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  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Southern half of Watercare’s $1.6b Central Interceptor wastewater tunnel goes live

    Source: Auckland Council

    Watercare’s Central Interceptor project has passed an historic milestone with the southern half of the 16.2 kilometre tunnel (Blockhouse Bay south to Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant) going live. Watercare is now one step closer to the goal of cleaner waterways and beaches for central Auckland.

    A formal event was held on 14 February at a new pump station in Māngere, attended by Minister for Local Government Simon Watts, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, politicians and project teams. Around 200 guests lined the pump station shaft as Mayor Brown gave an order to start up giant pumps sending wastewater flows from the Central Interceptor tunnel to the nearby treatment plant at a rate of 1,200 litres per second.

    It was an historic moment during proceedings dedicated to recognizing the accomplishments of the 600-strong Watercare and Ghella Abergeldie JV Central Interceptor project team which began construction in 2019. 

    Watercare’s major new pump station has been built at Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant to take flows from the Central Interceptor tunnel to the plant for processing.

    Mayor Brown said that as an engineer himself, he appreciated the skills involved to achieve this outcome:

    “It’s a significant milestone for Aucklanders and a huge engineering feat for the team who have been working for the past six years. I look forward to the Central Interceptor project being completed next year to fully realise the benefit, including an 80 percent reduction in wet weather overflows and improved water quality.

    “This is an important piece in fixing Auckland’s infrastructure. The Central Interceptor will take pressure off other parts of the network and will allow other long awaited wastewater projects to progress” says Mayor Brown.

    Watercare Chief Programme Delivery officer, Shayne Cunis says getting the southern half of the Central Interceptor tunnel up and running as quickly as possible was always the goal:

    “This is a huge result. It is rare both globally or in New Zealand for major infrastructure projects to be delivered safely, economically and on time.

    We are hugely proud of the tenacity and dedication of our team, in particular our construction partners, Ghella Abergeldie JV.  We didn’t want to wait until the project was finished at the end of 2026 before getting the southern tunnel going.  We’ve done that despite everything that’s been thrown against us, including the COVID-19 pandemic, major storm events and unprecedented inflation for modern times.”

    The main environmental benefits (cleaner waterways) won’t however be realised until the remaining Central Interceptor tunnel (running from Mount Roskill to Herne Bay) is completed, along with new infrastructure such as the Herne Bay Collector, which is currently under design.

    It’s northern central city suburbs such as Mount Albert, Grey Lynn and Herne Bay where major wet weather overflows occur into the likes of Oakley Creek, Meola Stream, Point Chevalier and Point Erin beaches.

    The switch on of the southern tunnel does however mean improved resilience for Watercare’s wastewater network, says Shayne Cunis: “Aging infrastructure such as ‘Pump Station 23, Hillsborough was often overwhelmed by stormwater in big storms. Now the new Central Interceptor tunnel will capture these flows.

    The Western Interceptor will also no longer carry flows under the Manukau Harbour, which is another win,” he says. 

    The Central Interceptor project forms part of Watercare’s $13.2b programme to deliver new water wastewater and infrastructure over the next 10 years to allow for future growth and a cleaner environment.

    More information on the Central Interceptor is available via this helpful PDF [802KB].

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Mexico: Boom in organised crime making femicide invisible, local activist says

    Source: United Nations 2-b

    By Nathalie Minard and Ana Carmo

    Women

    With more than 2,526 women murdered in the past three decades – from 1993 through 2023 – and hundreds disappeared, Ciudad Juárez remains Mexico’s deadliest city for women. 

    Local activist Norma Andrade, who was recently at the UN Office in Geneva to raise awareness about femicide, knows the issue first-hand. Her own daughter, Lilia Alejandra, was murdered in that same city in 2001.

    “As my granddaughter would sum it up: we are worth a peanut – which in other words means that a woman is just disposable,” she told UN News.

    “On one day, she was working in a factory, the next day she disappeared, the next she is found dead, while another person has already replaced her at work, so [her death] is only important to her family – not for society, not for the government, much less for the authorities or the company,” she explained.  

    UN/Nathalie Minard

    Norma Andrade in front of the art work of Clara Garesio “In Women’s Hands” at the Palais des Nations, Geneva.

    Impunity is rampant

    According to Ms. Andrade, the fact that Juárez is a key border crossing with the United States contributes to the lack of community rootedness, which dehumanizes the population and makes it harder to fight the crime of femicide.

    But the problem is not confined there. Across Mexico, around 10 women and girls are killed every day by intimate partners or other family members, according to Government data. 

    Since 2001 – the year when Lilia Alejandra was killed – 50,000 women have been murdered, while the impunity rate exceeds 95 per cent. 

    Furthermore, only two per cent of cases end in a criminal sentence and only one in 10 victims dares to report their aggressor.

    There is no justice

    Ms. Andrade has survived two murder attempts in the 23 years since her daughter’s body was discovered, as she continues her quest for justice.  

    “In Mexico, the growing number of disappearances is real, but this boom in organized crime and drug trafficking has erased what is happening to women, not that it stopped happening, but it is becoming invisible…”, she said.

    Even though the violence against women is increasing, its visibility is going down – local activist Norma Andrade

    Speaking about the lack of justice, she said that even when the skeletal remains of a missing young woman are found, it is an “achievement” as it gives closure to their families. “It gives them a place to go and mourn their daughter,” she added.

    Since the disappearance of her daughter, Ms. Andrade has been fighting for justice. 

    “Recently, an expert made me see a reality that I hadn’t seen for the past 23 years, one that I didn’t want to accept: maybe I won’t find justice for Alejandra. Or at least not the legal justice that I want that would put Alejandra’s attackers in jail”, she stressed.  

    Her case was transferred to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, located in Costa Rica, in December 2023. 

    Symbolic justice

    “Perhaps we can find moral or symbolic justice,” Ms. Andrade said, “because the moment the Mexican State is given a criminal sentence […] it publicly acknowledges that it didn’t protect Alejandra, neither all the Alejandras in the country, nor all those children who were orphaned when their mothers were murdered; and that would alleviate to some extent the lack of legal justice”. 

    Blaming the lack of political will, Ms. Andrade who is also a co-founder of non-profit association of mothers whose daughters were victims of feminicide in Ciudad Juárez, added that the mothers are the ones “swimming against the tide”.

    Supported by other women, academics, feminists, and civil society, they are the ones “who must go, protest and raise their voices to be taken into account”, she said. 

    In recent years, the crimes have sparked several waves of protests and put gender violence at the top of Mexico’s political agenda.

    Keeping the issue of femicide in the spotlight and making information available and accessible for women, is key for holding the authorities accountable and preventing violence against women and girls. 

    Since 2011, UN Women, in partnership with key state institutions, has published periodic studies analysing the scope, trends, characteristics of femicide in the country.

    UNIC Mexico/Eloísa Farrera

    The Ecatepec mural “Voices in Resistance: murals for justice and memory” seeks to dignify all mothers who fight for their daughters killed by femicidal violence.

    ‘Look at us’

    Ms. Andrade stars in the documentary Norma, in search of justice directed by French journalist Brigitte Leoni, which was screened in Geneva ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November.

    She hopes the documentary will bring more visibility to the cases of disappearance, noting that “this boom in organized crime has caused people to flee, crossing into the United States, and drug trafficking has made what is happening to women invisible”.

    Speaking in Geneva, home to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN News asked Ms. Andrade what message she would like to share with rights experts. 

    “Look at us, look at the mothers. Come here and see the families and don’t just stick with the image that the government gives to the outside world”, she said.

    Femicide transcends borders

    Violence against women is a global crisis, according to a report by UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), released on the International Day.

    Unsplash/María Fuentes

    Women march on International Women’s Day in Mexico City.

    The commemoration marks the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, an annual campaign that runs through 10 December, Human Rights Day.

    Regional data shows that femicide transcends borders, socio-economic status and cultures, but its severity varies.

    Africa recorded the highest rates of intimate partner and family-related femicides, with 21,700 women killed in 2023, followed by the Americas and Oceania.

    In Europe, 64 per cent of victims were killed by their intimate partners; in the Americas, it was 58 per cent. 

    In contrast, women in Africa and Asia were more likely to be killed by family members than by their partners.

    The report revealed that globally, 140 women and girls died every day at the hands of their partner or a close relative in 2023 – one woman killed every 10 minutes.  

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Revitalising family support services in Shellharbour

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    The Albanese Government is supporting safe and connected communities throughout the Illawarra by providing $851,279 for the Shellharbour Integrated Child and Family Precinct.

    The funding for planning is the first step in making this important project a reality. It will support a comprehensive business case, master plan and detailed designs for a holistic services hub to provide early childhood and family support services in one accessible location.

    The planning work will consider the revitalisation of the site and connections to nearby services as well as parking and public transport. Local families and community stakeholders will be an integral part of designing the precinct to ensure that it is fit for purpose.

    The project is being delivered by Karitane with Barnardos Australia and the University of New South Wales.

    Planning for the Shellharbour Integrated Child and Family Precinct will consider options to provide a wide range of health, education and social care services in one accessible location.

    This support is being provided through the Government’s $400 million regional Precincts and Partnership Program, which provides investment to transform regional, rural and remote places.

    The program is investing $47.9 million to support the transformation of seven precincts across New South Wales. For more information, visit: infrastructure.gov.au/regional.

    Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

    “This project demonstrates how my Government is building Australia’s future and strengthening regional communities.

    “Having support services, education facilities and social care options all under one roof in the middle of Shellharbour will make a big difference to this beautiful and growing region.

    “We want to support regional communities to grow and thrive, for our youngest and eldest Australians and everyone in between.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King

    “We’re proud to partner with communities to bring important projects like this to life.

    “Being a new parent is incredibly rewarding, but it can also be really challenging. A central hub for early childhood and family support will help new parents in the Shellharbour region get the services they need close to home.”

    Quotes attributable to Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Member for Whitlam Stephen Jones

    “This precinct is a game changer for our community.

    “It will help connect people to vital support services they need in an easy to access way.

    “Labor is delivering for our regions and building a stronger Illawarra.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What was the Sykes-Picot agreement, and why does it still affect the Middle East today?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Thomas, Lecturer in Middle East Studies, Deakin University

    Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    Some national borders are determined by natural phenomena like seas, mountains and rivers. Most, however, are created by people.

    This means the creation of borders is often a political exercise – usually informed by the interests of those who create them, not the local populations to whom they apply.

    The Sykes-Picot agreement, known officially as the Asia Minor Agreement of 1916, was arguably the first in a series of attempts by colonial powers to mould the borders of the Middle East.

    Signed in secret at the height of the first world war, Sykes-Picot was an agreement between France and Great Britain, approved by Russia. It would have lasting consequences for the region.

    It is frequently cited as the epitome of European colonial betrayal, and the genesis of most conflict in the Middle East.

    But while Sykes-Picot did significantly affect regional politics, the history is more complicated than popular narratives suggest.

    ‘The Eastern question’

    The agreement was seen by the signatories as a potential answer to what was then known by European powers as “the Eastern question”: what would happen when the Ottoman Empire inevitably collapsed?

    The Ottoman state in the early 20th century was vast compared to its European peers, encompassing Anatolia (the Asian part of modern-day Turkey) and parts of the Arabian Peninsula.

    But it was weak, and had been on a steady decline since the 18th century due to multiple military defeats, revolts and rampant corruption. By the beginning of the first world war, the Triple Entente (France, Britain and Russia) believed the Ottoman state would not survive long.

    The Entente aimed to create new “zones of influence” in the Middle East, dividing Ottoman territory into colonial partitions.

    By the beginning of the first world war, France, Britain and Russia believed the Ottoman state would not survive long.
    Everett Collection/Shutterstock

    Secret negotiations

    Between late 1915 and early 1916, Britain and France sent their respective envoys to negotiate the potential terms of this outcome in secret.

    Mark Sykes, a political adviser and military veteran, represented the British. François Georges-Picot, a career diplomat, represented the French.

    Italy and Russia also had delegations in attendance, though the discussions were dominated by Britain and France as the most powerful nations. The Ottomans were oblivious to these negotiations.

    Under the agreement:

    • France was allocated what is now Syria, Lebanon and southern Turkey
    • Britain claimed most of modern-day Iraq, southern Palestine and Kuwait
    • Russia took control of Armenia.

    An area known as the Jerusalem Sanjak (an administrative division created by the Ottomon Empire) in Palestine was to come under an international protectorate, though it was not settled in the agreement as to how this protectorate would operate.

    Sykes-Picot was kept secret, mostly because Britain had made contradictory commitments to other parties. It had promised (through a series of letters known as the McMahon-Hussein correspondence) to give independence to the Arabs who had helped the British fight the Ottomans in the first world war.

    Later, in early November 1917, it also made a promise to Zionist Jews migrating to Palestine in the Balfour Declaration. In this public declaration, Foreign Secretary Lord Arthur Balfour effectively expressed Britain’s support for the Zionist project to create a Jewish state in Ottoman Palestine. Then-Prime Minister David Lloyd George also publicly supported both Zionism and Balfour’s statement.

    The Sykes-Picot agreement did not stay secret for long.

    In November 1917, the Bolsheviks, who were now in power in Russia following the fall of the Russian monarchy, published Sykes-Picot to the world.

    Arab nationalists were enraged. So, too, were Zionists who had witnessed the Balfour Declaration just weeks prior. The Anglo-French declaration of November 1918 attempted to allay the fears of the Arabs by pledging to “assist in the establishment of national governments and administrations.” However, Arab distrust of the European powers only grew.

    Borders moulded by colonial powers

    In the years following, European powers started to reevaluate their position on Ottoman territory.

    The French, who still wished to take control of Syria, had argued the newly formed League of Nations (a predecessor of the United Nations) could give France the territory under a mandate. A mandate is a formal authorisation to govern by the League of Nations.

    The British said this would violate their earlier promises to the Arabs. Britain reiterated that the Anglo-French declaration of 1918 superseded Sykes-Picot.

    Then came the San Remo Conference in 1920, an international meeting in Italy. This is where some of the popular readings into Sykes-Picot get muddled, as several aspects of the agreement were discarded. What remained the same was the French and British desire to add Ottoman territory to their dominions.

    Here, the European victors of the first world war sought to finalise the division of Ottoman territories by slicing them into League of Nations mandates.

    This included the French mandates of Syria and Lebanon, as well as the British mandates of Palestine and Mesopotamia. Britain also confirmed at the time its support for a Jewish national homeland, while protecting the local Palestinian population.

    This is where we start to see borders of the modern Middle East form. The boundaries themselves differed from Sykes-Picot. But Britain and France, however, were still able to expand their colonial dominion in the region.

    In 1921, a group of British representatives met in Cairo to finalise the borders of their mandates. This led to the creation of two states: Iraq under King Faisal and Transjordan (now Jordan) under King Abdullah – both of whom were members of the Arab Heshemite dynasty. Palestine was to remain under British mandatory control.

    While these states had independence on paper, then-Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill believed that Transjordan would ultimately be controlled by the British Empire, giving the Heshemites only nominal independence.

    Little consideration was given to the ethnic and religious diversity of these territories. Some argue this helped lead to modern-day sectarian conflict in Iraq.

    Ripples that continue today

    The collapse of the Ottoman Empire was always going to cause regional upheaval, but the colonial jockeying for territory clearly had lasting consequences.

    Several regional conflicts were exacerbated during this period, but it would also directly lead to the creation of the state of Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

    This leads to the displacement of Palestinians and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that still rages today.

    Zionists and Arab nationalists viewed Palestine to have been originally promised to them by the British through the Balfour Declaration and McMahon-Hussein correspondence, respectfully.

    But in Sykes-Picot, the British had no intention of promising Palestine to anyone but themselves.

    As a result, the British mandate was characterised by anti-colonial violence from both Jews and Arabs.

    When the British eventually abandoned control of Palestine in 1947, the UN partition plan for two states (one Jewish, one Arab) was supposed to take over. Instead, Arab-Israeli conflict began within hours of the partition taking effect.

    So a lot happened after Sykes-Picot, with the map proposed in 1916 looking very different to what actually eventuated.

    Many scholars argue it was the agreements that followed Sykes-Picot that were more consequential, and Sykes-Picot holds only “minor importance” by comparison.

    While this may be true, Sykes-Picot is still emblematic of how consequential European colonial ambition was in the Middle East.

    And while the borders outlined in the agreement did not eventuate, Britain and France still managed to get most of the territory they wanted, with little consideration of local populations.

    The Sykes-Picot agreement is therefore one of many colonial projects that we are still feeling the ripples of today.

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

    – ref. What was the Sykes-Picot agreement, and why does it still affect the Middle East today? – https://theconversation.com/what-was-the-sykes-picot-agreement-and-why-does-it-still-affect-the-middle-east-today-246332

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Leads Entire Democratic Caucus in Raising Alarm Over Trump Admin Pushing Illegal Indiscriminate Funding Cuts to NIH, Derailing Lifesaving Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Senator Murray Slams Indirect Cost Rate for NIH as Massive Indiscriminate Cut, Setting Back Progress on Lifesaving Research

    NIH research supported more than 412,000 jobs and fueled nearly $93 billion in new economic activity in Fiscal Year 2023

    Washington state receives $1.29 billion in NIH funding that supports nearly 12,000 jobs and nearly $3 billion in economic activity; STATE BY STATE analysis HERE of total NIH funding, jobs supported, and economic activity supported through NIH research

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. expressing serious alarm over the Trump Administration’s recent decisions that threaten to undermine America’s biomedical research infrastructure and set us back generations. The steps the Trump administration has taken would create a serious funding shortfall for research institutions nationwide, threaten to undermine progress on lifesaving scientific advancements, and could cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars and threaten the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers. 

    “As the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, NIH plays a critical role in sustaining the research infrastructure necessary for scientific breakthroughs in cancer treatment, infectious disease prevention, and medical technology innovation, among many others. President Trump has wreaked havoc on the nation’s biomedical research system in recent weeks. In his first several days in office, President Trump imposed a hiring freeze, communications freeze, ban on travel, and cancellation of grant review and advisory panels that are necessary to advance research. While some of these efforts have been reversed, they continue to cause confusion and miscommunication among researchers and recipients of NIH funds,” Senator Murray and the Members wrote.

    Last week, the NIH announced it would set the maximum reimbursement rate for indirect costs to 15 percent—creating a serious funding shortfall for research institutions of all types across the country. This move would dismantle the biomedical research system and stifle the development of new cures for disease. It won’t produce cost savings—it will just shift costs to states who can’t afford to pay the difference. Importantly, this action by the Trump administration is illegal—Congress’ bipartisan Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill prohibits modifications to NIH’s indirect costs.

    “This change to NIH’s indirect cost rate represents an indiscriminate funding cut that will be nothing short of catastrophic for the lifesaving research that patients and families are counting on. The Administration’s new policy means that research will come to a halt, sick kids may not get the treatment they need, and clinical trials may shut down abruptly,” the senators wrote. On Monday, a federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the NIH rate cut and set a hearing for February 21st.

    The senators’ letter points out that, in addition to the stifling impact on discovering new cures and ripping away treatment from those who need it, changes to NIH policy and communications threaten jobs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. NIH research supported more than 412,000 jobs and fueled nearly $93 billion in new economic activity in Fiscal Year 2023 and every dollar the NIH invests in research generates almost $2.50 in economic activity. 

    “The Trump Administration has left researchers, universities, and health systems with great uncertainty about whether they can continue to support entire research programs and patient clinical trials across the country. Institutions and grantees nationwide are dealing with an unprecedented external communications “pause” enacted by new leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the lack of transparency regarding the Administration’s illegal funding freeze, and the uncertainty of how new Executive Orders would be applied to their critical work. These actions resulted in NIH freezing grant reviews and cancelling advisory meetings, delaying critical funding that scientists need to continue advancing new cures and treatments. These disruptions do not just slow research—they cost lives,” the senators continued.

    “Our standing as a world leader in funding and producing new medical and scientific innovations has been put at risk by these recent actions from the Trump Administration. We urge you to stop playing political games with the lifesaving work of the NIH and to allow NIH research to continue uninterrupted.”

    The letter was signed by the entire Senate Democratic caucus: in addition to Senator Murray, Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) signed onto the letter.

    As a longtime appropriator and former Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, Murray has long fought to boost biomedical research, strengthen public health infrastructure, and make health care more affordable and accessible. Over her years as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, she has secured billions of dollars in increases for biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health, and during her time as Chair of the HELP Committee she established the new ARPA-H research agency as part of her PREVENT Pandemics Act to advance some of the most cutting-edge research in the field. Senator Murray was also the lead Democratic negotiator of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which delivered a major federal investment to boost NIH research, among many other investments. 

    A PDF of the letter is available HERE and the full text is below.

    Dear Secretary Kennedy,

    We write to express our serious concern with the Trump Administration’s recent decisions that threaten to undermine the nation’s biomedical research infrastructure and set us back generations. The steps the Trump Administration has taken will create a serious funding shortfall for research institutions nationwide, threaten to undermine progress on lifesaving scientific advancements, could cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars, and threaten the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers. 

    As the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, NIH plays a critical role in sustaining the research infrastructure necessary for scientific breakthroughs in cancer treatment, infectious disease prevention, and medical technology innovation, among many others. President Trump has wreaked havoc on the nation’s biomedical research system in recent weeks. In his first several days in office, President Trump imposed a hiring freeze, communications freeze, ban on travel, and cancellation of grant review and advisory panels that are necessary to advance research. While some of these efforts have been reversed, they continue to cause confusion and miscommunication among researchers and recipients of NIH funds.

    Just last week, NIH announced an illegal plan to cap indirect cost rates that research institutions rely on. In capping indirect cost rates at 15 percent for NIH-funded grants, this policy would cut funding essential for conducting research, such as operating and maintaining laboratories, equipment, and research facilities. This change to NIH’s indirect cost rate represents an indiscriminate funding cut that will be nothing short of catastrophic for the lifesaving research that patients and families are counting on. The Administration’s new policy means that research will come to a halt, sick kids may not get the treatment they need, and clinical trials may shut down abruptly.

    These confusing and harmful policy changes threaten patient safety. The strength of the American research enterprise – recognized as the best in the world – is built on Congress’ bipartisan commitment to supporting essential research infrastructure. This funding, which Congress has long appropriated on a bipartisan basis, fuels groundbreaking medical discoveries and cements the United States’ position as the global leader in biomedical research.

    In addition to the stifling impact on discovering new cures and ripping away treatment from those who need it, changes to NIH policy and communications threaten jobs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with everyone from custodians, to research trainees, to scientists facing potential layoffs. NIH research supported more than 412,000 jobs and fueled nearly $93 billion in new economic activity in Fiscal Year 2023. Every dollar the NIH invests in research generates almost $2.50 in economic activity. These reckless policy changes not only threaten biomedical innovation and research, but also the livelihoods of thousands of workers in every state across the nation.

    The Trump Administration has left researchers, universities, and health systems with great uncertainty about whether they can continue to support entire research programs and patient clinical trials across the country. Institutions and grantees nationwide are dealing with an unprecedented external communications “pause” enacted by new leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the lack of transparency regarding the Administration’s illegal funding freeze, and the uncertainty of how new Executive Orders would be applied to their critical work. These actions resulted in NIH freezing grant reviews and cancelling advisory meetings, delaying critical funding that scientists need to continue advancing new cures and treatments. These disruptions do not just slow research – they cost lives.

    The NIH plays a critical role in our nation’s efforts to fund scientific advancements that improve health and save lives. Our standing as a world leader in funding and producing new medical and scientific innovations has been put at risk by these recent actions from the Trump Administration. We urge you to stop playing political games with the lifesaving work of the NIH and to allow NIH research to continue uninterrupted.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray: Trump Must Reverse Firing of VA Researchers Across the Country, Threatens to Decimate Lifesaving Work on Veterans’ Medical Care, Prosthetics, and More

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, responded to reports that researchers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are right now being fired by the Trump administration. The administration is refusing to honor researchers’ three-year “Not to Exceed” term limits (NTEs) by rolling them over as is standard and is instead immediately dismissing these researchers—who are in the middle of research on topics including mental health, alcohol and opioid withdrawal, cancer treatments, burn pit exposure, prosthetics, diabetic ulcers, and so much else.

    “The Trump administration is right now firing researchers at VA who do lifesaving work for our veterans—research to prevent veteran suicide, build lifechanging prosthetics, address opioid addiction, and more. This move will effectively mean the end of VA research as we know it in red and blue states. Trump and Elon need to reverse course on this elimination of VA research positions immediately—this callous across-the-board firing threatens to decimate so much of the lifesaving research our veterans depend on.

    “I’m hearing from longtime VA researchers in my home state of Washington who are right now being told to immediately stop their research and pack their bags—not because their work isn’t desperately needed, but because Trump and Elon have decided to fire these researchers on a whim. Americans should understand by now when it comes to these kinds of indiscriminate cuts and arbitrary mass firings—Trump and Elon have no idea what they are doing, nor do they care who they hurt in the process. Our veterans deserve the very best medical care and I am already demanding that VA provide me information about who made these decisions and much more—I’m not going to stand by and let Trump and Elon destroy VA medical research.”  

    According to VA, in fiscal year 2024, there were 102 active research sites nationwide, with 3,685 active principal investigators who led 7,278 active funded research projects involving teams of researchers. In addition, VA investigators authored or coauthored 11,732 published research articles.

    Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee—as the daughter of a World War II veteran, supporting veterans and their families has always been an important priority for her. Senator Murray has fought throughout her career for increased benefits for veterans, housing assistance, better access to veterans’ clinics throughout Washington state, and more accountability from the VA.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray: Trump Blocking Funding Will Kill Good-Paying Energy Jobs and Raise Families’ Energy Bills

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Murray: “In choking off tens of billions of dollars in energy investments, Trump is threatening to kill thousands of good-paying American jobs and raise energy costs for households across the country.”

    Senator Murray hosts press call to detail how Trump blocking energy investments is hurting communities in every part of the country

    ***WATCH: PRESS CALL HERE***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, hosted a press call to underscore how President Trump continuing to block key energy investments threatens to raise families’ energy bills, derail key energy projects, and kill good-paying jobs in communities across the country. Senator Murray was joined by David Turk, former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, and Joe Nguyen, Director of the Washington state Department of Commerce.

    “The guy who swore up and down on the campaign trail that he would lower people’s energy costs is now working to raise them. And an administration that says it wants to ‘restore energy dominance’ is now working to kill domestic energy projects and the thousands of American jobs they are creating,” said Senator Murray. “This funding freeze—which may very well not be a freeze but a permanent rollback—is bad for families and it’s bad for workers. And it is also bad for American businesses who have inked contracts to create new battery plants, produce sustainable aviation fuel, lay down new transmission lines, construct new energy plants, and so much more—and who are now left wondering whether the federal government is going to honor its commitments.”

    “Another estimate said that the average American consumer is going to pay almost $500 more per year if these kinds of programs—the tax incentives to the loan programs—don’t go forward. And I think that’s a conservative estimate,” said David Turk, who recently served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. “I really want to underscore that chaos and confusion and uncertainty is not our friend. If you talk to any investor, if you talk to any CEO, the last thing they need—the last thing they want—is chaos, confusion, uncertainty about what should be no brainers. If the government makes a commitment, if we get to conditional commitment with a loan program recipient, that’s the government’s credibility. That’s the American people’s credibility on the line to follow through and make sure that we are providing that certainty for investment.”

    “It was 27 degrees in West Seattle this morning, and even colder in other parts of the state. The hundreds of millions of dollars threatened today by Trump’s political games hurts already overburdened communities the most, especially low-income families, rural towns, and our small businesses. Washingtonians deserve better than the games the Trump administration is playing,” said Joe Nguyen, Director of the Washington state Department of Commerce.

    On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order to illegally halt funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) from going out the door to communities and recipients counting on the funding. Hundreds of billions of dollars are still being held up under Trump’s directives—and it’s jeopardizing all manner of energy projects and programs communities are counting on.

    In the years since the IIJA and IRA were signed into law, over $211 billion in private sector investment in clean energy and tech manufacturing has been announced nationwide—with 232k+ jobs announced and nearly 80% of those investments made in Republican-held districts. The president’s freeze puts all these gains at serious risk.

    Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:

    “Thanks everyone for joining this call today. I’m really glad to be here with David Turk, who recently served as Deputy Energy Secretary, and Joe Nguyen, Director of Washington state’s Department of Commerce, to talk about how President Trump and Elon Musk are holding up tens of billions of dollars in energy investments nationwide—putting jobs at risk and raising energy costs for families.

    “We are now well into the fourth week of President Trump’s illegal—and deeply harmful—funding freeze.

    “Trump is still blocking funding that we secured in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, among much else, from going out the doors. It is, of course, illegal for a president to unilaterally decide to block funding.

    “As I’ve said many times: presidents don’t just get to pick and choose what laws they feel like following.

    “But Trump blocking funding is not merely illegal. It also devastating for communities like the ones I represent—who are counting on these resources, who’ve hired folks, are relying on this funding to, for example, lower their monthly energy bill, and who, in many cases, have already inked contracts.

    “Today, we are talking about the energy investments Trump is blocking—and I want to say from the outset this is just one slice of the vast pot of funding he is holding up.

    “Trump’s freeze is holding up funding for: rebuilding roads and bridges, new clean school buses, wildfire prevention efforts, assistance for farmers, replacing old water pipes, investments in our national security, and so much more.

    “But today I wanted to zero in on what’s going on at the Department of Energy.

    “Because make no mistake: in choking off tens of billions of dollars in energy investments, Trump is threatening to kill thousands of good-paying American jobs and raise energy costs for households across the country.

    “When Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, we made historic investments to—among a whole lot else—create good-paying clean energy jobs, spur innovation, strengthen American manufacturing, and lower energy costs for families.

    “We provided funding for families to upgrade their homes and save big on their energy bills. We delivered resources to build new battery manufacturing plants, construct cutting-edge hydrogen hubs, boost our nuclear power capabilities, and increase domestic production of critical minerals we absolutely need.

    “As you can imagine, a lot of good new jobs have been created in the process—and we’re really just beginning to feel the full benefits.

    “A quarter of a million clean energy jobs have been created since we passed the IRA and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In Washington state, the new Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub alone is set to create 10,000 jobs. The Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office awards alone will support at least 50,000 good jobs across the country.

    “But Trump is putting these domestic jobs at risk—which plays right into the hands of our competitors, like China.

    “And he is simultaneously threatening to rip up programs we’ve created that are lowering people’s energy costs.

    “Right now, Trump is putting funding for the Home Energy Rebates Program in serious jeopardy. We are talking about funding for families to make upgrades that save them on their monthly energy bill. Funding for you to buy energy efficient appliances and to retrofit your home so that cold air stays out in the winter and hot air stays out in the summer. These programs aren’t just important in tackling the climate crisis—they are saving families money.

    “They provide households up to $14,000 in rebates to make upgrades and lower their energy bills—and they are saving American households up to $1 billion every single year.

    “The Weatherization Assistance Program, for example, saves households $372 on average each year! But again—Trump has put it on the chopping block.

    “There’s no need to dance around it: the guy who swore up and down on the campaign trail that he would lower people’s energy costs is now working to raise them.

    “And an administration that says it wants to ‘restore energy dominance’ is now working to kill domestic energy projects and the thousands of American jobs they are creating!

    “This funding freeze—which may very well not be a freeze but a permanent rollback—is bad for families and it’s bad for workers. And it is also bad for American businesses who have inked contracts to create new battery plants, produce sustainable aviation fuel, lay down new transmission lines, construct new energy plants, and so much more—and who are now left wondering whether the federal government is going to honor its commitments.

    “That uncertainty alone risks jobs and investments—and will hurt local economies everywhere.

    “It was recently reported, for example, that Trump and Musk are looking at cancelling even finalized loans provided by the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office. That, of course, puts jobs at risk and puts workers’ livelihoods and businesses’ bottom lines in jeopardy.

    “But what we are seeing is also a situation rife with potential conflicts of interest and corruption—which is another huge part of the story when it comes to Trump and Musk blocking funding.

    “Just one example: back in 2010, when Tesla wasn’t doing too hot, Elon Musk secured a half billion-dollar loan from the Department of Energy. That loan boosted the company—and Elon Musk—and helped them become what they are today.

    “Fast forward to now—Elon Musk is raiding agencies, cutting off funding, cancelling contracts, and the Energy Department is apparently looking to cancel loans it has made to his electric vehicle competitors.

    “The obvious question then is Elon Musk going to cut off loans that are helping Tesla’s competitors create jobs and build their business right here in America?

    “There is so much at stake—and what is painfully clear is that Trump’s illegal funding freeze is causing chaos and confusion. It’s putting these projects and jobs at risk—and will take money out of families’ pockets—and it has got to end.

    “The court decisions we’ve gotten so far have affirmed what we have known all along: Trump does not have the power to steal approved funding from the American people.

    “But the relief the orders should provide is, for now, only temporary—and in many cases, the funding is still frozen.

    “Now, DOE may say they’ve just developed a new process for thoroughly reviewing all programs and payments but make no mistake: this process is meant to have the same effect—it is a freeze by a different name and the funds remain frozen.

    “What needs to happen is Donald Trump and Elon Musk must end the freeze and revoke their orders to choke off these investments.

    “As I’ve said before: if Donald Trump wants to roll back programs that are lowering people’s energy bills, he can come to Congress and win the votes he needs to do it.

    “If Donald Trump wants to gut funding that is creating good-paying energy jobs all across the country, he can come to Congress and win the votes he needs to do it.

    “That’s why I am here today to sound the alarm and protect critical programs American families rely on and support. You don’t just get to rip up contracts and block funding owed to the American people.

    “Now, I want to turn it over to David Turk, who I’m so glad could join us, to talk a bit more about what this freeze is doing.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Secures $360,000 Settlement in Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against New Mexico Property Manager and Apartment Complex

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    The Justice Department announced today that the owners and former property manager of a federally subsidized apartment complex in Albuquerque, New Mexico have agreed to pay $360,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that the former property manager sexually harassed female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

    The department’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico in March 2024, alleges that for more than a decade, property manager Ariel Solis Veleta (Solis) sexually harassed female tenants at St. Anthony Plaza Apartments, a Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance property with 160 units in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The suit alleges that Solis’s conduct included making unwelcome sexual comments to female tenants, touching female tenants without their consent, locking female tenants in his office to demand sex acts, and threatening to evict female tenants who did not give in to his sexual demands.

    “A home should be a place of refuge, not fear,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kathleen P. Wolfe of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will hold property managers and landlords accountable when they target and exploit vulnerable tenants with sexual harassment.”

    “Affordable housing should not come at the cost of tenant’s dignity and personal safety,” said U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez for the District of New Mexico. “When property managers use their power over housing as a weapon to extort sexual favors from tenants, they exploit one fundamental right in order to violate another. This settlement will protect the sanctity of the home and the basic human rights of tenants, and was only possible because of these courageous women who came forward to tell their stories.”

    “No low-income tenant should face the threat of being sexually harassed or abused by a property manager or others who control their housing,” said Acting Inspector General Stephen M. Begg of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). “We are grateful to the tenants who came forward to help put a stop to this violative behavior. This settlement demonstrates that the HUD Office of Inspector General will continue to vigorously investigate landlords and property managers who seek to sexually exploit their vulnerable tenants.”

    The department’s lawsuit also names as defendants the owners and operators of St. Anthony Plaza Apartments, PacifiCap Properties Group LLC, St. Anthony Limited Partnership, PacifiCap Holdings XXXVIII LLC, and PacifiCap Management, Inc. The lawsuit alleges that these defendants are vicariously liable for the sexual harassment of their agent, Solis. The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General participated in the investigation that uncovered the evidence leading to the lawsuit.

    Under the consent decree, which still must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, the defendants must pay $350,000 to tenants harmed by Solis’s harassment and a $10,000 civil penalty to the United States. The consent decree permanently bars Solis from contacting tenants harmed by his harassment, permanently bars Solis from managing residential rental properties, and mandates training and the adoption of policies and procedures to prevent future discrimination at residential rental properties owned or managed by defendants.

    Individuals who believe they may have been victims of sexual harassment by Ariel Solis or at St. Anthony Plaza Apartments may email Solis.Investigation@usdoj.gov or call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-833-591-0291.

    If you are a victim of sexual harassment by another landlord or property manager or have suffered other forms of housing discrimination, call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, email the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov, or submit a report online. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.

    This settlement is part of  the Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative, led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. The initiative, which the Department launched in October 2017, seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers and other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative, the department has filed 48 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered nearly $17.5 million for victims of such harassment.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer Reintroduces Legislation to Support America’s Energy Independence

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer
    Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, led her colleagues in reintroducing the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025. Senator Fischer’s legislation is the only permanent, nationwide solution to unleash the power of year-round E15—fulfilling President Trump’s mandate for energy independence.
    By allowing the year-round, nationwide sale of E15, this legislation will finally end years of patchwork regulations and give both producers and consumers the certainty they deserve.Securing this permanent fix, coupled with Senator Fischer’s work with the administration to ensure strong renewable volume obligations (RVOs), will enable biofuels to contribute to our nation’s energy dominance.
    Additional cosponsors of this bipartisan, bicameral bill include U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Dick Durbin (D. Ill.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). U.S. Representatives Adrian Smith (NE-03) and Angie Craig (MN-02) introduced identical companion legislation in the House.
    “It’s time to once and for all solidify President Trump’s pledge to allow the sale of year-round E15—giving America’s producers and consumers the certainty they deserve. My bill will put an end to years of patchwork regulations and finally make nationwide, year-round E15 a reality. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and the Senate, as well as with President Trump, to get this bill signed into law,” said Senator Fischer. 
    “For our country to remain a global energy leader, we must continue to invest in renewable and clean energy so we can decrease our emissions and dependence on foreign oil,” said Senator Duckworth. “Producing less expensive fuel choices like E15 that can be sold year-round would help lower gas prices, protect the environment, support our farmers and drive economic opportunity throughout the Midwest. I’m proud to join Senator Fischer in reintroducing our bipartisan legislation that would do just that.”
    “I have been fighting to eliminate unnecessary, unscientific, and misguided barriers to E15 access since 2010. It is time to enact year-round E15 nationwide to provide relief at the pump and certainty for producers. I thank my House colleagues and Senator Fischer for their partnership on our tenacious bipartisan efforts to honor congressional intent in the RFS. From ethanol to biomass-based diesel to sustainable aviation fuel, the world depends on liquid fuels to meet consumer demand and move us forward. We have just scratched the surface of our production capacity, which is why it is so important to codify year-round E15 and ensure robust RFS volumes,” said Congressman Smith.
    “Homegrown biofuels are tools we have right now to address climate change, strengthen our nation’s energy infrastructure and lower costs for Americans at the gas pump,” said Congresswoman Craig. “This bill is the kind of commonsense legislation we need more of in Washington, and I’m proud to be a part of the bipartisan coalition fighting for year-round E15 in the House.”
    Nebraska Stakeholder Support:“We applaud Senator Fischer’s leadership and continued passion in reintroducing the year-round E15 legislation, a critical step forward for America’s corn farmers,” said Nebraska Corn Growers Association farmer and President Michael Dibbern. “Although we’re disappointed that this common-sense legislation didn’t pass during the lame duck session, we’re grateful for Senator Fischer’s perseverance. By securing year-round E15 approval, we can increase corn grind, drive economic growth and provide a vital market opportunity for farmers. This legislation would also bring much-needed consistency and stability to the marketplace, allowing American families to choose lower-cost, lower-emission E15 at the pump every day. We’re appreciative of Senator Fischer’s tireless advocacy and look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts to advance the interests of Nebraska’s corn farmers.”
    “The Nebraska Farm Bureau again thanks Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer for her continued leadership on trying to approve the sale of E-15 year-round. It is past time for the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act to become law, and we look forward to working to get this important legislation to President Trump’s desk this year. For too long, outdated rules and regulations have prevented the year-round sale of E-15, and 2025 must be the year we finally rectify this issue,” said Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation President Mark McHargue. 
    “Thank you to Senator Fischer for leading the fight for year-round E-15, which is a huge opportunity for Nebraska’s ethanol industry, farmers, and drivers. This bill means stronger rural economies, lower prices at the pump, and a cleaner fuel option for drivers. On behalf of our members across the state, Renewable Fuels Nebraska applauds her leadership and calls on Congress to act now and pass this bipartisan policy,” said Renewable Fuels Nebraska Executive Director Dawn Caldwell. 
    Full List of Nebraska Endorsements: 
    Nebraska Corn Growers Association, Nebraska Farm Bureau, and Renewable Fuels Nebraska.
    National Stakeholder Support:
    “Year-round, nationwide E15 sales will prevent a confusing patchwork of state regulations and give consumers reliable access to the fuels they use every day. We thank Representatives Smith and Craig, as well as Senators Fischer and Duckworth, for championing this important bipartisan effort. Now, Congress must act to bring certainty and consistency to the fuel marketplace,” said American Petroleum Institute SVP Government Relations Kristin Whitman.
    “This bipartisan legislation would finally bring nationwide consistency and stability to the marketplace and eliminate the need for last-minute emergency waivers. With the summer driving season just around the corner, we urge lawmakers to swiftly adopt this bill and deliver a win for American families seeking cleaner, lower-cost fuel options. Time is of the essence,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Ethanol producers, oil refiners, fuel retailers, equipment manufacturers, farmers, and consumers have all rallied behind this commonsense approach. We thank Sens. Deb Fischer and Tammy Duckworth for their continued leadership on this important issue. RFA commends them and their fellow renewable fuel supporters in the Senate for continuing to fight for fair market access for our nation’s farmers, ethanol producers, and consumers.”“We applaud Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Representatives Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.) for leading the charge once again to unlock permanent, nationwide access to E15. Rural families and American consumers are lucky to have them in our corner, and we hope this is the bill that finally makes it over the finish line. The American people have waited for too long to get reliable access to a fuel that can lower costs while creating jobs in rural communities. We look forward to continuing our work with our champions in Congress and the White House to finally make year-round E15 the law of the land,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. 
    “Nationwide consumer access to E15 will save drivers money at the pump while boosting the farm economy,” said Illinois farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman Jr. “We want to applaud the sponsors and co-sponsors of this bill for introducing legislation that promises to significantly benefit consumers and farmers alike.”
    “E-15 is a win for both farmers and consumers, offering a vital opportunity to lower fuel prices and provide more choices at the pump,” said National Farmer Union President Rob Larew.“This legislation supports family farmers by creating stronger, more reliable markets while helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With this bill, we’re taking critical steps toward a more sustainable future, and we urge lawmakers to act quickly to ensure farmers and consumers benefit from these opportunities.”
    “To effectively serve their customers, convenience retailers need a stable and predictable year-round market for fuels like E15,” said National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) General Counsel Doug Kantor. “We are grateful to Senator Fischer and Senator Duckworth for their continued leadership on this issue, with legislation that will improve the environmental attributes of summer gasoline while lowering costs for families and small businesses across the country.”
    Full List of National Endorsements:
    American Petroleum Institute, Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association, National Farmer Union, and National Association of Convenience Stores.
    Background:Senator Fischer has been a steadfast champion for year-round E15 since 2015, when she first co-led a bill to allow year-round E15 during the 114th Congress.
    In 2017, during the 115th Congress, she introduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act to amend the Clear Air Act and help make year-round E15 a reality. Later that year, she testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in support of her bipartisan legislation.
    In 2019, Senator Fischer traveled with President Trump to Nebraska and Iowa when he announced regulatory efforts to allow the sale of E15. When President Trump’s efforts were struckdown by courts, Senator Fischer continued to lead by reintroducing this legislation in 2021, during the 117th Congress. Senator Fischer released an updated bill in 2022 that included unprecedented support.
    In 2023, Senator Fischer introduced the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2023 to break down remaining barriers and unlock the full potential of nationwide, year-round E15, advancing America’s energy independence. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Adrian Smith (NE-03) introduced companion legislation.
    Last month, on the first day of his term, President Trump took steps to make E15 available year-round through his Executive Order Declaring a National Energy Emergency.
    Click here to read the text of the bill.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: It’s a full House this Valentine’s Day

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: It’s a full House this Valentine’s Day

    Published: 14 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government

    Love takes centre stage at the Sydney Opera House today, with a record 40 couples sharing their vows in one of the world’s most iconic settings on the most romantic day of the year.

    This Valentine’s Day, the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages will host 40 intimate ceremonies at the Sydney Opera House, turning dream weddings into an affordable reality.

    Pairs getting hitched on Valentine’s Day will exchange vows in the Yallamundi Rooms, the Opera House’s stunning events space with spectacular harbour views, surrounded by up to 35 of their closest family and friends starting from $1399.

    The romance does not stop at the Opera House, with 14 loved-up couples set to make it official in the picturesque Pyrmont Registry wedding rooms, bringing the tally to 53 Registry marriages and one vow renewal on Valentine’s Day.

    To make their day even more special, many couples have added extras such as photography, flowers, and an on-site reception to continue the celebrations.

    All year round, couples can wed at the beautiful Pyrmont Registry from $479, or further south in the historic charm of the Old Wollongong Courthouse, with ceremonies starting from $659.

    The number of couples choosing to celebrate their love with a Registry wedding each year is steadily rising, with 2024’s figure a 32 per cent increase on the 2500 registry weddings held in 2023.

    To find out more or to book your own dream wedding, visit the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages web page.

    Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Jihad Dib said:

    “Love is in the air today as we celebrate 40 couples exchanging their vows right here in this beautiful setting at the Sydney Opera House.

    “The NSW Government is working to ease cost-of-living pressures, offering couples the chance to marry at an iconic location like the Opera House for a fraction of the cost of a typical wedding.

    “Congratulations to all the couples getting married on Valentine’s Day, I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness together.”

    Registrar for NSW Births, Deaths & Marriages, Theresa Fairman said:

    “While Valentine’s Day is hugely popular, our Pyrmont and Wollongong venues offer stunning, budget friendly options all year round.

    “The demand for our ceremonies shows that couples are choosing the Registry for a memorable and unique wedding experience.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Key investment priorities for the Energy Security Corporation

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: Key investment priorities for the Energy Security Corporation

    Published: 14 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Energy and Climate Change

    The Minns Labor Government has announced the Energy Security Corporation’s first Investment Mandate, which outlines how the corporation will co-invest with the private sector in renewable energy projects for our state.

    The Energy Security Corporation is seeded with $1 billion to help build a more reliable energy system. It will work with the private sector to plug investment gaps in the market, ensuring NSW homes and businesses can enjoy the benefits of renewable energy.

    The key priorities for investment include short to long-duration storage projects that capture excess renewable energy, to maximise use of electricity generated from solar and wind.

    It will also cover projects that will upgrade infrastructure to ensure smooth operation of the grid coordinate and consumer energy resources in households, businesses and the community (such as virtual power plants).

    The Investment Mandate is a key milestone in establishing the Energy Security Corporation, allowing it to begin investigating investment opportunities throughout NSW.

    Mr Paul Peters has been appointed as interim Chief Executive Officer to kick-off the Energy Security Corporation’s activities. Mr Peters brings significant experience in investment and financing, as well as developing energy and infrastructure assets and industrial decarbonisation projects.

    The NSW Government will shortly appoint the inaugural Board.

    Quote attributable to Minister for Energy, Penny Sharpe:

    “NSW will invest $1 billion in critical projects to deliver more affordable, clean and reliable energy to homes and businesses across the state.

    “After a decade of privatisation, the Energy Security Corporation gives the people of NSW the chance to invest in their energy system.

    “I congratulate Mr Peters on his appointment, and I am looking forward to the Energy Security Corporation supporting projects throughout NSW.”

    Further information:

    The Energy Security Corporation will co-invest with the private sector on energy storage projects such as:

    • Large-scale batteries

    Large-scale batteries store surplus energy generated by renewable sources like wind and solar, and release it when renewable generation is low or when demand for energy peaks.

    • Community batteries

    A community battery is a shared battery installed in a central location within a neighbourhood that can store excess solar energy generated from homes in a community.

    The stored energy can then be shared with other homes in the community when demand is high, like in the evening or when its cloudy.

    • Pumped hydro

    Hydro energy uses the force of moving water to create electricity. Hydro energy is capable of rapidly providing power on-demand, to supply electricity to consumers when it is needed.

    • Virtual Power Plant (VPP)

    A Virtual Power Plant is a network that can connect your rooftop solar and battery to other participating homes and coordinate them, allowing them to work together.

    This means that if there’s a shortage of energy supply in the grid, the virtual power plant can draw on the collective energy to fill the gap. This can earn participating homes a profit from their excess energy.

    Many small projects, when connected and coordinated, can be as impactful as a whole power station.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: From homes to hospitals, Canada’s food environments need reform

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sara F.L. Kirk, Professor of Health Promotion; Scientific Director of the Healthy Populations Institute, Dalhousie University

    Healthy eating sounds deceptively simple — just eat more fruits and vegetables and avoid junk food, right? However, healthy eating really isn’t easy.

    A new report illustrates how ubiquitous unhealthy foods are, how aggressively they are promoted and how hard it is to access healthy foods in places we spend our time.

    We are part of a team of 18 nutrition and food policy experts from across Canada who looked at research from the past five years to expose the environmental factors that influence what people in Canada buy and eat. We explored many different factors, like the quality of food, food marketing practices and what foods are available in places like hospitals, schools and grocery stores.

    The report is part of an international network called INFORMAS (International Network for Food and Obesity/Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) Research, Monitoring and Action Support). Our findings reinforce that, from homes to hospitals, Canada’s food supply needs reform.

    What we see is what we get

    Unhealthy food is everywhere, and that makes it hard to avoid: what we see is what we get. Our report found that most packaged foods in grocery stores are unhealthy. In fact, two-thirds of them were high in salt, sugar or saturated fat. Only 12 per cent were low in these nutrients.

    Unhealthy foods are readily available for purchase. One study showed that children in Ottawa had, on average, 19 places to purchase foods within one kilometre of their school. In Vancouver, that number was as high as 45.

    In-store environments also thwart healthy purchases: 50 per cent of stores had “power walls” of candy, snacks and sugary drinks, tempting consumers at the checkout, while only around one in five stores operated a junk-free checkout. And nearly all hospital cafeterias and recreation centre vending machines sold sugary drinks.

    Unhealthy foods are also heavily marketed, particularly to children. One study estimated that children aged six to 11 see more than 4,000 food ads on their digital devices each year, while older children see twice that number. Around 90 per cent of the ads that children saw on their digital devices were deemed less healthy based on their sugar, sodium and saturated fat content.

    A closer look at marketing on five food product categories in the INFORMAS Canada report found that one-third of products carried marketing targeting to children.

    For example, almost 46 per cent of breakfast cereals used marketing techniques that made products look fun or cool, or used cartoon characters and celebrities, to entice young consumers. More than 90 per cent of products using these techniques were unhealthy. Of 75 per cent of foods that had some sort of health or nutrition claim on their packaging highlighting healthy attributes of products, 45 per cent of these products were also high in salt, sugar or saturated fat.

    Unhealthy foods are big, cheap and easy

    Our report illustrates how, in many ways, the cards are stacked against us in terms of healthy eating. The food industry, where power is often concentrated within the hands of a few large, multinational companies, continues to create and market unhealthy foods, despite stated commitments to do better.

    With unhealthy foods so available and tempting, it’s no surprise that many Canadians struggle to eat according to Canada’s Food Guide.

    Our unhealthy food environments are making us sick and we all pay the price. Unhealthy eating has been estimated to cost more than $15.8 billion, including direct healthcare costs of $5.9 billion. With unhealthy eating a leading risk for death and the second leading risk for disability in Canada, there is a strong moral and economic imperative for action to improve food environments.

    Creating healthier food environments

    It doesn’t have to be this way. In addition to providing benchmarking data, our report offers a road map for policymakers, industry leaders and advocates to collaborate in creating healthier, more equitable food environments for all Canadians.

    Canada can also draw inspiration from global leaders in food policy like Chile and Mexico. Both countries have introduced bold front-of-package warning labels for foods high in sugar, sodium or saturated fats, combined with restrictions on marketing unhealthy products to children and taxes on unhealthy foods.

    Canada will follow suit with front-of-package labels in January 2026, but policy change in these others areas is lacking.



    Read more:
    Front-of-package food labels: A path to healthier choices

    Mexico has implemented front-of-package food label regulations flagging unhealthy foods. Canada will follow suit in 2026.
    (Shutterstock)

    Taxes on sugary drinks already exist in more than 45 countries, with the United Kingdom recently seeing reductions in sugar consumption after a sugary drink tax was implemented. Canada, unfortunately, is lagging behind, with Newfoundland & Labrador the only province with a tax on sugary drinks.

    As Canada’s national school food policy rolls out, there are opportunities to protect school food from vested interests. These actions need to be extended to other food environments — our homes, hospitals and grocery stores.

    With the threat of tariffs being imposed by the United States and potentially creating major challenges for food affordability, more Canadians are looking for a food supply that is made in Canada. Creating healthier food environments and food systems takes a strong commitment from leaders at all levels (federal, provincial, territorial and municipal).

    Our benchmarking report can help create a nutrition transition that nourishes our population and supports our healthy food producers, farmers and fisheries. This report makes the case for improving our food environments and shows the way to a healthier future for all Canadians.

    Sara F.L. Kirk has received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, Research Nova Scotia and Dalhousie University Office of Advancement. She is a co-author on the report being discussed in this article.

    Lana Vanderlee receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the US National Institutes of Health, the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé and has received funds from Health Canada. She is currently supported by a Canada Research Chair in Healthy Food Policy (Tier 2).

    – ref. From homes to hospitals, Canada’s food environments need reform – https://theconversation.com/from-homes-to-hospitals-canadas-food-environments-need-reform-249540

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall Honors American Flag by Introducing One Flag for All Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) today led his colleagues in introducing the One Flag for All Act. This legislation prohibits any flag other than the American flag from being flown, draped, or displayed on federal buildings, with certain exceptions. 
    Senator Marshall’s legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi). U.S. Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-Tennessee-1) led the House companion of this bill. 
    The One Flag for All Act was first introduced by Senator Marshall in 2023 following the Biden Administration’s breach of U.S. Flag Code by centering a Pride flag between two American flags on the White House. This bill would ensure that such denigration never happens again. It would expand and codify President Trump’s “One Flag Policy,” barring U.S. outposts at home and abroad from flying any other flag than the Stars and Stripes.
    “Never again should a flag that promotes radical gender ideology be flown, draped, or displayed outside the White House or any other federal building,” said Senator Marshall. “The American flag is our nation’s symbol and should be the primary flag proudly flown over government property. I’m proud to introduce legislation to honor Old Glory and ensure rogue politicians and bureaucrats never deface our sacred symbol again.”
    “Too many brave men and women have given their lives for what our American flag represents—liberty, justice, democracy, and freedom,” said Senator Hyde-Smith. “Those are principles that should stand above any ideological or social movement of the day. It’s a shame that legislation like this is even needed, but it is to ensure the dominance of the United States flag.”
    “Around the globe, the American flag is seen as a symbol of freedom and liberty,” said Senator Lummis. “I’m proud to join Senator Marshall in ensuring that the U.S. flag is always the preeminent public symbol of our country.”
    “Old Glory is the most recognized symbol of strength, freedom, and prosperity in the entire world. American soldiers did not raise our flag at Iwo Jima for it to be disgraced decades later by radical ideologies,” said Representative Harshbarger. “Our flag represents every single American and should never be disgraced on federal public properties by not being the primary flag flown. This legislation accomplishes just that.”
    This legislation exempts the following flags from being flown at covered public buildings:
    ·         National League of Families POW/MIA flag
    ·         Hostage and Wrongful Detainee flag
    ·         Flags representing a visiting diplomat’s or representative’s nation
    ·         Member of Congress’ State flags
    ·         Flags representing a unit or branch of the Armed Forces
    ·         Flags representing religious organizations or churches in limited circumstances
    ·         Flags representing Indian Tribes
    ·         Flags representing the State, territory, county, city, or local jurisdiction in which the building is located
    ·         Flags representing federal agencies
    ·         Flags commemorating a specific national observance, including the 9/11 memorial flag and the Remembrance Day flag
    ·         Flags of historical significance, including the Besty Ross flag, the Gadsden flag, and the Bennington flag

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Moran Lays out Legislative Proposal to Move the Food for Peace Program to USDA

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas – Jerry Moran

    WASHINGTON. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today spoke on the Senate floor about legislation he introduced with Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Roger Marshall, M.D., (R-Kan.) and Rep. Tracey Mann (KS-01) that would move the administration of the Food for Peace program to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Sen. Moran also highlighted the importance of Food for Peace for national security, feeding the hungry and providing a market for Kansas farmers.

    “In conjunction with the President’s action, I’ve introduced a bill with Sen. John Hoeven and Sen. Roger Marshall and Rep. Tracey Mann to move Food for Peace from the turbulent USAID and move it to the Department of Agriculture in an effort to prevent waste and bring the program closer to farmers that depend upon it,” said Sen. Moran. “By placing Food for Peace under USDA’s authority, we can make certain that the program is in good hands and can continue to bring revenue to American agriculture.”

    “Just a little over an hour ago, the Senate confirmed the new Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins,” continued Sen. Moran. “I have no doubt she will be an excellent advocate for our nation’s farmers, and I appreciate the conversations we’ve already had on this legislation and her excitement to work on this proposal with me.”

    “In rural America, food assistance programs like Food for Peace put American-grown products in the hands of the hungry, and this food is a tangible extension of the hard work and dedication of farmers and ranchers,” concluded Sen. Moran. “I’m pleased to help find ways to make our delivery of food aid more effective, more efficient and remove the challenges and things that we’ve seen that are so disturbing. Food for Peace bolters the farmers who feed us, creates a more stable world and feeds the hungry.”

    Click HERE to watch Sen. Moran’s Floor Speech

     

    Remarks as delivered:

    “Today, I want to speak about a program that has shaped our nation’s humanitarian efforts and made a significant impact on my home state of Kansas, a program called Food for Peace.

    “In 1953, agricultural surpluses had reached an all-time high, but the price of storing excess commodities was too expensive to rationalize, and it was at risk of going to waste.

    “Kansas farmers, like Cheyenne County’s Peter O’Brien, worked hard to cultivate and grow these commodities. Looking for a solution, Peter suggested at a local farm bureau meeting that maybe the excess food could be sent to countries in need. Peter understood that out of our abundance, we have a moral duty and opportunity to feed the hungry. His idea sparked the origin of a program we now know as Food for Peace.

    “Another Kansan, one of my predecessors, Andy Schoeppel, led the Food for Peace Act in the Senate, which was signed into law by President Eisenhower, another Kansan, in 1954. And Senator Bob Dole from Russell, Kansas later championed the reauthorization of Food for Peace.

    “The program’s premise was simple but impactful: by leveraging the food surpluses that we produce in Kansas and across the nation, we could address famine around the world while creating new markets for our commodities and bolstering our agricultural economy.

    “The first shipments of American wheat and corn were sent to Korea and Greece in 1954, and by the end of Food for Peace’s initial year of operation, it had fed 1.2 million people. Over the last 70 years, the program has fed more than 4 billion people in more than 50 countries, all with American grown commodities.

    “Hunger, whether driven by price increases or food shortages, can act as a catalyst for protests and armed conflict.

    “We’ve seen how food can be used as a weapon of war as radical Islamic groups in Syria use food as a means to recruit soldiers. We’ve witnessed regions of the world that are critical to America’s strategic interest sent into chaos due to people not having access to affordable food.

    “In a turbulent world stricken with conflict, American leadership is more than just our military and our economic might. Food aid provided by the United States reduces despair and increases stability within fragile countries by enabling economic productivity and minimizing the risk of radicalization.

    “For countless individuals around the world, their survival is dependent upon the resources provided by the American people. These vulnerable populations rely on the strength and prosperity of the United States.

    “However, much work remains in the ongoing battle against hunger, and part of that battle is improving the process and programs that administer our aid.

    “Food for Peace is administered by the USAID, and the inefficiency of USAID has been growing concern. The agency struggles with bureaucratic delays, mismanagement, and a lack of coordination, which undermines its ability to deliver effectively aid to those in need. This inefficiency not only waste taxpayer dollars, but also diminishes the impact of Americans’ foreign aid in addressing global crisis.

    “Reports suggest that millions of taxpayer dollars have been allocated to promoting tourism in Lebanon and Egypt, funding the purchase of electric vehicles for Vietnam and inadvertently supporting the cultivation of opium in Afghanistan. Even more concerning, it has been confirmed that $9 million intended for civilian food and medical supplies in Syria fell into the hands of terrorist organizations linked to Al-Qaeda due to the failed oversight of USAID.

    “Amid these concerns of corruption, President Trump has taken steps to dismantle USAID. In conjunction with the President’s action and with approval of the White House policy team, I’ve introduced a bill with Senator John Hoeven and Senator Roger Marshall, and Representative Tracey Mann to move Food for Peace from the turbulent USAID program and move it to the Department of Agriculture in an effort to prevent waste and bring the program closer to farmers that depend upon it.

    “USDA has a long and proven history of managing agricultural policy and programs that support American farmers, food distribution systems and global security efforts. USDA has boots on the ground and the infrastructure already in place to support the logistics for food assistance. The agency understands how to move crops efficiently, sustainably and quickly.

    “This knowledge is indispensable when responding to international crises, where speed and reliability can mean the difference between life and death. By placing Food for Peace under USDA’s authority, we make certain that the program is in good hands and can continue to bring revenue to American agriculture.

    “As just a little over an hour ago, the Senate confirmed the new Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins. I have no doubt she will be an excellent advocate for our nation’s farmers, and I appreciate the conversations we’ve already had on this legislation. The Secretary has told me she’s excited about this proposal and looks forward to working together on this issue.

    “We produce more than we can consume in this nation, so without programs to export to, our ability to make a living in agriculture in Kansas and across the country disappears.

    “In FY2023 alone, $713 million of U.S.-grown commodities were purchased by the Food for Peace program, putting money in the in money back into the hands of farmers.

    “In rural America, food assistance programs like Food for Peace put American grown products in the hands of the hungry, and this food is a tangible extension of the hard work and dedication of farmers and ranchers.

    “I’m pleased to help find ways to make our delivery of food aid more effective, more efficient and remove the challenges and, things that we’ve seen that are so disturbing.

    “America is the greatest country on earth and the most prosperous.

    “Food for Peace bolters the farmers who feed us, creates a more stable world, and feeds the hungry.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Supportive-living home for people with brain injuries coming to Parksville

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Stephanie Higginson, MLA for Ladysmith-Oceanside –

    “Having a supportive-living home for people with acquired brain injuries that will serve the central and north Island is big news for the people and their families who live in the area and need these services. Having access to quality health care when people need it, where they live is a priority for our government.  The care people receive will help them with physical, cognitive and emotional therapy, and improve their overall quality of life.”

    Leah Hollins, board chair, Island Health –

    “This new service aligns with Island Health’s goal to provide patient-centred, accessible and equitable care for Vancouver Island residents and will address an identified gap in specialized brain injury services on central Island. By expanding and improving the services provided to people living with brain injuries, we can improve quality of life for clients, provide hope for improved wellness, better support families and caregivers, and reduce strain on hospitals and long-term care resources.”

    Dean, client, Island Health Brain Injury Program –

    “This program will greatly serve to create community and belonging, as well as dependability, consistency and calm to life, and living for those supported.”

    Ashley Ormiston, regional program co-ordinator, Island Health Brain Injury Program –

    “Living with a brain injury can be life-altering. With early intervention and focused, timely interventions, we know people with brain injuries can begin to recover, improve their health and gain independence to reintegrate into society.”

    Patti Flaherty, CEO, Connect –

    “We are thrilled to partner with Island Health and expand Connect’s life redesign model to Vancouver Island. Our team has more than 30 years of experience supporting individuals after brain injury and strokes in Langley, Kelowna and Ontario. Our Parksville location will provide a safe, nurturing environment, empowering the people we support to redesign their lives and thrive.”

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Joins 54 Members of Congress in Bicameral Legislation to Protect Immigrants in Sensitive Locations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined 54 members of Congress to introduce the bicameral Protecting Sensitive Locations Act to prevent ICE raids at churches, schools, doctors’ offices, and other sensitive locations. This legislation would ensure that immigrants are able to access education, criminal justice, and social services without fear of deportation.

    “The reversal of the Department of Homeland Security’s longstanding protections of sensitive locations is cruel, and it won’t make us any safer,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “All families in Nevada should be able to freely worship, go to school, and seek medical care. We can find commonsense solutions to fix our broken immigration system that do not spread fear in hardworking immigrant communities.”

    The list of “sensitive locations” protected under this legislation includes, but is not limited to: medical treatment facilities and health care facilities; public and private schools, early childhood learning centers, preschools, scholastic activities, and field trips; places of worship; federal and local courthouses; DMVs and social security offices; polling places; labor union halls; and several other locations which provide essential or emergency services to immigrant communities, such as rape crisis centers and homeless shelters.

    The full text of the bill can be found here.

    The first and only Latina senator, Senator Cortez Masto has consistently supported immigrant communities in Nevada, calling on both administrations to protect TPS holders and other immigrants, as well as leading commonsense legislation to fix our broken immigration system. She has worked to pass meaningful immigration reform that balances critical border security measures with a path to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, and essential workers, and she’s pushed legislation to allow Dreamers and TPS holders to work in Congress.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ depends on the rules-based world Trump is dismantling – why the silence?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ 2023 strategic foreign policy assessment, “Navigating a shifting world”, accurately foresaw a more uncertain and complex time ahead for New Zealand. But already it feels out of date.

    The Trump administration’s extreme disruption of the international order (which New Zealand helped construct) is going further and faster than foreseen in the assessment. Were another nation responsible, the government would have been quick to condemn it.

    But New Zealand has so far been largely mute while Trump has quit the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accord, attacked foreign assistance programs and withdrawn funding from key United Nations organisations.

    Had Russia or China threatened the annexation or acquisition of Canada, Panama and Greenland, New Zealand would have reacted strongly. But it has said nothing substantive.

    The United States still belongs to the World Trade Organization and various regional trade agreements. But Trump’s use of tariffs threatens havoc throughout the multilateral trade system.

    Similarly, Trump has not quit the International Court of Justice. But his proposal to remove two million Palestinians from Gaza amounts to an unequivocal rejection of the court’s recent ruling on Israeli policies and practices in the Occupied Territories – as well as international law.

    On all these fronts, New Zealand has preferred not to make a stand.

    The coming Russia-Ukraine test

    While other countries have been quick to criticise Trump’s Gaza plan, New Zealand has opted not to comment until greater clarity is available, other than to reiterate its support for a two-state solution for Palestine.

    When Trump imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court, New Zealand (along with Australia and Japan) failed to join a statement from 79 other countries expressing unwavering support for the court.

    The next likely test will be Trump’s attempt to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. While the goal is undoubtedly worthy, the question will be at what cost.

    If the price is ignoring the UN Charter, and if European supporters of Ukraine find the illegal annexations of its sovereign territory unpalatable, New Zealand will face a stark choice.

    For Australia, with its special trade relationship with the US and membership of the AUKUS security pact, this may be simple politics. For New Zealand, without a special free trade agreement with the US, frozen out of ANZUS and not part of AUKUS, the equation is more complex.

    Discord in the Pacific

    Last year, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said New Zealand must “stand up for this international rules-based system that has actually served New Zealand incredibly well”. Quietly sitting down will not be an option forever.

    Furthermore, all this is happening against the backdrop of New Zealand’s apparently waning influence in its own back yard, the South Pacific.

    While China seeks to expand its own influence, cuts and possible retrenchment in New Zealand’s aid budget suggest little appetite for tangible counteraction.

    The loss of influence was first apparent with Kiribati, which has steered towards a much closer relationship with China since 2022. More recently, China has made inroads into other Pacific countries, including the Solomons and East Timor, working in an increasingly grey zone with support for civilian and military security.

    But the recent fracture with the Cook Islands takes things to a new level.

    Struggling to find a voice

    While no longer a dependency, the Cooks’ free association agreement with New Zealand gives its people immense benefits, including citizenship and the right to work and live in New Zealand.

    In return, the Cooks undertakes to consult over foreign affairs matters, including any policy or initiative that might affect the interests of the other signatory.

    But the development of a somewhat opaque “comprehensive strategic partnership” with China blindsided New Zealand, and has strained what is meant to be a good-faith relationship. Again, however, New Zealand has struggled to find its voice.

    If it speaks too loudly, it risks further undermining that special Pacific relationship, as well as irritating its largest trade partner, China. If it speaks too softly, the respect and influence the country deserves will fade.

    New Zealand’s vaunted independent foreign policy is a fine ideal and has been a workable mechanism to navigate the challenges facing a small trading nation reliant on a rules-based global order.

    This has worked well for the past few decades. But as the old world order erodes, losing its voice for fear of offending bigger powers cannot become the country’s default position.

    Alexander Gillespie 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. NZ depends on the rules-based world Trump is dismantling – why the silence? – https://theconversation.com/nz-depends-on-the-rules-based-world-trump-is-dismantling-why-the-silence-249857

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen, Scott Introduce Antisemitism Awareness Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Tim Scott (R-SC) introduced the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which directs the Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism when investigating antisemitic acts on campus. This bipartisan bill will ensure that the Department of Education has a clear definition of antisemitism when determining whether an antisemitic incident on campus crosses the line from free speech into harassing, unlawful, or discriminatory conduct. Congressmen Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) are leading companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
    “Antisemitism is on the rise across the nation, particularly on college campuses, and Congress has a responsibility to do everything in its power to fight back against this hate,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to introduce bipartisan legislation today with Senator Tim Scott to help protect Jewish students from antisemitic bigotry. I’ll keep working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get this bill passed and signed into law.”
    “In the continued aftermath of the October 7th attacks on Israel by Hamas and Iran, we have seen college campuses across our nation become hotbeds of antisemitism where Jewish students’ rights are being threatened,” said Senator Scott. “It’s critical the Department of Education has the tools and resources it needs to investigate antisemitism and root out this vile hatred wherever it rears its ugly head. There can be no equivocating when it comes to the issue of anti-Jewish violence and harassment.”
    “The House overwhelmingly passed my bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act last session, and today I am proud to reintroduce this critical legislation in the new Congress. Since the horrific terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7th, 83% of college students said they witnessed or experienced antisemitism on campus,” said Congressman Lawler upon introducing the House version of the bill. “This is unacceptable. No person should feel unsafe, targeted, or ostracized because of their faith – and the Antisemitism Awareness Act will stop it from happening. When I met with Jewish students at Columbia University last spring, their fear was palpable. Many wondered if they could ever feel safe on campus again. They deserve better—as does every student, and that’s what this bipartisan bill will accomplish.” 
    “Since the heinous October 7 attacks on Israel, we have seen an explosion of antisemitic violence and intimidation on college campuses and in communities across New Jersey and the nation. Far too many in our community no longer feel safe in their own homes or classrooms,” said Congressman Gottheimer. “That’s why I’m reintroducing the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which will give state officials and law enforcement a clear framework for identifying and addressing antisemitism to hold harassers accountable. Our bipartisan bill adopts the most widely recognized definition of antisemitism in the world, already used by more than 40 countries and 35 states. Hate and discrimination have no place in New Jersey or the country, and we must act now to protect our Jewish students and families from threats, intimidation, and violence.”
    “The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations thanks Sens. Scott and Rosen for re-introducing the Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA). It comes at an important time–Since Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israel, there has been a dramatic increase in antisemitism on college campuses. We continue to see university administrators show they have little understanding of how to identify antisemitism,” said Stephanie Hausner, COO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (COP). “The AAA will adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism into U.S. law, enabling university leaders to support Jewish students and accurately determine – and discipline those who engage in—antisemitic discrimination on college campuses. The Conference of Presidents urges swift passage of AAA.” 
    “As ADL data shows, antisemitism is at crisis levels in the United States, creating the urgent need for decisive action,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. “The Antisemitism Awareness Act makes clear that antisemitism, including anti-Zionist harassment, has no place in our schools or society and, importantly, reinforces the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism as a critical tool for the U.S. Department of Education. We urge Congress to act swiftly and send a powerful message that combating antisemitism remains a national priority and deeply appreciate the effort by Senators Tim Scott and Jacky Rosen to quickly reintroduce this bipartisan bill.”
    “According to the American Jewish Committee’s upcoming State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report, three in ten American adults are either unsure of what antisemitism means or never heard the term. This number jumps for young Americans (ages 18-29): 41% of young Americans are unsure of what antisemitism means or never heard the term, while, at the same time, young American Jews (ages 18-29) are more likely to have experienced antisemitism in the past year than Jews ages 30 and older. These numbers show why it is critical to have a clear understanding of what antisemitism is and why it matters for American society because to even begin to solve the problem of antisemitism, there must be clarity about what it is and what it isn’t,” said Ted Deutch, CEO of American Jewish Committee. “The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism is a clear and concise description of antisemitism in its various forms. AJC has supported efforts by both Republican and Democratic Administrations to use this definition at the Department of Education when investigating Title VI complaints. We applaud Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) for introducing the Antisemitism Awareness Act, for prioritizing the continued use of this important educational tool and ensuring the safety of Jewish students across the country.”
    “Antisemitism isn’t just a Jewish problem. It’s everyone’s problem. Despite the hollow arguments of some, this legislation neither outlaws antisemitism nor is it anti-Christian,” said CUFI Action Fund Chairwoman Sandra Hagee Parker. “The Antisemitism Awareness Act, like President Trump’s 2019 executive order combatting antisemitism and his order last month doubling down on the same, provides students, parents, teachers and administrators alike with a clear definition of the world’s oldest and most prevalent hatred. Advancing this legislation is  important in making American campuses safe and welcoming for all. We must defeat the vile cancer of antisemitism and defining it under US law is a critical step in that righteous effort.”
    “As antisemitic incidents continue to rise, Jewish Federations of North America are grateful to Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) for introducing the Antisemitism Awareness Act today. This bill provides a clear framework for identifying antisemitism, offering concrete examples to help distinguish between constitutionally protected speech and targeted attacks against Jewish individuals. Congress must act now to send a strong message that antisemitism has no place in our society,” said Karen Paikin Barall, Vice President, Government Relations, Jewish Federations of North America.
    Joining Senators Rosen and Scott in cosponsoring the legislation are Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Rick Scott (R-FL), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Mike Crapo (R-ID), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), John Cornyn (R-TX), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), John Boozman (R-AR), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Mark Warner (D-VA), John Barrasso (R-WY), Gary Peters (D-MI), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).
    Senator Rosen has been a leader in the fight to combat antisemitism and Holocaust denial and distortion. Last month, she introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen Holocaust education. Last year, Senator Rosen’s bipartisan legislation with Senator Cramer to reauthorize the Never Again Education Act became law. She helped launch the first-ever Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism with Senator Lankford and led the push to create the first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism. Senator Rosen also helped introduce a bipartisan resolution denouncing antisemitism at institutions of higher education, which passed the Senate unanimously, and hosted a roundtable discussion with students from across the country to discuss campus antisemitism.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Financial assistance coming for people affected by October floods

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) is now available for eligible people and businesses in the City of Maple Ridge and Township of Langley affected by flooding due to the atmospheric river from Oct. 18-20, 2024.

    Following a significant event, DFA may compensate for the sudden, unexpected loss of uninsurable items that are essential. This may include building repairs to a principal residence, replacement of essential personal effects, as well as clean up and debris removal.

    People can access specifics about the event and can submit their DFA application online at: https://www.gov.bc.ca/disasterfinancialassistance

    DFA is available to homeowners, renters, business owners, farmers, corporation-owned properties and charitable organizations to cover uninsurable disaster-related losses. The program is unable to compensate for losses for which insurance was reasonably and readily available.

    Applications for DFA must be submitted to the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness within 90 calendar days of the event declaration. The deadline to submit applications for this DFA event for the City of Maple Ridge and the Township of Langley is May 14, 2025.

    The Province is committed to providing the necessary support and resources people need to rebuild their lives after an emergency. The DFA program has been enhanced and expanded in recent years to better support people and communities. These changes include:

    • increase in maximum DFA support available per claim from $300,000 to $400,000;
    • expanded eligibility for small businesses based on minimum income;
    • expanded annual revenue threshold for small businesses from $1 million to $2 million so more businesses can qualify for DFA;
    • expanded eligibility for the farming sector to include homes owned by corporations if the home is used as a primary residence;
    • increased provincial contributions to local infrastructure recovery;
    • the Province may provide a portion of the project’s estimated costs up front to help communities rebuild critical infrastructure projects faster; and
    • a new online portal is available to make it easier for people and communities to apply for financial support for uninsurable losses after a disaster.

    DFA was previously announced for damages from the same event for people, businesses and communities in:

    • City of Port Coquitlam
    • City of Coquitlam
    • City of North Vancouver
    • District of West Vancouver
    • District of North Vancouver
    • Squamish First Nation
    • Village of Anmore
    • City of Port Moody
    • City of Surrey

    Learn More:

    Information, eligibility criteria, categories and applications can be found by calling toll-free 1 888 257-4777 or visiting: https://www.gov.bc.ca/disasterfinancialassistance

    DFA for people, businesses and communities affected by flooding due to the atmospheric river event from Oct. 18-20, 2024: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024EMCR0047-001600

    DFA extended for people, businesses and communities affected by flooding due to the atmospheric river event from Oct. 18-20, 2024: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024EMCR0049-001657

    To learn about improvements the Province made to DFA after the November 2021 flooding event, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/26713

    A backgrounder follows.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Albanese Government delivers faster broadband to the regions with completion of $480 million NBN upgrades

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    Households and businesses in regional, remote and outer-urban areas are benefiting from faster broadband and increased data with the completion of the Albanese Government’s $480 million upgrades to NBN Co’s Fixed Wireless and Satellite services.
     
    Around 800,000 premises can now access broadband speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps. These increased speeds allow for smoother streaming, faster downloads and uploads, and stronger connections – even with multiple devices online at the same time.
     
    The fixed wireless upgrades have already delivered increased average end-user download speeds for households from around 48Mbps in 2022 to over 100 Mbps today. 
     
    Using the latest 4G and 5G wireless technology has also enabled an additional 120,000 premises to access fixed wireless for the first time.
     
    NBN Co has launched two faster speed tiers: around 90% of premises in the fixed wireless footprint can now access speeds of up to 200-250 Mbps download. Around 80% of premises can access speeds of up to 400 Mbps.
     
    These upgraded services are helping to meet Australia’s growing demand for data.
     
    The average Australian household is using more than 450GB of data per month with around 22 connected devices. This is forecast to increase to 1 Terabyte and more than 40 devices by the end of the decade.
     
    In addition to fixed wireless upgrades, the program has also improved NBN’s Sky Muster satellite service, which provides much-needed connectivity options for more than 200,000 households and businesses in regional and remote Australia.
     
    Thanks to the Albanese Government, customers now have unlimited data through NBN Co’s Sky Muster Plus Premium, providing download speeds of up to 100 Mbps.
     
    The $480 million upgrade complements the Albanese Government’s nation-building investment to deliver a world-class NBN fibre network, backed by an additional $3 billion equity investment.
     
    Quotes attributable to the Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP:
     
    “Fast, reliable, affordable internet is an essential building block of any modern economy, boosting productivity, enabling innovation and creating jobs.
     
    “Families and businesses in our regions and suburbs should have equal access to the opportunities the NBN delivers. Labor founded the NBN on this principle. 
     
    “Faster, more reliable internet allows smoother streaming, faster downloads and uploads, and stronger connections – even with multiple devices online at the same time.
     
    “It enables access to essential government services, banking and telehealth, and learning and working online.
     
    “The completion of these upgrades demonstrates what can be done with a publicly-owned NBN Co.
     
    “In contrast, Peter Dutton wants to privatise the NBN, reducing services and making high speed internet more expensive for all Australians.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: MS-13 member sentenced to 50 years in prison for his participation in three murders

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Salvadoran national and member of La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) was sentenced today to 50 years in prison for conspiracy relating to his participation in the gang’s criminal enterprise, including three murders.

    According to court documents, on Aug. 25, 2018, Henry Leonel Barrera Ayala, aka Cusuco, Centinela, and Lil Player, 26, Elmer De Jesus Alas Candray, 27, and other members of MS-13’s Uniones Locos Salvatrucha (ULS) clique met in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to murder an associate of MS-13’s Directos Locos Salvatrucha clique, identified in court records as K.A.C. MS-13 leadership in El Salvador had approved the murder because they believed K.A.C. had betrayed MS-13. That evening, they met K.A.C. at the residence of an MS-13 member in New Bedford. After the group ate dinner together, Barrera Ayala and several co-conspirators beat and strangled K.A.C. to death. The co-conspirators then dismembered K.A.C.’s body, placed his remains in trash bags, and buried the remains in a wooded area near New Bedford.

    In June 2019, Barrera Ayala, Alas Candray, and other ULS members conspired to murder individuals who frequently gathered to drink in a wooded area in the clique’s perceived territory in Reston. On June 23, 2019, Barrera Ayala, Alas Candray and other ULS members armed themselves with a 9mm firearm, a .45 caliber firearm, and two machetes and traveled to the Hunters Woods area of Reston. The group murdered an individual, identified as J.L.G.M., shooting him and slashing him with a machete.

    On Sept. 17, 2020, Barrera Ayala, Alas Candray, and others devised a plan to lure a young woman, identified as I.J.P.G., to Colts Neck Road in Reston under false pretenses and kill her because they believed she was associated with a rival gang and had disparaged MS-13 on social media. Barrera Ayala exchanged messages with I.J.P.G. via Snapchat, pretending to be a member of MS-13’s rival gang. Barrera Ayala and a co-conspirator later picked up I.J.P.G. from her home and drove her to Colts Neck Road, where Alas Candray and another MS-13 member were waiting for them. The four co-conspirators killed I.J.P.G. by taking turns shooting her, primarily in the face.

    In addition to the murders, Barrera Ayala also conspired with his fellow MS-13 members to distribute marijuana and cocaine. On multiple occasions, Barrera Ayala sent drug profits to individuals in other states and in Central American countries via money transfer services to benefit the MS-13 enterprise.

    On Sept. 18, 2024, Barrera Ayala pled guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise. A federal jury convicted Alas Candray on Oct. 21, 2024, on charges relating to his participation in the gang’s criminal enterprise, including six murders and additional murder conspiracies. On Jan. 30, Alas Candray was sentenced to six concurrent life sentences.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Sean Ryan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division; and Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Blanchard, Megan Braun, and Natasha Smalky prosecuted the case.

    This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:22-cr-178.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Beckley Man Pleads Guilty to Escape

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Kishaun Andre Jones, 25, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to escape after walking away from a federal reentry facility.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 2, 2024, Jones left Dismas Charities Inc., a Bureau of Prisons residential reentry facility in St. Albans, without permission. Jones was confined at Dismas Charities as a result of his conviction for distribution of methamphetamine in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on February 23, 2023.

    Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

    United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service.

    United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney D. Keith Randolph is prosecuting the case.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-21.

    ###

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Violent Bridgeport Gang Member Sentenced to More Than 22 Years in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KEISHAWN DONALD, 23, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 270 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for his involvement in a violent Bridgeport street gang and his murder of a rival gang member in 2018. 

    Today’s announcement by Marc. H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Joseph T. Corradino, State’s Attorney for the Fairfield Judicial District; Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter; Anish Shukla, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, and Acting U.S. Marshal Lawrence Bobnick.

    According to court documents, statements made in court, and the evidence presented during a month-long trial, the FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service and Bridgeport Police have been investigating multiple Bridgeport-based gangs whose members are involved in narcotics trafficking, murder and other acts of violence.  Donald has been a member of the “East End gang,” which began as a local street gang based in the East End of Bridgeport, but currently has members and associates who are either incarcerated or living throughout Bridgeport and surrounding towns.  The East End gang has been aligned with other groups, including the PT Barnum Gang, the East Side gang and 150, which is a geographic gang based on the West Side of Bridgeport.  These groups were aligned against rival organizations in Bridgeport, including the “Original North End” (“O.N.E.”) and the “Greene Homes Boyz,” (“GHB/Hotz”), based in the Charles F. Greene Homes Housing Complex in Bridgeport’s North End.

    Due to the level of gun violence Bridgeport was experiencing, the investigation commenced shortly before East End members shot and killed Myreke Kenion and shot and attempted to kill D’Andre Brown, both members and associates of the GHB/Hotz gang, on January 26, 2020.  The next day, in retaliation for these shootings, GHB/Hotz and O.N.E. members attempted to kill East End gang members and associates in a brazen afternoon shooting in front of a state courthouse on Golden Hill Street in Bridgeport that resulted in four victims being shot while sitting inside a car.

    Donald and other East End members distributed heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana and Percocet pills; used and shared firearms; and committed at least six murders and other acts of violence against rival gang members and other individuals.  East End members celebrated their criminal conduct on social media websites such as Facebook and YouTube, and committed acts of intimidation and made threats to deter potential witnesses to their crimes and to protect gang members and associates from detection and prosecution by law enforcement authorities.

    On January 30, 2018, Donald shot and killed Eric Heard, also known as “Fetti,” a member and associate of the GHB/Hotz gang.  On October 17, 2019, Donald and others attempted to kill Joshua Gilbert, a member and associate of the O.N.E. gang, in a drive-by shooting.

    On December 5, 2023, a jury found Donald and three associates guilty of conspiring to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity.

    Donald has been detained since October 17, 2019, when he was arrested on state charges after being found with a firearm shortly after the attempted murder of Joshua Gilbert.

    Approximately 47 members and associates of the East End, O.N.E. and the GHB/Hotz gangs have been convicted of federal offenses stemming from this investigation, which has and solved eight murders and approximately 20 attempted murders.

    This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Forces, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Bridgeport Police Department, Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory and the Waterbury Police Department.  These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis, Stephanie T. Levick, and Karen L. Peck.

    This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.

    PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

    Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities.  Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it.  If a group member elects to engage in gun violence, the focused attention of federal, state and local law enforcement will be directed at that entire group.

    OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Press Conference Following NATO Ministers of Defense Meeting in Brussels, Belgium

    Source: United States Department of Defense

    UNKNOWN:  Good afternoon, everyone. We’re going to start with the US press. We’re going to take two from the US, we’ll take two from international, and then we’ll go from there depending on the secretary. So, let us start with —

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  Now, hold on, John.

    UNKNOWN:  Sir?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  I’m going to talk first.

    UNKNOWN:  Roger that.

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  It is great to be here at NATO with 31 allies, also with my wife Jenny, who’s been meeting with families of US troops both here, in Germany, and we’re heading to Poland right after this as well. That’s what this is all about for me, for President Trump and the Defense Department.

    I also want to express a special thanks to the secretary general, Secretary General Rutte, for your boldness, for your friendship, for your leadership and most especially for your urgency — your urgency of the matter at hand, which is great to see from the leader of NATO. Look forward to working very closely with him and his team.

    And before we’re talking about what we’ve done at the ministerial, I want to reaffirm a few things from this podium. First, as we see it, NATO’s strategic objectives are to prevent great power conflict in Europe, deter nuclear and non-nuclear aggression, and defeat threats to treaty allies should deterrence fail.

    Second, the US is committed to building a stronger more lethal NATO. However, we must ensure that European and Canadian commitment to article three of this treaty is just as strong. Article three says that allies, and I quote, “By means of continuous and effective self-help and mutual aid will maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack.”

    Leaders of our European allies should take primary responsibility for defense of the continent, which means security ownership by all allies guided by a clear understanding of strategic realities and it’s an imperative given the strategic realities that we face. And that begins with increasing defense spending. 2 percent is a start, as President Trump has Trump has said, but it’s not enough, nor is 3 percent, nor is 4 percent. More like 5 percent. Real investment. Real urgency.

    We can talk all we want about values. Values are important. But you can’t shoot values. You can’t shoot flags and you can’t shoot strong speeches. There is no replacement for hard power. As much as we may not want to like the world we live in, in some cases, there’s nothing like hard power. It should be obvious that increasing allied European defense spending is critical as the President of the United States has said.

    Also critical is expanding our defense industrial base capacity on both sides of the Atlantic. Our dollars, our euros, our pounds must become real capabilities.  The US is fully committed under President Trump’s leadership to pursue these objectives in face — in the face of today’s threats.

    Yesterday, I had a chance to attend the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Today, participated in both the NATO ministerial and the Ukraine Council. In both, we discussed Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. I had the chance to brief allies on President Trump’s top priority; a diplomatic peaceful end to this war as quickly as possible in a manner that creates enduring and durable peace.

    The American Defense Department fully supports the efforts of the Trump administration and we look to allies to support this important work with leading on Ukraine security assistance now through increased contributions and greater ownership of future security assistance to Ukraine. To that end, I want to thank my UK counterpart, Defense Secretary John Healey, for hosting this Ukraine Defense Contact Group and for his leadership on support of Ukraine.

    President Trump gave me a clear mission, achieve peace through strength as well as put America first, our people, our taxpayers, our borders, and our security. We are doing this by reviving the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military and reestablishing deterrence. NATO should pursue these goals as well. NATO is a great alliance, the most successful defense alliance in history.

    But to endure for the future, our partners must do far more for Europe’s defense. We must make NATO great again. It begins with defense spending, but must also include reviving the transatlantic defense industrial base, rapidly fielding emerging technologies, prioritizing readiness and lethality, and establishing real deterrence.

    Finally, I want to close with this. After World War II first General and then President Eisenhower was one of NATO’s strongest supporters. He believed in a strong relationship with Europe. However, by the end of Eisenhower’s presidency, even he was concerned that Europe was not shouldering enough of its own defense, nearly making, in Eisenhower’s words, “A sucker out of Uncle Sam.” Well, like President Eisenhower, this administration believes in alliances. Deeply believes in alliances. But make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker. Thank you, and we’re glad to take some questions.

    UNKNOWN:  Thanks very much. Let’s start with the US traveling TV pool with Liz Frieden.

    Q:  Thank you, Secretary Hegseth. You have focused on what Ukraine is giving up. What concessions will Putin be asked to make?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  Well, that’s — I would start by saying the arguments that have been made that somehow coming to the table right now is making concessions to Vladimir Putin outright, that we otherwise — or that the President of the United States shouldn’t otherwise make, I just reject that at its face.

    There’s a reason why negotiations are happening right now, just a few weeks after President Trump was sworn in as President United States. Vladimir Putin responds to strength. In 2014 he invaded Crimea, not during the presidency of Donald Trump. Over four years, there was no Russian aggression from 2016 to 2020. In 2022, Vladimir Putin took aggression on Ukraine. Once again, not while President Trump was President of the United States.

    So any suggestion that President Trump is doing anything other than negotiating from a position of strength is on its face a historical and false. So when you look at what he may have to give or take, what’s in or what’s out in those negotiations, we have the perfect dealmaker at the table from a position of strength to deal with both Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy.

    No one’s going to get everything that they want, understanding who committed the aggression in the first place. But I challenge anyone else to think of a world leader at this moment who, with credibility and strength, could bring those two leaders to the table and forge a durable peace that ultimately serves the interests of Ukraine, stops the killing and the death, which president has been — Trump has been clear he wants to do and hopefully ultimately is guaranteed — or guaranteed by strength of Europeans who are there prepared to back it up.

    Q:  To follow up on that — follow up. Thank you, sir. Why not invoke article five then for the NATO peacekeeping forces that could potentially be deployed? Like, how does that deter President Putin?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  Well, I would say I want to be clear about something as it pertains to NATO membership not being realistic outcome for negotiations. That’s something that was stated as part of my remarks here as part of a coordination with how we’re executing these ongoing negotiations, which are led by President Trump.

    All of that said, these negotiations are led by President Trump. Everything is on the table in his conversations with Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy. What he decides to allow or not allow is at the purview of the leader of the free world of President Trump. So I’m not going to stand at this podium and declare what President Trump will do or won’t do, what will be in or what will be out, what concessions will be made or what concessions are not made.

    I can look as our team has of what’s realistic, likely on an outcome. I think realism is an important part of the conversation that hasn’t existed enough inside conversations amongst friends. But simply pointing out realism, like the borders won’t be rolled back to what everybody would like them to be in 2014, is not a concession to Vladimir Putin. It’s a recognition of hard power realities on the ground after a lot of investment and sacrifice first by the Ukrainians and then by allies and then a realization that a negotiated peace is going to be some sort of demarcation that neither side wants. But it’s not my job as the Secretary of Defense to define the parameters of the President of the United States as he leads some of the most complex and consequential negotiations in the world.

    UNKNOWN:  Sticking with the US press, let us go with Axios’ Zach Basu right in the far right.

    Q:  Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Given the position you’ve now staked out, what leverage exactly is Ukraine being left with, especially if the US also plans to wind down its military aid? And then quickly, if a NATO ally is attacked by Russia or any country, will the US unequivocally uphold its obligations under article five regardless of that country’s —

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  — We’ve said we’re committed to the alliance and that’s part of the alliance, right? You pointed out article five. You point out article three — it’s just a cheap — I’m not saying it’s cheap coming from you — but it’s just a cheap political point to say, oh, we’ve left all the negotiating cards off the table by recognizing some realities that exist on the ground. President Zelenskyy understands the realities on the ground. President Putin understands the realities on the ground. And President Trump, as a dealmaker, as a negotiator, understands those dynamics as well.

    By no means is anything that I state here, even though we lead the most powerful military in the world, hemming in the commander in chief, in his negotiations, to ultimately decide where it goes or does not go. Well, he’s got all the cards he would like.

    And the interesting part is oftentimes while the conventional status quo mindset or the legacy media wants to play checkers, the same checkers game we’ve been playing for decades, President Trump time and time again finds a way to play chess — as a dealmaker, as a businessman who understands how to create realities and opportunities where they otherwise may not exist.

    Take for example, the conversations that our treasury secretary had in Kyiv recently with President Zelenskyy, which will continue in Munich with our vice president and secretary of state, around investments and resources inside Ukraine. I don’t want to get ahead of any decision or announcement that could be made there, it could be any number of parameters.

    But President Trump as a dealmaker and a businessman recognizes that an investment relationship with Ukraine, ultimately in the long term for the United States, is a lot more tangible than any promises or shared values we might have, even though we have them. There is something to relationships and deals in real ways, whether militarily or economically or diplomatically, that he sees that are possibilities that could forge together a lot of opportunities to show that solidarity that Vladimir Putin will clearly recognize.

    That’s one of any number of other opportunities that this president will leverage in these high-stake negotiations. So, I just reject on its face the premise that somehow President Trump isn’t dealing with a full set of cards when he’s the one that can determine ultimately what cards he holds.

    UNKNOWN:  Great. Now shifting to the international press, we’ll take the French wire service Agence France Presse with Max Delaney.

    Q:  Thank you very much, Secretary of Defense. Can you — you’ve spoken about trying to force both Putin and Zelenskyy to the table. Can you give a guarantee that no deal will be forced on Ukraine that they do not want to accept? And also, that you will include Europe in the negotiations about their own — about an issue that concerns European security? And can you tell us whether the US will continue to supply arms to Ukraine during any negotiations?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  Well, to the first part of your question, that’s not ultimately my decision. The president will lead these negotiations alongside our secretary of state, our national security advisor, and numerous other officials that will be involved. And ultimately, we’ve played our role in talking to our NATO allies about what that would look like.

    President Trump, I want to point out, I’ve got the truth’s right here that he posted, called both, in case we missed it, Vladimir Putin and President Zelenskyy, called them both. Any negotiation that’s had will be had with both.

    I also am very encouraged by what the secretary general has said here. Clearly attuned to the realities of the moment, the need for peace, and that the NATO alliance and European members will play a role in that.

    Ultimately, President Trump speaking to those two countries is central to the deal being made. But it affects a lot of people, of course. So, I’m not going to be involved in those intimate diplomatic negotiations. That’s for the pros atop the Trump administration who do diplomacy and negotiations. Ultimately as security assistance, we have continued to provide what has been allocated.

    I think it would be fair to say that things like future funding, either less or more, could be on the table in negotiations as well. Whatever the president determines is the most robust carrot or stick on either side to induce a durable peace, understanding, obviously, the motivations that Vladimir Putin has had on Ukraine for quite some time. Thank you.

    UNKNOWN:  We’ll have a second international press outlet. We’ll go with the German paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung with Dr. Thomas Gutschker.

    Q:  Thanks a lot. Thomas Gutschker of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Good afternoon. Mr. Secretary, two questions, please. The first one regarding the new Defense Investment Pledge.

    When you and President Trump speak about raising it to 5 percent, do you mean European allies only, or do you mean the US as well, which is currently at 3.4 percent according to NATO statistics? And if the latter is true, when do you think the US could possibly reach the goal of spending 5 percent on defense? That’s number one.

    Number two, you said yesterday that Europeans need to take ownership of their own conventional security. So, should Europeans expect that ultimately the US would withdraw the bulk of their forces from Europe and just leave in place what is necessary for nuclear deterrence? I know there’s a revision going on. I don’t expect you to name any numbers but maybe give us an outlook of what we should expect. Thank you.

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  Thank you. I think nobody can or should contest the extent of America’s willingness to invest in national security. We have a budget of $850 billion spent on defense. I’m in the business of ensuring that every dollar of that is used wisely, which is why we’re pushing a Pentagon audit and making sure that we’re cutting fat so that we’ve got more at the tip of the spear.

    3.4 percent is a very robust investment, larger than most of our allies within NATO. Any defense minister or secretary of defense that tells you they wouldn’t want more would be lying to you, I understand that. Ultimately, we have our own budgetary considerations to be had, but I don’t think an unwillingness of NATO allies to invest in their own defense spending can be dismissed away by trying to point at the $900 billion that America has invested around the globe to include the NATO alliance and saying that’s not enough.

    So, ultimately, we are very much committed to the NATO alliance and to our allies. But without burden sharing, without creating the right set of incentives for European countries to invest, then we would be forced to attempt to be everywhere for everybody all the time, which in a world of fiscal restraints is, again, to get back to that word reality, just not reality.

    So, yes, we will continue to spend robustly. Our expectation of our friends, and we say this in solidarity, is you have to spend more on your defense, for your country, on that continent, understanding that the American military and the American people stand beside you as we have in NATO, but can’t have the expectation of expectation of being the permanent guarantor, as I alluded to, from what even Eisenhower observed post-World War II.

    That shift has to happen. The peace dividend has to end. There are autocrats with ambitions around the globe from Russia to the communist Chinese. Either the West awakens to that reality and creates combat multipliers with their allies and partners to include NATO, or we will abdicate that responsibility to somebody else with all the wrong values.

    You mentioned Europe, we have not said in any way that we’re abandoning our allies in Europe. There have been no decisions based on troop levels. Again, that’s a discussion to be had by the commander in chief in these high-stake negotiations. And that would most likely come later on. But there is a recognition that the ambitions of the communist Chinese are a threat to free people everywhere, to include America’s interests in the Pacific.

    And it makes a lot of sense, just in a commonsense way, to use our comparative advantages. European countries spending here in defense of this continent, in defense of allies here against an aggressor on this continent with ambitions. That strikes me as the right place to — and I don’t say that in a condescending way. I say that in a common sense, practical way.

    Investing in defense on the continent makes sense. We support that as well. It also makes sense comparatively and geographically for the United States, along with allies in the Pacific like Japan and South Korea and the Philippines and Australia and others, to also invest in allies and partners and capabilities in the Pacific to project power there in service of deterrence. That deterrent effect in the Pacific is one that really can only be led by the United States.

    We wish we could lead everywhere at all times. We will stand in solidarity with allies and partners and encourage everyone to invest in order to have forced multiplication of what we represent, but it requires realistic conversations. Those with disingenuous motives in the media, I don’t mean to look at you, just saying anyone, that suggests it’s abandonment are trying to drive a wedge between allies that does not exist.

    We are committed to that NATO alliance. We understand the importance of that partnership, but it can’t endure on the status quo forever in light of the threats we face and fiscal realities. Europe has to spend more. NATO has to spend more. Has to invest more. And we’re very encouraged by what the secretary general has said and frankly, by — behind closed doors, what a lot of our allies have said as well acknowledging that reality.

    And that’s why when I say make NATO great again, it’s what President Trump set out to do in 2017. The press said President Trump is abandoning NATO. He’s turning his back on our NATO allies. That’s what is — that’s what the headlines read in 2017 and 2018. What actually happened? That tough conversation created even more investment to the point where now almost every NATO country is meeting the 2 percent goal that was said to be egregious when he first said it. Now European countries are stepping up and President Trump continues to ring the alarm bell that even more investment is required considering where we are.

    So suggestions of abandonment otherwise continue to be disingenuous and we are — we are proud to be part of this alliance and stand by it.

    UNKNOWN:  Sir —

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  — I’ll take a couple more.

    UNKNOWN:  Sure. Why don’t we take one from a US outlet and one from an international outlet. With the US outlet — pardon me, sir, what we’re going to take from the US is Logan Rateck from Newsmax, please.

    Q:  Mr. Secretary, you talked about what — you talked about expanding the defense industrial base and also expediting foreign military sales. Can you expand on that a little bit and how important that is to NATO?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  Well, one of the self-evident conclusions of the — of the war in Ukraine was the underinvestment that both the European continent and America has had, unfortunately, in the defense industrial base, the ability to produce munitions, emerging technologies rapidly and field them was a blind spot exposed through the aggression against Ukraine.

    Ukraine has responded to that, as we’ve had a chance to listen to a great deal. Europe is responding to that, and so is America. We have to do more to ensure — whether you call it the arsenal for democracy or defending the free world, if America can’t build and export and build and provide rapid capabilities because we’re too stale or static or bureaucratic or the Pentagon is bloated, then we’re not able to field the systems we need in the future.

    So deep and dramatic reforms are coming at the Defense Department with the leadership of President Trump to ensure that we’re investing robustly in our defense industrial base. A great example is shipbuilding. We need to vastly increase our ability to build ships and submarines, not just for ourselves, but to honor our obligations to our allies as well.

    And we will do that. Foreign military sales is another thing I mentioned this morning with the secretary general. We have for a long time been the country by with and through that our allies are able to supply major platforms and weapon systems like the F-35 and the Patriots and others. Whatever the system is, we need to reform that process so it’s quicker, so a request today isn’t delivered seven years from now, but three years from now with less red tape and with the most efficient and effective technology possible.

    We hear that from our allies, and that’s part of being a good faith partner is we’re going to invest in our defense industrial base. We’re going to make sure foreign military sales are as rapid as possible, which again is a force multiplier for American power, which is something we want to do in a contested world.

    UNKNOWN:  For our final question, we’ll go to an international outlet. The Japanese service NHK with Tsuchiya Tsujita, please.

    Q:  Tsuchiya from NHK, the Japanese TV station, thank you very much. I would like to ask about China. As you mentioned that the US will be prioritizing and deterring China, what role will you be expecting Japan and IPv4 countries to play in this context?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  Sure. I mean, first of all, I would point out that President Trump has expressed a strong relationship with Xi Jinping. We don’t have an inevitable desire to clash with China. There’s a recognition that there are divergent interests which lead to a need for strength on the American side to ensure our interests are advanced and that ultimately any aggression is deterred. That’s a real thing, but we don’t feel like conflict is inevitable and certainly don’t seek conflict with China. And that’s why President Trump has that good relationship with Xi Jinping.

    But it was prudent for us to work with allies and partners in the Pacific to ensure that that deterrence, hard power deterrence, not just reputational, but reality exists. And that’s why a lot of my first phone calls as Secretary of Defense were to Pacific allies, to Australia, to Japan, to South Korea, to the Philippines and others and will continue because that, just as this alliance in Europe is critical, working by with and through allies and partners in that region who understand the reality of the ascendant Chinese threat will be critical.

    It can’t be America alone. It won’t be America alone if we are to deter that. So it’s — it is a focus. I’ve articulated that from day one. America achieves strength, whether it’s in this — in the — in the — in peace through the Ukrainian conflict or deterring it in the Pacific through strength. There’s a reason why Donald Trump emphasizes peace through strength at every moment.

    My job, my job alone as the Secretary of Defense is to ensure he has the strongest, most capable, most lethal military possible. Heaven forbid we have to use it. It’s meant and built for deterrence. But if we have to, we can close with and destroy our enemies and bring our men and women home with success as quickly as possible. Thank you very much for being here.

    UNKNOWN:  Thank you, everyone.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: South Coast Build to Rent homes construction to start

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 14 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Planning and Public Spaces

    Landcom’s build to rent project on the South Coast will start construction in the coming months to deliver much needed housing supply and security for the region’s renters.

    The NSW Government developer Landcom has signed with Ulladulla based Zauner Construction Pty Ltd to deliver the construction of 60 new homes in Bomaderry.

    The 48 new homes will be provided at market rates for long term rental, with the remaining twelve set aside for affordable housing for households on low to moderate incomes.

    The building will demonstrate best practice sustainable design to maximise energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and provide a healthy environment for residents with fresh air and natural light.

    There will be a mix of apartment sizes to suit the needs, lifestyles and budgets of the local community.  Future residents will be close to Bomaderry railway station and have easy access to shops, open space and other amenities.

    Construction will take around 18 months with new residents expected to move in by late 2026.

    This week the NSW Government announced Landcom’s plans to transform the former WestConnex dive site at Camperdown into 500 new apartments including 200 Build to Rent apartments with discounted rents for essential workers like nurses, paramedics, teachers, police officers and firefighters.

    Landcom is also leading the development of 50 new apartments in the NSW Northern Rivers as part of its Build to Rent Program in regional NSW.

    For more information about the project visit Landcom: Bomaderry | Landcom

    Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

    “Landcom was formed by the Wran Labor Government and under a Minns Labor Government we are seeing a new level of investment and is supporting the delivery of new homes.

    “From the regions to our city centres, the NSW Government is getting on with the job of delivering more affordable, well-built and connected homes to those that need it.

    “The Minns Labor Government’s program is boosting housing supply in areas where we know people are struggling with the rising cost of rent.

    “This will provide a boost to jobs and the local economy in the Shoalhaven region.”

    Member for South Coast Liza Butler said:

    “The injection of housing is welcome news and will be of great benefit to many families in the area. It is developments such as this that has been the missing link for Bomaderry and the South Coast.

    “Long term, secure rental housing is important now, more than ever. I am proud to be part of the Minns Labor Government that is taking action to address the housing crisis in NSW.”

    Duty MLC for Kiama Sarah Kaine MLC said:

    “This is a great development, backed by responsible investment of government money, to boost housing supply, and tackle the housing crisis head on.

    “It’s great to be part of a Government that is investing in affordable housing in our regional communitites and supporting local jobs.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Thousands of Central Coast first home buyers in their happy places thanks to stamp duty leg up

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 14 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for the Central Coast, Minister for the Hunter

    More than 2,000 first home buyers have found their dream home on the Central Coast thanks to the Minns Labor Government’s signature stamp duty assistance program.

    The 2,145 new homeowners on the Central Coast have saved a combined $47.6 million in stamp duty since July 2023.

    The popular initiative has seen first home buyers across the Coast save an average of $22,185, significantly easing the pressure for people saving for a deposit.

    The First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme provides a full exemption from stamp duty for eligible buyers purchasing up to $800,000, and a concession for purchases between $800,000 and $1 million.

    In Gosford, 628 buyers have saved a combined $13.5 million, while 522 new home owners in Wyong saved $11.3 million.

    In The Entrance, 307 buyers shared in $6.9 million in savings, and 65 buyers at Avoca Beach benefited by $1.3 million.

    Statewide, total savings for more than 50,000 first home buyers across NSW have topped $1 billion.

    The 50,000 families milestone coincides with the release of a helpful dashboard detailing the program’s impact suburb-by-suburb.

    The First Home Buyers Assistance Dashboard also provides program statistics Central Coast wide – as it does for every Local Government Area and regional classification in the state. It will be updated regularly and can be viewed here: First home buyers assistance dashboard | Revenue NSW

    First home buyers can learn more about the program and calculate their potential stamp duty savings here: First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme – how to apply | NSW Government

    This program is just one part of a suite of reforms from the Minns Government to help address the housing crisis and ease cost of living pressures.

    This includes sweeping reforms of the planning system to deliver more housing, including establishing the Housing Delivery Authority to speed up approvals.

    Minister for the Central Coast David Harris said:

    “This Minns Government program is fantastic news for the more than 2,000 families, couples and singles able to get into their first home sooner in our beautiful region.

    “The more than $22,000 in average savings per homeowner is making a big difference for people saving up for a deposit.

    “Home is where the heart is, and there’s nothing better for Coasties to have a place to call their own in a region they love.”

    Minister for the Hunter and Member for Swansea Yasmin Catley said:

    “Buying your first home is a major achievement and I’m thrilled the Minns Labor Government is helping so many first home buyers reach this milestone.

    “Our community is a great place to live, work and play and this scheme is allowing people to build their dream life in one of the best places in NSW.”

    Member for The Entrance David Mehan said:

    “The Minns Labor Government’s stamp duty assistance program is making home ownership more accessible, providing real relief for local families entering the housing market.

    “It’s great to see that local residents are benefiting from this fantastic initiative” 

    Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch said:

    “With over 628 first home buyers in Gosford alone saving a combined $13.5 million dollars under this scheme, the Minns Labor Government is ensuring that families across NSW can achieve their dream of home ownership.

    “I want the students that I taught to be able to make a home on the Central Coast, not be forced to leave their hometowns because they can’t afford a deposit to get into the housing market.

    “This program is making home ownership a reality again for thousands of Coasties.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Environmental Crimes Bulletin – January 2025

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    View All Environmental Crimes Bulletins

    In This Issue:

    Cases by District/Circuit

    District/Circuit Case Name Statute(s)
    District of Alaska United States v. Jun Liang, et al. Big Game Hunting/Lacey Act
    Eastern District of California United States v. Pir Danish Ali, et al. Wildlife Smuggling/ Conspiracy
    Southern District of California United States v. Ruben Montes, et al. Pesticide and Veterinary Drug Smuggling/Conspiracy
    United States v. Todd Campbell Refrigerant Smuggling/Failure to Declare Merchandise for Inspection
    United States v. Edwin Flores Refrigerant Smuggling/ Conspiracy 
    Middle District of Georgia United States v. Donnametric Miller, et al. Dog Fighting/Animal Welfare Act, Conspiracy, Felon in Possession
    District of Idaho United States v. Jeremy Pierce, et al. Tampering with a Monitoring Device/Clean Air Act
    District of Maryland United States v. Mario Flythe, et al. Dog Fighting/ Conspiracy, Racketeering
    District of New Jersey United States v. Darren McClave, et al. Clam Harvesting/ Conspiracy, Obstruction
    Eastern District of New York United States v. Bryan Gosman, et al. Fish Overharvesting/ Conspiracy, Fraud, Obstruction
    Southern District of Ohio United States v. Joel Brown Dog Fighting/Animal Welfare, Drug, Felon in Possession
    United States v. Giancarlo Morelli, et al. Animal Videos/Animal Crush
    District of Oregon United States v. J.H. Baxter & Co., Inc. et al. Hazardous Waste Treatment and Emissions/Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, False Statement
    District of South Dakota United States v. Joe Hofer Eagle Nest Destruction/Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
    Southern District of Texas United States v. Andres Alejandro Sanchez Wildlife Smuggling/Lacey Act
    United States v. Eurobulk Ltd., et al. Vessel/Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships/ Obstruction 
    Eastern District of Washington United States v. Ryan Hugh Milliken, et al. Tampering with a Monitoring Device/Clean Air Act, Conspiracy
    Western District of Washington United States v. Tracy Coiteux, et al. Tampering with a Monitoring Device/Clean Air Act, Conspiracy

    Indictments

    United States v. Joel Brown

    • No. 2:24-CR-00180 (Southern District of Ohio)
    • ECS Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman
    • AUSA Nicole Pakiz
    • AUSA Kevin Kelley

    On January 22, 2025, a court unsealed an indictment following the arrest of Joel Brown. Brown is charged in a 13-count indictment with illegally possessing dogs for fighting purposes, possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and illegally possessing a firearm after a felony conviction (18 USC §§ 922, 924; 7 USC § 2156(b); 21 USC § 841. Trial is scheduled for March 24, 2025.

    Brown kept 11 pit bull-type dogs for fighting purposes in Franklin County. Columbus Humane rescued the dogs and authorities also recovered tools and supplies commonly used in the training and keeping of dogs for fighting. Brown also possessed a shotgun and various types of ammunition, as well as approximately 50 grams of methamphetamine.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Columbus Humane conducted the investigation. 

    Guilty Pleas

    United States v. Darren McClave, et al. 

    • Nos. 3:24-CR-00824, 3:25-CR-00001 (District of New Jersey)     
    • ECS Trial Attorney Christopher Hale
    • AUSA Kelly Lyons
    • Former AUSA Kathleen O’Leary

    On January 2, 2025, Darren McClave pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice (18 U.S.C. § 371). Sentencing is scheduled for May 6, 2025.

    McClave, captain of a clam vessel based out of New Jersey, was involved in a scheme to illegally harvest and sell excess scallops, violating federal fishing regulations. While clam vessels are authorized to take a limited quantity of scallops as bycatch, McClave routinely exceeded these limits and sold the surplus to Antonio Pereira, a seafood dealer. To cover up the overfishing, McClave and Pereira worked together to falsify the required Fishing Vessel Trip Reports and Dealer Reports mandated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    Between October 2017 to April 2021, McClave sold over 64,000 pounds of illegal scallops to Pereira, making substantial profits from the illicit operation. Pereira, who participated in the conspiracy, pled guilty on December 19, 2024, to the same charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22, 2025.

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducted the investigation.

    United States v. Pir Danish Ali, et al.

    • No. 2:23-CR-00080 (Eastern District of California)
    • AUSA Katherine Lydon
    • AUSA Whitnee Goins

    On January 7, 2025, Jason K. Bruce pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle an endangered Ladakh urial trophy into the United States (18 U.S.C. § 371). Sentencing is scheduled for May 20, 2025.

    In March 2023, federal prosecutors charged Bruce and Pir Danish Ali, a Pakistani national, with conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act for making false statements and smuggling goods into the United States. Bruce also faced charges of smuggling and violating the Endangered Species Act (18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 545; 16 U.S.C. § 1538(a)(1)(A), (g)).

    Ali, the CEO of a hunting outfitting and guiding company in Pakistan, and Bruce, a recreational big game hunter, began their illegal scheme in February 2016. They conspired to hunt a Ladakh urial, an endangered wild sheep in Pakistan, and smuggle the trophy into the United States. Bruce was aware that exporting this species from Pakistan was illegal. In the lead-up to the hunt, the two agreed that, if successful, Bruce would present forged documents to U.S. officials, falsely identifying the Ladakh urial as a different species when bringing it into the United States.

    In December 2016, Bruce paid Ali $50,000 for the hunt. In April 2017, Bruce successfully shot the Ladakh urial. Between 2017 and 2018, Bruce made several trips between the U.S. and Pakistan to facilitate the illegal smuggling of the trophy.

    On March 29, 2018, Bruce arrived at San Francisco International Airport from Pakistan with eight hunting trophies in his baggage, including the Ladakh urial. He was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection who alerted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials.  Bruce presented forged export documents purporting to be issued by Pakistani authorities.

    Further investigation revealed that, between 2013 and 2018, at least 25 people who had hunted with Ali’s company presented forged documents to import at least 97 hunting trophies into the United States.

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.

    Related Press Release: Eastern District of California | Galt Big Game Hunter Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Smuggle an Endangered Ladakh Urial Trophy into the United States | United States Department of Justice

    United States v. Jeremy Pierce, et al.

    • No. 4:24-CR-00240 (District of Idaho)
    • ECS Senior Trial Attorney Cassie Barnum
    • RCEC Karla G. Perrin

    On January 7, 2025, Jeremy Pierce pleaded guilty to a felony violation of the Clean Air Act for tampering with a monitoring device (42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)). Pierce admitted to being involved in deleting and tuning vehicles at Gorilla Performance, a repair shop in Rexburg, Idaho, owned by his brother, Barry Pierce. Sentencing is set for March 26, 2025.

    In addition, Jeremy Pierce’s company, Pierce Diesel Performance, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act for providing technical support to customers nationwide who purchased tuning devices and tunes from Barry Pierce’s company, Gorilla Diesel Performance (18 U.S.C. § 371).

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.

    United States v. Andres Alejandro Sanchez

    • No. 24-CR-01264 (Southern District of Texas)
    • AUSA Tory Sailer
    • Assistance from ECS Senior Counsel Elinor Colbourn

    On January 10, 2025, Andres Alejandro Sanchez pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act for illegally importing a spider monkey into the United States (16 U.S.C. §§ 3372(a)(1), 3373(d)(2)).

    On October 7, 2024, Sanchez travelled from Mexico to Laredo, Texas, and failed to declare a spider monkey he had in his vehicle to Customs and Border Protection officers as he attempted to cross the border.

    The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation. 

    United States v. Ruben Montes, et al.

    • No. 23-CR-02377 (Southern District of California)
    • ECS Assistant Chief Steve DaPonte
    • AUSA Elizabet Brown

    On January 16, 2025, Ruben Montes pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle and distribute more than $3 million worth of Mexican pesticides and veterinary drugs that are not approved for use in the United States (18 U.S.C. § 371). Sentencing is scheduled for April 2, 2025.

    Beginning in November 2020, Montes coordinated the smuggling of pesticides and veterinary drugs from Mexico into the United States. Montes smuggled these chemicals and drugs into the country and distributed them within the United States. The primary pesticides involved were Taktic and Bovitraz, which are not registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use in the United States. The smuggled veterinary drugs included Tylocet, Terramicina, Tetragent Ares, and Catarrol, which are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States.

    Montes and others stored the pesticides and veterinary drugs in storage units in Calexico to distribute them throughout the United States.

    Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigations Division, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control conducted the investigation.

    United States v. Donnametric Miller, et al. 

    • No. 1:24-CR-00005 (Middle District of Georgia)
    • ECS Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy
    • ECS Trial Attorney Leigh Rende
    • ECS Law Clerk Amanda Backer

    On January 21, 2025, Donnametric Miller pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Animal Welfare Act and transporting and possessing a dog for the purpose of having the dog participate in an animal fighting venture. Miller also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm (7 U.S.C. §§ 2156(b), (a)(1); 18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 922, 924). Miller is the fourteenth and final defendant to plead guilty in a dog fighting case involving participants from several states. Co-defendants Terelle Ganzy and Terrance Davis pleaded guilty to conspiracy and participating in an animal fighting venture.

    On November 22, 2024, co-defendants Fredricus White, Brandon Baker, Rodrecus Kimble, Tamichael Elijah, Timothy Freeman, Gary Hopkins, and Marvin Pulley entered guilty pleas for their involvement in a large-scale dog fighting event that was disrupted while in progress on April 24, 2022, in Donalsonville, Georgia. White and Baker pleaded guilty to conspiracy and possessing and transporting a dog for animal fighting purposes. Freeman pleaded guilty to being a spectator at the event, and Kimble, Elijah, Hopkins, and Pulley pleaded guilty to conspiracy. On December 16, 2024, Herman Buggs pleaded guilty to conspiracy.

    Prosecutors charged a total of 14 defendants who traveled from  southwest Georgia, Alabama, and Florida to participate in this event. Agents recovered 27 dogs, including 22 who were found in cars on the scene and had either already been fought, or whose handlers were awaiting their turn in the pit. Agents found one dog still in the fighting pit, who later succumbed to his injuries, as well as others living on the property who were owned by the event host.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Seminole County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

    United States v. J.H. Baxter & Co., Inc. et al.

    • No. 6:24-CR-00441 (District of Oregon)
    • ECS Trial Attorney Rachel M. Roberts
    • ECS Trial Attorney Stephen J. Foster
    • AUSA William M. McLaren
    • RCEC Karla G. Perrin
    • ECS Paralegal Maria Wallace
    • Former ECS Paralegal Samantha Goins

    On January 22, 2025, J.H. Baxter & Co., Inc., and J.H. Baxter & Co., a California Limited Partnership (collectively “J.H. Baxter”) both pleaded guilty to charges of illegally treating hazardous waste and knowingly violating the Clean Air Act (CAA) (42 U.S.C. § 6928(d)(2)(A); 42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)). The companies’ president, Georgia Baxter-Krause, pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (42 U.S.C. § 6928 (d)(3)). Sentencing is scheduled for April 22, 2025.

    J.H. Baxter used hazardous chemicals to treat and preserve wood at its Eugene facility. The wastewater from the wood preserving processes was hazardous waste. The company operated a wastewater treatment unit to treat and evaporate the waste. Over the years, however, when the facility accumulated too much water on site, employees transferred this water to a wood treatment retort to “boil it off,” greatly reducing the volume. J.H. Baxter would then remove the waste that remained, label it as hazardous waste, and ship it offsite for disposal.

    J.H. Baxter did not have  a RCRA permit to treat its waste in this manner. Additionally, the facility was subject to CAA emissions standards. Company employees were directed to open all vents on the retorts, allowing discharge to the surrounding air.

    State inspectors requested information about J.H. Baxter’s practice of boiling off hazardous wastewater. On two separate occasions (September 28 and 30, 2020), Baxter-Krause made false statements in response to these requests regarding the dates the practice took place, and which retorts were used. The investigation determined that Baxter-Krause knew J.H. Baxter maintained detailed daily production logs for each retort.

    From approximately January to October 2019, J.H. Baxter boiled off hazardous process wastewater in its wood treatment retorts on 136 known days. Baxter-Krause was also aware that during this time J.H. Baxter used four of its five retorts to boil off wastewater.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation with assistance from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon State Police.

    Related Press Release: District of Oregon | J.H. Baxter Wood Treatment Companies and President Plead Guilty to Hazardous Waste and Air Pollution Charges | United States Department of Justice

    United States v. Giancarlo Morelli, et al.

    • No. 1:24-CR-00066 (Southern District of Ohio)
    • ECS Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman
    • AUSA Tim Oakley
    • ECS Paralegal Jonah Fruchtman

    On January 27, 2025, Giancarlo Morelli pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to create and distribute videos depicting the torture of monkeys (known as animal “crush” videos) (18 U.S.C. § 371).

    Prosecutors charged Morelli, along with Nicholas Dryden and Philip Colt Moss, with various crimes related to these videos. The indictment states that Dryden commissioned videos from a 17-year-old in Indonesia who was willing to commit specified acts of torture on video in exchange for payment. Dryden utilized Telegram, a cross-platform messaging app that includes encrypted group messaging and private chats, to advertise the animal crush videos and solicit funding for additional videos. Within these private groups, Dryden shared snippets of videos that he commissioned and advertised that the full content was for sale.

    Moss and Morelli each sent money to Dryden more than a dozen times in exchange for monkey torture videos. Thereafter, they frequently gave feedback on the videos and Morelli sometimes suggested torturous acts he’d like to see in future videos.

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation.

    Related Press Release: Southern District of Ohio | New Jersey man pleads guilty to conspiracy charge related to videos depicting monkey torture & mutilation | United States Department of Justice

    Sentencings

    United States v. Todd Campbell

    • No. 3:24-CR-01972 (Southern District of California)
    • AUSA Edward Chang

    On January 2, 2025, a court sentenced Todd Campbell to complete a 12-month term of probation and pay $8,808 in restitution to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Campbell pleaded guilty to failure to declare merchandise for inspection (19 U.S.C. §§ 1433 (b)(2), 1436).

    On September 3, 2024, Campbell drove his vehicle into the United States from Mexico at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Inside his vehicle, he was carrying seven 30-pound cylinders of R-22 refrigerant, which he intentionally failed to declare for inspection. As a result of Campbell’s actions, the EPA was forced to properly dispose of the refrigerant, incurring a cost of $8,808.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

    United States v. Bryan Gosman, et al.

    • No. 2:21-CR-00217 (Eastern District of New York)
    • ECS Trial Attorney Christopher Hale
    • ECS Senior Trial Attorney Ken Nelson
    • Former ECS Paralegal Samantha Goins
    • ECS Paralegal Jonah Fruchtman

    On January 6, 2025, a court ordered Christopher Winkler to pay $725,000 in restitution to the New York State Marine Resources Account of the Conservation Fund. The court also ordered Bryan and Asa Gosman to pay a combined restitution amount of $247,297 to the same fund. All three defendants—Winkler, Asa Gosman, and Bryan Gosman—are jointly and severally liable for $247,297 in restitution. Winkler alone is responsible for paying $477,703 to the fund, bringing his total restitution amount to $725,000.

    In November 2024, a court sentenced Bryan and Asa Gosman to two years of probation, noting their “extraordinary cooperation” as the basis for the probation sentence.

    In October 2023, after a three-week trial, a jury found Christopher Winkler guilty on all charges, including conspiracy, mail fraud, and obstruction of justice (18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1341, 1519). Winkler, a commercial fisherman and captain of the F/V New Age, participated in a scheme to illegally overharvest fluke and black sea bass, violating federal fishing regulations. He conspired to commit mail fraud, falsified fishing logs to obstruct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and worked to undermine NOAA’s efforts to regulate fisheries. Winkler was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $725,000.

    Between 2014 and 2017, Winkler was involved in a scheme to illegally overharvest summer flounder (fluke) and black sea bass, exceeding both federal quotas and state trip limits. To conceal the overharvesting, he falsified Fishing Vessel Trip Reports (FVTRs) on at least 200 fishing trips. In total, Winkler and his co-conspirators illegally harvested approximately 200,000 pounds of fluke and black sea bass, with an estimated wholesale value of $750,000.

    Bryan and Asa Gosman, and the company they partially own, Bob Gosman Co., Inc., had previously pleaded guilty to their involvement in the fraud. The company was sentenced in December 2021 for its role in the illegal overharvesting operation. Under federal law, fishing captains are required to accurately report their catch on FVTRs submitted to NOAA, which relies on these reports to regulate fisheries and enforce sustainable fishing practices. Similarly, the first company to purchase fish from a fishing vessel must file a dealer report with NOAA.

    NOAA Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation. 

    United States v. Edwin Flores

    • No. 3:24-CR-00993 (Southern District of California)
    • ECS Assistant Chief Stephen DaPonte
    • Former AUSA Melanie Pierson

    On January 7, 2025, a court sentenced Edwin Flores to complete a one-year term of probation and to pay $2,900 in restitution to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Flores pleaded guilty to conspiracy and failing to present merchandise for inspection by a customs officer (18 U.S.C. § 371).

    On April 18, 2024, Flores drove a vehicle across the U.S.-Mexico border with three 30-pound cylinders of HCFC-22 that he failed to present for inspection.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, Homeland Security Investigations, and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.

    United States v. Jun Liang, et al.

    • No. 4:23-CR-00013 (District of Alaska)
    • AUSA Steve Skrocki
    • AUSA Carly Sue Vosacek

    On January 13, 2025, a court sentenced Jun “Harry” Liang to time served (110 days), followed by two years’ supervised release. Liang also will pay a $10,060 fine and $9,100 in restitution to the Bureau of Land Management.

    Prosecutors charged Liang and Brian Phelan for participating in an illegal big-game guide-outfitter operation. Between August 2021 and August 2022, Liang and Phelan conspired to provide guide-outfitter services for caribou and brown bear hunts in Fairbanks, Alaska, without the required state licenses to do so.

    Liang posted advertisements on the ‘Little Red Book’ social media site offering guiding and outfitting services for big-game hunts out of Fairbanks, Alaska. Interested hunters sent deposits to Liang, who promised to locate and scout trophy animals that could be transported out of state. However, neither Liang nor Phelan possessed a State of Alaska big game guide-outfitter license. Liang fraudulently collected about $11,000 in 2021 and $60,000 in 2022, on behalf of himself and Phelan, for these guided hunts.

    Liang pleaded guilty to a Lacey Act false labeling violation (16 U.S.C. §§ 3372(d)(2), 3373(d)(3)(b)), for failing to obtain a special recreation permit and operating in Denali National Park without the necessary permit. Phelan was sentenced in December 2024 to pay a $2,000 fine and complete a 30-month term of probation after pleading guilty to violating the Lacey Act and Bureau of Land Management regulations.

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers Wildlife Investigations Unit.

    Related Press Release: District of Alaska | Chinese national sentenced in illegal wildlife guide-outfitter scheme | United States Department of Justice

    United States v. Joe Hofer

    • No. 4:24-CR-40091 (District of South Dakota)
    • AUSA Meghan Dilges

    On January 13, 2025, a court sentenced Joe Hofer to pay a $1,200 fine and complete a one-year term of probation for violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 668(a), 668(c)).

    Hofer is the farm boss for the Cambridge Hutterian Brethren (CHB) in Lake County, South Dakota. In November 2023, Hofer used CHB farm equipment to take down trees on property owned by CHB. One of the trees Hofer took down contained an active eagle nest, which was destroyed. Hofer did not have a permit to take down the eagle’s nest.

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks conducted the investigation.

    Related Press Release: District of South Dakota | Volga Man Sentenced for Violation of Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act | United States Department of Justice

    United States v. Tracy Coiteux, et al.

    • No. 3:21-CR-05184 (Western District of Washington)
    • AUSA Seth Wilkinson
    • AUSA Cindy Chang
    • RCEC Karla G. Perrin

    On January 13, 2025, a court sentenced Racing Performance Maintenance Northwest (RPM) and a related sales company called RPM Motors and Sales NW (RPM Motors) to each pay $10,000 fines and to complete three-year terms of probation. In March 2024, RPM pleaded guilty to tampering with a monitoring device in violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA)(42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)) and RPM Motors pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the CAA (18 U.S.C. § 371).

    In November 2024, the court had sentenced the companies’ owners, Tracy Coiteux and Sean Coiteux, to each pay $10,000 fines, complete four-year terms of probation (to include four months’ home confinement) and perform 60 hours of community service. Sean Coiteux had pleaded guilty in March 2024 to tampering with a monitoring device in violation of the CAA (42 U.S.C. 7413(c)(2)(C)). In May 2024, Tracy Coiteux was convicted by a jury after a three-day trial on conspiracy to violate the CAA (18 U.S.C. § 371; 42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)).

    Between January 2018 and January 2021, the defendants directed employees to delete pollution control hardware on diesel trucks they sold or serviced. They also tampered with the trucks’ monitoring devices to avoid detection of the missing control equipment. The Coiteux’s companies charged between $1,000 and $2,000 for each modification. Over a three-year period, the defendants serviced close to 375 diesel trucks, collecting more than $500,000 for these illegal modifications.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.

    United States v. Ryan Hugh Milliken, et al.

    • No. 2:24-CR-00057 (Eastern District of Washington)
    • AUSA Dan Fruchter
    • AUSA Jacob Brooks

    On January 22, 2025, a court sentenced Ryan Hugh Milliken and his company, Hardaway Solutions, LLC (Hardaway), after both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act (CAA) (18 U.S.C. § 371; 42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)). They both will complete five-year terms of probation, during which the company will be responsible for implementing an environmental compliance plan. Both defendants are jointly and severally responsible for paying a $75,000 fine.

    Between August 2017 and November 2023, Milliken and Hardway created and sold illegal “delete tune” packages designed to disable and defeat required emissions controls and monitoring systems. Milliken and Hardway created and sold these delete tune files for various customers and vehicles, including Spokane-based trucking companies —PT Express, LLC, Spokane Truck Service, LLC, and Pauls Trans, LLC—operated by co-defendant Pavel Ivanovich Turlak. Milliken created and sold custom software delete tunes to Turlak for vehicles based on specifications Turlak outlined. Turlak then charged as much as $3,500 to diesel truck owners to “delete” and “tune” their vehicles by tampering with their pollution monitoring devices. Turlak also fraudulently received more than $300,000 in federal funding designated for eligible small businesses during the pandemic.

    Turlak and his companies pleaded guilty in December 2024 to conspiring to illegally violate CAA emissions controls and to fraudulently obtaining hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief funding (42 U.S.C. § 7413 (c)(2)(C); 18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1343, 287). Both  defendants are scheduled for sentencing on April 2, 2025.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation with assistance from the EPA National Enforcement Investigations Center, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and the Spokane Police Department.

    United States v. Mario Flythe, et al.

    • No. 23-CR-00354 (District of Maryland)
    • AUSA Alexander Levin
    • AUSA Darryl Tarver

    On January 23, 2025, a court sentenced Mario Flythe to six months incarceration followed by three years of supervised release, to include six months’ home detention. Flythe also will pay a $10,000 fine.

    Flythe pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in animal fighting, specifically the fighting of dogs, and interstate travel in aid of racketeering (18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1952). Between November 2018 and September 2023, Flythe and co-defendant Frederick Douglass Moorfield, Jr., operated a kennel called “Razor Sharp Kennels,” using Flythe’s residence to keep, train, and breed fighting dogs.

    Flythe’s cellphone revealed numerous message exchanges regarding dogfighting—primarily over the instant messaging applications WhatsApp and Telegram—with members of a group known as the “DMV Board.” In addition to arranging dog fights and wagers, Flythe and the DMV Board discussed the breeding and training of fighting dogs, procuring supplies for the maintenance and feeding of fighting dogs, and criminal prosecutions of dogfighters. In some exchanges, Flythe and others discussed indictments of other members of the DMV Board and speculated about the identity of a potential “snitch.”

    Flythe’s instant messages also contained several exchanges in which he arranged dogfights. In those conversations, Flythe identified the weight and sex of the dog he wanted to sponsor in a fight. Other dogfighters then proposed a fight against their own dog or matched Flythe with another of their contacts who had a dog in the same weight class. The dogfighters would then agree on wagers and set a date for the fight, usually six to eight weeks after the match was made.

    On several occasions between 2019 and 2023, Flythe received monetary payments through CashApp related to his participation in dogfighting conduct. Flythe also sent money to dogfighting contacts in connection with the dogfighting enterprise.

    After executing a search of Flythe’s residence in September 2023, investigators recovered seven pit bull-type dogs from the premises. Four dogs were found chained to posts or poles in fenced-in cages in the property’s back yard, and three dogs were found in large metal cages in the basement.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Defense Criminal Investigation Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.

    Related Press Release:  District of Maryland | Glen Burnie Man Sentenced to Federal Prison in Connection With Multi-State Dogfighting Conspiracy | United States Department of Justice

    United States v. Eurobulk Ltd., et al.

    • Nos. 2:24-CR-00655, 2:24-CR-00368 (Southern District of Texas)
    • ECS Senior Trial Attorney Kenneth Nelson
    • AUSA Liesel Roscher
    • AUSA John Marck
    • ECS Paralegal Maria Wallace

    On January 29, 2025, Eurobulk Ltd. pleaded guilty to a two-count information charging the company with violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and obstruction of justice (33 U.S.C. § 1908(a); 18 U.S.C. § 1519). The court sentenced the company to pay a total criminal penalty of $1,500,000 and complete a four-year term of probation.

    Eurobulk operated the M/V Good Heart, which transported bulk cargo worldwide. On April 29, 2023, the U.S. Coast Guard conducted a Port State Control examination of the vessel and received information from a whistleblower about illegal discharges of oil from the vessel. On at least two occasions in April 2023, the vessel’s crew discharged oily waste directly overboard from a space known as the “duct keel.” These discharges were not recorded in the oil record book (ORB). The crew also flushed the oil content meter with fresh water to ensure the oil water separator would allow the illegal overboard discharges. The crew failed to record these actions in the ORB, which obstructed the investigation. Christos Charitos, the vessel’s chief engineer, was sentenced in September 2024 to pay a $2,000 fine and complete a one-year term of probation after pleading guilty to violating APPS.

    The U.S. Coast Guard conducted the investigation.

    Related Press Release: Southern District of Texas | Foreign operator of bulk carrier convicted for concealment of pollution and falsification of records | United States Department of Justice

    View All Environmental Crimes Bulletins

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Australia – Celebs, polis feature in new book about migrant journeys – AMES

    Source: AMES

    SA Premier Peter Malinauskas, former Socceroo Archie Thompson and leading contemporary artist Saidin Salkic feature in a new book that tells the stories of second-generation migrant Australians.

    Titled ‘At the Heart of Identity’, the book is a collection of reflections from Australians who share their families’ settlement journeys and their own search for identity.

    It includes inspirational and heart-wrenching stories of migrant families as well as the sense of hope and opportunity that characterises Australia’s migration history.

    Contributors include South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, whose family hails from Lithuania, and former Socceroo Archie Thompson, who has a New Zealand-born father and mother from Papua New Guinea.

    Also sharing their stories are federal MP Cassandra Fernando, whose parents are from Sri Lanka, and Victorian state MP Lee Tarlamis, who has Greek heritage.

    Artist Saidin Salkic, whose father was victim of the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia, is also a contributor, along with others from Africa, Kurdistan, Vietnam, Malta, Yugoslavia, Burma, Italy and Ukraine.

    Launched in Parliament House, Canberra, this week as part of migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia’s annual ‘Heartlands’ cultural project, the book is a reflection of Australia’s long and diverse history as a nation of migrants.

    AMES CEO Cath Scarth said the book was timely at a point in history when polarisation and divisiveness are on the rise across the globe.

    “Stories of settlement in Australia, no matter where you have come from, are things that unite us,” Ms Scarth said.

    “These stories are reflection of how migrants have helped to build Australia and helped to create the successful brand of multiculturalism we enjoy along with the high levels of social cohesion that we have built,” she said.

    One of the contributors is Carmen Capp-Calleya, who came to Australia from Malta with her parents in 1958 – surviving a shipwreck along the way.

    “The tragic incident, the first major shipping disaster since the end of WW11, had an enduring impact on me and my family. It left us with an indelible sense that we were indeed migrants who had crossed the seas to make a new life,” she says in the book.

    Former Socceroo Archie Thompson tells of his trouble childhood.

    “I grew up in country town in NSW and I was pretty much the only dark-skinned kid in town. That made things difficult at times, but I was able to find a community through football,” he says.

     

    SA Premier Peter Malinauskas’ family came to Australia in 1949 escaping war-torn Europe.

    “When my grandparents got married, they bought a block of land on Trimmer Parade, Seaton, where they built their home and, for many years, operated a fish and chip shop. I distinctly remember as a young boy standing at that fish and chip shop my grandfather built with his own bare hands as he told me about the importance of taking opportunities,” he says.

    Federal MP Cassandra Fernando tells of growing up in a vibrant multicultural community.

     

    “I loved the diversity in South-East Melbourne, a cultural melting pot of Greeks, Italians, Vietnamese, and more. Here, I learned the true meaning of community as people from

    different backgrounds came together,” she says.

     

    Victorian MP Lee Tarlamis tells of reconnecting with his heritage.

     

    “I became determined to reconnect with Greek culture. Embracing both the Greek community and my wife’s Vietnamese culture helped me value diversity and the importance of preserving it,” he says in the book.

     

    Park Ranger James Brincat, whose parts came from Malta in the 1950s, says racism was part of his childhood.

     

    “Growing up in a migrant family was challenging due to racism and being unsure of my identity because of the media’s mixed messages. These experiences strengthened me and now guide my work with refugee communities,” he says.

               

    Architect and artist Maru Jarockyj’s parents fled Ukraine after WWII and settled in the UK. She came to Australia as a young woman.

     

    “Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent devastating war has sparked some deep latent emotions in me and reignited a sense of patriotism. Ukrainian culture

    has always been important to me, and I’ve been involved in folk music and art throughout my life,” she says.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Africa – Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia Led African Legacies Institute Delegation on Historic Visit to Washington, D.C.

    Source: African Legacies Institute

    The visit reinforced ALI’s unwavering commitment to celebrating and safeguarding the contributions of Africa’s democratic leaders

    WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, February 13, 2025/ — The African Legacies Institute (ALI) (www.AfricanLegacies.org), a pioneering organization dedicated to preserving, honoring, and promoting the legacies of democratic African Heads of State and Government, achieved a significant milestone during a high-profile visit to Washington, D.C. Leading the delegation was H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, who was among a select group of former heads of state invited by the Multicultural Coalition Presidential Inaugural Ball Committee. 

    Accompanying him were ALI officials Rachelle Yayi, Franya Cabral Ruiz, Sheree M. Mitchell, and George Williams II. Representing the Institute with distinction, H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn highlighted ALI’s mission to preserve Africa’s democratic legacies, emphasizing the importance of good governance, peaceful transitions of power, and sustainable development to an engaged and supportive audience.

    The visit reinforced ALI’s unwavering commitment to celebrating and safeguarding the contributions of Africa’s democratic leaders. As of 2025, 36 living former African Heads of State and Government have successfully overseen democratic transitions. Their enduring legacy, marked by integrity, visionary leadership, and adherence to constitutional principles, serves as an inspiration for future generations and underscores Africa’s commitment to peace, unity, and sustainable democracy.

    Key Highlights of the Visit

    Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast
    The delegation attended the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast at the Waldorf Astoria, a bipartisan event established in 1992 that convenes spiritual leaders and global dignitaries from over 50 countries.

    Multicultural Coalition U.S. Presidential Inaugural Ball
    The ALI delegation received a special invitation from Chairman Pastor Mark Burns, spiritual advisor to President Trump, to attend the prestigious Multicultural Coalition U.S. Presidential Inaugural Ball. The event brought together distinguished figures from politics, entertainment, and advocacy to celebrate leadership and unity.

    Historic Televised Interview with Voice of America
    The visit featured a historic televised interview of H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn conducted by journalist Peter Clottey of Voice of America (VOA), the largest U.S. international broadcaster, reaching an audience of 35 million viewers. The conversation explored the profound contributions of former African democratic heads of state, particularly in national development, peacebuilding, and democratic governance. H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn shared insightful reflections on leadership and the crucial role former African leaders play in shaping the continent’s future. He underscored the importance of preserving their legacies to inspire and guide future generations.

    High-Level Meeting at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP)
    The ALI delegation engaged with Dr. Joseph Sany, Vice President of the Africa Center at USIP, to explore potential collaborations on peacebuilding, leadership training, and governance frameworks, leveraging the expertise of former African Heads of State.

    Reception at the Hay-Adams Hotel
    The delegation attended a private reception hosted by Gunster Strategies Worldwide, bringing together global leaders, policymakers, and industry figures. Distinguished guests included Nigel Farage, African Ambassadors to the U.S., U.S. Ambassadors to Europe, and high-level elected officials.

    Fireside Chat with Engineering Students at Howard University
    H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn led an intimate fireside chat with student leaders from Howard University’s College of Engineering and Architecture. The discussion reinforced ALI’s commitment to fostering stronger collaborations between Africa and the African Diaspora while encouraging students to support economic development on the continent.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Like dictators before him, Trump threatens international peace and security

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sabine Nolke, Research Associate in International Law, Western Academy for Advanced Research, Western University

    At first, Canadians just shook their collective heads when United States President Donald Trump suggested Canada become the 51st American state.

    They rolled their eyes when he posted a fake image of himself standing next to a Canadian flag amid snowy mountaintops — in actuality, the Swiss Alps.

    Another Trump post showed a map purporting to merge Canada and the U.S. That prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to respond on social media that there was not a “snowball’s chance in hell” that Canadians would soon become Americans.

    Meme wars are one thing, but in the real world, threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a foreign state is quite another. Canadian leaders have stopped laughing, and they now need to situate Trump’s dangerous rhetoric in the language of international law and state-to-state relations.

    As a former Canadian ambassador to the Netherlands, and a permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and international courts and tribunals in The Hague, I know language matters.

    Trump’s threats make it an opportune time to provide a brief snapshot of the historical context for Trump’s rhetoric, and the necessary 21st-century vocabulary with which to respond and shape the public discourse.

    Manifest Destiny

    In threatening hefty tariffs on Canada, Trump cited the flow of fentanyl over the Canada-U.S. border, but it was clear it had little to do with fentanyl, particularly since so little crosses the border into the U.S. Instead, it seems he is coming for Canada’s sovereignty as an independent state.

    When asked on Feb. 3 how Canada could ward off tariffs, Trump reiterated: “What I’d like to see is Canada become our 51st state.”

    Later that same day, Trump paused tariffs on Canada, ostensibly thanks to border measures that Canada, like Mexico, had already announced. But what is still being said by the president of one of the most powerful nations on Earth cannot be unsaid.

    At a Jan. 7 news conference, Trump called the border between Canada and the U.S. an “artificially drawn line” — echoing rhetoric deployed by Vladimir Putin as justification for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. His remarks, in fact, were gleefully retweeted by Russia’s propaganda channel RT.

    Putin claims the Ukrainian border is the result of “administrative” action under the former Soviet Union, while Trump appears to be invoking the 19th century American concept of “Manifest Destiny.”

    He used the phrase verbatim in his inaugural address in the context of planting a flag on Mars, but it is entirely consistent with his plans for, and rhetoric on, Canada.

    As John O’Sullivan, the American diplomat who coined the phrase, wrote in a 1845 article entitled Annexation, it’s America’s destiny to “overspread the continent.” Trump appears to be taking that idea to heart.

    ‘The free white race’

    Arguably the biggest fan of territorial expansion in the 20th century was Adolf Hitler, architect of the Third Reich. Trump reportedly has some of Hitler’s writings on his bedside table. Hitler had this to say in Chapter 4 of Mein Kampf:

    “The extent of the national territory is a determining factor in the external security of the nation. The larger the territory which a people has at its disposal, the stronger are the national defences of that people.”

    Sound familiar?

    But why Canada and not Mexico, you may ask? Likely because he considers Canada less racialized, even though modern-day Canada has a large multicultural population.



    Read more:
    Trump has put down his racist dog whistle and picked up a bull horn

    In 1848, however, in the midst of the American expansionist era, pro-slavery South Carolina Sen. John Calhoun said:

    “We have never dreamt of incorporating into our Union any but the Caucasian race — the free white race. To incorporate Mexico, would be the very first instance of the kind, of incorporating an Indian race; for more than half of the Mexicans are Indians, and the other is composed chiefly of mixed tribes. I protest against such a union as that! Ours, sir, is the Government of a white race.”

    In short, neither the context nor the history informing Trump’s designs on Canada are reassuring for Canadians.

    Rules still matter

    Trump’s dismissive approach to established borders ignores fundamental norms and principles on the sovereignty, equality and territorial integrity of states, codified following the Second World War in the Charter of the United Nations. Canada is a founding member of the UN; its status as a sovereign state is not subject to challenge under international law.

    The charter clearly states that “all Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations.”

    Similarly, the North Atlantic Treaty obliges NATO member states to “refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations.”



    Read more:
    Allies or enemies? Trump’s threats against Canada and Greenland put NATO in a tough spot

    Trump has said he will use “economic force” to annex Canada. The suggestion that an economically devastated Canada could be sufficiently brought to heel has been embraced by the so-called MAGA-sphere, including an influential blogger with ties to Russia.

    International law

    Threatening economic rather than military force does not make Trump’s efforts at subjugating Canada any more acceptable in terms of international law.

    In 1970, in the UN’s Declaration on Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly Relations and Co-Operations Among States, the UN General Assembly unanimously confirmed that “no state may use … economic, political or any other type of measures to coerce another state in order to obtain from it the subordination of its exercise of its sovereign rights.” While not legally binding, this declaration represents customary international law.

    In 1986, the International Court of Justice ruled in Nicaragua v, United States that:

    “A prohibited intervention must accordingly be one bearing on matters in which each State is permitted, by the principle of State sovereignty, to decide freely. One of these is the choice of a political, economic, social and cultural system, and the formulation of foreign policy. Intervention is wrongful when it uses methods of coercion in regard to such choices, which must remain free ones.”

    Keeping score

    It’s both right and righteous for our elected leaders to say that Canada will never be the 51st state.

    But the time has come, especially in the context of Trump’s threats to buy Greenland, seize the Panama Canal and turn Gaza into a Middle Eastern Riviera, to call out his threats to Canada.

    Amid Trump’s dizzying litany of outlandish pronouncements, Canada’s leaders must keep track of what Trump’s declarations represent:

    • A threat to international peace and security;
    • A threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Canada;
    • Unlawful coercion and intervention in the affairs of a sovereign state;
    • A breach of the UN Charter;
    • A breach of the North Atlantic treaty.

    Trump’s threats are no way to treat an ally, but unfortunately for him, international law is on Canada’s side.

    Sabine Nolke 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. Like dictators before him, Trump threatens international peace and security – https://theconversation.com/like-dictators-before-him-trump-threatens-international-peace-and-security-248735

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –