out and misuse these pesticides. You don’t want to be dipping your fingers in it. You don’t want to be breathing it. You need to be using it with the very strictest of techniques.”
    On the FDA approval process of vaccines and doctor-patient relationships:
    “Yeah, Sean, so I don’t have a single answer. Number one is, this is why I think the relationship between the doctor and the patient is sacred. And each person’s an individual. The advice I gave my parents on the COVID-19 shot was different than the advice I gave my children and for their children as well on the COVID shot. Completely, two different risk factor profiles there as well.
    “My big concern here is when vaccines are made, not in the United States. China does knockoffs, and they don’t have the highest safety standards that we do. You know, just recently, I’m going to give you an example, the GLP one drugs. China has been making a knockoff drug, and then they’re sending it to compounders in the United States. And they may not know it’s a knockoff drug, but 14 people have died from using that compounded GLP one this in the past year. Zero people have died from using US-based FDA-approved drugs. So it’s the impurity that scares the death out of me. On the vaccine, the interaction amongst them scares the death out of me.
    “I’ll give you one example. Secretary Kennedy and myself have both said MMR is the best way to prevent measles, but it’s not given until you’re a year of age. It’s been around forever. It’s proven to be safe, and… Measles can actually kill, especially young kids. So my advice is to get the MMR vaccine at age one.
    “On the other hand, the hepatitis vaccine for a two-day-old or one-day-old… who are the risk of people with hepatitis, right? It would be homosexuals and prostitutes, that type of thing… drug abusers, right? That’s who’s at risk for hepatitis. So I don’t see what is there to gain from giving my two-day-old granddaughter the hepatitis vaccine, let their immune system develop a little bit. So the science is not settled. Sean, it’s never settled. And it’s my job as your doctor to keep try to keep up with that and give you the very best advice I can. Sorry, that’s a long answer.”
    On the August recess and President Trump’s nominees:
    “We were elected to do the work of the people. President Trump, 78 million people voted for him, for him to fulfill his mission and his agenda, we need more of these people approved. Look, Chuck Schumer is jamming us right now. He’s doing things that we never did, people that should be easily confirmed by unanimous consent, not take any time up. So if we stay here this August, it’ll be Chuck Schumer’s fault, just like if we end up in some type of financial shutdown in September. This is Chuck Schumer overreacting to AOC and just the psychotic nature right now of the Democrat Party, if that makes sense.
    “So I’m willing to stay. I want to stay, whatever it takes to get these people confirmed; the Senate needs to do its job. Yes, I want to go home, see family, go out and do our town halls, all those types of things I want to do, but my number one mission right now – got The Big Beautiful Bill done – my number one mission right now is to get these people confirmed.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Diplomatic Trade Ltd, Thomas J. Kent Jr. the Kent Family Office, and Kent Global LLC Stake Acquisition in Turkish Pharma Firm, Target $300M UAE Biopharma Venture

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Thomas J. Kent Jr.

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Diplomatic Trade Ltd and Kent Global Support Strategic Stake in Turkish Pharma Group, Plan $300M UAE Biopharma Initiative Cross-border biopharma venture targets UAE facility launch in Q3 2025 and public listing by year-end

    Diplomatic Trade Ltd, a cross-border trade and investment firm with offices in New York and Dubai, and its private equity arm, Diplomatic Trade Capital Group, have signed an MOU to acquire a 49% stake in Turkish pharmaceutical manufacturer Farmakim ilaç Kimya Gida Ürünleri Üretim San ve Dis Tie A.S.

    The transaction was supported by U.S.-based Kent Family Office LLC and its affiliated investment firm, Kent Global LLC, led by financier Thomas J. Kent Jr. The deal marks a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening pharmaceutical capacity across Türkiye and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

    Equity Position and Strategy
    Diplomatic Trade Capital’s 49% ownership includes board representation and commercial rights. Financial details were not disclosed, but the acquisition aligns with a broader strategy to scale pharmaceutical infrastructure across emerging markets in MENA.

    UAE Biomanufacturing Facility – Q3 2025
    The partners will establish a UAE-based biomanufacturing facility by Q3 2025. The plant will focus on biosynthetic therapies and regenerative compounds, featuring modular, EU-GMP-compliant production systems and AI-driven quality control. The facility is intended to meet growing demand for advanced pharmaceuticals in the GCC and North Africa.

    IPO Planning and Market Valuation
    The new entity is targeting an initial public offering on a UAE stock exchange in Q4 2025. A global advisory firm is conducting a valuation, with early estimates suggesting a potential IPO valuation near $300 million USD, based on projected revenue growth and regional distribution rights.

    Institutional Investment Backing
    The financing structure was arranged by Kent Family Office and Kent Global, reflecting increased U.S. institutional interest in healthcare investment across the Gulf region.

    Executive Commentary
    “This transaction establishes a platform for scalable pharmaceutical production in the region,” said a Diplomatic Trade Capital spokesperson. “The UAE offers a favorable environment for innovation, regulation, and capital markets access.”

    About Diplomatic Trade Ltd
    Diplomatic Trade Ltd is a U.S.-registered firm focused on cross-border joint ventures and IPOs in healthcare, infrastructure, and strategic manufacturing across the GCC and Africa.

    About Farmakim
    Based in Istanbul, Farmakim is a privately held pharmaceutical company serving public and private healthcare systems across Europe, MENA, and Central Asia.

    Media Contact:
    Shawn Kent
    Kent Global LLC and The Kent Family Office
    646 207 6801
    tkent@kentgloballlc.net
    https://www.kentgloballlc.net/

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6ca9a779-f567-40ae-9944-7f2d25ebde78

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PSI Chairman Johnson Writes to Secretary Hegseth about DoD’s Efforts to Assist Service Members Wrongfully Terminated Under Biden’s COVID-19 Injection Mandate

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson

    WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) sent a letter to Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Pete Hegseth requesting a briefing on the DoD’s efforts to apologize, reinstate, and provide back pay to service members who were terminated after refusing to take the COVID-19 injection.

     In 2021, then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a COVID-19 vaccine mandate which resulted in the termination of approximately 8,700 active-duty service members who refused the injection.

    “This dismissal of thousands of brave men and women from the military was a despicable act that damaged our armed forces,” the chairman wrote.

    Tuesday’s letter follows a Daily Caller article about former service members who are reportedly still waiting to be made whole following the Biden administration’s disastrous COVID-19 vaccine mandate. 

    During the first few days of President Trump’s second term, he issued an executive order enabling these wrongfully discharged service members to revert to their former rank and receive full back pay, benefits, bonus payments, or compensation. In February 2025, Sec. Hegseth announced that service members could seek reinstatements and back pay.

    “I have no doubt that you are committed to assisting our service members, which is why I want to bring to your attention a July 24, 2025 Daily Caller article that featured several former military personnel who have still not received back pay after being terminated for refusing the injection,” Chairman Johnson wrote to Secretary Hegseth. 

    Read more about Chairman Johnson’s letter in Daily Caller.

    The full text of the letter can be found here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Exclusion, endurance, and the fight for inclusion

    Source: APO


    .

    Marlene Le Roux has lived with the effects of disability since she was three months old. Now 57, she has spent decades confronting physical, structural, and social barriers.

    Resilience is part of her everyday reality, as she manages pain, stays engaged, and keeps going even when her body resists.

    Ms Le Roux had spent the day before speaking and dancing to mark South Africa’s Freedom Day in Cape Town. By morning, her legs gave in. She was at the physio, acupuncture needles in her thigh to ease the pain.

    That pain, she says, is part of the “gift”– a lived experience that gave her the lens to understand the marginalization millions face every day.

    “I have a job, that’s why I could pay for treatment,” she said. “Others with polio? They suffer. They die in their beds.”

    Her story begins with polio and builds into a fight fueled by loss, sustained by purpose, and anchored in a refusal to accept exclusion.

    She’s lived the weight of exclusion twice over. First, as a child disabled by apartheid-era neglect, contracting polio at just three months old, after clinics denied the remaining vaccines to non-white children. And later, as a mother to her son Adam, who had profound cerebral palsy and required constant care. Adam later passed away, a loss that deepened her resolve.

    That urgency is also reflected in efforts across the United Nations system. In 2019, the UN launched the Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) to promote accessibility, participation, and accountability in its operations.

    By 2023, more than 60 UN entities had adopted action plans under the strategy, and over $77 million had been mobilized to support more than 100 initiatives in 93 countries. Yet implementation remains uneven, with many persons with disabilities still facing barriers even within institutions that champion inclusion.

    At the Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town, where Ms Le Roux is the CEO, accessibility is built into the structure: automated doors, wheelchair seating, level entryways, tactile carpeting, comfort rooms. Staff receive training on both visible and non-apparent disabilities. Every feature is intentional, designed in consultation with those who use them.

    “Life here at Artscape is very easy for people with disabilities,” said vocalist Nikita Scott, a wheelchair user. “It feels like a second home. You just feel freer because there are no challenges you have to face as a disabled person.”

    Families raising children with disabilities find refuge at Artscape. “They can attend performances and relax in a space that doesn’t treat them as an afterthought,” Ms Le Roux said. “Here, no one stares.”

    Artscape also supports grassroots groups, including Lief en Leed (Love and Sorrow), a community initiative in Mamre. Its founder, Michael September, who has speech and mobility impairments, said people still assume disability means incapacity.

    “Artscape is one of the few places that sees our dignity first,” he said.

    Ms Le Roux’s leadership style is grounded in presence and humility. It’s not uncommon to see her joking with staff or sitting down for tea with the cleaning crew. “No one should be invisible,” she said. “Everyone here matters.”

    She helped launch the ArtsAbility Festival, an annual celebration that features performers with disabilities and challenges public perceptions through art and movement. The Unmute Dance Company, a regular participant, blends wheelchairs, crutches, and movement to challenge perceptions.

    “Artscape focuses on what people can do, not what they lack,” she said. “When they perform, you see ability. Not disability.”

    She sees these lessons as central to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially the pledge to “leave no one behind.”

    “We can’t just have things on paper and expect it to work. It has to be in the fiscal budget, in the mindset, in the leadership.”

    To her, inclusion isn’t a checklist but a cultural shift. She meets regularly with an advisory group of people with disabilities to keep the work grounded in lived experience.

    In 2024, she launched Warrior Woman, a petition and art installation to protest gender-based violence. She plans an annual march to parliament with the statue in hand. “We’ve had enough of talking,” she said.

    “Artscape is more than a theatre,” she said, adding that it’s a platform to open doors and influence lives.

    “I can look glamorous now because I have a job. I can pay for treatment; I can walk into the best orthopaedic surgeon. But what happens to others? They suffer. They die. My job is to open doors for them.”

    And she’ll keep pressing forward, legs willing or not, until systems do too.

    Ms Le Roux’s full interview can be watched in this episode of our Sustainable Africa Series

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Free State government urges parents to vaccinate children

    Source: Government of South Africa

    Friday, August 1, 2025

    As part of ongoing efforts to prevent the further spread of measles, the Free State Department of Health has called on parents and guardians to ensure that they and their children are up to date with their vaccinations, in accordance with the provisions of the Road to Health Booklet.

    The department reported 93 laboratory confirmed cases of measles as of week 29 in the Lejweleputswa District.

    “Since the first positive case was detected in the private health sector on 23 February 2025, the department has taken decisive action to control the outbreak. The initial cases in Lejweleputswa were followed by a series of confirmed cases, with the most affected sub-district being Matjhabeng, which accounts for 42 of the total cases. 

    “The Nala area has also seen an increase in cases, necessitating continued vigilance and response efforts,” the department said on Thursday.

    The department reported that the outbreak in Mangaung has been declared over, which it described as a testament to the effectiveness of the outbreak response measures. 

    In Lejweleputswa, while sporadic cases have been observed from weeks 20 to 29, the department said the outbreak is under control. 

    The focus remains on the areas with higher numbers of unvaccinated individuals, particularly in Matjhabeng and Nala.

    “The department urges all residents to remain vigilant, particularly in areas with higher case numbers. The Free State Department of Health is dedicated to protecting the health of communities and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

    The department has implemented the following interventions as part of the ongoing management of the measles outbreak:

    • Outbreak response teams have been mobilised and resuscitated to address the situation effectively. The department has initiated outbreak response activities in Nala to curb the rising cases.
    • The department has improved community awareness through the distribution of information, education and communication (IEC) materials. This initiative aims to educate the public on measles prevention and encourage vaccination.
    • The department has made significant improvements in completeness of immunisation feedback (CIF) and ensured the collection of blood specimens for all laboratory samples.
    • Provincial support has been extended to the affected district throughout the outbreak. The department has collaborated with the South African Police Service (SAPS), as the local law enforcement, and community leaders to enhance outbreak awareness and response.
    • All laboratory-confirmed cases have been managed appropriately, with patients receiving the correct dose of Vitamin A and being monitored for signs and symptoms of the disease.

    – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Frankel Safeguards Access to Health Care with Bill to Repeal Trump Defunding of Planned Parenthood

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21)

    Today, Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22) joined Democratic colleagues in introducing the Restoring Essential Healthcare Act, legislation to repeal the newly enacted Republican ban on Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood health centers.

    “Planned Parenthood is often the only place people can go for affordable, trusted health care.  The ban on Medicaid reimbursements has put 200 clinics at risk of closure, affecting thousands of patients in Florida and millions more across the country, said Rep. Frankel. 

    “As required by federal law, Planned Parenthood does not use Medicaid funding for abortion care. Medicaid reimbursements support preventive and lifaesaving services such as STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, birth control, and HPV vaccinations.”

    “This cruel ban does not exist in isolation,” Frankel continued. “The harm is compounded by recent Republican deep cuts to Medicaid, affordable health coverage, and food assistance. These ugly policies work hand in hand to strip basic necessities from those who can least afford to lose them.”

    On July 28, a federal judge temporarily blocked enforcement of the Medicaid provision, but the ruling is expected to be appealed. The Restoring Essential Healthcare Act would permanently repeal this dangerous measure and restore access to care for millions of Americans.

    The bill has been endorsed by leading organizations committed to reproductive health and rights, including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Center for Reproductive Rights, the National Abortion Federation, the National Council of Jewish Women, the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, and Physicians for Reproductive Health.

    Senators Tina Smith of Minnesota and Patty Murray of Washington have introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Nigeria takes bold steps toward Hepatitis-free future with World Health Organization (WHO)’s support

    Source: APO


    .

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has collaborated with the Government of Nigeria and hepatitis stakeholders to raise awareness and promote early diagnosis and treatment for World Hepatitis Day 2025. The global event, observed annually on 28 July, raises awareness about viral hepatitis- an inflammation of the liver that can lead to chronic liver disease and liver cancer.

    Hepatitis includes five types: A, B, C, D, and E. In the WHO African Region, over 70 million people suffer from chronic hepatitis B or C, but fewer than 10% are diagnosed or treated. Nigeria, with 325,000 new infections in 2022, ranks third globally in hepatitis prevalence. 

    Chronic hepatitis B and C can lead to liver damage and cancer, even though they are preventable, treatable, and, in the case of hepatitis C, curable.

    This year’s theme, ‘Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down,’ calls for action to remove financial, social, and systemic barriers, including stigma, that prevent hepatitis elimination and liver cancer prevention.

    For 2025 World Hepatitis Day, WHO joined the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and its partners to mark the occasion with a ministerial press briefing at the Federal Secretariat, and launched a three-day hepatitis B screening, on the stop vaccinations for those who test negative, and linkage to treatment programme for those who test positive at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.  

    The event at the National Assembly in Abuja brought together health officials, legislators, and the public to address the issue of hepatitis.

    Addressing journalists at the press briefing, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Mohammed Pate, represented by Dr Godwin Ntadom, Director Public Health Department, FMOH, reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to combating hepatitis. 

    He noted that the burden and cost of hepatitis treatment in the country is still very high and, as such, has a huge economic impact on the country and called for collective action in eliminating the disease. 

    Dr Ntadom said, “hepatitis costs Nigeria between ₦13.3 trillion and ₦17.9 trillion annually in direct and indirect costs.
    He also announced, ‘Project 365,’ a nationwide campaign aimed at eliminating Hepatitis C and halting Hepatitis B transmission by 2030. 

    “The project will support the ongoing efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis, and STIs, alongside expanding local pharmaceutical manufacturing through funding, the establishment of the Viral Elimination Fund, tax incentives, regulatory reforms, and legislative support.

    Nigeria must no longer hold the third-highest hepatitis burden globally. We have the science, we have the strategy, and we will act together, boldly and urgently, toward a hepatitis-free Nigeria, he said.

    WHO’s Acting Representative in Nigeria, Dr Alex Gasasira, represented by Dr Mya Ngon, cluster lead for  Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) praised Nigeria’s triple elimination initiative for HIV, hepatitis, and STIs, and emphasized the importance of reducing treatment costs, boosting local production, and expanding screening to achieve healthcare equity.

    WHO urges Nigeria and other nations to:
    •    Ensure hepatitis B vaccination within 24 hours of birth;
    •    Integrate hepatitis testing and treatment into primary healthcare services;
    •    Address stigma and misinformation;
    •    Secure sustainable domestic funding for hepatitis programs; and
    •    Protect the rights of individuals living with hepatitis, especially in healthcare and employment.

    She reiterated WHO’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen its health systems and expand access to affordable diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments.

    A beneficiary of the screening, Fash Yommie, 53, from Abuja, shared that he took the test to know his status. 

    “I took the test to know my status, and I am relieved to have tested negative. I now understand the importance of hepatitis prevention. I will start taking precautionary measures, such as avoiding sharing needles and ensuring proper hygiene with food and water, to protect myself and my loved ones from infection. I encourage everyone to get tested and vaccinated, as early detection is key to preventing this disease.

    “Early detection and vaccination are crucial in preventing the spread of hepatitis. Hepatitis B is transmitted through contact with infected blood or fluids, hepatitis C via blood-to-blood contact like sharing needles, and hepatitis A and E through contaminated food or water. 

    Nigeria has enhanced hepatitis B prevention by adding the vaccine to the national schedule, supported by WHO, Gavi, UNICEF, and partners, to vaccinate all newborns and children and reduce early transmission.

    This year’s activities reflect the broader goal of integrating hepatitis services into Nigeria’s primary healthcare system, making screening and treatment more accessible to vulnerable populations. 

    The National Assembly event is part of WHO’s ongoing collaboration with Nigeria to achieve universal health coverage and align with the 2030 Global Health Agenda. Through national and local partnerships, WHO supports Nigeria in reducing the hepatitis burden and improving public health outcomes. The three-day screening serves as a reminder that hepatitis is preventable, and everyone has a role in raising awareness and preventing its spread.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Nigeria.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and European Commission Launch New Initiative to Strengthen Mpox Testing and Sequencing Across Africa

    Source: APO


    .

    The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the European Commission today announced the launch of the Partnership to Accelerate Mpox Testing and Sequencing in Africa (PAMTA), a landmark initiative to boost diagnostics and outbreak response capabilities in Mpox-affected African countries.

    Co-funded under the EU4Health 2024 Work Programme, PAMTA reflects the growing momentum of Africa–EU health cooperation and aims to reinforce the continent’s resilience against current and future health threats. The initiative will accelerate testing, sequencing, capacity building, and local manufacturing efforts for mpox and other priority pathogens across Africa through a €9.4 million to Africa CDC and the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), managed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). The project officially began on 1 June 2025 and will be implemented over three years.

    Africa CDC Director General, H.E. Dr Jean Kaseya, welcomed the initiative as a timely and strategic intervention to close the diagnostic gap for Mpox and other outbreaks in Africa. “This partnership reflects our commitment to working with trusted partners to build agile and self-reliant public health systems across Africa. Together with the EU and our technical partners, we are setting a new benchmark for outbreak detection and response.”

    The PAMTA initiative focuses on four key objectives: scaling up Mpox testing with the goal of supporting over 150,000 tests across the continent; strengthening genomic sequencing capacity to track viral evolution and spread; building human resource capacity in molecular diagnostics, genomics, bioinformatics and data interpretation; and promoting the production and validation of locally developed testing kits within Africa.

    “PAMTA marks a historic milestone as the first initiative jointly signed between the European Commission and Africa CDC,” said Deputy Head of DG HERA, Laurent Muschel. “Building on HERA’s earlier donation of Mpox vaccines, this action enables a critical next step: strengthening diagnostic capacities as part of a broader medical countermeasures approach. It reflects our shared commitment to reinforcing epidemic preparedness across Africa — from vaccines to diagnostics, from innovation to manufacturing. This action shows that, together, the African Union and the European Union can deliver tangible results to protect lives.”

    The launch of PAMTA builds on broader efforts by the EU and its partners to address the Mpox outbreak. By mid-2025, more than 600,000 vaccine doses had been delivered to African countries through HERA and Team Europe. Simultaneously, research initiatives such as MPX-RESPONSE and EDCTP3 continue to explore new therapeutic options, while the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (PGI)—also funded through EU4Health—is enhancing public health laboratory networks and genomic surveillance across the continent through public private partnerships.

    PAMTA marks a significant milestone in EU–Africa collaboration for health resilience. By supporting comprehensive diagnostics and fostering local innovation, the initiative is helping to lay a strong foundation for Africa’s long-term pandemic preparedness and response capabilities.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: African countries make bold commitments to end preventable deaths of children under five by 2030

    Source: APO

    African countries have made bold pledges to address the continent’s maternal and child mortality crisis, as a challenging health landscape, shrinking resources, climate change and conflict threaten to reverse decades of progress in child survival.

    Nearly five million children (https://apo-opa.co/44TWUFA) die from preventable causes before the age of five every year. Close to 60 per cent of these deaths occur in Africa, many of them caused by infectious diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and meningitis. This is despite the existence of proven interventions such as vaccines, which have saved 154 million lives (https://apo-opa.co/4l6542n) over the past 50 years

    As the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline looms, African governments are now doubling down on their commitments to end preventable deaths of children under five as envisioned by the global goals over the next five years.

    Speaking during the just concluded Innovation and Action for Immunization and Child Survival Forum 2025 (www.ChildHealthForum2025.com), which took place in Maputo, Mozambique, representatives from various African countries joined the co-hosting Governments of Mozambique and Sierra Leone and partners including the Government of Spain, the “la Caixa” Foundation, the Gates Foundation and UNICEF in sharing their commitments to prioritize child survival.

    Addressing participants during the official opening ceremony, H.E Daniel Chapo, President of the Republic of Mozambique, said: “The Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes that all children have the right to survive and grow up healthy. Mozambique has made notable progress in safeguarding these rights, reducing child mortality from 201 to 60 per 1,000 live births between 1997 and 2022. These gains are the result of decades of structural investments in maternal and child health – one of the key pillars of our Government’s Five-Year Plan 2025–2029.”

    Despite such promising progress, Africa is still home to the majority of countries that are off-track to meet the SDGs. Noting this, government representatives and partners called for bold action to strengthen regional leadership; establish robust accountability; address inequities and mobilize sustainable financing.

    “This is a defining moment for Africa; one of the greatest opportunities for resilience and strong African leadership. This forum brought us together not to discuss challenges, but to inspire action and save children’s lives. We have the tools, the science, the vaccines, diagnostics and treatments. What we need now is political commitment, suitable access, timely care and sustained investments across the continuum of care to enable us to accelerate progress toward the future we envision,” Hon. Dr. Austin Demby, Minister of Health, Sierra Leone.

    Stakeholders at the three-day forum also advocated for deeper, more effective multistakeholder collaboration to enhance resourcing of primary health care and integration of child survival services.

    “We are calling on stakeholders to prioritize high-impact, high-return interventions alongside mobilizing resources for child survival to build sustainability and efficiency within health systems. This will translate into significant gains not just for families and communities, but for economies and the continent as a whole,” said Hon. Dr. Ussene Isse, Minister of Health of Mozambique.

    Acknowledging the urgent need to prioritize reaching the most vulnerable and marginalized communities with the full range of maternal health and child survival interventions across primary health care, immunization, nutrition, and disease prevention programs, countries and partners united in a joint Call to Action and commitments to:

    • Strengthen regional leadership: Foster partnerships between national and regional health organizations including the African Union, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), West African Health Organization (WAHO), East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC), and other stakeholders with capacity to contribute to child survival.
    • Establish robust accountability: Ensure governments, partners, and civil society are held accountable for their child survival commitments at national, regional, and global levels, and report progress regularly.
    • Address inequities: Focus on the most vulnerable children, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, by removing barriers to care, improving maternal education, and addressing risk factors such as malnutrition, lack of access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, and air pollution, especially household.
    • Mobilize sustainable financing: Increase domestic and international funding for child survival, prioritizing cost-effective interventions and life-saving commodities that strengthen health systems, and securing sustainable financing solutions for reaching the most vulnerable groups, including in fragile and conflict affected states. Ensure these resources are flexible, to reduce fragmentation and direct funds where and when they’re needed most.
    • Invest in Primary Health Care (PHC): Increase domestic investment in resilient PHC systems, including at the community level. This includes securing continuum of care, appropriate referral systems, and quality of care at primary and referral level; equipping health facilities with diagnostic tools and essential medicines for pneumonia, malaria, and diarrhea, as well as sustainable energy sources and internet to support diagnostics, therapeutics, and data sharing; strengthening multi-sectoral partnerships, and training health workers to promptly diagnose and treat childhood infections and malnutrition.
    • Invest decisively in prevention, preparedness, and response to public health emergencies, especially cholera, as a strategic priority. This includes strengthening multi-sectoral coordination, domestic financing, WASH infrastructure, critical supplies, community engagement, and humanitarian access. Without such investment, routine health services will remain vulnerable to repeated and severe disruptions.
    • Accelerate vaccine coverage: Achieve and sustain >90% coverage of life-saving vaccines, including pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP), measles, rotavirus, malaria, meningitis, and typhoid vaccines, prioritizing zero-dose children and integrating vaccine delivery with nutrition and other high-impact child health services—with partnerships facilitating cross-sectoral collaboration—to reach the most vulnerable.
    • Integrate the delivery of child survival services to improve access, acceptability, and cost-effectiveness: Explore opportunities to deliver child survival interventions and innovations through existing community-based platforms, and identify where continuous care can occur across maternal, newborn and child health care provisions.
    • Enhance surveillance and innovation: Leverage data from initiatives like the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) Network to anticipate and respond to epidemiological trends, inform targeted interventions and accelerate the development and deployment of new tools.

    “We have a shared responsibility to ensure that every child has a chance to live and thrive. As we make these promises to Africa’s children, we must—governments, partners and civil society— hold each other accountable for these child survival commitments at national, regional, and global levels, report progress regularly, and act decisively to close gaps in child survival so that no child dies from a preventable infectious disease,” said Theo Sowa, Chairperson of the Forum.

    For the detailed Call to Action and 13 Country Commitments, click here (https://apo-opa.co/44VOOfD).

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Innovation and Action for Immunization and Child Survival Forum 2025.

    For interview requests, please contact:
    For Mozambique-based media:
    maider.mavie@ins.gov.mz

    For regional and international media:
    wgaitho@globalhealthstrategies.com and wkariuki@globalhealthstrategies.com

    About the Innovation and Action for Immunization and Child Survival Forum 2025:
    The Innovation and Action for Immunization and Child Survival Forum 2025 brought together stakeholders across selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions including senior health ministry officials, development agencies, donors, academia, civil society, and the private sector. It focused on new and underutilized tools to deliver progress on child survival, more effective infectious disease risk mitigation and surveillance strategies, more efficient models of service delivery, the need for robust prioritization exercises including for routine immunization systems and new vaccine introductions, and innovative child survival financing options.

    The forum was co-hosted by the Governments of Mozambique and Sierra Leone, and partners including the Government of Spain, the ”la Caixa” Foundation, the Gates Foundation and UNICEF.

    For more information on the forum, visit: www.ChildHealthForum2025.com

    Media files

    .

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of Confirmation Hearing, Warren Presses HHS Nominee on Dangerous Anti-Vax, Anti-Abortion View

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    July 31, 2025

    As HHS General Counsel, Michael Stuart would serve as chief legal representative and advisor to RFK Jr., entire agency

    “I am concerned that…you will greenlight Trump Administration policies that will endanger public health, strip Americans of their abortion rights, and cause millions of Americans to lose their health insurance.”

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pressed Michael Stuart, nominee for General Counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), on his dangerous anti-vaccine views, staunch anti-abortion advocacy, and more. Ahead of his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Finance Committee later today — at which Senator Warren will question Stuart — Senator Warren sent Stuart a letter outlining her key concerns with his nomination.

    “Given your ideological views, zealous advocacy for restrictions on abortion, and record of anti-vaccine skepticism, I am concerned that, rather than faithfully following the law, you will greenlight Trump Administration policies that will endanger public health, strip Americans of their abortion rights, and cause millions of Americans to lose their health insurance,” wrote Senator Warren.

    As HHS General Counsel, Stuart would serve as the chief legal representative and advisor to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the entire agency. Stuart’s interpretation of the law would play a key role in ensuring HHS is actually achieving its goal of protecting Americans’ health.

    Stuart’s history of anti-vaccine views threaten to endanger Americans — especially given all that Secretary Kennedy has already done to roll back vaccine access. As a West Virginia state senator, Stuart was a key proponent of Secretary Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign and appears to espouse the same anti-vaccine beliefs. As HHS GC, Stuart would advise Secretary Kennedy on critical vaccine-related decisions, including legal standards related to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

    Senator Warren posed a series of questions about Stuart’s plan to advise HHS on issues related to vaccines, including whether he believes Secretary Kennedy’s decision to fire the entire ACIP panel was done lawfully and whether Secretary Kennedy has the statutory authority to unilaterally change vaccines covered by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program program.

    Senator Warren also pressed Stuart on HHS’s massive cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, which totaled $2.7 billion in just the first three months of this year.

    “These cuts are under continuing legal scrutiny, and if confirmed, you would be responsible for advising HHS on navigating this legal landscape so as to remain in compliance with the law,” wrote Senator Warren.

    Senator Warren highlighted Stuart’s staunch anti-abortion views, including his track record of advancing harmful misinformation about reproductive rights and supporting extremist pieces of anti-abortion legislation as a West Virginia state senator. As HHS General Counsel, Stuart would be responsible for providing legal guidance on reproductive health policies and regulations

    “President Trump has frozen millions of dollars in family planning funding, issued executive directives to undermine abortion access, amplified misinformation and sowed confusion about the safety of mifepristone, rolled back protections to shield patients and providers from violence, revoked EMTALA guidance that protected women with medical emergencies, eliminated leave and travel benefits for servicemembers, and more,” wrote Senator Warren. “It is crucial that the person serving in this position be capable of interpreting and enforcing laws and regulations concerning women’s access to reproductive health care with a neutral and health-focused lens.”

    Senator Warren also raised concerns about how Stuart will approach Secretary Kennedy’s mass firings at HHS, crack down on abusive tactics in Medicare Advantage, protect Head Start from drastic cuts, and implement Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which is set to slash health care for millions of Americans.

    “HHS carries an enormous responsibility as its services and programming touch millions of American lives every day…The chief legal adviser to the Secretary of HHS must be able to, without bias,

    effectively advise the Secretary to ensure that all actions by HHS are in accordance with the law,” wrote Senator Warren. “I ask that you provide answers to my questions so that the Senate and the American people can better understand how you plan to carry out this role.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FDA Requires Major Changes to Opioid Pain Medication Labeling to Emphasize Risks

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    For Immediate Release:
    July 31, 2025

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requiring safety labeling changes to all opioid pain medications to better emphasize and explain the risks associated with their long-term use. These changes follow a public advisory committee meeting in May that reviewed data showing serious risks—such as misuse, addiction, and both fatal and non-fatal overdoses—for patients who use opioids over long periods. “The death of almost one million Americans during the opioid epidemic has been one of the cardinal failures of the public health establishment,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “This long-overdue labeling change is only part of what needs to be done — we also need to modernize our approval processes and post-market monitoring so that nothing like this ever happens again.” Tragically, the new drug application for OxyContin was initially approved without study data supporting its long term use to treat pain in many patient populations for which it has been prescribed. The updated labeling change reflects robust data from two large FDA-required observational studies, called postmarketing requirements (PMR) 3033-1 and 3033-2, which recently provided new data on how long-term opioid use can lead to serious side effects. After reviewing those results, public comments, medical research and recognizing the absence of adequate and well-controlled studies on long-term opioid effectiveness, the FDA decided to require safety labeling changes to help health care professionals and patients make treatment decisions rooted in the latest evidence.  “I know firsthand how devastating addiction is—not just for individuals, but for entire families and communities,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “Today’s FDA action is a long-overdue step toward restoring honesty, accountability, and transparency to a system that betrayed the American people.”
    FDA has required an additional prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial to directly examine the benefits and risks of long-term opioid use. The Agency will be closely monitoring the progress of this clinical trial to ensure its timely completion.
    The labeling changes will include the following updates:    

    Clearer Risk Information: A summary of study results showing the estimated risks of addiction, misuse, and overdose during long-term use. 
    Dosing Warnings: Stronger warnings that higher doses come with greater risks, and that those risks remain over time. 
    Clarified Use Limits: Removing language which could be misinterpreted to support using opioid pain medications over indefinitely long duration 
    Treatment Guidance: Labels will reinforce that long-acting or extended-release opioids should only be considered when other treatments, including shorter-acting opioids, are inadequate. 
    Safe Discontinuation: A reminder not to stop opioids suddenly in patients who may be physically dependent, as it can cause serious harm. 
    Overdose Reversal Agents: Additional information on medicines that can reverse an opioid overdose. 
    Drug Interactions: Enhanced warning about combining opioids with other drugs that slow down the nervous system—now including gabapentinoids. 
    More Risks with Overdose: New information about toxic leukoencephalopathy—a serious brain condition that may occur after an overdose. 
    Digestive Health: Updates about opioid-related problems with the esophagus.  

    The FDA sent letters to the relevant applicants outlining the required changes. The companies will have 30 days to submit their labeling updates to the FDA for review.
    More information is available in the FDA’s Drug Safety Communication.

    Consumer:888-INFO-FDA

    ###

    Boilerplate

    The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, radiation-emitting electronic products, and for regulating tobacco products.

    Content current as of:
    07/31/2025

    Follow FDA

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Expanded, streamlined HPV vaccine program protects more people against cancers

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    The Province is broadening access to the free, publicly funded human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and simplifying the immunization schedule, ensuring more people in B.C. have the protection they need against HPV-related cancers.

    “The HPV vaccine is a powerful tool to protect health and prevent cancer,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “By expanding free access and making it easier for people to get immunized, we’re taking another meaningful step forward in our 10-year Cancer Action Plan – reducing cancer rates and improving health outcomes for people across British Columbia.”

    Following guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization and provincial immunization experts, the government is streamlining the immunization process for HPV.

    Starting Thursday, July 31, 2025, the HPV vaccine schedule will shift from two doses to one dose for people age nine to 20. People 21 and older will be eligible for a two-dose series, with six-months between doses. Individuals who are immunocompromised will continue to need a three-dose series.

    With this change, the Province is expanding eligibility for B.C.’s publicly funded HPV immunization program to include all people 19 to 26, plus people 27 to 45 who are living with HIV or who self-identify as belonging to the gay, bisexual, questioning, Two-Spirit, transgender and non-binary communities.

    Those who have undergone post-colposcopy treatments on or after July 31, 2025, are eligible to get the vaccine at any age. A colposcopy is a procedure to check for abnormal areas on the cervix and vagina.

    The HPV vaccine will continue to be offered through voluntary, school-based immunization clinics starting with students in Grade 6 and through multi-grade catch-up clinics, as well as in some community pharmacies for those who may have missed their dose. Other eligible people can get the vaccine from some pharmacies, sexually transmitted infection clinics, public-health units, primary-care providers or a community-health nurse. People living in First Nation communities can contact their community health centre or nursing station to book an appointment.

    “B.C.’s community pharmacists are proud to be an accessible provider of vaccines for British Columbians living in communities, large and small,” said pharmacist Colleen Hogg, chair of the BC Pharmacy Association. “Pharmacists are one of the top immunizers and are there for patients when they need us.”

    This initiative is a part of B.C.’s 10-year Cancer Action Plan to better prevent, detect and treat cancers, and to deliver improved care for people facing cancer now, while preparing for growing needs of the future.

    Learn More:

    For general information and how to book an appointment, visit:
    https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-library/health-features/get-hpv-vaccine

    For locating services, including public-health units offering immunizations, visit:
    https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/find-care/find-health-services

    To access your health information online, visit:
    https://www.healthgateway.gov.bc.ca/

    A backgrounder follows.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: In Myanmar, conflict and floods collide as UN warns of deepening crisis

    Source: United Nations 4

    Farhan Haq, UN Deputy Spokesperson, stressed the need for unimpeded relief operations and a peaceful path out of crisis.

    “The UN remains concerned by ongoing violence in Myanmar, including aerial bombardment hitting civilians and civilian infrastructure,” he said, at the regular press briefing in New York.

    “Civilians and humanitarian workers must be protected.”

    His remarks come as monsoon rains and flooding – worsened by Cyclone Wipha – swept through parts of the country, further straining regions already destabilized by conflict and a devastating earthquake in March.

    Millions forced to flee

    The crisis left more than 3.3 million people internally displaced, with another 182,000 seeking refuge abroad since the military coup in February 2021, according to the latest UN figures. In addition, over 1.2 million – mostly members of the minority Muslim Rohingya community – were forced to flee the country, driven by waves of violence.

    The largest exodus took place in August 2017, when nearly one million Rohingya fled brutal violence and attacks by security forces, likened to a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” by then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

    © UNICEF/Nyan Zay Htet

    Disasters and fighting has forced millions across Myanmar to flee their homes in search of safety. Many shelter in IDP camps like this one in central Myanmar.

    Floods, landslides upend lives

    In the flood-affected areas of Bago, Kayin and Mon states, more than 85,000 people have been affected, with homes destroyed, roads cut off and emergency services overstretched.

    Relief partners report significant shortages of food, safe drinking water and medical supplies. In Taungoo district (Bago) alone, three flood-related deaths have been confirmed, while six more people reportedly died in a landslide in Shan state.

    The pathway out of the deteriorating situation in Myanmar requires an end to the violence 
    – UN spokesperson Farhan Haq

    “The pathway out of the deteriorating situation in Myanmar requires an end to the violence and unimpeded access for relief workers and supplies,” Mr. Haq stressed, noting that health systems are also under acute strain.

    Disease outbreaks rising

    A humanitarian bulletin from the World Health Organization (WHO)-led Health Cluster warns that floodwaters are driving spikes in acute watery diarrhoea, dengue and malaria.

    There are deep concerns over outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, and polio is increasing due to low immunization rates and poor hygiene conditions in overcrowded camps.

    WHO has verified 27 attacks on healthcare facilities so far this year, with other monitoring groups reporting over 140 additional incidents.

    Meanwhile, severe funding shortages – exacerbated by cuts in United States funding – have forced the suspension of services at 65 health facilities and 38 mobile clinics across Myanmar. Services at a further 28 mobile clinics have been scaled down.

    © OCHA/Eva Modvig

    Hakha, the capital of Chin state in Myanmar.

    Elections under military cannot be credible

    The political context remains grim. Since the February 2021 military coup, which overthrew the elected government and imprisoned top leaders including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar has seen a steady escalation of armed conflict and repression.

    The junta’s plans to hold elections have drawn deep concern, including from the UN.

    “The Secretary-General reiterates his concern over the military’s plan to hold elections amid ongoing conflict and human rights violations, and without conditions that would permit the people of Myanmar to freely and peacefully exercise their political rights,” said Mr. Haq.

    He recalled Security Council Resolution 2669, adopted in 2022, which called for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained prisoners, including President Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi; upholding democratic institutions and processes; and pursuing in constructive dialogue and reconciliation in accordance with the will and interests of the people of Myanmar.

    Commitment to stay and deliver

    Despite the volatility and access constraints, UN agencies remain committed to reaching affected populations.

    As of July, nearly 306,000 people had received health services in 59 earthquake-hit townships – just 67 per cent of the target population, reflecting the limited funding and security challenges faced by aid workers.

    “The United Nations is committed to staying and delivering in Myanmar,” Mr. Haq affirmed, “and to working with all stakeholders, including ASEAN and other regional actors, to attain sustainable peace.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: In Myanmar, conflict and floods collide as UN warns of deepening crisis

    Source: United Nations 4

    Farhan Haq, UN Deputy Spokesperson, stressed the need for unimpeded relief operations and a peaceful path out of crisis.

    “The UN remains concerned by ongoing violence in Myanmar, including aerial bombardment hitting civilians and civilian infrastructure,” he said, at the regular press briefing in New York.

    “Civilians and humanitarian workers must be protected.”

    His remarks come as monsoon rains and flooding – worsened by Cyclone Wipha – swept through parts of the country, further straining regions already destabilized by conflict and a devastating earthquake in March.

    Millions forced to flee

    The crisis left more than 3.3 million people internally displaced, with another 182,000 seeking refuge abroad since the military coup in February 2021, according to the latest UN figures. In addition, over 1.2 million – mostly members of the minority Muslim Rohingya community – were forced to flee the country, driven by waves of violence.

    The largest exodus took place in August 2017, when nearly one million Rohingya fled brutal violence and attacks by security forces, likened to a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” by then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

    © UNICEF/Nyan Zay Htet

    Disasters and fighting has forced millions across Myanmar to flee their homes in search of safety. Many shelter in IDP camps like this one in central Myanmar.

    Floods, landslides upend lives

    In the flood-affected areas of Bago, Kayin and Mon states, more than 85,000 people have been affected, with homes destroyed, roads cut off and emergency services overstretched.

    Relief partners report significant shortages of food, safe drinking water and medical supplies. In Taungoo district (Bago) alone, three flood-related deaths have been confirmed, while six more people reportedly died in a landslide in Shan state.

    The pathway out of the deteriorating situation in Myanmar requires an end to the violence 
    – UN spokesperson Farhan Haq

    “The pathway out of the deteriorating situation in Myanmar requires an end to the violence and unimpeded access for relief workers and supplies,” Mr. Haq stressed, noting that health systems are also under acute strain.

    Disease outbreaks rising

    A humanitarian bulletin from the World Health Organization (WHO)-led Health Cluster warns that floodwaters are driving spikes in acute watery diarrhoea, dengue and malaria.

    There are deep concerns over outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, and polio is increasing due to low immunization rates and poor hygiene conditions in overcrowded camps.

    WHO has verified 27 attacks on healthcare facilities so far this year, with other monitoring groups reporting over 140 additional incidents.

    Meanwhile, severe funding shortages – exacerbated by cuts in United States funding – have forced the suspension of services at 65 health facilities and 38 mobile clinics across Myanmar. Services at a further 28 mobile clinics have been scaled down.

    © OCHA/Eva Modvig

    Hakha, the capital of Chin state in Myanmar.

    Elections under military cannot be credible

    The political context remains grim. Since the February 2021 military coup, which overthrew the elected government and imprisoned top leaders including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar has seen a steady escalation of armed conflict and repression.

    The junta’s plans to hold elections have drawn deep concern, including from the UN.

    “The Secretary-General reiterates his concern over the military’s plan to hold elections amid ongoing conflict and human rights violations, and without conditions that would permit the people of Myanmar to freely and peacefully exercise their political rights,” said Mr. Haq.

    He recalled Security Council Resolution 2669, adopted in 2022, which called for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained prisoners, including President Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi; upholding democratic institutions and processes; and pursuing in constructive dialogue and reconciliation in accordance with the will and interests of the people of Myanmar.

    Commitment to stay and deliver

    Despite the volatility and access constraints, UN agencies remain committed to reaching affected populations.

    As of July, nearly 306,000 people had received health services in 59 earthquake-hit townships – just 67 per cent of the target population, reflecting the limited funding and security challenges faced by aid workers.

    “The United Nations is committed to staying and delivering in Myanmar,” Mr. Haq affirmed, “and to working with all stakeholders, including ASEAN and other regional actors, to attain sustainable peace.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: OLAF Director-General Ville Itälä concludes 7-year mandate

    Source: European Anti-Fraud Offfice

    Press release no. 23/2025

    PDF version

    The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) announces the departure of Ville Itälä, who has concluded his non-renewable seven-year term as Director-General of OLAF. Itälä played a pivotal role in strengthening the EU’s fight against fraud. During his tenure, OLAF closed 1,588 investigations, recommended the recovery of over €4 billion in misused EU funds, and prevented the undue spending of more than €810 million. 

    Appointed in 2018, Mr Itälä led OLAF through a period marked by major challenges and unprecedented developments in the protection of the European Union’s financial interests – from the COVID-19 pandemic, during which OLAF prevented the undue spending of billions on fake medical supplies and vaccines, to the EU’s response to Russian invasion of Ukraine, where OLAF worked to enforce sanctions and bolster Ukraine’s anti-fraud system. 

    During Mr Itälä’s tenure, OLAF successfully concluded numerous high-profile investigations and reinforced its role as a central pillar in the EU’s anti-fraud architecture. Moreover, over the course of seven years, OLAF continuously improved its effectiveness, built capacity and competences, helped to recover misused funds, protected citizens’ health and safety and safeguarded the environment. 

    Mr Itälä also enhanced OLAF’s cooperation with key anti-fraud partners including the European Court of Auditors (ECA) Europol, Eurojust, as well as the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), whose creation he witnessed.

    “It has been an honour to lead OLAF in its vital mission of protecting European taxpayers’ money and promoting integrity within the EU institutions. I am proud of what we have achieved together – from strengthening OLAF’s investigative capabilities to fostering strong partnerships across Europe and beyond. I extend my sincere thanks to my colleagues and partners for their unwavering dedication and professionalism,” said Ville Itälä. 

    With the conclusion of Mr Itälä’s mandate, current Deputy Director-General Salla Saastamoinen will assume the role of Acting Director-General of OLAF as of 1 August 2025, ensuring continuity of leadership until the appointment of a new Director-General, the selection process of which is ongoing. 

    OLAF remains fully committed to its mission to detect, investigate and prevent fraud and other illicit activities affecting the EU budget. The Office will continue its work in close cooperation with national, EU and international partners to safeguard Union’s financial interests. 

    Background 

    In line with procedures, the Director-General is appointed via a competitive selection process, followed by public hearings at the European Parliament and a formal appointment by the European Commission. As of the end of July 2025, the selection procedure remains in progress, with candidates being evaluated in accordance with applicable rules.

    OLAF mission, mandate and competences:
    OLAF’s mission is to detect, investigate and stop fraud with EU funds.    

    OLAF fulfils its mission by:
    •    carrying out independent investigations into fraud and corruption involving EU funds, so as to ensure that all EU taxpayers’ money reaches projects that can create jobs and growth in Europe;
    •    contributing to strengthening citizens’ trust in the EU Institutions by investigating serious misconduct by EU staff and members of the EU Institutions;
    •    developing a sound EU anti-fraud policy.

    In its independent investigative function, OLAF can investigate matters relating to fraud, corruption and other offences affecting the EU financial interests concerning:
    •    all EU expenditure: the main spending categories are Structural Funds, agricultural policy and rural development funds, direct expenditure and external aid;
    •    some areas of EU revenue, mainly customs duties;
    •    suspicions of serious misconduct by EU staff and members of the EU institutions.

    Once OLAF has completed its investigation, it is for the competent EU and national authorities to examine and decide on the follow-up of OLAF’s recommendations. All persons concerned are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a competent national or EU court of law.

    For further details:

    Pierluigi CATERINO
    Spokesperson
    European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
    Phone: +32(0)2 29-52335  
    Email: olaf-media ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (olaf-media[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
    euantifraud.bsky.social

    If you’re a journalist and you wish to receive our press releases in your inbox, please leave us your contact data.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: RSV vaccine prevents hospitalisation in older people and newborns

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    RSV vaccine prevents hospitalisation in older people and newborns

    RSV vaccines are 82% effective for older people and 72% for newborns when mothers are vaccinated at least 14 days before birth.

    A new UK Health Security Agency study – Effectiveness of RSV Vaccine Against RSV Associated Hospitalisation Among Adults Aged 75 to 79 years in England – in partnership with Nottingham University Hospitals and other NHS trusts, shows the RSV vaccine provided strong protection for older people, around 82% effective in preventing hospital admissions with RSV infection.

    The study also found that the vaccine is highly effective in preventing hospitalisation for older people with a chronic respiratory condition and those living with immunosuppression.

    Two new Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccination programmes were introduced to the NHS Vaccination Schedule in September last year; an older adults programme and a maternal programme.

    The programme for older adults offers the vaccine to those turning 75, as well as a one-off catch up campaign for all adults aged 75 to79 years.

    The maternal vaccination programme is offered to women from 28 weeks of pregnancy to protect newborns, who are at higher risk of severe illness from RSV.

    A separate new study – Vaccination in Pregnancy and RSV Hospitalisation in Infants in the UK, led by NHS paediatricians, published in the Lancet Child and Adolescent Health – found that  the maternal RSV vaccine was 72% effective in preventing hospitalisation for infants whose mothers were vaccinated more than 14 days before delivery.

    UKHSA has also today published the latest vaccine uptake figures for both RSV programmes, including the:

    • older adults programme: overall coverage as of 30 June 2025 in the catch-up cohort (adults aged 75 to 79) reached 62.9%, up from the 60.3% reported in March
    • maternal programme: of the 36,657 women reported as having given birth in March 2025, 20,051 (54.7%) had received an RSV vaccine
    • maternal coverage varied by ethnic group with the highest coverage reported among the Chinese ethnic group (73.3%) and lowest among Black and Black British Caribbean (26.4%)

    Greta Hayward, Consultant Midwife at the UK Health Security Agency, said:

    Having the RSV vaccine during every pregnancy is the best way for women to protect their newborn against RSV, as the vaccine boosts their immune system to produce more antibodies against the virus, and these then pass through the placenta to help protect their baby from the day they are born. RSV infects around 90% of children in their first 2 years of life.

    The RSV season usually starts in October and while there is no risk-free birth month, babies born in late summer or the autumn are most likely to be admitted to hospital. Hundreds of babies attend Emergency Departments each day for bronchiolitis through most of November and December. That is why it is so important that over the summer pregnant women reaching 28 weeks of pregnancy, ensure they are vaccinated as soon as possible.

    Dr Conall Watson, Immunisation Consultant at the UK Health Security Agency, said:

    The evidence clearly shows the RSV vaccine for pregnant women is highly effective and will give much reassurance to parents, knowing their newborn is protected from birth, when they are at much greater risk from RSV.

    As a parent and health professional I can’t stress enough the importance of getting the RSV vaccine during every pregnancy. We recommend vaccination in week 28 or soon after but if you are later on in your pregnancy and still haven’t had your vaccine please contact your maternity service or GP practice to arrange one.

    RSV can be a particularly serious infection for older people, so this new evidence will also give much reassurance that having the RSV jab will greatly reduce their chances of ending up in hospital.

    While the uptake of the RSV vaccine continues to rise, we want to see every single pregnant woman and eligible older person getting protected. The virus picks up in the autumn, so don’t put if off over the summer – as soon as you reach your 75th birthday or week 28 of pregnancy get the vaccine for healthy peace of mind.

    UKHSA has published its first RSV Annual Report, which looks back at the 2024 to 2025 RSV season, providing analysis on disease pattern, vaccine uptake and vaccine impact.

    The surveillance shows RSV activity started across all UK nations around week 42 of 2024 (week starting 14 October) and peaked around weeks 47 to 49 2024 (18 November to 8 December), before steadily declining and reaching baseline activity around weeks 7 to 8 2025 (10 to 23 February).

    The Report also details UKHSA’s analysis from the primary care surveillance, which involves swabbing in around 300 GP Practices in England when a patient presents with an acute respiratory infection (ARI). This found that by age group, the highest RSV positivity (% of laboratory confirmed RSV cases out of total ARI swabs) was observed in children under 5 years; with positivity peaking at 53.1% in week 46 (11-17 November).

    Among those aged 75 years and above, the highest RSV positivity rate was 18.5% reported in week 49 (2 to 8 December).

    Surveillance of patients attending hospital emergency departments (ED) in England found that among infants (babies under 1), bronchiolitis peaked in late November. This is the main clinical presentation of infant RSV and RSV is the primary pathogen causing bronchiolitis.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: RSV vaccine highly effective in preventing hospitalisation

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    RSV vaccine highly effective in preventing hospitalisation

    RSV vaccines are 82% effective for older people and 72% for newborns when mothers are vaccinated at least 14 days before birth.

    A new UK Health Security Agency study – Effectiveness of RSV Vaccine Against RSV Associated Hospitalisation Among Adults Aged 75 to 79 years in England – in partnership with Nottingham University Hospitals and other NHS trusts, shows the RSV vaccine provided strong protection for older people, around 82% effective in preventing hospital admissions with RSV infection.

    The study also found that the vaccine is highly effective in preventing hospitalisation for older people with a chronic respiratory condition and those living with immunosuppression.

    Two new Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccination programmes were introduced to the NHS Vaccination Schedule in September last year; an older adults programme and a maternal programme.

    The programme for older adults offers the vaccine to those turning 75, as well as a one-off catch up campaign for all adults aged 75 to79 years.

    The maternal vaccination programme is offered to women from 28 weeks of pregnancy to protect newborns, who are at higher risk of severe illness from RSV.

    A separate new study – Vaccination in Pregnancy and RSV Hospitalisation in Infants in the UK, led by NHS paediatricians, published in the Lancet Child and Adolescent Health – found that  the maternal RSV vaccine was 72% effective in preventing hospitalisation for infants whose mothers were vaccinated more than 14 days before delivery.

    UKHSA has also today published the latest vaccine uptake figures for both RSV programmes, including the:

    • older adults programme: overall coverage as of 30 June 2025 in the catch-up cohort (adults aged 75 to 79) reached 62.9%, up from the 60.3% reported in March
    • maternal programme: of the 36,657 women reported as having given birth in March 2025, 20,051 (54.7%) had received an RSV vaccine
    • maternal coverage varied by ethnic group with the highest coverage reported among the Chinese ethnic group (73.3%) and lowest among Black and Black British Caribbean (26.4%)

    Greta Hayward, Consultant Midwife at the UK Health Security Agency, said:

    Having the RSV vaccine during every pregnancy is the best way for women to protect their newborn against RSV, as the vaccine boosts their immune system to produce more antibodies against the virus, and these then pass through the placenta to help protect their baby from the day they are born. RSV infects around 90% of children in their first 2 years of life.

    The RSV season usually starts in October and while there is no risk-free birth month, babies born in late summer or the autumn are most likely to be admitted to hospital. Hundreds of babies attend Emergency Departments each day for bronchiolitis through most of November and December. That is why it is so important that over the summer pregnant women reaching 28 weeks of pregnancy, ensure they are vaccinated as soon as possible.

    Dr Conall Watson, Immunisation Consultant at the UK Health Security Agency, said:

    The evidence clearly shows the RSV vaccine for pregnant women is highly effective and will give much reassurance to parents, knowing their newborn is protected from birth, when they are at much greater risk from RSV.

    As a parent and health professional I can’t stress enough the importance of getting the RSV vaccine during every pregnancy. We recommend vaccination in week 28 or soon after but if you are later on in your pregnancy and still haven’t had your vaccine please contact your maternity service or GP practice to arrange one.

    RSV can be a particularly serious infection for older people, so this new evidence will also give much reassurance that having the RSV jab will greatly reduce their chances of ending up in hospital.

    While the uptake of the RSV vaccine continues to rise, we want to see every single pregnant woman and eligible older person getting protected. The virus picks up in the autumn, so don’t put if off over the summer – as soon as you reach your 75th birthday or week 28 of pregnancy get the vaccine for healthy peace of mind.

    UKHSA has published its first RSV Annual Report, which looks back at the 2024 to 2025 RSV season, providing analysis on disease pattern, vaccine uptake and vaccine impact.

    The surveillance shows RSV activity started across all UK nations around week 42 of 2024 (week starting 14 October) and peaked around weeks 47 to 49 2024 (18 November to 8 December), before steadily declining and reaching baseline activity around weeks 7 to 8 2025 (10 to 23 February).

    The Report also details UKHSA’s analysis from the primary care surveillance, which involves swabbing in around 300 GP Practices in England when a patient presents with an acute respiratory infection (ARI). This found that by age group, the highest RSV positivity (% of laboratory confirmed RSV cases out of total ARI swabs) was observed in children under 5 years; with positivity peaking at 53.1% in week 46 (11-17 November).

    Among those aged 75 years and above, the highest RSV positivity rate was 18.5% reported in week 49 (2 to 8 December).

    Surveillance of patients attending hospital emergency departments (ED) in England found that among infants (babies under 1), bronchiolitis peaked in late November. This is the main clinical presentation of infant RSV and RSV is the primary pathogen causing bronchiolitis.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Latest data shows measles cases remain high

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Latest data shows measles cases remain high

    Measles activity has increased since April 2025 and the UKHSA is continuing to oversee the public health risk assessment.

    The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is today urging parents to prioritise vaccine catch-up appointments during the summer break, with latest data showing continued high levels of measles cases amid fears of a further surge once the new school term begins.

    Measles activity has increased since April 2025 and the UKHSA is continuing to oversee the public health risk assessment and working with local partners on the response.

    The latest monthly update on measles cases in England published today shows that an additional 145 measles cases have been reported since the last publication on July 3. Cases continue to predominantly be in children under the age of 10 years with London and parts of the North West driving the increase most.

    The latest measles epidemiology report on the UKHSA Data Dashboard today reports:

    • since 1 January, there have been 674 laboratory confirmed measles cases reported in England, an increase of 145 cases since the last report on 3 July 2025

    • 48% (322/674) of these cases have been in London, 16% (111 out of 674) in the North West, and 10% (65/674) in the East of England

    There has also been a global increase in measles cases, including Europe, over the last year. UKHSA is concerned that holiday travel and international visits to see family this summer could lead to rising measles cases in England when the new school term begins.

    Dr Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA Consultant Epidemiologist, said:

    The summer months offer parents an important opportunity to ensure their children’s vaccinations are up to date, giving them the best possible protection when the new school term begins. It is never too late to catch up. Do not put it off and regret it later.

    Measles spreads very easily and can be a nasty disease, leading to complications like ear and chest infections and inflammation of the brain with some children tragically ending up in hospital and suffering life-long consequences.

    Two doses of the MMR vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and your family from measles. Babies under the age of 1 and some people who have weakened immune systems cannot have the vaccine and are at risk of more serious complications if they get measles. They rely on the rest of us getting the vaccine to protect them.

    Dr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said:

    Vaccination is the best protection against measles, which is highly contagious and can cause serious health problems. The MMR vaccine is provided free by the NHS and I would urge all parents to check their child’s vaccination records before the new school year or summer travel, particularly as Europe is reporting the highest number of measles cases in 25 years.

    While the NHS delivered tens of thousands of additional MMR vaccinations last year, too many eligible children remain unvaccinated, and we are working with local authorities and the UK Health Security Agency to reach more youngsters, with enhanced vaccination offers in areas with higher cases, including vaccination buses and community catch-up sessions.

    The first MMR vaccine is offered to infants when they turn one year old and the second dose to pre-school children when they are around 3 years and 4 months old. 

    Around 99% of those who have 2 doses will be protected against measles and rubella. Although mumps protection is slightly lower, cases in vaccinated people are much less severe. 

    Anyone, whatever age, who has not had 2 doses can contact their GP surgery to book an appointment.

    Read more information on measles, mumps and rubella.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to latest UKHSA data showing measles cases remain high

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Scientists comment on latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) that shows measles cases remain high. 

    Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush, Assistant Professor of Global Health & Development at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), said:

    “It is no surprise that Hackney has seen the highest number of measles cases over the past four weeks. To prevent measles outbreaks, the WHO recommends that 95% of people are fully vaccinated with two doses of the MMR vaccine. In 2023-2024, MMR coverage in Hackney was lowest by local authority in England and just 60.8% had received both MMR doses by the age of five, compared with 83.9% of children on average across England. Without this vital vaccine coverage, children have been left as sitting ducks for a measles outbreak.

    “Hackney’s population is unique and a ‘one-size fits all’ approach will not solve the problem. The borough’s population is diverse and younger, with almost one in three residents aged under 24. Hackney also has among the highest numbers of children living in low income families in London and around one in four children are Haredi (strictly Orthodox Jewish). In this context, every family will have their own challenges and pressures, so how can we expect under-funded, inflexible delivery strategies to offer equitable access?

    “Local clinics and teams are working incredibly hard to protect children and prevent another child death from measles in the UK. But it is extremely difficult to sustain positive results when funding to commission vaccination projects and new professionals roles are short-term and unpredictable.

    “Together with a local GP in Hackney, Dr Tehseen Khan, we have been researching ways to ensure vital vaccines are accessible to those who need them. This includes evaluating how primary care teams in the area offer parents more convenient appointments through Sunday walk-in clinics and allowing parents to bring several children to one appointment. However, primary care cannot solve these challenges alone. I would encourage any parent with questions or concerns, or anyone who’s unsure on their own vaccination status, to reach out to their local GP surgery, as it’s never too late to catch up on the MMR vaccine.

    “Political decisions are threatening the ability to make long-term improvements in vaccination coverage in Hackney and nationwide. Integrated Care Boards, the NHS organisations that plan and commission health services for their local populations, are expected to reduce operational costs by 50%. This will be disastrous for vaccine coverage recovery efforts, and raises fundamental questions about how the government’s 10 year ‘Fit for the Future’ plan can realistically be implemented.”

    https://ukhsa-newsroom.prgloo.com/news/latest-data-show-measles-cases-remain-high-with-london-and-parts-of-the-north-west-driving-increase

    Declared interests

    Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush: Dr Ben Kasstan- Dabush is Assistant Professor of Global Health & Development at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He is currently working on vaccine delivery research in Hackney, funded by the British Medical Association Foundation for Medical Research (2023 Kathleen Harper Award, in collaboration with Dr Tehseen Khan). This builds on previous work funded by the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Vaccines & Immunisation, a collaboration between LSHTM and UKHSA. Ben provides regular consultation to UKHSA.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Fold and Blackhawk Network Bring Bitcoin to Major U.S. Digital Retail Platforms

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PHOENIX, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fold Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLD) (“Fold” or the “Company”), the first publicly traded bitcoin financial services company, today announced it has teamed up with Blackhawk Network, Inc. (BHN) to expand distribution of the Fold Bitcoin Gift Card™, significantly increasing mainstream consumer access to bitcoin across a growing portfolio of major U.S. digital retailers. The offering marks a key milestone in bringing bitcoin into everyday commerce and positions Fold to meaningfully increase user and transaction growth through one of the nation’s most extensive retail distribution networks.  

    The Fold Bitcoin Gift Card is now available through select online platforms, with additional online retailers set to launch in the coming weeks. The card is also available directly at foldapp.com/bitcoin-gift-card. In-store retail availability is planned for later this year as part of a broader multi-channel expansion strategy.

    The launch is powered by BHN, a leading branded payments provider whose global footprint spans over 400,000+ consumer touchpoints, including top retailers, e-commerce platforms, loyalty programs and enterprise rewards. Fold is rapidly expanding within this ecosystem, positioning the Fold Bitcoin Gift Card to become one of the most broadly distributed bitcoin gift products in the U.S. market.

    “Until now, bitcoin was difficult for the average person to access, let alone share,” said Will Reeves, Chairman and CEO of Fold. “By making bitcoin available as a gift card, we’re opening access to the millions of consumers who already buy, send, and use gift cards. This isn’t about novelty. It’s about meeting people where they are and integrating bitcoin into the financial tools and channels they already understand. We’re building infrastructure for everyday adoption. BHN gives us that path into mainstream retail, opening access to bitcoin across the $300 billion U.S. gift card market, something the ecosystem has struggled with for over a decade.”

    The Fold Bitcoin Gift Card launched in May 2025, enabling consumers to gift bitcoin in a simple and familiar format without requiring technical knowledge or a crypto wallet. Recipients redeem their gift card through the Fold App, ensuring a smooth onboarding experience for both newcomers and experienced bitcoin users.

    “At BHN, we understand that consumers today expect more flexibility in how they give and store value, and cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are becoming part of that equation,” said Jennifer Philo, GVP, global commerce, BHN. “Fold exemplifies the kind of forward-looking partner BHN is proud to support—they are creating products that bring bitcoin into the center of how consumers engage with money and build long-term value. By bringing the Fold Bitcoin Gift Card into our expansive retail ecosystem, we’re delivering yet another practical, accessible way for shoppers nationwide to embrace cryptocurrency by helping them earn, save, and spend smarter.”

    Momentum is building for crypto-based gifting. According to the Incentive Gift Card Coalition, 47% of executives expect crypto gift cards to grow as a category in 2025, reflecting a broader shift in consumer preferences toward digital assets.

    About Fold
    Fold (NASDAQ: FLD) is the first publicly traded bitcoin financial services company, making it easy for individuals and businesses to earn, save, and use bitcoin. With over 1,492 BTC in its treasury, Fold is at the forefront of integrating bitcoin into everyday financial experiences. Through innovative products like the Fold App, Fold Credit Card™, Fold Bitcoin Gift Card™, and Fold Debit Card™, the company is building the bridge between traditional finance and the bitcoin-powered future.

    About Blackhawk Network (BHN)
    Today, through BHN’s single global platform, businesses of all kinds can tap into the world’s largest network of branded payment solutions. BHN helps businesses grow revenue, increase loyalty, motivate and reward their teams, disburse funds and engage consumers. Branded payment solutions include the issuance and distribution of gift cards, eGifts, corporate payouts and rewards, along with the technology to deliver these products in seamless, integrated ways. BHN’s network spans the globe with more than 400,000 consumer touchpoints. Learn more at BHN.com.

    For investor inquiries, please contact:
    Orange Group
    Samir Jain, CFA
    FoldIR@orangegroupadvisors.com

    For media inquiries, please contact:
    Jessica Starman, MBA
    media@foldapp.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Smith Introduce New Bill to Restore Medicaid Funding for Planned Parenthood

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Bicameral legislation to reverse “defund” Planned Parenthood provision in Republicans’ reconciliation bill is endorsed by Planned Parenthood & more than 125 original cosponsors

    Senator Murray has led the fight in the Senate against Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, offered an amendment to strip “defund” provision out of the reconciliation bill—Republicans blocked it

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, joined Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and U.S. Representatives Laura Friedman (CA-30), Nikema Williams (GA-5), and Chris Pappas (NH-1) in introducing theRestoring Essential Healthcare Act this week, a bicameral bill that repeals the federal ban on Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood that Republicans recently enacted as part of their partisan reconciliation legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

    The legislation strikes Section 71113 of Republicans’ reconciliation bill, which prohibits federal Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood clinics that offer reproductive health care and other essential health care services. The provision puts nearly 200 Planned Parenthood clinics at risk of closure, endangering access to health care for more than two million patients across the country.

    “Republicans have been pushing for years to defund Planned Parenthood, because they want to ban abortion nationwide—and they don’t care if they rip away access to cancer screenings, contraception, or other essential preventive care for millions of women in the process,” said Senator Murray. “Our bill is simple: it would reverse the provision Republicans enacted into law that cuts Planned Parenthood and other women’s health clinics off from federal Medicaid funding. In many communities, Planned Parenthood is the only place women can go to get basic preventive care, no matter their income. I’m proud to join my colleagues in this effort to save essential health care.”

    “I worked at Planned Parenthood. I saw how controlling your own health care allows you to make the best decisions about the course of your life – your education, your work and your family,” said Senator Smith. “Planned Parenthood offers so much more than abortion services. In many communities it is the only clinic to provide cancer screenings, birth control, and STI screening. This bill takes a critical step to restore Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, to ensure these clinics are equipped with the resources they need to provide essential health care, and to give patients back the right to choose their health care provider.” 

    “President Trump and his allies in Congress chose to devastate our nation’s already fractured health care system when they passed a backdoor abortion ban ‘defunding’ Planned Parenthood. With this provision, they have put nearly 200 health centers at risk of closing and threatened over a million people’s access to cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment,  birth control, and other essential services, all in order to push an unpopular, anti-abortion agenda. We are thankful to Sens. Smith (D-MN) and Murray (D-WA) and Reps. Friedman (D-CA-30), Pappas (D-NH-1), and Williams (D-GA-5) for introducing the Restoring Essential Healthcare Act, and for championing access to high-quality, affordable reproductive care. Everyone deserves health care, and we will continue to fight every day to make that possible,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

    The ban on Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood could leave thousands of patients in every state with no place to seek essential reproductive care and other vital health services. Every year, Planned Parenthood provides health care to more than two million people, including STI testing, breast exams, birth control, HPV vaccines, and other critical services. 

    The Restoring Essential Healthcare Act has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Center for Reproductive Rights, Reproductive Freedom Caucus, All* Above All, Guttmacher Institute, National Abortion Federation, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, National Council of Jewish Women, National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, National Network of Abortion Funds, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, Reproductive Freedom for All, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Power to Decide.

    There are 133 original cosponsors of the Restoring Essential Healthcare Act in the House, including Williams*, Pappas*, Amo, Auchincloss, Balint, Barragán, Bell, Beyer, Bonamici, Brownley, Budzinski, Carbajal, Carson, Carter, Case, Casten, Castor, Cherfilus-McCormick, Chu, Cisneros, Clarke, Cleaver, Cohen, Correa, Craig, Crockett, Davids, Davis, DeGette, DelBene, Deluzio, DeSaulnier, Dexter, Doggett, Elfreth, Escobar, Evans, Fletcher, Foushee, Frankel, Frost, Garamendi, Garcia (TX), Goldman, Goodlander, Gottheimer, Horsford, Houlahan, Hoyle, Huffman, Ivey, Jacobs, Jackson, Johnson (GA), Kamlager-Dove, Kaptur, Kelly, Kennedy, Khanna, Krishnamoorthi, Landsman, Larson, Lee (PA), Leger Fernandez, Levin, Liccardo, Lieu, Lofgren, Lynch, Mannion, Matsui, McBath, McBride, McClellan, McGovern, McIver, Meeks, Menendez, Meng, Min, Moore, Morelle, Morrison, Moulton, Mullin, Nadler, Norton, Olszewski, Panetta, Pelosi, Peters, Pettersen, Pingree, Pocan, Pou, Quigley, Ramirez, Randall, Raskin, Ross, Ryan, Salinas, Scanlon, Schakowsky, Schneider, Sewell, Sherman, Sherrill, Simon, Sorensen, Soto, Stansbury, Stanton, Stevens, Strickland, Sykes, Takano, Thanedar, Thompson (CA), Titus, Tlaib, Tokuda, Tonko, Torres (NY), Torres (CA), Trahan, Underwood, Veasey, Velázquez, Wasserman Schultz, Waters, Watson Coleman, Wilson.

    Senator Murray has been the leading voice in the Senate speaking out and raising the alarm against Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. After the Parliamentarian allowed Republicans to proceed with their long-sought goal of defunding Planned Parenthood in their reconciliation bill, Senator Murray put forward an amendment to strike the provision—Republicans blocked it.

    At her recent Senate forum on the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Senator Murray spoke about Republicans’ plan to institute a backdoor nationwide abortion ban and laid out how defunding Planned Parenthood is a key part of that strategy. Last month, Senator Murray delivered a lengthy speech on the Senate floor where she laid out in detail how Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act will rip away health care from millions of Americans, shutter the doors of hospitals and health care clinics across the country, make the largest cuts to Medicaid and nutrition assistance in history, and blow up the national debt—all so Republicans can fund massive tax breaks for billionaires.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Eos Energy Enterprises Delivers Record Quarterly Revenue Nearly Equivalent to Full Year 2024, Reports Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results and Reaffirms 2025 Revenue Outlook

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • $15.2 million revenue, highest in Company history and nearly equivalent to full year 2024
    • Z3 customer system performance, averaging nearly 88% RTE across multiple cycles and peaking at 89.5% on its highest individual cycle
    • Closed $336 million in concurrent offerings of common stock and convertible senior notes, strengthening the Company’s balance sheet and creating enhanced financial flexibility
    • Received $22.7 million for its second loan advance from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office, totaling $91 million in funding since November 2024 loan closing
    • Extended its 26.5% convertible senior notes maturity to September 30, 2034, and reduced interest rate from 26.5% to 7.0%, beginning on June 30, 2026
    • $18.8 billion commercial pipeline increased $3.2 billion vs. prior quarter led by over 10 GWh submitted to the UK Cap & Floor scheme, 15% sequential growth in 8-hour plus duration projects
    • Continuing capacity expansion: sub-assembly automation ramping in third quarter while second state-of-the-art manufacturing line on order
    • One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) preserves manufacturing production tax credits with full stackability and transferability through 2029; Eos domestic content exceeds FEOC requirements for customer ITC
    • Reaffirms 2025 full year revenue guidance range of $150 million – $190 million

    EDISON, N.J., July 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Eos Energy Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: EOSE) (“Eos” or the “Company”) is an American energy company and the leading innovator in designing, sourcing, manufacturing, and providing zinc-based battery energy storage systems (BESS) manufactured in the United States, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025.

    Second Quarter Highlights

    • Record quarterly revenue of $15.2 million, a 46% increase compared to the prior quarter and up 17x from the same period last year, driven by increased production volumes. Factory shipments increased 122% quarter-over-quarter, with 50% of the production volume delivered for a strategic customer project.   
    • Gross loss of $31.0 million, a 32-point margin improvement from the prior quarter, driven by increased production volumes and operational efficiencies partially offset by one-time lower than average selling prices.
    • Operating expenses totaled $32.9 million, a decrease from prior quarter excluding $5.4 million in one-time non-recurring items.
    • $222.9 million net loss attributable to shareholders driven by $151.8 million non-cash changes in fair value tied to mark-to-market adjustments related to the Company’s increased stock price as of June 30, 2025, loss recorded for the repurchase of the Company’s outstanding 2026 convertible notes, and loss recorded as part of the prepayment under the Delayed Draw Term Loan.
    • Adjusted EBITDA loss of $51.6 million, a 75-point margin improvement from prior quarter, driven by improved gross margins and operational leverage.
    • Total cash of $183.2 million, including restricted cash, as of June 30, 2025.
    • Commercial opportunity pipeline of $18.8 billion, an increase of 21% compared to prior quarter and 37% compared to June 30, 2024, with a $672.5 million orders backlog.

    “The team delivered our strongest operational quarter to date – production scaled rapidly prior to subassembly fully coming online, revenue nearly surpassed all of 2024, and Z3 customer field data has been outperforming its initial product specifications for round trip efficiency,” said Joe Mastrangelo, Eos Chief Executive Officer. “We’ve made significant progress in advancing our commercial pipeline, while improving our operating performance. We are continuing to expand our manufacturing capacity to provide our customers with the confidence in Eos’ ability to deliver large scale projects.”

    2025 Outlook

    • For the full year 2025, Eos continues to expect revenue between $150 million and $190 million. Less than two years ago, the Company initiated its manufacturing expansion plan. Last year, it successfully launched its first state-of-the-art manufacturing line with battery modules being produced every 10 seconds. To further increase capacity and drive cost reductions, Eos is now implementing subassembly automation which should more than double the throughput of the battery module line. Together, these two programs allow the Company to ramp production in the second half of 2025 to an annualized rate of 2 GWh per year.

    Recent Business Highlights

    Commercial Growth
    Macro-level trends are driving a secular shift in power demand, with industries such as artificial intelligence and data centers accelerating the need for resilient, scalable energy infrastructure. Meeting this demand will require a diverse mix of energy solutions, and Eos is well-positioned to be a key contributor to America’s energy independence. In the second quarter, the Company added $3.2 billion to its commercial pipeline, bringing the total to $18.8 billion, representing 77 GWh of energy storage capacity with approximately 20% of it being connected to the build out of data centers.

    Eos continues to advance three large Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) totaling 6.2 GWh along with several emerging large-scale opportunities. Early in the quarter, Eos signed a 5 GWh MOU with Frontier Power, a leading UK developer of energy infrastructure. Since then, Frontier has submitted over 10 GWh of projects using Eos technology to the UK’s Cap and Floor scheme — more than double the original commitment — highlighting strong UK demand for 8-hour plus storage.

    More than half of Eos’ pipeline is now stand-alone energy storage projects as system operators increasingly look for solutions that manage grid volatility, ease congestion, and minimize curtailment across all types of power generating assets. Crucially, stand-alone storage remains fully eligible under Section 48E of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) under the OBBBA. With over 90% domestic content, Eos is strongly positioned to meet evolving Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) requirements offering customers both energy security and the ability to maximize domestic energy incentives.

    Enhanced Liquidity to Accelerate Growth
    During the quarter, Eos executed and closed $336 million in concurrent offerings of common stock and convertible senior notes. The offerings were significantly oversubscribed, demonstrating strong investor confidence in Eos’ growth potential and progress against its strategic plan. These transformative transactions mark a critical inflection point that unlock the financial flexibility required to scale operations and meet long duration energy storage demand.

    The offerings also allowed the Company to restructure key portions of its debt, materially lowering its cost of capital while strengthening its balance sheet, with the overall transaction resulting in approximately $400 million in savings over the prior terms of the Company’s debt.

    Post quarter end, the Company also extended the maturity of its 26.5% convertible senior notes to September 30, 2034, and reduced the interest rate from 26.5% to 7.0% beginning on June 30, 2026. At the same time, an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. (“Cerberus”) granted a no-penalty extension until and through October 31, 2025, for the Company to achieve the last cash receipt milestone under its Delayed Draw Term Loan. This is the last outstanding performance milestone under the Delayed Draw Term Loan facility.

    Earnings Conference Call and Webcast
    Eos will host a conference call to discuss its second quarter 2025 results on July 31, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. ET. The live webcast of the earnings call will be available on the “Investor Relations” page of the Company’s website at Eos Investors or may be accessed using this link (registration link). To avoid delays, we encourage participants to join the conference call fifteen minutes ahead of the scheduled start time.

    The conference call will be available via webcast through Eos’ investor relations website for twelve months following the live presentation. The webcast replay will be available from approximately 11:30 a.m. ET on July 31, 2025, and can be accessed by visiting Eos Investors.

    About Eos Energy Enterprises

    Eos is accelerating the shift to American energy independence with positively ingenious solutions that transform how the world stores power. The Company’s BESS features the innovative Znyth™ technology, a proven chemistry with readily available non-precious earth components, that is the pre-eminent safe, non-flammable, secure, stable, and scalable alternative to conventional lithium-ion technology. The Company’s BESS is ideal for utility-scale, microgrid, commercial, and industrial long-duration energy storage applications (i.e., 4 to 16+ hours), and provides customers with significant operational flexibility to effectively address current and future increased grid demand and complexity. For more information about Eos (NASDAQ: EOSE), visit eose.com.

    Forward Looking Statements

    Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our expected revenue, for the fiscal years December 31, 2025, our path to profitability and strategic outlook, statements regarding orders backlog and opportunity pipeline, statements regarding our expectation that we can continue to increase product volume on our state-of-the-art manufacturing line, statements regarding our future expansion and its impact on our ability to scale up operations, statements regarding our expectation that we can continue to strengthen our overall supply chain, statements regarding our expectation that our new comprehensive insurance program will provide increased operational and economic certainty, statements that refer to the delayed draw term loan with Cerberus, milestones thereunder and the anticipated use of proceeds, statements that refer to outlook, projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are based on our management’s beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and the information currently available to, them. Because such statements are based on expectations as to future financial and operating results and are not statements of fact, actual results may differ materially from those projected.

    Factors which may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: changes adversely affecting the business in which we are engaged; our ability to forecast trends accurately; our ability to generate cash, service indebtedness and incur additional indebtedness; our ability to achieve the operational milestones on the delayed draw term loan; our ability to raise financing in the future; risks associated with the credit agreement with Cerberus, including risks of default, dilution of outstanding Common Stock, consequences for failure to meet milestones and contractual lockup of shares; our customers’ ability to secure project financing; the amount of final tax credits available to our customers or to Eos pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act; the timing and availability of future funding under the Department of Energy Loan Facility; our ability to continue to develop efficient manufacturing processes to scale and to forecast related costs and efficiencies accurately; fluctuations in our revenue and operating results; competition from existing or new competitors; our ability to convert firm order backlog and pipeline to revenue; risks associated with security breaches in our information technology systems; risks related to legal proceedings or claims; risks associated with evolving energy policies in the United States and other countries and the potential costs of regulatory compliance; risks associated with changes to the U.S. trade environment; our ability to maintain the listing of our shares of common stock on NASDAQ; our ability to grow our business and manage growth profitably, maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and retain our management and key employees; risks related to the adverse changes in general economic conditions, including inflationary pressures and increased interest rates; risk from supply chain disruptions and other impacts of geopolitical conflict; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the possibility that Eos may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; other factors beyond our control; risks related to adverse changes in general economic conditions; and other risks and uncertainties.

    The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to additional risks, uncertainties, and factors, including those more fully described in the Company’s most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. Further information on potential risks that could affect actual results will be included in the subsequent periodic and current reports and other filings that the Company makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Moreover, the Company operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment, and new risks and uncertainties may emerge that could have an impact on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

    Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and, except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise

    Key Metrics

    Backlog. Our backlog represents the amount of revenue that we expect to realize from existing agreements with our customers for the sale of our battery energy storage systems and performance of services. The backlog is calculated by adding new orders in the current fiscal period to the backlog as of the end of the prior fiscal period and then subtracting the shipments in the current fiscal period. If the amount of an order is modified or cancelled, we adjust orders in the current period and our backlog accordingly, but do not retroactively adjust previously published backlogs. There is no comparable US-GAAP financial measure for backlog. We believe that the backlog is a useful indicator regarding the future revenue of our Company.

    Pipeline. Our pipeline represents projects for which we have submitted technical proposals or non-binding quotes plus letters of intent (“LOI”) or firm commitments from customers. Pipeline does not include lead generation projects.

    Booked Orders. Booked orders are orders where we have legally binding agreements with a Purchase Order (“PO”), or Master Supply Agreement (“MSA”) executed by both parties.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    To provide investors with additional information regarding our financial results, we have disclosed in this earnings release non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EPS, which are non-GAAP financial measures as defined under the rules of the SEC. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered supplemental to, not a substitute for, or superior to, the financial measures of the Company’s calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). The Company believes adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted EPS are useful measures in evaluating its financial and operational performance distinct and apart from financing costs, certain non-cash expenses and non-operational expenses.

    We believe that non-GAAP financial information, when taken collectively may be helpful to our investors in assessing its operating performance. There are a number of limitations related to the use of these non-GAAP financial measures and their nearest GAAP equivalents. For example, the Company’s definitions of non-GAAP financial measures may differ from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. Below is a description of the non-GAAP financial information included herein as well as reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP measure. You should review the reconciliations below but not rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.

    Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings (net loss) attributable to Eos adjusted for interest expense, income tax, depreciation and amortization, non-cash stock-based compensation expense, change in fair value of debt and derivatives, debt extinguishment, and other non-cash or non-recurring items as determined by management which it does not believe to be indicative of its underlying business trends. Adjusted EPS is defined as GAAP net loss per common share as adjusted for non-cash stock-based compensation expense change in fair value of debt and derivatives and debt extinguishment per common share.

    EOS ENERGY ENTERPRISES, INC.
    UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
    (In thousands, except share and per share amounts)
        Three Months Ended June 30,   Six Months Ended June 30,
          2025       2024       2025       2024  
    Revenue   $ 15,236     $ 898     $ 25,693     $ 7,499  
    Cost of goods sold     46,189       14,121       81,185       42,350  
    Gross profit (loss)     (30,953 )     (13,223 )     (55,492 )     (34,851 )
    Operating expenses                
    Research and development expenses     7,201       4,250       14,038       9,450  
    Selling, general and administrative expenses     25,488       11,293       46,483       25,535  
    Loss from write-down of property, plant and equipment     205       271       766       336  
    Total operating expenses     32,894       15,814       61,287       35,321  
    Operating Loss     (63,847 )     (29,037 )     (116,779 )     (70,172 )
    Other (expense) income                
    Interest expense, net     (2,129 )     (3,515 )     (2,293 )     (7,782 )
    Interest expense – related party     (4,510 )     (4,912 )     (10,291 )     (9,763 )
    Change in fair value of debt – related party     31,615       (240 )     25,682       (240 )
    Change in fair value of warrants     (57,936 )     (7,941 )     (12,011 )     (5,041 )
    Change in fair value of derivatives – related parties     (76,455 )     (47,727 )     (41,869 )     (47,193 )
    (Loss) gain on debt extinguishment     (49,063 )     68,478       (49,063 )     68,478  
    Other expense     (606 )     (3,270 )     (1,166 )     (3,134 )
    Loss before income taxes   $ (222,931 )   $ (28,164 )   $ (207,790 )   $ (74,847 )
    Income tax expense     6       8       11       33  
    Net Loss attributable to shareholders   $ (222,937 )   $ (28,172 )   $ (207,801 )   $ (74,880 )
    Remeasurement of Preferred Stock – related party     (21,385 )     (23,671 )     58,612       (23,671 )
    Down round deemed dividend     (4,456 )     —       (4,456 )     —  
    Net Loss attributable to common shareholders   $ (248,778 )   $ (51,843 )   $ (153,645 )   $ (98,551 )
    Other Comprehensive Loss                
    Change in fair value of debt – credit risk – related party   $ (6,224 )   $ —     $ (6,224 )   $ —  
    Foreign currency translation adjustment     14       1       21       (4 )
    Comprehensive Loss attributable to common shareholders   $ (254,988 )   $ (51,842 )   $ (159,848 )   $ (98,555 )
                     
    Basic and diluted Loss per share attributable to common shareholders
    Basic   $ (1.05 )   $ (0.25 )   $ (0.66 )   $ (0.48 )
    Diluted   $ (1.05 )   $ (0.25 )   $ (0.66 )   $ (0.48 )
                     
    Weighted average shares of common stock                
    Basic     237,741,328       211,137,189       231,616,540       206,225,126  
    Diluted     237,741,328       211,137,189       231,616,540       206,225,126  
                                     
    EOS ENERGY ENTERPRISES, INC.
    UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
    (In thousands, except share and per share amounts)
      June 30,
    2025    		   December 31,
    2024
    Balance sheet data      
    Cash and cash equivalents $ 120,225     $ 74,292  
    Other current assets $ 112,052     $ 105,620  
    Property, plant and equipment, net $ 75,533     $ 45,660  
    Other assets $ 53,185     $ 34,746  
    Total assets $ 360,995     $ 260,318  
    Total liabilities $ 931,693     $ 842,085  
    Mezzanine equity – preferred stock $ 532,269     $ 488,696  
    Total deficit $ (1,102,967 )   $ (1,070,463 )
                   
    EOS ENERGY ENTERPRISES, INC.
    UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
    (In thousands, except share and per share amounts)
      Six Months Ended
    June 30,
        2025       2024  
    Net cash used in operating activities $ (95,046 )   $ (66,807 )
    Net cash used in investing activities   (11,959 )     (10,299 )
    Net cash provided by financing activities   186,820       50,024  
    Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash   (2 )     (6 )
    Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash   79,813       (27,088 )
    Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of the period   103,362       84,667  
    Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of the period $ 183,175     $ 57,579  
                   
    EOS ENERGY ENTERPRISES, INC.
    UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF NET LOSS TO EBITDA LOSS AND ADJUSTED EBITDA LOSS
    (In thousands)
      Three Months Ended
    June 30,    		   Six Months Ended
    June 30,
        2025       2024       2025       2024  
    Net loss $ (222,937 )   $ (28,172 )   $ (207,801 )   $ (74,880 )
    add: Interest expense   6,639       8,427       12,584       17,545  
    add: Income tax expense   6       8       11       33  
    add: Depreciation and amortization   2,935       1,371       5,615       2,568  
    EBITDA loss   (213,357 )     (18,366 )     (189,591 )     (54,734 )
    add: Stock based compensation   7,127       1,857       14,701       4,798  
    add: Change in fair value of derivatives   134,390       55,668       53,880       52,234  
    (deduct) add: Change in fair value of debt   (31,615 )     240       (25,682 )     240  
    add (deduct): (Gain) loss on debt extinguishment   49,063       (68,478 )     49,063       (68,478 )
    add: Other non-cash or non-recurring   2,766       —       2,766       —  
    Adjusted EBITDA loss $ (51,626 )   $ (29,079 )   $ (94,863 )   $ (65,940 )
                                   
    EOS ENERGY ENTERPRISES, INC.
    UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF NET LOSS TO ADJUSTED NET LOSS PER SHARE
    (In thousands)
      Three Months Ended
    June 30,    		   Six Months Ended
    June 30,
        2025       2024       2025       2024  
    Net loss attributable to common shareholders $ (248,778 )   $ (51,843 )   $ (153,645 )   $ (98,551 )
    add: Stock based compensation   7,127       1,857       14,701       4,798  
    add: Change in fair value of derivatives   134,390       55,668       53,880       52,234  
    (deduct) add: Change in fair value of debt   (31,615 )     240       (25,682 )     240  
    add (deduct): (Gain) loss on debt extinguishment   49,063       (68,478 )     49,063       (68,478 )
    add: Other non-cash or non-recurring   2,766       —       2,766       —  
    Adjusted net loss attributable to common shareholders $ (87,047 )   $ (62,556 )   $ (58,917 )   $ (109,757 )
                   
    Basic and diluted loss per share attributable to common shareholders        
    Basic $ (1.05 )   $ (0.25 )   $ (0.66 )   $ (0.48 )
    Diluted $ (1.05 )   $ (0.25 )   $ (0.66 )   $ (0.48 )
                   
    Basic and diluted adjusted loss per share attributable to common shareholders    
    Basic $ (0.37 )   $ (0.30 )   $ (0.25 )   $ (0.53 )
    Diluted $ (0.37 )   $ (0.30 )   $ (0.25 )   $ (0.53 )
                   
    Weighted average shares of common stock              
    Basic   237,741,328       211,137,189       231,616,540       206,225,126  
    Diluted   237,741,328       211,137,189       231,616,540       206,225,126  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Advocates for Kay Hagan Tick Act as Bill Unanimously Advances out of Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Click HERE for a full-resolution image

    Click HERE to watch and HERE to download video of Senator Collins’ remarks

    Washington, D.C. – Today, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee unanimously approved the reauthorization of the bipartisan Kay Hagan Tick Act. The bill now advances to the Senate floor for consideration by the full body. At the hearing, U.S. Senator Susan Collins spoke in support of advancing the reauthorization of her landmark legislation, which she coauthored with Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), that became law in 2019. The Kay Hagan Tick Act strengthened the federal effort to confront the escalating incidence of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. Confirmed cases of Lyme disease reached a record number in Maine – 3,218 – last year.

    Senators Collins and Smith named their bill in honor of former Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) who passed away on October 28th, 2019, due to complications of the tick-borne disease known as the Powassan virus. Senator Angus King (I-ME) and a bipartisan group of 13 other Senators have cosponsored the legislation.

    Senator Collins: 

    “I authored the original Tick Act in 2019 with Senator Tina Smith. Our bipartisan legislation strengthened federal efforts to confront the escalating incidents of Lyme disease and other vector borne illnesses. Our bill is named after our former colleague, Senator Kay Hagan, who passed away in October 2019 from complications of the deadly tick-borne disease known as the Powassan virus. It is my hope that reauthorizing the Tick Act will help to prevent further tragedies. 

    “The incidence of tick-borne diseases has exploded in the past 20 years. Maine reached a new Lyme disease record last year with 3218 reported cases. This is more than double the number of cases reported in Maine just five years ago. I’m encouraged that we’ve made progress in the five years since this bill was first introduced, for example, a clinical trial for Lyme disease vaccine for people is underway right now at Maine Health’s Institute for Research. Reauthorizing the Tick Act would allow crucial developments such as the development of a vaccine to continue. 

    “The Tick Act uses a three-pronged approach to address Lyme and other tick and vector borne diseases. This approach consists of first, implementing HHS’s national strategy to combat vector borne disease. Second, reauthorizing funding for the CDC’s four Centers of Excellence in vector borne disease. And third, reauthorizing grants to state and local health departments to assist them in bolstering their public health infrastructure. 

    “I want to thank Senator Smith for partnering with me, as well as our 14 bipartisan co-sponsors, including members of this committee, Senators Marshall, Hassan, Hawley, Hickenlooper and Banks. Again, Mr. Chairman, I’m very grateful for your including this on the markup agenda, and I’m delighted that we’re going to report the bill today”

    +++

    In addition to Senators Collins, Smith, and King, the legislation is cosponsored by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Jim Banks (R-IN), Peter Welch (D-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO).

    The complete text of the legislation can be read here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Pharmac expands access to meningococcal B vaccine for children under 5

    Source: PHARMAC

    Pharmac is extending access to the meningococcal B vaccine (Bexsero), with up to 77,000 more children able to benefit.

    From 1 September 2025, all children under five years of age will be eligible for funded doses of Bexsero, regardless of whether they started or completed their vaccine course in their first year. This replaces the current catch-up programme, which ends on 31 August 2025.

    The vaccine is already part of the childhood immunisation schedule for children up to 12 months of age. The new eligibility criteria mean that children who missed earlier doses can still be protected.

    “We know how serious meningococcal disease can be, especially for young children,” says Pharmac’s Manager Pharmaceuticals Adrienne Martin. “By expanding access, we’re helping families complete their child’s vaccine course and improving protection for those most at risk.”

    Children under five are the most vulnerable to serious illness from meningococcal disease. This change supports better protection for this high-risk group and makes it easier for families to access the vaccine.

    “This decision is about removing barriers,” says Martin. “We want to ensure that no child misses out on protection just because they couldn’t complete their vaccine course in their first year.”

    Health New Zealand’s National Public Health Director Dr Nick Chamberlain says it welcomes Pharmac’s decision to extend access to the meningococcal B vaccine.

    “Pharmac’s move to extend access to Bexsero for all children under five is a significant step forward in protecting those most vulnerable to meningococcal disease. 

    “This change brings clarity for the health sector and removes barriers for families, making it easier to complete the vaccine course. Health New Zealand will continue working closely with providers to support the rollout and ensure eligible children receive this important protection,” said Dr Chamberlain.

    While the eligibility criteria for older children and adults at higher risk remain unchanged, Pharmac has clarified the wording to make it easier to understand. Teenagers and young adults living in shared accommodation, such as boarding schools, halls of residence, military barracks, and prisons, continue to be eligible under the current rules.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Cholera outbreak in West and Central Africa poses crisis for children

    Source: United Nations 2

    “The heavy rains, widespread flooding, and the high level of displacement are all fuelling the risk of cholera transmission and putting the lives of children at risk,” said UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Gilles Fagninou.

    Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by consuming food or water contaminated with bacteria. The disease can be treated with oral rehydration solution and antibiotics, but it can be fatal within hours if untreated.

    Young children are particularly vulnerable to cholera due to factors such as poor hygiene, inadequate sanitation and access to safe water, and a greater risk of severe dehydration.

    Regional hotspots

    Active outbreaks in the hotspots of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Nigeria are fuelling the risk of cross-border transmission to neighbouring countries.  

    The DRC is the hardest-hit country in the region, reporting more than 38,000 cases and 951 deaths in July. 

    Children under five now account for nearly 26 per cent of cases in the DRC, and without stronger containment measures, they may face the worst cholera crisis since 2017.

    The situation in capital Kinshasa is particularly critical, as intense rainfall and widespread flooding have caused cases to surge sharply over the past four weeks. Straining an already overwhelmed healthcare system, the city is now facing an alarming case fatality rate of 8 per cent.

    Nigeria is the second most affected country in the region, with 3,109 suspected cholera cases and 86 deaths as of the end of June. Cholera is endemic in the country, where major outbreaks have reoccurred in recent years.

    Region-wide crisis

    Chad, Republic of Congo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo are also facing ongoing epidemics.  

    612 cholera cases were reported in Ghana as of 28 April, 322 cases and 15 deaths were reported in Côte d’Ivoire as of 14 July, and 209 cases and five deaths were reported in Togo as of June 22.  

    Niger, Liberia, Benin, the Central African Republic and Cameroon are also under close surveillance due to their vulnerability.

    UNICEF response

    Urgent and scaled-up efforts are needed to prevent further spread and contain the disease across the region.

    Throughout the outbreaks, UNICEF has delivered lifesaving health, water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) supplies to treatment facilities and communities.  

    The agency has also supported cholera vaccinations, scaled up preparedness and response efforts, and encouraged families to seek timely treatment and improve their hygiene practices.

    “We are in a race against time, working hand in hand with the authorities to deliver essential healthcare, safe water, and proper nutrition to children already at risk of deadly diseases and severe acute malnutrition,” said Mr. Fagninou.  

    “Together with an array of partners, we are strengthening community engagement and extending our reach to remote and underserved areas, making every effort to ensure that no child is left behind.”

    UNICEF West and Central Africa urgently requires $20 million over the next three months to scale up critical support in health, WASH, and risk communication and community engagement. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: DoIT MOEA AI-Enhanced Vaccines and Anti-Pulmonary Inflammatory Drugs Shine at BIO Asia-Taiwan 2025: Health Maintenance, Prevention, and Treatment-A Triple Strategy for a Resilient and Healthy Taiwan

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    The Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) convened three research foundations-ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute), FIRDI (Food Industry Research and Development Institute), and the Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB)-to establish the DoIT pavilion, which held its opening ceremony at BIO Asia-Taiwan 2025. The pavilion showcases 12 innovative technological achievements in health maintenance, disease prevention, and treatment, highlighting Taiwan’s capabilities in biomedical research and development while injecting new momentum into the health industry. Key exhibit technologies include the “Smart Processing & Equipment Integration for Plant-Based Drinks,” designed for the elderly; the “Long-Lasting Immunity of CD40 Ligand Ribonucleic Acid Vaccine Adjuvant,” developed to extend vaccine effectiveness; and the “Novel Selective FPR1 Antagonist,” which reduces side effects while improving therapeutic outcomes.

    Senior Technical Specialist of the Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT), Mr. Tai Chien-Cheng , indicated that in the face of global political and economic uncertainties, pharmaceuticals have become essential strategic commodities vital to public well-being and safety. Taiwan’s strengths in research and development (R&D), regulatory frameworks, and manufacturing processes position it as a reliable partner for international pharmaceutical companies. To enhance global integration and expand cooperation, Taiwan should improve collaboration across both upstream and downstream industries, thereby increasing technical density and strengthening global competitiveness. He advocated for DoIT to continue connecting foundational resources and implementing supportive policies for R&D funding and tools to facilitate industrial advancement. The pavilion symbolizes the long-term commitment of research institutions to the “Three-Stage, Five-Level Prevention” framework, linking applications from “precision medicine” to “palliative care,” and showcasing the government’s proactive efforts in realizing the “Healthy Taiwan” policy.

    In addition, several breakthroughs driven by or related to artificial intelligence (AI) are highlighted among the 12 innovative technologies showcased in the pavilion.

    ITRI presents “Tumor-Derived Exosomes Enrichment and Detection Platform”, and “One-Stop Exosome Isolation and Characterization Services”. FIRDI showcases “Intelligent Preparation of Nutritional Beverages” in AI-powered biomedicine research and development.

    ITRI’s “In Vivo Delivery of mRNA Encoding CAR to Macrophages for Solid Tumor Therapy” and “An Eye Drop Product for Dry AMD Treatment”. DCB showcases “Rejuvenating CAR-T Cells Through the Secretion of Antibodies Targeting Immunosuppressive Axis” and “NTSR1-ADC: A Novel Therapeutics for Head and Neck Cancer” for cancer and ophthalmic conditions. These technologies highlight the progress in therapeutic drug development and the emergence of new treatment breakthroughs.

    Additionally, FIRDI contributes its technical expertise through the development of “Plant-based animal fat alternative technology” and “Microorganisms in the Modification of Food Texture and Flavor”. These innovations aim to redefine the texture and quality of plant-based meats, infusing the plant-based industry with dynamic advancements.

    Spokesperson: Ministry of Economic Affairs Department of Industrial Technology (Taiwan) Deputy Director General Chou Chung-Pin
    Telephone:02-23212200 extension 8121
    Email:cbjou@moea.gov.tw

    Contact person:Ministry of Economic Affairs Department of Industrial Technology (Taiwan) Technical Specialist Tai Chien-Cheng
    Telephone:02-23212200 extension 8180
    Email:cctai@moea.gov.tw

    Media contact:Ministry of Economic Affairs Department of Industrial Technology (Taiwan) Researcher
    Telephone:02-23212200 extension 8155,0910-660322
    Email:yschi@moea.gov.tw

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • Vaccines prevented over 2.5 million COVID deaths worldwide: Study

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Vaccines have prevented more than 2.5 million deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, according to a new study.

    Led by researchers from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Italy, the study found that one COVID-related death was avoided for every 5,400 vaccine doses administered.

    About 82% of the lives saved involved people who were vaccinated before contracting the virus. Additionally, 57% of the total lives saved were during the Omicron period, and 90% of the deaths prevented were among individuals aged 60 and above.

    Overall, the study estimated that vaccines saved 14.8 million years of life globally—equivalent to one year of life saved for every 900 doses administered. The findings were published in the JAMA Health Forum journal.

    “Previous studies attempted to estimate lives saved by vaccines using different models, timeframes, or regional data,” said Dr. Angelo Maria Pezzullo and Dr. Antonio Cristiano. “However, this study is the most comprehensive to date. It uses global data, includes the Omicron period, quantifies life years saved, and is based on fewer assumptions regarding pandemic trends.”

    For the analysis, researchers examined global population data and applied a series of statistical models to determine who became ill with COVID-19—either before or after vaccination—and during or after the Omicron period, including age and mortality outcomes.

    “We compared this data with modeled estimates assuming no COVID vaccination. This allowed us to calculate how many people were saved and the number of life years gained due to vaccination,” explained Dr. Pezzullo.

    The study also revealed that 76% of the saved life years were among people over 60. However, residents of long-term care facilities accounted for only 2% of the total benefit.

    Children and adolescents accounted for just 0.01% of lives saved and 0.1% of life years saved. Similarly, young adults aged 20–29 contributed 0.07% of lives saved and 0.3% of life years saved, the researchers noted.

    —IANS

  • Tamil Nadu: PM Modi releases commemorative coin honouring Rajendra Chola I at grand Aadi Thiruvathirai celebration

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday participated in the valedictory celebrations of the Aadi Thiruvathirai festival, marking the birth anniversary of the illustrious Chola emperor Rajendra Chola I, at the historic Gangaikonda Cholapuram in Tamil Nadu’s Ariyalur district.

    As part of the ceremony, the Prime Minister released a commemorative coin in honour of the Chola king, celebrating his contributions to Indian history, architecture, and maritime legacy.

    Dressed in traditional Tamil attire — a white veshti (dhoti), half-sleeved shirt, and angavastram (upper cloth) — the Prime Minister offered prayers at the Gangaikonda Cholisvaram temple, also known as the Brihadisvara Temple, which was built by Rajendra Chola I as a replica of his father Rajaraja Chola I’s temple in Thanjavur.

    The temple, maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, is considered a masterpiece of Chola architecture and Saivite tradition.

    Prime Minister Modi was welcomed with ‘poorna kumbham’ honours before entering the temple premises.

    He performed ‘abhishekam’ for the presiding deity, Choleeswarar (Lord Shiva), using sanctified water brought from the Ganga in Varanasi.

    The Prime Minister also offered ‘deeparadhana’ (worship with lamps) and witnessed Tamil ‘Shivaacharyas’ chanting Vedic hymns in Tamil as part of the traditional rituals.

    The PM visited various shrines within the temple complex, including those dedicated to Goddess Durga, Parvati, and Lord Murugan, and spent considerable time admiring the intricate sculptures and bronze icons dating back to the Chola era.

    The Prime Minister was particularly fascinated by the stone-carved statues, copper plates, and metal idols that reflect the richness of the Chola dynasty’s cultural and spiritual life.

    During the ceremony, ‘odhuvars’ (temple singers) rendered sacred Saivite hymns, while renowned music composer Ilaiyaraaja performed compositions from ‘Thiruvasagam’, the devotional verses of Tamil saint-poet Manikkavasagar.

    The event also marked the millennial celebration of Rajendra Chola’s legendary maritime expedition to Southeast Asia, which showcased the Chola empire’s naval prowess and far-reaching influence.

    The Prime Minister also visited a thematic photo exhibition on ‘Saiva Siddhanta and Chola Temple Arts’ organised by the ASI and interacted with scholars about the legacy of Rajendra Chola I, expressing deep appreciation for the dynasty’s contributions to Indian history and architecture.

    —IANS

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 26 July 2025 Departmental update WHO expands guidance on sexually transmitted infections and reviews country progress on policy implementation

    Source: World Health Organisation

    WHO has released new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) guidance and policy implementation data, ahead of the STI & HIV 2025 World Congress in Montreal, 26–30 July 2025.

    The 2 new components of the upcoming consolidated guidelines on STI prevention and care include the Guidelines for the management of asymptomatic STIs, and the Recommendations on the delivery of health services for STI prevention and care.

    These evidence-based guidelines aim to strengthen STI prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment, especially in high-burden, resource-limited settings. They complement existing guidance covering syndromic management, management of specific STIs: such as gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis, trichomoniasis, genital candidiasis, Mycoplasma genitalium, human papillomavirus (anogenital warts) and bacterial vaginosis, syphilis testing, partner services. 

    Key new recommendations include targeted screening for gonorrhoea and chlamydia in high-prevalence settings with available resources, focusing on pregnant women, adolescents and young people aged 10–24, sex workers and men who have sex with men (MSM). 

    Screening should align with individual risk and resource considerations, with at least annual or 6-monthly screening recommended for sex workers and MSM. 

    Service delivery improvements include decentralizing and integrating STI services, task sharing with trained providers and community health workers, and leveraging digital tools to complement in-person care.

    Together with existing guidance, these new components will form part of the forthcoming WHO consolidated guidelines on STI prevention and care. 

    “These new recommendations aim to close persistent policy and service gaps, especially for asymptomatic STIs, and help countries move faster toward the 2030 goals,” said Dr Meg Doherty, Director of WHO’s Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs Programmes.

    WHO reports mixed progress on adopting and implementing WHO policy in countries

    As part of its continued efforts to strengthen global STI responses, WHO has released new data highlighting both progress and persistent challenges in national policy implementation. 

    Among countries reporting to Global AIDS Monitoring in 2024–2025, 89% have a national STI strategy or action plan in place – yet only 43% have updated it since 2023. Similarly, while 97% of countries report having national case management guidelines, only half of them have revised them since 2020. 

    Gonococcal resistance monitoring remains limited, with just 37% of countries conducting routine surveillance. Encouragingly, 95 countries have integrated dual HIV/syphilis rapid tests into their national policy – nearly half of these countries adopted them for both pregnant women and key populations. 

    National plans to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis are in place in 72% of reporting countries. As of 1 July 2025, 147 Member States (76%) have included human papillomaviruses (HPV) vaccine – critical to preventing cervical cancer – in their national immunization schedule, and 2 countries have reported partial introduction of the vaccine. 

    These findings underscore the urgent need to accelerate updates to national policies, expand surveillance, and close implementation gaps. STIs remain prevalent and continue to present a major burden of morbidity and mortality. To reduce STIs and prevent complications, the provision of quality STI prevention and care services is essential. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –