NewzIntel.com

Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand Demands That Trump Administration Restore Funding For Youth Mental Health Grants

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

    New York Was Awarded Over $18 Million Through The Now-Terminated Programs From FY2022-FY2024

    U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is demanding that the Trump administration restore funding to two grant programs that support school-based mental health services, the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant (MHSP) and the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant (SBMH). MHSP and SBMH were designed to create a workforce development pipeline for school counselors, psychologists, and social workers to address the shortage of school-based mental health professionals in New York and across the country. Thanks to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the programs were slated to provide a combined $1 billion through Fiscal Year 2026, $18.2 million of which was already allocated to schools in New York State.

    “Protecting the mental health of our kids should not be a partisan issue,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I am appalled by the Trump administration’s decision to terminate MHSP and SBMH funding, particularly as the shortage of mental health professionals and school counselors persists nationwide. Thousands of students are set to benefit from the mental health care they’re receiving because of these programs, and I am committed to fighting for the restoration of this vital funding.”

    Senator Gillibrand’s most recent letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon follows a similar letter that she sent with Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) in May. In that letter, the senators discussed the impact of the MHSP and SBMH programs nationwide and asked for the Department of Education’s rationale for terminating this funding. The senators received an unsatisfactory response to this outreach last month.

    The full text of Senator Gillibrand’s most recent letter can be found here or below:

    Dear Secretary McMahon,

    I write to you with grave concern over the administration’s reports of terminations of youth mental health grant funding to school districts in New York. The Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant (MHSP) and School-Based Mental Health Services Grant (SBMH) programs have benefitted not only New York but countless states across the country in urban and rural settings alike. I wrote to you about these terminations on May 9, 2025, and received an unsatisfactory response from your office on May 30, 2025. Both MHSP and SBMH programs play a vital role in addressing the shortage of school-based mental health professionals. Furthermore, they do not undermine standards for fairness, merit, and excellence in education as asserted in your response sent on May 30, 2025. 

    Your response to my earlier letter indicated that both the MHSP and SBMH programs would end at the end of the grants’ current budget periods. This outcome would harm both the students and mental health professionals who benefit from these programs. The demand for behavioral health, mental health, and substance abuse disorder services is projected to increase in the coming years. By 2037, it is estimated that there will be a shortage of 113,830 psychologists, 50,440 psychiatrists, and 39,710 school counselors. The MHSP and SBMH programs directly address this shortage, and discontinuing these programs will negatively impact current and future students.  

    These funding streams were intended to create a workforce development pipeline for school counselors, psychologists, and social workers. Thousands of students have benefited from the mental health care they received because of these programs. There are also hundreds of future mental health professionals in New York alone who benefit from these programs. However, with current grants set to expire soon, successful programs, like those in Lyons Central School District and the Seneca Falls Central School District, that have built mental health professional pipelines for students in high-need school districts could see their momentum stopped in its tracks. Hundreds of future mental health professionals, who are sorely needed across New York, stand to lose the support of innovative programs that serve my constituents and their families.

    I am concerned that the Department is disrupting grant funding that truly represents how the government can address the direct needs of our taxpayers and their families. These programs work, and New York students deserve their continued benefits.

    I request your response to the following questions by no later than June 4, 2025:

    1.         Will the Department commit to answering the nine questions from my original letter sent May 9, 2025, most of which were unaddressed in your response dated on May 30, 2025? 

    2.         How did each MHSP and SBMH grant that received a non-continuation notice violate Federal civil rights law?

    3.         What are the Department’s plans to recompete its mental health program funds in the next grant cycle, including the grant application and selection criteria for the upcoming cycle?

    4.         How will the Department address service disruptions for New York students after the expiration of this funding?

    5.         Explain how the Department plans to address mental health workforce shortages stemming from the disruption of this funding.
    6.         Have New York mental health and education stakeholders been engaged? Please provide a detailed explanation of your engagement processes with stakeholders.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Breaking barriers for youth in public service careers

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    By Dr Izimangaliso Malatjie

    The public service is often perceived as cumbersome and complex. In response, government has introduced targeted programmes to better prepare young people for careers in the public sector and the broader world of work.

    As the country marks National Youth Month, two key initiatives—the Breaking Barriers to Entry into the Public Service (BB2E) programme and the Cadet Programme—are empowering graduates with the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to thrive in public service roles. 

    Offered by the National School of Government, the five-day BB2E course and the 18-month Cadet Programme are designed for graduates with post-school qualifications, as well as interns in public sector departments and statutory bodies.

    Addressing graduate unemployment

    Graduate unemployment, particularly among those with post-school qualifications, continues to rise at an alarming rate. As one of the country’s largest employers, the public service has responded by creating opportunities for unemployed graduates through the Public Service Graduate Internship Programme, along with the BB2E and Cadet initiatives. 

    These programmes aim to equip graduates with practical skills and an understanding of how the public sector operates. They cover essential areas such as administration, communication, and job-readiness, providing a critical steppingstone toward meaningful employment. 

    This is a vital investment in youth development and capacity-building for the future of public service.

    About the BB2E Course

    The BB2E course introduces young participants to the structure and functioning of government. Key focus areas include: delivering quality public services; administration and management of public funds; performing basic administrative and communication functions; understanding policies guiding recruitment into public service; crafting effective CVs and interview preparation. 

    The orientation programme is underpinned by values and principles found in Chapter 10 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, (1996). It is aimed at orientating participants to the public service, how the public service is organised and the way the public service functions.

    About the Cadet Programme

    The 18-month Cadet Programme, a complementary initiative to BB2E, goes deeper by exploring the broader public sector landscape and touching on social entrepreneurship. It consists of four key modules: 1) The Constitution and the Administration of the Public Sector 2) Ethics in the Public Service 3) Writing for Government and 4) Personal Mastery. 

    The Personal Mastery module is particularly well-received by young people as it equips them with essential employability skills relevant in both public and private sectors, including: self-management; emotional intelligence; job search techniques; critical problem-solving; entrepreneurship and job creation.

    Shaping the public servant of the future

    These programmes aim to shape a new generation of public servants—cadres with a unique and progressive mindset. The ideal public servant is: 
    •    Innovative: Able to turn policy into effective action.
    •    Inspirational: Motivated and capable of motivating others.
    •    Exemplary: Committed to high standards at every level of work.
    •    Resourceful: Sees opportunity in challenges, not excuses.
    •    Impact-driven: Focused on tangible outcomes that meet public expectations.
    •    Collaborative: Values partnerships, teamwork, and stakeholder engagement.
    •    Accountable: Takes ownership of service delivery outcomes.

    Recent successes

    In the 2024/25 financial year a total of 1465 young people undergone training on the BB2E programme. While 4145 were trained on Personal Mastery and 1668 of these young people were part of the Youth empowerment and development programme within the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE). 

    In the current financial year, a total of 570 young participants from the National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC), an empowerment programme under the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, completed the Personal Mastery course.

    Feedback from both participants and departmental officials has been overwhelmingly positive and have requested that more young people undergo training on this programme.

    As the NSG, we strongly encourage departments and government entities at all levels to enroll their interns and young professionals in the Cadet Programme. Together, we can build a more capable, ethical, and responsive public service through empowering one young person at a time.

    Enrolment

    For enquiries and enrolment relevant officials in departments should contact The National School of Government call centre on 0861008326, via email on contactcentre@thensg.gov.za or visit the website on www.thensg.gov.za.

    *Dr Izimangaliso Malatjie is the Chief Director for Cadet and Foundation Management at the National School of Government.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: We can do more to protect our children 

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    By Neo Semono 

    Murder, rape and mysterious disappearances are among the horrifying crimes committed against South Africa’s children.

    Over the years the nation has heard in horror, and watched in disbelief as news, always too inhumane to comprehend, unfolds about those we ought to be protecting the most. 

    Citizens have heard in horror of the now lifeless bodies of victims that have been found lying in pieces of veld, among bushes and in ditches and seen in blow-by-blow detail, the violence that was perpetuated on often-lifeless bodies, more times than not found lying in pieces of veld, among bushes and in ditches. 

    Communities and the police rush around frantically forming search parties for the missing, while agile keyboard warriors also do their bit by spreading the word on missing children and adults alike, on the various social media platforms.

    When children go missing, as was the case with six-year-old Joshlin Smith in 2024, law enforcement and communities go looking them. When children are mistreated and abused, the answer is to work together to rescue the child.

    Some will blame government for the onslaught of violence against children, but, government cannot solve the issue on its own. The onslaught of violence against children requires at its foremost a community approach, and a change in thinking around children. 

    Children are no lesser human beings than adults. In fact, our Constitution states that every child (any person under the age of 18) has the right to basic nutrition, shelter, basic health care services and social services as well as to be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse or degradation. 

    The Children’s Act gives effect to certain rights of children as contained in the Constitution while also setting out principles relating to the care and protection of children while the Child Justice Act also exists to ensure that perpetrators are brought to book.

    The Basic Education Laws Amendment Act seeks to improve safety at schools. The legislation is in place to protect the lives of the nation’s children. And yes, while some will say that the existence of the legislation does not necessarily mean that they are effectively being implemented; when implemented properly laws do work.

    The judgement and sentencing of the trio involved in little Joshlin’s case is a victory in fighting back against the mistreatment of children, albeit the nation still being in the dark about what befell the Western Cape child.

    The recent news that a staff member at Laerskool Dalmondeor in Johannesburg was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a Grade 2 learner and the case whereby a Durban mother who beat and strangled her three-year-old daughter Fadillah Chantel Kok to death, must lead us to re-evaluate the type of people we are and the society we live in.

    The wellbeing of the nation’s children is important to government with Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe highlighting the worrying statistics of 26 852 cases of child abuse and neglect having been reported in the 2024/25 financial year.

    Sexual abuse was reported to be at 9859 cases across the provinces with deliberate neglect being the second most prevalent at 9485 cases among others. 

    These incidents and others in the past have many of us questioning in rage, our moral compass no matter one’s colour or religion.
    Children ought to be running around barefoot and getting up to mischief across parks and recreational facilities in communities. However, this is not the case for parents and guardians who fear for their safety while playing.

    According to the 2024 Mid-year population estimates released by Statistics South Africa, 27.5% of the population is aged younger than 15 years (16.8 million).

    The rate of abuse and shocking cases of violence should jolt us into action to do more to protect the nation’s children at all times of the year and not only on days when the country marks Child Protection Week or Child Protection Month in May.

    We should revisit the notion that your child is my child more than ever and not turn a blind eye when we see or hear of something untoward. 

    When we fail to protect children, we fail our country in the long term. If we are to raise generations of forward-thinking, responsible citizens that will take the country forward, it is in our best interest to do the best we can to shape the citizenry of tomorrow.
    And because the protection and care of children is a full-time job, government continues to provide the child support, disability and foster care grants as well as the school nutrition programme which provides meals to millions of children.

    Government is also paying attention to the boy child through the facilitation of dialogues and engagement to foster an environment of positive masculinity where boys are encouraged to express their feelings. Children living with disabilities have also not been left out as they are among the most vulnerable people.

    The enactment of legislation and the provision of funds through grants and government programmes are not the sole solution to protecting South Africa’s children.

    The protection of children involves taking proactive steps which include taking the time to truly listen to what children have to say and ensuring that we believe them when they say they have been violated by a family member, teacher, preacher or whoever they may cross paths with.

    Additionally, the inherent principle of ubuntu, also stresses that we help those around us. The wealth of a nation is not only measured in rands and cents, but also the priceless assets that are its children. Surely, we can ALL do better to protect them. –SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The fourth season of the University Shifts project has started.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The fourth season of the University Shifts project has started. This year, more than 100 Russian universities have joined the project.

    “University Shifts” is a career guidance project, within the framework of which schoolchildren and college students get a unique opportunity to experience student life, see the structure of universities from the inside and get acquainted with the educational program and opportunities of higher education institutions. Universities create an environment for the children that is as close as possible to a student environment, immerse them in the educational process and introduce them to the scientific potential of the university, including through visits to specialized enterprises – potential employers and university laboratories. During the shifts, the children live on university campuses and country camps. To implement the principle of harmonious personal development, the career guidance program is combined with cultural and leisure activities: visits to museums and theaters, excursions, participation in interactive classes on the history and culture of Russia, as well as meetings with students, university teachers, government officials, athletes, and cultural figures.

    “Our President Vladimir Putin spoke about the importance of choosing a job that you love and realizing your calling. The University Shifts project allows the younger generation to choose a profession and a future university at an early age. In the fourth season, children aged 14 to 17 will be able to participate, including those from new regions. This year, the program’s capabilities have been expanded thanks to the decision of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin,” said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.

    The Deputy Prime Minister added that during his working trips he visited organizations that are project sites. For example, the Mariupol State University named after A.I. Kuindzhi.

    Among the participants of the first shift of this season are 570 children from the Donetsk People’s Republic, Zaporizhzhya and Belgorod regions. In total, nine shifts are planned for the summer season.

    “The first groups will go to universities in Rostov-on-Don, Kostroma, Arkhangelsk, Tambov, Nalchik, Ryazan and Moscow. It is important that this year, in addition to career guidance and cultural and leisure events, the shifts will integrate a program dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, as well as the 80th anniversary of the nuclear industry in Russia. Thus, children will learn more about the great deeds of the heroes and scientists of our country,” said the head of the Ministry of Education and Science, Valery Falkov.

    It is planned that over 16 thousand children aged 14 to 17, including those from new regions, will be able to participate in the fourth season.

    Over three years, more than 44 thousand children went to the “University Shifts”, in 2024 alone, 107 universities of the country accepted more than 15 thousand schoolchildren and students of secondary vocational education. The children were able to visit the most remote corners of the country, and discovered Kamchatka.

    Let us recall that since 2023 the project has been implemented jointly with the “Movement of the First”. The All-Russian Children’s Movement has developed methodological recommendations for conducting educational, cultural, educational and career guidance events of the shifts.

    “University shifts are an excellent opportunity for the participants of the “Movement of the First”, schoolchildren and students of professional educational organizations of all regions of Russia to get acquainted with domestic universities, their scientific base and areas of professional training. Career guidance programs will cover more than 100 universities and will be held in eight areas: technical, humanitarian, medical, creative, sports, pedagogical, agricultural and information technology. Immersing yourself in student life for 10 days is the best way to shape your future professional trajectory,” emphasized the chairman of the board of the “Movement of the First” Artur Orlov.

    The University Shifts project has been implemented since 2022. It is both a social support measure and a form of encouragement for talented youth. Young people from new regions, border territories and families of SVO participants take part in it within a separate quota. Participants of the Movement of the First from all over Russia get into the program as a result of a competitive selection, within which they complete tasks in the areas of professional training that interest them.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National and California Man Charged Following Seizure of Over 45 Kilograms of Fentanyl Pills and Powder

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jose Angel Gonzalez-Carrillo, 46, of Modesto, California, and Ethyel Aldahyr Ontiveros-Flores, 25, of Mazatlan, Mexico, were arrested on the evening of June 2, 2025, and charged by criminal complaint for conspiring to distribute over 36 kilograms of fentanyl pills, and over 9 kilograms of fentanyl powder.

    On June 2, 2025, Gonzalez-Carrillo coordinated the sale of approximately 10,000 fentanyl pills to a purported third party in Phoenix, Arizona. Ontiveros-Flores delivered the initial batch of pills, as well as a second delivery of over 90,000 pills later that same day, which was also coordinated by Gonzalez-Carrillo. After the second delivery, law enforcement officers arrested both Gonzalez-Carrillo and Ontiveros-Flores. During a subsequent search of property belonging to Ontiveros-Flores, law enforcement officers discovered over 200,000 additional fentanyl pills, as well as nine packages containing fentanyl powder, each weighing approximately one kilogram.

    A conviction for possessing 400 grams or more of fentanyl for distribution carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, a fine of up to $10,000,000, and a term of supervised release of at least five years, up to life.

    A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    The DEA is conducting the investigation in this case, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations, the City of Goodyear Police Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the Arizona State University Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

    CASE NUMBER:            25-MJ-8318-JZB
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-089_Carrillo, et al.

    # # #

    For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
    Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

    2025-089_Carrillo, et al.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Advances Sullivan, Padilla Bill to Improve Cybersecurity and Telecommunications for Oceanographic Research Vessels

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan

    05.27.25

    WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced their bipartisan legislation to facilitate cybersecurity and telecommunications upgrades for the 17 oceanographic vessels in the U.S. Academic Research Fleet. The Accelerating Networking, Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardware for Oceanic Research (ANCHOR) Act would require the National Science Foundation (NSF) to plan improvements for these critical oceanographic research vessels.

    These ships and their submersibles play a central role in exploring our oceans and strengthening our national security. First commissioned decades ago, these ships are in desperate need of new infrastructure and maintenance, especially with foreign cyberattacks targeting naval vessels on the rise.

    The ANCHOR Act now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

    “The unanimous referral of the ANCHOR Act out of the Commerce Committee sends a strong, bipartisan message: safeguarding America’s maritime research infrastructure is essential to our national security,” said Senator Sullivan. “This bill will better protect our research fleet and institutions—many of which have been targeted by adversarial cyber threats—and ensure that vessels, like the Sikuliaq in Seward, can continue their vital scientific missions without compromise.” 

    “The U.S. Academic Research Fleet is a global leader in performing groundbreaking oceanographic research,” said Senator Padilla. “But with increasing cyberattacks on these vessels, we urgently need to upgrade crucial cybersecurity and telecommunications infrastructure. We have a responsibility to keep both our nation’s research and its researchers safe. I am glad to the see the Senate advance this cost-effective, bipartisan solution, improving research and conditions for our crew members.”

    “Collaborative, interdisciplinary teams are essential to achieving scientific excellence at the University of California, but conducting this work from research vessels at sea presents unique challenges,” said Theresa Maldonado, Vice President for Research and Innovation at the University of California. “Teams aboard these floating laboratories need the infrastructure to share their expertise and data effectively in real-time with their land-based collaborators in order to accelerate science and engineering outcomes. This capability depends on networks of satellites, digital assets, software and cyberinfrastructure. The ANCHOR Act is the vital step toward establishing this critical infrastructure, and the University of California thanks Senator Padilla for his leadership.”

    “Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego operates research vessels that are essential in advancing research to understand our oceans and changing climate, and training the next generation of environmental leaders through hands-on experiences at sea.  Reliable network and computing capabilities are essential for the professional operation of all modern ships, and critically important for effective scientific activities on research vessels specifically.  As globally-ranging laboratories that must operate in the most remote areas of the world, research vessels rely on cyberinfrastructure for our mission-critical activities. The ANCHOR Act will make this possible — along with the cybersecurity that is so important now — and gives us the ability to conduct our nation’s research and education missions efficiently, capably and securely,” said Dr. Margaret Leinen, Vice Chancellor, Marine Sciences and Director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego.

    “U.S. scientists depend on the Academic Research Fleet to conduct research that is vital to our understanding of the oceans, which is linked to societal impacts ranging from tsunamis to fisheries ecosystems to global weather. The ANCHOR Act will result in critically-needed cyberinfrastructure throughout the fleet, which will enable our mariners to operate our ships effectively and empower our scientists by enabling satellite communications, shoreside and shipboard digital infrastructure, and technical support. In addition to enabling cutting-edge science, these systems will strengthen our ability to develop and retain a highly skilled workforce of scientific mariners and marine technicians, who are essential to advance our nation’s leadership in ocean enterprise and technology,” said Dr. Bruce Appelgate, Chair of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System.

    Specifically, the ANCHOR Act would require NSF to issue a report within one year that details a budget and plan for cybersecurity and internet upgrades across the 17 research vessels in the fleet, which are owned by NSF, the Office of Naval Research, and U.S. universities and laboratories. The report would outline costs for equipment, training, personnel, and methods to minimize spending.

    Scripps Institution of Oceanography houses California’s three vessels in the fleet, including the R/V Sally Ride, named after the trailblazing scientist who was one of the first six female astronauts in NASA history. Joining the fleet in 2016, the R/V Sally Ride has already made history in honor of its namesake. In 2021, California researchers on board conducted an extensive survey of the historic DDT chemical dumpsite off the coast of Southern California, leading to the World War II munitions discovery. 

    A one-pager on the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Camwood Capital Group Names Co-Founder Matt Mayfield as President and CEO in Strategic Leadership Move

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    AUSTIN, TX, June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

    Matt Mayfield

    Camwood Capital Group (“Camwood”), a private investment firm focused on long-term value creation in industrial sectors and specializing in lower middle-market companies, has officially named co-founder Matt Mayfield as its new Chief Executive Officer and President of TCMG. The leadership transition, which was approved by the Board in February 2024,  marks a strategic milestone for the firm as it deepens its focus on operational execution and long-term portfolio growth.

    As part of the transition, James W. Mayfield has assumed the role of Executive Chairman, following his tenure as President. The Board of Directors unanimously approved the executive restructuring to reinforce Camwood’s long-term strategy and ensure continuity across all affiliates.

    Matt Mayfield, who co-founded Camwood at its inception in 2014, first started off as an Acquisition Strategist and has since moved up to serve as a Managing Director. As a graduate of Texas A&M University, and growing up in a manufacturing environment, he brings more than a decade of experience in private equity–with a focus on transforming founder-led businesses and driving performance improvements across key industries. Under his leadership, Camwood has developed a data-driven, hands-on investment approach that has helped the firm build a strong track record across the industrial, manufacturing, and business services sectors.

    “Matt’s elevation to CEO and President not only reflects his proven leadership but also the trust and confidence of the board in his vision for Camwood’s future,” said Spokesperson at Camwood. “This transition formalizes the role he’s already played in building Camwood’s platform and guiding our next chapter of growth.”

    Mayfield is widely recognized for his disciplined investment philosophy and collaborative leadership style. As CEO and President, he will oversee Camwood’s strategic direction, day-to-day oversight, deal-sourcing, portfolio performance, and institutional partnerships, continuing to advance the firm’s mission of delivering lasting value to its companies and shareholders.

    For more information, visit www.thecamwoodgroup.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: June 6th, 2025 Heinrich, Luján Slam Trump’s Plan to Illegally Rescind Funding for New Mexico’s Local Public Radio & TV Stations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    Losing this funding would force many public stations to reduce much of their programming or, in some cases, close their doors to the rural communities they serve
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, joined 29 Senate Democrats to slam Trump and Republicans’ attempt to illegally rescind $1 billion in funding appropriated by Congress and signed into law to fund local public broadcasting stations in New Mexico and nationwide — particularly in rural communities. This move follows President Trump’s executive order directing cuts to federal funding for PBS and NPR. 
    The Corporation for Public Broadcasting supports over 1,500 local public television and radio stations nationwide that provide free, high-quality programming to American households, including in New Mexico. Local public television and radio stations provides young children who don’t get the chance to attend preschool with educational content that helps them learn to read; airs highly trusted nightly news programming; and shares critical public safety information during emergencies. Local public television stations also provide extensive coverage of local government and elections and host candidate debates, helping Americans stay connected with their elected leaders. 
    Because local public television and radio relies heavily on federal funding to operate, losing this funding would force many of these stations to reduce much of their programming or, in some cases, close their doors to the communities they serve.
    “Following the White House’s request to rescind $1.07 billion in federal funding for CPB, we write to express our strong opposition to any rescission of funding for public broadcasting and prohibitions of direct and indirect funding to the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio,” the senators wrote to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). “This funding is essential to the functioning of the public media system and the communities they serve, and any cuts in funding would have detrimental effects on local stations, which rely on this funding to provide critical services to millions of Americans across the country. Public broadcasting is an essential service that should be protected, not decimated. For this reason, we request that you prioritize maintaining and continuing funding for CPB.” 
    As Ranking Member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, Senator Luján has long supported strengthening and protecting public media. In February, Senator Luján wrote to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr and Commissioner Nathan Simington condemning actions taken by the FCC under the Trump administration demonstrating that the FCC is weaponizing its authority over broadcasters and public media for political purposes. In March, Senator Luján introduced the Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act, legislation that would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from revoking broadcast licenses or taking action against broadcasters based on the viewpoints they broadcast.
    The letter is led by U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.). Alongside Heinrich and Luján, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Minn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
    The full text of the letter is available here or below:  
    Dear Majority Leader Thune,
    Federal investment in the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) supports over 1,500 local and regional public television and radio stations that provide free, high-quality programming to millions of households across the country. Following the White House’s request to rescind $1.07 billion in federal funding for CPB, we write to express our strong opposition to any rescission of funding for public broadcasting and prohibitions of direct and indirect funding to the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio, as outlined in the Executive Order titled, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media” released on May 1, 2025. This funding is essential to the functioning of the public media system and the communities they serve, and any cuts in funding would have detrimental effects on local stations, which rely on this funding to provide critical services to millions of Americans across the country.
    Our public broadcasting system is a unique American institution that is deeply embedded in our communities and a critical source of lifesaving public safety services, accurate information, and educational programming. The vast majority of the federal funding CPB receives is allocated to local radio and television stations across the country. These cuts will have an immediate and significant impact for stations in rural communities that heavily rely on CPB funding to provide critical services and could likely result in the elimination of programming or outright closure of stations in areas already faced with limited connectivity.
    According to Northwestern University, 55 million people in the United States have no or only one source of local news, and rural counties are far more likely to lose their local news outlets. This number could increase if the two-year advance appropriation for public media is not upheld, resulting in the drastic reduction or complete elimination of free, high-quality local programming. This is especially concerning given the importance of public broadcasting during public emergencies, such as natural disasters, transportation accidents, national security threats, or public safety matters. CPB funds are essential to ensuring that the broadcast infrastructure remains robust and operational in disaster situations, especially scenarios in which local public broadcasters serve as the only source of information for those who need a lifeline. Any cuts in funding will have drastic consequences for communities in need.
    And there is much more to their public safety services in addition to the critical local information they broadcast. Public television’s interconnection technology, which connects local public television stations to PBS, is also one of the backbone pathways for the delivery of our nation’s Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) services – enabling cell phone subscribers to receive geotargeted emergency text alerts no matter where they are in the country. A cut to public broadcasting funding would put this lifesaving service and its nationwide footprint at risk.
    Public television has also pioneered cutting edge technology that helps first responders communicate with each other over the broadcast spectrum without the need for mobile service or broadband. This datacasting technology and public television’s public safety partnerships is already helping with early earthquake warning and has been proven effective in a wide range of scenarios where broadband or cellular service are limited, including rural search and rescue, overwater communications, large event crowd control and more. But this is only possible if stations serving rural and remote areas with limited broadband are healthy and continue operating as they are today.
    On the education front, public television’s early childhood education services ensure that every family has access to high-quality, non-commercial educational content regardless of their ability to pay for such services. This is essential for over 50 percent of three and four-year old children who do not attend formal preschool.
    If funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is eliminated or rescinded, the impact would be devastating. Millions of people across the country whose stations rely on CPB funding for a significant percentage of their budget would be at risk of losing access to public television’s services. These are services that nobody else in the media world is providing, but it’s exactly the work for which public broadcasting was created, and they are delivering to our communities every day. 
    Public broadcasting is an essential service that should be protected, not decimated. For this reason, we request that you prioritize maintaining and continuing funding for CPB.
    We appreciate your consideration of this request and thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Heinrich, Luján Slam Trump’s Plan to Illegally Rescind Funding for New Mexico’s Local Public Radio & TV Stations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    Losing this funding would force many public stations to reduce much of their programming or, in some cases, close their doors to the rural communities they serve

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media,joined 29 Senate Democrats to slam Trump and Republicans’ attempt to illegally rescind $1 billion in funding appropriated by Congress and signed into law to fund local public broadcasting stations in New Mexico and nationwide — particularly in rural communities. This move follows President Trump’s executive order directing cuts to federal funding for PBS and NPR. 

    The Corporation for Public Broadcasting supports over 1,500 local public television and radio stations nationwide that provide free, high-quality programming to American households, including in New Mexico. Local public television and radio stations provides young children who don’t get the chance to attend preschool with educational content that helps them learn to read; airs highly trusted nightly news programming; and shares critical public safety information during emergencies. Local public television stations also provide extensive coverage of local government and elections and host candidate debates, helping Americans stay connected with their elected leaders. 

    Because local public television and radio relies heavily on federal funding to operate, losing this funding would force many of these stations to reduce much of their programming or, in some cases, close their doors to the communities they serve.

    “Following the White House’s request to rescind $1.07 billion in federal funding for CPB, we write to express our strong opposition to any rescission of funding for public broadcasting and prohibitions of direct and indirect funding to the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio,” the senators wrote to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). “This funding is essential to the functioning of the public media system and the communities they serve, and any cuts in funding would have detrimental effects on local stations, which rely on this funding to provide critical services to millions of Americans across the country. Public broadcasting is an essential service that should be protected, not decimated. For this reason, we request that you prioritize maintaining and continuing funding for CPB.” 

    As Ranking Member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, Senator Luján has long supported strengthening and protecting public media. In February, Senator Luján wrote to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr and Commissioner Nathan Simington condemning actions taken by the FCC under the Trump administration demonstrating that the FCC is weaponizing its authority over broadcasters and public media for political purposes. In March, Senator Luján introduced the Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act, legislation that would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from revoking broadcast licenses or taking action against broadcasters based on the viewpoints they broadcast.

    The letter is led by U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.). Alongside Heinrich and Luján, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Minn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    The full text of the letter is available here or below:  

    Dear Majority Leader Thune,

    Federal investment in the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) supports over 1,500 local and regional public television and radio stations that provide free, high-quality programming to millions of households across the country. Following the White House’s request to rescind $1.07 billion in federal funding for CPB, we write to express our strong opposition to any rescission of funding for public broadcasting and prohibitions of direct and indirect funding to the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio, as outlined in the Executive Order titled, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media” released on May 1, 2025. This funding is essential to the functioning of the public media system and the communities they serve, and any cuts in funding would have detrimental effects on local stations, which rely on this funding to provide critical services to millions of Americans across the country.

    Our public broadcasting system is a unique American institution that is deeply embedded in our communities and a critical source of lifesaving public safety services, accurate information, and educational programming. The vast majority of the federal funding CPB receives is allocated to local radio and television stations across the country. These cuts will have an immediate and significant impact for stations in rural communities that heavily rely on CPB funding to provide critical services and could likely result in the elimination of programming or outright closure of stations in areas already faced with limited connectivity.

    According to Northwestern University, 55 million people in the United States have no or only one source of local news, and rural counties are far more likely to lose their local news outlets. This number could increase if the two-year advance appropriation for public media is not upheld, resulting in the drastic reduction or complete elimination of free, high-quality local programming. This is especially concerning given the importance of public broadcasting during public emergencies, such as natural disasters, transportation accidents, national security threats, or public safety matters. CPB funds are essential to ensuring that the broadcast infrastructure remains robust and operational in disaster situations, especially scenarios in which local public broadcasters serve as the only source of information for those who need a lifeline. Any cuts in funding will have drastic consequences for communities in need.

    And there is much more to their public safety services in addition to the critical local information they broadcast. Public television’s interconnection technology, which connects local public television stations to PBS, is also one of the backbone pathways for the delivery of our nation’s Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) services – enabling cell phone subscribers to receive geotargeted emergency text alerts no matter where they are in the country. A cut to public broadcasting funding would put this lifesaving service and its nationwide footprint at risk.

    Public television has also pioneered cutting edge technology that helps first responders communicate with each other over the broadcast spectrum without the need for mobile service or broadband. This datacasting technology and public television’s public safety partnerships is already helping with early earthquake warning and has been proven effective in a wide range of scenarios where broadband or cellular service are limited, including rural search and rescue, overwater communications, large event crowd control and more. But this is only possible if stations serving rural and remote areas with limited broadband are healthy and continue operating as they are today.

    On the education front, public television’s early childhood education services ensure that every family has access to high-quality, non-commercial educational content regardless of their ability to pay for such services. This is essential for over 50 percent of three and four-year old children who do not attend formal preschool.

    If funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is eliminated or rescinded, the impact would be devastating. Millions of people across the country whose stations rely on CPB funding for a significant percentage of their budget would be at risk of losing access to public television’s services. These are services that nobody else in the media world is providing, but it’s exactly the work for which public broadcasting was created, and they are delivering to our communities every day. 

    Public broadcasting is an essential service that should be protected, not decimated. For this reason, we request that you prioritize maintaining and continuing funding for CPB.

    We appreciate your consideration of this request and thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Heinrich, Luján Fight Trump Administration’s Cuts to the Job Corps Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
    Washington, D.C. – After the Trump administration attempted to shutter the nation’s largest jobs training program for low-income and at-risk young people, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and 37 Senate colleagues in a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer urging her to reverse the illegal and unconstitutional cuts to the Job Corps program that are harming students and communities in every state in the country.
    “The Administration’s decision to illegally and abruptly terminate Job Corps center operations has left 25,000 students and thousands of staff across 99 Job Corps centers in the lurch,” wrote the senators. “The sudden ‘pause’ of operations at Job Corps centers puts young people’s lives at risk, especially a significant number of students who were experiencing homelessness before arriving to the program. Local communities will pay a steep price, especially the thousands of individuals who work at the centers and will lose their livelihoods.”
    For more than 60 years, Job Corps has helped millions of young people in rural communities and cities alike to finish high school, learn technical skills and get good-paying jobs while providing stable housing, medical and mental health care, and other supportive services. Through Job Corps programs, young people receive the training they need to start in good-paying jobs that support their communities after graduation – including as wildland firefighters, nurses, electricians, machinists, pipefitters, and welders. Last month, however, the Trump administration indefinitely ‘paused’ operations at Job Corps sites across the country.
    “We urge you to immediately reverse this decision to prevent a lapse in education and services for Job Corps students. We further urge that the Department restart enrollments, expeditiously restart background checks, and make any contract extensions or modifications necessary to ensure no interruptions or delays for students or program operations,”concluded the senators. 
    Joining Heinrich, Luján, and Sanders on the letter are U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Angus King (I-Maine), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
    The text of the letter can be found HERE and below:
    Dear Secretary Chavez-DeRemer:
    We write to express our grave concern with the “pause” of operations that began at Job Corps centers on May 29, 2025, which will harm students and local economies in every state across the country. The Administration’s decision to illegally and abruptly terminate Job Corps center operations has left 25,000 students and thousands of staff across 99 Job Corps centers in the lurch. The sudden “pause” of operations at Job Corps centers puts young people’s lives at risk, especially a significant number of students who were experiencing homelessness before arriving to the program. Local communities will pay a steep price, especially the thousands of individuals who work at the centers and will lose their livelihoods. While a recent court order instituted a temporary restraining order on the “pause” at Job Corps, the damage of attempting to displace thousands of students has already been felt across the country.
    We urge you to immediately reverse this decision to prevent a lapse in education and services for Job Corps students. We further urge that the Department restart enrollments, expeditiously restart background checks, and make any contract extensions or modifications necessary to ensure no interruptions or delays for students or program operations. Congress passed the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025, which includes $1,760,155,000 for Job Corps and ensures that Job Corps Centers are funded for the new program year that begins on July 1, 2025. We write to remind you of your obligation to faithfully implement the law.
    Since 1964, Job Corps has helped millions of low-income or at-risk young people develop the skills and resilience needed to succeed in work and life. As the largest free residential education and job training program for young adults ages 16-24, Job Corps programs help students complete their high school education, learn high-value technical skills, and connect to employment through intensive education, training, and support services in a residential setting while providing stable housing, medical and mental health care, and other supportive services to ensure their success. At a time when more than 72 percent of jobs will require training beyond a high school diploma, Job Corps provides students with the opportunity to become wildland firefighters to keep our communities safe, nurses to help care for our families, electricians needed to build and maintain clean energy systems, and machinists, pipefitters, and welders to manufacture the next generation of submarines.
    Job Corps centers operate in rural and metropolitan regions nationwide and contribute to their local communities and economies.  Many centers have partnered with employers, local workforce development boards, government agencies, and community-based organizations to develop the future workforce and meet the needs of local employers. 
    Abruptly canceling contracts for the nation’s Job Corps centers will leave students and communities in the lurch and undermine opportunities for young people to get education and training to succeed in valuable trades. Rather than gutting this valuable program, we urge you to work with Congress to strengthen accountability and program quality for the betterment of young workers, employers needing skilled labor, and communities nationwide, such as reforms included in the bipartisan, bicameral Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) reauthorization bill from last Congress.
    We request that you provide written answers to the following questions as soon as possible, but not later than June 20, 2025.
    Please provide a list of onboard strength (enrollment) at each center before January 20, 2025 and before the operations pause on May 28, 2025. 
    With Job Corps operations on “pause”, how does the department plan to fulfill its obligations to implement the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, which includes $1,760,155,000 for Job Corps serving students?
    Please provide information on the number of students experiencing homelessness prior to enrollment at a Job Corps center based on enrollment at each center on May 28, 2025. 
    Please provide a list of every contract that has been terminated or modified since January 20, 2025, including the total amount of funds to each operator, the amount of funds that each operator has spent up to the date of the contract’s termination or modification, and the amount of remaining unspent funds for each contract. 
    What authority is the Department using to “pause” operations? Please provide a citation in law or regulation.
    The concept of a “pause” does not exist in Job Corps authorizing statute and appears to be an attempt to illegally shut down Job Corps operations without following requirements in law. Section 159 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) includes clear requirements and processes for the closure of Job Corps Centers that were not followed in this “pause”. How does the Department define a “pause” and how is it different than a “termination”? 
    On April 25, 2025, the Department’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) released the first-ever Job Corps Transparency Report, which is used throughout the DOL press release to pause operations at centers.
    Centers have returned funding to DOL when enrollments were lower than expected (but that’s not reflected in this report.) Please provide an updated cost per enrollee that accounts for money returned to DOL.
    The report also provides cost per enrollee based on enrollment from program year 2023. DOL has much more up-to-date enrollment numbers. Please provide an updated cost per enrollee with the enrollments on campuses as of May 28, 2025, incorporating onboard strength at each campus.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Romania to Host 2027 Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction for Europe and Central Asia

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Geneva, 6 June 2025 – The Government of Romania and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) are pleased to announce that Romania will host the next Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction for Europe and Central Asia (RP2027). The announcement was made during the ministerial session on Safe Schools at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2025) in Geneva.

    “We look forward to welcoming you to Romania in 2027 for the Regional Platform – a space for collaboration, regional leadership, and shared resilience” said Daniel Gheorghita, Head of Analysis and Strategic Development Office for Civil Protection, Romania.

    Romania brings strong national leadership to the role, having adopted a comprehensive National Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (2024-2035) and prioritized child safety through education and infrastructure. In 2024 alone, more than 1.7 million students and preschoolers participated in preparedness drills. Moreover, hundreds of schools are being modernized under Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and a new seismic design code is under development to further strengthen risk-informed infrastructure.

    Building on the outcomes of the 2023 Action-Oriented Dialogue on School Safety, RP2027 will offer a key moment for governments, civil society, and stakeholders across Europe and Central Asia to accelerate their disaster risk reduction efforts as the 2030 deadline approaches.

    “Romania has demonstrated real leadership in integrating disaster risk reduction into its national planning, especially through its work with children, on school safety and public awareness” said Natalia Alonso Cano, Chief of UNDRR’s Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia. “We are looking forward to working together on the platform and accelerating the implementation of the Sendai Framework.”

    Further details, including dates and venue, will be announced in due time.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: WTO members focus on TFA implementation, transit issues and capacity-building

    Source: WTO

    Headline: WTO members focus on TFA implementation, transit issues and capacity-building

    The TFA — which contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit — is the first WTO agreement in which developing and LDC members can determine their own implementation schedules, in accordance with their national priorities and capacities, and seek to acquire implementation capacity through the provision of related assistance and support.
    The WTO Secretariat reported that 80 per cent of implementation commitments by developing and LDC members have been reached, with 65 members committed to implementing Category C measures requiring technical assistance and capacity-building over the next two years. Developed members were required to implement all provisions of the TFA from its entry into force. More information is available in the TFA database.
    Developing greater transparency on TFA implementation
    The WTO Secretariat reported on member notifications related to TFA implementation efforts and requests for extensions of implementation schedules. While member notifications on donor arrangements and their progress currently contain limited information and may not reflect the present situation, the TFA Facility (TFAF) is collecting survey data on capacity-building partners and assistance gaps at the member level. Members also supported several tools the WTO Secretariat has deployed through the TFA Database to enable them to track deadlines and to request extensions for implementation dates, where needed.
    The Committee also took note of the WTO Secretariat report “Notification Status of Regular/Period and One-Time Only Notifications in the Goods Area (1995-2024)” (G/C/W/859 ). The document found that while the overall membership had a submission rate of TFA transparency notifications of over 80 per cent, this figure was less than 60 per cent for LDCs. The Chair signalled his availability for consultations on this matter.
    Improving transit corridors and technical assistance coordination
    The Committee held a dedicated session on transit, with the WTO Secretariat presenting preliminary findings from a study on transit corridors serving landlocked developing countries (LLDCs). Coordinated by Botswana as the LLDC coordinator, the study examines how corridors efficiently implement TFA measures to lower trade costs in landlocked countries which face trade costs 1.4 times higher than coastal economies.
    The study covers 19 corridors across Africa, Asia, Eurasia and South America, showing transit time reductions of 20-40 per cent through digital tools and coordination mechanisms. As an example, the Northern Corridor connecting Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan through Mombasa reduced transit times from 11 to 5 days. The updated report will be circulated before the October Committee meeting, with the WTO Secretariat organizing a side event at the UN LLDC-3 Conference in Turkmenistan (5-8 August 2025).
    The African Group also issued a call for strengthened coordination mechanisms to address technical assistance and capacity-building challenges in implementing Category C measures (measures for which members have identified the need for assistance and capacity building), particularly amidst reduced development aid budgets. The Chair signalled a willingness to hold consultations ahead of the October 2025 dedicated session on technical assistance and capacity building to prepare for comprehensive discussions on strengthening coordination mechanisms.
    Experience sharing showcases digital innovations
    Members conducted productive experience-sharing sessions covering digitalization and Authorized Economic Operators (AEOs). China shared a presentation on “Cross-Border E-Commerce,” while the European Union highlighted the importance of digital trust-building through customs “single windows” and electronic identification systems. The United States and the OECD made a presentation on “The digitalization of trade documents and processes: going paperless today, going paperless tomorrow”.
    Japan, Moldova, Mongolia and Paraguay shared national and regional AEO experiences, and Bangladesh shared a presentation on Time Release Study effectiveness, while the United Kingdom and UNCTAD discussed forthcoming publications on National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFCs).
    During the dedicated transit session, Mozambique shared its experience on transit issues while the European Union explained how corridor and transit issues are integrated into a strategy to support developing and least developed members strengthen connectivity and trade facilitation.
    All presentations are available here.
    Other Committee work
    The Committee continued its exchanges on customs procedures, with several members maintaining engagement with Indonesia on two measures regarding customs procedures for intangible products. The United States also raised a new specific trade concern regarding Indonesia’s customs penalty regime.
    Capacity building and learning sessions
    Several learning sessions also took place alongside the Committee meeting. The World Bank and the World Customs Organization, in collaboration with TFAF, organized a Time Release Study methodology session on 4 June, covering measurement techniques and resource requirements.
    The TFAF and certain Annex D+ organisations (consisting of ITC, OECD, UNCTAD, the World Bank, and the WCO) held an in-person training session on 2-3 June on mobilizing technical assistance and capacity building for TFA implementation. The training activity brought together 15 capital-based delegates from LDC and developing members to discuss how to better coordinate resource mobilization and to be more effective when engaging with development partners. Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (GATF)/German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and TradeMark Africa also participated in the training session on 3 June.
    If you would like to receive news on trade facilitation, subscribe to the TFA Newsbytes here.

    Share

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Discusses Importance of Protecting Women’s Sports, Boosting School Choice

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke with several of President Trump’s nominees, including Penny Schwinn, nominee to be Deputy Secretary of Education at the Department of Education, Kimberly Richey, nominee to be Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education, and Daniel Aronowitz, nominee to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration at the Department of Labor. They discussed the importance of protecting Title IX and promoting school choice.

    Read Sen. Tuberville’s remarks below or watch on YouTube or Rumble.

    ON PROMOTING SCHOOL CHOICE:

    TUBERVILLE: “Thanks for all of you [being] willing to serve. It’s a privilege to have you all here. Doctor Schwinn, I wonder if people can give the definition of ‘national emergency.’ That’s what we have in our education system. It’s pitiful. I’ve been in it 35 years and it’s getting worse. The last four years, we just brushed over the problems, didn’t try to correct any. I would hope that you would be really involved in this. Our kids can’t read and write, [the] majority of them. It’s a disaster. It’s a shame. It’s criminal, to be honest with you.

    [Holds up cellphone] would you please get that out of the classroom? Because kids can’t learn when they’re looking at a text. I’m sick of hearing about ‘we need those in the classroom.’ Let’s take our schools back. We’ve given it over to the people who actually don’t want to educate our kids.

    So, thanks for your background in educational agencies. If confirmed, I hope you would assist Secretary McMahon in executing at the more local level. Can you address that?”

    SCHWINN: “Absolutely, and thank you for that. I couldn’t agree more as the parent of a thirteen-year-old. So, absolutely, one of the things that we did in Tennessee that I think was the secret sauce and has been over a long period of time is that locals know what’s best for their communities and their students. Memphis, Tennessee and Lake County, Tennessee are three to four hours apart and could not be more different. My home state of California and my adopted home state of Tennessee could not be more different. We need to make sure that locals are empowered to make the best decisions for their students. And when the money is closest to the child, when the decisions are closest to the child, we can best serve the child. And I am completely aligned with Secretary McMahon to ensure that we can help our states and our local communities to make the best decisions for their students in their communities.”

    TUBERVILLE: “School choice should be an option. I’ve been in many inner-city schools. For some reason, a lot of my colleagues do not want to educate kids in inner cities. School choice should be mandatory in a lot of our inner cities because they can’t read and write. If you can’t read and write, you can’t take advantage of the greatest country ever.”

    ON PROTECTING TITLE IX:

    TUBERVILLE: “Ms. Richey, Title IX, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, is what I’ve been trying to get passed for years. It makes no sense to me what’s going on. I mean, we’ve got a huge problem. We can’t define the difference of men playing in women’s sports. It’s dangerous. We all know that. I mean, it’s something that we’d better get straight because little girls aren’t going to get into sports and we’re not going to have women’s sports 10, 15years from now. We’ve got entire high school teams that are made now of transgender boys that can’t figure out that they’re not supposed to be in that—that it’s for women. But what are your thoughts on that?”

    RICHEY: “Yes, sir. Thank you, Senator, for the question. I grew up playing basketball, and played into college. I could not have competed against biological men. It just was not something that I would have been able to do. One of the things I’m really proud of under the first term is that [the] OCR investigated and took to enforcement one of the very first cases initiated by the federal government, which actually determined that policies that allow students to participate based on sexual orientation or gender identity actually violated Title IX because they deprive women and girls of the opportunity to participate in athletics. I’m very proud of that. I’m very proud of the way that the Secretary and the President have prioritized this issue, and I’m certainly committed to vigorously enforcing it and continuing to pursue these cases.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. We’ve got the Olympics here in a couple of years—[in] a few years in LA. We’re going be a joke if we allow that to happen on the world stage. So, hopefully we come to our senses by that time and show little girls that, ‘yes, you do have an opportunity.’”

    ON THE FINANCIAL FREEDOM ACT:

    TUBERVILLE: “[The] Financial Freedom Act. I think you, Mr. Aronowitz, are familiar with that. The Biden administration pretty much prohibited being able to put your finances where you wanted to, at the end of the day. I’ve been trying to get that passed. Would you commit to supporting legislation that would provide Americans the freedom to invest their own money how they see fit?”

    ARONOWITZ: “Absolutely, Senator. I believe that fiduciaries should decide what’s in retirement plans, not government bureaucrats, not plaintiff lawyers, no one else. Fiduciaries know what’s best, and I am committed to that.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Mr. Chairman.”

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Applications open for Education Maintenance Allowance 2025/26

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    All eligible young people are being encouraged to apply for a weekly, term time allowance of £30 per week from August 2025.

    The Highland Council administers Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) in respect of eligible young people from across its 29 secondary schools.  Colleges administer this scheme for their students.

    During the last academic year, over 400 young people across Highland secondary schools benefited from approximately £350,000 from this Allowance. The Allowance provides an incentive for young people aged 16-19 from lower income families to continue with their post-16 education, either in school or college.

    Eligibility for the scheme is based upon the total taxable household income for 2024/25:

    • up to £24,421 taxable income for households with 1 dependant child
    • up to £26,884 taxable income for households with 2 or more dependant children.

    This weekly term time allowance is paid directly into the young person’s bank account and does not affect the child benefit or other benefits being paid to their parents or carers.

    Further information about Education Maintenance Allowance, including full eligibility criteria, is available on the Highland Council’s website at www.highland.gov.uk/ema.

    The Council’s Welfare Support Team can complete the online application form with the young person and in the wider context, can support all eligible households to apply for benefits and other entitlements.

    The Welfare Support Team can be contacted by telephoning 0800 090 1004 or emailing welfare.support@highland.gov.uk.

    6 Jun 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Webb Sees Sombrero Galaxy in Near-Infrared

    Source: NASA

    After capturing an image of the iconic Sombrero galaxy at mid-infrared wavelengths in late 2024, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has now followed up with an observation in the near-infrared. In the newest image, released on June 3, 2025, the Sombrero galaxy’s tightly packed group of stars at the galaxy’s center is illuminated while the dust in the outer edges of the disk blocks some stellar light. Studying galaxies like the Sombrero at different wavelengths, including the near-infrared and mid-infrared with Webb, as well as the visible with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, helps astronomers understand how this complex system of stars, dust, and gas formed and evolved, along with the interplay of that material.
    Learn more about the Sombrero galaxy and what this new view can tell us.
    Image credit:  NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Mars Orbiter Captures Volcano Peeking Above Morning Cloud Tops

    Source: NASA

    The 2001 Odyssey spacecraft captured a first-of-its-kind look at Arsia Mons, which dwarfs Earth’s tallest volcanoes.
    A new panorama from NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter shows one of the Red Planet’s biggest volcanoes, Arsia Mons, poking through a canopy of clouds just before dawn. Arsia Mons and two other volcanoes form what is known as the Tharsis Montes, or Tharsis Mountains, which are often surrounded by water ice clouds (as opposed to Mars’ equally common carbon dioxide clouds), especially in the early morning. This panorama marks the first time one of the volcanoes has been imaged on the planet’s horizon, offering the same perspective of Mars that astronauts have of the Earth when they peer down from the International Space Station.
    Launched in 2001, Odyssey is the longest-running mission orbiting another planet, and this new panorama represents the kind of science the orbiter began pursuing in 2023, when it captured the first of its now four high-altitude images of the Martian horizon. To get them, the spacecraft rotates 90 degrees while in orbit so that its camera, built to study the Martian surface, can snap the image.

    The angle allows scientists to see dust and water ice cloud layers, while the series of images enables them to observe changes over the course of seasons.
    “We’re seeing some really significant seasonal differences in these horizon images,” said planetary scientist Michael D. Smith of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “It’s giving us new clues to how Mars’ atmosphere evolves over time.”
    Understanding Mars’ clouds is particularly important for understanding the planet’s weather and how phenomena like dust storms occur. That information, in turn, can benefit future missions, including entry, descent and landing operations.
    Volcanic Giants
    While these images focus on the upper atmosphere, the Odyssey team has tried to include interesting surface features in them, as well. In Odyssey’s latest horizon image, captured on May 2, Arsia Mons stands 12 miles (20 kilometers) high, roughly twice as tall as Earth’s largest volcano, Mauna Loa, which rises 6 miles (9 kilometers) above the seafloor.
    The southernmost of the Tharsis volcanoes, Arsia Mons is the cloudiest of the three. The clouds form when air expands as it blows up the sides of the mountain and then rapidly cools. They are especially thick when Mars is farthest from the Sun, a period called aphelion. The band of clouds that forms across the planet’s equator at this time of year is called the aphelion cloud belt, and it’s on proud display in Odyssey’s new panorama.
    “We picked Arsia Mons hoping we would see the summit poke above the early morning clouds. And it didn’t disappoint,” said Jonathon Hill of Arizona State University in Tempe, operations lead for Odyssey’s camera, called the Thermal Emission Imaging System, or THEMIS.
    The THEMIS camera can view Mars in both visible and infrared light. The latter allows scientists to identify areas of the subsurface that contain water ice, which could be used by the first astronauts to land on Mars. The camera can also image Mars’ tiny moons, Phobos and Deimos, allowing scientists to analyze their surface composition.
    More About Odyssey
    NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Odyssey Project for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the spacecraft and collaborates with JPL on mission operations. THEMIS was built and is operated by Arizona State University in Tempe.
    For more about Odyssey:

    Mars Odyssey

    News Media Contacts
    Andrew GoodJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.818-393-2433andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov
    Karen Fox / Molly WasserNASA Headquarters, Washington202-358-1600karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov
    2025-077

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA’s Ready-to-Use Dataset Details Land Motion Across North America

    Source: NASA

    An online tool maps measurements and enables non-experts to understand earthquakes, subsidence, landslides, and other types of land motion.
    NASA is collaborating with the Alaska Satellite Facility in Fairbanks to create a powerful web-based tool that will show the movement of land across North America down to less than an inch. The online portal and its underlying dataset unlock a trove of satellite radar measurements that can help anyone identify where and by how much the land beneath their feet may be moving — whether from earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, or the extraction of underground natural resources such as groundwater.
    Spearheaded by NASA’s Observational Products for End-Users from Remote Sensing Analysis (OPERA) project at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the effort equips users with information that would otherwise take years of training to produce. The project builds on measurements from spaceborne synthetic aperture radars, or SARs, to generate high-resolution data on how Earth’s surface is moving.

    Formally called the North America Surface Displacement Product Suite, the new dataset comes ready to use with measurements dating to 2016, and the portal allows users to view those measurements at a local, state, and regional scales in a few seconds. For someone not using the dataset or website, it could take days or longer to do a similar analysis.
    “You can zoom in to your country, your state, your city block, and look at how the land there is moving over time,” said David Bekaert, the OPERA project manager and a JPL radar scientist. “You can see that by a simple mouse click.”
    The portal currently includes measurements for millions of pixels across the U.S. Southwest, northern Mexico, and the New York metropolitan region, each representing a 200-foot-by-200-foot (60-meter-by-60-meter) area on the ground. By the end of 2025, OPERA will add data to cover the rest of the United States, Central America, and Canada within 120 miles (200 kilometers) of the U.S. border. When a user clicks on a pixel, the system pulls measurements from hundreds of files to create a graph visualizing the land surface’s cumulative movement over time.

    “The OPERA project automated the end-to-end SAR data processing system such that users and decision-makers can focus on discovering where the land surface may be moving in their areas of interest,” said Gerald Bawden, program scientist responsible for OPERA at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This will provide a significant advancement in identifying and understanding potential threats to the end users, while providing cost and time savings for agencies.” 
    For example, water-management bureaus and state geological surveys will be able to directly use the OPERA products without needing to make big investments in data storage, software engineering expertise, and computing muscle.
    How It Works
    To create the displacement product, the OPERA team continuously draws data from the ESA (European Space Agency) Sentinel-1 radar satellites, the first of which launched in 2014. Data from NISAR, the NASA-ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) Synthetic Aperture Radar mission, will be added to the mix after that spacecraft launches later this year.

    Satellite-borne radars work by emitting microwave pulses at Earth’s surface. The signals scatter when they hit land and water surfaces, buildings, and other objects. Raw data consists of the strength and time delay of the signals that echo back to the sensor. 
    To understand how land in a given area is moving, OPERA algorithms automate steps in an otherwise painstaking process. Without OPERA, a researcher would first download hundreds or thousands of data files, each representing a pass of the radar over the point of interest, then make sure the data aligned geographically over time and had precise coordinates.
    Then they would use a computationally intensive technique called radar interferometry to gauge how much the land moved, if at all, and in which direction — towards the satellite, which would indicate the land rose, or away from the satellite, which would mean it sank.
    “The OPERA project has helped bring that capability to the masses, making it more accessible to state and federal agencies, and also users wondering, ‘What’s going on around my house?’” said Franz Meyer, chief scientist of the Alaska Satellite Facility, a part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute.
    Monitoring Groundwater
    Sinking land is a top priority to the Arizona Department of Water Resources. From the 1950s through the 1980s, it was the main form of ground movement officials saw, as groundwater pumping increased alongside growth in the state’s population and agricultural industry. In 1980, the state enacted the Groundwater Management Act, which reduced its reliance on groundwater in highly populated areas and included requirements to monitor its use.
    The department began to measure this sinking, called subsidence, with radar data from various satellites in the early 2000s, using a combination of SAR, GPS-based monitoring, and traditional surveying to inform groundwater-management decisions.
    Now, the OPERA dataset and portal will help the agency share subsidence information with officials and community members, said Brian Conway, the department’s principal hydrogeologist and supervisor of its geophysics unit. They won’t replace the SAR analysis he performs, but they will offer points of comparison for his calculations. Because the dataset and portal will cover the entire state, they also could identify areas not yet known to be subsiding.
    “It’s a great tool to say, ‘Let’s look at those areas more intensely with our own SAR processing,’” Conway said.
    The displacement product is part of a series of data products OPERA has released since 2023. The project began in 2020 with a multidisciplinary team of scientists at JPL working to address satellite data needs across different federal agencies. Through the Satellite Needs Working Group, those agencies submitted their requests, and the OPERA team worked to improve access to information to aid a range of efforts such as disaster response, deforestation tracking, and wildfire monitoring.

    News Media Contacts
    Andrew Wang / Jane J. LeeJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.626-379-6874 / 818-354-0307andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov / jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov
    2025-076

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ARMD Research Solicitations (Updated June 6)

    Source: NASA

    THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED ON JUNE 6, 2025(Updated Advanced Air Vehicles Program Fellowship Opportunities.)
    This Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) solicitations page compiles the opportunities to collaborate with NASA’s aeronautical innovators and/or contribute to their research to enable new and improved air transportation systems.
    Most opportunities to participate in research are officially announced through the Web-based NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System, better known as NSPIRES. You are encouraged to visit the NSPIRES web site, create an account, and sign up for automated email announcements.
    Other types of collaborative opportunities, such as those involving Requests for Information or academic research contests, also are included on this page.
    This page has four major sections:

    Advanced Air Vehicles Program Fellowship OpportunitiesProposals are due by June 11, 2025. (NOTE important update below.)
    University Leadership InitiativeStep-A proposals due by June 26, 2025.
    University Student Research ChallengeProposals for Cycle 3 are due by June 26, 2025.

    ROA-2025 NRA Amendment 1 – OPEN
    Advanced Air Vehicles Program Fellowship Opportunities
    (View the full ROA-2025 NRA Amendment 1 text here.)
    This announcement solicits proposals from accredited U.S. institutions for research training grants to begin the academic year. This Notice of Funding Opportunity is designed to support independently conceived research projects by highly qualified graduate students in disciplines needed to help advance NASA’s mission, thus affording these students the opportunity to directly contribute to advancements in STEM-related areas of study. These opportunities are focused on innovation and the generation of measurable research results that contribute to NASA’s current and future science and technology goals.
    Research proposals are sought to address the key challenges summarized in the Elements section at the end of the Amendment 1 document, and which reference NASA’s Hypersonic Technology project.
    UPDATE for June 6: Reflecting the Fiscal Year 2026 budget changes, the Transformational Tools & Technologies project opportunities originally described in this announcement were cancelled. Proposals citing this project will not be evaluated.
    Notices of Intent are not required.
    A budget breakdown for each proposal is required, detailing the allocation of the award funds by year. The budget document may adhere to any format or template provided by the applicant’s institution. Two pre-proposal teleconferences for potential proposers will be held and meeting links will be posted on NSPIRES.
    Proposals are due by 5 p.m. EDT on June 11, 2025.

    ROA-2024 NRA Amendment 2 – OPEN
    University Leadership Initiative
    (View the full ROA-2024 NRA Amendment 2 text here.)
    NASA’s University Leadership Initiative (ULI) provides the opportunity for university teams to exercise technical and organizational leadership in proposing unique technical challenges in aeronautics, defining multi-disciplinary solutions, establishing peer review mechanisms, and applying innovative teaming strategies to strengthen the research impact.
    Research proposals are sought in six ULI topic areas in Appendix D.4.
    Topic 1: Safe, Efficient Growth in Global Operations
    Topic 2: Innovation in Commercial High-Speed Aircraft
    Topic 3: Ultra-Efficient Subsonic Transports
    Topic 4: Safe, Quiet, and Affordable Vertical Lift Air Vehicles
    Topic 5: In-Time System-Wide Safety Assurance
    Topic 6: Assured Autonomy for Aviation Transformation
    This NASA Research Announcement will utilize a two-step proposal submission and evaluation process. The initial step is a short mandatory Step-A proposal, which is due June 26, 2025. Those offerors submitting the most highly rated Step-A proposals will be invited to submit a Step-B proposal. All proposals must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES at https://nspires.nasaprs.com. An Applicant’s Workshop will be held on Thursday April 30, 2025; 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET (https://uli.arc.nasa.gov/applicants-workshops/workshop9) (Page will be live closer to the event.)
    An interested partners list for this ULI is at https://uli.arc.nasa.gov/partners. To be listed as an interested lead or partner, please send an email to hq-univpartnerships@mail.nasa.gov with “ULI Partnerships” in the subject line and include the information required for the table on that web page.

    ROA-2024 NRA Amendment 4 – OPEN
    University Student Research Challenge
    (View the full ROA-2024 NRA Amendment 4 text here)
    NASA’s University Student Research Challenge (USRC) seeks to challenge students to propose new ideas/concepts that are relevant to NASA Aeronautics.  The challenge will provide students from accredited U.S. colleges or universities with grants for their projects, as well as the challenge of raising cost share funds through a crowdfunding campaign. The process of creating and implementing a crowdfunding campaign acts as a teaching accelerator — requiring students to act like entrepreneurs and raise awareness about their research among the public.
    The solicitation goal can be accomplished through project ideas such as advancing the design, developing technology or capabilities in support of aviation, by demonstrating a novel concept, or enabling advancement of aeronautics-related technologies.
    Notices of Intent are not required for this solicitation.
    Proposals for Cycle 3 are due June 26, 2025.
    Proposals can also be submitted later and evaluated in the second and third cycles.
    The USRC Q&A/Info Session and Proposal Workshop will be held on the days/times below. Please join us on TEAMS using the Meeting Link, or call in via +1 256-715-9946,,317928116#.

    USRC Cycle
    Information Session/Q&A Date
    Proposal Due Date

    Cycle 1
    Sept. 20, 2024 at 2 pm ET
    Nov. 7, 2024

    Cycle 2
    Jan. 27, 2025 at 2 pm ET
    March 13, 2025

    Cycle 3
    May 12, 2025 at 2 pm ET
    June 26, 2025

    Aeronautics Innovation Challenges – OPEN
    NASA’s nationwide team of aeronautical innovators are committed to giving students of all ages opportunities to solve some of the biggest technical challenges facing the aviation community today. Through NASA-sponsored challenges and competitions, students representing multiple disciplines will put their skills to work by designing and building solutions to real-world problems.

    Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations RFI – CLOSED
    View the full ACERO RFI announcement here.
    NASA’s Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) project used this request for information to identify technologies that addressed current challenges facing the wildland firefighting community. NASA was seeking information on data collection, airborne connectivity and communications solutions, unmanned aircraft systems traffic management, aircraft operations and autonomy, and more. This would support development of a partnership strategy for future collaborative demonstrations.
    Interested parties were requested to respond to this notice with an information package submitted via https://nari.arc.nasa.gov/acero-rfi no later than 4 pm ET, October 15, 2023. Submissions were accepted only from U.S. companies.

    Advanced Air Mobility Mission RFI – CLOSED
    View the full AAM RFI announcement here.
    This request for information is being used to gather market research for NASA to make informed decisions regarding potential partnership strategies and future research to enable Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). NASA is seeking information from public, private, and academic organizations to determine technical needs and community interests that may lead to future solicitations regarding AAM research and development.
    This particular RFI is just one avenue of multiple planned opportunities for formal feedback on or participation in NASA’s AAM Mission-related efforts to develop these requirements and help enable AAM. 
    The respond by date for this RFI closed on Feb. 1, 2025, at 6 p.m. EST.

    ROA-2024 NRA Amendment 1 – CLOSED
    (View the full ROA-2024 NRA Amendment 1 text here.)
    The announcement solicited proposals from accredited U.S. institutions for research training grants to begin the academic year. This Notice of Funding Opportunity was designed to support independently conceived research projects by highly qualified graduate students, in disciplines needed to help advance NASA’s mission, thus affording these students the opportunity to directly contribute to advancements in STEM-related areas of study. Advanced Air Vehicle Program fellowship opportunities are focused on innovation and the generation of measurable research results that contribute to NASA’s current and future science and technology goals.
    Research proposals were sought to address key challenges provided in Elements of Appendix A.8.
    A budget breakdown for each proposal was required, detailing the allocation of the award funds by year. The budget document could adhere to any format or template provided by the applicant’s institution.
    Proposals were due by April 30, 2024, at 5 PM ET.

    ROA-2024 NRA Amendment 3 – CLOSED
    (View the full ROA-2024 NRA Amendment 3 text here)
    NASA’s Commercial Supersonic Technology project sought proposals for a fuel injector design concept and fabrication for testing at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.
    The proposal for the fuel injector design aimed to establish current state-of-the-art in low NOx supersonic cruise while meeting reasonable landing take-off NOx emissions. The technology application timeline is targeted for a supersonic aircraft with entry into service in the 2035+ timeframe.
    Proposals were due by May 31, 2024 at 5 pm EDT.

    Competition for NRA awards is open to both academia and industry.
    The current open solicitations for ARMD Research Opportunities are ROA-2024 and ROA-2025.
    Here is some general information to know about the NRA process.

    NRA solicitations are released by NASA Headquarters through the Web-based NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES).
    All NRA technical work is defined and managed by project teams within these four programs: Advanced Air Vehicles Program, Airspace Operations and Safety Program, Integrated Aviation Systems Program, and Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program.
    NRA awards originate from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, Ames Research Center in California, Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, and Armstrong Flight Research Center in California.
    Competition for NRA awards is full and open.
    Participation is open to all categories of organizations, including educational institutions, industry, and nonprofits.
    Any updates or amendments to an NRA is posted on the appropriate NSPIRES web pages as noted in the Amendments detailed below.
    ARMD sends notifications of NRA updates through the NSPIRES email system. In order to receive these email notifications, you must be a Registered User of NSPIRES. However, note that NASA is not responsible for inadvertently failing to provide notification of a future NRA. Parties are responsible for regularly checking the NSPIRES website for updated NRAs.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Youth, community leaders take center stage in launch of gun safety effort

    Source: US State of California 2

    Jun 6, 2025

    Reduce the Risk campaign educates people about the 9 protection orders available

    What you need to know: Governor Newsom announced a comprehensive campaign to engage youth and community leaders on the available protection orders to keep Californians safer from gun violence during Gun Violence Awareness Month. 

    SACRAMENTO  – As California continues its nationwide leadership with the strongest gun safety laws in the country, Governor Gavin Newsom launched a campaign aimed at engaging the state’s youth and key leaders about the gun violence protection orders available during times of crisis.  

    Year after year, California continues to step up to protect families statewide from senseless gun incidents. As many of our youth experience a crisis of connection and belonging, we are welcoming them in the ongoing movement to bring communities together around these common-sense solutions.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Underscoring the state’s commitment to using every tool available to prevent gun violence, the Reduce the Risk campaign will be led by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and aims to close the gap in public knowledge through key engagement about California’s nine types of protection orders, which temporarily remove firearms to prevent larger tragedies. A recent survey shows nearly 80 percent of Californians are concerned about how little they know about these legal tools. 

    “Protection orders have been a driving factor in reducing shootings, suicides, and domestic violence,” said Cal OES Director Nancy Ward. “Yet many Californians don’t know they exist. This campaign continues the work we began in 2023 to make sure every community knows how to use them.”

    The Reduce the Risk campaign is informed by the Champions Advisory Council,  composed of experts in law enforcement, legal practice, and health care, as well as the Youth Advisory Council, a group of young leaders on the frontlines of gun violence prevention. These youth advisors are helping shape campaign activities to better reach and engage younger Californians, who will be critical to sustaining progress in the future.

    California’s youth as a solution

    Nationwide, firearms are the leading cause of death for children and adolescents. Compared to the rest of the nation, California has made substantial long-term progress in reducing per capita rates of youth firearm homicide. CDC data showed that in 2022, California’s firearm homicide rate for youth under 25 was about 50% below the rate recorded for the rest of the U.S. By contrast, nationwide youth gun homicides increased over 46% from 2019-2021.

    “The Youth Advisory Council plays a vital role in shaping real solutions to gun violence by bringing the voices of those directly impacted into the conversation,” said Maxwell Martinez of Sacramento, Youth Advisory Council member, who is a survivor of gun violence and recent graduate from Chico State. “Young people are not just the future, we are the present. Our perspectives are essential in driving urgent, lasting change.”

    California has long been a national leader in gun violence prevention, with laws like universal background checks, assault weapons bans, and mandatory waiting periods. These efforts have paid off: California consistently has one of the lowest gun death rates in the nation. But the toll remains high – about 3,200 Californians lose their lives to gun violence each year, with suicides making up a significant share, especially among men. 

    “Gun violence affects every community, and for too long, young people have been left out of the conversation. Through my work producing a documentary on gun violence prevention, I saw the power of youth voices firsthand,” said Sarah Youssef of San Diego, Youth Advisory Council member, high school senior, and active participant in the local chapter of the Brady Campaign. “Reduce the Risk gives us the platform we need to push for real change and make sure no more lives are lost to preventable violence.” 

    Community leaders come together

    Experts from the Champions Advisory Council include community leaders who see the daily toll that gun violence has on families statewide. 

    “There is solid evidence that restraining orders can help prevent interpersonal violence, including domestic violence and mass shootings, and suicide. Reduce the Risk will help Californians put these important tools to work,” said Garen Wintemute, MD, MPH, Director of the Centers for Violence Prevention at the University of California, Davis.

    In California, men aged 15–44 die by suicide at 3 to 4 times the rate of women, often by firearms. While violence is focused both internally and externally, affecting all people in the community, men are responsible for almost 80% of violent crime. Almost half of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former male intimate partner.

    “Too often we see the devastation that could have been prevented if someone had spoken up or taken action. Protection orders are a proven tool that can interrupt violence before it happens,” said Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper. “Through the Reduce the Risk campaign, we are making sure every Californian knows how to use these lifesaving laws.”

    Protection orders reduce gun violence 

    California was the first state in the nation to adopt a “red flag law” in 2016. In the first three years of their existence, these protection orders were used to prevent 58 cases of threatened mass shootings. The protection orders available in California include:

    • Gun Violence Restraining Order
    • Domestic Violence Restraining Order
    • Civil Harassment Restraining Order
    • Elder/Dependent Adult Abuse Restraining Order
    • Juvenile Restraining Order
    • Postsecondary School Violence Restraining Order
    • Workplace Restraining Order
    • Criminal Protective Order
    • Emergency Protective Orders

    California’s strong leadership

    California is ranked as the #1 state in the country for its strong gun safety laws — along with some of the lowest rates of gun deaths — by Giffords Law Center and Everytown for Gun Safety. In states where officials have passed gun safety laws, fewer people die by gun violence. Texas and Florida, which ranked 32nd and 21st, respectively in gun law strength, had firearm mortality rates more than 50% higher than California. Click here to download the updated gun safety fact sheet.

    California has reduced its gun violence rate because of its leading gun safety laws. If the gun death rate in the rest of the U.S. matched California’s over the past decade, there would have been nearly 140,000 lives saved and potentially hundreds of thousands fewer gunshot injuries.

    Last year, Governor Newsom signed a bipartisan legislative package to further reinforce California’s nation-leading gun laws, prevent traumatic incidents of mass violence, and establish the first in the nation Office of Gun Violence Prevention. 

    California has invested $1.1 billion since 2019 to fight crime, help local governments hire more police, and improve public safety. In 2023, as part of California’s Public Safety Plan, the Governor announced the largest-ever investment to combat organized retail crime in state history, an annual 310% increase in proactive operations targeting organized retail crime, and special operations across the state to fight crime and improve public safety.

    Resources

    The campaign also launched a new website, ReduceTheRisk.ca.gov, which will offer educational materials in multiple languages and free training resources for community organizations across the state.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: B.C. appoints new Provincial Court judge

    The Government of British Columbia has appointed a new judge to support timely and efficient access to justice.

    Colleen Spier will be appointed a judge, effective July 7, 2025. Spier will be assigned by the judiciary to Nanaimo Provincial Court to assist with increased pressures the courthouse is experiencing and relieve delays.

    Spier graduated from the University of British Columbia faculty of law in April 2007. Most recently, Spier worked as the assistant deputy minister of the Indigenous justice secretariat at the Ministry of Attorney General.

    Spier has a strong background in family law, child protection and mediation. In 2007, Spier served as a judicial clerk in the Provincial Court’s externship program. In her role as assistant deputy minister, Spier worked with the Provincial Court’s Indigenous justice initiatives, including Indigenous sentencing courts.

    Awards that recognize Spier’s contributions to the legal profession include the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025, King’s Counsel designation in 2023 and the Susanna Jani award supporting excellence in mediation in 2022.

    Judicial appointments are made by considering various factors, such as the court’s requirements, the diversity of the judiciary and the candidate’s areas of expertise.

    The Province is committed to expanding the justice system and enhancing access to services for people in British Columbia.

    Quick Facts:

    • The process to appoint judges involves the following steps:
      • interested lawyers apply, and the Judicial Council of B.C. – a statutory body made up of the chief judge, an associate chief judge, other judges, lawyers and members from outside the legal profession – reviews the candidates;
      • the council recommends potential judges to the Attorney General, with the final appointment made through a cabinet order-in-council.
    • Although judges and judicial justices are located in a judicial region, many use technology such as videoconferencing for court proceedings.
    • Judges also travel regularly throughout the province to meet changing demands.

    Learn More:

    For information about the judicial appointment process, visit: www.provincialcourt.bc.ca

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Salt Lake City Remarks at Press Conference on Search for Sa’Wade Birdinground

    Source: US FBI

    Prepared for delivery by Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed

    Good morning.  Thank you all for being here today. My name is Mehtab Syed, and I’m the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office, which covers Montana, Utah, and Idaho. 

    We are grateful to Little Big Horn College for allowing us the use of this beautiful space to hold today’s important event. 

    We are also grateful to the Crow Tribe Executive Branch and the Tribe’s Search and Rescue for their support and dedication to bringing Sa’Wade home. Thank you, Chairman Frank White Clay, for being with us today.  

    I’m pleased to be joined by our partner law enforcement agencies: the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office.

    I also want to acknowledge Sa’Wade Birdinground’s family, including her father, Wade Birdinground, and her grandparents, Wilford and Lorna Birdinground, her siblings, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins, who are here today in support of our collective efforts to bring Sa’Wade home to them, and to this community. They have remained steadfast through this difficult time. Please know, we are here with you. 

    Eight months ago today, on October 6, 2024, Sa’Wade disappeared from her family home in Garryowen. This was the last time those of you who know and love Sa’Wade saw her.  

    Eight months is an incomprehensible amount of time for any family to be without their child. For eight months, Sa’Wade’s family have had to know life without her. For eight months, they’ve been waiting for answers.  

    Sa’Wade is only 13 years old, and we are concerned for her safety. The FBI and our law enforcement partners are doing everything we can to bring her home. 

    I’ve never met Sa’Wade but I’ve learned a lot about what kind of teen she is. Quiet with strangers but outgoing with family and friends, kind, artistic – often drawing in her notebook. She is well-liked by her friends and teachers, many of whom talked about her sense of humor and how Sa’Wade makes them laugh. Sa’Wade loves to go to Subway; it is her favorite restaurant. Sa’Wade enjoyed spending time with her siblings, and they miss her dearly. 

    After learning of Sa’Wade’s disappearance from BIA, members of the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team traveled to Montana to provide their specialized expertise in missing children cases.  

    Since that time, the FBI has been and remains fully committed to leveraging our resources to find Sa’Wade and bring her home safely. Our agents and staff in our Billings, Resident Agency, are investigating every lead and running down every tip. To date, we have conducted dozens of interviews, searched hundreds of acres of land, and brought every technical resource to bear. 

    You may have heard; the FBI is surging resources to tribal areas for Operation Not Forgotten for the third consecutive year.  

    As part of this year’s initiative, the FBI has more than doubled the number of special agents working Indian Country in the Billings Resident Agency. These agents were placed where they are most needed and will focus on Sa’Wade’s disappearance and other important cases.  
    We take all cases seriously and continue to make strides in identifying, acknowledging, and addressing the needs that exist in Indian Country. We are deeply aware of the responsibility that we carry in seeking justice for loved ones and will utilize our strong tribal and federal partnerships to investigate these cases. 

    We want our Native American communities to know, you are not forgotten. We hear you; you matter. 

    Sa’Wade is not forgotten, she matters, and we are doing everything in our power to bring her home. 

    Today, we are renewing the call for the public’s help and announcing additional efforts to bring Sa’Wade home to her family and her community. 

    The FBI is offering a five-thousand-dollar reward for information that leads to her recovery.  

    We have established a new tip line, solely dedicated to Sa’Wade’s case. 

    That number is 801-579-6195. Again, that number is 801-579-6195. 

    We know someone out there knows something and we urge them to come forward with information that can help bring Sa’Wade home. No tip is too small or insignificant. 

    We are confident that with the community’s help, we can reunite Sa’Wade with her family. Please reach out to the tip line, 801-579-6195. 
    I will now turn over the time to Chairman White Clay for his remarks.  

    Thank you. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Tornado Watch 376 Status Reports

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Update on Statewide Air Quality Monitoring to Keep NY’ers Safe

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today issued an update on the State’s comprehensive air monitoring efforts to track air quality statewide and keep New Yorkers safe this summer. New York residents and visitors are reminded to include air quality awareness in their daily warm weather routines. In addition, New York State is issuing an Air Quality Health Advisory for today, Friday, June 6, for the Adirondacks, Eastern Lake Ontario, and Western New York regions for fine particulate matter pollution caused by wildland fires in Western Canada.

    “Using the latest science and data, New York continues to track air quality conditions across the State to keep New York communities safe,” Governor Hochul said. “As temperatures begin to climb during the summer months and less predictable factors like distant wildfires occur, I strongly encourage New Yorkers to stay informed and prepare for changes in air quality by paying attention to the State’s Air Quality Health Advisories and take necessary precautions to stay safe.”

    The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) provides daily air quality forecasts to ensure air quality information is available at New Yorkers’ fingertips. While New York State has some of the nation’s most stringent air quality regulations to reduce air pollution and protect public health and the environment, there are certain days that ozone or particulate matter can impact air quality in your community.

    Using data collected from more than 50 sites across the state, DEC and Department of Health (DOH) issue Air Quality Health Advisories when DEC meteorologists predict levels of pollution, either ozone or fine particulate matter (PM2.5), are expected to exceed an Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 100. The AQI was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale, with a higher AQI value indicating a greater health concern. 

    An Air Quality Health Advisory for PM2.5 is being issued for Friday, June 6, 2025, for the Adirondacks, Eastern Lake Ontario, and Western New York regions due to the impact of smoke from wildfires in Canada.

    New Yorkers are encouraged to check airnow.gov for accurate information on air quality forecasts and conditions. Information about exposure to smoke from fires can be found on DOH’s website.

    DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “It is critical that New Yorkers be Air Quality Aware this summer to stay safe and healthy“ DEC continues to track air quality across the state and works with our partners at the Department of Health to keep the public informed about how to protect themselves and their families and reduce their exposure to air pollution. New Yorkers can visit DEC’s website for the daily forecast or use trusted sources like EPA’s AirNow app, which uses air quality data provided by DEC’s statewide monitoring network.”

    New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “Pollutants like particulate matter from wildfires or ground-level ozone can pose serious health risks—especially for those with heart conditions or lung disease such as asthma, as well as the very young, those over 65 years old and pregnant people. Just as you check the weather on your phone each morning, we encourage all New Yorkers to visit to airnow.gov for the latest air quality forecast and be on the lookout for Air Quality Health Advisories from the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Health. When air quality is poor, protect yourself by staying inside, reduce exposure and minimize exertion when outdoors.”

    Air pollution can harm public health and natural resources in a variety of ways. Hot summer weather sets the stage for two major pollutants of concern for human health: the formation of ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), tiny solid particles or liquid droplets in the air that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter. Fish and wildlife show harmful effects from acid rain and mercury in air. Greenhouse gases in the air are changing the world’s climate and contributing to harmful impacts including extreme heat, deadly flooding, drought, fires, rising sea levels, and severe storms.

    Extreme Heat

    Governor Hochul recently highlighted new and enhanced resources available to protect New York communities from extreme heat this summer as recommended by the State’s Extreme Heat Action Plan, including:

    • New support for cooling at home: With the new Essential Plan Cooling program, NY State of Health will provide eligible Essential Plan members a free air conditioner to help keep their homes cool. This will complement assistance available in 2025 through the HEAP Cooling program which served more than 23,000 households in 2024.
    • Better access to cooling centers: New resources are available to help connect New Yorkers with safe spaces for cooling. The New York State Department of Health and Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) will continue to coordinate with local health departments and emergency managers to update the Cooling Center Finder throughout summer 2025. DOH offers new resources to provide information about best practices for setting up cooling centers and how these locations could serve as clean air centers. Round 8 of the Climate Smart Communities grant program is now open, making $22 million available to fund GHG mitigation and climate adaptation projects, including establishing cooling centers.
    • Additional support for cool buildings: Funding available through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) supports weatherization and clean and efficient heating and cooling that can improve extreme heat resilience at homes, community anchor institutions, schools, and more. The Office of General Services’ new “Decarbonization and Climate Resiliency Design Guide” was released for new and majorly renovated State building projects to assess and reduce climate risk (including extreme heat and Urban Heat Islands) through proactive design.
    • New investments in cool schools: The Education Law newly requires public school districts and BOCES to develop an extreme heat policy, which establishes certain temperature thresholds. NYSERDA offers additional funding to install clean cooling and heating at schools, for example through funding as part of the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act.
    • Enhanced tools and funding for cool communities: Extreme heat advice and forecasts for New Yorkers, preliminary extreme heat exposure maps and DOH’s Heat Vulnerability Index help communities understand exposure and vulnerabilities. Programs such as Climate Smart Communities fund communities in planning, designing, and implementation solutions. New and expanded funding supports nature-based solutions such as urban forests, urban farms, and community gardens to cool neighborhoods and mitigate heat islands. Governor Hochul’s New York Statewide Investment in More Swimming (NY SWIMS) initiative expanded outdoor swimming through the Connect Kids to Swimming Instruction Transportation grant program and advanced capital projects for swimming facilities in underserved communities through the NY SWIMS Round One competitive grant program.

    DOH recently launched an interactive New York State Heat Risk and Illness Dashboard that allows the public and county health care officials to determine the forecasted level of heat-related health risks in their area and raise awareness about the dangers of heat exposure.

    Check out “DEC Does What?!” podcast episode #4 The Air Up There (May 2024) where air pollution meteorologists explain the Air Quality Index and how to use it, how weather conditions and different seasons can affect air quality, whether New Yorkers have to worry about wildfire smoke, and what it’s like to measure air quality in Antarctica.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein Promotes Safe Gun Storage During NC S.A.F.E. Week of Action

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein Promotes Safe Gun Storage During NC S.A.F.E. Week of Action

    Governor Stein Promotes Safe Gun Storage During NC S.A.F.E. Week of Action
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today Governor Josh Stein joined Deputy Secretary William Lassiter, Elizabeth City Police Chief Eddie Graham Jr, and gun safety proponents to highlight NC S.A.F.E.’s (Secure All Firearms Effectively) Week of Action and call for safe firearm storage. 

    “Firearms are the leading cause of injury-related death for children in the state, and too many of those tragic deaths are entirely preventable,” said Governor Josh Stein. “We must use every tool at our disposal to keep children safe and promote responsible gun ownership – we need folks locking up their guns, using a gun safe, and talking about the risks of loose firearms.” 

    “North Carolina’s S.A.F.E. Week of Action is a Department of Public Safety initiative that aims to share the importance of safe gun storage through partnerships, outreach, and community events,” said Deputy Secretary William Lassiter. “S.A.F.E. Week highlights the importance of using safe storage devices and preventing firearm-related injuries, violence, and theft. This is a key ingredient in making every North Carolina community safer.”

    “As a medical professional, I see too many preventable gun injuries and deaths in the emergency room,” said Eric Toschlog, Medical Director for Trauma, ECU Health Medical Center. “Keeping firearms in a secure place is imperative to keeping children safe and avoiding preventable deaths.”

    Guns are the leading cause of death for children in North Carolina, with 99 firearm related deaths and 525 emergency department visits in 2023 for children and teens aged 1-17. In total, there were 1,797 firearm-related deaths and 4,008 firearm related emergency department visits in North Carolina in 2023. Improperly stored firearms are also commonly stolen from vehicles and are then frequently used to commit crimes; North Carolina saw 431 vehicle gun thefts in 2023.   

    Governor Stein is committed to building a safer, stronger North Carolina. To reduce gun violence and needless tragedy, Governor Stein proposed more than $2.3 million to promote safe storage in his 2025-2027 budget proposal. In addition, Governor Stein is calling for enhancing law enforcement recruitment and retention efforts by raising salaries for state law enforcement officers and providing bonuses for new Basic Law Enforcment Training (BLET) graduates. Stein’s budget also includes a Fentanyl Control Unit dedicated to getting this deadly poison off the streets, a Cold Case Unit to close unresolved cases of sexual assault, and upgraded safety features at schools, including more cameras, fences for playgrounds, and exterior locks to keep students and teachers safe.

    Click here to read Governor Stein’s NC S.A.F.E Week of Action proclamation.  

    Jun 6, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Coral reefs face an uncertain recovery from the 4th global mass bleaching event – can climate refuges help?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Noam Vogt-Vincent, Postdoctoral Fellow in Marine Biology, University of Hawaii

    The Great Barrier Reef stretches for 1,429 miles just off Australia’s northeastern coast. Auscape/Universal Images Group via Getty Image

    Although tropical reefs might look like inanimate rock, these colorful seascapes are built by tiny jellyfish-like animals called corals. While adult corals build solid structures that are firmly attached to the sea floor, baby corals are not confined to their reefs. They can drift with ocean currents over great distances to new locations that might give them a better chance of survival.

    The underwater cities that corals construct are home to about a quarter of all known marine species. They are incredibly important for humans, too, contributing at least a trillion dollars per year in ecosystem services, such as protecting coastlines from wave damage and supporting fisheries and tourism.

    Unfortunately, coral reefs are among the most vulnerable environments on the planet to climate change.

    Since 2023, exceptionally warm ocean water has been fueling the planet’s fourth mass coral bleaching event on record, causing widespread mortality in corals around the world. This kind of harm is projected to worsen considerably over the coming decades as ocean temperatures rise.

    A healthy coral reef in American Samoa, left, experiencing coral bleaching due to a severe marine heatwave, center, and eventually dying, right.
    The Ocean Agency and Ocean Image Bank., CC BY-NC

    I am a marine scientist in Hawaii. My colleagues and I are trying to understand how coral reefs might change in the future, and whether new coral reefs might form at higher latitudes as the tropics become too warm and temperate regions become more hospitable. The results lead us to both good and bad news.

    Corals can grow in new areas, but will they thrive?

    Baby corals can drift freely with ocean currents, potentially traveling hundreds of miles before settling in new locations. That allows the distribution of corals to shift over time.

    Major ocean currents can carry baby corals to temperate seas. If new coral reefs form there as the waters warm, these areas might act as refuges for tropical corals, reducing the corals’ risk of extinction.

    A close-up of double star corals (Diploastrea heliopora) off Indonesia.
    Bernard DuPont/Flickr, CC BY-SA

    Scientists know from the fossil record that coral reef expansions have occurred before. However, a big question remains: Can corals migrate fast enough to keep pace with climate change caused by humans? We developed a cutting-edge simulation to find the answer.

    Field and laboratory studies have measured how coral growth depends on temperature, acidity and light intensity. We combined this information with data on ocean currents to create a global simulation that represents how corals respond to a changing environment – including their ability to adapt through evolution and shift their ranges.

    Then, we used future climate projections to predict how coral reefs may respond to climate change.

    We found that it will take centuries for coral reefs to shift away from the tropics. This is far too slow for temperate seas to save tropical coral species – they are facing severe threats right now and in the coming decades.

    How coral reefs form.

    Underwater cities in motion?

    Under countries’ current greenhouse gas emissions policies, our simulations suggest that coral reefs will decline globally by a further 70% this century as ocean temperatures continue to rise. As bad as that sounds, it’s actually slightly more optimistic than previous studies that predicted losses as high as 99%.

    Our simulations suggest that coral populations could expand in a few locations this century, primarily southern Australia, but these expansions may only amount to around 6,000 acres (2,400 hectares). While that might sound a lot, we expect to lose around 10 million acres (4 million hectares) of coral over the same period.

    In other words, we are unlikely to see significant new tropical-style coral reefs forming in temperate waters within our lifetimes, so most tropical corals will not find refuge in higher latitude seas.

    Even though the suitable water temperatures for corals are forecast to expand poleward by about 25 miles (40 kilometers) per decade, corals would face other challenges in new environments.

    Our research suggests that coral range expansion is mainly limited by slower coral growth at higher latitudes, not by dispersal. Away from the equator, light intensity falls and temperature becomes more variable, reducing growth, and therefore the rate of range expansion, for many coral species.

    It is likely that new coral reefs will eventually form beyond their current range, as history shows, but our results suggest this may take centuries.

    Fish hide out in the safety of Kingman Reef, in the Pacific Ocean between the Hawaiian Islands and American Samoa. Coral reefs provide protection for many species, particularly young fish.
    USFWS, Pacific Islands

    Some coral species are adapted to the more challenging environmental conditions at higher latitudes, and these corals are increasing in abundance, but they are much less diverse and structurally complex than their tropical counterparts.

    Scientists have used human-assisted migration to try to restore damaged coral reefs by transplanting live corals. However, coral restoration is controversial, as it is expensive and cannot be scaled up globally. Since coral range expansion appears to be limited by challenging environmental conditions at higher latitudes rather than by dispersal, human-assisted migration is also unlikely to help them expand more quickly.

    Importantly, these potential higher latitude refuges already have rich, distinct ecosystems. Establishing tropical corals within those ecosystems might disrupt existing species, so rapid expansions might not be a good thing in the first place.

    A temperate reef near southern Australia, which could be threatened by expansions of tropical coral species.
    Stefan Andrews/Ocean Image Bank, CC BY-NC

    No known alternative to cutting emissions

    Despite enthusiasm for coral restoration, there is little evidence to suggest that methods like this can mitigate the global decline of coral reefs.

    As our study shows, migration would take centuries, while the most severe climate change harm for corals will occur within decades, making it unlikely that subtropical and temperate seas can act as coral refuges.

    What can help corals is reducing greenhouse gas emissions that are driving global warming. Our study suggests that reducing emissions at a faster pace, in accordance with the Paris climate agreement, could cut the coral loss by half compared with current policies. That could boost reef health for centuries to come.

    This means that there is still hope for these irreplaceable coral ecosystems, but time is running out.

    Noam Vogt-Vincent receives funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

    – ref. Coral reefs face an uncertain recovery from the 4th global mass bleaching event – can climate refuges help? – https://theconversation.com/coral-reefs-face-an-uncertain-recovery-from-the-4th-global-mass-bleaching-event-can-climate-refuges-help-255804

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Carbajal Introduces Bill to Assist Communities Impacted by Space Launch Noise

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)

    U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) introduced the Space Launch Noise Mitigation Study Act to require the Department of the Air Force (DAF) to assess the impact of space launch activity on neighboring communities and make recommendations for noise mitigation. The emergence of frequent sonic booms from the increase in space launches is a new phenomenon that requires additional studies to more comprehensively understand the impacts. This legislation will produce recommendations to inform a grant program that allows affected communities to install noise-mitigating technologies. 

    “With space launches occurring more frequently, nearby communities have voiced concern over the intensifying noise and its effect on their quality of life,” said Rep. Carbajal. “This legislation is a crucial step forward in equipping communities with the necessary resources to reduce the disruptive impact of sonic booms and protect their well-being.”

    As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Carbajal has worked to address space launch noise and its effect on local residents.

    Last December, Rep. Carbajal secured language in the annual defense policy bill that – for the first time – acknowledged the impact of space launch noises on nearby communities and called for more resources to be allocated to communities impacted by the launches. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: It’s time to stop debating whether AI is genuinely intelligent and focus on making it work for society

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Andrew Rogoyski, Innovation Director, Surrey Institute of People-Centred AI, University of Surrey

    ‘Pleased to beat you.’ Aileenchik

    Half of entry-level white collar jobs might cease to exist in the near future, according to Dario Amodei, the CEO of leading AI company Anthropic. Amodei, whose company is behind the Claude platform, has since called for transparency standards requiring companies making AI models to demonstrate how they are handling risks such as the AI enabling cyberattacks or helping to make bioweapons.

    Time and again, such claims suggest the pace of development in artificial intelligence is vastly outstripping our ability to adapt and adopt, creating a series of short-term crises.

    Yet the debate between AI doomers, accelerationists, utopians and other factions is largely trapped in arguments about whether current AIs are truly demonstrating creativity, problem solving, planning and other intelligent characteristics. It’s as if we’re collectively in denial.

    AI is arguably the most important technology humankind will ever invent. We owe it to ourselves, and future generations, to make conscious decisions about introducing AI into everything we do, ensuring that humanity benefits.

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

    We know that AI is threatening the creative industries, for example. We can argue about whether AI is truly creative or we can set about preserving human creativity, originality and income security.

    For instance, the new CREAATIF report from Queen Mary University of London lays out a series of recommendations, such as treating creatives as co-designers along with AIs, not victims. It calls for clear disclosures about AI-generated creative works, and ensuring creatives can opt out of having their work in AI training datasets.

    We know that AI is being used in warfare. We can argue about what it means for a human to still take crucial battlefield decisions – the idea of “human in the loop”. Or we can set down explicit rules of war, as hinted at by the UN meeting in May on possible restrictions in the use of lethal autonomous systems.

    We know that AI is being used in medicine, from screening blood tests to virtual hospitals – as created by Tsinghua University in China. We can argue about whether AI can ever replace doctors, or we can actively explore where it is most appropriate and desirable to supplement human healthcare expertise with AI.

    Jobs and knowledge

    We also strongly suspect that AI will displace human jobs more broadly. Besides Amodei’s warnings, certain companies are already adopting “AI first” strategies. These treat AIs as the core driver of company operations, not just support tools.

    The canary in the coalmine may be graduate jobs, since companies will likely initially use AI for jobs requiring the least experience. Graduate hiring in the UK is falling. We can argue about whether there is a link with AI, or we can start putting serious thought into the future of education, skills and the meaning of a career in the 21st century.

    Finally, we know that AI is being used to mediate human access to knowledge, whether it’s the recommendation engines in platforms like TikTok and X, or search engines like Google and Bing providing AI summaries in preference to linked websites.

    Misinformation, disinformation and fakery is rife, often enabled by AI tools. And a more insidious side-effect of AI-mediated access to knowledge is the potential decline in how we know what’s true or reliable.

    We can argue about whether this is happening or we can focus on protecting reliable sources of information, and making sure everyone can access them. For example, the US-based Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) develops standards to verify where digital media comes from and whether it has been tampered with.

    What you can do

    AI is not going away, and there will be positives as well as negatives. For instance, AI will undoubtedly help to solve the hard problems of global health, energy generation and climate change.

    We need to recognise the power of existing AI technologies, and acknowledge that AI is likely to get even more advanced very quickly and that we need to act personally and collectively. And there are several things we can do now.

    First, take a personal interest. AI literacy is fast becoming a life skill. Leading AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini can create, summarise or rewrite text for you, compile research reports, jazz up presentations, create music, do data analysis, come up with new cooking recipes – the options are endless.

    The future is here.
    Aileenchik

    I’ve seen schoolteachers create AI mentors for students, pensioners create songs and presentations, children transform their artwork into historical contexts, all with no technical skills. Similarly, anyone can now use AI to code. So-called “vibe-coding” allows anyone to describe, in words, what they want a piece of software to do, and the AI will create a version of it – to an increasingly good level of completeness.

    The ability to adapt and adopt is key. Knowing and practising how to use AI will not only position you for future opportunities and changes, but may allow you to steer your workplace to a better outcome too.

    Second, become an advocate for how AI should be used. AI developments in the US and China will continue to drive AI innovation, but we have some choices when it comes to adoption and use.

    So become an “informed buyer”, actively selecting AI technology from companies which have strong ethical, security and privacy standpoints. For instance, I prefer Anthropic’s Claude to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, largely because of the former’s constitutional approach, which means its AIs are trained on a set of principles rather than on what it thinks the user will prefer.

    I like Meta’s track record on publishing detailed papers of how it trained and tested its LLMs (a type of AI model), and the fact that it open-sources them. This makes the best models available to a wider and more diverse range of people or organisations, not just to the wealthiest companies. I’m uncomfortable with the way that OpenAI sought to change its non-profit status recently. These are personal opinions and we should each form our own views.

    Third, voice your advocacy, to your boss, your local MP, and other decision makers you may come across. It’s only by making AI an everyday topic that we can influence the world we live in. As Tim Cook, CEO of Apple once said, “Artificial intelligence is the future, but we must ensure it is a future that we want.”

    Andrew Rogoyski’s department receives research funding from UKRI. He acts as an advisor to TechUK, one of the UK’s leading tech industry trade associations, as is a member of the NatWest Technology Advisory Board.

    – ref. It’s time to stop debating whether AI is genuinely intelligent and focus on making it work for society – https://theconversation.com/its-time-to-stop-debating-whether-ai-is-genuinely-intelligent-and-focus-on-making-it-work-for-society-258430

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Women’s prize for fiction 2025: six experts review the shortlisted novels

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Éadaoin Agnew, Senior lecturer in English literature, Kingston University

    From a longlist of 16, six novels have been shortlisted for the 2025 Women’s prize for fiction. Our experts review the finalists ahead of the announcement of the winner on June 12.

    The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

    The Safekeep, a novel about the expropriation and theft of Jewish property during and after the second world war, revisits a dark chapter of Dutch history.

    When Holland fell to Nazi Germany, many Dutch Jews were deported to the death camps and were stripped of their homes and belongings. Van der Wouden’s debut novel shines alight on the act of keeping or maintaining things left behind that were to be reclaimed by their rightful owners, but which were lost or stolen in the war.

    The trauma of this history hangs over the lives of three siblings grieving the loss of their mother in 1961.

    Isabel, the novel’s lonely protagonist, lives alone in the family house, keeping it in order as her late mother would have wanted. All the while she suspects that their maid is stealing from the kitchen. But following the arrival of her brother’s girlfriend, Eva, Isabel discovers the truth of the house and attempts to right historical wrongs.

    By Manjeet Ridon, Associate Dean International, Arts, Design and Humanities

    Good Girl by Aria Aber

    Aria Aber’s debut is a frequently poetic and powerful künstlerroman (a novel that maps the development of an artist). It follows Nila, a young Afghan woman in Berlin, as she tries to escape from her own cultural heritage and that of the German city in which she lives.

    For much of the novel, Nila moves through the margins of society, from her family home in a brutalist rundown apartment block in the neighbourhood of Neukölln to a seemingly endless cycle of underground clubs, parties and festivals. She pushes away her family, her childhood friends, and her college education to pursue an alternative creative life and a destructive love affair. Ultimately though, Nila realises that her artistic work and a truly independent life can only be forged through her reconciliation with the past.

    Set against the real far-right violence of the 2000s, Aber makes clear how social inequalities and racial prejudices effect artistic access and creativity. She also acutely captures the tensions between freedom and tradition as experienced by bicultural Muslim women grappling with the expectation to be “good girls”.

    By Éadaoin Agnew, Senior lecturer in English literature

    All Fours by Miranda July

    “Everyone thinks doggy style is so vulnerable,” remarks one of the characters in Miranda July’s latest work of fiction. This story takes sexuality as its subject along with its relationship with creativity and ageing – or more specifically, the midlife plunge from a cliff that is female menopause.

    Like the author, July’s nameless protagonist is 45, a successful artist, and married with a non-binary child. This auto-fiction puts the author’s erotic nonconformity at the centre of the frame. Our heroine embarks on a road-trip to New York, but only 20 minutes from her home she falls in love with a young man. The pair spend two weeks together in a motel pursuing a mutual obsession, which ultimately remains unconsummated. This experience upends her life and she rebounds into turbulent adventures in sex, discovering a new sense of self.

    Perhaps it could have been a little tighter than its 322 pages – but then again, it’s a work that explores a capacious road to excess. All Fours is a funny, honest, rambunctious tale

    Elizabeth Kuti, Professor in the Department of Literature Film and Theatre Studies

    The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji

    “Do they think we were just some refugees?” Shirin, one of the characters in The Persians, asks her niece Bita. “Weren’t we?” Bita replies. The question of what a refugee looks like and what kind of stories they are expected to tell is a central theme in Mahloudji’s raucous, poignant novel.

    The story shifts back and forward in time, from Tehran in the 1940s to Los Angeles in the Reagan years, and to both America and Iran in the 2000s, interweaving the voices of five women from the wealthy and powerful Valiat family. Mahloudji explores love, miscommunication, loyalties and betrayal across generations as well as between those who left and those who stayed behind.

    Jewellery is a central theme in the novel: glistening in shops, hidden in suitcases or flung away in protest. It represents both the adornment of female identity and the weight of the history that the migrants carry with them.

    Alexandra Peat, Lecturer in English and Director of the MA in Literature and Publishing

    Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

    Tell Me Everything is the tenth novel in Elizabeth Strout’s well-known series that sketches the lives of ordinary, yet complex characters, who enter and exit each other’s lives in the nowhere town of Crosby, Maine. The three main figures in this latest instalment are 90-year-old retired schoolteacher Olive Kitteridge (recognisable from Frances McDormand’s realisation in the award-winning TV series by the same name), early 60s fiction writer Lucy Barton, and 65-year-old lawyer Bob Burgess.

    Loosely, this novel can be described as a murder mystery, though the plot twist of an alleged matricide, and Burgess’s decision to defend the case, are secondary to the three main characters’ process of sharing previously untold accounts of forbidden, traumatic, guilty and unrequited love. It is this telling and memorialising that produces the emotional core of the novel. If sharing their past gives the ageing storytellers some respite from the burden of their hidden lives, it is not in the kind that comforts with meaning and purpose. In Strout’s novel, this relief is unavailable and is replaced with the more ephemeral solace of simply being heard.

    Yianna Liotsis, Associate Professor in the School of English Irish and Communication

    Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis

    At the heart of Fundamentally is the affinity that forms between narrator Nadia, appointed by the United Nations to rehabilitate “Isis brides” in Iraq, and one of her subjects, Sara, an east Londoner on the cusp of adulthood.

    They connect through a shared love of rollerblading, Dairy Milk and X-Men, as well as their caustic sense of humour. But the two British Muslim women have followed vastly different routes – Nadia to academia and the UN and Sara to a detention camp in Ninewah.

    Nadia’s story of her journey through the vagaries of the humanitarian sector, punctuated by flashbacks to her failed relationship with first love Rosy and fraught relationship with her mother, is told with a compelling mix of verve and vulnerability. It raises hard ethical and political questions along the way. But it is Nadia’s mission to help Sara that gives the novel its emotional complexity and depth, drawing the reader in while denying us any easy answers.

    Rehana Ahmed, Reader in Postcolonial and Contemporary Literature

    Éadaoin Agnew receives funding from AHRC.

    Alexandra Peat has received funding from the British Academy

    Elizabeth J Kuti, Manjeet Ridon, and Rehana Ahmed do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Women’s prize for fiction 2025: six experts review the shortlisted novels – https://theconversation.com/womens-prize-for-fiction-2025-six-experts-review-the-shortlisted-novels-253573

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The positive impact of city’s free school meals

    Source: City of York

    City of York Council leaders are highlighting the positive impact of the city’s free school meals pilots, following the government’s announcement [5 June] that it will extend free school meals.

    It will extend free school meals to children in households receiving Universal Credit from September 2026.

    In York, free school meal pilots are running at three primary schools as part of a citywide initiative, providing pupils with a free school meal even if they’re not eligible under the national scheme. 

    Over 46,000 free breakfasts or lunches have been given to children in the three primary schools piloting the initiative – Westfield Primary Community School, Burton Green Primary School and Fishergate Primary School – since it launched in January 2024.

    The campaign is part of the council’s wider commitment both to address affordability challenges and to ensure that  good health and wellbeing is prioritised as early as possible in residents’ lives – part of the council’s four year plan – One City for all. 
    The pilots have been made possible thanks to funding from the council and donations to the York Community Fund’s York Hungry Minds Appeal.

    York Hungry Minds was set up in a bid to address disadvantage and the impact of the cost of living crisis, responding to national evidence suggesting that providing children with healthy, nourishing food can make a significant difference to school attendance, concentration and learning and their physical and mental wellbeing.

    Initial research carried out by researchers from the Universities of York, Leeds and Sheffield into the impact of the York free school meal pilots last autumn showed that pupils taking part showed improved attendance and punctuality compared to their peers. 

    Schools also saw evidence of improved behaviour because children were feeling less hungry, with staff noting improvements in the pupils’ focus and energy levels after receiving a free breakfast [at Burton Green]. 

    Staff and parents at Burton Green Primary School and Westfield Primary Community School highlighted how the Universal Free School Meal pilot had helped ease financial pressures, as part of the evaluation work. They also raised the food insecurity families’ face and the importance of the meals in directly alleviating pressure.

    Tina Clarke, headteacher at Fishergate Primary School, explained the impact the free school meals pilot has had at her school:

    “The breakfast club at Fishergate has made a huge difference to the children who attend.

    “We have seen a positive impact on levels of attendance and punctuality – to be honest we have been surprised by how much of an impact it has had. It has also made a big difference to how the children start the school day – they come into their class settled, happy and ready to learn.”

    Cllr Bob Webb, the council’s Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said:

    “When I have spoken to parents, carers and school leaders about the impact of our free school meals pilot, they highlighted improvements in school attendance and children’s behaviour.

    “A good education is critical to helping children fulfil their potential and live happy and healthy lives, and all the national and local evidence shows that providing a regular, nutritious meal really can have a significant impact on their learning. 

    “I’m pleased that the government has again shown its commitment to expanding eligibility for free school meals and I hope that this announcement will enable even more children and young people in York to get a free school lunch.”

    More details on the research findings into the impact of York’s free school meal pilots are available at https://www.york.gov.uk/free-school-meals/york-hungry-minds

    You can find out more about how to make donations to support York’s free school meals pilots at Two Ridings Community Foundation.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: Sanders, 39 Senators Fight Trump’s Cuts to the Job Corps Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
    WASHINGTON, June 6 – After the Trump administration attempted to shutter the nation’s largest jobs training program for low-income and at-risk young people, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and 39 Senate colleagues, today sent a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer urging her to reverse the illegal and unconstitutional cuts to the Job Corps program that are harming students and communities in every state in the country. 
    “The Administration’s decision to illegally and abruptly terminate Job Corps center operations has left 25,000 students and thousands of staff across 99 Job Corps centers in the lurch,” wrote Sanders and the senators. “The sudden ‘pause’ of operations at Job Corps centers puts young people’s lives at risk, especially a significant number of students who were experiencing homelessness before arriving to the program. Local communities will pay a steep price, especially the thousands of individuals who work at the centers and will lose their livelihoods.” 
    For more than 60 years, Job Corps has helped millions of young people in rural communities and cities alike to finish high school, learn technical skills and get good-paying jobs while providing stable housing, medical and mental health care, and other supportive services. Through Job Corps programs, young people receive the training they need to start in good-paying jobs that support their communities after graduation – including as wildland firefighters, nurses, electricians, machinists, pipefitters, and welders. Last month, however, the Trump administration indefinitely ‘paused’ operations at Job Corps sites across the country. 
    “We urge you to immediately reverse this decision to prevent a lapse in education and services for Job Corps students. We further urge that the Department restart enrollments, expeditiously restart background checks, and make any contract extensions or modifications necessary to ensure no interruptions or delays for students or program operations,” concluded Sanders and the senators. 
    Joining Sanders on the letter are Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Angus King (I-Maine), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.). 
    Read the letter here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –