NewzIntel.com

Category: Economy

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Acting CE meets Governor of Hunan Province (with photo)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Acting CE meets Governor of Hunan Province (with photo) 
         Mr Chan welcomed Mr Mao and his delegation to Hong Kong to organise an exchange conference promoting economic and trade co-operation between Hunan and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Mr Chan said that Hong Kong and Hunan have been maintaining close economic and trade relations, and Hong Kong has been a significant source of external investment and an important trading partner for Hunan. In the past year, Hong Kong established 208 foreign-invested enterprises in Hunan, and the total value of imports and exports between the two places reached about RMB56.3 billion. Many Hong Kong enterprises have investment projects in Hunan. He pointed out that under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong has the distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world. Hong Kong will fully leverage its strengths as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” to assist Hunan in expanding into international markets. He believes that the two places can complement each other’s strengths and achieve mutual success through collaboration.
     
         Mr Chan said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is determined to develop the low-altitude economy and has set up a working group to formulate the development strategy. Hunan is the first province in the country to pilot the opening of an entire low-altitude area, and possesses policy and industrial strengths. He believes that the two places can strengthen exchanges and co-operation in the field of low-altitude economy.
     
         Mr Chan also mentioned that after the commissioning of Express Rail Link service between Hong Kong and Changsha, the shortest travelling time between the two places was reduced to within three hours. With profound historical and cultural value, Hunan Province has become a popular travel destination for Hong Kong citizens. He also hoped that citizens of Hunan would visit Hong Kong more often to experience the charm of Hong Kong as an events capital, further promoting cultural exchanges between the two places. Hong Kong will continue to strengthen co-operation with Hunan in areas including trade, culture, tourism and youth exchanges, with a view to making greater contributions to the country’s development together.
    Issued at HKT 18:35

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Support for Seaboard Centre – Community Hub For Easter Ross

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    Highland Opportunity Investments Limited, (HOIL) has recently provided Seaboard Memorial Hall Limited in Balintore with funding towards their on-going development plans.  

    HOIL, The Highland Council’s business loan company supports Highland based businesses and encourages applications from all business sectors, including community organisations. Interested businesses benefit from straightforward loan conditions and a tailored offer to support their project. 

    Seaboard Memorial Hall Limited approached HOIL for a working capital loan to support their growth aspirations.  These funds will contribute to the provision of facilities and services to the local community and beyond.   Recent initiatives include the completion of three stone entrances at the Seaboard Villages and the future development of The John Ross Visitor website.

    Seaboard Memorial Hall Limited is a registered charity, which has been trading since 2001. The charity provides employment for 15 people and re-invests all its profits to provide facilities and services to the local community and visitors to Easter Ross. The Seaboard Centre, also known as the Seaboard Memorial Hall, is a community-run hall based in the Seaboard Villages of Easter Ross.  The Centre provides venue, meeting room hire and hot desk workspaces. The Seaboard Café offers homemade baking and lunches.  In addition, visitor facilities are available for public use and include a disabled access toilet and shower, washing machine, tumble dryer and hairdryer.  There is also a free Chemical Waste Disposal Unit.

    Councillor Paul Oldham, Chair of HOIL said: “I welcome this opportunity to help the Seaboard Memorial Hall with their finances. The hall provides invaluable facilities and services to the people of and visitors to the Seaboard Villages of Easter Ross.

    “The Community Loan Fund managed by HOIL provides accessible and affordable finance for community organisations across the Highlands and is one of several funds we can use to help projects across the area.”

    Maureen Ross, Director of Seaboard Memorial Trust Limited said: “Cashflow for a business is so important and something we take very seriously.  Due to the timing of recoverable VAT on a large community project we realised we would be under pressure for several months.  Therefore, to keep operations running smoothly we took the proactive move of approaching Highland Opportunity Investments Ltd for a loan which would bridge that period of need easing pressure.  The whole process was easy, and people were very helpful throughout.”

    To find out more about the support HOIL can provide businesses with, visit here or email hoil@highland.gov.uk

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Vasquez and Zinke Welcome Over a Dozen Members to Bipartisan Public Lands Caucus

    Source: US Representative Gabe Vasquez’s (NM-02)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, U.S. Representatives Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.-02) and Ryan Zinke (R-MT-01) launched the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus. At a press conference on Capitol Hill today, U.S. Representatives Gabe Vasquez and Ryan Zinke officially launched the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus, uniting more than a dozen members to protect America’s public lands from privatization and ensure access for future generations.

     

    WATCH: Public Lands Caucus Press Conference

     

    PHOTOS: Public Lands Press Caucus

     

    Vasquez and Zinke spoke at a press conference this afternoon. Here’s a snapshot of the purpose of the new bipartisan caucus:

     

    • Vasquez, Zinke to launch caucus to oppose public lands sales – E&E News – Reps. Gabe Vasquez and Ryan Zinke are teaming up to launch a bipartisan public lands caucus as Republicans eye selling off federal land as a possible revenue raiser in their mega budget reconciliation bill. The duo hopes the bipartisan show of force helps squash any potential GOP effort to sell any public lands — located mostly in the West — to help build more affordable housing to address a nationwide shortage. They are launching the caucus of more than 10 members, most of whom represent Western states and districts.

     

    • Vasquez and Zinke launch bipartisan Public Lands Caucus – Albuquerque Journal – …the new Public Lands Caucus is meant to create space for bipartisan discussion on issues like improving public land access and how to better regulate multi-use for public lands. “Amidst the partisan fights that are happening in Washington, public lands is a place where we can still work across the aisle, and where we saw an opportunity to bring some of our colleagues on board for the protection and conservation of our federal lands, and in particular, to stop the sale and transfer of federal lands,” Vasquez said.

     

    • New, bipartisan ‘Public Lands Caucus’ challenges GOP and Trump – Washington Examiner – In advance of creating their caucus, Vasquez and Zinke proposed the “Public Lands in Public Hands Act” to stop the sale or transfer of public lands. Their efforts have been endorsed by several bipartisan groups eager to block the sale or misuse of federal lands, including Trout Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, and the Sierra Club.

     

    • ORR Applauds Formation of Bipartisan House Public Lands Caucus – RVPRO – The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), a coalition of outdoor recreation trade associations representing the $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation economy, said it applauds the formation of the newly established bipartisan Public Lands Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. Reps. Gabe Vasquez (New Mexico) and Ryan Zinke (Montana) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers announced the launch of the caucus Wednesday, May 7 at a press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol with a mission to protect public lands, expand access and promote economic and recreational opportunities.

     

    ***

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The Ugly Truth About the “Big Beautiful Bill”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson
    Originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal 
    The “One Big Beautiful Bill” that Congress is working on is certainly big, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Too often the reality of these budget debates gets obscured in details, politically charged issues and demagoguery. Let me attempt to clarify the current discussion by focusing on the most important facts and numbers. 
    In fiscal 2019, federal outlays totaled $4.45 trillion, or 20.6% of gross domestic product. This year, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s January 2025 projection, total outlays will be $7.03 trillion, or 23.3% of GDP. That’s a 58% increase over six years. The CBO projects federal outlays will total $89.3 trillion across fiscal 2026-35. Much of the blame goes to pandemic spending, but lockdowns are long over. There’s nothing now to justify this abnormal level of government spending. Pathetically, Congress is having a hard time agreeing on a reduction of even $1.5 trillion from that 10-year amount. That’s a 1.68% cut—a little more than a rounding error. My guess is that much of that minuscule decrease will be backloaded to the end of the 10 years for which Congress is now budgeting, increasing the probability those savings will never be realized.
    Other than during World War II, the increase in spending we’ve experienced over the past six years is unprecedented. After the war, Congress and President Truman understood the importance of returning spending to normal levels. In 1941, total outlays were $13.7 billion, or 11.7% of GDP. They peaked in 1945 at $92.7 billion, or 41% of GDP. That was a 577% increase, 10 times as large as what we experienced with the pandemic. Yet by 1948, federal outlays were $29.8 billion and back to a little over 11% of GDP.
    Since 1948, government has steadily grown, and spending as a percentage of GDP has more than doubled. That level far exceeds the size and scope of government the Founders envisioned. In 1930, prior to President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, federal outlays were 3.5% of GDP, while state and local expenditures were 9.1%. That was the foundational premise of America and the 10th Amendment—a limited federal government with most governing occurring close to the governed at the state and local level. 
    That vision of limited federal government is now unattainable, but returning to a reasonable pre-pandemic level of spending is doable. The economy is no longer forcibly shut down. Congress should at least be able to bring spending back to its 2019 share of GDP, which would total $6.47 trillion next fiscal year. This would be $838 billion below the CBO’s current fiscal 2026 spending projection of $7.29 trillion. Returning federal outlays to 20.6% of GDP would save $8.4 trillion over 10 years. That’s a lot better than the current paltry goal of $1.5 trillion.
    It’s essential that Congress deviate from its current path. Under every scenario now being considered, federal debt continues to skyrocket from its current level of almost $37 trillion. The CBO’s current projection adds around $22 trillion over the next 10 years, resulting in total debt of approximately $59 trillion—134% of GDP—in 2035. That projection assumes an automatic tax increase will occur in 2026 when provisions of the 2017 tax cuts expire, increasing revenue from 17.1% of GDP in fiscal 2025 to an average of 18.1% over the next 10 years. With the CBO projecting 10-year GDP at $373 trillion, that 1% increase represents $3.7 trillion of additional revenue and lower debt. 
    No one can accurately predict the dynamic economic effects of changes in tax law, tariffs and the current trade war. But by repealing the automatic tax increase, adding $1.5 trillion in additional tax cuts, pumping around $340 billion into additional border and defense spending, and reducing other spending by at most $1.5 trillion, the One Big Beautiful Bill will almost certainly add to our deficits and debt. I doubt Mr. Trump’s voters expect us to continue spending at President Biden’s levels, which led to the inflation they elected Republicans last year to stop. I doubt, too, that Trump voters will be elated to see the GOP embrace Democratic policies and priorities—including ObamaCare, which seems to have found new life under the name “Medicaid expansion.” And I can’t imagine that they want Republicans to increase annual deficits. That’s why I can’t support this bill as it’s currently being discussed and doubt that it will pass the Senate.
    It’s also why I’m asking the president and congressional leaders to reconsider a multistep strategy on budget reconciliation. By immediately passing a bill based on the Senate’s original budget resolution, we can fund border security and defense priorities and bank $850 billion in real spending reductions. The next step would be to pass a bill that extends current tax law to prevent the automatic 2026 tax increase, and avoids default by including a smaller increase in the debt ceiling that maintains the pressure and leverage to achieve future spending reductions. 
    With those goals achieved, sufficient incentive would remain to address President Trump’s tax proposals focusing on working men and women and the already-expired business tax provisions of his 2017 tax law. It would also give us the time to simplify and rationalize the tax code, and go line by line through the entire federal budget to uncover, expose, and eliminate the hundreds of billions of dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse that the DOGE effort has shown exists. If we don’t, America is headed off a cliff.
    Mr. Johnson, a Republican, is a U.S. senator from Wisconsin.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Woodbridge, Connecticut, Man Admits $2.3 Million Pandemic Relief Program Scheme

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that on May 9, 2025, YASIR G. HAMED, 60, of Woodbridge, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to offenses stemming from a scheme to defraud a COVID-19 pandemic relief program of more than $2.3 million.

    In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act provided emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).  The PPP was overseen by the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”), and individual PPP loans were issued by private lenders, which received and processed PPP applications and supporting documentation, and then made loans using the lenders’ own funds, which were guaranteed by the SBA.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Hamed, an accountant, had an ownership interest or representative relationship with several New Haven-based businesses, including Access Consulting and Professional Services Inc.; Connecticut Medical Transportation Inc.; Arabic Language Learning Program Inc.; Institute for Global Educational Exchange Inc.; Access Medical Transport Inc.; Ikea Car & Limo Inc.; Center of the World Tours, North America LLC.; and Sudanese American Friendship Association Inc.  Between June 2020 and September 2021, Hamed submitted fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of these companies, overstating employee numbers and average monthly payroll, and making other fraudulent representations.  As part of the applications, he submitted false tax filings that had never been filed with the IRS.

    Hamed also submitted PPP loan applications on behalf of companies owned by his clients.  In at least one instance, Hamed convinced the owner of a business, which he knew was not active and had no employees, to seek PPP funding.  Hamed prepared the paperwork for the PPP application and then took a significant portion of the loan proceeds.

    Through this scheme, Hamed obtained than $2.3 million in PPP loans for his businesses and for his clients, receiving more than $1 million in loan proceeds for himself and his family, and significant kickbacks from his clients.  Hamed used the funds for personal expenses, including education expenses for a family member, and for a downpayment on a $880,000 house in Woodbridge that he purchased in October 2020.

    Hamed has agreed to pay $2,384,772 in restitution.

    Hamed pleaded guilty to bank fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, and engaging in illegal monetary transactions, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.  Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for August 8.

    Hamed was arrested on November 13, 2024.  He is released on a $500,000 bond pending sentencing.

    This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese Premier Meets Brazilian President

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) — Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Beijing on Tuesday.

    Li Qiang pointed out that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Brazil relations have entered a golden period of development. He said that China is willing to work with Brazil to maintain high-level exchanges, deepen political mutual trust, continuously enrich the strategic content of bilateral relations, comprehensively expand mutually beneficial cooperation, move forward shoulder to shoulder, and promote mutual achievements on the path of modernization.

    According to the head of the Chinese government, in the current complex and volatile international situation, China and Brazil, as large developing countries and important growing economies, should strengthen solidarity and cooperation, and jointly cope with risks and challenges.

    China, Li Qiang continued, hopes to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with Brazil, tap into the complementary advantages of industrial structures, identify more areas of common interest, deepen cooperation in areas such as finance, trade, investment, infrastructure, industrial chains and green transformation, and create more flagship projects.

    The Premier also called on the two sides to step up cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, digital economy, advanced manufacturing and biomedicine, constantly enhancing the innovative momentum in practical cooperation.

    China is willing to strengthen multilateral communication and coordination with Brazil, continue to firmly safeguard the central role of the UN, adhere to genuine multilateralism, promote the building of an equal and orderly multipolar world and an inclusive economic globalization that benefits everyone, promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and contribute important energy to safeguarding world peace and stability, Li added.

    L. I. Lula da Silva, for his part, assured that Brazil attaches great importance to the development of relations with China, expects to further expand high-level exchanges with China, strengthen the alignment of Brazil’s development strategy with the Belt and Road initiative, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.

    Brazil is willing to strengthen multilateral communication and cooperation with China, uphold multilateralism, jointly resist unilateralism and protectionism, defend national sovereignty and promote the common development of the Global South, the Brazilian leader added. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: EMGS reports first quarter 2025 results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA’s (“EMGS” or the “Company”) financial report and market presentation for the first quarter of 2025 are attached.

    Summary:

    * The Company recorded revenues of USD 10.0 million, up from USD 0.2 million in the first quarter of 2024 and up from USD 9.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2024.

    * Adjusted EBITDA (including capitalised multi-client expenses and vessel and office lease expenses) of USD 2.0 million, up from negative USD 3.8 million in the first quarter of 2024.

    * Free cash decreased with USD 3.1 million during the quarter, to USD 6.0 million.

    * During the quarter, the Atlantic Guardian completed the first of two proprietary acquisitions in India and commenced mobilisation for the second proprietary acquisition.

    * Subsequent to the end of the quarter, on 6 May 2025, EMGS announced the establishment of a new business platform within offshore subsea construction through the acquisition of the OSCV Siem Day.

    A pre-recorded presentation will be available over the internet from 20:00 (local time Norway) today. To access the presentation, please go to the Company’s homepage (www.emgs.com) and follow the link.

    Contact
    Anders Eimstad, Chief Financial Officer, +47 94 82 58 36

    About EMGS
    EMGS, the marine EM market leader, uses its proprietary electromagnetic (EM) technology to support oil and gas companies in their search for offshore hydrocarbons. EMGS supports each stage in the workflow, from survey design and data acquisition to processing and interpretation. The Company’s services enable the integration of EM data with seismic and other geophysical and geological information to give explorationists a clearer and more complete understanding of the subsurface. This improves exploration efficiency and reduces risks and the finding costs per barrel. CSEM technology can also be used to detect the presence of marine mineral deposits (primarily Seabed Massive Sulphides) and EMGS believes that the technology can also be used to estimate the mineral content of such deposits. The Company is undertaking early-stage initiatives to position itself in this future market.

    This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

    Attachments

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Saudi Arabia and NVIDIA to Build AI Factories to Power Next Wave of Intelligence for the Age of Reasoning

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NVIDIA and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) today announced partnerships to transform the country into a global powerhouse in AI, cloud and enterprise computing, digital twins and robotics.

    During a state visit today with U.S. President Donald Trump and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang said that the effort will harness sovereign AI infrastructure and expertise to propel Saudi Arabia to the ranks of global hyperscale AI leaders.

    “AI, like electricity and internet, is essential infrastructure for every nation,” Huang said. “Together with HUMAIN, we are building AI infrastructure for the people and companies of Saudi Arabia to realize the bold vision of the Kingdom.”

    “Our partnership with NVIDIA is a bold step forward in realizing the Kingdom’s ambitions to lead in AI and advanced digital infrastructure,” said Tareq Amin, CEO of HUMAIN. “Together, we are building the capacity, capability and a new globally enabled community to shape a future powered by intelligent technology and empowered people.”

    Powerful Partnerships

    NVIDIA and leading Saudi organizations will work together on several key initiatives:

    • HUMAIN, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund focused on AI, is making a major investment to build AI factories in KSA with a projected capacity of up to 500 megawatts powered by several hundred thousand of NVIDIA’s most advanced GPUs over the next five years. The first phase of deployment will be an 18,000 NVIDIA GB300 Grace Blackwell AI supercomputer with NVIDIA InfiniBand networking.
    • HUMAIN will deploy the country’s first NVIDIA Omniverse Cloud to simulate and test physical AI solutions with digital twins.
    • NVIDIA will strengthen the nation’s computing ecosystem and train thousands of developers with the skills to solve complex challenges with accelerated computing and AI.
    • NVIDIA and the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) will deploy up to 5,000 Blackwell GPUs for a sovereign AI factory and enable smart city solutions. NVIDIA and SDAIA will train government and university scientists and engineers on how to develop and deploy models for physical and agentic AI.
    • Aramco Digital will develop AI computing infrastructure, collaborate with NVIDIA’s startup ecosystem, establish AI enterprise platforms, and create an engineering and robotics center of excellence including NVIDIA platforms.

    “This partnership with NVIDIA reflects SDAIA’s commitment to harnessing and advancing the potential of data and AI through continuous innovation,” said H.E. Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi, president of the SDAIA. “It marks a significant step toward positioning the Kingdom as a leader among data- and AI-driven economies, and in building a knowledge-based society and an advanced digital economy aligned with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.”

    These initiatives will help industries such as energy, manufacturing and logistics to develop and deploy innovative solutions using the power of AI and digital twins to fuel growth and prosperity throughout the region, while boosting efficiency, safety and sustainability.

    This effort will contribute to building a robust AI ecosystem and aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals of economic diversification and digital leadership.

    About NVIDIA
    NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the world leader in accelerated computing.

    For further information, contact:
    Corporate Communications
    NVIDIA Corporation
    press@nvidia.com

    Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: the benefits and impact of NVIDIA’s products, services, and technologies; NVIDIA’s collaborations with third parties and the impact and benefits thereof; third parties adopting NVIDIA’s products and technologies and the impact and benefits thereof; and together with HUMAIN, NVIDIA building the AI infrastructure for the people and companies of Saudi Arabia to realize the bold vision of the Kingdom are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections and that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic conditions; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test our products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to our existing product and technologies; market acceptance of our products or our partners’ products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems; as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company’s website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

    © 2025 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA and the NVIDIA logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: VERB Publishes Management’s Prepared Remarks From Its First Quarter 2025 Earnings Call

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LAS VEGAS, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Verb Technology Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: VERB) (“VERB” or the “Company”), Transforming the Landscape of Social Commerce, Social Telehealth and Social Crowdfunding with MARKET.live; LyveCom; VANITYPrescribed; GoodGirlRx; and the GO FUND YOURSELF TV Show, today filed its Form 10-Q reporting financial and operating results for the quarter ending March 31, 2025 and held an earnings conference call at 1 p.m. ET to discuss these results. Prepared remarks during the conference call of Rory J. Cutaia, the Company’s Chairman & CEO, are provided below.

    Management Prepared Remarks

    VERB 2025 First Quarter Financial Results Conference Call

    Tuesday, May 13, 2025, 1 p.m. ET

    Company Participant
    Rory J. Cutaia, CEO

    Operator:

    Good afternoon and welcome to the first quarter 2025 Financial Results Conference Call for Verb Technology Company, Inc. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Please be advised, the call is being recorded at the Company’s request.

    On our call today is Rory J. Cutaia, Verb’s Founder, Chairman and CEO.

    Before we begin, I’d like to remind everyone that statements made during this conference call will include forward-looking statements under the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ materially. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, except as required by law, as the underlying facts and circumstances may change. Verb Technology Company disclaims any obligations to update these forward-looking statements, as well as those contained in the Company’s current and subsequent filings with the SEC.

    I would now like to turn the call over to Rory J. Cutaia, CEO. Rory?

    Rory:

    Thank you moderator, and thanks to everyone for joining us today for our first quarter 2025 financial results and business update conference call.

    So for those of you who have reviewed our 10-Q filed this morning or the summarized results in the press release we issued this morning – well – you already know – right – you know the Company is firing on all cylinders – I’m talking about a 12 cylinder finely tuned exotic sports roadster – yeah – we had a crazy good quarter. This is the VERB we’ve envisioned – this is the VERB we’ve manifested and this is the VERB we have worked so hard to deliver. And the best part – the really best part – is this is just the beginning.

    I’ve got to hand it to my management team – they never stopped believing – through all the trials and tribulations – and we’ve had more than our share – they stuck it out with me – we drew strength from one another – and no matter what – we never gave up. I appreciate them all so very much – and our amazing Board of Directors – and now that we’ve begun to hit our stride – they’re all feeling it – they know where we’re taking this vehicle – and for those of you listening to this who have stuck it out with us and for those of you thinking about joining us – from here on out, it’s going to be a fun ride.

    We’re cashed-up, zero debt – insanely under-valued – and each VERB division is performing very, very well.

    I’m not going to take your time reading the 10-Q or reiterating everything we discussed about the Company just 6 weeks or so ago when we reported our 2024 results – but I will definitely enjoy sharing some of our team’s accomplishments in the first 3 months of this year.

    Let’s start with revenue – but first let me provide some context:

    In Q1 of 2024 we reported revenue of just $7,000; In Q4 of 2024 we reported revenue of $723,000 – definitely a great quarter and the first full quarter after we instituted a number of changes to our business model – and for the entirety of 2024 – we reported a total of $895,000.

    But in Q1 of 2025 we reported $1.3 Million – that’s 80% revenue growth over the prior quarter and approximately 46% growth over all 4 quarters of revenue of 2024 combined.

    And while we were busy signing and launching a plethora of new clients, we identified what we believe is the hottest AI social commerce technology company in the market and negotiated the terms of an $8.5 Million cash and stock acquisition, signed a comprehensive term sheet, and then rapidly drove the deal to a closing – all while actively integrating their AI technology into our own platform.

    We used about $4.2 Million in cash closing the acquisition – but I liked having a robust – zero debt – cashed-up balance sheet – so being an opportunist we identified a funding opportunity with extraordinary – shareholder friendly terms – negotiated it, documented it and closed it. A non-dilutive, non-convertible, non-voting, preferred stock deal with just a 9% annual dividend – and with that we added $5 Million back onto the balance sheet.

    This deal is with a trusted financial partner with whom we’ve now done several very successful deals. I do feel sorry for other companies doing terrible – horrible financings – steep discounts to market price, pre-funded warrants, triple warrant coverage – decimating cap tables and rendering many of these companies unfinanceable going forward who ultimately get shorted into oblivion. You see it every day. Tough times for a lot of companies and I’m very grateful that we’re in such a strong cash position and we’ve been able to maintain a super clean cap table – no warrant overhang and a very tight float and obviously not desperate to find a source of capital.

    In fact, with our cash on hand, no debt, and growing revenue across all business units, we expect to be able fund operations easily into 2028 and beyond.

    As to the growth behind MARKET.live, we’ve signed many very high profile clients and continue to do so. I’ve been asked why we aren’t announcing them – which we’d have to do multiple times a month – but the answer is most of these deals are where we’re white labeling our platform for these well-known brands and our contract prohibits us from announcing the names. I wish I could – if I could, I doubt our stock would still be trading for 50% of our net cash – with zero value given for all our business units – it’s crazy – just crazy.

    I’ve also been asked why we don’t see as many livestreams from MARKET.live as we used to and that’s because our new technology allows us to stream directly from our clients’ own websites and multicast their streams across multiple social media channels simultaneously. This is really the killer app, drawing so many more clients, because it allows these brands to own the customer relationship while still streaming over other social platforms. We’re also seeing strong, strong growth in shoppable ads, among many other areas of our MARKET.live and now Lyvecom business units.

    Our telehealth platforms, VanityPrescribed and GoodGirlRX continue to grow month over month adding recurring subscription-based revenue. And our Go Fund Yourself, crowd funding TV show is developing an almost cult-like following and more and more issuers are applying to be on the show, forcing us to become much more selective, and to accommodate the demand we’re now shooting multiple episodes twice a month. Issuers pay to be on the show. We’re about to launch Season 2 on Cheddar.

    In closing, I refer you to our Form 10-Q filed today for greater details concerning our Q1 2025 financial results as well as the press release distributed today summarizing those results for additional information I’ve not covered in my conference call today.

    So thank you for your interest in VERB and for taking the time to listen to our Q1 2025 financial results. I presume you can tell how excited we are about the business – really excited – and oh yes – I do indeed expect Q2 results to be even better than this Q1 – so stand by.

    Operator: This concludes the conference call. You may now disconnect.

    About VERB

    Verb Technology Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: VERB), is transforming the landscape of social commerce, social telehealth and social crowdfunding with MARKET.live, LyveCom, VANITYPrescribed, GoodGirlRx, and the GO FUND YOURSELF TV Show. The Company operates multiple business units, each of which leverages the Company’s social commerce technology and video marketing expertise.

    MARKET.live, together with recently acquired AI social commerce technology innovator LyveCom, is a multi-vendor, livestream social shopping platform that allows brands and merchants to deliver a true omnichannel livestream shopping experience across their own websites, apps, and social platforms. Advanced AI capabilities power real-time user-generated-content creation, automated video content repurposing for high conversion video ads, and AI-powered virtual live shopping hosts that are virtually indistinguishable from human hosts, capable of real-time audience engagement. Brands utilize the Company’s proprietary AI model trained on tens of thousands of video commerce interactions to automate content creation and intelligent tools designed to optimize merchandising strategies and increase conversion rates.

    GO FUND YOURSELF TV Show is a revolutionary interactive social crowd funding platform for public and private companies seeking broad-based exposure for their crowd-funded Regulation CF and Regulation A offerings. The platform combines a ground-breaking interactive national TV show with MARKET.live’s back-end capabilities allowing viewers to tap, scan or click on their screen to facilitate an investment, in real time, as they watch companies presenting before the show’s panel of “Titans”. Presenting companies that sell consumer products are able to offer their products directly to viewers during the show in real time through shoppable onscreen icons.

    VANITYPrescribed.com and GoodGirlRx.com are telehealth portals, intended to redefine telehealth by offering a seamless, digital-first experience that empowers individuals to take control of their healthcare needs. They were designed and developed to disrupt the traditional healthcare model by providing tailored healthcare solutions at affordable, fixed prices – without hidden fees, membership costs, or inflated pharmaceutical markups. GoodGirlRx.com, a partnership with Savannah Chrisley, a well-known lifestyle personality and advocate for health and wellness, offers customers access to convenient, no-hassle telehealth services and pharmaceuticals, including the new weight-loss drugs, with fixed pricing regardless of dosage, breaking away from the industry’s traditional model of excessive pricing and pharmaceutical gatekeeping.

    The Company is headquartered in Las Vegas, NV and operates full-service production and creator studios in the Los Angeles, California vicinity.

    For more information, please visit: www.verb.tech

    Follow VERB here:

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VerbTechCo

    X: https://twitter.com/VerbTech_Co

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/verb-tech

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0eCb_fwQlwEG3ywHDJ4_KQ

    Sign up for E-mail Alerts here: https://ir.verb.tech/news-events/email-alerts

    FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
    Statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “designed,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “should” and other comparable terms. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding VERB’s intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations and the other risk factors and other cautionary statements included in VERB’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and its subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including subsequent periodic reports on Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. All forward-looking statements made in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on management’s assumptions and estimates as of such date. Except as required by law, VERB undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events, changed conditions or otherwise after the date of this press release.

    Investor Relations Contact: investors@verb.tech
    Media Contact: info@verb.tech

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Atlantic American Corporation Reports First Quarter Results for 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ATLANTA, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Atlantic American Corporation (Nasdaq- AAME) today reported net income of $0.8 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2025 compared to net loss of ($2.0) million, or ($0.10) per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2024. The increase in net income for the first quarter of 2025 was primarily the result of an increase in premium revenue and favorable loss experience in the Company’s life and health operations. Premium revenue for the three month period ended March 31, 2025 increased $2.4 million, or 5.3%, to $46.9 million from $44.6 million in the three month period ended March 31, 2024.

    The Company reported operating income (as defined below) of $0.3 million in the three month period ended March 31, 2025 compared to operating loss of ($2.4) million in the three month period ended March 31, 2024. The increase in operating income was primarily due to an increase in premium revenue and favorable loss experience in the Company’s life and health operations, as previously mentioned.

    Commenting on the results, Hilton H. Howell, Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are pleased to report strong quarterly results, highlighted by improved profitability and solid growth in insurance premiums. New business momentum within our life and health segments remains robust, reinforcing our confidence in the Company’s long-term growth trajectory. While our property and casualty operations faced elevated losses this quarter, we expect recent rate adjustments to begin positively impacting results in the coming periods. Looking ahead, we see significant opportunities and remain confident in our outlook for the remainder of 2025.”

    Atlantic American Corporation is an insurance holding company involved through its subsidiary companies in specialty markets of the life, health, and property and casualty insurance industries. Its principal insurance subsidiaries are American Southern Insurance Company, American Safety Insurance Company, Bankers Fidelity Life Insurance Company, Bankers Fidelity Assurance Company and Atlantic Capital Life Assurance Company.

    Note regarding non-GAAP financial measure: Atlantic American Corporation presents its consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). However, from time to time, the Company may present, in its public statements, press releases and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, non-GAAP financial measures such as operating income (loss). We define operating income (loss) as net income (loss) excluding: (i) income tax expense (benefit); (ii) realized investment (gains) losses, net; and (iii) unrealized (gains) losses on equity securities, net. Management believes operating income (loss) is a useful metric for investors, potential investors, securities analysts and others because it isolates the “core” operating results of the Company before considering certain items that are either beyond the control of management (such as income tax expense (benefit), which is subject to timing, regulatory and rate changes depending on the timing of the associated revenues and expenses) or are not expected to regularly impact the Company’s operating results (such as any realized and unrealized investment gains (losses), which are not a part of the Company’s primary operations and are, to a limited extent, subject to discretion in terms of timing of realization). The financial data attached includes a reconciliation of operating income (loss) to net income (loss), the most comparable GAAP financial measure. The Company’s definition of operating income (loss) may differ from similarly titled financial measures used by others. This non-GAAP financial measure should be considered supplemental to, and not a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP.

    Note regarding forward-looking statements: Except for historical information contained herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements due to a number of factors and risks, including, among others: the effects of macroeconomic conditions and general economic uncertainty; unexpected developments in the health care or insurance industries affecting providers or individuals, including the cost or availability of services, or the tax consequences related thereto; disruption to the financial markets; unanticipated increases in the rate, number and amounts of claims outstanding; our ability to remediate the identified material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting; the level of performance of reinsurance companies under reinsurance contracts and the availability, pricing and adequacy of reinsurance to protect the Company against losses; changes in the stock markets, interest rates or other financial markets, including the potential effect on the Company’s statutory capital levels; the uncertain effect on the Company of regulatory and market-driven changes in practices relating to the payment of incentive compensation to brokers, agents and other producers; the potential impact of public health emergencies; the incidence and severity of catastrophes, both natural and man-made; the possible occurrence of terrorist attacks; stronger than anticipated competitive activity; unfavorable judicial or legislative developments; the potential effect of regulatory developments, including those which could increase the Company’s business costs and required capital levels; the Company’s ability to distribute its products through distribution channels, both current and future; the uncertain effect of emerging claim and coverage issues; the effect of assessments and other surcharges for guaranty funds and other mandatory pooling arrangements; information technology system failures or network disruptions; risks related to cybersecurity matters, such as breaches of our computer network or those of other parties or the loss of or unauthorized access to the data we maintain; and those other risks and uncertainties detailed in statements and reports that the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result, undue reliance should not be placed upon forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent developments, changes in underlying assumptions or facts or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

    For further information contact:  
    J. Ross Franklin Hilton H. Howell, Jr.
    Chief Financial Officer Chairman, President & CEO
    Atlantic American Corporation Atlantic American Corporation
    404-266-5580 404-266-5505
       
    Atlantic American Corporation
    Financial Data
           
      Three Months Ended
      March 31,
    (Unaudited; In thousands, except per share data)   2025       2024  
    Insurance premiums      
    Life and health $ 28,582     $ 26,674  
    Property and casualty   18,331       17,878  
    Insurance premiums, net   46,913       44,552  
           
    Net investment income   2,442       2,556  
    Unrealized gains (losses) on equity securities, net   767       (114 )
    Other income   3       3  
           
    Total revenue   50,125       46,997  
           
    Insurance benefits and losses incurred      
    Life and health   17,316       19,112  
    Property and casualty   14,597       12,813  
    Insurance benefits and losses incurred, net   31,913       31,925  
           
    Commissions and underwriting expenses   11,680       12,666  
    Interest expense   774       855  
    Other expense   4,723       4,057  
           
    Total benefits and expenses   49,090       49,503  
           
    Income (loss) before income taxes   1,035       (2,506 )
    Income tax expense (benefit)   233       (508 )
           
    Net income (loss) $ 802     $ (1,998 )
           
    Earnings (loss) per common share (basic & diluted) $ 0.03     $ (0.10 )
           
    Reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measure      
           
    Net income (loss) $ 802     $ (1,998 )
    Income tax expense (benefit)   233       (508 )
    Unrealized (gains) losses on equity securities, net   (767 )     114  
           
    Non-GAAP operating income (loss) $ 268     $ (2,392 )
                   
                   
      March 31,   December 31,
    Selected balance sheet data   2025       2024  
           
    Total cash and investments $ 268,424     $ 265,696  
    Insurance subsidiaries   263,490       258,675  
    Parent and other   4,934       7,021  
    Total assets   388,436       393,428  
    Insurance reserves and policyholder funds   220,520       225,106  
    Debt   37,760       37,761  
    Total shareholders’ equity   102,385       99,613  
    Book value per common share   4.80       4.61  
    Statutory capital and surplus      
    Life and health   33,468       32,443  
    Property and casualty   47,614       47,670  
           

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CE begins Kuwait visit

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Chief Executive John Lee met Kuwait’s local leaders and business representatives, as well as visited cultural facilities on the first day of his visit to the country.
     
    While leading a business delegation comprising representatives from Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises, Mr Lee met the Amir, head of state of Kuwait Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait Crown Prince Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah and Kuwait Acting Prime Minister Fahad Yousuf Saud Al-Sabah in the morning to exchange views on strengthening co-operation between Hong Kong and Kuwait.
         
    Mr Lee then attended a roundtable meeting chaired by the Acting Prime Minister, engaging in in-depth discussions with senior officials of the Kuwait government on areas such as finance, trade, and innovation and technology (I&T).
     
    Mr Lee and the Acting Prime Minister witnessed the signing of Memoranda of Understanding by Invest Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council with the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority respectively. He and the delegation also participated in a luncheon hosted by the Acting Prime Minister.
     
    The Chief Executive noted that Kuwait is the first member of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) to sign both an Investment Promotion & Protection Agreement and a Comprehensive Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement with Hong Kong, establishing a robust framework and foundation for economic and trade co-operation between the two places.
     
    He pointed out that Kuwait has been actively developing a diversified economy in recent years, proposing Kuwait Vision 2035 to promote digital transformation and develop the country into a regional and international financial and trade centre.
     
    He highlighted that Hong Kong, as an international financial, shipping and trade centre with world-class professional services, has vast opportunities for co-operation with Kuwait in areas such as finance, investment, digital economy, and I&T, and can assist Kuwait in advancing its Vision 2035.
     
    Underscoring that Kuwait is the rotating President of the GCC currently, Mr Lee expressed his anticipation to strengthen co-operation between Hong Kong and Kuwait, adding that he looks forward to establishing closer economic, trade and cultural exchanges with more GCC member states.
     
    Additionally, Mr Lee emphasised that Hong Kong enjoys the advantage of connecting the country with the world under the “one country, two systems” principle. Hong Kong will fully leverage its role as a bridge to serve enterprises in going global and attracting external investment, complementing the strengths of Mainland enterprises while deepening international exchanges and co-operation.
     
    He welcomed the Kuwaiti Government and enterprises to utilise Hong Kong’s role as a super connector and super value-adder to explore new opportunities under the Belt & Road Initiative for mutual benefit.
     
    Later, Mr Lee and the delegation met representatives of a local corporation, Bukhamseen Group Holding Company, to learn about the latest developments in the company’s businesses in construction, real estate, financial services, and culture and tourism.
     
    Apart from introducing Hong Kong’s development opportunities and its highly internationalised and market-oriented business environment with its pool of professional services talent, Mr Lee also welcomed the company to use Hong Kong as a springboard to develop diversified businesses and tap into the Mainland market, better grasping the immense opportunities brought by the Belt & Road Initiative and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
     
    Afterwards, Mr Lee visited the Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre to learn about Kuwait’s arts and culture projects and developments.
     
    Mr Lee made it clear that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is committed to developing Hong Kong into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchanges, with the West Kowloon Cultural District as one of the world’s largest arts and culture projects.
     
    He noted that both Hong Kong and Kuwait place importance on arts and culture development, and he looks forward to further deepening connections and co-operation in cultural exchanges between the two places.
     
    The delegation led by Mr Lee attended a dinner hosted by the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the State of Kuwait Zhang Jianwei.
     
    Mr Lee thanked the embassy for making meticulous arrangements for the visit and for its continued support to the Hong Kong SAR Government and the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Dubai.
     
    The Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to promote economic, trade, and cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and Kuwait.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Russia-China ties on full display on Victory Day – but all is not as well as Putin is making out

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham

    Chinese troops participating in Russia’s Victory Day parade in Red Square, Moscow, on May 9 is a clear indication that President Xi Jinping is fully committed to his “no-limits” partnership with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

    Xi’s own attendance of the parade, which came as part of a state visit to Russia, underlines that China is not only supporting Russia. It signified that Beijing wants this support to be understood clearly in Kyiv, Washington and European capitals.

    Travelling to Moscow and having his troops goose-step down Red Square was not a last-minute decision by Xi. Nor was the multitude of agreements signed by the two leaders and their joint declaration anything but part of a well established pattern of deepening relations between Russia and China.

    This trend has accelerated since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But the breadth and depth of China’s commitment to Russia at this particular moment is undoubtedly related to the broader upheaval in the international order that has been worsened since Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    The Trump administration, possibly spooked by market wobbles, has taken steps to restore stability. China and the US have agreed a deal to slash the import tariffs they have imposed on each other. But uncertainty remains – above all about how the complex relationships in the triangle of Washington, Beijing and Moscow will work out and where this will leave the rest of the world.



    Read more:
    Trump, Xi and Putin: a dysfunctional love triangle with stakes of global significance

    On May 8, in the wake of Xi and Putin’s meetings in Moscow, Russia and China released a joint statement. It stressed the intention of the two leaders to “enhance the coordination of their approaches and to deepen the practical cooperation on maintaining and strengthening global strategic stability, as well as to jointly address common challenges and threats in this sphere”.

    They reiterated this determination in their press statements afterwards. Putin emphasised that he and Xi “personally control all aspects of [the] Russia-China partnership and do all we can to expand the cooperation on bilateral issues and the international agenda alike”.

    A Chinese read-out from the talks was similarly clear on the alignment between the countries. Xi reportedly said that “in the face of unilateralist countercurrents, bullying and acts of power politics, China is working with Russia to shoulder the special responsibilities of major countries and permanent members of the UN Security Council”.

    This unequivocal display of how close Moscow and Beijing are – as well as Putin and Xi personally – is important for both nations. For Russia, it remains important to demonstrate that western attempts at international isolation have not succeeded.

    For China, the very public consolidation of ties with Russia is above all a signal to the US. China is keen to stress that Trump’s efforts to engineer a split between Moscow and Beijing, which the American president described as necessary to “un-unite” the two nations during an interview with US talk show host Tucker Carlson in November 2024, have largely failed.

    However, beyond the glossy surface of the celebrations in Moscow, all is not as well for Russia as Putin is trying to make out. For all the public displays of friendship between Xi and Putin, the relationship between the two countries remains highly asymmetrical.

    Russia would not be able to continue to wage its war against Ukraine without Chinese support. Trade between Russia and China is critical to propping up the Russian war economy, reaching a record high of nearly US$250 billion (£190 billion) in 2024. Their trade has increased by more than 60% since 2021, yet it is only marginally up since 2023.

    China’s diplomatic clout is also helpful for Russia. If Beijing had taken an unequivocal stance opposing Moscow’s aggression, fewer leaders in the developing world would have sided with Putin.

    In this case, Russia would probably have lost organisations like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Brics group of emerging economies as platforms to further its broader agenda of restoring its erstwhile status as a great power.

    In that agenda, Putin has been moderately successful. But with South Africa and India’s leaders absent from Russia’s Victory Day commemorations, the list of attendees was shorter than at the Brics summit in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024.

    A doubled-edged sword

    Notably absent from the celebrations in Moscow was high-level representation from North Korea and Iran. These are two key allies of Russia with whom Moscow signed strategic partnership agreements in June 2024 and January 2025, respectively.

    Tehran simply sent its ambassador to Moscow to attend. However, it may have compensated Putin in a different and materially more significant way.

    According to reports, Iran is readying a delivery of launchers to enable Russia to use the short-range ballistic missiles already delivered last year. This would further add to Russia’s reliance on Iranian hardware in Ukraine, which has so far been most visible in the use of Iranian-made Shahed drones.

    North Korea dispatched a military delegation led by three-star general Kim Yong-bok. Kim is widely considered the commander of North Korean forces fighting alongside Russian troops in the Kursk region of western Russia, where Ukrainian forces seized territory in August 2024 as a possible bargaining chip in future negotiations with Russia.

    Putin officially acknowledged the participation of North Korean troops in this operation in a statement on April 28. This acknowledgment came two days after he had announced the defeat of Ukrainian forces there in a highly choreographed and televised meeting with his chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov.

    The demonstration of Russia’s close relationships with its three core allies – China, Iran and North Korea – is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it clearly indicates that Putin is far from isolated on the international stage.

    But it also signals that Russia has become a lot more dependent on these relationships than would befit Putin’s dreams of restoring Russia’s great-power status. Neither can be much comfort to Ukraine and its allies, unfortunately.

    Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU’s Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

    – ref. Russia-China ties on full display on Victory Day – but all is not as well as Putin is making out – https://theconversation.com/russia-china-ties-on-full-display-on-victory-day-but-all-is-not-as-well-as-putin-is-making-out-256385

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The trend for ‘quiet’ and ‘soft’ quitting is a symptom of our deteriorating relationship with work

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By John-Paul Byrne, Lecturer, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

    shutterstock Hananeko_Studio/Shutterstock

    How do you feel about your work? Do its daily demands leave you burned out and drained of energy?

    Do you find yourself reducing how much effort you make to engage in some “quiet” or “soft” quitting? Or maybe you dream of taking a more decisive step and joining the “great resignation”.

    The prevalence – and popularity – of these responses suggests that there has been quite a change in many people’s attitude to the way they earn a living. Some think that this change stems from a post-COVID evaluation of work-life balance. Others say it’s an individual form of industrial action.

    However, these explanations keep the spotlight firmly on workers rather than the work itself. Perhaps the truth lies in a fundamental deterioriation in people’s relationship with their work and maybe the work needs to shoulder some of the responsibility.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Our experience of working, and its impact on our lives, is about more than what goes on within the office or school or hospital or factory which pays our wages. Even something as simple (yet important) as the number of hours someone works might be the result of a complex combination of national law, professional expectations and an organisation’s resources.

    This is where something known as the “psychosocial work environment” comes in – an approach (especially popular in Scandinavia) which examines the various structures, conditions and experiences that effect an employee’s psychological and emotional wellbeing.

    Research in this field suggests that there are three conditions vital to the modern work experience: autonomy, boundary management and “precarity”.

    Autonomy is about how much control and influence you have when it comes to doing your job and is key to how most employees feel about their work.

    Low levels of autonomy can leave people feeling overwhelmed and powerless. But high levels can also be detrimental, leading to excessive levels of individual responsibility and overwhelming hours.

    Ideally, you should have enough autonomy to feel a sense of flexibility and self-determination – but not so much that you feel you need to always be available and constantly on the clock.

    Setting boundaries

    Boundary management is the ability to manage the physical and mental boundaries between work and non-work lives. Achieving a suitable work-life balance has become even more important in a world of hybrid working.

    But in jobs with high levels of autonomy and responsibility, boundaries can become blurred and unpredictable. Phones ping with work related notifications, and leisure becomes work at the swipe of a screen.

    All of this can lead to feelings of anxiety and exhaustion. The goal here is to set clear boundaries that bring predictability and clarity around work time and demands. This provides flexibility which is empowering rather than exploitative.

    Finally, “precarity” refers to a lack of stability and security in life. It refers specifically to a harmful state of uncertainty which is typically associated with job insecurity (zero hours contracts for example).

    This uncertainty and insecurity can dominate daily work time (and free time), leading to feelings of stress and anxiety. It can also have a negative impact on personal finances and career plans.

    Looking for a way out.
    Aleutie/Shutterstock

    Income and contract security can help here, although people working in insecure jobs often have little power when it comes to persuading their employers to make the necessary changes.

    But addressing the deteriorating relationship between employees and their work means confronting certain core conditions. Reflecting on the psychosocial elements of employment can help to identify the gap between expectation and actual experience.

    Before experiencing burnout or resorting to quitting (in any of its forms), this approach encourages employees and employers to reflect on two key questions. How does work make you feel? And what are the things that cause those feelings?

    Research on psychosocial work environments provides some guidance. It suggests that workers are more likely to thrive when they have autonomy that feels like control rather than abandonment, and flexibility and clarity that allows for a good work-life balance. They also need security that offers certainty in the present – and confidence in the future.

    John-Paul Byrne 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 trend for ‘quiet’ and ‘soft’ quitting is a symptom of our deteriorating relationship with work – https://theconversation.com/the-trend-for-quiet-and-soft-quitting-is-a-symptom-of-our-deteriorating-relationship-with-work-248787

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Immigration changes a ‘reckless’ blow to Welsh universities – Plaid Cymru

    Source: Party of Wales

    UK Government showing ‘lack of policy coherence’ and ‘troubling disregard of financial difficulties faced by universities’, says Ben Lake MP

    Plaid Cymru MP for Ceredigion Preseli, Ben Lake, has warned that the UK Government’s proposed changes to the graduate visa route and 6% levy on university income from international student fees could severely harm universities across Wales and the UK, calling the plans “reckless” and a “blow to Wales and the UK’s economic prospects”. 

      

    Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Mr Lake challenged the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper MP, on the financial implications of the policy, highlighting that the Migration Advisory Committee had previously warned that restricting the graduate visa route could place universities at financial risk under the current funding model. 

      

    In response, the Home Secretary confirmed that international graduates will still be able to stay in the UK for 18 months post-graduation, but would need to secure graduate-level jobs to remain longer under the skilled worker visa. 

      

    However, Mr Lake said the response “reveals a lack of coherence” in government policy and fails to acknowledge the vital role that international students and staff play in sustaining higher education. 

      

    Speaking in the House of Commons, Ben Lake MP said: 

    “The Home Secretary will be aware of the funding crisis that affects many of the UK’s universities. Last year, when the Migration Advisory Committee reviewed the graduate visa route, it concluded that it should be retained, stating, ‘Under the current higher education funding model, closure or additional restrictions could put many universities at financial risk.’ 

    “What is the Home Secretary’s assessment of the impact that these changes will have on the financial sustainability of our universities?” 

      

    The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper MP responded: 

    “Where universities are already meeting high standards of compliance, as most of them are, that is very welcome, but those that do not currently meet them will need to raise their compliance standards to ensure that we have a proper, robust system. The graduate visa will enable people to stay on for the unrestricted 18 months, but if they want to stay longer they will need to be contributing in graduate jobs. Too often people have stayed without doing that, although they have degrees and should therefore be obtaining graduate jobs, which they can also do through the skilled worker visa.” 

      

    Ben Lake MP added: 

    “The Home Secretary’s response reveals a lack of coherence in UK Government policy on higher education, and a troubling disregard of the financial difficulties so many universities are facing. The contribution that international students – and staff – make to higher education should not be overlooked, and for many universities in Wales the income raised from the fees levied on international students help sustain course provision for UK-domiciled students. 

    “The UK Government would do well to remember that universities are crucial if its core pledge of driving economic growth is to be met, not only in driving research and innovation, but also to help train a workforce equipped with the skills to meet the challenges of the future. It is regrettable that the UK Government appears to overlook this contribution, and the fact that for every £1 invested in higher education, £13 is returned to the wider economy.

    “Reducing the graduate visa route and imposing a 6% levy on university income from international student fees without first addressing the broken funding model is a reckless move. It will result in job losses, course closures, and would deal yet another self-inflicted blow to Wales and the UK’s economic prospects. The UK Government should reconsider its approach.” 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Prime Minister announces new Ministry

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, announced the members of Canada’s new Ministry.

    Canadians elected this new government with a strong mandate to define a new economic and security relationship with the United States, to build a stronger economy, to reduce the cost of living, and to keep our communities safe. This focused team will act on this mandate for change with urgency and determination.

    The new government will act to catalyze investment and build a new Canadian economy – one that creates higher-paying careers, raises incomes, and can withstand future shocks. They will work in collaboration with provinces, territories, and Indigenous Peoples to advance the nation-building investments that will support the government’s core mission of building one strong, united economy – the strongest economy in the G7.

    The new Cabinet is appointed as follows:

    • Shafqat Ali, President of the Treasury Board
    • Rebecca Alty, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
    • Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety
    • François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue
    • Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
    • Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
    • Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
    • Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Transport and Internal Trade
    • Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages
    • Mandy Gull-Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services
    • Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
    • Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
    • Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
    • Dominic LeBlanc, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy
    • Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement
    • Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
    • Steven MacKinnon, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
    • David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence
    • Jill McKnight, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
    • Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
    • Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health
    • Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada
    • Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada
    • Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade
    • Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
    • Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries
    • Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)

    The Cabinet will be supported by 10 secretaries of State who will provide dedicated leadership on key issues and priorities within their minister’s portfolio.

    The new secretaries of State are appointed as follows:

    • Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State (Rural Development)
    • Stephen Fuhr, Secretary of State (Defence Procurement)
    • Anna Gainey, Secretary of State (Children and Youth)
    • Wayne Long, Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)
    • Stephanie McLean, Secretary of State (Seniors)
    • Nathalie Provost, Secretary of State (Nature)
    • Ruby Sahota, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)
    • Randeep Sarai, Secretary of State (International Development)
    • Adam van Koeverden, Secretary of State (Sport)
    • John Zerucelli, Secretary of State (Labour)

    Quote

    “Canada’s new Ministry is built to deliver the change Canadians want and deserve. Everyone is expected and empowered to show leadership – to bring new ideas, a clear focus, and decisive action to their work.”

    Associated Links

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Alberta takes action: Ending gender-based violence

    [. It often goes unnoticed or unreported and whether directly or indirectly, all Albertans are affected by it. A made-in-Alberta strategy is required to end the violence and create a safer home for every Albertan. 

    Building on our Strengths: Alberta’s 10-year Strategy to End Gender-Based Violence is a bold, provincewide plan that addresses all forms of gender-based violence. The strategy implements clear, immediate, short- and long-term actions that strengthen the work already underway. This foundational strategy outlines initiatives that ensure efforts across government and community partners are coordinated, so that Alberta can put an end to gender-based violence. Central to the strategy are commitments to engage men and boys as partners, enhance women’s economic empowerment and ensure targeted programs are Indigenous-led.

    Alberta’s 10-year strategy is focused on building an understanding around what appropriate behavior is, raising awareness on every form of gender-based violence and increasing coordination across all sectors. The strategy builds on the excellent work of dedicated organizations across the province and outlines a reasonable and responsible approach to grow programs that work, address service gaps and ensure prevention, early intervention, crisis response and long-term supports are available in all corners of the province, when and where they are needed.

    “Our government is proud to release Building on our Strengths: Alberta’s 10-year Strategy to End Gender-Based Violence, the most comprehensive strategy of its kind in Canada. Through this strategy, our government will lay the groundwork for lasting change while addressing the root causes of gender-based violence and supporting survivors.”

    Tanya Fir, Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women

    “Our commitment to public safety is reflected in Alberta’s approach to preventing and responding to gender-based violence by supporting victims, preventing violence and ensuring high-risk offenders are held accountable. This strategy is a bold step forward – one that brings together government, community partners and front-line professionals. United, we are proud to unveil Alberta’s decade-long commitment to ending gender-based violence, a crucial step towards a safer future for all.”

    Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services

    “By releasing Alberta’s 10-year Strategy to End Gender Based Violence, our government is leading the charge to eradicate domestic and family violence in our communities. This will empower and support the important work of women’s shelters and sexual assault centres to ensure that every woman and child is protected and able to receive the supports they need.”

    Searle Turton, Minister of Children and Family Services

    “Our justice system must be a place where survivors of gender-based violence feel heard, protected and supported. This strategy is a critical step towards building a safer Alberta where accountability and compassion go hand in hand.”

    Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice

    “Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit plus people disproportionately face gender-based violence. This must stop. The strategy announced today is a beacon of hope and includes tangible actions for everyone working to end gender-based violence. It builds on other work already underway to address the root causes of gender-based violence and prevent it before it occurs, such as work done by the Premier’s Council on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit Plus People, and the First Nations and Métis Women’s Councils on Economic Security, and work done under the Human Trafficking Action Plan. I am honoured to continue this important work.”

    Rick Wilson, Minister of Indigenous Relations

    Alberta’s 10-year Strategy to End Gender-Based Violence complements and enhances existing initiatives such as the Premier’s Council on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit Plus People and the Human Trafficking Action Plan to address the root causes of gender-based violence and prevent it before it occurs.

    Alberta’s strategy is the most comprehensive of its kind in the country, with actions that will:

    • Increase awareness of what gender-based violence is and what Albertans should do when they see it.
    • Prevent gender-based violence before it begins by addressing its underlying causes and implementing early-intervention strategies.
    • Empower women to be economically independent, supporting them with financial and social resources to achieve true financial independence, enabling them to live safely and build strong, independent lives.
    • Support Indigenous-led solutions and incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing and being into programs that address the unique needs, lived experiences and practices of Indigenous people, families and communities.
    • Support those affected how, where and when they need it, with timely, culturally informed, accessible and responsive support for survivors, families, those at risk, perpetrators and potential perpetrators, ensuring they receive the help they need in their own communities.

    “As Chair of the Premier’s Council on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit Plus People, I am pleased that the Government of Alberta is taking a comprehensive and coordinated approach to ending gender-based violence. The Premier’s Council looks forward to working with the Government of Alberta to implement Building on Our Strengths: Alberta’s 10-year Strategy to End Gender-Based Violence, especially in areas that intersect with factors related to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two spirit plus people and the Alberta Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Roadmap. We are stronger when we work together.”

    Rachelle Venne, chair, Premier’s Council on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit Plus People

    “By prioritizing financial empowerment and Indigenous-led solutions, this strategy will help more Alberta women avoid or leave high-risk situations. Women Building Futures applauds the Government of Alberta for this farsighted, whole-of-government approach to the pervasive and complex problem of gender-based violence.”

    Carol Moen, president and CEO, Women Building Futures

    “This strategy signals a shift: to end gender-based violence, we must engage men and boys as part of the solution. By investing in prevention and including men in efforts to shift norms and behaviours, Alberta is paving the way for a safer, more just future.”

    Lana Wells, associate professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, and founder of Shift2Learn

    Budget 2025 invests $19.8 million to support Alberta’s 10-year Strategy to End Gender-based Violence. This funding will be used to make targeted investments to ensure provincial programs are coordinated, collaborative, effective and sustainable. In total, Alberta’s government invests more than $188 million in related programming and services across government.

    The strategy was informed by extensive engagement with more than 500 Albertans and organizations, including survivors, community organizations working on the front lines, Indigenous communities and academics.

    Quick facts

    • From fall 2023 to spring 2024, Arts, Culture and Status of Women conducted extensive engagement with the public and key stakeholders, including an online survey for Albertans, specific engagement with Indigenous groups and meetings with more than 500 stakeholders in 11 communities across the province.
    • Gender-based violence refers to harmful acts directed at an individual based on their gender. It can take many forms, including physical assault, sexual assault, murder, femicide, family violence, intimate partner violence, human trafficking, stalking, financial control, threats, hate speech, cyber-bullying, cyber-stalking, pornography and coercive control.
    • Alberta’s government invests more than $188 million annually in gender-based violence related programming across several ministries, including:
      • Expanding voluntary and court-ordered programming for perpetrators and those at risk of causing harm.
      • Implementing electronic monitoring technology to monitor offenders under court ordered supervision.
      • Supporting women’s shelter programming to focus on access to safety and inclusive services.
      • Improving the reporting and prevention efforts at post-secondary institutions and First Nations colleges to address campus sexual violence.
      • Increasing service provider access to education and resources related to elder abuse.
      • Supporting academic research on gender-related injury and illness in the workplace.
      • Strengthening support for Albertans navigating the justice system, including developing more survivor-centered, culturally sensitive, trauma-informed services.
      • Implementing Indigenous-led initiatives that advance the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Roadmap.
      • Strengthening safe, accessible and reliable transportation options for victims, survivors and their families seeking GBV support and services.
      • Specialized 24-7 support to patients experiencing domestic and family violence.
      • Working with professionals to help seniors who are experiencing GBV.
      • Raising awareness of Clare’s Law to allow people to make informed choices about potentially harmful intimate partners and how it is an important tool in protecting Albertans from domestic violence.

    Related information

    • Ending Gender-Based Violence

    Multimedia

    • Watch the news conference
    • Ending Gender-Based Violence Video

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Closing off social care jobs to migrant workers will only harm a sector that’s already in crisis

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Majella Kilkey, Professor of Social Policy, University of Sheffield

    shurkin_son/Shutterstock

    One big talking point to emerge from the UK government’s recently announced plans to reform the immigration system was the proposal to end recruitment of social care workers from overseas. Anyone who has experienced the sector recently will know that it is hugely dependent on workers from abroad. So the move – laid out in a new white paper which went further than many expected – will have huge implications.

    For those international workers already sponsored to work in the sector, a transition period will allow them to extend their visa until 2028. Other overseas nationals already in the UK with the right to work will be able to switch to a job in social care.

    Critics have argued for overhauling the visa system that allows employers to recruit care workers from overseas amid evidence of widespread and systemic exploitation of workers. But the plan to completely axe the health and care visa, without any proposed alternative, was unexpected.

    In fact, a 2024 strategy for adult social care, published by industry body Skills for Care, acknowledged that international workers are “crucial” for the sector. It also recommended that the UK’s immigration policy recognise the sector’s need to recruit care workers from abroad.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    The government’s decision to make reducing net migration the central plank of its immigration policy explains its apparent disregard of the care sector’s recommendation. This is based on the belief, contradicted by research, that becoming even tougher on migration will fight off the electoral threat posed by the rightwing Reform party.

    In fact, the share of net migration taken up by the care worker visa has been falling. This is not least because of the previous government’s decision to ban those on the visa from bringing their dependants.

    Care work was categorised as “low-skilled” work by the previous Conservative government when it introduced its new global points-based immigration system in January 2021. This categorisation made the sector particularly vulnerable in the context of the white paper’s preference for migration into “higher-skilled” jobs because of its purported economic benefits.

    This approach privileges particular sectors over others, leaving the care sector facing huge labour gaps. Yet, in contrast to the white paper’s position, evidence shows that 54% of people in the UK favour making it easier for people to come to the UK to do care work, implying that the public recognise the value of this sector.

    In contrast, while only 27% favour making it easier for people to come to work in the financial sector, the white paper proposes to give preferential treatment to this sector.

    The government’s vision is that “British workers” will replace migrants in the care sector. The white paper, however, presents no evidence that migrant workers have been displacing “British workers” in the industry. Instead, it acknowledges that low rates of domestic recruitment and retention are “largely driven by historic levels of poor pay and poor terms and conditions”.

    This is a systemic issue. Despite care being crucial to human survival and society’s functioning, the work that it requires is either unpaid or hugely underpaid.

    Labour unions and research evidence highlight the the key barriers to recruitment and retention: low rates of pay in the sector, the prevalence of zero-hours contracts (21% in March 2024), the limited opportunities for training and career progression, as well as the low status of care work.

    The government has defended its white paper by pointing to its plans to address these recruitment and retention challenges, most notably through measures like the fair pay agreement, the employment rights bill and the care workforce pathway, which aim to improve pay and conditions in the sector. But Care England has said these initiatives are “years away from delivery” and underfunded.

    The proposed fair pay agreement, through which the government hopes to tackle the staffing crisis in social care, would give care workers stronger collective bargaining powers and provide stricter enforcement of agreements on pay, terms and conditions. The government’s impact assessment suggests, however, that the agreement will increase costs to councils, as well as those funding their own care. Higher costs to councils would need to be mitigated by increased investment from central government.

    Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, and Christina McAnea, general secretary of trade union Unison, have said that the white paper’s depiction of care work as “low-skilled” adds to its low social status. It also runs contrary to the professionalisation agenda set out in the government-endorsed care workforce pathway. And, of course, it undermines efforts to attract “British workers” into the sector.

    A crisis in staffing

    In the meantime, the latest data from industry body Skills for Care show that the sector has 131,000 vacancies in England alone. Its vacancy rate at 8.3% is higher than the 6.9% for the NHS, and significantly higher than the 2.8% for the economy as a whole.

    The same data source estimates that 540,000 new social care posts will be needed by 2040 to meet rising demand, as more people live longer with major illnesses and disabilities. Relatives are put under immense pressure to fill these care gaps, without the pay or resources to do so.

    Without the international care workers who have helped the social care sector keep its head above water since Brexit, the prospects look unimaginably bleak for the health and wellbeing of workers in the sector. And this is before we consider the impact on some of society’s most vulnerable people who need their care and support, as well as their families and kin.

    Majella Kilkey receives funding from UKRI-ESRC.

    Jayanthi T. Lingham receives funding from the Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF).

    – ref. Closing off social care jobs to migrant workers will only harm a sector that’s already in crisis – https://theconversation.com/closing-off-social-care-jobs-to-migrant-workers-will-only-harm-a-sector-thats-already-in-crisis-256626

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ezell, Carter, Letlow Introduce Bipartisan Safer Shrimp Imports Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Ezell (Mississippi 4th District)

    Representatives Mike Ezell (MS-04), Julia Letlow (LA-05), and Troy Carter (LA-02) today introduced the Safer Shrimp Imports Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at tightening federal inspection standards for imported shrimp and protecting American consumers and domestic seafood producers.

    Imported shrimp accounts for roughly 90% of the shrimp consumed in the United States, much of which comes from countries with weak food safety standards and inadequate oversight of harmful contaminants such as antibiotics, pesticides, and bacteria. The Safer Shrimp Imports Act would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to significantly increase testing of imported shrimp and publicly report inspection results, giving consumers more confidence in the safety of what’s on their plates.

    “Growing up on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, I know how important the shrimp industry is—not just to our economy, but to our way of life,” Ezell said. “Our local gulf coast shrimpers are playing by the rules while foreign producers are flooding the market with unsafe, low-quality products. This bill is about leveling the playing field and protecting our American producers, and keeping America healthy.”

    “As we work to restore an economy built on American sweat and labor, it’s vital that Congress stands up for our Gulf Coast shrimpers,” Letlow said. “Our Safer Shrimp Imports Act would hold foreign governments accountable for dumping inferior, subsidized shrimp into American markets, contaminating our food supply and undercutting our Louisiana shrimpers.”

    “This bill is a crucial step toward protecting Louisiana families and supporting Louisiana’s fishing industry. By holding foreign shrimp imports to the same safety standards as our domestic producers, this legislation will safeguard public health, promote fair trade, and guarantee consumers can trust what’s on their plates. I want to thank my colleagues Rep. Ezell and Rep. Letlow for standing with me and fighting for American shrimpers and the safety of our food supply,” Carter said.

    “The Safer Shrimp Imports Act is common sense legislation to ensure the safety of our nation’s most consumed imported seafood commodity, shrimp. For far too long, importing countries have dumped products into the American marketplace that are manufactured and processed without the same strict regulations that American producers must face,” Ryan Bradley, Executive Director of Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United said.

    “We are very grateful to Congressman Ezell for introducing this important legislation to ensure the safety of foreign shrimp imported into this country,” Armond Gollott III, the President of C.F. Gollott & Son Seafood, Inc. said. “As a fourth-generation shrimp processor, we are committed to producing the safest, best tasting gulf shrimp for our customers. It is only fair that foreign producers be required to meet the same health and safety standards as the domestic industry.”

    “The American Shrimp Processors Association strongly supports the Safer Shrimp Imports Act,” Trey Pearson, the president of the American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA) said. “Imports account for over 90 percent of the shrimp that Americans eat, and for far too long domestic shrimp producers have been forced to compete with imports that do not have to comply with our health and safety rules. If foreign countries cannot show that they meet our food safety standards, their shrimp should not be in this country, period.”

    “We need the Safer Shrimp Imports Act to guarantee that foreign shrimp imports meet the same rules as domestic, gulf-caught shrimp,” Dean Blanchard, the owner of Dean Blanchard Seafood said. “The U.S. government inspects less than one percent of the 1.5 billion pounds of shrimp imported into our country each year, while our U.S. shrimp fishermen, docks, and processors must comply with strict health and safety rules. This bill will help ensure that imports meet the same standards as our Gulf shrimp industry.”

    “Under the USDA’s equivalency requirements, if you want to import catfish or pangasius into this country, there are just 42 companies in three countries approved to ship that fish to the United States. Under the FDA’s current system, if you want to import shrimp, you can do so from anyone, anywhere, at any time. That’s why the FDA refused shrimp from ‘Rudong Zhengxiong Trade Co., Ltd.’ shipped to our East Coast in March and then, a month later, refused shrimp from ‘Zhengxiong (Rudong) Trade Co., Ltd.’ shipped to our West Coast,” John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance said. “The Safer Shrimp Imports Act sets a common-sense minimum standard for exporting shrimp to this country by requiring that our trading partners administer a food safety system that is equivalent to our own.”

    “FWC is pleased to support the Safer Shrimp Imports Act. For years, Florida shrimpers have been hurt by foreign companies that have been dumping their products into US markets while skirting safety standards. This bill brings more accountability to foreign companies and is an important step to helping US shrimpers and US customers,” Jessica McCawley, director, Division of Marine Fisheries Management at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said. 

    The legislation works to execute on President Trump’s and HHS Secretary Kennedy’s vision to keep America health and eradicate its public health crisis. This bill is supported by a coalition of Gulf Coast seafood industry groups and food safety advocates. This is the House companion to S. 667 introduced by Senator Hyde-Smith in the Senate. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Summerfield Man Pleads Guilty to Ponzi Scheme and Tax Fraud

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    Winston-Salem, NC – William Lamar Rhew, III of Summerfield pled guilty today, May 6, 2025, to wire fraud, money laundering, securities fraud, tax evasion, and failure to file tax return in connection with a $20 million Ponzi scheme, announced Acting United States Attorney Randall S. Galyon.  

    According to court documents, from November 2017 to December 2023, Rhew defrauded at least 117 investors of at least $24 million.  He induced victims to invest with his company Chadley Capital, LLC which would allegedly buy accounts receivable at a discount, sell them for a profit, and provide consistently high rates of return on investment.  Rhew touted the company’s increasing deal flow and underwriting standards and, in offering materials, claimed $300 million in transactions in 2023, consistent returns in excess of 20% per year, and nearly 74% total growth over 24 months.  All of Rhew’s representations were false.  Instead of investing victims’ funds as promised, Rhew used their money to pay his personal expenses including the purchases of a boat, a beach house, and luxury cars, and to make “interest” and “withdrawal” payments to other victim-investors as part of the Ponzi scheme.  In addition, for Tax Years 2018 through 2022, Rhew willfully failed to report nearly $9 million in income to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).  As part of the plea agreement, Rhew has agreed to pay restitution to the victims in the amount of $14,868,815.67 and to the IRS in the amount of $3,056,936.

    Sentencing is scheduled to take place on August 22, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, before United States District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder. At sentencing, Rhew faces a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison, a period of supervised release of up to three years, and monetary penalties.

    “Sadly, we see an abundance of investment fraud schemes in which perpetrators exploit people who know and trust them,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Galyon. “We are committed to pursuing justice for victims in these cases but encourage the public to beware of any investment opportunity that sounds too good to be true, no matter who is promoting it.”

    “Today’s guilty plea represents the dedication of our agency in ensuring the actions of one individual are not at the expense of others,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins, Charlotte Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “In this case, the defendant not only victimized his investors, but he also defrauded American taxpayers by concealing his income from the IRS and evading his tax liability. IRS Criminal Investigation’s special agents will continue to use their financial expertise to find and investigate these types of investor fraud schemes alongside our law enforcement partners.”

    “It’s unlikely fraudsters will be up front and admit they’re taking your money and pumping it into a Ponzi scheme.  But there are warning signs: investors should be wary anytime you’re guaranteed high returns with little or no risk,” said FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt.  “Hopefully, the defendant’s acceptance of responsibility will offer some comfort and closure to the victims.”

    “This guilty plea marks another significant victory in the pursuit of justice for the citizens of North Carolina,” said the Director of the NC SBI. “The victims in this case are hardworking men and women, many of whom are small business owners.  The Financial Crimes Investigations Unit of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation will continue to work diligently to combat fraud against the citizens of our great state.  The SBI would like to thank the IRS and FBI for their efforts in ensuring justice for the victims involved in this case.”
        
    The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Jeanne Dildine.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoyer Leads Pocan, Bishop, Ivey in Sending Letter to Top Appropriations Republicans Demanding They Respect Judiciary’s Independence

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

    WASHINGTON, DC –  Today, Congressman Steny Hoyer (MD-05), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) led Subcommittee Members Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), and Rep. Glenn Ivey (MD-04) in sending a letter to Appropriations Chair Tom Cole and FSGG Subcommittee Chair David Joyce demanding they respect the independence of the federal judiciary.
     
    The letter condemned recent calls from House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan to use the appropriations process to retaliate against federal courts and judges that issue rulings unfavorable to the Trump Administration. The letter implored Republicans to reject this unprecedented assault on the rule of law and the separation of powers and system of checks and balanced enshrined in the Constitution.
     
    “Policy riders to punish courts because one political party does not like how judges are ruling undermines our Constitution and misuses our authority as appropriators,” the lawmakers wrote. “All are free to criticize judgments where one’s opinions differ from the rulings. All are free to vigorously appeal nationwide injunctions to the Supreme Court. However, judges make their ruling based on the law and facts of the case and must do so without any fear that their rulings could provoke attempts to diminish the independence of the judicial branch. We should not be politicizing our judicial system to score political points.”
     
    The full text of the letter is included below:

    Dear Chairman Cole and Chairman Joyce:

    We write in response to Chairman Jordan’s letter of March 31, 2025 requesting that the Committee on Appropriations take the unprecedented action of leveraging the appropriations process to retaliate against the federal judiciary for unfavorable rulings. The type of policy riders that Chairman Jordan recommends would not only undermine our constitutional system of separation of powers with checks and balances but are not within the purview of this Committee or the appropriations process. They must be rejected outright.

    Since his inauguration, we have seen a dangerous trend seeking to eviscerate the independence of the judiciary. Members of the Administration have argued that the President can defy court orders it disagrees with and that they “don’t care what the judges think.” The President and his allies have bullied and threatened judges who rule against the President. One of our colleagues has even introduced articles of impeachment against a federal court judge. Further, the President has signed a flurry of executive orders to penalize individual law firms and lawyers who bring cases challenging the administration, strong-arming firms into so-called “settlements” that exact significant concessions.

    The president has a constitutional duty to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” Nationwide injunctions issued by judges have impeded on political priorities for both parties throughout history, but our commitment to the rule of law must remain steadfast. President Trump’s actions undermine that sacred duty, endangering the Founders’ system of checks and balances that protects our rights, our economy, our communities, and our safety. Moreover, rather than exercising Congress’s constitutional role to reinforce our system of checks and balances, Chairman Jordan now seeks to sideline the courts and allow the president to continue his disregard of our laws and American values. This is inconsistent with the constitution’s three co-equal branches, the system that the Framers felt necessary to preclude that “the King can do no wrong.”

    It is the role of the courts, not the President, to “say what the law is.” In its recent rulings, the courts have not exceeded their constitutional authority; rather, they have upheld their constitutional duty to fairly and impartially adjudicate cases, even when brought against the executive branch. As recently as 2023, conservative Members of Congress and state Attorneys General have celebrated judicial rulings granting the very nationwide  injunctions that Chairman Jordan seeks to undermine. Courts are ruling against the President at record rates because so many of his actions disregard established law, often demonstrating contempt for core constitutional principles like the rights to free speech, dissent, and due process. The Trump administration’s lawlessness is readily apparent to judges appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents, including some put on the bench by President Trump himself.

    Our judicial system cannot function if the courts are not sufficiently resourced. It is our responsibility as members of the Appropriations Committee to carefully review the budget requests submitted by the Supreme Court, Judicial Conference, and Administration Office of the U.S. Courts and to provide appropriations to allow the judiciary to appropriately serve the communities, businesses, and individuals that rely on the courts for justice. We should be providing the resources the courts need to meet their critical operational needs at a time when caseloads in the federal court system are the highest they have ever been and security threats against judges and their staff are increasing.

    Questions about the judiciary’s budget request are more appropriately addressed by holding hearings and conducting oversight, as we have done in years past. Policy riders to punish courts because one political party does not like how judges are ruling undermines our constitution and misuses our authority as appropriators. All are free to criticize judgments where one’s opinions differ from the rulings. All are free to vigorously appeal nationwide injunctions to the Supreme Court. However, judges make their ruling based on the law and facts of the case and must do so without any fear that their rulings could provoke attempts to diminish the independence of the judicial branch. We should not be politicizing our judicial system to score political points.

    As we continue the appropriations process, we must remain good stewards of taxpayer dollars while ensuring that our nation maintains an independent judiciary that is capable of upholding the rule of law. If we do not, we become a government of men, not laws.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Markey, Luján Urge FCC to Operate Transparently with Paramount-SkyDance Merger

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Letter Text (PDF)
    Washington (May 13, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Senator Ben Ray Luján, Ranking Member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee, today wrote to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr, urging the FCC to take a vote on the merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media. Given the reports that Paramount is considering settling a frivolous lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump against CBS, a Paramount subsidiary, the senators stated that the FCC should only approve the merger with an affirmative vote by the full Commission.
    In the letter the lawmakers write, “In late October, then-candidate Trump sued CBS for $10 billion — later raising this outrageous amount to $20 billion — for supposedly deceptively editing an interview of then-Vice President Kamala Harris on its programs 60 Minutes and Face the Nation. As the transcript of the interview showed, the excerpts that CBS aired were a quintessential example of editorial decision-making. Trump’s claim that such conduct constituted “voter interference” and violated Texas’s consumer protection law is both false and a clear attempt to intimidate the news media. CBS has rightfully moved to dismiss the case.”
    The lawmakers continue, “Despite the obviously frivolous nature of the lawsuit, Paramount is reportedly considering settling the case to ‘increase the odds that the Trump administration does not block or delay’ its merger with Skydance. In fact, Paramount executives and directors are reportedly concerned that such a settlement could open them up to accusations of bribery. Paramount would not be the first to settle a lawsuit brought by the President in the past few months. In the weeks following the inauguration, ABC ($16 million), Meta ($25 million), and X ($10 million) all settled cases brought by Trump. With Paramount on the hook to pay Skydance a $400 million breakup fee if the FCC blocks the deal, the company has strong financial incentives to facilitate FCC approval of the merger.”
    The lawmakers conclude, “For those reasons, this transaction has signs of a deal between a company eager for approval of a multi-billion dollar merger and a President willing to exploit his position to intimidate the media and secure a multi-million dollar payout. The unique position of this merger necessitates the utmost transparency at the FCC. A matter of this significance deserves the scrutiny of the entire Commission. We urge you to only approve this merger through a full Commission vote.”
    Senator Markey has aggressively pushed back on efforts by the Trump administration to attack news organizations and intimidate the media. In February 2025, Senators Markey and Luján, along with Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.) wrote to FCC Chairman Carr and Commissioner Nathan Simington regarding recent actions taken by the FCC under the Trump administration demonstrating that the FCC is weaponizing its authority over broadcasters and public media for political purposes. In March, Senators Markey and Luján, along with Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), introduced the Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act, legislation that would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from revoking broadcast licenses or taking action against broadcasters based on the viewpoints they broadcast.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Schiff Reintroduce Bicameral Legislation to Boost Teacher Compensation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — During Teacher Appreciation Week, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) reintroduced the bicameral Respect, Advancement, and Increasing Support for Educators (RAISE) Act, legislation that would boost teacher compensation by putting tax money back in their pockets and help diversify the teaching workforce. The bill would provide educators with a minimum of $1000 in refundable tax credits and as much as $15,000.
    Teachers play a critical role in shaping young lives throughout our nation. Currently, public elementary and secondary teachers earn about 27 percent less than similarly educated professions. Based on a worldwide comparison, the average salary gap between teachers and others with comparable educational backgrounds is greater in the U.S. than in any other OECD country with available data.
    There were over 41,000 unfilled teacher positions that same year. Teacher shortages across the U.S. leave instruction in high-need subjects like science, math, special education, and English language development understaffed. Furthermore, according to a recent analysis of state-reported teacher shortage data, 49 states plus the District of Columbia employed over 365,000 teachers who were not fully certified for their teaching assignment in 2024. Additionally, high poverty districts also experience higher rates of teacher turnover, leaving students from families with low incomes at greater risk of experiencing a shortage. Low wages are often cited as a source of high turnover and teacher vacancies.
    Through refundable tax credits, the RAISE Act will help boost the compensation of early childhood, elementary, and secondary school teachers. Depending on the level of poverty in the schools educators serve, public school teachers would be eligible for a tax credit up to $15,000. The bill would also double the educator tax deduction, which teachers can use to offset the cost of school supplies and expand eligibility to early childhood educators.
    “Teachers are the backbone of our education system, and tasked every day with the responsibility to help shape and develop the minds of our nation’s children,” said Senator Booker. “It’s unacceptable that despite the invaluable role they play in our society, teachers are still underpaid and undervalued. This legislation aims to provide up to $15,000 in tax credits for public school teachers so we can close the wage gap and finally give our educators a much needed raise.”
    “Public education is the foundation of upward mobility in our society and the chance for a better life, and our teachers play the most vital role. If we want to attract and retain the best teachers amidst all of the challenges of staffing shortages, large classrooms and aging facilities, they need our support. We must provide teachers with the long-overdue wage increases they deserve for shaping the next generation of citizens and leaders,” said Senator Schiff.
    “The Trump agenda of gutting the Department of Education while slashing taxes for the ultra-wealthy will ultimately take money out of the pockets of hard-working New Jersey educators and families,” said NJEA President Sean Spiller. “Trump’s cuts to education funding and his billionaire tax giveaways will mean fewer resources for children, especially students with special needs, and less money to support New Jersey’s educators and our best-in-the-nation public schools. We applaud Senator Booker for the RAISE Act of 2025, which provides tax breaks where they belong: to working class educators and to parents.”
    “The RAISE Act introduced by Senator Booker recognizes the commitment and dedication of our early childhood, elementary and secondary school teachers. While giving tax credits doesn’t solve the underpaying of teachers, it will help with a school district’s recruiting and retention efforts. The bill also rewards districts that maintain or increase salaries with additional grants that can be used for more recruiting and retention efforts especially in our neediest districts. AFTNJ thanks Senator Booker for introducing and continuing to advocate for this important and necessary legislation,” said Jennifer S. Higgins, President, American Federation of Teachers New Jersey (AFTNJ).
    The RAISE Act would improve financial compensation for elementary, secondary, and early childhood teachers to help address the teacher shortage and wage disparity. Specifically, the legislation would:
    Create Refundable Tax Credits for Educators: 
    A sliding scale tax credit of up to $15,000 for public school teachers, with the highest credits for educators in high-poverty schools.
    Up to $15,000 for early childhood educators with a bachelor’s degree and up to $10,000 for those with an associate degree or CDA credential. 
    $1,000 refundable tax credit for all eligible early childhood and K–12 educators.

    Increase the educator tax deduction to $500 to offset teacher’s purchases of school supplies. 
    Increase, by nearly $3 billion, annual mandatory funding for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act’s Title II, which supports educator recruitment, retention, professional development, and class size reduction. 
    Create and fund a federal grant program to incentivize local educational agencies to increase teacher salaries and strengthen, retain, and diversify the educator workforce. 
    The RAISE Act is endorsed by the following organizations: National Education Association (NEA), New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), Prepared To Teach, Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK), The Teacher Salary Project, Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), National Writing Project, First Five Years Fund, Education Law Center (ELC), Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), Center for Black Educator Development, Educational Testing Service (ETS), National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), AASA – The School Superintendents Association, National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), Early Edge California, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), The Education Trust (EdTrust), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), First Focus Campaign for Children, Deans for Impact (DFI), National Parents Union, All4Ed, NAACP, Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL), Center for American Progress (CAP), American Association of School Personnel Administrators (AASPA), Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL), TEACH, Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), Education Reform Now, National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS), Leading Educators, Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA), Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), Public Advocates, ZERO TO THREE, National PTA, National Center for Languages and International Studies, Advance CTE, AFL-CIO California Federation of Teachers (CFT), American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), UnidosUS, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), MomsRising, and Educators for Excellence, the Southern Education Foundation.
    The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD).
    To read the full text of the bill, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Challenges Unlawful Conditions on Federal Transportation Funding

    Source: US State of New York

    EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James and 19 other attorneys general today sued the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for unlawfully conditioning billions of dollars in critical transportation funding on state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. On April 24, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that DOT would cut off funding to any state that refuses to comply with the administration’s immigration agenda – a directive that threatens essential infrastructure projects nationwide. Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the administration’s attempt to tie federal transportation funds to immigration enforcement violates the constitutional separation of powers. The attorneys general are asking the court to block this unlawful attempt to coerce states into carrying out the president’s agenda in exchange for funds allocated by Congress.

    “Once again, the administration is attempting to seize Congress’ power of the purse – this time at the expense of immigrant communities and vital infrastructure projects,” said Attorney General James. “DOT’s blatant overreach threatens to divert critical resources away from public safety and undermine projects that keep our communities connected and safe. We won’t allow the federal government to hold essential funding hostage to advance a political agenda.”

    For over a century, Congress has provided federal funding to states to develop and maintain safe, reliable, and effective transportation infrastructure. Each year, state and local governments receive over $100 billion to build and maintain roads, highways, railways, airways, and bridges that connect communities and help residents travel to work and home. All of this funding is congressionally allocated, with no statutory immigration enforcement conditions attached.

    Now, Attorney General James and the coalition allege that Secretary Duffy and DOT are attempting to seize control of federal funds by imposing an immigration enforcement condition on transportation funding, including funding intended to protect firefighters, repair roads and highways, and ensure safe air travel – funds that have no connection to civil immigration enforcement. The attorneys general contend that the directive has no legal basis and is unconstitutionally coercive, forcing states to choose between protecting public safety and receiving essential federal funding.

    The attorneys general argue that DOT’s unlawful conditions put billions in federal funding necessary for vital public safety and reliable transportation projects at risk, including those that prevent injuries and deaths from traffic accidents, protect riders from train collisions, and help improve airport safety measures – a concern underscored by recent staffing and infrastructure issues at Newark Liberty International Airport that left thousands stranded and exposed critical vulnerabilities in the airport’s aging systems. Among the programs at risk due to this mandate are:

    • Federal-Aid Highway Program, which allocates over $100 billion annually for highway maintenance, safety improvements, and bridge repairs;
    • Federal Transit Administration’s grant programs, which sustain public transit systems that millions of Americans rely on;
    • Federal Railroad Administration’s Rail Crossing Elimination Grant Program, which funds crucial safety upgrades to prevent accidents and fatalities; and
    • Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program, which finances safety enhancements and infrastructure expansions at airports nationwide.

    Without these funds, states will have to scale back or end several critical programs and projects. The attorneys general warn that without these funds, “more cars, planes, and trains will crash,” as vital safety projects are halted or delayed.

    Attorney General James and the coalition contend that DOT is presenting states with an impossible choice. Either states forego the billions of dollars in congressionally allocated funds that keep their transportation systems running safely and smoothly, or they undermine their law-enforcement efforts by diverting resources to enforce federal immigration law. More critically, accepting these unlawful terms would destroy the trust that many states have worked hard to build between immigrant communities and law enforcement. The attorneys general emphasize that immigrants are less likely to report crimes if they fear local authorities may turn them over to federal immigration agents – a chilling effect that would jeopardize public safety.

    New York receives more than $5 billion annually in DOT funding, including $2.8 billion in federal highway funds, $2.3 billion in public transportation funding, $215 million in rail improvement funding, $18.8 million in highway safety funding, and $8.7 million in airport improvement funding.

    Attorney General James and the coalition argue recent aviation tragedies underscore the urgent need for federal transportation funding to support critical safety measures. On January 29, 2025, a mid-air collision between an American Airlines plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River claimed the lives of all 67 passengers aboard both aircraft. Days later, a regional airline flight crashed off the coast of Alaska, resulting in 10 fatalities. Similar incidents involving small aircraft have occurred in Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York, illustrating the critical importance of maintaining funding for programs that prevent such disasters – funding now threatened by DOT’s unlawful directive.

    The attorneys general argue that DOT’s directive was issued without congressional authorization, blatantly disregarding Congress’ intent in allocating transportation funding. The coalition asserts that the administration is unlawfully attempting to leverage federal funds to coerce states into implementing the president’s immigration agenda, which is unlawful.

    Attorney General James and the coalition assert that this immigration enforcement mandate will have life-threatening impacts on nearly every aspect of the nation’s transportation infrastructure, from highways and railroads to airports and public transit systems. They are asking the court to prevent DOT from enforcing the new conditions and to ensure that federal transportation funds remain available to support infrastructure projects as Congress intended.

    Joining Attorney General James in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, and Vermont.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Higgins Introduces Legislation Abolishing Several Federal Agencies, Returning Services to States

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Higgins (R-LA) introduced a Legislative Proposal of four bills that abolish four existing Federal Agencies with a transition to State Authority. This legislation reduces federal spending, eliminates unnecessary federal agencies, and builds state service capacity through block grants.

    “America has been driving itself towards bankruptcy, and some of us have grabbed the wheel. Correction is a requirement, or financial collapse is inevitable. We are the legislative branch of government, and we have an obligation to present actual, legitimate, and Constitutionally sound solutions,” said Congressman Higgins. “For many months, I’ve been working on a legislative package of bills that offer a model for a solution. These four bills, each arguably controversial in its own writ, are designed to spur vigorous debate and ultimately, action by Congress to address the doomsday financial collapse that is fueled by FedGov waste, fraud, abuse, and massive, ineffective scope.”

    The four-bill package eliminates federal agencies where an equivalent agency or department exists at the state level, while simultaneously enhancing the associated services to the citizenry by empowering and funding the state through a block-grant program established by Congress. The combined savings of the legislative package are estimated to be over $54 billion annually.

    The bills include the Sovereign States Emergency Management Act, the Sovereign State Environmental Quality Assurance Act, the Sovereign States Bureau of Prisons Restructuring Act, and the Sovereign States Education Restoration Act.

    The package introduces a formula to:

     

    • Abolish unnecessary federal agencies—The Department of Education, Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Prisons, and Federal Emergency Management Agency are prime for abolishment. They are top-heavy, bloated agencies, and any service they allegedly perform could be better handled by the states. A transition to local control at the state level would no doubt improve upon the former federal agencies, that threshold being very, very low, and every American employee of these agencies would have a full opportunity to fill positions opened within the expanded state agency. Best practice policy would emerge, efficiencies would be shared from state to state, and the citizenry would ultimately, and quickly, benefit from this bold action to restore state authority, as the Founders intended.
    • Build State Capacity—Every state has a government entity equivalent to each federal agency to be dismantled. Funding would be provided to the states at a level equal to half of the FY19 budget of the federal agency that is being abolished, returning federal spending to far below pre-COVID levels while at the same time demolishing bloated bureaucracy and enhancing actual services to We the People.
    • Reduce federal involvement to grant administration and oversight of state spending—A portion of funding (10% of FY19 levels) would be used to ensure proper grant administration through the US Treasury, and another portion (10% of FY19 levels) would be reserved for appropriate federal oversight, audit and reporting to Congress.

    Read a summary brief here.

    Read the Sovereign States Emergency Management Act here.

    Read the Sovereign State Environmental Quality Assurance Act here.

    Read the Sovereign States Bureau of Prisons Restructuring Act here.

    Read the Sovereign States Education Restoration Act here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: HBC’s artworks and collections help us understand Canada’s origins — and can be auctioned off

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Norman Vorano, Associate Professor of Art History and Head of the Department of Art History and Art Conservation, Queen’s University, Ontario

    The proposed liquidation of many of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s (HBC) collections that together trace over three centuries of Indigenous and European interaction across this continent represents a profound threat to Canada’s collective memory and identity.

    An Ontario Superior Court judge ruled that the company could move forward with an auction of 4,400 items — including historic artifacts and artworks.

    Several government and non-government cultural agencies, including the Manitoba Museum and the Indigenous Council of the Canadian Museums Association, have expressed concern to HBC and the financial advisory firm it’s working with.

    First Nations leaders and scholars say many of the objects likely have profound significance to Indigenous Peoples and are calling for repatriaton.

    As an art history professor who has researched curatorial and museum practices, I can attest to the cultural and scholarly value of keeping documentary and cultural collections intact, rather than being scattered across the globe or disappearing into private hands.

    This situation exposes the reach and limits of Canada’s Cultural Property Export and Import Act (CPEIA). The act has provisions to delay or block export of cultural property, defined broadly as “any cultural or heritage object, regardless of its place of origin, which may be important from an archaeological, historical, artistic or scientific perspective.” Yet, this legislation offers no guarantees that the objects will end up in Canadian museums or under Indigenous stewardship.

    Importance for memory

    After moving its head office from London to Canada in 1970, HBC first loaned records to the Archives of Manitoba in 1974 and then donated them in 1994 to the province. The vast collection includes about 130,000 images and all minute books from meetings of HBC’s governor and committee from 1671 to 1970.

    The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated a substantial part of that collection as part of the Memory of the World Register. Items with this designation are recognized as showcasing and preserving the most significant documents of human heritage.

    If the items heading to auction are similar, they, too, would be embedded with stories of political negotiation, cultural exchange and economic transformation that helped forge Canada over three centuries.

    Some HBC records have provided a window into Canada’s climate history and ecology, offering valuable long-term data to environmental researchers. Others show evidence of Indigenous trade, land occupation and cultural presence relevant to genealogical research, band membership documentation and land claims.

    The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, citing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, has called for transparency and consultation in any discussion concerning the disposition of HBC items and stopping any sale or transfer of artifacts that “may belong to or be linked with First Nations.”

    1977 legislation

    Prior to Parliament passing the CPEIA legislation in 1977, the federal government had few legal mechanisms to safeguard cultural heritage at home or abroad.

    The 1951 Massey Report into the development of Canadian arts and culture acknowledged the sale and export of important collections, including Indigenous cultural belongings. It noted that some Canadian museums had been requesting “an embargo on the sale abroad of objects of particular national significance as well as for suitable grants to the museums which should preserve these objects ….”

    Global concern for cultural property

    An emerging global consensus on the need for a stronger cross-border regulatory system also shaped CPEIA’s development. The 1954 UNESCO Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was the first international legal framework for the protection of moveable “cultural property.” This was created in response to the Nazi looting of private and public collections.

    By the 1960s, Canada was studying British and French laws, particularly the U.K.’s 1952 Waverly Report, as models for export controls.
    Borrowing from the Waverly Report, CPEIA relied upon, in the words of Canadian diplomat Ian Christie Clark, a “co-operation of the collector-dealer fraternity” working together with the government to ensure compliance.

    The final push to develop national policies flowed from the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. This obliged signatory states to develop their own laws to protect cultural heritage and facilitate the return of illegally exported property. To claim the reciprocal benefits of the convention, Canada had to act.

    Relevance of the CPEIA

    An independent committee of specialists, established through the CPEIA, can designate parts, or the entirety, of the HBC collection as “of outstanding significance and national importance” if the HBC proposed to donate or sell items to a designated Canadian institution.



    Read more:
    More than a department store: The long, complicated legacy behind Hudson’s Bay Company

    In such a circumstance, the HBC, in tandem with a collecting institution, can request a review to unlock generous tax incentives if certified.

    This designation could also arise if the owner — either the HBC or a successful buyer — applied for an export permit to move the collection out of Canada. This application would be screened against CPEIA’s export control list, which covers everything from archaeological and scientific specimens to documentary records and artworks that exceed age and value thresholds.

    If those thresholds were met, and an export permit is denied, the works would be referred to an expert examiner for a full Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board assessment. A private sale within Canada would not alone prompt the review.

    Receiving a cultural property designation would, at least temporarily, restrict the possibility of exporting items.

    Importantly, the delay would give federally designated institutions like public museums or archives, as well as Indigenous-led organization with the mandate to preserve and support Indigenous heritage, an opportunity to purchase cultural property that has been denied an export permit. For this, CPEIA offers grants and loans for designated institutions to match the appraised value. Those grants and loans can also be used to repatriate collections that are abroad.

    HBC’s historic archive is a prism through which we view Canada’s origins.

    Dispersing or exporting this collection would significantly diminish our understanding of Canada. While CPEIA may play a role in retaining it, it offers no certainties.

    Norman Vorano received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.

    – ref. HBC’s artworks and collections help us understand Canada’s origins — and can be auctioned off – https://theconversation.com/hbcs-artworks-and-collections-help-us-understand-canadas-origins-and-can-be-auctioned-off-256044

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why the future of workplace mental health support may be self-guided online tools

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ehsan Etezad, PhD Candidate in Applied Organizational Psychology, Saint Mary’s University

    As the gap between what employees need and what is available to them, businesses are recognizing that conventional methods are no longer cutting it. (Shutterstock)

    Employee mental health, once a silent and often overlooked issue, has now become an urgent workplace concern. In Canada, the rate of depression and anxiety has doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The Mental Health Commission of Canada reports that one in five adults experiences mental illness, but stigma remains a significant barrier, with 60 per cent of those affected choosing not to seek help.

    These mental health challenges directly translate to workforce challenges: 7.5 per cent of employees have taken time off because of stress or mental health concerns, leading to an average loss of 2.4 work days per employee.

    With 77 per cent of employees acknowledging that work-related stress adversely affects their physical health, the demand for innovative wellness solutions has never been greater.

    Traditional mental health support is falling short

    For decades, employers have relied on employee assistance programs to address the mental health needs of their employees.

    These programs typically refer individuals to short-term counselling, which can be effective for immediate concerns. However, their overall impact remains limited, with usage rates hovering around five per cent across industries.

    Traditional counselling is also expensive, with waitlists that can stretch for weeks, and may require employees to take time off during work hours, which many avoid due to fear of stigma or judgment.

    One in five adults experiences mental illness.
    (Shutterstock)

    Stigma associated with seeking traditional counselling has left many mental health challenges unaddressed until they escalate to burnout, presenteeism, absenteeism, turnover or mental health disability leave.

    As the gap between what employees need and what is available to them widens, businesses are recognizing that conventional methods are no longer providing the accessible and responsive care that today’s workforce demands.

    Single-session digital interventions

    Many mental health interventions have demonstrated remarkable success with just a single, well-designed session. This offers intriguing evidence and sets the stage for an innovative advancement in mental-health care. The research has shown that, when carefully crafted, single-session interventions may serve as an efficient and scalable alternative to multi-week commitments, especially when access to therapy is limited.

    Self-guided single-session digital interventions (SSDIs) are carefully crafted, evidence-based programs designed to require only one focused interaction with a digital platform.

    Unlike the traditional one-size-fits-all model, SSDIs are personalized and can adapt content based on individual responses and needs.

    For instance, an employee struggling with insomnia might receive cognitive-behavioral techniques specifically aimed at improving sleep, while a manager experiencing burnout could access modules for building resilience and managing work stress.

    The strength of SSDIs lies in their accessibility, adaptability, immediacy, affordability, scalability and confidentiality. They offer practical strategies without the prolonged wait times of traditional therapy.

    A growing body of research supports the effectiveness of single-session digital interventions as effective tools for initiating meaningful change.

    Research into single-session digital interventions is still in its early stages, but the available evidence suggests they can be both effective and highly scalable. This is particularly important at a time when access to traditional therapy is often limited by a lack of resources.

    Real-world examples of digital tools

    The growing success of SSDIs can be seen in a number of real-world programs that translate these principles into practical, measurable outcomes. Although these initiatives are not yet publicly available, they were successful in demonstrating early positive results during the initial research phases:

    1. Happy@Work

    Happy@Work is an online, guided self-help intervention designed for employees experiencing symptoms of depression. Drawing on both problem-solving therapy and cognitive therapy, it addresses areas ranging from learning problem-solving methods and identifying maladaptive thoughts to managing work-related challenges and preventing relapse.

    Each lesson combines psychoeducation, structured exercises and personalized feedback. The program also incorporates stress management and burnout prevention techniques with the goal of bolstering employees’ psychological wellness.

    In a randomized controlled trial, Happy@Work showed small but statistically significant benefits in reducing anxiety and exhaustion among the participants.

    2. Three Good Things

    Three Good Things is a digital gratitude-based intervention designed to enhance well-being among healthcare workers.

    Participants receive three text messages each week that prompt them to record and reflect on three positive experiences from their day. This structured reflection is intended to amplify positive emotions and nurture a sense of gratitude.

    A randomized controlled trial found that Three Good Things produced small and short-term increases in positive emotions among participants.

    77 per cent of employees acknowledging that work-related stress adversely affects their physical health.
    (Shutterstock)

    3. Beating the Blues

    Beating the Blues is a structured cognitive behavioural therapy program targeted at employees dealing with stress-related absenteeism.

    It guides participants through techniques like cognitive restructuring to challenge unhelpful thoughts, problem-solving skills, relaxation training and behavioural activation to organize daily activities. It also addresses sleep management and introduces graded exposure to reduce anxiety.

    A randomized controlled trial found that Beating the Blues successfully reduced depression symptoms and negative attributional styles immediately following the treatment, with lower anxiety scores noted one month post-treatment.

    Why these digital interventions work

    Digital mental health interventions are proving to be effective for a number of reasons:

    1. They break the stigma cycle

    Digital self-help tools offer a discreet and accessible way for employees to address mental challenges, allowing individuals to engage anonymously and at any time, on their own schedule.

    And, since these tools are available online and can be used anonymously, they offer an added layer of privacy and comfort. This flexibility helps minimize the stigma often linked to taking time off for traditional counselling sessions.

    2. They are cost-effective and scalable

    Traditional employee mental health programs, which often rely on therapist-centred models, can be prohibitively expensive and difficult to scale. By contrast, SSDIs provide an accessible solution that significantly reduces the financial burden on businesses and employees. Their digital format ensures support is available 24/7, providing employees with immediate access to help at a fraction of the cost of conventional approaches.

    3. They deliver rapid and measurable results

    When it comes to addressing burnout and other workplace mental health challenges. SSDIs provide quick access to coping strategies and stress relief techniques, helping employees strengthen their psychological well-being before issues escalate as an effective preventive tool.

    The future of workplace mental health is digital. Self-guided single-session digital mental health interventions offer a pragmatic and immediate way to reduce stigma, cut costs and foster resilience. These tools can complement and integrate with traditional therapy to provide employees with an accessible and immediate resource to help them cope with stress and build resilience.

    Ehsan Etezad provides private consulting at MEUS Science with a focus on Workplace Wellness & Psychological Health & Safety.

    John Fiset 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. Why the future of workplace mental health support may be self-guided online tools – https://theconversation.com/why-the-future-of-workplace-mental-health-support-may-be-self-guided-online-tools-254271

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Statement by IMF African Department Director Abebe Aemro Selassie on Meeting with President João Lourenço of Angola

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    May 13, 2025

    Luanda, Angola: Mr. Abebe Aemro Selassie, Director of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) African Department, met yesterday in Luanda with President João Lourenço of Angola. At the conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Selassie issued the following statement:

    “It was very good to meet President Lourenço this morning. We had constructive discussions on Angola’s economy and the actions the government is taking in this challenging external environment.

    “I congratulated him on Angola’s strong economic performance in 2024 and his administration’s efforts in reducing inflation and containing public debt vulnerabilities.

    “We discussed approaches needed to contain emerging risks to preserve macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability. In this regard, I noted that the IMF shares the President’s priorities of putting public finances on a sustainable path, while protecting the most vulnerable and maintaining the growth momentum. 

    “The reforms the government has been pursuing in recent years have been gaining traction, as evidenced by the country’s improving attractiveness to private investment. 

    “I emphasized the IMF’s readiness to continue supporting Angola’s efforts, and our commitment to maintain and strengthen our longstanding partnership.

     “I thanked President Lourenço, his Ministers, and the Governor of the Banco Nacional de Angola for the warm reception and very productive discussions they afforded me during my visit.”

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Tatiana Mossot

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/05/13/pr-25141-angola-imf-afr-dept-director-abebe-aemro-selassie-meeting-pres-joao-lourenco

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren Demands Health and Human Services Nominee Erase Ethics Conflicts with Pharmaceutical, Biotech Companies

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    May 13, 2025
    As RFK Jr.’s Deputy, O’Neill would have insight and influence over FDA approvals
    “Your relationships with biomedical companies regulated by HHS will raise concerns about your impartiality in this role”
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Mr. James O’Neill, nominee for Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), asking him to recuse himself from matters involving companies he has worked with, given many of those companies may seek the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) regulatory approval during his tenure. Senator Warren also asked Mr. O’Neill to commit not to take a job in the industries regulated by HHS for at least four years after leaving office and not to lobby HHS for at least four years after leaving office. The Senate Finance Committee will vote on advancing O’Neill’s nomination on Thursday, May 15, 2025. 
    O’Neill, a “close ally” of Trump-backer Peter Thiel, once managed one of Thiel’s venture capital firms, Mithril Capital Management, where he invested in biotech companies developing medical robots, diabetes treatments, antibody technologies, and more. Some of these companies are now seeking FDA approval. After O’Neill left the company, the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the firm for potentially defrauding its investors. 
    As Deputy HHS Secretary, O’Neill would have insight into and influence over the FDA’s approvals process and could potentially sway HHS’s decision-making to favor companies with which he has worked. O’Neill advises and serves on the board of ADvantage Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company developing an Alzheimer’s drug that will require FDA approval. He has agreed to recuse from matters related to ADvantage for one year (or two years if he receives a bonus from the company), but “after just one or two years, [his] relationship with the company will remain fresh enough to raise serious impartiality concerns.” Given that, Senator Warren urged, “To mitigate even the appearance of a conflict of interest, you should agree to recuse for four years from [matters related to the company].”
    Former HHS officials, including former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf and NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli, agreed to recuse themselves from their former clients’ matters for four years — beyond the two-year recusal required by the Biden administration. 
    O’Neill’s ties to the pharmaceutical industry also raise concerns about his post-government employment prospects. As a result, Senator Warren asked him to commit not to work for any company he regulates or otherwise interacts with during his time at HHS for four years after leaving government service. 
    If O’Neill were to take a job in the industry, “the public would reasonably question whether the decisions [he] made in office were influenced by the prospect of future compensation from a company [he] regulated,” said Senator Warren. 
    “The public may also question whether you were cashing in on your executive-branch connections and government expertise to help your new company benefit from insider information to skirt rules that you helped oversee or to curry favor with HHS and/or its subagencies,” the senator continued. 
    Senator Warren reminded O’Neill that both former FDA Commissioner Califf and former NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli agreed to these post-government employment restrictions. Even HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who refused to give up some of his egregious conflicts, still agreed not to work for a drug company after leaving office. 
    Finally, to mitigate concerns about the revolving door of former government officials lobbying the agencies they once led, Senator Warren pushed O’Neill to commit not to lobby HHS for four years after leaving office, similar to the agreements made by multiple Biden appointees, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Internal Revenue Service Chief Counsel Marjorie Rollinson, and Treasury Assistant Secretary for Investment Security Paul Rosen.
    “The rampant revolving door of former government leaders lobbying the agencies they once led, while their government relationships remain fresh, erodes Americans’ faith in the federal government,” said Senator Warren. 
    Senator Warren asked O’Neill to answer these ethics commitment requests on the record, including whether he plans to accept any future payment from the companies he’s tied to, by May 14, 2025. 
    Senator Warren has been a leader on enforcing government ethics standards and pressing nominees to address conflicts of interest: 
    In March 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Marty Makary and Jay Bhattacharya, nominees to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), respectively, asking them to address their conflicts of interest ahead of their confirmation hearings.
    In February 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) called on Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to recuse himself from former clients’ and employers’ particular matters and commit to not lobbying HHS after his tenure as Secretary.
    In February 2025, following the Senate Finance Committee vote to advance the nomination of Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Senator Elizabeth Warren gave remarks regarding the nominee’s continued conflicts of interest. 
    In February 2025, Senators Warren and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., pressing him to urgently resolve his serious conflicts of interest before the committee vote Wednesday morning.
    In January 2025, following pressure from Senate Democrats, Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. agreed to amend his flawed ethics agreement (see Warren QFRs at the end of Part 2 and start of Part 3).
    In January 2025, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren questioned Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, about his dangerous conflicts of interest and record of profiting from anti-vaccine conspiracies.
    In January 2025, ahead of Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearing for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a 34-page letter detailing her concerns with his nomination and asked him to answer 175 questions ahead of his hearing before the Finance Committee.
    In January 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Trump Transition Co-Chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon, urging them to make the White House’s ethics pledge for incoming appointees as strong as possible and outlining specific provisions to do so. The letter came at the end of the first week of confirmation hearings for President-elect Trump’s cabinet nominees, many of whom have been found to have serious conflicts of interest and massive wealth.
    In December 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) wrote to Dr. Mehmet Oz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, raising stark concerns about his advocacy to eliminate traditional Medicare and his deep financial ties to the private health insurers that would benefit from that move.
    In November 2024, in response to the news that President-elect Donald Trump selected Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Senator Elizabeth Warren released a statement calling him a “danger to public health, scientific research, medicine, and health care coverage for millions of Americans.”
    In January 2022, Senator Elizabeth Warren secured a commitment from then-FDA Commissioner nominee Dr. Robert Califf to recuse himself from matters involving his former employers and clients for four years, two years longer than what was required in the Biden administration’s Ethics Pledge. He also agreed not to seek employment with or compensation, including as a result of board service, from any pharmaceutical or medical device company that he interacts with during his tenure as FDA Commissioner for four years after completing his government service. 
    In December 2020, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Jayapal introduced the Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act, the most ambitious anti-corruption legislation since Watergate, which would outlaw corrupt revolving-door schemes so that public servants are serving the public – not the financial interests of themselves or giant corporations.
    In March 2020, President Trump signed the bipartisan Presidential Transition Enhancement Act into law, which included major provisions of Sen. Warren’s (D-Mass.) Transition Team Ethics Improvement Act.
    In September 2019, the Senate passed a key provision of the Transition Team Ethics Improvement Act introduced by Senators Warren and Tom Carper (D-Del.) to enhance the ethics requirements that govern presidential transitions.
    In November 2016, as President Trump prepared to take office, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Chairman Cummings requested a GAO investigation of the chaotic Trump transition. In September 2017, Government Accountability Office (GAO) released the results of the investigation, finding that the Trump transition team ignored advice from the Office of Government Ethics and failed to follow past precedents regarding ethics and presidential transitions.

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  • MIL-OSI Economics: Publication of financial reports: Federal Office of Justice imposes disciplinary fine on VARTA AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT

    Source: Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht – In English

    The disciplinary fine order related to a breach of section 325 of the German Commercial Code (Handelsgesetzbuch – HGB). VARTA AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT failed to submit its accounting documents for the financial year 2023 for the purpose of disclosure to the operator of the German Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger) in electronic form. The legal basis for the sanction is section 335 of the HGB.

    The company lodged an appeal against the Federal Office of Justice’s decision to impose a disciplinary fine.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY – Pennsylvania Department of Aging to Announce $3 Million Investment in Senior Community Centers to Benefit Older Pennsylvanians and Keep Them Connected in Their Communities

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    May 14, 2025 – Herndon, PA

    ADVISORY – NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY – Pennsylvania Department of Aging to Announce $3 Million Investment in Senior Community Centers to Benefit Older Pennsylvanians and Keep Them Connected in Their Communities

    Pennsylvania Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich will join Northumberland County leaders to announce the recipients of $3 million in Senior Community Center (SCC) competitive grants that help those centers complete larger-scale projects such as updating and modernizing facilities, providing new health and entertainment programs, upgrading technology, and enhancing nutrition services.

    SCCs throughout Pennsylvania welcome thousands of older adults through their doors every day with services that help them stay healthy and connected to their communities: nutritious meals, educational opportunities, transportation services, financial and insurance counseling, and exercise programs.

    The grant funding is appropriated by the General Assembly from the Pennsylvania Lottery.

    WHO:
    Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich
    Northumberland County Commissioners Sam Schiccatano and Meghan Beck
    Olivia Sims, Administrator, Northumberland County Area Agency on Aging
    Erica Miller, Director, Herndon Adult Community Center

    WHEN:
    Wednesday, May 14, 2025, 12:00 PM

    WHERE:
    Herndon Adult Community Center
    5089 State Route 147
    Herndon, PA 17830

    MEDIA RSVP:
    Media interested in attending must RSVP with the name of photographer/reporter to

      • Full Advisory

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