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Category: DJF

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chile Can Grow Faster – But it Won’t Be Like the 1990s Again

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    Faster investment approvals, greater labor force participation, public-private R&D collaboration and steps to harness critical minerals and renewable energy can support higher growth

    Many of Chile’s current socioeconomic debates—such as those related to fiscal sustainability, pension adequacy and college loans—can be attributed to the country’s growth slowdown over the past two decades. Back in the 1990s, Chile grew 6.2 percent per year on average and was Latin America’s posterchild success story. Over time, this robust growth trend steadily waned, and by the 2020s, growth barely went above 2 percent. The IMF’s recent annual economic health check of the country (Article IV consultation) addresses how Chile can reverse this trend.

    Comparing Chile to its peers, there is scope to grow faster. Higher-income countries that were once at a comparable income level to Chile grew at a rate of around 2.9 percent per year. However, Chile faces challenges that most of those economies did not encounter at the same stage of development: such as an aging population and a global slowdown, both of which will make it more difficult for Chile to reach this pace.

    Historical patterns

    As countries get richer, sustaining rapid growth simply becomes harder because of diminishing gains from investment and less scope for technology catch-up. To evaluate Chile’s growth potential, we compared its trajectory with other countries when they reached similar income levels, such as Australia in the late 1980s and Korea in the 2000s. According to the Penn World Table and our calculations, Chile’s GDP per person tripled from US$8,200 in 1990 to around US$26,000 in 2025, in constant 2017 U.S. dollars after purchasing power parity (PPP) adjustment.

    Among 28 economies that crossed the US$26,000 real GDP per capita threshold between 1950 and 2010, median annual GDP growth over the subsequent decade was 2.9 percent. This benchmark is well below Chile’s 1990s boom, but still above its current trend.

    Demographic and external drags

    While the comparison is useful and offers some optimism, Chile faces an aging population and a less favorable global growth environment – impediments that many of these other higher-income economies did not face during their development stage.

    Though still relatively young, Chile’s population is aging. According to the UN’s median population projection, Chile’s working-age population (15-64) will grow by just 0.15 percent per year during 2025-35. With modest gains in labor participation, employment will likely grow by 0.2-0.3 percent annually – below the 0.8 percent seen in the comparison group. This demographic drag alone saps ¼ percentage point from Chile’s potential growth.

    Global technological trends could also weigh on Chile’s outlook. In the 1990s, information technology boosted productivity across countries. Our comparison group of countries benefitted from a U.S. GDP growth rate – taken as a proxy for global technological trends – of 3.1 percent per year on average. In contrast, economists now expect more modest U.S. growth of 2.1 percent for the next decade. We estimate that a one-percentage point reduction in 10-year U.S. annual growth translates to a further 0.8 percentage point restraint on Chile’s potential growth.

    Transformational reforms

    While these are rough estimates, and outcomes could vary widely, the exercise suggests a long-term growth trend of around 1.9 percent, if Chile were to perform in line with the median country and the demographic and external headwinds persisted.

    So, how can Chile increase its potential and defy these drags on growth? Short-run macroeconomic stimulus is not the answer, and Chile’s economy is already balanced. The solution lies in deepening supply-side structural measures, consistent with the policy messages in our latest annual review of Chile’s economy (the Article IV consultation).

    First, it is critical to make regulatory requirements more efficient. As an extreme example, it can take up to 10 years to sort out permits and navigate bureaucracy to get a large mining project off the ground. Streamlining this lengthy process would help reduce barriers to investment and support technology adoption. Similarly, modernizing regulations related to maritime transport could lower trade costs and improve Chile’s competitiveness. 

    To address demographic challenges, Chile could stimulate labor participation, for example by improving the access to quality childcare that would enable more women to enter the labor force.

    Chile’s R&D spending is also substantially below the OECD average. Greater public-private collaboration here is essential, given limited budgetary resources. The proposed technology transfer bill, enabling university researchers to create tech companies and commercialize their work, could help narrow this gap.

    Finally, as the world’s largest copper producer, second largest lithium producer, and as a nation richly endowed with solar and wind resources, Chile can benefit from the high global demand for these critical minerals and through use of low-cost renewable energy.

    While there is no silver bullet for growth, together these reforms improve the chances of a better outcome. Lifting Chile’s growth potential is critical for improving living standards and addressing social and fiscal pressures. Chile has an established track record of prudent macroeconomic management. Building on this solid foundation, the country can achieve stronger growth in a challenging global environment.

    *****

    Si Guo is a senior economist and Andrea Schaechter is an assistant director in the Western Hemisphere Department.

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/06/24/cf-chile-can-grow-faster-but-it-wont-be-like-its-the-1990s-again

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: One Big Beautiful Bill Will Protect American Jobs, Unleash Economic Growth

    Source: US Whitehouse

    President Donald J. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is a generational opportunity to restore America’s economic strength and reward our hardworking citizens. With provisions designed to support the backbone of our nation — families, farmers, job creators, and law enforcement — the One Big Beautiful Bill will deliver meaningful results for Americans across the country.

    Everyday Americans joined top lawmakers to detail how the One Big Beautiful Bill will affect their livelihoods:

    • Toni McAllister, executive director of the Louisiana Loggers Association, says the One Big Beautiful Bill will give small logging businesses a chance to thrive: “It will finally give small businesses like ours a better opportunity to not just survive, but to grow and succeed … This legislation will lower the effective tax rate for producing in America, increase and make permanent the small business deduction, double immediate small business expensing, and reduce reporting burdens for small businesses.”
    • Paul Danos, CEO of his family-owned offshore energy service company, says the One Big Beautiful Bill is key for American energy dominance: “This bill is a lifeline for American energy and restores the kind of predictably that businesses like ours need to invest and grow.”
    • Sam Palmeter, an executive at one of the last remaining laser technology companies fully owned and operated in America, says the tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill will give them a chance to expand: “This will immediately allow us to double our manufacturing space … This bill incentivizes us to create new jobs in the U.S. and we are incentivized to manufacture in the USA.”
    • Sheriff (Ret.) James Stuart, CEO of the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association, says the One Big Beautiful Bill will deliver needed support for law enforcement: “No Tax on Overtime pay would benefit our protectors all across the country in tremendous ways. The increase in take home pay for these deputies and officers rewards the extra hours and the extra efforts that they devote to protecting their communities, impacting their own lives in significant ways. That is more money in their pockets to save, to invest, and to grow.”

    Agricultural leaders outlined how the One Big Beautiful Bill will deliver for America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers.

    • Michael Hunt, fifth-generation Wisconsin farmer: “The single biggest threat to family farm operations in the United States right now is the Estate Tax limitations. There’s no possible way, with the rising real estate values that are occurring in rural America, for production agriculture to shoulder the cost burden of estate tax when the first generation passes on.”
    • Ethan Lane of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association: “That big chunk of the farm bill that’s in this reconciliation bill, including those animal health provisions that we have worked on for so long in the cattle industry, that is a huge win for cattle producers.”
    • National Pork Producers Council: “These investments and policy extensions offer critical support to agriculture, ensuring stability and long-term growth for farmers, ranchers, and the rural economy.”

    The National Association of Manufacturers launched a new ad campaign to highlight what’s at stake if the Trump Tax Cuts aren’t extended in the One Big Beautiful Bill: “If Congress doesn’t act, manufacturers will be hit with the largest tax increase in U.S. history. Six million jobs could be lost — that’s our neighbors, our communities, our futures.”

    Secretary of Energy Chris Wright discussed how the One Big Beautiful Bill ENDS the Biden-era Green New Scam: “It’s going to get rid of these subsidies and distortions that have hurt not just our electricity market, but our broader energy markets … The One Big Beautiful Bill — it is big. There are a lot of things in it, but a lot of them are just cleaning out underbrush and nonsense so it’s easier to build things in our country again, remove the distortions from the energy markets, unleash American businesses to build energy productions of all different kinds — but kinds that work, without subsidies.”

    Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, says extending the Trump Tax Cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill is a top priority for preventing American jobs from being exported to foreign countries: “These tax rates were meant to get the U.S. competitive on taxes on corporations … Remember back to people were exporting business outside the United States for lower tax rate reasons … All that’s been gone for the last seven or eight years, and so we need to make sure these extend or that will start up again.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: It is Possible to Support Science and Hold It Accountable at the Same Time

    Source: US Whitehouse

    There are some things that are common sense.

    Striving for Gold Standard Science – that all science should be reproducible, open and transparent, free from conflicts of interest, and collaborative – is among them. As OSTP Director Michael Kratsios wrote in an op-ed today, “Science and politics need not be in conflict. Ensuring that the science used in decisions conforms to the highest standards of research integrity makes these judgments themselves transparent and scientific.”

    Yet some within the science community put partisanship before professionalism when it comes to the commonsense principles of Gold Standard Science – for no reason other than politics.

    As Science journals Editor-in-Chief Holden Thorp put it in a piece today: “it is possible to support science and hold it accountable at the same time.”

    “..The defensiveness of investigators and institutions in responding to problems severely heightens the suspicion. Rather than filing lawsuits and hiding behind carefully crafted statements, the scientific community should be engaging in a conversation about problems and potential solutions.”

    This is exactly why President Trump signed his Restoring Gold Standard Science executive order. President Trump wants America to return to the standard of excellence our scientific community is historically known for.

    The simple truth is that there is a disconnect between the American people and the scientific enterprise. It’s a relationship that needs to be rebuilt.

    Now is the time to work with the Administration towards a solution.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: S. 320, National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2025

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    S. 320 would amend the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 to make changes to the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, an interagency program focused on reducing earthquake-related risks to life and property. S. 320 also would authorize appropriations of $161 million annually for fiscal years 2025 through 2028 for the U.S. Geological Survey, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to implement the program.

    Additionally, the bill would require the agencies to develop best practices to assist state, local, and tribal governments with creating inventories of critical buildings and structures, and with developing evacuation plans and expanding early warning systems. The agencies also would be required to report to the Congress every two years about activities related to the program.

    CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted near the end of fiscal year 2025 and that the authorized amounts will be provided for each year beginning in 2025. In 2024, the agencies allocated $164 million for the program from funds provided in the appropriation acts for that year. Based on historical spending patterns, CBO estimates that reauthorizing the program would cost $596 million over the 2025-2030 period and $29 million after 2030, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts.

    The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall within budget functions 250 (general science, space, and technology), 300 (natural resources and environment), 370 (commerce and housing credit), and 450 (community and regional development).

    Table 1.

    Estimated Increases in Spending Subject to Appropriation Under S. 320
     

    By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars

    		  
     

    2025

    2026

    2027

    2028

    2029

    2030

    2025-2030

    U.S. Geological Survey

    		              

    Authorization

    92

    92

    92

    92

    0

    0

    368

    Estimated Outlays

    17

    137

    90

    89

    23

    3

    359

    National Science Foundation

    		              

    Authorization

    54

    54

    54

    54

    0

    0

    216

    Estimated Outlays

    2

    30

    39

    46

    43

    26

    186

    Federal Emergency Management Agency

    		              

    Authorization

    9

    9

    9

    9

    0

    0

    36

    Estimated Outlays

    *

    4

    5

    7

    7

    5

    28

    National Institute of Standards and Technology

    		              

    Authorization

    6

    6

    6

    6

    0

    0

    24

    Estimated Outlays

    1

    9

    6

    6

    1

    0

    23

    Total Changes

    		              

    Authorization

    161

    161

    161

    161

    0

    0

    644

    Estimated Outlays

    20

    180

    140

    148

    74

    34

    596

    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Kelly Durand. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.

    Phillip L. Swagel

    Director, Congressional Budget Office

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Shelton Man Admits Defrauding Pandemic Relief Program

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

    David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, and Harry Chavis, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that TONY STERLIN CANTAVE, 45, of Shelton, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven for defrauding a COVID-19 pandemic relief program.

    In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act provided emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the distribution of Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”), through the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”), which provided working capital to eligible small businesses to meet operating expenses.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, in June 2020, Cantave applied for EIDL funding through the SBA.  The application contained a number of materially false statements, including that the business for which Cantave sought the loan, Arbitrage 1 Media, was an ongoing, legitimate business involved in the limousine and transportation business, and that he was not more than 60 days delinquent in his child support obligations.  After the SBA reviewed and approved the fraudulent EIDL application, Cantave received $96,200.  He then used the proceeds from the loan to pay for personal and non-business expenses, including $16,607.26 to pay off an automobile loan.

    Cantave pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government money and one count of making an illegal monetary transaction.  Each charge carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

    Cantave has agreed to pay $104,176.21 in restitution.

    Cantave is released pending sentencing, which is not scheduled.

    Cantave has two prior federal convictions.  In December 1999, he was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 18 months of imprisonment for a firearm offense, and in February 2015, he was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 13 months of imprisonment for his participation in a U.S. Postal Service money order fraud scheme.

    This investigation has been conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.

    Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: A chance discovery of a 365-million-year-old fossil reveals a new type of ray-finned fish

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Conrad Daniel Mackenzie Wilson, PhD candidate in Earth Sciences, Carleton University

    An artist’s rendition of the newly discovered fish, _Sphyragnathus tyche_. (C. Wilson), CC BY

    In 2015, two members of the Blue Beach Fossil Museum in Nova Scotia found a long, curved fossil jaw, bristling with teeth. Sonja Wood, the museum’s owner, and Chris Mansky, the museum’s curator, found the fossil in a creek after Wood had a hunch.

    The fossil they found belonged to a fish that had died 350 million years ago, its bony husk spanning nearly a metre on the lake bed. The large fish had lived in waters thick with rival fish, including giants several times its size. It had hooked teeth at the tip of its long jaw that it would use to trap elusive prey and fangs at the back to pierce it and break it down to eat.

    For the last eight years, I have been part of a team under the lead of paleontologist Jason Anderson, who has spent decades researching the Blue Beach area of Nova Scotia, northwest of Halifax, in collaboration with Mansky and other colleagues. Much of this work has been on the tetrapods — the group that includes the first vertebrates to move to land and all their descendants — but my research focuses on what Blue Beach fossils can tell us about how the modern vertebrate world formed.

    Blue Beach Fossil Museum curator Chris Mansky below the fossil cliffs.
    (C. Wilson), CC BY

    Birth of the modern vertebrate world

    The modern vertebrate world is defined by the dominance of three groups: the cartilaginous fishes or chondrichthyans (including sharks, rays and chimaeras), the lobe-finned fishes or sarcopterygians (including tetrapods and rare lungfishes and coelacanths), and the ray-finned fishes or actinopterygians (including everything from sturgeon to tuna). Only a few jawless fishes round out the picture.

    This basic grouping has remained remarkably consistent — at least for the last 350 million years.

    Before then, the vertebrate world was a lot more crowded. In the ancient vertebrate world, during the Silurian Period (443.7-419.2 MA) for example, the ancestors of modern vertebrates swam alongside spiny pseudo-sharks (acanthodians), fishy sarcopterygians, placoderms and jawless fishes with bony shells.

    Armoured jawless fishes had dwindled by the Late Devonian Period (419.2-358.9 MA), but the rest were still diverse. Actinopterygians were still restricted to a few species with similar body shapes.

    By the immediately succeeding early Carboniferous times, everything had changed. The placoderms were gone, the number of species of fishy sarcopterygians and acanthodians had cratered, and actinopterygians and chondrichthyans were flourishing in their place.

    The modern vertebrate world was born.

    A shortnose chimaera, belonging to the chondrichthyan group of vertebrates.
    (Shutterstock)

    A sea change

    Blue Beach has helped build our understanding of how this happened. Studies describing its tetrapods and actinopterygians have showed the persistence of Devonian-style forms in the Carboniferous Period.

    Whereas the abrupt end-Devonian decline of the placoderms, acanthodians and fishy sarcopterygians can be explained by a mass extinction, it now appears that multiple types of actinopterygians and tetrapods survived to be preserved at Blue Beach. This makes a big difference to the overall story: Devonian-style tetrapods and actinopterygians survive and contribute to the evolution of these groups into the Carboniferous Period.

    But significant questions remain for paleontologists. One point of debate revolves around how actinopterygians diversified as the modern vertebrate world was born — whether they explored new ways of feeding or swimming first.

    Comparing the jawbones of Sphyragnathus, Austelliscus and Tegeolepis.
    (C. Wilson), CC BY

    The Blue Beach fossil was actinopterygian, and we wondered what it could tell us about this issue. Comparison was difficult. Two actinopterygians with long jaws and large fangs were known from the preceding Devonian Period (Austelliscus ferox and Tegeolepis clarki), but the newly found jaw had more extreme curvature and the arrangement of its teeth. Its largest fangs are at the back of its jaw, but the largest fangs of Austelliscus and Tegeolepis are at the front.

    These differences were significant enough that we created a new genus and species: Sphyragnathus tyche. And, in view of the debate on actinopterygian diversification, we made a prediction: that the differences in anatomy between Sphyragnathus and Devonian actinopterygians represented different adaptations for feeding.

    Front fangs

    To test this prediction, we compared Sphyragnathus, Austelliscus and Tegeolepis to living actinopterygians. In modern actinopterygians, the difference in anatomy reflects a difference in function: front-fangs capture prey with their front teeth and grip it with their back teeth, but back-fangs use their back teeth.

    Since we couldn’t observe the fossil fish in action, we analyzed the stress their teeth would experience if we applied force. The back teeth of Sphyragnathus handled force with low stress, making them suited for a role in piercing prey, but the back teeth of Austelliscus and Tegeolepis turned low forces into significantly higher stress, making them best suited for gripping.

    We concluded that Sphyragnathus was the earliest actinopterygian adapted for breaking down prey by piercing, which also matches the broader predictions of the feeding-first hypothesis.

    Substantial work remains — only the jaw of Sphyragnathus is preserved, so the “locomotion-first” hypothesis was untested. But this represents the challenge and promise of paleontology: get enough tantalizing glimpses into the past and you can begin to unfold a history.

    As for the actinopterygians, research indicates they survived and diversified during Devonian times and had shifting roles during the birth of the modern vertebrate world — at least until more fossils are found that could determine whether that’s the case.

    Conrad Daniel Mackenzie Wilson receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Ontario Student Assistance Program, and the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

    – ref. A chance discovery of a 365-million-year-old fossil reveals a new type of ray-finned fish – https://theconversation.com/a-chance-discovery-of-a-365-million-year-old-fossil-reveals-a-new-type-of-ray-finned-fish-254246

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Speaks on Republicans’ Bill to Block Access to Health Care and Close Hospitals Across Rural America: “There is still time to kill this bill—and I hope we do.” 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    Welch Puts Spotlight on Vermont, West Virginia, and Tennessee in Remarks 
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) last night took to the Senate floor to call on Congress to kill Republicans’ disastrous budget bill, which will rip away health care coverage for more than 16 million Americans, including 32,000 Vermonters.  
    The Republican budget will hike health care costs, close rural hospitals, and force millions of middle-class families to lose their coverage altogether, all to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. In addition to draconian Medicaid cuts, Republicans are raising premiums and out-of-pocket costs for tens of millions of people who buy health insurance coverage on their own. Senator Welch highlighted that the Republican bill will impact red and blue states alike: 76,000 West Virginians and 290,000 Tennesseans would lose health care under the legislation. 
    “What’s happening in this bill is the infliction of bipartisan suffering. Whether it’s in the State of Vermont, or the State of West Virginia, or the State of Tennessee, folks who are depending on Medicaid are going to lose it,” said Senator Welch. “We’ve got to protect the people first. We take away their hospitals, they have no protection…There’s a cruelty in this bill. There’s an irresponsibility in the Senate if we don’t acknowledge explicitly what the impact of this bill will be on the people we represent, on the hospitals that are dependent on us, and on the future of community strength in all of our rural communities. Let’s kill this bill.” 
    Watch Senator Welch’s speech below: 
    Read Senator Welch’s remarks as delivered here. 
    Senator Welch has been a leading voice in calling to protect Medicaid and health care in the Senate. Earlier this month, Senator Welch took to the Senate floor to slam Republicans’ tax bill, and joined Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) for a virtual roundtable highlighting the harmful consequences of Republicans’ reconciliation bill for patients in Vermont.  
    Learn more about Senator Welch’s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM meeting with Prime Minister Schoof of the Netherlands: 24 June 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    PM meeting with Prime Minister Schoof of the Netherlands: 24 June 2025

    The Prime Minister met Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in The Hague today. 

    The Prime Minister met Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in The Hague today. 

    The Prime Minister began by thanking Prime Minister Schoof for his hospitality, adding that he was delighted to return to the city.

    Discussing the significant investment pledge made at this year’s summit, the Prime Minister said it was vital the next generation was able to enjoy the same peace and security that Allies had today. 

    The leaders also discussed the situation in the Middle East and agreed now was the time for diplomacy to prevail. 

    On Ukraine, the leaders underscored the need to secure a just and lasting peace, and to step up support through shared industrial capability and defence innovation. 

    The leaders looked forward to speaking again later today.

    Updates to this page

    Published 24 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Unprecedented fires fueled by climate change threaten iconic World Heritage forests

    Source: United Nations

    In an update to the joint UNESCO-WRI-IUCN report “World Heritage forests: carbon sinks under pressure”, new data reveals that fires have accounted for approximately 75% of tree cover loss in World Heritage sites. Steadily increasing tree cover loss due to fires, fueled by climate change, has led to record high emissions, and threatens the robust carbon sinks of forests in World Heritage sites.

    Fires are the primary cause of forest loss in World Heritage sites

    Since 2001, approximately 4.5 million hectares of forest—more than the area of Switzerland—have been lost across World Heritage sites, with fires responsible for around 75% of that loss. The vast majority — approximately 80% — of all fire-related tree cover loss occurred in high-latitude forests, primarily across North America and Siberia. Forests in Australia account for an additional 15% of the loss, while all other regions contributed approximately 5%.

    Solid lines show annual tree cover loss in World Heritage sites by cause, while dotted lines indicate long-term trends.
    Source: WRI Land & Carbon Lab

    While the number of World Heritage sites affected by fires annually has slightly declined in recent years — averaging around half of all forested sites per year — the severity of these events is escalating. Since 2020, fire-related tree cover loss has averaged approximately 240,000 hectares per year — more than twice the annual average recorded in the early 2000s.

    In contrast, non-fire-related tree cover loss has remained relatively stable, averaging around 45,000 hectares per year. This loss is primarily attributed to anthropogenic land-use pressures, such as illegal logging, wood harvesting, and agricultural encroachment related to livestock grazing and crop production, mainly in sites included in the List of World Heritage in Danger. Increases in non-fire-related forest loss were observed in 2016-2017 and 2020, linked to the impacts of hurricanes and storms in the Caribbean and Asia, and intensified agricultural expansion resulting from limited ability to monitor illegal activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. However, forest loss from non-fire causes has since gradually returned to pre-pandemic levels.

    “The data is clear: climate change is no longer a distant threat—it is here, now, and it is threatening the irreplaceable natural heritage of our world.”

    Climate change is intensifying fires in World Heritage sites

    The steady increase in fire-related tree cover loss highlights the growing influence of climate change on fire regimes in World Heritage sites. While fire plays a natural role in many ecosystems —particularly in temperate and boreal forests in higher latitudes— rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and changing weather patterns are creating conditions that fuel more intense fires. When forests burn, they release vast amounts of carbon stored in trees and soils into the atmosphere, primarily as carbon dioxide (CO₂). These emissions further exacerbate climate change and increase the likelihood of further fires in a self-reinforcing “fire-climate feedback loop.”

    Source: WRI Global Forest Watch

    Forest fires in World Heritage sites have resulted in an average of nearly 60 million tonnes CO2-equivalent (Mt CO2e) emissions per year, equivalent to Austria’s annual fossil fuel emissions[1]. Largely due to extreme fires, fire-related emissions in World Heritage forests have surged in recent years. In 2023, a record-breaking fire swept through over 300,000 hectares of forest in Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park, releasing an estimated 190 Mt CO₂e—roughly equivalent to Argentina’s annual fossil fuel emissions. This more than doubled the previous record set in 2021 in Canada’s Pimachiowin Aki (86 Mt CO2e). Australia’s devastating 2019–2020 fires torched around 300,000 hectares in the Greater Blue Mountains Area, emitting over 45 Mt CO2e.

    Tree cover loss due to fires (brown) in Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park after the 2023 fires (left), Pimachiowin Aki after the 2021-2022 fires (middle) and Australia’s Greater Blue Mountains Area after the 2019-2020 fires (right) 
    Source: WRI Global Forest Watch

    In the tropics—where fires have historically been rare—fire activity has surged, driven by intense outbreaks in sites such as Bolivia’s Noel Kempff Mercado National Park in the Amazon Basin, and Brazil’s Pantanal Conservation Area. Since 2020, fire has been responsible for approximately 35% of tree cover loss and associated emissions in World Heritage tropical forests—more than four times the annual average recorded in the early 2000s.

    Source: WRI Land & Carbon Lab

    “These intensifying fires are not just destroying tree cover and understory—they are unraveling ecological systems and pristine primary forests which underpin people’s livelihoods and provide several ecosystem services, such as climate regulation and human health maintenance.”

    Carbon sinks and biodiversity in World Heritage sites are under increasing risk

    Fires can have profound negative impacts on ecosystems, particularly by contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss. Covering more than 70 million hectares of forests—more than the area of Germany— World Heritage sites have traditionally played a crucial role in sequestering carbon. However, as fire intensity and frequency increases, this role is under threat. Fire-related emissions in World Heritage forests now account for about 40% of the carbon these forests absorb each year (80 vs. 200 Mt CO2/year), resulting in a net carbon sink of 120 Mt CO2e/year. High-latitude World Heritage forests have now collectively shifted from being carbon sinks to becoming net carbon sources, emitting around 5 Mt CO₂e/year. In contrast, lower latitude forests—mainly in the tropics—remain strong carbon sinks, absorbing roughly 130 Mt CO₂e/year. However, fires in tropical regions are especially damaging because their dense vegetation and high biomass cause them to release more carbon per unit of forest lost than fires in cooler regions. This makes tropical fires a growing threat to climate stability, accelerating the fire–climate feedback loop and pushing ecosystems closer to irreversible tipping points.

    Beyond carbon, fires are also placing fragile ecosystems at serious risk. In ecosystems not adapted to fire—such as tropical rainforests and wetlands—fires can permanently alter habitats, disrupt species interactions, and erase biodiversity that has taken millennia to evolve. Australia’s 2019–2020 fires, for example, are estimated to have affected the habitats of at least 293 threatened animal species and 680 threatened plant species. In the Greater Blue Mountains Area alone, over 140 million animals were impacted, including approximately 15 million mammals, 17.7 million birds, and 110.4 million reptiles. Similarly, in the Pantanal Biosphere Reserve—which includes the Pantanal Conservation Area World Heritage site—an estimated 17 million vertebrates may have perished during the 2020 fires. These fires also drastically worsened air quality, exposing surrounding communities to hazardous levels of smoke and particulate pollution, which can lead to serious respiratory and cardiovascular health problems and straining healthcare systems.

    © M & G Therin-Weise / Jaguar coming out of the forest, Pantanal Conservation Area, Brazil

    “The transformation of carbon sinks into carbon sources signals not just an ecological crisis, but a critical tipping point in our climate system — one that threatens both the natural world and the communities that rely on it. Investing in robust fire prevention and response systems is essential to combat wildfires, especially in carbon-rich forests.”

    Helping communities prepare and respond to fires

    As fire continues to threaten both ecological integrity and human livelihoods, proactive fire response and preparedness are more critical than ever. Communities living in and around World Heritage sites are often the first affected by these events—facing loss of land, water resources, cultural heritage, and biodiversity that their lives and traditions depend on.

    To support rapid and informed action, UNESCO has been leveraging real-time fire alert data through platforms like Global Forest Watch, developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI). These tools enable early detection of fire outbreaks and offer actionable insights that help local authorities and conservation managers respond quickly and effectively.

    Complementing this, Land & Carbon Lab – an applied geospatial research lab convened by WRI and the Bezos Earth Fund – provides critical data on carbon storage, emissions and sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems—enhancing global understanding of how fires and other human activities are imperiling carbon sinks and converting some forests to carbon sources. This data helps inform not only emergency response, but also long-term restoration and climate resilience strategies.

    A notable example of these data in action is their integration into the World Heritage Online Map Platform (WHOMP), which has supported the deployment of the Rapid Response Facility (RRF)— a joint initiative from UNESCO and Fauna and Flora. These tools have helped guide emergency response efforts at critical sites, including Brazil’s Pantanal Conservation Area and Bolivia’s Noel Kempff Mercado National Park. In these areas, satellite monitoring and fire alerts have enabled early fire detection, faster mobilization of resources, and timely support for both ecosystems and local communities.

    © Fundación para la Conservación del Bosque Chiquitano 

    “The grant from the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) was crucial in quickly mobilizing resources to keep the ranger corps, community brigade firefighters, and firefighting authorities active in Noel Kempff Mercado National Park. Without this swift support, the damage to the park’s forests and the species that depend on them could have been far more severe.”

    © Panthera

    “The Rapid Response Facility (RRF) made it possible to train brigades, improve communication, support government institutions and, above all, strengthen integrated firefighting actions between the various stakeholders involved.”

    Beyond immediate response, these efforts also strengthen local capacity, foster community engagement, and promote sustainable land management practices. By combining cutting-edge technology, operational monitoring systems based on Earth observation data, and on-the-ground collaboration, UNESCO and its partners are helping vulnerable communities become more prepared and resilient in the face of escalating fire risks. Ultimately, these initiatives play a vital role in safeguarding the world’s natural heritage for future generations—preserving the ecological, cultural, and climate value of these irreplaceable landscapes.

    UNESCO thanks the support of the Government of Norway to the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) and the Government of Flanders (Belgium) to the World Heritage Online Map Platform (WHOMP). WRI thanks the Bezos Earth Fund and Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI).

    [1] All country emissions equivalencies are for CO2 emissions from fossil fuels in 2023, according to the Global Carbon Atlas produced by the Global Carbon Budget: https://globalcarbonatlas.org/emissions/carbon-emissions/

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Samuel De Champlain Bridge: Special Illumination for Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Media advisory

    Montreal, Quebec, June 24, 2025 — Tonight, the Samuel De Champlain Bridge will be lit up in blue and white from sunset to 1 a.m. to celebrate Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day.

    Contacts

    For more information (media only), please contact:

    Sofia Ouslis
    Press Secretary
    Office of the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
    Sofia.Ouslis@infc.gc.ca

    Media Relations
    Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada
    613-960-9251
    Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
    Email: media-medias@infc.gc.ca
    Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
    Web: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grothman Reintroduces Bipartisan Bill to Lower Costs for Cancer Treatments

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah 6th District Wisconsin)

    Representatives Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Joe Morelle (D-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Doris Matsui (D-CA) have reintroduced the bipartisan Cancer Drug Parity Act, which will lower costs for cancer patients prescribed oral medications. The bill requires health insurers to cover oral cancer treatments on the same level as traditional intravenous (IV) therapies.

    Each year, over two million Americans are expected to receive a cancer diagnosis. For many patients, oral cancer treatments have been a game-changer. They offer a more convenient and less invasive option that can be taken at home, reducing the strain of ongoing medical visits. Despite their effectiveness, oral medications often come with high out-of-pocket costs. One study found that one in eight patients faced a copay of $2,000 or more for their first prescription.

    “Every American deserves access to effective cancer treatments available at the most affordable rate, without outdated health insurance plans standing in the way,” said Grothman. “As oral medications become more widely used and popular among cancer patients, it’s critical that health plans don’t force patients to choose between effectiveness and affordability. I am proud to work with both sides of the aisle to expand access, reduce costs, and help improve outcomes for cancer patients nationwide.”

    “The Cancer Drug Parity Act is a much-needed step toward aligning insurance coverage with the rapid advancements in cancer treatment,” said Rep. Morelle. “This legislation modernizes policies so patients can access therapies when they need them most. As someone who has experienced the pain of losing a loved one to cancer, I understand how crucial it is that patients be able to focus on healing—not navigating the burdens of an unequal insurance system.”

    “Cancer patients deserve access to the treatments that offer them the best chance at a full recovery,” said Rep. Bilirakis. “Advances in medical technology are improving outcomes and reducing side effects, and patients should be able to benefit from these innovations. This important bill addresses that need, allowing patients to focus on what matters most—getting well.”

    “I’ve heard directly from patients and providers in our community about the financial strain caused by outdated insurance policies.” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. As Co-Chair of the Congressional Cancer Caucus, I’m working to fix that. The Cancer Drug Parity Act takes on a broken system that charges cancer patients more for oral medications simply because of how they’re delivered. Our bipartisan bill brings fairness to cancer care, lowers out-of-pocket costs, and ensures access to the full range of modern, life-saving treatments.”

    “Oral chemotherapy should be covered just as widely as traditional IV treatments,” said Rep. Bonamici. “Unfortunately, too many patients are forced to pay high costs and unaffordable co-payments because many oral cancer treatments are not covered by health insurance plans. I’m pleased to join my colleagues in leading the bipartisan Cancer Drug Parity Act to end this double standard and expand access to affordable and effective oral cancer treatments.”

    “As oral cancer treatments continue to evolve and become more readily available, it’s essential that patients have affordable access to these advancements in care,” said Rep Matsui. “No one battling cancer should be forced to skip treatment due to overwhelming costs. The bipartisan Cancer Drug Parity Act addresses the unequal coverage of oral therapies, empowering patients and healthcare providers to choose the most effective treatment path without financial barriers.”

    “Cancer treatment should be guided by what works medically, not by outdated insurance policies. Too often, patients face higher costs simply because their most effective treatment comes in a pill rather than through an IV,” said Danielle Doheny, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the International Myeloma Foundation. “The Cancer Drug Parity Act addresses this unfair disparity by ensuring consistent insurance coverage for all cancer treatments. This legislation will reduce financial burdens and help patients access the care they need without unnecessary barriers. We are proud to support this important step toward more reliable and fair treatment access for every patient.”

    “Disparities in out-of-pocket costs for oral cancer treatments can impact patient and physician decision-making and can lead to patients forgoing the best treatment for their disease,” said Lisa Lacasse, President of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “Many patients prefer, when appropriate, chemotherapies that are available in pill form because it is easier to administer and can allow them to have a better quality of life. The Cancer Drug Parity Act would equalize out-of-pocket costs for cancer drugs, whether they’re taken orally or delivered intravenously. We urge Congress to advance this lifesaving, bipartisan legislation.”

    Background Information

    Despite their benefits, oral cancer treatments often come with higher out-of-pocket costs than traditional IV chemotherapy due to differences in insurance coverage. IV treatments are typically covered under a plan’s medical benefit, while oral drugs fall under the prescription benefit, creating cost disparities.

    To address this, 43 states and D.C. have passed “oral parity” laws requiring equal coverage for oral and IV treatments. These laws have helped lower costs, but patients enrolled in federally regulated health plans remain unprotected.

    The Cancer Drug Parity Act builds on the success of state-level reforms by ensuring equal

    coverage for all cancer patients, regardless of how their treatments are administered.

    Specifically, the bill will:

    ·         Expand oral parity protections to privately insured patients whose health care is regulated at the federal level.

    ·         Prevent insurers from covering oral and self-administered medicines at different cost-sharing rates than IV chemotherapy.

    ·         Implement these requirements for health plans that already cover both oral and IV chemotherapy treatments.

    Grothman introduced a similar version of the bill in 2023.

    -30- 

    U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) proudly serves the people of Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Carter nominates President Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

    Headline: Carter nominates President Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today sent a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee nominating President Donald J. Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his historic role in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran and preventing the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, Iran, from obtaining a nuclear warhead.


    In the letter,     Rep. Carter writes, “President Trump took bold action to ultimately

    champion peace through strength and facilitate a ceasefire framework that brought hostilities to a halt. In a statement that has since reverberated around the globe, President Trump announced the terms of a complete and total ceasefire agreement, commending both Israel and Iran for their courage to end the war.”


    Rep. Carter continues    , “In a region plagued by historical animosity and political volatility, such a breakthrough demands both courage and clarity. President Trump demonstrated both, offering the world a rare glimpse of hope. For these reasons, I respectfully submit this nomination for Donald J. Trump, 47th President of the United States, to be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize.”

    Read the full letter here. 


    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grindr United-CWA Launches Fundraising Campaign to Support Workers Amid Ongoing Legal Fight

    Source: Communications Workers of America

    West Hollywood, Calif. – Grindr United-CWA, a union organizing with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) that is composed of current and former Grindr workers who were pushed out shortly after organizing, has launched a public fundraising campaign to raise critical funds to support union members who are continuing to struggle with hardships from being out of work for extended amounts of time.

    The union includes a diverse coalition of LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies who joined Grindr to build a product grounded in queer connection, joy, and safety. However, in August 2023, after announcing their intent to unionize and advocate for equitable treatment of employees and users, nearly the entire union was laid off in what Grindr United-CWA asserts was a retaliatory act by the company.

    “For many of us, this wasn’t just a job—it was a calling,” said a Grindr United-CWA representative. “We believed in creating something beautiful by the queer community, for the queer community. But when we asked for fair treatment, we were shown the door.”

    Over the past 18 months, many displaced workers—disproportionately queer and people of color—have faced unemployment, underemployment, and financial hardship. The union is now fighting a protracted legal battle to secure recognition, reclaim their positions, and win the back pay owed to them.

    The fundraising campaign will directly support these efforts, providing financial relief for affected members and sustaining the union’s work toward a more just and inclusive tech industry. Their goals include:

    • Inclusive hiring practices and meaningful representation across LGBTQIA+ identities
    • A user-focused product roadmap featuring essential features like verification tools, unlimited blocks, and stronger data privacy
    • Comprehensive healthcare, including gender-affirming care
    • Transparent and equitable pay practices

    “These demands aren’t extravagant—they’re the bare minimum. Grindr made over $300 million in revenue in 2024 while denying dignity and justice to the workers who helped build it. This is about more than Grindr. It’s about showing that queer workers cannot be silenced. That solidarity is stronger than retaliation. That we all deserve better,” said Grindr United-CWA.

    This campaign is a call to the broader community—to anyone who has found love, safety, or belonging through Grindr—to stand with the people who made that possible.

    To donate or learn more, visit: https://ww.gofundme.com/f/support-the-grindr-workers-union.

    Follow Grindr United-CWA on X, Instagram, and Bluesky at @grindrunited for more updates.

    ###

    About CODE-CWA

    The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) is a network of worker-organizers and their staff working every single day to build the voice and power necessary to ensure the future of the tech, game, and digital industries in the United States and Canada. CODE-CWA is a project of the Communications Workers of America, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers throughout tech, media, telecom, and other industries who stand together to fight for justice on the job and in our communities.

    About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

    cwa-union.org @cwaunion

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Labrador Joins Coalition Defending President Trump’s Efforts to Deport Violent Tren de Aragua Gang

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom AG Labrador Joins Coalition Defending President Trump’s Efforts to Deport Violent Tren de Aragua Gang

    BOISE — Attorney General Labrador joined a 25-state coalition in filing a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in support of President Donald Trump’s lawful use of executive authority to deport members of Tren de Aragua (TdA), a violent Venezuelan gang designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
    The brief argues that the President is operating at the height of his constitutional and statutory authority under Article II of the U.S. Constitution and the Alien Enemies Act to remove foreign nationals affiliated with hostile organizations. The brief underscores that this is not only a lawful use of power, but a necessary one in response to escalating violence across the nation tied to TdA.
    “Idaho stands firmly with the President in his efforts to remove dangerous foreign criminals who threaten our communities,” said Attorney General Labrador. “Tren de Aragua is a designated terrorist organization that has spread violence and chaos across our nation. The President has clear constitutional and statutory authority to protect American citizens from these foreign threats, and we will defend that authority in court.”
    States participating in the brief detail the ongoing harm their communities have suffered from TdA’s infiltration—ranging from murder and human trafficking to cartel-linked operations within the United States. The brief emphasizes that the gang’s expansion is not merely a public safety threat, but part of a broader campaign of hybrid warfare coordinated with the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
    The coalition’s message is clear: judicial overreach must not interfere with the President’s core duty to defend the nation. The brief strongly urges the court to reject the injunction and allow federal authorities to continue removing dangerous illegal immigrants who do not belong in the country.
    Idaho is joined by: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
    Read the amicus brief here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Deep Mud Diaries: Exploring Seafloor Biodiversity on the Aleutian Arc Expedition

    Source: US Geological Survey

    When many people think of the seafloor, they conjure up images of large corals, alien looking fish, or even hydrothermal vents that often populate the media. But most of the deep seafloor is covered by large expanses of soft sediments. Mud is everywhere! These sediments are home to diverse communities of tiny animals that provide an important link in transferring energy between the marine snow that rains down from surface waters to larger animals feeding at the seafloor and in the water column. 

    Although small in size (macro-infauna = 0.3 – 1mm), the communities in the mud are typically comprised of a variety of crustaceans (amphipods, isopods, cumaceans), worms (polychaetes), clams (bivalves), snails (gastropods), and other rarer taxa (e.g., brittle stars, sea cucumbers, other molluscs). The composition of the communities can provide clues about the physical and chemical environment they inhabit and typically differ among larger visible habitats, such as those near deep-sea corals or cold seeps. 

    On the Aleutian Arc, little is known about the macro-infaunal communities occurring within the 300 – 2,500-meter depth range. In addition to broad expanses of mud, this region is also home to deep-sea coral communities, cold seeps, and possible hydrothermal vents, with sediment infauna from these habitats likely representing a large portion of the regional biodiversity. To investigate these communities, we sample sediments using push cores from the human occupied vehicle (HOV) Alvin in targeted areas, such as adjacent to deep-sea corals. These sediment cores will be used to describe the community composition, with many taxa likely new to science, along with their environmental habitat, including grain size and food availability. This information will enable scientists to better understand the overall distribution of species across the region, their comparability to similar habitats worldwide, and the role these communities play in local ecosystem functioning, all of which help support the health of the ocean. 

    Push cores inserted into the seafloor by human occupied vehicle (HOV) Alvin near hard substrates containing deep-sea corals, sea stars, a basket star, and a crab offshore of Bogoslof Island. Image courtesy of Amanda Demopoulos, USGS; NOAA Ocean Exploration, ONR, NOPP, BOEM, NOAA IOCM, USGS; © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE announces major update to global online child sexual exploitation operation

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in coordination with our international partners, announced a major update to the results of Operation Renewed Hope III, a global crackdown led by the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Crimes Center to identify victims of online child sexual exploitation and abuse, June 24.

    HSI is a global leader in the fight against child exploitation. As technology evolves and more people have access to the internet, children are at a greater risk than ever. HSI’s special agents and analysts around the world are dedicated to countering this threat and partnering with international law enforcement agencies to protect children from exploitation and to investigate and arrest predators.

    Since the initial results were released in March of this year, ICE Homeland Security Investigations has positively identified more than 150 additional child victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse, bringing the total number of victims identified across all three phases of Operation Renewed Hope to more than 450 children worldwide; a staggering increase that highlights both the global scale of this crime and the unwavering commitment of investigators to protect children and bring predators to justice.

    ORH III, conducted from Feb. 24 through March 7, builds on the success of the first two phases of the initiative which previously led to the identification and rescue of over 300 exploited children. With this third iteration, the cumulative victim count now surpasses 450, a chilling yet vital reminder of the scope the ongoing threat of online sexual exploitation poses to children.

    Led by ICE HSI, in collaboration with global law enforcement partners, ORH III continues to generate actionable intelligence and lead driven investigations. To date, the operation has produced over 400 investigative leads, more than 230 domestic and over 165 foreign.

    During the operational window alone, analysts processed over 83,000 digital files, totaling 216 gigabytes of data which equates to more than 115 hours of streamed video content.

    “Each file is a potential indicator of abuse and each frame a critical clue in the fight to save children,” said ICE HSI Cyber and Operational Technology Assistant Director Sean Fitzgerald. “Every victim identified is reflective of a life that can begin to heal, which is why our agents and analysts remain essential to the rescue of victims and the global pursuit of predators.”

    Further investigations remain ongoing as law enforcement agencies continue to analyze materials and pursue the remaining leads developed through the operation.

    ICE HSI is the global leader in the investigation of online child sexual exploitation and abuse and in fiscal year 2024, its efforts resulted in the identification and/or rescue of 1,783 child victims in child exploitation investigations, supported 6,939 new child exploitation investigations and the arrest of 4,959 individuals for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.

    If you suspect a child has been abducted or faces imminent danger, dial 911 or contact your local police.

    Members of the public who suspect a child might be a victim of exploitation are urged to call the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE, the Know2Protect Tipline at 1-833-591-KNOW (5669), or visit the NCMEC CyberTipline.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement on Jury’s Verdict in Trial of Thomas F. Casey

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    Today, after a five-day trial and less than two hours of deliberation, a jury in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California found Thomas F. Casey liable for securities fraud.

    Statement of SEC Division of Enforcement Acting Director Sam Waldon:

    “We are pleased with the jury verdict holding the defendant liable for orchestrating a fraudulent securities offering, which targeted retirees’ retirement accounts with false promises of safety and security. The defendant induced more than 200 people to invest a total of over $10 million into Golden Genesis, a venture to supposedly create blood banks for selling human plasma from young donors for anti-aging treatments, based on false claims including that the investments would generate guaranteed high returns and be secured by the company’s assets. In reality, the funds were not secured and the defendant used investor funds to compensate himself and to prop up the scheme by paying back other investors, causing approximately $8 million in losses to the victims. As this trial demonstrates, the SEC is committed to protecting retirees’ hard-earned savings and holding the perpetrators of frauds involving retirement funds accountable.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: President Trump Announces Appointments to the Homeland Security Advisory Council

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: President Trump Announces Appointments to the Homeland Security Advisory Council

    resident Donald J

    Trump and Secretary Noem appointed new members to the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) and announced the date of the council’s first meeting

    Formed on March 19, 2002, the HSAC leverages the experience, expertise, and national and global connections of its membership to provide the Secretary of Homeland Security with real-time, real-world and independent advice on homeland security operations

    This new-look, America First HSAC will draw upon a deep well of public and private sector experience from homeland security experts committed to fulfilling President Trump’s agenda

    The Homeland Security Advisory Council will hold its first meeting at DHS headquarters in Washington, D

    C

    on July 2nd, 2025

    Appointed Members:

    Henry McMaster, Governor, South Carolina, Chair
    Joseph Gruters, State Senator, Florida, Vice Chair
    Marc Andreessen, Co-Founder and General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
    David Chesnoff, Attorney, Chesnoff and Schonfeld

    Christopher “Chris” Cox, Founder, Bikers for Trump
    Mark Dannels, Cochise County Sheriff, Arizona
    Richard “Bo” Dietl, CEO and Founder, Beau Dietl & Associates
    Matthew Flynn, Attorney, Steptoe

    Former Deputy Assistant to the President

    Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense

    Rudolph W

    Giuliani, Former Mayor, New York City
    Harvey C

    Jewett IV, Retired President of Super 8 Motels Inc

    , Retired President and Chief Operating Officer, Rivett Group LLC

    , President Great Plains Education Foundation, Inc

    Steve Kirby, Founding Partner, Bluestem Capital Company
    Mark Levin, Broadcast News Analyst, The Mark Levin Show
    Corey Lewandowski, Chief Advisor to the Secretary, Department of Homeland Security
    Nicholas Luna, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Implementation, The White House
    George Lund, CEO and Chairman, Torch Hill Investment Partners
    Edward McMullen Jr, Senior Policy Advisor, Adams and Reese LLP

    Former Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein,
    Georgette Mosbacher, Co-Chair, Three Seas Programming, Atlantic Council’s Europe Center, Former Ambassador to Poland
    James “Jim” Pallotta, Managing Partner and Founder, The Raptor Group

    Omar Qudrat, CEO, Maden, Founder, Muslim Coalition for America, Major, U

    S

    Army Reserve
    Stephen Sloan, Global Head of Private Market Secondaries, Portfolio Advisors and Co-Founder, Cogent Partners
    Robert “Bob” Smith, Former U

    S

    Senator, New Hampshire
    Alexei Woltornist, Co-Founder and President, ATHOS

    Former Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Homeland Security

    To learn more about the Homeland Security Advisory Council, including its previous taskings, reports, and recommendations, visit DHS

    gov/Homeland-Security-Advisory-Council

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Astronaut Zena Cardman

    Source: NASA

    NASA astronaut Zena Cardman inspects her spacesuit’s wrist mirror in this portrait taken at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on March 22, 2024. Cardman will launch to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission. This will be her first spaceflight.
    Cardman was selected by NASA as a member of the 2017 “Turtles” Astronaut Class. The Virginia native holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and a Master’s of Science in Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her research focused primarily on geobiology and geochemical cycling in subsurface environments, from caves to deep sea sediments. Cardman’s experience includes multiple Antarctic expeditions. Since completing initial training, Cardman has supported real-time station operations and lunar surface exploration planning.
    This photo was one of the winners of NASA’s 2024 Photos of the Year.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NICER Status Updates

    Source: NASA

    June 24, 2025
    NASA’s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station, has paused observations due to a problem with one of the motors that drives its ability to track cosmic objects.
    The NICER team paused operations June 17 when performance degradation in the motor began affecting science observations. Engineers are investigating the cause and potential solutions.
    The telescope was installed near the space station’s starboard solar array in 2017. The NICER mission has successfully demonstrated a form of deep space navigation that could be used for travel to Mars and beyond. It has also made groundbreaking measurements of neutron stars, which contain the densest matter in the universe that we can measure, and revolutionized our understanding of black holes, active galaxies, and other mysterious phenomena in our universe.
    April 17, 2025
    Following Repair, NASA’s NICER Improves Daytime Measurements
    A NASA X-ray telescope on the International Space Station called NICER, or Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, has regained additional daytime observation capabilities thanks to repairs completed during a spacewalk and a reconfiguration of its detectors.
    In May 2023, NICER developed a light leak in which unwanted sunlight began entering the instrument. Photos taken from inside the space station revealed several small areas of damage to the telescope’s thin thermal shields, which block sunlight while allowing X-rays through to the detectors. Nighttime observations were unaffected, and with operational adjustments, the NICER team was able to recover about 20% of station daytime observations.
    In January, NASA astronaut Nick Hague installed nine patches to cover the largest areas of damage during a spacewalk. After resuming science operations, the NICER team determined the overall level of sunlight inside NICER had substantially reduced. Still, it experienced more visible-light interference than expected.

    Close-up, high-resolution photos from the spacewalk allowed the team to see additional small holes and cracks in the thermal shields that were not previously visible. These accounted for the remaining sunlight intrusion.
    After further analysis, the NICER team developed a novel approach to regaining additional daytime data collection.
    Each X-ray that hits a NICER detector generates electrical charge that is sensed by a measurement/power unit (MPU). After so many hits, the detector resets — like emptying a cup before it overflows.
    Sunlight can also create charge that accumulates in the detector, adding water to the metaphorical cup. There was so much sunlight entering NICER that the detectors were filling up with charge and resetting thousands of times for every X-ray detection. It overwhelmed the MPU’s ability to process the valid X-ray events.
    Hague’s repair in January reduced the amount of sunlight entering NICER, which enabled the team to reconfigure the MPUs to ignore the sunlight-generated resets. After initial testing on the ground, the team updated one MPU before switching all seven. The changeover was completed March 12.
    In combination with the patches, the reconfiguration has allowed NICER to return to collecting observations during more than 70% of station daytime, as the telescope continues to help us better understand the X-ray universe, including neutron stars, black holes, and other energetic phenomena. The team continues to look for more opportunities to improve NICER’s operations.
    Jan. 24, 2025
    NASA’s NICER Continues Science Operations Post Repair
    NASA crew aboard the International Space Station installed patches to the agency’s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) mission during a spacewalk on Jan. 16. NICER, an X-ray telescope perched near the station’s starboard solar array, resumed science operations later the same day.
    The patches cover areas of NICER’s thermal shields where damage was discovered in May 2023. These thin filters block sunlight while allowing X-rays to pass through. After the discovery, the NICER team restricted their observations during the station’s daytime to avoid overwhelming the mission’s sensitive detectors. Nighttime observations were unaffected, and the team was able to continue collecting data for the science community to make groundbreaking measurements using the instrument’s full capabilities.
    The repair went according to plan. Data since collected shows the detectors behind the patched areas are performing better than before during station night, and the overall level of sunlight inside NICER during the daytime is reduced substantially.
    While NICER experiences less interference from sunlight than before, after analyzing initial data, the team has determined the telescope still experiences more interference than expected. The installed patches cover areas of known damage identified using astronomical observations and from photos taken by both external robotic cameras and astronauts inside the space station. Measurements collected since the repair and close-up, high-resolution photos obtained during the spacewalk are providing new information that may point the way toward further daytime data collection.
    In the meantime, NICER continues operations with its full measurement capabilities during orbit night to enable further trailblazing discoveries in time domain and multimessenger astrophysics.
    June 8, 2023
    Sunlight ‘Leak’ Impacting NASA’s NICER Telescope, Science Continues
    On Tuesday, May 22, NASA’s NICER (Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer), an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station, developed a “light leak,” in which unwanted sunlight enters the instrument. While analyzing incoming data since then, the team identified an impact to daytime observations. Nighttime observations seem to be unaffected.
    The team suspects that at least one of the thin thermal shields on NICER’s 56 X-ray Concentrators has been damaged, allowing sunlight to reach its sensitive detectors.
    To mitigate the effects on measurements, the NICER team has limited daytime observations to objects far away from the Sun’s position in the sky. The team has also updated commands to NICER that automatically lower its sensitivity during the orbital day to reduce the effects from sunlight contamination. The team is evaluating these changes and assessing additional measures to reduce the impact on science observations.
    To date, more than 300 scientific papers have used NICER observations, and the team is confident that NICER will continue to produce world-class science.
    Media contacts
    Alise Fisher202-358-2546alise.m.fisher@nasa.govNASA Headquarters, Washington
    Claire Andreoli301-286-1940claire.andreoli@nasa.govNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Live or Fly a Plane in California? Help NASA Measure Ozone Pollution!

    Source: NASA

    Ozone high in the stratosphere protects us from the Sun’s ultraviolet light. But ozone near the ground is a pollutant that harms people and plants. The San Joaquin Valley has some of the most polluted air in the country, and NASA scientists with the new Ozone Where We Live (OWWL) project are working to measure ozone and other pollutants there. They need your help!  
    Do you live or work in Bakersfield, CA? Sign up to host an ozone sensor! It’s like a big lunch box that you place in your yard, but it’s not packed with tuna and crackers. It’s filled with sensors that measure temperature and humidity and sniff out dangerous gases like methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and of course, ozone. 
    Can you fly a plane? Going to the San Joaquin Valley? Sign up to take an ozone sensor on your next flight! You can help measure ozone levels in layers of the atmosphere that are hard for satellites to investigate. Scientists will combine the data you take with data from NASA’s TEMPO satellite to improve air quality models and measurements within the region. Find out more here or email: Emma.l.yates@nasa.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Center Opening in Ripley County

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency 2

    Disaster Recovery Center Opening in Ripley County

    A Disaster Recovery Center with FEMA Individual Assistance staff is opening in Ripley County for three days to help people affected by the March 14-15 severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and wildfires.The Disaster Recovery Center opens Thursday, June 26.FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will help survivors with their disaster assistance applications, answer questions, and upload required documents.Opening Thursday, June 26LOCATIONHOURS OF OPERATIONRipley CountyRipley County Caring Community209 W. Hwy St.Doniphan, MO 63935June 26: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.June 27-28: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.To save time, please apply for FEMA assistance before coming to a Disaster Recovery Center. Apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362. If you are unable to apply online or by phone, someone at the Disaster Recovery Center can assist you. You may visit any location, no matter where you are staying now.If your home or personal property sustained damage not covered by insurance, FEMA may be able to provide money to help you pay for home repairs, a temporary place to live, and replace essential personal property that was destroyed.
    sara.zuckerman
    Tue, 06/24/2025 – 13:05

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: How to Apply for FEMA Assistance in Tennessee After Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes and Flooding

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: How to Apply for FEMA Assistance in Tennessee After Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes and Flooding

    How to Apply for FEMA Assistance in Tennessee After Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes and Flooding

    Tennessee homeowners and renters in nine counties who had uninsured damage or loss caused by the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding that occurred April 2-24 may be eligible for FEMA disaster assistance

    The designated counties include Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Dyer, Hardeman, McNairy, Montgomery, Obion and Wilson

     FEMA may be able to help with serious needs, rental assistance, basic home repair costs, personal property loss or other disaster-caused needs

    There are several ways to apply for FEMA disaster assistance

    Go to DisasterAssistance

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

    Lines are open from 6 a

    m

    to 10 p

    m

    CT seven days a week and specialists speak many languages

     To view an accessible video on how to apply, visit Three Ways to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTube

    FEMA’s disaster assistance offers benefits that provide flexible funding directly to survivors

    In addition, simplified processes and expanded eligibility allows Tennesseans access to a wider range of assistance and funds for serious needs

     What You’ll Need When You ApplyA 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

    If you have homeowners, renters or flood insurance, you should file a claim as soon as possible

    FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance

    If your policy does not cover all your disaster expenses, you may be eligible for federal assistance

    kwei

    nwaogu
    Tue, 06/24/2025 – 14:23

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: S. 1093, Coordinated Support for Rural Small Businesses Act

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    S. 1093 would require the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Rural Affairs to designate an Assistant Administrator to lead outreach events and improve awareness of the SBA services. The bill also would require the Office of Rural Affairs to report to the Congress and publish on the agency’s website information about the outcomes of its outreach efforts, rural lending programs, and interagency collaboration. Lastly, S. 1093 would require the SBA to provide state and local governments with information on federal programs that support rural small businesses.

    Based on information from the SBA, CBO expects that the agency currently undertakes most of the requirements in the bill. On that basis, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1093 would have insignificant costs. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Kelly Durand. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.

    Phillip L. Swagel

    Director, Congressional Budget Office

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California needs more than groundwater to ensure water sustainability

    Source: US State of California 2

    Jun 24, 2025

    What you need to know: Despite the Newsom Administration’s efforts to increase groundwater and develop stronger partnerships with water agencies, California’s water system remains unprepared for the hotter and drier future. Without the successful completion of the Delta Conveyance Project, water supplies for millions of Californians are threatened.

    SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Newsom and the Department of Water Resources released a new report showing that the state is collecting more groundwater data than ever before, and strengthening partnerships with water agencies to ensure that more groundwater is collected. While this can help the millions of Californians who rely on this water supply, it is not nearly enough. In order to continue capturing, moving, and storing enough water for all Californians, the state must complete long-delayed infrastructure projects and water system improvements, such as the Delta Conveyance Project.

    “California is taking an all-in approach to its water supply — including creating more groundwater storage and data to help us plan for the future. The data doesn’t lie, and it is telling us that our water system is unprepared for California’s hotter and drier climate. That means we also need to build new water infrastructure like the Delta Conveyance Project. We literally cannot afford to wait to complete this vital project and Californians are sick and tired of the self-imposed roadblocks standing in the way of our state’s continued progress.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    More groundwater data 

    California is now collecting more groundwater data than ever before. A new report released today by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) shows that groundwater storage increased by 2.2 million acre-feet during Water Year 2024 — thanks to abundant precipitation and efforts by the State and its regional partners to capture and store more high flows during winter storms in groundwater basins, expand recharge basins, improve groundwater monitoring, and better coordination amongst local agencies to reduce groundwater pumping. That’s on top of significant groundwater storage increases in the previous water year.

    Yet, despite this, California still lacks the water infrastructure needed to ensure the state is prepared for a hotter, drier future and to provide Californians with the water they need. 

    More than ever, California must complete one of the most important water management and climate adaptation projects in state history, the Delta Conveyance Project, advancing much-needed and long-overdue improvements to the State Water Project.

    Data is key to informed decisions on groundwater

    The groundwater data was provided as part of DWR Semi-Annual Groundwater Conditions Update, will help state and local agencies better manage groundwater basins – a source of more than half of California’s water supplies in dry years – by providing updated information on statewide groundwater levels, groundwater storage, recharge, land subsidence, and well infrastructure.

    This data will continue to support groundwater recharge, which Governor Newsom has directed state agencies to maximize whenever possible.

     

    Partnering with farmers for increased groundwater storage

    Also today, Governor Newsom provided an update on the state’s ongoing partnerships with groundwater sustainability agencies and farmers, through the LandFlex program, which was launched in 2022.

    To address the impacts of multiyear drought in the Central Valley, DWR awarded $23.3 million in grant funding to six groundwater sustainability agencies in the Central Valley. The funding was distributed to help 52 small and mid-sized farms transition to more sustainable practices while eliminating groundwater overdraft and protecting drinking water supplies. 

    As a result, the program helped save over 100,000 acre-feet of groundwater, protected 16,500 drinking water wells, and reduced the over-pumping of groundwater on Central Valley farms.

    Learn more about this first-of-its-kind program. 
     

    Modernizing California’s water delivery infrastructure

    In order to prepare for a hotter, drier future, California must also invest in the modernization of its water delivery infrastructure. That’s why Governor Newsom is calling on the Legislature to fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project.

    The proposed project would create much-needed and long-overdue improvements to the State Water Project, which provides water for 27 million people and 750,00 acres of farmland. It would allow the State Water Project to better capture high flows during storm events and move that water to where it’s needed in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California. It would also protect against earthquake risk.

    If the Delta Conveyance Project had been operational this past rainy season, it could have captured 952,000 acre-feet of water, enough for nearly 10 million people.

    Without action, the ability of the State Water Project to reliably deliver water to homes, farms and businesses will decline. The Governor will continue working to quickly advance these improvements to ensure that California is ready for a drier and hotter future, and its communities are safe and protected. 

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    Jun 24, 2025

    News What you need to know: President Trump’s illegal militarization of Los Angeles continues to hamstring crucial firefighting resources in California at the height of peak fire season. SACRAMENTO – With fires popping up across the state, the California National…

    Jun 23, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement regarding the death of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Sergeant Shiou Deng:“Jennifer and I are heartbroken by the loss of Sergeant Deng, who dedicated more than 26 years to serving the Los…

    Jun 23, 2025

    News What you need to know: Thanks to California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program, 48 projects — including 43 independent features — will be made in California, projected to generate $664 million in economic activity and employ over 6,500 cast and crew across…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California National Guard fire crews operating at just 40% capacity due to Trump’s illegal Guard deployment

    Source: US State of California 2

    Jun 24, 2025

    What you need to know: President Trump’s illegal militarization of Los Angeles continues to hamstring crucial firefighting resources in California at the height of peak fire season.

    SACRAMENTO – With fires popping up across the state, the California National Guard’s (CalGuard) critical firefighting crews – known as Task Force Rattlesnake – are operating at just 40% capacity. Eight of 14 teams have been diverted to Los Angeles as part of President Trump’s illegal – and highly inefficient – federalization of the Guard. Capacity has only worsened, reducing available crews from nine of 14 last week to just six now. 

    Joint Task Force Rattlesnake is made up of over 300 California National Guard (CalGuard) members, who work at the direction of CAL FIRE to help fight and prevent fires. The President’s illegal federalization of the Guard has already impacted firefighting efforts, leaving CAL FIRE to step in to fill the gaps left by the Guard’s understaffing. 

    With peak fire season well underway across California, we need all available resources to protect communities. President Trump: rescind your illegal order and get the Guard back to the critical firefighting and prevention work that actually keeps communities safe.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    The National Guard impact is on top of the Trump administration’s dangerous cuts to the U.S. Forest Service, which also threatens the safety of communities across the state. The U.S. Forest Service has lost 10% of all positions and 25% of positions outside of direct wildfire response – both of which are likely to impact wildfire response this year. 

    California’s unprecedented wildfire readiness 

    Despite the strain caused by President Trump, California stands ready to protect communities. As part of the state’s ongoing investment in wildfire resilience and emergency response, CAL FIRE has significantly expanded its workforce over the past five years by adding an average of 1,800 full-time and 600 seasonal positions annually – nearly double that from the previous administration. Over the next four years and beyond, CAL FIRE will be hiring thousands of additional firefighters, natural resource professionals, and support personnel to meet the state’s growing demands.

    Late last month, the Governor announced $72 million for projects across the state that help reduce catastrophic wildfire risk. Additionally, 20 new vegetation management projects spanning nearly 8,000 acres have already been approved for fast-tracking under the Governor’s new streamlining initiative.

    This builds on consecutive years of intensive and focused work by California to confront the severe ongoing risk of catastrophic wildfires, and Governor Newsom’s emergency proclamation signed in March to fast-track forest and vegetation management projects throughout the state. Additionally, to bolster the state’s ability to respond to fires, Governor Newsom recently announced that the state’s second C-130 Hercules airtanker is ready for firefighting operations, adding to the largest aerial firefighting fleet in the world. 

    New, bold moves to streamline state-level regulatory processes builds long-term efforts already underway in California to increase wildfire response and forest management in the face of a hotter, drier climate. A full list of California’s progress on wildfire resilience is available here.

    Recent news

    Jun 23, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement regarding the death of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Sergeant Shiou Deng:“Jennifer and I are heartbroken by the loss of Sergeant Deng, who dedicated more than 26 years to serving the Los…

    Jun 23, 2025

    News What you need to know: Thanks to California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program, 48 projects — including 43 independent features — will be made in California, projected to generate $664 million in economic activity and employ over 6,500 cast and crew across…

    Jun 20, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Soon-Sik Lee, of Bellevue, Washington, has been appointed Chief of Planning and Engineering at the California High Speed Rail Authority. Lee has been a Vice President – Senior Program…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: MAINE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION APPROVES STIPULATION FOR ANNUAL STRANDED COST RECONCILIATION FOR VERSANT POWER

    Source: US State of Maine

    New Rates, including stranded costs, efficiency charges, distribution revenue decoupling, and transmission costs to go into effect July 1, 2025

    June 24, 2025

    Hallowell, Maine – The Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved a stipulation submitted by the parties in Docket No. 2025-00115, resolving Versant Power’s annual stranded cost reconciliation filing. The approved stipulation reconciles stranded cost revenues collected over the past year and sets new stranded cost rates for the upcoming 12-month period, effective July 1, 2025.

    Stranded costs are expenses incurred by utilities that are not necessarily recoverable in the competitive electricity market. These costs are largely the result of state legislation enacted to support Maines climate and clean energy goals. They include expenses associated with renewable energy contracts, net energy billing programs, and other policy-driven initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting clean energy development.

    Included in the stranded cost calculation is a $3 million service quality indices (SQI) penalty imposed on Versant Power for failing to meet Commission-established reliability and performance benchmarks. Under the terms of the approved stipulation, this penalty will be credited back to ratepayers through stranded cost reconciliation, further reducing customer bills.

    “This annual reconciliation process not only ensures that stranded cost rates remain accurate, transparent, and fair to Maine consumers, but the SQI penalty reinforces our commitment to holding utilities accountable for service quality,” said Commission Chair Philip L. Bartlett II.

    Each year, utilities are required to reconcile the actual stranded cost revenues collected with the amounts authorized for recovery and to propose new rates based on updated forecasts. This annual process ensures transparency and accuracy in cost recovery and helps protect Maine consumers from being over- or undercharged.

    In addition to the stranded cost reconciliation, rate changes that will go into effect July 1, 2025 will include increases to efficiency charges, increases to distribution revenue decoupling mechanism (RDM) charges, and an increase to transmission charges for customers in Versant Powers Maine Public District. An RDM provides for formulaic adjustments to a utilitys rates between rate cases to reflect changes in sales levels.

    The total bill impacts for all these rate changes are as follows:

    –Bangor Hydro District: an estimated monthly bill increase of approximately 31 cents for a typical residential customer using 500 kWh of electricity.

    –Maine Public District: an estimated monthly bill increase of approximately $2.80 for a residential customer using the same amount of electricity.

    The final order and the approved stipulation are available on the Commissions website at:

    CONTACT: Susan Faloon, Media Liaison CELL: 207-557-3704 EMAIL: susan.faloon@maine.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Josh Stein Leads National Effort to Protect Critical Food and Nutrition Program

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Josh Stein Leads National Effort to Protect Critical Food and Nutrition Program

    Governor Josh Stein Leads National Effort to Protect Critical Food and Nutrition Program
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today Governor Josh Stein led a group of 23 Governors to urge Congressional leadership to support the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that puts food on the table for millions of people across the nation.  

    “SNAP has impacts far beyond the people who receive its benefits. It improves overall health, helps rural grocery stores stay open, and maintains our thriving agriculture industry,” said Governor Josh Stein. “As Governors, we urge Congress to reject any proposal that would put our people’s health and well-being at risk.”

    “A shift of this scale in SNAP costs to states and counties, coupled with the proposed devastating cuts to Medicaid, pose a serious threat to the health and well-being of millions of North Carolinians,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “Food is foundational to our health. These proposals make it harder for people to access the food and health care they need, creating massive funding gaps that state and county budgets simply cannot absorb.” 

    The letter signed by 23 governors from across the country warns that current proposals in Congress threaten the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which addresses hunger, improves overall health, and helps people overcome poverty. SNAP provides critical food benefits for more than 42 million people in the United States. In North Carolina, more than 1.4 million people depend on SNAP, including children, seniors and working families.

    Currently, the federal government pays 100 percent of the food benefit costs and 50 percent of the administrative costs of each state’s SNAP program. The latest congressional proposals would shift up to 25 percent of the food benefit costs onto states, meaning a new expense of millions — and in some states, billions — of dollars. This shift in costs to the states is unprecedented in SNAP’s 50-year history. 

    North Carolina could be forced to pay up to $700 million per year to keep SNAP running. In a challenging budget year, this expense could force state leaders to make cuts to education, health care, or emergency services in order to afford the new bill from Congress. The new proposal could also force North Carolina to end the SNAP program entirely, leaving North Carolinians unsure of where their family’s next meal will come from. 

    SNAP provides nine meals for every one meal a food bank can supply. With grocery prices still high, food banks are already stretched to the limit and cannot serve as a substitute for a robust federal nutrition program. A family of four receives up to $975 per month in food benefits, and every SNAP dollar spent brings up to $1.80 back into local economies. 

    According to the National Grocers Association, SNAP is responsible for thousands of jobs across grocery stores and supporting industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, and municipal services, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in economic growth in North Carolina. Any cuts to federal support of SNAP will have direct consequences on states’ local economies.

    Since SNAP is a federal program with set eligibility criteria, states have limited options to reduce SNAP enrollment. Because SNAP is a safety net program, states are one economic downturn or natural disaster away from seeing increased SNAP demand. Following the catastrophic damage left behind by Hurricane Helene, Disaster-SNAP or D-SNAP was a critical lifeline to families who lost everything in the storm, and SNAP had the highest number of applications (169,000) since Hurricane Florence in 2018.

    Click here to read the Governors’ full letter to Congress.

    Jun 24, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Secretary Dev Sangvai and Partner Organizations Release Impact Statements Regarding Proposals that Threaten SNAP in North Carolina

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Secretary Dev Sangvai and Partner Organizations Release Impact Statements Regarding Proposals that Threaten SNAP in North Carolina

    Secretary Dev Sangvai and Partner Organizations Release Impact Statements Regarding Proposals that Threaten SNAP in North Carolina
    hejones1

    Governor Josh Stein and governors from 23 other states released a letter  to congressional leadership Tuesday, warning of the impact potential changes to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) would have to millions of people across the country, including more than 1.4 million in North Carolina who depend on SNAP to put food on the table. In response, NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai and partner organizations released statements further emphasizing the critical need for this vital food and nutrition program in North Carolina. 

    Statement from Secretary Dev Sangvai: 

    “One in six children in North Carolina face food insecurity, unsure of where their next meal will come from. Programs like SNAP are critical in ensuring children and families get the food and nutrition they need to live healthy lives and thrive in school and in their communities. Without healthy food, people are more likely to get sick and end up in the emergency room. Shifting costs to states and local communities makes it more difficult to create a healthier and safer North Carolina and forces state leaders to make hard decisions. These massive cost shifts can’t simply be patched over with state dollars, especially in challenging budget years. We do not have the capacity to fill those gaps, and the people of North Carolina will feel the impact, eroding the health and wellbeing of communities across the state.”

    The North Carolina Association of County Departments of Social Services also released this statement in response to the proposals that would also shift costs to North Carolina counties. 

    “County social services workers in North Carolina are the front-line staff responsible for administering the SNAP program. We see every day how these benefits bridge food security gaps for families with children, individuals with disabilities, the elderly, veterans and others who are working low-wage jobs. Counties pay the cost of the non-federal 50% administrative share in the State’s model. This includes all staffing costs for processing applications, interviewing clients, conducting eligibility verifications, verifying work with employers, etc. Counties also pay the cost of training staff, monitoring their work, following up on payment inaccuracies and fraud. Adding additional requirements to the program drives up administrative costs. Cost savings could be better achieved through simplified regulatory rules and policies, modern technology solutions, and enhanced tools available to do the work. 

    Cutting SNAP benefits at their base and adding potential additional cuts based on a state’s error rates further harms a county’s ability to recruit and retain qualified staff to administer the program. Complex regulations and policies, outdated automation, and antiquated tools make it challenging to attract the new generation of workers. 

    These increased costs, along with the lack of a qualified and interested workforce and the increased work requirements, create a situation where it would be difficult for any County to absorb these funding shifts, and cuts would be impossible.”

    The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners released this statement regarding the increase in costs to the counties.

    “By reducing federal funding and shifting administrative costs to state and local governments, Congress would force North Carolina and its counties to replace tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue, either by generating new funds through increased taxes or redirecting them from other essential programs. Should the state be unwilling or unable to replace the SNAP benefit reductions, individual counties will be forced to choose between diverting funds from their own programs, raising local taxes, or watching their residents go without this important safety net. Local governments are most disadvantaged to replace SNAP funding; the best way to ensure our residents receive this benefit is to preserve federal funding.”

    The North Carolina Retail Merchant’s Association released the following statement about the impact to businesses and North Carolina’s economy.

    “SNAP is not only essential for millions of families struggling with food insecurity, it also plays a critical role in sustaining local grocery stores, markets, and food retailers across our communities. SNAP benefits help ensure customers can afford nutritious food, which keeps shelves stocked and businesses thriving. Cuts to SNAP would force states to carry unprecedented costs, risking reduced enrollment and less spending at local retailers. This would have ripple effects on jobs and the broader economy, particularly in rural areas.”

    Feeding the Carolinas, the association for the North Carolina and South Carolina Feeding America Food Banks, released the following statement regarding impacts to food banks and meal distributions across the state.

    “The seven North Carolina food banks, in conjunction with our more than 2,500 distribution partners, provided over 250 million meals to our neighbors in the past year. Even with this significant work, it is critical to understand that SNAP provides 9 meals for every 1 meal that the food banks deliver. In addition, our food banks are serving more than twice the number individuals—children, seniors, families, and veterans—than we assisted just three years ago. Federal cuts that have already taken place have reduced the amount of food we can distribute by millions of pounds. Proposed SNAP cuts and cost shifts to the states will result in decreased food assistance for some of our most vulnerable populations. Food banks will be the next line of response if this comes to fruition and we will not be able to fill the gap. We will have families using their scarce resources to purchase highly processed, unhealthy food, which is in direct opposition to the administration’s goals under Make America Healthy Again. The bottom line is that, if these cuts are made, we will have more hungry children, seniors, and families, and, in the near future, a population with greater health problems and a workforce that is less prepared to keep our communities’ economies strong.”

    El gobernador Josh Stein y gobernadores de otros 23 estados enviaron una carta al liderazgo del Congreso el martes, advirtiendo sobre el impacto que tendrían los posibles cambios en el Programa de Asistencia Nutricional Suplementaria (SNAP, por sus siglas en inglés) para millones de personas en todo el país, incluidos más de 1.4 millones en Carolina del Norte que dependen de SNAP para poner comida en la mesa. En respuesta, el Secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte, Dev Sangvai, y las organizaciones asociadas emitieron declaraciones enfatizando aún más la necesidad crítica de este programa vital de alimentos y nutrición en Carolina del Norte.

    Declaración del Secretario Dev Sangvai:

    “Uno de cada seis niños en Carolina del Norte se enfrenta a la inseguridad alimentaria, sin saber de dónde vendrá su próxima comida.  Los programas como SNAP son fundamentales para garantizar que los niños y las familias reciban los alimentos y la nutrición que necesitan para llevar una vida saludable y prosperar en la escuela y en sus comunidades. Sin alimentos saludables, las personas tienen más probabilidades de enfermarse y terminar en la sala de emergencias. Cambiar los costos a los estados y las comunidades locales hace que sea más difícil crear una Carolina del Norte más saludable y segura y obliga a los líderes estatales a tomar decisiones difíciles. Estos cambios masivos de costos no pueden ser simplemente remendados con dólares estatales, especialmente en años presupuestarios difíciles. No tenemos la capacidad de llenar esos vacíos, y la gente de Carolina del Norte sentirá el impacto, deteriorando la salud y el bienestar de las comunidades en todo el estado”.

    La Asociación de Departamentos de Servicios Sociales del Condado de Carolina del Norte también publicó esta declaración en respuesta a las propuestas que también trasladarían los costos a los condados de Carolina del Norte.

    “Los trabajadores de servicios sociales del condado en Carolina del Norte son el personal de primera línea responsable de administrar el programa SNAP. Vemos todos los días cómo estos beneficios salvan las brechas de seguridad alimentaria para las familias con hijos, las personas con discapacidad, los ancianos, los veteranos y otras personas que trabajan en empleos de bajos salarios. Los condados pagan el costo de la participación administrativa no federal del 50% en el modelo del Estado. Esto incluye todos los costos de personal para procesar solicitudes, entrevistar a los clientes, realizar verificaciones de elegibilidad, verificar el trabajo con los empleadores, etc. Los condados también pagan el costo de capacitar al personal, monitorear su trabajo, hacer un seguimiento de las inexactitudes de pago y el fraude. Añadir requisitos adicionales al programa aumenta los costos administrativos. El ahorro de costos podría lograrse mejor a través de normas y políticas regulatorias simplificadas, soluciones tecnológicas modernas y herramientas mejoradas disponibles para hacer el trabajo.

    Recortando los beneficios de SNAP en su parte básica y agregar posibles recortes adicionales basados en las tasas de error de un estado perjudica aún más la capacidad de un condado para reclutar y retener personal calificado para administrar el programa. Las regulaciones y políticas complejas, la automatización y las herramientas anticuadas hacen que sea difícil atraer a la nueva generación de trabajadores.

    Estos mayores costos, junto con la falta de una fuerza laboral calificada e interesada y el aumento de los requisitos de trabajo, crean una situación en la que sería difícil para cualquier condado absorber estos cambios de financiamiento, y los recortes serían imposibles”.

    La Asociación de Comisionados del Condado de Carolina del Norte publicó esta declaración sobre el aumento de los costos para los condados.

    “Al reducir los fondos federales y transferir los costos administrativos a los gobiernos estatales y locales, el Congreso obligaría a Carolina del Norte y sus condados a reemplazar decenas de millones de dólares en ingresos perdidos, ya sea generando nuevos fondos a través del aumento de impuestos o redirigiéndolos de otros programas esenciales. Si el estado no está dispuesto o no puede reemplazar las reducciones de los beneficios de SNAP, los condados individuales se verán obligados a elegir entre desviar fondos de sus propios programas, aumentar los impuestos locales o ver a sus residentes sin esta importante red de seguridad. Los gobiernos locales están en mayor desventaja para reemplazar los fondos de SNAP; la mejor manera de garantizar que nuestros residentes reciban este beneficio es preservar los fondos federales”.

    La Asociación de Comerciantes Minoristas de Carolina del Norte emitió la siguiente declaración sobre el impacto en las empresas y la economía de Carolina del Norte.

    “SNAP no solo es esencial para millones de familias que luchan contra la inseguridad alimentaria, sino que también desempeña un papel fundamental en el mantenimiento de las tiendas de comestibles, los mercados y los minoristas de alimentos locales en nuestras comunidades. Los beneficios de SNAP ayudan a garantizar que los clientes puedan comprar alimentos nutritivos, lo que mantiene los estantes abastecidos y las empresas prósperas. Los recortes a SNAP obligarían a los estados a asumir costos sin precedentes, con el riesgo de reducir la inscripción y el gasto en los minoristas locales. Esto tendría un efecto dominó en el empleo y en la economía en general, particularmente en las zonas rurales”.

    Feeding the Carolinas, la asociación de los bancos de alimentos Feeding America de Carolina del Norte y Carolina del Sur, publicó la siguiente declaración sobre los impactos en los bancos de alimentos y la distribución de comidas en todo el estado. 

    “Los siete bancos de alimentos de Carolina del Norte, junto con nuestros más de 2,500 socios de distribución, proporcionaron más de 250 millones de comidas a nuestros vecinos en el último año. Incluso con este importante trabajo, es fundamental comprender que SNAP proporciona 9 comidas por cada comida que entregan los bancos de alimentos. Además, nuestros bancos de alimentos atienden a más del doble de personas (niños, personas mayores, familias y veteranos) que hace solo tres años. Los recortes federales que ya han tenido lugar han reducido la cantidad de alimentos que podemos distribuir en millones de libras. Los recortes propuestos de SNAP y los cambios de costos a los estados resultarán en una disminución de la asistencia alimentaria para algunas de nuestras poblaciones más vulnerables. Los bancos de alimentos serán la siguiente línea de respuesta si esto llega a buen término y no podremos llenar el vacío. Tendremos familias que usarán sus escasos recursos para comprar alimentos altamente procesados y poco saludables, lo que está en oposición directa a los objetivos de la administración bajo Make America Healthy Again. La conclusión es que, si se hacen estos recortes, tendremos más niños, personas mayores y familias con hambre y, en un futuro próximo, una población con mayores problemas de salud y una fuerza laboral menos preparada para mantener fuertes las economías de nuestras comunidades”.

    Jun 24, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Iran, Israel, Qatar & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (23June 2025)

    Source: United Nations (video statements)

    Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

    ———————————

    Highlights:

    Iran/Israel
    Iran/Qatar
    UN Charter
    Security Council
    Security Council/Non-Proliferation
    Occupied Palestinian Territory
    UNIFIL
    Ukraine
    Sudan
    Democratic Republic Of The Congo
    Chad
    Refugees
    Panel On Chemicals
    Internet Governance Forum
    Women In Diplomacy
    Guests Tomorrow

    __________________________________________

    IRAN/ISRAEL
    The Secretary-General welcomes US President Trump’s announcement of a cease-fire between Israel and Iran. He urges the two countries to respect it fully. The fighting must stop, the people of the two countries have already suffered too much, he said.
    The Secretary-General hopes that this ceasefire can be replicated in the other conflicts in the region.

    IRAN/QATAR
    In a statement yesterday, the Secretary-General expressed his deep alarm at the further escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
    On social media, he strongly condemned the attack yesterday by Iran on Qatar, a country that has been active for peace in the region and further afield. 
    The Secretary-General urges all Member States to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law.

    UN CHARTER
    Yesterday evening, the Secretary-General delivered remarks at a ceremony that took place here at the UN headquarters to welcome home the original UN Charter, 80 years after it was written. Eighty years is a blink of an eye in history, and yet, the Secretary-General said, until the United Nations, humanity never had a single place where every government and all peoples could unite to fix the world and build something better.

    SECURITY COUNCIL
    Hannah Tetteh, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya, briefed the Security Council this morning by VTC and said that the UN Mission in Libya, UNSMIL, has helped to support the preservation of the fragile truce that had been reached on 14 May, develop mechanisms to facilitate a de-escalation of tensions in order to prevent further clashes, and ensure the protection of civilians.
    She warned that there are reports of continued build-up and fears among many Libyans that armed clashes will resume. UNSMIL urges all political and security actors to refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions that would only serve to deepen the lack of trust and undermine all the de-escalation efforts being made to sustain the fragile truce.
    Ms. Tetteh noted the calls from many Libyans for UNSMIL to act swiftly to facilitate a Libyan led and owned political process that leads to credible elections and unified institutions. She said that UNSMIL will intensify its engagement in the coming weeks, building on the momentum generated by the Berlin meeting earlier this month.

    SECURITY COUNCIL/NON-PROLIFERATION
    At 3 p.m., Security Council members will meet for an open briefing on the Secretary-General’s report as requested by resolution 2231 that refers to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action otherwise known as JCPOA.
    Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, is expected to brief.

    Full Highlights:
    https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/ossg/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=24%20June%202025&_gl=1%2A10sej4q%2A_ga%2AMTc3MDMwNDcyOS4xNzMzMDUxOTcy%2A_ga_TK9BQL5X7Z%2AczE3NTA3ODk2MzEkbzgwJGcxJHQxNzUwNzkyOTI0JGo2MCRsMCRoMA..

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRouSrj3JE4

    MIL OSI Video –