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Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI Global: How trustworthy is your fitness tracker score?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Cailbhe Doherty, Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin

    PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

    Millions of people now start their day with a number — a “readiness” score, a “body battery”“ level or a measure of “strain”“ — delivered by the wearable device on their wrist or finger. But how much trust should we place in these scores?

    Composite health scores are increasingly used by digital fitness trackers to offer a single, daily number that reflects how your body is coping with recent demands. Whether it’s marketed as a measure of energy, recovery or resilience, the idea is the same: combine several internal signals into one clear indicator of how prepared you are to take on the day.

    The concept has clear appeal. It simplifies complex physiological data — things like heart rate, sleep and activity — into an actionable recommendation: push harder, take it easy, rest. But how solid is the science behind these scores? My colleagues and I recently conducted a systematic review of the most widely used composite health scores in wearable devices to find out.

    First, what goes into these scores? Typically, quite a lot – at least on paper.

    Most composite health scores pull data from several biometric signals — measurements from your body that indicate how it’s functioning. These include resting heart rate, heart rate variability (the variation in time between heartbeats), sleep quantity and quality, recent physical activity, and sometimes breathing rate, skin temperature and blood oxygen levels.

    On paper, that’s a rich dataset. These signals reflect how your body responds to stress, recovers overnight and balances exertion with rest. But while the inputs may be rooted in physiology, the final score can be less informative than it appears.

    One issue is sensor accuracy. These devices rely on optical sensors and motion tracking to estimate what’s going on inside your body, such as your sleep stages or daily stress levels.

    Even small inaccuracies in measuring heart rate or movement can distort the score. And since these metrics feed directly into the algorithm that calculates your “readiness” or “strain”, small errors can add up.

    Another challenge is transparency. Most companies don’t disclose how exactly they turn raw data into a final score.

    We don’t know which inputs matter most, how they’re combined or whether they’re adjusted for individual differences such as age or fitness level. Without that clarity, it’s difficult to evaluate how meaningful or personalised the number really is.

    A more subtle issue lies in the way certain physiological signals overlap. For instance, poor sleep is often followed by lower heart rate variability — a common sign of stress or incomplete recovery. But many health scores penalise you for both factors separately: once for the bad sleep and again for the resulting change in heart rate variability.

    Heart rate variability explained.

    This kind of double-dipping can exaggerate the effect of a single “stressor” (things that put pressure on your body or mind), making your body seem more run down than it truly is. It creates the illusion of a sophisticated analysis, but may actually be highlighting the same signal twice.

    Similarly, some scores penalise you for the activity you did yesterday, regardless of how well you’ve recovered from it. If your heart rate variability and resting heart rate suggest you’ve bounced back, that should be reflected in your score. But some algorithms still factor in recent exertion as a negative, even when your body is clearly coping well.

    To make these scores more personalised, many devices compare your daily data to your typical values — your baseline. If your sleep or recovery looks significantly different from your recent average, the score adjusts accordingly.

    That’s a sensible idea in theory. But there’s no standard for how these baselines are calculated. Some devices use seven days of data, others 28. Some exclude outliers; others include them. Each company defines it differently, which makes comparisons between devices impossible and raises questions about consistency.

    Should you stop using your wearable?

    Not at all. Fitness trackers can still offer valuable insights. Watching how your core physiological signals shift over time — from week to week or season to season — can help you spot patterns, improve habits and better understand your body’s response to stress and training.

    The problem is when we treat the daily score as a definitive measure of health. It’s not a diagnosis, and it doesn’t always reflect what’s really happening inside your body. So while it’s fine to glance at your readiness or recovery score, don’t let it dictate your decisions.

    Use your fitness tracker as a guide, but not as your coach, your doctor, or your judge.

    Cailbhe Doherty receives funding from the Health Research Board in Ireland (Grant ID: HRB ILP-PHR-2024-005) and Research Ireland (Grant IDs: 12/RC/2289_P2 and 22/NCF/FD/10949). There are no conflicts of interest to declare.

    – ref. How trustworthy is your fitness tracker score? – https://theconversation.com/how-trustworthy-is-your-fitness-tracker-score-253883

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Lab-grown meat: you may find it icky, but it could drive forward medical research

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By James Hague, Senior Lecturer (in Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics and Biophysics), The Open University

    Lab-grown meat causes heated debates. Proponents see benefits for the climate and animal welfare. Opponents worry about a Frankenstein food they regard as risky and unnatural. Whatever your opinion, the technology underpinning cultivated meat is moving fast to create large pieces of muscle tissue.

    The fact that artificial meat starts as a living tissue means that, as it gets bigger and better, the technologies involved could have a huge impact on medical research.

    Lab-grown meat is a sort of engineered tissue. It aims to replicate the meat grown in an animal by dividing a small number of animal cells to create muscle. Meat is mostly made up of muscle cells (myocytes), plus a mix of fat cells (adipocytes) and cells that add structure through materials such as collagen (known as fibroblasts).

    The arrangements and proportions of these cells give meat its overall taste and texture. We call the meat grown in a bioreactor “cultivated meat”. Other common terms are “cultured meat”, “lab-grown meat” and “artificial meat”, and the production process is also called “cellular agriculture”.

    Cultivated meat is real meat grown in bioreactors rather than animals (it’s very different to plant-based products such as soya burgers). Some companies are also trying to grow other animal tissues, such as liver to replace foie gras. Key benefits of cultivated meat include avoiding animal slaughter and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

    The technologies for making cultivated meat were originally designed for growing engineered tissue for applications like organ transplant, regenerative medicine and pharmaceutical testing.

    One day, engineered tissue could be used to give us new livers, help to rebuild tissues damaged in accidents and select personalised treatments for cancers.

    Shared challenges

    Just like muscle, other tissues in the body such as organs also contain cells and things like collagen that give them structure.

    The cells in tissues are carefully organised according to their function. For example, in muscle, the cells are all lined up so they contract in the same direction during movement.

    A big difference between tissues cultivated for meat and those grown for medical applications is this tissue functionality. Cultivated meat does not need to be able to contract like muscle and, once grown, does not need to be kept alive. Meanwhile, engineered tissue for medical applications needs to work just like its counterpart in the body.

    Lab-grown meat is not just for eating…
    Oleksandra Naumenko/Shuttesrstock

    Despite this, some of the lessons learned from cultivated meat growth could be applied to regenerative medicine. Fibroblasts, the “structure” cells, are important during wound healing. Techniques to cultivate muscles and liver could be modified to grow working tissue.

    A shared design challenge when growing cultivated meat and engineered tissue is to control tissue organisation, which is essential to grow large cuts of meat such as steaks, but also for replacement tissue and organs for the body. Possibilities include holding the tissue under tension using tethers, adding scaffolds, and using 3D printing.

    The process of designing ways to control a tissue can take months or years of careful trial and error. Recent computer simulations of tissue growth, including those carried out by myself and colleagues, can help with the difficult task of controlling cell organisation to improve things like texture and production efficiency.

    Developing this control can help to engineer body tissues used in early pharmaceutical testing, which could improve success rates in clinical trials while reducing animal testing. This would be better for trial participants and could help to reduce drug development costs.

    Another major unsolved problem for both cultivated meat and regenerative medicine is how to supply larger tissues as they grow. Smaller tissues can get the oxygen they need from the atmosphere, or grow in a nutrient bath. Steaks are too large for this and would need to be kept alive with vessels similar to arteries to deliver oxygen and nutrients.

    Natural blood vessels form branching networks to supply tissue. Computational techniques can predict this style of network and 3D bioprinting could be used to create similar vessels. Lessons learned by growing networks of vessels in steaks could be directly applied to tissues for regenerative medicine (and vice versa).

    I expect pressure for cheap, cultivated meat will decrease the price of currently expensive technologies, such as 3D bioprinting and bioreactors. This will ultimately benefit medical applications.

    Coming to a shop near you

    As these issues are solved, cultivated meat will become widely available and more like farmed meat. Since cultivated meat will ultimately be indistinguishable from farmed meat, there’s no reason to believe that one should be more or less healthy than the other. Currently, many products are undergoing regulatory processes.

    So far, a few countries have approved cultivated meat products for human consumption, and approval applications are being submitted worldwide. UK regulators recently announced a two-year timeline to approve (or not) cultivated meat for human consumption. Lab-grown meat is already approved for consumption by dogs.

    Overall, there are important links between cultivated meat and cultured tissue applications in medicine. Both applications have similar challenges, and the technologies developed for one field can push forward the other.

    Both fields can benefit animal welfare, removing the need for animal slaughter and reducing the need for animal testing.

    I expect cultivated meat will come to a supermarket near you within the next few years. Whether you want to buy it or not, think about how the technology used to create it could be a step towards better medicines and lab-grown organs for transplant.

    James Hague receives funding from STFC and EPSRC.

    – ref. Lab-grown meat: you may find it icky, but it could drive forward medical research – https://theconversation.com/lab-grown-meat-you-may-find-it-icky-but-it-could-drive-forward-medical-research-253565

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why the autism jigsaw puzzle piece is such a problematic symbol

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Aimee Grant, Senior Lecturer in Public Health and Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellow, Swansea University

    For decades, a jigsaw puzzle piece has been used to symbolise autism across the world. It has been used for charity logos and awareness ribbons, and even tattooed on to the bodies of well-meaning parents.

    But for many autistic adults, the puzzle piece isn’t just outdated – it’s offensive. Some consider it a hate symbol: a reminder of how autistic people have long been misunderstood, pathologised and excluded from conversations about their own lives.

    The puzzle piece first appeared in 1963, when the UK’s National Autistic Society adopted a logo designed by a non-autistic parent of an autistic child. It featured not just a puzzle piece but the image of a crying child, meant to depict autism as a puzzling condition that caused suffering.

    In 1999, the Autism Society of America introduced a ribbon covered in colourful puzzle pieces. This reinforced the idea that autism was something to be solved. The imagery gained even more prominence when the US-based organisation Autism Speaks, founded in 2005, adopted a blue puzzle piece as its logo.

    One autistic advocate described the symbol as a “red flag” – a warning sign that the person or organisation using it may not fully respect or understand autistic people.

    So why does the puzzle piece provoke such a strong reaction?

    To many, the symbol suggests that autistic people are incomplete, a mystery or a problem in need of fixing. This fits with the medical model of autism, which focuses on deficits and aims to make autistic people behave more like non-autistic people, rather than letting them live authentically.

    From deficit to difference

    Because of these criticisms of the medical model, some autistic people subscribe to a social model of autism. This sees autism not as a problem to be fixed, but as a difference to be understood. According to this view, many of the challenges autistic people face stem not from autism itself, but from a lack of understanding and acceptance in society.

    The social model is followed by a growing group of autism researchers, including through the Participatory Autism Research Collective. In 2022, the Welsh government affirmed its commitment to a social model of disability.

    However, it can be difficult to put this social model of disability in practice in under-resourced healthcare systems.

    It is closely tied to the “double empathy problem”. This is the idea that communication breakdowns between autistic and non-autistic people go both ways. In other words, if autistic people are “puzzling”, it’s often because the wider world hasn’t taken the time to understand them.



    Read more:
    How autistic and non-autistic people can understand each other better

    The neurodiversity movement goes one step further, arguing that neurological differences such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia are natural variations in the human population. Just as biodiversity is good for the environment, neurodiversity is arguably good for society.

    In recent years, several major autism organisations have taken steps to distance themselves from the puzzle piece. The National Autistic Society dropped the symbol in the early 2000s, and the Autism Society of America followed suit in 2023. The academic journal Autism removed the puzzle piece from its cover in 2018, in recognition of its harmful connotations.

    That said, the symbol is still frequently used, appearing in search engines and image databases.

    Why many autistic adults hate the jigsaw puzzle piece symbol.

    Research has found that puzzle piece imagery tends to evoke negative associations such as incompleteness and imperfection, whether it’s connected to autism or not. It’s no surprise, then, that many autistic people ask for something more positive, respectful and inclusive.

    One popular alternative is the rainbow infinity symbol, first developed by autistic advocates in 2005. It represents the diversity of the neurodivergent community, including autistic people.

    The gold infinity symbol, meanwhile, is used specifically to represent autism. The chemical symbol for gold is “Au”, the first two letters of autism.

    The puzzle piece was created in the 1960s by non-autistic people to represent a condition they saw as tragic and mysterious. But today, autistic people are speaking for themselves. The overwhelming message is clear – the puzzle piece doesn’t represent us.

    Aimee Grant receives funding from UKRI, the Wellcome Trust and the Morgan Advanced Studies Institute. She is a non-executive director of Disability Wales.

    – ref. Why the autism jigsaw puzzle piece is such a problematic symbol – https://theconversation.com/why-the-autism-jigsaw-puzzle-piece-is-such-a-problematic-symbol-253807

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Gender equality at the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race has further to go

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Andie Riches, PhD Candidate, School of Psychology, Sport and Sensory Science, Anglia Ruskin University

    In rowing, “catching a crab” is when an oar gets stuck in the water, stopping the boat’s momentum. Progress toward gender equality in the Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race has followed a similar rhythm, with periods of forward motion interrupted by moments of tension or pushback.

    This year marks a decade since one period of forward motion, when the women began racing on the same course, on the same day as the men – moving from Henley-on-Thames to the Tideway in London. At the time, the change was heralded as a watershed moment, with some rather boldly and wrongly stating that the move ended what they dubbed one of “the last bastions of gender inequality in sport”.

    The women’s race has become a firmly established part of the event. However, our ongoing research into the experiences of female boat race athletes over the last decade reveals that significant disparities persist.

    As one athlete told us: “Racing on the Tideway was still relatively new when we started, and we were aware of the struggles the women’s team had faced to be recognised and taken seriously.”

    But equality isn’t just about having a place in the race; it’s about having the same support, investment and opportunities as the men. As one rower put it: “We’ve moved forward, but we’re still playing catch-up.”

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    From Henley to the Tideway

    For decades, female rowers were held back by institutional barriers such as unequal funding, media coverage and a lack of sponsorship. Before 2015, the women raced on a two-kilometre stretch at Henley-on-Thames, a separate course from the men’s four-mile route on the Championship Course on the Tideway in London. One rower reflected that racing at Henley felt “secondary”, lacking the same recognition as the men’s race.

    The issue wasn’t the venue. It was the resource disparity, inadequate facilities and lack of media exposure. As one rower described, “We had no showers, no heating, and no space to stretch – just a cold shed. While the men had a better setup next door with basics like kettles and heating.” The lack of visibility at Henley reinforced the perception that the women’s race was secondary, diminishing their accomplishments.

    Even after moving to the Tideway, however, female rowers have faced rough waters, not just from the river itself when the Cambridge women’s boat famously sank, but also from having to challenge public perception.

    Consistent with broader research, our analysis of the media coverage during and after the 2015 women’s event revealed a consistent pattern of focusing on personal stories, emotional moments and the historic nature of the race. This storytelling often came at the expense of recognising the athletes’ performance and competitiveness.

    A 2019 study found that women’s sports received just 3.2% of televised sports news coverage. While coverage has increased in recent years, disparities persist.

    A 2024 Football Supporters’ Association survey found that only 31.8% of the fans felt there was sufficient mainstream media coverage of women’s football. That such calls remain necessary, even amid growing interest, highlights the continued marginalisation of women’s sport.

    This external perception also appears to be evident within the internal environment of the boat clubs. One rower recalled: “It just felt almost like you inconvenienced them to use their space”, referring to the men’s crews.

    This reflects a broader societal issue where women often feel they must justify their presence in spaces where they belong. Hence, the women’s crew not only face the physical challenge of the tideway’s choppy waters, but also an ongoing battle to prove their legitimacy.

    In recent years, rowers challenged the deeply rooted tradition of “weigh-in” with the women’s crews opting not be weighed on the basis that it subjects athletes to a public display of their body weight. Some viewed this as a challenge to a longstanding tradition, while others felt its removal was a positive step for athlete welfare, mental health and body image.

    Other issues also surfaced in 2021 when a former Oxford rower publicly criticised the university’s handling of her sexual assault allegation, arguing that the institution had failed to protect her. The university said at the time it was confident that in all cases it took considerable action to advise and support students who raise such concerns. Though not directly related to the Boat Race, such public cases have caused controversy and raised important questions about the environments in which these athletes train and compete.

    Despite these setbacks, the women’s race has gained momentum. Sponsorship has grown, more people are watching, and for younger rowers, racing on the Tideway is now the norm. In 2015, the women’s Boat Race drew 4.8 million viewers – close to the 6.2 million who watched the men’s race. This highlighted the growing appeal of women’s rowing.

    The race for gender equality in sport, like rowing, is a test of endurance. Short bursts of progress, like moving to the Tideway, are not enough. Lasting change takes continued effort.

    The women’s Boat Race has come a long way, but the journey isn’t over. True equality will only be reached when women’s sport is valued on its own terms, rather than being compared to the men.

    With each race, these women are not just competing for victory on the water but also helping to shape a more equal future for sport. The tide may be turning, but the finishing line in the race for equality is still ahead.

    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. Gender equality at the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race has further to go – https://theconversation.com/gender-equality-at-the-oxford-cambridge-boat-race-has-further-to-go-254111

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What the spiralling trade war means for relations between the US and China

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tom Harper, Lecturer in International Relations, University of East London

    Donald Trump has partially walked back on his so-called “liberation day” tariffs on nearly all US imports after fears mounted that the move would result in a global recession and much higher borrowing costs for the US government.

    On Wednesday, April 9, a mere 13 hours after his higher rate of “reciprocal tariffs” had come into effect, Trump announced they would be paused for 90 days.

    “I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line, they were getting yippy, you know … a little bit afraid,” Trump said to reporters outside the White House. Markets soared immediately upon hearing the news.

    But at the same time, a volatile new stage in America’s trade war with China has emerged. The White House has excluded China from the pause and has hiked tariffs on all Chinese imports to 125%. This, Trump says, is because Beijing has shown “disrespect” to Washington and global markets.

    Beijing, which has declared it will “fight to the end if the US side is bent on going down the wrong path”, was quick to respond. It has announced duties of 84% on American products and services, and has even floated the possibility of banning the import of Hollywood films.

    What China’s response has shown is that it is no longer the same country as it was in 2017, when Trump managed to obtain some trade concessions from it by imposing tariffs. Beijing seems more willing to strike back at Washington, as well as showing signs of being more proactive in its response to American measures.

    The impact of China’s response has not yet been fully realised, but tariffs have already raised the spectre of increased prices in the US. Many of the clothing and consumer electronics that Americans buy are shipped from China. It’s possible that far from boosting Trump’s popularity, these tariffs may eventually end up reversing it.

    At a fundraising dinner in Washington, less than a day before he shelved plans to hike tariffs on US trading partners, Trump insisted: “I know what the hell I’m doing.” But his subsequent loss of face in pausing tariffs for other countries may mean he has no option but to double down on a tit-for-tat trade war with China.

    China is his administration’s go-to villain, and any delay or reversal in responding to Chinese retaliation will be a humiliation to Trump’s strongman image. This suggests a tumultuous period ahead for relations between China and the US.

    Expect more hostility

    The tariffs will probably have a mobilising effect on the Chinese population. A 2022 survey on public opinion in China found that people born after 1990 are more likely to hold an unfavourable view of the US compared with previous generations. The survey concluded that Trump’s actions during his first term were much more to blame than propaganda.

    Beijing has also traditionally invoked the history of the “unequal treaties” forced upon its ailing Qing dynasty in the late 19th century as a means to mobilise its population against western policies. This has been aided by how the economic demands made by Trump to China are, in the mind of the Chinese leadership, reminiscent of the demands made by the western powers of that period.

    Fears of again falling prey to foreign powers play a significant role in Beijing’s policies, encapsulated by what is known as China’s “never again mentality”. This mentality could be used as a means to unify the Chinese population against an outside enemy, in a way similar to how many US politicians have attempted to cast China as a foe.

    Beijing appears to be banking on the Chinese population’s supposed ability to withstand greater hardships than western consumers as being able to give it a key advantage over Washington. However, with China’s prosperity being a comparatively recent development, this ability will be put to the test.

    Trump’s tariffs against traditional American allies will also play into Beijing’s hands on the international stage. Tokyo has discussed reducing its holdings of American treasuries, while simultaneously bolstering trade ties with China. These moves would have been unthinkable even a year ago – Japan has long been a key US ally and a regional rival of China.

    Equally unthinkable is the possibility that the EU will follow a similar path. Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has called on Brussels to review its relationship with China. Moves aimed at sidelining China may end up isolating the US instead.

    And, perhaps most concerningly, the tariffs may also undermine America’s ability to prevent a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. One of the key factors deterring an invasion was the threat of a 100% tariff on Chinese goods. With Trump’s tariffs on China already exceeding this, Beijing has less incentive to not go after Taipei.

    What liberation day has shown us is that the Chinese-American relationship has entered a stage of protracted competition, a phase that Beijing has been preparing for over the past decade. Faced with a choice between humiliation on the international stage or economic disaster at home, it would appear neither side is willing to back down.

    Tom Harper 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. What the spiralling trade war means for relations between the US and China – https://theconversation.com/what-the-spiralling-trade-war-means-for-relations-between-the-us-and-china-254311

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Hopes of a ‘Brexit benefit’ from tariffs were short-lived. Here’s what Trump’s pause means for the UK

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Maha Rafi Atal, Adam Smith Senior Lecturer in Political Economy, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow

    The US has decided – again – to upend the global trading system. With the latest raft of tariffs just beginning to kick in, and after a week in which markets worldwide fell precipitously, the Trump administration announced that it would be suspending high tariffs on nearly 60 countries for 90 days.

    The announcement is only a partial reprieve. High tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, as well as on global imports of steel, aluminium and automotives, remain, as does a 10% baseline tariff on all imports. US tariffs remain the highest they have been since the Great Depression, at levels unprecedented since the modern trade system was created after the second world war.

    Before the pause, the UK was already in line for the 10% rate – which some commentators described as a Brexit benefit when compared to the EU’s prospective 20%.

    While markets soared on the news of the pause, the damage is was already done. The subsequent rally is recouping some, but not all, losses incurred due to the tariffs already.

    Businesses that had prepared for tariffs by bulk-buying imported components ahead of time will have made cuts elsewhere to pay for it. They will not easily be able to reverse course.

    The implications for the UK of the latest developments are mixed. All the tariffs imposed on direct UK exports to the US (chiefly steel, automotives and aircrafts, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment) remain in place.

    While the US represents the second-largest market for UK goods, the majority of UK exports are in services (like banking and insurance), which the tariffs do not target. If tariffs were to hit direct UK-US goods trade only, the UK would likely be able to weather the shock.

    Unfortunately, that’s not how trade works in the 21st century. Instead, two-thirds of trade takes place in what are known as “global value chains”. These are complex networks through which companies move the component parts of products between their own facilities around the world and those of their subcontractors.

    Many UK businesses supply components that are incorporated by companies overseas into finished goods ultimately destined for the US. When the US imposes tariffs on those goods, UK manufacturers suffer too – even if direct UK exports to the US remain unchanged.

    Global value chains will also reorient in response to trade barriers, as already took place in Asia during Trump’s first term. If businesses reroute their supply chains to avoid the tariff markets, the UK (which is not imposing retaliatory tariffs) could become a “sacrifice zone” (a place where cheaply made, poor-quality or environmentally harmful items are dumped or disposed of, “sacrificing” the wellbeing of local people) for excess supply, undercutting domestic producers.

    Yet choosing not to retaliate is key to the UK’s diplomatic strategy. It hopes to stay close to the US in the hope of preferential treatment.

    The UK’s pursuit of a US trade deal has been politically sensitive since the previous Trump administration.
    JessicaGirvan/Shutterstock

    So far, that strategy is yet to bear fruit. The UK hopes to avoid the tariffs through a US trade deal, an objective that the countries have pursued since the UK left the European Union.

    The US has repeatedly sought access to the UK agrifood market, a demand that has always been refused due to political opposition to importing American beef and chicken.

    The sticky Brexit issue

    Brexit adds to this complexity, as the Windsor framework requires food products sold in Northern Ireland to conform to European Union standards. The more standards in the rest of the UK diverge from those of the EU (as they would have to do to secure a US trade deal), the more onerous the checks in the Irish Sea would become.

    Keir Starmer’s government has also sought to renegotiate parts of the agreement with the EU, seeking tighter economic ties that will require closer regulatory alignment. Pursuing deregulation to meet US trade demands, however, makes that unlikely.

    The tariffs compound this dilemma. If the higher rates return after 90 days, Northern Irish exports to the US will face a lower rate than those from the Republic of Ireland. But US imports to Northern Ireland will be hit with EU tariffs while imports to the rest of the UK will remain tariff-free.

    That will create some opportunities. Businesses might choose to operate in Northern Ireland to access a lower tariff rate on their US exports while also producing goods for the EU market.

    But it also creates risks. With three different tariff regimes in Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, goods flowing across both the Irish Sea and the Irish land border could require additional checks. This would risk the very thing the Windsor Framework was meant to avoid.

    Given these risks, a 90-day reprieve is a window of opportunity. But with US government policy that can change on a dime (or a post), the UK risks being caught between the rival powers of the US and EU – and trampled in the crossfire.

    Maha Rafi Atal is a volunteer organizer with the US Democratic Party.

    – ref. Hopes of a ‘Brexit benefit’ from tariffs were short-lived. Here’s what Trump’s pause means for the UK – https://theconversation.com/hopes-of-a-brexit-benefit-from-tariffs-were-short-lived-heres-what-trumps-pause-means-for-the-uk-254307

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why financial hardship is more likely if you’re disabled or sick

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By William E. Donald, Associate Professor of Sustainable Careers and Human Resource Management, University of Southampton

    Scharfsinn/Shutterstock

    If you have a long-term health condition or you’re a disabled person in the UK, you might be able to claim a benefit called personal independence payment (Pip). As the name suggests, Pip is designed to help with the additional costs of disability – regardless of employment status.

    But the government recently announced changes to the payment, which will make it harder for people to access support.

    As a disabled person, I know that it costs more to live with disability or illness. It has been calculated that disabled households need an extra £1,010 per month to maintain the same standard of living as non-disabled households. This gap arises from things like transport costs (because of inaccessible public transport), the need for expensive mobility aids, and water, electric and gas costs at home.

    The World Health Organization recommends a minimum indoor temperature of 18°C for healthy people and 20°C for those with chronic conditions. Yet, with soaring energy prices, many disabled people are forced to choose between heating their homes and other disability-related necessities.

    Despite these realities, the maximum annual Pip payment is £9,747.40, well below the additional £12,120 that disabled households typically need annually. Only those qualifying for the highest level of support receive this amount. Most get considerably less.

    So, what is the government’s justification for tightening eligibility? Together with changes to universal credit, it claims it will save £5 billion a year by the end of 2030 and get more people, including sick and disabled people, into work. But will it?

    Government figures from March 2024 show that 24% of people in the UK aged 16 to 64 are disabled. Within this group, the employment rate is 54.2%. For comparison, non-disabled adults of working age have an employment rate of 82%. Even when disabled people are employed, the disability pay gap is 12.7%. This gap reaches 27.9% for autistic workers and 26.9% for those with epilepsy.

    The same figures also show that 42.6% of disabled people are economically inactive. This is sometimes portrayed as people who are capable of working but choose not to. But this does not align with the facts.

    The latest figures on Pip claims show that last year the rate of fraud was so low that the Department for Work and Pensions recorded it as 0%.

    Anyone like me, who has experienced the lengthy and complicated Pip application process, will find these figures unsurprising. Cutting access to Pip will not push this group into employment but will plunge them deeper into financial hardship.

    The Resolution Foundation think tank estimates that up to 1.2 million disabled people could lose between £4,200 and £6,300 per year by 2029-30 due to these changes.

    The government is particularly focused on claimants with mental health conditions, especially younger people. As such, it is crucial to acknowledge the dire state of mental health services in the UK.

    Patients are waiting far longer for mental health treatment than for physical healthcare.
    chayanuphol/Shutterstock

    Eight times as many people wait more than 18 months for mental health treatment compared to physical healthcare.

    This crisis is compounded by broader challenges facing young people, who were disproportionately affected by COVID lockdowns. Three in four university students and recent graduates reported lower levels of wellbeing in September 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels. These same young people face a competitive labour market, alongside soaring rent, energy and food costs.

    Noble goal but a harmful method

    Nevertheless, supporting disabled people and the long-term sick to access employment is a worthy goal. Government figures suggest 5.6% of disabled people are unemployed. Many of these people want to work. This is also true of many in the economically inactive group who simply cannot.

    The record £1 billion employment support measures announced in chancellor Rachel Reeves’ spring statement to help the disabled and long-term sick into work is obviously welcome.

    But we have to be realistic. Previous government schemes resulted in fewer than one in five people getting work. This highlights the systemic barriers that disabled people face in work beyond their agency. The new approach raises concerns that people might be pressured into unsuitable jobs simply to reduce unemployment figures.

    Even when disabled people find employment, they continue to face discrimination and workplace biases. The legal system places the burden on individuals to challenge unfair treatment and the disability wage gap just exacerbates inequalities.

    While remote work has been a game-changer for many disabled workers, the previous government pressured its own workforce of civil servants back into offices. Many business leaders continue to advocate for the same.

    Cutting Pip will not necessarily reduce the welfare bill. But it will drive more disabled people into poverty. Those with savings will exhaust them, ultimately qualifying for even more means-tested government assistance.

    Others will be priced out of work entirely. Many may end up needing more support from public services like the NHS, as their mental and physical health deteriorates. This means the claim of saving £5 billion a year is also likely flawed.

    So, what needs to change? Here are five ideas.

    1. Reverse Pip cuts and restrictive eligibility criteria. The government must listen to disability charities and ensure that financial support reflects the true cost of living with a disability.

    2. Hold employers accountable. Systemic barriers such as bias in the recruitment process must be removed, the disability pay gap addressed and remote work established as a long-term option.

    3. Increase disabled representation in decision-making. Disabled people must have a seat at the table in government and industry to ensure policies reflect real experiences.

    4. Integrate healthcare and social care. Linked to this, ensure essential utilities such as water, gas and electricity are always affordable for disabled and elderly people – perhaps via a government-backed special tariff.

    5. Pay carers fairly. Carer’s allowance is £83.30 per week for a minimum of 35 hours of care, just £2.38 per hour. This just exacerbates financial insecurity for disabled households.

    If these failures are not addressed, the consequences will be catastrophic. The government’s approach is making life harder, not easier, for disabled people. It is time for real action, not rhetoric and infantilising talk of “pocket money”. Disabled people deserve better. We all do.

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

    – ref. Why financial hardship is more likely if you’re disabled or sick – https://theconversation.com/why-financial-hardship-is-more-likely-if-youre-disabled-or-sick-253877

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump tariff backflip brings a US trade war with China into the crosshairs

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

    You have to marvel at Donald Trump’s prescience. After his announcement of America’s new tariffs regime on April 2, “liberation day”, the stock markets plummeted, causing faint hearts around the world to quail. Nerves fluttered particularly hard when bond yields started to rise rapidly this week, suggesting a growing lack of confidence in US 30-year debt – traditionally the gold standard for security.

    “I don’t want anything to go down,” Trump told a reporter at the weekend. “But sometimes, you have to take medicine to fix something.”

    The US president remained bullish on Wednesday morning, taking to his TruthSocial social media platform at 9.37am EDT to proclaim his confidence in US stocks.

    Sound advice, as it turned out (time shown is BST).
    TruthSocial

    And so it proved. Hours later, Trump announced to his followers that he had decided to pause the tariff hikes on all but China while keeping the 10% baseline tariff on all imports. The markets bounced back with alacrity, closing up 9.5% by the end of trading. (Incidentally, Trump Media and Technology Group, the parent company of TruthSocial, closed up 22.67%.)

    It just goes to show, faith may or may not be able to move mountains, but Donald Trump can certainly move markets.

    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.

    Now it’s all eyes on China to see how the world’s second-largest economy will react to a yet-higher tariff on its exports to the US of 145%.

    Announcing to the world he was targeting China, the US president wrote that he was basing his decision on the “lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets”, and that “hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable”.

    But based on Beijing’s initial reaction, it’s unlikely that Xi Jinping will be joining all the other world leaders who Trump says queued up over the past couple of days to “kiss his ass”. The messages from China’s leadership are that two can play at that game, and that Trump’s gambit “will end in failure”.

    China had imposed an immediate 84% tariff on all US exports, while reassuring the White House that the “the door to dialogue is open”.

    China expert Tom Harper of the University of East London believes Xi is now a different, more confident Chinese president than the one who granted some small concessions to Trump when he first imposed tariffs on China in 2017. Harper sees the likelihood of a “tumultuous period ahead for relations between China and the US” – and warns that the Chinese people may be more resilient to the economic shock a trade war brings than the US public.

    Looking back at what China considers a period of humiliation at the hands of western powers (notably Great Britain) in the 19th century, Harper says there’s a strong sense of “never again” in the Chinese psyche, which may well be triggered by this latest US aggression.



    Read more:
    What the spiralling trade war means for relations between the US and China

    But why roll back on the tariffs on the rest of the world? Australian economists James Giesecke and Robert Waschik believe the answer is simple: the harm that would have been done to the US economy. Their modelling suggests that “the US would have faced steep and immediate losses in employment, investment, growth and, most importantly, real consumption, the best measure of household living standards”.

    Giesecke and Waschik conclude the damage would have been serious and long term, increasing US unemployment by two-thirds and reducing US long-term GDP, resulting in a “permanent reduction in US global economic power”.



    Read more:
    This chart explains why Trump backflipped on tariffs. The economic damage would have been huge

    The aim of the Trump administration in introducing tariffs is to stimulate a return of manufacturing to the US – which is why they applied them to goods only while ignoring services. James Scott of King’s College London believes a lot of countries fetishise manufacturing as a sort of deeply ingrained throwback to when “pre-historic experiences of finding food, fuel and shelter dominated all other activities”.

    But most western economies have developed beyond heavy goods manufacturing, for the simple reason that countries with larger and lower-paid workforces are able to produce and ship goods at a fraction of the cost. Tik-Tok user Ben Lau posted this disturbingly funny vision of the return of large-scale manufacturing to the US.

    Scott believes it’s highly unlikely to come to this – and in any case, that it’s pointless to blame globalisation for the loss of US manufacturing jobs when rising productivity in other countries and automation have had much more impact.

    The lesson from history, writes Scott, is that with the retreat of colonialism came the industrialisation of the countries that had been major markets for manufactured goods produced by the western powers. In short, he concludes: “President Trump is mistaken if he really believes that tariffs will bring a new golden age of manufacturing. The world has changed.”



    Read more:
    Trump thinks tariffs can bring back the glory days of US manufacturing. Here’s why he’s wrong

    The diplomatic front

    Iran has had a rough 18 months or so. Its economy is on the floor thanks to western sanctions, the “real” currency rate (the rate you get on the street) is now close to 1 million rials to the US dollar, and large sections of the population are very unhappy with their leadership.

    So, when Iran’s foreign minister arrives in Oman for talks with the US at the weekend, there’s plenty of incentive to strike some kind of deal – even without the US president’s warning that Iran will be in “great danger” if the negotiations fail to deliver an agreement for Tehran to scrap its nuclear programme.

    Ali Bilgic, a Middle East specialist at Loughborough University, writes that while both sides have their reasons for wanting progress at the talks, things are likely to be hampered by a lack of trust on both sides. And it’s no coincidence that while Trump announced the talks after a meeting with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Iranian deputy foreign minister travelled to Moscow this week, where he met his counterparts from China and Russia. With hardliners currently in the ascendancy in Tehran and the Trump-Netanyahu axis very much in evidence in Washington, a lot could go wrong.



    Read more:
    Iran and US to enter high-stakes nuclear negotiations – hampered by a lack of trust

    America’s other allies, Nato, gathered in Brussels at the end of last week for a foreign ministers meeting ahead of June’s summit at The Hague. As Amelia Hadfield – a defence and security policy expert at the University of Surrey – reports, there’s a growing air of urgency among the allies that they need to find a way to avoid a unilateral withdrawal of the US from the alliance, and that they’ll need at least some answers before meeting at The Hague.

    Hadfield walks us through the gradual but growing distance between Washington and the rest of the alliance, which has come to a head under Trump but has been some years in the making.



    Read more:
    Why Nato is struggling to rebuild itself in an increasingly threatening world

    Cry, the beloved country

    Since the incoming Trump administration announced it was freezing most USAID programmes as of January 20 for at least 90 days, vital lifelines keeping many thousands, if not millions, of desperate people in the poorest countries around the world have been cut off.

    One such country is Sudan, where a bitter and bloody civil war has raged for two years, leading to the situation being described by the United Nations as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

    Naomi Ruth Pendle, an expert in humanitarian development at the University of Bath, works closely with aid workers in South Kordofan, a region on the border with South Sudan which is collapsing under the weight of refugees from the civil war – and which faces a bitter famine unless the aid freeze is lifted immediately.

    Her moving account of the plight of the Sudanese people is made more vivid by accounts provided by people working on the ground in South Kordofan, where the aid freeze couldn’t have come at a worse time. January, when the freeze was announced, is usually the best time to increase the flow of humanitarian aid in the region – as the supplies from last year’s harvest begin to dwindle, and just before the rains make roads impassable.

    Pendle writes: “I’m now getting reports from South Kordofan of households not lighting a fire for up to four days at a time, which means the family is not eating. And, as ever, it is the children and the elderly who are particularly vulnerable.”



    Read more:
    USAID: the human cost of Donald Trump’s aid freeze for a war-torn part of Sudan

    I spent a happy year living in Khartoum in the mid-1980s teaching English at the university there. During that time, I was able to travel widely around Sudan and developed an enduring affection for the people and respect for their resilience and ingenuity in the face of often terrible hardships.

    So I found Justin Willis’s account of the decades of conflict that have riven Sudan particularly compelling. Willis, a professor of history at Durham University, looks back through the country’s history – from its foundation through conquest in the 19th century by the Egyptian branch of the Ottoman empire, via British control, to independence. And after independence, pretty much non-stop wars.

    Willis believes that Sudan’s main problem is that its army commanders have always believed they are the natural rulers of the country. The current conflict is between two rival army commanders and their followers.

    The official army, the Sudanese Armed Forces, recaptured Khartoum at the end of March. There have been reports of savage violence against civilians in the fortnight since. Meanwhile, the rival Rapid Support Forces continue to murder with seeming impunity in Darfur in western Sudan – where I once spent an unforgettable week trekking in the extinct volcano, Jebel Marra.



    Read more:
    Sudan civil war: despite appearances this is not a failed state – yet

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

    – ref. Trump tariff backflip brings a US trade war with China into the crosshairs – https://theconversation.com/trump-tariff-backflip-brings-a-us-trade-war-with-china-into-the-crosshairs-254326

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Jayapal, Schakowsky, Espaillat, Panetta Introduce Legislation to Protect Immigrant Survivors of Violence

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) today introduced the Working for Immigrant Safety and Empowerment (WISE) Act to protect immigrant survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and gender-based violence. The bill would ensure that immigrants have access to protections intended by the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Trafficking Victim Protection Act (TVPA), and other federal and state laws. The bill would also move to ensure survivors pursuing relief are not detained or deported before their applications are fully adjudicated.

    “The Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign has sowed immeasurable fear in immigrant communities, driving survivors of crime to hide in fear of deportation. That simply cannot be the case,” said Jayapal. “Immigrant women are significantly more likely to suffer domestic violence, nearly three times the national average. Especially in the current environment, it is critical that we take steps to ensure that survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and gender-based violence are protected. The WISE Act would improve protections for immigrant witnesses and victims of crimes and foster safe communities — the opposite of what Trump is pushing.”

    “Our immigrant communities are under attack by the Trump administration, and immigrant women faced with domestic violence make up one of the most vulnerable populations. These women should not feel forced to stay in violent, life-threatening intimate partner relationships because of their tenuous immigration status,” said Schakowsky. “I am proud to co-lead the WISE Act to help ensure that all victims of domestic violence, regardless of immigration status, have access to the public resources and support they need to escape abuse.”

    “Immigrant families are facing tremendous challenges in light of the Trump administration, and we are working to combat these dangerous anti-American policies daily. Immigrant victims of domestic violence, trafficking, and gender-based assaults are particularly vulnerable and deserve protections regardless of their immigration status,” said Espaillat. “Immigrant survivors are less likely to report a crime in fear of detention and deportation, especially in this political climate, which makes them even more vulnerable to such abuse and exploitation. These crimes are dehumanizing and reprehensible, and we must do all that it takes to ensure protections are in place and victims feel empowered to seek assistance. I am proud to join my colleagues, once again, to introduce legislation this Congress to reaffirm our commitment to victims of violence when they need our help the most.”

    “Our criminal justice system works when victims and witnesses have the will and confidence to come forward and testify to hold criminals accountable,” said Panetta.  “In addition to being scared of retribution by criminals, there also are times when undocumented individuals are fearful of deportation due to their cooperation with law enforcement.  That is why U and T visas are critical to putting away bad guys and giving people faith in our criminal justice system.  I’m proud to be a part of the reintroduction of the WISE Act, which includes my Immigrant Witness and Victim Protection Act to strengthen safeguards and expand the availability of U and T visas.  By ensuring that victims and witnesses have access to the protections of our government in their cooperation with law enforcement, we can hold criminals accountable and strengthen trust in our justice system.”

    This bill introduction comes after President Donald Trump, in a proclamation for National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, blamed sexual violence on undocumented immigrants. However, studies have found zero evidence to support a link between undocumented immigrants and a rise in crime rates.

    Immigrant women and children are particularly vulnerable to domestic violence, and the rate of abuse against immigrant women is nearly 49 percent, three times the national average. While domestic violence is a consistently underreported issue, immigrant survivors are significantly less likely to report these crimes due to fear of deportation. 

    The WISE Act would strengthen protections for immigrant survivors by:

    • Eliminating arbitrary caps on the U Visa and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS).
    • Expanding qualifying crimes for the U Visa to include hate crimes, child abuse, and elder abuse as well as grant protections for abused children, stepchildren, spouses, and parents of immigrant survivors.
    • Granting work authorization to survivors while their applications are pending.
    • Prohibiting detention and deportation of immigrant survivors while their cases are pending.
    • Limiting the use or disclosure of information pertaining to a pending immigrant survivor’s VAWA, T, U, or SIJ applications.
    • Restricting immigration enforcement at certain protected areas including any domestic violence shelter, rape crisis center, supervised visitation center, family justice center, or victim services providers, among other locations.
    • Ensuring survivors have the support necessary to thrive and reduce reliance on abusers by providing access to certain assistance, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), and Medicaid.

    The legislation is sponsored by Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Becca Balint (VT-At Large), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Greg Casar (TX-35), Sean Casten (IL-06), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Grace Meng (NY-06), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Kelly Morrison (MN-03), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Adam Smith (WA-09), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), and Nikema Williams (GA-05).

    The WISE Act is also endorsed by Alianza Nacional de Campesinas; Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence; ASISTA Immigration Assistance; Bend the Arc: Jewish Action; Center for Gender & Refugee Studies; Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law; Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP); Church World Service; Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA); Coalition on Human Needs; End SIJS Backlog Coalition; Esperanza United; Esperanza United; Freedom Network USA; Just Detention International; Just Solutions ; Justice for Migrant Women; Justice in Motion; Kids in Need of Defense; Legal Momentum, The Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund; Make the Road States; Naila Amin Foundation; National Alliance to End Sexual Violence; National Council of Jewish Women; National Immigrant Justice Center; National Immigration Law Center; National LGBTQ Institute on Intimate Partner Violence; National Network To End Domestic Violence; National Partnership for New Americans.org ; National Resource Center on Domestic Violence; Oxfam America; Refugees International ; Sisters of Mercy Justice Team; Tahirih Justice Center; The Advocates for Human Rights; Ujima, The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community; VALOR; We Are All America; Women’s Refugee Commission; Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights; Al Otro Lado; Asian Resources, Inc.; Ayuda; California Partnership to End Domestic Violence; Center for Domestic Peace; Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault; Daya Inc.; DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Domestic Abuse Center; Domestic Violence Project | Urban Justice Center; East Bay Sanctuary Covenant; Equality California; Estrella del Paso; Gray’s Trauma-Informed Care Services Corp; Healthy Alternatives to Violent Environments; Her Justice; IL Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; Immigrant Children Advocates’ Relief Effort (ICARE); Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef); Immigration Center for Women and Children; Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault; Jane Doe Inc.; Just Neighbors; Los Angeles LGBT Center; Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault; Maitri; Make the Road Connecticut ; Make the Road Nevada ; Make the Road New Jersey ; Make the Road New York ; Make the Road Pennsylvania ; Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence; Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault; National Organization for Women-Nassau County chapter; National Organization for Women-New York State; Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence; Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence; Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC); Northwest Workers’ Justice Project; Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence (OAESV); Ohio Domestic Violence Network; Pennsylvania Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Network; Raksha, Inc; Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network; Sanctuary for Families; Silver State Equality; Survivor Justice Center (formerly known as Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice); The Immigration Project; The Women’s Law Center of Maryland, Inc.; Utah Domestic Violence Coalition; Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence; Violence Free Minnesota; Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance; Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault; Womankind; Workers Center of Central New York and; ZeroV.

    If you or a loved one are experiencing domestic violence, help is available at 800-799-7233 or by texting START to 88788. 

    Issues: Immigration, Public Safety & Criminal Justice

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Read More (Steube, Lankford Reintroduce the Safeguarding Charity Act)

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17)

    April 10, 2025 | Press ReleasesLegislation Protects the Independence of Our Nation’s Nonprofit Organizations
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) today introduced the Safeguarding Charity Act to clarify that tax-exempt organizations should not be treated as recipients of federal financial assistance. The legislation protects tax-exempt organizations from a perilous line of litigation in federal courts that could subject every church, nonprofit, and private school in America to burdensome federal regulations.“Radical judges do not have the authority to twist federal law and force religious institutions to choose between their convictions and compliance,” said Rep. Steube. “The Safeguarding Charity Actreaffirms that tax-exempt status does not mean an organization is receiving federal financial assistance. This bill is about protecting churches, religious schools, and charities from federal overreach. I’m grateful to Senator Lankford for his leadership on this important effort in the Senate.”U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.“Tax-exempt organizations should not live in fear of federal control every day because courts want to redefine the meaning of tax-exempt status. Tax-exempt status is not the same as receiving federal funding, and it should not be used as political leverage against the nonprofits that feed, clothe, house, and counsel those in need in Oklahoma and across the nation,” said Senator Lankford. “We should be focused on enabling the work of these organizations—not burdening them with unnecessary and costly federal requirements.”Supporting organizations include: Alliance Defending Freedom, Philanthropy Roundtable, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Agudath Israel of America, Seventh-day Adventist Church, American Association of Christian Schools,Association for Biblical Higher Education, Association of Christian Schools International, Family Research Council, Citygate Network, Christian Employers Alliance, and National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.Alliance Defending Freedom“Charities and other nonprofits provide invaluable services to their communities. In part to recognize their critical work, nonprofits are tax-exempt so that they can devote scarce resources to serving those in need. Until recently, no one really thought that their tax-exempt status was the sort of “federal financial assistance” that triggered the application of several burdensome federal statutes and regulations. But some courts have embraced this unfounded view, and Congress needs to set things straight. Let’s be clear: a nonprofit’s tax-exempt status should not be considered government funding and thus should not trigger multiple burdensome federal laws under which charities and other nonprofits could lose their tax-exempt status. ADF commends Sen. Lankford and Rep. Steube for introducing the Safeguarding Charity Act to protect nonprofits from these financially crushing burdens so that nonprofits can continue to serve their communities free from unfair and unexpected government overreach.” – Greg Baylor, ADF Senior Counsel Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission“The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) strongly supports the Safeguarding Charity Act, which provides essential clarification that tax-exempt status is not equivalent to receiving federal financial assistance. Recent court decisions have wrongly conflated these two ideas, endangering vital religious liberty protections and subjecting churches and faith-based nonprofits to harmful, undue federal regulations. The ERLC urges Congress to uphold this longstanding precedent and protect religious organizations’ freedom to operate in accordance with their faith, free from government interference.” – Brent Leatherwood, ERLC President.Association of Christian Schools International“ACSI commends Senator Lankford and Congressman Steube for their leadership in introducing the Safeguarding Charity Act. This legislation is critical to set the record straight: an organization’s non-profit status is not the receipt of federal financial assistance. It never has been. It is not now. Politically motivated lawsuits based on this false premise must stop, or else all non-profits will be at risk. We urge every member of Congress to support the Safeguarding Charity Act.” – P. George Tryfiates, VP for Public Policy and Legal Affairs at the Association of Chrisitan Schools International.Agudath Israel of America“Agudath Israel of America is pleased to support the ‘Safeguarding Charity Act (SCA),’ introduced by Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Representative Greg Steube (R-FL). This legislation is vitally important to nonprofits across the country, including synagogues, religious schools and charities within the Jewish community.  It will enshrine into law that which has generally been understood that ‘tax-exempt status’ does not constitute ‘federal financial assistance.’” – Rabbi Abba Cohen, VP for Government Affairs of Agudath Israel of America
    Read full bill text here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: William Connelly, future Societe Generale chairman of the board of directors, starting May 2026

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WILLIAM CONNELLY, FUTURE SOCIETE GENERALE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, STARTING MAY 2026 

    Press release
    Paris, 10 April 2025

    During its session on 10 April 2025, the Societe Generale Board of Directors selected William Connelly for the Chairmanship as of the General Meeting which will be held on 27 May 2026, subject to his renewal as a Director by the General Meeting on 20 May 2025. He will succeed Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, who has been Chairman since 2015, and will have completed his third term.

    This decision is the result of a selection process led by the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee at the end of 2023 with the assistance of an independent consultant.

    William Connelly has been a member of Societe Generale’s Board of Directors since 2017. He has chaired the Risk Committee since 2019 and is a member of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee, positions he will hold until the 2026 General Meeting.

    Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, Chairman of the Board of Directors, stated: “The choice of William Connelly as my successor confirms Societe Generale’s commitment to the highest standards of governance, both in terms of method and substance. It ensures the independence of the role as well as its continuity, while bringing the highest level of expertise in the international banking and financial sector, along with experience in managing large companies, particularly in the technology sector.”

    Biography
     William Connelly is a company director. In addition to his mandate as an independent director of Societe Generale since 2017, he currently is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Amadeus IT Group and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aegon until the second half of 2025. He also served as an independent director of Singular Bank from February 2019 to April 2023.

    William Connelly began his career in 1980 at Chase Manhattan Bank, where he worked for 10 years, before joining Baring Brothers from 1990 to 1995. He then held various executive positions within ING Group NV from 1995 until he became a member of The Management Board, where he was responsible for Wholesale Banking from 2011 to 2016. He was also the CEO of ING Real Estate from 2009 to 2015. He has gained extensive experience in financial services, particularly in corporate finance, financial markets, real estate, and lending.

    William Connelly is a French citizen. He graduated with a degree in Economics from Georgetown University.

    Press contact:
    Jean-Baptiste Froville_+33 1 58 98 68 00_ jean-baptiste.froville@socgen.com


    Societe Generale
    Societe Generale is a top tier European Bank with around 119,000 employees serving more than 26 million clients in 62 countries across the world. We have been supporting the development of our economies for 160 years, providing our corporate, institutional, and individual clients with a wide array of value-added advisory and financial solutions. Our long-lasting and trusted relationships with the clients, our cutting-edge expertise, our unique innovation, our ESG capabilities and leading franchises are part of our DNA and serve our most essential objective – to deliver sustainable value creation for all our stakeholders.

    The Group runs three complementary sets of businesses, embedding ESG offerings for all its clients:

    • French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance, with leading retail bank SG and insurance franchise, premium private banking services, and the leading digital bank BoursoBank.
    • Global Banking and Investor Solutions, a top tier wholesale bank offering tailored-made solutions with distinctive global leadership in equity derivatives, structured finance and ESG.
    • Mobility, International Retail Banking and Financial Services, comprising well-established universal banks (in Czech Republic, Romania and several African countries), Ayvens (the new ALD I LeasePlan brand), a global player in sustainable mobility, as well as specialized financing activities.

    Committed to building together with its clients a better and sustainable future, Societe Generale aims to be a leading partner in the environmental transition and sustainability overall. The Group is included in the principal socially responsible investment indices: DJSI (Europe), FTSE4Good (Global and Europe), Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, Refinitiv Diversity and Inclusion Index, Euronext Vigeo (Europe and Eurozone), STOXX Global ESG Leaders indexes, and the MSCI Low Carbon Leaders Index (World and Europe).

    In case of doubt regarding the authenticity of this press release, please go to the end of the Group News page on societegenerale.com website where official Press Releases sent by Societe Generale can be certified using blockchain technology. A link will allow you to check the document’s legitimacy directly on the web page.

    For more information, you can follow us on Twitter/X @societegenerale or visit our website societegenerale.com.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: 85 years strong: IADC’s legacy of leadership and innovation

    Source: International Association of Drilling Contractors – IADC

    Headline: 85 years strong: IADC’s legacy of leadership and innovation

    In a new editorial from the March/April issue of Drilling Contractor, IADC President Jason McFarland reflects on the Association’s 85th anniversary, with special focus on the dedicated Members who make up our Association and our industry. 

    McFarland provides some of IADC’s history, including its establishment in 1940 as the American Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors. In the 1970s, the name changed to the International Association of Drilling Contractors, reflecting our expanding global presence and international scope. 

    At the heart of all of IADC’s accomplishments lies our Members. McFarland explains, “Their innovative ideas, coupled with their dedication to implementation, fuel industry progress; it’s their energy, time and commitment that propel this association. IADC has stood as both witness and catalyst to some of the most transformative changes in our industry’s history, powered by our membership.”

    He then discusses current initiatives happening within the Association, including:

    • IADC’s new Student Chapter Scholarship program
    • A recent project to redesign the KREW (Knowledge Retention & Education for our Workforce) online learning system
    • The inaugural IADC Geothermal Drilling Conference & Exhibition 
    • The recently launched IADC Geothermal Well Classification

    In closing, McFarland states, “Together, we’ll ensure that the next chapter of our association’s history is as remarkable as the first 85 years.” 

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Armstrong meets with President Trump, thanks him for executive orders supporting coal, energy stability

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    Gov. Kelly Armstrong today met with President Donald Trump at the White House, thanking him for the executive orders he signed Tuesday to lift burdensome Biden-era federal restrictions on coal-fired power plants and strengthen the reliability and security of the U.S. electric grid, and urging continued support for policies that support U.S. energy dominance and enhanced oil recovery.

    “North Dakota stands ready to partner with the Trump administration to roll back regulations and reset the national narrative on dispatchable energy from coal and natural gas to ensure that all Americans have access to reliable, affordable electricity,” Armstrong said. “We appreciate President Trump’s executive orders supporting baseload electricity and a stronger, more stable electric grid to serve our citizens, grow our economy and make America energy dominant.”

    Armstrong also met with members of the state’s congressional delegation before joining Trump and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum in congratulating and welcoming to the White House the North Dakota State University Bison football team, which won the national championship in January in the Football Championship Subdivision of NCAA Division I college football – the university’s 10th FCS national title in 14 seasons.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Seddon appointed as construction partner for £11.5 million Watermill School satellite project

    Source: City of Stoke-on-Trent

    Published: Thursday, 10th April 2025

    Work is underway on a multi-million-pound school project to provide more first-class learning opportunities for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

    The £11.5 million scheme will see the construction of a new satellite facility to the existing Watermill School in Packmoor.

    It will help more Stoke-on-Trent children get the education and support they need closer to their homes.

    Stoke-on-Trent-based Seddon Construction Ltd has been awarded the contract to construct the new building complex on Turnhurst Road, which will accommodate up to 70 pupils and is funded through the city council’s Schools Capital Programme.

    A ground-breaking ceremony took place on April 9 to officially launch the start of work. The building is expected to be completed by July 2026 – and it is set to be open to pupils from September 2026.

    The satellite school is being built on the site of the former Middlehurst School, which was closed in 2014 and demolished in 2022 – bringing a vacant site back into use.

    Watermill School, which became an Academy in 2019 as part of the Orchard Community Trust, has been designed to provide for a wide range of pupils’ needs to be addressed through educational, social, physical and emotional growth for three-to-16-year-olds.

    Pupils at the school all have learning difficulties of some kind – this may include moderate, severe, physical and multiple learning difficulties and autism.

    Councillor Sarah Jane Colclough, cabinet member for education and anti-poverty at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “The Watermill School satellite will help expand on the vital work it does in creating an inclusive environment that values diversity and equality and provides strong foundations for pupils to thrive and accomplish their goals in life.

    “We’re committed to ensuring that we have an agreed vision across the city, and our partnerships, so that children and young people with SEND have the right support, at the right time, delivered by the right people.

    “Making sure that children can access the support they need in their local communities is a really important part of this, so I’m really pleased that we are increasing the number of SEND school places available in the city.”

    Councillor Finlay Gordon McCusker, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and regeneration at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “This project is another clear sign that we are regenerating Stoke-on-Trent for the benefit of everyone.

    “Seddon has been involved at every step of the process, through the pre-construction design and planning phase. Their appointment as the main contractor will see this exciting and much-needed development moving forward at pace.”

    It is the latest project that Seddon is working on for the council. In December, the company was appointed to carry out the £5 million transformation of the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.

    Lee Shaw, Commercial Manager at Seddon, said: “This is a project we’re deeply proud to be delivering – not just because of the difference it will make to children and families, but because it represents a strong collaboration between experienced, regional partners. We’re excited to be on site and to see the vision start to take shape.”

    Watermill School Head Teacher Jen Lomas said: “Watermill School and Orchard Community Trust are delighted to be part of the expansion of special school places within Stoke-on-Trent. We are planning with Seddon, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and other partners to ensure that our expansion will support the delivery of our carefully designed inclusive curriculum.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Probationary licence issued to child-care program

    Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Royal Saskatchewan Museum Urban Wildlife Research Program Continues

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on April 10, 2025

    The Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) is monitoring urban wildlife in and around Regina to study how wildlife responds to urbanization and which parts of the city provide important wildlife habitat. 

    Twenty-eight biodiversity monitoring stations have been set up over the last three years. They include motion-triggered trail cameras to monitor large mammals and automated microphones to record bird songs and bat calls. The monitoring stations are evenly distributed at locations in the middle of the city, on the edges and in more natural areas well outside the city boundaries. They are active for one-month periods in the spring, summer, fall and winter.

    “The Royal Saskatchewan Museum is not only an amazing museum – it is a centre for excellence when it comes to research,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Alana Ross said. “This is such a wonderful example of the innovative research taking place behind the scenes at the museum.”

    Some of the hot spots for wildlife activity include the Habitat Conservation Area in Wascana Park, AE Wilson Park and the old Craig Golf Course. 

    “Urban centres like Regina can provide valuable habitat for the conservation and management of wildlife,” RSM Curator of Vertebrate Zoology Dr. Ryan Fisher said. “This research helps us understand how different levels of urban development influence wildlife. So far, we detected 143 different bird species and 15 mammal species.” 

    Not surprisingly, American Robins and the Canada Goose were the most common birds they recorded. While the White-tailed Jackrabbit and Richardson’s Ground Squirrel were the most common mammals observed on their cameras.

    “Initial observations indicate no real impact from urbanization on the number of mammal species that we are seeing,” Dr. Fisher said. “This is likely because a lot of the mammals we observed around Regina are fairly well-adapted. Even in very urban areas such as the Regina Cemetery on 4th Avenue, we observed both deer and red fox.” 

    The rarest sighting for a mammal was an American Mink. Although they are well-known residents of the city, they are rarely seen. They also detected a couple of moose in Wascana Park, near the Wascana Country Club and SaskPolytech.

    Suburban sites had the highest diversity of birds, likely because of the mix of habitats available. However, certain species were found most often outside the city such as wetland and grassland birds. 

    Some notable audio recordings of birds include the Yellow Rail (a species of Special Concern), that was recorded near Wascana Country Club and a Black-billed Cuckoo, recorded near the Science Centre, which is an extremely rare sighting in Regina.

    “Regina supports a diverse wildlife community, especially in areas around Wascana Lake and Wascana Creek, but also in the various treed neighbourhoods, parks, and green spaces in the city,” Dr. Fisher said. “We will continue monitoring these same sites every few years to understand how wildlife is changing as Regina grows and expands.”

    Dr. Fisher reminds residents that if they do see the research equipment, please do not disturb it. 

    The Regina Urban Wildlife Project began in fall 2021 and is being done in conjunction with the University of Regina.

    To learn more about the Royal Saskatchewan Museum’s exhibits, events, programming and world class research, visit: royalsaskmuseum.ca. 

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: MENG HAILS NASA ASTRONAUT – WHO RECENTLY VISITED QUEENS – FOR ARRIVING AT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Grace Meng (6th District of New York)

    QUEENS, NY – Today, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) hailed NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim – who recently visited Queens – for arrivingat the International Space Station this morning in his first spaceflight.  

    In October 2022, Meng brought Kim to the borough where he met and spoke with local students at Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows and the Queens College School for Math, Science and Technology in Flushing. Meng and Kim also hosted a luncheon with local Korean American leaders in Flushing.

    During his trip to Queens, Meng introduced him to the students, and Kim talked about becoming an astronaut, space exploration, overcoming challenges and his remarkable life and career.  

    “I remember seeing the excitement from Queens students when Jonny Kim came to their school and how they were inspired by his story,” said Meng. “I’m thrilled to now see him arriving in space and I wish him all the best in this important mission.”

    Kim arrived at the International Space Station with two Russian cosmonauts and is scheduled to stay aboard the orbital outpost for eight months. During the mission, he will conduct scientific research in technology development, Earth science, biology, human research and more. 

    A child of South Korean immigrants, Kim was selected by NASA in 2017 after serving as a U.S. Navy SEAL, receiving the Silver Star and Bronze Star and earning a medical degree from Harvard Medical School. 

    Meng is the top Democrat on the House subcommittee that funds NASA and is proud to have secured money for the space agency to fund missions like these.    

    Kim’s full bio can be viewed here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Pierre Poilievre’s proposals on intimate partner violence will do little to stop it

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Walter S. DeKeseredy, Anna Deane Carlson Endowed Chair of Social Sciences, Director of the Research Center on Violence, and Professor of Sociology, West Virginia University

    Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre recently announced that if elected in Canada’s upcoming federal election, his party would enact tougher sentences for anyone accused of intimate partner violence.

    He has also vowed to institute a three-strikes policy for anyone who commits three serious offences, with a minimum 10-year prison sentence with no eligibility for parole.

    The proposed actions include creating a new offence of “assault of an intimate partner,” requiring stricter bail conditions for anyone accused of intimate partner violence and ensuring first-degree murder convictions for anyone who kills their partner.

    There are many steps policymakers who are concerned about victims could take. For example, they could fund a variety of effective prevention programs. However, the approach articulated by Poilievre does not appear to centre the victim, but rather the offender.

    Punishment is often ineffective

    Although government policies in Canada and other countries have emphasized punitive actions towards men who abuse their partners, relatively few of these men are arrested, incarcerated or treated.

    This is due in large part to the fact that most perpetrators are not reported to the police. In fact, one important factor hindering women from reporting their abuse to law enforcement is that officers often express distrust of victims.

    Starting with this survey in 1992, studies repeatedly show that at least one out of every four Canadian female undergraduate students will experience at least one type of sexual assault during their time at university.

    Furthermore, at least 11 per cent of Canadian women in marital or cohabiting relationships are physically abused by their male partners in a year, and in the mid-1990s, there was evidence showing that Canadian men appeared to have higher rates of physical violence towards female intimates than their U.S. counterparts.

    The prevalence of such violence is unlikely to decrease much if all the men who have beaten, raped or killed their partners are arrested and locked up. Decades of research shows that punishment is ineffective in reducing crimes like violence against women.

    Prison and other harsh legal sanctions do not deter abusive men from injuring their female partners any more than they deter the myriad of violent crimes that occur outside domestic or intimate contexts. This has been the conclusion of the majority of deterrence studies conducted in the past 50 years.

    Legal scholar Michelle Alexander and sociologists like Loic Wacquant and Bruce Western have outlined how incarceration can actually increase crime and exacerbate other social problems like unemployment and poverty.

    This information has been available to virtually every Canadian politician for many years, yet they have lacked the political will to act on this information. However, calls to institute more severe sentences often play into public desires to see those accused of crimes punished.

    Improve lives, not punish more

    Violence against women is often a key symptom of structured social inequality. Those who want to reduce it must find ways of reducing social inequality. Governments often compartmentalize social problems like violence against women along bureaucratic lines.

    In other words, some government departments are expected to handle economic issues and find ways to cut spending. However, those working for these departments rarely consider how reductions in unemployment or cuts to social programs and so on affect rates of abuse.

    Rather, the police and courts are often left to respond to male-to-female violence after it has happened. Yet, in real life, jobs, welfare, housing, employment equity, child care, gender inequality and a host of other factors affect the ways men treat women.

    It is time that we move beyond the well-worn path of using after-the-fact approaches to dealing with violence against women.
    (Shutterstock)

    It should be noted that police, courts, prisons and treatment programs play an important role in responding to violence against women. Nevertheless, neither the criminal justice system nor battered women’s shelters should be solely, or even primarily, responsible for dealing with violence against women. Relying only on them to make women’s lives safer is tantamount to “closing the barn doors after the horses have left.”

    Calling the police after a beating, rape or femicide does not prevent the crime from taking place. And although shelters are undoubtedly necessary in our society, shelter workers cannot be expected to solve the problem of woman abuse single-handedly.

    Therefore, it is time that we move beyond the well-worn path of using after-the-fact approaches. Hopefully, if implemented sensitively, what legal professor Leigh Goodmark refers to as a balanced policy approach will result in major reductions in violence against women.

    This approach entails using initiatives such as: putting cash resources directly in the hands of abused women, providing affordable housing and childcare, creating an anti-poverty movement, increased funding for the development and evaluation of community-based prevention programs and encouraging progressive men to be part of the solution.

    Will these strategies make a difference? As criminologist Elliott Currie puts it:

    “We have tried moral exhortation. We have tried neglect. We have tried punishment. We have even grudgingly, tried treatment. We have tried everything but improving lives.”

    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. Pierre Poilievre’s proposals on intimate partner violence will do little to stop it – https://theconversation.com/pierre-poilievres-proposals-on-intimate-partner-violence-will-do-little-to-stop-it-254014

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Mrvan Announces Community Conversations Schedule

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank J. Mrvan (IN)

    Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Frank J. Mrvan announced his Community Conversations to be held throughout Indiana’s First Congressional District on Thursday, April 24, 2025. 

    Congressman Mrvan stated, “I invite residents to attend one of my Community Conversations that I will be holding on April 24, 2025.  I believe these opportunities allow me to hear directly from constituents and better represent our collective interests in our nation’s capital.  Additionally, I will provide a brief update on the 119th Session of Congress and my work on the House Appropriations Committee.”

    Thursday – April 24, 2025

    • 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – Michigan City – City Hall Council Chambers, 100 East Michigan Boulevard, Michigan City, IN 46360
    • 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Memorial Opera House, 104 Indiana Avenue, Valparaiso, IN 46383
    • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Indiana University Northwest, Bergland Auditorium in the Savannah Center, 65 West 33rd Avenue, Gary, IN 46408

    Please note that all times listed are Central Standard Time.  

    Additional Community Conversations are planned to be held in other locations in Indiana’s First Congressional District in the coming months.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 10 April 2025 Departmental update Worldwide rally for maternal and newborn health marks World Health Day 2025

    Source: World Health Organisation

    On the occasion of the World Health Day 2025 dedicated to the theme of Healthier beginnings, hopeful futures, over 100 global offices of the World Health Organization (WHO) have organized wide-ranging public advocacy actions in collaboration with Member States, communities, health workers, partner and donor agencies and civil society organizations.

    The unprecedented global action to defend maternal and newborn health care services highlights the importance of protecting critical maternal, newborn health related services that are increasingly under threat of funding challenges affecting the global health sector.
     

    World Health Day 2025 actions by WHO offices

    African Region

    • Angola launched a dynamic Facebook live event and media campaign with UNICEF and UNFPA and partners.
    • Burundi orchestrated a 10-day celebration featuring refugee clinic visits, school disease screenings, and maternal health workshops.
    • Central African Republic hosted a presidential-level celebration launching maternal health roadmap with nationwide media coverage.
    • Chad mobilized 250 UN volunteers for the campaign, culminating in a ministerial ceremony and refugee camp celebrations.
    • Republic of the Congo featured a high-profile Walk the Talk event with the Regional Director to launch a maternal death management system, among other events.
    • Comoros held a joint event with the Directorate of Family Health.
    • Côte d’Ivoire spotlighted reproductive health of disabled women through powerful exhibitions and data showcases.
    • Eritrea conducted knowledge competitions and community visits to maternal waiting homes led by Minister of Health, among other events.
    • Eswatini organized community dialogues on maternal issues with strategic media placements across multiple platforms.
    • The Gambia commemorated through media engagements on national radio and TV networks.
    • Guinea implemented nationwide vaccination campaigns alongside free consultations and high-level advocacy efforts.
    • Lesotho engaged the Prime Minister in a community event complemented by university debates and a scientific symposium.
    • Liberia held a Walk the Talk event with the Ministry of Health.
    • Madagascar combined official ceremonies with free health care services, video broadcasts, among many other activities including an energetic Zumba fitness event.
    • Malawi delivered a bilingual media campaign featuring the Minister of Health addressing maternal and neonatal health priorities.
    • Mali showcased perinatal clinic facilities through an official ceremony and comprehensive media coverage.
    • Mauritania blended cultural performances with scientific panels on reproductive health in a high-impact ceremony.
    • Nigeria: WHO Nigeria, MOH and partners organized a walk to sensitize on improving maternal and newborn health, ending preventable deaths, and prioritizing women’s long-term well-being.
    • South Sudan: amidst the ongoing security concerns, no public events were held but advocacy messages were disseminated.
    • Republic of Sierra Leone facilitated the First Lady’s visit to a maternal hospital alongside diplomatic tours of health monitoring facilities.
    • South Africa produced impact videos and coordinated joint statements with the National Department of Health across media platforms.
    • Uganda published compelling human-interest stories on maternal health alongside policy dialogues and community health check-ups, among many other events (see here).
    • Zambia released a presidential video message highlighting maternal health partnerships and community outreach initiatives (also see here and here).
    • Tanzania: WHO joined the Ministry of Health and partners for the climax of National Health Week.

    WHO Region of the Americas/Pan American Health Organization

    • The Bahamas launched the SIP+ maternal health initiative through a strategic press conference and social media campaign.
    • Belize hosted a media breakfast with the Ministry of Health featuring targeted video content for multiple platforms.
    • Chile partnered with the Ministry of Health for a nationwide campaign launch with sustained media presence.
    • Colombia showcased traditional midwifery alongside technical experts in a ministerial panel on maternal mortality reduction.
    • Cuba celebrated zero maternal deaths in Villa Clara province through a festival and a multi-agency scientific symposium.
    • Guatemala secured vice presidential participation for a high-profile campaign launch at the national palace.
    • Guyana transformed the Rosignol Health Centre into a community hub with a health fair and live social media coverage (also see here).
    • Haiti launched a National Health Week with the Prime Minister featuring themed days and nationwide health fairs.
    • Suriname combined a public health fair with a technical forum on Perinatal Health Information System implementation.
    • Trinidad and Tobago placed strategic advertorials in major newspapers highlighting SIP implementation success.

    WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region

    • Bahrain coordinated joint UN-Ministry of Health events with a cross-platform media campaign, among other events (see here and here).
    • Djibouti celebrated the dual milestone of World Health Day and 40 years of WHO presence with a maternal health focus.
    • Jordan launched a Let’s talk about health video from the WHO country office staff to share insights and inspire change.
    • Iraq designed a comprehensive Health Week with daily themes engaging youth, media, and community volunteers.
    • Kuwait secured prime national TV coverage with coordinated social media messaging (see here and here).
    • Oman mobilized a multi-ministry response integrating higher education institutions in maternal health initiatives.
    • Pakistan engaged government officials in high-visibility events complemented by human interest stories and op-eds.
    • Tunisia implemented Health Champions Week featuring centre visits and a bilingual media campaign.

    WHO European Region

    • Republic of Armenia combined provincial and ministerial leadership in a women’s health event with national TV coverage.
    • Republic of Azerbaijan inaugurated a cutting-edge simulation laboratory at Azerbaijan Medical University with national television coverage.
    • Bosnia and Herzegovina distributed ministerial certificates alongside strategic op-eds in local newspapers.
    • Bulgaria honoured Bulgarian nurses through a campaign supporting a new national nursing strategy with UNICEF amplification.
    • Cyprus launched the National Mental Health Strategy alongside breastfeeding advocacy initiatives.
    • Czechia leveraged World Health Day to amplify a national alcohol action plan through high-profile press events.
    • Estonia published influential op-eds supporting early childhood vaccination with a multi-stakeholder social media campaign.
    • Hellenic Republic unveiled WHO European Quality Standards for child/youth mental health services with expert consultation.
    • Hungary launched a targeted campaign on heatwave impacts during pregnancy featuring expert recommendations.
    • Kazakhstan mobilized the Ministry of Health and Astana Medical University for a dynamic Walk the Talk event.
    • Kyrgyz Republic engaged university students through specialized talks on maternal and newborn health priorities.
    • Montenegro secured a national television interview alongside a smoking cessation initiative for pregnant women.
    • North Macedonia combined a media briefing with a doctors’ association and prime-time national TV news coverage.
    • Republic of Moldova produced a national TV health series complemented by school campaigns and a breastfeeding caravan.
    • Romania showcased kangaroo mother care through a strategic partners exhibition and technical roundtables.
    • Serbia illuminated Belgrade Tower with campaign messaging alongside prime-time media interviews.
    • Türkiye lit the iconic Atakule landmark while hosting a university seminar with the Ministry of Health and UN agencies.
    • Turkmenistan organized a bicycle marathon and youth dialogue with health network members.
    • Republic of Uzbekistan unveiled a maternal health mural at the National Center of Mother and Child with a influencer video series.

    WHO South-East Asia Region

    • Bangladesh hosted a national event at Osmani Memorial Auditorium with a newspaper supplement and district-level activities.
    • Bhutan combined a team-building hike with a celebration featuring video messages from the Minister of Health.
    • India showcased achievements in reducing maternal and child mortality rates through a regional webinar (also see here).
    • Indonesia celebrated 75 years of WHO partnership through an online talk show and targeted social media campaign.
    • Nepal highlighted mortality rate reductions through ministerial messages and video testimonies.
    • Sri Lanka delivered a specialized webinar series on maternal health topics with technical policy briefs.
    • Thailand focused on preterm infant care through a Department of Health event featuring regional voices.
    • Timor-Leste launched the Every Newborn Action Plan alongside a Ministry of Health–WHO exhibition and technical seminar.

    WHO Western Pacific Region

    • Cambodia connected health workers nationwide through a virtual gathering with parliamentary engagement.
    • China secured ministerial leadership for a National Health Commission event featuring the Director-General’s video remarks.
    • Lao People’s Democratic Republic published a joint WR/Minister of Health opinion piece with a planned UN partner MCH event.
    • Mongolia simultaneously launched the Healthy Newborn Initiative and the Cervical Cancer Elimination Programme.
    • Independent State of Papua New Guinea implemented a comprehensive activity series including regulatory workshops and violence prevention initiatives.
    • South Pacific coordinated a joint release with regional partners while launching the WHO South Pacific LinkedIn platform.
    • Solomon Islands celebrated maternal and child health achievements with medical workers and ministry officials.
    • Socialist Republic of Viet Nam partnered with the Young Physicians Association for a Hanoi event with strategic opinion pieces in the national media.

    Worldwide actions exemplified above, among many others, generate a strong response to the global call issued by UN agencies on World Health Day, raising alarm on the threat of major backsliding of maternal and newborn health.

    World Health Day 2025 marks WHO’s 77th birthday and kicks off a year-long campaign on maternal and newborn health. WHO urges governments and the health community to ramp up efforts to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths, and to prioritize women’s longer-term health and well-being.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: HSE summed up the results of work to improve financial literacy of schoolchildren

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    © Higher School of Economics

    Over the nine years of work of the HSE structural division “Federal Methodological Center for Financial Literacy in the General and Secondary Vocational Education System” more than one and a half million schoolchildren received knowledge in the financial sphere. This was stated by the director of the center, HSE professor Nikolai Berzon, at the All-Russian scientific and practical conference “Formation of financial culture in the context of digitalization: meanings, practices, results”, which was held on April 10 at the HSE.

    According to him, more than 100 thousand teachers have completed training under the teacher training program. “We have separate training programs for teaching in elementary, middle and high schools. This year we also made a separate program for students,” said Nikolai Berzon.

    To encourage schoolchildren to study the basics of financial literacy, the Financial Literacy Olympiad was created. The winners receive certain preferences when entering universities. “When we held the first Olympiad, about 2.5 thousand people took part in it, in the last one – 42 thousand,” shared Nikolai Berzon.

    The conference included an award ceremony for this year’s winner, 11th-grade student Timofey Matsnev. He set a record by scoring 100 points. According to Timofey, we face problems in the area of financial literacy every day, so today everyone needs to be able to protect themselves from fraudsters. “We face financial issues and problems in the area of financial literacy every day. Every day we need to make some decisions related to this, we need to be able to protect ourselves from fraudsters. Therefore, the relevance of studying financial literacy is not decreasing, but, on the contrary, is increasing every day,” he said.

    Today, young people are much more advanced than the older generation, and this is evident when comparing the general financial literacy index and the financial literacy of young people, noted Lyudmila Presnyakova, Advisor to the Head of the Service for the Protection of Consumer Rights and Ensuring the Availability of Financial Services of the Bank of Russia.

    “Firstly, the financial literacy index of young people is higher than that of the rest of the population, and secondly, it is growing at a faster rate than that of adults. If among adults it increased from 53 to 55 points from 2017 to 2024, which is actually a good growth, which means that the financial literacy of the population as a whole is really changing little by little, then among young people the growth was from 55 to 62 points. Young people not only know technologies better, not only are they quicker to navigate, they demonstrate the very basics of proper financial literacy that we are all working to develop,” she said. Young people behave more consciously in relation to their finances – in particular, they use savings practices more often than adults. And this is a certain challenge for teaching financial literacy. Young people are a complex audience that needs modern examples, “well-pumped teachers,” so the work on training teachers is very important, concluded Lyudmila Presnyakova.

    Alexey Yakovlev, Director of the Finance Ministry’s Department of Financial Policy, is convinced that financial literacy needs to be taught “from school.” Children are a more open audience, and many of them are “much better versed” in modern tools than older Russians, he noted.

    The conference also announced the ceremonial signing of a cooperation agreement between the Federal Methodological Center for Financial Literacy in the General and Secondary Vocational Education System and the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “Institute of Correctional Pedagogics”. The agreement was signed by Nikolai Berzon and Deputy Director for General Issues of the ICP Anastasia Belikova.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Cleaver Introduces Legislation to Raise Minimum Wage

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

    The Raise the Wage Act would gradually raise the minimum wage to $17 by 2030 and give roughly 22 million Americans a long-overdue raise

    (Washington, D.C.) – This week, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) joined Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, along with 141 other House Democrats, to introduce the Raise the Wage Act of 2025. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the Raise the Wage Act would gradually raise the minimum wage to $17 by 2030 and give roughly 22 million Americans a long-overdue raise. In Missouri, the average working family will have $1,228 more to spend per year in the local economy.

    “While C-suite executives and corporate CEOs have seen their pay continue to rise to astronomical levels, working class Americans have continued to get the short end of the stick, failing to receive fair compensation for the work they do to ensure these massive corporations grow their record-breaking profits,” said Congressman Cleaver. “It’s not right—and it’s about time Congress took action provide these hardworking Americans a fair pay raise, which will stimulate local economies nationwide. I’m proud to support legislation that would give that long-overdue raise to working class Americans in my congressional district and every community across the country.”

    “No person working full-time in America should be living in poverty. The Raise the Wage Act will increase the pay and standard of living for nearly 22 million workers across this country. Raising the minimum wage is good for workers, good for business, and good for the economy. When we put money in the pockets of American workers, they will spend that money in their communities,” said Rep. Scott.

    The Raise the Wage Act would:

    • Gradually raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $17 by 2030.
    • Index future increases in the federal minimum wage to median wage growth to ensure the value of minimum wage does not once again erode over time.
    • Guarantee tipped workers are paid at least the full federal minimum wage by phasing out the subminimum wage for tipped workers, which will ensure decent, consistent pay without eliminating tips.

    A fact sheet on the Raise the Wage Act is available here.

    Official text of the Raise the Wage Act is available here.

     

    Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Labor Leaders Introduce Bill to Raise Minimum Wage

    Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

    Headline: Labor Leaders Introduce Bill to Raise Minimum Wage

    The Raise the Wage Act of 2025 would gradually raise the minimum wage to $17 by 2030 and give roughly 22 million Americans a long-overdue raise.

    As originally released by the Committee on Education and Workforce, Democrats

    WASHINGTON – Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, and Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, introduced the Raise the Wage Act of 2025.  According to the Economic Policy Institute, the Raise the Wage Act would gradually raise the minimum wage to $17 by 2030 and give roughly 22 million Americans a long-overdue raise.

    After more than fifteen years with no increase in the federal minimum wage—the longest period in U.S. history—millions of our nation’s workers are working full-time jobs but are still struggling to make ends meet.  The Raise the Wage Act is good for workers, good for business, and good for the economy.  When we put money in the pockets of workers, they will spend that money at local businesses. 

    “No person working full-time in America should be living in poverty.  The Raise the Wage Act will increase the pay and standard of living for nearly 22 million workers across this country.  Raising the minimum wage is good for workers, good for business, and good for the economy.  When we put money in the pockets of American workers, they will spend that money in their communities,”said Scott.

    “The $7.25 an hour minimum wage is a starvation wage. It must be raised to a living wage – at least $17 an hour,” Sanders said. “In the year 2025, a job should lift you out of poverty, not keep you in it. At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, we can no longer tolerate millions of workers trying to survive on just $10 or $12 an hour. Congress can no longer ignore the needs of the working class of this country. The time to act is now,”said Sanders.

    TheRaise the Wage Act of 2025would:

    • Gradually raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $17 by 2030.
    • Index future increases in the federal minimum wage to median wage growth to ensure the value of minimum wage does not once again erode over time.
    • Guarantee tipped workers are paid at least the full federal minimum wage by phasing out the subminimum wage for tipped workers, which will ensure decent, consistent pay without eliminating tips.
    • Guarantee teen workers are paid at least the full federal minimum wage by phasing out the rarely used subminimum wage for youth workers.
    • End subminimum wage certificates for workers with disabilities to provide opportunities for workers with disabilities to be competitively employed and participate more fully in their communities.

    The Raise the Wage Act of 2025 has 142 original House co-sponsors, including Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Greg Casar (TX-35), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Alma S. Adams (NC-12), Gabe Amo (RI-01), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Becca Balint (VT-00), Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Donald S. Beyer (VA-08), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), Shontel M. Brown (OH-11), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Salud O. Carbajal (CA-24), André Carson (IN-07), Sean Casten (IL-06), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), James E. Clyburn (SC-06), Herbert Conaway (NJ-03), Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Angie Craig (MN-02), Jason Crow (CO-06), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-03), Suzan K. DelBene (WA-01), Christopher R. Deluzio (PA-17), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Cleo Fields (LA-06), Bill Foster (IL-11), Valerie P. Foushee (NC-04), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), John Garamendi (CA-08), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Al Green (TX-09),  Steven Horsford (NV-04), Steny Hoyer (MD-05), Val T. Hoyle (OR-04), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Bill Keating (MA-09), Robin L. Kelly (IL-02), Timothy M. Kennedy (NY-26), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Rick Larsen (WA-02), Summer Lee (PA-12), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), John W. Mannion (NY-22), Doris O. Matsui (CA-07), Lucy McBath (GA-06), Sarah McBride (DE-At Large), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Morgan McGarvey (KY-03), James P. McGovern (MA-02), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Robert Menendez (NJ-08), Grace Meng (NY-06), Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Joseph D. Morelle (NY-25), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Frank J. Mrvan (IN-01), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-06), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19),Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Deborah K. Ross (NC-02), Patrick Ryan (NY-18), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Janice D. Schakowsky (IL-09), Bradley Scott Schneider (IL-10), Terri A. Sewell (AL-07), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Darren Soto (FL-09), Melanie A. Stansbury (NM-01), Haley M. Stevens (MI-11), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Thomas R. Suozzi (NY-03), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Mark Takano (CA-39), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), Mike Thompson (CA-04), Dina Titus (NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill N. Tokuda (HI-02), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24).

    The Raise the Wage Act of 2025 has been endorsed by 85 organizations including, AFL-CIO, American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), American Council of the Blind, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Friends Service Committee, American Public Health Association, Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), Autistic People of Color Fund, Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, Care in Action, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement & Research (CLEAR), Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues, Coalition on Human Needs, Communications Workers of America (CWA), Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd U.S. Provinces, the Council for Global Equality, Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), Demos, Economic Policy Institute (EPI), Equal Pay Today, Family Values @ Work, Feminist Majority Foundation, First Focus Campaign for Children, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), The General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church, Gig Workers Rising, Indivisible, Institute for Policy Studies’ Poverty Project, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), Justice for Migrant Women, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Legal Momentum, Milwaukee Area Service & Hospitality Workers Union, MomsRising, Movement Advancement Project (MAP), National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, National Association of Social Workers, National Black Worker Center, National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ), National Coalition for the Homeless, National Council of Jewish Women, National Disability Institute, National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA),  National Education Association (NEA), National Employment Law Project (NELP), National Employment Lawyers Association, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), The National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, New Disabled South, Oasis Legal Services, One Fair Wage, Oxfam America, Patriotic Millionaires, People Power United, Popular Democracy in Action, Pride at Work AFL-CIO, Public Advocacy for Kids, Public Justice Center, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Southern Poverty Law Center, Union for Reform Judaism, UNITE HERE, United Autoworkers (UAW), United Church of Christ, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), United for Respect, United Steelworkers (USW), Voices for Progress,  Worker Justice Center of New York, Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group, Working Partnerships USA, Workplace Fairness, Workplace Justice Lab, and Worksafe.

    To read the bill text for the Raise the Wage Act of 2025, click here.

    To read the fact sheet on the Raise the Wage Act of 2025, click here.

    To read the section-by-section Raise the Wage Act of 2025, click here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Scott Slams Republican Budget Resolution

    Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

    Headline: Scott Slams Republican Budget Resolution

    WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), a member of the House Budget Committee, spoke during floor debate ahead of a vote on the Trump-Republican budget resolution.

       

    “Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to this resolution, yet again. We hear speech after speech from the other side about the deficit and debt and, here, we see this resolution which increases the deficit. Let’s start with some facts. Every single Democratic presidential administration since Kennedy has left for their Republican successor a better deficit situation than they inherited. And every Republican president since Nixon, their administration has left for the Democrats a WORSE deficit situation than they inherited. All without exception.

    “So here we are again. A Republican president following a Democratic president. And once again we have a budget that will explode the deficit and national debt just like clockwork with their tax cuts for corporations and the top 1%. Trump’s first term added over $7 trillion to the national debt. And he wants to double down, and do it all over again.

    “As the Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and Workforce, I am particularly outraged that Republicans want to partially fund tax cuts for corporations and billionaires by making cuts to education programs and child nutrition programs. And this resolution will direct them to cut Medicaid, ripping health care away from millions of Americans.

    “There is nothing fiscally responsible about this budget. It will add to the deficit and the resolution wants to further inflict pain on working families and the middle class.

    “Mr. Speaker, I would ask my colleagues to oppose this resolution for the damage it will do to the economy and to the deficit. Thank you, I yield back.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Democrats Demand McMahon Reverse Abrupt Policy Change Halting Funding for Schools Nationwide

    Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

    Headline: Democrats Demand McMahon Reverse Abrupt Policy Change Halting Funding for Schools Nationwide

    Top authorizers and appropriators press Trump’s Department of Education for details about its’ abrupt halt of funding for state governments and school districts that adds a bureaucratic hurdle to reimbursement and will harm student recovery following the pandemic.

    As originally released by the Committee on Education and Workforce, Democrats

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, led a letter to Secretary Linda McMahon demanding a reversal of a new policy the Department of Education announced recently that suddenly upended departmental policy and imposed new red tape on states, which will prevent them from accessing pandemic relief funds they are counting on to support students’ learning.

    In their letter, the lawmakers press McMahon for immediate reversal of the Department’s revision to its longstanding liquidation extension policy for COVID-19 education recovery funding—warning that the Department’s change, along with the myriad other harmful actions taken at ED recently, seriously jeopardizes students’ learning and growth.

    “We write to request the immediate reversal of the Department of Education’s recent March 28, 2025, action to revise the liquidation extension policy for COVID-19 relief funds,”write the lawmakers. “Just over a month ago, the Department announced a policy change to the longstanding extension policy that imposed an additional step for processing of extension reimbursements. … However, on March 28, 2025, with many state extension requests having been approved more than six months ago, the Department suddenly announced on March 28 that ‘the Department is modifying the liquidation period to end on March 28, 2025,’ the very same day as the announcement.”

    “In short,”the lawmakers state, “the Department changed the spending rules it affirmed just one month ago, without providing any notice, and imposing more federal red tape.”

    The lawmakers continue: “This abrupt and chaotic revision of policy is not helpful to students whose states, school districts, or institutions of higher education are uncertain about the Department’s commitments to implementing federal funding designed to support students. The March 28th decision is an imposition of an unauthorized layer of bureaucratic red tape on the expenditure of resources passed by Congress to support learning recovery for our nation’s students.”

    The lawmakers note that the abrupt change—coupled with the mass firings at ED—seriously threaten the ability of schools to support students’ learning: “When combined with the massive reduction in force announced earlier this month, the Department jeopardizes an estimated $4 billion from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 and American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 in nearly all of our states and outlying areas and roughly 1,000 school districts nationwide. This action is particularly harmful to rural school districts that faced the greatest disruptions during the authorized program period. This will also have a disproportionate impact on $800 million reserved for identification and support for students experiencing homelessness, which was implemented slowly in many states. The March 28th decision of the Department improperly imposes its will on state and local budget decisions in a manner not contemplated by Congress.”

    The lawmakers note their alarm about the Department’s lack of recognition of the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on students, with the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores showing national scores are below pre-pandemic levels in all grades and subjects. “We are alarmed by your lack of a recognition of the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our nation’s students,” write the lawmakers. “Years after the COVID-19 pandemic, our schools and communities still have much work to do to help students recover and the Department’s termination of the remaining resources Congress passed for that purpose will only serve to delay and undermine our students’ recovery.”

    They also note Congress provided flexibility when providing the funding to ensure it best supports communities across the country: “Congress intended the Secretary to support states and districts in their use of the flexibility under the law to ensure the unique needs of their communities were met and to implement evidence-based learning loss interventions. The Department is now trying to change the spending rules and impose an administrative hurdle by stating ‘the Department will consider an extension to your liquidation period on an individual project-specific basis.’…We are astonished by the amount of hypocrisy here from an administration that has repeatedly said it wants to return education to the states, including your recent statement that ‘Education is fundamentally a state responsibility. Instead of filtering resources through layers of federal red tape, we will empower states…’ Now, it appears the Department is turning its back on states by arbitrarily imposing more federal red tape.”

    The lawmakers also called out that while the Trump administration works to cut off this funding for schools, it is pushing to pass new tax cuts for billionaires: “Let’s be very clear: The abrupt change in the liquidation extension policy is yet another way this administration is seeking to strip educational opportunities for students in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations. President Trump and Congressional Republicans are intent in claiming any savings they can in the federal budget that they intend to use to pay for their tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations.”

    “We believe there is a better way,” they conclude.“We urge you to immediately rescind your March 28 revision to the longstanding liquidation extension policy. Further, we believe you should work with us to start properly executing our federal education laws as Congress intended.”

    In addition to Representatives Scott and DeLauro, the letter was signed by Alma Adams (D, NC-12), Donald Beyer (D, VA-08), Suzanne Bonamici (D, OR-01), Julia Brownley (D, CA-26), Shontel Brown (D, OH-11), André Carson (D, IN-07), Greg Casar (D, TX-35), Sean Casten (D, IL-06), Joaquin Castro (D, TX-20), Steve Cohen (D, TN-09), Joe Courtney (D, CT-02), Danny Davis (D, IL-07), Diana DeGette (D, CO-01), Chris Deluzio (D, PA-17), Mark DeSaulnier (D, CA-10), Sarah Elfreth (D, MD-03), Veronica Escobar (D, TX-16), Adriano Espaillat (D, NY-13), Dwight Evans (D, PA-03), Shomari Figures (D, AL-02), Jesús García (D, IL-04), Sylvia Garcia (D, TX-29), Vicente Gonzalez (D, TX-34), Jahana Hayes (D, CT-05), Chrissy Houlahan (D, PA-06), Jonathan Jackson (D, IL-01), Hank Johnson (D, GA-04), Robin Kelly (D, IL-02), Timothy Kennedy (D, NY-26), John Larson (D, CT-01), Summer Lee (D, PA-12), Lucy McBath (D, GA-06), Sarah McBride (D, DE-01), Jennifer McClellan (D, VA-04), Betty McCollum (D, MN-04), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D, MI-08), Jim McGovern (D, MA-02), LaMonica McIver (D, NJ-10), Donald Norcross (D, NJ-01), Johnny Olszewski (D, MD-02), Chellie Pingree (D, ME-01), Mark Pocan (D, MI-02), Andrea Salinas (D, OR-06), Linda Sánchez (D, CA-38), Terri Sewell (D, AL-07), Mikie Sherrill (D, NJ-11), Lateefah Simon (D, CA-12), Darren Soto (D, FL-09), Haley Stevens (D, MI-11), Mark Takano (D, CA-39), Dina Titus (D, NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (D, MI-12), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, NY-12), Frederica Wilson (D, FL-24), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D, DC-01) in the House.

    In addition to Senators Murray, Sanders, and Baldwin, the letter was signed by Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angus King (I-ME), Ed Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-MO), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) in the Senate.

    To read the full text of the letter, click here. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Education Leaders Demand Answers on Trump’s Attempts to Dismantle Museum and Library Services

    Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

    Headline: Education Leaders Demand Answers on Trump’s Attempts to Dismantle Museum and Library Services

    As originally released by the Committee on Education and Workforce, Democrats

    WASHINGTON – House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Ranking Member Alma S. Adams (NC-12) are demanding answers from Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) Acting Chair Keith Sonderling following President Trump’s executive order to unilaterally eliminate the agency. 

    “We write seeking document and information from the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) about its response to recent actions by President Trump dismantle the agency, actions which threaten the ability of libraries and museums across the country to serve their communities,”wrote the Members.  “Libraries provide not only books and reference materials but serve as a natural hub for a multitude of community services including early and adult literacy programs, workforce development opportunities, broadband and technology access, and resources for individuals with disabilities. 

    The Members continued, “IMLS has a legal responsibility to continue administering all grants authorized and appropriated by Congress, and we urge you to take this responsibility seriously, and others mandated under MLSA.” 

    On Friday, March 14, President Trump issued Executive Order 14238 (EO), “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.” This EO purportedly eliminated IMLS within the bounds of the law.  However, subsequent actions taken by IMLS have been inconsistent with the EO. 

    As the sole federal agency supporting museum and library services, the letter follows reports of IMLS grants canceled without cause and the subsequent quiet placement of employees on administrative leave with device access revoked.  

    To read the full letter, click here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: University of Louisiana at Lafayette Students Visit Moncla Well Service

    Source: International Association of Drilling Contractors – IADC

    Headline: University of Louisiana at Lafayette Students Visit Moncla Well Service

    Members of the IADC University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL) Student Chapter recently had the opportunity to take a facility tour at Moncla Well Service. Students toured an offshore platform workover rig and a well servicing training rig on a 4000’ test well. During the tour, students saw cementing pressure pump equipment, a tubing testing pressure unit, slickline unit operations, and much more. 

    Many thanks to Andrew Moncla and his team for this outstanding opportunity for UL Lafayette Petroleum Engineering students! 

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: University of Wyoming Organizes Petroleum Simulator Day

    Source: International Association of Drilling Contractors – IADC

    Headline: University of Wyoming Organizes Petroleum Simulator Day

    The IADC University of Wyoming Student Chapter and AADE Chapter recently organized a Petroleum Simulator Day. Students had the opportunity to network, collaborate, and get hands-on with cutting-edge simulators including an offshore drillship, two onshore rigs, a wireline unit, and a coiled tubing unit. It was an exciting day of learning, connection, and exploration for everyone involved. 

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: University of Louisiana at Lafayette Students Visit Moncla Well Service

    Source: International Association of Drilling Contractors – IADC

    Headline: University of Louisiana at Lafayette Students Visit Moncla Well Service

    Members of the IADC University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL) Student Chapter recently had the opportunity to take a facility tour at Moncla Well Service. Students toured an offshore platform workover rig and a well servicing training rig on a 4000’ test well. During the tour, students saw cementing pressure pump equipment, a tubing testing pressure unit, slickline unit operations, and much more. 

    Many thanks to Andrew Moncla and his team for this outstanding opportunity for UL Lafayette Petroleum Engineering students! 

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: University of Wyoming Organizes Petroleum Simulator Day

    Source: International Association of Drilling Contractors – IADC

    Headline: University of Wyoming Organizes Petroleum Simulator Day

    The IADC University of Wyoming Student Chapter and AADE Chapter recently organized a Petroleum Simulator Day. Students had the opportunity to network, collaborate, and get hands-on with cutting-edge simulators including an offshore drillship, two onshore rigs, a wireline unit, and a coiled tubing unit. It was an exciting day of learning, connection, and exploration for everyone involved. 

    MIL OSI Global Banks –