NewzIntel.com

Category: CTF

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Tech Research – Artificial Intelligence Adoption in S&P 500 Firms Brings New Security Challenges, Study Finds

    Source: Cybernews

    July 24, 2025, Vilnius, Lithuania – As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly central to the operations of America’s largest corporations, recent research reveals potential security vulnerabilities that could affect both organizations and their customers.

    An analysis by cybersecurity experts at Cybernews examined AI deployments across the S&P 500 and uncovered close to 1,000 potential weak points that may lead to data exposure, theft of proprietary information, and erroneous AI actions.

    The study found that 327 S&P 500 companies publicly report using AI tools in their operations in sectors including finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and energy.

    While these tools have accelerated innovation and efficiency, safety measures have yet to fully catch up, leaving systems open to misuse or failure. This includes AI outputs that may be inaccurate or misleading, unintended disclosure of confidential data, and risks of corporate secrets being compromised.

    Žilvinas Girėnas, head of product at nexos.ai, emphasized, “It’s not enough to deploy AI and hope for the best. Businesses need to develop AI with the same safety standards as airplanes: constant oversight, clear guardrails, and a zero-trust approach. Every AI decision must be considered potentially wrong until proven correct, and every input must be monitored to prevent sensitive data from leaking or trade secrets from escaping.”

    The potential vulnerabilities extend across multiple industries. Technology and semiconductor companies are especially vulnerable to data leaks and intellectual property risks. Financial institutions might face challenges protecting client data while ensuring AI does not reinforce unfair bias in lending.

    Healthcare providers carry the added responsibility of protecting patients from flawed AI-driven recommendations. Meanwhile, industrial and infrastructure sectors must guard against disruptions that could affect critical services, such as power supply or supply chain operations.

    For consumers, the consequences are tangible. Unsecured AI systems risk leaking private details – ranging from medical histories to financial records – while flawed AI judgments could influence decisions that directly affect people’s health and finances.

    As AI tools play a larger role in retail, banking, transportation, and other areas, protecting these technologies becomes essential for public protection.

    The report highlights past incidents that illustrate these dangers. IBM’s Watson once offered unsafe cancer treatment suggestions. Apple’s credit system faced scrutiny after allegations of gender bias. Zillow’s AI-driven pricing led to substantial financial losses. Additionally, Samsung experienced unintended source code disclosures due to inappropriate use of AI chatbots by employees.

    “AI is becoming more deeply embedded in business operations, and the risks are multiplying. The lessons from all these incidents are clear: unchecked deployment without robust security and oversight leads to real-world failures,” said Martynas Vareikis, Security Researcher at Cybernews.

    As AI further transforms businesses, past incidents and potential threats show how crucial it is to improve security strategies in parallel.

    ABOUT CYBERNEWS

    Cybernews is a globally recognized independent media outlet where journalists and security experts debunk cyber by research, testing, and data. Founded in 2019 in response to rising concerns about online security, the site covers breaking news, conducts original investigations, and offers unique perspectives on the evolving digital security landscape. Through white-hat investigative techniques, Cybernews research team identifies and safely discloses cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities, while the editorial team provides cybersecurity-related news, analysis, and opinions by industry insiders with complete independence. 

    Cybernews has earned worldwide attention for its high-impact research and discoveries, which have uncovered some of the internet’s most significant security exposures and data leaks. Notable ones include:

    • Cybernews researchers discovered multiple open datasets comprising 16 billion login credentials from infostealer malware, social media, developer portals, and corporate networks – highlighting the unprecedented risks of account takeovers, phishing, and business email compromise.

    • Cybernews researchers analyzed 156,080 randomly selected iOS apps – around 8% of the apps present on the App Store – and uncovered a massive oversight: 71% of them expose sensitive data.

    • Recently, Bob Dyachenko, a cybersecurity researcher and owner of SecurityDiscovery.com, and the Cybernews security research team discovered an unprotected Elasticsearch index, which contained a wide range of sensitive personal details related to the entire population of Georgia. 

    • The team analyzed the new Pixel 9 Pro XL smartphone’s web traffic, and found that Google’s latest flagship smartphone frequently transmits private user data to the tech giant before any app is installed.

    • The team revealed that a massive data leak at MC2 Data, a background check firm, affects one-third of the US population.

    • The Cybernews security research team discovered that 50 most popular Android apps require 11 dangerous permissions on average.

    • They revealed that two online PDF makers leaked tens of thousands of user documents, including passports, driving licenses, certificates, and other personal information uploaded by users.

    • An analysis by Cybernews research discovered over a million publicly exposed secrets from over 58 thousand websites’ exposed environment (.env) files.

    • The team revealed that Australia’s football governing body, Football Australia, has leaked secret keys potentially opening access to 127 buckets of data, including ticket buyers’ personal data and players’ contracts and documents.

    • The Cybernews research team, in collaboration with cybersecurity researcher Bob Dyachenko, discovered a massive data leak containing information from numerous past breaches, comprising 12 terabytes of data and spanning over 26 billion records.

    • The team analyzed NASA’s website, and discovered an open redirect vulnerability plaguing NASA’s Astrobiology website.

    • The team investigated 30,000 Android Apps, and discovered that over half of them are leaking secrets that could have huge repercussions for both app developers and their customers.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Thune Reintroduce Legislation to Expand Seniors’ Options for Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and John Thune (R-SD) today reintroduced the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services (ECAPS) Act, bipartisan legislation that would ensure seniors can continue to access important clinical services from their pharmacist. The bill would allow Medicare to reimburse for certain pharmacist-administered tests, treatments, and vaccinations for illnesses like influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and strep throat, in accordance with state scope-of-practice laws. 
    “Seniors across South Dakota rely on the care and support they receive from their community pharmacists,” said Thune. “I am proud to lead this commonsense legislation that would allow these services and other important treatments to remain a reliable option for seniors, particularly in our rural communities.” 
    “During the pandemic, we saw firsthand how pharmacists stepped up to meet urgent health care needs, especially in underserved and rural communities,” said Warner. “This bill builds on that progress by making sure seniors can continue to count on their local pharmacists for routine tests, vaccines, and treatments for common illnesses like flu and COVID. This is a practical step to improve access to care, reduce the burden on hospitals and clinics, and make our health system work better for seniors.”
    “In rural states like South Dakota, pharmacists are often the most accessible – and sometimes the only – health care provider available to patients,” said Amanda Bacon, executive director of the South Dakota Pharmacists Association. “The ECAPS Act recognizes the vital role pharmacists play on the front lines of care, especially in areas where access is limited by geography, provider shortages, or both. The South Dakota Pharmacists Association strongly supports this legislation and the critical role it plays in strengthening our rural health care system. The ECAPS Act helps keep care close to home – and in South Dakota, that makes all the difference.” 
    “We applaud Senator Warner and Senator Thune for championing the reintroduction of the ECAPS Act,” said Jamie Fisher, executive director of the Virginia Pharmacy Association. “This bipartisan legislation recognizes what patients across Virginia already know – pharmacists are vital, trusted, and accessible members of the health care team. By ensuring Medicare beneficiaries can receive essential services like flu, COVID-19, RSV, and strep testing and treatment from their local pharmacist, the ECAPS Act will improve health outcomes, particularly in rural and underserved communities where access to care is often limited. We strongly support this effort to expand access and equity in health care.” 
    “The Future of Pharmacy Care Coalition commends Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senator Mark Warner for championing the ECAPS Act to ensure seniors, including those living in rural areas and vulnerable communities, can turn to their local pharmacists for testing and treatment services that can protect them from certain common respiratory conditions,” said the Future of Pharmacy Care Coalition. “Congress must move with urgency to provide seniors with Medicare coverage in states where pharmacists can offer testing and treatment services for conditions that, although common, can quickly become life-threatening if not properly managed.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, 28 Senators Call on Administration to Conduct Independent, U.S.-Led Investigation into Death of American Citizen in West Bank

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and 27 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi calling on the Administration to conduct an independent investigation into the death of Saifullah Kamel Musallet, an American citizen recently killed near the West Bank town of Sinjil. The Senators point to the repeated lack of accountability in the deaths of other American citizens killed in the West Bank since January 2022, including Shireen Abu Akleh, Omar Assad, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, and Amer Mohammad Saada Rabee. Given that, the Senators also ask for an update on the status of any investigations into the killings of these six other Americans.
    The Senators wrote, “We write with grave concern regarding the brutal killing of a Palestinian-American, Saifullah Kamel Musallet, near the West Bank town of Sinjil, on July 11, 2025. The U.S. government must conduct a credible and independent investigation into his death and hold all perpetrators accountable. Protecting and supporting U.S. citizens abroad is one of the foremost responsibilities of the U.S. government. The United States Government has failed to secure accountability for the killing of respected Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, or any of the other five American citizens – Omar Assad, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, and Amer Mohammad Saada Rabee – killed in the West Bank since January 2022. Following the Trump Administration’s sudden revocation of all U.S. sanctions against extremist settlers in the West Bank, the first five months of 2025 have seen the highest rate of settler attacks in years and the killing of another American. We urge you to pursue a different approach.” 
    “Saifullah Kamal Musallet is the seventh American citizen killed in the West Bank since January 2022 — and the fifth in just the last nineteen months. The killings of these Americans in the West Bank have been met by a lack of accountability from the Netanyahu government and an inability to secure justice by the U.S. government. These failures have contributed to an unacceptable culture of impunity when it comes to incidents where civilians have been killed in the West Bank, including Americans,” they continued. 
    The Senators noted, “The Netanyahu government has failed to hold anyone accountable for any of these seven killings of Americans and the United States government has failed in its responsibility to protect American citizens overseas and demand justice for their deaths.”  
    “It is long past time for the U.S. government to demand accountability in these killings of Americans. To that end, we urge you to immediately launch an independent investigation into the brutal killing of Saifullah Kamel Musallet, including the circumstances that blocked ambulances from reaching him. We also ask that you provide us with an update on the status of any investigations into the killings of the six other Americans who have been killed since January 2022, and provide us with a briefing on actions you are taking to ensure accountability for their deaths and to prevent future killings of Americans in the West Bank,” the Senators closed. 
    In addition to Sen. Warner, the letter was signed by Senators Van Hollen, Murray, Kaine, Durbin, Reed, Shaheen, Schatz, Merkley, Sanders, Warren, Cantwell, Welch, Smith, Baldwin, Markey, Warnock, Lujan, Ossoff, Kim, Heinrich, Duckworth, Klobuchar, Whitehouse, Hirono, Booker, Alsobrooks, Blunt Rochester, and Murphy. 
    The full text of the letter is available here and below.
    Dear Secretary Rubio and Attorney General Bondi, 
    We write with grave concern regarding the brutal killing of a Palestinian-American, Saifullah Kamel Musallet, near the West Bank town of Sinjil, on July 11, 2025. The U.S. government must conduct a credible and independent investigation into his death and hold all perpetrators accountable. Protecting and supporting U.S. citizens abroad is one of the foremost responsibilities of the U.S. government. The United States Government has failed to secure accountability for the killing of respected Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, or any of the other five American citizens – Omar Assad, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, and Amer Mohammad Saada Rabee – killed in the West Bank since January 2022. Following the Trump Administration’s sudden revocation of all U.S. sanctions against extremist settlers in the West Bank, the first five months of 2025 have seen the highest rate of settler attacks in years and the killing of another American. We urge you to pursue a different approach.
    Saifullah Kamal Musallet is the seventh American citizen killed in the West Bank since January 2022 — and the fifth in just the last nineteen months. The killings of these Americans in the West Bank have been met by a lack of accountability from the Netanyahu government and an inability to secure justice by the U.S. government. These failures have contributed to an unacceptable culture of impunity when it comes to incidents where civilians have been killed in the West Bank, including Americans.
    Saifullah Kamel Musallet, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen from Florida, was visiting family in the West Bank when he was beaten to death by extremist Israeli settlers during a settler attack on the town of Sinjil. Reports indicate that ambulances could not reach the injured for more than two hours, with eyewitness accounts stating that settlers and Israeli forces impeded ambulance access. In April of this year, a 14-year-old boy from New Jersey, Amer Mohammad Saada Rabee, was also killed in the West Bank. Amer was reportedly shot at the entrance to Turmus Ayya by Israeli security forces. Reports suggest that Amer was shot a total of 11 times and two other Americans were also shot in the incident. 
    Last year, three other U.S. citizens were killed in the West Bank, including two teenagers. Tawfic Abdel Jabbar and Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour were both 17-year-old U.S. citizens visiting their families in the West Bank when they were shot and killed in separate incidents. In both cases they were shot in the head while they were traveling in vehicles. The third U.S. citizen killed in the West Bank last year was Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old American citizen raised in Seattle who, according to reports, was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier from a distance of 200 meters. 
    The Netanyahu government has failed to hold anyone accountable for any of these seven killings of Americans and the United States government has failed in its responsibility to protect American citizens overseas and demand justice for their deaths.
    It is long past time for the U.S. government to demand accountability in these killings of Americans. To that end, we urge you to immediately launch an independent investigation into the brutal killing of Saifullah Kamel Musallet, including the circumstances that blocked ambulances from reaching him. We also ask that you provide us with an update on the status of any investigations into the killings of the six other Americans who have been killed since January 2022, and provide us with a briefing on actions you are taking to ensure accountability for their deaths and to prevent future killings of Americans in the West Bank.
    We respectfully ask for a response within two weeks.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Urges President Trump to Protect Whistleblowers While Cutting Federal Waste, Fraud and Abuse

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – In a letter to President Donald Trump, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), co-founder and co-chair of the Whistleblower Protection Caucus, praised the president’s efforts to eliminate waste and fraud and requested that the administration ensure whistleblowers are not terminated or retaliated against after making legally protected whistleblower disclosures.
    “For decades, my oversight work has exposed bloated government that’s broken faith with the American taxpayer. Trillions of dollars of taxpayer money have been lost to waste, fraud and abuse … However, I write today because it’s important that federal agencies aren’t using this downsizing initiative as an excuse to retaliate against federal workers who have made protected whistleblower disclosures. If that has happened, this would not only be unlawful but also have a severe chilling effect on federal employees who would otherwise blow the whistle,” Grassley wrote.
    Grassley asked the administration to identify potential federal employees who were terminated after making a legally protected whistleblower disclosure and whose firing was not part of the administration’s overall Reduction in Force initiative. In the letter, Grassley requested each case be individually reviewed to ensure the termination, or pending termination, was not done because of the protected disclosure.
    “Whistleblowers are the government’s most powerful tool to root out waste, fraud, and abuse … In many circumstances, the misconduct and wrongdoing these patriotic whistleblowers risk their careers, livelihoods, and reputations to bring to light would have never been known to Congress, the federal government, or the American people if they didn’t have the guts to come forward. Yet, in many instances, they aren’t thanked for coming forward; rather, they’re treated like skunks at a picnic,” Grassley continued.
    The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblowers who made legally protected disclosures about misconduct in the handling of the Hunter Biden investigation faced retaliation by the Biden IRS and several attempts to discredit their reputations and ruin their careers. After President Trump returned to office, Grassley worked with the Trump administration to secure the whistleblowers’ promotions at the Treasury Department.
    Grassley also worked with the Trump administration to secure promotions and back pay for three Customs and Border Protection employees: Mark Jones, Mike Taylor, and Fred Wynn. At Grassley’s urging, the Trump administration also restored law enforcement credentials, badges and firearms for Jones and Taylor after they were revoked by the Biden administration. All three were retaliated against by the Biden administration for blowing the whistle on that administration’s failure to secure the border.
    Background:
    Grassley has consistently worked to ensure federal agencies treat whistleblowers fairly and are held accountable for whistleblower retaliation. He coauthored and helped lead the introduction of the original Whistleblower Protection Act, which passed Congress unanimously and was signed into law by then-President George H.W. Bush.
    He also helped get the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 signed into law, which included a Grassley-authored “anti-gag” provision. This makes federal agency nondisclosure policies, forms and agreements unenforceable unless they contain a provision notifying the employee that the agreement doesn’t prohibit them from making whistleblower disclosures to Congress, the Office of Special Counsel or an Inspector General.
    Full text of the letter is available HERE and below.
    July 24, 2025
    VIA ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION
    The Honorable Donald J. TrumpPresident of the United StatesThe White House1600 Pennsylvania AveWashington D.C. 20500
    Dear President Trump:
    I applaud your efforts to eliminate waste and fraud within the federal government. For decades, my oversight work has exposed bloated government that’s broken faith with the American taxpayer. Trillions of dollars of taxpayer money have been lost to waste, fraud and abuse while some within the federal workforce ride the gravy train without actually doing the job for which they’re on payroll. As you work to eliminate government waste and fraud, it is necessary to reduce the federal workforce and federal building footprint. However, I write today because it’s important that federal agencies aren’t using this downsizing initiative as an excuse to retaliate against federal workers who have made protected whistleblower disclosures. If that has happened, this would not only be unlawful but also have a severe chilling effect on federal employees who would otherwise blow the whistle.
    Accordingly, I write to you concerning a potential subset of federal employees: federal employees outside of your administration’s Reduction in Force initiative who have been fired or otherwise retaliated against because they made legally protected whistleblower disclosures. If a federal employee fits within that category, it’s critically important that any individual personnel action and the federal agency’s investigation into allegations of reprisal are fair and comply with constitutional and statutory whistleblower protections. As a first step, I strongly encourage your administration to identify the universe of federal employees who were terminated outside of any Reduction in Force initiative and who made legally protected whistleblower disclosures. If federal employees within that universe do, in fact, exist, I further request that their case be individually reviewed to ensure that their termination, or pending termination, was not done because of that protected disclosure.
    Whistleblowers are the government’s most powerful tool to root out waste, fraud, and abuse. Indeed, our Founding Fathers recognized the significant importance of whistleblowers by enacting the first whistleblower protection legislation in our nation’s history in 1778 during the Second Continental Congress. In many circumstances, the misconduct and wrongdoing these patriotic whistleblowers risk their careers, livelihoods, and reputations to bring to light would have never been known to Congress, the federal government, or the American people if they didn’t have the guts to come forward. Yet, in many instances, they aren’t thanked for coming forward; rather, they’re treated like skunks at a picnic.
    For example, the brave Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblowers who made legally protected disclosures about misconduct in the handling of the Hunter Biden investigation faced retaliation by the IRS and several attempts to discredit their reputations and ruin their careers. I was glad to see that your administration has done right by the IRS whistleblowers and promoted them, where the Biden administration retaliated against them. The same can be said of the Department of Homeland Security/Customs and Border Protection whistleblowers who faced years of retaliation for blowing the whistle on the government’s failure to collect DNA at the border. Your administration gave them their guns, badges, and retirement back. Many other whistleblowers from all over the federal government have done and continue to do the same, putting everything on the line to expose waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct. These patriotic whistleblowers ought to be rewarded for their courage and sacrifices, not subjected to retaliation.
    Throughout my career I’ve committed to ensuring that federal agencies treat whistleblowers fairly and are held accountable for whistleblower retaliation. I coauthored and helped lead the introduction of the original Whistleblower Protection Act, which passed Congress unanimously and was signed into law by then-President George H.W. Bush. I also cosponsored and worked to get the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 signed into law, which included language I authored, known as the “anti-gag” provision. This provision makes federal agency nondisclosure policies, forms, and agreements unenforceable unless they contain a provision notifying the employee that the agreement doesn’t prohibit them from making whistleblower disclosures to Congress, the Office of Special Counsel, or an Inspector General.
    Further, I’ve championed laws and legislation to expand whistleblower protections to employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Intelligence Community. But just because we’ve passed good laws does not mean we can stop paying attention to the issue. I founded the bipartisan Whistleblower Protection Caucus to encourage my Senate colleagues to further strengthen protections for whistleblowers and to recognize the sacrifices they make for our country. Those who fight waste, fraud, and abuse in government should be lauded for their patriotism. Accordingly, I strongly urge federal agencies to ensure all allegations of whistleblower retaliation are given fair and appropriate review, investigation, and consideration.
    And, finally, I kindly remind you of my outstanding request that you hold a Rose Garden ceremony for whistleblowers.
    Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
    Sincerely,
    Charles E. GrassleyChairmanCommittee on the Judiciary

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Judiciary Committee Advances Three Public Safety Bills, Seven U.S. Attorney Nominations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee today unanimously voted to advance three bipartisan public safety bills to support law enforcement’s efforts to combat crime and protect vulnerable populations.
    The Opioid Overdose Data Collection Enhancement Act, led by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), would assist local law enforcement in identifying and tackling drug abuse trends. The CHILD Act of 2025, led by Grassley and Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), would ensure all child care workers are authorized to receive a nationwide background check. The TRACE Act, led by Judiciary Committee members Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), would help locate missing persons on public land.
    “The three bills advanced out of the Judiciary Committee today will help equip local law enforcement with the resources needed to safeguard their communities. I was glad colleagues on both sides of the aisle worked together to advance these bills out of our committee, and I look forward to moving these bills on the Senate floor,” Grassley said.
    The Senate Judiciary Committee additionally voted to advance the following nominations:
    Kurt Alme, to be United States Attorney for the District of Montana, by a voice vote;
    Nicholas Chase, to be United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota, by a voice vote;
    Lesley Murphy, to be United States Attorney for the District of Nebraska, by a voice vote;
    Jeanine Pirro, to be United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, by a vote of 12-10;
    Daniel Rosen, to be United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota, by a voice vote;
    Erik Siebert, to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, by a voice vote;
    Kurt Wall, to be United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, by a voice vote.
    Watch the executive business meeting HERE.
    Read Chairman Grassley’s opening statement HERE.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Reintroduced Bill To Combat Alarming Rise In Domestic Terrorism Threats

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    July 24, 2025
    As the Trump Administration reallocates resources away from domestic terrorism prevention efforts to fund an illegal mass deportation campaign, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act would codify and bolster key tools and resources to combat domestic terrorist threats
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, reintroduced legislation to address the growing domestic terrorism threat. The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2025 would enhance the federal government’s efforts to prevent domestic terrorism by establishing offices dedicated to combating this threat; requiring federal law enforcement agencies to regularly assess this threat; and providing training and resources to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement in addressing it, among other things.
    “There is zero justification for discrimination and hate in our country—regardless of ideology. Tragically, we’re witnessing the Trump Administration reallocate resources away from domestic terrorism and hate crimes prevention efforts across the government, which are meant to protect Americans of all backgrounds against discrimination.
    “With the alarming rise in domestic terrorism threats in America, we need to bolster our government’s capabilities to detect, curb, and prevent potential attacks. I believe—and the American people believe—that’s a central responsibility of our government: to keep us safe, secure, and free. This should be a bipartisan solution, and I will again push for it to become law,” said Durbin.
    The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2025 authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) offices that are responsible for monitoring, analyzing, investigating, and prosecuting domestic terrorism. The bill also requires these offices to issue joint biannual reports to the House and Senate Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Intelligence Committees that assess the domestic terrorism threat posed by white supremacists; analyze domestic terrorism incidents that occurred in the previous six months; and provide transparency through a public quantitative analysis of domestic terrorism-related assessments, investigations, incidents, arrests, indictments, prosecutions, convictions, and weapons recoveries. DHS, DOJ, and FBI offices would be required to focus their limited resources on the most significant domestic terrorism threats, as determined by the number of domestic terrorism-related incidents outlined in the joint report.
    The legislation also:
    Codifies the Domestic Terrorism Executive Committee (DTEC), an interagency task force, which was originally created by the Department of Justice in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing;
    Provides additional clarity regarding which federal law enforcement officials shall serve on the DTEC authorized by the bill; and
    Requires that the Executive Committee meet with local community groups to foster greater collaboration and dialogue to help combat domestic terrorism.
    Additionally, the bill requires DOJ, DHS, and the FBI to provide training and resources to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement in understanding, detecting, deterring, and investigating acts of domestic terrorism. Finally, the legislation would establish an interagency task force to combat white supremacist and neo-Nazi infiltration of the uniformed services.
    In May 2022, Senate Republicans filibustered the House-passed Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act.
    Bill text is available here.
    During his tenure as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Durbin held a hearing entitled “A Threat to Justice Everywhere: Stemming the Tide of Hate Crimes in America.” The hearing examined the threats facing marginalized communities and how the federal government can better protect the civil rights and safety of all Americans, including Jewish, Arab, and Muslim Americans. Durbin also raised the issue in a March 2025 hearing on combatting antisemitism.
    Additionally, under Durbin’s leadership as Chair, the Committee held several other hearings to examine the issue of hate crimes and domestic terrorism, including a hearing on “Combating the Rise in Hate Crimes” shortly after the January 15, 2022, synagogue attack in Colleyville, Texas, and a hearing examining the “Metastasizing’ Domestic Terrorism Threat After the Buffalo Attack,” which explored the continued threat posed by violent white supremacists and other extremists, including those who have embraced the so-called “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, after a mass shooting by a white supremacist in Buffalo on May 14, 2022. The white supremacist who murdered 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018 also embraced this conspiracy theory.
    Durbin first held a hearing on domestic terrorism threats in 2012, after a white supremacist murdered seven Sikh worshipers in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
     
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin On Trump’s Extreme Judicial Nominees: The Only Qualification That President Trump Looks For In His Nominees Is Loyalty To Him And His MAGA Agenda

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    July 24, 2025
    Durbin took to the Senate floor to denounce President Trump’s extreme and unqualified judicial nominees
    WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, criticized the Trump Administration’s unqualified and extreme judicial nominees. In his remarks, Durbin spoke out against the nomination of Emil Bove to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, pointing toward Bove’s unwavering loyalty to President Trump. During his remarks, Durbin also denounced the confirmation of Joshua Divine to serve as a judge on the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri.
    “The first Trump Administration put forward some of the most extreme and unqualified judicial nominees ever considered by the Senate. Several Trump nominees had little or no experience in a courtroom, no litigation experience,” Durbin said. “Three district court nominees—Kathryn Mizelle, Justin Walker, and Sarah Pitlik—won unanimous support from Committee Republicans, despite having never tried a case.”
    “Many Trump nominees took some unusual, if not controversial, if not just plain wrong [positions]. [Take] Lawrence Van Dyke, [a] Ninth Circuit nominee. We asked him to affirm that he would be fair to LGBTQ individuals. He wouldn’t say it, just couldn’t get the words [out] of his mouth,” Durbin continued. “Michael Truncale, an Eastern District of Texas nominee, said of President Obama, he was ‘an un-American imposter.’ Those are the words of this man seeking the federal bench, about the former president. He said he [Obama] would ‘bow to Arab sheikhs and other world leaders.’ Where did you find that nominee?”
    During his first term, President Trump put forward ten judicial nominees who were found to be “Not Qualified” by the American Bar Association. Despite strong objections from Senate Democrats, eight of the ten unqualified nominees were confirmed by Senate Republicans.
    “Historically, the American Bar Association did its own background check on nominees for the federal bench. Where would they go? Well, they would go into the community. They would go to the judges that this person has appeared before. They would go to the fellow attorneys. They would try to find character references. And they would dig deep. They had some basic rules. You had to have [12] years of experience as an attorney to even be considered for the federal bench. Then they rated people ‘Qualified,’ ‘Not Qualified,’ ‘Well Qualified,’ and such… Even when the American Bar Association says you’re unqualified to serve on the bench, it didn’t discourage the [Trump Administration],” Durbin said.
    “President Trump seems intent on outdoing himself by putting forth nominees who are even more extreme, partisan, and fundamentally unqualified [than his first Administration]. Instead of finding more qualified judicial nominees, Attorney General Bondi ordered the Justice Department to stop cooperating with the American Bar Association in rating nominees,” Durbin continued.
    “She didn’t want to run into the embarrassment that they did in the first Trump term, with ten of them being found unqualified. She said the way to solve that is to not find a better nominee, but to get rid of the American Bar Association. If they’re not going to give a grade to these nominees, we don’t have to worry about their being unqualified. She overturned a practice in place nearly 70 years, going back to Dwight Eisenhower. Both Republican and Democratic presidents had followed the rule. Now the only qualification that President Trump looks for in his judicial nominees, he says as much, is loyalty,” Durbin said.
    Durbin then spoke out against Emil Bove’s nomination, laying out his troubling record as an insurrection apologist and his belief that he does not need to abide by federal court rulings, both of which disqualify him from serving on the federal bench.
    “As a senior official in the Justice Department, Mr. Bove has done nothing but cater to President Trump’s every whim… Mr. Bove personally ordered the termination of federal prosecutors who put violent January 6 rioters in prison… When asked to justify his actions in firing the attorneys who prosecuted these insurrectionists, Mr. Bove claimed ‘heavy-handed tactics’ by prosecutors were ‘equally unacceptable’ as physical violence against law enforcement. That is an outrageous and offensive statement by a man who wants to be a federal judge for life,” Durbin said.
    “Mr. Bove also led the Justice Department’s efforts to strike a corrupt bargain with New York City Mayor Eric Adams. This is an outrage, what he did. Mr. Bove stated that charges would be dropped without prejudice so that Adams could ‘devote full attention and resources to…illegal immigration and violent crime.’ In other words, President Trump needed Mayor Adams to do his bidding on his deportation policy,” Durbin continued. 
    “If that was not enough, Mr. Bove has shown utter disdain for our courts. A whistleblower stepped forward, gave his name, risked his future to tell us what Mr. Bove had told to the attorneys working on cases [at the Justice Department]… According to this credible whistleblower who provided ample documentation to back up his claims, Mr. Bove told Department of Justice attorneys that they might need to say, ‘f— you’ to federal courts that issue orders this Administration doesn’t agree with,” Durbin said. “That is the most dangerous comment that a person in the position of authority can make in the executive branch, that they will ignore the court orders that are issued against them.”
    Durbin also decried Joshua Divine’s confirmation to serve as a judge on the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri. Divine, who has litigated for only five years, has repeatedly peddled extreme positions on women’s right to health care and voting rights, hearkening back to deeply racist Jim Crow laws.
    “Yesterday, the Senate confirmed Joshua Divine to the federal bench. [He’s] 34 years old, received his law degree nine years ago, litigated for five years. Beyond his troubling lack of experience, Mr. Divine has taken extreme positions,” Durbin said. “He calls himself a ‘zealot’ when it comes to [being] anti-choice.”
    “He has challenged women’s ability, in his state, to access the abortion drug mifepristone and has undermined the decision of Missouri voters to codify abortion access in their state constitution,” Durbin said.
    “Also deeply troubling, Mr. Divine argued in favor of literacy tests at the ballot box, stating that people who ‘aren’t informed about issues or platforms…have no business voting.’ Now where does that come from in America? Literacy tests, where does that come from? It comes from the era of Jim Crow,” Durbin continued. “It turns out, Mr. Divine believes that literacy tests should be restored. It shouldn’t be controversial for anyone to say that the nominee has disqualified himself. The fact that the Senate confirmed Mr. Divine is outrageous.”
    Durbin concluded his floor speech by calling on his Republican colleagues to put aside their unbridled loyalty to President Trump and prevent extreme, unqualified nominees from sitting on the federal bench.
    “These nominees are just the tip of the iceberg. President Trump will continue to nominate extreme and unqualified individuals unless the Senate takes a stand,” Durbin said.
    “I urge my colleagues to vote against Mr. Bove and all future nominees whose only loyalty is to the President, and not to the Constitution,” Durbin concluded.
    Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
    Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
    Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
     
    -30-
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Salinas and Ansari Lead 37 Colleagues in Demanding Secretary Rollins Reinstate the 2001 Roadless Rule

    Source: US Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06), alongside Congresswoman Yassmin Ansari (AZ-03), led 37 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins urging her to reverse the decision to fully rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule and to reinstate full roadless protections.

     Since its inception, the Roadless Rule has protected 58.5 million acres of forestland by preventing road construction and ensured consistent, dependable protections for these critical landscapes. Earlier this year, Reps. Salinas and Ansari, alongside Sens. Cantwell and Gallego, introduced legislation to enshrine the Roadless Rule into law.

    Click here or see below for the full letter:

    Dear Secretary Rollins,

    We write to express profound concern with your recent decision to fully rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. This critical environmental safeguard ensures the protection of 58.5 million acres of our nation’s most pristine wild forestlands and provides durable climate benefits; protects watersheds that provide drinking water to millions of Americans; preserves critical habitats for threatened species; and supports recreation opportunities for American communities.

    In your announcement, you claimed that this rule is overly restrictive and limits our ability to protect forests from devastating fires. However, the Roadless Rule already includes commonsense provisions to allow road construction to protect public health and safety and timber harvests when needed to maintain healthy ecosystems and reduce wildfire risks. Moreover, evidence shows that roads actually increase the risk of fire. According to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS):

    “Building roads into inventoried roadless areas would likely increase the chance of human-caused fires due to the increased presence of people. Fire occurrence data indicates that prohibiting road construction and reconstruction in inventoried roadless areas would not cause an increase in the number of acres burned by wildland fires or in the number of large fires.”

    Additionally, recent analysis of wildfire data shows that fires are nearly four times as likely within 50 meters of roads as in roadless areas. Further, USFS has stated that “the agency rarely builds new roads to suppress fires.” It is simply untrue to assert that repealing the Roadless Rule will necessarily result in fewer or less damaging fires or that the USFS lacks the flexibility to respond effectively to these disasters. 

    This also represents a significant potential burden on USFS resources at a time when your Administration has pursued staff reductions and proposed spending cuts that threaten the agency’s ability to effectively carry out its mission. This Administration has already put more Americans at risk from wildfire as a result of dismantling the Forest Service. Rescinding the Roadless Rule will only exacerbate the wildfire crisis facing our western communities. Now is not the time to ask this critical agency to do more with less. 

    USFS already has an enormous backlog of maintenance needs for the existing 368,102-mile road system, which will cost $5,980,000,000 to eliminate. One of the many reasons the Roadless Rule was adopted 25 years ago was to stop the excessive and fiscally irresponsible road construction that was happening across our national forests at American taxpayer expense. Forcing the recission of this policy to allow more roads to be built is an irresponsible distraction and massive waste of taxpayer funding. 

    Beyond these realities, repeal is deeply unpopular. More than 1.6 million comments were submitted in favor of the Roadless Rule – more than any other rulemaking in our nation’s history at the time it was adopted– and the rule has survived decades of attacks. This is precisely because millions of Americans are clear-eyed about the value of these protected ecosystems. These include anglers and hunters, hikers, tribal communities, and so many more Americans who use and cherish our country’s incredible natural resources. That includes the outdoor recreation and tourism industry. A 2019 analysis of the economic values of roadless area conservation found that the recreational and passive uses of inventoried roadless areas yielded a total of nearly $9 billion in economic benefits each year  – benefits our country and forest-adjacent communities cannot afford to lose.

    The Roadless Rule keeps these wild ecosystems intact, sustaining critical habitats for threatened species such as native salmon populations that provide immense economic value in the Pacific Northwest and represent significant tribal cultural resources. In Alaska, the Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest, with 9 million acres of roadless areas and mature and old-growth rainforest, storing more than 1.5 billion metric tons of CO2-equivalent and sequestering 10 million metric tons a year. These forests protect clean drinking water for American communities, particularly rural communities which cannot afford to pay for drinking water infrastructure. They also serve as carbon sinks, making them an important tool in our work to address climate change, which agricultural producers depend on to sustain their businesses. 

    For over two decades, the Roadless Rule has served as dependable protection for some of our nation’s most valued public lands. We urge you to reverse course and retain full roadless protections for these 58.5 million acres.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: July 24th, 2025 Heinrich Criticizes Trump Administration for Working to Stall Energy Projects and Raise Costs on Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON — During a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on energy demand growth, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Committee, pressed Jeff Tench, Executive Vice President of Vantage Data Centers and Rob Gramlich, CEO and Founder of Grid Strategies LLC, on Trump Administration actions that are impacting grid reliability and driving up families’ energy costs.

    VIDEO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M), Ranking Member of the U.S. Energy and Natural Resources Committee questions Jeff Tench, Executive Vice President of Vantage Data Centers and Rob Gramlich, CEO and Founder of Grid Strategies LLC.

    On the Trump Administration Adding Burdensome Red Tape to Clean Energy Project Approvals

    Senator Heinrich began by asking Jeff Tench, Executive Vice President of Vantage Data Centers, how the Trump Administration adding additional reviews and red tape impacts businesses and grid reliability, “So Mr. Tench, you may be aware, the Department of the Interior recently released a memo that’s going to require the Secretary to review all wind and solar projects on federal lands. It adds just one more layer of red tape. Do you have opinions on what the potential business impacts of energy projects just being delayed in that regulatory process? How that further delays impact the business prospect?”

    Tench responded, affirming that new directives from the Trump Administration will negatively impact business and adding new generation to the grid, “Our observation and our requirement is for more electrons, as you called out in your opening remarks, Vantage is relatively agnostic as to the source of those electrons. So, in the case of rule making or regulatory action that slows down the process of approving new generation or new transmission, would definitely be a negative for our business.”

    Heinrich followed up, “Should in the, in the sort of five-year window like 2025 to 2030, shouldn’t we be focused on putting as many electrons, agnostic of generation source, on the grid as possible to be able to meet the kind of demand that you represent?”

    Tench answered, “Yes, our position is that efforts to move electrons around through enhanced transmission is important, necessary, but insufficient relative to the overall demand. We need more energy, more generation, and more generation, and we need more transmission independent of source. That said, it does need to be a reliable, grid dispatchable source, which I believe, you know, can be accomplished with the right combination of energy source for generation and energy storage.”

    Heinrich responded, alluding to the Trump Administration’s recent reckless actions that stall projects despite growing energy demands, “You know, one of my concerns is we have we have an existing pipeline that is the result of decisions that have been made over the course of the last decade. That pipeline is 95% clean energy plus storage. It’s about 5% gas. You know, a year or two ago, we had a couple of nuclear plants come online, which are great. I support that, but that’s kind of a one off. You know, in the next five years, if we start building new nuclear today, whether that’s SMRs or traditional light water reactors, that’s going to take longer than the five-year window. If I order a combined cycle natural gas turbine today, it’s probably going to come on the grid in 2032 2033 if we’re lucky. So, if you don’t allow the existing projects that are in the queue today, that are our renewables plus storage. What does that do to the price pressure on the grid? What’s the impact of that?”

    Tench answered, “As it relates to price pressure, I’ll probably defer to Rob on that question as more of a grid expert, but in the broader context, our goals are to encourage speed of change in regulatory process, to bring more electrons on the grid. And again, depending upon the site in which we’re developing, our access to proximate energy sources varies, and we are being very pragmatic about how we approach that and make available to ourselves whatever we can in order to meet the demand.”

    Heinrich followed, “Mr. Gramlich, do you want to address the price pressure issue?”

    Gramlich, CEO and Founder of Grid Strategies LLC, answered, confirming that the Administration’s actions to limit new generation is raising costs on consumers, “Sure. I mean, basically it’s supply and demand. There’s scarcity of generation. So, anything that is limiting new generation from coming on, whether it’s interconnection queues, permitting hold ups that Interior, or anything else that’s cutting off supply, and that is definitely raising prices. And we are seeing prices go up wholesale power prices are going up. That is required. Those higher costs are required to be incorporated by state public utility commissions into retail bills. So, retail consumers…”

    Heinrich intervened, “Are there places where prices have actually come down in recent years that you can point to and what was the reason why those prices came down?”

    Gramlich answered, “Sure. Well, I mean, if you just look at, say, the supply stack for some places like Texas. Texas, just over the last couple of days, has had a majority of their peak demands, not just, you know, overnight, not just winter peak, afternoon air conditioning, driven demand served by a majority renewables plus storage.”

    Heinrich pressed, “And were there rolling blackouts?”

    Gramlich answered, “There were not. Reliability. Reliability is better? Yeah, you probably heard about rolling blackouts in California, like five years ago. Honestly, they got behind on resource adequacy. But what did they do? They built a lot of solar and batteries. So same dynamic there. I’m sure we’re seeing a majority renewable energy. Any hour now it’s going to kick in, and then when the air conditioning load this afternoon is high, there’s going to be solar and then the sun will set, air conditioning load will still be high, but the batteries will then kick in and serve through the evening. So again, they don’t do everything.”

    On How the Trump Administration is Raising Families’ Electricity Costs

    Heinrich asked Gramlich, “One of the things we have to deal with here is these agencies and the role that they play in permitting new generation and transmission. So Mr. Gramlich, if, if our permitting agencies, for example, the Department of the Interior, which has added this new level of red tape stall or slow walk permits for generation projects, which we’re currently seeing, and those permit projects, as a result, don’t get on the grid, or they get on the grid slower. What’s the impact to people who pay retail electric prices?”

    Gramlich replied, testifying to how the Trump Administration is raising energy costs on consumers as a result of recent directives, “Sure. Well, obviously that will raise prices. And what’s happening is, you know, love it or hate it, many utilities with their state regulators have put in place plans for the next few years how they’re going to meet load. There might be retirements. There might be load growth. They routinely go through these plans. And just the reality is, it’s largely wind, solar and storage that are in those plans.”

    Heinrich followed, “About 95% in most cases.”

    Gramlich agreed, “Right.”

    Heinrich continued, “So if you take that 95% out, even some portion of it, say a third, what are you going to replace it with in year one, two or three, nothing.”

    Gramlich replied, “Curtailment.”

    Heinrich followed, “Curtailment, exactly. Exactly. Why I say capacity factors is because I’m an engineer, and I don’t remember a lot of the terms, the buzzwords that we get thrown at around a lot here now: firm, baseload, dispatchable. What I remember from my education is capacity factors, right? And if you look at generation today, you know, I have wind in my state that has a 40% capacity factor. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty darn good. You know, what else has a 40% capacity factor, Mr. Gramlich? Coal today in the United States of America. Everybody says it’s firm and base load, and it’s not. It’s not because it’s expensive and it’s unreliable, and when you have a coal fire generating station go down, the whole thing goes down. Doesn’t go down 3%, it doesn’t go down 10% — you lose that generation until that thermal plant is back up and running. So, in your testimony, you talked about the increase in demand over time. DOE also is predicting a similar amount, about 2% a year, but they’re also claiming that there is somehow 100-fold increased risk of outage, and this relates to capacity factor issue. If forecasted retirements occur between now and 2030, as predicted, what were the assumptions that went into that, that were baked into that claim?”

    Gramlich answered, “Yeah, I think the Department of Energy, I mean, they provided useful analysis with this, this report, but I think they’ve vastly overstated the retirements of generation. And as I said earlier, we have processes, either through utility planning or market to you know, to discourage or prevent retirements, and that’s happening. But also on the supply addition side, there’s a lot more generation out there that could come onto the grid, and I think the Department of Energy study understated that new supply. So, if you understate supply, overstate retirement, suddenly you have a reliability crisis. But it might just be manufactured by those numbers.”

    Heinrich continued, “Yeah, we certainly haven’t seen that in New Mexico, and we haven’t seen that next door in Texas, where they have a totally separate grid from ours, but they’re bringing on lots of new sources of generation, lots of new solar and batteries in particular. You know, transmission lines are such an important piece of all this, because they do help us wield power around the country, and it’s hard to build transmission. It’s why we need to actually do permitting reform, which this Committee did last Congress but hasn’t done this Congress yet. You know, I worked on one transmission line for 17 years of my life, and today it is has facilitated, you know, tens of billions of dollars of economic output. It’s facilitated the largest renewable project in the continent’s history. But it wasn’t easy to get that done if you create a system where the politics can change overnight, where, for example, a loan from the Loan Program Office can be decided by politics rather than by metrics. What is the impact of that on reliability and on price pressure?”

    Gramlich answered, “Well, I mean, so many utilities have testified before this Committee over the years about the need for stability. They’re making 60-year investments, six zero, and if the policies change 180 degrees every four years, they simply can’t do that. So the point is well taken. We need some stability. I do think FERC is a great place for a lot of these orders as a bipartisan, non-partisan agency for permitting. They could do more in that regard, and but we need, we need to get that regulatory stability for investment.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: July 24th, 2025 N.M. Delegation Demands Trump Release Illegally Withheld Funds for New Mexico Students and Teachers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    Lawmakers cite direct consequences to New Mexico as a result of Trump illegally withholding education funding

    Delegation to Trump: “New Mexico’s educators and students have always done more with less. Diverting funds meant for our children is unconscionable and schools deserve better”

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) sent a letter to President Donald Trump demanding the immediate release of nearly $5.6 billion in federal education funding withheld from New Mexico’s students, educators, and schools.

    After the N.M. Delegation sent the letter last Thursday, the Administration announced it would release $1.3 billion in funding for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. This key investment supports afterschool programs that strengthen literacy, STEM skills, mental health, and violence prevention. In 2021, almost 90 percent of students who participated in a 21st Century Community Learning program saw better homework completion rates, increased classroom participation, and improved in-class behavior. While releasing this funding is critical to ensuring parents and students have access to after school and summer learning programs, the Administration must follow suit with the rest of the funding.

    “We write to demand the immediate release of the nearly $7 billion in federal education funding your Administration is unlawfully withholding. Your actions jeopardize New Mexico’s students, educators, and schools, and directly violate the U.S. Constitution’s Appropriations Clause, which grants Congress the power to control public funds,” the lawmakers begin.

    “You personally signed these funds into law as part of the FY 2025 Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act on March 15, 2025. Then, on June 30th, you informed state and local education agencies that you are withholding these critical funds indefinitely. Withholding these funds beyond the end of the fiscal year would violate the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Further, the law mandates that the president submit a formal message to Congress justifying any deferral of funds,” the lawmakers continue.

    For New Mexico, the funding freeze is devastating. It impacts programs that provide after-school care, English language instruction, and adult literacy classes, to name a few. Without these funds, schools cannot pay for teacher training, afterschool programs, adult literacy classes, or support multilingual learners. These dollars are not luxuries; they are essential investments in our children’s futures.

    New Mexico will lose $5.8 million in funding for English Language Acquisition programs that support multilingual learners. These programs help English learners attain English proficiency, achieve high levels of academic success, and strengthen family engagement. The funding also improves educator training and provides essential resources to support students both inside and outside the classroom. In a state where so many students come from diverse linguistic backgrounds, this funding is vital to helping students thrive and supporting their families.

    Additionally, the funding freeze jeopardizes critical adult education programs in New Mexico, which stand to lose more than $4.7 million in support. These funds are essential for GED programs, English language proficiency classes, literacy and math instruction, and workplace readiness training. By providing adults with opportunities to join the workforce, continue their education, and improve their quality of life, these programs strengthen entire communities. Just last year, Doña Ana Community College enrolled 1,431 students in its adult education program, and last month alone, nearly 100 students graduated with their GED. Cutting these investments threatens to set back thousands of New Mexicans who are working to build a better future for themselves and their families.

    Citing these devastating consequences to the education and well-being of New Mexico students, the lawmakers conclude, “Your illegal freeze threatens to force staff layoffs, increase class sizes, and cut student services at schools across New Mexico. Every teacher let go, every tutor lost, and every child left behind is a direct consequence of this reckless decision. New Mexico’s educators and students have always done more with less. Diverting funds meant for our children in unconscionable and schools deserve better. We call on you to do your constitutional duty and release these funds without delay.”

    Public officials across the country have raised strong concerns about the freeze in funding. Earlier this month, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez joined 21 states across the country to sue the Trump Administration for withholding the education funds.

    Read the full text of the letter here and below:

    President Trump:

    We write to demand the immediate release of the nearly $7 billion in federal education funding your administration is unlawfully withholding. Your actions jeopardize New Mexico’s students, educators, and schools, and directly violate the U.S. Constitution’s Appropriations Clause, which grants Congress the power to control public funds.

    You personally signed these funds into law as part of the FY 2025 Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act on March 15, 2025. Then, on June 30th, you informed state and local education agencies that you are withholding these critical funds indefinitely. Withholding these funds beyond the end of the fiscal year would violate the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Further, the law mandates that the president submit a formal message to Congress justifying any deferral of funds.

    For New Mexico, the funding freeze is devastating. It impacts programs that provide after-school care, English language instruction, and adult literacy classes, to name a few. Without these funds, schools cannot pay for teacher training, afterschool programs, adult literacy classes, or support multilingual learners. These dollars are not luxuries; they are essential investments in our children’s futures.

    The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers program supports afterschool programs that strengthen literacy, STEM skills, mental health, and violence prevention. New Mexico was set to receive more than $9 million this year and now more than 10,000 children in New Mexico risk losing access entirely. In 2021, almost 90 percent of students who participated in a 21st Century Community Learning program saw better homework completion rates, increased classroom participation, and improved in-class behavior.

    New Mexico will also lose $5.8 million in funding for English Language Acquisition programs that support multilingual learners. These programs help English learners attain English proficiency, achieve high levels of academic success, and strengthen family engagement. The funding also improves educator training and provides essential resources to support students both inside and outside the classroom. In a state where so many students come from diverse linguistic backgrounds, this funding is vital to helping students thrive and supporting their families.

    Additionally, the funding freeze jeopardizes critical adult education programs in New Mexico, which stand to lose more than $4.7 million in support. These funds are essential for GED programs, English language proficiency classes, literacy and math instruction, and workplace readiness training. By providing adults with opportunities to join the workforce, continue their education, and improve their quality of life, these programs strengthen entire communities. Just last year, Doña Ana Community College enrolled 1,431 students in its adult education program, and last month alone, nearly 100 students graduated with their GED. Cutting these investments threatens to set back thousands of New Mexicans who are working to build a better future for themselves and their families.

    Your illegal freeze threatens to force staff layoffs, increase class sizes, and cut student services at schools across New Mexico. Every teacher let go, every tutor lost, and every child left behind is a direct consequence of this reckless decision. New Mexico’s educators and students have always done more with less. Diverting funds meant for our children in unconscionable and schools deserve better.

    We call on you to do your constitutional duty and release these funds without delay.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to systematic review and meta-analysis of long-term air pollution exposure and dementia

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    A systematic review and meta analysis published in Lancet Planetary Health looks at long-term air pollution exposure and dementia incidence.

    Dr Mark Dallas, Associate Professor in Cellular Neuroscience, University of Reading, said:

    “While air pollution joined dementia’s 14 modifiable risk factors in 2024, the specific culprits remain unclear. This new research examined existing data and identified three main culprits: tiny particles from car exhaust, nitrogen dioxide from vehicles and power plants, and black carbon from diesel engines. These findings strengthen the evidence that we can protect brain health through cleaner policies targeting diesel pollution and better city planning. However, we still need to understand exactly how these pollutants damage the brain and increase the diversity in dementia research participants. This will help us learn more about how air pollution affects different types of dementia and whether some communities face higher risks than others.”

     

    Dr Tom Russ, Reader in Old Age Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, said:

    “This high quality article summarises the evidence in this rapidly-expanding area up to October 2023. This article improves on many previous reviews but is subject to similar limitations because of the way this research is often conducted; this reflects the quality of the studies it summarises rather than any shortcomings of this specific article. The review includes articles which examine the association of exposure to air pollution for at least one year (described as ‘long-term’ exposure) with the emergence of dementia diagnosed by a doctor. It includes more studies than any previous article and because of the large number of studies included, the authors can be more accurate in their estimate of the size of the effect of dementia – for instance, their data suggest that the risk of dementia resulting from exposure to air pollution would be 9% lower in Edinburgh compared to London.

    “It is helpful to see the effects of different pollutants examined – though the authors acknowledges that these pollutants may, in fact, interact with each other in having their harmful effects. This speaks to an area this article cannot deal with – if exposure to air pollution does indeed increase the risk of someone developing dementia, what is the mechanism by which this happens? This question has not yet been addressed – in contrast to air pollution and the cardiovascular system where we have a clear mechanistic understanding of the effects of air pollution exposure on the body through experiments where people are exposed to controlled levels of air pollution. We need a similar body of research focused on the brain.

    “The authors try to examine air pollution in relation to different subtypes of dementia – an important area – but because this is often poorly recorded in medical records, they were not able to really tackle this. Most of the time, dementia is simply recorded as ‘dementia’ rather than the specific diagnosis (e.g., Alzheimer dementia, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies). A further complication is that around half of people with dementia never receive a diagnosis and so don’t appear in medical records.

    “One limitation of all the studies included in the review is that they estimate the amount of air pollution exposure based on someone’s home address. This is not the most accurate measure of air pollution exposure but I am not aware of any studies which have done this any other way, though a better approach is sorely needed.

    “Finally, since we know that many conditions which result in dementia have their origins decades before the emergence of symptoms, studies really need to look at truly long-term air pollution exposure – much longer than one year. Researching this is challenging because few long-term studies have people’s home addresses from their whole lives and measurement or modelling of air pollution levels is rare before the 1990s.

    “This article answers the question of whether air pollution exposure is associated with dementia better than previous work, but we still need better research to clarify how and why air pollution might be bad for the brain. Dementia remains a public health priority but air pollution is just one of several important risk factors and stopping smoking, controlling diabetes, controlling blood pressure and cholesterol in mid-life (amongst other things) are crucial for individuals who want to reduce their own risk of dementia, as well as minimising exposure to air pollution.”

    Dr Ian Mudway, Associate Professor of Environmental Toxicology and Visiting Professor for Environmental Health, Gresham College, Imperial College London, said:

    “This aligns very closely with previous attempts to examine the association between air pollution and dementia. I worked on this back in 2019, and at that time, given the available evidence, we concluded it was too premature to perform a meta-analysis. There were simply too many inconsistencies between studies, particularly concerning exposure assessment.

    “While I believe the evidence base has improved since then, inherent challenges remain in linking long-term air pollution changes to dementia incidence due to the decades-long prodromal period of the disease. It raises the crucial question: “How far back must we look to capture the relevant long-term exposures impacting brain health?”

    “Additionally, as the authors acknowledge, distinguishing between vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease purely from medical records remains quite difficult, despite their efforts.

    “The robust associations observed for NO2, black carbon/PM2.5 absorbance, and PM2.5 itself suggest that the effect is related to both local-scale traffic emissions and more regional particulate matter sources. Overall, this paper strongly supports the contention outlined in the Lancet Commission’s dementia reviews that air pollution is a significant and modifiable risk factor for dementia, and addressing it would substantially improve brain health.”

    Prof Roy Harrison FRS, Professor of Environmental Health, University of Birmingham, said:

    “This combined analysis of 51 previously conducted independent studies gives a clear signal that the risk of developing dementia is strongly influenced by air pollution exposure.  This finding is consistent with other research showing associations between a number of measures of brain function and air pollution, and is particularly important given the devastating impacts of dementia both upon individuals and their families, and society as a whole.  It adds to our ever-increasing knowledge of the many diverse harmful effects of air pollution upon health and strengthens the case for firm action to further improve air quality.

    Dr Samuel Cai, Lecturer in Environmental Epidemiology, University of Leicester, said:

    “The press release is accurate, although it could also be mentioned that studies included in this meta-analysis are quite heterogeneous.

    “This is a comprehensive and timely review, including latest primary studies published over the last few years. The conclusion was generally backed by the data presented.

    “Air pollution was only recently identified as a new risk factor for dementia in a Lancet-commissioned research. At the time, evidence for the harmful effects of PM2.5  on dementia seems to be more certain, but evidence  for other pollutants is less conclusive. This review has significantly strengthened the current knowledge base, reporting that PM2.5, NO2 and soot are all adversely linked to dementia development, based on some of most recent publications.

    “This is a systematic review and meta-analysis, and therefore consideration of confounders are usually not applicable in this type of articles. There are two more limitations which may worth further investigation. First, in the studies included in this review, did the effects of air pollution on dementia incidence have been adjusted for other environmental exposures such as greenspace and traffic noise? These two exposures may interact with air pollution in a complex way, and therefore may affect the risk posed by air pollution leading to dementia onset?

    “Second, it is not very clear, at which life stage that air pollution exposure is relatively more important in triggering dementia?  There is some evidence that late-life air pollution exposures seem to be more relevant to dementia incidence, as compared to mid-life or early-life. I think the current evidence pool is still weak on this question, but certainly a direction warranting more research.

    “The implications mentioned by the authors are correct. Air pollution needs to be formally recognised as a risk factor for dementia in clinical practices, and that societal-wide policy actions are needed to tackle air pollution, particularly that from traffic in UK cities and towns, to protect brain health as UK population is ageing.”

     

    Prof Barbara Maher FRS, Professor of Environmental Magnetism, Lancaster University, said:

    “This is another meticulous and large study (~30 million people over 4 continents), which reviews and analyses other painstaking studies, attesting to the damage being done to our brains by breathing in air pollution particles. While this study links outdoor PM2.5 (fine particles less than 2.5 micrometres diameter) with increased dementia incidence, this might represent just the tip of the iceberg. Air pollution contains huge numbers of ultrafine particles (

    “It’s now 9 years since our discovery of huge numbers of traffic-derived, metal-rich nanoparticles inside the frontal cortex of human brains…anywhere between 900 million and 40 billion particles in a gramme of brain tissue. Similar particles have been found directly associated with the amyloid plaques typical of Alzheimer’s disease. And the likely health impacts of exposure to such small, toxic particles don’t end with the brain. They have now been found in human blood, heart, placenta, kidney, bone joints…the body has no effective defense against the ultrafine particle cocktails we generate outdoors, especially from traffic, and indoors, for example, in heating our homes using stoves.

    “What’s more, of course, the nanoparticle ‘mix’ varies from place to place and city to city, so the full scale of the dementia/air pollution pandemic will only become more obvious when epidemiological studies take particle composition, as well as ultrafine size, into account.”

    Dr Isolde Radford, Senior Policy Manager at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:    
      
    “Air pollution is not just an environmental issue – it’s a serious and growing threat to our brain health. If no one were exposed to air pollution, there would be three fewer cases of dementia for every 100 people who develop it now. This rigorous review adds to mounting evidence that exposure to air pollution – from traffic fumes to wood burners – increases the risk of developing dementia.  
      
    “But poor air quality doesn’t affect all communities equally. As this analysis highlights, marginalised groups are often exposed to higher levels of pollution, yet remain underrepresented in research. Future studies must reflect the full diversity of society – because those most at risk could stand to benefit the most from action.  
     
    “What’s still unclear is exactly how air pollution affects the brain. There are several biological pathways that could explain the link, and to prevent dementia in the future, we need to deepen our understanding of these mechanisms.  
     
    “Air pollution is one of the major modifiable risk factors for dementia – but it’s not something individuals can solve alone. That’s where government leadership is vital. While the 10-Year Health Plan acknowledges the health harms of air pollution, far more needs to be done to tackle this invisible threat. Alzheimer’s Research UK is calling for a bold, cross-government approach to health prevention — one that brings together departments beyond health, including DEFRA, to take coordinated action on the drivers of dementia risk.  
     
    “The UK is still working to meet the World Health Organization’s air pollution limits by 2040 – but that timeline simply isn’t good enough. We have the evidence and the means to reach these targets by 2030. Doing so could help prevent thousands more people from developing dementia. The Government must act now to set stronger, health-based air quality targets – ones that protect our brains as well as our lungs.”

    ‘Long-term air pollution exposure and incident dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis’ by Clare B Best Rogowski et al. was published in The Lancet Planetary Health at 23:30 UK time on Thursday 24th July. 

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(25)00118-4

    Declared interests

    Dr Mark Dallas: Dr Dallas receives research funding from the Medical Research Council and Carbon Monoxide Research Trust.

    Dr Tom Russ: I don’t have any conflicts as such but am active in research in this area.

    Prof Roy Harrison: Roy Harrison is a member of the Defra Air Quality Expert Group and the DHSC Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants. He has research funding from UKRI, Defra and the European Union Horizon Programme.

    Dr Samuel Cai: I do not have any conflict of interest to declare.

    Prof Barbara Maher: None to declare

    For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Yuri Trutnev expressed condolences in connection with the plane crash in the Amur region

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev expressed his condolences to the families of those killed in the An-24 passenger plane crash in the Amur Region.

    The crash of a passenger plane in the Amur Region is a great tragedy. My deepest condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims. Courage and strength to all whose relatives were on board. A thorough investigation into the causes of the incident will be conducted. The families of the victims will receive the necessary assistance.

    Y. Trutnev

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko: On the instructions of the President, the largest comprehensive infrastructure development program for the education sector in the last 60 years is being implemented

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    A meeting of the headquarters dedicated to the development of educational infrastructure, including the creation of modern campuses, the construction of the Artek International Children’s Center facilities, and the opening of advanced schools in the regions, was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko. The interim results of the projects’ implementation were summed up and further steps for their effective completion were outlined.

    The meeting of the headquarters was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Construction, Rospotrebnadzor, as well as other interested departments and regions of Russia where the opening of new campuses and advanced schools is planned.

    “On the instructions of the President, the largest program of comprehensive infrastructure development of the education sector in the last 60 years is being implemented. We need to build at least 12 advanced general education organizations in all federal districts by 2030. At least 40 world-class university campuses should be created in the country by 2036. It is already the end of July, more than half of the year has passed, it is high time to sum up the interim results,” Dmitry Chernyshenko addressed the participants of the meeting.

    The meeting discussed the progress of construction of modern campuses in the Novgorod, Sakhalin, Chelyabinsk, Samara, Kaliningrad and Sverdlovsk regions.

    As Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Andrey Omelchuk noted, this year two campuses will be put into operation: the Ural Federal University in Yekaterinburg and the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University in Kaliningrad.

    The construction of the campus of the Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin, including three academic buildings, is in its final stage. The total area of the facilities will be 100.1 thousand square meters and will provide comfortable training for more than 8 thousand students.

    The commissioning of all facilities of the modern campus of the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University is expected in June 2026. This large-scale project includes the creation of eight key facilities with a total area of 109.6 thousand square meters, which will be able to provide comfortable education and accommodation for more than 2.4 thousand students.

    On the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children”, projects for 25 campuses have already been approved by 2030 – this is 3 million square meters of area and more than 75 thousand places for comfortable accommodation of students and teachers.

    Dmitry Chernyshenko drew attention to the importance of timely completion of tasks for the construction of facilities of the International Children’s Center “Artek”, which is celebrating its centenary this year. He instructed to strengthen control over the dynamics of the work for their speedy completion, and also noted that next week he plans to personally inspect the facilities under construction.

    The center’s development program includes the construction of 33 facilities. After the introduction of the tenth camp, Solnechny, the IDC Artek will be able to accept up to 57 thousand children per year. In recent years, the center’s educational space has also expanded – branches of Korsun in Sevastopol and Krasnaya Gvozdika on the coast of the Azov Sea have been created.

    Head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova noted the importance of active work to improve the infrastructure of Artek, which will ensure a high level of safety and comfort for children.

    The head of the Ministry of Education, Sergei Kravtsov, noted that work is currently underway on the approved projects of six leading schools.

    “Thanks to the federal project “Leading Schools” of the national project “Youth and Children”, we are implementing a systemic approach to creating modern educational spaces. By 2027, we plan to complete the construction of advanced schools in the Novgorod, Pskov and Ryazan regions for 2.2 thousand places,” emphasized Sergey Kravtsov.

    In addition, in 2028, it is planned to open a school in the Krasnodar region for 600 students, and by the end of 2029, educational institutions in the Belgorod and Nizhny Novgorod regions for 1.6 thousand students.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Alexander Novak chaired a meeting of the subcommittee on increasing the sustainability of the agricultural engineering industry

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Ministry of Economic Development (Russia) – Ministry of Economic Development (Russia) –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak held a meeting of the subcommittee on increasing the stability of the financial sector and individual sectors of the economy. The situation in agricultural engineering and the work of individual systemically important organizations were discussed.

    The event was attended by the Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, the Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut, the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Alexander Zhukov, the Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Nikolai Zhuravlev, the President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Shokhin, representatives of federal authorities, the Central Bank of Russia, heads and representatives of investment banks, development institutions, industry companies, and parliamentarians.

    The meeting participants reviewed the current situation in terms of production and sales of domestic agricultural machinery. It was noted that the measures to support the industry agreed upon at previous meetings of the subcommittee help maintain the sustainability of its work. These include preferential leasing, lending and subsidies, deferrals of payment of the recycling fee, and the possibility for farmers to purchase domestic machinery at discounts.

    In addition, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture is working on the issue of increasing the rate of subsidizing loans issued for the purchase of agricultural machinery. The participants of the meeting agreed that as demand for agricultural machinery stabilizes, and subsidizing loans are launched in the near future, there is currently no need to introduce additional measures to support the industry.

    Alexander Novak instructed the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to continue monitoring the situation in the agricultural engineering sector and to promptly propose solutions to ensure the development of the industry.

    The Deputy Prime Minister also instructed federal authorities to promptly monitor the situation at all systemically important enterprises to ensure their sustainable operation in the current economic conditions.

    “Previously adopted support measures are working successfully and have begun to produce a positive effect from implementation. We continue to monitor the situation, if necessary, we will fine-tune the current measures and return to the issue of developing new mechanisms,” emphasized Alexander Novak.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Vitaly Savelyev held a meeting on the implementation of the Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed railway construction project

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Vitaly Savelyev held a meeting on the implementation of the Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed railway construction project

    July 24, 2025

    Vitaly Savelyev held a meeting on the implementation of the Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed railway construction project

    July 24, 2025

    Vitaly Savelyev held a meeting on the implementation of the Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed railway construction project

    July 24, 2025

    Meeting on the implementation of the Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed railway construction project. General Director – Chairman of the Board of JSC Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov

    July 24, 2025

    Meeting on the implementation of the Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed railway construction project. Minister of Transport Andrey Nikitin

    July 24, 2025

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    Vitaly Savelyev held a meeting on the implementation of the Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed railway construction project

    The meeting participants discussed issues related to the continuation of work on the design of the route, as well as the progress of production of the high-speed train, including options for the interior design of the cars and their technical equipment, the supply of parts and components for the first series of trains.

    Key factors in making decisions regarding the selection of parts and finishing elements are related to compliance with deadlines and technical requirements for the train. Delivery of 43 high-speed electric trains is planned until 2030. Until the end of 2028, 28 trains will be operated on the route with a gradual increase in their number in accordance with the supply agreement.

    The maximum speed of the train will reach 400 km/h, and the operating speed will be up to 360 km/h.

    The new highway will reduce travel time between the cities to 2 hours 15 minutes. It is expected that the passenger flow on the route will be at least 23 million people by the end of 2030.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Patrushev and Acting Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region Denis Pasler discussed issues of agriculture and ecology in the region

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Dmitry Patrushev held a working meeting with the acting governor of the Sverdlovsk region Denis Pasler

    July 24, 2025

    Dmitry Patrushev held a working meeting with the acting governor of the Sverdlovsk region Denis Pasler

    July 24, 2025

    Dmitry Patrushev held a working meeting with the acting governor of the Sverdlovsk region Denis Pasler

    July 24, 2025

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    Dmitry Patrushev held a working meeting with the acting governor of the Sverdlovsk region Denis Pasler

    Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev held a working meeting with Acting Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region Denis Pasler. The main topics were issues of development of the agro-industrial complex and ecology of the region.

    Denis Pasler reported on the sowing campaign that took place in the region. Regional farmers are cultivating over 760 thousand hectares of land. These are primarily spring crops, which occupy 470 thousand hectares. All work on this area was completed on time.

    Sverdlovsk Region is one of the country’s leaders in milk production, and annual and perennial forage grasses play a significant role here. The forage base for the cow population for the coming winter is currently being actively formed, which will allow not only to maintain, but also to increase milk production volumes.

    Dmitry Patrushev and Denis Pasler also discussed the results of the implementation of the national project “Ecology”. Sverdlovsk Region worked within the framework of projects to eliminate unauthorized landfills, create solid municipal waste disposal facilities, reduce emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere, clean water bodies and reforestation. More than 3.3 billion rubles were allocated from the federal budget for these purposes. Work will be continued within the framework of the national project “Ecological Well-Being”.

    Particular attention at the meeting was paid to the participation of the Sverdlovsk region in incident No. 58 “Organization of a system for handling municipal solid waste”, in particular the construction of waste handling infrastructure in the region, as well as a key complex for its processing.

    Dmitry Patrushev instructed the Russian Ecological Operator State Enterprise and the Sverdlovsk Region to step up work on creating eight waste management facilities. The Deputy Prime Minister particularly emphasized that the planned commissioning dates should not go beyond 2030.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Grigorenko: Executive discipline in drafting bills has reached 100% due to digitalization

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The government demonstrated a record level of executive discipline in preparing bills based on the results of the first half of 2025. This figure has been continuously increasing due to the introduction of digital tools in the process of developing legislative initiatives. This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister – Chief of the Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko.

    He noted that 100% of bills were submitted for consideration to the State Duma on time based on the results of the first six months of 2025. Last year, this figure was 99%, in 2023 – 95%, and in 2022 – 84%.

    Over the past year, the number of draft laws for which the deadline for submission to deputies was postponed has been halved. To date, such postponements occur only for 5% of bills. In 2024, the deadline for submission to the State Duma was postponed for 11% of legislative initiatives, and in 2023 – for 38% of such documents.

    Moreover, according to the results of the first half of 2025, the number of government bills increased by 8%, and the number of amendments proposed by the Government increased by 76% compared to the same period last year.

    “Today, when preparing bills and regulations, we use a digital monitoring system. This is not just a control tool, but a new management standard: the system automatically tracks deadlines, records those responsible, and predicts the risks of non-fulfillment of certain tasks. Such transparency has significantly increased the executive discipline of government agencies and ensured 100% fulfillment of plans. This is a clear confirmation of the effectiveness of digital solutions in public administration, and we intend to develop their use,” said Dmitry Grigorenko.

    Since 2020, the Government Office has been operating an information system for monitoring key Government tasks, which includes a separate module for bills and regulatory legal acts. It allows tracking the number of documents that are being processed, their level of readiness, as well as the planned deadlines for submission and signing. At the same time, the data is updated in real time, which allows the Government to promptly respond to the risks of non-fulfillment of plans.

    The system is constantly evolving, taking into account current priorities. Since 2023, it has been recording changes in the deadlines for preparing bills and by-laws, which increases the accuracy of planning. Since last year, it has also been used to control the process of providing feedback and opinions from the Government on legislative initiatives of deputies. As a result, the deadlines for preparing such documents by federal ministries and departments have been reduced by more than half over the past year.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Russian schoolchildren won five medals at the 55th International Physics Olympiad

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The 55th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) has concluded in Paris. Five Russian schoolchildren won three gold and two silver medals at the prestigious intellectual tournament.

    Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Chernyshenko and Minister of Education of Russia Sergei Kravtsov congratulated the children on their successful performance.

    “On the instructions of President Vladimir Putin, we are creating all the conditions for revealing the talents of children and young people, and once again our schoolchildren have proven that Russians are the best! At the International Physics Olympiad in Paris, the Russian team won medals, and most of them were of the highest value. In total, this year our children have already won 21 medals at prestigious international Olympiads. This is a worthy result not only of the persistence and work of the schoolchildren themselves, but also of the systematic work of teachers. I am sure that these achievements will be an excellent motivation for new victories,” the Deputy Prime Minister noted.

    According to the results of the 55th International Physics Olympiad, gold medals were awarded to Mikhail Aronov (P.L. Kapitsa Phystech Lyceum, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region), Grigory Grechkin (School of the Center for Pedagogical Excellence, Moscow) and Ivan Lukin (P.L. Kapitsa Phystech Lyceum, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region). Silver medalists were Egor Krivoshchekov (Lyceum No. 124, Barnaul, Altai Krai) and Pavel Rukovchuk (P.L. Kapitsa Phystech Lyceum, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region). All of them are winners of the All-Russian School Olympiad of the 2024/2025 academic year, medalists of the 2025 Asian Physics Olympiad.

    “You have once again confirmed the leading positions of the national education system in the international arena: three gold and two silver at the competition in France among several dozen participating countries! With your successes, you make a significant contribution to the popularization of physics. I am sure that you have every chance to play a significant role in achieving technological leadership in our country. I wish you not to stop there, to strive for victories not only in studies, but also in life, to confidently achieve your goals,” said Minister of Education Sergey Kravtsov.

    During the Olympiad trials, IPhO participants demonstrated their knowledge and skills in physics in two rounds. The first was devoted to solving theoretical problems covering at least four sections of the subject studied in high school. In the second, experimental round, students completed laboratory work.

    Russian high school students underwent training for IPhO at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) under the guidance of the coach of the Russian physics team, Vitaly Shevchenko, Director of Pre-University Training at MIPT.

    The Russian national team in Paris was led by Mikhail Osin, associate professor of the Department of General Physics at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

    The International Physics Olympiad is an annual international intellectual tournament for secondary school students. In 2025, the competition brought together more than 400 participants from 87 countries. Taking into account the results of this tournament, the number of medals won by Russian teams at major international Olympiads in 2025 reached 21.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Patrushev: Provision of specialists is an important condition for the effective functioning of treatment facilities

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Dmitry Patrushev held a meeting within the framework of incident No. 55 “Wastewater Treatment Facilities”

    Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev held a meeting within the framework of incident No. 55 “Wastewater Treatment Facilities”. It was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Rosprirodnadzor and other federal executive bodies, the State Duma and heads of regions.

    “Over the past few months, construction work has been completed at eight sites. Another seven, according to the approved “road maps”, should be completed this year. I would like to note that, compared to the beginning of the year, the number of sites that have achieved the standard wastewater treatment indicators has almost tripled,” said Dmitry Patrushev.

    The Deputy Prime Minister drew attention to the effectiveness of the on-site monitoring system in problem regions. A special working group created in 2024 on his instructions visited the Yaroslavl Region ahead of the meeting, where it assessed the progress of activities at seven sites included in the federal project “Volga Recovery”. Dmitry Patrushev emphasized that thanks to such on-site meetings, many difficulties can be resolved right on the spot. But at the same time, they also allow identifying additional problems that require general attention. Therefore, the Deputy Prime Minister instructed to continue on-site inspections.

    The meeting considered the main factors that restrain the dynamics of construction of facilities and their achievement of standard cleaning indicators. Among them is the issue of staffing the industry. The regions were instructed to analyze the situation.

    “Provision of qualified specialists is an important condition for the effective functioning of treatment facilities. Without this, their full-fledged operation is simply impossible. All regions should analyze the situation with personnel. It is especially important to carry out such work on projects that are nearing completion. It is necessary to promptly and efficiently train specialists for the launch of new facilities. People must have the necessary competencies,” said Dmitry Patrushev.

    The meeting also discussed mechanisms for interaction with industrial enterprises. The Deputy Prime Minister drew attention to the need for unconditional compliance with wastewater treatment standards discharged into the centralized wastewater disposal system, and instructed federal agencies to propose appropriate incentive measures.

    Following the meeting, the heads of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation were recommended to supplement the work format of regional headquarters with systematic personal visits to problematic sites.

    Incident No. 55 “Wastewater Treatment Facilities” was created on June 15, 2024 to coordinate work on the construction and reconstruction of wastewater treatment facilities within the framework of the national project “Ecology”, as well as to ensure the operation of these facilities with the achievement of the parameters of standard wastewater treatment. Work is currently being considered at 145 facilities in 19 regions.

    When working in the incident format, a special project management system is used, which is deployed on the basis of the Government Coordination Center. It allows for prompt coordination of the actions of participants and monitoring of project implementation in real time.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Mikhail Mishustin held a meeting with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The meeting took place on the sidelines of the International Environmental Conference

    Meeting of Mikhail Mishustin with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan

    July 24, 2025

    Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a meeting with Mikhail Mishustin

    July 24, 2025

    Meeting of Mikhail Mishustin with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan

    July 24, 2025

    Meeting of Mikhail Mishustin with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan

    July 24, 2025

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    Meeting of Mikhail Mishustin with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan

    The heads of government discussed current issues of Russian-Armenian relations in the trade and economic, scientific and technological, and cultural and humanitarian spheres.

    Drive

    Mikhail Mishustin and Nikol Pashinyan noted the importance of creating favorable conditions for the implementation of joint projects in various fields.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Marat Khusnullin: The new building for counselors in Artek is 70% ready

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Roofing work has been completed in the camp counselors’ accommodation building, which is being built on the territory of the Solnechny camp of the Artek International Children’s Center in Crimea. This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.

    “The International Children’s Center “Artek” is a place where true friendship is born and strengthened, where children from all over the country and the world learn mutual understanding, trust and joint creativity. The construction of a modern building for the teaching staff of the camp “Solnechny” is another step towards creating high-quality conditions for those who inspire and guide the younger generation. The new building with an area of over 12 thousand square meters is designed for 400 people. It will provide comfortable conditions for the employees to live and relax: living rooms, coworking spaces, universal classrooms, recreation areas and all the necessary utility rooms. The roof has already been installed at the facility, the facade work and the installation of utility networks for the facility are nearing completion. The facility is over 70% complete. More than 130 specialists are working at the construction site,” said Marat Khusnullin.

    In addition, work is actively underway to install internal engineering systems, and finish the rooms and corridors. Also, as part of the project, work is being carried out to install a new block-modular boiler house with a capacity of 18 MW.

    “The camp counselor’s building is being built using modular technology. The modules were delivered to the construction site with finished living rooms and bathrooms. Currently, work on installing engineering protection against landslide processes is also nearing completion on the site, and landscaping work has begun. The construction of the building is planned to be completed by the end of 2025,” noted Karen Oganesyan, General Director of the Unified Customer Production and Consulting Company.

    By the end of 2025, it is also planned to complete the construction of the Center for Innovative Educational Technologies, which is designed for 1.2 thousand students. In addition to classrooms, there will be art and rehearsal halls, an amphitheater, modern workshops, a universal hall for 700 seats and much more.

    The construction and reconstruction of capital construction projects of the International Children’s Center “Artek” are carried out within the framework of the comprehensive state program “Construction”, supervised by the Ministry of Construction.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: Notice of liquidation, AB “ASPECT” (JSC)

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Central Bank of Russia –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Full company name

    JOINT-STOCK BANK “ASPECT” (Joint-Stock Company)

    Abbreviated company name

    AB “ASPEKT” (JSC)

    Registration number

    608

    Date of registration by the Bank of Russia

    10/26/1990

    Primary state registration number

    1027739326207 (07.10.2002)

    Address from the charter

    129327, Moscow, st. Lenskaya, 28

    Actual address

    129327, Moscow, st. Lenskaya, 28

    Charter

    Date of approval of the latest version of the charter: 01.12.2015, agreed changes to the charter: other changes (20.12.2018)

    Authorized capital

    RUB 45,300,000.00, date of change in the authorized capital: 01.11.2002

    License (date of issue/last replacement)Banks with a basic license are banks that have a license that has the word “basic” in its name. All other active banks are banks with a universal license.

    The license was revoked by the order of the Bank of Russia OD-809 dated 12.04.2019

    Participation in the deposit insurance system

    Yes

    Brand name in English

    Joint Stock Bank “Aspect”, “Aspect – Bank”

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Heads of SCO media discussed ways to further deepen exchanges and cooperation

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    ZHENGZHOU, July 24 (Xinhua) — Fu Hua, director general of China’s Xinhua News Agency, held separate meetings with media executives attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Media and Think Tank Summit in Zhengzhou, capital of central China’s Henan Province, on Thursday.

    Fu Hua welcomed media representatives and think tanks from SCO countries to come together to discuss ways to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and build a broad consensus on sustainable development within the SCO.

    The Xinhua Director-General expressed the hope that all parties will jointly tell stories of friendship and cooperation for common development, common prosperity and common promotion of peace, bringing wisdom and strength to building a beautiful home for the SCO.

    All parties agreed that the SCO Media and Think Tank Summit, held ahead of the organization’s summit in Tianjin, serves as a bridge for deepening cooperation and striving for common development.

    Director General of the Union of News Agencies of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Mohammed Al Yami expressed his willingness to share stories about China with Arabic-speaking audiences and expressed hope for more fruitful results in cooperation with Xinhua on news exchange.

    Director General of the Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA) Irina Akulovich called China an important defender of the international order. She promised to deepen exchanges with Xinhua and open a new chapter in practical cooperation between the two agencies.

    Director of the Kyrgyz National News Agency Kabar Mederbek Shermetaliev expressed hope to further strengthen personnel exchanges and mutual learning with Xinhua, thereby contributing to the establishment of closer cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and China within the SCO framework.

    Director General of the Russian news agency TASS Andrei Kondrashov expressed TASS’s readiness to deepen and expand its strategic partnership with Xinhua, contributing to the development of Russian-Chinese relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction, entering a new era.

    The SCO Media and Think Tank Summit, jointly organized by Xinhua, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Henan Provincial People’s Government under the leadership of the State Council Information Office, is being held in Zhengzhou from July 23 to 27. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on the Joint Press Statement on Climate Change at the China–EU Summit

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    The Secretary-General welcomes the commitment of China and the European Union to strengthen cooperation on climate change and drive the global just transition. As two of the world’s largest economies, the Secretary-General believes it is critical that China and the European Union continue to work together to ensure that COP30 in Brazil represents a major turning point in the global effort to address the climate crisis.
     
    The Secretary-General reiterates his call to all G20 countries to present 2035 NDCs that are economy-wide, cover all emissions, align with the 1.5-degree goal and define a credible pathway to transition away from fossil fuels as agreed at the First Global Stocktake.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Strengthening primary care to better meet patient needs

    Source: New Zealand Government

    The Government is taking further action to ensure Kiwis can see a doctor, focusing on improved funding for rural practices, faster access to primary care, and a stronger pipeline of locally trained GPs, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
     

    • Updating GP funding to better reflect patient needs
    • Setting a new health target for faster GP access
    • Backing GP training and retention

    “We want all New Zealanders to be able to see a GP when they need one, regardless of where they live,” Mr Brown says.

    “In rural areas especially, GP clinics with only one doctor or closed books makes it harder for patients to get timely appointments. We’re committed to changing that.

    “The health system should reflect the needs of patients, wherever they live in New Zealand. That’s why we’re making changes to the way GP clinics are funded to ensure money goes where it’s needed most.”

    The government’s funding method for GP clinics, known as capitation, will be updated for the first time in more than 20 years. This is proposed to take effect from 1 July 2026.

    “The current model is outdated and doesn’t reflect the needs of patients. The revised formula will go beyond just age and sex, to also include multimorbidity, rurality, and socioeconomic deprivation.

    “These changes will better distribute funding to where it’s needed most, so that GP clinics with a higher needs population of enrolled patients will receive more funding to care for them.”

    The Government is also introducing a new national health target to drive timely access to primary care.

    “People shouldn’t have to wait weeks to see a doctor. Delays can lead to poorer health outcomes, more pressure on hospitals, and growing frustration for patients. We’re focused on delivering timely, quality care that puts patients first.”

    “This new target will be developed in partnership with the primary care sector and is proposed to ensure that more than 80 per cent of people can see a primary care provider within one week, taking effect from 1 July 2026. It will take effect from 1 July 2026 and aligns with the target of ensuring 80 percent of people receive faster access to primary mental health and addiction services within one week.”

    The Government is also making targeted investments in general practice training to strengthen the GP workforce and support long-term retention.

    “The General Practice Education Programme (GPEP), delivered by the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, is the only accredited training and education pathway in New Zealand for doctors wanting to specialise as GPs. Vocational training through GPEP takes a minimum of three years to complete, but currently only the first year of training is funded. 

    “We are increasing funding for this programme to ensure it is valued and supported in the same way as other medical specialist training programmes.”

    As part of this investment, the Government is funding:
     

    • Training fees in 2025 for doctors in their second, third, and post-third year of GPEP to encourage completion of their training
    • Exam and preparation costs for around 200 GPEP trainees who have completed, or nearly completed, training but not yet taken the fellowship exam
    • Full ongoing training and education costs for approximately 400 GPEP year 2 and 3 trainees each year

    “Our goal is to make general practice a more attractive and sustainable career path, especially in rural and high-needs communities, so we can bring more doctors into the areas that need them most.

    “By fully covering training and exam costs, we’ll enable hundreds of doctors to complete the pathway to becoming GPs, giving them the support they need to finish their training and enter the health workforce – building a stronger pipeline of experienced GPs who can train and mentor the next generation.

    “This Government knows that primary care is the cornerstone of the health system, which is why we’re committed to making it more accessible and responsive to the unique needs of communities.

    “Improving access, particularly in rural and underserved areas, will help ease pressure on hospitals and ensure New Zealanders get timely, quality care when and where they need it,” Mr Brown says.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Health and Technology – Moscow Launches AI Service for Diagnosing Shoulder Fractures

    Source: Moscow Health Care Department 

    Moscow has deployed a new artificial intelligence (AI) service to detect shoulder fractures on X-ray images. This marks the 41st clinical area where the radiologists utilize computer vision technologies, according to Yuri Vasilev, Chief Officer of Radiology at the Moscow Health Care Department.

    Moscow Health Care Department Launches AI Service for Diagnosing Shoulder Fractures.

    Moscow is continually advancing the integration of artificial intelligence technologies into practical healthcare applications. The algorithm assists doctors by automatically highlighting suspicious areas indicating potential fractures and performing necessary measurements on the images. This accelerates the interpretation of studies and enhances the accuracy of injury detection. Vasilev emphasized the service’s critical importance in trauma centers, where efficiency and diagnostic precision are paramount for timely treatment and reducing complication risks. This integration of AI into traumatology advances Moscow’s ongoing development of digital medicine, integrating the service into the city’s comprehensive neural network infrastructure, which now operates across 41 modalities.

    “The shoulder joint is one of the most complex anatomical areas for interpreting X-ray images,” Vasiliev noted. “Even minor deviations in the patient’s position during the examination can affect visualization accuracy, demanding exceptional doctor attentiveness. This AI algorithm acts as an additional filter, serving as a reliable auxiliary tool to increase analysis accuracy.”

    “The shoulder joint is one of the most complex anatomical challenges for X-ray interpretation,” Vasiliev noted. “Even minor patient positioning variations can compromise visualization accuracy, requiring exceptional clinical vigilance. This AI algorithm functions as a diagnostic filter, providing a reliable auxiliary tool to enhance analytical precision.”

    Timely fracture diagnosis is crucial for determining treatment tactics. Delays increase risks of complications, including improper bone fusion, chronic pain, and limited mobility. AI implementation minimizes these risks by enabling earlier therapy initiation. 

    Moscow’s integration of smart algorithms into healthcare, as part of a five-year experiment in computer vision, now includes over 200 AI services participating in the project. Approximately 100 algorithms have been integrated into the city’s medical information system, with about 50 currently analyzing medical images in real-time streaming mode.

    The project is led by the Moscow Social Development Complex, based on the Center for Diagnostics and Telemedicine of the Moscow Healthcare Department, in collaboration with the city’s Department of Information Technology. It aligns with the goals of the Moscow Medicine Development Strategy until 2030, aiming to improve the quality and accessibility of medical care for residents.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Healthcare and Technology – Moscow Launches AI Service to Diagnose Shoulder Fractures

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Department of Health

    Moscow has introduced a new artificial intelligence (AI) service to detect shoulder fractures on X-rays. This is the 41st clinical area in which radiologists are using computer vision technology, according to Yuri Vasilev, head of the radiology department at the Moscow Health Department.


    The Moscow Department of Health is launching an artificial intelligence service for diagnosing shoulder fractures.

    Moscow continues to advance the integration of artificial intelligence technologies into practical applications in the healthcare sector. The algorithm assists doctors by automatically highlighting suspicious areas indicating possible fractures and performing the necessary measurements on images. This speeds up the interpretation of studies and increases the accuracy of injury detection. Vasiliev emphasized the critical importance of this service in trauma centers, where the efficiency and accuracy of diagnostics are of paramount importance for timely treatment and reducing the risk of complications. This integration of AI into traumatology contributes to the further development of digital medicine in Moscow, integrating the service into the city’s comprehensive neural network infrastructure, which currently operates in 41 areas.

    “The shoulder joint is one of the most difficult anatomical areas to interpret X-ray images,” Vasilev noted. “Even minor deviations in the patient’s position during the examination can affect the accuracy of the visualization, which requires exceptional care from the physician. This AI algorithm acts as an additional filter, serving as a reliable auxiliary tool to improve the accuracy of the analysis.”

    “The shoulder joint is one of the most challenging anatomical problems for radiographic interpretation,” Vasiliev noted. “Even minor deviations in patient position can affect the accuracy of imaging, requiring exceptional clinical vigilance. This AI algorithm functions as a diagnostic filter, serving as a reliable auxiliary tool to improve the accuracy of analysis.”

    Timely diagnosis of fractures is critical to determining treatment tactics. Delays increase the risk of complications, including malunion, chronic pain, and limited mobility. The introduction of AI minimizes these risks, allowing treatment to begin at an earlier stage.

    As part of a five-year computer vision experiment in Moscow, more than 200 AI services participating in the project have been integrated into the healthcare sector. About 100 algorithms have been integrated into the city’s medical information system, about 50 of which are currently analyzing medical images in real time.

    The project is led by the Moscow Social Development Complex based at the Diagnostics and Telemedicine Center of the Moscow Health Department in cooperation with the city’s Information Technology Department. It is in line with the goals of the Moscow Medicine Development Strategy until 2030, aimed at improving the quality and accessibility of medical care for residents.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Coroner’s inquest will review death of Jeremy Charles Myrhaug

    The circumstances surrounding the death of Jeremy Charles Myrhaug will be reviewed during a coroner’s inquest, scheduled for Monday, Sept. 8 until Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.

    The inquest will be held at the Burnaby Coroners’ Court (20th floor, 4720 Kingsway, Metrotower II, Metrotown, Burnaby), starting at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 8.

    On Jan. 8, 2020, Jeremy Charles Myrhaug’s death was reported to the BC Coroners Service. It followed events involving members of the Salmon Arm Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Jeremy Charles Myrhaug was 40 years old at the time of his death.

    Under Section 18(2) of the Coroners Act, inquests are mandatory for any deaths that occur while a person was detained by or in the custody of a peace officer.

    A coroner’s inquest is a non-fault-finding public inquiry that serves three primary functions:

    • to determine the facts related to a death, including the identity of the deceased and how, when, where and by what means the individual came to their death, as well as a classification for the death;
    • to make recommendations, where appropriate and supported by evidence, to prevent deaths in similar circumstances; and
    • to ensure public confidence that the circumstances surrounding the death of an individual will not be overlooked, concealed or ignored.

    Presiding coroner John Knox and a jury of five people will hear evidence from witnesses under oath to determine the facts surrounding this death. The jury will have the opportunity to make recommendations, as outlined above, though the jury must not make any finding of legal responsibility or express any conclusion of law.

    Anyone attending the inquest, including media, is prohibited from broadcasting and publishing inquest proceedings, including over social media. Supreme Court-accredited media are permitted to record the proceeding solely for the accuracy of their notes; the recording is not to be broadcast in any form. Accredited media members must provide proof to the sheriff and always visibly display their accreditation when they are recording or using electronic devices in court. Recording for any other purpose, or by anyone without appropriate accreditation, is strictly prohibited. 

    Learn More:

    For more information on inquests, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/life-events/death/coroners-service/inquest-schedule-jury-findings-verdicts

    To learn about the BC Coroners Service, visit: http://www.gov.bc.ca/coroners/

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Brown files a lawsuit against Fidelity Information Services to protect the personal data of people who apply for or receive food assistance benefits

    Source: Washington State News

    SEATTLE – Attorney General Nick Brown today filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Fidelity Information Services (FIS) to block the company from illegally disclosing the private, personal data of more than one million Washington residents who receive or applied for food assistance benefits to the federal government for its deportation efforts.

    Since 2015, FIS has served as the contractor for Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to deliver benefit payments to recipients. DSHS administers food assistance programs including the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the state-funded Food Assistance Program (FAP). FAP provides food benefits to people who would be eligible for SNAP but are excluded from the federal program because of their immigration status.

    “People who need food assistance for themselves and their families should be able to trust that their data will be protected and kept private,” Brown said. “If a contractor fails to uphold the terms they’ve agreed to, we will hold them accountable under the law.”

    Washington law requires that the information of public benefits applicants and recipients be protected from unauthorized disclosure or improper use. Additionally, the contract with FIS requires the company to get DSHS’s express written consent before disclosing this information and to follow DSHS policies and rules protecting recipients’ information.

    Nevertheless, FIS informed DSHS on May 9 that it intended to turn over the personal data of SNAP cardholders and data about transactions to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). That came in the wake of guidance from USDA incorrectly claiming it could use federal food benefits law to obtain SNAP data directly from contractors, rather than state agencies, to use for the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.

    DSHS told FIS on May 14 that the agency does not consent to the disclosure of confidential information to USDA, and FIS initially pledged that it would refrain from sharing the data until authorized. But since then, as USDA has continued its efforts to collect personal data of SNAP recipients, FIS failed to respond to repeated requests from DSHS asking for confirmation that it would not turn over any data without DSHS’s express consent.

    In the complaint, filed in Thurston County Superior Court, Brown argues that DSHS is entitled to a court order blocking FIS from disclosing confidential information to USDA and a declaration that unauthorized disclosure would constitute a breach of contract. The complaint also asks the court to determine that any unauthorized disclosure of confidential and personally identifiable information would violate the Washington Consumer Protection Act and the Washington Law Against Discrimination.

    Brown is asking the court to order FIS not to disclose any confidential information to any third party without the express written consent of DSHS.

    A copy of the complaint is available here.

    -30-

    Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

    Media Contact:

    Email: press@atg.wa.gov

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Case dismissed: WSDOT seeks sanctions against former employee and his lawyers over baseless lawsuit

    Source: Washington State News 2

    OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Transportation is asking a judge to sanction both the law firm and the former employee who spent more than a year pursuing an unfounded lawsuit against the agency, only to later drop the case when confronted with evidence he likely destroyed text messages in violation of a court order.

    In court filings (PDF 355KB), WSDOT asks to be reimbursed for the taxpayer dollars required to defend the case. WSDOT argues that, early on, the Citizen Action Defense Fund law firm had ample evidence that the case was not “well-grounded in fact,” as required by court rules. In addition, it asks the judge to sanction former employee Scott Smith for not following a court order to save text messages from a crucial period. Smith initially said the messages didn’t exist. When the state presented evidence of the texts from other individuals’ phones, Smith changed his story, claiming they were “lost.”

    WSDOT previously requested a forensic examination of Smith’s phone. “That suspicious timing and other facts make it highly likely these ‘lost’ text messages were deleted by Smith himself, though only a forensic examination of his phone could ascertain that with certainty,” the WSDOT court filing states. Before the court could rule on WSDOT’s request for a forensic review of his phone, Smith withdrew his case.

    Defendants are not typically entitled to their costs and fees when successfully defending a lawsuit. However, because Smith and his attorneys pursued the case knowing the claims were baseless, and because the state asserts Smith destroyed text messages, WSDOT is asking the court to order Smith and Citizen Action Defense Fund to pay its costs and fees for defending the case as a sanction. The amount of these fees would be determined in a separate hearing.

    Smith left WSDOT in November 2023. In March 2024, Smith filed a lawsuit claiming WSDOT retaliated against him as part of an alleged conspiracy to cover up the effects of Washington’s cap-and-invest program on fuel prices. Depositions and extensive documents produced in discovery disproved Smith’s allegations.

    In April 2024, an outside investigation likewise did not substantiate any of Smith’s claims, including his claims about the integrity of the state’s transportation forecast.

    In February 2025, WSDOT informed Citizen Action Defense Fund that the agency might seek sanctions because the firm pursued the lawsuit despite having received numerous records disproving Smith’s claims. WSDOT offered to not seek sanctions if the law firm ended the case. Instead, Citizen Action Defense Fund rejected WSDOT’s offer and insisted on prolonging the baseless lawsuit, thereby increasing the cost to taxpayers.

    During the subsequent proceedings, WSDOT’s lawyers discovered a gap in Smith’s text messages. According to the new WSDOT filing, Smith’s lawyers told WSDOT he did not text a former co-worker during the four-month period, but when the co-worker’s messages were subpoenaed, they included several highly relevant texts from Smith during that time. Further investigation found similar conspicuous gaps in Smith’s texts with at least 10 other individuals.

    Shortly after WSDOT notified Citizen Action Defense Fund about the text message discrepancies, the law firm said it would need to stop representing Smith due to professional ethics concerns. The firm later reversed that decision and continued to represent Smith. Soon after that, Smith asked the judge to dismiss the case. The judge granted that request Friday, May 16, ending Smith’s lawsuit, while noting that WSDOT still could pursue a sanctions request.

    The sanctions matter is scheduled for a hearing Friday, Aug. 22, in Thurston County Superior Court.

    MIL OSI USA News –