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Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI USA: Davids Statement on Trump’s Reckless Tariffs that Will Raise Prices

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)

    Today, Representative Sharice Davids issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s newly enacted tariffs, which impact a range of industries and foreign markets:

    “I agree that America must stay competitive globally, but Kansans are already feeling the squeeze — and now they’ll have to foot the bill for President Trump’s reckless tariffs. His trade policies are driving up grocery costs, forcing Kansas businesses to close, and cutting off markets for our farmers. Instead of supporting hardworking folks, he continues to push policies — including cuts to Social Security and Medicare — that benefit big corporations and his billionaire friends. That’s unacceptable. I’m focused on pursuing smart trade agreements that strengthen American industries without putting jobs and small businesses at risk.”

    Background:

    Today, President Donald Trump announced tariffs of at least 10 percent on practically all goods coming into the United States, plus higher rates on certain countries. Experts say President Trump’s tariff policy could raise prices for an array of products ranging from groceries to gas, the latter rising by as much as 70 cents per gallon. Overall, it’s estimated these tariffs could cost families between $2,000 and $3,400 per year and impact seven percent of Kansas’ workforce. The right-leaning Tax Foundation found previous tariffs enacted during President Trump’s first term were paid for by U.S. consumers and businesses.

    Davids previously wrote an essay in Newsweek criticizing President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders, arguing that they will hurt hardworking Kansans and favor corporations. She reinforced these concerns during a U.S. House Agriculture Committee hearing, where she highlighted the trade disruptions Kansas agricultural producers could face due to these tariffs — a concern echoed by Kansas Farm Bureau President Joe Newland.

    Beyond tariffs, Davids has been pushing back against the President’s harmful policies — fighting against the firing of federal workers, cuts to Social Security and Medicaid, rising egg prices, the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, and rollbacks to tax credits that help Kansans lower their utility bills. At the same time, she has worked across the aisle to get things done. Partnering with her Republican colleagues, Davids is helping to cut wasteful spending in federal programs, modernize USPS delivery in Olathe, and lower child care costs. She has also already passed two bipartisan bills to support small businesses — a rare achievement for a Democrat in Washington right now.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trahan Condemns Trump Administration Cutting $8.5 Million for Fitchburg, Lawrence & Dracut Schools

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) condemned the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the U.S. Department of Education’s Education Stabilization Fund, cutting $106 million in federal funding for Massachusetts school districts.
    “The Trump administration’s unnecessary cuts to federal education funding for Fitchburg, Lawrence, and Dracut are irresponsible and shortsighted,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “Our kids deserve better, and I’ll continue fighting to make sure our school districts get the federal investments they need to provide the best education possible.”
    School districts in Massachusetts’ Third Congressional District impacted by the Trump administration’s cuts include:

    Fitchburg: $6,578,468 to purchase and install new HVAC systems for Memorial Middle School and the South Street Early Learning Center
    Lawrence: $1,307,307 to complete HVAC projects in school buildings across the city.
    Dracut: $648,702 to install a new HVAC unit for Richardson Middle School, a project the town has already started and invested $240,000 in.

    “This sudden federal decision to terminate already-approved education funding is deeply concerning—especially for communities like Fitchburg that have been responsibly planning and executing long-term projects with these dollars. Here in Fitchburg, we’ve been working for over three years to use these funds to improve air quality and ventilation in our schools, with projects targeted at Memorial Middle School and South Street Early Childhood Learning Center—two schools identified during the pandemic as having the most urgent need. We’ve completed the studies, awarded the contracts, ordered the unit ventilators, and scheduled the work for this summer, when it can be done safely while students are out of the building. To pull the rug out from under us at this stage jeopardizes not just HVAC installations, but the health and wellbeing of our youngest learners. Fitchburg’s students, families, and educators deserve stability—not sudden policy reversals. We will be working closely with DESE and the  State to push back on this and ensure that the resources promised to our schools are protected,” said Fitchburg Mayor Sam Squailia.
    “The loss of $1.3 million in ESSER funding presents a significant challenge for the students of Lawrence. These funds are vital for their recovery and overall success. It is imperative that we continue to invest in their future,” said Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña.
    According to the Healey-Driscoll administration, the U.S. Department of Education informed the Commonwealth in February 2025 that they had until next March to spend the funds. The Trump administration’s reversal was announced at 5:03pm on Friday, March 28th and effective as of three minutes prior at 5pm.
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pressley, Chu, Repro. Caucus, Dem. Women’s Caucus Press RFK Jr. to Unfreeze Title X Funding, Restore Access to Critical Reproductive Care

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

    Members express outrage at Trump administration claims that Title X is frozen because it is DEI, stating “A federal program’s ability to provide care to people from historically marginalized and underserved communities does not make it wrong or illegal”

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Diana DeGette, Co-Chairs of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, along with Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Reproductive Health Care Task Force Chair & Liaison Judy Chu (CA-28), DWC Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Reproductive Freedom Caucus Vice Chair & Whip Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), author of the Expanding Access to Family Planning Act Rep. Sharice Davids (KS-03), and Democratic Women’s Caucus Chief Whip Nikema Williams (GA-05), sent a letter signed by 162 Members urging Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to restore all appropriated funding for Title X providers and coordinate an urgent meeting on the matter. The Trump administration’s attack on Title X is yet another attack on women and reproductive health care. 

    Title X, the nation’s only federal program dedicated to family planning, allows low-income, uninsured, or underinsured individuals to receive critical health care from a diverse network of providers. Title X health centers served 2.8 million people in FY 2023, administering high-quality family planning and sexual health care, including cancer screenings, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, contraceptive services and supplies, pregnancy testing, and other essential health care services. In the letter, the Members ask Sec. Kennedy to immediately unfreeze funds for federal programs: 

    “We urge you to restore all appropriated funding for Title X providers and instead invest fully in the program which has helped people access essential health care for almost 50 years. On behalf of our 2.8 million constituents and women across the country who depend on Title X’s services, we also request a prompt reply to coordinate a meeting on this matter. We look forward to introducing you to the providers, community leaders, and patients from our districts who understand better than anyone else the importance of this program. We hope your agency will not be so reckless as to upend nearly half a century of bipartisan achievement and place Title X on the DOGE chopping block without hearing firsthand the consequences of that action.”

    The Members also expressed their outrage at reports that the funding is frozen due to claims that it might support “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” The Members explained:

    “This is another way of saying that this program is used to help people of color access care. Nearly half of the people served each year by Title X are people of color, the vast majority are people with low-incomes and most Title X users are women. A federal program’s ability to provide care to people from historically marginalized and underserved communities does not make it wrong or illegal. To suggest otherwise implies that HHS would determine who is worthy of taxpayer dollars based on the color of their skin. Congress created Title X to address the needs of underserved populations across our country, regardless of background, and it has demonstrated success in doing so for 50 years.”

    The full letter can be accessed here.

    In addition to letter leads Judy Chu, Diana DeGette, Ayanna Pressley, Teresa Leger Fernández, Lizzie Fletcher, Sharice Davids, and Nikema Williams, the letter was signed by: Gwen S. Moore, Chrissy Houlahan, Delia C. Ramirez, Frederica S. Wilson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Gerald E. Connolly, Dwight Evans, LaMonica McIver, Lori Trahan, Danny K. Davis, Eugene Simon Vindman, Nydia M. Velázquez, Brad Sherman, Rashida Tlaib, Darren Soto, Joyce Beatty, Seth Moulton, Marc A. Veasey, Jerrold Nadler, Madeleine Dean, Laura Friedman, John B. Larson, Juan Vargas, Nanette Diaz Barragán, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Becca Balint, Stephen F. Lynch, Betty McCollum, Lloyd Doggett, Jennifer L. McClellan, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Mikie Sherrill, Rick Larsen, Derek T. Tran, Greg Stanton, Jimmy Panetta, Paul D. Tonko, Jill Tokuda, Dave Min, Terri A. Sewell, Jake Auchincloss, Jared Huffman, James P. McGovern, Mary Gay Scanlon, Mark DeSaulnier, Dina Titus, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Scott H. Peters, Doris Matsui, Emanuel Cleaver, Suzanne Bonamici, Grace Meng, Lucy McBath, Emilia Strong Sykes, Jim Himes, Joseph D. Morelle, Chellie Pingree, Josh Gottheimer, Veronica Escobar, Jasmine Crockett, Kathy Castor, Zoe Lofgren, Mike Quigley, Jan Schakowsky, Kevin Mullin, Greg Landsman, Marilyn Strickland, Pramila Jayapal, Ted W. Lieu, Robert J. Menendez, Jim Costa, Ilhan Omar, Timothy M. Kennedy, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Robin L. Kelly, Sara Jacobs, Ritchie Torres, Bennie G. Thompson, Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Adriano Espaillat, Sarah McBride, Luz M. Rivas, Ami Bera, Seth Magaziner, Andrea Salinas, Lois Frankel, Melanie Stansbury, Mike Thompson, Julia Brownley, Summer L. Lee, Deborah K. Ross, Nikki Budzinski, Lateefah Simon, Julie Johnson, Kelly Morrison, Lauren Underwood, Yassamin Ansari, Mark Takano, Chris Pappas, Shri Thanedar, Mark Pocan, Maxine Dexter, Donald Norcross, Hillary J. Scholten, Ro Khanna, Sarah Elfreth, Jahana Hayes, André Carson, Jimmy Gomez, Raul Ruiz, Angie Craig, Norma J. Torres, Gregory W. Meeks, Val Hoyle, Maggie Goodlander, Salud Carbajal, Sylvia R. Garcia, George Latimer, Gabe Amo, Kristen McDonald Rivet, Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Shontel M. Brown, Suhas Subramanyam, Katherine M. Clark, Nancy Pelosi, Johnny Olszewski, Alma S. Adams, William R. Keating, Donald S. Beyer Jr., Ed Case, Glenn Ivey, Suzan K. DelBene, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Dan Goldman, Joaquin Castro, Sean Casten, Brittany Pettersen, Debbie Dingell, Chris Deluzio, Wesley Bell, Mike Levin, Bill Foster, Pete Aguilar, Bradley Scott Schneider, Greg Casar, Valerie P. Foushee, Al Green, Kim Schrier, Maxwell Alejandro Frost, John Garamendi, Joe Courtney, Steve Cohen, Troy A. Carter, and Robert C. “Bobby” Scott.

    Yesterday, Congresswoman Pressley rallied with Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), colleagues, and advocates outside the U.S. Supreme Court during oral arguments in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which could allow states to block Medicaid patients from accessing routine care at Planned Parenthood health centers.

    Rep. Pressley has also spoken out against Republican attempts to gut Medicaid and delivered an impassioned speech slamming Republicans’ cruel and callous budget resolution that would slash Medicaid and other critical government services to pay for trillions of dollars in tax giveaways for Donald Trump’s billionaire donors.

    In her personal capacity throughout her time in Congress, Rep. Pressley has fought persistently to protect fundamental reproductive and sexual healthcare rights. 

    • On the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Rep. Pressley introduced the Abortion Justice Act, sweeping, intersectional legislation to address access to abortion care and put forth a comprehensive vision of a just America where abortion care is readily available—without stigma, shame or systemic barriers—for all who seek it, regardless of zip code, immigration status, income, or background.
    • Rep. Pressley is a lead co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), bicameral federal legislation to guarantee equal access to abortion care, everywhere. 
    • Rep. Pressley is also a lead co-sponsor of the EACH Act, bold legislation to repeal the Hyde Amendment and help guarantee abortion coverage—regardless of how a patient gets their health insurance.
    • Shortly before the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Rep. Pressley led a group of her Black women colleagues in writing to President Biden urging him to declare a public health emergency amid the unprecedented threats to abortion rights nationwide. 
    • Rep. Pressley condemned the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade., and implored the Senate to protect abortion rights and slammed the white supremacist roots of anti-abortion efforts.
    • In October 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on Josseli Barnica, who died on Sept. 3, 2021 after being denied emergency abortion care in Texas as she suffered a miscarriage.
    • In September 2024, in a House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee Hearing, Rep. Pressley highlighted the harmful and deadly impact of abortion bans in America to date, and outlined in detail the shameful circumstances under which Amber Nicole Thurman died after being denied necessary abortion care in Georgia.
    • In June 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Idaho v. United States; Moyle v. United States – the case about whether emergency abortion care is included under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). 
    • In May 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on a Louisiana bill that would classify medication abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances. 
    • In April 2024, at a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley played “Fact or Fiction” with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf to emphasize the safety and efficacy of medication abortion drug mifepristone.
    • In August 2023, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the Fifth Circuit Court decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA.
    • In July 2023, Rep. Pressley, alongside Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01), and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), reintroduced the Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act, legislation to help people with disabilities—who face discrimination and extra barriers when seeking care—get better access to reproductive healthcare and the informed care they need to control their own reproductive lives.
    • In July 2023, Rep. Pressley applauded the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of over-the-counter birth control.
    • In May 2023, Rep. Pressley applauded the FDA Advisory Committee’s unanimous, 17-0 vote to recommend the approval of the first-ever application for over-the-counter birth control. She and Senator Murray also held a press conference applauding the decision and urging the FDA to approval over-the-counter birth control without delay.
    • In May 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Ami Bera, MD (CA-06) and Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), reintroduced their bicameral Affordability is Access Act to ensure that once the FDA determines an over-the-counter birth control option to be safe, insurers fully cover over-the-counter birth control without any fees or out-of-pocket costs.
    • In April 2023, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Texas court ruling on mifepristone, and discussed the Texas case in a recent floor speech in which she affirmed medication abortion as routine medical care and access to mifepristone as essential. She later joined Governor Maura Healey, Senator Elizabth Warren (D-MA), and local leaders in announcing action to protect Mifepristone in Massachusetts.
    • In March 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Reps. Schakowsky, Lee, DeGette, Torres and Strickland, reintroduced the Abortion is Healthcare Everywhere Act harmful and discriminatory Helms Amendment and expand abortion access globally.
    • In March 2023, Rep. Pressley and Senator Hirono led their colleagues in reintroducing a bicameral congressional resolution honoring abortion providers and clinic staff. 
    • In March 2023, Rep. Pressley delivered a speech in which she discussed the pending court case in Texas, which aims to restrict access to medication abortion across the entire nation. In her remarks, Rep. Pressley affirmed medication abortion as routine medical care, and accessibility to the abortion pill mifepristone as essential.
    • In September 2021, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Supreme Court’s inaction on SB-8, Texas’ restrictive abortion law. Later that month, she participated in a House Oversight Committee hearing to examine the threat posed by abortion bans and underscored the urgency of the Senate passing the Women’s Health Protection Act. 
    • In April 2021, Rep. Pressley, along with Congresswomen Barbara Lee (CA-13), Diana DeGette (CO-01) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), led a group of 131 Democratic members in reintroducing the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act or the EACH Act, which would repeal the Hyde Amendment and ensure that all people, regardless of income, insurance or zip code, can make personal reproductive healthcare decisions without interference from politicians. She re-Introduced the legislation In January 2023.
    • Rep. Pressley has led calls in Congress for the FDA to remove medically unnecessary restrictions on the medication abortion drug mifepristone, and applauded the FDA’s action in January 2023 to allow retail pharmacies to dispense abortion medication pills.
    • As Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus’s Abortion Rights and Access Task Force, Congresswoman Pressley has led the fight to repeal the Hyde Amendments from annual Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bills and in July 2020 published a Medium post on the importance of doing so. She applauded the removal of the Hyde Amendment in President Biden’s FY2022 budget.
    • In May 2020, she led more than 155 Members of Congress in calling on House Democratic leadership to ensure that any future COVID-19 relief packages rejected Republican efforts to use the public health crisis to diminish abortion access.
    • In August 2021, Rep. Pressley, Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, and Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Diana DeGette and Barbara Lee led more than 70 of their House Democratic colleagues in introducing a resolution in support of equitable, science-based policies governing access to medication abortion care. 
    • In January 2023, Rep. Pressley introduced a resolution to condemn all forms of political violence in the U.S., regardless of its target or intent. That same day, she delivered a powerful speech on the House floor slamming Republicans’ harmful, misleading anti-abortion resolution.
    • In September 2022, Rep. Pressley hosted U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester for a convening on their work to address the Black maternal health crisis and the criminalization of abortion care in states across the nation following the harmful U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. 
    • In May 2019, she led more than 100 colleagues in introducing H.Con.Res.40, a resolution reaffirming the House of Representative’s support for Roe v. Wade.
    • In June 2019, Rep. Pressley introduced H.R. 3296, the Affordability is Access Act, to make oral contraception available without a prescription. 
    • In September 2016, as a member of the Boston City Council, Pressley championed a resolution calling on Congress and President Obama to repeal the Hyde Amendment and reinstate insurance coverage for abortion services.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Craig Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Fully Fund Special Education Programs

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Angie Craig (MN-02)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig (D-MN) co-introduced the bipartisan IDEA Full Funding Act, which would finally ensure Congress fulfills its commitment to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  

    The bill was co-introduced by Reps. Jared Huffman (D-CA), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Pete Stauber (R-MN), Glenn Thompson (R-PA) Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Janelle Bynum (D-OR), Don Bacon (R-NE), Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Mike Bost (R-IL).  

    Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced companion legislation in the Senate. 

    In 1975, Congress passed IDEA to ensure that every child with a disability has access to a quality education that meets their needs. This law was a historic step forward, but since its passage, Congress has failed to provide the funding it promised. 

    The IDEA Full Funding Act would ensure the federal government funds special education at the full 40% per student required under the law. Currently, special education programs are funded at less than 13% per student nationwide. 

    “As the mother of a child who benefited from special education, I know firsthand just how lifechanging these programs can be for Minnesota students and their families,” said Rep. Craig. “I’m proud to be co-leading this bipartisan legislation to fully fund special education programs and ensure our special educators and paraprofessionals have the resources they need to keep up this critical work.”   

    Since she came to Congress, Rep. Craig has been a strong advocate for Minnesota’s special education programs – consistently leading legislation to fully fund IDEA.  

    This year, Rep. Craig brought together special educators, paraprofessionals and parents from Minnesota’s Congressional District to form her inaugural Special Education Advisory Council.  

    In a show of support for Minnesota’s educators and in opposition to the Administration’s proposed cuts to education funding, Rep. Craig invited Education Minnesota President Denise Specht as her guest to this year’s State of the Union. And in 2023, she brought Heather Mathews, a special education teacher from Apple Valley.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Van Hollen Reintroduce Bicameral Legislation to Fully Fund Special Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in reintroducing bicameral legislation to ensure Congress fulfills its commitment to fund the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA). IDEA was passed 50 years ago, but it has never received the funding it is owed, so the IDEA Full Funding Act would put Congress on a fiscally responsible path to fully fund the program. While fully funding IDEA has been a decades-long fight, it is all the more important now that President Trump has vowed to dismantle the Department of Education, putting special education across the country at risk.
    “Across Nevada, I have heard from the parents of children with disabilities, and all they want is for their children to have the same opportunities as any other child,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “The government has already committed to fund the IDEA program, yet it has consistently failed to do so. This legislation fulfills the government’s promise and provides essential funding for schools across the Silver State.”
    Under IDEA, the federal government committed to pay 40 percent of the average per pupil expenditure for special education; however, that pledge has never been met. According to the Congressional Research Service, current funding is at less than 12 percent, and the IDEA shortfall in the 2024-2025 school year nationwide was $38.66 billion. The IDEA Full Funding Act would require regular, mandatory increases in IDEA spending to finally meet our obligation to America’s children and schools.
    This legislation is supported by a broad and diverse group of over 50 national organizations, including The School Superintendent Association (AASA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Occupational Therapy Association, Assistive Technology Industry Association, Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO), Autism Society of America, Center for Learner Equity, Council for Exceptional Children, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), National Center for Learning Disabilities, National Down Syndrome Congress, National Education Association, and The Arc of the United States.
    The full text of the legislation can be found here.
    Senator Cortez Masto has delivered critical support to students and schools across Nevada. Cortez Masto’s legislation to increase the number of mental health professionals in schools was included in the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law. In addition, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included three of Cortez Masto’s bipartisan bills to boost transportation safety for students, expand internet access for both rural and urban schools, and update old school infrastructure. The Senator has also championed bipartisan Reaching English Learners Act to create a competitive grant program to fund partnerships between institutions of higher education and high-need school districts to provide training for new English-language teachers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Omar’s Statement on the ICE arrest of a University of Minnesota Student

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

    WASHINGTON —Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) released the following statement on the arrest of a University of Minnesota student by Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) officers: 

    “My office received a report that an international graduate student at the University of Minnesota was arrested by ICE officers on Thursday. We immediately contacted ICE to request information about the nature of this arrest. The University of Minnesota confirmed that they did not have any prior knowledge of or involvement in the arrest. My office is in communication with the individual’s counsel, the University of Minnesota, and other elected officials. I will provide updates as soon as I am able.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Latest Musk-Trump Threat to Public Schools Helps NEA Lawsuit

    Source: US National Education Union

    WASHINGTON – The Trump administration today doubled-down on its continued actions to harm students and public education. In its latest missive to states, the administration threatened to withhold federal funding from public schools that promote an inclusive education for all students.

    The National Education Association, NEA-New Hampshire, individual educators, and the Council for Black Educator Development sued the Trump administration in March over its directive to punish educators and public schools. The lawsuit asks the court to block the U.S. Department of Education from enforcing this harmful and vague directive and protect students from politically motivated attacks that stifle speech and erase critical educational lessons.

    The following statement can be attributed to NEA President Becky Pringle:

    “Educators and parents know that teaching should be guided by what is best for students, not by threat of illegal restrictions and punishment. That is why we sued the Trump administration – and we stand by our lawsuit. This latest action by the Trump administration to shut down free speech and coerce educators to abandon inclusive practices at school remains illegal and unconstitutional as we pointed out in our legal filing. We will continue to do what is best for students, not by directives of illegal restrictions and punishment by Linda McMahon, Elon Musk, or Donald Trump.

    “Our students need more opportunities to succeed, and we need to strengthen, not dismantle, our public schools where 90 percent of this country’s students—and 95 percent of students with disabilities—learn. If the Trump administration follows through with their latest threat, students are the ones who stand to lose. Hundreds of thousands of educators stand to lose their jobs if the Trump administration has its way.

    “We will not let those politicians distract us from the real issues facing public schools. We know what is at stake. That is why we are coming together—parents, students, and educators—to make sure every child, regardless of race, ZIP code, or family income, has the opportunities and resources they need to grow into their brilliance.

    “More to the point, the court will have the final say, not a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter.”

    ### 

    Follow us on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/neapresident.bsky.social and https://bsky.app/profile/neatoday.bsky.social 

    The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: 04.03.2025 Sens. Cruz, Padilla Introduce Bill to Improve Fog Forecasting, Boost Vessel Safety at Ports

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) today introduced the Fog Observations and Geographic Forecasting Act (FOG Forecasting Act), bipartisan legislation to improve the National Weather Service’s (NWS) fog forecasting capabilities to enhance safety at America’s ports and help prevent costly shipping delays caused by dense fog.
    Upon introduction, Sen. Cruz said, “In my hometown of Houston, we’ve seen unexpected severe fog occurrences delay goods coming in and out of Port Houston. The FOG Forecasting Act would keep vessels moving safely and swiftly at U.S. ports, benefiting shippers, exporters, and consumers. I’m glad to partner on legislation with Sen. Padilla to help produce more accurate fog forecasts that will reduce collisions between vessels, ensure American cargo reaches its destinations intact and on time, and save millions in economic costs from port closures.”
    Sen. Padilla said, “Californians along the Pacific Coast have experienced how unpredictably dense and dangerous the marine layer fog can be. Fog can create hazardous conditions, increasing collision risk for ships transporting essential goods to and from California’s high-volume ports. As communities prepare for and respond to increasingly severe weather patterns, strengthening NOAA’s weather forecasting capabilities is an important bipartisan priority to bolster safer transportation at sea and in the air along our coastlines.”
    Read the bill text here.
    BACKGROUND
    This past February, widespread fog in Houston caused significant disruption to the city’s port operations, impacting the Houston Ship Channel’s navigation for nearly two weeks and ultimately reducing cargo flows through the port. Studies have shown that poor visibility, often fog-associated, significantly impacts maritime traffic safety, predisposing vessels to collision accidents. Approximately 70% of ship collisions are attributed to foggy conditions, underscoring the critical need for effective monitoring and management of fog in maritime operations. Marine fog is the primary reason for Houston port closures, and each hour the port is closed can have over $100 million in economic costs. Smaller ports such as Freeport, Port Lavaca, and Texas City can also lose millions of dollars for each hour their ports are closed. too.
    The FOG Forecasting Act would require the NWS to establish more marine-based observations that measure visibility, temperatures, dewpoints, and water levels, as well as provide cameras needed to enhance the safe navigation of vessels. The bill would also improve high-resolution modeling capabilities to produce more accurate wind, temperature, dewpoint, and visibility forecasts. These new techniques will give users more detailed and visually appealing information on visibility. Better fog forecasts would reduce uncertainty, allowing ports to reopen sooner, get commerce moving, and reduce the economic costs of port closures.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner & Kaine Announce Recommendations for U.S. Attorneys for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today sent a letter to the White House recommending candidates for the U.S. Attorney vacancies in the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) and the Western District of Virginia (WDVA). In their letter, the Senators recommended Michael Gill, Assistant General Counsel and Director of Investigations for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), and Erik Siebert, Eastern District of Virginia Interim United States Attorney, for the EDVA position. The Senators recommended Christopher “Todd” Gilbert, Minority Leader in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Robert Tracci, Senior Assistant Attorney General and Section Chief for Major Crimes and Emerging Threats in the Office of the Virginia Attorney General, for the WDVA position.

    “Across the Commonwealth, well-respected attorneys interviewed several excellent candidates, including Mr. Gill, Mr. Siebert, Mr. Gilbert, and Mr. Tracci. After conducting our own interviews and reviewing these recommendations, we find these four candidates to be exceptionally qualified for the position of U.S. Attorney,” said the senators.

    The White House will now nominate one individual for each vacancy to be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The nominations are subject to confirmation by the full Senate.

    A copy of the letter can be found here and below.

    Dear Mr. President:

    As you consider candidates to serve in the two U.S. Attorney positions in the Commonwealth of Virginia, we are pleased to recommend Michael Gill and Erik Siebert for the position of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA); and, Todd Gilbert and Robert Tracci for the position of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia (WDVA). Bipartisan panels of esteemed attorneys from across the Commonwealth interviewed Mr. Gill, Mr. Siebert, Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Tracci, along with many other excellent candidates. After considering the panels’ reviews and conducting our own interviews, we find these four candidates to be exceptionally qualified for the position of U.S. Attorney. 

    U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District

    Michael Gill is Assistant General Counsel and Director of Investigations for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) in Newport News, Virginia. Prior to joining HII, Mr. Gill served as a federal prosecutor for twenty years, fifteen of which were in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the EDVA. He last served the EDVA as the Chief of the Criminal Division from 2018 to 2023, supervising operations across the District’s four divisions.  Mr. Gill received his Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude from Texas Christian University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law.

    Erik Siebert currently serves as the Interim United States Attorney for the EDVA. Mr. Siebert has worked as a line Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) in the EDVA, handling violent crimes, possession and trafficking of illegal firearms, and narcotics, as well as the Deputy Criminal Supervisor in the EDVA Richmond Division, supervising AUSAs and partnering with federal, state, and local partners. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the EDVA, Mr. Siebert was a police officer and an investigator with the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington D.C. Mr. Siebert received his Bachelor of Arts from the Virginia Military Institute and his Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Richmond School of Law. 

    U.S. Attorney for the Western District

    Christopher “Todd” Gilbert is the Minority Leader in the Virginia House of Delegates. During his twenty years representing parts of the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains, Mr. Gilbert also served as Speaker and Majority Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates. Mr. Gilbert has nearly fifteen years of experience prosecuting criminal and traffic cases in Shenandoah, Warren, and Frederick counties and the City of Lynchburg. He now operates his own firm representing criminal defendants. Mr. Gilbert earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and his Juris Doctor from the Southern Methodist University School of Law.

    Robert Tracci is the Senior Assistant Attorney General and Section Chief for Major Crimes and Emerging Threats in the Office of the Virginia Attorney General. He previously served as the Commonwealth’s Attorney in Albemarle County. Mr. Tracci has also worked in the WDVA as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, where he assisted in the prosecution of complex financial services fraud, firearms and narcotics crimes, and child exploitation. Mr. Tracci also previously served in the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. House of Representatives. He received his Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude from the Ohio Wesleyan University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law. 

    We believe that any of these candidates would make an excellent U.S. Attorney, and we are honored to be able to recommend them to you.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine and Scott to Introduce Bill to Protect Miners’ Safety

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), and U.S. Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce will introduce the Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2025. 

    This bill coincides with the 15th anniversary of the Upper Big Branch (UBB) Mine Disaster, reflecting lessons learned from the deadly explosion on April 5, 2010, that killed 29 miners.  The bill improves mine safety and closes glaring loopholes in our nation’s mine safety laws that could help save miners’ lives.  The bill would further prioritize the safety of miners by holding rogue mine operators accountable.

    “Miners take incredible risks to power our nation.  While we’ve made progress to support them—like extending the Black Lung Disability Trust excise tax at a higher rate and strengthening silica standards—the recent actions of the Trump Administration have undermined decades of work to enhance protections for coal miners,” said Kaine.  “This legislation is critical to strengthening safety standards and holding mine operators accountable for unsafe working conditions.”

    “The Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2025 is a critical step toward protecting the health and safety of mine workers across the country.  Coal miners, mine safety regulators and the UBB families have asked Congress to address long, overdue reforms to the nations’ mine safety laws.  The reforms in this bill would ensure that all miners are able to return home safely to their families at the end of their shift,” said Scott. “The tragedy of the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster will be in vain if Congress does not close the loopholes that have allowed a small minority of mine operators to put profit ahead of their miners’ safety.”

    The comes at a time when the Trump Administration is abandoning the nation’s commitment to protect miners.  The Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has fired inspectors and appears to be closing offices across the country.  That agency has yet to answer congressional queries.  Meanwhile, in a secretive and apparently arbitrary process, the Trump Administration terminated thousands of Health and Human Services (HHS) employees—including many scientists and researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) who focus on black lung and innovative technologies to keep mines safe.

    Eliminating so much of the government’s mine safety capacity, especially as we near the fifteenth anniversary of the UBB Mine Disaster, is reckless and nonsensical.  Congress permanently established NIOSH’s Office of Mine Safety and Health in the aftermath of the deadly Sago Mine Disaster.

    Weakening the Labor Department’s ability to inspect mines at a time when the White House seeks to ramp up mining is a recipe for more mine disasters.  The Trump Administration’s actions will waste decades of life-saving innovations and put miners’ lives at risk.

    The Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act protects miners’ health and safety by:

    • Expanding the authority of the MSHA to strengthen safety regulations and enforce penalties against mines with repeat violations.
    • Increasing penalties for mines violating health and safety standards.
    • Providing the MSHA with better enforcement tools to allow proper inspection and investigation.
    • Protecting whistleblowers from retaliation and loss of income.
    • Updating mine safety standards to prevent explosions.
    • Increasing accountability for the MSHA to ensure that inspectors are independent and qualified to provide quality oversight.

    The Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2025 is endorsed by Appalachian Citizens Law Center, Appalachian Voices, United Mine Workers of America, and United Steel Workers.

    Read the full text of the bill here.

    Read a section-by-section summary of the bill here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Ancient Rome used high tariffs to raise money too – and created other economic problems along the way

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Edwell, Associate Professor in Ancient History, Macquarie University

    Nuntiya/Shutterstock

    Tariffs are back in the headlines this week, with United States President Donald Trump introducing sweeping new tariffs of at least 10% on a vast range of goods imported to the US. For some countries and goods, the tariffs will be much higher.

    Analysts have expressed shock and worry, warning the move could lead to inflation and possibly even recession for the US.

    As someone who’s spent years researching the economy of Ancient Rome, it all feels a shade familiar.

    In fact, tariffs were also used in Ancient Rome, and for some of the reasons that governments claim to be using them today.

    Unfortunately for the Romans, however, these tariffs often led to higher prices, black markets and other economic problems.

    Roman tariffs on luxury goods

    As the Roman Empire expanded and became richer, its wealthy citizens demanded increasing amounts of luxury items, especially from Arabia, India and China. This included silk, pearls, pepper and incense.

    There was so much demand for incense, for example, that growers in southern Arabia worked out how to harvest it twice a year. Pepper has been found on archaeological sites as far north as Roman Britain.

    Around 70 CE the Roman writer Pliny – who later died in the eruption that buried Pompeii – complained that 100 million sesterces (a type of coin) drained from the empire every year due to luxury imports. About 50 million sesterces a year, he reckoned, was spent on trade from India alone.

    In reality, however, the cost of these imports was even larger than Pliny thought.

    An Egyptian document, known as the Muziris Papyrus, from about the same time Pliny wrote shows one boat load of imports from India was valued at 7 million sesterces.

    Hundreds of boats laden with luxuries sailed from India to Egypt every year.

    At Palmyra (an ancient city in what’s now Syria) in the second century CE, an inscription shows 90 million sesterces in goods were imported in just one month.

    And in the first century BCE, Roman leader Julius Caesar gave his lover, Servilia (mother to his murderer Marcus Brutus), an imported black pearl worth 6 million sesterces. It’s often described as one of the most valuable pearls of all time.

    Julius Caesar gave his lover, Servilia, an imported black pearl worth 6 million sesterces.
    AdelCorp/Shutterstock

    So while there was a healthy level of trade in the other direction – with the Romans exporting plenty of metal wares, glass vessels and wine – demand for luxury imports was very high.

    The Roman government charged a tariff of 25% (known as the tetarte) on imported goods.

    The purpose of the tetarte was to raise revenue rather than protect local industry. These imports mostly could not be sourced in the Roman Empire. Many of them were in raw form and used in manufacturing items within the empire. Silk was mostly imported raw, as was cotton. Pearls and gemstones were used to manufacture jewellery.

    With the volume and value of eastern imports at such high levels in imperial Rome, the tariffs collected were enormous.

    One recent estimate suggests they could fund around one-third of the empire’s military budget.

    Inflationary effects

    Today, economic experts are warning Trump’s new tariffs – which he sees as a way to raise revenue and promote US-made goods – could end up hurting both the US and the broader global economy.

    Today’s global economy has been deliberately engineered, while the global economy of antiquity was not. But warnings of the inflationary effects of tariffs are also echoed in ancient Rome too.

    Pliny, for example, complained about the impact of tariffs on the street price of incense and pepper.

    In modern economies, central banks fight inflation with higher interest rates, but this leads to reduced economic activity and, ultimately, less tax revenue. Reduced tax collection could cancel out increased tariff revenue.

    It’s not clear if that happened in Rome, but we do know the emperors took inflation seriously because of its devastating impact on soldiers’ pay.

    Black markets

    Ancient traders soon became skilled at finding their way around paying tariffs to Roman authorities.

    The empire’s borders were so long traders could sometimes avoid tariff check points, especially when travelling overland.

    This helped strengthen black markets, which the Roman administration was still trying to deal with in the third century, when its economy hit the skids and inflation soared. This era became known as the Crisis of the Third Century.

    I don’t subscribe to the view that you can draw a direct line between Rome’s high tariffs and the decline of the Roman Empire, but it’s certainly true that this inflation that tore through third century Rome weakened it considerably.

    And just as it was for Rome, black markets loom as a potential challenge for the Trump administration too, given the length of its borders and the large volume of imports.

    But the greatest danger of the new US tariffs is the resentment they will cause, especially among close allies such as Australia.

    Rome’s tariffs were not directed at nations and were not tools of diplomatic revenge. Rome had other ways of achieving that.

    Peter Edwell receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Ancient Rome used high tariffs to raise money too – and created other economic problems along the way – https://theconversation.com/ancient-rome-used-high-tariffs-to-raise-money-too-and-created-other-economic-problems-along-the-way-253752

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Russia and China both want influence over Central Asia. Could it rupture their friendship?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dilnoza Ubaydullaeva, Lecturer in Government, Flinders University

    As he looks to solidify his territorial gains in Ukraine in a potential ceasefire deal, Russian President Vladimir Putin has one eye trained on Russia’s southern border – and boosting Russian influence in Central Asia.

    Following his 2024 re-election, Putin made Uzbekistan his third foreign visit after China and Belarus. The visit signalled the region’s continued importance to Moscow.

    In response to Western sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine war, trade and investment between Russia and Central Asian countries have grown significantly.

    Russia’s Lukoil and Gazprom are now the dominant foreign players in Uzbekistan’s energy fields. In Kazakhstan, Moscow controls a quarter of the country’s uranium production.

    But as Russia tries to reaffirm its role in the region, China has also been quietly expanding its influence.

    Could this growing competition over Central Asia affect Beijing and Moscow’s broader relationship?

    Central Asia drifting apart from Moscow

    The Central Asian region is home to approximately 79 million people spread across five nations. It was part of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991. Its strategic location between Russia and China, on the doorstep of the Middle East, has long made it a “grand chessboard” for great power politics.

    While Russia has traditionally dominated the region, Central Asian leaders have made efforts to somewhat distance themselves from Moscow recently.

    At the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit in October 2022, for example, Tajikistan’s president publicly challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin. He demanded respect for smaller states like his.

    Similarly, during Putin’s 2023 visit to Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made a symbolic statement at the press conference by delivering his speech in Kazakh rather than Russian. This was a rare move that seemed to catch Putin’s delegation off guard.

    In another striking moment, Tokayev declared at an economic forum in Russia in 2022 that Kazakhstan does not recognise Russia’s “quasi-states”, referring to its occupied territories of Ukraine.

    Yet, all Central Asian states remain part of at least one Russia-led organisation, such as the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, or the Eurasian Economic Union.

    Three states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) rely on Russian security guarantees through the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

    And the region’s economic dependency on Russia remains significant. Of the 6.1 million migrants in Russia, the largest groups come from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. These countries depend heavily on remittances from these migrant workers.

    China’s growing influence

    With Russia preoccupied with Ukraine and constrained by Western sanctions, China has seized the opportunity to deepen its engagement in the region.

    Beijing’s involvement in Central Asia has long been economic. In 2013, for instance, China unveiled its ambitious, global Belt and Road Initiative in Kazakhstan. And by 2024, it was China, not Russia, that was the largest trading partner of every Central Asian country except Tajikistan.

    But in recent years, China has expanded its influence beyond economic ties, establishing itself as a key player in regional politics.

    At the inaugural China-Central Asia Summit in 2023, for example, Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged support for the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of the region. This is traditionally a role played by Russia.

    Xi has also been making high-profile visits to Central Asian states, signalling Beijing’s growing strategic interests here.

    Local populations, however, remain wary. Public opinion surveys indicate China is viewed more negatively than Russia.

    Many Chinese-funded projects bring their own workers, limiting job opportunities for locals and fuelling resentment. There is also anxiety about potential “debt trap” diplomacy. Civil society groups have called for economic diversification to avoid over-reliance on Beijing.

    Further complicating matters is Beijing’s treatment of the Muslim minority Uyghur population in the Xinjiang region of western China. This has reinforced suspicions in Muslim-majority Central Asia about China’s long-term intentions in the region.

    Growing competition

    The increasing competition raises questions about the potential impact on the broader, “no limits” relationship between Moscow and Beijing.

    At a recent forum, Putin acknowledged Beijing’s growing economic role in the region. However, he insisted Russia still has “special ties” with Central Asian states, rooted in history. And he notably dismissed concerns about China’s expansionist aims, saying:

    There is nothing about domination in the Chinese philosophy. They do not strive for domination.

    On the ground, however, things aren’t so simple. So far, China and Russia have managed to avoid stepping on each other’s toes. How long that balance remains, however, is an open question.

    Central Asian countries, meanwhile, are courting both sides – and diversifying their ties beyond the two powers.

    Many of the region’s educated elite are increasingly looking toward Turkey – and pan-Turkic solidarity – as an alternative to both Russian and Chinese dominance.

    Russia’s historical influence in the region remains strong. But the days of its unquestioned dominance appear to be over.

    Russia may try to reassert its preeminent position, but China’s deepening economic presence is not going anywhere.

    With both countries pushing their own regional agendas, it’s hard to ignore the overlap – and the potential for a future clash over competing interests.

    Dilnoza Ubaydullaeva 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. Russia and China both want influence over Central Asia. Could it rupture their friendship? – https://theconversation.com/russia-and-china-both-want-influence-over-central-asia-could-it-rupture-their-friendship-251023

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Curiosity-driven research’ led to a recent major medical breakthrough. But it’s under threat

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sean Coakley, Senior Research Fellow, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland

    Hakase_420/Shutterstock

    Earlier this year news broke about doctors in London curing blindness in children with a rare genetic condition.

    The genetic condition was a severe, albeit rare, form of retinal dystrophy. It causes severe sight impairment and can be caused by defects in many different genes.

    In this case, the four young patients had mutations in the gene encoding AIPL1. This accounts for up to 5% of infants affected by this condition, and has no treatment.

    In this study, published in The Lancet, a team from the Moorfields Eye Hospital and University College London Institute of Ophthalmology injected a new copy of the gene AIPL1 into one eye of each patient to replace the defective one. The four children in the study showed improved functional vision without serious adverse effects.

    The story of this incredible breakthrough actually begins 132 years ago. It highlights the importance of research done not for any clear application in the world – just curiosity. But around the world, this kind of research is under threat.

    Understanding the world – just for the sake of it

    Curiosity-driven research is exactly what it sounds like: research driven by the goal of understanding nature without regard for application. It has many aliases. “Blue-sky research”, “discovery science” and “basic science” are all terms commonly used to describe this approach.

    This kind of research differs from “mission-directed research”, which focuses primarily on practical applications and whose goals are set by governments and industry.

    The logic behind curiosity-driven research is that understanding how things work will inevitably lead to discoveries that will fuel innovation.

    Historically, this has led to transformational discoveries. Another recent example is the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for discoveries that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID.

    The recent study in The Lancet follows more than a century of curiosity-driven discoveries culminating in these four children receiving their life-changing injections.

    Sketching the structure of the retina

    The kind of medical intervention used on these patients is called a gene therapy.

    In this case, the cause of the condition is a defect in a single gene. This defect leads to the malfunction of an individual protein in the eye that is required for vision. The approach essentially is to provide a working copy of that gene to the eye, to restore function. This requires not only the technology to deliver the therapy, but the underlying knowledge of how AIPL1 functions in normal vision.

    In 1893, the pioneer of modern neuroscience Santiago Ramon y Cajal exquisitely sketched the structure of the retina.
    Santiago Ramon y Cajal/Wikipedia

    This knowledge dates back to 1893, when the pioneer of modern neuroscience, Santiago Ramon y Cajal, exquisitely sketched the structure of the retina – the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.

    In the 132 years since, our knowledge of how this tissue converts light into an electrical signal for our brain to interpret as vision has significantly advanced. We now understand a lot about how this works.

    This foundational knowledge also means we know precisely why a dysfunctional AIPL1 gene leads to severe vision impairment. It also enables us to predict that providing a working version could improve vision. Armed with this knowledge, we have an engineering problem. How do we get a working copy into the eye?

    In this case, the working copy of AIPL1 was delivered by an adeno-associated virus, or AAV. These were first discovered in the mid-1960s, and without realising their therapeutic potential, several research groups dedicated themselves to understanding their biology.

    An AAV was first used in a human patient in 1995 for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. Without this curiosity-driven research they would not have been developed into a gene therapy platform. This is how most modern therapies have emerged.

    Curiosity-driven research is driven by the goal of understanding nature without regard for application.
    Trust Katsande/Unsplash

    Protecting curiosity-driven research

    This is one of hundreds of therapies taking a similar approach. We will likely see many more stories like this in the coming decades. But I am certain we won’t see any examples where we don’t understand the underlying biology.

    Curiosity-driven research, focused on understanding how biology works, is essential for the development of therapies to treat human disease. The history of medical advances shows us this time and time again.

    Curiosity-driven breakthroughs include the discovery of X-rays as well as the antibiotic penicillin. The discovery of CRISPR/Cas9, an ancient bacterial defence, has enabled the editing of DNA with unprecedented precision. This has already led to an FDA-approved therapy to treat sickle cell disease.

    Australia has punched above its weight in this arena for many years. But this is no longer the case.

    Funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, our largest funder of medical research, has been falling since 2020. More broadly, this coincides with a decline in the proportion of basic research being funded in Australia and directly threatens our capacity for curiosity-driven innovation.

    Internationally, this strong focus on practical application is repeated. For example, 83% of the European Union’s €95.5 billion research funding program supports mission-directed research.

    In Australia, and globally, we must protect curiosity-driven research at all costs and not underestimate the vital contribution it will make to our future.

    Sean Coakley receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. ‘Curiosity-driven research’ led to a recent major medical breakthrough. But it’s under threat – https://theconversation.com/curiosity-driven-research-led-to-a-recent-major-medical-breakthrough-but-its-under-threat-252298

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: April 3rd, 2025 Heinrich, Luján Join Senate Democrats in Demanding Trump Rescind Illegal Executive Order Threatening Federal Employee Collective Bargaining Agreements

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    Washington, D.C. – Wednesday, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in urging President Donald Trump to rescind his March 27 executive order to end collective bargaining agreements between public employee unions and dozens of federal agencies and bureaus. In their letter, the Democratic Senators blasted the move as a “gross overreach” of presidential authority, asserting that the executive order is a clear attempt to gut the federal merit-based civil service and implement a system of political cronyism. They stressed that the order poses a grave threat to the ability of over 1 million federal workers to carry out their missions and deliver important services for the American people – and thus should be rescinded immediately.

    “We write today in outrage over your recent executive order entitled Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs, a gross overreach of the authority granted in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA). This order is an insult to the hardworking public servants who go to work on behalf of the American people,” the Senators began.

    “The executive order effectively classifies two thirds of the federal workforce as having national security missions, a blatant misuse of a limited authority intended to provide operational flexibility to address legitimate security needs,” they continued. “There is no evidence that the long-standing collective bargaining agreements at these agencies have jeopardized our nation’s security in any way; to the contrary, the protection collective bargaining has provided for employees allows them to conduct their work on behalf of the American people—including blowing the whistle on fraud or abuse—without political interference.”

    “This Administration clearly does not have even a basic understanding of the legally binding nature of federal collective bargaining agreements and is actively trying to bend the law to undermine protections for federal civil servants. We urge you to immediately rescind this illegal executive order so that our dedicated public servants can continue to work on behalf of the American public without fear for their job or political retribution,” the Senators concluded.

    The Senators’ letter is endorsed by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

    Led by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Senators Heinrich and Luján were joined on this letter by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    A copy of the letter is available here and below.

    Dear President Trump: 

    We write today in outrage over your recent executive order entitled Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs, a gross overreach of the authority granted in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA). 

    This order is an insult to the hardworking public servants who go to work on behalf of the American people. They care for our veterans, deliver disaster assistance, prevent wildfires, help farmers improve crop yields, manage health benefits for 9/11 first responders, research treatments and cures for diseases, keep air travel safe, process tax returns, staff our national parks and much, much more. Nearly one third of these dedicated civil servants are veterans seeking to continue their service to our country out of uniform.  

    The executive order effectively classifies two thirds of the federal workforce as having national security missions, a blatant misuse of a limited authority intended to provide operational flexibility to address legitimate security needs. The national security exemption has existed for nearly 50 years and has been used only sparingly by Republican and Democratic Administrations—including during your first term—to exclude federal offices with an unquestionable core function in intelligence, counterintelligence, or national security. There is no evidence that the long-standing collective bargaining agreements at these agencies have jeopardized our nation’s security in any way; to the contrary, the protection collective bargaining has provided for employees allows them to conduct their work on behalf of the American people—including blowing the whistle on fraud or abuse—without political interference. 

    Federal employees’ collective bargaining agreements are critical to ensuring they continue to serve the American people with the peace of mind that comes with being protected from unfair labor practices. Unlike in the private sector, federal employee unions in most cases cannot negotiate pay or benefits, which are set by Congress, and they are legally prohibited from striking. The federal collective bargaining agreements do, however, protect federal employees from illegal firings, retaliation, and discrimination. They also promote resources for whistleblowers and veterans. These federal union contracts give employees in the civil service protections from retaliation so they can serve the American people fairly and effectively without partisan political interference.  

    This executive order, which ruthlessly strips collective bargaining agreements for over one million federal workers, is the most recent attack your Administration has levied against our merit-based civil service in the effort to cut the workforce and replace them with political cronies. While the CSRA does give the president the authority to limit collective bargaining agreements due to national security concerns, the executive order’s direction to terminate mass swaths of federal employee collective bargaining agreements is clearly intended to broadly dismantle the CSRA, which is specifically designed to grant federal employees the right to collective bargaining as a means to resolve workplace issues while maintaining the smooth functioning of government operations.  

    When the Secretary of Labor testified in February in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Members of Congress asked her both in-person and through questions for the record whether she and the Administration would commit to honoring all legally binding collective bargaining agreements signed by federal agencies and labor unions, and whether federal employees have the right to organize and collectively bargain without fear of retaliation. The Secretary answered, “if confirmed, I will follow the law and work with the experts at the Department to understand the collective bargaining process at the Department and the terms and conditions of the collective bargaining agreements in place.” This Administration clearly does not have even a basic understanding of the legally binding nature of federal collective bargaining agreements and is actively trying to bend the law to undermine protections for federal civil servants.  

    We urge you to immediately rescind this illegal executive order so that our dedicated public servants can continue to work on behalf of the American public without fear for their job or political retribution.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Record £13.9 billion of R&D funding unveiled to boost innovation, jobs and growth

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    Record £13.9 billion of R&D funding unveiled to boost innovation, jobs and growth

    Funding outlined to support transformational R&D in areas like life sciences, green energy, engineering and beyond.

    £13.9 billion for research and development to drive growth and innovation.

    • Almost £14 billion of R&D funding allocated to bolster life sciences, green energy, space and beyond to improve lives and grow the economy
    • Investing in public R&D essential to driving our Plan for Change by delivering better public services and opening up business opportunities
    • Blood tests for early dementia diagnosis and world’s most advanced testing facility for wind power among supported projects

    More UK innovators like those developing treatment-transforming dementia tests or building world-leading testing facilities to power a greener planet are being backed through our record £13.9 billion in R&D funding to improve lives and drive our Plan for Change.

    The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has set out today (Friday 4 April) how it will allocate £13.9 billion in funding for transformational research and development in the next year in areas like life sciences, green energy, engineering and beyond. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – the UK’s lead public research funder – will receive £8.8 billion over the next year.

    This funding will drive forward research that could transform lives and help make our NHS fit for the future – like the work on blood tests to diagnose dementia earlier, a disease affecting more than 980,000 people in the UK. Researchers are exploring whether looking for proteins specific to many forms of dementia, alongside a quick and easy test of patients’ cognitive functions, could unlock a fast, cheaper and non-invasive way of diagnosing the disease.

    Public investment in R&D is also central to progress that grows the economy through new jobs and commercial opportunities. Each pound of public R&D investment is also estimated to leverage double in private investment in the long run. Businesses that receive their first R&D grant funding also see jobs and turnover go up by over 20% in the following six years.

    Public R&D funding delivered through UKRI is already supporting teams at the University of Plymouth to tackle the serious global issue of antimicrobial resistance, where bacteria evolve to resist medicines that once killed them – making infections harder to treat, increasing medicine costs for and pressure on our NHS and hitting the economy as more suffer ill health.

    Their discovery of a new antibiotic, Epidermicin, is undergoing trials and has led to spinout company, Amprologix – potentially providing health professionals with a silver bullet in the battle against such bacterial infections, dubbed ‘superbugs’, whilst opening up new commercial opportunities in the UK.

    Similarly, UKRI R&D funding has also proven vital in developing the technologies we need to help position the UK as a clean energy superpower, such as the £86 million in ongoing funding towards building the world’s most advanced wind turbine test facility in Blyth. It is supporting the growth of the wind turbine market, creating local jobs and encouraging investment in the sector.

    Science and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, said:

    Our £13.9 billion investment in R&D is ultimately an investment in the future of the UK.

    R&D is essential to fulfilling this government’s Plan for Change – whether in improving lives across the UK and beyond through new life-saving drugs, helping us build a cleaner, greener future or in exploring beyond our planet to unlock new discoveries that keep us healthy, safe and prosperous and much more besides.

    It is also central to creating highly paid jobs and opportunities to set up new businesses across the UK, which will drive the economic growth that is key to supporting our public services and enhancing our daily lives.

    The government is also investing nearly £670 million in space, through the UK Space Agency to help develop the space industry in the UK – employing 50,000 people in the UK – and ensure British companies like Airbus are involved in exploration beyond our planet, putting Britain back into the space race and unlocking new opportunities for discovery that can benefit life on earth.

    For example, up to £160 million of previous investment over the next four years will propel Britain’s position in the global satellite communications market, enhancing high-speed internet access to remote and underserved areas and in turn bridging the digital divide for citizens.

    The Department’s investment in R&D to protect our planet also includes £310 million for the Met Office, which while most well-known for providing accurate weather forecasting for the UK also provides the UK’s most advance climate modelling, which is essential to understanding the extent and impacts of climate change and how it can and will affect all of our lives.

    The allocation of this record £13.9 billion in funding follows the Chancellor’s announcement at the Budget that the government would protect record levels of R&D spending, with £20.4 billion being invested over the coming year across all government departments.

    UKRI CEO, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, said:

    Research and innovation play a crucial role in driving sustainable economic growth, creating jobs and improving public services for people across the UK. 

    This allocation safeguards the capability of the UK’s world class research and innovation ecosystem and enables investment to support the government’s five missions. 

    UKRI will use its unique position in the research and innovation system to make smart and strategic investment choices, delivering the best outcomes now and in the future, and making the most effective use of public money.

    Further information

    • Read in full DSIT R&D allocation 2025 to 2026.

    DSIT media enquiries

    Email press@dsit.gov.uk

    Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm 020 7215 3000

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    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Dina Titus Leads Reintroduction of Armenian Genocide Education Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Dina Titus (1st District of Nevada)

    Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01) today led Reps. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Ted Lieu (CA-36) and David Valadao (CA-22) in reintroducing the Armenian Genocide Education Act to promote accurate and effective education about the Armenian Genocide during which the lives of 1.5 million Armenians and hundreds of thousands of Assyrians, Greeks, Syriacs, Arameans, Maronites, and other Christians were lost at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th Century.

    The Armenian Genocide Education Act establishes a new program in the Library of Congress tasked with developing resources, including digital resources, to foster understanding of why and how the Armenian Genocide happened. These resources will be incorporated into curricula at schools across the country. The bill authorizes $2 million annually for the program over five years and allows the Library of Congress to supplement this funding with private donations.

    “By equipping students with educational resources to understand the Armenian Genocide, this bill combats genocide denialism while honoring the memory of the victims,” said Rep. Titus. “This bill is a commitment to truth, justice, and the power of education to build a more informed and compassionate world for future generations.”

    “Our darkest moments as a human race have come during times when those who knew better stood silently, making excuses for passivity and allowing injustice and persecution to reign. We must acknowledge the atrocities of the past so that we might hopefully prevent them in the future,” said Rep. Bilirakis. “One of the best ways to achieve this goal is through education and awareness, which is why I am proud to co-lead the Armenian Genocide Education Act again.

    “The Armenian Genocide caused the loss of over 1.5 million lives at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, and it’s crucial that dark chapter isn’t forgotten,” said Rep. Valadao. “Teaching Americans about this tragedy is essential, and as the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, I’m proud to support this effort to strengthen educational efforts and reaffirm our commitment to truth and remembrance.”

    “The Armenian Genocide was a horrific manifestation of evil,” said Rep. Lieu. “Though we cannot go back 110 years to prevent the senseless killing of roughly 1.5 million Armenians, we can use education to ensure the victims are never forgotten. The horrors of this atrocity have left a lasting impact on Armenia and its diaspora. It is imperative that we ensure future generations learn about this massacre so nothing like it can ever happen again. I am pleased to join Congresswoman Titus and my Congressional colleagues in co-leading the Armenian Genocide Education Act to provide resources for Armenian Genocide education.”

    “We welcome today’s reintroduction of the Armenian Genocide Education Act – a much-needed measure to ensure that American students learn the truth about the Armenian Genocide and the enduring lessons of this still unpunished crime against humanity,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

    “As we solemnly remember the Armenian Genocide of 1915 and tirelessly work to reverse the Artsakh Genocide of 2023, we stand with Armenians worldwide in thanking Congresswoman Titus for her leadership in spearheading this Act and in expressing our appreciation to Representatives Bilirakis, Lieu, and Valadao for joining with her in this bipartisan genocide education and prevention initiative.”

    Background

    Between 1915 and 1923, 1.5 million Armenians, and hundreds of thousands of Assyrians, Greeks, Syriacs, Arameans, Maronites, and other Christians were systematically slaughtered at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. Millions more were displaced and forced to start anew. For more than a century, nations failed to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide because of their relationship with Turkey. As of 2023, 31 United Nations member states had formally recognized the genocide, along with Pope Francis and the European Parliament. On April 24, 2021, President Joe Biden declared the United States’ formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Yes, data can produce better policy – but it’s no substitute for real-world experience

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Matheson, Associate Professor in Public Health and Policy, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

    Shutterstock

    Governments like to boast that “data-driven” policies are the best way to make fair, efficient decisions. They collect statistics, set targets and adjust strategies to suit.

    But while data can be useful, it’s not neutral. There are biases and blind spots in the systems that produce the data. Worse, data often lacks the depth, context and responsiveness needed to drive real-world change.

    The real questions are about who decides which data matter, how it’s interpreted – and what the change based on the data might look like.

    Take the Social Investment Agency, for example. One of New Zealand’s best-known data-driven initiatives, it was established to improve the efficiency of social services using data and predictive analytics to identify individuals and families most at risk, directing funding accordingly.

    The model is intended to guide early interventions and prevent long-term harm. And on paper, this appears to be a smart, targeted strategy. Yet it has also faced criticism over the risk of data-driven policies reducing individuals to measurable statistics, stripping away the complexity of lived experiences.

    The result is that decision making remains centralised within government agencies rather than being shaped by the communities most affected.

    What data can’t tell us

    The Social Investment Agency also relies on Stats NZ’s Integrated Data Infrastructure, a database of anonymised administrative information. While a rich source for longitudinal research and policy development, this too has limitations.

    It relies heavily on government-collected data, which may embed systemic bias and fail to represent communities accurately. Without accounting for context, some populations may be underrepresented or misrepresented, leading to skewed insights and misguided policy recommendations.

    This kind of data is completely separate from the lived reality of the people the data describes. Māori in particular have been concerned about a lack community ownership and that the Integrated Data Infrastructure does not currently align with their own data sovereignty aspirations.

    Given this greater likelihood of misrepresentation, Māori and Pasifika communities worry that data-driven funding models, on their own, fail to account for more holistic, whānau-centered approaches.

    For instance, a predictive algorithm might flag a child as “at risk” based on socioeconomic indicators. But it would fail to also measure protective factors such as strong cultural connections, intergenerational knowledge and community leadership.

    This is where the kaupapa Māori initiative Whānau Ora provides an alternative model. Instead of viewing individuals in isolation, it prioritises the needs of families to provide tailored housing, education, health and employment support.

    A Whānau Ora COVID vaccination campaign in 2021 funded Māori health providers to reach at-risk communities in the North Island.
    Getty Images

    Change from the ground up

    Funded by Te Puni Kōkiri/Ministry of Māori Development, Whānau Ora has been criticised in the past for the lack of measurable outputs data-driven systems can offer. But research has also shown community-led models produce better long-term outcomes than traditional, top-down, data-driven welfare and service delivery models.

    A 2018 review found Whānau Ora strengthened family resilience, improved employment outcomes and increased educational engagement – for example, through supporting whānau into their own businesses and off social assistance.

    Whānau Ora’s work strengthening community networks and building self-determination migh be harder to measure using standard metrics, but it has long-term economic and social benefits.

    Similarly, data-driven approaches to disease prevention can fall short. While governments might rely on obesity rates or physical activity levels to shape interventions, these blunt measurements fail to capture the deeper social and economic factors that affect health.

    Too often, strategies target individual behaviours – calorie counting, exercise tracking – assuming better data leads to better choices. But we know local conditions, including what financial and community resources are available, matter much more.

    An example of this in action is Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora’s Healthy Families NZ division. With teams in ten communities around the country, it works to create local change to improve health.

    Instead of simply telling people to eat better and exercise more, it has supported community action to reshape local environments so healthier choices become easier to make.

    In South Auckland, for example, Healthy Families NZ has worked with local businesses to improve access to fresh, affordable food. In Invercargill, it has helped transform urban planning policies to expand green spaces for physical activity.

    Data in perspective

    Such initiatives recognise health is about more than just individuals. It is a shared outcome that results from systemic processes. Data-driven approaches by themselves struggle to capture these less measurable pathways and relationships.

    That is not to say government-led, data-driven methods don’t often diagnose the problem correctly – just that they frequently fail to provide solutions that empower communities to make lasting change.

    Rather than over-relying on data analytics to dictate funding, or on national health targets to guide the system, cross-sector and place-based initiatives such as Whānau Ora and Healthy Families NZ can teach us a lot about what works in the real world.

    Data will always have an important role to play in shaping policy, but this requires a broader perspective. Data offers a tool for communities, not a substitute for their leadership and voice. Real system change happens when we fundamentally rethink how change happens, and who leads that change in the first place.

    Anna Matheson has been leading the evaluation of Healthy Families NZ which is funded by Health New Zealand.

    – ref. Yes, data can produce better policy – but it’s no substitute for real-world experience – https://theconversation.com/yes-data-can-produce-better-policy-but-its-no-substitute-for-real-world-experience-253527

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Disability working groups announced

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Strong interest in the development of a refreshed New Zealand disability strategy has been welcomed by Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston.

    Membership of the strategy working groups was announced today, drawn from the disabled community, industry and government agencies. The groups will develop actions in the five key areas of education, employment, health, housing and justice. 

    “There has been a particularly strong response from the disability community, reflecting the commitment of people who want to be part of this important work,” Louise Upston says.

    “The Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha received almost 350 expressions of interest from the disability community before making their appointment decisions.

    “In total, Whaikaha is announcing 26 members of the groups, including the chairs, who I congratulate today:

    • Education – Grant Cleland
    • Employment – Lorraine Toki
    • Health – Dr Josephine Herman
    • Housing – Daniel Clay
    • Justice – Paul Gibson 

    “The Ministry is taking a new approach to developing the new strategy, and I will be excited to see the results. 

    “Ultimately, the purpose is to improve the lives of disabled people. For instance, recent data from the Stats NZ Household Disability Survey found disabled New Zealanders continue to face many barriers, for example in education, employment and housing.

    “We know 1 in 6 New Zealanders are disabled, yet three quarters of unemployed disabled people want to be working which means creating employment opportunities must be an important focus. 

    “Disabled people, like non-disabled people, want to participate in their communities, to thrive and make decisions about their own lives.

    “The strategy refresh represents huge opportunities to make a positive difference,” Louise Upston says.

    The Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha is managing the refresh process. The draft strategy will go to the wider disabled community later this year for further review before being agreed by Cabinet.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: King: “Looming Threat” of Arctic Aggression Must Be National Priority

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), Co-Chair of the Senate Arctic Caucus, in a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned General Christopher Cavoli, Commander of the United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, about the United States’ position as an Arctic nation — and the importance of bolstering our nation’s presence in an emerging strategic hotspot amid rising tensions with Arctic adversaries. Senator King made the point that Russia and China are currently positioning themselves more strategically than the U.S. in the High North, through investments in military installations and icebreakers — which directly threatens American security. During the exchange, Senator King and General Cavoli agreed the U.S. needs to be paying closer attention to the Arctic as a new domain for potential conflict.
    Senator King began,” Please discuss Russian and Chinese activities in the Arctic. Strikes me this is a looming threat area we should be addressing. The reason it is becoming so important is the melting of the arctic ice which has something to do with climate change. 70% of the Arctic ice has disappeared in the last 40 years. Talk to me about the strategic importance of the Arctic.”
    “Absolutely, Senator. From the U.S. perspective, the most important thing to understand is the shortest distance from Russian airfields to the U.S. is over the polar cap,” responded General Cavoli.
    “They are building up those airfields, are they not,” asked Senator King.
    “They are. They were before the war at a fast-paced. It has slowed down a little bit during the war, but they are still opening airfields and repairing existing ones. The other thing that comes out of the arctic is the northern fleet in Murmansk comes up, sails down through the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) gap, and tries to break into the Atlantic from which they could hold key U.S. targets at risk with sub-launched cruise missiles among other weapons,” said General Cavoli.
    “We should be paying particular attention to the arctic as a new domain of potential conflict,” questioned Senator King.
    General Cavoli replied, “And I think we are. U.S. Northern Command has the primary U.S. responsibility for it. Of course, Strategic Command has activities up there. European Command also has activities up there because so much of the activity is in my area of responsibility (AOR). And the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), of course. Almost all the nations in the Arctic Council are NATO. The only one that is not is Russia. We have been sponsoring tabletop exercises to make sure we understand the details of command and control and coordination of operations there.”
    As Co-Chair of the U.S. Senate Arctic Caucus, Senator King is an advocate for Maine and America’s interests in the North Atlantic and Arctic region — as Maine is the first port in the contiguous 48 states that will see increased traffic via activity in northern waters. Along with Caucus co-chair Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), King introduced the Arctic Commitment Act  in 2022 to improve America’s posture and opportunities in the Arctic. He has been calling for the appointment of an Arctic Ambassador since 2015, and pushed for the confirmation of the first Arctic Ambassador last year. King also laid out the challenges and opportunities of a warming arctic in an article in the Wilson Quarterly, and in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act, he successfully secured the inclusion of provisions including funding authorizations for University of Maine to increase America’s activity and opportunities in the Far North.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Beyer, Bacon Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Response to Rise in Hate Crimes

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

    U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA) and Don Bacon (R-NE) today introduced the Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen the credible and accurate reporting of hate crimes to better respond to the national rise of these bias-driven incidents. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) most recent 2023 Hate Crimes Statistics report documented 11,862 hate crime incidents – the highest number ever reported by the agency, with a sharp increase in antisemitic and anti-Black incidents.

    The FBI has acknowledged however, that hate crimes data is incomplete and underreported. Their 2023 Hate Crimes Statistics report includes data from just 16,009 law enforcement agencies nationwide, meaning that more than 2,000 jurisdictions did not report any data at all.  Of the jurisdictions that did participate, nearly 80 percent reported zero hate crimes.

    “As many communities across the country are seeing an alarming increase in hateful rhetoric and violence, there is much more we can do in Congress to better address the increase in hate crimes,” said Rep. Don Beyer. “Our legislation would ensure we improve the credibility and accuracy of our data, allowing us to make well-informed decisions to better allocate resources with the goal of preventing as many hate crimes as possible in American communities. Violence and discrimination are never acceptable, and our legislation is an important and necessary step forward in addressing the rise of hate.”

    “Antisemitic incidents are underreported across the nation, and we need to ensure communities are accurately reporting them as well as other hate crimes,” said Rep. Don Bacon. “This bill will enable the Department of Justice to determine if communities are accurately reporting these instances. If left unchecked, these hate crimes will continue to go unreported and the crimes will continue to rise.”

    “While FBI data showed 1,832 reported antisemitic crimes in 2023, a 63% increase from the prior year, this is only a portion of the crimes committed against the Jewish community as hate crimes are widely underreported. To effectively address antisemitism in the United States, we must understand the true degree to which hate-based violence exists,” said Ted Deutch, CEO of American Jewish Committee (AJC). “The American public overwhelmingly agrees – American Jewish Committee’s (AJC’s) State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report found more than nine in 10 say it is important that law enforcement be required to report hate crimes to a federal government database. AJC thanks Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA) and Don Bacon (R-NE) for reintroducing the Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act, a necessary first step in understanding the real extent to which anti-Jewish crimes occur in the United States.”

    “The Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community has historically been targeted and scapegoated and experienced significant increases in hate-motivated verbal and physical attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic. But even now, community surveys indicate that a staggering 49% of AANHPIs nationwide were targeted by acts of hate in 2024,” said Sim Singh Attariwala, Director of Anti-Hate Program at Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC). “Anti-Asian sentiment remains a top safety concern for many AANHPIs, especially in major metropolitan areas. For decades hate crimes have been underreported by law enforcement. Consistent, credible and accurate data is critical to developing policies that prevent hate crimes and protect all communities. We welcome initiatives that improve efforts to increase accountability and counter hate and discrimination.” 

    “Hate crimes nationwide have surged to historic levels, with antisemitic incidents reaching their highest point in decades,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). “We know that many incidents go unreported, and so even these record-breaking numbers fail to reflect the true scale of hate crime incidents across the country. We thank Reps. Beyer and Bacon for continuing to champion this bipartisan effort to incentivize law enforcement’s accurate and robust participation in hate crime reporting.”

    “As dire as the data on hate crimes and bias incidents in our country is, the unfortunate truth is that the reality is likely worse: Each year, thousands of law enforcement agencies do not report any such crimes and incidents to the FBI, leaving huge gaps in our knowledge about the lived experiences of marginalized communities,” said Mannirmal Kaur, Federal Policy Manager for the Sikh Coalition. “Mandating the reporting of hate crimes and bias incidents is one of the strongest policy steps that the federal government could take towards truly understanding the scope of hate-motivated violence and crimes. Doing so will in turn allow us to effectively diagnose where we most urgently need to strengthen laws and statutes, invest in front-end prevention, and take other actions to make our communities safer.”

    “Over the past few years, the FBI has reported increasing levels of hate violence, especially against Black people,” said Sakira Cook, Federal Policy Director for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). “Despite this documented rising trend, we know that incomplete reporting to the FBI is a persistent problem. This bipartisan legislation is designed to address the fact that thousands of federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies did not report any data to the FBI in 2023, and 80% of the 16,000 agencies that did participate affirmatively reported zero (0) hate crimes, including about 60 agencies serving populations of over 100,000 people.  We cannot effectively confront this national problem without more accurate and complete data and an inclusive and intersectional approach to countering all forms of hate. We applaud the leadership of Reps. Don Beyer and Don Bacon for introducing the Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act and look forward to working together to ensure its passage.”

    “At National Council of Jewish Women, we believe that every person has the right to live free from hate and violence,” said Darcy Hirsh, Senior Director of Government Relations and Advocacy for the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW). “Yet the Jewish community and our neighbors in countless other communities are living in fear every day, with hate crimes continuing to threaten our safety. In 2023, the number of reported hate crimes – including anti-Jewish hate crimes – reached an all-time high, an urgent reminder that inaction hurts individuals and families. The Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act will ensure that law enforcement agencies around the country are accurately reporting hate crimes, creating a clearer picture of the threats communities face so that we can develop meaningful, effective solutions. We are grateful to Representatives Beyer and Bacon for championing this essential bipartisan legislation to protect all of our communities”

    “Sikh Americans continue to be one of the most targeted religious groups in hate crimes per capita. Unfortunately, we know that these numbers do not account for the true scope of hate nationally, as often law enforcement agencies under-report, or sometimes fail to report the number of hate crimes in their region” said Kiran Kaur Gill, Executive Director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF). “As SALDEF works to combat hate crimes, it is crucial to have access to accurate and credible data. By mandating local governments report hate crime data in order to be eligible for federal funding, the federal government takes an important step in addressing hate in America. SALDEF commends the Offices of Representatives Beyer and Bacon for their leadership efforts in safeguarding our communities.”

    The Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act would require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to develop a system to assess whether localities are reporting credible and accurate data on hate crimes. If a locality is found to not be reporting credible data or fails to provide any data at all, it would be required to conduct community education and awareness initiatives to maintain eligibility for certain federal funding allocations.

    Text of the Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act is available here.

    Beyer is the author of the bipartisan, bicameral Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, signed into law by President Biden in 2021 as part of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Government of Saskatchewan Welcomes new Collective Agreement with Teachers

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on April 3, 2025

    An agreement between the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee (GTBC) and the Teachers’ Bargaining Committee has been signed by both parties.

    The GTBC, comprised of representatives from the Government of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association and the Teachers’ Bargaining Committee reached the new collective agreement following discussions after the release of an arbitrator’s report in March. 

    “We appreciate the work and collaboration of the bargaining committees to achieve this result and are pleased to have a new agreement that provides certainty for teachers, students and their families,” Education Minister Everett Hindley said. “Our government recognizes the important role of teachers and we look forward to working on common goals in support of Saskatchewan’s education system.”

    The agreement will be in effect retroactively from September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2026. 

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: AI screening for opioid use disorder associated with fewer hospital readmissions

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2

    News Release
    Thursday, April 3, 2025

    NIH-supported clinical trial shows AI tool as effective as healthcare providers in generating referrals to addiction specialists.
    An artificial intelligence (AI)-driven screening tool, developed by a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research team, successfully identified hospitalized adults at risk for opioid use disorder and recommended referral to inpatient addiction specialists. The AI-based method was just as effective as a health provider-only approach in initiating addiction specialist consultations and recommending monitoring of opioid withdrawal. Compared to patients who received provider-initiated consultations, patients with AI screening had 47% lower odds of being readmitted to the hospital within 30 days after their initial discharge. This reduction in readmissions translated to a total of nearly $109,000 in estimated healthcare savings during the study period.
    The study, published in Nature Medicine, reports the results of a completed clinical trial, demonstrating AI’s potential to affect patient outcomes in real-world healthcare settings. The study suggests investment in AI may be a promising strategy specifically for healthcare systems seeking to increase access to addiction treatment while improving efficiencies and saving costs.
    “Addiction care remains heavily underprioritized and can be easily overlooked, especially in overwhelmed hospital settings where it can be challenging to incorporate resource-intensive procedures such as screening,” said Nora D. Volkow, M.D., director of NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). “AI has the potential to strengthen implementation of addiction treatment while optimizing hospital workflow and reducing healthcare costs.”
    In a clinical trial, researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, compared physician-led addiction specialist consultations to the performance of their AI screening tool, which had been developed and validated in prior work. Researchers first measured the effectiveness of provider-led consultations at the University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, between March to October 2021 and March to October 2022, whereby healthcare providers conducted ad hoc addiction specialist consultations for opioid use disorder. They then implemented the AI screening tool between March to October 2023 to assist the healthcare providers and remind them throughout hospitalization of a patient’s need for an addiction specialist’s care. From start to finish, the trial screened 51,760 adult hospitalizations, with 66% occurring without deploying the AI screener and 34% with the AI screener deployed hospital-wide. A total of 727 addiction medicine consultations were completed during the study period.
    The AI screener was built to recognize patterns in data, like how our brains process visual information. It analyzed information within all the documentation available in the electronic health records in real time, such as clinical notes and medical history, to identify features and patterns associated with opioid use disorder. Upon identification, the system issued an alert to providers when they opened the patient’s medical chart with a recommendation to order addiction medicine consultation and to monitor and treat withdrawal symptoms.
    The trial found that AI-prompted consultation was just as effective as provider-initiated consultation, ensuring no decrease in quality while offering a more scalable and automated approach. Specifically, the study showed that 1.51% of hospitalized adults received an addiction medicine consultation when healthcare professionals used the AI screening tool, compared to 1.35% without the assistance of the AI tool. Additionally, the AI screener was associated with fewer 30-day readmissions, with approximately 8% of hospitalized adults in the AI screening group being readmitted to hospital, compared to 14% in the traditional provider-led group.
    The reduction in 30-day readmissions still held after accounting for patients’ age, sex, race and ethnicity, insurance status, and comorbidities, as calculated via an odds ratio. When analyzing the results using the odds ratio, the researchers estimated a decrease of 16 readmissions by employing the AI screener. A subsequent cost-effectiveness analysis indicated a net cost of $6,801 per readmission avoided for the patient, healthcare insurer, and/or the hospital. This amounted to an estimated total of $108,800 in healthcare savings for the eight-month study period in which the AI screener was used, even after accounting for the costs of maintaining the AI software. The average cost of a 30-day hospital readmission is currently estimated at $16,300.
    “AI holds promise in medical settings, but many AI-based screening models have remained in the development phase, without integration into real-world settings,” said Majid Afshar, M.D., lead author of the study and associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Our study represents one of the first demonstrations of an AI screening tool embedded into addiction medicine and hospital workflows, highlighting the pragmatism and real-world promise of this approach.”
    While the AI screener showed strong effectiveness, challenges remain, including potential alert fatigue among providers and the need for broader validation across different healthcare systems. The authors also note that while the various study periods – spanning multiple years – were seasonally matched, the evolving nature of the opioid crisis may have introduced residual biases. Future research will focus on optimizing the AI tool’s integration and assessing its longer-term impact on patient outcomes.
    The opioid crisis continues to strain healthcare systems in the U.S., with emergency department admissions for substance use increasing by nearly 6% between 2022 to 2023 to an estimated 7.6 million. Opioids are the second leading cause of these visits after alcohol, but screening for opioid use disorder in hospitals remains inconsistent. As a result, hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder frequently leave the hospital before seeing an addiction specialist, a factor linked to a tenfold increase in overdose rates. AI technology has emerged as a novel, scalable tool to potentially overcome these barriers and improve opportunities for early intervention and linkage to medications for opioid use disorder, but more research is needed to understand how AI can be used effectively in healthcare settings. 
    If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. To learn how to get support for mental health, drug or alcohol conditions, visit FindSupport.gov. If you are ready to locate a treatment facility or provider, you can go directly to FindTreatment.gov or call 800-662-HELP (4357).
    About the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): NIDA is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world’s research on the health aspects of drug use and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to inform policy, improve practice, and advance addiction science. For more information about NIDA and its programs, visit www.nida.nih.gov.
    About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
    NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Vice Chairman of Smyth County School Board Pleads Guilty

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ABINGDON, Va. – The former Vice Chairman of the Smyth County School Board pled guilty today to using at least six minor, male victims to produce child pornography.

    Todd  Stewart Williams, 54, of Chilhowie, Virginia, pled guilty today to four counts of persuading, inducing, enticing, and coercing and attempting to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce one or more minors to engage in any sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing any visual depiction of such conduct, in interstate commerce.

    “The Internet has expanded the manner in which young people can be targeted by those looking to exploit them,” Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee said today. “Importantly, this case demonstrates that even those who are entrusted by our communities to oversee the welfare of our children may harbor intentions to exploit them, and for that reason we must be ever vigilant and responsive when our young people report abuse. I am thankful to the FBI both in Virginia and elsewhere for their diligence in bringing this case to justice.”

    “There is no place in our communities for someone who manipulates and abuses children, especially by someone in a position of influence. In addition to committing numerous reprehensible acts against minors, Williams betrayed the trust of parents in Smyth County where he was elected to oversee the education and well-being of students,” said Stanley Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division. “The FBI Richmond team stands with parents and educators to protect our children and ensure justice is served for all who seek to harm them.”

    According to court documents, Williams’s criminal activity came to the attention of law enforcement in September 2022 when a 15-year-old teenager living in Oklahoma reported to the FBI that Williams, using the Snapchat username “todd_w3411” requested nude images and videos of him.

    During an interview with law enforcement, the teen told investigators he met Williams in a Snapchat group intended for gay teenage males. Soon after they began chatting, Williams reached out to the teen and offered to make in-app purchases in an online video game in exchange for nude pictures of the teen.

    The FBI’s investigation uncovered multiple instances of Williams’s exploitation of multiple minors.  In one instance, Williams used Snapchat to communicate with a then 12-year-old minor and offered to purchase items for an online game before eventually offering to buy nude pictures and videos from the boy.

    Between August 2022 and January 2024, Williams sent the young victim nearly $1,000 in exchange for nude images and videos.

    In January 2023, Williams met another teen on Snapchat and paid the teen to take pictures and videos of him sexually abusing his younger stepbrother, who was 10-years-old at the time. As directed by Williams, the teen would approach his stepbrother in his bedroom at night and force his stepbrother to watch pornography and engage in sexual acts.

    Because the teen reached his $600 monthly limit on Cash App transactions, Williams mailed him a debit card hidden inside a pair of shoes to ensure he was able to purchase his videos.

    In a six-month period, Williams paid over $3,500 for nude images and videos of the teen and his stepbrother.

    In yet another interaction with a young teenage boy on Snapchat, Williams paid over $3,000 in exchange for nude images and videos of him and his teenage boyfriend.

    In all, Williams spent more than $10,000 buying nude images from at least six underage male victims.

    At sentencing, Williams faces a mandatory minimum sentence of up to fifteen years in prison and up to thirty years.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit Pierce is prosecuting the case.

    The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/. 

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Mountain America Credit Union Donates Over 300 Shoes to Idaho Falls Elementary School

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, April 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In partnership with Operation Warm, Mountain America Credit Union donated over 300 brand-new pairs of shoes to students from Hawthorne Elementary on March 20, 2025. Held at the Mountain America Center, the event was a celebration of community spirit and compassion. Volunteers from Mountain America, Mountain America Center, and Idaho State University (ISU) athletics came together to personally fit each child with shoes in their favorite color—ensuring they step into the warmer months with confidence, comfort, and joy.

    A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

    “We are so thankful for the support of Mountain America Credit Union and Mountain America Center, and what they have done for our students,” said Mark Morgan, principal of Hawthorne Elementary. “Being able to see the smiles and all the happiness as they put on their new shoes and take them home has been super exciting for them and for us. It’s great to know the love and support that our eastern Idaho community shows to all our students and educators.”

    This initiative is part of Mountain America’s continued effort to support local communities through its donation programs in partnership with ISU athletics. Since 2016, Mountain America has contributed to selected nonprofits for every first down completed by the ISU football team and every three-pointer made by the men’s basketball team. For the 2024–2025 season, Operation Warm was selected to help provide new shoes to children in Eastern Idaho.

    ​In Idaho, approximately 13% of children live below the poverty line, underscoring the critical importance of initiatives like these. Operation Warm’s mission is to provide warmth, confidence, and hope to children through basic need programs that connect under-resourced children to community resources they require to thrive. The provision of new shoes not only offers physical comfort but also enhances a child’s self-esteem and readiness to engage in learning.

    “At Mountain America, our commitment to community shines brightest when we see the joy on children’s faces as they receive new shoes,” said Sterling Nielsen, president and CEO at Mountain America. “Partnering with Operation Warm allows us to provide not just footwear, but also warmth and hope to children in need.”

    To learn more about Mountain America’s community involvement, visit macu.com/newsroom.

    About Mountain America Credit Union
    With more than 1 million members and $20 billion in assets, Mountain America Credit Union helps its members define and achieve their financial dreams. Mountain America provides consumers and businesses with a variety of convenient, flexible products and services, as well as sound, timely advice. Members enjoy access to secure, cutting-edge mobile banking technology, over 100 branches across multiple states, and more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs. Mountain America—guiding you forward. Learn more at macu.com.

    The MIL Network –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján, Padilla, Warnock Lead Group Demanding Reversal of Mass Firings of Head Start, Office of Child Care Employees

    US Senate News:

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

    Luján and Warnock are the only two Head Start alumni to serve in the U.S. Senate

    Senators to Secretary Kennedy: “The termination of staff is alarming and will compound the challenges already facing these programs and services…with no clear planning nor considerations for how early childhood services will be impacted”

    Washington, D.C. — This week, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) led 25 Senators in condemning the Trump Administration’s mass firings of federal employees at the Office of Head Start (OHS) and the Office of Child Care (OCC), and demanding Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. immediately reinstate these employees. The sweeping firings of staff from these critical HHS offices will severely restrict access to child care for working-class families and limit OHS and OCC’s ability to administer and conduct oversight of nearly $25 billion in federal investments in early childhood programs.

    The cuts included the closure of and termination of all staff at five of the 10 regional offices in San Francisco, Boston, New York, Chicago, and Seattle. The Senators emphasized that these indiscriminate firings did not factor in employee performance and failed to plan for inevitable disruptions to children, families, child care providers, and Head Start programs.

    “This attack on employees at a time when children, families, child care providers, and early educators are relying on critical early childhood programs undermines the Department’s role in administering and conducting oversight of early childhood programs, including Head Start programs and child care assistance for working-class families across the country,” wrote the Senators. “We are deeply concerned by reports of a high number of employees at OHS and OCC who have been fired across the country who provide critical support to Head Start programs and help make child care safer and more affordable. The termination of staff is alarming and will compound the challenges already facing these programs and services, including the lack of timely and transparent information, with no clear planning nor considerations for how early childhood services will be impacted.”

    The Head Start program currently serves nearly 800,000 children, providing comprehensive services to help children receive health care and insurance, while offering parents job training, education, housing support, and nutrition services. OCC administers the Child Care Development Fund, which includes the Child Care Development Block Grant that provides an average of over 1.3 million children from nearly 800,000 low-income families with child care subsidies each month.                      

    The Senators stressed that these cuts are especially alarming as child care programs have become increasingly unaffordable and harder to access. According to a recent survey of more than 10,000 early childhood educators, 55 percent of programs were underenrolled compared to their preferred capacity, citing affordability and staffing challenges as the primary concerns as opposed to a lack of demand.

    “The Administration’s decision to reduce staff comes at a time when it is increasingly expensive to run child care and early learning programs, the cost of child care continues to be out of reach for many working-class families, and the demand for quality child care continues to far outpace the supply,” continued the Senators. “We are deeply concerned about the exacerbation of these issues for child care providers and children and families as a result of the Administration’s termination of a large portion of OHS and OCC staff, including the sudden closure of five of the ten Regional Offices and RIFs.”

    In addition to Senators Luján, Padilla, and Warnock, the letter was also signed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    The letter was endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Women’s Law Center, MomsRising, the Center for Law and Social Policy, Zero toThree, and Child Care For Every Family Network.

    Earlier this year, Senators Luján, Padilla, and Warnock joined Senator Kaine in expressing concerns about the threats to Head Start programs across the country as a result of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) memo that imposed a government-wide funding freeze.

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Secretary Kennedy,

    We write to express our serious concern regarding the recent decision to fire federal employees at the Office of Head Start (OHS) and Office of Child Care (OCC) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and we ask that you immediately reinstate these employees to full work status. Between the firing of probationary employees and the recent RIFs, these offices have been gutted and the ability for the federal government to support children and families and carefully oversee nearly $25 billion in federal investments in early childhood programs will be extremely hampered. It appears these firings occurred without regard to employee performance, input from career civil servants, or planning against disruptions to understand the impact on children, families, child care providers, and Head Start programs.

    This attack on employees at a time when children, families, child care providers, and early educators are relying on critical early childhood programs undermines the Department’s role in administering and conducting oversight of early childhood programs, including Head Start programs and child care assistance for working-class families across the country. We are deeply concerned by reports of a high number of employees at OHS and OCC who have been fired across the country who provide critical support to Head Start programs and help make child care safer and more affordable. The termination of staff is alarming and will compound the challenges already facing these programs and services, including the lack of timely and transparent information, with no clear planning nor considerations for how early childhood services will be impacted.

    The federal Head Start program currently serves nearly 800,000 children across the nation with comprehensive services to ensure children receive age-appropriate health care, dental care, and health insurance, and they provide referrals to other critical services for parents, such as job training, adult education, nutrition services, and housing support. For the last several years, there has been broad, bipartisan support in Congress to recognize the longstanding program’s important work by providing increased appropriations. Head Start and Early Head Start grant recipients deliver services in every state and territory, farm worker camps, and over 155 Tribal communities. OHS provides Head Start programs with federal policy guidance, training, and technical assistance and administers grants in accordance to the Head Start Act. These federal employees play an important role to ensure that programs use their grant funds efficiently and effectively. Terminating OHS and Regional Office employees reduces the capacity to support and allow Head Start programs to use permissible flexibilities to effectively use their federal grant to best serve children in their communities.

    Further, OCC administers the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF), which includes the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) that provides an average of over 1.3 million children from nearly 800,000 families with low-income with child care subsidies monthly. The federal child care program is also central to states’ efforts to ensure the health, safety, and quality of nearly every child care program in the country. OCC staff across the country support states in ensuring federal funds are used effectively to improve affordability, quality, and supply of child care options for families. These drastic terminations will weaken the ability to support states and oversee federal law, transparent information for families, professional development, and the timeliness and consistency of payment for child care providers.

    The Administration’s decision to reduce staff comes at a time when it is increasingly expensive to run child care and early learning programs, the cost of child care continues to be out of reach for many working-class families, and the demand for quality child care continues to far outpace the supply. According to a recent survey of more than 10,000 early childhood educators by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, more than half of programs indicated they were unable to serve their preferred number of children relative to their preferred capacity, with affordability and staffing challenges cited as the top reasons, rather than a lack of demand. We are deeply concerned about the exacerbation of these issues for child care providers and children and families as a result of the Administration’s termination of a large portion of OHS and OCC staff, including the sudden closure of five of the ten Regional Offices and RIFs.

    We ask that you immediately reinstate these employees to full work status, and we request your responses to the following questions by April 11, 2025:

    • To date, how many staff have been terminated within OHS and OCC, both in the Central office and in each Regional office? Please share the reasoning behind the closure of offices in regions 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10 (Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle), and what information and planning were used to decide which and how many of these offices would be closed?
    • Who decided which probationary and non-probationary employees within OHS and OCC were to be terminated and under what cause?
    • What assessment was done about the impact of the RIFs on children and families served by the programs? What are the steps being taken to minimize disruptions and continue the administration of Head Start programs and CCDF?
    • Was a review conducted to determine the impact of terminating OHS and OCC staff on early childhood programs, the impact on health and safety in care settings, the stewardship of nearly $25 billion in taxpayer dollars, the ability to meet the purposes of the federal statutes, and the impact on children, families, and communities?
    • Are there plans for additional staff terminations in the months ahead, and if so, how many and what offices? Regional office staff are the first point of contact for Head Start programs and State and Tribal child care agencies. Who are the new points of contact for programs? If this work has been reassigned to remaining regional offices, how will doubling their workloads create a system that is responsive to pressing program needs?
    • What percent of the Office of Grants Management team responsible for Head Start and Child Care programs have been fired since January? Can you guarantee that once a grant is awarded that grant recipients can draw down their awards?
    • Can the Secretary guarantee that funds will be awarded on time for Head Start grant recipients that are due to receive a new or continuing award on May 1st, and subsequent awards? If there are lapses in awarding grants, how long will they last and what communication will be done to support programs in the interim?

    Thank you for your attention to this critical issue, and we look forward to your response.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Strengthening New York’s Gun Safety Laws

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today signed three new laws to strengthen New York’s gun violence prevention efforts and keep New Yorkers safe. The Governor also unveiled new data showing a 53 percent decline in gun violence year-to-date, when compared to pandemic-era highs. As part of this year’s Budget, Governor Hochul is proposing a significant $370 million investment to fight gun violence and keep driving down crime.

    “We’re taking action to drive down gun violence in the State of New York — protecting our communities and making our streets safer,” Governor Hochul said. “Public safety is my number one priority, and by giving law enforcement additional tools to stop gun violence in its tracks, we’re building on our promise to put the safety of New Yorkers first.”

    In 2025, shootings have declined 53 percent year-to-date when compared to pandemic-era highs three years ago: from 497 shootings statewide from January to March of 2022 to 236 shootings statewide from January to March of this year. Earlier this year, Governor Hochul announced that gun violence declined to the lowest levels on record in the 28 communities participating in the State’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative — including Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers — and the NYPD announced declines in shootings in New York City as well.

    Legislation S.744/A.436 will ensure there are penalties for using “pistol converters,” which are rapid-fire modification devices that can be easily attached to semi-automatic pistols to make them even deadlier by allowing rapid fire with one pull of the trigger.

    State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said, “Rapid-fire modification devices are capable of transforming firearms into fully automatic machine guns and are not permitted in New York State. These rapid-fire modification devices include a wide range of gun modification devices including bump stocks, trigger cranks, and burst trigger systems. The legislation Governor Hochul is signing today makes it explicitly clear that pistol converters, also known as auto-sears, which can be used to make traditional pistols fire as many as 15 rounds in under two seconds, are a subset of rapid-fire modification devices and should be treated as such under New York State Law. I’m grateful to Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and my colleagues throughout the Legislature who once again are standing up to the gun lobby to make New York a safer place.”

    Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon said, “New Yorkers are sick of weapons manufacturers ignoring their role in the gun violence epidemic. For decades, Glock has known that its pistols can be easily and cheaply converted into illegal fully-automatic machine guns. It’s time to put people over profit. My first-in-the-nation bill has been signed into law, holding Glock and Glock-like gun manufacturers accountable for failing to prevent this easy conversion to illegal machine guns. Thank you to Governor Hochul for signing my bill, my partner Senator Hoylman-Sigal, and the advocates for working to prevent gun violence.”

    Legislation S.745/A.439 will strengthen the law that the Governor signed last year that requires credit and debit card issuers to use the merchant category code (MCC) for firearms and ammunition retailers by ensuring that it captures retailers whose bulk sales come from firearms, ammunition and firearms accessories.

    State Senator Zellnor Myrie said, “Since 2019, New York has been a national leader in taking on gun violence- and the laws Governor Hochul is signing today continues that progress. While the federal government turns a blind eye to the gun crime plaguing our communities, New York can show the way forward by passing new laws to stop the sale of weapons that can be converted into machine guns, centralize our gun violence prevention efforts, and standardize our response to mass shooting incidents wherever they occur.”

    Assemblymember Michaelle Solages said, “With today’s signing, Governor Hochul is taking a bold step to protect New Yorkers from gun violence. By requiring the use of merchant category codes for firearm and ammunition purchases, we are equipping financial institutions with a critical tool to help detect suspicious activity before it becomes a tragedy. This is a smart, data-driven approach to public safety, and I’m proud to lead the way with Senator Myrie and dedicated advocates.”

    Legislation S.743/A.437 strengthens the law the Governor signed last year that requires firearms dealers and gunsmiths to post and distribute at the time of sale information about the availability of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and warnings about the dangers of gun ownership, including increased risk of suicide, death during domestic disputes and unintentional death of children, household members and others. By providing consumers with this Surgeon General style warning, the law aims to promote the health and safety of the general public by educating and informing gun owners and potential buyers of the risks the weapons pose.

    State Senator Michael Gianaris said, “Education and information are key to responsible gun ownership, which will prevent injury and improve public safety. I am proud to have shepherded this proposal through the Senate and to now see it enacted into law.”

    Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz said, “It is without question that there are enormous risks associated with gun ownership. By requiring firearm dealers and licensing officers to provide clear and accessible warnings about the heightened risks of suicide, domestic violence, and unintentional deaths, we are aiding people in becoming fully informed about the dangers of gun ownership while at the same time taking measures to help safeguard our communities. The inclusion of a prominently displayed 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline will make it easier for those in distress to access avenues of assistance when they are at their most vulnerable. I want to thank Governor Hochul for signing this entire package of bills into law and my colleague, Senator Mike Gianaris, for partnering with me on this legislation which demonstrates New York’s commitment to promoting responsible firearm ownership while protecting public health and safety.”

    Assemblymember Harvey Epstein said, “It is critical that we address the gun violence epidemic in our state and nation. So many lives have been lost as a result of our failure to pass common-sense gun regulations. Today I am happy to join Governor Hochul as we pass this package of legislation that will make our state safer.”

    Assemblymember Tony Simone said, “We are in the midst of a mental health crisis and a gun violence epidemic, and we must do everything in our power as lawmakers to combat it. We can begin by passing common-sense anti gun-violence measures, which a vast majority of gun owners support and want, which is what these three bills signed today are. I am proud to stand with Governor Hochul and my colleagues in the legislature in our resoluteness to solve these epidemics playing out in our communities.”

    The $370 million investment to reduce and prevent gun violence and strengthen communities disproportionately impacted by crime includes, but is not limited to, the following programs and initiatives administered by DCJS:

    • $50 million through the Law Enforcement Technology grant program, which provides funding so police departments and sheriffs’ offices can purchase new equipment and technology to modernize their operations and more effectively solve and prevent crime.
    • $36 million for GIVE, which funds the 28 police departments and district attorneys’ offices, probation departments and sheriffs’ offices in 21 counties outside of New York City.
    • $21 million for the SNUG Street Outreach Program, which operates in 14 communities across the state: Albany, the Bronx, Buffalo, Hempstead, Mount Vernon, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Syracuse, Troy, Utica, Wyandanch and Yonkers. The program uses a public health approach to address gun violence by identifying the source, interrupting transmission, and treating individuals, families and communities affected by the violence.
    • $18 million in continued support for the State’s unique, nationally recognized Crime Analysis Center Network, and $13 million in new funding to establish the New York State Crime Analysis and Joint Special Operations Command Headquarters, a strategic information, technical assistance and training hub for 11 Centers in the State’s network and enhance existing partnerships and expand information sharing with the New York State Intelligence Center operated by the State Police, the locally run Nassau County Lead Development Center and the State’s Joint Security Operations Center, which focuses on protecting the State from cyber threats.
    • $20 million for Project RISE (Respond, Invest, Sustain, Empower) in 10 communities to support mentoring, mental health services, restorative practices, trust building, employment and education support and youth development activities, among other programs and services that address trauma resulting from long-term exposure to violence, build resilience and strengthen youth, families and neighborhoods.

    The New York State Police, the State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and the State Office of Victim Services also will receive funding through that $370 million allocation.

    Other public safety initiatives outlined in Governor Hochul’s FY26 Executive Budget include $35 million for the next round of the Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes grants to increase safety and security of organizations at risk of hate crimes or attacks because of their ideology, beliefs or mission; or investments that expand support for victims and survivors of crime, including doubling funding for rape crisis centers to $12.8 million.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Diversified Royalty Corp. Announces April 2025 Cash Dividend

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Diversified Royalty Corp. (TSX: DIV and DIV.DB.A) (the “Corporation” or “DIV”) is pleased to announce that its board of directors has approved a cash dividend of $0.02083 per common share for the period of April 1, 2025 to April 30, 2025, which is equal to $0.25 per common share on an annualized basis. The dividend will be paid on April 30, 2025 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on April 15, 2025.

    About Diversified Royalty Corp.

    DIV is a multi-royalty corporation, engaged in the business of acquiring top-line royalties from well-managed multi-location businesses and franchisors in North America. DIV’s objective is to acquire predictable, growing royalty streams from a diverse group of multi-location businesses and franchisors.

    DIV currently owns the Mr. Lube + Tires, AIR MILES®, Sutton, Mr. Mikes, Nurse Next Door, Oxford Learning Centres, Stratus Building Solutions and BarBurrito trademarks. Mr. Lube + Tires is the leading quick lube service business in Canada, with locations across Canada. AIR MILES® is Canada’s largest coalition loyalty program. Sutton is among the leading residential real estate brokerage franchisor businesses in Canada. Mr. Mikes operates casual steakhouse restaurants primarily in western Canadian communities. Nurse Next Door is a home care provider with locations across Canada and the United States as well as in Australia. Oxford Learning Centres is one of Canada’s leading franchisee supplemental education services. Stratus Building Solutions is a leading commercial cleaning service franchise company providing comprehensive janitorial, building cleaning, and office cleaning services primarily in the United States. BarBurrito is the largest quick service Mexican restaurant food chain in Canada.

    DIV’s objective is to increase cash flow per share by making accretive royalty purchases and through the growth of purchased royalties. DIV intends to continue to pay a predictable and stable monthly dividend to shareholders and increase the dividend over time, in each case as cash flow per share allows.

    Forward Looking Statements

    Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. The use of any of the words “anticipate”, “continue”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “may”, “will”, ”project”, “should”, “believe”, “confident”, “plan” and “intends” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information, although not all forward-looking information contains these identifying words. Specifically, forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements made in relation to: the amount and timing of the April 2025 dividend to be paid to DIV’s shareholders; DIV’s objective to continue to pay predictable and stable monthly dividends to shareholders; and DIV’s corporate objectives. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events, performance, or achievements of DIV to differ materially from those anticipated or implied by such forward-looking information. DIV believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information included in this news release are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In particular there can be no assurance that: DIV will be able to make monthly dividend payments to the holders of its common shares; or DIV will achieve any of its corporate objectives. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned that forward-looking information included in this news release are not guarantees of future performance, and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. More information about the risks and uncertainties affecting DIV’s business and the businesses of its royalty partners can be found in the “Risk Factors” section of its Annual Information Form dated March 24, 2025 and in its most recent Management’s Discussion and Analysis, copies of each of which are available under DIV’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com.

    In formulating the forward-looking information contained herein, management has assumed that, among other things, DIV will generate sufficient cash flows from its royalties to service its debt and pay dividends to shareholders; the business and economic conditions affecting DIV and its royalty partners will continue substantially in the ordinary course, including without limitation with respect to general industry conditions, general levels of economic activity and regulations. These assumptions, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect.

    All of the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, DIV. The forward-looking information included in this news release is presented as of the date of this news release and DIV assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by applicable law.

    THE TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR THE ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

    Additional Information

    Additional information relating to the Corporation and other public filings, is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com.

    Contact:
    Sean Morrison, President and Chief Executive Officer
    Diversified Royalty Corp.
    (236) 521-8470

    Greg Gutmanis, Chief Financial Officer and VP Acquisitions
    Diversified Royalty Corp.
    (236) 521-8471

    The MIL Network –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: ‘Silencing Voices, Erasing History’: Ranking Member Pingree Slams Trump Admin for Humanities Grants Purge

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

    Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, released a scathing statement in response to the Trump Administration’s mass termination of National Endowment for the Humanities grants:

    The abrupt termination of National Endowment for the Humanities grants across the country—executed under the guise of bureaucratic ‘efficiency’ by Elon Musk and DOGE—is devastating and outrageous.

    For weeks, the Trump Administration has led a disturbing campaign to dismantle our country’s cultural and historical infrastructure: ousting experienced leadership and staff, installing political loyalists, censoring exhibitions, and all but eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Now, communities like ours in Maine are paying the price.

    Let’s be clear: these grants were already awarded and use funds already appropriated by Congress on a bipartisan basis. The notion that these terminations are justified by a sudden shift in ‘federal priorities’ is nonsense. This is ideological targeting—pure and simple. And it is happening with no input from Congress or the public.

    These actions directly endanger state humanities councils—like the exceptional Maine Humanities Council—that serve rural communities, support teachers and students, and keep our history alive. Shaker Village, the last active Shaker community in the world, has lost funding for a major restoration project currently in progress. The University of Maine is now stalled out on a critical project to digitize Franco American archival collections that speak to the history of countless Mainers. And those are just a couple examples. We risk losing irreplaceable cultural institutions forever.

    This isn’t just fiscal mismanagement, it’s a deliberate campaign to silence voices, erase history, and dismantle the public’s access to culture and education.

    As Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee responsible for funding the NEH and NEA, I will continue to demand answers, and I will not stand by while this administration wages a political war on our nation’s cultural fabric.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Explore the seafloor: new maps launched in Akaroa

    Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

    The maps are the result of extensive fieldwork and modelling, and will help rūnanga, communities and agencies make more informed decisions about ecosystem management.

    Iongairo is a partnership between papatipu rūnanga of Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū, the Department of Conservation, and us, with the University of Otago serving as the project’s science partner. ‘Iongairo’ represents the relationship between Papatūānuku and Tangaroa in Te Ao Māori — signifying the special relationship between the whenua/land and the moana/ocean.

    View the

    seafloor maps

    Insights into marine ecosystems

    Ōnuku Rūnanga Chairperson, Rik Tainui, said it was the opportunity of a lifetime for Ōnuku.

    “We hadn’t done any extensive work with any agency in the harbour before and I just thought, this is brilliant. We’re going to use the data that’s been collected to help us determine where we should plant, and do things that can slow down sedimentation which isn’t helping our moana. We won’t have to guess like we’ve done in the past.”

    Wairewa Rūnanga mana whenua mana moana team leader, Robin Wybrow, said the most important part of the project was the collaboration and relationships.

    “A really important part of the mahi was the foundation work, with all the partners coming together to determine how the research project would take place, our shared values, and the direction it needed to take. The group just clicked, which was a pleasant surprise.”

    Environment Canterbury chief scientist, Dr Fiona Shanhun, said that this resource represents a significant collaborative effort to help enhance the way we look after coastal marine ecosystems, now and for future generations.

    “The Iongairo project has provided incredible insights into the marine ecosystems around Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū, enriching our knowledge of diverse seafloor habitats and offering more information than ever before to enable kaitiaki and coastal managers to explore connections between the land and the sea.”

    “Data collected will also help researchers detect and assess possible impacts from climate change and human activities on key habitats and taonga species.”

    Launch event in Akaroa

    Department of Conservation Marine Ranger, Tom MacTavish agrees that information is paramount for conservation.

    “Better marine conservation relies on improving our understanding of what we have here in the moana, where these habitats are and how these ecosystems are affected by what’s happening on the land.”

    University of Otago research fellow, Dr Matthew Desmond, echoed that the Iongairo project was a great opportunity to develop more accurate models and datasets for the area.

    “By understanding on a finer scale what’s happening in each reef system, we can better manage them and understand their health. What we achieved by having all these partners on board was greater than what we could have achieved on our own.”

    About the kaupapa/project:

    • In 2021, Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) conducted hydrographic survey work around Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū/Banks Peninsula for navigational shipping purposes. The survey extended along the coast from Awaroa/Godley Head to Birdlings Flat, including Akaroa Harbour, and out to five kilometres offshore.

    • Through a financial commitment by us (in the 2021-31 Long-Term Plan) and the Department of Conservation, and with support from rūnanga, the hydrographic survey was expanded to include important shallow water (<10 m) areas of the coastline from Birdlings Flat to Goat Point that would otherwise not have been mapped.

    • Combining this additional work with LINZ’s survey provided an opportunity to leverage funding to improve rūnanga, community and agency understanding and management of seafloor habitats and ecosystems around Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū/Banks Peninsula.

    • Outputs from the Iongairo project represent the most detailed information on any coastal marine environment in Waitaha/Canterbury. The extensive fieldwork has generated a rich pool of environmental data.

    • The core project output is an interactive online map that documents the geological and biological characteristics of seafloor habitats around Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū/Banks Peninsula. Information available via the interactive map transforms our ability to make informed coastal planning and environmental management decisions.

    Learn more about the Iongairo project:

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Enviroschool students learn through play in Timaru

    Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

    Date: 31 Mar 2025

    Ākonga were tasked with finding answers to a scavenger hunt on the many information boards scattered around the playground – topics included Māori and European history of the area, the development of Timaru, and geological features. This teaches the importance of being kaitiaki/guardians of the environment.

    Students were taught how to create a mōkihi (canoe) out of harakeke/flax and then race them in the playground’s paddling pool. Mōkihi is an example of a vessel that early Māori settlers would have used to explore the coast, so as well as being a fun challenge for the children, it was also a great learning opportunity.

    The schools then learned about the life cycle of tuna/eels from Andrea Askin-Mills of South Canterbury Museum. The final activity was student-led: planting native seedlings in the dunes of Caroline Bay with the help of Gary Foster. This deep dive into history helped the children consider how lessons from the past can inform the sustainable actions we take today.

    Students raced their mōkihi on the pool

    Debbie Eddington, Youth Engagement, Education and Enviroschools Advisor, organised the day and said it was a huge success. “We all had a wonderful day, and it was especially warming to note the camaraderie developing amongst the students because of the activities we had organised.”

    Outing benefits all

    Kelly Martin, a teacher at Waimataitai Primary School, was delighted by the “range of different activities for the children – it has been a fabulous day.”

    The ākonga now have more knowledge of the area they can take back to their schools. 12-year-old James from Waimataitai said he had “no idea that there were different types of eels – that was interesting to learn.”

    Ākonga from St Joseph’s Fairlie highlighted the next steps they want to take in their learning journey: visit the eels at Opuha Dam and share what they learned with their classmates.

    “The students we work with are our future decision makers,” said Debbie. “It’s great to get them learning about the environment that they will look after.”

    Gary assists the students to plant the dunes

    “It is important for us as a council to raise awareness of the big issues around the sustainable management of our natural resources.” – Debbie Eddington

    Educating our future leaders

    Enviroschools is an environmental action-based programme where young people are empowered to design and lead sustainability projects in their schools, neighbourhoods, and cities.

    We coordinate the Enviroschools programme in Canterbury, working alongside Toimata and our regional partners to create a vibrant and supportive regional Enviroschools network.

    Our team of experienced facilitators guide, motivate and support our network of schools to develop their Enviroschools journey.

    Environment Canterbury © 2025
    Retrieved: 9:20am, Fri 04 Apr 2025
    ecan.govt.nz/get-involved/news-and-events/2025/enviroschool-students-learn-through-play-in-timaru/

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    April 4, 2025
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