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  • MIL-OSI: Quick Custom Intelligence Secures Eight-Figure Investment from Curve Partners to Accelerate Growth

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN DIEGO, July 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI), a leading provider of Generative AI-driven analytics and operational software for casinos and resorts, today announced that it has secured a significant minority growth investment from Curve Partners. This strategic funding backs QCI’s current management team – led by co-founders Dr. Ralph Thomas and Andrew Cardno – to continue their remarkable growth trajectory and will fuel further acceleration of product expansion and global reach markets.financialcontent.com. The investment underscores confidence in QCI’s vision and provides significant capital to extend the company’s market leadership in the gaming resort technology sector.

    QCI’s co-founders weighed multiple investment offers over the past year before selecting Curve Partners as their growth partner. “For us, finding the right investment partner was critical,” said Dr. Ralph Thomas, Co-Founder and CEO of QCI. “We engaged with several potential investors, but Curve Partners stood out with their understanding of our industry and their commitment to helping companies like ours scale responsibly. This investment is not just capital – it’s a partnership that validates our vision and gives us additional firepower to accelerate product development and customer success.” QCI’s leadership was impressed by Curve’s focus on high-growth, founder-led companies and their enthusiasm for the resort systems space – the sophisticated software and analytics powering modern casino resorts. Curve’s team recognized QCI as the clear market leader in this domain, given QCI’s extensive deployment and innovation track record markets.financialcontent.com. The growth capital infusion not only validates QCI’s success to date but also positions the company for even faster expansion in the coming years.

    Landon Jaussi, Founder and Managing Partner at Curve Partners www.curvepartners.co, expressed his excitement about the new partnership. “QCI is everything we look for at Curve,” said Jaussi. “It is a bootstrapped, founder-led, and product-first company that is deeply respected by customers. As investors, we have been looking closely at the resort systems and gaming technology sector, and QCI stands out as a clear leader. Ralph and Andrew have built a powerful vertical SaaS platform with real technical depth and multi-product scale, all while remaining high growth and profitable. Their reputations in the industry are unmatched, and Curve is proud to support them as the first institutional investor and board member.”

    QCI’s recent growth and product diversification have been nothing short of remarkable. Key milestones over the past year include:

    • Global Expansion: QCI’s platform is now deployed in over 300 casino resorts worldwide, collectively managing more than $40 billion in annual gross gaming revenue markets.financialcontent.com. The company’s operational footprint spans 17 countries and 30 U.S. states, a reach that “cements the company’s position as a global leader in casino and resort intelligence” markets.financialcontent.com.
    • Product Suite Growth: In July 2025, QCI acquired VizExplorer, a renowned casino analytics and dispatch management software provider. This acquisition expanded QCI’s product suite and capabilities markets.financialcontent.com, establishing QCI as a “powerhouse in the casino and resort data activation world” with deeper solutions for the fast-diversifying gaming industry markets.financialcontent.com.

    “Having Curve Partners on board is a huge validation of what our team has built,” added Andrew Cardno, Co-Founder and CTO of QCI. “Curve’s support will help us double down on our product roadmap and global expansion plans. We believe this partnership will translate into even greater value for our customers as we continue to lead the market with cutting-edge solutions for the casino and resort industry.” According to Cardno, the funding will enable QCI to accelerate R&D in new features and AI capabilities while maintaining the company’s focus on customer success and innovation. Both co-founders emphasized that Curve’s investment aligns with QCI’s long-term strategy of sustainable, tech-driven growth in the hospitality gaming sector.

    About Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI)

    Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) has pioneered the QCI Enterprise Platform, an artificial intelligence-driven solution that seamlessly integrates player development, marketing, and gaming operations with powerful real-time tools for the gaming and hospitality industries. QCI’s advanced, highly configurable software is deployed in over 300 casino resorts across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Latin America and beyond, managing more than $40 billion in annual gross gaming revenue. The QCI platform is recognized as a best-in-class solution that enables fully coordinated activities across all aspects of casino and resort operations, helping operators make swift, data-informed decisions that optimize resources, increase profits, and enhance the guest experience. Co-founded by Dr. Ralph Thomas and Mr. Andrew Cardno, QCI is headquartered in San Diego, with additional offices in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Denver, and Phoenix. For more information, visit the QCI website at quickcustomintelligence.com.

    About Curve Partners

    Founded by Landon Jaussi, former TCV investor, Curve Partners (www.curvepartners.co) invests in leading, bootstrapped technology companies at early-growth inflection points. The firm partners with exceptional, founder-led teams building capital-efficient businesses in B2B and B2B2C software and data platforms. Curve Partners’ investment approach centers on providing strategic support and capital to help companies scale sustainably and achieve market leadership.

    Legal counsel for Curve Partners was provided by Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres LLC

    ABOUT Andrew Cardno

    Andrew Cardno is a distinguished figure in the realm of artificial intelligence and data plumbing. With over two decades spearheading private Ph.D. and master’s level research teams, his expertise has made significant waves in data tooling. Andrew’s innate ability to innovate has led him to devise numerous pioneering visualization methods. Of these, the most notable is the deep zoom image format, a groundbreaking innovation that has since become a cornerstone in the majority of today’s mapping tools. His leadership acumen has earned him two coveted Smithsonian Laureates, and teams under his mentorship have clinched 40 industry awards, including three pivotal gaming industry transformation awards. Together with Dr. Ralph Thomas, the duo co-founded Quick Custom Intelligence, amplifying their collaborative innovative capacities. A testament to his inventive prowess, Andrew boasts over 150 patent applications. Across various industries—be it telecommunications with Telstra Australia, retail with giants like Walmart and Best Buy, or the medical sector with esteemed institutions like City Of Hope and UCSD—Andrew’s impact is deeply felt. He has enriched the literature with insights, co-authoring eight influential books with Dr. Thomas and contributing to over 100 industry publications. An advocate for community and diversity, Andrew’s work has touched over 100 Native American Tribal Resorts, underscoring his expansive and inclusive professional endeavors.

    ABOUT Dr. Ralph Thomas

    Dr. Ralph Thomas is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Quick Custom Intelligence. Ralph is a product visionary in applied analytics and the founder of two companies that deliver solutions in casino gaming, education, and adult learning. As a gaming industry veteran, Dr. Thomas has substantial experience implementing analytics into single and multi-property gaming companies to drive tangible and measurable gains to the bottom line and has built business intelligence tools for multibillion-dollar casinos. Dr. Thomas is co-author of seven books and over 80 articles on applied analytics and data science in gaming, an inventor on dozens of patents, and understands gaming from raw data up through casino operations, giving him a unique, 360-degree view of the industry.

    Contact:

    Laurel Kay, Quick Custom Intelligence

    Phone: 858-349-8354

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Quick Custom Intelligence Secures Eight-Figure Investment from Curve Partners to Accelerate Growth

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN DIEGO, July 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI), a leading provider of Generative AI-driven analytics and operational software for casinos and resorts, today announced that it has secured a significant minority growth investment from Curve Partners. This strategic funding backs QCI’s current management team – led by co-founders Dr. Ralph Thomas and Andrew Cardno – to continue their remarkable growth trajectory and will fuel further acceleration of product expansion and global reach markets.financialcontent.com. The investment underscores confidence in QCI’s vision and provides significant capital to extend the company’s market leadership in the gaming resort technology sector.

    QCI’s co-founders weighed multiple investment offers over the past year before selecting Curve Partners as their growth partner. “For us, finding the right investment partner was critical,” said Dr. Ralph Thomas, Co-Founder and CEO of QCI. “We engaged with several potential investors, but Curve Partners stood out with their understanding of our industry and their commitment to helping companies like ours scale responsibly. This investment is not just capital – it’s a partnership that validates our vision and gives us additional firepower to accelerate product development and customer success.” QCI’s leadership was impressed by Curve’s focus on high-growth, founder-led companies and their enthusiasm for the resort systems space – the sophisticated software and analytics powering modern casino resorts. Curve’s team recognized QCI as the clear market leader in this domain, given QCI’s extensive deployment and innovation track record markets.financialcontent.com. The growth capital infusion not only validates QCI’s success to date but also positions the company for even faster expansion in the coming years.

    Landon Jaussi, Founder and Managing Partner at Curve Partners www.curvepartners.co, expressed his excitement about the new partnership. “QCI is everything we look for at Curve,” said Jaussi. “It is a bootstrapped, founder-led, and product-first company that is deeply respected by customers. As investors, we have been looking closely at the resort systems and gaming technology sector, and QCI stands out as a clear leader. Ralph and Andrew have built a powerful vertical SaaS platform with real technical depth and multi-product scale, all while remaining high growth and profitable. Their reputations in the industry are unmatched, and Curve is proud to support them as the first institutional investor and board member.”

    QCI’s recent growth and product diversification have been nothing short of remarkable. Key milestones over the past year include:

    • Global Expansion: QCI’s platform is now deployed in over 300 casino resorts worldwide, collectively managing more than $40 billion in annual gross gaming revenue markets.financialcontent.com. The company’s operational footprint spans 17 countries and 30 U.S. states, a reach that “cements the company’s position as a global leader in casino and resort intelligence” markets.financialcontent.com.
    • Product Suite Growth: In July 2025, QCI acquired VizExplorer, a renowned casino analytics and dispatch management software provider. This acquisition expanded QCI’s product suite and capabilities markets.financialcontent.com, establishing QCI as a “powerhouse in the casino and resort data activation world” with deeper solutions for the fast-diversifying gaming industry markets.financialcontent.com.

    “Having Curve Partners on board is a huge validation of what our team has built,” added Andrew Cardno, Co-Founder and CTO of QCI. “Curve’s support will help us double down on our product roadmap and global expansion plans. We believe this partnership will translate into even greater value for our customers as we continue to lead the market with cutting-edge solutions for the casino and resort industry.” According to Cardno, the funding will enable QCI to accelerate R&D in new features and AI capabilities while maintaining the company’s focus on customer success and innovation. Both co-founders emphasized that Curve’s investment aligns with QCI’s long-term strategy of sustainable, tech-driven growth in the hospitality gaming sector.

    About Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI)

    Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) has pioneered the QCI Enterprise Platform, an artificial intelligence-driven solution that seamlessly integrates player development, marketing, and gaming operations with powerful real-time tools for the gaming and hospitality industries. QCI’s advanced, highly configurable software is deployed in over 300 casino resorts across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Latin America and beyond, managing more than $40 billion in annual gross gaming revenue. The QCI platform is recognized as a best-in-class solution that enables fully coordinated activities across all aspects of casino and resort operations, helping operators make swift, data-informed decisions that optimize resources, increase profits, and enhance the guest experience. Co-founded by Dr. Ralph Thomas and Mr. Andrew Cardno, QCI is headquartered in San Diego, with additional offices in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Denver, and Phoenix. For more information, visit the QCI website at quickcustomintelligence.com.

    About Curve Partners

    Founded by Landon Jaussi, former TCV investor, Curve Partners (www.curvepartners.co) invests in leading, bootstrapped technology companies at early-growth inflection points. The firm partners with exceptional, founder-led teams building capital-efficient businesses in B2B and B2B2C software and data platforms. Curve Partners’ investment approach centers on providing strategic support and capital to help companies scale sustainably and achieve market leadership.

    Legal counsel for Curve Partners was provided by Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres LLC

    ABOUT Andrew Cardno

    Andrew Cardno is a distinguished figure in the realm of artificial intelligence and data plumbing. With over two decades spearheading private Ph.D. and master’s level research teams, his expertise has made significant waves in data tooling. Andrew’s innate ability to innovate has led him to devise numerous pioneering visualization methods. Of these, the most notable is the deep zoom image format, a groundbreaking innovation that has since become a cornerstone in the majority of today’s mapping tools. His leadership acumen has earned him two coveted Smithsonian Laureates, and teams under his mentorship have clinched 40 industry awards, including three pivotal gaming industry transformation awards. Together with Dr. Ralph Thomas, the duo co-founded Quick Custom Intelligence, amplifying their collaborative innovative capacities. A testament to his inventive prowess, Andrew boasts over 150 patent applications. Across various industries—be it telecommunications with Telstra Australia, retail with giants like Walmart and Best Buy, or the medical sector with esteemed institutions like City Of Hope and UCSD—Andrew’s impact is deeply felt. He has enriched the literature with insights, co-authoring eight influential books with Dr. Thomas and contributing to over 100 industry publications. An advocate for community and diversity, Andrew’s work has touched over 100 Native American Tribal Resorts, underscoring his expansive and inclusive professional endeavors.

    ABOUT Dr. Ralph Thomas

    Dr. Ralph Thomas is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Quick Custom Intelligence. Ralph is a product visionary in applied analytics and the founder of two companies that deliver solutions in casino gaming, education, and adult learning. As a gaming industry veteran, Dr. Thomas has substantial experience implementing analytics into single and multi-property gaming companies to drive tangible and measurable gains to the bottom line and has built business intelligence tools for multibillion-dollar casinos. Dr. Thomas is co-author of seven books and over 80 articles on applied analytics and data science in gaming, an inventor on dozens of patents, and understands gaming from raw data up through casino operations, giving him a unique, 360-degree view of the industry.

    Contact:

    Laurel Kay, Quick Custom Intelligence

    Phone: 858-349-8354

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall: We’re Not Tired of Winning

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Senator Marshall Joins the Brian Kilmeade Show to Discuss Trump Trade Deals, the MAHA Movement, and Democrats Obstructing Confirmations
    Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined Brian Kilmeade on The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio to discuss President Trump’s historic trade deals and what they mean specifically for Kansas agriculture, MAHA movement momentum, China deterrence, and Senate Democrats’ attempts to obstruct the confirmation process.

    Click HERE or on the image above to listen to Senator Marshall’s full interview.
    On President Trump’s trade deals:
    “Brian, I mean, we’re ecstatic, absolutely ecstatic. Every time I see the President, I’ll tell him we’re not tired of winning. But you know, who’s excited about these trade deals are my Kansas farmers and the aerospace industry. What Kansas exports are agriculture products and airplanes, and jets. So just ecstatic about these deals. The President removing these non-trade barriers all these countries, in addition to giving us basically zero types of penalties going into their country’s tariffs, but they’re also opening their markets, and they’re moving investment into America. Just this past week, I had several of the large pharma companies who make their drugs overseas, very popular, very successful [say that] they’re moving that manufacturing here, so we’re all excited about them.”
    On Fed Chair Powell and interest rates:
    “I sure hope so. Jerome “too late” Powell, he is too late, kind of like “too tall” Jones. This is Jerome “too late” Powell. He should have cut it a quarter point, some time ago, a quarter point now, half point in the future. He’s a lame duck, and I don’t know what he’s going to do. If he doesn’t drop something today, I just have to think it’s politically or emotionally motivated.”
    On the progress of the MAHA movement:
    “Yeah, we’re making great progress. Making incredible progress. We have a group of bills that will help support that movement as well. A group of bills that’s going to make our soil healthier, help our farmers grow more with less pesticides, and with less fertilizers. The thing I’m worried about right now, which is coming to my attention, Brian is China continues to make a lot of knockoffs. So, for instance, China is making a knockoff of a GLP-1, that they’re sending to the US, that’s compounded into a pharmacy. 14 people have died from that. So, one of my big emphases here is moving all that supply chain back to the United States. It’s easier said than done.”
    On U.S.-China trade deals:
    “The big picture is that with China, we have a $270 billion trade deficit to address. I think that people missed the calculated way that the Trump administration is doing this. Basically, they boxed in China. Think about it. They’ve done the EU. They’ve done Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, and Australia, so that by having bilateral trade agreements with them, it’s putting a lot of pressure on China. One other thing China does to cheat is they’ll send a bunch of T-shirts that they made or tennis shoes, and they’ll send them to Vietnam, and then Vietnam is getting them in at their lower tariff rate. So, the President is doubling up on that type of transaction to make sure that those are tarred appropriately. So, we absolutely are getting there. To your point, I’m much more concerned about fentanyl poisoning, their intellectual property theft, the counterfeits they make, all those things. But I have faith in Scott Bessent. This guy is one of the sharpest people I’ve ever met.”
    On Democrats stalling nominations and spending bills:
    “I think this is the big political picture here, and you get this, but what’s driving the Democrat Party right now is the far left. Chuck Schumer is scared to death of AOC on the far left, so they’re demanding he’s got to do something. He’s got to do something. So, he’s doing everything in his power to gum up the process, whether it’s nominations or appropriations bills as well. He’s in a panicked mode right now, and he’s lashing out, slowing up what is traditionally done. People that would pass with unanimous consent and take zero floor time, we’re having to vote on them three times and spend two hours or more on each one of them. So, if they’re going to keep doing that, then we just need to stay here in August till we get more of these people confirmed.
    On the Senate delaying recess until nominations are confirmed:
    “The Democrats secretly want to all go home, right? That is their number one priority. These people are professional politicians; they’re used to having all summer off. And by the way, when I go back, I’m going to work harder back in Kansas than I do here. Then, at the same time, their leader is scared to death. I can’t believe he’s still there. Their leader hasn’t been fired yet, but he’s scared to death to be in a primary. So it’s all about his political legacy right now, keeping that together. But I just have to emphasize, Brian, yes, I want to go home, but I’ve done four telephone town halls up here with people back in Kansas in the last two weeks, with over 5,000 people on each one of those calls. You can go home on weekends. We’ve had significant, strong events as well. We could stay for easily two weeks, and still go back and accomplish that mission of targeting the great things about the Big Beautiful Bill, whether it’s the biggest tax cut in American history or no tax on tips, all those types of things. So, I think we can walk and chew gum. But, what we could do most to help the people of America is get President Trump’s nominations confirmed so they can execute his agenda.”
    On Democrats battling each other on bipartisan bills:
    “First of all, the one thing I learned politically up here is when your opponent is forming a circular firing squad, don’t hop in the middle of them. So, I think we need to give them all the rope we can on this. This kind of takes us back to what I was talking about earlier. The far left of the Democrat Party is the tail wagging the dog. Here’s Cory Booker running for president, right? He’s trying to reach that primary base, saying he’s the most radical, progressive person up here. That’s what he’s doing right there. And again, this is a party that won’t stop digging. They’re in this hole. They have no respect for law and order. They he just keep digging and digging. These bills that she’s proposing are bipartisan, stronger law and order support the police. He’s out there still shouting like this mayor candidate from New York that wants to defund the police. So, I think this is all political. They’re more interested in running for president, Cory Booker is. Then here, you have Amy Klobuchar, who’s one of the most moderate Democrats, level-headed people up here. And to be honest, it’s just been a joy to get to know and work with her. We’re in bipartisan prayer breakfast together. It’s something you’ll never see, but she gave just an incredible lesson to us today about life in our bipartisan prayer breakfast.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall: The USDA is Coming to Kansas City

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Senator Marshall Questions Deputy Secretary of Agriculture About the USDA Reorganization
    Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), questioned Deputy Secretary of Agriculture,The Honorable Stephen Alexander Vaden, during a recent Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry hearing focused on the recently announced USDA reorganizational proposal.

    Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full exchange.
    Highlights from the hearing include: 
    On why the USDA relocation to Kansas City makes sense:
    Senator Marshall: “Mr. Vaden, welcome. Glad you’re here today. In your testimony, you were mentioning some of the advantages of moving to some of these communities. And I would just point out that you failed to mention that moving to Kansas City that suddenly you would have the advantage of being a Chiefs fan, rather than suffering through another year here with the Washington Commanders. You failed to mention, to be within an hour of the most storied basketball program in the nation, and just barely two hours away from the first land-grant university in America.
    “And I just would want to give you a chance to talk a little bit more. You think about the Kansas City Metro, within a two-hour drive of the Iowa State University, the Nebraska University, Missouri, Arkansas…. How far away is Auburn? Not too far. So, my point is, you know what? You can’t coach talent. You have to have talent, and within just miles of there, some of the greatest ag research in the world. How important is that to American agriculture to have, let alone the affordability issues you mentioned?”
    Deputy Secretary Vaden: “It’s vital. And I want to add to the mix, NBAF. We haven’t forgotten about that. You haven’t either. I know there’s some unfinished business left there. But when you think about the potential that facility has and the technology and level of research that can go on there that are vital for the future of American agriculture, you’ve pointed to many of the reasons why Kansas City also joined as one of our five hubs.
    “The Department put some thought into this. We want to spark that level of collaboration that you have noted, whether it be with our land grant and non-land grant university partners, whether it be with individual farmers, whether it be with the local Chamber of Commerce in an area that is driven and motivated, even though it may be in an urban setting, by agriculture.
    “I know that you’re well aware that the Federal Reserve has a location in Kansas City, and that we’re looking at the shape of the agricultural economy for inclusion in the Beige Book, so we look to what the Kansas City Fed has to say. USDA will be able to take advantage of all of these synergies, and not only Kansas City, but the other hubs that we have laid out.”
    On the USDA’s right to reinitiate the relocation process:
    Senator Marshall: “Over the past four years, it was reported that only 6% of USDA employees were in the office as well. And more and more, just a crescendo of complaints from my ag producers back home that they could work with their local FSA officer or their conservation officer, but then that report would get somehow clogged here in DC. I want to compliment the White House on the $10 billion that was appropriated in [the] spring; within days, my farmers had the help that they needed.
    “And then, more recently, I think it was a $16 billion, so something is working, right from a standpoint of customer services. And I just can’t help but think when you’re when you have people working for USDA out there, going to church, going to the soccer match, all those type of things with the local farmers and ranchers, is going to be a better service of wealth. So just talk about customer service, how that was going to be impacted by these people, the net, net moving out into the hinterlands, as we call it.”
    Deputy Secretary Vaden: “Well, I don’t consider it the hinterlands, I consider it home, Senator. But with regard to having more people in the field, we agree with you that we think the level of service will improve. Not only do we agree with you, even if we had a disagreement, the Congress has legislated on this point, and this is another matter that drove our consideration of this plan, and that’s looking at USDA reorganization authority, which was granted to us by the Congress in 1953.
    “And if you actually look at the statute, I’m a former judge, so I tend to look at statutes. What does the statute say? The statute says, in carrying out this law, quote, ‘the Secretary shall seek to simplify and make efficient the operation of the Department of Agriculture, to place the administration of farm programs close to the state and local levels,’ close quote from the statute. This is exactly what Congress intended: the maximum amount of USDA resources dedicated out in the field, not in Washington, D.C.”
    Senator Marshall: “Just want to make one last point, President Trump’s tariffs are working. He has made incredible trade deals that are going to open up markets that we never had access to before. We’ve never sold a cheeseburger in all of Europe. Ethanol: 40% of our corn crop goes to ethanol. Suddenly, the EU, UK, and all these countries are going to be buying ethanol as well. We’re seeing manufacturing jobs move back to this country because of these tariffs as well. American agriculture will benefit significantly from long-term trade. Agreements for long-term success as well, and we can’t wait to see what’s next coming out of the White House and the tariffs. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom strengthens local control in Los Angeles burn scar areas

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jul 30, 2025

    What you need to know: In response to concerns from local elected leaders and community members about the potential for widespread SB 9 development concentrated in areas rebuilding from destructive fires and crowding evacuation routes, the Governor today issued an executive order that will give local government the discretion to limit SB 9 development in very high fire hazard severity zones within the rebuilding areas.

    LOS ANGELES — Governor Gavin Newsom today issued an executive order providing local governments with stronger authority to limit Senate Bill 9 development in high fire hazard severity zones in Los Angeles County that fall within the burn scar areas. The executive order continues the Governor’s efforts to help respond to local concerns, provide tools to address rebuilding, and ensure that communities can recover safely. Read the executive order here.

    “We will continue to assist communities in rebuilding safely in ways that are responsive to local concerns. This executive order responds directly to requests from local officials and community feedback, recognizing the need for local discretion in recovery and that not all laws are designed for rebuilding entire communities destroyed by fires overnight.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    The executive order remains in effect as long as the state of emergency remains active. The order:

    • Grants local governments authority to adjust rules for SB 9 development (lot splits and duplexes in single-family residential zones) in very high fire severity zones within the LA fire burn scars. This order affects the entire Palisades within the city of LA, the eastern foothills portions of Altadena, Sunset Mesa, and Malibu. 
    • Includes a seven-day pause on SB 9 development in these specific areas while locals develop their own standards. 
    • Provides local governments with the flexibility to tailor standards based on community needs. For example, local officials could add additional mitigation requirements or designate areas within the affected zones where SB 9 development is or isn’t allowed. It allows local officials to make determinations as to what best serves their community — balancing the needs of their community and fire-resilient, safe recovery.

    The executive order is consistent with the state’s commitment to increasing the state’s housing supply and its unwavering dedication to supporting local officials in rebuilding their communities. It leaves the SB 9 framework in place everywhere other than very high fire hazard severity zones in the burn scar, and within those zones allows local leaders discretion to ensure that SB 9 development in the rebuilding areas appropriately accounts for fire safety concerns.

    Helping communities rebuild

    Today’s announcement adds to recent orders by the Governor to help the Los Angeles community recover and rebuild, including another order fast-tracking rebuilding the homes and schools affected by the disaster by suspending permitting laws and building codes, which adds to earlier orders cutting red tape and streamlining the rebuilding of homes and businesses destroyed — suspending permitting and review requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Coastal Act. The Governor also issued an executive order further cutting red tape by reiterating that permitting requirements under the California Coastal Act are suspended for rebuilding efforts and directing the Coastal Commission not to issue guidance or take any action that interferes with or conflicts with the Governor’s executive orders. The Governor also issued an executive order removing administrative barriers, extending deadlines, and providing critical regulatory relief to help fire survivors rebuild, access essential services, and recover more quickly.

    California’s all-in efforts

    Since the first day these firestorms ignited, Governor Newsom has been on the ground leading an all-in state response and recovery. 

    The Governor deployed resources before the hurricane-force fires broke out – growing to over 16,000 boots on the ground at the peak of the state’s response. And in the hours that followed, Governor Newsom launched historic recovery and rebuilding efforts to help Los Angeles get back on its feet, faster. 

    Even before the fires were out, Governor Newsom worked closely with outgoing President Joe Biden to secure a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration and then coordinated with the Trump Administration to ensure comprehensive federal support for Los Angeles. 

    That work has paid dividends as the current pace of debris and hazardous waste removal is months ahead of the cleanup timeline for the Camp, Woolsey, Hill fires in 2019 and Tubbs Fire in 2017/18, which at the time were themselves the fastest of their kind. 

    State and federal officials worked hand in glove to clear hazardous waste from 9,000 homes in less than 30 days. At the project’s peak, as many as 500 crews of expert heavy equipment operators from the Army Corps of Engineers worked around the clock to rapidly clear ash, soot, and fire debris from structures damaged by the Eaton and Palisades fires. 

    By the numbers 

    • 16,000 first responders and recovery personnel deployed
    • $2.5 billion in Small Business Administration Assistance approved. 
    • $144.2 million in individual assistance disbursed
    • $100 million in dedicated community partnerships through LA Rises
    • 40,000 totals visitors to disaster recovery centers 
    • 30 days to clear properties of hazardous waste
    • 9,195 properties cleared of debris 
    • 2,300 homes cleared of debris 
    • 12,500 right of entry forms submitted 
    • 8 of 8 schools resumed in person instruction 
    • 9 of 9 water systems reactivated  

    Recent news

    Jul 30, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he has signed the following bills:AB 17 by Assemblymember Juan Alanis (R-Modesto) – Elections: precinct maps.AB 377 by Assemblymember David Tangipa (R-Clovis) – High-Speed Rail Authority: business plan:…

    Jul 30, 2025

    News What you need to know: California is standing up for all Americans by challenging Trump’s unlawful tariff policy, which is slowing the national economy and raising prices for consumers.  SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today filed an amicus brief in support of…

    Jul 30, 2025

    News What you need to know: California is taking targeted action to address the mental health crisis among young men and boys today with a new executive order focused on suicide prevention, behavioral health, and helping find purpose through education, family, and…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar Opening Remarks on Protecting Online Data

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, delivered the following opening statement at the subcommittee hearing titled “Protecting the Virtual You: Safeguarding Americans’ Online Data.”

    Testifying at the hearing was Alan Butler, Executive Director and President of the Electronic Privacy Information Center; Samuel Levine, Senior Fellow at the UC Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice; Kate Goodloe, Managing Director at the Business Software Alliance; Paul Martino, General Counsel at the Main Street Privacy Coalition; and Joel Thayer, President of the Digital Progress Institute.

    A rough transcript of Klobuchar’s full opening statement is available below and a video can be downloaded here.

    Senator Klobuchar: Well. Thank you very much, Chair Blackburn, and thank you to all of our witnesses, and I’m really grateful for your leadership on these issues, Madam Chair, and your willingness to work with me and Senator Blumenthal and many others. 

    We all know new technologies have made it easier for people to monitor their health, collaborate with colleagues, communicate with loved ones, and more. But federal law doesn’t do enough, as we all know, to address the privacy that comes with these innovations, the privacy concerns.

    Technology companies collect an enormous amount of personal information about our daily lives. They know what we buy, who our friends are, where we live, where we work and travel, even how much we would be willing to pay for something. Yet, for too long, the big tech companies, many of which dominate the market that they operate in, have been telling American consumers, “Just trust us,” even though their business models are designed to collect personal information and to use it for profit. 

    The bottom line is that we are the product, we are, and that’s how many tech companies make their money, and a lot of it. In 2024, Google and Meta earned a combined $420 billion in advertising revenues alone. And they made a lot more money because Americans lack privacy protections. An American’s data earned Meta $68 in a single quarter last year. Think about that, all these people who don’t realize that they’re being tracked. But a European Facebook user with a comprehensive privacy protection only generated $23, and that money can be used for a lot of other things that people need right now.

    And it seems like every day we hear a new story about companies playing fast and loose with data and taking advantage of customers. Earlier this year, a whistleblower from Facebook, now Meta, testified to another subcommittee about how the company would track users so closely that it could identify when teenage girls felt emotionally vulnerable and then target them with ads exploiting these emotions. For example, when a teenage girl would delete a selfie, Facebook might serve her an ad for diet products. 

    Criminals also view huge troves of data as attractive targets for hacking. We’ve seen major data breaches ranging from the 2017 Equifax database breach that exposed sensitive financial information from more than 140 million individuals to the hack of Change Healthcare, affecting 190 million people and causing more than 100 electronic systems vital to the U.S. health care system to be shut down. 

    On my way here, I was on the phone with the mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota, because they, like so many other jurisdictions, are responding to a targeted cyber-attack on their IT infrastructure, which has shut down some of the city’s digital services and may have compromised city employee data. 

    Once in the hands of criminals, data can be used for everything from identity theft to more serious crimes. And we all learned too tragically with the horrific murders in my state of my good friend Melissa Hortman, the former Speaker of the House, and her husband Mark how accessible personal data is, including people’s addresses, because the murderer only killed the people and went to the houses of the people whose addresses he had. 

    Businesses are also using personal data collected across the internet in novel ways, such as to set individualized prices designed to increase costs for consumers.

    Should a person, and this is a question we have to ask as Senators, really have to submit to this kind of intrusive data collection just to send a message to a friend online, to book a flight, or to order some diapers? I don’t think so. 

    That’s why more than 20 states have stepped in. I suspect today we’ll hear from some of our witnesses about the patchwork of state laws. I agree it’s a problem, but I believe we should have passed privacy legislation many, many years ago. I advocated for it back then. We tried, and in fact, in [2024], I [worked on] a comprehensive privacy bill with Senator Cantwell and Kathy McMorris Rogers, a former Republican House member. The bill would have required companies to collect only the information necessary to provide the goods and services that consumers sought, ensured consumers consented before their personal data was shared with third parties, and put consumers in control of their data by allowing them to access, correct, and even delete personal data. 

    But many of the businesses that today complain about the burden of complying with the patchwork of state laws, I have the advantage of having been there then, even before Maria Cantwell’s bill was introduced, when the companies were lobbying against a federal privacy law, and now they’re back complaining about the patchwork of laws. And I would like to change that, but I do think it’s important to know that’s why we’re in the position that we are and to understand why some of these states are looking at this going, “Wait a minute.”

    The need for federal privacy reform is even more urgent as AI continues to expand its role in to our lives. Data is both the gasoline and the engine for AI models. That means that demand for our data is skyrocketing, so it is critical that we set guardrails to ensure the data that powers AI is responsibly sourced and used for legitimate means and protected when you want to have it protected. 

    Luckily, there is a bipartisan agreement that Congress needs to act. The Commerce Committee, on which Chair Blackburn and I also sit, has seen strong bipartisan, bicameral proposals for federal privacy reform. Not everyone agrees with all of them, but there has been some start out of that committee, and I look forward to hearing from our witnesses about why we need these guardrails now. 

    Thank you, Senator Blackburn.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Grills Trump Admin on How So-Called ‘Reorganization Plan’ of USDA Hurts Vermont 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, grilled U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden on the Trump Administration’s reorganization plan for USDA, which will rob rural communities of vital local control and leadership. Senator Welch also questioned Dep. Sec. Vaden about how USDA plans to better balance and allocate resources to specialty crop, organic, and dairy farms in comparison to large commodity farms.  
    “Let me be candid: I have some inclination to be supportive of folks being back home, closer to where they’re serving,” said Senator Welch. “The concern I have is whether the reorganization plan is on the level—whether it’s about empowering local communities or it’s about decimating the already severely cut back work force.” 
    U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ plan to restructure USDA follows the Department’s firing of 15,000 employees as part of the Trump Administration’s mass-layoff campaign of federal employees. While USDA claims the reorganization will bring USDA closer to farmers, the proposal would force more than 2,000 local USDA federal employees to relocate across five regional hubs in North Carolina, Missouri, Indiana, Colorado, and Utah. The location of these hubs makes it clear that USDA values large-scale commodity and row cropping farms over the small-scale farms in Vermont and the Northeast.  
    Farmers and agricultural organizations have expressed concerns over how the sudden large-scale restructuring of USDA could disrupt essential services the agency provides and erode support for farmers and rural communities. 
    Watch the exchange between Senator Welch and USDA Deputy Secretary Vaden: 

    Read key excerpts of Senator Welch’s questioning below: 

    Senator Welch: “In Vermont, we’ve lost 78 staff members already. And our local USDA is terrific—they’re responsive, we call them, they give us an answer—they help us…So, how am I going to get excited about this so-called ‘reorganization plan’ where folks are going back, but we’ve already lost 78? Tell me why I should be confident about this.” 
    Mr. Vaden: “Well Senator, to use your phrase, this plan is ‘on the level.’ The Secretary and I are both serious. Employees who accept their new locations—they’ve got a job, and we’ve got an office for them, and we’re planning a new home for them in a location where their federal salary will go farther.” 
    Senator Welch: “But here’s what doesn’t make sense to me: If you believe in the local control, why do you fire local people?” 
    Mr. Vaden: “Senator, if you’re referring to the deferred resignation plan, those were voluntary decisions made by individual employees who chose—with the information that the agency provided to them—to seek a new career elsewhere.” 
    Senator Welch: “You know, you’re talking about a lot of federal workers—they felt the axe was coming down, and they had to make a choice between two really terrible things: get fired…or take the buyout. So, that doesn’t satisfy me. And again, we’ve got 78 people who wanted to stay on their jobs, buy and large, and were doing a good job and would answer the phone when I called—and they’re gone. 
    “You know what my concern is, and I’d like to be able to follow up, because I want this in the real world to be beneficial for folks in Vermont, for our farmers who are incredibly valuable citizens.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China to allocate 90 billion yuan for nationwide childcare subsidies

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    China’s central budget will allocate 90 billion yuan (about 12.6 billion U.S. dollars) this year to support the issuance of childcare subsidies, the Ministry of Finance said Wednesday.

    A woman and her child have fun at a park in Zaozhuang, east China’s Shandong Province, June 1, 2025. (Photo by Sun Zhongzhe/Xinhua)

    The fund, which is a transfer payment from the central budget, will assist local governments in issuing the subsidies, covering nearly 90 percent of the total amount distributed, ministry official Guo Yang told a press conference.

    The move follows the country’s recent introduction of a nationwide childcare subsidy program, which sets a standard of 3,600 yuan per year for each child under the age of three, and is expected to benefit more than 20 million families each year.

    The finance and healthcare departments are actively advancing the calculation and distribution of the fund, Guo said, emphasizing that through comprehensive oversight, every penny will safely reach those eligible for the support.

    According to Wang Haidong, an official with the National Health Commission (NHC), childcare subsidy applications will be gradually rolled out across China in late August, with full access expected by Aug. 31.

    EASY ACCESS TO CHILDCARE SUBSIDIES

    The subsidy can be applied for online through a unified national information system, allowing everyone to submit applications without leaving home, while offline channels and in-person services will also be in place, Wang said at the press conference.

    Those who are unable to apply online due to special circumstances can do so by going to the township or subdistrict office where the infant is registered, he added.

    Measures have been introduced to make the application process easier. Applicants, notably, only need to submit essential materials that verify the infant’s identity and caregiving relationship — such as the birth certificate and household registration book.

    A wide range of application channels will also be available, including provincial-level government service platforms and third-party platforms such as Alipay and WeChat, which are all commonly used and can be conveniently accessed online using mobile phones, Wang said.

    Guo Yanhong, deputy head of the NHC, said the subsidy is available to all eligible children, regardless of whether they live in urban or rural areas, their ethnicity or region, or whether they are the first, second, or third child in the family.

    She noted that the subsidy standard was set based on factors such as childcare costs and fiscal capacity, while also drawing on international practices, as direct financial support is a common policy tool to encourage childbirth globally. In China, some local governments have piloted similar programs, which have been well-received by the public.

    EXPANDING BIRTH-FRIENDLY POLICIES

    According to Liu Hongmei at the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, China has intensified efforts to protect the maternity rights of working women.

    At the press conference, Liu said that from 2022 to 2024, the organization allocated 22.5 million yuan in employer subsidies to expand workplace childcare, making these services more accessible and affordable for working parents.

    Trade unions nationwide are encouraged to foster family-friendly workplaces through multiple measures, such as providing breastfeeding rooms for female employees, the official said.

    Liu Juan, an official of the National Healthcare Security Administration, said that a total of 253 million people were covered by China’s maternity insurance by June 2025, including rising numbers of flexible employees and migrant workers.

    Since 2021, the country’s maternity insurance benefits have been accessed 96.14 million times, with cumulative fund expenditure totaling 438.3 billion yuan, she added.

    Notably, assisted reproductive services are now covered by medical insurance across 31 provincial-level regions and in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and painless delivery services are also covered in certain regions, according to Liu. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DelBene Hears from Washington Brewers on Rising Tariff Costs

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)

    Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) hosted a roundtable with local brewers and industry leaders at Postdoc Brewing in Redmond to discuss how current trade and tariff policies are impacting Washington’s craft beer industry.

    Tariffs on imported aluminum and steel have driven up costs for small breweries that rely on kegs, cans, and specialized brewing equipment. The uncertainty around future tariffs is also making it harder for brewers to invest in upgrades and expand operations, threatening local jobs and production.

    Washington is home to more than 400 breweries, but 2024 marked the first year since 2005 that more breweries closed than opened. Many small, independent brewers operate on thin margins and cannot absorb higher input costs without raising prices, something that’s difficult in an already competitive market. DelBene, who co-leads the Congressional Trade Authority Act, has introduced and supported legislation to limit presidential tariff powers and ensure Congress has a role in trade decisions. These include:

    “Washington’s breweries are innovative, community-focused small businesses that support jobs across our region,” said DelBene. “Rising costs and trade uncertainty are putting them in a difficult spot. I’m working to ensure our policies support growth, sustainability, and long-term success for these local businesses.”

    “The vast majority of craft breweries in Washington are small businesses like ours and we are all struggling with the rising costs of goods,” said Robyn Schumacher, Co-owner of Stoup Brewing. “While we source many of our ingredients and goods from regional providers, it’s not always possible. The uncertainty around tariffs and the cost of goods hits small businesses like ours particularly hard as we are already working with small margins. It’s far more difficult for small local businesses to stay afloat when costs are so wildly unpredictable.”

    “Chaotic tariff policies create uncertainty and without stable pricing it’s hard for us to plan, budget, or stay competitive,” said Tom Schmidlin, Owner and Head Brewer, Postdoc Brewing. “Unlike large corporations, small businesses don’t have the buffer or buying power to absorb sudden cost spikes, and we can’t change prices on a weekly basis to cover increased costs.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DelBene Hears from Washington Brewers on Rising Tariff Costs

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)

    Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) hosted a roundtable with local brewers and industry leaders at Postdoc Brewing in Redmond to discuss how current trade and tariff policies are impacting Washington’s craft beer industry.

    Tariffs on imported aluminum and steel have driven up costs for small breweries that rely on kegs, cans, and specialized brewing equipment. The uncertainty around future tariffs is also making it harder for brewers to invest in upgrades and expand operations, threatening local jobs and production.

    Washington is home to more than 400 breweries, but 2024 marked the first year since 2005 that more breweries closed than opened. Many small, independent brewers operate on thin margins and cannot absorb higher input costs without raising prices, something that’s difficult in an already competitive market. DelBene, who co-leads the Congressional Trade Authority Act, has introduced and supported legislation to limit presidential tariff powers and ensure Congress has a role in trade decisions. These include:

    “Washington’s breweries are innovative, community-focused small businesses that support jobs across our region,” said DelBene. “Rising costs and trade uncertainty are putting them in a difficult spot. I’m working to ensure our policies support growth, sustainability, and long-term success for these local businesses.”

    “The vast majority of craft breweries in Washington are small businesses like ours and we are all struggling with the rising costs of goods,” said Robyn Schumacher, Co-owner of Stoup Brewing. “While we source many of our ingredients and goods from regional providers, it’s not always possible. The uncertainty around tariffs and the cost of goods hits small businesses like ours particularly hard as we are already working with small margins. It’s far more difficult for small local businesses to stay afloat when costs are so wildly unpredictable.”

    “Chaotic tariff policies create uncertainty and without stable pricing it’s hard for us to plan, budget, or stay competitive,” said Tom Schmidlin, Owner and Head Brewer, Postdoc Brewing. “Unlike large corporations, small businesses don’t have the buffer or buying power to absorb sudden cost spikes, and we can’t change prices on a weekly basis to cover increased costs.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: TOMORROW: Governor Newsom to announce major addition to state’s firefighting capabilities

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jul 30, 2025

    SACRAMENTO COUNTY — Governor Gavin Newsom will join CAL FIRE at a press conference tomorrow to announce the latest additions to the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet.

    WHEN: Thursday, July 31 at approximately 1 p.m.

    LIVESTREAM: Governor’s Twitter page, Governor’s Facebook page, and the Governor’s YouTube page. This event will also be available to TV stations on the LiveU Matrix under “California Governor.”

    NOTE: This in-person press event will be open to credentialed media only. Media interested in attending must RSVP by clicking here no later than 11 a.m., July 31. Location information will be provided upon RSVP confirmation.

    Media advisories, Recent news

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    News What you need to know: In response to concerns from local elected leaders and community members about the potential for widespread SB 9 development concentrated in areas rebuilding from destructive fires and crowding evacuation routes, the Governor today issued…

    Jul 30, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he has signed the following bills:AB 17 by Assemblymember Juan Alanis (R-Modesto) – Elections: precinct maps.AB 377 by Assemblymember David Tangipa (R-Clovis) – High-Speed Rail Authority: business plan:…

    Jul 30, 2025

    News What you need to know: California is standing up for all Americans by challenging Trump’s unlawful tariff policy, which is slowing the national economy and raising prices for consumers.  SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today filed an amicus brief in support of…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Capito Delivers Floor Speech on Need for Bipartisan Permitting Reform Legislation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    [embedded content]

    To watch Chairman Capito’s floor remarks, click here or the image above.

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, delivered remarks on Senate Floor outlining the need for comprehensive, bipartisan reforms to our nation’s environmental review and permitting processes.

    “The opportunity is here, this is right in front of us, and I can guarantee you that I will be at the forefront of these efforts to make sure that these reforms can become a reality. I encourage my colleagues to heed the importance of this moment,”Chairman Capito said.

    Below are the floor remarks of Chairman Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) as delivered.

    “As we both know, for too long, critical projects central to American energy development, infrastructure improvement, and economic development have been trapped in a cycle of redundant reviews, shifting goalposts, endless red tape, and regulatory uncertainty.

    “Businesses large and small, looking to build things in our country again, really need certainty that is necessary for long-term investments, and projects needed to deploy new energy technologies, and efforts to restore the environment, have been caught in the same regulatory swamp as well.

    “This has been loaded on for years. Years of changes in guidance have created a complex web of ever-expanding, duplicative, and contradictory requirements, while Congress has not stepped in to provide the clarifications that our country needs. All this has led to lost jobs, missed economic opportunities, and higher prices across America, underpinning the importance of comprehensive reform to our environmental review and permitting processes. I can tell you, I get asked about this consistently, every day, more than a few times a day.

    “So, let me talk a little bit about my home state of West Virginia. I’ve seen firsthand how projects that our communities rely on face needless delays and how costs are then shifted to our families who pay more for energy, housing, transportation, and basic goods as a result.

    “These types of delays nearly stopped what will become one of the most environmentally friendly steel production facilities in the world that will employ over a thousand people in Mason County.

    “Top highway projects, like Corridor H that would improve both safety, mobility, and create economic development, have encountered multiple permitting delays and uncertainty under a litany of environmental statutes. Even West Virginia water extensions, broadband deployments, and bridge replacements have all faced delays from the federal permitting process.

    “If you’ve spent time in my state, visited our communities, or traveled across our mountains, it’s obvious how important these projects are to our state of West Virginia. They impact everything from how we heat our homes, to how we connect our schools with internet, and maintain the roads and bridges that our residents travel on every single day.

    “Point blank, these delays are holding our state and every state back from reaching our full potential, robbing our people of investments and economic development that would improve the quality of their lives. I believe it is time for Congress act.

    “Clearly, I am no stranger to the ever-illusive topic of permitting reform. Throughout my time in the Senate, I have introduced multiple bills on the subject and have been involved in the regulations on this topic, and while we were able to include some reforms in the bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility Act, it is very clear that much more needs to be done.

    “The fact of the matter is, each one of us in this chamber has a critical need in our state that could be addressed by improving our permitting and environmental processes. Like building more housing, we always hear about a housing shortage, or bringing energy projects online, we hear about the expansions of nuclear, that are going to be held in the permitting process, or improving the conditions of surface transportation infrastructure, just to name a few. No matter what our constituents need, we all know that permitting reform is needed to deliver projects more quickly and more efficiently.

    “In my role as the Chair of the EPW Committee, where we have jurisdiction over the laws that set the framework for our environmental review and permitting processes, I could not be more earnest in my desire to lead this effort with our Ranking Member. Our Committee’s involvement on this issue remains apparent by the delivery of not just this speech we’re doing together, but as we continue to work together with the goal of crafting bipartisan legislation.

    “Together, we started bipartisan conversations in our Committee in February, when we held a hearing to gain the perspectives of leaders who are directly involved with navigating these processes.

    “To ensure that we would gather a complete look at all of the issues, we kept the hearing record open for over a month to give all stakeholders the opportunity to share their experience with these existing environmental review and permitting processes, and identify challenges and recommend possible solutions to this Congress.

    “From this record, we garnered 107 submissions representing 146 individual organizations, and an additional 854 individual requests on how to improve the federal environmental review and permitting process.

    “These responses have helped the EPW Committee identify the challenges that persist across the wide variety of projects and to identify consensus on the potential solutions to address these challenges.

    “While we’ve talked about the issue of permitting for a number of years in Congress, it’s important that we currently find ourselves, I think, in like-thought all across the spectrum. Each branch of the federal government, from the Executive, to Congress, and the Judiciary, are united in our dissatisfaction with the current permitting and environmental review processes.

    “The Trump Administration has taken numerous actions to cut red tape and to put the United States in the best possible position to grow our economy and create jobs.

    “The Supreme Court delivered a unanimous decision in the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition case in May that validated what many of my colleagues and I have long been saying, and that is the responsibilities of federal agencies under the [National Environmental Policy Act] have evolved beyond what Congress intended, creating roadblocks instead of considering the environment in federal decision-making.

    “Right now, we have the momentum, I believe, needed to deliver meaningful and lasting reforms to the environmental review and permitting process, and I believe this is an unprecedented opportunity and something we can truly accomplish.

    “I do believe, and we know this well, Senator Whitehouse and I know this well, that there are areas of strong disagreement in this area between the two of us, and what we’re going to try to do is to find those areas of like-thinking, that moves the process along. No matter how difficult it might be, this is the only way we get a permanent solution, so we don’t see the swings of the environmental process that we’ve seen over the last few years.

    “To start, durable and implementable reforms need to be successful, they have to be bipartisan. Legislation that the Senate crafts must take into account all types of projects, not just politically favored projects no matter who is favoring them, or projects that will support the infrastructure needs of some Americans but not others. We must provide clarity and transparency in these processes, and be thoughtful in the way we craft the legislation.

    “We need to address every stage of these processes to find efficiencies while balancing public health, the environment, and the needs of our economy, and our legislation must establish guardrails that cease the endless amounts of agency delays and litigation that stunts the development of our projects. I’ve seen investments in my state collapse under the weight of legal challenges, denying benefits to those that needed it the most.

    “I want to stress that modernizing these processes does not mean cutting corners or weakening our environmental and public health protections, and this is exceedingly important to all of us and to the process. It means focusing the government on meeting the needs of the American people, ensuring the quality of our environment for generations to come, and making the processes more efficient, predictable, and transparent so that they’re not stuck in a bureaucratic purgatory of endless litigation.

    “The reality is this, hardworking Americans want a government that works for them, not one that keeps them waiting for the benefits that many of these projects promise to their communities. What happens when you wait, if the project still goes forward? It gets more and more and more expensive with time.

    “I was encouraged to see bipartisan efforts from our colleagues in the House of Representatives, as last week, Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman and Representative Jared Golden announced a proposal to address many of the concerns I just laid out.

    “As negotiations continue in the Senate, we must remember that it will take the collaboration of both chambers [of Congress] and the Administration to get impactful legislation across the finish line.

    “The opportunity is here, this is right in front of us, and I can guarantee you that I will be at the forefront of these efforts to make sure that these reforms can become a reality. I encourage my colleagues to heed the importance of this moment, and many of our colleagues are talking about this and have great expertise in this area, and we need your help.

    “With that, I yield the floor.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Capito: The OBBB Delivers Tax Relief for West Virginians

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The One Big Beautiful Bill prevents what could have been the largest tax increase in history for working- and middle-class Americans. By permanently extending and expanding on the successful Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), passed during President Trump’s first term, Senate Republicans are delivering on their promise to foster an environment of economic growth and increase affordability for American families.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill delivers the largest tax cut in history to hardworking people in West Virginia and across the country. That means that West Virginia families not only get to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks, but they will see their take-home pay increase by thousands of dollars. These tax cuts will also help small businesses grow and hire more people, leading to greater economic growth and more opportunity,” Senator Capito said.

    West Virginia Wins:

    • Around 400 thousand seniors in West Virginia could benefit from the no taxes on social security.
    • 5% of the labor force is employed in occupations that will benefit from the no taxes on tips.
    • Establishes a $6,000 bonus deduction for seniors. 
    • Establishes a permanent small business deduction and increases Section 179, Small Business Expensing Cap from $1.25 million to $2.5 million. 
    • Extends the Hydrogen Tax Credit (945V) until January 1, 2028, which will save Hydrogen Hubs across the country, including West Virginia’s ARCH2 project. 
    • Permanently restores 163j interest deductibility beginning after December 31, 2024, which will provide West Virginia’s small business owners the tools they need to compete, grow, and hire.

    What Others Are Saying:

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a landmark victory for West Virginia’s small businesses. By making the Small Business Tax Deduction permanent, Congress delivered the certainty that Main Street needs, allowing small business owners to continue to create jobs, grow their business, and invest in their communities. With the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Senator Capito along with both Chambers of Congress, have strengthened the foundation of our economy and provided a boost not just for small businesses, but a boost for the entire country,” Gil White, NFIB West Virginia State Director, said.

    “Senator Capito has always been a champion and leader for West Virginia’s hospitality and tourism industry, which is an economic driver that employs thousands of West Virginia workers and welcomes millions of visitors to our great state annually. We are thankful for Senator Capito’s support of key provisions in the One Big, Beautiful Bill that will positively impact our restaurant, lodging, and tourism industry members. Important policies included in the bill – such as ‘no tax or tips’ and ‘no taxes on overtime,” full expensing of capital equipment purchases, qualified business income deductions, and permanent family and medical leave credits – provide much-needed benefits to hospitality and tourism employees and regulatory and tax certainty for small business owners that will allow tourism to continue as an economic powerhouse for West Virginia,” Richie Heath, Executive Director of the West Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association, said.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cotton to Greer: Investigate Jack Smith for Election Interference

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas Tom Cotton

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Contact: Caroline Tabler or Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353
    July 30, 2025

    Cotton to Greer: Investigate Jack Smith for Election Interference

    Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today sent a letter to Acting Special Counsel Jamieson Greer requesting an investigation into whether former Special Counsel Jack Smith violated federal law by using political actions to influence the 2024 election against then-candidate President Donald Trump.

    In part, Senator Cotton wrote:

    “These actions were not standard, necessary, or justified—unless Smith’s real purpose was to influence the election. In fact, throughout Special Counsel Smith’s tenure, he regularly used far-fetched and aggressive legal theories to prosecute the Republican nominee for president. I would add that President Biden also called during the election for President Trump to be ‘locked up.’”

    Full text of the letter may be found here and below.

    Mr. Jamieson Greer
    Acting Special Counsel
    United States Office of Special Counsel
    1730 M Street NW
    Washington, D.C. 20036-4504

    Dear Acting Special Counsel Greer:

    I write requesting the Office of Special Counsel to investigate whether Jack Smith, Special Counsel for Attorney General Merrick Garland, unlawfully took political actions to influence the 2024 election to harm then-candidate President Donald Trump. As the Office of the Special Counsel is tasked with ensuring federal employees aren’t conducting partisan political activity under the guise of their federal employment, you’re well situated to determine whether Smith broke the law.

    Many of Smith’s legal actions seem to have no rationale except for an attempt to affect the 2024 election results—actions that would violate federal law.

    Consider just the following examples, where Smith expedited trial proceedings and deliberately published information, with no legitimate purpose:

    • After filing the indictment against President Trump on August 10, 2023, Smith demanded the trial start January 2, 2024, with jury selection beginning as early as December 11, 2023. Defendants in these types of cases typically have more than two years to prepare for trial, but President Trump’s defense team had fewer than six months to review 13 million pages of evidence and thousands of hours of video footage provided by prosecutors. Notably, jury selection was to begin just two weeks before the Iowa caucuses.
    • On December 11, 2023, after President Trump filed his defense with the District of Columbia District Court, Smith pressed for a trial before the election by moving for an expedited review by the appeals court. On the same day, however, Smith further escalated this push and filed a petition with the Supreme Court to bypass the district court. Smith skirted the normal appellate process but failed to articulate a legitimate reason the court should grant this abnormal request.
    • Following the Supreme Court’s decision recognizing presidential immunity, Smith’s prosecution team filed an initial brief on September 5, 2024, although there was no defense motion pending. The judge granted Smith permission to file the brief on September 26, 2024, but pointed out this was “procedurally irregular.” This timeline is highly unusual considering complex litigation matters normally take place over several months, rather than a mere three weeks. This action also appears to violate the Justice Department’s 60-day rule, which prohibits timing any action, for the purpose of affecting any election or giving advantage or disadvantage to a candidate, within 60 days of the election.
    • Smith’s brief on Trump’s immunity from prosecution was 165 pages, which required special permission to exceed the normal maximum page limit by four times. In fact, Smith also incorporated grand jury testimony typically kept secret at this point in other proceedings. This action appears to be a deliberate and underhanded effort to disclose unsubstantiated and extensive allegations timed to maximize electoral impact.

    These actions were not standard, necessary, or justified—unless Smith’s real purpose was to influence the election. In fact, throughout Special Counsel Smith’s tenure, he regularly used far-fetched and aggressive legal theories to prosecute the Republican nominee for president. I would add that President Biden also called during the election for President Trump to be “locked up.”

    President Trump of course vanquished Joe Biden, Jack Smith, every Democrat who weaponized the law against him, but President Trump’s astounding victory doesn’t excuse Smith of responsibility for his unlawful election interference. I therefore ask the Office of Special Counsel to investigate whether Jack Smith or any members of his team unlawfully acted for political purposes.

    Sincerely,

    Tom Cotton

    United States Senator

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Interview with James Glenday and Emma Rebellato, News Breakfast, ABC

    Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

    James Glenday:

    Welcome back to the show. On this Thursday morning, you’re watching News Breakfast. It is always lovely to have your company.

    Emma Rebellato:

    We’ll get an update on the latest with the global tsunami alerts in just a moment. But first, borrowers will be hoping the latest inflation data will be the confirmation the Reserve Bank needs to cut rates next month.

    Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, joins us now from Canberra. Treasurer, thanks for joining us this morning.

    Jim Chalmers:

    Thanks for having me back on, Emma.

    Rebellato:

    So homeowners are hoping for a rate cut. Are you worried though that if there is a cut it will encourage more investors into the market, and that will price out people wanting to buy their own home?

    Chalmers:

    I’m not going to pre‑empt decisions that the Reserve Bank takes independently. I think rate relief is welcome, certainly when interest rates were cut twice already this year, that provided some very, very welcome rate relief for millions of Australians with a mortgage. That’s how we see it, but I don’t want to make predictions or pre‑empt the decisions that the Reserve Bank will take.

    What yesterday’s numbers showed when it comes to those inflation numbers is really quite remarkable progress. The progress that Australians have made together over the course of the last 3 years on inflation has been outstanding because we’ve been able to get inflation down at the same time as we deep unemployment low, we’ve got real wages growing again – but it’s never mission accomplished, because the global environment’s uncertain, we’ve got some persistent structural issues in our economy, growth in our economy is soft and people are under pressure. And that’s why the primary goal, the main priority of the first 2 weeks of the parliament sitting has been to roll out more cost‑of‑living help.

    Rebellato:

    Treasurer, your productivity roundtable is on in just a few weeks. Will you be looking – and we know housing going’s to be on the agenda – will you be looking specifically at property investors. Do you want to change the capital gains tax discount?

    Chalmers:

    That’s not why we’ve put this Economic Reform Roundtable together. It’s all about making our economy more resilient and more productive, and our budget more sustainable.

    I expect and I hope that building more homes is one of the central considerations of the Economic Reform Roundtable. I’ve been working very closely with Minister Clare O’Neil with a number of people who will be at the roundtable and with a whole range of people around the country.

    We’ve all got an interest in building more homes sooner; that’s the government’s priority. The primary focus there, I think, at the roundtable will be around how we speed up approvals and get the zoning for housing right, because we desperately need more homes. The Commonwealth government has come to the table with tens of billions of dollars in investment, our political opponents want to cut funding for housing, but overwhelmingly, people want to see where there’s common ground to build more homes, and that will be the focus.

    Rebellato:

    Treasurer, one of the stories we’re following today is the latest Productivity Commission report on closing the gap. Again, so many targets are showing so little progress, and some are worsening. How would you characterise this? Is this a failure by governments?

    Chalmers:

    We need to do much better. I think from memory, 10 of the 15 measures, we’ve seen a little bit of progress in the report released overnight, some have gone backwards in worrying ways.

    I think every member of the government, and I think many Australians would acknowledge that we need to do better, and the reason why these reports are so important is because they make sure that we keep governments and the community more broadly up to the mark. We need to do better when it comes to closing the cap.

    Minister Malarndirri McCarthy is working in her characteristically diligent way with all of the stakeholders, all of the communities to try and turn these numbers around. There has been progress in 10 of the 15, there has been some worrying outcomes in the rest, but overall, we need to do more and we need to do better.

    Rebellato:

    Treasurer, we know the issue in the Middle East is a big talking point in parliament and in the government at the moment. Is it now inevitable that Australia will recognise a Palestinian state; do you want to see that happen?

    Chalmers:

    I do, and I think it’s a matter of when, not if Australia recognises a Palestinian state for a long.

    Rebellato:

    So could we see it before September, before that UN meeting?

    Rebellato:

    I don’t want to put a timeframe for it, it’s been a long‑standing bipartisan policy that we see a two‑state solution in that part of the Middle East. From my point of view that progress that has been made, that momentum that we’re seeing in the international community is welcome, but it’s also conditional.

    There are a number of obstacles still in the way to recognition of a Palestinian state, for example, the treatment, the release of the hostages, making sure that there’s absolutely no role for Hamas. These are the sorts of things that the international community is working through.

    That statement that came out yesterday that we signed as Australians via our Foreign Minister Penny Wong is a really important one. It condemns the terrorist act on 7 October, it demands a ceasefire, the release of hostages and access for humanitarian aid; it encourages countries to work towards recognition as a really important part of that two‑state solution, and the reason we want to see a two‑state solution is because Israeli families and Palestinian families need and deserve to be able to raise their kids in peace, and that’s what this is all about.

    Rebellato:

    Treasurer, let’s stay with issues overseas, and the issue of tariffs. Now, Donald Trump has now said if he’s not negotiated with a country that they’re now looking at between a 15 and 20 per cent tariff. Is that what you’re working towards now; forget about 10 per cent, it’s now looking 15 to 20?

    Chalmers:

    We haven’t heard differently from the 10 per cent baseline that’s been levied on Australia; obviously we continue to engage with the Americans on this. It’s one of the main issues playing out in the global economy, it’s a major source of uncertainty in the economy, whether it’s what’s been said overnight about India, whether it’s the back and forth between the US and China or the tariffs levied directly on Australia. We’ve got the baseline rate as far as we are aware, and as we understand it, which is 10 per cent.

    Rebellato:

    So you don’t expect that to move?

    Chalmers:

    I think it would be a brave person to assume that there won’t be – whether it’s with other countries or – there will always be more announcements about this. These tariff announcements are a moving feast. But our understanding, our expectation is we get the baseline.

    We think that the best outcome is zero because these tariffs are an act of economic self‑harm. We see inflation is going up in the US. Earlier in the year they had slowing growth, interest rates on hold again in the US overnight, they’ve got higher interest rates than we do in Australia.

    We think these tariffs are bad for the American economy, certainly bad for the global economy. We’re better placed and better prepared than most countries to deal with that, but we won’t be immune. We’ll continue to engage with the Americans on it.

    Rebellato:

    Treasurer, just to change things up a little bit, this is possibly the hardest question you’ll be asked today, we’ve been talking about theme songs. Do you have a favourite theme song?

    Chalmers:

    It’s hard to go past the themes – the 2 theme songs in the Rocky movies, or the theme song to that great Eminem movie, 8 Mile. I’m a hip‑hop guy –

    Rebellato:

    Oh, yeah.

    Chalmers:

    – as James on the couch knows, but I think the best theme song, now that you put me on the spot, the best theme song I can remember is when Powderfinger, These Days kicks in during that wonderful Australian movie, Two Hands.

    I think These Days by Powderfinger came in at number 14 on the week in the Triple J Hottest 100 Australian songs. Like everyone who loves Powderfinger, I think that should have been higher. But that’s an amazing theme song, and that’s an incredible, Two Hands, Heath Ledger, Bryan Brown, Rose, all the great Australian actors and a wonderful Australian theme song too by Powderfinger from Brisbane.

    Rebellato:

    Treasurer, thank you so much for joining us this morning, we appreciate it.

    Chalmers:

    Thanks very much.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Thomas Muller set to join MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Bayern Munich veteran Thomas Muller is close to sealing a move to Major League Soccer (MLS).

    According to German and Canadian media reports, only minor details remain before the 35-year-old signs a two-year contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps as a free agent on August 1.

    The 131-time capped German international is expected to further boost the MLS’ profile alongside Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami. Reports say Muller’s debut for the Whitecaps could come on August 9 against the San Jose Earthquakes.

    Layvin Kurzawa (L) from Paris Saint-Germain competes with Thomas Muller from Bayern Munich during their match of Group B of the 2017-18 season Champions League at Parc des Princes in Paris, France on Sept. 27, 2017. Paris Saint-Germain won by 3-0 at home. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

    The Bavarian forward recently expressed a desire to gain international experience to round out a decorated career that includes two UEFA Champions League titles, 13 Bundesliga championships and six German Cup trophies.

    Muller has called the MLS an intriguing competition, noting that “we see a World Cup played in the United States, Canada and Mexico, in 2026.”

    German ties to the Canadian west coast club may have influenced his decision. Canadian international full-back Alphonso Davies joined Bayern from Vancouver in 2018, while Whitecaps managing director Alexander Schuster previously worked for German sides Mainz 05 and Schalke 04. In 2022, Nick Salihamidzic, son of former Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, played for Vancouver.

    “I am looking forward to playing in the MLS and meeting figureheads such as Messi,” said Muller, who leaves Bayern after contributing 250 goals and 276 assists in 756 competitive appearances.

    He follows in the footsteps of fellow Bayern and German greats Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Lothar Matthaeus and Bastian Schweinsteiger, who all played in the MLS after their European careers.

    The Whitecaps have won the Canadian Championship four times, including three in the past three years.

    Muller acknowledged the challenge of adapting to new surroundings, saying, “When you leave a club like Bayern, you meet different circumstances.” He added that he still feels “the desire for football burning in my chest.”

    Turning 36 in September, Muller saw his wish for a one-year contract extension turned down by Bayern as his playing time declined in recent seasons, when he primarily served as a substitute and mentor for younger players. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Leading National Security Dems Alarmed by Trump’s Steep Concessions to China

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senate Armed Services Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) joined Ranking Senate Defense Appropriator Chris Coons (D-DE), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Appropriations Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA), and several other key members of the Appropriations, Armed Services, Foreign Relations, and Intelligence Committees raised the alarm over public reporting that President Trump is pausing export controls on critical technology sold to China and undermining relations with Taiwan as part of an effort to secure a trade deal with Beijing.

    The Senators are deeply concerned that President Trump’s desire for a perceived “deal” is clouding crucial U.S. export control decisions that could imperil national security, threaten U.S. artificial intelligence advantages, and put other American-generated emerging technologies critical to military programs at risk.

    The twelve U.S. Senators, who also included Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations Ranking Member Brian Schatz (D-HI), Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Tim Kaine (D-VA), Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Senate Armed Services Committee member Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Senate Intelligence Committee member Michael Bennet (D-CO), Senate Armed Services Committee member Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Senate Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and Finance Ranking Member Andy Kim (D-NJ), issued the following joint statement:

    “President Trump has spent the past six months eroding our advantages over China, but recent developments make clear how willing his administration is to sacrifice American economic and technological leadership for symbolic “wins” with China in Trump’s self-inflicted trade war.

    “In just the last two days, we have seen reporting that the Trump administration has cancelled a long-planned high-level security dialogue with Taiwan and denied the president of Taiwan the ability to transit the United States—a longstanding tradition respected by administrations of both parties. These developments come right on the heels of a decision to pave the way for the sale of advanced AI chips to China and to freeze export controls on additional American technologies enabling them to now flow to China, even as Beijing tightens export controls on the United States. Independent media reports today suggest these moves are an attempt to secure trade concessions, curry favor with President Xi Jinping, and ensure President Trump gets a visit to China. The president is demonstrating to Beijing that he can be cajoled into giving up America’s core interests.

    “In the face of lackluster domestic economic forecasts and anemic interest from Beijing in achieving a real breakthrough in talks, President Trump and his economic team have ceded leverage and negotiating power to Beijing in a desperate attempt to lure President Xi to a meeting with President Trump. Even more dangerously, they risk putting American national security, technological advantage, and economic prosperity on the chopping block in order to do so.

    “President Trump is handing our primary geopolitical adversary the keys to the castle of 21st century global technological dominance. Doing so will enable Chinese leadership in artificial intelligence, infusing the Chinese military with the technological advantage it needs to continue hostile operations across the globe. He is signaling his ambivalence about standing with Taiwan, our long-term partner in the region and a powerhouse of the global economy. And he is emboldening Beijing to take aggressive actions and seek even more aggressive concessions in whatever trade negotiations may follow.

    “President Trump and this administration must reset their dangerously weak approach to China and make clear they will no longer accept symbolic wins in exchange for steep American concessions. An administration convinced it can renegotiate the world order needs to stop negotiating against itself.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Leading National Security Dems Alarmed by Trump’s Steep Concessions to China

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senate Armed Services Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) joined Ranking Senate Defense Appropriator Chris Coons (D-DE), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Appropriations Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA), and several other key members of the Appropriations, Armed Services, Foreign Relations, and Intelligence Committees raised the alarm over public reporting that President Trump is pausing export controls on critical technology sold to China and undermining relations with Taiwan as part of an effort to secure a trade deal with Beijing.

    The Senators are deeply concerned that President Trump’s desire for a perceived “deal” is clouding crucial U.S. export control decisions that could imperil national security, threaten U.S. artificial intelligence advantages, and put other American-generated emerging technologies critical to military programs at risk.

    The twelve U.S. Senators, who also included Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations Ranking Member Brian Schatz (D-HI), Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Tim Kaine (D-VA), Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Senate Armed Services Committee member Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Senate Intelligence Committee member Michael Bennet (D-CO), Senate Armed Services Committee member Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Senate Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and Finance Ranking Member Andy Kim (D-NJ), issued the following joint statement:

    “President Trump has spent the past six months eroding our advantages over China, but recent developments make clear how willing his administration is to sacrifice American economic and technological leadership for symbolic “wins” with China in Trump’s self-inflicted trade war.

    “In just the last two days, we have seen reporting that the Trump administration has cancelled a long-planned high-level security dialogue with Taiwan and denied the president of Taiwan the ability to transit the United States—a longstanding tradition respected by administrations of both parties. These developments come right on the heels of a decision to pave the way for the sale of advanced AI chips to China and to freeze export controls on additional American technologies enabling them to now flow to China, even as Beijing tightens export controls on the United States. Independent media reports today suggest these moves are an attempt to secure trade concessions, curry favor with President Xi Jinping, and ensure President Trump gets a visit to China. The president is demonstrating to Beijing that he can be cajoled into giving up America’s core interests.

    “In the face of lackluster domestic economic forecasts and anemic interest from Beijing in achieving a real breakthrough in talks, President Trump and his economic team have ceded leverage and negotiating power to Beijing in a desperate attempt to lure President Xi to a meeting with President Trump. Even more dangerously, they risk putting American national security, technological advantage, and economic prosperity on the chopping block in order to do so.

    “President Trump is handing our primary geopolitical adversary the keys to the castle of 21st century global technological dominance. Doing so will enable Chinese leadership in artificial intelligence, infusing the Chinese military with the technological advantage it needs to continue hostile operations across the globe. He is signaling his ambivalence about standing with Taiwan, our long-term partner in the region and a powerhouse of the global economy. And he is emboldening Beijing to take aggressive actions and seek even more aggressive concessions in whatever trade negotiations may follow.

    “President Trump and this administration must reset their dangerously weak approach to China and make clear they will no longer accept symbolic wins in exchange for steep American concessions. An administration convinced it can renegotiate the world order needs to stop negotiating against itself.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: On 60th Anniversary of Medicare & Medicaid, Reed Seeks to Repeal Health Care Cuts in Trump’s ‘Big, Ugly Betrayal’

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, on the 60th anniversary of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, U.S. Senator Jack Reed joined Democratic colleagues in introducing new legislation to repeal the health care cuts in President Donald Trump and Republicans’ ‘Big, Ugly Betrayal’ tax and budget law and permanently extend the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced tax credits, which expire at the end of the year.

    The sweeping billionaires-first tax law, which Senator Reed strongly opposed, was passed using a legislative process known as reconciliation that only required a 50 vote majority to pass. The law includes nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade, with Rhode Island projected to lose $4 billion in federal Medicaid funding over that timeframe, according to projections from experts at health policy organization KFF.

    Nationwide, Trump’s law will result in an estimated 15 million people losing their health insurance under Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. It will have significant repercussions for many health clinics, hospitals, patients, seniors and nursing homes.

    “Sixty years ago, President Johnson signed the landmark law establishing Medicare and Medicaid. These programs have helped save lives, but now they are under partisan attack and need protection. President Trump and Congressional Republicans enacted a law to kick millions of hardworking people off their health insurance under Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, denying them coverage when they need it most,” said Senator Reed. “While billionaires get a bigger tax break, average Americans will be forced to pay more for health care and so will states. Democrats are offering a bill to reverse that trend, and expand access to health care. I am pleased to join my colleagues in introducing legislation to repeal the Medicaid cuts in the ‘Big Ugly Betrayal’ law and extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced tax credits so every American has access to affordable, cost-effective health insurance that meets their needs.”

    Studies show that people without health insurance are more likely to delay or forgo the care they need, which often leads to worse health outcomes that are more expensive in the long run. Hospitals will also face higher costs because federal law requires them to provide emergency care to patients who can’t afford it.

    While billionaires and millionaires reap trillions of dollars from the Trump tax bill, young workers will no longer have access to the enhanced premium tax credits that helped them afford health insurance under the ACA. Those credits made ACA health coverage more affordable for roughly 22 million Americans by lowering monthly premiums an average of $705 annually, according to KFF. Congressional Republicans refused to extend those credits, which are now set to expire at the start of 2026, and could force millions of Americans to be hit with higher health insurance premiums.

    The Providence Journal reported: “An additional 40,000 will see their insurance premiums balloon by an average of 85% when tax credits that expanded Obamacare coverage expire at the end of 2025, leading to more Rhode Islanders uninsured or underinsured.”

    In addition to taking away people’s health care, the Republican tax law makes massive cuts to nutrition assistance and other critical programs that Rhode Islanders rely on in order to provide a larger tax windfall for the ultra-wealthy. According to the Providence Journal, the Trump tax and budget law means: “An estimated 144,000 Rhode Islanders losing some form of SNAP benefits, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. More than two-thirds of SNAP recipients are children, the elderly or people with disabilities.” The budget package cuts federal SNAP funding by 20 percent through 2034 — the largest cut in SNAP history. Rhode Island could be required to contribute more than $51 million annually in state cost-share for benefits, which have always been fully federally funded.

    The law also jeopardizes clean energy jobs in Rhode Island by phasing out clean energy and energy efficiency tax credits and incentives that were passed in the Inflation Reduction Act.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: On 60th Anniversary of Medicare & Medicaid, Reed Seeks to Repeal Health Care Cuts in Trump’s ‘Big, Ugly Betrayal’

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, on the 60th anniversary of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, U.S. Senator Jack Reed joined Democratic colleagues in introducing new legislation to repeal the health care cuts in President Donald Trump and Republicans’ ‘Big, Ugly Betrayal’ tax and budget law and permanently extend the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced tax credits, which expire at the end of the year.

    The sweeping billionaires-first tax law, which Senator Reed strongly opposed, was passed using a legislative process known as reconciliation that only required a 50 vote majority to pass. The law includes nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade, with Rhode Island projected to lose $4 billion in federal Medicaid funding over that timeframe, according to projections from experts at health policy organization KFF.

    Nationwide, Trump’s law will result in an estimated 15 million people losing their health insurance under Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. It will have significant repercussions for many health clinics, hospitals, patients, seniors and nursing homes.

    “Sixty years ago, President Johnson signed the landmark law establishing Medicare and Medicaid. These programs have helped save lives, but now they are under partisan attack and need protection. President Trump and Congressional Republicans enacted a law to kick millions of hardworking people off their health insurance under Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, denying them coverage when they need it most,” said Senator Reed. “While billionaires get a bigger tax break, average Americans will be forced to pay more for health care and so will states. Democrats are offering a bill to reverse that trend, and expand access to health care. I am pleased to join my colleagues in introducing legislation to repeal the Medicaid cuts in the ‘Big Ugly Betrayal’ law and extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced tax credits so every American has access to affordable, cost-effective health insurance that meets their needs.”

    Studies show that people without health insurance are more likely to delay or forgo the care they need, which often leads to worse health outcomes that are more expensive in the long run. Hospitals will also face higher costs because federal law requires them to provide emergency care to patients who can’t afford it.

    While billionaires and millionaires reap trillions of dollars from the Trump tax bill, young workers will no longer have access to the enhanced premium tax credits that helped them afford health insurance under the ACA. Those credits made ACA health coverage more affordable for roughly 22 million Americans by lowering monthly premiums an average of $705 annually, according to KFF. Congressional Republicans refused to extend those credits, which are now set to expire at the start of 2026, and could force millions of Americans to be hit with higher health insurance premiums.

    The Providence Journal reported: “An additional 40,000 will see their insurance premiums balloon by an average of 85% when tax credits that expanded Obamacare coverage expire at the end of 2025, leading to more Rhode Islanders uninsured or underinsured.”

    In addition to taking away people’s health care, the Republican tax law makes massive cuts to nutrition assistance and other critical programs that Rhode Islanders rely on in order to provide a larger tax windfall for the ultra-wealthy. According to the Providence Journal, the Trump tax and budget law means: “An estimated 144,000 Rhode Islanders losing some form of SNAP benefits, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. More than two-thirds of SNAP recipients are children, the elderly or people with disabilities.” The budget package cuts federal SNAP funding by 20 percent through 2034 — the largest cut in SNAP history. Rhode Island could be required to contribute more than $51 million annually in state cost-share for benefits, which have always been fully federally funded.

    The law also jeopardizes clean energy jobs in Rhode Island by phasing out clean energy and energy efficiency tax credits and incentives that were passed in the Inflation Reduction Act.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz-Collins Bipartisan Legislation To Reform Disaster Recovery Passes Key Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON – The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs yesterday unanimously voted to advance a bipartisan housing package which included the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act. The provision, authored by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), would help communities recover from major disasters.

    “Right now, each time a disaster happens, communities in crisis are forced to wait for Congress to pass a disaster funding bill before HUD can help. Our provision changes the law so they no longer have to wait. As soon as a disaster strikes, HUD will be able to help communities begin the process of recovery,” said Senator Schatz.

    “With natural disasters increasing in frequency and intensity—as we saw earlier this month with the devastating floods in Texas—it is critical that states have the necessary resources to respond in order to protect public safety, property, and our economy,” said Senator Collins. “Our bipartisan legislation would allow communities to immediately focus on helping families and local businesses recover instead of waiting on the federal bureaucracy in the wake of a natural disaster.”

    The Schatz-Collins measure addresses long-standing recommendations from the HUD Office of the Inspector General and Government Accountability Office to establish a permanent and predictable funding process. The bill accelerates assistance to disaster-impacted communities by:

    • Creating a disaster recovery fund to allow HUD to predictably assist communities;
    • Authorizing HUD to issue regulations to codify program requirements and reduce unnecessary red tape, delays, and unpredictability that stems from the current process;
    • Supporting resilience as a part of – rather than separate from – disaster recovery;
    • Authorizing “quick release” funds to support grantee capacity right after an event;
    • Improving federal coordination by establishing an office at HUD devoted to disaster recovery and resilience; and
    • Reducing unnecessary administrative burdens and interagency requirement conflicts.

    The full text of the provision is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz Denounces Starvation In Gaza, Criticizes Israeli Government’s Conduct Of War

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today spoke on the Senate floor about the crisis of starvation in Gaza, which has resulted in almost a third of Palestinians going for several days without eating and at least 63 people dying from malnutrition this month alone. Schatz criticized the Netanyahu government’s decision to cut off aid into Gaza and later set up an entity that failed to distribute aid safely and effectively.

    “The fact that this catastrophe was preventable is precisely what makes it so indefensible,” said Senator Schatz, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. “People have been warning for months that the Israeli government’s actions would result in exactly this kind of tragedy, where children are dying by the dozens and hundreds of thousands of people are starving for days. What possible explanation is there for letting infants and 2- and 3-year-olds starve? What tactical advantage is being gained?”

    Senator Schatz continued, “Standing up for our shared humanity, whatever our other differences and preferences, should not be a matter of controversy. The government of Israel is behaving terribly. Its conduct of the war is indefensible. And it is not in spite of my Jewishness and my Judaism that I feel this way – it is because of it.”

    A transcript of Senator Schatz’s remarks is below. Video is available here.

    The mass starvation and death sweeping through Gaza is a moral tragedy and a strategic abomination. What started as a war with a just cause – to go after Hamas for the unspeakable atrocities it committed on October 7th and bring home the hostages – quickly turned unjust and immoral.

    Everyone knows how complicated and fraught the Middle East is. Everyone knows that navigating this generations-long conflict requires nuance and depth and a historical understanding in order to try and get it right. Everyone knows that smart and sincere and decent people can disagree on this issue. But what is happening today is entirely different. There is no excuse for this horrific suffering. It’s not making Israel or Israelis or Jews any safer…nor is it helping to bring home the 50 remaining hostages who’ve been in brutal captivity for almost 2 years.

    The fact that this catastrophe was preventable is precisely what makes it so indefensible. People have been warning for months that the Israeli government’s actions would result in exactly this kind of tragedy…where children are dying by the dozens and hundreds of thousands of people are starving for days.

    The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which Israel scrambled to set up 2 months ago, has failed. According to the BBC, where there used to be 400 U.N. aid distribution sites, there are now just 4 run by the GHF. And as a result, a third of Gazans are going multiple days in a row without eating. The World Health Organization reports that at least 63 people, many of them children, have died from malnutrition this month alone. And more than a thousand Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid at GHF sites, according to the U.N.

    In May, the GHF’s first executive director resigned, saying, “It is clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.”

    Whether you believe that this organization was set up to fail intentionally from the start, or more charitably, that the Israeli government established it without understanding that it wouldn’t succeed, it doesn’t matter. What is plainly obvious now is that it is not working. You don’t have to be some left-wing organization…or get your data from the Hamas government…to acknowledge that the GHF is failing at its fundamental mission of feeding people.

    Which raises the question: why? Here we have an Israeli security apparatus that can – and did – synchronize an attack of exploding pagers across an entire country. They can reach in and gather intelligence from the high command of their greatest adversaries. The IDF is widely viewed as punching way above its weight in almost every way. And yet, Israel is asserting that, given all of those capabilities, the one thing that they can’t do is facilitate aid distribution. That’s too hard for them.

    Food and medical assistance routinely get into conflict zones all around the world. Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Gaza should not be any different. What is different are the stated goals of the extremists in the Israeli government.

    “The only way to win the war and bring back the hostages is to completely stop the ‘humanitarian’ aid, conquer the entire Gaza Strip, and encourage voluntary migration.” That was the National Security of the government of Israel. Completely stopping humanitarian aid. Conquering the entire Gaza Strip. Encouraging migration. Those are their words – these are not my words.

    And as starvation takes hold, their response is to deny that is even happening. “There is no starvation in Gaza.” Who said that? The Prime Minister of Israel. Ben-Gvir added, “If they were hungry, they would have returned the hostages home.” If they were hungry, they would have returned the hostages home.

    It’s worth pausing on that for just a moment. Too many people in the Netanyahu government make no distinction between the actual enemy that is Hamas and innocent civilians. The idea that a desperate mother, malnourished herself, and out of breast milk for her infant; or a 7-year-old running to the front of an aid line to get whatever scraps he can for him and his siblings – the idea that these people are in charge of which hostages are released and when, and they suddenly are being held to account for the actions of Hamas on October 7th – is preposterous.

    It’s another example of the casual dismissal of civilian death and suffering as if it’s an inevitable consequence of having to go after the bad guys. War is hell and all of that. But what possible explanation is there for letting infants and 2 and 3-year-olds starve? What tactical advantage is being gained?

    Standing up for our shared humanity, whatever our other differences and preferences, should not be controversial. But too often, when someone is critical of Israel, and they’re a Jew, they’re characterized as a self-hating Jew. When someone is critical of Israel, and they’re not a Jew, they’re characterized as antisemitic.

    I want to be crystal clear. Antisemitism is among the oldest and most vile prejudices that exist. It is real, it is scary, and it is on the rise in the United States. It should be fought at every turn, left, right, and center. And anyone who simply waves it away or denies the urgency of addressing it is either not paying attention or lying.

    But criticizing the conduct of this war. Criticizing Minister Ben-Gvir who talks about ethnic cleansing. Criticizing the withholding of aid. Criticizing the excessive tolerance for civilian casualties. Criticizing Prime Minister Netanyahu’s apparent willingness to cling to power at the expense of Israel, Israelis, and Jews everywhere. That is a separate matter. Everybody gets to do that – just like Americans get to criticize their president without hating America or the people within it. People are more than their government. The government of Israel is behaving terribly. Its conduct of the war is indefensible. And it is not in spite of my Jewishness and Judaism that I feel this way – it is because of it.

    There are a lot of people – including people I know personally, and I believe this – who believe deeply in the sacred idea of Israel. They are good people, and this cannot be about vanquishing one side of the political spectrum – whether that’s the left and center left or right and alt-right. This is about grounding ourselves in the very basic principle, which is: whatever else we’re fighting about, can we please hold the children harmless?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Victory for vintage vehicles and private motorhomes

    Source: New Zealand Government

    From 1 September, commonsense changes will see vintage light vehicles and private heavy motorhomes moving to annual vehicle inspections rather than six-monthly, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.

    “Everyone loves spotting a beautifully kept vintage car out for a Sunday drive, and cruising around our beautiful country in a motorhome is a classic Kiwi dream,” Mr Bishop says.

    “There are about 128,000 vintage vehicles and 39,000 private motorhomes registered in New Zealand. Until now, their owners have had to front up for a Warrant or Certificate of Fitness inspection every six months – even though these vehicles are driven far less than your average modern car.

    “Evidence shows that vintage vehicles and motorhomes are half as likely to have a contributing fault in a serious crash – even after adjusting for how many of them are on the road. And when it comes to passing a WoF inspection, vintage vehicles actually perform better than vehicles under 40 years old.

    “In fact, once a vehicle hits 40, its pass rates go up – proof that hitting middle age isn’t all bad news.

    “Earlier this year, the Government consulted on reducing the frequency of those inspections to six-monthly. Public support was overwhelmingly in favour of making this change.

    “I’m pleased to confirm that from 1 September, vintage light vehicles and private heavy motorhomes will only require annual inspections instead of six-monthly.

    “Owners of these vehicles can now spend less time on bureaucracy and queueing for a vehicle inspection, and more time where they’d rather be – under the bonnet or out on the road. 

    “For drivers of modern cars, don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about you. The Government will also be reviewing WOF/COF frequency and inspection requirements for other light vehicles as part of the Land Transport Rules Reform Programme. We’ll have more to say on this soon.”

    Notes to Editor: 

    Attached: Photo of Transport Minister Chris Bishop in a 1964 Austin Healey MkIII

    From 1 September 2025:

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Presidential Message on the 406th Anniversary of the First Representative Legislative Assembly in America

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    Four-hundred-and-six years ago, on a sweltering Virginia day, English settlers gathered in a modest wooden church in Jamestown to form the first representative assembly in the New World.  This historic moment gave birth to the oldest continuous lawmaking body in the Western Hemisphere and laid the foundation for the most successful attempt at self-government in all of human history.
    Seeking prosperity and opportunity in a new land, these early Virginians came together not as subjects of a foreign crown, but as an independent people determined to govern their own affairs.  Against nearly insurmountable odds, they enacted laws to glorify God, promote the common good, and answer to the will of the people, addressing matters of taxation, agriculture, and trade with Native tribes.  What began humbly in Jamestown has flourished through the ages into a rich legacy of self-government that continues to define the American spirit.  As John Adams wrote before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, “We all look up to Virginia for examples.”
    From town halls to statehouses to Congress and the presidency, the ideals that animated that first assembly—self-determination, representation, popular accountability, and devotion to the common good—still coarse through our customs and inspire our way of life.
    As we stand on the cusp of our 250th year as an independent Nation, we pause now to honor the enduring principles of liberty and independence that were born in Virginia, the cradle of American democracy.  These principles have guided our country for more than two centuries, and will continue to light our way for generations to come.
    Today, we reaffirm that self-government and hard-fought freedom are our prized inheritance.  America is not ruled by tyrants or distant powers; it is governed by a free, strong, and independent citizenry.  As the legacy of Jamestown lives on through the Virginia House of Delegates and in the heart of every American citizen, we pay tribute to the heroic tenacity, bravery, and vision of the first settlers.  Through their sacrifice, 406 years later, our Nation now stands taller, prouder, mightier, and greater than ever before—united, free, and governed only by the will of our people as one glorious Nation under God.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: OZZY fans say final farewell as thousands line streets to witness cortege

    Source: City of Birmingham

    Birmingham City welcomed thousands of Ozzy Osbourne fans who flocked to watch an emotional cortege wind through the city in honour of the rock legend who died last Tuesday (July 22).

    Ozzy Osbourne’s family including wife Sharon followed a hearse and brass band along the route in memory of the Aston-born star.

    The public show of respect in his hometown has been arranged and funded by the Osbourne family and has been supported by partners, including Birmingham City Council.

    Ozzy and fellow Black Sabbath band members received Freedom of the City for their significant contribution to the musical and cultural identify of Birmingham, during a civic ceremony held at Council House on Saturday, June 28. He was therefore one of the city’s most recent Freeman.

    It was just weeks before Ozzy’s last charity gig on July 5 at Villa Park, a stone’s throw away from where Black Sabbath was originally formed.

    Today, thousands of fans lined the streets to watch as the musician’s hearse passed slowly through the city, along Broad Street, Black Sabbath Bridge, and the Black Sabbath bench, to the beat of a brass band.

    The Osbourne family were able to witness the flowers and tributes along the route laid by fans from all over the world ever since the news was announced last week.

    A book of condolence has been opened for people to sign at Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery’s (BMAG) Round Room and which now contains thousands of signatures. The book will close on Sunday, August 3. Fans can also freely visit the exhibition ‘Ozzy Osbourne (1948 – 2025) Working Class Hero’.

    An online book of Condolence is also available for fans to send messages and can be accessed and signed here Book of condolence and will close on Friday, August 1.

    Birmingham City Council and BMAG will work behind the scenes to ensure that all messages are collected for the family to read, including cards and messages laid with flowers and other memorabilia.

    Birmingham’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Zafar Iqbal, said: “Once again, Ozzy has put Birmingham firmly on the map. His sad passing has evoked a sense of pain and pride in the city and the world has watched as we have said our final farewell.

    “We have been supporting the family with behind-the-scenes operations, such as ensuring the city is safe and secure for the fans who have made their way here for this sad occasion.

    “It was only right to honour Ozzy as our latest Freeman to the city and my thanks go to the staff at Birmingham City Council who have made this event possible with our partners in such a very short space of time.”

    Deputy Leader, Councillor Sharon Thompson, added: “Never before have I witnessed such passion from the people of Birmingham for a musician. They have lost their ‘Prince of Darkness’.

    “We all know that Ozzy was an exceptional human being who was driven to entertain and ensure his city of Birmingham was never forgotten, along with his passion for charitable causes. ‘Birmingham Forever’ as he would say.”

    The Osbourne family plan to hold a private funeral for the star.

    Birmingham City Council would like to thank all of its partners for their hard work in bringing together a team to ensure the event ran smoothly.

    Thanks in particular to: Opus Events, Brindley Place business community, West Midlands Police, West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service, West Side Business Improvement District, West Midlands Combined Authority, the Ambulance Service.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Harmonic Radar on Tiny Travelers Means Smarter Crop Protection

    Source: US Agriculture Research Service

    Harmonic Radar on Tiny Travelers Means Smarter Crop Protection

    By: Todd Silver
    Email: Todd.Silver@usda.gov

    With their insatiable hunger for succulent fruits and vegetables, fruit flies from the Tephritidae family are the bane of farmers and consumers alike. But recent ARS findings suggest that wind could play a major factor in surveillance, containment, and eradication of this destructive pest. Advanced technology in tracking the effects of wind dispersal on tiny, winged creatures in the wild promises to refine fruit fly management strategies, identify outbreak sources, and help scientists anticipate their movement, feeding, and mating patterns.

    Several fruit flies from the Tephritidae fruit fly family are invasive to the U.S. and combine to cause millions, and during some seasons billions, in crop losses to American farmers. Beyond direct damage and control costs, if these pests were to become established on the U.S. mainland, they would become major barriers to international trade and prevent U.S. farmers from exporting to many of our trading partners. 

    Tephritid fruit fly with harmonic radar tag attached, marked with yellow fingernail polish.

    The key to managing these pests is to understand their flying behaviors. Matthew Siderhurst recognized and addressed the complexity of tracing flies and deciphering wind-based patterns and now leads a team of scientists at the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, HI, where their research will empower American farmers to protect their crops and reduce food waste. Groundbreaking research published in Environmental Entomology explains that harmonic radar tagging, initially developed for locating avalanche victims, can be used to study these fly pests. The method uses reflector tags that require no energy source of their own to bounce a signal back to a transceiver to map movement data.  

    Though attaching harmonic radar tags to the fruit flies requires painstaking precision, the mechanism is relatively simplistic: a superelastic 4-centimeter wire is connected to a diode, or one-way current semi-conductor, with an ultraviolet-activated adhesive. Next, electrical connections between the wires and diode contacts are secured with conductive silver paint. Check out the radar tags in this video. 

    Siderhurst said the study’s identification of outbreak patterns could predict environmental fluctuations influencing fruit fly behavior and enable farmers to adapt pest control methods. Contrary to historic consensus, this ARS-led research documented that fruit flies control their flight paths in response to wind cues as opposed to passive wind-driven movement. 

    “Most of us have seen a housefly buzz around a room and that movement appears random, but when we look at fruit flies, we see they show a fairly high degree of directional persistence,” Siderhurst said. “That is, they move in much straighter lines than expected, and individual flies appear to hold to a general heading when moving between trees.” 

    Tephritid fruit flies are about the size of a housefly and damage a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

    Further field testing with wild flies is warranted because the wind influenced the flies’ flight directionality, especially in movements between trees using lab-reared flies to avoid underestimating the flies’ natural movement abilities and overstate wind’s role in their flight. 

    Siderhurst acknowledged that most of the research thus far has proven the technique’s effectiveness, but work remains to answer further biological questions with the new tool. Further research, he said, will ideally reveal how habitat, vegetation density, and factors such as age, diet, and time of day affect insect flight patterns, with consideration of environmental influences like wind and open landscapes. 

    “Our approach is accessible and cost-effective,” Siderhurst said. “While you need good eyes and a steady hand, this technique is cost-effective and transceivers are available off the shelf, so there’s no need to build anything.” 

    For more information, visit the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center.

     ### 

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Gunman kills four, including police officer, in Manhattan skyscraper, then takes own life

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    A gunman opened fire on Monday inside a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper housing NFL headquarters and offices of several financial firms, including Blackstone, killing four people before fatally shooting himself, New York City officials said.

    One of the four victims slain in the gun violence was a 36-year-old New York Police Department officer who had been on the force for about 3 1/2 years. The three others killed by the suspect were civilians.

    New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the gunman, who resided in Las Vegas and drove cross-country to New York in recent days, fatally shot himself in the chest at the end of his shooting spree.

    Tisch said the gunman was believed to have acted alone, and investigators had yet to determine a possible motive for the shooting.

    A photo of the suspect that CNN said was shared by police showing a gunman walking into the building carrying a rifle was published by a number of major news media outlets. Preliminary checks of the suspect’s background did not show a significant criminal history, the report added, citing officials.

    The skyscraper at 345 Park Avenue houses offices of a number of financial institutions, including Blackstone and KPMG, along with the NFL headquarters.

    A large police presence converged on the area around the tower, according to Reuters journalists near the scene.

    “I just saw a lot of commotion and cops and people screaming,” said Russ McGee, a 31-year-old sports bettor who was working out in a gym adjacent to the skyscraper, told Reuters in an interview near the scene.

    The FBI said agents from its New York field office were also responding to provide support at the scene.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES STATEMENT ON MASS SHOOTING IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

    Know Your Immigration Rights

    If you or a loved one encounter immigration enforcement officials, it is essential that you know your rights and have prepared your household for all possible outcomes.

    Ask for a warrant: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. You do not have to open your door until you see a valid warrant to enter your home or search your belongings.

    Your right to remain silent: The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. You are not required to share any personal information such as your place of birth, immigration status or criminal history.

    Always consult an attorney: You have a right to speak with an attorney. You do not have to sign anything or hand officials any documents without speaking to an attorney. Try to identify and consult one in advance.

    The New York City Office of Civil Justice and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) support a variety of free immigration legal services through local nonprofit legal organizations. To access these resources, dial 311 and say “Action NYC,” call the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or visit MOIA’s website.

    Learn more here: KNOW YOUR IMMIGRATION RIGHTS  – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Concern for welfare – Alice Springs Region

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force holds concerns for the welfare of 26-year-old Gach, who was last seen leaving his home in Alice Springs yesterday afternoon at 3:30pm.

    Gach last spoke to family later in the day at 5:30pm via phone, however he failed to attend work for a rostered shift that night.

    Gach was driving his red Mazda CX5 with NT registration CG05CH, which was located this morning by police 14.5km west of John Flynn’s Grave Historical Reserve on Larapinta Drive.

    He is described as being of Sudanese appearance, with dark skin and a slim build. He was last seen wearing cream tracksuit pants, a black t-shirt and black shoes.

    Police are urging anyone who may have been travelling along Larapinta Drive between 5:30pm Monday 28 July and 8:00am this morning that may have seen Gach or his vehicle, or has dash cam footage, to please contact police on 131 444 and quote reference number NTP2500075979.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Rural News – Practical safety reforms welcome news for farmers – Federated Farmers

    Source: Federated Farmers

    Federated Farmers is welcoming new Government proposals to make farm health and safety rules more practical and grounded in real-world farming.
    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today announced targeted consultation with farmers and the wider agriculture sector on health and safety rule changes.
    Many of the proposed changes reflect what Federated Farmers and its members have been calling for, health and safety spokesperson David Birkett says .
    “We’re really pleased the Minister has announced a raft of changes, and that she’ll be consulting directly with our sector to make sure any new rules are fit for the realities of farm life.
    “This commitment to targeted consultation is a good sign farmers will be properly heard.”
    Minister van Velden has announced the development of two new Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) – one on the roles and responsibilities in agriculture, and one on the safe use of farm vehicles and machinery.
    “We’re very pleased to see WorkSafe will be developing an ACOP to provide clearer guidance on overlapping duties and PCBU responsibilities in agriculture.
    “Farms are dynamic workplaces and we need greater clarity around who on the farm – whether it’s farmers, contractors or someone else – is responsible for particular health and safety duties, and how they can work together to manage risks.
    “It’s also great to see movement on quad bike safety, because this is where most fatalities are happening. If we’re going to reduce harm, that’s the place to start.”
    The Minister confirmed the Government will strengthen the ACOP model so businesses that comply with them have confidence they’re meeting their legal duties.
    “This is something we’ve been calling for, and it will give farmers clarity and confidence,” Birkett says.
    “We’re committed to working closely with WorkSafe throughout the process to make sure these codes are developed with farmers, not prescribed by Wellington bureaucrats.”
    The Minister also announced a review of the rules around children carrying out light chores on family farms, such as feeding animals and watering plants.
    “We strongly support clarification around what kinds of farm activities children can safely take part in,” Birkett says.
    “Family farms are unique in that they are both a home and a workplace, and kids can learn a lot when they’re safely involved.”
    Federated Farmers has worked closely with Minister van Velden since she first announced the health and safety review at the organisation’s Rural Advocacy Hub at Fieldays 2024.
    Since then, the Minister has joined Federated Farmers for a national webinar and visited farmers to hear firsthand about the practical challenges they face.
    “We’re proud to have played a meaningful role in helping get this reform process off the ground,” Birkett says.
    “Farm safety is absolutely vital, but the rules need to be grounded in fairness, practicality and common sense.
    “These proposals show we’re finally moving in the right direction, with clearer and more workable expectations for farmers.
    “That said, we know there’s still work needed to lift the bar in our sector. Our priority now is helping farmers feel supported and confident to engage with health and safety in a way that genuinely reduces risk on-farm – not just ticks boxes.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –