NewzIntel.com

Category: Economy

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Briefing – Economic Outlook Quarterly: Navigating times of uncertainty – 14-03-2025

    Source: European Parliament 2

    Europe must swiftly address huge challenges, in the face of a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape and major fiscal policy changes. With an increasingly protectionist United States (US) on one side and China becoming an ever-more direct competitor across industries on the other, Europe’s economic future is fraught with uncertainty. In these testing times, the Next Generation EU (NGEU) recovery instrument, which has contributed to the EU economy’s swift rebound from the COVID-19 crisis, is expected to increase its impact on potential growth from 2025. The implementation of the strategic investment and reform plans financed by NGEU continues at varying intensity across the EU, with a number of measures being suggested to tackle possible risks of under-execution.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: At a Glance – What if we use clean tech to source critical raw materials within the EU? – 14-03-2025

    Source: European Parliament 2

    New methods are now available for processing mined metal ores that produce essentially no pollution compared to existing techniques. The large-scale development of these methods would allow EU mines to reopen, greatly contributing to EU sovereignty targets while lowering carbon emissions. Demonstrations of these technologies in Europe already exist at industrial scale, and current regulatory frameworks could be adapted to accommodate and promote their use. With the rollout of carbon pricing on imports (CBAM), new technologies could meet demand for greener materials. Simultaneously, new recycling technologies could help fulfil circular economy goals and prevent harmful destruction of e-waste.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Saudi Arabia’s role as Ukraine war mediator advances Gulf nation’s diplomatic rehabilitation − and boosts its chances of a seat at the table should Iran-US talks resume

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute, Rice University

    Saudi Arabia is 2,000 miles from Ukraine and even more politically distant, so at first glance it might seem like it has nothing to do with the ongoing war there. But the Gulf state has emerged as a key intermediary in the most serious ceasefire negotiations since Russia invaded its neighbor three years ago.

    While it is U.S. officials who are undoubtedly leading the efforts for an agreement, it is the Saudi capital of Riyadh that has been staging the crucial talks.

    In a flurry of diplomatic activity on March 10, 2025, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s top political authority, hosted separate meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz.

    The following day, senior Saudi officials facilitated face-to-face meetings between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations.

    The resulting agreement, which is now being mulled in Moscow, is all the more notable given that it followed a diplomatic breakdown just weeks before at the Oval Office between Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

    Whether the proposed interim 30-day ceasefire materializes is still uncertain. On March 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he agreed with the proposal in principle, but he added that a lot of the details needed to be sorted out.

    Should a deal be reached, there is every reason to believe it will be inked in Saudi Arabia, which has hosted not only the latest U.S.-Ukrainian talks but earlier rounds of high-level Russian-U.S. meetings.

    But why is a Gulf nation playing mediator in a conflict in Eastern Europe? As an expert on Saudi politics, I believe the answer to that lies in the kingdom’s diplomatic ambitions and its desire to present a more positive image to the world. And in the background is the goal of better positioning the nation in the event of diplomatic maneuvers in its own region, notably in regards to any talks between U.S. and Iran.

    The diplomatic convertion of MBS

    Saudi Arabia’s growing diplomatic role has been a feature of the kingdom’s foreign policy since 2022.

    Crown Prince Mohammed, who that year succeeded his father as prime minister, views Saudi Arabia as the convening power in the Arab and Islamic world.

    Accordingly, officials in the kingdom have been directed to lead regional diplomacy over a number of pressing issues, including the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan.

    At the same time, Saudis have started the process of reconciliation with Iran, which has long been perceived as the chief regional rival to Saudi influence.

    This turn to diplomacy marks a shift away from the confrontational policies adopted by the crown prince during his rise to power in Saudi Arabia between 2015 and 2018. Policies such as Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Yemen, its blockade of Qatar, the detention of Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the conversion of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh into a makeshift prison all fed an image of the young prince as an impulsive decision-maker. Then in 2018 came the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

    This approach brought little in the way of stability. Rather, it left the country ensnared in an unwinnable war in Yemen, a fruitless row with Qatar, and diplomatic isolation by Western officials.

    A friend to Ukraine and Russia

    In regards to the war in Ukraine, Saudi Arabia’s intermediary role is helped by a perception of the kingdom as a neutral nation on the conflict.

    Saudi officials, in common with their counterparts in the other Gulf states, have long sought to avoid taking sides in the emerging era of great power competition and strategic rivalry. As such, the kingdom has maintained working relations with both Russia and pro-Western Ukraine since the outbreak of war in Europe.

    In 2022, for example, Saudi Arabia and Russia – both leaders of OPEC+ – coordinated oil production cuts to cushion Moscow from the effects of global sanctions the West imposed after it invaded Ukraine. Yet just months later, Saudi Arabia invited Zelenskyy to address an Arab League summit in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

    It was a prelude to a 2023 international summit, also in Jeddah, which brought together representatives from 40 countries to discuss the ongoing war.

    Despite failing to produce a breakthrough, the meeting illustrated the convening reach of the crown prince and his intention to act as a diplomatic go-between in the Ukraine-Russia war.

    Saudi Arabia and neighboring United Arab Emirates later facilitated occasional prisoner exchanges between the two countries – rare diplomatic successes in three years of conflict.

    Staging ground for diplomacy

    Direct engagement in high-stakes international diplomacy over the largest war in Europe since 1945 is undoubtedly a step up in Saudi ambitions. But the country’s efforts aren’t purely altruistic. Riyadh believes there’s mileage to be gained in such diplomatic endeavors.

    The advent of a Trump presidency has fit Saudi desires. Trump has made his desire to be seen as a dealmaker and peacemaker clear, but he needs a neutral venue in which the hard work of diplomacy can flourish.

    Just weeks into the new U.S. administration, the Saudi capital hosted the first meeting between a U.S. secretary of state and Russian foreign minister since Russia invaded in 2022.

    It yielded an agreement to “re-establish the bilateral relationship” and establish a consultation mechanism to “address irritants” in ties.

    The two rounds of dialogue in Riyadh – first with Russia, then Ukraine – have positioned the Saudi leadership firmly in the diplomatic process. It has also gone some way to rehabilitate Mohammed bin Salman’s image.

    The sight of the crown prince warmly greeting Zelenskyy contrasted sharply with the images from a fractious White House meeting that went around the world, presenting the crown prince as a statesmanlike figure.

    Turning to Tehran

    Such positive optics would have seemed inconceivable as recently as 2019, when the crown prince was shunned and then presidential candidate Joe Biden labeled the country a “pariah” state.

    Changing this negative global perception of Saudi Arabia is crucial if the kingdom is to attract the tens of millions of visitors that are pivotal to the success of the “giga-projects” – sports, culture and tourism events that the Saudis hope will drive its economy and allow the kingdom to be less economically dependent on fossil fuel exports.

    Whereas easing tensions with Iran and supporting Yemen’s fragile truce are about derisking the kingdom’s vulnerability to regional volatility, facilitating diplomacy over Ukraine is a relatively cost-free way to reinforce the changing narratives about Saudi Arabia.

    After all, any breakdown in the Russia-U.S.-Ukraine negotiations is unlikely to be blamed on the Saudis.

    Indeed, Saudi officials may view their engagement with U.S. officials over Ukraine as the prelude to further diplomatic cooperation. And this will be especially true if Crown Prince Mohammed is able to establish himself as an indispensable partner in the eyes of Trump.

    Saudi officials were excluded from the last major talks between Iran and the U.S., which also involved several other major world powers and led to the 2016 Iran nuclear deal. Trump withdrew from the deal shortly after assuming office for the first time in 2017, and U.S.-Iranian relations have been moribund since then.

    The U.S. administration has already mooted the idea of a resumption of negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear capabilities.

    Placing Saudi Arabia in the middle of any attempts to secure a new nuclear agreement that would replace or supersede that earlier deal would be a high-risk move, given the intensity of feeling on both the U.S. and Iranian sides and the uneasy coexistence between Tehran and Riyadh.

    But doing so would give the kingdom what it most desires: a seat at the table.

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

    – ref. Saudi Arabia’s role as Ukraine war mediator advances Gulf nation’s diplomatic rehabilitation − and boosts its chances of a seat at the table should Iran-US talks resume – https://theconversation.com/saudi-arabias-role-as-ukraine-war-mediator-advances-gulf-nations-diplomatic-rehabilitation-and-boosts-its-chances-of-a-seat-at-the-table-should-iran-us-talks-resume-252035

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The White House press pool became a way to control journalists – Trump is taking this to new levels

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Colin Alexander, Senior Lecturer in Political Communications, Nottingham Trent University

    The recently appointed White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, has begun her tenure combatively, aggressively defending the Trump administration’s policies and, at times, mimicking Donald Trump’s methods of dealing with the mainstream news media.

    Faced recently with a legitimate question by an Associated Press (AP) reporter who challenged Trump’s introduction of tariffs against several countries, she accused the reporter of doubting her knowledge of economics. She then dismissed him, saying: “I now regret giving a question to the Associated Press.”

    AP is one of the key media organisations reporting on the White House. The largest news agency in the US, its stories are carried by news groups around the world. But recently, AP was ejected from the “press pool” that covers White House business

    It was excluded in mid-February for refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico “the Gulf of America”, after Trump changed its name by executive order. This was followed by an announcement that the White House would take greater control of the press pool and choose which outlets would be given most access to the president. This is likely to be based on favourable coverage rather than quality of reporting.

    To appreciate how significant this is, it is important to first state the fundamental purpose of journalism in a democratic society, which is to hold the powerful to account. This is known as its “watchdog” function.

    The work of Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in exposing the Watergate scandal during the 1970s is often held up as the gold standard of watchdog journalism. It ultimately led to the resignation of Richard Nixon as president and the imprisonment of his lawyer, John Dean.

    “Pooling” describes the process by which a prominent organisation or individual attempts to oversee journalistic scrutiny by managing access. King Charles, for example, also operates a press pool.

    It works in two stages. First, news organisations or individual journalists apply to be members of the pool. Then, a handful of journalists from the pool are selected each day or week for access. These journalists – through their pool contract – are required to share the information they gather with the other journalists in the pool, which often leads to a genericisation of the content.

    Thus, while political organisations or elite individuals might claim the pooling system is used as a benign and fair tool to manage consistent press interest, in reality it is a weapon of communications control.

    The White House’s press pool was first established under President Dwight Eisenhower as a reflection of the growing number of journalists based in Washington. But in the modern era, the use of pooling was most controversial during and after the first Gulf War of the early 1990s.

    Rather than roaming the battlefields of Iraq and Kuwait, most western reporters spent the conflict at the media centre in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, some 250 miles from the Kuwait border. Here they were fed the information that the US military wanted the public to know. A small number of pooled journalists were then occasionally accompanied by US troops to the battlefield in what was a clear case of censorship by access and perspective limitation.

    This military-media power dynamic – and the subsequent mismatch between the actuality of the war and the reporting of it – led the French philosopher Jean Baudrillard to declare in a 1991 essay, published by Liberation and The Guardian, that “The Gulf war did not take place”.

    General “Stormin” Norman Schwarzkopf’s famous “luckiest man in Iraq” briefing is indicative of the close relationship that developed between military and media professionals during the conflict. Schwarzkopf showed journalists footage taken through the crosshairs of a US bomber of an Iraqi private car driving over a bridge moments before a US airstrike destroys it. You can hear the journalists laughing with Schwarzkopf as they watch this lucky escape.

    Legacy of Vietnam

    Despite widespread understanding that scrutiny is an important part of public officialdom, the legacy of the Vietnam War – a conflict the US was perceived both at home and around the world to have lost – led to a significant amount of distrust of journalists. US media analyst Daniel Hallin referred to Vietnam as the “uncensored war”. By this he meant that journalists enjoyed an unprecedented amount of freedom – exacerbated by the relatively new medium of television, which brought stark images of war directly into people’s living rooms.

    By February 1968, the US military’s daily briefings from the Rex Hotel in Saigon had become known as the “five o’clock follies”, on account of the gulf between official claims of the war’s “progress” and what was being reported by journalists who had ventured into the field. The military consistently presented a positive narrative – in stark contrast to the esteemed CBS reporter Walter Cronkite’s analysis that: “To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion.”

    Vietnam could have been an opportunity for governments to think about their obligation to truth and the requirement to be more ethical in their approach. Instead, the feeling in Washington was that unfavourable press coverage had lost the war, and that journalists needed to be curtailed.

    Controlling the message

    The recent decision by the Trump administration to take over selection of pool journalists from the notionally independent White House Correspondents’ Association is unsurprising. The approach is consistent with the first Trump presidency’s refusal to answer questions from journalists who tried to carry out the press’s watchdog function.

    It also fits with Trump’s electioneering approach during 2024 when he shunned traditional news outlets, focusing instead on social media and appearing on the podcasts of Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz, for example.

    To this end, the White House’s decision amounts to a power grab against the institution of modern journalism – even if much of the US media has been in thrall to the powerful ever since Vietnam.

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

    – ref. The White House press pool became a way to control journalists – Trump is taking this to new levels – https://theconversation.com/the-white-house-press-pool-became-a-way-to-control-journalists-trump-is-taking-this-to-new-levels-250960

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The push to restore semiconductor manufacturing faces a labor crisis − can the US train enough workers in time?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Michael Moats, Professor of Metallurgical Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology

    Semiconductors power nearly every aspect of modern life – cars, smartphones, medical devices and even national defense systems. These tiny but essential components make the information age possible, whether they’re supporting lifesaving hospital equipment or facilitating the latest advances in artificial intelligence.

    It’s easy to take them for granted, until something goes wrong. That’s exactly what happened when the COVID-19 pandemic exposed major weaknesses in the global semiconductor supply chain. Suddenly, to name just one consequence, new vehicles couldn’t be finished because chips produced abroad weren’t being delivered. The semiconductor supply crunch disrupted entire industries and cost hundreds of billions of dollars.

    The crisis underscored a hard reality: The U.S. depends heavily on foreign countries – including China, a geopolitical rival – to manufacture semiconductors. This isn’t just an economic concern; it’s widely recognized as a national security risk.

    That’s why the U.S. government has taken steps to invest in semiconductor production through initiatives such as the CHIPS and Science Act, which aims to revitalize American manufacturing and was passed with bipartisan support in 2022. While President Donald Trump has criticized the CHIPS and Science Act recently, both he and his predecessor, Joe Biden, have touted their efforts to expand domestic chip manufacturing in recent years.

    Yet, even with bipartisan support for new chip plants, a major challenge remains: Who will operate them?

    Minding the workforce gap

    The push to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S. faces a significant hurdle: a shortage of skilled workers. The semiconductor industry is expected to need 300,000 engineers by 2030 as new plants are built. Without a well-trained workforce, these efforts will fall short, and the U.S. will remain dependent on foreign suppliers.

    This isn’t just a problem for the tech sector – it affects every industry that relies on semiconductors, from auto manufacturing to defense contractors. Virtually every military communication, monitoring and advanced weapon system relies on microchips. It’s not sustainable or safe for the U.S. to rely on foreign nations – especially adversaries – for the technology that powers its military.

    For the U.S. to secure supply chains and maintain technological leadership, I believe it would be wise to invest in education and workforce development alongside manufacturing expansion.

    Building the next generation of semiconductor engineers

    Filling this labor gap will require a nationwide effort to train engineers and technicians in semiconductor research, design and fabrication. Engineering programs across the country are taking up this challenge by introducing specialized curricula that combine hands-on training with industry-focused coursework.

    Clean rooms, a vital part of semiconductor factories, are also where the next generation of tech innovators conduct research. Here, a Ph.D. candidate is seen in an air shower room before entering a clean room at Tokyo University on May 1, 2024.
    Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images

    Future semiconductor workers will need expertise in chip design and microelectronics, materials science and process engineering, and advanced manufacturing and clean room operations. To meet this demand, it will be important for universities and colleges to work alongside industry leaders to ensure students graduate with the skills employers need. Offering hands-on experience in semiconductor fabrication, clean-room-based labs and advanced process design will be essential for preparing a workforce that’s ready to contribute from Day 1.

    At Missouri University of Science of Technology, where I am the chair of the materials science and engineering department, we’re launching a multidisciplinary bachelor’s degree in semiconductor engineering this fall. Other universities across the U.S. are also expanding their semiconductor engineering options amid strong demand from both industry and students.

    A historic opportunity for economic growth

    Rebuilding domestic semiconductor manufacturing isn’t just about national security – it’s an economic opportunity that could benefit millions of Americans. By expanding training programs and workforce pipelines, the U.S. can create tens of thousands of high-paying jobs, strengthening the economy and reducing reliance on foreign supply chains.

    And the race to secure semiconductor supply chains isn’t just about stability – it’s about innovation. The U.S. has long been a global leader in semiconductor research and development, but recent supply chain disruptions have shown the risks of allowing manufacturing to move overseas.

    If the U.S. wants to remain at the forefront of technological advancement in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and next-generation communication systems, it seems clear to me it will need new workers – not just new factories – to gain control of its semiconductor production.

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

    – ref. The push to restore semiconductor manufacturing faces a labor crisis − can the US train enough workers in time? – https://theconversation.com/the-push-to-restore-semiconductor-manufacturing-faces-a-labor-crisis-can-the-us-train-enough-workers-in-time-245516

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: When humans use AI to earn patents, who is doing the inventing?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By W. Keith Robinson, Professor of Law, Wake Forest University

    Only humans can be awarded patents, but AIs can do a lot of the work to earn them. lineartestpilot/iStock via Getty Images

    The advent of generative artificial intelligence has sent shock waves across industries, from the technical to the creative. AI systems that can generate viable computer code, write news stories and spin up professional-looking graphics have inspired countless headlines asking whether they will take away jobs in technology, journalism and design, among many other fields.

    And these new ways of doing work and making things raise another question: In the era of AI, what does it mean to be an inventor?

    Among technologists who build digital tools or programs, it is increasingly common to use AI as part of design and development processes. But as deep learning models flex their technical muscles more and more, even highly skilled researchers who are using AI in their work have begun to express concerns about becoming obsolete.

    There is much debate about whether AI can augment human creativity, but emerging data suggests that the technology can boost research and development where creativity typically plays an important role. A recent study by MIT economics doctoral student Aidan Toner-Rodgers found that scientists using AI tools increased their patent filings by 39% and created 17% more prototypes than when they worked without such tools.

    While this study indicates that AI seemed to help humans be more productive, it also showed there was a downside: 82% of the surveyed researchers felt less satisfied with their jobs since implementing AI in their workflows. “I couldn’t help feeling that much of my education is now worthless,” one researcher said.

    This emerging dynamic leads to a related question: If a scientist uses AI in order to build something new, does the output still qualify as an invention? As a legal scholar who studies technology and intellectual property law, I see the growing power of AI shifting the legal landscape.

    Natural persons

    In 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office refused to list the AI system DABUS, which purportedly designed a food container and a flashing emergency beacon, as an inventor on patent applications. Subsequent court rulings clarified that under current U.S. law, only humans can be listed as inventors, but they left open the question of whether inventions developed by scientists with the help of AI qualify for patent protection.

    The concept of inventorship and legal protections for inventions have deep roots in the U.S. The Constitution explicitly protects the “exclusive rights” of authors and inventors “to their respective writings and discoveries,” reflecting the framers’ strong conviction that the state should protect and encourage original ideas.

    The first U.S. patent, granted in 1790 and signed by George Washington.
    United States Patent and Trademark Office

    U.S. law today defines an inventor as a natural person who has conceived of a complete and operative invention that can be used without extensive research or experimentation. An inventor must do more than follow routine instructions – they must make an intellectual contribution in producing something novel.

    That contribution can be a key idea that sparks the invention or a crucial insight that turns the concept into a working product. If a person’s input is routine or just explains what’s already known, they are not an inventor.

    Role of AI

    To what extent can or should AI become part of the invention process? The release of AI applications such as ChatGPT in 2022 introduced the public to large language models and sparked renewed debate about whether and how AI should be used in the inventive process. That same year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit heard a case that tested whether AI could be named as an inventor on a patent application.

    The court concluded that under U.S. law, inventors must be human beings. The ruling reaffirmed the idea that Congress intended to encourage human beings, not machines, to invent. This idea remains foundational to current patent policy.

    In light of the court’s decision, in 2024 the United States Patent and Trademark Office updated its guidance to clarify the role of AI in the inventive process. The guidance reaffirms that an inventor must be human. However, the Patent and Trademark Office explained that the policy did not preclude inventors from using AI tools to assist in the research and development of inventions. This approach acknowledges how the rapid development of AI technologies has allowed researchers to make exciting breakthroughs.

    Policymakers seem to understand that if the U.S. is to continue to lead the world in innovation, the mythology of a sole inventor toiling away in a garage and relying on pure intellect must evolve to account for the value of AI tools that research has proven make humans more productive.

    Nevertheless, since only human beings can be named as inventors on a patent, current policy does not quite answer the question of who or what should get credit for doing the work. Despite a growing trend where researchers are expected to disclose whether they’ve used AI tools, for example in academic papers, the U.S. patent system makes no such demand.

    Regardless of AI’s role in the research and development process, a U.S. patent will list only the names of human inventors so long as those humans made a significant contribution to the invention. As a result, current policy is not concerned with how to recognize the contributions of AI. AI is considered a tool like a microscope or a Bunsen burner.

    Personal ingenuity in the age of AI

    Given this shifting legal landscape, I see that U.S. innovation policy is at a crossroads. The Patent and Trademark Office’s guidance reaffirming human inventorship and simultaneously embracing AI as an innovation tool is only a year old. It is unclear how the Trump administration’s forthcoming action plan to “enhance America’s global AI dominance” will affect this guidance.

    Some observers expect the rate of scientific discovery to increase dramatically with the assistance of AI tools. But if the majority of those same productive researchers enjoy their jobs less, is the act of inventing being encouraged as the framers envisioned?

    Current U.S. policy attempts to strike a balance and recognize the concept of personal ingenuity, stemming from the principle that for an invention to be patented in the U.S., a human must have led the way. Yet the guidance also implicitly acknowledges that AI can lend a helping hand in modern research and development. Whether and how policymakers maintain this balance – and how leaders in industry and science respond – will help shape the next chapter of American innovation.

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

    – ref. When humans use AI to earn patents, who is doing the inventing? – https://theconversation.com/when-humans-use-ai-to-earn-patents-who-is-doing-the-inventing-248216

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Big cuts at the Education Department’s civil rights office will affect vulnerable students for years to come

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Erica Frankenberg, Professor of Education and Demography, Penn State

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and fellow Democrats criticize President Donald Trump’s plan to shutter the Education Department on March 6, 2025. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

    The U.S. Department of Education cut its workforce by nearly 50% on March 11, 2025, when it laid off about 1,315 employees. The move follows several recent directives targeting the Cabinet-level agency.

    Within the department, the Office for Civil Rights – which already experienced layoffs in February – was especially hard hit by cuts.

    The details remain unclear, but reports suggest that staffs at six of the 12 regional OCR offices were laid off. Because of the office’s role in enforcing civil rights laws in schools and universities, the cuts will affect students across the country.

    As education policy scholars who study how laws and policies shape educational inequities, we believe the Office for Civil Rights has played an important role in facilitating equitable education for all students.

    The latest cuts further compound funding and staffing shortages that have plagued the office. The full effects of these changes on the most vulnerable public school students will likely be felt for many years.

    Few staff members

    The Education Department, already the smallest Cabinet-level agency before the recent layoffs, distributed roughly US$242 billion to students, K-12 schools and universities in the 2024 fiscal year.

    About $160 billion of that money went to student aid for higher education. The department’s discretionary budget was just under $80 billion, a sliver compared with other agencies.

    By comparison, the Department of Health and Human Services received nearly $2.9 trillion in fiscal year 2024.

    Within the Education Department, the Office for Civil Rights had a $140 million budget for fiscal year 2024, less than 0.2% of discretionary funding, which requires annual congressional approval.

    It has lacked financial support to effectively carry out its duties. For example, amid complaints filed by students and their families, the OCR has not had an increase in staff. That leaves thousands of complaints unresolved.

    The office’s appropriated budget in fiscal year 2017 was one-third of the budget of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission – a federal agency responsible for civil rights protection in the workplace – despite the high number of discrimination complaints that OCR handles.

    Support for OCR

    Despite this underfunding, the office has traditionally received bipartisan support.

    Former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, for example, requested a funding decrease for the office during the first Trump administration. Congress, however, overrode her budget request and increased appropriations.

    Likewise, regardless of changing administrations, the office’s budget has remained fairly unchanged since 2001.

    It garners attention for investigating and resolving discrimination-related complaints in K-12 and higher education. And while administrations have different priorities in how to investigate these complaints, they have remained an important resource for students for decades.

    But a key function that often goes unnoticed is its collection and release of data through the Civil Rights Data Collection.

    The CRDC is a national database that collects information on various indicators of student access and barriers to educational opportunity. Historically, only 5% of the OCR’s budget appropriations has been allocated for the CRDC.

    Yet, there are concerns among academic scholars that the continued collection and dissemination of the CRDC might be affected by staff cuts and contract cancellations worth $900 million at the Department of Education’s research arm, the Institute of Education Science.

    That’s because the CRDC often relies on data infrastructure that is shared with the institute.

    The history of the CRDC

    The CRDC originated in the late 1960s as required by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The data questionnaire, which poses questions about civil rights concerns, is usually administered to U.S. public school districts every two years.

    It provides indicators on student experiences in public preschools and K-12 schools. That includes participation rates in curricular opportunities like Advanced Placement courses and extracurricular activities. It also provides data on 504 plans for students with disabilities and English-learner instruction.

    Although there have been some changes to questions over the years, others have been consistent for 50 years to allow for examining changes over time. Some examples are counts of students disciplined by schools’ use of corporal punishment or out-of-school suspension.

    The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington on Dec. 3, 2024.
    AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

    During the Obama administration, the Office for Civil Rights prioritized making the CRDC more accessible to the public. The administration created a website that allows the public to view information for particular schools or districts, or to download data to analyze.

    Why the CRDC matters

    Our research focuses on how the CRDC has been used and how it could be improved. In an ongoing research project, we identified 221 peer-reviewed publications that have analyzed the CRDC.

    Articles focusing on school discipline – out-of-school suspensions, for example – are the most common. But there are many other topics that would be difficult to study without the CRDC.

    That’s especially true when making comparisons between districts and states, such as whether students have access to advanced coursework or participation in gifted and talented programs.

    The data has also inspired policy changes.

    The Obama administration, informed by the data on the use of seclusion and restraint to discipline students, issued a policy guidance document in 2016 regarding its overuse for students with disabilities.

    Additionally, the data helps examine the effects of judicial decisions and laws – desegregation laws in the South, for example – that have improved educational opportunities for many vulnerable students.

    Amid the Education Department’s continued cancellation of contracts of federally funded equity assistance centers, we believe research partnerships with policymakers and practitioners drawing on CRDC data will be more important than ever.

    Erica Frankenberg and Maithreyi Gopalan received funding from the Student Experience Research Network.

    Maithreyi Gopalan has received research grants and fellowships from various foundations such as the Student Experience Research Network (New Venture Fund), Federation of American Scientists, and others.

    – ref. Big cuts at the Education Department’s civil rights office will affect vulnerable students for years to come – https://theconversation.com/big-cuts-at-the-education-departments-civil-rights-office-will-affect-vulnerable-students-for-years-to-come-249716

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The psychology behind anti-trans legislation: How cognitive biases shape thoughts and policy

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Julia Standefer, Ph.D. Student in Psychology, Iowa State University

    Protesters fill the Iowa state Capitol to denounce a bill that will strip the state civil rights code of protections based on gender identity. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

    A state law signed Feb. 28, 2025, removes gender identity as a protected status from the Iowa Civil Rights Act, leaving transgender people vulnerable to discrimination. The rights of transgender people – those who present gender characteristics that differ from what has historically been expected of someone based on their biological sex traits – are under political attack across the United States. There are now hundreds of anti-trans bills at various points in the legislative process.

    But why?

    Reasons given usually center on protecting children, protecting cisgender women’s rights in bathrooms and sports competitions, and on removing funding for gender-affirming care. Some efforts appear to stem from fear-driven motives that are not supported by evidence.

    Bias against trans people may not always feel like bias. For someone who believes it to be true, saying there can only be biological men who identify as men and biological women who identify as women may feel like a statement of fact. But research shows that gender is a spectrum, separate from biological sex, which is also more complex than the common male-female binary.

    We are social psychologists who study and teach about the basic social, cognitive and emotion-based processes people use to make sense of themselves and the world. Research reveals psychological processes that bias people in ways they usually aren’t aware of. These common human tendencies can influence what we think about a particular group, influence how we act toward them, and prompt legislators to pass biased laws.

    Root of negative views of transgender people

    Social psychology theory and research point to several possible sources of negative views of transgender people.

    Part of forming your own identity is defining yourself by the traits that make you unique. To do this, you categorize others as belonging to your group – based on characteristics that matter to you, such as race, age, culture or gender – or not. Psychologists call these categories in-groups and out-groups.

    There is a natural human tendency to have inherent negative feelings toward people who aren’t part of your in-group. The bias you might feel against fans of a rival sports team is an example. This tendency may be rooted deep in evolutionary history, when favoring your own safe group over unknown outsiders would have been a survival advantage.

    A trans person’s status as transgender may be the most salient thing about them to an observer, overshadowing other characteristics such as their height, race, profession, parental status and so on. As a small minority, transgender people are an out-group from the mainstream – making it likely out-group bias will be directed their way.

    Anti-trans feeling may also result from fear that transgender people pose threats to one’s personal or group identity. Gender is part of everyone’s identity. If someone perceives their own gender to be determined by their biological sex, they may perceive other people who violate that “rule” as a threat to their own gender identity. Part of identity formation is not just out-group derogation but in-group favoritism. A cisgender person may engage in “in-group boundary protection” by making sure the parameters of “gender” are well defined and match their own beliefs.

    Once you hold negative feelings about someone in an out-group, there are other social psychological processes that may solidify and amplify them in your mind.

    The illusion of a causal connection

    People tend to form illusory correlations between objects, people, occurrences or behaviors, particularly when those things are infrequently encountered. Two distinctive things happening at the same time makes people believe that one is causing the other.

    Some superstitions result from this phenomenon. For example, you might attribute an unusual success such as winning money to wearing a particular shirt, which you now think of as your lucky shirt.

    If a person only ever hears about negative events when they see or hear about a transgender person, an immigrant or a member of some other minority group, then an illusory correlation can form between the negative events and the minority group. That connection is the starting point for prejudice: automatic, negative feelings toward a group of people without justification.

    Of course, it is possible that individuals from the group in question have committed some offense. But to take one individual’s bad deed and attribute it to an entire group of people isn’t justified. This kind of extrapolation is the natural human tendency of stereotyping, which can bias people’s actions.

    ‘That’s exactly what I thought’

    Human minds are biased to confirm the beliefs they already hold, including stereotypes about trans people. A few interconnected processes are at play in what psychologists call confirmation bias.

    First, there’s a natural tendency to seek out information that fits with what you already believe. If you think a shirt is lucky, then you’re more likely to look for positive things that happen when you wear it than you are to look for negative events that would seem to disconfirm its luckiness.

    If you think transgender people are dangerous, you are more likely to conduct an internet search for “transgender people who are dangerous” than “transgender people are victims of crime.”

    There’s a second, more passive process in play as well. Rather than actively seeking out confirming information, people also simply pay attention to information that confirms what they thought in the first place and ignore contradictory information. This can happen without you even realizing.

    People also tend to interpret ambiguous events in line with their beliefs – “I must be having a good day, despite some setbacks, because I’m wearing my lucky shirt.” That confirmation bias could explain someone with anti-trans attitudes thinking “that transgender person holding hands with a child must be a pedophile” instead of “that transgender mother is showing love and care for her kid.”

    Finally, people tend to remember things that confirm their beliefs better than things that challenge them.

    Confirmation bias can strengthen an illusory correlation, making it even more likely to influence subsequent actions – whether compulsively wearing a lucky shirt to an anxiety-inducing appointment or not hiring someone because of discriminatory thoughts about the group they belong to.

    Moving past biases

    Awareness of biases is the first step in avoiding them. Setting bias aside allows people to make fair decisions, based on accurate information, and in line with their values.

    However, this is not an easy task in the face of another social psychological process called group polarization. This phenomenon occurs when individuals’ beliefs become more extreme as they talk and listen only to people who hold the same beliefs they do. Think of the social media bubbles that result from interacting only with people who share your perspective.

    Efforts to stifle or prohibit educators’ and librarians’ ability to teach and discuss gender and sexuality topics, openly and fairly, add another challenge. Education through access to impartial, evidence-based information can be one way to help neutralize inherent bias.

    Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, who is transgender, in discussion with a colleague.
    AP Photo/Tommy Martino

    As a final, hopeful point, social psychological research has identified one strategy for overcoming intergroup conflict: forming close contacts with individuals from the “other” group. Having a friend, loved one or trusted and valued colleague who belongs to the out-group can help you recognize their humanity and overcome the biases you hold against that out-group as a whole.

    A relevant and recent example of this scenario came when two transgender state representatives convinced their fellow lawmakers to vote against two extreme anti-trans bills in Montana by making the issue personal.

    All of these decision-making biases influence everyone, not just the lawmakers currently in power. And they can be quite complex, with particular in-group and out-group memberships being hard to define – for instance, factions within religious groups who disagree on particular political issues.

    But understanding and overcoming the biases everyone falls prey to means that optimal decisions can be made for everyone’s well-being and economic vitality. After all, psychology research has repeatedly demonstrated that diversity is good for the bottom line while it simultaneously promotes an equitable and inclusive society. Even from a solely financial perspective, discrimination is bad for all Americans.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. The psychology behind anti-trans legislation: How cognitive biases shape thoughts and policy – https://theconversation.com/the-psychology-behind-anti-trans-legislation-how-cognitive-biases-shape-thoughts-and-policy-251691

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Waiting lists, crumbling buildings, staff burnout: five years on, COVID is still hurting the financial health of the NHS

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Catia Nicodemo, Professor of Health Economics, Brunel University of London

    The NHS was hit hard by COVID. And no amount of appreciative clapping or painted rainbows could distract from the vulnerabilities which were exposed by the pandemic – or the challenges it created.

    Some of those challenges – like the staggering backlog in patient care, or the huge mental and physical toll experienced by staff – will take years to overcome.

    And anyone compelled to attend a hospital in the UK at the moment can see the evidence at first hand. Wards are very busy and staff are overstretched.

    This is part of the legacy of a fast-spreading virus which killed 232,112 people in the UK and left an estimated 2 million suffering from the effects of long-COVID. It demanded urgent action from hospitals and health workers and brought immediate and widespread disruption to routine care, with appointments for elective surgery, cancer screenings and chronic disease management all delayed.

    One 2024 study I worked on analysed appointment cancellations for cancer patients during the pandemic, and found that they waited an average of 19 days longer than before for rescheduled appointments. (Mortality rates remained stable though, indicating that the NHS effectively prioritised the most urgent cases.)

    This kind of disruption has left the healthcare system facing a monumental backlog, with treatment waiting lists soaring to record levels. According to the British Medical Association, there are over 7.5 million people now on waiting lists (compared to 4.5 million before the pandemic) – and those waiting times are longer.

    Cutting this waiting list is apparently one of the prime ministers’s priorities. But there is no easy fix.

    The basic infrastructure of the NHS – the buildings, IT equipment, offices – is creaking, with outdated facilities, insufficient beds and a lack of specialised equipment. And one study suggests that capital funding – investment in assets that will be used for more than a year – for NHS trusts in England is down by 21% over the past five years.

    This is primarily because the Department of Health and Social Care has been diverting long-term investment funds to cover day-to-day operational costs such as staff salaries and medicines.

    Since 2019, £500 million of capital investment has been cancelled or postponed. And while overall NHS budgets have been growing, the increased spending has often been absorbed by inflation, rising demand and the need to address immediate pressures. This leaves little for infrastructure upgrades, new equipment or technological advancements.

    The Health Foundation has warned that the lack of a long-term capital funding strategy could further jeopardise patient care in the future. Many NHS facilities no longer meet the needs of a modern health service, with some hospitals requiring complete refurbishment or replacement rather than just repairs.

    And of course, treating patients is not just about equipment and buildings. Nurses and doctors are under extreme pressure, facing unprecedented levels of stress, burnout and trauma. A recent survey revealed that one in three NHS doctors are experiencing extreme tiredness, impairing their ability to treat patients effectively.

    NHS key workers wave from inside Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, May 2020.
    Guy William/Shutterstock

    A similar number said their ability to practice medicine may have been negatively affected by fatigue, with some even reporting cases of patient harm or a near-miss incident.

    Stressed NHS

    And although the NHS workforce has actually grown over the past five years, it has not been sufficient to reduce waiting lists, deal with growing demand, or improve staff morale. Anxiety, stress and depression accounted for for over 624,300 working days lost in one month last year.

    Without a healthy and motivated workforce, the NHS’s recovery efforts will remain severely hampered. Other contributing factors include increased demand for healthcare services, partly due to an ageing population and the growing prevalence of chronic conditions.

    To address these challenges, the NHS needs a modernised approach to patient care. Research suggests that technology including telemedicine (online consultations) and AI-driven diagnostics, could streamline services and reduce waiting times.

    Other possible steps include the expansion of community diagnostic centres, to ease access to tests, and screenings, to improve efficiency.

    Overall, the pandemic has underscored the critical importance of a robust and resilient healthcare system. As the NHS navigates its own path to recovery, it must prioritise both immediate solutions to the backlog crisis and long-term strategies. This will require significant investment, but also a commitment to innovation and the wellbeing of healthcare workers.

    The road ahead for the NHS will be tricky, but with the right measures in place, it could emerge stronger and more resilient than ever. The lessons learned from COVID should serve as a catalyst for transformative change, ensuring that the UK’s healthcare system is better prepared to face whatever the future may hold.

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

    – ref. Waiting lists, crumbling buildings, staff burnout: five years on, COVID is still hurting the financial health of the NHS – https://theconversation.com/waiting-lists-crumbling-buildings-staff-burnout-five-years-on-covid-is-still-hurting-the-financial-health-of-the-nhs-251637

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Let’s Talk Comparative Advantage

    Source: World Trade Organization – WTO (video statements)

    In the global economy, it pays to be different. Countries export what they are relatively good at and rely on others for the rest. This is the essence of comparative advantage. Ralph Ossa and Ankai Xu explain how the principle of comparative advantage helps us understand why countries benefit from international trade.

    Download this video from the WTO website:
    https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/webcas_e/webcas_e.htm

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVVuYE4UIbg

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Let’s Talk Comparative advantage #shorts

    Source: World Trade Organization – WTO (video statements)

    The global economy, like a watch, works well when each piece plays the role it does best! Ankai and Ralph explain how comparative advantage keeps the world ticking. “Watch” our latest #LetsTalkTrade now!

    Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/PVVuYE4UIbg

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1sOZLhOYNU

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Remarks by President Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte Before Bilateral Meeting

    Source: The White House

    class=”has-text-align-center”>Oval Office

    12:33 P.M. EDT

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Hello, everybody.  It’s great to be with a friend of mine, who was prime minister of the Netherlands, so I got to know him very well.  We had a great relationship always.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Absolutely.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Mark Rutte.  Now he’s secretary general of NATO and doing a fantastic job.  Everybody — every report I’ve gotten is what a great job he did.  And I’m not at all surprised when I hear it.  We had to support him, and we supported him as soon as I heard the name.  

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Thank you.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  But he was a fantastic prime minister, and he’s doing a fantastic job. An even tougher job.  Which is tougher: being the prime minister of Netherlands or?

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  This job is quite tough.  Yeah.  (Laughter.)

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I would think this is a little tougher.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  But — but Dutch politics is also brutal.  So — (laughter).

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah.  But this is pretty tough. 

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  But you’re doing good. 

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Thank you.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  We’re going to be discussing a lot of things.  Obviously, we’ll be discussing what’s happening with respect to Ukraine and Russia. 

    At this moment, we have people talking in Russia.  We have representatives over there — Steve Witkoff and others.  And they’re in very serious discussions.  As you know, Ukraine has agreed, subject to this — what’s happening today — to a complete ceasefire, and we hope Russia will do the same. 

    Thousands of people are being killed — young people, usually, mostly young people.  We were just talking about it.  Thousands of young people are being killed a week, and we want to see that stop.  And they’re not Americans, and they’re not from the Netherlands for the most part.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  No.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  They’re not from — they’re from Russia and they’re from Ukraine, but they’re people.  And I think everybody feels the same way.  We want it to stop.

    It’s also a tremendous cost to the United States and to other countries.  And it’s something that would have never happened if I were president, and it makes me very angry to see that it did happen.  But it happened, and we have to stop it.  

    And Mark has done some really good work over the last week.  We’ve been working together, and he’s done some really good work.  So, I’m very happy about that. 

    We’ll also be talking about trade and various other things, and I think we’ll have a very, very strong day.  We’re going to have lunch afterwards.  That’ll go.  And then we’ll see you all later. 

    But, Mark, would you like to say something?

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah.  First of all, thank you so much, Mr. President, dear Donald, again for hosting me and — but also for taking time in Florida a couple of weeks after you —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Right.  That’s right.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  — you were reelected. 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  That’s right.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  And, of course, our phone call a couple of weeks ago.  And I must say, Trump 45 — you basically — you originated the fact that in Europe we are now spending, when you take it to aggregate, $700 billion more on defense —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  — than when you came in office in 2016 — in 2017.

    But that was Trump 45.  But when look at Trump 47 —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Going to be hard to top.  (Laughter.)

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  — what happened the last couple of weeks is really staggering.  The Europeans committing to a package of $800 billion defense spending.  The Germans now —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  — potentially up to half a trillion extra in defense spending.  And then, of course, you have Keir Starmer here, the British prime minister, and others all committing to much higher defense spending.  

    They’re not there.  We need to do more.  But I really want to work together with you in a run-up to The Hague summit to make sure that we will have a NATO which is really reinvigorated under your leadership.  And we are getting there.  

    We also discussed defense production, because we need to produce more weaponry.  We are not doing enough — not in the U.S., not in Europe.  And we are lagging behind when you compare to the Russians and the Chinese.  And you have a huge defense industrial base, Europeans buying mo- — four times more here than the other — the other way around, which is good, because you have a strong defense industry. 

    But we need to do more there to make sure that we ramp up production and kill the red tape.  So, I would love to work with you on that. 

    And finally, Ukraine — you broke the deadlock.  As you said, all the killing, the young people dying, cities getting destroyed.  The fact that you did that, that you started the dialogue with the Russians and the successful talks in Saudi Arabia now with the Ukrainians — I really want to commend you for this.

    So, well, The Hague is my hometown.  I’d love to host you there in the summer and work together to make sure that —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  We’ll do that.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  — that will be a splash, a real success, projecting American power on the world stage. 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  What Mark is saying is: When I first went to NATO, my first meeting, I noticed that very few people were paying.  And if they were, they weren’t paying their fair share.  There were only seven countries that were paying what they were supposed to be paying, which was —

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  It’s even worse, there were three.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  That’s even worse.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  It could be even worse. 

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  But there were just very few countries that were paying.  And even the paying, it was at 2 percent, which is too low.  It should be higher.  It should be quite a bit higher.

    But you had Poland and I remember Poland was actually paying a little bit more than they were supposed to, which I was very impressed with.  And they’ve been actually terrific and some of the others.  But most of them weren’t paying or they were paying very little.  

    And I didn’t think it was appropriate to bring it up there, but I said, “It’s going to be brought up at my next meeting.”  And my next meeting — you know, the first meeting, you want to give them a little break.  The second meeting, it began.

    And I was able to raise —

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  You did.  (Laughs.)

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  — hundreds of billions of dollars.  I just said, “We’re not going to be involved with you if you’re not going to pay.”  And the money started pouring in.  And NATO became much stronger because of my actions and working along with a lot of people, including Mark.

    But they would not pay for other presidents.  I don’t think other presidents even knew that they weren’t paid.  I asked, first question, “Has everybody paid up?”  And literally, I mean, they showed — they told me seven.  You could be right.  It could be three.  But — that makes it even worse — but they just weren’t paying. 

    And I said, “No, I won’t protect if you’re not paying.  If you’re delinquent or if the money isn’t paid, why would we do that?”

    And as soon as I said that, got a little hit from the press, because they said, “Oh, gee, that’s not very nice.”  But if you said the other, nobody would have paid.  And the money started coming in by the billions.  

    And, you know, hundreds of billions of dollars flowed into NATO, and NATO became strong.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  And you remember that.  And your predecessor, who I thought was a very good man actually.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Absolutely.  Jens Stoltenberg.  He sends his best greetings.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah.  He was terrific.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Stoltenberg, secretary general.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Great man.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  And he made the statement that when Trump came in, the money started coming in like we never saw before.  Hundreds of billions — it was actually probably close to $600 billion came in.  And NATO became strong from that standpoint.

    And now, we have to use it wisely.  And we have to get this war over with.  And you’ll be back to a normal — much more normal life. 

    And maybe we’re close.  We’re getting words that things are going okay in Russia, and it doesn’t mean anything until we hear what the final outcome is. 

    But they have very serious discussions going on right now with President Putin and others.  And hopefully, they all want to end this nightmare.  It’s a nightmare.  It’s a horrible thing, when you look.  I get pictures every week.  They give me the pictures of the battlefield, which I almost don’t want to see.  It’s so horrible to see.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  It’s so terrible.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Young people laying — arms and legs and heads laying all over the field.  It’s the most terrible thing that you’ll ever see. 

    And it’s got to stop.  These are young people with mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers and friends, and it’s got to stop. 

    So, we hopefully are going to be in a good position sometime today to have a good idea.  We’ll have — we know where we are with Ukraine, and we are getting good signals outside of Russia as to where we are with Russia, and hopefully they’ll do the right thing.  

    It’s a really — humanity — we’re talking about humanity.  We’re not talking about the money.  But then you add the money to it, and, you know, hundreds of billions of dollars is being spent and, really, wasted so unnecessarily.  It should have never happened.  

    So, it’s an honor to have you here.  They picked a great gentleman.  I’ll tell you, that was — I was so happy to hear, because you had somebody — Stoltenberg was really good.  And you have somebody that’s going to do an incredible job.  And I was so much in favor of you, you have no idea. 

    They had another person that I did not like.  (Laughter.)  I was not happy.  And I think I kept him from — you know what I’m talking about.  I said, “This is the right man to do it.”  And he really did.  He was a great prime minister of the Netherlands.  He did a great job.  And that’s what he’s doing right now. 

    So, thank you, everybody, for being here.  And very great honor to have you.  And we even have some of our great energy people here today, right?  We have the governor, and we have Chris.  You know Chris.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah.  Absolutely.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  He’s supposed to be the most talented man in the world of energy, according to the governor.  (Laughter.)  So, I don’t know if he’s right.

    And we have — General, you’ve been fantastic.  Thank you very much. 

    And we have a lot of good people that won’t be so much involved with this, but they wanted to see what was happening.  It’s become a little bit of a show — (laughter) — but they wanted to see what was happening.  And I think a lot of good things are happening.  

    So, with that, if anybody would have a question.

    (Cross-talk.) 

    Q    Mr. President, o- — on Russia. 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Please, go ahead.

    Q    Vlad- —

         Q    Sorry.  Sorry, Mary.  Steve Witkoff’s trip to Moscow, you spoke about it.  What sort of agreement do you hope he comes away from there with?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, we’d like to see a ceasefire from Russia.  And we have, you know, not been working in the dark.  We’ve been discussing with Ukraine land and pieces of land that would be kept and lost and all of the other elements of a final agreement.  

    There’s a power plant involved — you know, a very big power plant involved.  Who’s going to get the power plant and who’s going to get this and that.  And so, you know, it’s not an easy process.

    But phase one is the ceasefire.  A lot of the individual subjects have been discussed, though.  You know, we’ve been discussing concepts of land, because you don’t want to waste time with the ceasefire if it’s not going to mean anything.  So, we’re saying, “Look, this is what you can get.  This is what you can’t get.” 

    They discussed NATO and being in NATO, and everybody knows what the answer to that is.  They’ve known that answer for 40 years, in all fairness. 

    So, a lot of the details of a final agreement have actually been discussed.  Now we’re going to see whether or not Russia is there, and if they’re not, it’ll be a very disappointing moment for the world. 

    Yeah. 

    Q    And Vladimir Putin just said he is open to a ceasefire, but he does still have some concerns.  He suggested that you two should speak directly.  Do you have plans to speak to him soon?  If so, when?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, I would.  Yeah, sure.

    Q    And are you confident you can get this across the finish line?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Sure.  He did say that today.  It was a very promising statement, because other people are saying different things, and you don’t know if they have anything to really — if they have any meaning, or I don’t know.  I think some of them were making statements.  I don’t think they have anything to do with it.

    No, he put out a very promising statement, but it wasn’t complete.  And, yeah, I’d love to meet with him or talk to him, but we have to get it over with fast.  You know, every day people are being killed.  It’s not like — as we sit here, two people will be killed.  Think of it.  Two people are going to be killed during this little period of time. 

         Thousands of people a week are dying, so we really don’t have very much time.  We have to make this fast.  It shouldn’t be very complicated.

    (Cross-talk.) 

    Yes.

    Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  A representative of Canada, the finance minister, are in town and will meet members of your administration during the day. 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Sure.  Yeah.

    Q    Any chances that you will ban on the tariffs on aluminum and — and the — the ones that are planned for April 2nd?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  No.

    Q    You are not going to change your mind? 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  No, I’m not.  Look, we’ve been ripped off for years, and we’re not going to be ripped off anymore.  No, I’m not going to bend at all on aluminum or steel or cars.  We’re not going to bend.  We’ve been ripped off as a country for many, many years.  We’ve been subjected to costs that we shouldn’t be subjected to. 

    In the case of Canada, we’re spending $200 billion a year to subsidize Canada.  I love Canada.  I love the people of Canada. I have many friends in Canada.  “The Great One,” Wayne Gretzky, the great.  Hey, how good is Wayne Gretzky?  He’s the Great One.  

    But we have — I know many people from Canada that are good friends of mine.  But, you know, the United States can’t subsidize a country for $200 billion a year.  We don’t need their cars.  We don’t need their energy.  We don’t need their lumber.  We don’t need anything that they give. 

    We do it because we want to be helpful, but it comes a point when you just can’t do that.  You have to run your own country.  And to be honest with you, Canada only works as a state.  We don’t need anything they have.  As a state, it would be one of the great states anywhere.  

    This would be the most incredible country visually.  If you look at a map, they drew an artificial line right through it — between Canada and the U.S.  Just a straight artificial line.  Somebody did it a long time ago — many, many decades ago — and makes no sense.  

    It’s so perfect as a great and cherished state, keeping “O Canada,” the national anthem.  I love it.  I think it’s great.  Keep it, but it’ll be for the state.  One of our greatest states.  Maybe our greatest state.  

    But why should we subsidize another country for $200 billion?  It costs us $200 billion a year.  And again, we don’t need their lumber.  We don’t need their energy.  We have more than they do.  We don’t need anything.  We don’t need their cars.  I’d much rather make the cars here.  

    And there’s not a thing that we need.  Now, there’ll be a little disruption, but it won’t be very long.  But they need us.  We really don’t need them.  And we have to do this.  I’m sorry, we have to do this.  

    Yes. 

    Q    Mr. President — 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah. 

    Q    — you have made it very clear that NATO needs to step up, although great progress —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah.

    Q    — has been made in your first mandate.  How do you envision this new transatlantic —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Are you talking about NATO stepping up?

    Q    Yes.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, NATO is stepping up through this man. This man is a man that only knows how to step up.  And we have the same goal in mind: We want the war ended.  And he’s doing his job.  He only knows how to do a good job.  That’s one thing.  That’s why I fought for him to get that job —

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Thank you so much.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  — because they had some other candidates that I’ll tell you would not have done a very good job.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  I need this part of the — of the movie for my family.  (Laughter.)

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  That’s right.  That’s right.  We’ll get you a clip. 

         SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah.  Exactly.  (Laughs.)

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  We’re going to get him a clip of that — of that little last essay.  But the rest of the statements he doesn’t care about.

    Q    Sir, how does this new transatlantic cooperation — how do you envision it?  What is it going to look like?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, we have — that’s one thing.  I mean, you know, we’re the other side of the ocean, and they’re right there.  And yet, we’re in for $350 billion because of Biden, and they’re in for $100 billion.  So, it’s a big difference, and it’s unfair.  

    And I said, “You have to equalize.”  They should equalize.  They should have — it should have never happened, where Biden just gave his money away. 

    Now, as you know, we have an agreement with Ukraine on the rare earths and other things, and that’ll get us

    something back — a lot back.  It’ll get us our money back.  We’re not doing it for that, though.  We’re doing — I’m just doing this to get the war stopped.  I’m doing it, really, to save lives.

    But, at the same time, we were treated very unfairly, as we always are by every country.  And we’re in for very substantially more than the European nations are in for, and that shouldn’t be.

    You know, they’re much more affected by it than we are, because we do have an ocean in between. 

    But I don’t know.  I think good things are going to happen.  I really do.  I think good things are going to happen. 

    I do say — we were talking before, and Mark was very nice.  He said, “If you wouldn’t get involved, there would be” — you’d just be going on.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  This thing would have gone on for a long time.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Breaking a deadlock.  It was crucial.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah, we broke a deadlock. 

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah. 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  We did break a deadlock.  I hope it’s meaningful. 

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah. 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yes, did you have one?

    Q    Mr. President — 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah, please.

    Q    Yes, sir.  Thank you, Mr. President.  Amanda Head with Just the News.  On the southern border, you’ve got DHS and ICE, who are reporting that there was a little bit of fudging of numbers during the Biden administration —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah.

    Q    — on both the catch and the release side with respect to reporting the number of illegals coming into the country who were released.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  They cheated on the numbers.  They were — the numbers were — I love that question.

    Q    Right.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Who are you with?

    Q    Just the News.  Amanda Head.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Very nice.  That’s good.  That’s good.

    Q    Do you know how many of those are criminal illegal aliens? 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Many of them.

    Q    And Biden is out of office —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:   Yeah.

    Q    — Alejandro Mayorkas.  Who gets held accountable?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  No, Biden fudged the numbers.  The numbers were totally fake, and he gave fake numbers.  I knew they were fake.  Everybody knew they were fake, but now it came out.  And terrible what — what they did.  That administration was a horror show for this country.

    Q    Can you hold anyone accountable?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, I don’t know.  They gave phony numbers, and phony numbers are a very bad thing to give.  But I’m not sure about that.  I don’t know how it would play.  We want to get it straightened out.  

    We have — we’re after many, many bad people that were let into our country.  And Kristi Noem and my friend Homan — how good is Tom Homan doing, right?  And they’re after them.  And they — I mean, you see: They’re taking them out in record numbers.  Gang members, gang leaders, drug dealers. 

    This is a problem the Netherlands does not have.  The Netherlands never had this problem.  If you’d like to take —

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  We have a few drug- — drug dealers, I’m afraid.  (Laughter.)

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I could deliver some people.  I could deliver some nice people to the Netherlands if you’d like.  (Laughter.)

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  I’m not sure.  (Laughs.)

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  No, what he did to this country, letting 21 million people flow through an open border — many of those people were hard criminals from prisons and jails, from mental institutions, and I always say “insane asylums,” because they were seriously deranged.  And they’re here from not South America, from all over the world.  From South America, but from all over the world.  And it’s so sad. 

    You’d say, “Why would anybody do this?  Why?”

    Yeah, go ahead.

    Q    And — and one more.  There’s some new internal Democrat polling that doesn’t look great for Democrats, but it also has 54 percent unfavorability for Republicans in swing states and battlegrounds for the midterms.  Do you consider those voters cap- — capturable for — for Republicans?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah, well, we did — you know, I won every swing state, as you know, by a lot, and I won the popular vote by a lot, and we won the counties.  If you look at the counties and district plan, we had 2,725, and they had 501.  That’s a real — that’s why the map is all red.  So, we had a great thing.

    Yeah, I think winning from the Democrats — I saw — if you looked the other night, I made a speech, and I introduced two young ladies who were killed.  Two killed.  Viciously, violently killed.  Young.  Unbelievable.  Both outstanding people.  They were killed by illegal aliens.  And the Democrats wouldn’t get up and applaud.  The mothers were, I mean, inconsolable.  They were crying, and everybody was crying.  The Democrats sat there with stone faces.  They didn’t clap, they didn’t stand, they didn’t do anything.  

    We had a young man with very serious cancer, wanted to — his dream is to be with the police department someday, and he was introduced. 

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  That was very touching.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  They didn’t even clap.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah, I saw it.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I mean, they were disgusting.  Frankly, they were disgusting.  There’s something wrong with them.  They’re deranged.  They’re deranged.  Like Jack Smith, they’re deranged people. 

    And I never saw anything like it.  I’m standing up, and I introduce the mother and the parents of these two young girls that were just recently, essentially, killed.  Violently killed.  And the Democrats are like this.  It’s so sad.  

    And I saw this morning where — one of them is pretty well-known — one is arguing, fighting like crazy over men being able to play in women’s sports.  I said, “Yeah, I thought that was tried.”  I thought that was about a 95 — I think it’s a 95 percent issue.  

    But, in a way, I want them to keep doing it, because I don’t think they can win a race.  I mean — and I tell the Republicans, I said, “Don’t bring that subject up, because there’s no election right now.  But about a week before the election, bring it up, because you can’t lose.”  

    And everything is “transgender this, transgender that.”  You know, they have bad politics. 

    But one thing: They stick together.  You know?

    I wish — and the Republicans stick together, mostly, but we have a couple that are grandstanders.  You know, you always have grandstanders in life.

    But the Democrats, they don’t seem — they have grandstanders, but when it comes to a vote, they do stick together, right?

    VICE PRESIDENT VANCE:  They get in line.  Yes, sir.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  So.

    Q    It seems like they’ll stick together on the shutdown.  Will that hurt Democrats going into midterms?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, if they do a shutdown and, ultimately, that might lead to very, very high taxes, because we’re talking about a shutdown.  We’re talking about getting to work immediately on the greatest tax bill ever passed.  That was the one we did.  It’s a renewal, and it’s an addition to it.  And we’re going to cut people’s taxes. 

    And if we don’t open, the Democrats are stopping all of these good things that we’re providing.  We’re providing the greatest package of benefits that this country has ever provided. 

    The biggest part of that’s going to be tax cuts for the middle class and for businesses, small businesses, employers — people that hire people and jobs. 

    And if it’s shut down, it’s only going to be — if there’s a shutdown, it’s only because of the Democrats, and they would really be taking away a lot from our country and from the people of our country.

    Q    Mr. President, on — on tariffs.  You made clear you’re not backing down from this, but many American small-business owners say they are concerned that these tariffs are going to hurt them.  What’s your message to them?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  They’re going to be so much richer than they are right now.

    And we have many — yesterday, General Motors was in.  They want to invest $60 billion.  The people from Facebook were in yesterday.  They’re going to invest $60 billion by the end of the year.  Other people are talking about numbers.  

    Apple, as you know, a few days ago, announced $500 billion investment.  They’re going to build their plants in the United States, which, as you know, almost all of their plants are in China.  Now they’re building in the United States.

    Look, the reason is two things.  Number one, the election. November 5th.  And the other thing is tariffs.  I think, probably, in that order. 

    But Tim Cook came in and he announced 500 — think of it, $500 billion, not million.  Five hundred million is a lot, when you think about it, right?  But —

    VICE PRESIDENT VANCE:  Yes, sir.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I would have been happy with $500 million.  But it’s $500 billion investment by Apple in the United States, and that’s because of the election result and it’s because of the tariffs and the tax incentives too.  You know, tariffs and tax incentives.  And I’ve never seen anything like it. 

    We have plants going up now in Indiana.  We have plants going up in Michigan.  A lot of plants going to be planned from — I’m trying to steer them to Michigan, because Michigan got so badly beaten by, you know, what happened with Europe.

    You know, if you look at Europe. Take a look at the EU.  We’re not allowed to sell cars there.  It’s prohibitive because of their policies, and also their nonmonetary tariffs.  They put obstacles in your way that you can do nothing about.  

    But if you take a look at what happens — so, we sell no cars to Europe — I mean, virtually no cars — and they sell millions of cars to us.  They don’t take our agriculture.  We take their agriculture. It’s like a one-way street with them.

    The European Union is very, very nasty. 

    They sue our companies.  Apple was forced to pay $16 billion on a case that — very much like my cases that I won.  They shouldn’t have been even cases.  But we felt they had no case, and they ended up having an extremely favorable judge and decision.  

    But they’re suing Google, they’re suing Facebook, they’re suing all of these companies, and they’re taking billions of dollars out of American companies, many more than the ones I just mentioned.  And I guess they’re using it to run Europe or something.  I don’t know what they’re using it for. 

    But they treat us very badly.  China obviously treats this very badly.  Almost everybody does.  And I blame past presidents, to be honest. 

    Because when I was president, I — we received, so far, about $700 billion from China, over the years, on the tariffs that I put in.  No other president got 10 cents from China.  And that was only beginning.  Except for COVID, it would have — I would have been able to finish the process.  But we had to fight the COVID thing, and we did really well with it.  But we had to fight.

    And then we had actually — as you remember, Mark, we actually handed over the stock market.  It was higher than just previous to COVID coming in, which was sort of a miracle, frankly.  We did a good job.

    But the tariffs are very important.  And I think the psychology — there’s great spirit.  When Mark came in, he said, “Congratulations.  There’s a whole new spirit.  There’s a whole new light over this country, and really over the world” —

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  — because you have somebody that — a whole group of people, really, because I talk about this whole group, that we know what we’re doing.  And a lot of great things are happening.

    But I’ve never seen investment like this.  Trillions of dollars is being invested in the United States now that would have never — our country could have failed.  Another four years of this, what happened in the last four years, our country would have been a crime-ridden mess.  

    And I don’t know if you noticed — a little thing, they call it, but it’s not a little thing if you don’t have — if you like eggs and you don’t have a lot of money — eggs have gone down 25 percent in the last couple of weeks.  We inherited that problem: eggs.  

    Groceries have gone down a little bit.  Energy has gone down. 

    Do you want to speak to that for a second, Governor?  Would you just say a couple of words, you and Chris, about energy, what’s happened?

    SECRETARY BURGUM:  Well, happy to, but I think that — Chris and I just came from CERAWeek, which is the largest conference in the world.  So, global leaders, people from the EU, officials from all the energy-producing countries all there.  And all the global nationals, all the U.S.  The — the spirit of that group is through the roof, because now they realize that in the United States, that President Trump’s policies are pro — pro developing more energy, as opposed to we’re trying to shut down energy.  

    And that pro-growth, pro-business, pro- — pro-energy approach is giving people the optimism.  So, then the markets are reacting to that, and energy prices on the futures market are going to go down because people know we’re — we’re not going to be killing off the energy we need for prosperity in all of our countries, but also for peace, because people have used energy to fuel these wars that President Trump is working so hard to end.  And — and we — we know that energy — high energy prices were driving the inflation that he talked about. 

    So, it accomplishes two goals for us — which is prosperity for the world, peace for the world — when we have smart energy policies.  And — and President Trump has brought common sense back to how we think about energy.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  And it’s brought down now $65 a barrel,  I saw this morning.  That’s phenomenal news, and that’s going to bring — that’s what brought it up.  The energy went — they took our beautiful energy policies and they just messed them up.  And then they went immediately back to them, because — but by that time, they lost it.  They lost that bronco, as the expression goes.

    Chris, do you have something to say?

    SECRETARY WRIGHT:  I think Doug said it well, but you just can’t overstate how important the return of common sense, the return of knowledge about energy and pro-American consumers, pro investment in our country.  I think, globally, that was welcomed.  It means capital flows.  It means more sobriety and lower energy prices, more economic opportunity for Americans. 

    So, yeah, it was elated atmosphere at a global energy conference. 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, we’re working on one project, and it should be very easy.  It’s a pipeline going through a small section of New York.  New York has held it up for years, actually.  For years they’ve wanted to do it. For years and years.  And it will reduce — 

    The most expensive energy, almost, in the world is in New England, because they have no way of getting it there because it’s been held up by New York.  And the whole of New England and Connecticut and New York — the energy prices are through the roof.  And this one pipeline will save per family, $2,500 just on heating and another $2,500 on everything else.  So, the energy — by just a simple pipeline going through an area that wants it — an area that’s not a rich area; it’s actually a very poor area — would create jobs and everything else.

    And it’s going to be way underground.  Nobody’s going to see it.  Once they fill it up, nobody’s going to see it.  Nobody’s going to know it’s there. 

    And families in New York and Connecticut and New England are going to save $5,000 a family.  Think of that.  Because, right now, they have the highest energy prices maybe in the world, they say.  New England is a disaster.  

    So, we’re working on that.  In fact, the governor is coming in — governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, who’s a very nice woman.  She’s coming in tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock to meet me on that and other things — not only that, but other things.

    So, I hope we don’t have to use the extraordinary powers of the federal government to get it done, but if we have to, we will.  But I don’t think we’ll have to. 

    I can tell you, Connecticut wants it and all of New England wants it.  And who wouldn’t want it?  And it’s also jobs on top of everything else.  So, that’s going to be very exciting.  So, we’re meeting with the governor tomorrow morning. 

    (Cross-talk.)

    Yeah. 

    Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  Greenland.  What is your vision for the potential annexation of Greenland and getting them, potentially, to —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah.

    Q    — to statehood?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, I think it’ll happen.  And I’m just thinking — I didn’t give it much thought before, but I’m sitting with a man that could be very instrumental.  You know, Mark, we need that for international security — not just security, international.  We have a lot of our favorite players, you know, cruising around the coast, and we have to be careful.  And we’ll be talking to you.

    And it’s a very appropriate — really, a very appropriate question. 

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  It’s an —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Thank you very much.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  — an issue in the high north, so the Arctic.  So, what you did —

    So, when it comes to Greenland, yes or no, joining the U.S., I would leave that outside, for me, this discussion, because I don’t want to drag NATO in that. 

    But when it comes to the high north in the Arctic, you are totally right.  The Chinese and — are using these routes.  We know that the Russians already arming.  We know we have a lack of icebreakers.  So, the fact that the seven — outside of Russia, there are seven Arctic countries — working together on this, under U.S. leadership — it’s very important to make sure that that region, that that a part of the world stays safe.  And — and we know things are changing there, and we have to be there.

    Q    Well, they just had an election there the other day.  I mean, do you see a referendum, a plebiscite where the people of Greenland would be in a position to decide if they want to become part of the United States? 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah, it was a good election for us, as you know.  It was not a referendum.  It wouldn’t be called that.  It was an individual election.  But the person that did the best is a very good person, as far as we’re concerned.  And so, we’ll be talking about it.  And it’s very important. 

    Mark mentioned the word “icebreaker.”  So, we’re in the process of ordering 48 icebreakers, and Canada wants to know if they could use them.  I said, “Well, you know, you got to pay for them.”  Think of it.  Canada.  We pay for their military.  You know, Canada pays very little for their military, because they think we’re going to protect them, but — even with the icebreakers. 

    So, we’re going to order 48, and Canada wants to be part of the deal.  I say, “You got to get your own icebreakers.  I mean, if you’re a state, you can be part of the deal, but if you’re a separate country, you’ve got to get your own icebreakers.”  

    Russia, as you know, has about 40 of them, and we have 1 big icebreaker.  But that whole area is becoming very important and for a lot of reasons.  The routes are, you know, very direct to Asia, to Russia, and you have ships all over the place.  And we have to have protection.  So, we’re going to have to make a deal on that.

    And Denmark is not able to do that.  You know, Denmark is very far away and really has nothing to do. 

    What happens?  A boat landed there 200 years ago or something, and they say they have rights to it.  I don’t know if that’s true.  I’m not — I don’t think it is, actually.

    But we’ve been dealing with Denmark.  We’ve been dealing with Greenland.  And we have to do it.  We really need it for national security.  I think that’s why NATO might have to get involved in a way, because we really need Greenland for national security.  It’s very important.  

    You know, we have a couple of bases on Greenland already, and we have quite a few soldiers that — maybe you’ll see more and more soldiers go there.  I don’t know.

    What do you think about that, Pete? Don’t answer that, Pete.  (Laughter.)  Don’t answer that question.  

    But we have bases, and we have quite a few soldiers on Greenland already. 

    Q    Mr. President, some people question your commitment to NATO.  Will everything — anything change?

    Your com- — your commitment to NATO, will anything change?  Same amount of money?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, I think they made —

    Q    Same number of troops?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  — a great step by putting Mark in charge.  I think, to me, that’s a great step, because he and I have seen eye to eye on everything for a long time.  We’ve been doing this a long time now.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Nine years now.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  And so, that’s a great step. 

    You have to keep NATO strong.  You have to keep it relevant. 

    But the biggest thing we have to worry about right now is what’s going on right now.  I think the rest is going to take care of itself. 

    I don’t see this having — this was a fluke.  This was something that if we had a competent president, it would not have happened.  The man was grossly incompetent.  All you have to do is look in — take a look at — he signs by autopen.

    Who was signing all this stuff by autopen?  Who would think you signed important documents by autopen?  You know, these are major documents you’re signing.  You’re proud to sign them.  You have your signature on something — in 300 years, they say, “Oh, look.”  Can you imagine?  Everything was signed by autopen — almost everything.  Nobody has ever heard of such a thing. 

    Q    Do you —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  So —

    Q    Sorry. 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Should have never happened. 

    Q    You’re speaking tomorrow at the Justice Department about law and order.  Could you tell us a little bit about that? 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah, we’re going to be with the Justice Department.  We have a great Justice Department.  Pam Bondi is so fantastic.  And Todd Blanche and Emil — you got to know him a little bit; he was acting for a little while — and some other people are incredible in the Justice Department. 

    And I consider the FBI to be a part of it, in a sense, and Kash is going to be fantastic, and all the people he’s — Dan Bongino, I love that.  I mean, I love that.  I think Dan is great. 

    I think we have unbelievable people.  And all I’m going to do is set out my vision.  It’s going to be their vision, really, but it’s my ideas.  And basically, we don’t want to have crime in the streets.  We don’t want to have people pushed into subways and killed, and then the — the person that did the pushing ends up in a 15-year trial and gets off scot-free.  We want to have justice, and we want to have safety in our cities, as well as our communities. 

    And we’ll be talking about immigration.  We’ll be talking about a lot of things.  Just the complete gamut.  So, I look forward to that.  That will be tomorrow at the Justice Department. 

    Q    Mr. President, you are a man of peace.  You’ve said it several times and made it very clear.  A man of peace dealing with belligerent people. 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah.

    Q    And I’m thinking we saw you handled Zelenskyy in this very own room.  What is your leverage on Putin?  Are you thinking sanctions?  What if he refuses to —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, I do have leverage, but I don’t want to talk about leverage now, because right now we’re talking to him.  And based on the statements he made today, they were pretty positive, I think, so I don’t want to talk about that.  

    I hope Russia is going to make the deal too.  And I think once that deal happens, you’re never going to be in a process.  I don’t think they’re going back to shooting again.  I really believe if we get a peace treaty, a ceasefire treaty, I think that leads to peace.  That’s going to really lead to a —

    I don’t think anyone wants to go back.  They’ve been doing this for a long time, and it’s vicious and violent.  And I think if President Putin agrees and does a ceasefire, I think we’re going to be in very good shape to get it done.  We want to get it over with.  That’s why — it was very important what I instructed everybody, including Steve, what we’re looking for: to discuss concepts of land, concepts of —

    MR. WALTZ:  Yes, sir.   

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  — of power plants because it’s complicated.  You know, you have a whole — you’re sort of creating the edge of a country. 

    The sad part is that country, if they didn’t — if this didn’t happen — and it wouldn’t have happened — I don’t know if they would have to give anything back.  I guess Crimea? 

    You know, I said it last time, Crimea was given by Obama, Biden gave them the whole thing, and Bush gave them Georgia.  And Trump didn’t give them anything. 

    I gave them — you know what I gave them?  I gave them Javelins.  And the Javelins were very effective, as you know.  I gave them nothing —

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  2019. 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  And then also, if you take a look, I was the one that stopped the pipeline going into Europe.  It was totally stopped: Nord Stream 2.  Nobody ever heard of Nord Stream 2 before I came along.

    But I got along very well with President Putin.  I got along with most of them.  I get along great with President Xi.  I got along great with Kim Jong Un.  I got along great with all of them.  And we had no wars.  We had no problems.  We wiped out ISIS in record time. General “Razin” Kane.  And he wiped them out. 

    And he is going to be our new chief, right?  He’s going to be —

    SECRETARY HEGSETH:  Yes, sir.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  — the head of Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he’s a highly respected man.  He’s going to be great. 

    Pete is going to be fantastic.  I have no doubt about it.  We have a great team.  A really great team. 

    Yeah, please.  Go ahead, please.

    Q    Mr. President, some of our allies have said that they’re worried that they could be the next to be attacked by Russia.  You’ve spoken directly with the Russian president.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah.

    Q    Do you think those fears are justified?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  No, I don’t.  I think when this gets done, it’s done.  They’re going to all want to go home and rest.  I don’t see it happening.  Nope, I don’t see that happening.  And we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen.  Not going to happen.  But we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen. 

    Yeah, go ahead, please. 

    Q    Leaders from Russia and Iran are heading to Beijing tomorrow to discuss nuclear programs.  What do you hope to get out of that?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Well, maybe they’re going to talk about non-nuclear programs.  Maybe they’re going to be talking about the de-escalation of nuclear weapons, because, you know, I was talking about that with President Putin very strongly.  And we could have done something.  Had that election not been rigged, we would have had something.  I think I would have made a deal with Putin on de-escalation, denuclearization, as they say.  But we would have de-escalated nuclear weapons, because the power of nuclear weapons is so great and so devastating. 

    And, right now, Russia and us have by far the most, but China will catch us within five years.  China doesn’t have — but they’re in the process of building.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: And they build.  And within four or five years, they’ll probably have the same.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  And, by the way, you — this is a Republican tradition.  Ronald Reagan, when he negotiated with Gorbachev —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Right. 

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  — in the 1980s —

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  That’s right.

    SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  — about bringing down the number of nuclear weapons is what you have been doing your first term.  And it is important. 

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  It would be a great achievement if we could bring down the number.  We have so many weapons, and the power is so great. 

    And we — number one, you don’t need them to that extent.  And then we’d have to get others, because, as you know, in a smaller way — Kim Jong Un has a lot of nuclear weapons, by the way — a lot — and others do also.  You have India.  You have Pakistan.  You have others that have them, and we’d get them involved. 

    But we started off with Russia and us.  We have, by far — actually, by far, the most.  And we were going to denuclearize, and that was going to happen. 

    And then we were going to China.  And I spoke to China.  I spoke to President Xi about it.  And he really liked the idea.  You know, he’d like not to spend trillions of dollars building weapons that, hopefully, he’s never going to have to use.  And — because they are very expensive also.  So, that would have been great. 

    Okay, one or two more. 

    (Cross-talk.)

    Yeah, go ahead.  

    Q    Thank you.  We are looking at an impending government shutdown Friday at midnight.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah. 

    Q    Democrats, for 30 years straight, have said, if there’s a shutdown, bad things happen.  Do you anticipate direct negotiations yourself with conference leader of the Democrats, Chuck Schumer?

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah, if they need me, I’m there a hundred percent.  It’s — right now, it’s two or three people.  If it shuts down, it’s not the Republicans’ fault.  You know, we passed a bill where we had an incredible Republican vote.  We only had one negative vote, a grandstander.  You know, one grandstander.  There’s always a grandstander in the lot. 

         But it was amazing.  People were amazed that the Republicans were able to vote in unison like that so strongly. 

         If there’s a shutdown, even the Democrats admit it will be their fault.  And I’m hearing a lot of Democrats are going to vote for it, and I hope they do.  This is an extension. 

         But ultimately, we want to vote for one big, beautiful bill where we put the taxes in, we put everything in.  We’re going to have big tax cuts.  We’re going to have tremendous incentives for companies coming into our country and employing lots of people.  

         It’ll be — I called it, in a rare moment, one big, beautiful bill.  That’s what I like.  And it seems to be that’s where they’re heading.  And we’ll have to take care of something to do with Los Angeles. 

         A place called Los Angeles almost burned to the ground.  By the way, I broke into Los Angeles.  Can you believe it?  I had to break in. 

         SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah?

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I invaded Los Angeles.  And we opened up the water, and the water is now flowing down.  They have so much water, they don’t know what to do.  They were sending it out to the Pacific for environmental reasons.  Okay?  Can you believe it?  And in the meantime, they lost 25,000 houses.  They lost — and nobody’s ever seen anything like it. 

         But we have the water.  I’d love to show you a picture.  You’ve seen the picture.  The water is flowing through the half pipes.  You know, we have the big half pipes that go down.  Used to — 25 years ago, they used to have plenty of water, but they turned it off for — again, for environmental reasons.  Well, I turned it on for environmental reasons and also fire reasons. 

         And I’ve been asking them to do that during my first term.  I said, “Do it.”  I didn’t think anything like — could happen like this, but they didn’t have enough water. 

         Now the farmers are going to have water for their land, and the water is in there. 

         But I actually had to break in.  We broke in to do it because we had people that were afraid to give water.

         SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah.

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  They were — in particular, they were trying to protect a certain little fish.  And I say, “How do you protect a fish if you don’t have water?”  They didn’t have any water, so they’re protecting a fish, and that didn’t work out too well, by the way.  

         So, they have a lot of water going down throughout California, all coming out from the Pacific Northwest, even some from Canada. 

         Thank you, Canada, very much.  I appreciate it. 

         Next thing you know, they’ll want to turn the water off.  They’ll want to charge us for the water.

         But it comes up from the Pacific Northwest, and it’s a beautiful thing to see.  I mean, it is brimming with water. 

         Now, if they would have had that done, you wouldn’t have had the damage, because the fire would have been put out.  The fire hydrants would have been loaded.  The sprinklers in people’s living rooms and bedrooms would have been loaded up with the — they had no water.  The government makes them put sprinklers in.  They had no water in the sprinklers because they had no water. 

         So, the water is flowing, and we’re going to have to give a lot of money to Los Angeles to help them, and the Democrats are going to want to do that.  So, that’s the one thing different. 

         And I frankly, I think that makes it a lot easier.  But one of the big thing is we have the big, beautiful bill.  We got to get that done.  And that will put our country in a position like it’s never been in. 

         It’s a reduction of taxes.  It’s tremendous incentives for companies to come from all over the world into our country.  It’s great environmentally, but it’s not this environmental scam that we went through — that we all went through.  It provides for everything.  

         It’s a big, beautiful bill, and I hope we can get it approved.  And that will be next. 

         But in the meantime, we have the continuing resolution, and the Republicans have approved it, and now the Democrats have to approve it.  And I hope they will. 

         And I think a lot of them — I can tell you, they want to.  I’ve spoken to some of them.  They really want to.  Their leadership may not want them to.  And if it closes, it’s purely on the Democrats. 

         All right, one more.

         Q    On Korea, sir.  We’ve seen tension increasing in the Peninsula.  You’ve talked about Kim Jong Un.  Do you have any plans of getting — of reestablishing the relationship you had during the first meeting?

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah.  Well, I would.  I had a great relationship with Kim Jong Un, North Korea.  If I wasn’t elected, if Hillary got in, you would have had a nuclear war with North Korea.  He expected it.  He expected it.  And they said, “Oh, thousands of people.”  No, millions of people would have been killed.  

         But I got in.  We went to Singapore.  We met.  We went to — to Vietnam.  We met.  We got along really good.  We had a very good relationship.  And we still do.  We still do.  You don’t have that threat that you had.

         Q    You have talked with — have you talked to him?  

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I mean, look, when I was running the first time, it looked like there was going to be a war with North Korea.  You know that better than anyone.

         SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Tensions were high.  Yes.  Yeah.

         PRESIDENT TRUMP.  Yeah.  And it started off —

         SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  And everybody was — was startled that you —

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah.

         SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  — invited him for talks. 

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Right.

         SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  But you did, and it —

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  It started out very rough.  

         SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah.  Yeah.

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  And he wouldn’t meet with Obama.  Wouldn’t take his calls.  I said, “How many times did you call?” They called a lot.  He wouldn’t take their call.  He told me, “I wouldn’t take his call.” 

         But with me, it did start off rough, if you remember.  Very rough, actually.  Very nasty.  And — 

         SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  That was in Singapore, the first one?

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah, but then — no, before that.  Then it stopped.  The rhetoric was extremely tough.  It was a little bit —

         SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  You had it in your speech at the U.N. I remember.  (Laughs.)

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  Yeah, that’s right.  It was a little bit dangerous.  

         And then we met.  They asked for a meeting, and then we met.  And the meeting caused the Olympics, which was in South Korea, to become a tremendous success.  Nobody was buying tickets for the Olympics because they didn’t want to be nuked.  

         And I met, and not only did the Olympics become successful, but North Korea participated in the Olympics.

         SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah.  His sister visited.

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  It was an amazing thing.

         SECRETARY GENERAL RUTTE:  Yeah.

         PRESIDENT TRUMP:  And that was something that was an achievement of the Trump administration. Great achievement.  And so, I have a great relationship with Kim Jong Un.  And we’ll see what happens. 

         But certainly, he’s a nuclear power.

         Okay?  Thank you very much, everybody.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.

                                      END            1:20 P.M. EDT

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WTAS: Ernst’s INNOVATE Act to Usher in Golden Age of American Innovation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    WASHINGTON – As part of her mission to unleash small businesses and usher in a Golden Age of American innovation, U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) recently unveiled her Investing in National Next-Generation Opportunities for Venture Acceleration and Technological Excellence (INNOVATE) Act to reauthorize and reform the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs that fuel innovation and supply cutting-edge technology to the defense industrial base.
    During a hearing last week, Ernst highlighted how the bill will slash red tape to make way for new applicants, scale the best battle-ready technologies for the warfighter, end corporate welfare for SBIR mills, and strengthen protections against China’s attempts to steal taxpayer-funded intellectual property. Since its introduction, the INNOVATE Act has garnered widespread praise.
    What They Are Saying about the INNOVATE Act:
    Technology Association of Iowa
    “Iowa’s tech-driven small businesses play an essential role in advancing innovation, creating high-quality jobs, and driving economic growth across the state,” said Brian Waller, President. “However, many of these companies face significant barriers when seeking federal funding for research and development. Current SBIR-STTR application processes are complex and time-consuming, limiting participation from new and emerging startups that lack the resources to navigate the challenging process. The INNOVATE Act directly addresses these challenges by introducing a streamlined Phase 1A application process, making it easier for first-time applicants to access funding and contribute to the nation’s technological advancement.”
    Iowa Economic Development Authority
    “I appreciate that the INNOVATE Act makes fundamental changes to encourage more participation, including appropriate standards for the size of participating companies and Phase II awards for entrepreneurs transitioning into the workforce from academia,” said Debi Durham, Director. “Also, the proposal to create Phase 1A awards with a shorter, streamlined application will attract thousands of new small business owners and entrepreneurs, both urban and rural, who may have been discouraged previously by bureaucratic red tape.”
    America First Policy Institute
    “The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has a history of abusing government programs that provide startup capital and investment to American small businesses,” said Adam Savit, China Policy Initiative Director. “The Innovate Act reforms this process and would safeguard taxpayer-funded programs at the Small Business Administration (SBA) from exploitation by requiring vetting of international affiliations of business applicants and board members for ties to foreign regimes like the CCP. It adds a uniform evaluation baseline for all agencies participating in these programs. Also, it strengthens the ability to claw back investment money if the agency later discovers adversarial or malign influence. These commonsense reforms meet the rising threat of foreign state actors who only want to wreck our economy. These sensible reforms would protect programs like the SBA’s SBIR, STTR, and others from CCP exploitation if passed.”
    New American Industrial Alliance
    “The INNOVATE Act ensures that SBIR and STTR will remain critical components of America’s innovation infrastructure,”said Julius Krein, Chair of the Board of Directors. “The reforms and improvements included in this bill will keep these programs focused on advancing the most promising technologies while addressing efficiency concerns and national security risks.”
    Foundation for American Innovation
    “The INNOVATE Act would improve government efficiency by reforming the SBIR and STTR programs to reduce waste and ensure that more American tax dollars are invested in the most promising technologies to advance American innovation,” said Dan Lips, Senior Fellow. “Importantly, the bill also tightens safeguards in these programs to address fraud and national security risks that government watchdogs have documented.”
    Alliance for Commercial Technology in Government
    “The Alliance for Commercial Technology in Government is delighted to provide our enthusiastic endorsement of, and support for the INNOVATE Act, released March 5th by the Senate Small Business Committee,” said Warren Katz, Chairman. “The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, known as America’s Seed Fund, is a highly effective research program with commercialization of government funded research by small business its main goal. It should be reauthorized with much-needed reforms included in INNOVATE.”
    Software in Defense Coalition
    “SBIR and STTR programs are an essential part of enabling innovative high-tech companies to advance national security technologies. We strongly urge adoption of these crucial reforms to foster a more competitive and innovative ecosystem in the federal enterprise, protected from adversarial influence. These changes will ensure SBIR and STTR programs continue to drive innovation for the benefit of our nation’s defense and technological leadership.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Accelerated Timeline For Suffolk Reconstruction Project

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul and New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez today announced that the construction of the bridge at the junction of State Route 347 and Nicolls Road (Suffolk County Route 97) is being accelerated and will now start six years earlier than previously planned. Originally scheduled to start in 2034, the Department of Transportation is now progressing the project to begin construction on the bridge in late 2028 to minimize future construction costs while reducing travel times for motorists. Department engineers are currently engaged in the preliminary design phase for a grade separated interchange to better suit the needs of motorists.

    “Reliable, accessible transportation is the backbone of every society and is a right every community must have, which is why I’m proud to support and celebrate this much-needed project in Suffolk County.” Governor Hochul said. “This overpass will bring a new driving experience to those who live, work and commute in Suffolk County, and I’m looking forward to seeing its completion. By accelerating this project, we are not only improving safety and efficiency for motorists, but we are also strengthening Long Island’s infrastructure to support future growth and economic development.”

    New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “Governor Hochul is committed to responding to the needs of the community through investments in transportation infrastructure — and here on Long Island, the community has spoken and the State has listened. The new bridge at Route 347 and Nicolls Road will be coming soon and years ahead of schedule. The State Route 347 corridor is in the process of a major transformation thanks to strong community input coupled with a dedicated Chief Executive, Kathy Hochul, and the team at NYSDOT. This new overpass will bring a whole new driving experience to those who live, work and commute in Suffolk County, and we are excited to move this bridge project forward.”

    The bridge project will also reconstruct State Route 347 beyond Nicolls Road for about one mile east through Mark Tree Road. This will better accommodate motorists and emergency vehicles accessing Nicolls Road on their way to school, work, retail shopping centers and nearby Stony Brook University Hospital.

    Construction is currently expected to be completed in 2031 and estimated to cost between $110 million and $140 million.

    To date, the State Department of Transportation has invested over $200 million towards transforming State Route 347 from an antiquated highway into a 21stCentury boulevard with new travel lanes, a decorative highway median, a shared-use path for multi-modal travel, lush greenery, bus stops with solar powered lighting and enhanced safety features. Six projects have already been completed stretching from State Route 454 (Veterans Memorial Highway) to Hallock Road and at the intersection with State Route 112. A seventh section, which will reconstruct the thoroughfare between Hallock Road and Nicolls Road, is currently expected to begin this summer.

    Nicolls Road is a Suffolk County limited access highway stretching from Montauk Highway in Bayport on the South Shore to State Route 25A in historic Stony Brook on the North Shore. It offers connections to residences, commercial shopping, the Ammerman Campus of Suffolk County Community College and Stony Brook University’s flagship campus and award-winning hospital.

    Following the bridge’s completion, additional improvements on State Route 347 will take place from Mark Tree Road to Old Town Road and from Old Town Road to State Route 25A, all within the Town of Brookhaven.

    State Senator Anthony Palumbo said “Today’s announcement by Governor Hochul and the New York State Department of Transportation to accelerate the overpass project at State Route 347 and Nicolls Road by six years is great news for our region and local residents. These thoroughfares are a gateway to the State’s flagship University at Stony Brook and are important roadways for the area’s businesses, residents and college students. The acceleration of this project underscores the Governor’s understanding of the need to invest in Long Island’s infrastructure projects.”

    State Senator Dean Murray said “I’m very excited that the Route 347 and Nicolls Road bridge project has been expedited and is now targeted for 2028. This is a major project that will impact both commuters and businesses. I very much appreciate the NYSDOT making this a priority.”

    Assemblymember Rebecca Kassay said “We are grateful to Governor Hochul for her commitment to upgrading Brookhaven’s roads and investing in Long Island’s essential infrastructure. The 347 Reconstruction Project is critical to our district: reducing traffic congestion upon completion; improving the look and feel of this state highway; further managing stormwater to mitigate flooding; and helping to make 347 safer for cyclists and pedestrians. I thank the NYSDOT for responding to our district’s residents who have long advocated for Route 347 improvements and an overpass at Nicolls Road. I will continue to collaborate with the Governor, NYSDOT, local government officials, and my constituents to see that this project improves residents’ and visitors’ experience on our roads.”

    Assemblymember Doug Smith said, “The acceleration of this critical infrastructure project is welcome news for Suffolk County residents, businesses, and commuters. The improvements to State Route 347 and Nicolls Road will enhance safety, reduce congestion, and support our local economy. I appreciate Governor Hochul and the Department of Transportation for recognizing the importance of this project and working to deliver these much-needed upgrades years ahead of schedule.”

    Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said, “For more than a decade I have advocated for this project to be prioritized. This bridge will help alleviate the traffic congestion that has plagued Route 347, improve the quality of life for the surrounding residents and increase safety in the area. Thank you to DOT for accelerating this project and we hope to see some real progress in the newly designated time frame.”

    Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico said, “Today’s news is extremely positive, logical and gratifying for all those who have rallied for this proposal. Investments in our infrastructure create good-paying jobs and provide solutions for our collective future. Here we will eliminate a traffic choke point for Brookhaven’s residents to the only Level one Trauma Center in Suffolk County at Stony Brook Hospital. Brookhaven certainly appreciates this news and thanks all those involved in moving this project up.”

    Stony Brook University Interim President Richard McCormack said “On any given day, we have tens of thousands of students, faculty, staff and patients commuting to our university and hospital. An elevated bridge at State Route 347 and Nicolls Road will significantly reduce traffic at this major intersection and we thank the Governor and Commissioner Dominguez for accelerating this critical infrastructure project.”

    About the Department of Transportation
    It is the mission of the New York State Department of Transportation to provide a safe, reliable, equitable, and resilient transportation system that connects communities, enhances quality of life, protects the environment, and supports the economic well-being of New York State.

    Lives are on the line; slow down and move over for highway workers!

    For more information, find us on Facebook, follow us on X or Instagram, or visit our website. Updates from DOT’s Long Island region are also available on X. For up-to-date travel information, call 511, visit www.511NY.org or download the free 511NY mobile app.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Celebrating 7 Years of BitMart: Key Takeaways from Our AMA Series

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Mahe, Seychelles, March 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BitMart, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, successfully hosted a special three-session Ask-Me-Anything (AMA) series in celebration of its 7th anniversary. The discussions featured industry leaders, key opinion leaders, project teams, and the global community, exploring exchange innovation, market trends, and the future of digital assets. The event attracted 600K+ listeners across all sessions, with a peak of 3,000 live listeners actively engaging in discussions.

    Key Points from the AMA Sessions:

    The Future of Crypto Exchanges: Trends and Industry Outlook

    A major focus of the AMA series was the evolving role of cryptocurrency exchanges in a rapidly shifting market. Experts shared insights into regulatory landscapes, decentralization trends, and the increasing integration of Web3 technologies. Additionally, the conversation touched on how projects can leverage emerging technologies such as ZK-proof privacy solutions and CeDeFi innovations to navigate market volatility and gain a competitive edge.

    Expanding BitMart’s Ecosystem & Future Developments

    Looking ahead, BitMart shared its vision for expanding its ecosystem, with plans to integrate new trading pairs, enhance liquidity solutions, and explore additional blockchain partnerships. The conversation also touched on the growing importance of Layer 2 solutions, staking opportunities, and collaborations with DeFi projects. Many participants emphasized the need for cross-chain interoperability, GameFi utilities, and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization as key factors in the next phase of industry innovation.

    Collaborations with BitMart: Project Success Stories

    Several featured projects shared their experiences working with BitMart, highlighting how the exchange has provided liquidity support, marketing exposure, and a trusted trading environment for their communities. Discussions included successful token launches, strategic partnerships, and BitMart’s efforts to help innovative projects gain a foothold in the global crypto space.

    Global & Regional Impact: Strengthening Market Presence

    The AMA series featured perspectives from both international and regional experts. The Chinese-language session focused on BitMart’s influence in the Asia-Pacific region, addressing local market trends, adoption challenges, and future expansion strategies. Meanwhile, the English-language sessions explored BitMart’s role in the broader global market, discussing strategies for onboarding new users and supporting emerging crypto projects.

    7,000 USDT Exclusive Giveaways & Community Celebration

    As part of the anniversary festivities, BitMart rewarded its global user base with 7,000 USDT in BMX giveaways, reinforcing its commitment to community-driven growth and appreciation for its dedicated users.

    Missed the AMAs? Watch the replays here:

    7 Years Strong, Future On! (ENGLISH) – March 13
    https://x.com/i/spaces/1ypKdZWAjjQJW 

    BitMart – 7年坚守, 与您同行 (CHINESE) – March 13
    https://x.com/i/spaces/1YqJDZmzAPNKV   

    7RONG Fest – BitMart 7th Anniversary (ENGLISH) – March 14
    https://x.com/i/spaces/1vAxRDjoOqkGl 

    Stay connected with BitMart for more updates and future events as we continue shaping the future of cryptocurrency!

    About BitMart
    BitMart is the premier global digital asset trading platform. With millions of users worldwide and ranked among the top crypto exchanges on CoinGecko, it currently offers 1,700+ trading pairs with competitive trading fees. Constantly evolving and growing, BitMart is interested in crypto’s potential to drive innovation and promote financial inclusion. New users can register here to unlock an $8,000+ welcome bonus.

    Disclaimer:

    Use of BitMart services is entirely at your own risk. All crypto investments, including earnings, are highly speculative in nature and involve substantial risk of loss. Past, hypothetical, or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. The value of digital currencies can go up or down and there can be a substantial risk in buying, selling, holding, or trading digital currencies. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding digital currencies is suitable for you based on your personal investment objectives, financial circumstances, and risk tolerance. BitMart does not provide any investment, legal, or tax advice.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Investing in infrastructure to support growth

    [. Maintaining and expanding the provincial road and bridge network is vital for growing communities and expanding market access for local industry.  

    If passed, Budget 2025 would invest more than $8.5 billion for the Ministry of Transportation and Economic Corridors’ three-year Capital Plan, a $333.7-million increase compared with Budget 2024. This total includes more than $4 billion over three years for transportation infrastructure projects to benefit rural communities across the province, as well as $2.1 billion over three years for projects in the Calgary region, and $2 billion for projects in the Edmonton region.

    “We are investing in the transportation and water infrastructure our communities need to address rapid growth, promote economic development and support a high quality of life. These investments help ensure our province remains the best place in Canada to live, work and raise a family.”

    Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors

    The total capital investment in this year’s budget includes $2.6 billion for planning, design and construction of major highway and bridge projects. This work will create thousands of jobs across Alberta, improve traffic flow, and support the development of major trade corridors through projects such as twinning Highway 3 and Highway 11, and major improvements to Deerfoot Trail and Highway 881. Capital investment funding also includes more than $186 million over three years for more than 50 engineering projects to address future infrastructure needs as the province continues to grow.

    “These investments in Calgary’s roads and bridges are critical to supporting our growing city. Improved infrastructure means safer commutes, better connections for businesses and a stronger foundation for future growth.”

    Myles McDougall, MLA, Calgary-Fish Creek

    If passed, Budget 2025 would also include a $1.7-billion investment over three years for capital maintenance and renewal, which extends the life of the province’s existing road and bridge network, keeping the highway network safe and helping industry create and maintain well-paying jobs.

    “Building and fixing roads and bridges improves the productivity of Alberta’s economy. Budget 2025 continues investing in critical infrastructure using local materials and labour. The ARHCA applauds Alberta’s leadership and commitment to all modes of trade-enabling transportation.”

    Ron Glen, CEO, Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association

    In addition to improving and maintaining the provincial highway network, Alberta’s government has allocated $3.9 billion for capital grants to municipalities over the next three years. This includes funding for LRT projects in Edmonton and Calgary, as well as $5 million in new funding to support planning work for a new transit solution connecting the Calgary airport terminal with the future Blue Line LRT extension station.

    “Investing in infrastructure is critical to establishing a solid foundation for economic growth, sustainability and thriving communities. As our population continues to grow, we must make smart investments in roads, bridges, water and transportation infrastructure to ensure our communities and businesses remain vibrant, connected and ready for the future.”

    Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO, Calgary Chamber of Commerce

    If passed, targeted investments in Budget 2025 would also support the growth and prosperity of rural communities by providing $126.8 million over three years to municipalities through the Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program. This program helps smaller municipalities improve critical local transportation infrastructure.

    Additionally, ongoing capital grants totalling $519.7 million over three years in water and wastewater infrastructure will ensure Albertans in every community have reliable access to clean drinking water and effective wastewater services.

    Finally, Budget 2025 would provide $240.1 million to build and repair water management infrastructure, including dams, spillways, canals and control structures. This investment provides irrigation for the agriculture sector and flood mitigation for Alberta communities.

    Budget 2025 is meeting the challenge faced by Alberta with continued investments in education and health, lower taxes for families and a focus on the economy.

    Quick Facts

    Regional Highlights

    North region

    • Budget 2025, if passed, invests $1.25 billion over three years in road and bridge construction projects to benefit the North region, including:
      • $101 million for Highway 63 twinning, north of Fort McMurray
      • $141 million for Highway 881 safety and road improvements
      • $87 million for construction of the La Crete bridge
      • $69 million for Highway 40 grade widening between Hinton and Grande Cache
      • $7 million for the La Loche Connector road – extending Highway 956 from La Loche, Saskatchewan to Fort McMurray
      • $4 million for twinning Highway 40 south of Grande Prairie
      • $127.5 million for Highway 60 Capital Improvements

    Central region

    • Budget 2025, if passed, invests $1.4 billion over three years in road and bridge construction projects to benefit the Central region, including:
      • $208 million for Highway 11 twinning between Sylvan Lake and Rocky Mountain House
      • $98 million for the Vinca Bridge replacement on Highway 38 (near Redwater) as part of work to enhance the high-load corridor

    South region

    • Budget 2025, if passed, invests $363 million over three years in road and bridge construction projects to benefit the South region, including:
      • $106 million for Highway 3 twinning (between Taber and east of Burdett)
      • $92 million for the Highway 2 Balzac Interchange Replacement
      • $24 million for the Highway 1A upgrade (Stoney First Nation)
      • $9 million for the QEII Highway and 40th Avenue interchange ramp (near Airdrie)

    Calgary

    • Budget 2025, if passed, invests $2.1 billion over three years in road and bridge construction projects, and municipal grants to benefit the Calgary region, including:
      • $173.1 million for the Calgary Rivers District and Event Centre
      • $484.8 million for Deerfoot Trail upgrades
      • $62.4 million for the Springbank Off-stream Reservoir (SR1) project
      • $11.9 million for the Bow River Reservoir (Ghost Reservoir Infrastructure Project)
      • $100 million for the Calgary Ring Road (West Stoney Trail)
      • $8 million for the completion of the Highway 201 Bow River Bridge on the southeast Stoney Trail
      • $26.5 million for the completion of the Stoney Trail and Airport Trail interchange

    Edmonton

    • Budget 2025, if passed, invests $2 billion over three years in road and bridge construction projects to benefit the Edmonton region, including:
      • $31.9 million for the Ray Gibbon Drive expansion
      • $31 million for the Terwillegar Drive widening from Rabbit Hill Road to Windermere Boulevard
      • $52.7 million for the Terwillegar Drive Expansion improvements to the interchange at SW Anthony Henday Drive.
      • $20.3 million for Highway 16A and Range Road 20 Safety Improvements
      • $17.2 million for Highway 19 twinning
      • $40.2 million for the Highway 2 and 65 Avenue Interchange in Leduc

    Multimedia

    • Watch the news conference

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Unlocking the future of manufacturing with AI-powered digital thread

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Unlocking the future of manufacturing with AI-powered digital thread

    Imagine you are the quality control manager at a large electronics manufacturer. You have received reports of a serious, recurring component issue for a newly released product, which unfortunately has led to a recall. Historically, the only solution would be to issue a full recall, which has significant financial, operational, and reputational consequences. However, as part of an industrial transformation strategy, your organization has implemented a digital thread framework to provide comprehensive visibility into your organization’s data. In a few simple clicks, you can now trace the entire production history of the defective product—from design to final assembly. The digital thread helps you to quickly identify a fault in a specific batch of components sourced from a single supplier. Armed with these insights, you can determine the exact scope of the affected products, work with the supplier to remedy the situation, and initiate an extremely precise, targeted recall. This swift, data-driven response mitigates customer inconvenience, and helps preserve the brand reputation of your company.

    Read the PTC whitepaper “How AI Agents Are Accelerating Digital Transformation in Industry”

    Over the last decade, this end-to-end view, has been the promise of digital threads in the industrial space, a holy grail of data touchpoints that provide a real time view of the entire lifecycle of a product or a specific process, from design all the way to end of life. This has largely out of reach for most industrial companies for two key reasons:

    1. The data problem: Fragmented, siloed, and uncontextualized mountains of data across a heterogenous stack of technologies and modalities, that require prohibitive investments in data science techniques to be able to leverage for a specific use case, with little scalability.
    2. Return on investment (ROI): Traditionally, it has been difficult to prove ROI for digital thread initiatives, partly due to the challenges presented by the data problem, and partly because of the complexity to action on insights, from cultural resistance to skills gaps, to mention a few factors.

    Microsoft, alongside partners like PTC, believe we are at the pivotal moment where digital threads are becoming an attainable reality for industrial customers due to two key innovations. First, the rise of unified data foundations that make data usable by securely sourcing it from systems like customer relationship management (CRM), product lifecycle management (PLM), enterprise resource planning (ERP) and manufacturing execution system (MES), and automating the contextualization aligned to any given standard or custom data model.

    Secondly, the rise of generative AI, specifically, AI agents that reason using this unified data foundation and provide insights or take actions—unlocking thousands of use cases across the manufacturing value chain.

    The role of AI agents

    AI agents are sophisticated software systems designed to automate complex analyses, support decision-making, and manage various processes. They are productivity enablers who can effectively incorporate humans in the loop through the use of multi-modality. These agents are designed to pursue complex goals with a high level of autonomy and predictability, taking goal-directed actions with minimal human oversight, making contextual decisions, and dynamically adjusting plans based on changing conditions. AI agents can assist in various business processes, such as optimizing workflows, retrieving information, and automating repetitive tasks. They can operate independently, dynamically plan, orchestrate other agents, learn, and escalate tasks when necessary, however, AI agents are only as good as the data used to train the models that power them, and the current landscape of AI agents in the industrial space is domain specific, so these agents are confined to exclusively operate within the constraints of a single data domain, for example a CRM agent or an MES agent.

    A leading example of domain specific agent is PTC’s Codebeamer Copilot. The Codebeamer Copilot supports software development process for complex physical products, like software-defined vehicles. Codebeamer Copilot leverages the Codebeamer data graph, for a connected and comprehensive view into the product development process. From requirements management to testing to release, the Copilot provides rapid insight into key areas of application lifecycle management (ALM). The result is automated requirements handling, enhanced quality control, and boosted productivity due to drastically reducing the time it takes for engineers to write and validate requirements.

    Application Lifecycle management is just the beginning. The AI-powered digital thread provides agents with the combined knowledge of the entire manufacturing data estate, with multiple domains: removing their previous limitations confining them to one function.

    Real-world applications of AI-powered digital threads

    The era of AI and digital threads has arrived, and it’s delivering real value for the world’s leading manufacturers today.

    Schaeffler

    A manufacturer of precision mobility components faced a need to modernize data management, as its data previously took days to decode. Their goal was clear: find a scalable solution to uncover factory insights faster. An agent was implemented to allow frontline workers to immediately uncover detailed information when faced with unexpected downtime. This allows operators to get the line running again faster, reducing costly delays in production.

    Bridgestone

    The world’s largest tire and rubber company leverages manufacturing data solutions in Microsoft Fabric to accelerate the productivity of their frontline workforce. As a private preview customer, in collaboration with a Microsoft partner, the company uses digital thread and AI technology to address key production challenges, like yield loss. The query system solution enables frontline workers, with various levels of experience, to easily interact with their factory data, and efficiently uncover insights to improve yield, and enhance quality.

    Toyota O-Beya

    Toyota is leveraging AI agents to harness the collective wisdom of its engineers and accelerate innovation. At its headquarters in Toyota City, the company has developed a system named “O-Beya,” which means “big room” in Japanese. This system consists of generative AI agents that store and share internal expertise, enabling the rapid development of new vehicle models. The O-Beya system currently includes nine AI agents, such as the Vibration Agent and Fuel Consumption Agent, which collaborate to provide comprehensive answers to engineering queries. This initiative is particularly crucial as many senior engineers are retiring, and the AI agents help preserve and transfer their knowledge to the next generation. Built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, the O-Beya system enhances efficiency and reduces development time.

    The road ahead

    The journey to fully realizing the potential of AI-powered digital threads involves phased implementation. Starting with identifying the right use cases aligned to business goals, where AI agents can play a role. Secondly, identify if the right data is available and in the right standards for usability. Lastly, quickly proving value by implementing a set of initial use cases with a minimum viable digital thread and measuring and socializing its results. Achieving the AI-powered digital thread with the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing capabilities:

    • Azure adaptive cloud approach to source data from the edge, while supporting application modernization following cloud patterns.
    • Partner applications as systems of records, like PTC Windchill.
    • Microsoft Fabric as the unified data platform, and Manufacturing Data Solution in Fabric as the data transformation and enrichment service for manufacturing operations.
    • Microsoft first party manufacturing agents, like Factory Operations Agent in Azure AI Foundry, to unlock high-value factory use cases.
    • Microsoft AI platforms like Azure AI Foundry and Microsoft Copilot Studio to support development and orchestration of custom AI agents.
    • Partner applications with agentic AI capabilities embedded, for example PTC ServiceMax AI.

    Learn more

    Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing

    Manufacture a sustainable future

    Alfonso Rodriguez Lepage

    Director Product Marketing, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing

    As the Product Marketing Director for the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, Alfonso Rodriguez oversees Microsoft’s marketing efforts for the manufacturing sector. He aims to help customers understand how the Microsoft Cloud and Microsoft’s partner networks can solve some of the industry’s toughest problems, and create a more sustainable future.

    See more articles from this author

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA’s 2025 National Small Business Week Will Take Place May 4-10

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced its list of state and territory Small Business Persons of the Year ahead of this year’s National Small Business Week, which will take place May 4-10, 2025. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler will kick off the week with a ceremony in Washington, D.C., where she will name the National Small Business Person of the Year before embarking on a national small business roadshow. Over the course of the week, she will visit four cities to highlight the impact, economic contributions and importance of small business owners in communities across the nation.

    “For more than 60 years, National Small Business Week has honored the risk takers, innovators and job creators who are the backbone of the American economy,” Administrator Loeffler said. “I congratulate the more than 50 state and territory winners on their recognition and look forward to this week of education and appreciation for entrepreneurship – as we highlight the small business owners who fuel prosperity, growth, and opportunity in communities across our country.”

    After the Washington, D.C., ceremony on May 5, which will crown the National Small Business Person of the Year and other national award winners, Administrator Loeffler plans to visit Boise, Idaho; Phoenix, Ariz.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Hartford, Conn. While on the road, she will meet with local entrepreneurs, lenders and other community leaders to share SBA’s mission of empowering job creators, delivering disaster relief and driving economic growth.

    Along with the awards and roadshow, National Small Business Week is slated to feature a two-day virtual summit, community events across the country honoring small businesses, educational sessions featuring key topics such as manufacturing, digital marketing, cybersecurity and cryptocurrency, as well as online business resources and renowned speakers.  

    State and territory awardees in consideration for the National Small Business Person of the Year and runner-up include:

    Alabama: Kimberly Lewis, ProjectXYZ Inc., Huntsville

    Alaska: Christine Hopkins, ASCI Federal Services LLC, Anchorage

    Arizona: Virginia Saldivar, Metro Accounting and Professional Services, Goodyear

    Arkansas: Kimberly Stinson, Lil Lions Daycare LLC, Bismarck

    California: Qais Salem Alkurdi, HQE Systems, Temecula

    Colorado: Larisa Hegenbarth, Novastar, Englewood

    Connecticut: Michelle Nicholson, The Flour Girl Bakery Cafe, Hebron

    Delaware: Alison Schuch, Tangerine Goods, Bethany Beach

    District of Columbia: Craig Williams, Cyber Synergy Consulting Group LLC

    Florida: Benjamin Nagengast, Point Summit, Largo

    Georgia: Patrick Wells, Piedmont Landscape Management, Augusta

    Guam: Robert Salas II, Pacific Federal Management Inc., Tumon

    Hawaii: Pamela Cariaga, P&S Plumbing LLC, Kailua-Kona

    Idaho: Patrick Buchanan, Buchanan Insurance and Financial Services Inc., Hailey

    Illinois: Eric Cup, Bridgewater Studios, Chicago

    Indiana: Sudhansu (Sam) Yadav, Quest Safety Products Inc., Indianapolis

    Iowa: Jamie Jackson, Jake Oakland and Joni Campidilli, Percival Scientific Inc., Perry

    Kansas: Cang Quoc Phu and Tuan Lai, QuikTek Machining LLC, Wichita

    Kentucky: Crinda Francke, ExecuTrain Corp., Lexington

    Louisiana: Ronald “Rocky” Ortego III, Red Bison Services LLC, Kenner

    Maine: Carrie Gervais and Jennifer Cousins, Stepping Stones Montessori School, Chelsea

    Maryland: Jaqueline Lopez, Premier Enterprise Solutions, Upper Marlboro

    Massachusetts: Pablah Ferraz Schwartz-Linhares, Fresscafe Inc., Framingham

    Michigan: Greg McArthur and Shelly McArthur, NTL Industries, Sterling Heights

    Minnesota: Beth Benike, Busy Baby, Oronoco

    Mississippi: David Kittrell and Karen Kittrell, Kittrell’s Industrial and Supply, Petal

    Missouri: Tamara Keefe, Clementine’s Creamery, St. Louis

    Montana: Jerry Stroot, Superior Meats Inc., Superior

    Nebraska: Joseph Hodges Jr., Lion’s Gate Security Solutions Inc., Omaha

    Nevada: Kristen Corral-Marin, Carlos Corral-Marin, Dan Simmons and Regina Simmons, Tacotarian, Las Vegas

    New Hampshire: Tanya Lawson, Inbloom Health and Medispa, Londonderry

    New Jersey: Nichole Ann Bryson, FT Mobility LLC, Saddle Brook

    New Mexico: Victor D’Andrea and Jeffrey Giangiuli, TechSource Inc., Los Alamos

    New York: Melissa Baidme, C.K. Natural Fruit Juice, LLC, Westfield

    North Carolina: Mamie Hoffer and Jason Futrell, Hoffer Flow Controls Inc., Elizabeth City

    North Dakota: Dee Decimus, All Embrace Home Caring, Grand Forks

    Ohio: Victor Omar D’Angelo, Barroluco LLC, Columbus

    Oklahoma: Shawn Collins, Sisemore & Associates, Tulsa

    Oregon: Tadd Mick, Tradewinds Charters, Depoe Bay 

    Pennsylvania: Sheree Beth Thomas, SB Thomas & Associates Inc., Pittsburgh

    Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands: Yoel Rivera Santos, Ultimate Solutions Corp., Caguas, P.R.

    Rhode Island: Kaitlyn Roberts, Easy Entertaining Inc., Providence

    South Carolina: Michael Haldeman, SpokeWorks Bicycle Workshop, Summerville

    South Dakota: Tara Olson, Valley Ag Supply Inc., Gayville

    Tennessee: Reggie Polk, Polk & Associates Construction Inc., Brentwood

    Texas: Gabe Wander, Wander Staffing, Austin

    Utah: Alfonso Porras, Sir Walter Candy Corp., South Salt Lake

    Vermont: Christopher Swasey, Lewis Creek Builders, Essex Junction

    Virginia: Donald Mills, Mills Marine and Ship Repair, Suffolk

    Washington: Courtni Doherty and Stephen Doherty, Circle Creek Therapy PLLC, Auburn

    West Virginia: Cathy Jo Higgins, The Developmental Advantage LLC, Charleston

    Wisconsin: Mark Bula and Shawn Bula, Signature Farms II LLC, Grand Marsh

    Wyoming: Lauren Heerschap, Brunton International LLC, Riverton

    Details on National Small Business Week, the virtual summit, registrations and speakers are featured on National Small Business Week and will be updated as additional information and activities are confirmed. Local events will be featured on Find upcoming events and identifiable by searching with #SmallBusinessWeek.  

    # # #

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: MEXC Lists AO (AO), Expanding Support for Decentralized Computing and AI Innovation with a 140,000 USDT Prize Pool

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VICTORIA, Seychelles, March 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MEXC, a leading global cryptocurrency trading platform, announces the listing of AO (AO) on both spot and futures markets, scheduled for March 14, 2025, at 06:00 (UTC). To mark the occasion, MEXC is launching an Airdrop+ rewards event with a 140,000 USDT prize pool, providing users with multiple opportunities to engage with AO and explore its potential within the decentralized computing space.

    Unleashing AO: MEXC Supports the Future of Decentralized Computing and AI Agents

    AO is a decentralized ultra-parallel computing network that expands on-chain computation while ensuring all operations remain verifiable and permanently recorded. Built on Arweave’s permanent storage, AO features an actor-oriented architecture, where modular programs (actors) operate independently, select their own virtual machines (VMs), consensus mechanisms, and payment models, and communicate through a standardized messaging layer. With self-triggering execution and autonomous agent capabilities, AO enables efficient DeFi strategies, automated DEX trading, and AI-driven applications, unlocking a new era of decentralized computing.

    By listing AO, MEXC reinforces its commitment to supporting cutting-edge innovations at the intersection of AI, blockchain infrastructure, and decentralized computing. As demand for on-chain processing and AI-powered applications grows, MEXC provides AO with critical market access, deep liquidity, and an engaged global user base to accelerate its adoption and utility. Beyond just a listing, MEXC plays a crucial role in fostering the adoption and development of innovative blockchain projects across AI and DePIN. With a strong trading community, strategic marketing initiatives, and a track record of launching high-potential assets, MEXC provides projects like AO with the tools to gain visibility and traction within the crypto ecosystem. Through this listing, MEXC continues to connect users with the latest blockchain advancements, ensuring accessibility to next-generation decentralized infrastructure.

    Celebrate AO’s Listing with a 140,000 USDT Prize Pool

    MEXC, known for quickly listing trending tokens, expands its offerings with AO (AO). The AO/USDT trading market officially launched in the Innovation Zone on March 14, 2025, at 06:00 (UTC), followed by the introduction of the AO USDT perpetual futures at 06:10 (UTC), offering adjustable leverage from 1x to 50x with both cross and isolated margin modes.

    To celebrate the listing of AO (AO) on MEXC Spot and Futures, MEXC is launching a series of exclusive events from March 13, 2025, at 12:00 (UTC) – March 23, 2025, at 10:00 (UTC), giving both new and existing users the opportunity to earn USDT bonuses and other rewards while engaging with the AO ecosystem.

    • Event 1: Deposit to Share 72,000 USDT (New User Exclusive)

    New users who trade AO spot (≥ $100) or futures (≥ $500) can earn a 30 USDT bonus, with a total of 72,000 USDT up for grabs.

    • Event 2: Futures Challenge — Trade to Share 50,000 USDT in Futures Bonuses (Open to All Users)

    Each user can receive up to 5,000 USDT in Futures bonuses.

    • Event 3: Invite New Users & Share 18,000 USDT (Open to All Users)
    • Event 4: Spread the Word and Win Rewards

    Your Easiest Way to Trending Tokens

    MEXC aims to become the go-to platform offering the widest range of valuable crypto assets. The platform has grown its user base to 34 million by offering a diverse selection of tokens, high-frequency airdrops, competitive fees, and comprehensive liquidity. In 2024, MEXC launched a total of 2,376 new tokens, including 1,716 initial listings and 605 memecoins, with total airdrop rewards exceeding $136 million.

    About MEXC

    Founded in 2018, MEXC is committed to being “Your Easiest Way to Crypto”. Serving over 34 million users across 170+ countries, MEXC is known for its broad selection of trending tokens, frequent airdrop opportunities, and low trading fees. Our user-friendly platform is designed to support both new traders and experienced investors, offering secure and efficient access to digital assets. MEXC prioritizes simplicity and innovation, making crypto trading more accessible and rewarding.
    MEXC Official Website｜ X ｜ Telegram ｜How to Sign Up on MEXC

    Contact:
    Lucia Hu
    PR Manager
    lucia.hu@mexc.com

    Disclaimer: This content is provided by MEXC. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector–including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining–complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c978923c-0d40-43a9-a8e5-d3e0d353caba

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein Announces Members of Task Force for Child Care and Early Education

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein Announces Members of Task Force for Child Care and Early Education

    Governor Stein Announces Members of Task Force for Child Care and Early Education
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    On Monday, Governor Josh Stein announced the new North Carolina Task Force on Child Care and Early Education. The task force seeks to identify solutions to expand access to affordable, high-quality child care and early education across North Carolina and to support and grow the child care workforce.  

    “Access to high-quality child care ensures that North Carolina’s children can learn and thrive during their formative years, which shapes their educational trajectory,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Child care should be affordable and accessible. I am proud to bring together providers, legislators, business leaders, parents, community partners, and industry experts to figure out how we can best support North Carolina’s parents, early childhood educators, and the economy.”

    Click here for a fact sheet on Governor Stein’s task force.

    This week, Governor Stein highlighted gaps in North Carolina’s child care system during his first State of the State address. In North Carolina, there is only 1 child care spot for every 5 families who want one. Child care is also difficult to afford for many families in the state, with four in five families paying more than the recommended 7% of their income for infant care. Furthermore, the poverty rate for early childhood educators is 17.6% higher than the average of all NC workers, contributing to a shortage in the child care workforce.

    Governor Stein remains committed to ensuring that North Carolina’s children are able to learn and thrive in safe, nurturing, and supportive child care and early education settings. These investments will also support parents and employers by reducing the number of people who are pushed out of the workforce due to lack of child care.

    The members of the task force are as follows:

    • Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt (co-chair)
    • Senator Jim Burgin (co-chair)
    • Senator Jay Chaudhuri
    • Senator Ralph Hise 
    • Representative Sarah Crawford
    • Representative David Willis, Owner & Operator of Kiddie Academy
    • Mary Elizabeth Wilson, Chief of Staff and General Counsel, North Carolina Department of Commerce 
    • Candace Witherspoon, Division Director, Division of Child Development and Early Education, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services 
    • Noelle Talley, Deputy Secretary for Advocacy, North Carolina Department of Administration 
    • Amar Majmundar, Policy Director, North Carolina Office of State Human Resources 
    • Amy Rhyne, Senior Director, Office of Early Learning, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction 
    • Dr. Mary Olvera, State Director of Teacher Education, Public Services, and Perkin Special Populations, North Carolina Community College System Offices
    • Rhonda Rivers, North Carolina Child Care Commission Chair; President of the Executive Board, North Carolina Early Education Coalition; Managing Partner/Co-owner of LeafSpring Schools of North Carolina
    • Gary Salamido, President and Chief Executive Officer, NC Chamber 
    • Amy Cubbage, President, North Carolina Partnership for Children
    • Lori Jones-Ruff, Interim Executive Director, Southwestern Child Development Commission, Inc.
    • Dan Rockaway, President, NC Licensed Child Care Association; Co-Founder and Owner of Sounds and Colors Child Care Centers
    • Ellen Pancoast, Vice President People Operations, Cone Health 
    • Michelle Logan, Vice President General Manager, Drug Product North America, Thermo Fisher
    • Ashton Clemmons, Associate Vice President, P12 Strategy and Policy, University of North Carolina System
    • Beth Messersmith, NC Senior Director, MomsRising; North Carolina Child Care Commission member; parent who has navigated the child care system
    • Erica Palmer Smith, Executive Director, NC Child
    • Theresa Roedershimer, Executive Director, North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation 
    • Meka Sales, Director, Special Initiatives, The Duke Endowment; Co-Chair, Invest Early, NC
    • Susan Gale Perry, Chief Executive Officer, Child Care Aware of America

    Read below for coverage of the announcement:

    Mar 14, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tillis, Peters Introduce Bill to Safeguard Access to High Quality Cancer Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced the Radiation Oncology Case Rate (ROCR) Value-Based Program Act, bipartisan legislation that would modernize Medicare reimbursement for radiation therapy, safeguarding access to high-quality cancer care and improving outcomes.
    “The ROCR Act modernizes Medicare’s payment system to ensure cancer patients receive the best care possible,” said Senator Tillis. “Current reimbursement policies reward quantity over quality, making it harder for physicians to provide the tailored, high-quality care cancer patients deserve. This bipartisan bill fixes this by shifting to a fair, bundled payment model that removes incentives for longer treatments, supports innovation, and ensures continued access to world-class care.” 
    “Radiation oncology is a highly effective tool for fighting certain cancers, but outdated Medicare reimbursement policies prevent many Americans from being able to utilize this treatment,” said Senator Peters. “I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan bill that would reduce barriers to this essential care for cancer patients and ensure oncologists can prescribe the best treatment available for their patients.”
    “In place of repeated Medicare payment cuts and outdated policies, ROCR offers a stable, sustainable payment framework that ensures Americans can access high quality, lifesaving cancer treatments in their communities,” said Dr. Howard M. Sandler, Chair of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Board of Directors. “ASTRO applauds Sen. Tillis, Sen. Peters, Rep. Fitzpatrick, Rep. Panetta, Rep. Joyce and Rep. Tonko for their bipartisan leadership in prioritizing patient needs and quality for our nation’s cancer care infrastructure.”
    More than 80 organizations have endorsed the ROCR Act, representing a diverse group of radiation oncology stakeholders, patient advocates, medical professionals, independent clinics, hospital systems, and technology companies. This includes Advocate Health, American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO), American College of Radiology, American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Boston Scientific, University of North Carolina, US Oncology Network, and more. 
    Background: 
    ROCR is designed to reverse more than a decade of declining Medicare payments for radiation therapy, a lifesaving treatment relied upon by over a million cancer patients annually. Despite its critical role in patient care and cost-effectiveness for the Medicare system, radiation oncology has suffered more than a 20% cut in Medicare Physician Fee Schedule reimbursements over the past decade—one of the largest reductions of any medical specialty. These cuts threaten patient access to essential cancer treatments, particularly in community and rural settings.
    By building on the framework of the indefinitely delayed Medicare-proposed Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model, ROCR retains the advantages of episode-based payments while fixing major flaws, including excessive payment cuts and burdensome quality reporting. By ensuring fair and sustainable reimbursement, ROCR safeguards patient access to high-quality, evidence-based radiation therapy, helping to close treatment gaps and strengthen the nation’s cancer care system. 
    The ROCR Act:
    Implements a patient-centric, episode-based payment system that aligns financial incentives with clinical care guidelines.
    Promotes the use of evidence-based, shorter treatment course when clinically appropriate, reducing physical and financial strain on patients. 
    Enhances quality and safety standards by incentivizing practice accreditation and timely adoption of new technologies for improved care.
    Provides targeted assistance to address transportation barriers that prevent patients in rural and underserved areas from accessing or completing treatment. 
    Standardizes technical payments across hospital-based and free-standing practice settings.
    Full text of the bill is available HERE. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Will Vote No on Republican Bill That Would Cement Elon Musk’s Harmful DOGE Cuts at the Expense of Middle-Class Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    March 14, 2025
    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement announcing she will vote no on Republicans’ extremely harmful continuing resolution:
    “I refuse to vote for Republicans’ highly-partisan slush fund bill that grants Donald Trump and co-President Elon Musk permission to continue rigging our government and our economy against the middle class. After weeks of an unelected billionaire taking a chainsaw to programs and services that millions depend on, Republicans are ramming through a bill that would greenlight more of the same chaos—and further cut programs for middle-class Americans, seniors and Veterans in order to carve out tax cuts for billionaires. Hell no, I cannot support that.
    “Americans deserve so much better. Before the clock runs out, it’s time for Republicans to come back to the negotiating table that they walked away from and strike a bipartisan deal to keep our government open, invest in families and protect our national security. If they don’t, then make no mistake: Republicans own whatever outcome tomorrow may bring.”
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: G7 Foreign Ministers’ Declaration on Maritime Security and Prosperity

    Source: Government of Canada News

    March 14, 2025 – Charlevoix, Québec – Global Affairs Canada

    1. We, the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, reaffirm the G7’s steadfast commitment to contribute towards a free, open, and secure maritime domain based on the rule of law that strengthens international security, fosters economic prosperity, and ensures the sustainable use of marine resources.

    2. Maritime security and prosperity are fundamental to global stability, economic resilience, and the well-being of all nations, and the conservation and sustainable use of ocean ecosystems is essential to all life on Earth. Over 80% of global trade is transported by sea, and 97% of global data flows through submarine cables. Disruptions to maritime routes pose a direct threat to international food security, critical minerals, energy security, global supply chains, and economic stability. We express deep concern over the growing risks to maritime security, including strategic contestation, threats to freedom of navigation and overflight, and illicit shipping activities. State behaviour in these areas has increased the risk of conflict and environmental damage, and imperils all nations’ prosperity and living standards, especially for the world’s poorest. 

    3. We recognize the role of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the legal framework for governing all activities in the oceans and the seas.

    4. We recall the G7 Statements on Maritime Security adopted in Lübeck (2015) and Hiroshima (2016). We welcome related work presently underway through other G7 ministerial tracks and working groups, on a range of issues including securing undersea cable networks and combating abandoned fishing gear. We welcome, as well, G7 work relating to transnational organized crime and terrorism that touches on the maritime domain, including in relation to piracy and armed robbery at sea, trafficking in persons, and strengthening the maritime law enforcement capabilities of coastal states. We acknowledge the importance of regional maritime security frameworks, to support coastal states to address collectively threats to their maritime security. We welcome existing initiatives, such as the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (G7++ FoGG, that Canada chairs this year), which has been the primary forum for dialogue among G7 members and partners on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.

    Emerging Threat on Safe Seas and Freedom of Navigation and Overflight

    5. Enhancing Stability: We underscore the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight and other internationally lawful uses of the high seas and the exclusive economic zones as well as to the related rights and freedoms in other maritime zones, including the rights of innocent passage, transit passage and archipelagic sea lanes passage, as provided for under international law. We share a growing concern at recent, unjustifiable efforts to restrict such freedom and to expand jurisdiction through use of force and other forms of coercion, including across the Taiwan Strait, and the South China Sea, the Red Sea, and the Black Sea. We condemn China’s illicit, provocative, coercive and dangerous actions that seek unilaterally to alter the status quo in such a way as to risk undermining the stability of regions, including through land reclamations, and building of outposts, as well as their use for military purpose. In areas pending final delimitation, we underline the importance of coastal states refraining from unilateral actions that cause permanent physical change to the marine environment insofar as such actions jeopardize or hamper the reaching of the final agreement, as well as the importance of making every effort to enter into provisional arrangements of a practical nature, in those areas. We condemn, as well, dangerous vessel maneuvers, the indiscriminate attacks against commercial vessels and other maritime actions that undermine maritime order based on the rule of law and international law. We reiterate that the award rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal on 12 July 2016 is a significant milestone, which is legally binding upon the parties to those proceedings and a useful basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties. We reaffirm that our basic policies on Taiwan remain unchanged and emphasize the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as indispensable to international security and prosperity. We welcome the resumption of exports from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. Freedom of navigation for commercial shipping in the Black Sea must be upheld.

    6. Attempts to Change the Status Quo by Force: We oppose unilateral attempts to change the status quo, in particular by force or coercion including in the East and South China Seas. We undertake to implement means through which to track systematically and report on attempts to change the status quo by force and by the establishment of new geographical facts, including through coercive and dangerous actions on the oceans and seas that might threaten regional and international peace and security.

    7. Protecting Critical Maritime and Undersea Infrastructure: We are seized of the fact that vital energy and telecommunications infrastructure under the oceans and seas connects our economies and is vital to our prosperity. We recall the G7 Joint Statement on Cable Connectivity for Secure and Resilient Digital Communications Networks (2024) and the New York Joint Statement on the Security and Resilience of Undersea Cables in a Globally Digitalized World (2024). We share a growing concern that undersea communications cables, subsea interconnectors and other critical undersea infrastructure have been subject to critical damage through sabotage, poor seamanship or irresponsible behaviour which have resulted in potential internet or energy disruption in affected regions, delays in global data transmission, or compromised sensitive communications. We will enhance our cooperation with industry to mitigate risks, reduce bottlenecks to operational tasks while strengthening repair capacities in order to improve the overall resilience of critical undersea and maritime infrastructure. In this respect, we welcome the EU Action Plan on Cable Security adopted in February 2025 by the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

    8. Maritime Crime: Maritime crime, including piracy, armed robbery at sea, maritime arms trafficking and sanctions evasion, human trafficking, illegal drug trafficking and Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated (IUU) fishing, continues to impede maritime security, freedom of navigation, and our economy and prosperity. We have been working together to tackle these maritime crimes, but maritime illegal activities have extended into new areas, to become an urgent issue to be addressed. We welcome the G7 Action Plan to combat migrant smuggling adopted under Italy’s 2024 G7 Presidency.

    9. Protecting Freedom of Trade: In the past year, indiscriminate Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have endangered maritime security of vessels and their crews, disturbed international trade, and exposed neighboring countries to environmental hazards. Enabled by Iran’s military, financial, and intelligence support, these illegal attacks have also contributed to increased tension in the Middle East and Yemen, with severe repercussions on the intra-Yemeni peace process. The vessel “Galaxy Leader” seized by the Houthis must be released immediately. We appreciate the efforts of all those countries that have engaged to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, protecting crucial shipping lanes and helping to restore regular flows of trade through the Suez Canal connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In this regard, we commend the efforts of EU’s maritime operation “Aspides” and U.S.-led operation “Prosperity Guardian”.

    Safe Shipping and Supply Chain Security

    10. Curtailing Unsafe and Illicit Shipping Practices: The rise of unsafe and illicit shipping practices, including fraudulent registration and registries, poses a significant threat to global trade and environmental sustainability.  We are concerned that unsafe and illicit shipping imposes heavy costs on industry, governments and citizens. Russia’s ability to earn revenue has been sustained through its extensive effort to circumvent the G7+ oil price cap policy through its shadow fleet of often older, underinsured, and poorly maintained ships that routinely disable their automatic identification systems or engage in “spoofing” to avoid detection and circumvent international safety, environmental, and liability rules and standards. North Korea continues to pursue its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and evade sanctions, particularly through its illicit maritime activities, including prohibited ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum and other UN-banned commodities. Through G7 coordination, we have exposed North Korea uses of “dark” vessels – those that engage in illicit activity – to circumvent United Nations Security Council mandated sanctions. Russia and North Korea are strengthening their economic relations including through maritime routes, such as the reported transfer of petroleum products from Russia to North Korea. Unregulated, “dark” vessels undertake IUU fishing, destroying marine habitats and depleting fish stocks, with negative impacts for biodiversity and food security. Unregulated, inadequately insured “dark” vessels also pose a high risk of maritime accidents, including in fragile ecosystems such as the Arctic and Antarctic. We commit to strengthening our coordination, amongst the G7 and with other partners, to prevent the use of unregistered or fraudulently registered, uninsured and substandard vessels engaged in sanctions evasion, arms transfers, illegal fishing and illicit trade. We encourage relevant International Organizations to improve maritime domain awareness by expanding satellite-based vessel tracking and establishing comprehensive data records of the movement of individual ships and of ship-to-ship transfers, as a means of identifying and tracking illicit maritime activities. We are also committed to capacity building of the countries in the region in law enforcement and Maritime Domain Awareness.

    11. Shadow Fleet Task Force: We invite members of the Nordic-Baltic 8 (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden), and possibly others, to join participating G7 members in a Shadow Fleet Task Force to enhance monitoring and detection and to otherwise constrain the use of shadow fleets engaged in illegal, unsafe or environmentally perilous activities, building on the work of others active in this area. The Task Force will constitute a response by the participating States to the call by the International Maritime Organization in its Resolution A.1192(33) of 6 December 2023 for Members States and all relevant stakeholders to promote actions to prevent illegal operations in the maritime sector by shadow fleets and their flag states, including illegal operations for the purposes of circumventing sanctions, evading compliance with safety or environmental regulations, avoiding insurance costs, or engaging in other illegal activities.

    12. Enhancing Maritime Supply Chain Resilience and Energy and Food Security: Maritime supply chains will continue to underpin the global economy, but these face a variety of threats, both present and future, stemming from both geopolitical tensions and environmental factors.  Maritime disruptions raise consumer costs, increase transit times, and can reduce demand in importing countries, which in turn means lower revenues and diminished competitiveness for producers in exporting countries. Such vulnerabilities in maritime transport can undermine energy and food security, particularly for developing nations reliant on stable shipping routes, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). We welcome maritime initiatives involving and supported by G7 partners intended to promote energy and food security, such as the Grain from Ukraine scheme, and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. We invite cooperation with the African Union (pursuant to Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy 2050) and other relevant International Organizations to identify best practices for enhancing maritime supply chain resilience and for safeguarding energy and food security, including in times of geopolitical crisis. 

    13. Promoting Safe and Resilient Ports and Strategic Waterways: Port ownership and operational control matter to national security, as foreign control or influence over critical port infrastructure can create vulnerabilities in trade, in defence and security, and in economic stability. Port resilience is also crucial to economic stability and global trade and yet ports face growing risks from environmental degradation, extreme weather events and geopolitical conflicts. Strengthening port security and modernizing infrastructure are essential to maintaining safe and efficient maritime trade. Ensuring that the ownership and management of strategic waterways and key maritime choke points are not vulnerable to undue influence by potential adversaries is also essential to national security. We underscore the importance of scrutiny of ownership structures and port management and resilience within our own national jurisdictions, including with regard to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) systems, to ensure that adversaries do not gain leverage over supply chains, military operations, or the flow of strategic resources. We will work with partners and with relevant International Organizations to encourage robust cybersecurity standards for port ICT infrastructure, to increase resilience against malicious cyber incidents on maritime logistical networks, to reduce monopolistic power over key supply chain nodes, to promote secure and transparent port ownership, to limit unsolicited or undue foreign influence over critical infrastructures and strategic waterways, and to otherwise encourage greater focus on such potential vulnerabilities.

    14. Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) at sea poses a significant hazard to the marine environment, to the safety of fishermen and other users of the maritime space, and to various marine economic activities. We commit to enhancing diplomatic efforts and to exchanging best practices among national authorities, relevant international and regional organizations, and relevant industry sectors to accelerate the clean-up of UXO from the seas and ocean.

    Sustainable Stewardship of Maritime Resources

    15. Strengthen Enforcement Against IUU Fishing: IUU fishing is a major contributor to declining fish stocks and to marine habitat destruction. It may account for a third of all fishing activity worldwide, at a cost to the global economy of more than US$23 billion per year and with negative consequences for fisheries as an enduring economic asset, including for developing countries. We welcome the Canadian-led Dark Vessel Detection System in Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, the Philippines, and members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and would see value in replicating the model to support other partners whose fisheries are under threat from IUU fishing. We recognize that data sharing and transparency play a key role in this fight by exposing bad actors and that technological advances can support a robust Monitoring, Control and Surveillance and enforcement landscape. We encourage further progress in addressing IUU fishing, working with and through relevant International Organizations to establish and strengthen rules to sustainably manage fish stocks on the high seas and to improve the enforcement of these measures, including through the further development of detection technologies, aircraft patrols and high seas boarding and inspection of vessels, building upon the 2022 G7 Ocean Deal.

    16. We welcome the Third UN Ocean Conference, in Nice, France, from 9 to 13 June 2025.

    PARTNERSHIPS

    17. This G7 Maritime Security and Prosperity Declaration provides a framework for cooperation with non-G7 partners, including countries hosting major ports, large merchant fleets, or extensive flag registries as well as relevant regional and International Organizations, such as the International Maritime Organization and ASEAN. We would welcome robust cooperation with partners to take forward the goals set out in this Declaration, consistent with the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, under the efforts of the G7 countries, including a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific region, to build a free and open maritime order based on the rule of law, and of commitment to the sustainable development of the world’s maritime spaces.

    18. We welcome the cooperation on Coast Guard Functions, including the Global Coast Guard Forum hosted by Italy in 2025, as well as the Arctic Coast Guard Forum, which could also support the objectives of this Declaration.

    [14] March 2025

    Charlevoix, Canada

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Swearing-in of the 30th Canadian Ministry

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    Today, at a ceremony presided by the Governor General, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, at Rideau Hall, Canada’s new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, was sworn in alongside members of the 30th Canadian Ministry.

    This new, leaner, focused Cabinet includes returning ministers, seasoned leaders, and new voices who will bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the team as it delivers on the things that matter most to Canadians, such as strengthening Canada’s economy and security.

    The new Cabinet is as follows:

    • Mark Carney, Prime Minister
    • Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs and President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada
    • Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development
    • François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance
    • Anita Anand, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
    • Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence
    • Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services
    • Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
    • Ginette Petitpas Taylor, President of the Treasury Board
    • Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, Parks Canada and Quebec Lieutenant
    • Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Transport and Internal Trade
    • Kamal Khera, Minister of Health
    • Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs
    • Rechie Valdez, Chief Government Whip
    • Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Jobs and Families
    • David J. McGuinty, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
    • Terry Duguid, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
    • Nate Erskine-Smith, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
    • Rachel Bendayan, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
    • Élisabeth Brière, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canada Revenue Agency
    • Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
    • Arielle Kayabaga, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Democratic Institutions
    • Kody Blois, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Rural Economic Development
    • Ali Ehsassi, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Services and Procurement

    This team reflects the ambition that makes Canada strong and it will work each day to protect workers, families, and businesses. It will take action to unite Canadians, defend Canada’s sovereignty in the face of unjustified trade actions by the United States, make Canada an energy superpower in both conventional and clean energy, create new trade corridors with reliable partners, and build one Canadian economy – the strongest economy in the G7.

    Quote

    “This team is built for immediate action and focused on protecting Canadian workers, supporting their families, and growing this great country. We are changing how things work, so our government can deliver to Canadians faster – and we have an experienced team that is made to meet the moment we are in. Our government is united and strong, and we are getting right to work.”

    Quick Facts

    • Mark Carney is Canada’s 24th Prime Minister.
    • The 30th Canadian Ministry consists of a total of 23 ministers, in addition to the Prime Minister.
    • The Cabinet is the central decision-making forum in government, responsible for its administration and the establishment of its policy. Its members are each responsible for individual portfolios or departments.

    Associated Link

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Colorado Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by Summer Drought

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Colorado of the April 14, 2025, deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the drought beginning Aug. 6, 2024.

    The disaster declaration covers the counties of Adams, Boulder, Broomfield, Gilpin, Grand, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld.

    Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs with financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.

    EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the drought and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    “SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”

    The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

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

    Submit completed loan applications to the SBA no later than April 14.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Kansas Private Nonprofits Affected by April Storms

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Kansas of the April 15, 2025, deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding occurring April 25-30, 2024.

    The disaster declaration covers the counties of Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Elk, Greenwood, Linn, Morris, Neosho, Pottawatomie, Wilson and Woodson.

    Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to PNPs providing non-critical services of a governmental nature who suffered financial losses directly related to the disaster. Examples of eligible non-critical PNPs include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools and colleges.

    EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    “SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.” 

    The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 3.25% and terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

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

    Submit completed loan applications no later than April 15.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Texas Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by Hurricane Beryl

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Texas of the April 14, 2025, deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by Hurricane Beryl occurring July 5-9, 2024.

    The disaster declaration covers the counties of Angelina, Austin, Bowie, Brazoria, Calhoun, Cass, Chambers, Cherokee, Colorado, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Houston, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Lavaca, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Montgomery, Morris, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Panola, Polk, Red River, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Washington and Wharton in Texas, as well as the counties of Little River and Miller in Arkansas, Calcasieu, Cameron, De Soto and Sabine parishes in Louisiana, and McCurtain County in Oklahoma.

    Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs with financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.

    EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    “SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.” 

    The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

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

    Submit completed loan applications to the SBA no later than is April 14, 2025.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Idaho Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by the Teton Pass Landslide

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Idaho of the April 14, 2025, deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the Teton Pass landslide occurring June 8, 2024.

    The disaster declaration covers the counties of Bonneville, Fremont, Madison and Teton in Idaho, as well as Teton County in Wyoming.

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

    EIDLs are for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business did not suffer any physical damage. They may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    “SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”

    The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

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

    Submit completed loan applications to the SBA no later than April 14, 2025.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Albion Crown VCT PLC: Half-yearly Financial Report

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Albion Crown VCT PLC
    LEI Number: 213800SYIQPA3L3T1Q68
    14 March 2025

    Albion Crown VCT PLC (the “Company”)
    Half-yearly Financial Report for the six months to 31 December 2024

    Results announcement
    The Company’s Directors are pleased to attach the Company’s Half-yearly Financial Report for the six months to 31 December 2024. A summary of the information includes:

    Ordinary shares

    • Loss in the period of 0.25 pence per Ordinary share (-0.8% on opening net asset value) (31 December 2023: loss of 1.29 pence per Ordinary share).
    • Ordinary shares net asset value of £92.6 million, being 31.17 pence per Ordinary share (30 June 2024: £97.0 million and 32.20 pence per Ordinary share).
    • Dividend of 0.81 pence per Ordinary share paid during the period (31 December 2023: 0.83 pence per Ordinary share).
    • Dividend declared of 0.78 pence per Ordinary share to be paid on 30 April 2025 to shareholders on the register on 11 April 2025.

    C shares

    • Return in the period* of 1.43 pence per C share (3.4% on opening net asset value).
    • C shares net asset value of £58.0 million, being 43.27 pence per C share.
    • Dividend declared of 1.08 pence per C share to be paid on 30 April 2025 to shareholders on the register on 11 April 2025.

    * The C shares period is from the date of merger on 19 December 2024 to 31 December 2024.

    Full details are contained in the Half-yearly Financial Report for the six months to 31 December 2024, which is attached to this announcement. Alternatively, copies are available on the Company’s webpage on the Manager’s website at: www.albion.capital/CRWN31Dec2024.

    In accordance with the UK Listing Rules, a copy of the report will be submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at: https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism.

    For further details about the Company please visit the Company’s webpage on the Manager’s website at: www.albion.capital/vct-funds/CRWN.

    Vikash Hansrani
    Operations Partner
    Albion Capital Group LLP
    Telephone: 020 7601 1850

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Mountain America Credit Union Donates $17,500 to the American Red Cross of Utah

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SANDY, Utah, March 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mountain America Credit Union continues its tradition of supporting the American Red Cross of Utah with a recent $17,500 donation. Since 2018, Mountain America has contributed annually to the American Red Cross, reinforcing its commitment to helping communities in times of need. As part of the ongoing effort, Mountain America adds $50 to the total donation amount for every three-point shot made by the Brigham Young University (BYU) men’s basketball team. This latest gift brings the total funds donated to the American Red Cross of Utah since 2018 to $157,000.

    A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

    “Every three-pointer represents more than just points on the board—it symbolizes our commitment to leave a lasting mark on the communities we serve,” said Nathan Andersen, chief operating officer and executive vice president at Mountain America. “With the American Red Cross and BYU, we are turning on-court success into meaningful community impact.”

    The American Red Cross will use the funds to assist Utah communities in preparing for, preventing, and responding to emergencies, including house fires. They have been serving the state for more than 100 years, delivering services across the Greater Salt Lake Area chapter, Northern Utah chapter, and Central Southern Utah chapter.

    “We’re so grateful for the yearslong support of Mountain America Credit Union,” said Adam S. Whitaker, chief development officer for the Utah Nevada Region of the American Red Cross. “Their partnership with BYU athletics is inspiring and exciting in the way it lifts people in real and measurable need here at home and around the country. Mountain America’s generosity does that, and we couldn’t do our work without them.”

    For more information about Mountain America’s community involvement activities, visit macu.com/newsroom.

    About Mountain America Credit Union
    With more than 1 million members and $20 billion in assets, Mountain America Credit Union helps its members define and achieve their financial dreams. Mountain America provides consumers and businesses with a variety of convenient, flexible products and services, as well as sound, timely advice. Members enjoy access to secure, cutting-edge mobile banking technology, over 100 branches across multiple states, and more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs. Mountain America—guiding you forward. Learn more at macu.com.

    The MIL Network –