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Category: Education

  • MIL-Evening Report: NSW is again cleaning up after major floods. Are we veering towards the collapse of insurability?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Booth, Associate Professor of Human Geography, University of Tasmania

    Once again, large parts of New South Wales have been devastated by floods. It’s estimated 10,000 homes and businesses may have been damaged or destroyed and the Insurance Council of Australia reports more than 6,000 insurance claims have been received for the Mid North Coast and Hunter region.

    Hundreds of families are displaced. With many homes now uninhabitable, they face a uncertain future.

    As the mop-up begins, stories are emerging of households and businesses not covered by insurance, with some residents saying insurance companies were asking up to A$30,000 annually for cover.

    There are many others who are underinsured, with insurance payouts not meeting the full costs of rebuild, repair and replacement. The Insurance Council of Australia has declared the event an “insurance catastrophe”.

    The impacts of these floods reflect global trends. In 2024, there were around 60 natural disaster events that each exceeded A$1.5 billion in economic losses. Total losses worldwide reached A$650 billion.

    As one of the most disaster-prone countries in the Western world, is Australia the canary in the coalmine for a global collapse of insurance? With these types of disasters escalating in a changing climate, it is reasonable to feel – and fear – this is the case.

    An uninsurable future?

    In 1992, sociologist Ulrich Beck argued unpredictable global risks, such as climate change, would bring an end to the private insurance market, with profound effects on the modern world.

    The idea of an uninsurable future stirs up imaginings of apocalyptic landscapes – crumbling buildings, streets strewn with refuse and people eking out a living amid the rubble and ruins.

    But the reality is, as we are seeing in central NSW, it is not a future event that demands attention. Many individuals and communities are already living with an unfolding collapse of insurance affordability and availability.

    The consequences can be dire, especially for those already struggling to make ends meet.

    How are governments responding?

    Speaking on ABC radio on Thursday morning, NSW Premier Chris Minns said he would be “putting the heat” on insurance companies:

    Everyone’s going to have to do their part […] and that means insurance companies will have to step up and pay out claims quickly.

    In the lead-up to the federal election, both major parties made clear they believed insurers were “ripping off” Australians. The Coalition even proposed new emergency divestiture powers that would allow the government to break up major insurers in the case of market failure.

    But this is no solution at all, given insurance pricing and coverage is largely set by global “reinsurers”. Reinsurance is a kind of insurance coverage for insurance companies themselves – that is, policies to cover the cost of paying out claims after major disasters.

    Just ten multi-billion dollar companies control 70% of the reinsurance market.

    Who should bear rising costs?

    Insurers, led by the Insurance Council of Australia, are pushing for a Flood Defence Fund and retrofitting homes for disaster resilience, paid for by governments and households.

    These ideas might seem logical. But they draw attention away from a thriving industry and regulations and policies aimed at making insurance more affordable and effective for ordinary people.

    In places like Australia, the increasing cost of insurance cuts across all types, with the largest rises coming in home, vehicle, and employers’ liability insurance.

    Many insurers are reporting healthy profits. Globally, the sector is experiencing “exceptionally strong growth”.

    Over the three years to 2024, revenue from premiums in the insurance sector increased by over 21% globally – a “whopping” rise, according to the finance corporation Allianz.

    Where to from here?

    The insurance sector will continue to grow – and profit – until it no longer can due to climate change and other pressures.

    But it is not a future crash of insurers that should be of primary concern. It is the real-time collapse of insurance for households, businesses and communities.

    As this collapse of insurance unfolds, it is largely left to households and communities to take action and build resilience.

    Examples include squatters taking possession of flood-damaged vacant homes in Lismore and, when combined with the housing crisis, the growth in informal housing and settlements on the fringes of major population centres.

    These are desperate responses. But they are also realistic, given governments and insurers are failing to reverse this trending collapse.

    What else we could do

    After each major disaster event comes a rise in insurance costs and a withdrawal of insurance coverage. To avoid being a canary in the coalmine, Australia urgently needs government intervention in the insurance industry – an industry very resistant to such intervention.

    To ensure everyone is adequately covered when disaster strikes, this could come in the form of an equitable and affordable public insurance scheme.

    As more Australians lose the ability to insure themselves, governments must also address growing structural inequality that is undermining social cohesion and our capacity for collective resilience.



    Read more:
    Underinsurance is entrenching poverty as the vulnerable are hit hardest by disasters

    Kate Booth receives funding from the Tasmanian Department of Premier and Cabinet – Grant-Disaster Ready Fund. She is affiliated with Just Collapse – an activist platform dedicated to socio-ecological justice in unfolding, irreversible global collapse.

    – ref. NSW is again cleaning up after major floods. Are we veering towards the collapse of insurability? – https://theconversation.com/nsw-is-again-cleaning-up-after-major-floods-are-we-veering-towards-the-collapse-of-insurability-257715

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Researchers created a chatbot to help teach a university law class – but the AI kept messing up

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Armin Alimardani, Senior Lecturer in Law and Emerging Technologies, University of Wollongong

    Mikhail Nilov/ Pexels , CC BY

    “AI tutors” have been hyped as a way to revolutionise education.

    The idea is generative artificial intelligence tools (such as ChatGPT) could adapt to any teaching style set by a teacher. The AI could guide students step-by-step through problems and offer hints without giving away answers. It could then deliver precise, immediate feedback tailored to the student’s individual learning gaps.

    Despite the enthusiasm, there is limited research testing how well AI performs in teaching environments, especially within structured university courses.

    In our new study, we developed our own AI tool for a university law class. We wanted to know, can it genuinely support personalised learning or are we expecting too much?

    Our study

    In 2022, we developed SmartTest, a customisable educational chatbot, as part of a broader project to democratise access to AI tools in education.

    Unlike generic chatbots, SmartTest is purpose-built for educators, allowing them to embed questions, model answers and prompts. This means the chatbot can ask relevant questions, deliver accurate and consistent feedback and minimise hallucinations (or mistakes). SmartTest is also instructed to use the Socratic method, encouraging students to think, rather than spoon-feeding them answers.

    We trialled SmartTest over five test cycles in a criminal law course (which one of us was coordinating) at the University of Wollongong in 2023.

    Each cycle introduced varying degrees of complexity. The first three cycles used short hypothetical criminal law scenarios (for example, is the accused guilty of theft in this scenario?). The last two cycles used simple short-answer questions (for example, what’s the maximum sentencing discount for a guilty plea?).

    An average of 35 students interacted with SmartTest in each cycle across several criminal law tutorials. Participation was voluntary and anonymous, with students interacting with SmartTest on their own devices for up to ten minutes per session. Students’ conversations with SmartTest – their attempts at answering the question, and the immediate feedback they received from the chatbot – were recorded in our database.

    After the final test cycle, we surveyed students about their experience.

    What we found

    SmartTest showed promise in guiding students and helping them identify gaps in their understanding.

    However, in the first three cycles (the problem-scenario questions), between 40% and 54% of conversations had at least one example of inaccurate, misleading, or incorrect feedback.

    When we shifted to much simpler short-answer format in cycles four and five, the error rate dropped significantly to between 6% and 27%. However, even in these best-performing cycles, some errors persisted. For example, sometimes SmartTest would affirm an incorrect answer before providing the correct one, which risks confusing students.

    A significant revelation was the sheer effort required to get the chatbot working effectively in our tests. Far from a time-saving silver bullet, integrating SmartTest involved painstaking prompt engineering and rigorous manual assessments from educators (in this case, us). This paradox – where a tool promoted as labour-saving demands significant labour – calls into question its practical benefits for already time-poor educators.

    Inconsistency is a core issue

    SmartTest’s behaviour was also unpredictable. Under identical conditions, it sometimes offered excellent feedback and at other times provided incorrect, confusing or misleading information.

    For an educational tool tasked with supporting student learning, this raises serious concerns about reliability and trustworthiness.

    To assess if newer models improved performance, we replaced the underlying generative AI powering SmartTest (ChatGPT-4) with newer models, such as ChatGPT-4.5, which was released in 2025.

    We tested these models by replicating instances where SmartTest provided poor feedback to students in our study. The newer models did not consistently outperform older ones. Sometimes, their responses were even less accurate or useful from a teaching perspective. As such, newer more advanced AI models do not automatically translate to better educational outcomes.

    What does this mean for students and teachers?

    The implications for students and university staff are mixed.

    Generative AI may support low-stakes, formative learning activities. But in our study, it could not provide the reliability, nuance and subject-matter depth needed for many educational contexts.

    On the plus side, our survey results indicated students appreciated the immediate feedback and conversational tone of SmartTest. Some mentioned it reduced anxiety and made them more comfortable expressing uncertainty. However, this benefit came with a catch: incorrect or misleading answers could just as easily reinforce misunderstandings as clarify them.

    Most students (76%) preferred having access to SmartTest rather than no opportunity to practise questions. However, when given the choice between receiving immediate feedback from AI or waiting one or more days for feedback from human tutors, only 27% preferred AI. Nearly half preferred human feedback with a delay and the rest were indifferent.

    This suggests a critical challenge. Students enjoy the convenience of AI tools, but they still place higher trust in human educators.

    A need for caution

    Our findings suggest generative AI should still be treated as an experimental educational aid.

    The potential is real – but so are the limitations. Relying too heavily on AI without rigorous evaluation risks compromising the very educational outcomes we are aiming to enhance.

    Armin Alimardani previously had a short-term, part-time contract with OpenAI as a consultant. The organisation had no input into the study featured in this article. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors.

    This work was supported by the Early-Mid-Career Researcher Enabling Grants Scheme, University of Wollongong (2022, Project ID: R5829).

    This work was supported by the School Research Grant, School of the Arts and Media (SAM), UNSW Sydney (2023, Project ID: PS68922); the Research Infrastructure Scheme, Faculty of Arts, Design, and Architecture, UNSW Sydney (2023, Project ID: PS68745); and the School Research Grant, SAM, UNSW Sydney (2022, Project ID: PS66264).

    – ref. Researchers created a chatbot to help teach a university law class – but the AI kept messing up – https://theconversation.com/researchers-created-a-chatbot-to-help-teach-a-university-law-class-but-the-ai-kept-messing-up-257551

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: People with disability are dying from cancers we can actually prevent, our study shows

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yi Yang, Research Fellow, Social Epidemiology, Melbourne Disability Institute, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne

    Chona Kasinger/Disabled and Here, CC BY-SA

    People with disability are missing out on screening programs that could help detect cancer early, and after diagnosis, are less likely to survive, our study shows.

    Overall, this means people with disability are more likely to die from cancer than people without disability.

    We draw together evidence showing the striking inequity at the heart of current approaches to controlling cancer.

    But there are ways to improve access to the types of screening programs and cancer services many people without disability use routinely.

    What we did and what we found

    We reviewed evidence from 73 studies from around the world. These studies compared cancer outcomes in people with disability to those without.

    Let’s start with cancer screening, one way to prevent deaths from cancer. Screening picks up early signs of cancer or can prevent it from developing into a problem if found early enough. Early detection usually means more treatment options and higher chances of a good outcome.

    However, our review found people with disability are missing out on these life-saving screening programs all around the world, including for breast, cervical and bowel cancer.

    In fact, some studies in our review showed these cancers are more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage in people with disability.

    Once diagnosed, people with disability are still at a disadvantage. We found lower survival rates than cancer patients without disability.

    This could be because of delayed diagnosis and inaccessible treatment, and we’d need further research to be sure. But we do have relevant evidence from some studies.

    A UK study of cancer deaths in people with intellectual disability found more than a third had their cancer diagnosed after going to the emergency department. Almost half of the cancers in the study were already at an advanced stage when diagnosed.

    Another review of global evidence found cancer patients with disability receive poorer quality cancer care. This included delays in treatment, being undertreated or having excessively invasive treatment. People with disability also had less access to in-hospital services and pain medication.

    From diagnosis to treatment, global evidence shows people with disability are being excluded from health services that many people without disability routinely access and benefit from.

    The situation is no different in Australia and it is costing lives.

    In previous work, we found cancer is a leading cause of earlier deaths among Australians with disability. It’s the cause of about 20% of the extra deaths we see in people with disability compared to people without.

    Why is this happening?

    We clearly need to do more to improve health care for people with disability. But we also need to take action in other areas to address underlying issues.

    People with disability are more likely to be poor and live in disadvantaged circumstances than the rest of the Australian population, which may put them at higher risk of cancer.

    Many factors that cause cancer – for example, smoking, unaffordable healthy food, and drinking high levels of alcohol – disproportionately impact disadvantaged groups, including people with disability.

    Many people with disability live with additional health conditions, which can lead to a lack of attention to routine issues. This can result in cancer screening and routine care becoming less of a priority.

    Buildings where services are provided and medical diagnostic equipment is located are not always accessible for people with disability.

    The health system itself can be inaccessible, with little support to help people with disability access services. For instance, navigating cancer care can be overwhelming, especially for people who need support for daily activities, transport or communication.

    People with disability, especially with intellectual disability, need extra time and support to give informed consent to screening, treatment or procedures – resources and time particularly overstretched in public health systems.

    People with disability can also experience both direct and indirect discrimination in health care, which lead to poorer outcomes. This includes discriminatory attitudes towards people with disability and their carers, and making assumptions about a patient based on their disability.

    Health systems need to allow for extra time to get informed consent.
    Media_Photos/Shutterstock

    What can we do about it?

    For cancer control to be inclusive and work for people with disability, we need to look at:

    • prevention – public health interventions, such as quit smoking or healthy lifestyle programs, need to be co-designed with and tailored to people with disability

    • early detection – national screening programs must develop strategies and take active steps to include people with disability. Clinics need to be physically accessible, information needs to be available in a range of accessible formats, and extra time needs to be allocated to get genuine informed consent

    • ensuring people with disability have a voice – cancer care needs to be tailored to an individual person, as everyone’s needs are different. We need to support and include people with disability in conversations about their care so they can make informed decisions. This means providing information in ways that work for them, and allowing time to understand and ask questions

    • training health professionals to understand and respond to the needs of people with disability and make the adjustments required for optimal cancer care, particularly for people with an intellectual disability.

    Yi Yang’s research is supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Melbourne Disability Institute and an Early Career Researcher Grant from the University of Melbourne. Yi Yang has conducted commissioned work for the Australian Department of Social Services (inequalities in NDIS), the Victorian Department of Families Fairness and Housing (NDIS service use in Victoria), and the Queensland Department of Seniors, Disability Services, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (inequalities in NDIS service use in regional and remote Queensland).

    George Disney receives funding from the NHMRC and has conducted commissioned work for the Australian Department of Social Services (NDIS service use), the Victorian Department of Families Fairness and Housing (inequalities in NDIS service use), and the Queensland Department of Seniors, Disability Services, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (NDIS service use in regional and remote Queensland).

    Kirsten Deane is a member of the consortium receiving funding from the Commonwealth Department of Health for the Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health. Melbourne Disability Institute also receives funding from the Department of Social Services for the Australian Disability Dialogue and for the Centre for Inclusive Employment. MDi also received funding from the Commonwealth, Victorian and Queensland governments to conduct research into inequities in NDIS funding and services.

    – ref. People with disability are dying from cancers we can actually prevent, our study shows – https://theconversation.com/people-with-disability-are-dying-from-cancers-we-can-actually-prevent-our-study-shows-257456

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Google is going ‘all in’ on AI. It’s part of a troubling trend in big tech

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zena Assaad, Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, Australian National University

    Google recently unveiled the next phase of its artificial intelligence (AI) journey: “AI mode”.

    This new feature will soon be released as a new option to users of Google’s search engine in the United States, with no timeline yet for the rest of the world. The company says it will be akin to having a conversation with an expert well versed on a wide range of topics.

    This is just one of many steps Google is taking in pursuit of its “all-in” approach to AI.

    The “all-in” approach extends beyond just integrating the technology into different applications. Google is providing products all along the AI supply chain – a process known as “vertical integration” – housing everything from AI computer chips through to the user interfaces we interact with on a daily basis, such as Google maps or Gmail.

    Google isn’t the only AI company with ambitions of vertical integration. For example, OpenAI recently acquired a hardware startup co-founded by Apple’s Jony Ive, which will centralise hardware development within the company. Amazon is taking similar steps. It owns cloud computing platforms, custom chips, device plans and is incorporating more AI services into products.

    This may be the beginning of a trend of vertical integration across big tech. And it could have significant implications for users and companies alike.

    The AI ‘tech stack’

    Hardware, software, data sources, databases and servers are some of the layers that make up what is commonly referred to as the “AI tech stack”.

    There are four main layers to Google’s evolving vertical tech stack:

    1. Hardware layer. Google develops its own AI chips, known as tensor processing units (TPUs). The company claims these chips provide superior performance and efficiency compared to general purpose processors.

    2. Infrastructure layer. The company uses its own cloud infrastructure to source its computing power, networking and storage requirements. This infrastructure is the foundation for running and scaling AI capabilities.

    3. Model development layer. In-house research capabilities are used to drive the development of their products and services. This includes research around machine learning, robotics, language models and computer vision.

    4. Data layer. Data is constantly sourced from users across all Google platforms, including its search engine, maps and email. Data collection is a condition of using any Google application.

    Some argue vertical integration is an optimal and cost-effective business strategy in many industries, not just tech. However, the realities of this set-up prove otherwise.

    Google is seeking to become a vertically integrated AI company.
    RYO Alexandre/Shutterstock

    Fuelling power imbalances

    Google and OpenAI are two of just a handful of companies which dominate the global technology market.

    Thanks to this market dominance, these companies can charge higher markups for their goods and services and abuse practices in online advertising.

    Vertical integration further skews this power imbalance by centralising the layers of the AI tech stack to one company. A distribution of hardware, infrastructure, research and development and data across multiple industries helps support a more equitable playing field across the industry.

    The loss of this equity creates greater barriers to entry for smaller companies as the larger conglomerates keep everything in-house.

    It also reduces incentives to innovate in ways that benefit consumers because it eliminates the business competition that usually drives innovation.

    Data is often described as the new gold. This is especially true in the case of AI, which is heavily reliant on data. Through its many platforms, Google has access to a continuous stream of data. In turn, this gives the company even more power in the industry.

    Other tech companies such as Amazon are moving towards vertical integration in the AI sector.
    ACHPF/Shutterstock

    The vulnerabilities of vertical integration

    The success of a company that is vertically integrated relies on housing the best knowledge and expertise in-house. Retaining this level of resourcing within a small handful of companies can lead to knowledge and expertise hoarding.

    Research shows knowledge and expertise hoarding reduces social learning and increases disparities between “winners” and “losers” in a given market. This creates an overall vulnerable industry, because net gains are lost in the pursuit of exclusivity.

    Exclusivity also breeds a lack of resilience. That’s because the points of failure are centralised.

    Risk is better managed with additional oversight, transparency and accountability. Collaborations across industry rely on these processes to work together effectively.

    Centralising the AI tech stack within one organisation eliminates external scrutiny, because it reduces interactions with external providers of products and services. In turn this can lead to a company behaving in a more risky manner.

    Regulatory bodies can also provide external scrutiny.

    However, the current push to deregulate AI is widening the gap between technology development and regulation.

    It is also allowing for big tech companies to become increasingly opaque. A lack of transparency raises issues about organisational practices; in the context of AI, practices around data are of particular concern.

    The trend towards vertical integration in the AI sector will further increase this opacity and heighten existing issues around transparency.

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

    – ref. Google is going ‘all in’ on AI. It’s part of a troubling trend in big tech – https://theconversation.com/google-is-going-all-in-on-ai-its-part-of-a-troubling-trend-in-big-tech-257563

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Pressley Delivers Keynote at Boston University School of Public Health Convocation

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    “A decision to pursue a career in public health is a noble and worthwhile decision, and to do so especially right now, is in and of itself, an act of radical courage.”

    “Keep dreaming and remain in unapologetic and in active pursuit of making those dreams a reality, just as you did with your degree. Change can’t wait. And neither can the world—for you.”

    BOSTON – In case you missed it, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) delivered the keynote address at the Boston University School of Public Health’s (BUSPH) 2025 Convocation in which she shared a powerful and personal message of hope, urgency, and moral clarity. In her remarks, Rep. Pressley described her own journey at Boston University, discussed the critical role of public health professionals amidst the Trump Administration’s anti-health, anti-science, and anti-research agenda, and encouraged graduates to continue doing the work necessary to build a more just and healthy world.

    A transcript of the Congresswoman’s remarks, as delivered, is available below, and the full video is available here.

    Transcript: Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s Keynote Address at Boston University School of Public Health’s Convocation
    May 17, 2025

    Thank you, Dean Stein, for that warm welcome and introduction. I am so deeply disappointed to be joining you by Zoom. This is what you call a hard pivot. I was in the airport for some seven hours—planes, trains and automobiles trying to get to you all. 

    I’m so sorry that weather got in the way of that, but I am so glad that I’m joining you, at least virtually, because nothing ultimately was going to stop me from congratulating the BU School of Public Health on this incredible milestone in your life and this incredible occasion.

    And it’s full circle in so many ways—you know, for me, as I’ve said many times before, Chicago is the city that raised me, Boston is the city that changed me, and Boston University had so much to do with that. So again, I’m so grateful and humbled to be invited to be your convocation speaker this year. 

    Again, Boston University, even virtually, it’s good to be in community with you. Chicago is a city that raised me, Boston is the city that changed me, and Boston University is the place that forever changed the trajectory of my life. 

    It is the place where I arrived as an idealistic teenager, eager to continue my education and expand my horizons. 

    So what a gift, truly, to share this life milestone and achievement for these 440 scholars and very soon graduates,  the Class of 2025. 

    This is one of my favorite times of the year: commencement. A time to pause and recognize the extraordinary achievements of students here at BU and beyond, who have persevered and sacrificed in order to make this day a reality for themselves and their families. 

    Now I don’t know each of your stories, but I know that you each have one. I know you’ve overcome life obstacles. I know that there were days you questioned what it’s all for and wanted to quit—where you were overwhelmed by life, fatigue, self doubt. But you persisted. And I’m so damn glad that you did.

    A decision to pursue a career in public health is a noble and worthwhile decision, and to do so right now—to do so, especially right now, is in and of itself, an act of radical courage.

    An act of faith in a belief in something greater, a belief that another world is possible—one not dominated by greed or a culture of grievance, one that sees and centers the humanity, dignity, and health of all people. 

    As you all know, while we may be in the wealthiest nation in the world, we also face unacceptable and persistent disparities in outcomes that are too often determined by the zip code you live in or the color of your skin. 

    To be clear, these outcomes are human made. They are the consequence of moral failings, budgetary neglect, and policy violence. 

    You need look no further than the case study of the Massachusetts 7th, right here, where a simple three mile bus ride from Harvard to Roxbury sees life expectancy drop by 30 years. 

    No doubt you’ve heard this statistic before—you may have even heard me recite it before. I imagine folks are tired of hearing it, but I don’t care, because what matters most is how tired people are of living it. 

    These are the challenges that the class of 2025 will face head on, against the backdrop of an anti-science, anti-research, anti-data, anti-equity, anti-health, anti-people agenda. 

    The essential mission of public health is under attack right now. The landscape you will be forced to navigate is unprecedented. The systems that public health professionals have poured their sweat equity into building are being dismantled with carelessness and a cruelty that is shocking, that will have devastating consequences for generations.

    There is a greed that pulls too many, to look past the humanity of those who are struggling or less fortunate. These decisions are driven by greed—and cruelty is the point.

    Some people think cutting pediatric cancer research is a fair trade for an unnecessary tax cut. Some people think taking food out of the mouths of hungry children to pay for a private jet is acceptable. Some people think government efficiency means making people hungrier and sicker. 

    It is easy to lose hope in the overwhelm of it all. In fact, that is just the point. That is the design of it all. 

    The current occupant of the White House and his dangerous conspirators want you to see their dark vision for our country as an inevitable fate, but I know better. You know better. We know better.

    We possess the superpower that is hope. Hope that is strengthened by the moral clarity and resolve each of you have demonstrated to arrive at this very day. 

    You have chosen to devote your lives to literally saving lives. 

    Please hear me when I say you have made the right choice. You are on the right path. 

    It is the brilliance and impatience of your generation who did not come to play, who will see us through these turbulent times.

    And when we get to the other side of this—and we will—you will be able to tell your children and your grandchildren about where you stood and the choices you made. 

    You’ll be able to tell them when everything was at stake, when it would have been easier and perhaps even safer, to retreat, to be silent, to change paths—you held firm. 

    You chose to stand for truth. You chose to stand for justice. You chose to stand for your neighbor, by your neighbor, and for humanity. You chose to stand for public health because you believe like I do, that our greatest wealth as a nation is the health of our people. 

    Here in Massachusetts and in Boston, we are lucky to have some of the brightest minds in public health, in the arts, in biotech, in higher education, and on and on. I know that the amazing faculty and dedicated staff here at BU have prepared you well to join that distinguished club.

    Whether you are preparing to join the workforce or planning to continue your education, just know that we need you. 

    We need your ideas and idealism. We need your passion and perspectives. We need your empathy and expertise. And I know the diversity of this year’s class will only serve to strengthen the solutions to our most pressing challenges. 

    You know, it’s hard to believe diversity is more frightening to some than a dictator and the rise of fascism. It’s hard to believe there are men in leadership who care more about growing their millions and billions than preventing measles outbreaks. And yet, here we are. 

    But I digress. While the current occupant of the White House carries out a coordinated attack on our public health systems, you are prepared to stand in the gap. 

    From the Black maternal health crisis to the opioid epidemic to the lingering impacts of COVID and those living with long COVID, there is no shortage of work to be done. As the Congresswoman who represents Massachusetts’ 7th, one of the most unequal districts in our Commonwealth and country across all outcomes, especially health — I know the need for care is great. 

    Our communities need you. Our communities deserve you. The years you have spent learning, growing, and forging partnerships here at Boston University will be brought to our nonprofits, our hospitals, our board rooms—and we will be the better for it. 

    For many, you may be the first person in your family to receive a master’s or a doctorate—impressive achievements that I hope will carry you in difficult times.

    Your next role will have its difficulties. You may be in rooms where no one else looks like you, grew up where you did, or shares your background. While that can be daunting, it is also essential in order for our communities to have the best policies.

    There have been times in my life, from my first internship while a student at BU—at a satellite office in Roxbury, working for former Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II—all the way to my own time in Congress, where I was the only Black woman in the room.

    And when I entered, I called the question, I raised different questions that would not have come up otherwise. We’re all better served when solutions are being developed through a diverse prism, not through one that is monolithic and homogenized. 

    This is why personnel is policy. We live intersectional lives that demand intersectional policies. Any organization can’t be its best if you do not have a diversity of perspective, opinion, and thought around the table. 

    And in this work, I have relied on and benefited from two Boston University School of Public Health grads to legislate health, wellness, and justice. As a Boston City Councilor, my longtime Chief of Staff, Jessica Ridge, was a proud BU School of Public Health graduate, and her experience here — her unique lens and attention to the intersectional nature of health outcomes — were critical to our policy agenda.

    From fighting for more walkable sit down restaurants and communities to literally rewriting the sex ed curriculum at Boston Public Schools, she connected the policy decisions to outcomes. And together, we centered the people who stood to be the most impacted in crafting the solutions. 

    That’s where my ethos, “the people closest to the pain should be closest to the power, driving and informing the policy making,” came from. The practice of cooperative governing, being proximate to those closest to the pain, to better understand the nuances, complexities and intersectionalities, but also to harness the best solutions. 

    That practice continued in Congress. My first senior advisor in DC, Lynese Wallace, used what she learned on campus and her own lived experiences as a Black woman to shepherd our shared work to address the Black maternal mortality crisis. 

    Now for you. There is a set path laid before you as a researcher, clinician, practitioner, policymaker, or whatever role sings to your soul and your passions. 

    I know the degree you walk out of this ceremony with today will give you the foundation to make a difference. It has to me, and the constituents that I serve.

    And ultimately, we are all better served by the policies advanced when we include different approaches and perspectives in writing them. 

    As a former BU student, I’m especially proud that the School of Public Health has not in any way run away or retreated from your commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, even as assaults on these programs and initiatives rage on across the country. I hope that your courage is contagious.

    While there are active efforts underway to perpetuate fiction rather than to teach facts, it is a fact that systemic oppression, codified in our laws and budgets, has discriminately harmed women, people of color, the LGBTQIA community, persons with disabilities, and other underserved communities in this country. 

    I’m so glad that you have been called. I’m so glad that you have been compelled to pursue a career in public health because you want to undo the harms of past injustices and prevent future harms. You want policies and systems that are just, equitable, and people-centered. 

    It is the challenge and the responsibility before each of us during these deeply consequential times to summon our unique gifts and talents in service to our communities to mitigate harm and to advance progress. 

    The moment in time — this moment in time — isn’t merely about how to survive the next four years. It is about shaping the next 100 years. 

    And I am enlisting each of you as architects in that shaping. I believe it is possible. I believe another world is possible. You do too.

    Cling to that and pass it on. Radical work begins with a radical dream. 

    I dream of a world where health equity is a given, not an afterthought. 

    I dream of a world where Black men grow old. 

    I dream of a world where gender affirming care is a right, and trans children are not political props. 

    I dream of a world where pain is believed — everyone’s pain is believed — in healthcare settings. 

    I dream of a world where you can be Black and birthing and safe and live to raise your child. 

    I dream of a world where housing and healthcare are rights, not privileges. 

    I dream of a world where no one knows hunger, water is drinkable, air is breathable.

    Radical work begins with a radical dream. 

    Graduates, keep dreaming and remain in unapologetic and active pursuit of making those dreams a reality, just as you did with your degree.

    Change can’t wait. And neither can the world for you. 

    Congratulations, graduates!

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Access to Diabetes Self-Management Training and Lower Treatment Costs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
    **Bipartisan Bill Would Expand Access to Services That Improve Wellness & Reduce Risk of Diabetes-Related Death or Heart Attack for Diabetic Patients**
    (Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME), co-chairs of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, reintroduced the Expanding Access to Diabetes Self-Management Training Act. This bipartisan legislation would expand Medicare coverage for diabetes self-management training (DSMT) sessions, where diabetes educators help train Medicare patients on how to manage their glucose, maintain a healthy weight, eat healthy foods, manage their insulin levels and improve general care for their diabetes. DSMT is associated with a reduction in risk for diabetes-related death and heart attack and, importantly, leads to improved self-care behavior and wellness, which greatly reduces hospital care costs.  “Diabetes is a lifelong condition that affects millions of Americans. Expanding access to diabetes self-management training will allow patients to improve their well-being and live healthier lives while being more self-sufficient in their care,” said Senator Shaheen. “Our bipartisan legislation would lower the cost of treatment for patients with diabetes and I’m proud to work across the aisle to continue supporting diabetes treatment, research and investment.”  “Diabetes self-management training equips Americans with diabetes with the tools they need to successfully manage their disease,” said Senator Collins. “By supporting education and patient engagement, our bipartisan bill would improve health outcomes, enhance quality of life, and reduce health care costs by helping to prevent complications and hospitalizations.”
    “The Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES) applauds and thanks our champions, Senators Shaheen and Collins, for introducing legislation that would improve access to diabetes care and education for Medicare beneficiaries,” said ADCES President Veronica Brady, PhD, RN, FNP-P, BC-ADM, CDCES. “DSMT services help individuals with diabetes improve their health and reduce complications which in turn can decrease health care costs.”?? 
    38.4 million Americans live with diabetes and 1 in 3 adults have prediabetes, a condition that is known to progress to diabetes without early intervention, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and can lead to many other chronic diseases and conditions, such as blindness and kidney failure. As one of the most expensive chronic diseases, diabetes costs the American health care system billions of dollars each year. Overall, one in every ten health care dollars is spent on diabetes and its complications, and one in every three Medicare dollars is spent on the condition.  Earlier this week, Shaheen and Collins introduced the Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act, new legislation that would improve care for patients with diabetes by allowing nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician associates/physician assistants (PAs)—who often act as sole primary care providers for many patients with diabetes—to prescribe therapeutic shoes.   
    As co-chairs of the U.S. Senate Diabetes Caucus, Shaheen and Collins have led action in the U.S. Senate to advance priorities that will lower the costs of insulin, invest in treatment and prioritize diabetes research. Their bipartisan Improving Needed Safeguards for Users of Lifesaving Insulin Now (INSULIN) Act would comprehensively address the skyrocketing costs of insulin, removing barriers to care and making it more accessible for millions more Americans.? The Senators have also pushed for passage of their bicameral, bipartisan Strengthening Collective Resources for Encouraging Education Needed (SCREEN) for Type 1 Diabetes Act, to improve early detection and screening for type 1 diabetes.   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Reverend Warnock Leads Fight for, Colleagues Urge Full CDC Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Senators Reverend Warnock, Ossoff, and 28 Senators pressed Senate Appropriators stressing the need for full funding for the Georgia-based CDC to protect the centers’ national security and public health work

    Earlier this year, Senator Warnock led the charge in demanding answers about the termination of 20,000 full time staff at HHS, including thousands of CDC employees

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) led 29 Senate colleagues in urging Senate leadership to work across party lines and protect the mission of the Georgia-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by providing at or near $9.683 billion in support of the agency. In a letter sent to the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, Senators Warnock, Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and 28 other Senate colleagues stressed the importance of protecting the CDC’s national security and public health work.

    “During the first several months of 2025, the Trump administration fired thousands of dedicated public health professionals who have devoted their life’s work to the health, safety, and security of our constituents. These mass terminations not only destabilize our country’s public health infrastructure, but they also put our economy at risk when people get sick, and no one is there to respond,” the senators said.

    “These cuts will not make American’s healthy. The CDC must remain the world’s preeminent public health agency and to do so, the CDC must have the tools it needs to continue its work. We support robust funding for CDC’s response efforts to domestic health threats, much of which flows through state and local public health agencies,” they continued.

    At the conclusion of the letter, the Democratic senators emphasize their willingness to work with their Republican counterparts on legislation that can pass the Senate.

    “In 2023, Congress, on a bipartisan basis, affirmed the importance of CDC by requiring its director to be confirmed by the Senate, which was a critical step to bolstering the public’s trust in the CDC. By prioritizing funding for its essential programs, including non-communicable disease prevention, global health initiatives, data modernization, and workplace safety, Congress can ensure that the CDC will continue to protect and enhance the health and safety of all Americans,” the senators closed.

    Senator Warnock has repeatedly stood up in defense of CDC workers, including joining them at a rally, delivering a floor speech opposing Secretary Kennedy’s nomination, demanding answers from administration nominees at Congressional hearings, and more. Since the CDC and its employees became a target of this administration, Senator Warnock has led several efforts defending their employment and the crucial role they play in keeping the nation safe. Earlier this year, Senator Warnock sent a letter to President Trump and Secretary Kennedy requesting additional information about the termination of 20,000 full-time staff and organizational restructuring at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

    In addition to Senators Warnock and Ossoff, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angus King (I-ME), Peter Welch (D-VT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).

    Read the full letter HERE, and the text is below

    Dear Chairwoman Capito and Ranking Member Baldwin,

    As you consider the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we thank you for your strong commitment to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and to the nation’s public health security. We respectfully request that you protect the mission of CDC by providing robust funding at or near the level of $9.683 billion for the agency.

    In recent months, President Trump and Secretary Kennedy have taken a hatchet to our public health agencies by massively reducing or eliminating programs historically authorized and appropriated by Congress on a bipartisan basis. During the first several months of 2025, the Trump administration fired thousands of dedicated public health professionals who have devoted their life’s work to the health, safety, and security of our constituents. These mass terminations not only destabilize our country’s public health infrastructure, but they also put our economy at risk when people get sick, and no one is there to respond.

    The President’s FY26 Discretionary Budget Request proposes drastic reductions to CDC’s budget of nearly 44 percent, despite rising rates of measles, STIs, maternal deaths, and chronic diseases. The elimination of the CDC’s chronic disease prevention office also contradicts the Administration’s stated goal of addressing the chronic disease epidemic in our country. These cuts will not make American’s healthy. The CDC must remain the world’s preeminent public health agency and to do so, the CDC must have the tools it needs to continue its work.

    We support robust funding for CDC’s response efforts to domestic health threats, much of which flows through state and local public health agencies. Our public health departments use this funding to provide access to vaccines, STI testing, disease outbreak tracing, and general improvements to health care access. Continued investment in the CDC will have a direct, positive effect on the economy, since healthy people means a healthy economy. Additionally, the return on investment for public health funding results in savings over the long-term

    Without funding appropriated to and administered by the CDC, many of our state and local public health agencies would be critically underfunded or worse, nonexistent. We request that the committee support the public health workforce and public health departments by fully funding Public Health and Preparedness programs, including programs that prevent HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STI and TB, as well as the Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion program and the Public Health Social Services Emergency Fund (PHSSF). In particular, the National Center on Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion must be fully funded, unlike the President’s FY26 Budget Request, to allow CDC to respond to the chronic disease crisis.

    Another longstanding mission of the CDC is its Global Health Securityprograms, and we are concerned by the Trump administration’s efforts to prevent CDC researchers and officials from working directly with non-government organizations and global public health organizations. More than 70 percent of the world remains underprepared to respond to a public health emergency, and with our globally-connected society, disease outbreaks around the world pose threats to the U.S. We urge continued funding for global health programs at the CDC, so the agency can continue to work with other countries to build capacities in surveillance, disease detection, and outbreak response to stop deadly diseases at their source.

    We also encourage funding for Public Health Data Modernization efforts. Enhanced data systems enable the CDC to better track health trends, identify emerging threats, and allocate resources efficiently. Policymakers and researchers rely on precise data to make informed decisions and provide sound health guidance to the public. Modernized data infrastructure supports interoperability between agencies, facilitating collaboration and improving the overall quality of health information. The CDC should have the necessary data authority to access the information required for effective decision-making, ensuring public health strategies are based on the most reliable data available. Investing in data modernization not only strengthens domestic health security but also enhances global health initiatives by enabling swift responses to international health challenges.

    We also strongly support keeping all Centers at the CDC fully operational and funded, including the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The NCIPC helps CDC address public health challenges like opioid use disorder, child abuse, drowning, falls in the elderly population, and domestic violence. The NCIPC, which was eliminated in the President’s FY26 Discretionary Budget Request, will make our country healthier and safer. Additionally, NIOSH benefits from the CDC’s comprehensive public health infrastructure, facilitating collaboration and resource sharing that enhances its research and intervention capabilities. Continued funding for NIOSH supports its mission to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses, ultimately contributing to a healthier, more productive workforce and reducing healthcare costs associated with occupational hazards.

    The CDC is the cornerstone of public health in the United States and the world. In 2023, Congress, on a bipartisan basis, affirmed the importance of CDC by requiring its director to be confirmed by the Senate, which was a critical step to bolstering the public’s trust in the CDC. By prioritizing funding for its essential programs, including non-communicable disease prevention, global health initiatives, data modernization, and workplace safety, Congress can ensure that the CDC will continue to protect and enhance the health and safety of all Americans.

    Your support in maintaining and expanding these vital resources will empower the CDC to effectively address current and future health challenges. Thank you for considering this request, and for your commitment to advancing public health through robust funding support of the CDC.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Taking on Period Poverty

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Students in the UConn Health Graduate School and the UConn Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine are leading an effort to address and raise awareness of period poverty.

    Over the last several months, they have acquired menstrual products and distributed enough of them to Hartford public schools and Hartford-area Boys and Girls Clubs to meet the needs of more than 600 students.

    It’s a joint effort of the graduate school’s Program of Applied Public Health Sciences and a group within the medical school known as Hartford Health Education.

    “As a public health student who recognized the inequities in access to products based on socioeconomic status and gender inequities, I really wanted to address this issue and be involved in direct product distribution because so many people lack necessary materials to address their health,” says Juilia Prescott, who, as a public health graduate assistant, has been one of the student leaders of this initiative.

    Julia Prescott loads her car with menstrual products she and other UConn Health students collected to deliver to the Northwest Boys & Girls Club in Hartford’s Blue Hills neighborhood. Prescott, as a public health graduate assistant, has been one of the student leaders of the effort, backed by a grant from the global nonprofit menstrual equity advocacy group The Pad Project. (Photo provided by the Department of Public Health Sciences)

    “Period poverty is about a lack of access to menstrual products and resources to manage menstruation, and this is a significant public health problem because a lot of people aren’t able to afford them, and then miss school, and have certain health problems,” Prescott, who just graduated with her Master of Public Health, says. “So, to address that need, we decided we wanted to ramp up this donation drive, and so we solicited products from people all over UConn Health, and we also applied for a grant from The Pad Project, which is a global nonprofit that expands access to menstrual products, combats period stigma, and champions menstrual equity for all.”

    They secured a $3,000 Pad for Schools grant, enabling them to purchase additional pads and tampons. Student volunteers get together to package the products along with educational materials for the students and deliver them to the schools and clubs.

    “During our health education class about puberty, UConn medical and dental student volunteers distribute these products as well as give tutorials for proper use,” says fourth-year medical student Kelly Anne Kiremidjian, who, with classmate Helen Liu Bian, leads Hartford Health Education.

    Kiremidjian says the effort has been well received.

    “I have personally been told how needed this initiative is,” she says. “One nurse we spoke to said that she was previously paying for these products out of her own pocket.”

    Stacey Brown, associate professor and co-director for the Program in Applied Public Health Sciences, has been mentoring Prescott.

    “This initiative reflects the power of student-led public health action,” Brown says. “Thanks to Julia’s incredible leadership, we’ve laid a strong foundation that will continue through the incoming graduate assistant and the dedicated medical and dental student leaders of Hartford Health Education, ensuring that menstrual health equity remains a sustained and growing priority.”

    The students have delivered products to the following locations in Hartford:

    • Burns Latino Studies Academy
    • Annie Fischer STEM Magnet School
    • Noah Webster Microsociety Magnet School
    • Annie Fischer Montessori
    • Global Communications Academy
    • Samuel S. Gray, Jr. Boys & Girls Club at Asylum Hill
    • Joseph D. Lapenta Northwest Boys & Girls Club
    • South End Boys & Girls Club
    • Southwest Boys & Girls Club
    • Trinity College Boys & Girls Club

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Carter meets with Augusta University in support of telehealth funding

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

    Headline: Carter meets with Augusta University in support of telehealth funding

    AUGUSTA – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) this week met with officials at Augusta University to discuss his advocacy for the Medical College of Georgia (MCG), including the $1 million he secured in FY23 to support the College’s Center for Digital Health.


    From Left to Right: David Hess, MD, Dean of Medical College of Georgia; Rep. Buddy Carter (GA-01); and Matt Lyon, MD, Director of Medical College of Georgia


    “Telehealth is vital for seniors and those in rural areas. I often say that we knew how important telehealth was before the pandemic, but we didn’t realize it until after. As a health care professional, I am a strong supporter of telehealth services and am proud of the work Augusta University is doing to bring this resource to more patients. When the government supports Augusta University, we support longer, healthier lives for Georgians,” said Rep. Carter.

     

    “The investments Congressman Carter has helped secure for Augusta University are helping us tackle some of our state and country’s most urgent challenges. From pioneering research to combat the devastating fentanyl crisis to expanding health care access through innovative technology, this support enables us to fulfill our core mission: improving the lives of people across Georgia and beyond,” said Russell Keen, President of Augusta University. “These partnerships demonstrate how targeted federal investment can create meaningful change in communities, from cities to our most rural areas. We’re deeply grateful for his vision and continued commitment.”

     

    “I was honored to meet with Congressman Carter and share more about MCG’s expanding impact across Georgia. MCG and AU are making strategic investments throughout the state, including a new four-year medical school campus in Savannah. Our medical school is committed to advancing medical education and health care access for all Georgians—  and we are excited to share our progress with our legislative partners,” said David Hess, MD, Dean of the Medical College of Georgia.

     

    “I am extremely grateful for Congressman Carter’s vital support of MCG’s Center for Digital Health. The funding he secured has helped integrate telemedicine training for the next generation of physicians. Through partnerships with rural Georgia hospitals, we’re now delivering critical care expertise to communities that need it most—allowing patients to receive advanced care closer to home. These investments and technologies can strengthen our rural health care network and are improving patient outcomes across Georgia,” said Dr. Matt Lyon, Director of the Medical College of Georgia’s Center for Digital Health.

     

     For FY26, Rep. Carter submitted a $900,000 funding request to support the development of rapid fentanyl detection through Augusta University’s College of Science and Math.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PRESS RELEASE: Congresswoman Barragán Highlights Community Need for Food Assistance as She Continues to Oppose Largest SNAP Cuts in History

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    May 28, 2025
    Contact: Jin.Choi@mail.house.gov

    Congresswoman Barragán Highlights Community Need for Food Assistance as She Continues to Oppose Largest SNAP Cuts in History

    Paramount, CA — Today, Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (CA-44) visited Mother’s Nutritional Center (MNC) in Paramount to highlight the need for SNAP food assistance benefits as House Republicans and Donald Trump push the largest proposed cuts to SNAP in U.S. history. She pointed out that House Republicans voted to cut billions in food assistance for millions of Americans just last week, as they raced to pass Donald Trump’s billionaires’ tax cut bill. These cuts would be devastating for children, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities who receive this assistance. 

    The Congresswoman was joined by the Mayor of Paramount, Peggy Lemons, the Senior Outreach Manager of MNC, and a SNAP recipient who talked about the food assistance she has received from Mother’s and how it has helped to put nutritious food on the table for her family.

    “No one in this country should go hungry,” said Rep. Barragán. “Yet House Republicans want to force millions of Americans to go without enough food on their table — our families, children, seniors, people with disabilities, and even our veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country. Republicans passed cuts to SNAP and food assistance in the dark of night to hide their actions from the American people and to give tax breaks to billionaires. Today, in broad daylight, we wanted to let the hardworking people of LA County know what they did and why these programs are so vitally important to so many. House Democrats will continue our fight to protect SNAP benefits and work so that families and individuals in our communities and throughout the country don’t go hungry.” 

    “In Paramount, we believe that no child should go hungry — especially during the summer months when school meals are no longer available. That’s why we partner with the Paramount Unified School District to offer programs like the Summer Nutrition and Activity Program which ran for several years. And through our current HEY — Healthy Eating for Youth — initiative, we provide free meals and daily recreation to all children 18 and under throughout the summer. For many families, this program fills a critical gap in both nutrition and enrichment,” said Mayor Lemons. 

    “SNAP helps support programs that keep our most vulnerable residents healthy and fed. In Paramount, we’ve seen firsthand the power of community partnerships in meeting basic needs. These efforts are made possible because of the support we receive from federal nutrition programs.

    Negative impacts to SNAP would devastate school districts, students, and our children — not just in our city, but across the country. 

    As Mayor, I urge Congress to protect and invest in the vital safety net programs like SNAP that uplift our communities. The health and dignity of our neighbors depend on it.”

    For the recording of the event, see HERE.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Measures to encourage student attendance at school strengthened

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government is going to take a firmer approach to school attendance.

    The Ministry of Education is ready to pursue prosecutions of parents who repeatedly refuse to ensure their children attend school.

    “The Ministry of Education is proactively contacting Attendance Service providers and schools to ensure parents who repeatedly refuse to send their children to school are referred to the Ministry,” Mr Seymour says.

    “Prosecution is a reality for parents who refuse to send their children to school and ignore supports to ensure their children are in class and learning.

    The Ministry will not prosecute parents of students who are absent because of chronic illness or health conditions associated with a disability, or who are genuinely engaging with a school and the supports offered.  

    “Last year I directed the Ministry to exercise its powers and take a more active role in prosecutions to make them viable. I encourage school leaders to seek that support when all other measures have failed” Mr Seymour says.  

    “Although we are facing an attendance crisis, green shoots are present, and we need to keep building on them. In every term in 2024 attendance improved on the same term in 2023.

    “I expect this momentum to continue as phases of our attendance action plan come into force. For example, it will be mandatory for schools to have their own attendance management plan, aligned with the Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) (STAR) in place by Term 1 of 2026.

    “The basic premise of the STAR is that no child is left behind. The STAR clarifies the roles and responsibilities that school leadership, boards, parents and the Ministry have in supporting students to attend school. 

    “Around 10% of students are absent for 15 days or more in a school term. Students in that bracket would trigger the ‘red light’ in the general framework. At this point, prosecution would be considered a valid intervention. This means every day at school is important, and interventions will follow if absences build up.

    “Attending school is the first step towards achieving positive educational outcomes. Positive educational outcomes lead to better health, higher incomes, better job stability and greater participation within communities. These are opportunities that every student deserves.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 2025 Dr. Cato T. Laurencin ScHOLA²RS House Award Recipients

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    The UConn Foundation created the award, which honors top academically achieving Black male seniors at the University of Connecticut. The award is a source of inspiration for many at UConn. The recipients this year were Noah Sneed, Mason Bickham, and Josiah Mendez.

    • Noah Sneed had a 3.93 GPA and has a major in Animal Science and a second major in Pathobiology.
    • Mason Bickham had a 3.81 GPA, and is a Psychological Sciences major, with a concentration in Africana Studies, Human Dev, and Family Sciences
    • Josiah Mendez had a 3.58 GPA, and is a Computer Science & Engineering Masters major, with a concentration in Software Design and Development.

    ScHOLA²RS House is a Learning Community designed to support the scholastic efforts of male students who identify as African American/Black through academic and social support, access to research opportunities, and professional development.

    UConn senior Mason Bickham being awarded.

    Throughout his career, Laurencin has devoted his life to pioneering research and clinical care. He has also been passionate about his work mentoring young people in engineering, science, medicine, and the humanities. At UConn he has created and established a number of mentoring/educational programs, including the UConn Young Innovative Investigator Program, the UConn Pre-K Scholars Program, and the Presidential M1 Mentorship Award Program. He has been the Principal Investigator of UConn’s NIH T32 Pre-Doctoral Program in Regenerative Engineering, an NIH Diversity Award Pre-Doctoral Training Grant, an NIH Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Grant Award, a National Science Foundation Research, Experience and Mentoring Grant, and a grant award from the Department of Education focused on K-12 mentoring.

    Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin, MD, Ph.D., earned a B.S.E. degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. He completed Harvard Medical School earning his M.D. Magna Cum Laude and completed his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering/biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

    UConn senior Josiah Mendez with Dr. Laurencin.

    At UConn Laurencin is the University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UConn School of Medicine, professor of Chemical Engineering, professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut. He is chief executive officer of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, a cross-university institute created in his honor at the University of Connecticut.

    Laurencin is the recipient of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, AAAS Mentor Award, the Beckman Award for Mentoring and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Engineering and Math Mentoring. Besides the Scholars House Award named for him, the Society for Biomaterials created the Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Travelling Fellowship, the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Institute and the National Medical Association created the Cato T. Laurencin Lifetime Research Achievement Award, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers created the Cato T. Laurencin Regenerative Engineering Founder’s Award, honoring his work as the pioneer of the field of Regenerative Engineering.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The debate over genocide claims in relation to Gaza intensifies

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor

    In the past few days, discussion around whether Israel is committing acts of genocide in Gaza has intensified. On May 28 The Guardian reported that “380 writers and groups” had signed an open letter calling Israel’s military campaign in Gaza “genocide”. The letter reads, in part:

    The use of the words ‘genocide’ or ‘acts of genocide’ to describe what is happening in Gaza is no longer debated by international legal experts or human rights organizations.

    This followed news of a letter to the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, signed by more than 800 lawyers, including former supreme court justices, calling on the prime minister to impose sanctions on the Israeli government.

    “There is mounting evidence of genocide, which is either being perpetrated or at a minimum at serious risk of occurring,” the letter stated, adding that a recent statement from Israel’s finance minister Belazel Smotrich that the Israel Defense Forces would “wipe out” what remains of Palestinian Gaza was an indication of genocidal intent.

    One of the signatories was Professor Guy Goodwin-Gill, a senior research fellow at All Souls College, Oxford, who has a track record of expertise in international humanitarian law. The Conversation spoke with him to discuss the issue. He said:

    There is no doubt in my mind that war crimes have been committed and although genocide is basically an extreme form of war crime, it can be notoriously difficult to establish intent to destroy a people, in part or in whole.

    The task of proving genocide is hard enough, but [in this case] the evidence can be gathered from the facts on the ground – they speak for themselves. And intent can be inferred from what politicians and officials actually say, especially when it is not denied or qualified.

    Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

    But he said he had “reservations about whether, at an inter-state level, a charge of genocide would be levelled against Israel by more than a few states. And if it succeeded, the legal and political consequences.”

    But individual prosecutions for war crimes and genocide are “always a distinct possibility,” he added.

    In fact, the crime of genocide has only been recognised on a handful of occasions since it was first established in 1948. James Sweeney, an expert in international law from Lancaster University has written a brief history of genocide.



    Read more:
    Why have so few atrocities ever been recognised as genocide?

    Meanwhile, in the West Bank city of Jenin, IDF forces sparked international outrage when they fired “warning shots” closer to a group of 25 diplomats on a fact-finding visit in the wake of an Israeli military offensive there.

    Andrew Forde, an expert in international humanitarian law at Dublin City University, considers that this act “crossed the Rubicon”, which is the convention, universally accepted over millennia, of the inviolability of diplomats and their staff. It’s a clear breach, he writes of article 29 of the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations, to which Israel is a signatory, which states that the host state “shall take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on [their] person, freedom or dignity”.

    Israel responded by offering an apology, but claimed that the diplomats in question had “deviated from the approved route” by entering a restricted area”.

    The incident forced the group of diplomats to scramble for cover and hindered their work in Jenin, Forde writes. As such it is a flagrant breach of Israel’s duty of care. And it sets a dangerous precedent: “Diplomatic protections work effectively when they are reciprocal. Without trust, the system quickly unravels.”



    Read more:
    IDF firing ‘warning shots’ near diplomats sets an unacceptable precedent in international relations

    Israel’s campaign in Gaza is a factor in a hugely complex situation being played out at present in the Middle East, which is straining the relationship between Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump. The US president is talking up the idea of signing a new nuclear deal with Iran to replace the one he withdrew from in 2018. The Israeli prime minister is bitterly opposed to an US-Iran deal and has proposed launching strikes against Iran’s nuclear installations. The pair reportedly clashed over the issue in a phone call this week.

    But Trump recently returned from a trip to the Gulf States, none of which want the sort of regional conflagration that Israeli strikes on Iran could cause. And, as Scott Lucas of University College Dublin writes, he is also very keen to burnish his credentials as a dealmaker, especially in light of his failure to bring the Ukraine war to a close within 24 hours and the failure of the ceasefire in Gaza for which he has claimed much of the credit.

    As Lucas writes, “even as Trump does what he wants over Iran to Netanyahu’s chagrin, the Israeli prime minister is finding that Trump is not restricting what he does closer to home in Gaza”.



    Read more:
    Why are the US and Israel not on the same page over how to deal with Iran? Expert Q&A

    Ukraine: as the US falters, Germany steps up

    Volodymr Zelensky flew to Berlin this week where he met the German chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Germany would work with Ukraine to develop long-range missiles to attack targets inside Russia. It’s part of an overall plan to expand Germany’s military into the “strongest conventional army in Europe”.

    Stefan Wolff believes Germany’s decision to step up both its military capabilities and its support for Ukraine is highly significant when considered in the context of Donald Trump’s recent threats to abandon his efforts to broker a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv.

    Wolff, an expert in international security from the University of Birmingham, who has written regularly for The Conversation about the war in Ukraine, says here that “Berlin has the financial muscle and the technological and industrial potential to make Europe more of a peer to the US when it comes to defence spending and burden sharing.” Given the US decision to downscale its security presence in Europe, this could be of enormous consequence for Nato, he writes.



    Read more:
    Germany steps up to replace ‘unreliable’ US as guarantor of European security

    This is also an important development coming, as it does, just a few weeks before Nato’s summit in The Hague on June 24-25. As Amelia Hadfield writes, most of Nato’s members will be only too aware of Trump’s disparagement of Nato and many of its members in recent times and will be considering the potential for a future without US leadership.

    Hadfield, the head of the department of politics at the University of Surrey, notes the irony of Washington calling on the European Nato members to pay more for their own defence. Over much of the lifetime of the alliance, she writes, the US has actively discouraged European defence autonomy. Now, she says, the focus of Nato’s 31 other members must be to prepare for the likelihood that the US plans to at least significantly reduce its support for the alliance in Europe. “A clear mandate is needed, to ensure that being US-less does not render Nato itself useless,” she writes.

    This is already starting to happen, as countries join the “coalition of the willing” spearheaded by Britain and France. But Hadfield believes that boosting European capabilities within Nato is the most sensible way forward and should be the focus of next month’s summit.



    Read more:
    Nato faces a make-or-break decision about how to protect Europe and its future in next few weeks

    A lesson from history

    Donald Trump’s on again off-again relationship with Vladimir Putin is confusing enough for casual followers of world affairs. It must present a considerable headache for the foreign ministers and other diplomats tasked with calibrating their policies around the US stance on Russian aggression.

    But history suggests that the US president’s apparent willingness to allow Russia to grab Ukrainian territory in direct contravention of international law is storing up trouble for the future, writes Tim Luckhurst.

    Luckhurst is the principal of South College, Durham University, and has made a study of the way some governments were happy to allow Hitler to get away with naked aggression in the run-up to the second world war. He sees direct parallels with the way Trump and his senior officials have proposed allowing Putin to have his way with the Crimea and the four provinces of Ukraine which Russia already occupies.

    “Chamberlain’s version of appeasement failed to prevent Adolf Hitler’s aggression in the 20th century,” he writes. “Trump’s version appears equally incapable of deterring Vladimir Putin’s territorial ambitions in the 21st.”



    Read more:
    History shows that Donald Trump is making a serious error in appeasing Vladimir Putin

    World Affairs Briefing from The Conversation UK is available as a weekly email newsletter. Click here to get updates directly in your inbox.

    – ref. The debate over genocide claims in relation to Gaza intensifies – https://theconversation.com/the-debate-over-genocide-claims-in-relation-to-gaza-intensifies-257847

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Announces $9.6 Million for Hurricane Ida Repairs, Fire Response

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced Louisiana will receive $9,623,017.01 from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in reimbursement for permanent school repairs and fire suppression efforts following Hurricane Ida and recent wildfires.
    “When disaster strikes, whether it’s a hurricane or a wildfire, Louisianans stand together. This funding supports the schools and first responders that anchor our communities,” said Dr. Cassidy.

    Grant Awarded
    Recipient
    Project Description

    $3,589,727.97
    Jefferson Parish Public School System
    This grant will provide federal funding for permanent repairs to J.D. Meisler Middle School as a result of Hurricane Ida.

    $3,156,954.41
    Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness
    This grant will provide federal funding for fire suppression measures during the Tiger Island Fire.

    $2,876,334.63
    Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry
    This grant will provide federal funding for fire suppression efforts during the Highway 113 Fire.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NIH scientists pioneer promising treatment for intractable cancer pain

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2

    News Release
    Thursday, May 29, 2025

    RTX is a non-addictive pain therapy derived from a cactus-like plant.
    National Institute of Health (NIH) scientists report that a first-in-human clinical trial of a new therapy based on the plant-derived molecule resiniferatoxin (RTX) shows that it is a safe and effective agent for pain control in patients with intractable cancer pain. Researchers tested a single injection of small quantities of RTX into the lumbar cerebral spinal fluid (by lumbar puncture) of advanced-stage cancer patients and found that it reduced their reported worst pain intensity by 38% and their use of pain-relieving opioids by 57%.
    “The effects are immediate,” said Andrew Mannes, M.D., lead study author and chief of the NIH Clinical Center Department of Perioperative Medicine. “This is a potential new therapy from a new family of drugs that gives people with severe cancer pain an opportunity to return some normality to their lives.”
    The trial enrolled research participants with terminal end-stage cancer who were among the 15% of cancer patients unable to find pain relief from standard of care pain interventions, including vast quantity of opiates without relief.
    A single injection of RTX provided patients durable relief. Patients’ need for pain-relieving opioids declined sharply, and their quality of life improved. They no longer needed to spend significant periods being sedated with opioids and after treatment were able to reengage with their family, friends and communities.
    The NIH scientists believe RTX has potential to treat many other pain conditions, including other types of cancer pain, chronic pain from nerve injuries called neuromas, post-surgical pain, a facial pain condition called trigeminal neuralgia, and chronic oral inflammatory problems following head and neck radiation therapy.
    “Targeting specific nerves brings many pain disorders into range of RTX and allows physicians to tailor the treatment to the patient’s pain problem. This interventional approach is a simple path to personalized pain medicine,” said senior study author Michael Iadarola, PhD, a senior research scientist in the NIH Clinical Center Department of Perioperative Medicine.
    RTX is not addictive and doesn’t cause a high. Instead, it prevents pain signals from reaching the brain by inactivating a specific sub-group of nerve fibers which transmit heat and pain signals from damaged tissue. RTX is an activator of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1, or  TRPV1 ion channel and a super-potent equivalent of capsaicin, the active molecule in hot peppers. The ability of RTX to open the channel pore in TRPV1 allows an overload of calcium to flood into the nerve fiber and block its ability to transmit pain signals.
    “Basically, RTX cuts the pain-specific wires connecting the body to the spinal cord, but leaves many other sensations are intact,” Iadarola said. “These TRPV1 neurons are really the most important population of neurons that you want to target for effective pain relief.”
    Iadarola’s contributions have led decades of basic science research into the neurobiology of pain and pain control. That body of research has informed them that to effectively block pain, you must block it from getting into the spinal cord and from there having it leave the spinal cord to transit to the brain, where we perceive pain.
    Unlike other current approaches that use heat, cold, chemicals, or surgery to non-selectively interrupt nerves to stop pain, RTX targets the specific sensory pathways of tissue damage pain and heat. Other sensory pathways, such as touch, pin prick, pressure, muscle position sense (known as proprioception), and motor function, remain intact. It is not a generalized numbing as occurs with local anesthetics.
    “What makes this unique from all the other things that are out there is this is so highly selective,” Mannes said. “The only thing it seems to take out is heat sensation and pain.”
    RTX is derived from the Euphorbia resinifera plant, a cactus-like plant native to North Africa. Euphorbia extract has been known for 2,000 years to contain an “irritant” substance, which NIH scientists identified how to use for patients through basic research on living cells observed through a microscope. Adding RTX to TRPV1-containing cells caused a visible calcium overload, which Iadarola and Mannes eventually translated into an early-stage human clinical trial.
    The next steps include additional, larger clinical trials to move RTX toward eventual approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and clinical availability.
    This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH Clinical Center and NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
    About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
    NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

    Reference:
    Treatment of Intractable Cancer Pain with Resiniferatoxin — An Interim Study 2025. NEJM Evidence. DOI:10.1056/EVIDoa2400423

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: The path to resilience: Alfred Nzo municipality’s journey

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    In the heart of South Africa’s Eastern Cape, the Alfred Nzo District Municipality, characterized by its rural landscapes and environmental vulnerability, is quietly undergoing a transformation. With rising threats from floods, wildfires, droughts, and even snowstorms, the district’s leadership has embarked on a journey to equip its local institutions with the tools, knowledge, and partnerships needed to prevent hazards from becoming disasters.

    From 6 to 8 May 2025, over 50 local government officials and stakeholders participated in the Urban Risk-Informed Development Planning and Making Cities Resilient workshop. Organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in collaboration with Alfred Nzo District Municipality and funded through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Resilience Initiative Africa, the workshop advanced the efforts towards achieving the Sendai Framework target E: substantially increasing the number of local DRR strategies by 2030.

    From Global Framework to Local Action

    Alfred Nzo has made notable strides. “We’ve developed a Climate Change Response Plan, Environmental Management Framework, and ecosystem-based projects focused on water conservation, invasive species control, and rangeland restoration,” said Zola Mbuyana, Assistant Manager for Environmental Management and Water Quality. 

    Learning by Doing: From Theory to Action 

    Local government officials explored how to align local planning with national policy and the Sendai Framework. The Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative provides specific tools, such as the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities and the Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient, designed specifically to support local governments in aligning strategies with global DRR commitments. The preliminary assessments revealed key strengths, such as the existence of a Disaster Management Centre and a climate change strategy. However, gaps remain, such as the lack of dedicated disaster risk management units in the four local municipalities, poor coordination among stakeholders, and limited budget allocations.

      Prioritizing What Matters

    “This workshop marks a step toward ensuring local governments like Alfred Nzo lead from the front in risk-informed development,” said Ms. Isabel Njihia, Programme Management Officer at UNDRR. “The Scorecard is not a performance audit but a practical guide for identifying priority actions and aligning local efforts with global resilience targets.” Understanding local risk in Alfred Nzo, including flood patterns, wildfire zones, and snowstorm vulnerabilities, was emphasized as critical to developing relevant solutions. Emphasis was placed on community engagement, indigenous knowledge, and local leadership as pillars of sustainable DRR strategies.

    “We cannot stop the floods or droughts from coming, but we can ensure our communities are prepared, our infrastructure is resilient, and our response systems are ready before disaster strikes,” Mduduzi Mkhalane, Deputy Director Health Programmes

    Building a Blueprint for Resilience

    By the final day, the officials moved from diagnosis to creating a draft DRR Action Plan rooted in local risks and realities. This plan promotes a phased, multi-sectoral approach, with clear indicators for progress and defined roles across departments. Some key priorities for action include establishing dedicated DRM units in all local municipalities, conducting multi-hazard infrastructure audits and mainstreaming DRM into urban design and development and developing a Post-Disaster Recovery Framework.

    Toward a Resilient Future

    What emerged from the Alfred Nzo workshop was more than a plan – it was a shared commitment. Local leaders recognized that resilience is a continuous process, requiring learning, investment, and inclusive governance. The plan calls for the engagement of NGOs, private sector actors, traditional leaders, and marginalized groups, affirming the principle of leaving no one behind, embedded in both the Sendai Framework and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. The Alfred Nzo District Municipality now has a draft roadmap, built on evidence, collaboration, and global best practice. With the guidance of UNDRR and the support of GIZ’s Resilience Initiative Africa, the next phase will be crucial: finalizing, endorsing, and implementing the DRR Action Plan with appropriate institutional backing and funding. Continued intersectoral cooperation, community awareness, and adequate funding will be vital. This journey is just beginning, but one thing is clear: in Alfred Nzo, the principles of the Sendai Framework are not just ideals – they are being translated into action.

    Explore the Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative at mcr2030.undrr.org.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA’s MAVEN Makes First Observation of Atmospheric Sputtering at Mars

    Source: NASA

    After a decade of searching, NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere Volatile Evolution) mission has, for the first time, reported a direct observation of an elusive atmospheric escape process called sputtering that could help answer longstanding questions about the history of water loss on Mars.

    [embedded content]

    Scientists have known for a long time, through an abundance of evidence, that water was present on Mars’ surface billions of years ago, but are still asking the crucial question, “Where did the water go and why?”
    Early on in Mars’ history, the atmosphere of the Red Planet lost its magnetic field, and its atmosphere became directly exposed to the solar wind and solar storms. As the atmosphere began to erode, liquid water was no longer stable on the surface, so much of it escaped to space. But how did this once thick atmosphere get stripped away? Sputtering could explain it.
    Sputtering is an atmospheric escape process in which atoms are knocked out of the atmosphere by energetic charge particles.
    “It’s like doing a cannonball in a pool,” said Shannon Curry, principal investigator of MAVEN at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder and lead author of the study. “The cannonball, in this case, is the heavy ions crashing into the atmosphere really fast and splashing neutral atoms and molecules out.”
    While scientists had previously found traces of evidence that this process was happening, they had never observed the process directly. The previous evidence came from looking at lighter and heavier isotopes of argon in the upper atmosphere of Mars. Lighter isotopes sit higher in the atmosphere than their heavier counterparts, and it was found that there were far fewer lighter isotopes than heavy argon isotopes in the Martian atmosphere. These lighter isotopes can only be removed by sputtering.
    “It is like we found the ashes from a campfire,” said Curry. “But we wanted to see the actual fire, in this case sputtering, directly.”
    To observe sputtering, the team needed simultaneous measurements in the right place at the right time from three instruments aboard the MAVEN spacecraft: the Solar Wind Ion Analyzer, the Magnetometer, and the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer. Additionally, the team needed measurements across the dayside and the nightside of the planet at low altitudes, which takes years to observe.
    The combination of data from these instruments allowed scientists to make a new kind of map of sputtered argon in relation to the solar wind. This map revealed the presence of argon at high altitudes in the exact locations that the energetic particles crashed into the atmosphere and splashed out argon, showing sputtering in real time. The researchers also found that this process is happening at a rate four times higher than previously predicted and that this rate increases during solar storms.
    The direct observation of sputtering confirms that the process was a primary source of atmospheric loss in Mars’ early history when the Sun’s activity was much stronger.
    “These results establish sputtering’s role in the loss of Mars’ atmosphere and in determining the history of water on Mars,” said Curry.
    The finding, published this week in Science Advances, is critical to scientists’ understanding of the conditions that allowed liquid water to exist on the Martian surface, and the implications that it has for habitability billions of years ago.
    The MAVEN mission is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program portfolio. MAVEN’s principal investigator is based at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder, which is also responsible for managing science operations and public outreach and communications. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the MAVEN mission. Lockheed Martin Space built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California provides navigation and Deep Space Network support.

    By Willow ReedLaboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado Boulder
    Media Contacts: 
    Nancy N. JonesNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
    Karen Fox / Molly WasserHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1600karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov
    karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DHS Secretary Noem Doubles Down and Escalates Action Against Harvard for their Continued Antisemitic Behavior, Fostering Violence, and CCP Coordination

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: DHS Secretary Noem Doubles Down and Escalates Action Against Harvard for their Continued Antisemitic Behavior, Fostering Violence, and CCP Coordination

    lass=”text-align-center”>The Trump Administration will be relentless in its efforts to end Harvard’s abuse of the American taxpayer and national security interests
    The United States Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem continued to hold Harvard University accountable for failing to comply with Student Exchange Visa Program (SEVP) regulations, for encouraging and allowing antisemitic and anti-American violence to rage on its campus, and for coordinating with Chinese Communist Party officials on training that undermined American national security

    Following a letter from Harvard officials indicating an “intent” to now comply with SEVP, Secretary Noem held firm and reminded the once respected institution, which has disgraced American values, it still has a long way to comply with requirements of the program and be trusted with U

    S

    taxpayer dollars
    “Harvard’s refusal to comply with SEVP oversight was the latest evidence that it disdains the American people and takes for granted U

    S

    taxpayer benefits,” said Secretary Kristi Noem

    “Following our letter to Harvard, the school attempted to claim it now wishes to comply with SEVP standards

    We continue to reject Harvard’s repeated pattern of endangering its students and spreading American hate—it must change its ways in order to participate in American programs

    ” 
    The Department will continue to engage in good faith with Harvard and looks forward to the University’s full compliance with its requests

    Full text of the notice is available here

    # # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Walmart Family Mobile introduces most affordable plans yet with new features to support families during economic challenges

    Source: Verizon

    Headline: Walmart Family Mobile introduces most affordable plans yet with new features to support families during economic challenges

    NEW YORK – Walmart Family Mobile, a leading prepaid brand powered by Verizon’s award-winning network and available exclusively at Walmart, is proud to introduce its most affordable plans yet, designed to help families stay connected without compromising their budget. With inflation continuing to impact household finances across the country, Walmart Family Mobile helps families save money during times of financial uncertainty.

    New Plans and Features:

    • New $19.88 Plan: Introducing a more affordable entry-level option with 4GB of data, making it easier for families to choose the right plan for their needs–with family plans starting as low as $19.88/month per line. 
    • New $34.88 Plan: A high-value option with 20 GB of high-speed data, giving customers plenty of data to stay connected while staying on budget.
    • Enhanced $24.88/8GB Plan: Offering more data at a competitive price, providing better value for money. 
    • Improved Family Line Pricing: Reduced the price to add a line from $24.88 to $19.88 for customers adding a line on the new plans. Available to new and existing customers.
    • Introducing Family Mobile Peace of Mind For All Plans: Helping families in tough times to stay connected, with up to six (6) times per year of unlimited talk and incoming text messages for just $1/mo plus taxes and fees.
    • Employee Discount: Walmart employees get 33% off all Walmart Family Mobile plans, starting as low as $13.32/month per line.

    Lifeline Value for Families in Need

    Walmart Family Mobile’s Lifeline discount program lowers monthly phone service costs for eligible low-income customers, providing critical and affordable mobile connectivity for families in need. Qualified customers can access plans for as low as $5.88/month in California and $9.88/month in other states, helping ease financial burdens without sacrificing connectivity they can rely on. To further support enrollment and outreach, Walmart Family Mobile will also award grants to community partners to help eligible customers enroll in Lifeline.

    Family Mobile Peace of Mind

    When unexpected challenges arise, Family Mobile Peace of Mind is there to keep families connected to what matters most. The Family Mobile Peace of Mind feature provides up to six months of unlimited talk and incoming text messages for $1/month plus taxes and fees, helping customers stay in touch with loved ones and employers in case of emergency. This feature is available for all customers who have been with Walmart Family Mobile for 90 days or longer.

    “Walmart Family Mobile’s new plans and features underscore our unwavering commitment to supporting families through economic hardships,” said Nancy Clark, President of Verizon Value Brands. “In these challenging times, connectivity is not just a convenience—it’s a necessity. Through these offers and partnerships, we want to make a tangible difference in the lives of those who need it most by providing affordable and reliable mobile services.”

    United Way Worldwide and Goodwill Industries International Partnerships

    As part of the brand’s commitment to supporting families, Walmart Family Mobile is also partnering with United Way Worldwide and Goodwill Industries International (GII) to provide resources that connect families to basic needs.

    Walmart Family Mobile will be supporting United Way’s work with 211, a free, 24/7 service that connects individuals to critical local resources, such as Lifeline, with professional Community Resource Specialists handling over 42,000 calls daily in more than 180 languages.

    The brand is also working with GII at both the national and local level:

    • As a keynote sponsor of Goodwill’s Mission Optimization Learning Event, Walmart Family Mobile will equip event attendees with training and resources to benefit over 2,500 Career Navigators across the Goodwill network.
    • Walmart Family Mobile will also provide dedicated funding and support to local Goodwill organizations who serve Atlanta and Los Angeles.
    • To celebrate these new partnerships and reinforce the brand’s commitment to ensuring working families can stay connected, Walmart Family Mobile will also identify two families within the Goodwill network in need of a lifeline and provide them with new devices and 12 months of service at no cost.

    Walmart Family Mobile remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting families through economic challenges by offering affordable and reliable mobile services, because staying connected shouldn’t come at a high cost, especially when it matters most. For more information on Walmart Family Mobile, visit www.myfamilymobile.com.

    About Walmart Family Mobile 

    Walmart Family Mobile provides quality no-contract wireless solutions to value-conscious consumers and is available exclusively at Walmart and Walmart.com. Walmart Family Mobile is part of the Verizon Value portfolio of prepaid brands, which includes Total Wireless, Visible, Tracfone, Simple Mobile, SafeLink, Straight Talk, and Verizon Prepaid. 

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Schrier Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Support Washington Farmers

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) introduced bipartisan legislation to permanently fix the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) and provide crucial support for Washington farmers and growers. Representatives Rick Larsen (WA-02), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), and John Moolenaar (MI-02) joined Congresswoman Schrier in introducing this bill. 

    “Washington farmers work tirelessly to provide our state and the entire world with high-quality produce. At a time when changes in the climate, input costs, tariffs, and the economy have taken their toll on Washington agriculture, we must ensure that farmers have the scientific research and expertise they need to feed the world,” said Congresswoman Schrier. “This bill will allow Washington State University and other agricultural research institutions access to federal specialty crop research funding without the sometimes impossible hurdle of matching federal funding dollar for dollar. Federal support should make it as easy as possible to pursue scientific endeavors, including research that will sustain our food system and family farms.”

    The SCRI finances research projects that directly benefit Washington farmers. SCRI has funded projects to combat fungicide resistance in wine grapes, prevent pestilence in onions, and improve precision irrigation for fruit growers. Before 2019, the Secretary of Agriculture was able to waive SCRI’s matching funds requirement when it was prohibitively expensive for research institutions, but the 2018 Farm Bill eliminated this authority.

    Congresswoman Schrier’s bill permanently fixes this issue by once again allowing the Secretary of Agriculture to waive the matching requirement. Representative Schrier has long been focused on this issue, having previously introduced similar legislation in past Congresses, and currently leads a bipartisan funding letter to fix this problem on a temporary basis in annual appropriations legislation. 

    “In Northwest Washington, the Specialty Crop Research Initiative empowers farmers to foster innovation and feed the world,” said Congressman Larsen. “Research into berries, spinach, cabbage seed and other specialty crops is a critical part of our region’s economy and character.”

    “Specialty crops are the backbone of the agriculture industry in Central Washington, and our local research institutions play a key role in innovating industry practices,” said Congressman Newhouse. “Ensuring the Specialty Crop Research Initiative is equal access by waiving the matching funds requirement allows our research institutions to equally compete for funding and support a stronger, smarter specialty crop industry. I thank my colleagues for joining this effort as we work to ensure research institutions are equipped to meet the challenges facing the industry.”  

    “Farmers in Michigan’s Second District grow some of the most diverse specialty crops in the nation. Unfortunately, provisions left out of the last Farm Bill put specialty crop farmers at a disadvantage, limiting the availability of critical research to improve irrigation, and protect their harvests,” said Congressman Moolenaar. “Investing in the Specialty Crop Research Initiative is a commonsense, bipartisan proposal to ensure our farmers can continue to grow the apples, cherries, asparagus, and blueberries families enjoy every day.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Minority Leader Harold Jones II Appointed Chairman of Senate Study Committee on Improving Family Caregiver Services

    Source: US State of Georgia

    ATLANTA (May 29, 2025) — Last week, Lt. Governor Burt Jones appointed Minority Leader, Sen. Harold Jones II (D–Augusta), as Chairman of the Senate Study Committee on Improving Family Caregiver Services.

    “I want to thank Lt. Governor Burt Jones for appointing me Chair of the Senate Study Committee on Improving Family Caregiver Services,” said Sen. Jones. “This issue is critically important to families across Georgia. Every day, people across our state bring a loved one home from the hospital and instantly find themselves in the role of a health care provider, often without the training or support they need. Our goal with this committee is to determine how the State can better assist families as they care for their loved ones at home. I look forward to hearing directly from people across Georgia as we work to address this pressing issue.”

    The Senate Study Committee on Improving Family Caregiver Services is tasked with determining policy goals and identifying legislative action to improve family caregiving. Additional Senate members appointed to the committee include Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R–Rome), Sen. Larry Walker III (R–Perry), Sen. Ben Watson (R–Savannah) and Sen. Kenya Wicks (D–Fayette).

    More information about Senate Study Committees can be found here.

    # # # #

    Sen. Harold V. Jones II serves as the Democratic Leader. He represents the 22nd Senate District, which includes portions of Richmond County. He may be reached at 404.656.0036 or via email at harold.jones@senate.ga.gov.

    For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Surge of ICE agreements with local police aim to increase deportations, but many police forces have found they undermine public safety

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By W. Carsten Andresen, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, St. Edward’s University

    A Kinney County sheriff’s deputy arrests an undocumented immigrant who was pulled over in March 2023 in Brackettville, Texas. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    During his first few months in office, President Donald Trump has been establishing a framework for deporting undocumented immigrants en masse. It’s something he has previously vowed will be “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.”

    Part of that operation includes what’s known as the federal 287(g) program. Established in 1996, it allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose work is normally carried out by federal officials, to train state and local authorities to function as federal immigration officers.

    Under 287(g), for example, local police officers can interview people to determine their immigration status. They can also issue immigration detainers to jail people until agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement take custody.

    “Illegal immigration has wide-ranging consequences, including a troubling surge of dangerous drugs into our state,” T.K. Waters, sheriff of Jacksonville, Florida, said in a February 2025 statement to explain his office’s participation in 287(g). “We remain committed to partnering with President Trump’s administration and our federal counterparts to secure our borders, protect Floridians, and establish a framework for the rest of the nation to follow.”

    Local police authorities across the country – from Jackson County, Texas, to Frederick County, Maryland – are participating in 287(g) for similar reasons.

    Since Trump began his second term in January, ICE has increased 287(g) agreements from 135 in 25 states in December 2024 to 628 in 40 states as of May 28, 2025.

    As a criminal justice scholar, I believe the surge of 287(g) agreements sets a dangerous precedent for local policing, where forging relationships and building the trust of immigrants is a proven and effective tactic in combating crime. In my view, the expansion of 287(g) will erode that trust and makes entire communities – not just immigrants – less safe.

    Past federal-local cooperation

    There is a long history of federal authorities collaborating with local police to enforce immigration laws.

    During the Great Depression, federal officials blamed Latinos for taking American jobs, and local agencies helped them deport up to 1.8 million people to Mexico. It’s estimated that 60% of those deported were U.S. citizens.

    In the early 1930s, local police participated in immigration raids in California and other states. As author Adam Goodman details in his book “The Deportation Machine,” state and local government agencies, including social workers, welfare agencies and police, acted as “de facto immigration agents.”

    Trump’s mass deportation plan mirrors President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1954 federal immigration initiative, which resulted in 1.3 million deportations.

    As author Natalia Molina notes in her book “How Race is Made in America,” local police often served as “immigration cops” in Eisenhower’s program because the federal government “did not have enough agents to cover such a large territory” as the U.S.

    During his two terms, President Barack Obama deported over 5 million people and used the 287(g) program to help him do that, primarily to target jailed or recently arrived undocumented people. Obama’s use of 287(g) peaked at 76 agreements during his first term but dropped to 35 during his second term.

    A Justice Department investigation launched in 2008 found the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona engaged in unconstitutional law enforcement actions against Latinos. The Justice Department found that the sheriff’s office engaged in a pattern of “unlawful seizures, including unjustified stops, detentions, and arrests, of Latinos in violation of the Fourth Amendment.”

    Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio looks on as inmates are moved in Phoenix, Ariz., in April 2009.
    Joshua Lott/Getty Images

    Power of local policing

    Forty states have adopted 287(g) agreements as of May 2025.

    This could have effects outside of the immigration laws.

    In the past 45 years, many law enforcement professionals in urban areas have highlighted the importance of forging relationships and building trust with immigrant communities. That’s because the police depend on the participation of all citizens to prevent crime and solve criminal investigations.

    But police departments across the U.S. have found that 287(g) partnerships erode that trust.

    In 1979, Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates created Special Order 40 that prohibited local officers from enforcing immigration laws in response to community complaints alleging discrimination against Latinos. Gates issued the order “to encourage immigrants to cooperate with police and build community trust.”

    Other large police departments followed. In places such as Chicago and San Francisco, they shifted focus from helping federal immigration officials to prioritizing community relationships.

    William Bratton, who led six police departments, including in Boston, Los Angeles and New York, criticized 287(g) in a 2009 op-ed. He said that deputizing local officers to enforce immigration laws immediately “undermines their core public safety mission.”

    Conservative police scholar George Kelling, co-author of the broken windows theory, which presumes that visible signs of disorder can lead to crime, also expressed support for local police agencies prioritizing their community relationships.

    In a 1999 study, Kelling highlighted a San Diego police memo announcing its refusal to enforce federal immigration laws. The San Diego Police Department, he wrote, “thought through its values, mission, and functions and elaborated a policy that put public safety and harmony above aggressive attempts to ferret out undocumented aliens.”

    During Trump’s first administration, some police chiefs echoed Bratton and Kelling. They warned that employing local officers to enforce immigration measures could spark fear and damage public safety.

    Former Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole stated in 2016 that Seattle police officers were prohibited from “inquiring about a person’s immigration status.”

    And former Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn announced in 2016 that his department does not enforce immigration law.

    He added, “It is our opinion, our strongly held belief that our responsibility is to protect the residents of our city. To protect them, they must trust us, they must be willing to report crimes, they must be willing to be witnesses.”

    A Cameron County sheriff’s officer puts handcuffs on a suspected undocumented immigrant detained during a traffic stop in South Texas.
    Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images

    Consequences of 287(g)

    President Trump has frequently linked immigrants with higher crime rates, calling them murderers and rapists.

    But multiple studies have found that undocumented people commit fewer crimes than U.S. citizens.

    Although the Trump administration is expanding the use of local police in immigration enforcement, research casts doubt on using mass deportation as a crime reduction strategy.

    A 2018 study on 287(g) from the libertarian Cato Institute found no evidence that ICE-led partnerships with local police decreased crime rates.

    And a 2014 study on the Secure Communities Program, which calls for local police agencies to share arrestee information with federal immigration officials, found that this program has “no discernible impact” on crime in medium and large municipalities.

    The Trump administration’s expansion of 287(g) ignores the shift that some big city police departments have made away from immigration enforcement in favor of community policing. And I believe it threatens to undermine the relationship between local police and the increasingly diverse communities they serve.

    W. Carsten Andresen was employed in the past (2000-2003) at The Police Institute, a Rutger’s University Think Tank run by George L. Kelling.

    – ref. Surge of ICE agreements with local police aim to increase deportations, but many police forces have found they undermine public safety – https://theconversation.com/surge-of-ice-agreements-with-local-police-aim-to-increase-deportations-but-many-police-forces-have-found-they-undermine-public-safety-255937

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Lawler, Riley Introduce Bill to Support Veterans Exposed to PFAS

    Source: US Congressman Mike Lawler (R, NY-17)

    Washington, D.C. – 5/29/25… Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) and Congressman Josh Riley (NY-19) introduced the VET PFAS Act today, bipartisan legislation that ensures veterans and their families exposed to toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at military installations receive the health care and disability benefits they have earned through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

    The VET PFAS Act will:

    • Designate PFAS exposure as a service-connected condition for affected veterans;

    • Require the VA to provide health care and benefits for medical conditions associated with PFAS exposure;

    • Ensure military families have access to the care and support they need.

    “Our veterans have sacrificed so much in defense of our freedoms. We must honor that sacrifice with concrete action to support them once they’ve come home,” said Congressman Lawler, a member of the Bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force. “Too many of our brave veterans were stationed at military facilities where they were unknowingly exposed to toxic PFAS chemicals. The VET PFAS Act will deliver long-overdue care to those who have already given this nation so much.”

    “In Upstate New York’s 19th District, we have over 30,000 veterans who answered the call to serve our nation, and we owe them more than just our thanks; we owe them the care they need,” said Congressman Josh Riley. “The VET PFAS Act is about stepping up and ensuring these servicemembers and veterans finally get the healthcare and benefits they’ve earned, without further delay.”

    Studies have linked PFAS exposure to serious health risks, including cancer, liver and kidney disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, thyroid disorders, and other chronic conditions. With PFAS contamination documented at more than 700 military bases across the globe, the burden falls disproportionately on veterans and their families.

    Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs.

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    Full text of the bill can be found HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: As GOP Tries to Gut Medicaid and Attack Reproductive Healthcare, Pressley Reintroduces Bill Affirming Equitable Access to Reproductive Healthcare for People with Disabilities

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    Resolution Designates “Disability Reproductive Equity Day” in May, Calls for Disability and Reproductive Justice Amid Trump’s Attacks on Healthcare

    This Month, Pressley Delivered Keynote at Center for American Progress’ Reproductive Equity Summit

    Resolution Text

    WASHINGTON – Today, as Republicans advance deep cuts to Medicaid and continued attacks on reproductive healthcare, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), in partnership with disability justice and reproductive justice advocates, reintroduced a resolution demanding equitable access to reproductive and sexual healthcare for people with disabilities, and designating a day in May as “Disability Reproductive Equity Day.”

    With Donald Trump and Republicans attempting to rip away healthcare for millions through cuts to Medicaid – which would be devastating for people with disabilities – the Disability Reproductive Equity Day resolution presents an affirmative vision for healthcare equity and demands increased access to reproductive and sexual healthcare for those with disabilities.

    The resolution enumerates the unique, discriminatory barriers that people with disabilities face in accessing critical reproductive and sexual healthcare, and calls for equitable access to healthcare and the right to reproductive and sexual health, autonomy, and freedom.

    “Bodily autonomy should be a fundamental right. The paths to true reproductive justice and disability justice are inextricably linked, and together we are pressing for the reproductive and sexual healthcare needs of people with disabilities,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley. “While Donald Trump and Republicans push their Big, Ugly Bill that would strip healthcare from people with disabilities and those seeking reproductive healthcare, we are fighting back and recommitting ourselves to disability justice, to healthcare equity, and to reproductive freedom. I am proud to reintroduce the Disability Reproductive Equity Day resolution with disability justice and reproductive justice partners to demand a more just America.”

    The Disability Reproductive Equity Day resolution is endorsed by: National Partnership for Women & Families, Disability Culture Lab, American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), New Disabled South, U.S. Gender and Disability Justice Alliance, The Reproductive Justice Collective at the Center for Racial and Disability Justice (CRDJ), Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network, Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the National Women’s Law Center, and the National Health Law Program.

    “Self-determination and bodily autonomy are core values of both the reproductive rights and disability rights movements, yet for too long, the discrimination and systemic barriers disabled people face when seeking sexual and reproductive health care have been ignored. People with disabilities have continually been denied the right of deciding if, when and how to start their families,” said Rolonda Donelson, Huber Reproductive Health Equity Legal Fellow for the National Partnership for Women & Families.

    “The National Partnership for Women & Families is proud to endorse the resolution to support the second-ever Disability Reproductive Equity Day, and we’re grateful to Rep. Ayanna Pressley for continuing the fight for the reproductive health care and rights of disabled people.”

    “Disability reproductive equity isn’t a niche issue; it’s a fundamental matter of human rights and public health. Disabled folks must be able to make informed choices about our bodies,” said Keidra Chaney, Program Director at Disability Culture Lab. “We need access to comprehensive reproductive health care without barriers, and to be able to parent without fear of discrimination or state interference. The current rise in eugenic laws that make even these basic rights impossible are an attack on disabled lives and reproductive rights. Disability justice and reproductive justice are one fight: we demand policies that prioritize our lives, freedom, access, and bodily autonomy.”

    “For disabled people, as for all people, access to comprehensive and quality sexual and reproductive healthcare is essential for their autonomy, their health and well-being, and their capacity for self-determination. No lawmaker or politician should be able to substitute their personal opinion for medical facts or treatments,” said the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). “AAPD thanks Rep. Pressley for her leadership and joins her in calling on Congress to recognize Disability Reproductive Equity Day and to work to ensure that all people have the right to make the decisions that are best for them and their families.”

    “New Disabled South and New Disabled South Rising endorse the reintroduction of the resolution designating a day in May as Disability Reproductive Equity Day. Disabled people deserve reproductive health equity just like nondisabled people. Disability justice includes reproductive justice and reproductive justice must include disabled people along with all of their reproductive and sexual health needs. Disabled people should have full bodily autonomy and access to equitable reproductive healthcare. We call upon lawmakers to not only acknowledge the historic reproductive wrongs committed against disabled people in the name of eugenics, but to ensure that disabled people have access to the full range of reproductive healthcare services.”

    “The US Gender & Disability Justice Alliance strongly supports the designation of Disability Reproductive Equity Day. Disabled people are whole people, with the right and the capacity to live full, self-determined lives that include love, family, pleasure, and parenting. Our bodies and choices have long been targeted by policies rooted in ableism, eugenics, and control. We call on Congress to recognize that disability is not a limitation of worth, but a powerful part of human diversity, and to honor our right to access reproductive and sexual health care with dignity and respect.”

    “The Reproductive Justice Collective at the Center for Racial and Disability Justice (CRDJ) recognizes the critical importance of affirming reproductive autonomy, equity, and justice for disabled individuals, particularly in the context of historic and ongoing reproductive oppressions rooted in ableism, racism, and structural inequality. Our research, policy briefs, and Reproductive Justice Toolkit emphasize the urgent need to dismantle systemic barriers to reproductive health, which disproportionately impact disabled people of color, including: coerced sterilization, restricted parental rights, inaccessible reproductive health care, inadequate sexual education, increased surveillance and criminalization. The national designation of Disability Reproductive Equity Day is an essential step towards acknowledging and addressing these inequities, and it aligns deeply with our commitment to intersectional, community-led strategies that uplift dignity, autonomy, and justice for all disabled people.”

    “The Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network applauds the introduction of Disability Reproductive Equity Day. Autistic children become autistic adults and deserve the same rights to bodily, sexual, and reproductive freedom as anyone else. We urge lawmakers to recognize and honor our ability to make decisions for ourselves–especially these most personal and private decisions. Autistic people and all people with disabilities deserve the dignity and respect to make our own decisions, especially regarding sexual and reproductive health.”

    “Reproductive equity cannot exist without disability justice. Disabled people—especially those who are multiply marginalized—have long been excluded from conversations about reproductive health, rights, and autonomy. We applaud Representative Pressley’s leadership in recognizing that the reproductive freedom of disabled people is essential to a just and equitable future,” said Dr. Monika Mitra, Director, Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, Brandeis University.

    “People living with disabilities deserve inclusive, respectful, accessible care, including sexual and reproductive health care, but right now House Republicans are trying to gut Medicaid, threatening access to life-saving care. People with disabilities — especially those who are Black, Latino, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, or have low incomes — already face significant barriers to reproductive care, which are exacerbated by abortion and gender-affirming care bans and other restrictions.  In the face of these attacks, we thank Rep. Ayanna Pressley for reintroducing the vital Disability Reproductive Equity Act. Reproductive rights and disability rights are inextricably linked. Everyone deserves the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies, lives, and futures,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

    “We proudly support the resolution recognizing Disability Reproductive Equity Day. Today, disabled people are facing urgent threats to our access to sexual and reproductive health care, from a reconciliation bill that could kick millions of disabled people off of Medicaid to this administration’s ongoing attacks on reproductive rights. That makes it even more critical than ever that we reaffirm our vision: a future where disabled people are empowered to make decisions about our reproductive rights and care and live with dignity and self-determination,” said Ma’ayan Anafi, senior counsel for health equity and justice at the National Women’s Law Center. “This resolution celebrates disabled people and uplifts their leadership in the movement towards reproductive freedom. We thank Rep. Pressley for her continued commitment to advancing equity and justice for all.”

    “For too long, the United States has denied people with disabilities equitable access to affordable and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, subjecting us to coverage gaps, discrimination, coercion, and violence. Proposed Medicaid cuts such as work requirements in the reconciliation bill, as well as ongoing attacks on the Affordable Care Act’s preventive services mandate and health care nondiscrimination protections, threaten to intensify structural barriers. The National Health Law Program is grateful to Representative Pressley for her commitment to safeguarding current rights and forging a future in which all people with disabilities have access to high-quality sexual and reproductive health care.”

    A copy of the resolution text can be found here.

    Earlier this month, at the Center for American Progress’ Disability Reproductive Equity Summit, Rep. Pressley spoke of the importance of intersectional policymaking and affirming disability rights and reproductive rights as the human rights that they are.

    Rep. Pressley has been a longtime advocate the disability community and has championed policies that promote disability justice. In addition to being an original co-lead of the Disability Reproductive Equity Day resolution, Rep. Pressley is a co-lead of the Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act, legislation that would eliminate barriers and strengthen access to reproductive health care for people with disabilities.

    Rep. Pressley has also been an outspoken critic of Republican’s harmful budget reconciliation bill, which would make harmful cuts to Medicaid and threaten the reproductive healthcare access for millions in America, including those with disabilities.

    • On May 6, 2025, Rep. Pressley joined the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress in kicking off their Disability Reproductive Equity Summit to develop an agenda for disability reproductive justice.
    • On August 14, 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement applauding Biden-Harris Administration for finalizing its proposed rule to improve access to medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) for people with disabilities. The DOJ’s final rule followed an April letter by Rep. Pressley and 11 of her colleagues urging it to strengthen and finalize its proposed rule, and underscoring the need for health care facilities to have functional and accessible MDE for people with disabilities.
    • On May 23, 2024, Rep. Pressley held a press conference alongside colleagues and reproductive justice and disability justice advocates to unveil the Disability Reproductive Equity Day Resolution.
    • On May 2, 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement applauding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) finalized rule that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. 
    • On April 4, Rep. Pressley led her colleagues in urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to strengthen and quickly finalize its proposed rule to improve access to medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) for people with disabilities.
    • On December 12, 2023, Rep. Pressley wrote to the Biden-Harris Administration seeking data on the housing needs for aging adults, people with disabilities, and Medicaid beneficiaries.
    • On September 29, 2022, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Cori Bush introduced the Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act, legislation that would eliminate barriers and strengthen access to reproductive health care for people with disabilities.
    • On June 25, 2022, Rep. Pressley applauded the passage of H.R. 2543, which included several key amendments championed by Rep. Pressley to advance disability and economic justice.
    • On May 24, 2022, in a House Financial Services subcommittee hearing, Rep. Pressley discussed the crisis of Long COVID as a disability justice issue and outlined how the status quo has relegated disabled Americans—including those with Long COVID—to a second-class standard of living.
    • On April 14, 2020, Rep. Pressley urged Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker to rescind the Crisis of Care standards that have disproportionately harmed communities of color and the disability community in Massachusetts.
    • On March 29, 2022, in a historic committee hearing on Medicare for All, Rep. Pressley highlighted Medicare For All as a disability justice issue and questioned Ady Barkan, founder of Be A Hero and leading advocate for Medicare for All, about how tying health coverage to employment perpetuates deep inequities for people with disabilities.
    • On February 25, 2021, Rep. Pressley, Rep. Katie Porter, and their colleagues introduced the Mental Health Justice Act to reduce violence against individuals with mental illness and disabilities.
    • On March 30, 2021, she led her colleagues on a letter with 107 of their colleagues to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris calling for an historic investment of $450 billion in home- and community-based services (HCBS) in the Build Back Better infrastructure package.
    • On September 18, 2022, Rep. Pressley, Dr. Subini Ancy Annamma, and Villissa Thompson published an op-ed in Teen Vogue in which they called for an end to the policies and systemic injustice that result in the overcriminalization of Black girls with disabilities in schools.
    • On July 29, 2020, Rep. Pressley, Rep. Ilhan Omar, and Senators Chris Murphy and Elizabeth Warren unveiled the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act to end the over-policing of K-12 schools and stop the criminalization of students, including those with disabilities.
    • In early 2020, she worked with advocates to challenge Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s crisis standards of care and release updated guidelines with input from the disability community.
    • On October 11, 2019, Rep. Pressley and her colleagues introduced the Improving Access to Higher Education Act to help improve college access and completion for students with disabilities.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kugler, Opening Remarks

    Source: US State of New York Federal Reserve

    Thank you, Olesya, and thank you for the invitation to speak to you today. It is such a pleasure to contribute to this conference.
    Our profession has increasingly recognized, especially after the Global Financial Crisis, that research in the interdisciplinary topics between macroeconomics and finance is indispensable both for monetary policy and for promoting financial stability. As a researcher myself, and having spent many years in academia, I place great value on the social contribution of research and its potential to improve policymaking.
    I want to express my appreciation for your efforts in using macro-financial data and theoretical models to enlighten us on several critical issues. For instance, let me cite a few topics of the conference that shed light on important issues:

    The work on the transmission of monetary policy to both households and firms provides insights into how policy decisions ripple through the economy, a topic I recently addressed in a speech at the University of Minnesota. In this speech, I discussed my approach to monitoring monetary policy transmission and highlighted some of its key elements, such as the long and variable lags associated with policy effects.
    The exploration of the neutral rate of interest—that which neither slows nor stimulates economic activity—provides another angle to this important concept. This is a topic I have addressed in previous remarks, and I am especially interested in the potential factors that can affect the neutral rate.
    The work on how and why financial conditions faced by firms and households change with data releases and underlying macroeconomic conditions also enhances our grasp of the complex interplay between economic indicators and real-world financial experiences.
    The research on the functioning of the Treasury securities market and how it is affected by regulatory constraints sheds light on a crucial aspect of our financial system.

    I commend you for pushing ahead with a research agenda that furthers our understanding of topics so relevant to our monetary policymaking.
    In the spirit of stimulating your research appetite, I’d like to mention some topics that have captured my attention recently. These represent emerging challenges and opportunities in the field, and I believe they warrant further investigation.
    First, recently, I have been paying attention to the possible interaction between the financial vulnerabilities of firms and their exposure to trade. As global economic tensions rise and supply chains evolve, understanding how a company’s financial health intersects with its international trade exposure becomes increasingly crucial. This research could provide valuable insights for both policymakers and business leaders navigating an uncertain global economic landscape.
    Second, lately, I have been monitoring the financial stability implications of the potential lower desirability of U.S. financial assets in flight-to-safety events. Traditionally, U.S. assets have been seen as a safe haven during times of global economic uncertainty. One notable example of this was during the Global Financial Crisis. However, we recently saw instances in which the VIX went up, stock prices went down, long-term yields from U.S. Treasury securities went up, and the U.S. dollar depreciated against the currencies of advanced foreign economies (AFEs), with a notable role for the euro. Importantly, the historical relationships and the observed moves in the VIX and interest rates of AFEs would have been associated with a decrease in long-term yields from U.S. Treasury securities and an appreciation of the dollar. As the global economic landscape shifts, it is crucial to examine how possible changes in the role of U.S. financial assets as a safe haven might affect financial stability both domestically and internationally.
    Lastly, I have been keenly interested, for some time now, in how stresses in the commercial real estate (CRE) sector could potentially spill over to the rest of the U.S. economy. The CRE sector continues to face challenges from low vacancy rates and valuation losses, especially in urban centers for the office sector. Another challenge is that some banks, insurers, and securitization vehicles continued to have concentrated exposures to CRE. As we have seen in past crises, such as the Global Financial Crisis, vulnerabilities in specific sectors can have far-reaching consequences for the financial system. Understanding potential vulnerabilities and potential domino effects are vital for maintaining overall economic stability and crafting preemptive policies.
    These, I believe, represent some of the most pressing questions facing our field today. They offer rich opportunities for groundbreaking research that could significantly influence future policy decisions.
    In conclusion, I want to reiterate my gratitude for the vital work you are all doing. Your research not only advances our understanding, but it also provides a solid foundation for informed policymaking. As we navigate the complex interplay of macroeconomics and finance in an ever-changing global landscape, the importance of your work cannot be overstated.
    I encourage you to continue pushing the boundaries of our knowledge, to ask the difficult questions, and to pursue the answers with rigor and dedication. Your efforts today will shape the policies of tomorrow, influencing the economic well-being of millions.
    Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to the insightful discussions and presentations that will unfold during this conference.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Windsor — West Hants District RCMP charges a man with historical sexual offences

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    West Hants District RCMP has charged a man with historical sexual offences that occurred over a two-year period in Windsor.

    In November 2024, RCMP officers received a report of historical sexual assault involving a teacher, who taught at King’s-Edgehill School at the time of the offences, and a youth victim. Investigators learned that the offences occurred on and off school property and between the years 2000 and 2002.

    In January 2025, as a result of the investigation, Roderick Alexander MacDonald, 48, was served a summons in British Columbia to attend court in Nova Scotia.

    MacDonald, who lives in British Columbia, has been charged with Sexual Exploitation, Invitation to Sexual Touching and Sexual Assault. He’s scheduled to return in Windsor Provincial Court on June 2, at 1:30 p.m.

    There is no information to suggest there are additional victims and others have not come forward, however, the Nova Scotia RCMP encourages anyone who may be a survivor of sexual assault to contact their local RCMP detachment or police of jurisdiction. Survivors can discuss incidents with officers before deciding to participate in an investigation and court process. To offer an anonymous tip, contact Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips app.

    File #: 2024-1669687

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Travel with intention: Here’s a guide to ‘soft adventure’ experiences across Canada this summer

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Moira A. McDonald, Associate Professor, Director, School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Royal Roads University

    A growing number of Canadian travellers are embracing “soft adventure” travel. This trend blends a desire for active engagements in nature and educational and culturally relevant experiences with the chance to reset and relax.

    Low-risk outdoor activities such as wine tasting, canoeing, fishing, whale-watching and cycling are all examples of this growing trend. This shift reflects a “growing desire for peace of mind and rejuvenation” among Canadians in their travel experiences.

    A recent survey found 61 per cent of Canadians plan to focus on “soft travel” or “calm-cations” in 2025. While this trend spans all age groups, it’s particularly strong among Gen Z, with 81 per cent showing a preference for it.

    At the same time, many Canadians are searching for travel opportunities closer to home amid tensions between the two countries.

    In these times of global uncertainty, soft adventure tourism offers affordable options for Canadians and international visitors to explore and experience all that Canada has to offer. As tourism experts, we have some suggestions for destinations that provide travellers with a chance to pause, breathe and recharge.

    The West Coast

    Along the coast of Vancouver Island, orcas, humpback whales, sea lions, seals and porpoises draw visitors each summer. Tourism operators offer whale-watching tours all over the island, giving travellers a chance to experience its marine life firsthand. Just a day trip from Victoria, the Kinsol Trestle is a chance to walk or cycle through nature.

    For a closer look at the region’s wildlife, travellers can join sea kayaking tours in Port McNeill on Vancouver Island with Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures. Here, visitors might spot grizzly bears and they can hear stories from Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations guides and interpreters.

    British Columbia is home to more than 200 distinct Indigenous communities that offer tourism experiences ranging from pristine beaches to savouring cuisine in award-winning restaurants and more.

    On the mainland, Harrison Hot Springs, B.C. offers visitors the chance to relax in mineral hot springs for a nominal fee. Other soft adventure experiences include beach-front maintained trails for walking and hiking, as well as picnicking locations. Visitors can take the short drive to Rosedale, B.C., where a brief hike brings them to the base of Bridal Veil Falls Park.

    The Prairie provinces

    Alberta’s landscapes have served as the backdrop for many films and television series, including Brokeback Mountain, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us and The Revenant. For film tourism enthusiasts, the province offers no shortage of iconic film locations to explore. Some scenes of Game of Thrones’ final season were shot in Banff National Park.

    In Saskatchewan, Lake Diefenbaker is known for golfing, boating and walleye fishing. It’s the largest body of water in the southwest of the province, and it offers an opportunity to traverse a picturesque parkland while witnessing wildlife like elk, caribou, cougar and lynx.

    In Manitoba, Churchill offers sightings of both beluga whales and polar bears. Each summer, hundreds of belugas enter the Churchill River, and the town offers kayaking, boat tours and paddleboarding to see them.

    While you’re in Churchill, you can also see the northern lights up to 300 nights a year, along with numerous historic sites like the Prince of Wales Fort.

    Central Canada

    With 250,000 freshwater lakes, remote canyons, more than 1,200 canoe routes and 22 diveable historic shipwrecks, Ontario is filled with soft adventure travel opportunities. Travellers have countless ways to connect with nature and history in the province.

    In Tobermory, a harbour village on the province’s Bruce Peninsula, travellers can take guided tours to explore underwater shipwrecks, as well as visit the region’s distinctive “flowerpot” rock formations and natural grottos.

    A diver swims near the City of Cleveland shipwreck in Tobermory, Ont. The City of Cleveland was a 255 foot long wooden steamer that was built in Cleveland in 1882 and sunk in 1901 near Fitzwilliam island.
    (Shutterstock)

    Québec offers an experience that at times feels distinctly European. In Old Montréal and the Old Port, cobblestone streets and artisan vendors make it feel like you’re stepping into the past. Both locations are steeped in history and culinary excellence.

    Atlantic Canada

    In New Brunswick, Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park, nestled along the Bay of Fundy, offers guided tours for travellers. Visitors are encouraged to check the tidal wave schedule to see the rock formations known as sea stacks, which are caused by tidal erosion.

    Nova Scotia’s capital, Halifax, is a vibrant coastal city known for its lively nightlife and flourishing culinary scene. Across the harbour in Dartmouth-Cole Harbour, visitors can go bird watching or take part in a cycling adventure on the easy-to-moderate Salt Marsh Trail. A visit to Peggy’s Cove is a must.

    The province is also home to tourism initiatives that reflect the region’s diverse cultural heritage. Among these is Elevate and Explore Black Nova Scotia, which is designed to enrich the travel experience for Black people visiting or living in the province.

    Over on Prince Edward Island, visitors can explore Lucy Maud Montgomery’s birthplace, the author of beloved childhood classic Anne of Green Gables, in Cavendish. Nearby at the museum, visitors can reimagine Anne Shirley’s iconic adventures in a return to the magic of storytelling and place, before making their way to Greenwich Beach via the boardwalk through P.E.I.’s largest sand dunes.

    In Newfoundland and Labrador, Gros Morne National Park offers visitors views of “soaring fjords and moody mountains” alongside the chance to spot puffins in their natural habitat. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the park also provides opportunities for fishing.

    If closer to historical Gander, take a ferry excursion to Fogo Island, which offers bird watching and boat trips.

    The Northern Territories

    In the Yukon, travellers can engage with Indigenous tourism, arts and culture through experiences offered by the Yukon First Nation and Tourism Industry Association.

    Visitors to the Yukon can cool their feet in the cold mountain streams while trying their hand at gold panning in historic Dawson City. Once a hub of the 19th-century Klondike Gold Rush, it still features several preserved frontier-style buildings.

    In the Northwest Territories, travellers can witness the aurora borealis and take guided photography tours to see wildlife up close. Further east, Nunavut offers a range of adventure tourism opportunities, including sea kayaking, whitewater kayaking and canoeing.

    Together, these northern destinations offer travellers a chance to immerse themselves in the natural beauty, history and living cultures of Canada’s North while embracing the slower pace and meaningful experiences at the heart of soft adventure travel.

    The authors 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. Travel with intention: Here’s a guide to ‘soft adventure’ experiences across Canada this summer – https://theconversation.com/travel-with-intention-heres-a-guide-to-soft-adventure-experiences-across-canada-this-summer-257190

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s military parade: A ‘big big celebration’ or an authoritarian ritual?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Irene Gammel, Professor & Director, Modern Literature and Culture Research Centre and Gallery, Toronto Metropolitan University

    U.S. Army soldiers march along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. during U.S. President Donald Trump’s Inaugural Parade in January 2017. (Kalie Jones)

    Born on June 14, 1946, United States President Donald Trump turns 79 in 2025 — the same day that the U.S. Army, founded in 1775, marks its 250th anniversary. To mark the anniversary, Trump proclaimed that “we’re gonna have a big, big celebration.”

    Plans drawn up by the army call for 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles, 50 helicopters, seven military bands and thousands of civilians. The parade will also reportedly include 34 horses, two mules and a dog.

    Dismissed by many as a costly vanity project by some, the parade invites a deeper question: what kind of political work does a birthday celebration like this actually do?

    Far from trivial or benign, Trump’s spectacle draws on a long history of authoritarian leaders who use ritualized celebrations to bind personal power to national identity. The most notorious example, Adolf Hitler, turned his birthdays into massive national events with military parades, mass rallies and highly estheticized scenes of domestic cheer.

    These displays blurred dominance and intimacy, fatherliness and force — an approach revived today in the digital era, where curated imagery and social media entangle leadership with affective spectacle.

    Fascist birthday culture

    I was born and raised in Germany. I’m acutely aware that Hitler’s birthday still casts a shadow and that such dates continue to carry political weight, with the rituals involved doing long-term political work.

    During the Third Reich, the Führer’s birthday — modeLled on the Kaiser’s — became a mass propaganda event, blending public spectacle with personal attachment.

    As German philosopher Theodor Adorno noted, fascist rituals portrayed the authoritarian leader as both a “superman” and an ordinary, flawed “average person.” This duality encouraged intimate identification and awe, much like the dynamic between a patriarchal father and child.

    Trump echoes this dynamic through a mix of paternal posturing, hypermasculine bluster and expansive nationalism. Whereas Hitler relied on the latest photograph and film technology, today’s spectacles are amplified by digital media’s participatory culture.

    German leader Adolf Hitler reviewing a military parade held in celebration of his 47th birthday on April 20, 1936.
    (German Federal Archives), CC BY

    Neo-Nazi groups across North America and Europe still mark Hitler’s birthday with cakes, cookies, memes and tweets; often disarmingly “cute” images overlaid with disturbing swastikas and jokes. In his 2017 paper, sociologist Christian Fuchs shows that the most retweeted neo-Nazi post in his study was “Wake and bake #HitlersBirthday #420,” blending cannabis culture with fascist nostalgia to deflect horror through humour.

    The blurred boundaries between the national and the personal feed meme culture, where, as communications scholar Limor Shifman writes, “small units of culture” spread through imitation, often cloaked in play.

    Amid mounting pressure on various institutions in the U.S. — universities, courts and public discourse — the military/birthday parade is an extravaganza that fuses esthetics and propaganda to cement authority, suppress dissent and consolidate power.

    Power aesthetics of military pageantry

    By combining a military display with a personal celebration, Trump’s birthday parade stages a grand spectacle of power. Key here is the presence of thousands of soldiers in military uniform, which creates a “persona and a powerful collective presence,” as fashion scholar Jennifer Craik writes.

    Uniforms signal discipline and belonging, but also intimidate and threaten. Fashion writer Colin McDowell calls the uniform a “spectacle” steeped in associations with power and eroticism, a garment long linked to theatricality and role-playing.

    Nowhere was this more explicit than under European fascism and colonialism. Uniforms were engineered to seduce, often fetishized: streamlined silhouettes, tight jackets and black leather boots. As Craik notes, such imagery was not incidental; it was the visual grammar of domination. As sociologist Klaus Theweleit observes, fascist power had to be seen, desired and even fantasized.

    Trump’s parade is a show of force. Its sheer scale — bands, vehicles, helicopters — performs strength and legitimacy, marking who belongs and who does not. But the birthday celebration also turns attention back to the man himself, reminding us that authoritarianism is not only about intimidation but also about the persona of the autocrat.

    Parades staged for Adolf Hitler’s 50th birthday.

    Authoritarian scripts, then and now

    Autocratic regimes work hard to fashion the leader into a man of the people: familiar, relatable and someone to be admired. Think of Hitler in his motorcade, hands outstretched toward the crowd.

    My father, just 10 years old, was part of that spectacle at one of these parades on a mandatory school trip, lined up along the street. Yet as the motorcade neared, he was shoved aside in the crush. What stayed with him wasn’t Hitler — he never saw him — but the fanatical woman who pushed him to get closer.

    The point was the crowd itself, kept at a fever pitch with ever-new spectacles like Hitler’s 50th birthday on April 20, 1939, declared a national holiday. German Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels staged it as what historian Ian Kershaw called “an astonishing extravaganza of the Führer cult;” a visual and military spectacle widely broadcast.

    One gift, a model of the FW 200 Condor, later became Hitler’s official plane. Trump’s new luxury Air Force One, “a gift” from Qatar, is also part of his visual narrative. The symbolism is eerie: once again, the personal cloaks itself in national power.

    The cult of MAGA

    In the end, Trump’s militarized birthday parade solicits not just admiration but political allegiance. Like past authoritarian rituals, it manipulates affect through military pageantry to elevate the leader as both a symbol and supreme commander.

    The spectacle demands emotional submission with the goal being identification with the leader. It exchanges democratic freedom for a vision of unity under a single figure. However wrapped in humour or patriotic kitsch, Trump’s parade rehearses an authoritarian script with disturbingly familiar cues.

    What appears as celebration is, in fact, a rehearsal. It signals a dangerous shift toward personal glorification and a political culture where pageantry replaces participation and adoration displaces dissent.

    As history warns, that is when democracy begins to give way.

    Irene Gammel receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. Trump’s military parade: A ‘big big celebration’ or an authoritarian ritual? – https://theconversation.com/trumps-military-parade-a-big-big-celebration-or-an-authoritarian-ritual-257536

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis Appoints Lyudmyla Lishchuk to the Morgan County Court

    Source: US State of Colorado

    DENVER – Today, Governor Polis appointed Lyudmyla (“Milla”) Lishchuk to the Morgan County Court in the 13th Judicial District. The vacancy is created by the retirement of the Honorable Dennis L. Brandenburg and is effective July 1, 2025.

    Ms. Lishchuk is a County Court Judge in Baca County, a position she has held since 2021. Her docket consists of criminal and civil matters. Ms. Lishchuk is also a Hearing Officer II for the Colorado Department of Revenue, Hearing Divisions, a position she has held since 2020. Previously, Ms. Lishchuk was an Attorney and Hearings Manager for the Board of Assessment Appeals (2011-2019); Part-Time Attorney with the Law Offices of Alan G. Molk (2012-2015); Part-Time Attorney with Michael Dowling and Associates (2011-2015); Attorney with Reilly Pozner LLP (2010-2011); and Judicial Clerk for Judges Mark Hannen and Robert Russell and Magistrate Kara Martin (2010). Ms. Lishchuk earned her B.A. from the Metropolitan State College of Denver in 2007, and her J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2009.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The Changing Range: USGS initiatives support resilient ecosystems and economies on the Colorado Plateau

    Source: US Geological Survey

    USGS research allows NPS and BLM managers and ranchers to make informed planning decisions about current and future livestock stocking rates to maintain their livelihood and economic well-being. 

    Results from this research helps ensure that ranchers, recreationists, and public land stewards have the information they need to adapt and thrive in the face of increasing drought and changing land use.

    The Colorado Plateau, known for its dramatic rock formations and hardy desert ecosystems, is facing increasing pressure from more frequent and severe droughts. 

    This iconic landscape supports rangelands where grasses and other vegetation are critical for ranching, tourism, and other culturally and economically important activities that Department of the Interior (DOI) lands support. 

    According to the Department of the Interior Economic Benefit Report, total economic contributions in fiscal year (FY) 2019 from recreation on DOI lands totaled $60.59 billion and public land grazing leases created 2.21 billion.

    In FY 2019 in Utah, recreation brought in $2.72 billion, creating 26,675 jobs. And grazing and timber generated $170 million, which created 4,444 jobs. In southeastern Utah, National Park visitors spent $397.6 million in local communities in 2023.

    That spending supported 5,122 jobs in the region and had a cumulative benefit to local economies of $486.1 million.

    Over the past two decades, the region has experienced three droughts so extreme they are considered 1-in-100-year events based on long-term climate records. 

    These conditions are placing stress on native plant communities and posing serious challenges for the ranching and tourism economies that rely on healthy, functioning lands.

    To address these challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with the National Park Service (NPS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), universities, and others, is leading long-term research to understand how drought affects vegetation and landscape health in southeastern Utah and seeking adaptation strategies.

    A series of USGS drought experiments have shown that grasses that typically emerge early in the spring (called “cool-season” grasses) struggle to survive in extreme drought conditions when compared to grasses that emerge later in the summer (warm-season grasses) or woody vegetation like shrubs. 

    These cool season grasses are particularly important because they grow early in the spring, protecting soils from erosion, and providing forage for livestock and wildlife. Researchers observed similar patterns from experimentally imposed seasonal droughts and in monitoring studies from region.

    Seeking solutions to limit or adapt to negative impacts of drought is also an important aspect of the work USGS is conducting on the Colorado Plateau.

    For example, USGS is working with NPS to test new restoration techniques to address drought-driven land degradation in Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, which together welcomed over 1.5 million visitors in 2024. 

    Across both national parks, staff aim to restore degraded grasslands by seeding and transplanting warm-season grasses and woody shrubs which are more likely survive future extreme droughts.

    Researchers are also testing different simulated grazing strategies within drought experiments to assess how grazing timing or deferment may minimize drought impacts. This research helps identify when and where grazing should be adjusted based on grass availability and drought severity.

    Finally, working with TNC, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Jornada Experimental Range and Oklahoma and Central Plains Ag Research Center, universities and others, the USGS is testing heritage cattle breeds that are potentially more adapted to the changing vegetation and warmer conditions brought on droughts on the Plateau. 

    These heritage breeds appear better suited to browse on woody vegetation and travel further from water sources to forage, which may make them a more ecologically and economically sustainable breed in a potentially hotter and less productive Colorado Plateau.

    By providing timely, reliable science, USGS research supports long-term productivity of America’s public lands.

    Findings from our research are shared with local and regional ranchers, NPS, and BLM through a variety of outreach events, including scientific and public presentations, work with University Extension specialists, through field tours, and scientific publications. 

    By connecting scientific insight with on-the-ground decision-making, this research is helping DOI land managers and ranchers support thriving and resilient landscapes on the Colorado Plateau.

    MIL OSI USA News –