Category: Economy

MIL-OSI: Siili Solutions Plc: Resolutions of the Annual General Meeting and Board of Directors

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Siili Solutions Plc: Resolutions of the Annual General Meeting and Board of Directors

Siili Solutions Plc Stock Exchange Release 8 April 2025 at 4:30 pm EEST

Siili Solutions Plc’s Annual General Meeting of shareholders was held today 8 April 2025 at 2 p.m. EEST at the address Töölönahdenkatu 2, Helsinki Finland in event venue Eliel, Sanomatalo.

Adoption of the financial statements and discharge of liability
The Annual General Meeting adopted the financial statements for the year 2024 including the consolidated staements and discharged the members of the board of directors and the CEO from liability.

Dividend
The General Meeting resolved that, based on the adopted balance sheet for the financial period 2024, a dividend of EUR 0.18 per share will be paid from the Company’s distributable funds, i.e., approximately EUR 1.46 million in total, and that the rest of the distributable funds be retained in equity.

The dividend will be paid to shareholders who on the dividend record date 10 April 2025 are registered in the Company’s shareholders’ register held by Euroclear Finland Oy. In accordance with the proposal, the dividend will be paid on 17 April 2025.

Remuneration report
The General Meeting adopted the remuneration report of the governing bodies.

Board composition, remuneration of the board of directors, auditor and remuneration of the auditor
It was confirmed that the number of members of the Board of Directors to be elected is five (5). The General Meeting resolved, according to the proposal of the Shareholders’ Nomination Board, to re-elect the current members of the Board of Directors Harry Brade, Jesse Maula, Henna Mäkinen and Katarina Cantell. Sebastian Nyström was elected as new member to the Board of Directors.

In accordance with the Shareholders’ Nomination Board, the General Meeting resolved to keep the Board remuneration unchanged and as follows: The Chair of the Board is paid EUR 3,850 per month, the Deputy Chair EUR 2,500 per month and the Chair of the Audit Committee EUR 2,500 per month and other members EUR 2,000 per month. The Chairs of the Board of Directors’ Committees are paid EUR 200 per month for their work on the Committee, in addition to which all Committee members are paid a meeting fee of EUR 300 per meeting. In addition, the members of the Board of Directors receive compensation for travel expenses in line with the Company’s travel policy.

Audit firm KPMG Oy Ab was re-elected as the Company’s auditor and assurer of Company’s sustainability reporting for the following term of office. APA, ASA Leenakaisa Winberg will continue as the responsible auditor and Sustainability auditor.

In accordance with the proposal of the Audit Committee, the General Meeting resolved that the auditor and sustainability assurer of the Company be paid remuneration in accordance with the auditor’s reasonable invoice.

Board authorizations
The General Meeting authorised the Board of Directors to resolve on the repurchase and/or acceptance as pledge of the Company’s own shares under the following terms:
Using the Company’s unrestricted equity, a maximum of 814,000 shares may be repurchased and/or accepted as pledge in one or more tranches, which corresponds to approximately 10% of all shares in the Company.

The shares will be repurchased in trading on Nasdaq Helsinki Oy’s regulated market at a price formed in public trading on the date of repurchase. The Company’s own shares shall be repurchased to be used for carrying out acquisitions or implementing other arrangements related to the Company’s business, for optimising the Company’s capital structure, for implementing the Company’s incentive scheme or otherwise to be transferred further or cancelled.

Own shares can be repurchased otherwise than in proportion to the shareholdings of the shareholders (directed repurchase). The share purchase will decrease the Company’s distributable unrestricted equity. The Board of Directors resolves on all other terms and conditions for the repurchase and/or acceptance as pledge of the Company’s own shares.

The authorisation remains in force until the end of the next Annual General Meeting, however no later than until 30 June 2026. The authorisation revokes earlier unused authorisations to resolve on the repurchase and/or acceptance as pledge of the Company’s own shares.

Further, the General Meeting authorized the Board of Directors to resolve on the issuance of shares and the issuance of special rights entitling to shares within the meaning of chapter 10, section 1 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act in one or more tranches either against consideration or free of consideration.

The number of shares to be issued, including shares received on the basis of the special rights shall not exceed a maximum of 814,000 shares, which corresponds to approximately 10% of all shares in the Company. The Board of Directors may resolve either to issue new shares or to transfer treasury shares held by the Company. The total maximum number of shares to be issued for the purpose of share-based incentive schemes is 162,800 shares, which corresponds to approximately 2.0% of all the shares in the Company. The maximum number of shares intended for the incentive schemes is included in the maximum number of the issuance authorisation referred to above.

The authorisation entitles the Board of Directors to resolve on all terms of the share issue and the issuance of special rights entitling to shares, including the right to deviate from the shareholders’ pre-emptive subscription right (directed issue). The authorisation may be used to strengthen the Company’s balance sheet and financial position, to pay purchase prices for acquisitions, in share-based incentive schemes or for other purposes resolved by the Board of Directors.

The authorisation remains in force until the end of the next Annual General Meeting, however no later than until 30 June 2026. The authorisation revokes earlier authorisations concerning share issues and the issuance other special rights entitling to shares.

Constitutive meeting of the Board of Directors
In its constitutive meeting held after the General Meeting, the Board of Directors elected Harry Brade as its Chair and Jesse Maula as its Vice Chair.

The Board of Directors also appointed the members to its committees. Henna Mäkinen, Jesse Maula, Katarina Cantell and Sebastian Nyström were elected to the Audit Committee. Henna Mäkinen was elected as the Chair of the Audit Committee. Harry Brade, Katarina Cantell and Jesse Maula were elected as the members of the HR committee. Harry Brade was elected as the Chair of the HR Committee.

All members eleccted to the Board of Directors are considered independent of the Company. All members of the Board of Directors, apart from Harry Brade, are considered independent of the significant shareholders of the Company. Harry Brade is the CEO of the Company’s significant shareholder Lamy Oy.

SIILI SOLUTIONS PLC

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Further information:
Taru Kovanen, General Counsel
Phone: +358 (0)40 4176 221
Email: taru.kovanen(at)siili.com

Distribution:

Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd
Main media
www.siili.com

Siili Solutions in brief:
Siili Solutions Plc is a forerunner in AI-powered digital development. Siili is the go-to partner for clients seeking growth, efficiency and competitive advantage through digital transformation. Our main markets are Finland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Siili Solutions Plc’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Stock Exchange. Siili has grown profitably since its founding in 2005. www.siili.com/en

The MIL Network –

April 9, 2025

MIL-OSI: Convocation of the General Ordinary Shareholders Meeting of INVL Technology and draft resolutions on agenda issue

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Special closed-ended type private equity investment company INVL Technology, legal entity code 300893533, the registered address Gyneju str. 14 Vilnius, Lithuania (hereinafter – “the Company” or “ INVL Technology”), informs that on the initiative and decision of the management company UAB „INVL Asset Management“ (hereinafter – “the Management Company“) , the General Ordinary Shareholders Meeting (hereinafter – “the Meeting”) is to be held on 30 April 2025.

The place of the Meeting: the office of Company, the address Gyneju str. 14, Vilnius.

The Meeting will start at 9:30 a.m. (registration starts at 9:00 a.m.).

The Meeting’s accounting day 23 April 2025 (the persons who are shareholders of the Company at the end of accounting day of the Meeting or authorized persons by them, or the persons with whom shareholders concluded the agreements on the disposal of voting right, shall have the right to attend and vote at the Meeting).

The total number of the Company’s shares is 12,175,321 shares. Considering that the Company has acquired its own shares, the total number of votes at the Company’s shareholders’ meeting is 12,009,566 votes.

Agenda of the Meeting:

Presentation of the Company‘s annual management report for 2024.
Presentation of the independent auditor’s report on the financial statements and annual management report of the Company.
Presentation of the Company‘s investment committee‘s recommendation on the draft of the profit (loss) distribution (including the formation of the reserve) and the draft of the information about remuneration.
Regarding the assent to the information about remuneration of the Company, as a part of the annual management report of the Company for the year 2024.
Approval of the stand-alone financial statements for 2024 of the Company.
Deciding on profit distribution of the Company.
Presentation of the Company‘s Management Company‘s statement on the share purchase price.
Regarding the purchase of own shares of the Company.
Presentation of the Report of the Audit Committee of the Company.
Regarding the election of the Audit Committee members of the Company.
Regarding the determination of the remuneration of the Audit Committee members of the Company.
Regarding the approval of new version of Regulations of Audit Committee of the Company.

Draft resolutions of the Meeting:

1. Presentation of the Company‘s annual management report for 2024

1.1. Shareholders of the Company are presented with the annual management report of the Company for 2024 (attached) (there is no voting on this issue of agenda).

2. Presentation of the independent auditor’s report on the financial statements and annual report of the Company

2.1. Shareholders of the Company are presented with the independent auditor’s report on the financial statements and annual report of the Company (attached) (there is no voting on this issue of agenda).

3. Presentation of the Company‘s investment committee‘s recommendation on the draft of the profit (loss) distribution (including the formation of the reserve) and the draft of the information about remuneration.

3.1. Shareholders of the Company are presented with the Company‘s investment committee‘s recommendation on the draft of the profit (loss) distribution (including the formation of the reserve), and the draft of the information about remuneration (attached) (there is no voting on this issue of agenda).

4. Regarding the assent to the information about remuneration of the Company, as a part of the annual management report of the Company for the year 2024

4.1. To assent to the information about remuneration of the Company, as a part of the annual management report of the Company for the year 2024 (attached).

5. Approval of the stand-alone financial statements for 2024 of the Company

5.1. To approve the stand-alone financial statements for 2024 of the Company.

6. Deciding on profit distribution of the Company

6.1. To distribute profit of the Company as follows:

Article	(thousand EUR)
Retained earnings (loss) at the beginning of the financial year of the reporting period	21,673
Net profit (loss) for the financial year	8,089
Profit (loss) not recognized in the income statement of the reporting financial year	–
Shareholders contributions to cover loss	–
Distributable profit (loss) at the end of the financial year of the reporting period	29,762
Transfers from reserves	–
Distributable profit (loss) in total	29,762
Profit distribution:
– Profit transfers to the legal reserves	–
-Profit transfers to the reserves for own shares acquisition	–
– Profit transfers to other reserves	–
– Profit to be paid as dividends	–
– Profit to be paid as annual payments (bonus) and for other purposes	29,762
Retained earnings (loss) at the end of the financial year

7. Presentation of the Company‘s Management Company‘s statement on the share purchase price

7.1. Shareholders of the Company are presented with the Company‘s Management Company‘s statement on the share purchase price (attached) (there is no voting on this issue of agenda).

8. Regarding the purchase of own shares of the Company

8.1. To authorise the Management Company to use the formed reserve (or the part of it) for the purchase of its own shares and after evaluation of the economic viability to purchase shares in INVL Technology by the rules mentioned below:

The goal for the purchase of own shares – to meet obligations arising from share option programs, or other allocations of shares, to employees of subsidiary companies and/or to reduce the authorized capital of the Company by cancelling the shares purchased by the Company.
The maximum number of shares to be acquired could not exceed 1/10 of the authorised capital INVL Technology.
The period during which INVL Technology may purchase its own shares is 18 months from the day of this resolution.
The maximum and minimal shares acquisition price of INVL Technology: the maximum one-share acquisition price – is the last announced net asset value per share, and the minimal one-share acquisition price – is EUR 0.29.
the conditions of the selling of the purchased shares and minimal selling price – the purchased shares are not planned to be sold and therefore the minimum selling price and the selling procedure for the shares are not determined. Own shares purchased by INVL Technology can be granted (given the right to purchase them) to the employees of the subsidiary companies by the decision of the Management Company, in accordance with the Rules on granting the shares. The shares acquired by the Company may be cancelled by decision of the General Meeting of Shareholders.
the Management Company is delegated on the basis of this resolution, the Law on Companies of the Republic of Lithuania and other legal acts, to make specific decisions regarding the purchase of the Company’s own shares, to organize procedure of purchase of own shares, determine the method and procedure for purchase of own shares (including the right to buy back shares in accordance with the provisions of Article 5, paragraph 1 of the European Parliament and Council Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 on market abuse), timing as well as the amount of shares and shares’ price, and to complete all other actions related with purchase procedure of own shares.

8.2. To initiate the reduction of the Company’s authorized capital by cancelling the shares purchased by the Company, only if the amount of own shares purchased will exceed the amount of shares required to grant shares to the employees of the Company’s subsidiaries, by 100,000 units or more of the Company’s shares.

8.3. To establish that after adopting this resolution the resolution of the General Meeting of Shareholders of 30 April 2024 regarding acquisition of the Company’s own shares shall expire.

9. Presentation of the Report of the Audit Committee of the Company

9.1. In accordance with the rules of procedure of the Audit Committee of the Company (approved on 28 April 2023 by decision of the General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company), the shareholders are hereby briefed on the activity report of the Audit Committee of the Company (attached) (there is no voting on this issue of agenda).

10. Regarding the election of the Audit Committee members of the Company

10.1. Given that in 2025, the term of office of the members of the Audit Committee of the Company expires, to elect three members: Dangutė Pranckėnienė, Andrius Lenickas and Tomas Bubinas to the Audit Committee of the Company for new 4 (four) years term of office.

11. Regarding the determination of the remuneration of the Audit Committee members of the Company

11.1. To set the hourly remuneration for each member of the Audit Committee of the Company at EUR 200 per hour (before taxes) for the service on the Audit Committee of the Company. The remuneration is paid for actual hours spent while performing the activities of the Audit Committee member.

12. Regarding the approval of new version of Regulations of Audit Committee of the Company

12.1. Considering the changes in the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the Audit of Financial Statements and Other Assurance Services regarding the obligations of the Audit Committee as well as the election of three Audit Committee members for the new term of office, the Regulations of the Audit Committee are updated accordingly. It is proposed to the shareholders of the Company to approve the new version of the Regulations of Audit Committee (attached).

The documents related to the agenda, draft resolutions on every item of the agenda, documents that have to be submitted to the General Ordinary Shareholders Meeting and other information related to the realization of shareholders’ rights are published on the Company’s website www.invltechnology.lt section For investors, and also by prior agreement available at the premises of the Company, located at Gyneju str. 14, Vilnius (hereinafter – “the Premises of the Company”) during working hours. Phone for information +370 5 279 0601.

The shareholders are entitled:

1. to propose to supplement the agenda of the Meeting by submitting a draft resolution on every additional item of the agenda or, then there is no need to make a decision – explanation of the shareholder (this right is granted to shareholders who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes). A proposal to supplement the agenda is submitted in writing sending a proposal by registered mail to the Company at Gyneju str. 14 LT-01110 Vilnius, Lithuania, or, by prior agreement, delivered in person to the representative of the Company at the Premises of the Company on business hours or by sending proposal to the Company by e-mail info@invltechnology.lt. The agenda is supplemented if the proposal is received no later than 14 days before the Meeting. In case the agenda of the Meeting is supplemented, the Company will report on it no later than 10 days before the Meeting in the same way as on convening of the Meeting;
2. to propose draft resolutions on the issues already included or to be included in the agenda of the Meeting at any time prior to the date of the Meeting (in writing, sending a proposal by registered mail to the Company at Gyneju str. 14 LT-01110 Vilnius, Lithuania, or, by prior agreement, delivered in person to the representative of the Company at the Premises of the Company on business hours or by sending a proposal to the Company by e-mail info@invltechnology.lt or in writing during the Meeting (this right is granted to shareholders who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes);
3. to submit questions to the Company related to the issues of the agenda of the Meeting in advance but no later than 3 business days prior to the Meeting in writing sending the proposal by registered mail to the Company at Gyneju str. 14 LT-01110 Vilnius, Lithuania, or, by prior agreement, delivered in person to the representative of the Company at the Premises of the Company on business hours or by sending a proposal to the Company by e-mail info@invltechnology.lt. All answers related to the agenda of the Meeting to questions submitted to the Company by the shareholders in advance, are submitted in the Meeting or simultaneously to all shareholders of the Company prior to the Meeting. The Company reserves the right to answer to those shareholders of the Company who can be identified and whose questions are not related to the Company’s confidential information or commercial secrets.
The MIL Network –

April 9, 2025

MIL-Evening Report: Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on making people feel safe

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kaitlyn DeGhetto, Associate Professor of Management, University of Dayton

To attract business investment, American cities and states offer companies billions of dollars in incentives, such as tax credits. As the theory goes, when governments create a business-friendly environment, it encourages investment, leading to job creation and economic growth.

While this theory may seem logical on its face, it’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. Business investment follows employees, not just the other way around. In fact, our research suggests workers care less about whether a city has business-friendly policies and more about how safe they feel living in it. And interestingly, we found that politics influence people’s risk perceptions more than hard data such as crime statistics.

Our findings have major implications for cities and businesses. If people choose where to live and work based on perceived safety rather than economic incentives, then entrepreneurs and city leaders may need to rethink how they approach growth and investment.

The many faces of risk

We are management professors who surveyed more than 500 employees and entrepreneurs from across the country to better understand how they rate 25 large U.S. cities on various dimensions of risk.

We asked about three different types of risk: risk related to crime, government function and social issues. Risk related to government function includes corruption and instability, while risk related to social issues includes potential infringements on individual rights.

We found that people’s views of risk weren’t driven primarily by objective statistics, such as FBI crime data. Instead, they were shaped by factors such as media representations, word of mouth and geographic stereotypes.

For example, studies suggest that crime in Denver has been rising, and U.S. News and World Report recently ranked it as the 10th most dangerous city based on FBI crime reports. However, the employees and entrepreneurs we surveyed ranked Denver as the safest city in the country.

It’s all politics

We found that political perspectives were the main factor biasing the rankings. For example, conservative-leaning employees and entrepreneurs believed that Portland, Oregon, is dangerous, ranking it as America’s ninth-riskiest city. In contrast, those who are liberal-leaning ranked it as the second-safest city in the country.

Both of these beliefs can’t be accurate. Instead, when basing the ranking on objective crime data from the FBI, U.S. News ranked Portland the 15th most dangerous city in the country.

When assessing risk related to how the government functions, conservatives praised politicians in Nashville, Charlotte and Dallas, while the liberals praised those in Denver, Minneapolis and Portland. Similarly, when considering risk related to social issues, conservatives said New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco were “risky,” while the liberals said Tampa, Miami and Houston should be avoided.

Our findings also suggest that political perspectives influence the types of risk that employers and employees care about. For example, conservatives tend to care more about crime-related risk than liberals, and liberals care more about risk related to social issues.

Now what?

We’re not advocating that city leaders drop financial incentives altogether, or that employers ignore them. Evidence suggests that financial incentives and other business-friendly policies may be effective at attracting businesses and strengthening local economies.

However, our research suggests that when individuals are making important life decisions about where to live, work and invest, a city’s level of risk matters. Importantly, beliefs about risk are subjective and are biased by political perspectives.

In our view, city leaders must recognize and address concerns about crime, governance and social issues while actively working to improve public perceptions of their cities. Likewise, businesses may want to consider investing in cities that are less politically polarized when making investment decisions.

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

– ref. Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on making people feel safe – https://theconversation.com/cities-that-want-to-attract-business-might-want-to-focus-less-on-financial-incentives-and-more-on-making-people-feel-safe-250247

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Westminster City Council announces more generous payment options for leaseholders | Westminster City Council
Source: City of Westminster

The new plans, amongst the most generous in London, will ease the pressure on leaseholders with bills for major works

Westminster City Council is introducing new payment options for resident leaseholders facing large major works bills, in response to challenges with the cost of living and increased building costs that have put many residents in a challenging financial situation.

Those facing invoices of over £30,000 will be able to benefit from an 8-year interest-free payment plan – one of the most generous payment terms available to local authority leaseholders in London. They will also now having the option of paying back over 13 years, with the first 8 interest free.

Additionally, the Discretionary and Voluntary service charge loans, which are available to leaseholders with bills of over £20,000, will now be interest free for the first 8 years and no longer dependent on the applicant having to show they weren’t able to secure financing elsewhere.

This is part of the Council’s plans to limit the financial burden on leaseholders and tackle the cost of living crisis in Westminster.

Cllr Liza Begum, Cabinet Member for Housing Services said: “The council has seen a sharp rise in the cost of essential major works to its buildings and wants to ensure resident leaseholders are supported through loans with more favourable terms.

“That’s why we are increasing the number and generosity of repayment options available to resident leaseholders in Westminster, to ensure that they have the best possible financial support.

“If you are a leaseholder and you want to know, more contact our housing services team about changing your payment plan”

Notes to editor:

The full details of the two new repayment options for resident leaseholders with major works bills are as follows:
- 8 years – If you receive an invoice for more than £30,000 you can spread payments over eight years in 96 equal monthly payments. This option will not be made available where the property is sublet, owned by a company, or owned by a housing association. You must complete an extended payment instalment form. No interest is charged.
- 13 years – If you receive a bill for more than £30,000 you can spread payments over thirteen years in 156 equal monthly payments. No interest is charged for months 1-96. Interest is charged on the balance remaining at month 96 at 1.5% above the Bank of England Base rate for months 97-156. This option will not be made available where the property is sublet, owned by a company, or owned by a housing association. You must complete an extended payment instalment form.
- For both of the Discretionary and Voluntary service charge loans, the criteria that leaseholders must have been unable to secure alternative financing has been removed and an interest free period of 8 years has been added. The full terms are now as follows:
  
  Discretionary Service Charge Loan – This option is available for residents leaseholders who receive a bill for more than £20,000. It will not be made available where the property is owned by a company or owned by a housing association. Where the property is sublet, we will review the application on a case by case basis. The service charge loan will be secured by a way of a legal charge on the property for a maximum of 25 years. Years 1 to 8 will be interest free. Interest is charged on the balance remaining at the end of year 8 at 1.5% above the Bank of England Base rate for years 9 to 25. Interest is calculated monthly. You will also need to pay the administration costs involved.
  
  Voluntary Service Charge Loan – This option is available for residents leaseholders who receive a bill for more than £20,000. This option will not be made available where the property is owned by a company or owned by a housing association. Where the property is sublet, we will review the application on a case by case basis. The service charge loan will be secured by a way of a legal charge on the property. Years 1 to 8 will be interest free. Interest is charged on the balance remaining at the end of year 8 at 1.5% above the Bank of England Base rate until the loan is repaid. Interest is calculated monthly. The administration fees to set up the loan and to register the charge against the property can also be added to the loan.
- Details of the Council’s other interest-free repayment plans for leaseholders with smaller major works bills can be found on the Council’s website (please note that this webpage does not yet reflect the changes to the other plans that have been detailed above): Major Works service charges payment plans | Westminster City Council
- If you are a leaseholder who has received a major works invoice for 2025/26, you will have access to the new payment plans on offer when they are implemented. Any leaseholders who are on historic payment plans for invoice issued before April 2025 can contact the council directly about moving to a new plan.
- The Cabinet Member decision to approve these changes is subject to the usual call-in procedures. You can read the decision report here: HR25-05 CMR – Major Works service charges payment options.pdf
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Sixteen Charged in Sweeping Houston-Based Multimillion-Dollar Illegal Gambling and Money Laundering Conspiracy

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

“Operation Double Down” leads to seizure of over $16 million in currency, accounts, and assets, as well as arrest of illegal aliens

HOUSTON – Several Houston-area residents are now in custody on various charges including conspiracy, operating illegal game rooms, bribery and money laundering in one of the largest ever law enforcement operations in the Southern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

They are expected to make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina Bryan at 2 p.m.

In addition to those indicted in the scheme, authorities also arrested 31 illegal aliens on various immigration and firearms charges during the operation April 2. One of those included an illegal alien who allegedly assaulted a law enforcement officer.

The indictment, returned March 26 and unsealed upon the arrests, alleges Nizar Ali, 61, Richmond, and others allegedly conspired to own, operate or assist in the operation of illegal game rooms. All also conspired to conduct financial transactions to conceal and disguise the nature and source of the proceeds of the illegal gambling business, which totaled more than $22 million, according to the charges.

More than 700 law enforcement officers from 18 agencies served a total of 45 search and 40 seizure warrants at locations throughout Houston and the surrounding area. The locations included 30 illegal game rooms with names such as El Portal and Yellow Building.

During the operation, authorities recovered more than $4.5 million in cash as well as $5 million in property and vehicles, 2000 slot machines, 100 Rolex watches and eight firearms. Law enforcement also seized approximately $6.5 million from bank accounts and other financial institutions pursuant to the court-issued warrants.

In addition to Ali, others taken into custody include Naeem Ali, 33, and Amer Khan, 68, both of Richmond; Ishan Dhuka, 33, and Sahil Karovalia, 32, both of Rosenberg; Sarfarez Maredia, 38, and Shoaib Maredia, 40, both of Sugar Land; Yolanda Figueroa, 40, Pasadena; Viviana Alvarado, 45, LaPorte; and Anabel Eloisa Guevarra, 46, Precela Solis, 27, Maria Delarosa, 53, Claudia Calderon, 37, and Lucia Hernandez, 34, all of Houston.

Two others – Sayed Ali, 59, Richmond, and Stephanie Huerta, 35, Houston – are considered fugitives and warrants remain outstanding for their arrests.

All are charged with conspiracy, operating an illegal gambling business and interstate travel in aid of racketeering which each carry possible prison terms of five years as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering which has a maximum 20-year possible prison term.

Ali is also charged with 32 counts of federal program bribery for allegedly paying more than $500,000 to an undercover officer in an attempt to protect the illicit game rooms from law enforcement intervention. If convicted, he faces up to 10 more years in prison on each count.

With the exception of the money laundering charge which has the possibility of a $500,000 maximum fine or twice the value of the property involved, the remaining counts carry a maximum $250,000 potential fine.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) led the investigation along with IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) and the assistance of Houston Police Department (HPD); FBI; High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program; Harris County Constable’s Office – Precinct One; Harris County District Attorney’s Office; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Drug Enforcement Administration. Other agencies providing support include ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, Customs and Border Protection, sheriff’s offices in Harris and Montgomery Counties, Houston Fire Department, Texas Attorney General’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety and police departments in Baytown and Pasadena.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Mark McIntyre, John Marck and Carolyn Ferko are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon Fyffe and Tyler Foster are handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

MIL Security OSI –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Piero Cipollone: Empowering Europe: boosting strategic autonomy through the digital euro

Source: European Central Bank

Introductory statement by Piero Cipollone, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament

Brussels, 8 April 2025

It is a privilege to be here today to continue our discussion on the digital euro.

There are many compelling arguments in favour of introducing a digital euro, and in my view they all converge on one fundamental principle: strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy.

Today I would like to discuss what strategic autonomy in day-to-day payments means in practice, looking at both the key role of cash and the benefits of a digital euro.

Faced with a less predictable international environment, it is now time to take concrete action.

Retail payments are becoming increasingly digital.^[1] Consumers are increasingly choosing to use digital means of payment in shops, and they are also making ever more purchases online. Yet, a significant share of these transactions depend on non-European providers. Today, people in 13 euro area countries rely solely on international card schemes or mobile solutions for in-shop payments.^[2] And even where national card schemes exist, they rely on co-badging with international card schemes to enable cross-border payments within the euro area. In the not so distant future, this could evolve into dependence on other private means of payment, for instance foreign stablecoins.

Excessively relying on foreign providers undermines our resilience and compromises our monetary sovereignty.^[3] It also underscores the urgent need for a digital euro. Failing to act would not only expose us to significant risks, but also deprive us of a great opportunity.

The vital role of cash in ensuring financial inclusion and resilience

Despite the rapid digitalisation of retail payments, cash remains a cornerstone of the European financial system and is currently our only sovereign means of payment.

The continued strong demand for cash^[4] highlights the importance of ensuring that it remains a convenient, secure and universally accepted means of payment and store of value.

Cash ensures financial inclusion, but it also plays a crucial role in maintaining the resilience of our payment systems and economies. In times of crisis, for example during cyberattacks or power failures, cash provides a reliable fall-back option. We have also seen this during the natural disasters that have affected parts of the euro area over the past year.

Against this background, the Eurosystem is fully committed to ensuring that cash remains a widely available and accepted means of payment for everyone in Europe. We have implemented a comprehensive cash strategy^[5], and we are redesigning euro banknotes to make them fit for the future.

Moreover, the ECB strongly welcomes the proposed regulation governing the legal tender status of euro banknotes and coins. As we explained in our opinion, the regulation should clearly prohibit ex ante unilateral exclusions of cash by retailers or service providers. It should also ensure that Member States will hold the banking sector responsible for providing essential cash services to both private and corporate customers, ensuring good access to facilities for withdrawing and depositing euro cash across the euro area.^[6]

The need to enhance Europe’s strategic autonomy in digital payments in a changing geopolitical environment

However, we must also ensure that Europeans have a secure and reliable digital means of payment that complements cash and extends its key benefits to the digital sphere. The growing preference for digital payments means that the acceptance and the availability of cash are no longer sufficient to cover a growing share of use cases. For example, online shopping accounts for more than one-third of our retail transactions, but cash cannot be used online and it is often not possible to pay using a European payment service^[7], meaning we need to rely on non-European payment systems. This is a structural weakness that we need to address.

Europe cannot afford to rely excessively on foreign payment solutions. Doing so makes us dependent on the kindness of strangers in a context of heightened geopolitical tensions. The urgency of preserving our autonomy in defence and energy is already extremely clear. But ensuring autonomy for essential services like daily payments is just as urgent. Without it, we are vulnerable to geopolitical threats and risk losing our monetary sovereignty. Recent international developments underscore these risks.

Meanwhile, our reliance on foreign payment providers weakens our economic potential and our ability to compete. Owing to the fragmented payments market, European payment service providers often lack the scale to offer their services across the EU. This plays into the hands of non-European providers that can offer their services at the European level, and even internationally.

Our fragmented market structure also comes with a large price tag. But it does not have to be this way – we have the power to decide how unified our payments market should be.

Data show that domestic card schemes are losing market share across Europe^[8], while international schemes charge high fees to European banks and merchants.^[9]

And the growing popularity of digital wallets like PayPal or Apple Pay is exposing European banks to further outflows of fees and data.

Most recently, the measures taken by the new US Administration to promote crypto-assets and US dollar-backed stablecoins raise concerns for Europe’s financial stability and strategic autonomy. They could potentially result not just in further losses of fees and data, but also in euro deposits being moved to the United States and in a further strengthening of the role of the dollar in cross-border payments. At the same time, private businesses are increasingly open to accepting stablecoins for customer payments, which could have far-reaching implications for monetary sovereignty.^[10]

Faced with these challenges, we need a public-private partnership to retain our sovereignty. The digital euro – as a sovereign European means of payment based on EU legislation – would be the cornerstone of this partnership.

It would ensure that the euro area retains control over its financial future. By offering a secure and universally accepted digital payment option which would be suitable for all use cases – and, crucially, under European governance – it would reduce our dependence on foreign providers. And it would limit the potential for foreign currency stablecoins to become a common medium of exchange within the euro area.^[11]

The digital euro would provide European consumers with a simple and safe digital payment option, free for basic use, that covers all their payment needs everywhere in the euro area while ensuring their privacy.^[12] It would also protect European merchants from excessive charges imposed by international card schemes and put them in a stronger position to negotiate fees with these schemes.^[13]

In addition, the digital euro could be used offline, making our daily payments more resilient as both consumers and merchants would still be able to use the digital euro without a network connection.

And, importantly, the digital euro would enable European payment service providers to operate autonomously once more.^[14] The digital euro would not compete with private initiatives. Instead, it would exploit synergies and enable private initiatives to scale up more easily across the EU. This would help overcome the hurdles that have led to the current fragmentation.

One example of these synergies is offering an integrated solution that enables private initiatives to provide services across the euro area and effectively cover all use cases thanks to the common digital euro standards.

This would mean that people would not have to look for alternative foreign payment solutions. European banks would be able to retain their customers and be adequately compensated for their services.

The world of payments is changing fast, which is why it is crucial to move forwards with the digital euro legislation now.

The consequences of inaction are becoming increasingly apparent. Inaction could lead to a loss of control over our financial infrastructure, increased reliance on foreign systems and potential disruptions to our banking and credit systems. Delaying the digital euro would slow down our collective public-private response to these risks. European citizens are relying on us to secure Europe’s chance to drive change rather than watch from the sidelines.

Digital euro project on track

Let me now focus on the technical progress of our project.

The legal framework is crucial in shaping how the digital euro operates, including its status as legal tender and how privacy is protected. In parallel, the digital euro project is progressing according to schedule and we are nearing the end of the preparation phase.^[15]

Together with market participants we are working on the digital euro rulebook – a single set of rules, standards and procedures for digital euro payments.^[16] You have previously asked about the benefits a digital euro would have for the private sector. This rulebook will enable European payment providers to expand their services across the euro area by capitalising on the open standards and legal tender status of the digital euro. As soon as the legislation is adopted by the co-legislators, these standards can be finalised and market participants can use them, even before the potential issuance of a digital euro.^[17] This would frontload the benefits for both merchants and consumers. Later this week we will publish an update on the progress we have made on developing the rulebook.

It is vital that the digital euro ensures the stability of the financial system – we have heard your concerns on this topic, and it is one of our key priorities. As I mentioned the last time we met, we are currently developing the methodology that builds a solid analytical base to determine the digital euro holding limit.^[18] This methodology is based on the three pillars indicated in the draft legislation – usability, monetary policy and financial stability. We are building on the feedback we have received from all market stakeholders, and we aim to publish the results in the summer. Preliminary findings already indicate that using the digital euro for daily payments will not harm financial stability, banking supervision or monetary policy.

This public-private effort to regain our autonomy in the retail payment space will be more likely to succeed if it also fosters innovation, as some of you have mentioned previously. Therefore, last October we issued a call for expressions of interest in innovation partnerships for the digital euro.^[19] The primary goal is to experiment with conditional payments and other innovative use cases. For example, we are exploring the possibility of allowing people to pay only if a given service is provided, thereby avoiding lengthy and uncertain reimbursement procedures.

We have seen a lot of interest from various market sectors, with around 100 applicants wanting to experiment further with new use cases and technological solutions.^[20] These innovation partnerships will ultimately benefit all digital euro providers and users. Providers will be able to expand their customer and revenue bases, while users will benefit from innovative payment options.

In addition, technical work on privacy, offline functionality and operational resilience is progressing well. We are also in the middle of the procurement process to establish framework agreements with possible future providers of digital euro services.^[21]

Finally, we are conducting comprehensive user research to gather actionable insights into user preferences and ensure that the digital euro offers people clear benefits.^[22] This is something you also raised in the European Parliament’s recent resolution on the ECB’s Annual Report.^[23]

Conclusion

Let me conclude.

The time to act is now. Making progress on both the digital euro regulation and the regulation on the legal tender status of cash has become urgent if we are to increase our resilience to possible disruptions and reverse our ever-increasing dependence on foreign companies.

We have been highlighting the importance of Europe’s strategic autonomy since the very beginning of the digital euro project.^[24] The good news is that both the co-legislators and the ECB have been working hard on this issue in recent years.

This is a public-private common European project, and as co-legislators you are central to making it happen. Now is the moment to make Europe’s strategic autonomy in the critical area of payments a reality.

For the digital euro to be successful, we need robust and forward-looking legislation. The ECB stands ready to support you with technical input as your deliberations progress, and we will of course continue to update you on the progress we are making.

In a fast-changing world, let’s show all Europeans that we respond to challenges head-on, protect our currency and guarantee people’s freedom to pay as they choose.

Thank you for your attention.

MIL OSI Europe News –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI: BOS RFID Division Secures $375,000 Order for New Product Line
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

RISHON LE ZION, Israel, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BOS Better Online Solutions Ltd. (“BOS” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: BOSC), an integrator of supply chain technologies, announced today that its RFID division has received a significant new order for an automatic sorting machine. The order, amounting to $375,000, is for the Israeli branches of a global fashion retailer and is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Eyal Cohen, CEO of BOS, stated, “We are pleased to secure yet another new order win, this time for our RFID division, continuing the strong sales momentum that has given BOS an exciting sales start in 2025.”

Uzi Parizat, RFID division, VP sales and marketing, stated, “This notable order from a global fashion retailer demonstrates our RFID division’s expanded offerings, which now include off-the-shelf automatic sorting and packing machines for logistics centers. These automatic sorting machines allow BOS’ customers to efficiently process branch orders from their main logistic center, significantly enhancing shipment accuracy, increasing volume capacities, and reducing reliance on workforce resources. I believe this new line of off-the-shelf automatic packing and sorting machines will be a vital growth engine for our RFID division.”

Eyal Cohen added, “In parallel, our Intelligent Robotics division is developing custom-made robotics systems, creating a strong synergy between our divisions and strengthening BOS’ position in the Israeli market of supply chain technologies.”

About BOS Better Online Solutions Ltd.

BOS integrates cutting-edge technologies to streamline and enhance supply chain operations across three specialized divisions:
- Intelligent Robotics Division: Automates industrial and logistics inventory processes through advanced robotics technologies, improving efficiency and precision.
- RFID Division: Optimizes inventory management with state-of-the-art solutions for marking and tracking, ensuring real-time visibility and control.
- Supply Chain Division: Integrates franchised components directly into customer products, meeting their evolving needs for developing innovative solutions.
For more information on BOS Better Online Solutions Ltd., visit boscom.com

For additional information, contact:

Matt Kreps, Managing Director
Darrow Associates
+1-214-597-8200
mkreps@darrowir.com

Eyal Cohen, CEO
+972-542525925
eyalc@boscom.com

Safe Harbor Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The forward-looking statements contained herein reflect management’s current views with respect to future events and financial performance. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of BOS. These risk factors and uncertainties include, amongst others, the dependency of sales being generated from one or few major customers, the uncertainty of BOS being able to maintain current gross profit margins, inability to keep up or ahead of technology and to succeed in a highly competitive industry, inability to maintain marketing and distribution arrangements and to expand our overseas markets, uncertainty with respect to the prospects of legal claims against BOS, the effect of exchange rate fluctuations, general worldwide economic conditions, the effect of the war against the Hamas and other parties in the region, the continued availability of financing for working capital purposes and to refinance outstanding indebtedness; and additional risks and uncertainties detailed in BOS’ periodic reports and registration statements filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. BOS undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

The MIL Network –
April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI: Flywire Deepens Collaboration with Ellucian to Deploy Software and Payment Solutions to Banner through Integrations via Ellucian Ethos
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

BOSTON and ORLANDO, Fla., April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, at the Ellucian Live conference, Flywire Corporation (Nasdaq: FLYW) (Flywire), a global payments enablement and software company, announced newly deployed integrations with Ellucian, a leading provider of software and services built to power higher education. Flywire’s new integration pathway with Ellucian Ethos, Ellucian’s API layer, enables institutions to accelerate their implementations of Flywire’s solutions, and ensures Flywire can be implemented on any Ellucian instance, including Banner and Colleague SaaS. These new achievements build off of Flywire and Ellucian’s award-winning integrations that enhance the student experience, while reducing complexity for institutions.

George Mason University in the United States leveraged Flywire’s Ellucian Ethos integration to successfully deploy Flywire Collection Management software, allowing, among other things, single sign-on access for students directly from their familiar Banner interface. Additionally, Oxford Brookes University will be the first institution to go live with Flywire’s Ellucian Ethos integration for international payments, making Flywire the first Ethos integration in the United Kingdom.

Flywire successfully deploys Banner integration via Ellucian Ethos at George Mason University

George Mason University, a longtime client using Flywire for cross-border tuition payments, leveraged Flywire’s Student Financial Software (SFS) integration via Ellucian Ethos to implement Flywire’s Collection Management solution. This automates the past-due collection process, providing proactive visibility and alerts to prompt student engagement, offering flexible payment plans, and accelerating collection timelines and cash flow. With the Flywire SFS/Ellucian integration, past-due accounts are loaded seamlessly, communications are automated, and students are always able to see their accurate balance, saving significant time and resources for administrative staff. Additionally, for staff, they can manage all workflows related to the student financial journey from their familiar Banner or Colleague platform.

“As a result of the Flywire SFS integration with Ellucian Banner, our students have secure, single sign-on access to our collection management application,” said Bill Cunningham, Director of Student Accounts at George Mason University. “This makes it easier for them to view their past-due balance and take action before it becomes a collection issue. This also reduces the workload for our internal collections team. The project was also one of the smoothest we’ve seen.”

Oxford Brookes University in the U.K. leverages Flywire’s payments integration with Ellucian Ethos & EPS

One of Ellucian’s earliest adopters to integrate a payment solution via Ellucian Ethos & EPS, Oxford Brookes University in the U.K., is leveraging the integration between Flywire and Ellucian Banner to offer a streamlined payment experience with hundreds of payment choices to their students and families directly within their Banner instance, without significant IT investment. Additionally, Flywire helps their students and families easily make and track payments in native currencies, and they get the benefit of seeing and accessing all payment information within their familiar Banner workflow.

“Embedding Flywire’s payment solution into our student information system makes it a natural part of the workflow – for both students and our finance team,” said a representative from Oxford Brookes. “Regardless of where they are in the world, students can easily and securely view charges and make payments. At the same time, reconciliation is fully automated and our systems are updated in real time. That kind of tight integration will drive huge efficiencies for our finance team.”

Building on a longstanding partnership between Flywire and Ellucian

With a singular focus on higher education, Ellucian has been empowering colleges and universities with powerful, enterprise solutions for over 50 years. Now, more than 2,900 higher education institutions across the globe rely on Ellucian for everything from managing business workflows to improving the student experience. This has been the driving force behind the long-standing partnership between Ellucian and Flywire. Thanks to ongoing innovation and collaboration, Flywire has previously been named an Ellucian Partner of the Year for Integration Excellence, recognition that highlights how Flywire’s integrations reduce complexity for institution administrators wanting to offer a streamlined experience with more flexible payment options to students and their families.

Additional benefits of Ellucian/Flywire integrations include:
- Convenient and secure digital payment experience – Flywire’s powerful Global Payment Network allows students to securely pay in 140+ currencies across 240+ countries and territories with hundreds of payment options
- Real-time payment and payment plan updates and automated reconciliation – via seamless data flow between Flywire and Ellucian Banner and Ellucian Colleague systems
- Consolidated payment options – ability to offer a variety of payment options in one place accelerates funds flow, eases reconciliation, and streamlines financial operations
“Our ability to embed intuitive payment capabilities directly into Ellucian’s existing workflows enables schools to optimize the student financial experience, expand payment options, and streamline their backend financial processes,” said David King, Chief Technology Officer at Flywire. “And as one of the first partners to integrate a payment solution via Ellucian Ethos and EPS, Flywire is committed to building off a longstanding relationship to continue to drive technical innovation for global institutions.”

Zach Tussing, Director of Partnerships, Ellucian, added: “The Flywire and Ellucian teams have been working closely together to deliver an improved integration and an innovative customer experience. Flywire’s powerful global payments network and payments software, integrated with Ellucian’s suite of products, will deliver significant improvements for institutions around the world.”

Resources
- To meet with the Flywire team at Ellucian Live:
  - Visit Flywire booth #234
  - Attend Flywire’s “Rethink Payments & Collections with University of South Florida & Texas A&M for Student Success” and “Texas A&M Automates Sponsor Invoicing to Drive Efficiency” sessions
  - See SFS in action during our solution showcase Tuesday, April 8th at 2:55pm ET
- To learn more about Flywire’s partnership with Ellucian: Unifying the student experience with Ellucian and Flywire
- To learn more about Flywire’s Ellucian product integrations: Better Together: Flywire and Ellucian
- To learn more about Flywire’s capabilities for higher ed: Flywire’s education solutions
About Flywire

Flywire is a global payments enablement and software company. We combine our proprietary global payments network, next-gen payments platform and vertical-specific software to deliver the most important and complex payments for our clients and their customers.

Flywire leverages its vertical-specific software and payments technology to deeply embed within the existing A/R workflows for its clients across the education, healthcare and travel vertical markets, as well as in key B2B industries. Flywire also integrates with leading ERP systems, such as NetSuite, so organizations can optimize the payment experience for their customers while eliminating operational challenges.

Flywire supports more than 4,500 clients with diverse payment methods in more than 140 currencies across 240 countries and territories around the world. Flywire is headquartered in Boston, MA, USA with global offices. For more information, visit www.flywire.com. Follow Flywire on X (formerly known as Twitter), LinkedIn and Facebook.

About Ellucian

With more than 2,900 customers in over 50 countries, Ellucian delivers technology solutions that drive student success and institutional excellence. For more information visit www.ellucian.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding Flywire’s expectations regarding the benefits of its education clients and business, Flywire’s business strategy and plans, market growth and trends. Flywire intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as, but not limited to, “believe,” “may,” “will,” “potentially,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “target,” “plan,” “expect,” or the negative of these terms, and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations that involve risks, changes in circumstances, assumptions, and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in Flywire’s forward-looking statements include, among others, the factors that are described in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of Flywire’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and available on the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov/. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and Flywire undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release on account of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

Media Contacts:

Sarah King
Media@Flywire.com

Investor Relations Contact
Masha Kahn
ir@flywire.com

The MIL Network –
April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI: MissionSquare Retirement to build out personal wealth unit, hires Betsy Schroeder to lead retail solutions

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Washington, D.C., April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MissionSquare Retirement is pleased to announce the appointment of Betsy Schroeder as head of Retail Products. In this newly created position, Schroeder will be responsible for building out the firm’s retail product offering and solution set.

“At MissionSquare, we understand the important role in- and out-of-plan solutions can play when it comes to serving the holistic needs of individuals and their families,” said Andre Robinson, chief executive officer and president of MissionSquare Retirement. “Introducing this new position to the firm is an important step for our team as we look to build the most optimal and efficient model to align with today’s evolving retirement plan industry. We are thrilled that Betsy will lead the team as she brings an experienced background in retail solutions development.”

Schroeder comes to MissionSquare with more than 25 years of financial services experience and a successful, proven track record of retail product development. Most recently, she was head of Investment Product Management and Relationship Management at MassMutual. In this role, she was responsible for managing and overseeing MassMutual’s broker-dealer investment products and developing and growing the firm’s overall competitive product offering.

“Betsy’s deep industry experience will benefit us greatly as we look to further advance our retail personal wealth offerings,” added Jeffrey Gibson, chief product strategy officer at MissionSquare Retirement. “With a strong history of developing and growing retail product offerings for employers, Betsy will play an instrumental role in expanding our solution set and executing our go-to-market strategy.”

Schroeder earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bryant University, is a Certified Public Accountant and holds FINRA Series 6 and 26 licenses. She is based in Canton, Conn., and reports directly to Gibson.

MissionSquare continues to grow and expand its solutions to further strengthen its position in the market. This includes introducing new tools and resources to help employees and their families build retirement security.

About MissionSquare Retirement

Since its founding in 1972, MissionSquare Retirement has been dedicated to simplifying the path to retirement security for public service employees. As a mission-based, nonstock, nonprofit financial services company, we manage and administer over $72.0 billion in assets.* Our commitment to delivering results-oriented retirement plans, education, investments, and personalized advice sets us apart. Explore how we enable public service workers to build a secure financial future. For more information, visit www.missionsq.org or follow the company on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X.

*As of Dec. 31, 2024. Includes 457(b) plans, 401(a) plans, 403(b) plans, Retirement Health Savings plans, Employer Investment Program plans, affiliated IRAs, and investment-only assets.

The MIL Network –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI: Syncfusion® Releases Essential Studio® 2025 Volume 1
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Syncfusion®, Inc., the enterprise technology partner of choice, announces the release of Essential Studio® 2025 Volume 1. This release introduces a new SpeechToText component for the JavaScript and Blazor platforms, plus enhancements to the AI AssistView component and the file-format libraries. Also, several .NET MAUI and Blazor components have been fine-tuned and are now ready for production environments.

“As software developers continue to explore artificial intelligence solutions for problems in business applications, they need tools that deliver or integrate with the AI features their end users demand,” said Syncfusion CEO Daniel Jebaraj. “With the new SpeechToText component and improvements to the AI AssistView, Essential Studio is further cemented as a key part of the AI-savvy developer’s toolkit.”

AI and web control updates
The AI AssistView, an intuitive interface for conversational AI services, now supports streaming. This update to our Essential JS 2 and Blazor toolkits allows prompt responses to be delivered piece by piece as they’re generated.

2025 Volume 1 also provides these platforms a new SpeechToText control. This powerful tool offers:
- Real-time transcription.
- Multilingual support.
- Predefined and customizable UI styles.
Essential® JS 2
The JavaScript Charts component has received many enhancements, including:
- Tooltips for data points closest to the cursor.
- Total values in stacked charts.
- Additional scrollbar position options.
- An event for customizing charts when exporting them to Excel.
.NET MAUI
The Toolbar is a new control that provides a collection of common text editing actions represented by minimalist icons, text labels, or both. Its uncluttered presentation is perfect for any mobile app, adapting to both vertical and horizontal orientations and supporting touch gestures.

Additional .NET MAUI updates include:

File-format libraries
The PDF Library now supports the creation of PDF documents compliant with PDF/UA-2 accessibility requirements and well-tagged PDF specifications. The Word Library now ensures SmartArt graphics in Word files render accurately when converted to PDF and image formats. During PowerPoint-to-PDF conversion with the PowerPoint Library, shapes can be converted into editable PDF form fields, providing users with an alternative way to create interactive digital forms.

Upgrade today
Essential Studio 2025 Volume 1 includes many more new features and enhancements. Read about them in the Volume 1 blog, What’s New page, or release notes. Current subscribers can download the new version from the License and Downloads page after logging in.

About Syncfusion, Inc.
Syncfusion® is the enterprise technology partner of choice for software development and business intelligence, delivering an ecosystem of compatible developer control suites, embeddable BI platforms, and business software. Headquartered in Research Triangle Park, NC, Syncfusion has established itself as a trusted partner worldwide for use in mission-critical applications through its service-oriented approach. The Syncfusion Essential Studio® suite has expanded from one data grid at its launch in 2001, to over 1,900 controls for web, mobile, and desktop development. After nearly two decades of helping developers build business software with Essential Studio, the company channeled this expertise into its own line of enterprise products: Bold BI® and Bold Reports® for embedded business intelligence, data analysis, and visualization; BoldSign®, an embeddable e-signing solution; and most recently, BoldDesk®, a customer support platform. Today, Syncfusion has more than 35,000 customers, including large financial institutions, Fortune 500 companies, and global IT consultancies, relying on Essential Studio and Bold products for their business success.

Contact: Brittany Kearns
Phone: 919-270-8054
Email: brittany@crossroadsb2b.com

The MIL Network –
April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI: LockedIn AI Launches Invisible Interview Copilot to Empower Job Seekers with Real-Time AI Support
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LockedIn AI, an AI-driven career tool provider, recently debuted its fully hidden desktop application for real-time interview support. Branded as an “invisible interview copilot,” the new tool can actively hear and see your interviews and offer instant answers, analysis, and live feedback during interviews, helping candidates confidently tackle even the trickiest technical or behavioral questions. This innovative platform leverages generative AI to offer on-the-spot solutions and coaching, positioning LockedIn AI at the forefront of AI-powered career technology.

In remote tech interviews, candidates are often presented with LeetCode-style coding challenges, a staple of modern hiring processes. LockedIn AI’s platform instantly analyzes these questions as they appear on-screen and delivers intelligent solution suggestions and explanations in real time. For example, a candidate faced with a complex algorithm problem can get step-by-step guidance within seconds, allowing them to explain their approach clearly and solve problems faster. The application operates in complete stealth mode – remaining invisible to video platforms and screen-sharing software – so candidates can receive AI assistance discreetly without disrupting the interview flow.

In addition to technical coding help, the AI copilot can listen to spoken interview questions and provide live coaching tips or even suggested answers, acting like a personal digital interview coach at the candidate’s side.

“LockedIn AI’s mission is to level the playing field for applicants,” said Caesar Gui, AKA Kagehiro Mitsuyami, founder and CEO of LockedIn AI. “Interview environments can be extremely high-pressure and over-complicated, especially for technical candidates. Our AI Copilot gives real-time answers, hints, and feedback so that no candidate has to face an interview alone or unprepared. We’re harnessing AI to not only solve coding problems but also to boost a candidate’s confidence and performance. Over the past few years recruiters have been involving more AI in their hiring process, and we hope to give candidates the ability to keep up with companies by empowering them with the right tool to be their best self.

In this era where ‘everyone is programming with the help of AI’ in their daily work, why not bring that support into the interview room? With LockedIn AI, job seekers can showcase their true skills with a little help in the background – like having a personal coach whispering solutions and encouragement when they need it most.”

Key features of LockedIn AI’s Interview Copilot include:
- Stealth Mode Privacy: An invisible interface that remains undetectable during screen sharing or video calls. Candidates can confidently use the tool on platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or coding test environments (HackerRank, CodeSignal, etc.) without the interviewer’s knowledge. This advanced privacy-first design ensures complete discretion and lets users focus on solving problems, not worrying about detection.
- Instant Coding Assistance: Real-time analysis of coding questions and immediate solution generation for algorithms and data structure problems. The AI not only suggests answers but also provides line-by-line explanations and time complexity analysis, mirroring the way an expert tutor would help. For instance, if a LeetCode problem appears, with the click of a button the app can quickly outline a solution approach and even highlight potential edge cases to consider.
- Live Interview Coaching: Beyond coding, LockedIn AI offers on-the-fly support for behavioral and situational questions. It can transcribe the interviewer’s spoken questions and prompt the user with key points or model answers. This feature is like having a seasoned interview coach listening in and offering whispered advice – helping candidates articulate their thoughts, mention relevant experiences, or remember important technical concepts under pressure. Anxiety in an interview can hinder even the most skilled professionals, this tool minimizes that stress.
- Multi-Industry & Multilingual Support: LockedIn AI is built to assist candidates across 100+ job industries and 40+ languages, from software engineering to finance to consulting. The AI can understand and respond in the user’s preferred language, and even recognize regional accents, making it a versatile tool for non-native English speakers and global job seekers.
- Comprehensive Career Toolset: The new interview copilot integrates with LockedIn AI’s broader platform, which includes an AI-powered resume builder and mock interview simulator. Users can thus prepare end-to-end – from crafting an ATS-optimized resume to practicing with AI-driven mock interviews, and finally using the live interview assistant for real opportunities. This all-in-one approach positions LockedIn AI as more than just a quick fix; it’s a long-term career partner for professional growth.
This launch comes at a pivotal moment in the hiring landscape. Remote interviews have become ubiquitous since the pandemic, and candidates are increasingly turning to AI assistance in these high-stakes situations. A recent study found that more than 50% of candidates have used AI tools or large language models to aid in interviews.

LockedIn AI directly addresses this trend by providing a reliable, secure solution built for purpose, in contrast to ad-hoc hacks or questionable cheating shortcuts. “We understand the reality – many capable candidates use AI on the job every day, yet feel handicapped in a strict interview setting,” Mitsuyami added. “LockedIn AI’s real-time support bridges that gap. It enables candidates to perform at their best, ethically and efficiently, by using AI as a confidence booster and productivity tool.”

LockedIn AI’s Interview Copilot is available today on both Windows and macOS as a lightweight desktop application, with a complementary Chrome browser extension for web-based meeting platforms. New users can try a basic version for free, with premium subscriptions available for unlimited usage and advanced features (such as extended coding analysis and full behavioral question support). Since its initial beta release, LockedIn AI has already helped over 100,000 users prepare for interviews across tech and non-tech roles. Some early adopters have reported landing multiple job offers within weeks of using the platform — including one user who secured offers from four different companies. Feedback has been enthusiastic, with many citing the tool’s “lightning-fast responses” and the confidence of having an “AI safety net” during real interviews.

About LockedIn AI: LockedIn AI (founded in 2024) is a New York-based startup at the forefront of AI-powered career solutions. The company offers an integrated platform for job seekers, including real-time interview assistance, AI-guided resume and cover letter building, and personalized interview practice tools. LockedIn AI’s mission is to empower professionals to achieve their career goals by leveraging cutting-edge artificial intelligence in a privacy-first and user-centric manner. By positioning itself as a thought leader in AI-driven career development, LockedIn AI is pioneering new ways for candidates to excel in interviews and beyond.

Press Contact:
James Valdez – CMO, LockedIn AI
jamesv@lockedinai.com | (214) 229-3534

(For more information, visit LockedIn AI’s website or follow @LockedInAI on social media.)

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a7d14048-2917-4184-9c1e-fac8178c432e

A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/28482f57-01ed-4eba-84f9-6c92fd83b2b5

The MIL Network –
April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI: Maris-Tech Successfully Completes Pilot Manufacturing Project in the U.S.

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Compliance with international manufacturing standards strengthens company’s position into the American defense market

Rehovot, Israel, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Maris-Tech Ltd. (Nasdaq: MTEK, MTEKW) (“Maris-Tech” or the “Company”), a global leader in video and artificial intelligence (“AI”)- based edge computing technology, today announced that it has successfully completed a pilot assembly of one of its core products at an American manufacturing facility in Michigan. The product passed the quality assurance tests, demonstrating compliance with Company’s strict quality control tests.

This pilot brings Maris-Tech one step closer to its strategic goal of penetrating the U.S. defense market. It follows the Company’s establishment of a subsidiary in North America, the appointment of U.S.-based marketing managers, and participation in major American defense industry exhibitions.

By launching localized production and aligning with American quality and operational benchmarks, Maris-Tech aims to better serve its growing base of U.S. partners and customers. The Company’s solutions — including AI-powered video processing systems for drones, tactical alert systems for armored vehicles, and edge devices for special forces — are designed to enhance situational awareness and support high-performance decision-making in real-time operational environments.

“We are proud of the successful results of this pilot and view it as an important milestone in our expansion strategy into the U.S.,” said Israel Bar, CEO of Maris-Tech. “This achievement reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality products that meet our standards. We believe that industry players will benefit from our innovative technology and localized manufacturing capabilities.”

About Maris-Tech Ltd.

Maris-Tech is a global leader in video and AI-based edge computing technology, pioneering intelligent video transmission solutions that conquer complex encoding-decoding challenges. Our miniature, lightweight, and low-power products deliver high-performance capabilities, including raw data processing, seamless transfer, advanced image processing, and AI-driven analytics. Founded by Israeli technology sector veterans, Maris-Tech serves leading manufacturers worldwide in defense, aerospace, Intelligence gathering, homeland security (HLS), and communication industries. We’re pushing the boundaries of video transmission and edge computing, driving innovation in mission-critical applications across commercial and defense sectors.

For more information, visit https://www.maris-tech.com/

Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer

This press release contains “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, that are intended to be covered by the “safe harbor” created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “believe,” “expect”,” “may”, “should,” “could,” “seek,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “estimate,” “anticipate” or other comparable terms. For example, we are using forward-looking statements when we are discussing the completion of the pilot and its significance in bringing Maris-Tech one step closer to its strategic goal of penetrating the U.S. defense market and the Company’s belief that industry players will benefit from its innovative technology and localized manufacturing capabilities. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of the Company’s control. The Company’s actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: its ability to successfully market its products and services, including in the United States; the acceptance of its products and services by customers; its continued ability to pay operating costs and ability to meet demand for its products and services; the amount and nature of competition from other security and telecom products and services; the effects of changes in the cybersecurity and telecom markets; its ability to successfully develop new products and services; its success establishing and maintaining collaborative, strategic alliance agreements, licensing and supplier arrangements; its ability to comply with applicable regulations; and the other risks and uncertainties described in the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on March 28, 2025, and its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Investor Relations:

Nir Bussy, CFO
Tel: +972-72-2424022
Nir@maris-tech.com

The MIL Network –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New appeals process to provide independent assurance about Horizon redress awards
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

New appeals process to provide independent assurance about Horizon redress awards

Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas has announced the launch of the new, independent, appeals process for eligible postmasters in the Horizon Shortfall Scheme.
New independent appeals process for Horizon Shortfall Scheme victims

New applications for postmasters who claimed under HSS to begin this month

Provides assurance that those who were unjustly impacted by the Horizon IT scandal will receive full, fair and swift redress

Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas has announced in Parliament today [Tuesday 8 April] the launch of the new, independent, appeals process for eligible postmasters in the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS).

Postmasters who feel their financial settlement did not reflect the true extent of their losses and trauma will be able to appeal their settlement ensuring they receive full, fair and swift redress.

Eligible postmasters and their legal representatives will be written to later this month and applications for the new Appeals process will begin to be accepted by the end of April.

Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas said:

It is our priority that all those who were unjustly affected by the Horizon IT scandal receive full, fair and swift redress and today’s measures are the next step in providing that.

Since taking office, the total amount of redress paid to victims has increased by more than three and a half times with £892 million having now been paid to over 6,200 claimants. There is still more to do, and I am committed to this task until every affected postmaster receives the redress they rightly deserve.

The Government also announced that each Directly Managed Branch (DMBs) will be franchised so that Post Office services remain available to local communities. We have listened to concerns and made it clear that DMBs should not be closed as we continue to work with the Post Office as it develops its transformation plan.

There will also be a further £276.9 million in funding for the Post Office to help support the breadth of the network. This will enable Post Office to deliver technology transformation and give them the resources to continue administering redress payments to postmasters.

There will also be a scheme launched next month to provide redress to postmasters who faced issues with Post Office products, polices or processes.

These updates will help rebuild trust with postmasters and ensure past failings are fully addressed.

Notes to editors

As of 31 March 2025, approximately £892 million has been paid to over 6,200 claimants across 4 schemes:

£454 million in the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS), including interim payments

£67 million in the Overturned Convictions (OC) scheme, including interim payments

£150 million in the Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme, including interim payments

£221 million in the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS), including interim payments

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Published 8 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Adams Introduces HBCU Arts Act
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Alma Adams (12th District of North Carolina)

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus and an HBCU art professor of 40 years, introduced the HBCU Arts Act, investing in arts education and conservation at HBCUs.

“Art is a universal language that allows people everywhere to experience and celebrate unique cultures and communities. It expands our worldview,” said Congresswoman Alma Adams. “Unfortunately, art programs and departments are often among the first ones cut when schools face financial hardship. Through the HBCU Arts Act, we can provide a historic investment to our HBCUs and ensure these programs remain accessible to our students of color for generations to come.”

The HBCU Arts Act aims to remove financial and other barriers to arts education and conservation for HBCUs, making these programs more accessible to their students. This bill recognizes the importance of fostering a diverse generation of artists and art professionals who are essential for creating, conserving, educating, and supporting African American art.

Specifically, the HBCU Arts Act:
- Provides financial and other assistance to students in arts, arts education, and cultural programs.
- Establishes outreach programs and development offices for arts, arts education, and cultural arts departments.
- Provides comprehensive wraparound services for arts, arts education, and cultural students, including faculty and peer mentorship, work-based learning opportunities, guidance counseling, and career advising.
- Exhibits, maintains, monitors, and protects African American art collections in exhibition and in storage.
- Provides well-paid apprenticeship, internship, and fellowship opportunities to students in arts, arts education, and cultural programs through partnerships with nonprofit arts, arts education, and cultural institutes.
The HBCU Arts Act has a number of prominent organizations endorsing the bill, including Americans for the Arts, and the National Association for Music Education.

“As a Howard University graduate with a background in business and art history, I witnessed how HBCUs foster artistic excellence and creative leadership,” said Americans for the Arts CEO Erin Harkey. “The HBCU Arts Act is a smart, crucial investment that addresses historical funding inequities and establishes the support systems our students deserve. This legislation aligns with Americans for the Arts’ mission to ensure that arts and culture enrich every community. We fully endorse this bill and are prepared to mobilize our national network of arts leaders to amplify its impact. We commend Representative Adams for her vision in creating sustainable pathways that will strengthen HBCU arts programs and the future of American culture.”

“The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) is proud to once again endorse the HBCU Arts Act, reintroduced by Congresswoman Alma Adams,” said Dr. Deborah Confredo, President of the National Association for Music Education. “This important legislation addresses longstanding inequities in funding for arts programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. These institutions have historically nurtured extraordinary artistic talent, often in the face of systemic barriers. By providing targeted support to strengthen music and arts programs at HBCUs, this bill takes a meaningful step toward diversifying the pipeline of professional artists and educators. Artistic expression is both a reflection of and a pathway to understanding the complexity of human experience. Ensuring that creators from a broad spectrum of cultural and historical backgrounds are supported in their development is essential to the health and vitality of our field. NAfME remains steadfast in its commitment to equitable access to high-quality music and arts education, and we strongly urge the 119th Congress to advance this legislation.”

“HBCU Art Programs and the National Alliance of Artists from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (NAAHBCU) promotes art and art education with HBCUs, fostering artistic and life skills for students, and providing opportunities for artists and art professionals,” said Dr. Willie Hooker, Professor of Art at North Carolina A&T University.

HBCUs have an outsized impact on art:
- HBCUs have a long-standing legacy of producing African American artists, fostering the careers of artists from Augusta Savage to Megan thee Stallion and everyone in between.
- HBCUs are some of the most comprehensive collectors of art produced by artists of color. The Hampton University Museum remains the country’s oldest African American museum and houses one of the largest collections of African, African American, and Indigenous arts in the United States.
- Arts and cultural production is a quickly growing economic center. In 2022, arts and cultural economic activity accounted for 4.3% of the GDP, or $1.1 trillion.
The bill is cosponsored by (12): Reps. Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Shontel Brown (OH-11), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At-Large), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Valerie Foushee (NC-4), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Andre Carson (IN-7).

MIL OSI USA News –
April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Boyle, Norcross Introduce Bills to Give Tax Breaks to Workers

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Brendan Boyle (13th District of Pennsylvania)

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Representatives Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA-02) and Donald Norcross (D-NJ-01) announced the introduction of their bills, the Tax Fairness for Workers Act and No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act. Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) joined the members in leading the introduction of the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act.

The Tax Fairness for Workers Act will allow workers to deduct employment expenses such as union dues, travel, and uniform costs, restoring a deduction that was stripped by the 2017 Trump tax law. The No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act will end the ability for corporations to deduct union busting expenses from their taxes.

“While Republicans continue to push tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations, we are focused on easing the burden on hardworking people and strengthening unions. It’s time for a tax system that works for teachers buying school supplies, workers paying for uniforms, and union members fighting for fair wages,” said Congressman Boyle. “The Tax Fairness for Workers Act and the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act are both key steps in restoring fairness and supporting those who build our economy.”

“The No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act and Tax Fairness for Workers Act both focus on protecting America’s workers,” said Rep. Norcross. “Every worker deserves a free and fair choice to join or form a union, and it’s time that our tax code reflects that. The No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act will end corporate handouts for union-busting campaigns, make our tax code fairer, and level the playing field for workers. The Tax Fairness for Workers Act will restore fairness and put money back into the pockets of workers who bet on themselves. During a time when the Trump Administration is attacking workers’ rights, I’m honored to have Representatives Brendan Boyle and Judy Chu partner with me in the fight to put more money into the pockets of hardworking Americans.”

“We need policies and a tax code that support American workers and ensure wealthy corporations pay their fair share,” said Rep. Chu. “But in the last few months, this Trump-Musk administration and its corporate allies have waged an all-out assault on worker rights: paralyzing the agencies responsible for enforcing fair labor laws, revoking collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees, and advancing trillions in tax cuts for corporations – the same ones that spend heavily on anti-union campaigns against their own workers, and then write that off as a business expense. We need to pass our No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act to finally end the government subsidies for illegal union-busting, as well as the Tax Fairness for Workers Act to once again allow union employees to deduct their dues from their taxes.”

“There’s nothing fair about a tax code that’s loaded with deductions and giveaways for corporate union busters and the super-wealthy while penalizing workers for exercising their right to have a seat at the table,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “At a time when high costs are squeezing working families and the freedom to form a union is under attack, AFSCME thanks Reps. Boyle and Norcross for spearheading commonsense legislation like the Tax Fairness for Workers Act and the No Tax Breaks for Union Busters Act to level the playing field for workers.”

“It is unacceptable for Congress to support anti-worker tax provisions, especially when they’re considering more tax cuts for the wealthy while ignoring the urgent needs of working families. It’s time to give workers their fair share,” said Dan Mauer, Communications Workers of America’s Government Affairs Director. “Our tax code should prioritize workers organizing to have a voice on the job. That is why we wholeheartedly support the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act and the Tax Fairness for Workers Act. We commend Representatives Norcross, Boyle, Chu and all those championing a fairer tax system for working families.”

“The Tax Fairness for Workers Act will restore basic fairness to the tax code by allowing hard-working middle-class families to, once again, deduct common employment expenses like safety equipment, tools or the classroom supplies teachers use every day from their federal taxes—just as they could before Trump’s 2017 tax law, and just like the wealthy do now,”said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “It’s a simple, necessary step to right a wrong. This bill would make a noticeable difference to the monthly budget of millions. If a CEO can write off business expenses, workers should be able to do the same.”

“The IAM Union applauds Senator Tina Smith and Representatives Donald Norcross and Brendan Boyle for introducing the Tax Fairness for Workers Act,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “The GOP’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act wrongly eliminated workers’ ability to deduct many employment related expenses, such as the cost of union dues, uniforms and tools. The IAM strongly supports the Tax Fairness for Workers Act, which rightly restores these tax deductions for working families.”

“The IAM Union applauds Senator Ben Ray Lujan and Representatives Donald Norcross, Brendan Boyle, and Judy Chu for introducing the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “Union busting, or union avoidance campaigns, have a chilling impact on workers’ ability to exercise their right to freely form and join unions. This legislation would end the taxpayer subsidization of these anti-union, anti-American campaigns.”

The Tax Fairness for Workers Act will allow workers to deduct common employment expenses such as travel, union dues, and uniform costs, restoring a deduction stripped by the 2017 Trump tax law. Workers will be able to deduct business expenses, just as employers can.

Read the full text here.

The No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act would end taxpayer subsidies for corporations’ anti-union behavior by classifying corporate interference in worker organization campaigns like political speech rather than an “ordinary and necessary” business expense. Additionally, this bill would require corporations to report anti-worker interventions to the IRS and grant the Department of Treasury greater enforcement authority to hold them accountable for using company money to interfere in protected worker activities.

Read the full text here.

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MIL OSI USA News –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Pappas Highlights Devastating Impact of Republican Budget on Medicaid, NH Medicaid Expansion

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Approximately 180,000 Granite Staters, including 60,000 enrolled in Medicaid Expansion, would see their access to health care put at risk.

In response to news that House Republicans will soon bring up the Senate’s amended version of their budget, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) held a roundtable with Erica Ungarelli, Granite Pathways Executive Director, Jake Berry, Vice President of Policy at New Futures, Jay Couture, President and CEO at the Seacoast Mental Health Center, Jon Stimmell, Interim Acting Executive Director and Program Director at Great Bay Services, Lisa Beaudion, Disability Policy expert, Melissa Hugener, Waypoint Family Resource Center, David Lombardi, CFO at Greater Seacoast Community Health, and a family from Dover who relies on Medicaid for health care access.

“Despite the overwhelming outcry from our communities, Republicans continue to push forward with a partisan budget that will slash Medicaid funding and put families at risk by cutting off their access to life-saving preventative care, long-term care, mental health, and addiction treatment,” said Congressman Pappas. “These severe cuts would hurt families in need of health care and services, and they would be devastating to our fight against the addiction and mental health crisis that we continue to face as a state. I will continue to fight back against these cuts and the tax breaks for billionaires like Elon Musk that are the centerpiece of Republicans’ bill. I’ll work to ensure that families across New Hampshire can access the care and services that benefit them as well as our overall health care system and economy.”

Background:

In February, Pappas held a roundtable with New Hampshire health care advocates and community leaders to highlight the devastating impact the Republican budget would have on New Hampshire residents’ access to health care and local community health centers’ ability to serve their patients. Pappas voted against the resolution when it came to the floor.

The proposed Republican budget threatens Medicaid coverage, jeopardizing health care coverage for 68,008 Granite Staters living in New Hampshire’s First District, including 32,000 children and 4,463 seniors. Across the state, Medicaid provides health coverage to more than 182,000 total New Hampshire residents – 13.4% of all Granite Staters, 30.1% of all New Hampshire children, and 64% of residents living in nursing homes.

The proposed Republican budget also threatens coverage for approximately 60,000 people in New Hampshire who receive coverage through New Hampshire’s Medicaid Expansion, a program set up with bipartisan support. Since its enactment in 2014, more than 250,000 Granite State residents have accessed health care through the program at least once.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Steil Introduces Bill to Maintain Sanctions on Terrorists in Iran
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Bryan Steil (Wisconsin-1)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Michael Donatello

Steil Introduces Bill to Maintain Sanctions on Terrorists in Iran

Washington, DC – This week, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) introduced the No Sanctions Relief for Terrorists Act, part of the Republican Study Committee’s Enforcing Maximum Pressure Initiative. Steil’s bill ensures that sanctions on Iran cannot be lifted unless the country stops funding terrorist activity.

“The Iranian regime is the largest State Sponsor of Terrorism in the world and has continued to finance terrorist proxies for more than four decades. Iran’s actions have endangered U.S. citizens, companies, and allies around the world,” said Steil. “No administration should repeat the errors of the Biden Administration. We must ban sanctions waivers that can enable the Iranian regime to finance attacks on America and our allies.”

Background:
- In 2023, the Biden Administration allowed the Islamic Republic of Iran to access up to $10 billion in previously restricted funds using a sanctions waiver.
- This action occurred despite increasing terrorist activities and Iran’s role in funding and arming Hamas, including providing weapons used in the October 7^th terrorist attack against Israel.
- Congressman Steil previously called on the Biden Administration to cease the use of this workaround and address why the administration saw fit to provide relief to the world’s largest State Sponsor of Terrorism.
- Congressman Steil joined his colleagues with the Republican Study Committee at a press conference Wednesday to introduce a package of bills that would restore maximum pressure on the Iranian Regime and protect the American people from terrorism.
- The No Sanctions Relief for Terrorists Act prevents any presidential administration from providing sanctions relief to individuals and entities in Iran sanctioned for terrorism unless the President could certify to Congress that Iran was no longer sponsoring terrorism.
- Specifically, the legislation would prevent the abuse of humanitarian waivers and licenses, as used under the Biden Administration, which allowed the administration to circumvent terrorism-related sanctions.
- This bill follows the restoration of significant sanctions on Iran by the Trump Administration.
- Video of the press conference can be found here.
MIL OSI USA News –
April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Foster Leads Bipartisan Effort to Keep STEM Graduates in America

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Foster (11th District of Illinois)

Washington, DC – Today, Reps. Bill Foster (D-IL) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) announced the reintroduction of the bipartisan Keep STEM Talent Act to make certain advanced Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) degree holders eligible for permanent resident status. This would allow these graduates to remain in the United States following their graduation and would remove barriers for them to work in the United States.

The Senate companion bill is led by Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD).

“We must expand America’s STEM workforce to compete in the global economy,” said Congressman Bill Foster. “Our country gives international STEM students a world-class education, only to turn them away when they want to stay in the United States after graduation and contribute their skills to our economy. Allowing these graduates to stay would help put our country on the cutting edge of scientific research and technological development and create good-paying American jobs along the way. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan effort to build up our STEM workforce.”

“I’m proud to reintroduce the bipartisan Keep STEM Talent Act of 2025. Our universities attract some of the brightest minds from around the world, yet too often, these students leave the United States after graduation. This bill will incentivize international STEM graduates to stay and contribute to our economy, ensuring America continues to lead the world in science and technological innovation,” said Congressman Mike Lawler.

“Maintaining a strong STEM workforce strengthens our economy, creates jobs, and enhances our ability to compete on the world stage,” Senator Dick Durbin said. “By denying international students with advanced STEM degrees the opportunity to continue their work in America, we are losing their talents to countries overseas and won’t see the positive impacts of their American education. I thank Senator Rounds for joining me in this commonsense and bipartisan effort.”

“Legal, highly skilled STEM immigration is crucial for our nation and has opened doors for talented immigrants like Albert Einstein to come to America,” said Senator Mike Rounds. “Particularly with the advancements of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, we must keep talent in the United States and stay ahead of our near peer competitors such as China and Russia. This bill enhances national security by imposing new, stringent vetting requirements, while also making certain talent stays serving the United States, not our adversaries.”

The Keep STEM Talent Act is endorsed by the American Mathematical Society, the American Physical Society, the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, MIT Graduate Student Council, MIT Science Policy Initiative, and the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students.

A copy of the bill is available here.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: REP. RO KHANNA RECEIVES PUBLIUS AWARD FROM THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF THE PRESIDENCY AND CONGRESS

Source: United States House of Representatives – Rep Ro Khanna (CA-17)

On March 25th, Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17), alongside Senator Todd Young, received the Publius Award from the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress –– a non-partisan, non-profit dedicated to promoting bipartisan leadership. The award honors political leaders who put the public good and pragmatism over partisanship and special interests. Past recipients include Secretary Ash Carter, Senator Tim Kaine, Congressman Mike Gallagher, and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

“I was honored to receive the Publius Award alongside Senator Young, with whom I co-authored the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act to invest in innovation, good-paying jobs, and the revitalization of communities left behind by the offshoring of manufacturing. At a moment of deep division in Washington, we can’t lose sight of delivering for working-class people and strengthening our economy. Thank you to President Glenn Nye and the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress for this honor and for your work to promote cooperation and innovative problem solving,” said Rep. Ro Khanna.

“CSPC is proud to honor Rep. Ro Khanna, together with Senator Todd Young, with our Publius Award, recognizing their bipartisan leadership on American competitiveness and innovation. This kind of cooperation doesn’t usually make headlines, but it is vital for our country to honor such statesmanship,” said CSPC President and CEO Glenn Nye.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Maine Delegation Announces Maine Veterans Home Receives Reimbursement for Domiciliary Care

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden today announced that Maine Veterans’ Homes (MVH) has received full reimbursement due to them from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for domiciliary care provided to veterans since 2021. In 2020, Congress passed legislation authorizing the VA to cover the costs of nursing home care provided by state veterans’ homes for veterans with early-stage dementia after it abruptly stopped covering these payments in 2019. Unfortunately, the VA delayed the required rulemaking by more than two years. This lag forced MVH to pay out-of-pocket for the care costing approximately $130,000 per month and over $3 million since 2019.

“For decades, Maine Veterans’ Homes (MVH) has provided quality care to Maine veterans; working hard to make good on our nation’s promise to give back to those who served,” said Senators Collins and King and Representatives Pingree and Golden. “However, for years, MVH has faced financial strain due to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) delay in reimbursing it for nursing home care for veterans battling dementia, putting additional burdens on Maine veterans and their families. We are excited to share that MVH has finally received full reimbursement from the VA for this care — an important step that will ensure its doors can stay open, and our veterans can continue to access important care and support.”

Domiciliary care was established by the VA after the Civil War as a type of assisted living that is provided to older veterans who are independently mobile, or semi-mobile and incapable of living alone. Over 115 MVH residents receive domiciliary care, 80 percent of whom are on Medicaid.

The Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act, signed into law on January 5, 2021, authorized the VA to resume reimbursements for domiciliary care at state homes like MVH. Since then, the Maine Congressional delegation has continuously pushed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reimburse Maine Veterans’ Homes. In spring of 2023, the delegation introduced the Reimburse Veterans for Domiciliary Care Act, which would require the VA to restart payments for current care as mandated by law and retroactively provide MVH with the reimbursements for past care. Months later, the delegation received news the VA had agreed to resume reimbursing Maine Veterans’ Homes (MVH) for domiciliary care, but did not follow through on delivering the funds. After pressure from the Maine delegation, in September 2023 the VA announced a proposed rule that would retroactively reimburse MVH for the care they’ve provided back to January 2020. Last spring, the delegation wrote a letter to the former Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough requested an update on the rule and in October 2024, the VA announced the finalized rule that would provide retroactive reimbursement for MVH.

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MIL OSI USA News –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Rep. Omar Speaks at Hands Off! People’s Veto Rally in Washington D.C.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN)

WASHINGTON– On Saturday, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) spoke at the Hands Off! People’s Veto Rally at the National Mall in Washington D.C.

Rep. Ilhan Omar called out the chaos, corruption, and callousness of the Trump Administration. She emphasized the importance of fighting and defending our democracy and upholding our Constitution.

The full video can be found here.

Full transcript below:

“Hello everyone!

It is so good to be here with over 100,000 American patriots.

It is a reminder that the American fighting spirit is alive, because folks we are in a fight!

We are in a fight for our democracy.

We are in a fight for our constitution.

We are in a fight for our families.

We are in a fight for the kind of future we want for this country.

We are currently living through a president who wants to be a dictator.

In America, we do not accept dictators and we do not accept kings.

We have a billionaire who has bought a seat next to the President, using him as a puppet.

American democracy has never been for sale and it won’t be today.

We are seeing a cowardice — congressional Republicans that are utilizing the chaos our fascist president is creating to cut Medicaid, Social Security and take away our rights, while they give $4.5 trillion in tac cuts to their billionaire puppeteers.

None of this is normal!

This is why we have to fight for our constitution. Because here is the thing, no matter who you are, Elon Musk and Donald Trump and corrupt congressional Republicans are coming for you.

If you are a mother struggling to put food on the table, they are coming for you.

If you have elderly parents that you are trying to put in a nursing home, they are coming for you.

If you are a senior relying on Social Security, they are coming for you.

If you have disabled children and you’re trying to make sure they have access to education, by cutting the Education Department, they are coming for you.

So they want you to believe— they want you to believe to look at your neighbor as your enemy.

They want you to believe that it is because of trans kids that you can’t have the necessary access to the programs we already paid for.

They want you to think it is okay to snatch people in the middle of the night and disappear them.

They want to take away our pride, as Americans, in the constitution and due process by putting people in foreign prisons in a dark hole.

They want to crash the economy so that they can set up a process of punishment and reward.

So they can grab more power for who will bend the knee and give them access.

None of this is normal!

So if you want a country that has the marvelous constitution we have, we have to fight for it!

If you want a country that still believes in due process, we have to fight for it!

If you believe in a country where we take care of our neighbors, look after the poor and make sure our children have a future they can believe in, we have to fight for it!

So are you ready to fight?

Are you ready to fight?

Let’s go fight and win!

###

MIL OSI USA News –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China moves swiftly to stabilize markets amid global financial turbulence

Source: China State Council Information Office 2

China has unveiled a series of swift and robust measures to stabilize the capital market and restore investor confidence in the wake of the global financial turbulence triggered by U.S. tariffs levied against its trading partners.
The Chinese stock market closed higher on Tuesday, rebounding from steep losses on the previous trading day, following a raft of measures announced by financial authorities, alongside coordinated moves by state-owned investment firms, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and insurance companies.
On Tuesday, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.58 percent and the Shenzhen Component Index went up 0.64 percent. The ChiNext Index, tracking China’s Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, rose 1.83 percent.
TIMELY, STRONG SIGNAL TO STABILIZE CAPITAL MARKET
Chinese state-owned capital operation firms have moved quickly to increase their holdings of domestic equities, voicing strong confidence in the long-term outlook of the country’s capital market. The People’s Bank of China, or the central bank, also announced liquidity support through re-lending facilities on Tuesday.
Central Huijin Investment Ltd., a Chinese state-owned investment company, said it had once again increased its holdings of exchange-traded funds and would continue to do so in the future to “resolutely safeguard” the stable operation of the capital market.
As a controlling or participating shareholder in over 20 financial institutions, Central Huijin reaffirmed its pivotal role in stabilizing the capital markets in a statement Tuesday. Often likened to a “stabilization fund,” the company has been instrumental in bolstering market stability and resilience since 2008.
Following the statement of Central Huijin, the central bank pledged to firmly support the company in increasing its holding of stock index funds and will provide sufficient re-lending support when necessary.
Apart from Central Huijin, multiple state-owned investment firms also increased stock holdings or unveiled plans to accelerate share buybacks, including China Chengtong Holdings Group Ltd., China Reform Holdings Corporation Ltd., and seven listed firms under the China Merchants Group.
CHINESE SOES EXPAND SHARE PURCHASES, BUYBACKS
China’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council said on Tuesday it fully supports central state-owned enterprises in expanding share purchases and buybacks to safeguard shareholders’ rights and consolidate market confidence.
Multiple Chinese central SOEs have rolled out share purchase initiatives, underscoring their robust confidence in the long-term prospects of the country’s economy and capital market.
China National Petroleum Corporation on Tuesday disclosed that it will buy A-shares and H-shares over the next 12 months, with a total investment of up to 5.6 billion yuan (about 777.37 million U.S. dollars), while China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation announced a similar 12-month purchase plan worth up to 3 billion yuan targeting shares listed in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
China Electronics Technology Group Corporation said it had already completed over 2 billion yuan in buybacks for its listed subsidiaries and pledged to accelerate further acquisitions to strengthen sci-tech innovation synergy and safeguard shareholder interests.
Emphasizing its commitment to driving the green transition and pledging active share purchases, China Huaneng Group Co., Ltd. said that its subsidiary, Inner Mongolia MengDian HuaNeng Thermal Power Corp., Ltd., had already initiated share purchases.
China National Coal Group detailed a multi-tiered investment strategy that included respective injections of up to 80 million yuan and 50 million yuan into its subsidiaries China Energy and Shanghai Energy, while it planned to advance ongoing repurchases for Xinji Energy.
CONFIDENCE IN MARKET’S LONG-TERM OUTLOOK
The National Financial Regulatory Administration on Tuesday announced measures to raise the cap on equity investments by insurance funds, with greater support for equity investments in strategic emerging industries and fostering new quality productive forces.
Following the policy announcement, several major insurers, including China Life Insurance, China Pacific Insurance, and New China Life Insurance, voiced strong support, expressing confidence in China’s economic outlook and capital market.
They pledged to ramp up long-term equity investments, with a focus on strategic emerging industries, contributing patient capital to market stability and the growth of new quality productive forces.
The National Council for Social Security Fund, which handles the assets of the National Social Security Fund, said it is firmly optimistic about the development prospects of China’s capital market, adding that it has recently increased its holdings of domestic stocks, and will continue to increase the holdings in the near future.
Analysts believe the coordinated moves sent a clear signal about China’s resolve to support the capital markets.
In a time of heightened uncertainty in the global trade environment and dramatic fluctuations in international financial markets, the timely and decisive action of China’s state capital will effectively guide market expectations and mitigate the impact of external shocks, said Wang Qing, chief macro analyst at Golden Credit Rating.

MIL OSI China News –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Providing farmworkers with health insurance is worth it for their employers − new research

Source: The Conversation – USA – By John Lowrey, Assistant Professor of Supply Chain and Health Sciences, Northeastern University

Farmworkers at Del Bosque Farms pick and pack melons on a mobile platform in Firebaugh, Calif., in July 2021. AP Photo/Terry Chea

Agricultural employers who provide farmworkers with health insurance earn higher profits, even after accounting for the cost of that coverage. In addition, farmworkers who get health insurance through their employers are more productive and earn more money than those who do not.

These are the key findings from our study published in the March 2025 issue of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.

To conduct this research, we crunched over three decades of data from the Labor Department’s National Agricultural Workers Survey. We focused on California, the nation’s largest producer of fruits, nuts and other labor-intensive agricultural products in the U.S., from 1989 to 2022.

We determined that if 20% more farmworkers got health insurance coverage, they would have earned $23,063 a year in 2022, up from $22,482 if they did not. Their employers, meanwhile, would earn $7,303 in net profits per worker annually in this same scenario, versus $6,598.

Why it matters

Roughly half of California’s agricultural employers are facing labor shortages at a time when the average age of U.S. farmworkers is also rising.

Some of them, including grape producers, are responding by investing more heavily in labor-saving equipment, which helps reduce the need for seasonal manual labor. However, automated harvesting isn’t yet a viable or affordable option for labor-intensive specialty crops such as melons and strawberries.

Despite labor shortages, agricultural employers may be reluctant to increase total compensation for farmworkers. They may also be wary of providing additional benefits such as health insurance for two main reasons.

First, seasonal workers are, by definition, transient, meaning that the employer who provides coverage may not necessarily be the same one who benefits from a healthier worker. Second, it costs an employer money but doesn’t necessarily benefit them in the future if the worker moves on.

Most U.S. farmworkers are immigrants from Mexico or Central America. Roughly 42% are immigrants who are in the U.S. without legal authorization, down from 55% in the early 2000s.

As the share of farmworkers who are unauthorized immigrants has declined, the share who are U.S. citizens – including those born here – has grown and now stands at about 39%.

The low wages farmworkers earn offer little incentive for more U.S. citizens and permanent residents to take these jobs. These jobs might become more attractive if employers offered health care coverage to protect the health of the worker and their household.

Farmworkers who lack legal authorization to be in the U.S. are not eligible for private health insurance policies, and many can’t enroll in Medicaid, a government-run health insurance program that’s primarily for low-income Americans and people with disabilities. Regardless, some employers do take steps to help them gain access to health care services. As of 2025, a large share of farmworkers remain uninsured, including many citizens and immigrants with legal status.

Limited access to health care is an unfortunate reality for farmworkers, whose jobs are physically demanding and dangerous. In addition, farmworkers are paid at or near the minimum wage and are constantly searching for their next employment opportunity. This uncertainty causes high levels of stress, which can contribute to chronic health issues such as hypertension.

What still isn’t known

It is hard to estimate the effect of employer-provided health insurance on workers and employers, since labor market outcomes are a result of highly complex interactions.

For example, wages, productivity and how long someone keeps their job are highly interdependent variables determined by the interaction between what workers seek and what employers offer. And wages do not always reflect a worker’s skills and abilities, as some people are more willing to accept a job with low pay if their compensation includes good benefits such as health insurance.

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

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

– ref. Providing farmworkers with health insurance is worth it for their employers − new research – https://theconversation.com/providing-farmworkers-with-health-insurance-is-worth-it-for-their-employers-new-research-253200

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: The founder kings of Silicon Valley: Dual-class stock gives US social media company controllers nearly as much power as ByteDance has over TikTok

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Gregory H. Shill, Professor of Law & Michael and Brenda Sandler Faculty Fellow in Corporate Law, University of Iowa

When Congress passed a law in 2024 to ban TikTok unless it came under U.S. ownership, lawmakers argued that the app’s Chinese parent company posed national security concerns. The Trump administration, which had granted the viral video app a reprieve shortly after taking office in January 2025, extended that pause again on April 4 after the Chinese government reportedly scuttled a planned deal.

Regardless of how this all shakes out, the TikTok fight underscores deeper concerns about who controls social media in the United States.

Given that worry, it might surprise Americans to learn that nearly every social media giant is controlled by just one or two men. For example, Mark Zuckerberg controls Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, while Larry Page and Sergey Brin control Alphabet, which owns YouTube and Google.

What does “control” mean? These companies are publicly traded – anybody can buy or sell their shares – but a legal mechanism known as dual-class stock gives founders extra votes in shareholder decisions. The dual-class structure crowns these men “corporate royalty,” as one former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission commissioner has put it, granting them near-absolute control of corporate policy and resources without requiring them to take on commensurate financial risk.

While TikTok is unusual in many respects, the way it vests power in one man is actually quite banal. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is privately held, but it’s reportedly controlled by a co-founder, Chinese national Zhang Yiming, via a dual-class structure.

As a professor of corporate law, I’d urge policymakers and the public to consider the societal risks of a system that allows a single person to wield full control over a major corporation through dual-class stock.

The dual-class effect: Meta as a case study

In a standard single-class structure – where voting power tracks the amount of company equity a shareholder owns – someone seeking total control of a company must ordinarily spend a lot of money buying up shares, which also means assuming a lot of risk. This “skin in the game” requirement limits how much influence a single person can exert on a company.

That safeguard is informal, not mandatory, and dual-class structures do away with it. Ascendant among Silicon Valley firms since Google’s 2004 initial public offering in the U.S. and recently legalized in the U.K., the dual-class model is fiercely debated in corporate governance circles. To date, however, its downsides have been understood only as a problem for shareholders, not society, despite broad and bipartisan concern about the influence of Big Tech.

Let’s pick on Meta as an example. Zuckerberg reportedly owns just 13.5% of the company’s equity, but because he owns 99.7% of the supervoting shares, he controls 61% of the company’s votes.

This setup gives him a lock on corporate policy as a controlling shareholder, even though he only owns a bit over one-eighth of Meta stock by value. He has full control of the company without placing anywhere near an equivalent amount of money at risk.

You don’t have to be the parent of an Instagram-addicted teenager to see that Meta has generated what might be described as social costs. For example, Amnesty International has alleged that Facebook algorithms “substantially contributed to the atrocities perpetrated by the Myanmar military” in 2017. Facebook has also been criticized for promoting misinformation during past U.S. elections and for suppressing embarrassing stories about Hunter Biden.

These examples underscore broader social concerns around content moderation, privacy and tech titans’ outsized political influence. Notably, Zuckerberg – who has been associated with progressive causes in the past – has moved to embrace President Donald Trump strongly in recent months and asked for Trump’s support for Meta in a legal battle with the European Union.

When corporate control meets the Supreme Court

In a 2023 law journal article, I noted that recent Supreme Court decisions expanding corporate constitutional rights stand to give company founders unprecedented power to shape society. While the rise of founder-controlled social media giants with distinct political agendas has gotten a lot of attention, the widening scope of what is deemed protected corporate speech and religious exercise hasn’t been a part of that conversation.

I think there’s a real possibility that these two streams will converge, granting constitutional protection to “founder kings” who wish to leverage company resources for private agendas. Two recent legal developments raise the stakes.

First, the courts – and in particular the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts – have been expanding corporate constitutional rights, which could allow dual-class founders to carve out exceptions to generally applicable laws.

Second, recent legal changes in Delaware – which despite its tiny size is the leading corporate law jurisdiction in the U.S. – could make it easier for dual-class controlling shareholders to exercise power within their companies.

To get a sense of the potential consequences, suppose the controlling shareholder of a dual-class company were to cause it to defy a federal mandate – for example, a requirement to offer health insurance plans that cover contraception – on the grounds that complying would violate their religious beliefs. The Supreme Court in Hobby Lobby v. Burwell recognized exactly this sort of faith-based exception for a large family-owned but privately held business.

Would it recognize such an exception for a company like Snap? The company, best known for its app Snapchat, is publicly traded, but just two men, Robert Murphy and Evan Spiegel, control 99.5% of the voting power.

We can’t be sure. Hobby Lobby is different from Snap in many ways. Yet what they have in common is the ability of their owners to plausibly claim a unitary speech or religious exercise interest that would not characterize a typical large business. Snap’s public owners have no say at all – zero votes – in the company’s affairs. If the controllers of Snap asserted a religious basis for exempting the company from a regulation – and to be clear, this is a purely hypothetical example – the courts might well indulge the claim.

The judicial system’s expanding view of corporate constitutional rights – seen not just in Hobby Lobby but in Citizens United v. FEC and a number of more recent and ongoing cases in state and lower federal courts – could empower founders to leverage their businesses for private agendas. Whether or not this is likely for Snap in particular, the combination of the dual-class model and changes in the law would seem to leave the door open.

Elon Musk vs. the dual-class model

A fitting contrast might be none other than Twitter – renamed X after Elon Musk acquired it and who recently merged it into xAI, another Musk-led venture.

As a privately held company, xAI is not required to file public investor reports, and much about its ownership structure remains opaque. But let’s assume the company is majority-owned by Musk in a conventional single-class structure – the type Twitter had before he bought it. Given a chance to provoke, Musk has consistently proved eager to raise his hand. Couldn’t he use his control to get X or xAI – we’ll stick with “X” for simplicity – to exercise the same vast control that Murphy and Spiegel could at Snap, or Zuckerberg at Meta?

Yes – but with a subtle yet important difference.

There’s a certain logic to X’s key corporate decisions being vested in Musk. Quite famously, he ponied up US$44 billion to buy the entire company. Legal prohibitions on the deployment of private resources for influence are confined to a small universe of cases – antitrust, bribery, certain types of campaign contributions. Those resources include businesses, which are a form of property, that are owned by wealthy individuals or groups. With limited exceptions, people can use their own property as they wish.

In a dual-class company, though, controllers use other people’s property as they wish. They can get the immense legal, economic and organizational power of the corporate form without having to put much skin in the game.

Beyond TikTok: The conversation the US should be having

Traditionally, questions of rich-guy influence have been seen through the lens of politics, taxes or public regulation. But seeing them as questions about the exercise of private corporate control makes clear the special social challenges posed by dual-class stock.

Wall Street has mostly accepted the bargain: ironclad insulation of Zuckerberg in exchange for rock-solid Meta returns. But this debate is not only of interest for the investment community. Everyone has a stake in its outcome.

It’s fair for the public to question the wisdom of allowing company founders to leverage the resources and newly jumbo-sized constitutional rights of large corporations in service of a special agenda – be it for a foreign government, a political party or a religious faith – that isn’t even connected to classical purposes of the corporation or advantages of the dual-class model.

The distinctive risks posed by TikTok are mostly unrelated to its share structure. But the debate over the ban-or-sell law offers a reminder: The powers created by dual-class stock aren’t unique to Chinese control. America’s homegrown-found kings wield them, too.

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

– ref. The founder kings of Silicon Valley: Dual-class stock gives US social media company controllers nearly as much power as ByteDance has over TikTok – https://theconversation.com/the-founder-kings-of-silicon-valley-dual-class-stock-gives-us-social-media-company-controllers-nearly-as-much-power-as-bytedance-has-over-tiktok-253671

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on making people feel safe

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kaitlyn DeGhetto, Associate Professor of Management, University of Dayton

To attract business investment, American cities and states offer companies billions of dollars in incentives, such as tax credits. As the theory goes, when governments create a business-friendly environment, it encourages investment, leading to job creation and economic growth.

While this theory may seem logical on its face, it’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. Business investment follows employees, not just the other way around. In fact, our research suggests workers care less about whether a city has business-friendly policies and more about how safe they feel living in it. And interestingly, we found that politics influence people’s risk perceptions more than hard data such as crime statistics.

Our findings have major implications for cities and businesses. If people choose where to live and work based on perceived safety rather than economic incentives, then entrepreneurs and city leaders may need to rethink how they approach growth and investment.

The many faces of risk

We are management professors who surveyed more than 500 employees and entrepreneurs from across the country to better understand how they rate 25 large U.S. cities on various dimensions of risk.

We asked about three different types of risk: risk related to crime, government function and social issues. Risk related to government function includes corruption and instability, while risk related to social issues includes potential infringements on individual rights.

We found that people’s views of risk weren’t driven primarily by objective statistics, such as FBI crime data. Instead, they were shaped by factors such as media representations, word of mouth and geographic stereotypes.

For example, studies suggest that crime in Denver has been rising, and U.S. News and World Report recently ranked it as the 10th most dangerous city based on FBI crime reports. However, the employees and entrepreneurs we surveyed ranked Denver as the safest city in the country.

It’s all politics

We found that political perspectives were the main factor biasing the rankings. For example, conservative-leaning employees and entrepreneurs believed that Portland, Oregon, is dangerous, ranking it as America’s ninth-riskiest city. In contrast, those who are liberal-leaning ranked it as the second-safest city in the country.

Both of these beliefs can’t be accurate. Instead, when basing the ranking on objective crime data from the FBI, U.S. News ranked Portland the 15th most dangerous city in the country.

When assessing risk related to how the government functions, conservatives praised politicians in Nashville, Charlotte and Dallas, while the liberals praised those in Denver, Minneapolis and Portland. Similarly, when considering risk related to social issues, conservatives said New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco were “risky,” while the liberals said Tampa, Miami and Houston should be avoided.

Our findings also suggest that political perspectives influence the types of risk that employers and employees care about. For example, conservatives tend to care more about crime-related risk than liberals, and liberals care more about risk related to social issues.

Now what?

We’re not advocating that city leaders drop financial incentives altogether, or that employers ignore them. Evidence suggests that financial incentives and other business-friendly policies may be effective at attracting businesses and strengthening local economies.

However, our research suggests that when individuals are making important life decisions about where to live, work and invest, a city’s level of risk matters. Importantly, beliefs about risk are subjective and are biased by political perspectives.

In our view, city leaders must recognize and address concerns about crime, governance and social issues while actively working to improve public perceptions of their cities. Likewise, businesses may want to consider investing in cities that are less politically polarized when making investment decisions.

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

– ref. Cities that want to attract business might want to focus less on financial incentives and more on making people feel safe – https://theconversation.com/cities-that-want-to-attract-business-might-want-to-focus-less-on-financial-incentives-and-more-on-making-people-feel-safe-250247

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Peru’s ancient irrigation systems turned deserts into farms because of the culture − without it, the systems failed

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Ari Caramanica, Assistant Professor of Archaeology, Vanderbilt University

A pre-Hispanic canal funnels water from mountains to farm fields. Ari Caramanica

Seeing the north coast of Peru for the first time, you would be hard-pressed to believe it’s one of the driest deserts in the world.

Parts of the region receive less than an inch of rain in an entire year. Yet, water and greenery are everywhere. This is the nation’s agro-industrial heartland, and, thanks to irrigation canals, almost every inch of the floodplain is blanketed in lucrative export crops, such as sugarcane, asparagus and blueberries.

However, the apparent success of this system masks an underlying fragility.

Water shortages have plagued the region for centuries, and now modern climate change combined with agro-industrial practices have further intensified droughts. In response, the Peruvian government has invested billions of dollars in irrigation infrastructure in recent years designed to deliver more water from a resource more than 100 miles away: glaciers in the Andes.

But the Andean glaciers are disappearing as global temperatures rise. Peru has lost over half its glacier surface area since 1962. At the same time, floods often connected to wet El Niño years are increasing in both frequency and intensity. These floods often destroy or obstruct critical irrigation infrastructure.

Andean glaciers are disappearing as global temperatures rise. Peru lost over half its glacier surface area in the past half-century.
mmphoto/DigitalVision via Getty Images

As an archaeologist investigating societal responses to environmental and climate disaster in Peru, I’m interested in unraveling the histories of complex systems to understand how to improve similar systems today. To understand the Peruvian heartland’s vulnerabilities, it helps to look to the deep past.

Most of the modern canal network originally dates to pre-Hispanic times, more than 1400 years ago. However, evidence suggests that while the canal systems of the past may have looked similar to those of the present, they functioned in more efficient, flexible ways. The key to adapting to our present and future climate may lie in comprehending the knowledge systems of the past – not just the equipment, technology or infrastructure, but how people used it.

An environment of extremes

The north coast of Peru is an environment of extremes.

In this desert, thousands of years ago, societies encountered many of the same challenges posed by the modern climate crisis: expanding drylands, water scarcity, vulnerable food production systems, and frequent, intense natural disasters.

Yet, people not only occupied this area for millennia, they thrived in it. Moche and Chimu societies created sophisticated, complex political and religious institutions, art and technology, and one of the largest pyramidal structures in the Americas.

Relief of fish adorn an adobe wall in the historic Tschudi Complex archaeological site at Chan Chan, the former capital of the Chimu empire in Peru.
FabulousFabs/Flickr, CC BY-NC

When the Spanish arrived on the desert north coast of Peru shortly after 1532 C.E., early chroniclers remarked on the verdant, green valleys across the region.

The Spanish immediately recognized the importance of the canal network. They had used similar canal technology in Spain for centuries. So, they set about conscripting Indigenous labor and adapting the irrigation system to their goals.

Just a few decades later, however, historic records describe sand dunes and scrublands invading the green valleys, water shortages, and in 1578 a massive El Niño flood that nearly ended the young colony.

So how did the Indigenous operation of this landscape succeed, where the Spanish and the modern-day agro-industrial complex have repeatedly failed?

Culture was crucial for ancient canal systems

Ancient beliefs, behaviors and norms – what archaeologists call culture – were fundamentally integrated into technological solutions in this part of Peru in ancient times. Isolating and removing the tools from that knowledge made them less effective.

Scientists, policymakers and stakeholders searching for models of sustainable agriculture and climate adaptations can look to the archaeological record. Successfully applying past practices to today’s challenges requires learning about the cultures that put those tools to work effectively for so long, so long ago.

The pre-Hispanic societies of Peru developed agricultural principles around the realities of the desert, which included both dry seasons and flash floods.

Large-scale irrigation infrastructure was combined with low-cost, easily modified canals. Aqueducts doubled as sediment traps to capture nutrients. Canal branches channeled both river water and floodwater. Even check-dams – small dams used to control high-energy floods – worked in multiple ways. Usually made of mounded cobble and gravel, they reduced the energy of flash floods, captured rich sediments and recharged the water table.

A drone’s view of sugarcane fields shows a pre-Hispanic adobe aqueduct on the right and small feeder canals in the modern fields.
Ari Caramanica

The initial failures of the Spanish on the north coast exemplify the problem of trying to adopt technology without understanding the cultural insights behind it: While they may be identical in form, a Spanish canal isn’t a Moche canal.

Spanish canals operated in a temperate climate and were managed by individual farmers who could maintain or increase their water flow. The Moche and Chimu canal was tied to a complex labor system that synchronized cleaning and maintenance and prioritized the efficient use of water. What’s more, Moche canals functioned in tandem with floodwater diversion canals, which activated during El Niño events to create niches of agricultural productivity amid disasters.

A handmade gate on a modern canal in northern Peru doesn’t seem that different from ancient canals, but the pre-Hispanic canal systems were generally more conceptually complex and interconnected.
Ari Caramanica

Desert farming required flexibility and multifunctionality from its infrastructure. Achieving that often meant forgoing impermeable materials and permanent designs, which stands in stark contrast to the way modern-day water management works are constructed.

Copying ancient practices without the culture

Today, the Peruvian government is pushing forward with a decades-old, multibillion-dollar project to deliver water to the north coast from a glacier-fed river.

The Chavimochic project promises a grand transformation, turning desert into productive farmland. But it may be sacrificing long-term resilience for short-term prosperity.

The project feeds on the temporary abundance of glacial meltwater. This is creating a water boom as the ice melts, but it will inevitably be followed by a devastating water bust as the glaciers all but disappear, which scientists estimate could happen by the end of the 21st century.

Farmers sell locally grown corn and other crops at a street market in Piura, Peru.
Christian Ender/Getty Images

Meanwhile, sustainable land management practices of past Indigenous inhabitants continue to support ecosystems hundreds and even thousands of years later. Studies show higher levels of biodiversity, crucial to ecosystem health, near archaeological sites.

On the Peruvian north coast, pre-Hispanic infrastructure continues to capture floodwater during El Niño events. When their modern-day fields are flooded or destroyed by these events, farmers will sometimes move their crops to areas surrounding archaeological remains where their corn, squash and bean plants can tap into the trapped water and sediments and safely grow without the need for further irrigation.

Critics might point out the difficulty of scaling up ancient technologies for global applications, find them rudimentary, or would prefer to appropriate the design without bothering with understanding “the cultural stuff.”

But this framing misses the bigger point: What made these technologies effective was the cultural stuff. Not just the tools but how they were used by the societies operating them. As long as modern engineering solutions try to update ancient technologies without considering the cultures that made them function, these projects will struggle.

Understanding the past matters

Archaeologists have an important role to play in building a climate-resilient future, but any meaningful progress would benefit from a historical approach that considers multiple ways of understanding the environment, of operating an irrigation canal and of organizing an agriculture-based economy.

That approach, in my view, begins with saving indigenous languages, where cultural logic is deeply embedded, as well as preserving archaeological and sacred sites, and creating partnerships built on trust with the people who have worked with the land and whose cultures have adapted their practices to the changing climate for thousands of years.

Ari Caramanica receives funding from The National Endowment for the Humanities.

– ref. Peru’s ancient irrigation systems turned deserts into farms because of the culture − without it, the systems failed – https://theconversation.com/perus-ancient-irrigation-systems-turned-deserts-into-farms-because-of-the-culture-without-it-the-systems-failed-251199

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: How racism fueled the Eaton Fire’s destruction in Altadena − a scholar explains why discrimination can raise fire risk for Black Californians

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Calvin Schermerhorn, Professor of History, Arizona State University

Altadena is inherently prone to fire. But Black residents are the most vulnerable. Mario Tama/Getty Images

The damage from the Eaton Fire wasn’t indiscriminate. The blaze that ravaged the city of Altadena, California, in January 2025, killing 17 people and consuming over 9,000 buildings, destroyed Black Altadenans’ homes in greatest proportion.

About 48% of Black-owned homes sustained major damage or total destruction, compared with 37% of those owned by Asian, Latino or white Altadenans, according to a February 2025 report from the UCLA Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies.

The Eaton Fire’s uneven devastation reveals a pattern of racial discrimination previously concealed along neat blocks of mid-century, ranch-style homes and tree-lined streets.

‘A place for white people only’

In the early 20th century, Altadena was a professional enclave connected to Los Angeles, 13 miles away, by the Pacific Electric Railway, or “Red Car” system.

It was also lily-white, and that’s how homeowner groups liked it, according to research by Altadena historian Michele Zack.

These organizations, which had lofty names such as the Great Northwest Improvement Association and West Altadena Improvement Association, urged homeowners to write language into their deeds that would bar Black, Latino or Asian tenants from buying or renting there.

“We want our section of Pasadena and Altadena to be a place for white people only,” read one homeowners association notice sent to property owners in 1919.

A ladies golf lesson in Altadena, Calif., 1958.
Maryland Studio/PGA of America via Getty Images

By the end of World War II, most properties in Altadena had racially restrictive deeds or covenants – a trend being repeated in white suburbs across the country.

In 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down such restrictions in Shelley v. Kraemer as unenforceable. Still, the 1950 census shows that Altadena had no Black residents.

Building the new LA

But the Los Angeles area was changing. The West Coast economy boomed after the war, and Black Americans from Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas began heading to California. Many landed in Pasadena, directly south of Altadena.

Claiming that Americans preferred buses and automobiles to trains, a consortium of automobile, oil and tire companies persuaded Los Angeles officials to rip out the electric railway and replace it with roads.

Los Angeles’ “Red Car” system, which had connected the region, closed for good in 1961. Altadena had already lost its rail connection to Los Angeles long before, in 1941.

By mid-century, broader Los Angeles had become a series of homeowner-controlled enclaves connected by freeways and choked with smog.

The construction in 1958 of Interstate 210, which connected the San Fernando Valley to the San Gabriel Valley, ran a four-lane highway through mostly Black and Latino neighborhoods of Pasadena. Following a national pattern of displacing poor minority communities in the name of urban renewal, it was part of a redevelopment spree that ultimately pushed 4,000 Black and Latino residents out of the city.

Some relocated within Pasadena or moved to Duarte, Monrovia, Pomona or South Los Angeles. But a handful of families bought homes in Altadena, defying the illegal racial covenants still in place there.

One new Black resident, Joseph Henry Davis, bought a home west of Lake Avenue, the main north-south artery dividing the city, in what was, as one local newspaper put it in 1964, an “all-white Altadena neighborhood.”

When Davis moved in, the story reports, his new neighbors put up “a 40-inch white plaster cross that (read) ‘you are not welcome here.‘” The Davis family “paid it no attention.”

Altadena embodied a paradox seen nationwide. The city integrated, but block-by-block segregation kept white and Black residents apart.

Discrimination in new forms

By 1970, roughly one-third of Altadena’s population was Black, and 70% of Black households in Altadena owned their homes – nearly double Los Angeles County’s Black home ownership rate of 38%.

Black residents almost exclusively lived in West Altadena. Lots there were smaller than those on the east side of town, so they were more affordable. They were also older, which made them more vulnerable to fires because they were built with materials that were more flammable than those used in newer homes.

As my book “The Plunder of Black America: How the Racial Wealth Gap Was Made” shows, once Black families surmounted one obstacle, such as racial covenants, another rose in its place.

In the 1960s and 1970s, many white Altadenans resisted school integration, opposing boundary changes and busing that would have put Black and Latino students in predominantly white Altadena schools. California passed Proposition 13 in 1978, freezing property taxes at 1% of their assessed value. Public schools lost significant funding, private schools gained affluent students, and educational segregation deepened.

Educational discrimination feeds wealth inequality, which was severe nationwide: In 1980, for every dollar a white household owned, a Black one owned 20 cents.

Rising home values, paradoxically, had a similarly malignant effect. In the 1980s, the Los Angeles area became one of the most expensive housing markets in the nation. Many Black Altadenans could no longer afford to live there. The share of the city’s population that was Black fell from 43% in 1980 to 38% in 1990. By the 2000s it had dropped to below 25%.

Great Recession takes its toll

Black homeowners who remained in Altadena were hit hard by the 2008 housing crisis. That crisis was caused in part by lenders steering borrowers, particularly borrowers of color, into subprime loans, even when they qualified for better deals.

Between 2007 and 2009, Black households lost 48% of their wealth – nearly half their assets. White wealth dropped during the Great Recession, too, but only by about one-quarter.

Research into this racial discrepancy later showed that because white families had more of a financial cushion, they could stem their losses.

These and other factors have all dragged down the wealth of Black Californians over the years. In 2023, California’s task force on reparations calculated that the state’s discriminatory practices cost the average African American in California $160,931 in homeownership wealth compared with a white Californian.

Racism fuels the fire

Those inequities were a tinderbox that the Eaton Fire ignited.

Altadena is inherently prone to fire because it borders the Angeles National Forest, gets Santa Ana winds that spread embers, and has highly flammable vegetation. But because Black Altadenans’ homes sit on smaller lots, with structures and landscaping located closer together, the ember fire spread more easily in Black neighborhoods.

Altadena, Calif., March 26, 2025: A scene of ruin.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Black Altadenans also tend to be older than their white neighbors, because most had bought into the area before the real estate boom of the 1980s. The physical and financial strains typical of an aging household may have caused hardships for removing vegetation – a best practice in protecting a structure from an ember fire.

All these factors likely contributed to the Eaton Fire disproportionately burning Black-owned homes. All are connected to the city’s legacy of discrimination and exclusion. And they will all make fire recovery harder for Black Altadenans, too.

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

– ref. How racism fueled the Eaton Fire’s destruction in Altadena − a scholar explains why discrimination can raise fire risk for Black Californians – https://theconversation.com/how-racism-fueled-the-eaton-fires-destruction-in-altadena-a-scholar-explains-why-discrimination-can-raise-fire-risk-for-black-californians-250582

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 9, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Reality check: coral restoration won’t save the world’s reefs

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Node Leader in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures, Flinders University

A coral ‘rope’ nursery in the Maldives Luca Saponari/University of Milan, CC BY-ND

Coral reefs are much more than just a pretty place to visit. They are among the world’s richest ecosystems, hosting about a third of all marine species.

These reefs also directly benefit more than a billion people, providing livelihoods and food security, as well as protection from storms and coastal erosion.

Without coral reefs, the world would be a much poorer place. So when corals die or become damaged, many people try to restore them. But the enormity of the task is growing as the climate keeps warming.

In our new research, we examined the full extent of existing coral restoration projects worldwide. We looked at what drives their success or failure, and how much it would actually cost to restore what’s already been lost. Restoring the reefs we’ve already lost around the world could cost up to A$26 trillion.

Bleached Acropora corals in the Maldives.
Davide Seveso/University of Milan

Global losses

Sadly, coral reefs are suffering all over the world. Global warming and marine heatwaves are the main culprits. But overfishing and pollution make matters worse.

When sea temperatures climb above the seasonal average for sustained periods, corals can become bleached. They lose colour as they expel their symbiotic algae when stressed, revealing the white skeleton underneath. Severe bleaching can kill coral.

Coral bleaching and mass coral deaths are now commonplace. Last month, a massive warm-water plume bleached large areas of Ningaloo Reef on Australia’s northwest coast just as large sections of the northern Great Barrier Reef were bleaching on the northeast coast.

Since early 2023, mass coral bleaching has occurred in throughout the tropics and parts of the Indian Ocean.

Over the past 40 years, the extent of coral reefs has halved. As climate change continues, bleaching events and coral deaths will become more common. More than 90% of coral reefs are at risk of long-term degradation by the end of the century.

Dead corals in the Maldives following a bleaching event.
Simone Montano/University of Milan

Direct intervention

Coral reef restoration can take many forms, including removing coral-eating species such as parrot fish, transferring coral spawn, or even manipulating the local community of microbes to improve coral survival.

But by far the most common type of restoration is “coral gardening”, where coral fragments grown in nurseries are transplanted back to the reef.

The problem is scale. Coral restoration can only be done successfully at a small scale. Most projects only operate over several hundred or a few thousand square metres. Compare that with nearly 12,000 square km of loss and degradation between 2009 and 2018. Restoration projects come nowhere near the scale needed to offset losses from climate change and other threats.

Conservationists work to garden coral and help preserve these unique life forms.

Sky-high costs

Coral restoration is expensive, ranging from around $10,000 to $226 million per hectare. The wide range reflects the variable costs of different techniques used, ease of access, and cost of labour. For example, coral gardening (coral fragments grown in nurseries transplanted back to the reef) is relatively cheap (median cost $558,000 per hectare) compared with seeding coral larvae (median $830,000 per hectare). Building artificial reefs can cost up to $226 million per hectare.

We estimated it would cost more than $1.6 billion to restore just 10% of degraded coral areas globally. This is using the lowest cost per hectare and assuming all restoration projects are successful.

Even our conservative estimate is four times more than the total investment in coral restoration over the past decade ($410 million).

But it’s reasonable to use the highest cost per hectare, given high failure rates, the need to use several techniques at the same site, and the great expense of working on remote reefs. Restoring 10% of degraded coral areas globally, at $226 million a hectare, would cost more than $26 trillion – almost ten times Australia’s annual GDP.

It is therefore financially impossible to tackle the ongoing loss of coral reefs with restoration, even if local projects can still provide some benefits.

Rope nurseries nurture coral fragments until they’re ready to be planted out.
Luca Saponari/University of Milan

Location, location, location

Our research also looked at what drives the choice of restoration sites. We found it depends mostly on how close a reef is to human settlements.

By itself, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But we also found restoration actions were more likely to occur in reefs already degraded by human activity and with fewer coral species.

This means we’re not necessarily targeting sites where restoration is most likely to succeed, or of greatest ecological importance.

Another limitation is coral gardening normally involves only a few coral species – the easiest to rear and transplant. While this can still increase coral cover, it does not restore coral diversity to the extent necessary for healthy, resilient ecosystems.

Measuring ‘success’

Another sad reality is that more than a third of all coral restoration efforts fail. The reasons why can include poor planning, unproven technologies, insufficient monitoring, and subsequent heatwaves.

Unfortunately, there’s no standard way to collect data or report on restoration projects. This makes it difficult – or impossible – to identify conditions leading to success, and reduces the pace of improvement.

Succeed now, fail later

Most coral transplants are monitored for less than 18 months. Even if they survive that period, there’s no guarantee they will last longer. The long-term success rate is unknown.

When we examined the likelihood of extreme heat events immediately following restoration and in coming decades, we found most restored sites had already experienced severe bleaching shortly after restoration. It will be difficult to find locations that will be spared from future global warming.

Sometimes the young coral is bleached before the restoration project is complete.
Davide Seveso/University of Milan

No substitute for climate action

Coral restoration has the potential to be a valuable tool in certain circumstances: when it promotes community engagement and addresses local needs. But it is not yet – and might never be – feasible to scale up sufficiently to have meaningful long-term positive effects on coral reef ecosystems.

This reality check should stimulate constructive debate about when and where restoration is worthwhile. Without stemming the pace and magnitude of climate change, we have little power to save coral reefs from massive losses over the coming century and beyond.

Other conservation approaches such as establishing, maintaining and enforcing marine protected areas, and improving water quality, could improve the chance a coral restoration project will work. These efforts could also support local human communities with incentives for conservation.

Reinforcing complementary strategies could therefore bolster ecosystem resilience, extending the reach and success of coral restoration projects.

Read more:
Coral restoration is a speculative, feel-good science that won’t save our reefs

Corey J. A. Bradshaw receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Clelia Mulà receives funding from the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

Giovanni Strona 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. Reality check: coral restoration won’t save the world’s reefs – https://theconversation.com/reality-check-coral-restoration-wont-save-the-worlds-reefs-251055

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: A Winning Collaboration: How an Internship Program is Connecting Top Data Science Students to UConn Sports Teams

Source: US State of Connecticut

Six years ago, UConn Field Hockey head coach Paul Caddy reached out to the head of the Department of Statistics in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He wanted to find an informal way for students learning statistical methods to work with his team, integrating data analytics to gain a competitive edge.

After a pandemic and various other obstacles, the collaboration never came to fruition.

Then, in Fall 2023, Alyssa O’Keefe, an academic advisor in the Department of Statistics and Applied Data Analysis, launched a formalized sports analytics internship program and Caddy saw a new opportunity to bring that vision to life.

For the past two years, the Sports Statistics Experiential Learning Program has provided UConn Athletics with statistical information to improve their performance while allowing students the opportunity to gain practical hands-on experience to prepare them for careers in data.

O’Keefe says she got the idea for the program after the parent of an incoming student asked if it would be okay for her to leverage her connection with a coach to get her son experience with a team. O’Keefe says she saw an opportunity to expand that access to other students who may not have those personal connections.

“I’ve had so many students sit across my desk telling me that their dream job would be sports analytics,” O’Keefe says. “We have 18 teams. How could we not have a way to make this connection for them?”

In the Fall 2024, the program paired Caddy with Julia Mazzola ’25 (CLAS), a statistical data science and economics double major, who analyzed attacking penalty corners, a crucial scoring opportunity that happens when a foul is made in the area around the goal. The data provided real-time insights that Caddy says he’ll use as part of his coaching throughout the seasons.

“In the couple of seasons leading up to this one, our performance has not been what it needs to be offensively or defensively on corners,” Caddy says. “So, we need to get some data to see what works and what doesn’t.”

Julia Mazzola ’25 (CLAS), a statistical data science and economics double major, worked as a sports analytics intern with UConn Field Hockey in the Fall of 2024. (Contributed by Julia Mazzola)

Having previously met Joe Ferriss, former director of Men’s Hockey Operations, O’Keefe reached out with her idea of partnering statistics students with athletic teams. Ferriss was impressed with the concept and became the first to agree to join the program.

As word spread around the Athletics teams of O’Keefe’s initiative, more teams began to show interest. The program began with just three teams— baseball, men’s hockey and football—but has since expanded to 11 teams including the women’s basketball team which won the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.

The internship program will be adding the Department of Sports Performance to its list of participating athletics programs in the fall and O’Keefe says she hopes more teams will sign on.

Unlike traditional coursework, this internship places students in dynamic sports environments where they work on various analytical projects tailored to the needs of the teams they’re paired with. Projects include tracking player positioning and movement through game footage, assessing player performance during various points of the game to refine strategy, providing statistical insights during competitions, and analyzing recruitment data.

Many interns work directly with coaching staff, integrating data into team meetings and game planning, O’Keefe says.

Students can earn credits for the internship and can intern for a semester or a full year. The time commitment varies from one placement to another, and O’Keefe says students selected for the program must agree to the conditions before they begin.

Mazzola interned with Caddy’s team for one semester, and Caddy says she felt like a member of the team.

“It is a unique experience,” Caddy says. “She’s on the sidelines during games. She’s going to get a championship ring because we won the Big East Championship. We think she’s part of the field hockey family.”

He says he hopes to continue working with student interns and that Mazzola’s project is something the team “can lean on a little bit, moving through the seasons.”

For Mazzola, the program is a career stepping stone. She plans to start her career in underwriting at the Cigna Group after she graduates in May and credits the internship with reinforcing her passion for analytics and problem-solving.

“One thing about underwriting is there’s a lot of moving pieces, and there’s a lot to learn,” she says. “You have to take in many aspects when you make a decision, and the field hockey internship was very helpful in learning how to piece things together, like solving a puzzle.”

MIL OSI USA News –

April 9, 2025
MIL-OSI: Max Alderman, Partner at FE International, Recognized as a NACVA 2024 30 Under Thirty Honoree

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FE International, a leading M&A advisory firm, is pleased to announce that Max Alderman, Partner at FE International, has been recognized by the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts^® (NACVA^®) as a 2024 30 Under Thirty honoree.

The NACVA 30 Under Thirty program spotlights rising professionals in the business valuation, financial forensics, or related profession that are thirty or under who embodies the drive, motivation, and courage needed to be part of the next generation of industry mavericks.

Max Alderman has more than eight years of experience advising on TMT M&A transactions, advising on more than $7 billion in transaction value. As a technology investment banker, he has led complex cross-border deals, managed global deal teams, and built deep relationships with founders, private equity firms, and strategic acquirers. Prior to joining FE International, Max worked in the investment banking groups at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan, advising on M&A transactions across the technology sector.

“I’m honoured to be recognised by NACVA as part of the 2024 30 Under Thirty. It’s a privilege to contribute to the M&A space alongside so many talented professionals, and I’m excited to continue pushing boundaries, creating value, and learning from the best in the industry,” said Max Alderman, Partner at FE International.

FE International congratulates Max and the broader community of NACVA honorees.

About FE International

Founded in 2010, FE International is an award-winning strategic advisor for technology businesses. The firm’s team has completed over 1,500 transactions with a combined value exceeding $50 billion. FE International has been recognized as one of The Americas’ Fastest Growing Companies by the Financial Times from 2020 to 2024 and has earned a place on the Inc. 5000 list for four consecutive years.

About NACVA
The National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts^® (NACVA^®) supports the business valuation, financial forensics, and litigation consulting professions. With thousands of members worldwide, NACVA is dedicated to excellence, innovation, and the advancement of its credentialed professionals. The 30 Under Thirty program recognizes the next generation of industry leaders making significant contributions to the field early in their careers.

Media Contact

Gaj Tanwar
Marketing Coordinator, FE International
Email: gaj.tanwar@feinternational.com

The MIL Network –

April 9, 2025

Category: Economy

The many faces of risk

It’s all politics

Now what?

Introductory statement by Piero Cipollone, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament

The vital role of cash in ensuring financial inclusion and resilience

The need to enhance Europe’s strategic autonomy in digital payments in a changing geopolitical environment

Digital euro project on track

Conclusion

New appeals process to provide independent assurance about Horizon redress awards

Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas said:

Notes to editors

Share this page

Updates to this page

Approximately 180,000 Granite Staters, including 60,000 enrolled in Medicaid Expansion, would see their access to health care put at risk.

Why it matters

What still isn’t known

The dual-class effect: Meta as a case study

When corporate control meets the Supreme Court

Elon Musk vs. the dual-class model

Beyond TikTok: The conversation the US should be having

The many faces of risk

It’s all politics

Now what?

An environment of extremes

Culture was crucial for ancient canal systems

Copying ancient practices without the culture

Understanding the past matters

‘A place for white people only’

Building the new LA

Discrimination in new forms

Great Recession takes its toll

Racism fuels the fire

Global losses

Direct intervention

Sky-high costs

Location, location, location

Measuring ‘success’

Succeed now, fail later

No substitute for climate action