NewzIntel.com

Category: CTF

  • MIL-Evening Report: The federal government wants to boost productivity. Science can help

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deanna D’Alessandro, Professor & Director, Net Zero Institute, University of Sydney

    Daniel Sone/National Cancer Institute

    In the wake of Labor’s resounding victory in Australia’s federal election earlier this month, there has been much talk about flailing productivity in Australia.

    In fact, last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers made clear that the priority for the government’s second term will be to boost productivity. This crucial measure of how much we produce for every hour we work rises a little every year. But growth has slowed over the past decade.

    As part of this, the federal government has tasked the Productivity Commission with a new strategy to enhance productivity. A draft report is expected in July or August, with implementable ideas across five key pillars.

    So far, however, one part of the solution to the productivity slump has received little public attention: boosting support for scientific research.

    Productivity relies on science

    Science can help boost national economic productivity in many ways.

    For one, scientific innovation and creativity can create high value goods and services for both Australian and international markets. And translating this research into real-world economic benefits builds a workforce that combines science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills with business skills.

    This is important because it fosters technological innovation and supports evidence-based decision making. It also empowers individuals to solve complex problems in the face of technological change. This ultimately drives productivity growth.

    Australian scientific solutions will also need to be at the fore if the Future Made in Australia agenda is to realise its goal of stronger public-private sector relationships and a more resilient economy.

    The so-called fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, refers to the rapid digitisation and automation of manufacturing industry technologies and processes. It not only relies on science to realise the enormous opportunities of digital technologies, but also to ensure they are harnessed sustainably.

    For example, science can help address the serious concerns relating to the huge energy and resource cost of artificial intelligence.

    Recognising the role of science

    The government seems to recognise the role scientific research and innovation can play in boosting productivity.

    For example, in 2024 it fully launched the Australian Economic Accelerator, which was announced by the former Coalition government two years earlier. This scheme is designed to foster and build productivity by supporting university research in Australia that has the potential for commercialisation.

    Australia’s new national science and research priorities also highlight the crucial role of science in addressing Australia’s complex energy and environmental challenges.

    But there are still some fundamental problems in the world of science that are limiting productivity growth in Australia.

    A widening gap

    One of these problems relates to research and development – or R&D – funding.

    Australia’s investment in R&D as a percentage of gross domestic product has been declining for many years. It has dropped from 2.25% in 2008–9 to 1.68% in 2021–22. At the same time, other advanced economies have increased their R&D spending, leading to a widening gap. The OECD average is 2.7%.

    Multiple leading bodies have called out this decline as a threat to Australia’s long-term productivity. That’s because R&D spending in science fosters innovation and creativity – two major factors in productivity growth.

    Another problem is the declining support for fundamental science which isn’t done with any application in mind, but can be equally important in the long term to enhancing productivity.

    Consider the discovery of penicillin. Or of the double helix structure of DNA. These are just some scientific breakthroughs that were not initially focused on practical applications, but ultimately proved transformative.

    This kind of scientific research requires sustained support, allowing knowledge to grow. We have seen the results of this in action and its impact even more recently. Scientists had worked on mRNA vaccines for decades before the vaccine breakthrough achieved during the COVID pandemic.

    A nation at a crossroads

    Australia is at a crossroads. Simply increasing funding in the short term through measures such as Australia’s Economic Accelerator is, at best, a band-aid solution. What’s needed to properly tackle the problem is thoughtful reform and long-term, strategic planning to secure the nation’s prosperity for decades to come.

    There is some hope for this, thanks to the government’s comprehensive review of the R&D sector. This review aims to align R&D with national priorities, maximise the value of existing investments, harness public-private partnerships, and strengthen collaboration between research and industry.

    The review is engaging a wide range of stakeholders and is designed to deliver long-term transformation.

    Addressing productivity in these areas could yield substantial benefits. It could build Australia’s industrial and economic self-sufficiency. And it could broaden our field of view around productivity and how it can be boosted through long-term investment in science and R&D reforms.

    By implementing robust R&D reforms and driving productivity across all sectors, Australia can set itself up for sustained growth and international influence.

    Deanna D’Alessandro receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Kate Harrison Brennan was an Advisor to former Prime Minister Julia Gillard and is a member of the Australian Labor Party.

    – ref. The federal government wants to boost productivity. Science can help – https://theconversation.com/the-federal-government-wants-to-boost-productivity-science-can-help-256567

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Inside the FBI Podcast: Protecting Chinese Students from Scammers

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (video statements)

    On this episode of the Inside the FBI Podcast, we’re warning the public about a financial fraud scheme involving scammers who impersonate Chinese law enforcement and target the U.S.-based Chinese community—in particular, Chinese students attending American universities. For a full transcript and additional resources, visit https://www.fbi.gov/news/podcasts.

    If you believe you’ve been contacted by an individual or group claiming to be a Chinese authority, contact your local FBI field office. You can visit https://www.fbi.gov/fieldoffices for more information.

    And if you’ve experienced or witnessed any fraudulent or suspicious activities, please report them to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov as soon as you can. Be sure to include as much transaction information as possible, such as wire instructions, wallet addresses, telephone numbers, and text or email communications.

    —————————————————
    Subscribe to Inside the FBI wherever you get your podcasts:
    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4H2d3cg…
    Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast…
    Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0…
    More ways to follow us: https://inside-the-fbi.transistor.fm/…

    Follow us on social media:
    X: https://twitter.com/fbi
    Facebook: https://facebook.com/FBI
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/fbi
    YouTube: youtube.com/user/fbi

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAA_Yh1Adw0

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Mfume, Van Hollen, Members of Maryland Congressional Delegation Introduce Bill to Award Henrietta Lacks the Congressional Gold Medal

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Kweisi Mfume (MD-07)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-07) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) are introducing the Henrietta Lacks Congressional Gold Medal Act, in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. This legislation would posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Henrietta Lacks in recognition of her immortal “HeLa cells” which have made invaluable contributions to global health, scientific research, our quality of life, and patients’ rights. Since the American Revolution, Congress has commissioned gold medals as its highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions.

    The bill receives support from Members of the Maryland Congressional Delegation, including Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) and Representatives Steny Hoyer (D-MD-05), Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Glenn Ivey (D-MD-04), April McClain Delaney (D-MD-06), Sarah Elfreth (D-MD-03), and Johnny Olszewski (D-MD-02). These lawmakers makeup 27 Members of the U.S. House who have signed on as original cosponsors. The legislation is also endorsed by HELA100: Henrietta Lacks Initiative and the Henrietta Lacks Legacy Group (HLLG).

    “I am honored to introduce this legislation in the U.S. House to provide both the spirit of Mrs. Lacks and her descendants the gratitude and recognition this lineage deserves. Her ‘HeLa cells’ have altered the future of medical science, and the world continues to benefit from Mrs. Lacks’ contributions and sacrifice,” said Congressman Kweisi Mfume. “During a time in our country where the Trump administration shamefully seeks to erase Black history from the American story, the legacies of Black historymakers like Mrs. Lacks must be uplifted, and we must continue to deliver our message back to President Trump: you erase it, we will replace it,” he concluded.

    “Without knowing it at the time of her cancer treatment, Henrietta Lacks would go on to change the course of modern medicine. Her cells unlocked a breakthrough in medical research, leading to treatments and cures that are bettering people’s lives to this day. But Mrs. Lacks never consented to the use of her cells – nor did she receive rightful credit for the monumental contributions she made. That’s why it’s all the more important that we recognize her with the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress’ highest expression of appreciation,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen.

    “The Lacks Family is grateful to our friends Congressman Kweisi Mfume and Senator Chris Van Hollen for their leadership and continued commitment toward awarding a Congressional Gold Medal to my grandmother, Henrietta Lacks,” said Alfred Lacks Carter, Jr., grandson of Henrietta Lacks. “This Mother’s Day has even more meaning. I applaud the introduction of this Act in the spirit of my mother, Deborah Lacks, who worked tirelessly to ensure that her mother, Henrietta Lacks, was celebrated as the Mother of Modern Medicine,” he concluded.

    “Awarding Henrietta Lacks a Congressional Gold Medal as the world celebrates her 105th birthday this year is truly a fitting honor. Our Hennie’s contributions to science, medicine, and research have saved lives and created cures – here in the U.S. and worldwide. As my grandfather, Lawrence Lacks, Sr., Henrietta Lacks’ eldest son, often said, ‘We are proud of all the good that she has done for the world.’ As the next generation, we are reclaiming her story to make certain the world recognizes her impact,” said Veronica Robinson, Senior Advisor, HELA100: Henrietta Lacks Initiative, great granddaughter of Henrietta Lacks.

    “On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Henrietta Lacks Legacy Group (HLLG), it is our pleasure to write this letter of support for your bill that would award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Henrietta Lacks in recognition of her immortal cells that have had a revolutionary effect on modern medicine and other scientific innovations,” wrote Dr. Adele Newson-Horst, Chair, HLLG Board of Directors and Servant Courtney Speed, Founder and President, HLLG.  

    In 1951, it was discovered that Mrs. Henrietta Lacks, of Baltimore, had a large, malignant tumor on her cervix. However, unbeknownst to Mrs. Lacks or her family, medical researchers took samples of her tumor during her treatment without her consent. Henrietta Lacks’ cells, now known as ‘‘HeLa cells,” doubled every 20 to 24 hours whereas other human cells died in the same time period.

    Lacks’ prolific cells continue to replicate to this day and contribute to remarkable advances in medicine resulting in several Nobel Prize award-winning discoveries and groundbreaking advancements. These scientific discoveries include the development of the polio vaccine and drugs used to treat cancer, HIV/AIDS, hemophilia, leukemia, and Parkinson’s disease. Her cells were even sent into space to survey long-term effects on living cells and tissues.

    The bill text for the Henrietta Lacks Congressional Gold Medal Act is available by clicking here.

    The Life of Henrietta Lacks

    • Henrietta Lacks was born in Roanoke, Virginia in 1920 and later moved to Baltimore, Maryland with her husband and family of 5 children.
       
    • At the age of 31, she sought treatment from The Johns Hopkins Hospital for prolonged bleeding.
       
    • At the time, the hospital was one of a few that would treat African Americans. Shortly after her admission to the hospital, she was diagnosed with an aggressive cervical cancer that would lead to her untimely death only 8 months later.
       
    • This tragedy left Henrietta Lacks’ husband and 5 children to go on without her.
       
    • Despite Mrs. Lacks’ passing, her life continued under unique circumstances. Researchers took cells from Henrietta Lacks without her consent or the consent of her relatives and discovered that they were unlike any other known cells before.
       
    • Mrs. Lacks’ cells, now referred to as, “HeLa cells,” were remarkably durable and prolific, which allowed them to be used extensively in scientific research.
       
    • The cells had the unparalleled capacity to reproduce and were deemed immortal; meaning, where other human cells would die, “HeLa cells” doubled every 20 to 24 hours.
       
    • Henrietta Lacks’ immortal cells have been used by researchers, resulting in several Nobel Prize award-winning discoveries and groundbreaking advancements.
       
    • These scientific discoveries include the development of the polio vaccine and drugs used to treat cancer, HIV/AIDS, hemophilia, leukemia, and Parkinson’s disease. Her cells were even sent into space to survey long-term effects on living cells and tissues.
       
    • Henrietta Lacks’ story garnered the attention of the nation and was chronicled in a Primetime Emmy Award-nominated HBO film entitled, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.”   
       
    • In October of 2024, Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine broke ground on the Henrietta Lacks Building.
       
      • The new 34,000-square-foot building will be located on the East Baltimore campus and support multiple programs of the Berman Institute, Johns Hopkins University and the School of Medicine, and will house flexible program and classroom space for educational, research, and community use purposes.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden Sounds Alarm on Harmful Impacts of SAVE Act, Trump’s Anti-Voter Executive Order, in Native Communities

    US Senate News:

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

    May 19, 2025

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said today he has written the Trump administration about the challenges Native communities will face under Trump’s “election integrity” executive order and the SAVE Act, including requirements documenting proof of citizenship and restricting mail-in voting.

    The SAVE Act passed by the Republican-controlled House and Trump’s executive order would require Native Americans to use a government issued state ID to register to vote instead of their Tribal IDs which are currently accepted in nearly every state and have been for decades. The SAVE Act also has an in-person requirement for voter-registration that would force Tribal voters in rural areas to travel significant distances to prove their citizenship and register to vote. 

    “Enactment of new voter registration policies under the Executive Order and the SAVE Act would lead to mass disenfranchisement of eligible Native voters and further depress the Native vote,” Wyden and colleagues wrote Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “Tribal IDs generally lack place of birth information required by the legislation, and the vast majority of these IDs lack the specific U.S. citizenship documentation required by the Executive Order. And the SAVE Act’s in-person requirement would exacerbate existing barriers, such as requiring IDs that list residential mailing addresses, by forcing many Native voters to travel great distances, including costly flights or multi-hour drives, to reach their local elections office or polling place.”

    Wyden and his colleagues  also highlighted that the vote-by-mail restrictions would disproportionately hurt Native Americans who rely on mail-in voting because of their lack of transportation and rural locations. Trump’s executive order penalizes states that accept absentee or mail-in ballots received after Election Day, harming Native voters in Oregon, especially as the State processes ballots for days as long as they were postmarked by Election day. 

    “As Secretary of the Interior, you have a special moral and legal responsibility to uphold our nation’s trust and treaty obligations,” continued the senators. “If implemented, the sweeping federal mandates included in the Executive Order and the SAVE Act would disenfranchise eligible Native voters who are following state laws. We encourage your active engagement with the White House and the Department of Justice to ensure that Native communities are able to exercise the franchise fully and have their voices heard at the ballot box.”

    In addition to Wyden, the letter was also led by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawai’i, and signed by U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai’i, Tim Kaine, D-Va., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

    Text of the letter is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Shaheen, Hawley Introduce Bipartisan Bill to End Taxpayer-Funded Pharma Ads, Hold Drug Companies Accountable

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) last week introduced the No Handouts for Drug Advertisements Act—bipartisan legislation that would prohibit pharmaceutical companies from claiming tax deductions for expenses on drug advertisements to consumers. Under current law, pharmaceutical companies can deduct the costs of direct-to-consumer advertising, subsidizing their media campaigns at taxpayers’ expense. Shaheen’s and Hawley’s bipartisan legislation would end this practice that contributes to increased health care costs. 

    “It’s flat-out wrong that drug companies receive huge tax breaks for running ads directly to consumers, especially as taxpayers in my state pay more and more for life-saving drugs,” said Senator Shaheen. “It’s well past time for Congress to step in to end these tax breaks, lower costs for everyday Americans and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable. My bipartisan bill with Senator Hawley offers a practical solution to do just that.” 

    “For too long, Big Pharma has used our tax dollars to fund ads that push their products directly on patients. That needs to end,” Senator Hawley said. “HHS Secretary RFK, Jr. has made it clear that he wants to ban prescription drug commercials, and I’m proud to introduce legislation to do just that. Making America Healthy Again starts by ending handouts to these corporations and empowering consumers to make the health decision that is truly in their best interest.” 

    “This bipartisan bill seeks to eliminate a tax break that fuels the flood of prescription drug ads designed to boost profits and drive up prices for patients. The U.S. is one of just two countries that even allow direct-to-consumer drug advertising — there’s no reason taxpayers should be footing the bill for it. We’re proud to support Senators Shaheen and Hawley’s common-sense reform to put patients before pharma profits,” said Merith Basey, Executive Director of Patients for Affordable Drugs Now. 

    The No Handouts for Drug Advertisements Act would:  

    • Amend the Internal Revenue Code to disallow tax deductions for expenses related to direct-to-consumer advertising of both prescription drugs and compounded medications. 
    • Define “direct-to-consumer advertising” as advertisements primarily targeted to the general public through television, radio, direct mail, billboards, internet, social media, and other digital platforms. 

    Shaheen has spearheaded efforts to combat rising drug prices and make essential medications more affordable, including by supporting key provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that provide Medicare the ability to directly negotiate the prices of certain high-cost drugs with pharmaceutical manufacturers. As co-chair of the bipartisan U.S. Senate Diabetes Caucus, Shaheen has consistently pressed to hold insulin manufacturers, insurers and pharmacy benefit managers accountable for the skyrocketing cost of life-saving insulin. Her bipartisan legislation with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), the INSULIN Act, would comprehensively address the skyrocketing costs of insulin and remove barriers to care making it more accessible to millions of Americans.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement of Sen. Warner on the GENIUS Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement ahead of a Senate procedural vote on a revised version of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act:

    “The stablecoin market has reached nearly $250 billion and the U.S. can’t afford to keep standing on the sidelines. We need clear rules of the road to protect consumers, defend national security, and support responsible innovation. The GENIUS Act is a meaningful step forward. It sets high standards for issuers, limits big tech overreach, and creates a safer, more transparent framework for digital assets. It’s not perfect, but it’s far better than the status quo.

    “Many senators, myself included, have very real concerns about the Trump family’s use of crypto technologies to evade oversight, hide shady financial dealings, and personally profit at the expense of everyday Americans. We have a duty to shine a light on these abuses and stop Donald Trump from exploiting emerging technologies to enrich himself, dodge accountability, and weaken the safeguards that protect American consumers and the rule of law.

    “But we cannot allow that corruption to blind us to the broader reality: blockchain technology is here to stay. If American lawmakers don’t shape it, others will – and not in ways that serve our interests or democratic values. Innovation in this space is happening, with or without us. We have a responsibility to ensure it happens safely, transparently, and in a way that advances U.S. economic and national security interests. The GENIUS Act will help get us started.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Torres Leads 100 Colleagues in Supporting $400 Million in Funding for Immigrant Legal Representation

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

    May 19, 2025

    Letter Calling for Robust Investment in Due Process for Immigrants and Asylum Seekers Facing Removal Proceedings

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Norma Torres (CA-35),  joined by 100 of her colleagues, led a letter to the  House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Chair urging $400 million in funding for legal representation, to ensure the right to due process enshrined in the Constitution. 

    The lawmakers’ letter calls attention to the lack of guaranteed legal counsel in immigration proceedings, noting that more than 40 percent of individuals—and a staggering 70 percent of those in detention—face removal proceedings without a lawyer.

    “Our immigration courts are overwhelmed and increasingly complex. Without legal representation, thousands of vulnerable individuals are left to face deportation alone, often in a language they do not speak,”  said The Members. “Legal representation is not just a safeguard for the individual, but a necessary component of an efficient and fair immigration system. This funding is about justice, dignity, and ensuring everyone has their fair day in court.”

    The $400 million request would build on the $50 million included in the House FY2022 Appropriations Bill (H.R. 4505) to expand access to legal services. In their letter, the Members cite clear data: individuals with legal counsel are five times more likely to obtain legal relief and are significantly more likely to appear in court, which increases court efficiency and reduces case backlogs.

    The letter also denounces the misuse of outdated laws such as the Alien Enemies Act and certain provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which have been exploited to detain and deport legal residents for engaging in constitutionally protected activities. Judges have warned that without due process for immigrants, there is no due process for citizens either, because authorities could simply claim someone isn’t a citizen, denying them the opportunity to prove their citizenship.

    “Weaponizing our legal system to punish lawful residents or silence dissent is un-American. This investment in legal representation is a direct step toward restoring due process and upholding our nation’s fundamental values,” the Members Continued.

    Full letter

    ###

    Carta pide una inversión significativa en el proceso para los inmigrantes y solicitantes de asilo que se enfrentan a un proceso de expulsión

    Washington, D.C. – Hoy, la Congresista Norma Torres (CA-35) unida a 100 de sus colegas, dirigió una carta al Presidente de la Subcomisión de Asignaciones para Comercio, Justicia, Ciencia y Agencias Relacionadas de la Cámara de Representantes, instando a destinar 400 millones de dólares a la financiación de la representación legal, para garantizar el derecho al debido proceso consagrado en la Constitución.

    La carta de los legisladores llama la atención sobre la falta de garantía de asesoramiento jurídico en los procedimientos de inmigración, señalando que más del 40 por ciento de las personas – y un asombroso 70 por ciento de los detenidos – enfrentan procedimientos de deportación sin un abogado.

    “Nuestros tribunales de inmigración están desbordados y son cada vez más complejos. Sin representación legal, miles de personas vulnerables se enfrentan solas a la deportación, a menudo en un idioma que no hablan,” dijeron los Miembros. “La representación legal no es sólo una salvaguarda para el individuo, sino un componente necesario de un sistema de inmigración eficiente y justo. Esta financiación tiene que ver con la justicia, la dignidad y la garantía de que todo el mundo tenga su día justo en los tribunales.”

    La solicitud de 400 millones de dólares se basaría en los 50 millones incluidos en el proyecto de ley de asignaciones para el año fiscal 2022 de la Cámara de Representantes (H.R. 4505) para ampliar el acceso a los servicios jurídicos. En su carta, los diputados citan datos claros: las personas con asistencia letrada tienen cinco veces más probabilidades de obtener ayuda legal y es mucho más probable que comparezcan ante los tribunales, lo que aumenta la eficiencia de los tribunales y reduce la acumulación de casos.

    La carta también denuncia el uso indebido de leyes obsoletas como la Ley de Enemigos Extranjeros y ciertas disposiciones de la Ley de Inmigración y Nacionalidad, que han sido explotadas para detener y deportar a residentes legales por participar en actividades constitucionalmente protegidas.

    “Armar nuestro sistema legal para castigar a los residentes legales o silenciar la disidencia es antiestadounidense. Esta inversión en representación legal es un paso directo hacia la restauración del debido proceso y la defensa de los valores fundamentales de nuestra nación,” Continuaron los Miembros.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: S. 842, No Hezbollah In Our Hemisphere Act

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    S. 842 would require the Administration to assess and report to the Congress whether jurisdictions in Latin America could be designated as terrorist sanctuaries, as defined under the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 1988 and 1989. To inform that determination, the bill specifically directs the Administration to consider whether such jurisdictions have allowed Hezbollah to operate freely within their borders. S. 842 also would authorize the Administration to restrict visas for any government officials from areas designated as terrorist sanctuaries unless those officials have taken significant action to prevent terrorist activity within their jurisdiction.

    Under current law, the Administration can restrict visas for individuals who support terrorist activity. If the enactment of S. 842 leads the Administration to broaden those sanctions, more people would be denied visas by the Department of State, resulting in an insignificant decrease in revenues from fees. Although most visa fees are retained by the Department of State and spent, some collections are deposited into the Treasury as revenues. Denying foreign nationals entry into the United States also would reduce direct spending on federal benefits (emergency Medicaid or federal subsidies for health insurance, for example) for which those people might otherwise be eligible.

    On the basis of data about similar visa restrictions, CBO estimates any additional visa restrictions imposed under the bill would affect a small number of people. Thus, enacting S. 842 would decrease revenues and direct spending by insignicant amounts, and would, on net, reduce deficits by insignificant amounts over the 2025-2035 period.

    S. 842 would require the Administration to report to the Congress whenever it waives the imposition of sanctions authorized by the bill. Using information about the cost of reports similar to those required by the bill, CBO estimates that implementing S. 842 would cost less than $500,000 over the 2025-2030 period. Such related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Emma Uebelhor. The estimate was reviewed by Christina Hawley Anthony, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.

    Phillip L. Swagel

    Director, Congressional Budget Office

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: GraniteShares Announces Change in ETF Lineup

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, May 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GraniteShares announced today that it will close and liquidate the following ETF:

    Ticker Fund Name Commencement of investment operations
    TSLI GraniteShares 1x Short AMD Daily ETF 08/23/2023

    On May 09, 2025, the board of GraniteShares ETF Trust approved the liquidation of the GraniteShares 1x Short AMD Daily ETF (the “ETF”). The last day of trading for the ETF on NASDAQ Stock Market will be June 20, 2025. The last day creation orders will be accepted for the ETF will be June 18, 2025. Investors may sell their shares of the ETF until market close on June 20, 2025. Shares of the ETF will no longer trade on NASDAQ Stock Market after market close on June 20, 2025, and will be subsequently delisted. The final distribution to shareholders of the ETF is expected to occur on or about June 23, 2025.

    When the ETF commences the liquidation of its portfolio, it may hold cash and securities that may not be consistent with the ETF’s investment objectives and strategies.

    At the time the liquidation of the ETF is complete, the ETF shares will be individually redeemed. For shareholders that still hold shares of the ETF as of June 20, 2025, shares will be automatically redeemed for cash at the net asset value as of close of business on that date, which will reflect the costs of closing the ETF. Shareholders will generally recognize a capital gain or loss on the redemptions. The ETF may or may not pay one or more dividends or other distributions prior to or along with the redemption payments.

    About GraniteShares

    GraniteShares is an independent ETF issuer headquartered in New York City. GraniteShares will continue to offer the following leveraged single stock ETFs:

    ETF NAME TICKER UNDERLYING STOCK MANAGEMENT FEE/TOTAL EXPENSES
           
    GraniteShares 2x Long AAPL Daily ETF AAPB Apple 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long AMD Daily ETF AMDL AMD 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long AMZN Daily ETF AMZZ Amazon.com 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long BABA Daily ETF BABX Alibaba 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long COIN Daily ETF CONL Coinbase 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Short COIN Daily ETF CONI Coinbase 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long CRWD Daily ETF CRWL CrowdStrike 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long DELL Daily ETF DLLL Dell Technologies 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long INTC Daily ETF INTW Intel 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long IONQ Daily ETF IONL IONQ 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long LCID Daily ETF LCDL Lucid 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long MARA Daily ETF MRAL MARA Holding 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long META Daily ETF FBL Meta Platform 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long MRVL Daily ETF MVLL Marvell Technology 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long MSFT Daily ETF MSFL Microsoft 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long MU Daily ETF MULL Micron Technology 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long NVDA Daily ETF NVDL NVIDIA 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Short NVDA Daily ETF NVD NVIDIA 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long PLTR Daily ETF PTIR Palantir 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long QCOM Daily ETF QCML Qualcomm 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long RDDT Daily ETF RDTL Reddit 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long RIVN Daily ETF RVNL Rivian 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long SMCI Daily ETF SMCL Super Micro Computer 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 1.25x Long TSLA Daily ETF TSL Tesla 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long TSLA Daily ETF TSLR Tesla 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Short TSLA Daily ETF TSDD Tesla 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long TSM Daily ETF TSML Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long Uber Daily ETF UBRL Uber 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long VRT Daily ETF VRTL Vertiv 1.30%/1.50%
           

    In addition, GraniteShares’ ETF suite includes the following ETFs:

    Contact Information:
    William Rhind, CEO
    GraniteShares Inc
    +1 646 876 5049
    william.rhind@graniteshares.com

    Important Information

    Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the GraniteShares funds (the “Funds”) carefully before investing. For a prospectus or summary prospectus with this and other information about the Funds, please call (844) 476 8747, or visit the website at www.graniteshares.com. Read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing.

    To obtain a prospectus for BAR, please visit
    https://www.graniteshares.com/Documents/25/Prospectus-GraniteShares-Gold-Trust.pdf
    To obtain a prospectus for PLTM, please visit
    https://graniteshares.com/media/gwrbh3ah/pltm_prospectus.pdf
    To obtain a prospectus for COMB, please visit
    https://graniteshares.com/media/4crf2x4e/graniteshares-etf-trust-comb-summary-prospectus.pdf

    Except as described above regarding the liquidation of the ETFs, shares of the Funds may be sold during trading hours on the exchange through any brokerage account, shares are not individually redeemable, and shares may only be redeemed directly from a Fund by Authorized Participants. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for shares in a Fund will develop or be maintained. Shares may trade above or below NAV. Brokerage commissions will apply.

    Fund Risks

    Multiple funds have a limited operating history of less than a year and risks associated with a new fund. The Leveraged and Daily Inverse Funds are not suitable for all investors. The investment program of the funds is speculative, entails substantial risks and include asset classes and investment techniques not employed by most ETFs and mutual funds. Investments in the ETFs are not bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) or daily inverse (-1X and -2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day. The funds do not directly invest in the underlying stock.

    The Funds seek daily inverse or leveraged investment results and are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. Each Fund with “Long” in its name attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to the respective long leveraged multiple of the performance of an underlying stock (each a Leveraged Long Fund). Each Fund with “Short” in its name attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to the inverse (or opposite) multiple of the performance of an underlying stock (each an Inverse Fund).

    Investors should note that the Long Leveraged Funds and the Daily Inverse Funds pursue daily leveraged investment objectives and daily inverse investment objectives (respectively), which means that the fund is riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage and inverse strategies because the fund magnifies the performance of their underlying security. The volatility of the underlying security may affect a Funds’ return as much as, or more than, the return of the underlying security.

    For the Leveraged Long Funds because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Stock over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.

    For the Daily Inverse Funds because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -100% and 200% of the return of the Underlying Stock over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance decreases over a period longer than a single day.

    Shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the ETF. There can be no guarantee that an active trading market for ETF shares will develop or be maintained, or that their listing will continue or remain unchanged. Buying or selling ETF shares on an exchange may require the payment of brokerage commissions and frequent trading may incur brokerage costs that detract significantly from investment returns.

    An investment in the Fund involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The Fund is non-diversified and includes risks associated with the Fund concentrating its investments in a particular industry, sector, or geographic region which can result in increased volatility. The use of derivatives such as futures contracts and swaps are subject to market risks that may cause their price to fluctuate over time. Risks of the Fund include Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk, Inverse Risk, Market Risk, Counterparty Risk, Rebalancing Risk, Intra-Day Investment Risk, Daily Index Correlation Risk, Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk, and risks specific to the securities of the Underlying Stock and the sector in which it operates. These and other risks can be found in the prospectus.

    Investing in physical commodities, including through commodity-linked derivative instruments such as Commodity Futures, Commodity Swaps, as well as other commodity-linked instruments, is speculative and can be extremely volatile and may not be suitable for all investors. Market prices of commodities may fluctuate rapidly based on numerous factors, including: changes in supply and demand relationships (whether actual, perceived, anticipated, unanticipated or unrealized); weather; agriculture; trade; domestic and foreign political and economic events and policies; diseases; pestilence; technological developments; currency exchange rate fluctuations; and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction.

    A liquid secondary market may not exist for the types of commodity-linked derivative instruments the Fund buys, which may make it difficult for the Fund to sell them at an acceptable price. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it could ultimately liquidate.

    Derivatives may be more sensitive to changes in market conditions and may amplify risks and losses.

    This information is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares of any Funds to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws. You could lose money by investing in the ETFs. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Funds will be achieved. None of the Funds should be relied upon as a complete investment program.

    The Fund is distributed by ALPS Distributors, Inc, which is not affiliated with GraniteShares or any of its affiliates ©2025 GraniteShares Inc. All rights reserved. GraniteShares, GraniteShares Trusts, and the GraniteShares logo are registered and unregistered trademarks of GraniteShares Inc., in the United States and elsewhere. All other marks are the property of their respective owners

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Personal Loans for Bad Credit – Credit Clock Rated Best In US 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Atlanta, May 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

    If you are looking for a personal loan but having problems because of bad credit, we have you covered. We have found the best personal loan lender just for you. Our top lender has a flexible repayment period; check out Credit Clock below to learn why it’s our number one lender.

    Click Here to Apply

    With the prices of goods in the U.S. soaring while wages remain constant, many people are left at the mercy of loans due to their limited income levels. However, accessing a loan in such tough economic times can also be hectic, especially with a bad credit score.

    To help alleviate this problem, our team has scoured the personal finance market and identified a list of brokers from whom you can quickly get personal loans for bad credit without having to undergo any credit checks. This is made possible by a network of lenders that focus more on the borrower’s ability to repay the loan than credit ratings.

    Top Personal Loans for Bad Credit

    With these brokers, securing a personal loan for bad credit from these lenders is straightforward. Just click on the provided links and follow the simple application process.

    If you seek further information to make an informed choice among lenders, continue reading for an in-depth review of each option.

    1. Credit Clock: Reliable personal loans for bad credit

    Credit Clock is a unique personal loan for bad credit lenders that stands out from the rest by offering its services for 24 hours. It doesn’t have conventional and strict working hours that limit when you can apply for a personal loan for bad credit. As such, you can apply for a loan when you need it.

    With such flexible services, Credit Clock manages to keep its loans for bad credit low by having low interest rates and eliminating upfront costs and hidden charges that may add to the cost of the loan.

    Credit Clock’s online platform allows you to access personal loans for bad credit of up to $5,000. Tagging along with this lending range are the following benefits of utilizing Credit Clock’s platform:

    • Fast loan approvals.
    • Flexible loan amounts.
    • Negotiable and flexible repayment terms.
    • It has a quick and convenient application process.
    • Quick loan payouts.

    Credit Clock is a reliable personal loan for bad credit lenders with reputable lenders who see that you get the financial assistance you need when you need it most.

    What Is a Personal Loan for Bad Credit?

    A personal loan for bad credit is an unsecured financial lifeline designed for individuals with a less-than-favorable credit history, mostly characterized by a low credit score due to past financial challenges, missed payments, or defaults. For that reason, personal loans for bad credit are only offered by specialized lenders willing to work with borrowers despite their poor credit scores and ratings.

    Compared to conventional loans, personal loans for bad credit come with relatively higher interest rates. This is because lenders charge a higher rate to compensate for the increased risk associated with borrowers with subprime credit scores.

    Something else to note about personal loans for bad credit is that the loan amounts available are smaller, the repayment periods are shorter, and monthly payments are potentially higher than normal conventional loans.

    Eligibility Criteria for Personal Loans for Bad Credit

    Personal loans for bad credit, like other conventional loans, have requirements that should be met before approval, even though they differ. Below are the factors that are considered for eligibility for personal loans for bad credit:

    • Citizenship or permanent residency – You must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident.
    • Age requirement – The minimum age for a personal loan to be approved is 18.
    • Verifiable income – You ought to have a verifiable and reliable source of income, be it from employment, self-employment, government benefits, or any other sources.
    • Debt-to-income ratio (DTI) – To qualify, you should have a favorable debt-to-income ratio.
    • Active bank account – You must have an active bank account, which will be used for loan disbursement and automatic repayments.
    • Contact Information – You must provide a valid phone number and/or an active email address for communication between you and the lender.

    Meeting these eligibility requirements increases your chances of approval when applying for personal loans for bad credit. As they are easy to meet, the approval rates for online personal loans for bad credit are often relatively high.

    Who Can Benefit from Personal Loans for Bad Credit?

    Throughout their existence, personal loans for bad credit have gained popularity because they cater to a diverse range of individuals, including:

    • Individuals with low credit scores – People with low credit scores often turn to personal loans for bad credit because they have difficulties qualifying for prime loans offered by traditional lenders as they are rendered high-risk borrowers, making many lenders hesitant to approve their requests.
    • Individuals with limited credit history – As borrowers with limited credit history often struggle to access traditional loans, personal loans for bad credit offer them an opportunity to establish credit and access financing, even with their limited credit profiles.
    • Borrowers with past financial difficulties – Individuals who have experienced financial setbacks like bankruptcy or foreclosure find it challenging to qualify for conventional loans. For this reason, they turn to personal loans for bad credit as they are more accessible.
    • Self-employed workers – Self-employed borrowers often contend with inconsistent income flows, and consequently, they may need to borrow funds during periods of insufficient income to cover expenses. As it may be a tough feat for them to meet the requirements of conventional loans, personal loans for bad credit offer access to financing when needed.
    • Low-income borrowers – Borrowers with low incomes frequently turn to personal loans for bad credit because they struggle to meet the debt-to-income ratio requirements associated with conventional loans. Thus, relying on personal loans for various purposes provides a more accessible financing option.

    Tips for Managing Personal Loans for Bad Credit

    When appropriately managed, personal loans for bad credit can be a powerful tool that helps you attain financial freedom and stability. Below are tips on how to manage personal loans for bad credit:

    • Create a budget – By developing a comprehensive budget that outlines your income and expenses, you get a clear picture of your financial situation and enable you to allocate funds effectively.
    • Make timely payments – Ensure you make your repayments on time to avoid late fees and penalties, which have the potential to impact your credit score negatively. You can consider setting up automatic payments or creating reminders to stay on top of due dates.
    • Cut expenses and increase income – Identifying areas where you can cut expenses and redirect those savings toward debt repayment and exploring ways to increase your income will accelerate your progress in paying off personal loans for bad credit.
    • Seek professional advice – You can seek guidance from a credit counseling agency or a financial advisor who will provide personalized strategies to help you navigate your specific debt challenges and create a manageable repayment plan.
    • Practice self-discipline and patience –By being patient and disciplined, you will be better positioned to stay committed to your debt repayment plan, which requires consistent effort and perseverance.

    By following these tips and adopting responsible financial habits, you can better manage your loans for bad credit, improve your overall financial health, and work toward achieving your financial goals.

    How Can I Effectively Use a Personal Loans for Bad Credit?

    Personal loans for bad credit offer financial assistance to individuals despite their credit challenges. Below, we will delve into some of the most common and practical ways people utilize these loans.

    • Debt consolidation – Personal loans for bad credit can combine high-interest debts and multiple loans into a single personal loan, which helps you manage your debt more effectively.
    • Emergency expenses – Personal loans for bad credit provide a financial safety net for unexpected and urgent expenses when you don’t have readily available funds.
    • Credit score improvement – Personal loans for bad credit can be used as a strategic tool to start rebuilding your credit history. This is done by borrowing responsibly and making timely payments, which will demonstrate improved financial responsibility, potentially opening up access to better loan terms.
    • Small business ventures – If you are an aspiring entrepreneur or a small business owner with bad credit, you can turn to a personal loan with bad credit to kickstart or expand your business.

    Alternatives to Bad Credit for Personal Loans

    • Secured loans – As secured loans require collateral, they often offer lower interest rates compared to unsecured personal loans, such as personal loans for bad credit.
    • Credit unions – By being a credit union member, you become eligible for loans with favorable loan terms as they have relatively lower interest rates. Additionally, credit unions may be willing to work with members with less-than-perfect credit, making them a good alternative.
    • Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending – P2P lending platforms connect borrowers with individual investors who fund loans and usually have less stringent credit requirements and lower interest rates than other lending institutions.
    • Credit counseling – Nonprofit credit counseling agencies are a go-to alternative as they provide financial advice and assistance to individuals struggling with debt. They can also help create budgets, negotiate with creditors for lower interest rates, and offer more effective debt management plans to consolidate and repay debts.
    • Negotiating with creditors – If you have existing debts, you can consider negotiating with creditors to improve your repayment terms by considering aspects such as interest rates, repayment periods, or even settlements.
    • Building credit – By improving your credit, you will, over time, become eligible for more favorable loan options with better terms than personal loans for bad credit.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can personal loans for bad credit be used to start or invest in a small business?

    Yes, some borrowers use personal loans to launch or support small businesses. However, assessing the risks and considering alternative business financing options is important, especially if more significant amounts are needed.

    What should I do if I suspect I’ve been offered a predatory loan with excessively high interest rates?

    If you believe you’ve encountered a predatory lending situation, consult a financial advisor or legal expert to understand your rights and explore potential remedies. You can also report predatory lending practices to regulatory authorities.

    Can I use a personal loan for bad credit to pay off my tax debt?

    Yes, personal loans can be used to pay off tax debt. However, it’s essential to compare the interest rate on a loan with the potential interest and penalties from unpaid taxes to determine if it’s financially beneficial.

    Is there a difference between personal loans for bad credit and payday loans?

    Yes, there’s a significant difference. Personal loans for bad credit typically have longer terms and lower interest rates than short-term payday and high-interest loans.

    Company Name: Payday Ventures Ltd (trading as Credit Clock)
    Email: business@paydayventures.com
    Phone: +44 208 064 1293

    Disclaimers & Disclosures

    Editorial Independence & Liability Notice
    The content provided herein is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice or an endorsement of any specific product or service. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, completeness, and timeliness, no guarantee is made regarding the validity or reliability of the information presented. In the event of factual errors, outdated content, or inaccuracies, all parties involved in the publication and distribution of this content — including syndication partners — are held harmless. This article may contain errors or omissions and is subject to change without notice. It is the responsibility of the reader to verify all product terms with the relevant lender or service provider prior to taking any action.

    Age & Status Requirements
    Loan products discussed are available only to individuals aged 18 and over. All offers are subject to eligibility, verification of personal and financial status, and additional checks performed by the lender.

    Not a Lender or Financial Institution
    This website operates strictly as a loan connection service and is not a lender. Credit Clock does not make any credit decisions, does not issue loans or lines of credit, and does not determine loan terms. The service utilizes proprietary algorithms to match users with lenders based on their application details, preferences, and lender availability. The operator of the site does not charge consumers any fee for this matching service.

    Compensation Disclosure
    This website is funded through advertising partnerships. Lenders, lender networks, and third-party marketers may compensate the operator if a user is presented with or accepts an offer for a financial product or loan through this platform. This compensation allows the service to remain free for consumers. However, compensation may influence how and where products appear, but does not affect the objectivity of editorial content.

    Loan Availability & Options
    Credit Clock does not have access to all financial providers or loan products available in the market. Any loan offer received should not be considered exhaustive or definitive. Consumers are strongly advised to compare all available options independently and select products based on their unique financial circumstances and goals.

    Representative APR & Loan Terms
    Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) and loan terms vary depending on the lender, credit profile, and application details. This website displays a representative APR range of 5.99% to 35.99%, with a minimum loan repayment period of 61 days. Not all applicants will qualify for the lowest advertised rates. Loan products typically reflect closed-end credit agreements and may differ significantly across providers.

    State Limitations
    Loan services may not be available in all U.S. states due to regulatory restrictions and lender preferences. This platform does not operate in the following states: Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia.

    Credit Evaluation Practices
    Submitting a request for loan referral constitutes authorization for participating lenders and service providers to evaluate the applicant’s creditworthiness. This may include soft or hard inquiries from major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) or through alternative data providers and consumer reporting agencies. Such evaluations may influence approval decisions and loan terms.

    No Approval Guarantee
    Filling out the application form does not guarantee loan approval. Loan amounts, terms, and timing of fund disbursement will vary by lender. While some applicants may be eligible for loan amounts up to $5,000, this figure is not assured for all users. The website does not guarantee funding outcomes or endorse any specific lender or offer.

    Special Note on Tribal Lenders
    Some lending partners may be sovereign tribal entities. These lenders operate under federal and tribal laws and may not be subject to state law. Interest rates and repayment terms from tribal lenders may be significantly higher than those from state-regulated institutions. Consumers should fully understand and review all terms before agreeing to any loan offer.

    Final Cautionary Statement
    Users are encouraged to exercise due diligence and consult independent financial professionals when evaluating loan options. All decisions made based on the information contained within this publication are solely the responsibility of the reader.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: BitMine Launches Bitcoin Treasury Advisory Practice and Enters into $4M Transaction with First BTC Treasury Advisory Client

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LAS VEGAS, May 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BitMine Immersion Technologies, Inc. (OTCQX: BMNRD) today announced the launch of its Bitcoin Treasury Advisory Practice, alongside a $4 million strategic transaction with a U.S. exchange-listed company. BitMine is offering “Mining as a Service,” or MaaS, to the strategic partner and plans to offer MaaS to companies that own Bitcoin and wish to add Bitcoin denominated revenue, in addition to Bitcoin, as a core treasury holding. 

    Upon closing of the strategic agreement, BitMine will lease 3,000 Bitcoin ASIC miners to the client through December 30, 2025, for $3.2 million, with $1.6 million paid upfront. The client has also engaged BitMine for an $800,000 consulting agreement for one year, focused on Bitcoin Mining-as-a-Service and Bitcoin Treasury Strategy.

    This marks the first client for BitMine’s new advisory business, which supports public companies with Bitcoin-based revenue strategies, GAAP accounting insights, custody solutions, and BTC/USD hedging.

    “Currently, there are almost 100 public companies that have adopted Bitcoin as a treasury holding. We expect this number to grow in the future. As more companies adopt Bitcoin treasury strategies, the need for infrastructure, revenue generation, and expert guidance grows along with it,” said Jonathan Bates, CEO of BitMine. “This single transaction is greater than our entire 2024 fiscal year revenue, and we feel there is an opportunity to acquire more clients in the near future as interest in Bitcoin ownership grows.”

    About BitMine Immersion Technologies, Inc.

    BitMine is a Bitcoin Network Company, with a focus on Bitcoin mining, Synthetic Bitcoin Mining through involvement in Bitcoin mining hashrate as a financial product, offering advisory and mining services to companies interested in earning Bitcoin denominated revenues, and general Bitcoin advisory to public companies. BitMine’s operations are located in low-cost energy regions in Trinidad; Pecos, Texas; and Silverton, Texas.

    Forward-Looking Statements:

    This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements.” The statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. This document specifically contains forward-looking statements regarding expected revenue from strategic transactions and future business opportunities. In evaluating these forward-looking statements, you should consider various factors, including: our ability to keep pace with new technology and changing market needs; our ability to finance our current business and proposed future business; and the competitive environment of our business. Actual future performance outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond BitMine’s control, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of BitMine’s Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on April 3, 2025, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on April 14, 2025, and all other SEC filings, as amended or updated from time to time. Copies of BitMine’s filings with the SEC are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch. BitMine undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

    BitMine Immersion Technologies Contact:

    Jonathan Bates, Chairman and CEO

    info@bitminetech.io

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: NCS Multistage Holdings, Inc. to Present at the Emerging Growth Conference

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HOUSTON, May 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NCS Multistage Holdings, Inc. (“NCS” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ:NCSM) announced today that Ryan Hummer, Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present at the Emerging Growth Conference on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at 1:55 p.m. Central Time (2:55 p.m. Eastern Time).

    To attend the presentation, interested parties should register at the following link:

    Register for Emerging Growth Conference here

    A recording of the presentation should be available on the Company’s website at www.ncsmultistage.com under the Investors section for approximately 90 days following the event.

    NCS Multistage Holdings, Inc. is a leading provider of highly engineered products and support services that facilitate the optimization of oil and natural gas well construction, well completions and field development strategies. NCS provides products and services primarily to exploration and production companies for use in onshore and offshore wells, predominantly wells that have been drilled with horizontal laterals in both unconventional and conventional oil and natural gas formations. NCS’s products and services are utilized in oil and natural gas basins throughout North America and in selected international markets, including the North Sea, the Middle East, Argentina and China. NCS’s common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “NCSM.” Additional information is available on the website, www.ncsmultistage.com.

    Contact:
    Mike Morrison
    Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
    +1 281-453-2222
    IR@ncsmultistage.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: From the Liver King to ultramarathons, fitness influencers are glorifying extreme masculinity where ‘pain is the point’

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Cornell, PhD Candidate in Public Health & Community Medicine, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney

    Netflix/Untold: The Liver King

    A new Netflix documentary about a shirtless supplement salesman who claimed to be “natural” and was exposed as a fraud might seem like a punchline.

    But Untold: The Liver King is more than just a character study of a well-known fitness influencer; it’s a case study of performative masculinity in the world of social media.

    Brian Johnson, better known as the Liver King, built a brand on extreme workouts, eating raw organ meat, and evangelising about masculinity. He preached “ancestral living” and radical self-control, all while secretly using steroids.

    And his rapid rise to popularity reveals how social media rewards the spectacle of hypermasculinity – especially when it leans into extreme behaviours.

    Extreme self-discipline, extreme exercise, extreme eating and extreme “wellness” have all become forms of public performance on social media.

    From influencers pushing steroids or “wellness” lifestyles, to the growing popularity of ultramarathons, a new model of masculinity is going viral: control your body, grit through pain, workout hard, and make sure everyone hears about it.

    The rise of ‘discipline content’

    Social media apps and websites such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, are flooded with content that frames pain and extreme physical effort as markers of masculine worth.

    One analysis of male fitness YouTubers found they established authority and discipline through a mix of visible physical strength and affiliations with commercial fitness brands. In some cases, the influencers explicitly listed their personal records or showcased their physique post-training as proof of their “masculinity” and discipline.



    Read more:
    Why banning gym selfies could do us all a lot of good

    Influencers also often frame extreme leanness and muscularity as indicators of moral virtue and discipline, even when achieving it has taken a negative physical or mental toll on them. The look of discipline has become more valuable than the outcome of it.

    Posts are often wrapped in the language of “resilience”, “discipline” and militaristic rhetoric. Men are told to “go to war” in the gym, to “stay hard”, and to generally treat life like a battlefield.

    What’s being sold isn’t stoicism: it’s pseudo-stoicism – a term researchers have coined to describe emotional suppression masquerading as strength and discipline.

    Pain is the point

    Strava’s 2023 Year in Sport report found Gen Z athletes are 31% less likely to exercise for health reasons compared to older generations. Instead, they are more likely to train with a focus on athletic performance – that is, to push their physical limits, improve metrics such as speed or distance, and outperform others.

    The same report shows a surge in extreme endurance activity. Compared to 2023 data, uploads (activities shared with others) of gravel bike rides grew 55%, trail runs grew 16%, and ultramarathon-style workouts grew by 9%.

    Take Nedd Brockmann, who ran across Australia in 2022, and last year ran 1,600 kilometres in ten days to raise money for charity – all while sharing his self-imposed physical torture.

    Or take the countless fitness content creators pushing themselves through punishing routines for the camera.

    These cases reflect a deeper shift of fitness being turned into spectacle, wherein suffering becomes a sign of legitimacy, and pain is “proof” that you’re serious.

    Such extreme content, which is often visually striking, can also be pushed by social media algorithms. Research shows how social media platforms systematically boost content that is intense, emotionally charged, and morally loaded.



    Read more:
    Get big or die trying: social media is driving men’s use of steroids. Here’s how to mitigate the risks

    In other words, posts that provoke a reaction are more likely to get promoted. And
    content relating to “wellness” extremism is designed to provoke, as it is visceral, performative, and packed with motivational and self-help anecdotes.

    Why this matters

    This is a potential public health issue.

    Social media platforms amplify and monetise these performances, often pushing the most extreme content to the top. And influencers make money, above the money made from directly these platforms, from selling supplements, gear and coaching plans. At the same time, they act in more and more extreme ways to get further amplified by algorithms.

    The risks of this dynamic, for both the viewers and creators, are very real. They range from hormone damage, to mental and physical decline, to injury, and even death.

    But there is also a deeper ideological harm, as young men are fed a narrow and punishing idea of what it means to be a man. They are taught pain equals purpose, and that if you’re not suffering, you’re not trying.

    Where to from here?

    Public health agencies need to reckon with this form of digital hypermasculinity.

    Extreme fitness influencers aren’t just poor role models; they’re the product of a system that profits from insecurity and spectacle. The goal shouldn’t be to ban or censor this content. But we do need to challenge its dominance, and offer alternatives.

    That means engaging young men in offline spaces, such as the Tomorrow Man project, where they have an outlet for community and relationship building.

    It means creating counter-narratives that don’t mock, but model, healthier versions of ambition and masculinity. For instance, the Movember campaign’s podcast Dad in Progress explores the various challenges and experiences faced by new dads.

    It also means holding platforms accountable for the way they amplify extreme content.

    In the absence of healthier narratives, self-flagellation is the only thing young men will have to aspire to.

    Samuel Cornell has received funding from Meta Platforms, Inc. His research is supported by a University of New South Wales Sydney, University Postgraduate Award.

    – ref. From the Liver King to ultramarathons, fitness influencers are glorifying extreme masculinity where ‘pain is the point’ – https://theconversation.com/from-the-liver-king-to-ultramarathons-fitness-influencers-are-glorifying-extreme-masculinity-where-pain-is-the-point-256817

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ Budget 2025: anything less than a 5% increase in health funding amounts to merely standing still

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Professor of Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    Health Minister Simeon Brown. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

    Minister of Health Simeon Brown claimed earlier this year that health funding in New Zealand has never been higher and that suggestions of underfunding are “fake news”.

    On the bare statistics, Brown isn’t wrong. The allocation to Vote Health has indeed increased from NZ$18.2 billion in 2018-19 to $29.6 billion in the 2024-25 budget.

    Yet for many working in the publicly-funded health system things have never seemed so bad, with daily stories of under-staffing and increasing levels of stress.

    So, how much should the government be spending on health? Any answer needs to factor in the broader context of the health system, and where we sit historically and comparatively.

    The health system is subject to significant cost pressures, few of which are unique to New Zealand. People are generally living longer, but more of that longer life span is spent in ill health.

    At the same time, New Zealand’s population profile has changed significantly over the past 40 years. There is a lower proportion of working-age people paying income tax to support those who are older.

    Technological advances, on balance, drive up health expenditure – more is possible, so more is expected. And compared with other parts of the economy, health services are labour-intensive.

    Around two thirds of health expenditure is on staff, and health workforce shortages are a global problem (again, driven by demographic change). All these factors mean health costs rise faster than inflation.

    Taking all of this into account, a recent health economics analysis calculated that to continue to deliver the same level of service in the United Kingdom (which has very similar health system characteristics to New Zealand), public spending on health would need to increase by 2.8% in real terms (above inflation) each year.

    Then we need to factor in population growth, which has recently been between 1.5% and 2% per year in New Zealand. In this context, a 4-5% increase in Vote Health amounts to merely standing still.

    People are living longer, but more of that longer life is spent in ill health.
    Getty Images

    Long-term deterioration

    We also need to put our current situation in historical and international context.

    The most appropriate indicator for international comparison is “publicly mandated health expenditure” (PMHE) as a percentage of GDP, as this excludes private expenditure (private health insurance and “out of pocket” payments).

    Total health spending typically constitutes 10-12% of GDP in high-income countries, and PMHE is typically around 8%. In the 2010s, however, New Zealand’s PMHE dropped from 7.8% (2012) to 7% of GDP (2017). Meanwhile, Australia, Canada and the UK all remained at or above 8% during that time.

    This represents a significant long-term deterioration which heightened the stress on our health system before and after the COVID pandemic.

    Even when our PMHE as a percentage of GDP is comparable to Australia and other countries, our per-capita health expenditure is significantly less because our GDP per-capita is lower.

    The most significant budget boost in recent years was in 2022. But this was largely soaked up by pay rises for health professionals that resulted from underfunding during the 2010s.

    The current government finds itself in a very tight spot. This is partly because of international economic conditions and demographic trends, but also due to self-imposed constraints.

    Even in such a large budget, there’ll be little room for major initiatives in health unless savings are found from existing areas. That is rarely feasible in health. As is true in most years, there could be up to three big-ticket items. If so, what should they be?

    What Budget 2025 should include

    First, the government needs to boost capital expenditure in health. A recent analysis by the UK Institute for Government shows that public service productivity, including in the health sector, fell sharply during and after the COVID pandemic. The New Zealand treasury reported similar productivity declines.

    The UK report concluded these declines were primarily due to physical capacity constraints – clinical staff can’t be more productive when there is not enough physical space and diagnostic equipment.

    Earlier this month, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced a $400 million increase in the annual capital allowance across all of government. Let’s see how much of the total $4 billion capital allowance is channelled into health.

    A second priority should be primary healthcare. Here, the health minister has already announced a range of initiatives, headlined by $285 million of additional performance-based funding over three years. This is a welcome commitment, and the most significant boost in primary care funding since the mid-2000s.

    However, it’s unlikely this will redress erosion over the past 20 years of primary care “capitation” funding (the amount a GP practice receives per enrolled patient).

    This funding formula also needs to be modernised to better reflect where needs are highest and account for rising acuity and complexity of conditions in primary healthcare. This would relieve some pressures on hospital emergency departments and medical wards.

    Third, investment to retain and attract health workers across the whole sector is vital. Given the demographic and epidemiological changes, proactively preparing for a mid-21st-century health workforce will require funding to support emerging models of health services, particularly in primary and community settings, including programmes such as Access and Choice and comprehensive primary and community care teams.

    These priorities, and any government commitment to them in Budget 2025, must be understood against the backdrop of sustained historical underfunding.

    The government is likely to claim health is a big winner in Budget 2025. Unless increases are significantly greater than 5%, such a claim will bring little respite to the health sector.

    In any case, the race that counts is a marathon, not a sprint. New Zealand is well back in the field, struggling not to lose further ground.

    Tim Tenbensel receives funding from the New Zealand Health Research Council.

    – ref. NZ Budget 2025: anything less than a 5% increase in health funding amounts to merely standing still – https://theconversation.com/nz-budget-2025-anything-less-than-a-5-increase-in-health-funding-amounts-to-merely-standing-still-255593

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘No pain, no gain’: why some primary students are following intense study routines

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christina Ho, Associate professor in Social and Political Sciences, University of Technology Sydney

    MNStudio/ Shutterstock

    Every year, thousands of New South Wales students sit a test to determine places for highly sought-after selective high schools. These are academically selective public schools often associated with high Year 12 scores.

    While there has long been a level of expectation around selective school entrance, the most recent round of testing has shone a fresh light on the pressures some young people are experiencing.

    Media reports have described some students studying for 18 months to prepare for the selective school test, with multiple sessions of tutoring each week.

    Earlier this month, police were called to control crowds at two testing centres as parents and students from one session overlapped with another. This is also the first year the tests have been done online and there were technical difficulties as students tried to complete exams.

    One exam invigilator told The Sydney Morning Herald about the stress they witnessed among students.

    We were dealing with kids who were freaking out and totally traumatised by what was going on. You could not make up a worse nightmare than what we went through that day.

    It’s not surprising children were upset. The pressure to perform well on test day is enormous. As my previous research has found, some families believe entry into a selective school will secure their child’s future.

    As my new research with colleagues suggests, this sees some families place huge pressure on students to study and prepare for academic tests in primary school.

    Not just a NSW thing

    Most (albeit not all) of Australia’s selective schools are in NSW.

    But there is pressure around other tests in the primary years. There are similar levels of competition for lucrative private school scholarships around Australia, which children sit as early as Year 3. Many of these are determined by centralised tests.

    Tutoring companies also offer programs for primary students preparing for NAPLAN tests in Year 3 and Year 5, as well as the “opportunity class” test in NSW (for an academically selective stream for Year 5 and 6).

    Our research

    In ongoing, as yet unpublished research on education cultures among migrant communities in Sydney, colleagues and I are focusing on 38 families with children in upper primary school.

    In 2022 and 2023, we interviewed students, parents and teachers at six schools in high and low income areas of Sydney. All schools included large numbers of Asian migrants, allowing us to compare different groups’ approaches to education.

    While not necessarily representative of all Asian migrant families, or all families with school-aged children in general, we found intensive preparation for the selective test was common in this group, especially among those students already enrolled in an opportunity class.

    The tutoring routine

    Many students preparing for the selective test told us they attended private tutoring three or more days per week, in addition to completing home based study. Some had begun this routine up to 12 months before to the test.

    One mother, whose son attended tutoring every day, at three different centres, on top of two hours of daily homework, told us,

    That’s how we prepare for selective […] You need to be methodical […] no pain, no gain.

    Other parents explained they resorted to private tutoring because schools did not teach what was needed to succeed in the selective tests.

    Not only do children spend afternoons, evenings and weekends in tutoring centres, they are also often giving up most if not all recreational, sporting and other extracurricular activities, narrowing their focus to acing the test.

    Families also postpone holidays, outings and other potential distractions. Many of our student participants aiming for a selective school told us they never socialised with their friends outside of school time.

    Sometimes they even neglected their school work so as to focus on the selective test. One teacher told us many of her students were absent from school in the week prior to the test, to ramp up their preparation.

    How does this impact students?

    This culture of extreme study and competitive schooling raises profound questions about the implications for student wellbeing. Some students spoke about their fatigue. As one student said:

    I work up to late at night. So sometimes I feel drowsy and I yawn a bit and have water in my eyes.

    Their teachers also expressed concern about insufficient sleep and heightened stress caused by the pressure to get into a selective school. They described students’ tears if they were not successful when the results came out.

    One teacher said he had a “blanket rule” of not talking about the tests in the classroom, because his students were so preoccupied with ensuring they were doing enough preparation.

    Other teachers reflected on students’ fear of taking risks because of the culture of perfectionism associated with scoring and ranking through tests.

    Some students stop doing other activites to prepare for the selective schools test.
    Maria Sbytova/ Shutterstock

    What does the research say?

    International research shows an association between high-stakes testing in primary years and issues with children’s mental health and academic confidence. There is also a negative association with students’ achievement in maths and literacy. That is, students who experience pressured exams were more likely to experience anxiety and depression, and not do as well in core subjects as those who did not experience this pressure.

    Some parents in our study expressed concern for their child’s wellbeing. But others saw stress a positive sign of engagement and commitment, and necessary for securing the all important place in a selective school.

    Given many are recent migrants, without established networks in Australia, and fearful of racial discrimination against their children, they believe education to be the most crucial foundation for future success.

    However, we need more research on the impacts of these parental aspirations and anxieties on the next generation. And a broader discussion about the benefits of selecting some students – who may have benefited from extensive and expensive private tutoring – to go to separate, high-performing government schools.

    Megan Watkins, Greg Noble and Alexandra Wong all contributed to the research on migrant families mentioned in this article, as part of a larger Australian Research Council-funded project.

    Christina Ho received funding from the Australian Research Council to conduct this research.

    – ref. ‘No pain, no gain’: why some primary students are following intense study routines – https://theconversation.com/no-pain-no-gain-why-some-primary-students-are-following-intense-study-routines-256815

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Surviving swamps on South Australia’s parched Fleurieu Peninsula are a lifeline to wildlife – and farmers

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Auricht, Visiting Research Fellow in Natural Resources Management, University of Adelaide

    Yundi Nature Conservancy, CC BY-NC-ND

    South Australia is famously the driest state on the driest inhabited continent.

    But even for South Australia, the current drought is extreme. Rainfall has been the lowest on record across large areas.

    When drought strikes and water sources dry up, life becomes hard for wildlife. In these conditions, perennial water sources become enormously valuable.

    Dotted across the drought-stricken Fleurieu Peninsula south of Adelaide are more than 850 swampy wetlands. When the landscape dries out, these swamps act as refuges. Animals, birds, insects and reptiles come from far and wide, drawn by permanent spring-fed water, good habitat, diverse plant species and cooler, more humid micro-climates. These swamps are vital habitat for the critically endangered Mount Lofty Ranges southern emu-wren.

    Drainage channels were cut through many of these swamps in the early days of settlement, in an effort to turn them into pasture. The Fleurieu swamps are now considered an endangered ecological community. More than 90% of the remaining swamps are located on private property.

    Keeping these swamps intact and restoring dried out wetlands comes with real benefits for farmers. Birds and insects seek refuge in the swamps, but feed on pest species on nearby farmland.

    As drought tightens its grip on South Australia, these swamps will only become more important to wildlife. Restoring these swamps by bringing back the water and restoring plants and pollinators could go some way to help.

    Important for nature – and humans

    The swamps of the Fleurieu are some of the most diverse and productive habitats on Earth. Many species of plants, birds, frogs, fish, insects, mammals and reptiles rely on them to survive.

    Before colonisation, swamps and wetlands covered large areas of the Fleurieu Peninsula. Three First Nations language groups lived in these areas on the central and eastern peninsula. The importance of these wetlands is recorded in the shared story of Tjilbruki, a Kaurna ancestor whose tears at the death of his nephew gave rise to six freshwater springs.

    Over the last 200 years, most of this region has been cleared for pasture, crops and vineyards. Only 4% of the swamps are conserved. They are now listed as a critically endangered ecological community. These swamps are still declining due to threats such as more human settlement, land clearance, water extraction and invasive species such as blackberries.

    Many were drained to make way for agriculture. We don’t fully know how many remain, as many are not well captured in current maps.

    But we know these wetlands are vital, not just for nature but for farmers too. Farmers would miss them if they were gone.

    We can see this most clearly during droughts. As the land gets drier and ephemeral water sources evaporate, ibises, eastern great egrets, white-faced herons and masked lapwings move into these swamps, seeking water. During the days, though, they spread out and feed on pasture pests such as grasshoppers and cockchafer beetle grubs.

    Similarly, these wetlands act as a haven for important insect pollinators and predators. Hoverflies and native bees help farmers by pollinating pasture legumes such as clover, while predators keep down the numbers of pest species.

    As adults, parasitic wasps rely on the nectar from swamp plants such as woolly teatree. But they lay their eggs on common pasture pests such as caterpillars and grubs. When their larvae hatch, they eat these pests. Carnivorous insects such as ladybirds and assassin bugs eat other insects which can trouble farmers.

    Ibises and other bird species base themselves in the swamps during drought, but fan out to eat insects which can trouble farmers.
    Yundi Nature Conservancy, CC BY-NC-ND

    Restoration is possible

    Swamps don’t have a great reputation. Throughout human history, they have been seen as sources of foul air and a haven for insects and disease. A common response was to dig channels to drain them.

    We now know much more about how important swamps and other wetlands for the natural world – and for humans. Wetlands naturally store water and carbon, tame floods and offer refuges during drought. Correcting these historic mistakes will take time.

    Wetlands are home to many species of plants, insects and animals.
    Yundi Nature Conservancy, CC BY-NC-ND

    Peatlands like these store huge volumes of carbon in their waterlogged soils. Our research estimated the carbon storage of a peat swamp at Yundi at more than 2,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per hectare. The depth of carbon-rich organic peat was up to three metres in places. By contrast, a healthy woodland stores around 650 tonnes per hectare.

    This natural carbon sink will remain as long as the peat remains moist and annual increments from plant growth and decay add to the stock.

    When an agricultural drain is cut through a swamp, water gradually leaches out of the peat profile. Over time, enough water leaves to dry out the peat, beginning with the surface layer. This means long-stored carbon and methane can be released back to the atmosphere.

    Conserving remaining peatlands and restoring those already drained is essential if the climate goals of the Paris Agreement are to be achieved, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.

    On the Fleurieu Peninsula, there’s huge potential to return water to the soils and expand these once-thriving wetlands.

    The good news? Community groups and farmers have already embarked on several restoration projects. Around 50 farmers in the region have formed the Fleurieu Swamp Restoration Network. To date, in cooperation with Yundi Nature Conservancy, 25 swamp restoration plans have been developed and 15 are under way. If successful, these will restore more than 100 hectares of swamp.

    Christopher Auricht is a director of environmental consultancy Auricht Projects Pty Ltd. He receives funding from both state and federal governments for wetland related consulting and research.

    – ref. Surviving swamps on South Australia’s parched Fleurieu Peninsula are a lifeline to wildlife – and farmers – https://theconversation.com/surviving-swamps-on-south-australias-parched-fleurieu-peninsula-are-a-lifeline-to-wildlife-and-farmers-256238

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Fish driving cars and chimps doing maths: what teaching animals ‘irrelevant’ skills reveals about our own minds

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scarlett Howard, Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University

    VixtorPhoto / Shutterstock

    Did you know goldfish can learn to drive cars? Have you heard bumblebees can learn to pull on a string? Would you believe some primates can perform calculations with Arabic numerals?

    These tasks seem completely irrelevant to these animals in their natural environment, so why are researchers interested in them?

    As someone who studies the intelligence of insects, much of my own research has been labelled as “ecologically irrelevant”.

    However, as I have argued in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, there are plenty of reasons to study this kind of animal intelligence.

    Finding relevance in irrelevance

    The study of animal intelligence often seeks to form a better understanding of the animal’s ecology. However, there are also many studies that aim to push the limits of animal cognition beyond what we would expect in their everyday life.

    This honeybee has been trained to find sugar water where there are an even number of shapes.

    Ecologically irrelevant research can help us understand the limits of animal intelligence and develop bio-inspired technology. It can also help us explore behavioural responses to environmental change, and advance our understanding of the evolution of intelligence.

    Understanding how animals respond to ecologically irrelevant tasks sheds light on how our own intelligence has evolved. We frequently use comparisons between humans and non-human primates to understand whether a cognitive capacity has evolved in modern humans, or if we observe similar abilities in other primates and animals.

    For example, children as young as 24 months old can find a hidden object in a room when its location is pointed out to them in a photograph. This ability is known as representational insight.

    Some chimpanzees can also pass this test. Do these results mean a chimpanzee has the same level of intelligence as a two-year-old child?

    Furthermore, this test may allow us to estimate when representational insight evolved. It may have been before humans and chimpanzees split into different lineages.

    Researchers trained goldfish to steer a tank on wheels.

    Imitating nature, comparing species

    Biologically inspired (bio-inspired) solutions to modern computing problems use technology based on biology. Some bio-inspired technologies can cope well with uncertainty by using brain-like computations to process and solve real-world problems. Many animals are considered models for bio-inspired technologies based on their vision, behaviour and movement.

    For example, the flight mechanics of dragonflies have been studied to build micro aerial vehicles. Since bio-inspired technology will undoubtedly be used in unnatural situations, it is useful to know how animals would respond in these same scenarios to build more accurate technology.

    Comparing the behaviour and intelligence of different species can pose a huge challenge to scientists. To enable accurate comparisons we need to have a task of equal difficulty for both species.

    If we use a task that animals perform regularly in their natural environments, we run the risk that one species may have an advantage from performing the task more frequently. However, if we use a task that neither animal is likely to ever need to perform, we can “level the playing field” for an accurate comparison.

    Animals must often adapt to new and unfamiliar situations. Environmental changes such as urbanisation, climate change, habitat loss and invasive species introductions cause animals to encounter new challenges that may have previously been ecologically irrelevant.

    A puzzle box may be seem irrelevant to many animals. However, cockatoos in Australia have learned how to open rubbish bins to forage. The cockatoos have then adapted to solve new puzzles as humans attempt to make bins harder to open.

    This “innovation arms race” between humans and cockatoos shows how an initially ecologically irrelevant task may become relevant to an animal.

    Does a true test of ecologically irrelevant intelligence exist?

    One major question is whether we have been able to create a truly ecologically irrelevant task for animals to complete.

    For example, bees have been trained to recognise images of human faces. This task may appear ecologically irrelevant to a bee.

    However, to the bee, an image of a human face may actually represent an unfamiliar but rewarding flower, particularly when the correct option is paired with a reward of sugar water, which imitates a flower’s nectar. Is this task relevant or irrelevant to a bee? The answer is: it depends.

    Many experiments provide food rewards. Therefore, animals may interpret these experiments as a foraging task, thus making even the most complex and arbitrary tasks during tests of intelligence still somewhat ecologically relevant to the animal. Other rewards for animals participating in experiments include shelter, social interactions, and play.

    While the task itself may appear ecologically irrelevant, the reward may be highly relevant to animals looking for food, mating opportunities, safety, or fun. This leads us to question if any task we give animals is completely bereft of ecological relevance.

    Scarlett Howard currently has funding from the Australian Research Council and the Hermon Slade Foundation.

    – ref. Fish driving cars and chimps doing maths: what teaching animals ‘irrelevant’ skills reveals about our own minds – https://theconversation.com/fish-driving-cars-and-chimps-doing-maths-what-teaching-animals-irrelevant-skills-reveals-about-our-own-minds-253938

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Video: President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Washington DC for his working visit.

    Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)

    President Cyril Ramaphosa has this afternoon, Monday 19 May 2025 arrived in Washington DC for his working visit.

    The purpose of the visit is to reset and revitalise bilateral relations between South Africa and the United States (US). In this regard, the visit will focus specifically on reframing bilateral, economic and commercial relations.

    On Wednesday, 21 May 2025, President Ramaphosa will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House.

    President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by the following Ministers: Mr Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Ntshavheni, Minister in the Presidency, Mr Tau, Minister of Trade, Industry Competition, Mr Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture and Mr Jonas, Special Envoy to the United States of America.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PImRrGyQb8M

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin Challenges Trump to Close Tax Loophole for Wall Street

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) led a group of their colleagues in challenging President Donald Trump to end a tax loophole, the carried interest loophole, that benefits wealthy money managers on Wall Street. Senator Baldwin leads legislation to close this loophole and, in February, she pushed for a vote on her amendment to end the tax break during the Senate’s budget resolution debate. While he failed to enact it in his first term, President Trump has been supportive of closing this loophole and has advocated for closing it as recently as this year.

    “During your first campaign, you claimed that the carried interest loophole was ‘ridiculous’ and ‘unfair to American workers’ and that the individuals reaping the benefits from the loophole were ‘getting away with murder.’ We agree,” wrote Baldwin and the lawmakers in a letter to President Trump. “We write to ask that you follow through on your promise to eliminate the carried interest loophole and demand that Congressional Republicans eliminate it in any tax bill they send to your desk.”

    When private equity managers oversee an investment fund, they receive a 20% share of the profits earned from the funds’ investments, called “carried interest.” This interest is not subject to the ordinary income tax rate of 37%, and is instead taxed at the 20% capital gains rate as long as the investments are held for at least three years. As a result, private equity fund managers who routinely make hundreds of millions of dollars are subject to a tax rate lower than that of an average blue-collar worker.

    “Despite the extraordinary profits that private equity funds are raking in each year, the carried interest loophole allows private equity managers to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, often paying tax rates that are lower than middle-class workers,” continued Baldwin and the lawmakers.

    The massive loophole costs the federal government tens of billions of dollars in tax revenue, and the private equity industry regularly donates significant sums to politicians sympathetic to their cause in order to make sure the loophole remains open for their profit. The industry has donated almost $600 million to political campaigns over the last decade to maintain a loophole worth upwards of $63 billion over the next 10 years.

    In addition to Senators Baldwin and Warren, this letter is co-signed by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

    The full letter is available here and below.

    Dear Mr. President:

    We write to ask that you follow through on your promise to eliminate the carried interest loophole and demand that Congressional Republicans eliminate it in any tax bill they send to your desk. 

    During your first campaign, you claimed that the carried interest loophole was “ridiculous” and “unfair to American workers” and that the individuals reaping the benefits from the loophole were “getting away with murder.” We agree. Despite the extraordinary profits that private equity funds are raking in each year, the carried interest loophole allows private equity managers to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, often paying tax rates that are lower than middle-class workers.

    When private equity managers oversee an investment fund, they receive a 20% share of the profits earned from the funds’ investments. This portion of future profits is known as “carried interest.” Although carried interest is essentially salary for private equity managers, it is not subject to the ordinary income tax rate of 37% and instead is taxed at the 20% capital gains rate as long as the investments are held for at least three years. The result? Private equity fund managers who routinely make hundreds of millions of dollars are subject to a tax rate lower than that of an average blue-collar worker making $85,000 a year.

    Though this massive loophole costs the federal government billions of dollars in revenue, efforts to constrain it have consistently fallen short. In a desperate attempt to retain Wall Street’s favorite loophole, the private equity industry doles out eye-popping amounts of campaign cash to curry favor with politicians sympathetic to their cause. And it works. In fact, economists have credited the hedge-fund-led lobbying blitz to the survival of the loophole. Overall, the industry doled out almost $600 million to political campaigns over the last decade, a cheap price tag for a loophole worth upwards of $63 billion over the next ten years.

    It is clear that the private equity industry has fought hard to retain these extraordinary tax giveaways. What is less clear is whether you will allow your party to deviate from your commitments, bow to industry demands, and fail to close the loophole for a second time. You were an avid supporter of closing the carried interest loophole throughout your first campaign and during the first few months of your first administration.  Your chief economic adviser even publicly confirmed in September 2017 that you “remain[ed] committed to ending the carried interest deduction.” Yet, only a few months later, your signature legislative package, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, did virtually nothing to change the loophole.

    Now, you have another opportunity to get the job done. You have once again confirmed your desire to end the loophole, and we understand that last week you asked Speaker Johnson to close the carried interest loophole. Notably, the House Ways and Means Committee defied your wishes and chose to advance legislation that does not eliminate the carried interest loophole.

    So, Mr. President, will you get it done?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New AJC Op-Ed: 42,000 New Jobs in Georgia Could Vanish if GOP Tax Bill Passes Warns Warnock

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    New AJC Op-Ed: 42,000 New Jobs in Georgia Could Vanish if GOP Tax Bill Passes Warns Warnock

    Read the op-ed HERE

    Senator Reverend Warnock penned an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) outlining how Georgia risks losing up to 42,000 good-paying jobs if Washington Republicans repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) Clean Energy Tax Credits

    These endangered clean energy tax credits support 51 clean energy projects worth over $28 billion, largely outside metro Atlanta

    Senator Reverend Warnock in the AJC: “If the President and Congressional Republicans were serious about bringing American manufacturing back to the United States, as I am, they would protect these tax credits”

    Senator Reverend Warnock in the AJC: “Politics has a way of trying to make easy stuff, complicated. I’ll tell you what’s not complicated – 51 new projects worth $28 billion all across our state and up to 42,000 new jobs”

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) penned an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) warning that 42,000 good-paying Georgia jobs could be at risk if Congress passes the GOP tax bill, which repeals the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) Clean Energy Tax Credits. The Senator called on his House GOP colleagues to protect good-paying Georgia jobs. 

    “If Washington Republicans move forward with a GOP tax bill that repeals these clean energy tax credits, it’s their districts that will lose jobs and private investments: three out of four clean energy projects that were announced or boosted following the passage of these tax credits have gone to House districts held by Republicans. This is especially true in Georgia: 80% of the projects, 94% of the total investments, and 75% of the proposed new jobs and investments are in Congressional districts represented by Republicans,” warned Senator Reverend Warnock. “By repealing clean energy tax credits to give a tax cut to the wealthy and well-connected, Washington Republicans could cause Georgia to lose up to 42,000 jobs in communities desperate for new jobs and investments. If the President and Congressional Republicans were serious about bringing American manufacturing back to the United States, as I am, they would protect these tax credits.”

    The op-ed follows the release of the Senator’s comprehensive report that found Georgia risks losing up to 42,000 good-paying jobs if Washington Republicans repeal the clean energy tax credits. Since the tax credit’s passage, clean energy jobs and investments exploded across the country, but nowhere was that growth more potent than in Georgia. In less than three years, 51 new projects in Georgia worth over $28 billion have been announced or boosted by the clean energy tax credits. According to the Senator’s report, in Georgia, nearly all the new investments and new jobs are in counties outside of the Atlanta region. Over 70 percent of the new investments and 83 percent of new jobs are in counties with median family incomes below the national median. More than 95 percent of the new jobs and investments are in counties where the percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree is below the national average.

    The full op-ed is available HERE and below. 

    This week, Washington politicians are voting on partisan legislation to cut taxes for billionaires by repealing clean energy tax credits that are creating tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs and are bringing billions of investments to communities across Georgia. It’s up to us to speak out and keep these good-paying, advanced manufacturing jobs coming to communities that are too often overlooked.

    The sad truth is cynical politicians want to repeal these tax credits because they were passed by a Democratic Congress and signed into law by a Democratic president. They’re so focused on the politics that they’re willing to take good-paying jobs, which often don’t require a college degree, away from their constituents. If we set politics aside and center what’s best for ordinary people, there’s no doubt everyone would come together to protect these tax credits and thousands of Georgia jobs.

    During my first term in the Senate, I was proud to champion these clean energy tax credits, which were passed as part of landmark climate legislation in August 2022. Since then, clean energy investment has exploded across Georgia. In less than three years, businesses have announced or advanced 51 new projects worth over $28 billion in our state. In fact, Georgia has benefited from these clean industry tax credits more than any other state. New projects are expected to add nearly 42,000 jobs across all corners of Georgia. More than 95% of these new jobs are outside metro Atlanta, and these projects overwhelmingly benefit places where folks are less likely to have a college degree and don’t earn as much as the average American. 

    This month, I laid out the benefits of these tax credits in a report that outlines Georgia’s Clean Energy Boom. In an era defined by gridlock, Democrats and Republicans across the state agree: these clean energy manufacturing jobs are good for Georgians and their families.

    Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said solar panel manufacturer Qcells, which will invest over $2.5 billion in projects across Georgia, partially thanks to these tax credits, is “fantastic” and claims her constituents are “excited to have jobs”. Congressman Barry Loudermilk, whose congressional district is home to a future Qcells facility, praised the company’s solar panel production as a “win for our state” and a “great source of jobs”.

    Congressman Buddy Carter has noted that “countless American companies” have used the tax credits to make “major investments” in clean energy. His constituents alone stand to benefit from 11 new clean energy projects representing nearly $7.9 billion in investments and 7,400 new jobs announced after these tax credits were signed into law. The congressman has supported preserving these private sector investments, which he said, “increase domestic manufacturing, promote energy innovation, and keep utility costs down.”

    If Washington Republicans move forward with a GOP tax bill that repeals these clean energy tax credits, it’s their districts that will lose jobs and private investments: three out of four clean energy projects that were announced or boosted following the passage of these tax credits have gone to House districts held by Republicans. This is especially true in Georgia: 80% of the projects, 94% of the total investments, and 75% of the proposed new jobs and investments are in Congressional districts represented by Republicans.

    By repealing clean energy tax credits to give a tax cut to the wealthy and well-connected, Washington Republicans could cause Georgia to lose up to 42,000 jobs in communities desperate for new jobs and investments. If the President and Congressional Republicans were serious about bringing American manufacturing back to the United States, as I am, they would protect these tax credits.

    Politics has a way of trying to make easy stuff, complicated. I’ll tell you what’s not complicated – 51 new projects worth $28 billion all across our state and up to 42,000 new jobs. Georgians are smart enough to know who is actually looking out for them. Now, it’s up to Georgians to ask their Congressional representatives: when the GOP tax bill comes up for a vote, are you going to protect good-paying Georgia jobs?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Beyer Commends Federal Court Ruling Affirming DOGE Power Grab at USIP Was Illegal

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

    Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) today issued the following statement welcoming a decision by Judge Beryl A. Howell protecting the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) from executive overreach. Judge Howell’s decision found that the Trump Administration and the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) acted unlawfully in removing USIP Board members, thereby nullifying subsequent actions, including the Board members’ replacement by officials affiliated with DOGE, the mass firing of USIP staff, and the transfer of USIP property to the General Services Administration (GSA):

    “The Court rightly concluded the Trump Administration and DOGE’s hostile takeover of the Institute was executed without legal authority and in direct violation of congressional statute. This ruling is a decisive victory for the United States Institute of Peace, its dedicated staff, and the rule of law.

    “Congress established the Institute of Peace with the support of Ronald Reagan to advance a safer, more peaceful world. In doing so, it defined the Institute as an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit and placed clear restrictions on presidential authority to remove Board members. Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s brazen attempts to disregard these legal protections and dismantle this organization inflicted unnecessary trauma on the Institute’s committed leadership and employees, threatened the independence of more than 232,000 other 501(c)(3) non-profits across the country, and undermined American diplomacy.

    “This decision restores the rule of law and protects the Institute’s ability to fulfill its mission of resolving conflict, training peacemakers, and advancing America’s interests through global stability. I will continue to support the United States Institute of Peace and the dedicated professionals who carry out this essential work.”

    Beyer served as a U.S. Ambassador during the Obama Administration. He went to the United States Institute of Peace to conduct congressional oversight amid DOGE’s illegal power grab. He has been an outspoken defender of the United States Institute of Peace, and critic of illegal attempts by the Trump Administration and “DOGE” to dismantle it.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wasserman Schultz Condemns Supreme Court Order that Empowers Trump to Return Venezuelans to Murderous Dictator

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)

    “Venezuelan TPS holders fled the Maduro regime and built lives in America. They sought refuge in America from his oppression and tyranny. This atrocious decision allows Trump to deport non-criminals back to this murderous dictator. This fight is not over. We must pass my Venezuela TPS Act to keep our community safe.”

    Washington D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), co-chair of the Venezuela Democracy Caucus, denounced a U.S. Supreme Court order that would allow the Trump Administration to return hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans right back into the hands of a murderous dictator that they had sought refuge from in coming to America.

    “Venezuelan TPS holders fled the Maduro regime and built lives in America. They sought refuge in America from his oppression and tyranny. This atrocious decision allows Trump to deport non-criminals back to this murderous dictator,” Wasserman Schultz said about the court order. “This fight is not over. We must pass my Venezuela TPS Act to keep our community safe.”

    Wasserman Schultz had led 48 Democratic Members of Congress this month in filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in this case, opposing Trump’s attempt to cancel TPS. Lower courts had agreed to temporarily block Trump’s attempt to rescind those TPS protections. But earlier today, the Supreme Court released an unsigned court order that basically allows the Trump Administration to lift those TPS restrictions and begin the mass deportations of Venezuelans who had lawful status just hours ago.

    The Trump Administration seeks to deport as many as 350,000 Venezuelans, despite President Joe Biden redesignating Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, to them last year. Despite being characterized as “criminal illegals” and “dirtbags” by senior Trump Administration officials, TPS recipients must pass continuous background checks and anyone with a criminal record is not eligible for protections.

    Wasserman Schultz has also sponsored bipartisan legislation to restore and redesignate TPS for Venezuelans, led calls to Secretary Noem and Secretary Rubio to demand answers on their TPS betrayal, given worsening political repression and economic conditions in in Venezuela. And the Congresswoman from Weston, Florida, also re-introduced the Venezuelan Adjustment Act to create a pathway to lawful permanent residence for Venezuelan nationals in the United States.

    ####

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover to Take Bite Out of ‘Krokodillen’

    Source: NASA

    Scientists expect the new area of interest on the lower slope of Jezero Crater’s rim to offer up some of the oldest rocks on the Red Planet.
    NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is exploring a new region of interest the team is calling “Krokodillen” that may contain some of the oldest rocks on Mars. The area has been on the Perseverance science team’s wish list because it marks an important boundary between the oldest rocks of Jezero Crater’s rim and those of the plains beyond the crater.
    “The last five months have been a geologic whirlwind,” said Ken Farley, deputy project scientist for Perseverance from Caltech in Pasadena. “As successful as our exploration of “Witch Hazel Hill” has been, our investigation of Krokodillen promises to be just as compelling.”
    Named by Perseverance mission scientists after a mountain ridge on the island of Prins Karls Forland, Norway, Krokodillen (which means “the crocodile” in Norwegian) is a 73-acre (about 30-hectare) plateau of rocky outcrops located downslope to the west and south of Witch Hazel Hill.
    A quick earlier investigation into the region revealed the presence of clays in this ancient bedrock. Because clays require liquid water to form, they provide important clues about the environment and habitability of early Mars. The detection of clays elsewhere within the Krokodillen region would reinforce the idea that abundant liquid water was present sometime in the distant past, likely before Jezero Crater was formed by the impact of an asteroid. Clay minerals are also known on Earth for preserving organic compounds, the building blocks of life.
    “If we find a potential biosignature here, it would most likely be from an entirely different and much earlier epoch of Mars evolution than the one we found last year in the crater with ‘Cheyava Falls,’” said Farley, referring to a rock sampled in July 2024 with chemical signatures and structures that could have been formed by life long ago. “The Krokodillen rocks formed before Jezero Crater was created, during Mars’ earliest geologic period, the Noachian, and are among the oldest rocks on Mars
    Data collected from NASA’s Mars orbiters suggest that the outer edges of Krokodillen may also have areas rich in olivine and carbonate. While olivine forms from magma, carbonate minerals on Earth typically form during a reaction in liquid water between rock and dissolved carbon dioxide. Carbonate minerals on Earth are known to be excellent preservers of fossilized ancient microbial life and recorders of ancient climate.
    The rover, which celebrated its 1,500th day of surface operations on May 9, is currently analyzing a rocky outcrop in Krokodillen called “Copper Cove” that may contain Noachian rocks.
    Ranking Mars Rocks
    The rover’s arrival at Krokodillen comes with a new sampling strategy for the nuclear-powered rover that allows for leaving some cored samples unsealed in case the mission finds a more scientifically compelling geologic feature down the road.
    To date, Perseverance has collected and sealed two regolith (crushed rock and dust) samples, three witness tubes, and one atmospheric sample. It has also collected 26 rock cores and sealed 25 of them. The rover’s one unsealed sample is its most recent, a rock core taken on April 28 that the team named “Bell Island,” which contains small round stones called spherules. If at some point the science team decides a new sample should take its place, the rover could be commanded to remove the tube from its bin in storage and dump the previous sample.
    “We have been exploring Mars for over four years, and every single filled sample tube we have on board has its own unique and compelling story to tell,” said Perseverance acting project scientist Katie Stack Morgan of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “There are seven empty sample tubes remaining and a lot of open road in front of us, so we’re going to keep a few tubes — including the one containing the Bell Island core — unsealed for now. This strategy allows us maximum flexibility as we continue our collection of diverse and compelling rock samples.”
    Before the mission adopted its new strategy, the engineering sample team assessed whether leaving a tube unsealed could diminish the quality of a sample. The answer was no.
    “The environment inside the rover met very strict standards for cleanliness when the rover was built. The tube is also oriented in such a way within its individual storage bin that the likelihood of extraneous material entering the tube during future activities, including sampling and drives, is very low,” said Stack Morgan.   
    In addition, the team assessed whether remnants of a sample that was dumped could “contaminate” a later sample. “Although there is a chance that any material remaining in the tube from the previous sample could come in contact with the outside of a new sample,” said Stack Morgan, “it is a very minor concern — and a worthwhile exchange for the opportunity to collect the best and most compelling samples when we find them.”
    News Media Contact
    DC AgleJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.818-393-9011agle@jpl.nasa.gov
    Karen Fox / Molly WasserNASA Headquarters, Washington202-358-1600karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov  
    2025-071

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CISA Welcomes Madhu Gottumukkala as the New Deputy Director

    News In Brief – Source: US Computer Emergency Readiness Team

    WASHINGTON – The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is proud to announce the appointment of Madhu Gottumukkala as its new Deputy Director. In this role, he will help lead CISA’s mission to understand, manage, and reduce risk to the cyber and physical infrastructure that the American people rely on every day. 

    Prior to his appointment as the CISA Deputy Director, Dr. Gottumukkala served as Commissioner and Chief Information Officer for South Dakota’s Bureau of Information and Technology, overseeing statewide technology and cybersecurity initiatives. He assumed this role after serving as South Dakota’s second-ever chief technology officer, focused on innovation through the adoption of emerging technologies, while increasing efficiency by replacing outdated legacy systems.

    “I am honored to be appointed by Secretary Noem to serve as Deputy Director of CISA. As a former state and local leader, I have seen firsthand the exceptional work CISA does in advancing our nation’s cybersecurity and infrastructure resilience,” said Gottumukkala. “I look forward to building on that foundation by fostering collaboration and strengthening resilience across all levels of government and the private sector. Together, through trusted partnerships, transparency, and shared responsibility, we can better manage systemic risks and safeguard the critical functions that ensure our nation’s safety and prosperity.”

    “CISA is excited to welcome Madhu to the team. As we work around the clock to safeguard our nation’s most critical infrastructure, Madhu brings a unique blend of technical expertise and real-world experience that will enhance our mission,” said CISA Senior Official Performing the duties of the Director Bridget Bean. “His deep understanding of both the complexities and practical realities of infrastructure security will strengthen CISA in its role as the nation’s lead cyber defense agency and the national coordinator for infrastructure resilience today and into the future.”

    With over 24 years of experience in information technology (IT), Dr. Gottumukkala has held leadership roles spanning both the public and private sectors, including work across the wireless and telecom, unified communications, and health technology industries. He currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the College of Business and Information Systems at Dakota State University.

    Dr. Gottumukkala holds a Ph.D. in Information Systems from Dakota State University, an MBA in Engineering and Technology Management from the University of Dallas, an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Andhra University.

    For more information about CISA’s leadership team, please visit the official CISA website at CISA Leadership | CISA

    ###

    About CISA 

    As the nation’s cyber defense agency and national coordinator for critical infrastructure security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency leads the national effort to understand, manage, and reduce risk to the digital and physical infrastructure Americans rely on every hour of every day.

    Visit CISA.gov for more information and follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Webb Finds Icy Disk

    Source: NASA

    This artist’s concept illustration, released on May 14, 2025, shows a Sun-like star encircled by a disk of dusty debris containing crystalline water ice. Astronomers long expected that frozen water was scattered in systems around stars. By using detailed data known as spectra from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, researchers confirmed the presence of crystalline water ice — definitive evidence of what astronomers expected. Water ice is a vital ingredient in disks around young stars — it heavily influences the formation of giant planets and may also be delivered by small bodies like comets and asteroids to fully formed rocky planets.
    Read more about what this discovery means.
    Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Less Than 1 Week Left To Apply for FEMA Assistance Following February Severe Storms and Flooding

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Less Than 1 Week Left To Apply for FEMA Assistance Following February Severe Storms and Flooding

    Less Than 1 Week Left To Apply for FEMA Assistance Following February Severe Storms and Flooding

    FRANKFORT, Ky

    – Homeowners and renters in Breathitt, Clay, Estill, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Martin, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Simpson and Woodford counties who experienced damage or losses caused by the February severe storms and floods have less than 1 week to apply for federal disaster assistance

    The deadline to apply for federal assistance is May 25

      Survivors of the April storms still have until June 25 to Apply

    How To Apply for FEMA AssistanceThere are several ways to apply for FEMA assistance:Online at DisasterAssistance

    gov

    Visit any Disaster Recovery Center

    To find a center close to you, visit fema

    gov/DRC, or text DRC along with your Zip Code to 43362 (Example: “DRC 29169”)

    Use the FEMA mobile app

    Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362

    It is open 7 a

    m

    to 10 p

    m

    Eastern Time

    Help is available in many languages

    If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service

    FEMA works with every household on a case-by-case basis

    FEMA representatives can explain available assistance programs, how to apply to FEMA, and help connect survivors with resources for their recovery needs

    When you apply, you will need to provide:A current phone number where you can be contacted

    Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying

    Your Social Security Number

    A general list of damage and losses

    Banking information if you choose direct deposit

    If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name

    Survivors should keep their contact information updated with FEMA as the agency may need to call to schedule a home inspection or get additional information

     Disaster assistance is not a substitute for insurance and is not intended to compensate for all losses caused by a disaster

    The assistance is intended to meet basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts

     Homeowners and renters in Woodford County may be eligible for federal assistance, if you had property damage or loss in Woodford County from the February severe incident, and then again from the April severe incident, you would need to complete two separate disaster assistance applications

    For an accessible video on how to apply for FEMA assistance, go to youtube

    com/watch?v=WZGpWI2RCNw

     For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4860

    Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x

    com/femaregion4

     
    martyce

    allenjr
    Mon, 05/19/2025 – 15:09

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: A Defining Era: NASA Stennis and Space Shuttle Main Engine Testing

    Source: NASA

    The numbers are notable – 34 years of testing space shuttle main engines at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, 3,244 individual tests, more than 820,000 seconds (totaling more than nine days) of cumulative hot fire.
    The story behind the numbers is unforgettable.
    “It is hard to describe the full impact of the space shuttle main engine test campaign on NASA Stennis,” Center Director John Bailey said. “It is hundreds of stories, affecting all areas of center life, within one great story of team achievement and accomplishment.”
    NASA Stennis tested space shuttle main engines from May 19, 1975, to July 29, 2009. The testing made history, enabling 135 shuttle missions and notable space milestones, like deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and construction of the International Space Station.
    The testing also:

    Established NASA Stennis as the center of excellence for large propulsion testing.
    Broadened and deepened the expertise of the NASA Stennis test team.
    Demonstrated and expanded the propulsion test capabilities of NASA Stennis.
    Ensured the future of the Mississippi site.

    NASA Stennis was not the immediate choice to test space shuttle main engines. Two other sites also sought the assignment – NASA’s Marshall Flight Center in Alabama and Edwards Air Force Base in California. However, following presentations and evaluations, NASA announced March 1, 1971, that the test campaign would take place in south Mississippi.
    “(NASA Stennis) was now assured of a future in propulsion testing for decades,” summarized Way Station to Space, a history of the center’s first decades.
    Testing did not begin immediately. First, NASA Stennis had to complete an ambitious project to convert stands built the previous decade for rocket stage testing to facilities supporting single-engine hot fire.
    Propellant run tanks were installed and calibrated. A system was fashioned to measure and verify engine thrust. A gimbaling capability was developed on the Fred Haise Test Stand to allow operators to move engines as they must pivot in flight to control rocket trajectory. Likewise, engineers designed a diffuser capability for the A-2 Test Stand to allow operators to test at simulated altitudes up to 60,000 feet.
    NASA Stennis teams also had to learn how to handle cryogenic propellants in a new way. For Apollo testing, propellants were loaded into stage tanks to support hot fires. For space shuttle, propellants had to be provided by the stand to the engine. New stand run tanks were not large enough to support a full-duration (500 seconds) hot fire, so teams had to provide real-time transfer of propellants from barges, to the run tanks, to the engine.
    The process required careful engineering and calibration. “There was a lot to learn to manage real-time operations,” said Maury Vander, chief of NASA Stennis test operations. “Teams had to develop a way to accurately measure propellant levels in the tanks and to control the flow from barges to the tanks and from the tanks to the engine. It is a very precise process.”

    The biggest challenge was operation of the engine itself. Not only was it the most sophisticated ever developed, but teams would be testing a full engine from the outset. Typically, individual components are developed and tested prior to assembling a full engine. Shuttle testing began on full-scale engines, although several initial tests did feature a trimmed down thrust chamber assembly.
    The initial test on May 19, 1975, provided an evaluation of team and engine. The so-called “burp” test did not feature full ignition, but it set the stage for moving forward.
    “The first test was a monstrous milestone,” Vander said. “Teams had to overcome all sorts of challenges, and I can only imagine what it must have felt like to go from a mostly theoretical engine to seeing it almost light. It is the kind of moment engineers love – fruits-of-all-your-hard-labor moment.”
    NASA Stennis teams conducted another five tests in quick succession. On June 23/24, with a complete engine thrust chamber assembly in place, teams achieved full ignition. By year’s end, teams had conducted 27 tests. In the next five years, they recorded more than 100 annual hot fires, a challenging pace. By the close of 1980, NASA Stennis had accumulated over 28 hours of hot fire.
    The learning curve remained steep as teams developed a defined engine start, power up, power down, and shutdown sequences. They also identified anomalies and experienced various engine failures.
    “Each test is a semi-controlled explosion,” Vander said. “And every test is like a work of art because of all that goes on behind the scenes to make it happen, and no two tests are exactly the same. There were a lot of knowledge and lessons learned that we continue to build on today.”

    Teams took a giant step forward in 1978 to 1981 with testing of the Main Propulsion Test Article, which involved installing three engines (configured as during an actual launch), with a space shuttle external tank and a mock orbiter, on the B-2 side of the Thad Cochran Test Stand.
    Teams conducted 18 tests of the article, proving conclusively that the shuttle configuration would fly as needed. On April 12, 1981, shuttle Columbia launched on the maiden STS-1 mission of the new era. Unlike previous vehicles, this one had no uncrewed test flight. The first launch of shuttle carried astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen.
    “The effort that you contributed made it possible for us to sit back and ride,” Crippen told NASA Stennis employees during a post-test visit to the site. “We couldn’t even make it look hard.”
    Testing proceeded steadily for the next 28 years. Engine anomalies, upgrades, system changes – all were tested at NASA Stennis. Limits of the engine were tested and proven. Site teams gained tremendous testing experience and expertise. NASA Stennis personnel became experts in handling cryogenics.
    Following the loss of shuttles Challenger and Columbia, NASA Stennis teams completed rigorous test campaigns to ensure future mission safety. The space shuttle main engine arguably became the most tested, and best understood, large rocket engine in the world – and NASA Stennis teams were among those at the forefront of knowledge.

    NASA recognized the effort of the NASA Stennis team, establishing the site as the center of excellence for large propulsion test work. In the meanwhile, NASA Stennis moved to solidify its future, growing as a federal city, home to more than 50 resident agencies, organizations, and companies.
    Shuttle testing opened the door for the variety of commercial aerospace test projects the site now supports. It also established and solidified the test team’s unique capabilities and gave all of Mississippi a sense of prideful ownership in the Space Shuttle Program – and its defining missions.
    No one can say what would have happened to NASA Stennis without the space shuttle main engine test campaign. However, everything NASA Stennis now is rests squarely on the record and work of that history-making campaign.
    “Everyone knows NASA Stennis as the site that tested the Apollo rockets that took humans to the Moon – but space shuttle main engine testing really built this site,” said Joe Schuyler, director of NASA Stennis engineering and test operations. “We are what we are because of that test campaign – and all that we become is built on that foundation.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Grayson County

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Grayson County

    Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Grayson County

    FRANKFORT, Ky

    –A Disaster Recovery Center has opened in Grayson County to offer in-person support to Kentucky survivors who experienced loss as the result of the April severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides

    The new Disaster Recovery Center in Grayson County is located at: Fiscal Courthouse, 125 E

    White Oak St

    , Leitchfield, KY 42754 Working hours are 9 a

    m

    to 7 p

    m

    Central Time, Monday through Saturday and 1 – 7 p

    m

    Central Time, Sunday

    FEMA representatives can explain available assistance programs, how to apply to FEMA and help connect survivors with resources for their recovery needs

     FEMA is encouraging Kentuckians affected by the April storms to apply for federal disaster assistance as soon as possible

    The deadline to apply is June 25

    You can visit any Disaster Recovery Center to get in-person assistance

    No appointment is needed

    To find all other center locations, including those in other states, go to fema

    gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362

     You don’t have to visit a center to apply for FEMA assistance

    There are other ways to apply: online at DisasterAssistance

    gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call 800-621-3362

    If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service

    When you apply, you will need to provide:A current phone number where you can be contacted

    Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying

    Your Social Security Number

    A general list of damage and losses

    Banking information if you choose direct deposit

    If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name

    For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4860 and www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4864

    Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x

    com/femaregion4

    martyce

    allenjr
    Mon, 05/19/2025 – 13:13

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in McLean County

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in McLean County

    Disaster Recovery Center Opens in McLean County

    FRANKFORT, Ky

    –A Disaster Recovery Center has opened in McLean County to offer in-person support to Kentucky survivors who experienced loss as the result of the April severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides

    The new Disaster Recovery Center in McLean County is located at: Calhoun Baptist Church, 315 Main St, Calhoun, KY 42327Working hours are 9 a

    m

    to 7 p

    m

    Central Time, Monday through Saturday and 1 – 7 p

    m

    Central Time, Sunday

    FEMA representatives can explain available assistance programs, how to apply to FEMA and help connect survivors with resources for their recovery needs

     FEMA is encouraging Kentuckians affected by the April storms to apply for federal disaster assistance as soon as possible

    The deadline to apply is June 25

    You can visit any Disaster Recovery Center to get in-person assistance

    No appointment is needed

    To find all other center locations, including those in other states, go to fema

    gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362

     You don’t have to visit a center to apply for FEMA assistance

    There are other ways to apply: online at DisasterAssistance

    gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call 800-621-3362

    If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service

    When you apply, you will need to provide:A current phone number where you can be contacted

    Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying

    Your Social Security Number

    A general list of damage and losses

    Banking information if you choose direct deposit

    If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name

    For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4860 and www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4864

    Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x

    com/femaregion4

    martyce

    allenjr
    Mon, 05/19/2025 – 13:35

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Jefferson County

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Jefferson County

    Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Jefferson County

    FRANKFORT, Ky

    –A Disaster Recovery Center has opened in Jefferson County to offer in-person support to Kentucky survivors who experienced loss as the result of the April severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides

    The new Disaster Recovery Center in Jefferson County is located at: Council Chambers, 10416 Watterson Trail, Jeffersontown, KY 40299 Working hours are 9 a

    m

    to 7 p

    m

    Eastern Time, Monday through Saturday and 1 – 7 p

    m

    Eastern Time, Sunday

    FEMA representatives can explain available assistance programs, how to apply to FEMA and help connect survivors with resources for their recovery needs

     FEMA is encouraging Kentuckians affected by the April storms to apply for federal disaster assistance as soon as possible

    The deadline to apply is June 25

    You can visit any Disaster Recovery Center to get in-person assistance

    No appointment is needed

    To find all other center locations, including those in other states, go to fema

    gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362

     You don’t have to visit a center to apply for FEMA assistance

    There are other ways to apply: online at DisasterAssistance

    gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call 800-621-3362

    If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service

    When you apply, you will need to provide:A current phone number where you can be contacted

    Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying

    Your Social Security Number

    A general list of damage and losses

    Banking information if you choose direct deposit

    If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name

    For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4860 and www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4864

    Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x

    com/femaregion4

    martyce

    allenjr
    Mon, 05/19/2025 – 13:32

    MIL OSI USA News –