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Category: housing

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Speaks About Trump’s Attack on Green Jobs at Energy Action Network (EAN) and EAN Climate Workforce Coalition Forum

    US Senate News:

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

    WINOOSKI, VT – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, joined a forum hosted by the Energy Action Network (EAN) and the EAN Climate Workforce Coalition on how Congressional policy and budget decisions may impact Vermont’s energy transformation and climate action initiatives, including Vermont’s climate workforce. 
    “President Trump has put Big Oil first, and his attacks on green jobs prove it. He and his administration are walking back our global climate goals, gutting tax credits that help folks make energy efficiency home upgrades, and slashing green jobs and climate research. Vermonters have made their opposition to Trump’s actions clear—I’ve heard from hundreds of folks across our state who are deeply concerned about how Republicans’ budget will raise costs for families, businesses, and farmers,” said Senator Welch. “I’ll continue to join Senate Democrats in standing up to these attacks and fighting for a clean energy future.” 
    Republicans’ reconciliation bill will repeal clean energy programs established through the historic Inflation Reduction Act and raise energy costs for American households and businesses. It will eliminate jobs in manufacturing, clean technologies, and budding industries, and has already sown economic uncertainty throughout the energy sector. 
    The legislation advanced by the U.S. House of Representatives would effectively repeal many of the clean energy investments in the Inflation Reduction Act while expanding fossil fuel production and subsidies. Specifically, the bill: 

    Rescinds unspent funding for clean energy grant programs in the Inflation Reduction Act;  
    Eliminates or effectively eliminates most clean energy tax credits including: 

    Electric Vehicles Tax Credit for new and used vehicles;  
    Energy Efficiency Home Improvement Tax Credit; 
    Clean Electricity Investment and Production Tax Credits; 
    Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit; and 

    Mandates oil and gas leases on public lands and allows Big Oil companies to pay the government to fast-track environmental reviews. 

    All told, Republicans’ plans will have drastic consequences for the economy. Studies predict that repealing the Inflation Reduction Act will eliminate 790,000 jobs, increase energy costs for American consumers by $32 billion between 2025-35, and shrink the U.S. economy by $190 billion in 2035. President Trump’s policies have already killed $14 billion in clean energy investments and 10,000 new energy jobs since he took office. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Province reviewing Community Living BC home sharing

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    The Province is commissioning an independent review of Community Living BC’s (CLBC) home-sharing program to ensure people are receiving the best and safest service possible.

    “We want adults with developmental disabilities to live as independently as possible in a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “We are reviewing CLBC’s home-sharing program to ensure that changes made since 2018 are getting people the highest quality of service possible.”

    Government has hired independent contractor Tamar Consultancy to assess safety in home-sharing arrangements, standards that promote quality of life, and accountability and oversight measures. The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction will convene an advisory body made up of individuals, families and service providers to provide input and advice for the contractor to inform its work and develop recommendations for the ministry.

    “Community Living BC welcomes this independent review,” said Shane Simpson, chair, CLBC board. “We want to do everything we can to make sure this model is as strong as it can be, because this is about keeping people safe, and we believe the number of people supported through the home-sharing model will grow considerably. We look forward to the conclusions and any suggestions or proposals that may arise from this review, with input from the families and people who receive services funded by CLBC and our partners.”

    CLBC has made a number of changes to its processes and oversight, including mandating home visits every three months, health-care planning and annual doctor visits, following the death of Florence Girard, who passed away in 2018 while living in a home-sharing arrangement.

    Home sharing is a CLBC-funded service where an adult with a developmental disability lives with a person, couple or family who is contracted through an agency to provide support. These supports include help with daily living, social connection and community inclusion. The goal of home sharing is to offer personalized, flexible support that helps adults with developmental disabilities achieve greater independence in a caring, secure and inclusive home setting.

    Quick Facts:

    • The review is expected to be finished by fall 2025.
    • About 4,300 people supported by CLBC live in home-sharing living arrangements.
    • Home-sharing providers can be a single person, a couple or a family, either renting or owning a home.
    • Arrangements can be long-term or a stepping stone to greater independence, and individuals accessing home sharing have their own space within the home.

    Learn More:

    Information about the CLBC governance structure can be found here: https://www.communitylivingbc.ca/about-us/leadership/

    To learn more about CLBC, visit: https://www.communitylivingbc.ca/

    For more information about home sharing, visit: https://www.communitylivingbc.ca/for-service-providers/home-sharing/

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Becca Balint Statement on 10 Construction Workers Detained by ICE in Vermont

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Becca Balint (VT-AL)

    Rep. Balint (VT-AL) released the following statement in response to the detention of ten construction workers at an affordable housing construction site in Newport on Thursday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    “Today we learned that ten construction workers were detained by ICE at an affordable housing site Newport, Vermont. My office is closely monitoring the situation to ensure every person in this country is given the due process they deserve. 

    “The fear of being snatched up by ICE just for showing up to work does not make our communities safer. It takes away parents and family members from their homes and creates a looming sense of distrust among neighbors. This marks the second mass immigration raid in our state since Trump took office. This is an administration that governs by fear, chaos, and division. This violates our nation’s deeply held values of due process for all and the rule of law.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Presidential Message on Global Coptic Day, 2025

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    class=”has-text-align-left”>Today, I join the Coptic Orthodox Christian community in observing Global Coptic Day—a celebration of the ancient heritage, rich culture, and reverent worship of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
    Tracing its roots to Saint Mark, the apostle of Jesus Christ and Evangelist who brought the Christian faith to Egypt in the first century, the Coptic Church has been a beacon of Christendom in Africa for nearly 2,000 years.  The Coptic community has left an indelible mark on the hearts of millions of Christians—most evidently seen in their timeless contributions to Christian theology and culture.
    This Global Coptic Day, we also pause to reflect upon the vicious and ongoing persecution of Coptic Orthodox Christians in Africa and across the Middle East.  In 2015, 21 Coptic construction workers were brutally executed by ISIS terrorists in Libya.  Like persecuted Christians all around the world, these heroic martyrs refused to renounce their faith—They exemplified their sacrificial love and steadfast devotion to God, even in the face of certain death.  The Copts’ persistence amid relentless persecution is a living testament to their unbreakable resolve and fearless dedication to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
    As we remember the extraordinary contributions and tragic martyrdoms of Coptic Orthodox Christians, my Administration renews its commitment to vigorously defending the right to religious liberty, a bedrock of the American way of life.  I was honored to recently establish the Religious Liberty Commission, a team of religious leaders tasked with ensuring that Americans can freely practice their faith without government interference.  I also signed an Executive Order to eradicate the pervasive anti-Christian bias sweeping across our Nation—correcting the unjust abuses, investigations, and persecutions of faithful Christians that occurred under the previous administration.
    As our Nation celebrates Global Coptic Day, we pray for an increased love of God and a rebirth of religious faith both in the United States and around the world.  Today and every day, may the treasured traditions of the Coptic Orthodox Christian community serve as a light for all Americans—and may their unwavering devotion to Christ inspire our Nation to renew our love, faith, and trust in Almighty God.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Construction Manager Sentenced to Prison for Multimillion-Dollar Embezzlement and Tax Evasion

    Source: US FBI

    Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that JOSE GARCIA was sentenced to 27 months in prison for committing two lengthy fraud crimes—a $4.5 million embezzlement crime and a $2.1 million tax evasion crime.  In the embezzlement scheme, GARCIA had a lucrative no-show job with a technology company from 2012 to 2019.  GARCIA did no work for the technology company, but GARCIA’s co-conspirator, a technology executive, approved millions in payments to GARCIA and GARCIA’s shell entities.  In the tax evasion scheme, GARCIA neither filed tax returns nor paid income taxes from 2011 through 2019.  GARCIA previously pled guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and tax evasion before U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho, who imposed today’s sentence.  Three other members of the embezzlement conspiracy have also pled guilty to date.

    “Jose Garcia engaged in a lengthy embezzlement scheme that involved a no-show job, fraudulent billings, and largescale cash kickbacks,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Garcia then doubled-down and sought to conceal his embezzlement activities by committing another crime – tax evasion.  In all, Garcia stole millions at the expense of hard-working, tax-paying Americans.  He then used the proceeds of his frauds to fund a lavish lifestyle.  For these brazen crimes, Garcia has been sentenced to prison.”

    According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, the Superseding Information to which GARCIA pled guilty, and statements made in public filings and in public court proceedings:

    The Embezzlement Scheme

    From approximately May 2010 through February 2019, GARCIA’s co-defendant, Mark Angarola, spearheaded a large fraud scheme to unlawfully enrich himself and his co-conspirators (the “Conspirators”) by submitting and causing to be submitted fraudulent invoices and expenses to an information technology (“IT”) services company (the “Contractor”), at which Angarola was employed in a senior position. In total, the embezzlement scheme caused a loss of more than $7 million.  GARCIA received the majority of the scheme’s fraud proceeds: $4,554,950.

    Angarola was a New York-based Global Account General Manager at the Contractor.  He was responsible for managing the Contractor’s relationship with a particular client, which was a subsidiary of a global financial institution (the “Client”).  The Contractor had a service contract with the Client, pursuant to which the Contractor provided IT support services to the Client at locations across the U.S.  The Contractor subcontracted certain of this work to a technology solutions company (the “Subcontractor”).  Pursuant to the agreement between the Contractor and the Subcontractor (the “Subcontract”), the Subcontractor provided certain IT support services directly to the Client in the place of the Contractor.  Angarola was responsible for oversight of the Subcontractor’s performance on the Subcontract, which included approving payment to the Subcontractor on invoices submitted for work purportedly performed and expenses purportedly incurred in the Subcontractor’s performance on the Subcontract.

    Angarola abused his position to fraudulently enrich himself, his family, and his friends.  For instance, he arranged for the Subcontractor to hire certain of his family members, friends, and subordinates, despite the fact that these individuals lacked apparent qualifications to perform deskside IT work.  He arranged for the Subcontractor to hire, among others, his wife (a homemaker); his former college roommate (a police sergeant); and his close friends, including GARCIA (a construction manager) and GARCIA’s wife (a schoolteacher).  Thereafter, various Conspirators falsely reported to the Subcontractor that they had performed work under the Subcontract and incurred business expenses.  The Subcontractor submitted invoices to the Contractor for the hours purportedly worked and business expenses purportedly incurred by several of the Conspirators, and Angarola, in turn, caused the Contractor to pay the Subcontractor on these fraudulent invoices.  The purported business expenses incurred by several Conspirators, and ultimately paid for by the Contractor at the direction of Angarola, included restaurant meals, hotel stays, transportation fees, a cruise, and gentlemen’s clubs.  In fact, the expenses were personal expenses and were not reimbursable under the Contractor’s policy.

    GARCIA was a central beneficiary of the embezzlement scheme and received the majority of the fraud proceeds.  These fraud proceeds were paid in part to GARCIA personally, and in part to his shell entities.  GARCIA did no work whatsoever for the Contractor or Subcontractor, but invoiced the Subcontractor, month after month, requesting payment for purported “Management Fees.” For instance, at different points in the scheme, GARCIA requested monthly payment of $36,000, $45,000, $51,000, or $60,000.  Angarola approved these payments to GARCIA on behalf of his employer, the Contractor. In return, GARCIA paid Angarola cash kickbacks exceeding $1 million.  GARCIA participated in the embezzlement scheme despite having fulltime, gainful employment elsewhere as a consultant and project manager in the construction industry.

    Financial records reveal that GARCIA spent fraud proceeds on, among other things, private school tuition, rent, luxury travel, luxury items, gym memberships, and sports memorabilia.  For instance, GARCIA paid for stays at luxury hotels such as the Ritz Carlton (in four different cities), the Waldorf Astoria, and the Plaza.  And GARCIA spent more than $50,000 on luxury items, including expensive purchases at Cartier, Hermes, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Burberry, Bianca Jewelers, a glass blower in Venice, and a violin shop specializing in Stradivarius models.

    Tax Evasion

    From 2011 through 2019, GARCIA also committed tax evasion, resulting in a tax loss to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) of approximately $2,116,605.  For this nine-year period, GARCIA neither filed tax returns nor paid income taxes. As such, GARCIA failed to report to the IRS the income he derived from the embezzlement scheme as well as the income he derived from other business interests and sources.   GARCIA used shell entities to conceal his receipt of income, including by creating such entities, diverting income to such entities, and using entity bank accounts to pay for his personal expenses.

    *                *                *

    In addition to his prison term, GARCIA, 53, of New York, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release.  GARCIA was also ordered to forfeit $4,554,950 and pay restitution in the amount of $7,007,055.

    Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; the IRS-Criminal Investigation, New York Field Office; and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, Northeast Regional Office.

    This matter is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit, along with the Justice Department’s Tax Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Neff, Timothy V. Capozzi, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jorge Almonte of the Tax Division are in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Romanian Citizen Pleads Guilty to ‘Swatting’ Numerous Members of Congress, Churches, and Former U.S. President

    Source: US State of California

    Leader of Online Swatting Ring Admits to Targeting over 75 Public Officials, Four Religious Institutions, and Multiple Journalists in Nationwide Bomb Threat Spree

    Thomasz Szabo, also known as Plank, Jonah, and Cypher, 26, of Romania, pleaded guilty today to being the leader of a years-long conspiracy that targeted victims across the United States with “swatting” and bomb threats. Szabo and his co-conspirators falsely reported ongoing violent emergencies at government buildings, houses of worship, and private residences, including the homes of senior government officials.

    “This defendant led a dangerous swatting criminal conspiracy, deliberately threatening dozens of government officials with violent hoaxes and targeting our nation’s security infrastructure from behind a screen overseas,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This case reflects our continued focus on protecting the American people and working with international partners to stop these threats at their source.”

    “Today, Szabo pleaded guilty to a years-long conspiracy that targeted victims with swatting and bomb threats, including to government buildings, houses of worship and homes of government officials,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Swatting endangers lives and will not be tolerated by the FBI. We are fully committed to working with our partners to bring to justice those criminals hiding behind keyboards and threatening violence.”

    “This defendant’s targeted and ruthless behavior put countless people in danger, including law enforcement, public officials, and ordinary citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “Swatting attacks, that is, falsely reporting an ongoing threat of violence at a victims’ home address for the purpose of provoking a police response there, drain precious resources and can result in major injury or even death. Anyone who hijacks police resources for senseless crimes like these will have to answer for their actions.”  

    According to court documents, Szabo was the founder and leader of an online community that, starting in late 2020, engaged in a pattern of bomb threats and “swatting” — that is, falsely reporting an ongoing threat of violence at a victims’ home address for the purpose of provoking a police response there.

    As leader of the group, Szabo made false reports to U.S. law enforcement including a threat in December 2020 to commit a mass-shooting at New York City synagogues, and a threat in January 2021 to detonate explosives at the U.S. Capitol and kill the President-elect. Szabo publicized his “swatting” activity to his followers and encouraged them to engage in similar behavior.

    Beginning on Dec. 24, 2023, and continuing through early January 2024, subordinate members of Szabo’s group perpetrated a spree of swatting and bomb threats that included, as its victims, at least 25 Members of Congress or family members of Members of Congress; at least six then-current or former senior U.S. Executive Branch officials, including multiple cabinet-level officials; at least 13 then-current or former senior federal law enforcement officials, including the heads of multiple federal law enforcement agencies; multiple members of the federal judiciary; at least 27 then-current or former state government officials or family members of such officials; at least four religious institutions; and multiple members of the media.

    During that time period, one of those subordinates bragged to Szabo: “I did 25+ swattings today,” and “creating massive havoc in [A]merica. $500,000+ in taxpayers wasted in just two days.”

    Szabo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and one count of threats involving explosives, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 23. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Szabo was extradited from Romania in November 2024.

    The U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office and Criminal Investigative Division, the FBI’s Washington and Minneapolis Field Offices, and the U.S. Capitol Police are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing Szabo’s arrest and extradition and assisted with securing evidence from abroad, including through mutual legal assistance requests. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Secret Service’s Bucharest Resident Office, Miami Field Office, Syracuse Resident Office, Springfield Resident Office; the FBI’s Legat Office in Bucharest; and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Washington, the District of South Dakota, the Middle District of Florida, the Southern District of Florida, the Southern District of Illinois, and the Northern District of New York. The Romanian authorities’ assistance was critical to the successful investigation of the case and extradition of Szabo.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Conor Mulroe for the District of Columbia is prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Realtor admits to $770,000 real estate fraud scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    McALLEN, Texas – A 44-year-old Mission resident has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Mario Alberto Rodriguez admitted he participated in a scheme that used false warranty deeds to mislead lenders and real estate clients.

    Rodriguez would defraud homebuyers and short-term lenders by selling a lot with proposed townhome construction without filing the warranty deed. This left no record of the sale and allowed him to sell the same property multiple times. Rodriguez would then instruct co-conspirators to take out new loans on the previously sold properties in order to use the cash for other purposes.

    Rodriguez defrauded victims out of more than $770,000 as a result of the scheme. Construction was never completed and victims were unable to take possession of the properties.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane will impose sentencing Aug. 12. At that time, Rodriguez faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

    He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

    FBI, Texas Department of Insurance, McAllen Police Department, and the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda McColgan prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Raleigh County Man Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BECKLEY, W.Va. – Ross Jay Bailey, 50, of Cool Ridge, pleaded guilty today to theft of government money. Bailey obtained a $2 million loan through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for his business and instead converted at least $1.4 million of the proceeds for his personal enrichment.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on or about June 30, 2020, Bailey obtained an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) of $150,000 on behalf of his business, R&R Delivery Service Inc. The CARES Act authorized the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide EIDL program loans of up to $2 million to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Bailey successfully applied to increase the loan amount in August 2021 to $500,000 and in February 2022 to the $2 million maximum. Bailey certified that he would use all loans proceeds solely as working capital to alleviate economic injury caused by the pandemic.

    As part of his guilty plea, Bailey admitted that he transferred at least $1.4 million of the EIDL proceeds from his business’s bank account to his personal bank account from on or about March 1, 2022, through on or about May 31, 2022. Bailey further admitted that he converted these funds into purchases of stock and cryptocurrency for his personal enrichment.

    Bailey is scheduled to be sentenced on October 10, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Bailey also owes at least $1,518,013.58 in restitution, with a final amount to be determined by the Court.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Inspector General (NASA OIG), the United States Secret Service, the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU).

    NASA OIG is an active member of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force. The PRAC was established to promote transparency and facilitate coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending, including spending via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. This case was also supported by the PRAC’s Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence, which applies the latest advances in analytic and forensic technologies to help OIGs and law enforcement pursue data-driven pandemic relief fraud investigations.

    United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is prosecuting the case.

    Bailey’s brother, Ryan Keith Bailey, 47, of Beaver, pleaded guilty on May 7, 2025 to theft of government money. Ryan Keith Bailey obtained $2,166,517.40 in loans through the CARES Act for his business and instead converted nearly all of the proceeds for his personal use. Ryan Keith Bailey is scheduled to be sentenced on September 12, 2025.

    Mark William Bailey, 52, of Beckley and a cousin of Ross Jay Bailey and Ryan Keith Bailey, pleaded guilty on September 8, 2023, to theft of government monies, admitting he stole approximately $451,237.51 in SBA loans he obtained through the CARES Act. On October 25, 2024, Mark William Bailey was sentenced to five years of federal probation, including one year on home detention, and paid $451,237.51 in restitution and an additional $451,237.98 as a civil penalty to settle False Claims Act allegations.

    Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 5:24-cr-105.

    ###

     

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Romanian Citizen Pleads Guilty to ‘Swatting’ Numerous Members of Congress, Churches, and Former U.S. President

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    Leader of Online Swatting Ring Admits to Targeting over 75 Public Officials, Four Religious Institutions, and Multiple Journalists in Nationwide Bomb Threat Spree

    Thomasz Szabo, also known as Plank, Jonah, and Cypher, 26, of Romania, pleaded guilty today to being the leader of a years-long conspiracy that targeted victims across the United States with “swatting” and bomb threats. Szabo and his co-conspirators falsely reported ongoing violent emergencies at government buildings, houses of worship, and private residences, including the homes of senior government officials.

    “This defendant led a dangerous swatting criminal conspiracy, deliberately threatening dozens of government officials with violent hoaxes and targeting our nation’s security infrastructure from behind a screen overseas,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This case reflects our continued focus on protecting the American people and working with international partners to stop these threats at their source.”

    “Today, Szabo pleaded guilty to a years-long conspiracy that targeted victims with swatting and bomb threats, including to government buildings, houses of worship and homes of government officials,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Swatting endangers lives and will not be tolerated by the FBI. We are fully committed to working with our partners to bring to justice those criminals hiding behind keyboards and threatening violence.”

    “This defendant’s targeted and ruthless behavior put countless people in danger, including law enforcement, public officials, and ordinary citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “Swatting attacks, that is, falsely reporting an ongoing threat of violence at a victims’ home address for the purpose of provoking a police response there, drain precious resources and can result in major injury or even death. Anyone who hijacks police resources for senseless crimes like these will have to answer for their actions.”  

    According to court documents, Szabo was the founder and leader of an online community that, starting in late 2020, engaged in a pattern of bomb threats and “swatting” — that is, falsely reporting an ongoing threat of violence at a victims’ home address for the purpose of provoking a police response there.

    As leader of the group, Szabo made false reports to U.S. law enforcement including a threat in December 2020 to commit a mass-shooting at New York City synagogues, and a threat in January 2021 to detonate explosives at the U.S. Capitol and kill the President-elect. Szabo publicized his “swatting” activity to his followers and encouraged them to engage in similar behavior.

    Beginning on Dec. 24, 2023, and continuing through early January 2024, subordinate members of Szabo’s group perpetrated a spree of swatting and bomb threats that included, as its victims, at least 25 Members of Congress or family members of Members of Congress; at least six then-current or former senior U.S. Executive Branch officials, including multiple cabinet-level officials; at least 13 then-current or former senior federal law enforcement officials, including the heads of multiple federal law enforcement agencies; multiple members of the federal judiciary; at least 27 then-current or former state government officials or family members of such officials; at least four religious institutions; and multiple members of the media.

    During that time period, one of those subordinates bragged to Szabo: “I did 25+ swattings today,” and “creating massive havoc in [A]merica. $500,000+ in taxpayers wasted in just two days.”

    Szabo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and one count of threats involving explosives, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 23. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Szabo was extradited from Romania in November 2024.

    The U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office and Criminal Investigative Division, the FBI’s Washington and Minneapolis Field Offices, and the U.S. Capitol Police are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing Szabo’s arrest and extradition and assisted with securing evidence from abroad, including through mutual legal assistance requests. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Secret Service’s Bucharest Resident Office, Miami Field Office, Syracuse Resident Office, Springfield Resident Office; the FBI’s Legat Office in Bucharest; and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Washington, the District of South Dakota, the Middle District of Florida, the Southern District of Florida, the Southern District of Illinois, and the Northern District of New York. The Romanian authorities’ assistance was critical to the successful investigation of the case and extradition of Szabo.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Conor Mulroe for the District of Columbia is prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: What’s Up: June 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA

    Source: NASA

    [embedded content]

    Venus and Saturn separate, while Mars hangs out in the evening. Plus the June solstice, and dark skies reveal our home galaxy in all of its glory.

    All Month – Planet Visibility:

    Venus: Rises about 2 hours before the Sun in June, and shines very brightly, low in the eastern sky, in the morning all month.
    Mars: Visible in the west for a couple of hours after sunset all month. Drops lower in the sky as June continues, and passes very close to Regulus in the constellation Leo on June 16 and 17. (They will be about half a degree apart, or the width of the full moon.) 
    Jupiter: Visible quite low in the west after sunset for the first week of June, then lost in the Sun’s glare after. Will re-appear in July in the morning sky.
    Mercury: Becomes visible low in the west about 30 to 45 minutes after sunset in the last week and a half of June.
    Saturn: Rises around 3 a.m. in early June, and around 1 a.m. by the end of the month. Begins the month near Venus in the dawn sky, but rapidly pulls away, rising higher as June goes on.

    Daily Highlights:
    June 19 – Moon & Saturn – The third-quarter moon appears right next Saturn this morning in the hours before dawn. The pair rise in the east together around 1:30 a.m.
    June 22 – Moon & Venus – Venus rises this morning next to a slender and elegant crescent moon. Look for them in the east between about 3 a.m. and sunrise.
    June 20 – June Solstice – The June solstice is on June 20 for U.S. time zones (June 21 UTC). The Northern Hemisphere’s tilt toward the Sun is greatest on this day. This means the Sun travels its longest, highest arc across the sky all year for those north of the equator.
    June 16 & 17 – Mars & Regulus – Mars passes quite close to the bright bluish-white star Regulus, known as the “heart” of the lion constellation, Leo. They will appear about as far apart as the width of the full moon, and should be an excellent sight in binoculars or a small telescope.
    June 21-30 – Mercury becomes visible – For those with a clear view to the western horizon, Mercury becomes visible for a brief period each evening at the end of June. Look for it quite low in the sky starting 30 to 45 minutes after the Sun sets.
    All month – Mars: The Red Planet can be observed for a couple of hours after dark all month. It is noticeably dimmer than it appeared in early May, as Earth speeds away in its orbit, putting greater distance between the two worlds.
    All month – Milky Way core: The bright central bulge of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is visible all night in June, continuing through August. It is best observed from dark sky locations far from bright city lights, and appears as a faint, cloud-like band arching across the sky toward the south.

    What’s Up for June? Mars grazes the lion’s heart, a connection to ancient times, and the galaxy in all its glory.
    June Planet Observing
    Starting with planet observing for this month, find Saturn and Venus in the eastern sky during the couple of hours before dawn each morning throughout the month. Saturn rapidly climbs higher in the sky each day as the month goes on. You’ll find the third quarter moon next to Saturn on the 19th, and a crescent moon next to Venus on the 22nd. 

    Mercury pops up toward the end of the month. Look for it quite low in the west, just as the glow of sunset is fading. It’s highest and most visible on the 27th.
    Mars is still visible in the couple of hours after sunset toward the west, though it’s noticeably fainter than it was in early May. Over several days in mid-June, Mars passes quite close to Regulus, the bright star at the heart of the constellation Leo, the lion. Have a peek on the 16th and 17th with binoculars or a small telescope to see them as close as the width of the full moon.

    Milky Way Core Season
    June means that Milky Way “Core Season” is here. This is the time of year when the Milky Way is visible as a faint band of hazy light arching across the sky all night. You just need to be under dark skies away from bright city lights to see it. What you’re looking at is the bright central core of our home galaxy, seen edge-on, from our position within the galaxy’s disk. 
    Long-exposure photos make the Milky Way’s bright stars and dark dust clouds even clearer. And while our eyes see it in visible light, NASA telescopes observe the galaxy across the spectrum — peering through dust to help us better understand our origins.
    However you observe it, getting out under the Milky Way in June is a truly remarkable way to connect with the cosmos.
    June Solstice
    June brings the summer solstice for those north of the equator, which is the winter solstice for those south of the equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is when the Sun is above the horizon longer than any other day, making it the longest day of the year. The situation is reversed for the Southern Hemisphere, where it’s the shortest day of the year. 

    Earth’s tilted rotation is the culprit. The tilt is always in the same direction, with the North Pole always pointing toward Polaris, the North Star. And since that tilt stays the same, year round, when we’re on one side of the Sun in winter, the north part of the planet is tilted away from the Sun. But six months later, the planet moves halfway around its annual path, carrying us to the opposite side of Earth’s orbit, and the northern part of the planet now finds itself tilted toward the Sun. The June solstice is when this tilt is at its maximum. This is summertime for the north, bringing long days, lots more sunlight, and warmer temperatures.
    The June solstice marks a precise moment in Earth’s orbit – a consistent astronomical signpost that humans have observed for millennia. Ancient structures from Stonehenge to Chichén Itzá were built, in part, to align with the solstices, demonstrating how important these celestial events were to many cultures. 
    So whether you’re experiencing long summer days in the northern hemisphere or the brief daylight hours of winter in the south, find a quiet spot to watch the sunset on this special day and you’ll be participating in one of humanity’s oldest astronomical traditions, connecting you to observers across thousands of years of human history.
    Here are the phases of the Moon for June.

    You can stay up to date on all of NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at NASA Science. I’m Preston Dyches from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that’s What’s Up for this month.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Lendmark Financial Services Debuts Centreville Branch in Northern Virginia, Marking its 13th Portfolio Opening in 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CENTREVILLE, Va., June 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lendmark Financial Services (Lendmark), a leading provider of household credit and consumer loan solutions, continues to expand its Virginia footprint, opening a new branch in Centreville.

    The branch is located at 5953 Centreville Crest Lane and is expected to serve hundreds of customers, retailers, and auto dealerships in its first year. Luis Santos, who serves as the branch manager, will be responsible for the administration of all daily operations. These include building personal relationships with customers and integrating into the community to ensure area residents receive a superior level of individualized loan services that meet their unique financial needs.

    “Nestled in the heart of Northern Virginia, Centreville offers a scenic blend of rolling landscapes and suburban charm, just minutes from Washington D.C., and a family-friendly atmosphere makes this the perfect location for Lendmark to expand,” said Dan Quann, Vice President of Branch Operations at Lendmark. “This new branch in Centreville is going to create new job opportunities to further enhance the community and provide access to loans for those facing planned and unplanned financial needs.”

    In addition to serving consumers directly, Lendmark provides financing solutions for thousands of retailers and independent auto dealerships, allowing these businesses’ customers to obtain Lendmark financing. Local businesses that are interested in partnering with Lendmark to provide financing solutions for their customers should visit the branch or call 571-686-5141.

    Lendmark’s ‘Climb to Cure’ is its signature cause-related initiative. The company has committed to raising $10 million by 2025 to mark its 10-year anniversary partnering with CURE Childhood Cancer. So far, Lendmark’s employees, partners and customers have raised $8.83 million to support CURE, an Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to funding targeted pediatric cancer research that is utilized nationwide.

    Lendmark customers can participate by donating $1 when closing their loan. Lendmark matches the donation.

    About Lendmark Financial Services
    Lendmark Financial Services (Lendmark) provides personal and household credit and loan solutions to consumers. Founded in 1996, Lendmark strives to be the lender, employer, and partner of choice by offering stability and helping consumers meet both planned and unplanned life events through affordable loan offerings. Today, Lendmark operates more than 520 branches in 22 states across the country, providing personalized services to customers and retail business partners with every transaction. Lendmark is headquartered in Lawrenceville, Ga. For more information, visit www.lendmarkfinancial.com.

    Media Contact
    Jeff Hamilton
    Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
    jhamilton@lendmarkfinancial.com
    678-625-3128

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Alderman Stephen Moutray honoured to hold the high office of Lord Mayor

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    Alderman Stephen Moutray has officially taken up office as the new Lord Mayor following the Annual Meeting of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council on Monday 2 June.

    The married father-of-three was co-opted onto council in December 2018 and was subsequently re-elected to represent the Lurgan District Electoral Area in 2019 and in 2023.

    A member of the DUP since 1979, his long and distinguished career in local politics made him a strong candidate among his party colleagues to hold the highest civic office within council.

    Having held leadership positions on key council committees in recent years, his wealth of experience will be an asset as he assumes the responsibilities of Lord Mayor.

    These include Chair of the Economic Development and Regeneration Committee from 2019 to 2020 and later Vice-Chair from 2021 to 2022. He also chaired the Governance, Resources and Strategy Committee from 2022 to 2023.

    He previously served as a councillor on Craigavon Borough Council from 2001 to 2013 and held the office of Mayor from 2010 to 2011.

    While serving as an MLA for Upper Bann from 2003 to 2016, he played a key role in economic development, environmental policies, community engagement, and was actively involved in shaping initiatives that impacted the region.

    Taking over from SF Councillor Sarah Duffy, the new Lord Mayor said:

    “It is a huge honour and privilege to serve as the First Citizen for the borough. I am so proud to take on this important ambassadorial role and I am really looking forward to the year ahead meeting with businesses, residents and communities and welcoming visiting dignitaries from home and abroad.

    “My top priority is to grow the local economy and do all I can to create a more prosperous business environment while also reinforcing the borough’s reputation as a great place to work, live, and invest.

    “Working for my family’s food retail business, I know the local business community is facing significant challenges. I am keen to engage with businesspeople across the borough, with a view to understanding the issues important to them and how the council can further support them.

    “I am focused on delivering initiatives that enhance the borough’s economic and social landscape.

    “We are fortunate to have a well-connected network of community and voluntary groups that play a vital role in providing essential services and supporting the most vulnerable in our community. They are the backbone of our community, and I want to ensure they are recognised and celebrated for the invaluable work they do.

    “I also plan to take time to get to know council staff working in all departments and based at different locations across the borough. I am keen to thank them for their hard work and dedication to providing essential services to the whole community.”

    He also thanked his DUP party colleagues for entrusting him with his senior civic role and his family for their unstinting support during what will be an extremely busy year ahead.

    During his term, the Lord Mayor has pledged to raise funds for the Southern Area Hospice Services and Epilepsy Action Northern Ireland. He has a personal connection to both charities, having observed the positive impact that their respective specialist palliative care and support services have had on close family members.

    Outside of work commitments, he enjoys a range of activities such as travelling, walking, and spending quality time with his family and five grandchildren who bring him so much joy.

    APNI Councillor Jessica Johnston has also been elected Deputy Lord Mayor for the incoming year, taking over from UUP Councillor Kyle Savage.

    The 25-year-old from Donaghcloney is the youngest elected representative to hold this senior position on the council. Councillor Johnston was co-opted onto council in May 2022 to represent the Lagan River Area and was subsequently re-elected in 2023.

    Her appointment is a historic moment for her party as she is the first member to hold this prestigious civic role. The Alliance Party first had representation on the council after gaining three seats at the 2019 local elections.

    The new Deputy Lord Mayor currently works as a researcher for the Deputy Leader of the Alliance Party, Eóin Tennyson MLA.

    Speaking about her appointment, the new Deputy Lord Mayor said:

    “I am immensely proud to step into this honorary role at such an early stage in my political career and thrilled to be representing people in the place I call home.

    “My greatest aspiration is to use this unique platform to make a lasting impact on the local community.

    “As a strong advocate for youth engagement in politics, I hope to encourage young people from all backgrounds to get involved in shaping policies that directly impact their lives.

    “With fitness a big part of my lifestyle, I am passionate about increasing people’s access to local leisure facilities and promoting the benefits of sport and exercise for both physical and mental health.

    “During my term in office, I hope to raise awareness about the Macmillan Move More programme and the vital work it does locally, with council support, to encourage people living with cancer to become more physically active.

    “I am also keen to support local cancer charities as my family, like many others, has been impacted by this disease.”

    After graduating from Queen’s University Belfast in 2021 and working in the local hospitality industry during her studies, she previously worked in a graduate role at the University’s Widening Participation Unit. She is a member of the Donacloney Primary School Board of Governors and the Lurgan College Board of Governors.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Cllr McHugh elected Mayor and pledges Inclusive Leadership with a focus on the local community

    Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

    Cllr McHugh elected Mayor and pledges Inclusive Leadership with a focus on the local community

    2 June 2025

    Derry City and Strabane District Council tonight elected a new Mayor to represent the City and District for the incoming 2025-26 year; Sinn Fein’s Cllr Ruairi McHugh accepted the Mayoral chain from his predecessor Cllr Lilian Seenoi Barr at the Council’s AGM in the Guildhall. 

    The new Mayor will be supported in his role by the DUP Deputy Mayor Alderman Niree McMorris.  Formally accepting the chain of office, Mayor Ruairi McHugh from his predecessor Cllr Lilian Seenoi Barr said he felt “very proud and humbled “ to be given the opportunity to take up the Mayoral position and made a commitment that his Mayoral year would be focused on inclusive leadership, continued development, and unwavering support for the community. 

    The Mayor, a proud native of Castlederg, highlighted a deep connection to the community and a strong family legacy of public service. He spoke of the steadfast support from the people of Derg Ward, who have consistently returned him to office since 2008. The Mayor also paid tribute to party colleagues, particularly his own party Sinn Fein, and acknowledged the influence of mentors like Maolíosa McHugh MLA. 

    A poignant moment in the speech was the remembrance of departed party comrades and family members, including the Mayor’s late father, Charlie, who was among the first Sinn Féin Councillors elected to the former Strabane Council in 1985.  He said: “I hope that he is by my side and is also as proud of me, as I am of him, as I take on this position of Mayor.” 

    Mayor McHugh emphasised the exciting period ahead for the Council and District with the ambitious City Deal and capital spending plan to include new state-of-the-art sports and leisure facilities for Strabane and Templemore, and ongoing regeneration efforts in Castlederg and other areas across the District. He said the City and Growth Deal funding had huge transformative potential with the capacity to create jobs and unlock the region’s full economic capability. 

    While acknowledging the impact of sustained cuts from the British Government on local authorities, the Mayor expressed confidence in navigating these challenges through collaboration with the Assembly and Executive, paying tribute to interventions by Economy Ministers Conor Murphy and Caoimhe Archibald regarding the City of Derry Airport as an example of what can be achieved through political will. 

    The Mayor took the opportunity to reflect on global events, specifically addressing the ongoing conflict in Palestine. He said he was extremely proud of the Council’s consistent stance for peace and justice, adding:  “There is a duty on political leaders to speak out against injustice and what we are witnessing in Palestine is a genocide. It cannot be allowed to continue. It must stop. There must be a ceasefire now and an end to the unjustifiable slaughter of a defenceless civilian population.” 

    Mayor McHugh reiterated his commitment to inclusivity saying: “I believe in the concept of an inclusive Mayor and that showing positive political leadership, building reconciliation, respect and prosperity in this society is a collective responsibility, “adding that he was dedicated to work in collaboration with all council members to ensure first-class services and equitable distribution of resources for all citizens. 

    Concluding, Mayor McHugh extended his thanks to the outgoing Mayor Cllr Lilian Seenoi Barr and Deputy Mayor Alderman Darren Guy for their year’s service. He extended his congratulations to the Deputy Mayor Alderman McNiree saying he looked forward to working with her during his tenure. 

    In closing, Mayor McHugh announced the two charities that will be the focus of fundraising efforts throughout his Mayoral year: PIPS Suicide Prevention Derry and The Castlederg Patient and Comfort Terminally Ill Fund.  

    Mayor McHugh acknowledging the fantastic work that the charities do said: “There’s probably no-one present here or throughout this District who hasn’t been affected by suicide in some way or had a very sick family member or friend receive medical care at home due to a life limiting illness” highlighting the invaluable work both organisations perform across the council area,” adding that he was committed to doing what he can to raise their profile and raise as much money as possible during his term in office. 

    Waterside based elected member Alderman Niree McMorris accepting her role as Deputy Mayor said it was a proud occasion for her and her family saying: “I pledge to represent everyone from our city and district and I will support our Mayor to carry out all civic duties, both fairly and compassionately. This role is an honour and privilege and I am delighted to be able to serve the good people of both Londonderry and Strabane district.” 

    The meeting is broadcast live on the Council’s Youtube where it can be watched back.  

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Veterans fume after VA partially blames them for overpayments it claws back

    Source:

    Christopher Praino signed a waiver relinquishing his disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs after he was ordered to active duty in fall 2019. 

    In a letter, the VA confirmed it would terminate his roughly $965 monthly payments because, by law, he could not receive both VA benefits and active-duty pay at the same time.  

    But the agency did not fully halt the payments. Instead, it sent various monthly amounts over the next three years, ranging from $0 to over $2,000, Praino’s records show. 

    “The VA never stopped,” he said, “after response after response, call after call, walk-in after walk-in.” 

    In 2023, despite Praino’s repeated efforts to rectify the inconsistent installments that should have ended years ago, the VA informed him in a letter that he owed nearly $68,000. That year, the government began automatically clawing some of the money out of his military paychecks, which he uses to support five children and his wife, leaving him in dire financial straits. 

    “No words can tell you the emotional, mental and physical heartache I have every day dealing with this,” he said. “It’s eating away at me.” 

    In a recent congressional oversight hearing focused on why the VA regularly overpays veterans and then asks for the money back, agency officials partially blamed veterans for the exorbitant errors, telling lawmakers that some veterans have been failing to report eligibility changes that would have lowered their monthly disability compensation or pension payments. 

    But Praino and two other veterans told NBC News they did notify the VA in a timely manner. Yet, records show the agency continued overpaying them for months, sometimes years, before asking for the money back.  

    The long-delayed adjustments, which can cause veterans to incur life-changing debts, may indicate another operational shortfall at the VA weeks after officials testified that the agency doles out about $1 billion in overpayments each year due to administrative errors and other factors. The VA overpaid about $5.1 billion in disability compensation and pension payments from fiscal year 2021 to fiscal year 2024, according to Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs. 

    The issue is recurring and getting worse, Luttrell told NBC News, even as the Trump administration has cut billions of dollars in grants and slashed thousands of federal jobs in an attempt to trim what it sees as waste and inefficiency in federal spending.  

    “It’s not the veterans’ fault,” Luttrell said. “It’s the system that is failing.” 

    In a statement, VA press secretary Peter Kasperowicz said the agency, under new leadership, is “working hard to fix longstanding problems, such as billions of dollars per year in overpayments.” 

    Luttrell said the overpayment issue is complex, largely stemming from tiers of human error and an outdated computer system that he said does not adequately allow information to be shared between local and national VA offices.  

    “You have to get the software to talk to each other. You have to get the veterans to communicate. You have to get the actors inside the VA to move accordingly, and then you have to make sure the system is lined out as it needs to be,” he said. “That is such a complex problem set to solve.” 

    ‘The processes are broken’ 

    In 2015, after his divorce was finalized, veteran Brent Aber said he went to his local VA’s office in Akron, Ohio, to remove his ex-wife as a dependent. 

    “I thought, OK, all is done,” he said.

    Aber said it felt like he was officially closing a difficult chapter in his life. But eight years later, another nightmare emerged when the national VA’s Debt Management Center sent him a letter, notifying him that he had to pay back more than $17,700.

    Aber, who served in both the Navy and Army for a dozen years, said he called the VA to find out how he accrued this debt. He said he was told that different VA computer systems do not communicate with one another, meaning the dependent removal may have never been registered nationally, and his monthly payments had not decreased as they should have. Kasperowicz, the VA spokesperson, disputed claims made by Aber and Luttrell about the computer systems, saying the VA has had a centralized claims system since 2013 that “ensures updated information is reflected” for each veteran. Upon follow-up, Luttrell could not be reached for comment on the VA’s dispute.

    Kasperowicz did not offer an explanation as to what happened in Aber’s case and said the VA has no record of his dependent change request from 2015. 

    Aber said he spent more than a year fighting the recoupment and claimed financial hardship. But in May, the VA began withholding nearly $500 from his monthly compensation payments until the debt is cleared.  

    To make up for the loss, Aber, who lost both of his legs in a training accident and is now mostly bedridden, said he stopped using a house cleaning service and is mostly eating cheaper, microwavable food.  

    “I provided all the paperwork at the time of the divorce, but that didn’t seem to matter,” he said.  

    The 50-year-old said the VA’s recoupment hurts more as he fights for medical care.  

    He said he has been struggling with severe pain and swelling since he underwent revision surgery on his limbs about two years ago with the hopes of getting fitted again for prosthetics.  

    While Aber said his primary care doctor referred him to an orthopedic surgeon with expertise in double amputations, he said the VA denied the referral.

    Kasperowicz said the “entirety of the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System orthopedic section” and other health care providers have evaluated Aber and “all have agreed that there are no additional surgical options that would provide him pain relief or improved function.”

    “The medical consensus is to continue amputee clinic, physical therapy, pain management and behavioral health treatments to address the complexity of his condition,” Kasperowicz said.

    Aber said the double battle he has been waging against the VA has left him feeling frustrated and betrayed.

    “I feel like I’ve been completely done wrong,” he said.

    In Bonaire, Georgia, veteran John Mullens reported a dependent change in February after his 18-year-old son became eligible for a separate VA educational benefit that provides monthly payments to cover the cost of school. By law, veterans cannot receive both benefits at the same time, which Mullens knew from his own research. NBC News reviewed records from his VA portal, showing he filed a request to remove a dependent on Feb. 18. The claim was assigned to a reviewer on Feb. 19, the portal shows. And there were no other updates until May when Mullens received a letter from the VA, alerting him to the duplicate payments, which the VA said resulted in about $340 in overpayments each month. 

    “They did nothing with the information and continued to overpay me,” Mullens, 55, said. “The processes are broken.” 

    Kasperowicz said it currently takes an average of about 21 days for the VA to remove a dependent and an average of about 91 days to add one. 

    Of the nearly $1.4 billion overpaid in fiscal year 2021, Kasperowicz said about $913 million was related to dependent changes. 

    The VA does not track data showing how many veterans in overpayment cases actually did report changes on time, Kasperowicz said. 

    The overpayments sometimes span many years. In 2023, the VA temporarily suspended the collection of pension debts for thousands of low-income wartime veterans and their survivors after the agency identified an issue with its income verification that led to overpayments between 2011 and 2022. 

    On May 14, Luttrell and other members of the House subcommittee pressed VA officials to explain how the agency planned to fix the problem. 

    Nina Tann, executive director of the VA’s compensation service, testified that the agency, which serves about 9.1 million people, has a “heightened risk” of making improper payments due to the large number of beneficiaries and the high-dollar amounts it doles out. 

    Tann said the agency has taken steps to prevent, detect and correct the issue, including being better about notifying veterans that they need to report changes. 

    Tann also said the VA fixed an administrative error in January that had been causing duplicate payments for about 15,000 veterans with dependents in fiscal year 2024. The agency did not force those veterans to repay the money, she said. 

    Kasperowicz said the VA does not seek to recoup overpayments when administrative errors, including issues related to the VA’s online filing platform, are to blame. 

    But Praino, who owes almost $68,000 after re-enlisting, said it has been challenging to prove the VA made an administrative error. 

    “They will not admit any mistake,” said Praino, 42, an Army sergeant first class, who has been serving in the National Guard full time since 2019.

    The VA did not immediately comment on Praino’s case. 

    The VA transferred Praino’s debt to the Treasury Department, which notified Praino in a December 2023 letter that it is required to withhold up to 15% of his federal wages. The Treasury Department began automatically garnishing about $800 from his monthly paychecks in 2023, according to documents provided by Praino. 

    Praino, who is based in Georgia, now takes home about $3,800 a month, which he said barely covers the rent. With car payments, student loans and other expenses and bills, Praino said he has been racking up his credit card with essential purchases like food for his family. 

    Praino said he has post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and traumatic brain injury after first serving in the Navy from 2001 to 2003 and then in the Army. 

    “When you add a financial crisis to the mix, and you’re continuing to serve, which is always a high-stress environment 24/7, my emotional state, my mental state, it is a wreck,” he said.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FDA Launches Agency-Wide AI Tool to Optimize Performance for the American People

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    For Immediate Release:
    June 02, 2025

    [embedded content]

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today launched Elsa, a generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool designed to help employees—from scientific reviewers to investigators—work more efficiently. This innovative tool modernizes agency functions and leverages AI capabilities to better serve the American people.
    “Following a very successful pilot program with FDA’s scientific reviewers, I set an aggressive timeline to scale AI agency-wide by June 30,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “Today’s rollout of Elsa is ahead of schedule and under budget, thanks to the collaboration of our in-house experts across the centers.”
    Built within a high-security GovCloud environment, Elsa offers a secure platform for FDA employees to access internal documents while ensuring all information remains within the agency. The models do not train on data submitted by regulated industry, safeguarding the sensitive research and data handled by FDA staff.
    “Today marks the dawn of the AI era at the FDA with the release of Elsa, AI is no longer a distant promise but a dynamic force enhancing and optimizing the performance and potential of every employee,” said FDA Chief AI Officer Jeremy Walsh. “As we learn how employees are using the tool, our development team will be able to add capabilities and grow with the needs of employees and the agency.”
    The agency is already using Elsa to accelerate clinical protocol reviews, shorten the time needed for scientific evaluations, and identify high-priority inspection targets.
    Elsa is a large language model–powered AI tool designed to assist with reading, writing, and summarizing. It can summarize adverse events to support safety profile assessments, perform faster label comparisons, and generate code to help develop databases for nonclinical applications. These are just a few examples of how Elsa will be used across the enterprise to improve operational efficiency.
    The introduction of Elsa is the initial step in the FDA’s overall AI journey. As the tool matures, the agency has plans to integrate more AI in different processes, such as data processing and generative-AI functions to further support the FDA’s mission.
    Prioritizing efficiency and responsibility, the FDA launched Elsa ahead of schedule using an all-center approach. Leaders and technologists across the agency collaborated, demonstrating the FDA’s ability to transform its operations through AI.

    Consumer:888-INFO-FDA

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    The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, radiation-emitting electronic products, and for regulating tobacco products.

    Content current as of:
    06/02/2025

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ensuring New Yorkers Keep Cool during Extreme Heat

    Source: US State of New York

    n Global Heat Action Day, Governor Kathy Hochul highlighted new and enhanced resources available to protect New York communities from extreme heat this summer. Measures will help New Yorkers access affordable cooling at home and at cooling centers, provide additional support for cool and resilient buildings, help keep kids cool at schools, and offer new tools and expanded funding for communities to prepare for and adapt to extreme heat and mitigate urban heat islands. The New York State Department of Health also launched its interactive New York State Heat Risk and Illness Dashboard that will allow the public and county health care officials to determine the forecasted level of heat-related health risks in their areas and raise awareness about the dangers of heat exposure.

    “Scorching summer temperatures and increasing extreme weather events threaten the lives and well-being of New Yorkers across the state,” Governor Hochul said. “That’s why I’m directing State agencies to take action and ensure all New Yorkers can afford and access relief from the full spectrum of heat risks.”

    Heat waves and other extreme heat events are likely to happen again this summer and New York State agencies are working to implement initiatives recommended by the State’s Extreme Heat Action Plan to help New Yorkers prepare for heat’s negative health and environmental impacts. A range of new and enhanced resources are available for individuals, local governments, and community-based organizations, including:

    • New support for cooling at home: With the new Essential Plan Cooling program, NY State of Health will provide eligible Essential Plan members a free air conditioner to help keep their homes cool. This will complement assistance available in 2025 through the HEAP Cooling program which served more than 23,000 households in 2024.
    • Better access to cooling centers: New resources are available to help connect New Yorkers with safe spaces for cooling. The New York State Department of Health (DOH) and Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) will continue to coordinate with local health departments and emergency managers to update the Cooling Center Finder throughout summer 2025. DOH offers new resources to provide information about best practices for setting up cooling centers and how these locations could serve as clean air centers. Round 8 of the Climate Smart Communities grant program is now open, making $22 million available to fund GHG mitigation and climate adaptation projects, including establishing cooling centers.
    • Additional support for cool buildings: Funding available through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) supports weatherization and clean and efficient heating and cooling that can improve extreme heat resilience at homes, community anchor institutions, schools, and more. The Office of General Services’ new “Decarbonization and Climate Resiliency Design Guide” was released for new and majorly renovated State building projects to assess and reduce climate risk (including extreme heat and Urban Heat Islands) through proactive design.
    • New investments in cool schools: The Education Law newly requires public school districts and BOCES to develop an extreme heat policy, which establishes certain temperature thresholds. NYSERDA offers additional funding to install clean cooling and heating at schools, for example through funding as part of the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act.
    • Enhanced tools and funding for cool communities: Preliminary extreme heat exposure maps and DOH’s Heat Vulnerability Index help communities understand exposure and vulnerabilities. Programs such as Climate Smart Communities fund communities in planning, designing, and implementation solutions. New and expanded funding supports nature-based solutions such as urban forests, urban farms, and community gardens to cool neighborhoods and mitigate heat islands. Governor Hochul’s New York Statewide Investment in More Swimming (NY SWIMS) initiative expanded outdoor swimming through the Connect Kids to Swimming Instruction Transportation grant program and advanced capital projects for swimming facilities in underserved communities through the NY SWIMS Round One competitive grant program.

    Implementation of the Extreme Heat Action Plan

    New York State also marks significant progress on the first year of implementation of the Extreme Heat Action Plan (EHAP) with the first readiness update now available. In June 2024, Governor Hochul, the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and the EHAP Work Group released the plan with nearly 50 actions by State agencies to address extreme heat impacts across four tracks (local planning and capacity building, community preparedness and workers’ safety, resilient buildings and access to cooling, and advancing ecosystem-based adaptations). DEC is coordinating the implementation of the plan in partnership with NYSERDA and the members of the Work Group, including the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) and the State Department of Health (DOH).

    During the first year implementing the plan, State agencies made significant progress in developing new resources that help communities address impacts of extreme heat. The full update on implementation progress is available here.

    Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “Extreme heat driven by our changing climate is contributing to serious public health consequences and threats to New Yorkers, particularly New Yorkers in communities of color and communities historically overburdened by pollution. DEC and our agency partners released the Extreme Heat Action Plan last year under Governor Hochul’s directive and applaud the significant programs and efforts underway to protect lives and advance efforts to ensure our communities are better prepared to respond to severe weather.”

    New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “On Global Heat Action Day, New York State is strengthening its commitment to providing access to reliable, efficient, and affordable cooling solutions in communities across the state. The resources announced today show tremendous progress in implementing the Extreme Heat Action Plan, assuring all New Yorkers – including the most vulnerable – that relief will be available during the hottest months of the year.”

    Staying Safe During Extreme Heat

    The dangers of extreme heat can affect everyone, regardless of age, physical shape, or existing health conditions. The body works extra hard to maintain a normal temperature during extreme heat and, without taking proper measures, this can lead to heat-related illness or even death.

    Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said, “Extreme heat can be deadly, so it’s important that New Yorkers take it seriously. Governor Hochul has made addressing extreme heat a priority as multiple days of high temperatures are becoming more common here in New York. Our state agencies have worked together to make resources available for communities and residents, including free air conditioners to help those eligible keep their homes cool and a comprehensive online tool to assist individuals looking for cooling centers. I urge everyone to prepare now for the extreme temperatures coming our way this summer.”

    State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “As extreme heat becomes more frequent and severe due to climate change, it’s critical that we equip New Yorkers with the tools and resources they need to stay safe and healthy. These new initiatives will not only expand access to cooling centers and protect vulnerable populations, but also help build healthier, more resilient communities. We’re proud to work alongside Governor Hochul and our state partners to ensure that every New Yorker, especially those most at risk, can find relief from extreme heat.”

    Information about what the public can do during hot weather and how to locate cooling centers can be found on DOH’s Extreme Heat website.

    The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) can also provide an air conditioning unit to income-eligible households that include someone with a documented medical condition exacerbated by extreme heat, or households with young children or older adults. Applications will continue to be accepted until funding runs out. For more information, visit the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance website or contact your local office for the aging at 1-800-342-9871.

    Groups most at risk are:

    • People who work outdoors or indoors without air conditioning
    • Adults aged 60 years and older
    • Infants, children, and those who are pregnant
    • People with chronic health conditions
    • Those with physical and cognitive disabilities
    • Those with no access to air conditioning
    • Individuals who live alone or are unhoused
    • Athletes
    • Pets and service animals
    • People living in cities because asphalt and concrete store heat longer and release heat more slowly at night. This produces higher nighttime temperatures and is known as the “urban heat island effect.”

    Another important heat safety tip is to never leave children or pets unsupervised in hot cars. There is a real and severe danger when leaving children or pets unsupervised in a car even when temperatures don’t “feel” hot. At 60 degrees outside, after just one hour a closed car can get as hot as 105 degrees.

    Supporting Local Extreme Heat Action

    New York State continues to make investments in programs to help mitigate extreme heat and other climate impacts. Currently, $22 million is available through the Climate Smart Communities grant program to fund climate change mitigation and adaptation projects, including for projects that help communities plan for and adapt to extreme heat. The deadline for applications is July 31, 2025. More information is available on DEC’s website.

    New York State’s Climate Agenda

    New York State’s climate agenda calls for an affordable and just transition to a clean energy economy that creates family-sustaining jobs, promotes economic growth through green investments, and directs a minimum of 35 percent of the benefits to disadvantaged communities. New York is advancing a suite of efforts to achieve an emissions-free economy by 2050, including in the energy, buildings, transportation, and waste sectors.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Sutherland County Committee adopts Area Place Plan

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    Members of the Sutherland County Committee have today agreed to adopt the Sutherland County Area Place Plan.

    They also agreed to support and promote the plan where possible, giving it consideration within other plans, strategies, development and funding opportunities across Sutherland.

    Chair of Sutherland County Committee, Councillor Richard Gale, said: “The Area Place Plan aims to capture the aims and aspirations of our local communities to ensure that Sutherland can thrive as a sustainable, liveable and prosperous community. We will engage with local people to understand the issues and opportunities most important to them and work together to ensure this plan makes a real difference.”

    The Sutherland Area Place Plan was developed in conjunction with the Sutherland Community Partnership (SCP), with the Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust leading the review of existing priorities. Face-to-face consultation was carried out throughout the county followed by a series of community engagement sessions in Bettyhill, Kinlochbervie, Golspie, Lochinver and Bonar Bridge.

    The emerging priorities of Sutherland have been categorised under three main pillars of People, Place and Prosperity in the Plan which will provide a stronger framework for communities and empower them to drive and deliver change in their areas. Priorities include access to healthcare, community resilience, housing, infrastructure, employment, education and tourism.

    Cllr Gale continued: “Community engagement helps us to build a shared understanding of how a place-based approach can shape our vision for the future. By ensuring local voices are heard, we can establish a partnership approach to informing decisions on service delivery, encouraging community collaboration and making best use of the resources available to local people. Area Place Plans are community led, and I look forward to working together to determine how we can best deliver on the priorities that mean the most to the people of Sutherland.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – The impact of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act on environmental criteria and the treatment of protected areas – E-002086/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002086/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Li Andersson (The Left)

    The aim of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) is to ensure that 10 % of the EU’s needs for strategic raw materials are met with materials produced on its territory. This will bring to the fore the environmental and social effects of mining that had previously been hidden owing to the EU’s importing of its minerals, mainly from the Global South.

    A project that meets the criteria laid down in Article 6 of the CMRA can obtain the status of a strategic project. Under those criteria, projects must be implemented sustainably, in particular as regards the monitoring, prevention and minimisation of environmental impacts. However, strategic status allows for accelerated permitting procedures and derogations from environmental directives such as the Habitats and Water Framework directives.

    In Finland, the first strategic projects have raised environmental concerns. The expansion of Terrafame, a mining company, was partially overturned by an administrative court, partly because of the risk of a major accident. On the other hand, the Sakatti mining project is being planned in the area of Viiankiaapa, which is home to one of Europe’s last string bogs (also known as aapa mires). The site is protected under both Natura and Finland’s national marshland protection scheme. The environmental impact assessment procedure has already shown that the mine would cause the water level in the mire to drop. As a result the grounds for protecting it would be lost and, ultimately, the mire would be destroyed.

    • 1.When the first sites with strategic project status in Finland are clearly environmentally destructive, the question arises as to what exactly the environmental criteria are for obtaining strategic project status?
    • 2.Has the EU created a gap in its high level of environmental protection with regard to mining projects by establishing derogations from the most effective directives in EU environmental legislation – the Nature and Water Framework directives – with a view to stepping up strategic autonomy?
    • 3.How will environmental protection with regard to mining projects be implemented in the future, and when it is possible for sites protected by nature conservation schemes to be used for mining projects, does the EU have any zones which are identified as absolutely prohibited areas?

    Submitted: 23.5.2025

    Last updated: 2 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Timberlea — RCMP charges a man following armed and barricaded incident

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment has charged a man following an armed and barricaded incident that occurred in Timberlea.

    Shortly after midnight on June 1, RCMP officers responded to a disturbance at a residence on Lakehigh Cres.

    Investigators learned that a man armed with a knife had gained entry into the home through the front door and threatened to harm himself. When a female occupant, who was known to the man, asked him to leave, he refused and barricaded himself inside.

    After approximately three hours of communicating with the RCMP Crisis Negotiation Team, the man exited the home and was safely arrested.

    The 33-year-old woman and three children who were inside the home at the time of the incident were unharmed.

    The man has been charged with two counts of Failure to Comply with a Probation Order and Mischief. He was remanded in custody yesterday and is scheduled to appear in Halifax Provincial court today.

    File #: 25-76875

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Proposed liquefied natural gas facility in Pesaro, Italy – E-002065/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002065/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Carola Rackete (The Left)

    In view of the ongoing construction approval for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Pesaro (Italy), which has been granted on a site classified as high-risk (R4 floodplain, seismic zone with sand liquefaction, and proximity to homes and schools), and considering that the project was approved without a full set of environmental and safety documents, including an updated internal emergency plan, hydrogeological assessment and cumulative risk modelling:

    • 1.Is the Commission aware of this case?
    • 2.Will the Commission assess whether Italy is in breach of the EU precautionary principle (Article 191 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union), the Seveso III Directive[1] (2012/18/EU), and the Aarhus Convention in relation to this and similar projects authorised via the Simplification Decree (DL 76/2020)?

    Submitted: 22.5.2025

    • [1] Directive 2012/18/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances, OJ L 197, 24.7.2012, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2012/18/oj.
    Last updated: 2 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI: Lendmark Financial Services Continues Wisconsin Expansion with Beaver Dam Branch, Marking its 11th Portfolio Opening in 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BEAVER DAM, Wis., June 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lendmark Financial Services (Lendmark), a leading provider of household credit and consumer loan solutions, continues to expand its Wisconsin footprint, opening a new branch in Beaver Dam.

    The branch, located at 1659 N. Spring Street, Suite 103, is expected to serve hundreds of customers, retailers, and auto dealerships in its first year. Branch Manager Michelle Lischka will oversee the daily operations, focusing on building strong personal relationships with customers and becoming an active part of the community. The goal is to ensure that local residents receive exceptional, personalized loan services tailored to their specific financial needs.

    “Centrally located between Madison, Milwaukee and the Fox Valley, Beaver Dam combines easy city access with its unique blend of natural beauty. The residents of this community now will have greater access to loans that help meet their planned and unplanned financial needs,” said Mike McIntire, Vice President of Branch Operations at Lendmark. “Beaver Dam is a bustling town, and our new branch brings Lendmark’s top-notch customer service and consumer loan solutions to this economy.”

    In addition to serving consumers directly, Lendmark provides financing solutions for thousands of retailers and independent auto dealerships, allowing these businesses’ customers to obtain Lendmark financing. Local businesses that are interested in partnering with Lendmark to provide financing solutions for their customers should visit the branch or call 920-557-3264.

    Lendmark’s ‘Climb to Cure’ is its signature cause-related initiative. The company has committed to raising $10 million by 2025 to mark its 10-year anniversary partnering with CURE Childhood Cancer. So far, Lendmark’s employees, partners and customers have raised $8.83 million to support CURE, an Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to funding targeted pediatric cancer research that is utilized nationwide.

    About Lendmark Financial Services
    Lendmark Financial Services (Lendmark) provides personal and household credit and loan solutions to consumers. Founded in 1996, Lendmark strives to be the lender, employer, and partner of choice by offering stability and helping consumers meet both planned and unplanned life events through affordable loan offerings. Today, Lendmark operates more than 520 branches in 22 states across the country, providing personalized services to customers and retail business partners with every transaction. Lendmark is headquartered in Lawrenceville, Ga. For more information, visit www.lendmarkfinancial.com.

    Media Contact
    Jeff Hamilton
    Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
    jhamilton@lendmarkfinancial.com
    678-625-3128

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER STATEMENT ON COMPLETION OF ALSTOM’S $75 MILLION, 250+ JOB EXPANSION AT HORNELL CAR BODY SHELL PRODUCTION FACILITY; SENATOR SECURED $3.4 MILLION IN FED FUNDING TO BRING EXPANSION TO LIFE &…

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today released the following statement on the completion of Alstom’s Plant 4, a new $75 million, 250+ job expansion at its Hornell campus, to house a new state-of -art, car body shell production facility to support production of 200 new multi-level commuter cars for the Chicago Metra Commuter Rail System, and enhance the company’s competitiveness for future projects in Hornell. In 2021, Schumer helped secure $3.4 million in critical federal funding to make the construction of Alstom’s Plant 4 a reality. 

    “It’s full steam ahead for Plant 4, Alstom’s new Hornell cutting-edge manufacturing facility! I was proud to secure $3.4 million in federal funding to put Alstom on the fast track to expand and house this new manufacturing facility. The opening of Plant 4 today is a win-win-win for American manufacturing leadership, the Southern Tier economy, and Alstom’s powerhouse union workforce, getting even stronger with 250 new good-paying jobs,” said Senator Schumer. “Today, Alstom solidifies the Southern Tier and New York State as the beating heart for its North American operations. I’ve long fought to support Alstom’s growth in Steuben County and will continue to fight to ensure Hornell has the resources it needs to be one of the nation’s main hubs for rolling stock manufacturing.”

    In 2021, after his direct advocacy, Schumer announced a $3.4 million federal grant from the Economic Development Administration to the Hornell IDA to make improvements to the Shawmut Park site to pave the way for Alstom’s facility expansion. Schumer explained that the project allowed Alstom to build one of the only U.S.-based manufactured rail car shell operations, onshoring manufacturing from overseas and bolstering the rolling stock domestic supply chain. Schumer also helped support Alstom’s successful bid to make passenger rail cars for the Chicago Metra Commuter Rail System at its Hornell facility. 

    Schumer, a long-standing fighter for Alstom, its workers, and the City of Hornell, has worked tirelessly to support growth at its Steuben County facility, a site that for more than 170 years has been manufacturing and servicing high-quality trains in Hornell. Through his efforts, the workforce has doubled, and the facility has expanded, cementing Alstom and Hornell’s future as a leader in rail car manufacturing in North America.  He led the charge, urging USDOT to green light Amtrak’s efforts to buy brand new Next Generation High-Speed trains, a necessary step to keep Alstom’s Acela contracting opportunity on track, paving the way for them to compete and win the prestigious contract to build a replacement fleet of Acela high speed trains, adding an estimated 400 jobs at Alstom in Hornell and helping attract over 50 other supplier companies.

    Most recently, he successfully delivered nearly $16 million to the Steuben County IDA, who in partnership with Alstom, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Binghamton University’s New Energy New York (NENY) consortium, will develop next generation battery technology for more energy-efficient trains.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Plymouth means business at UKREiiF 2025

    Source: City of Plymouth

    By Cllr Tudor Evans, Leader of Plymouth City Council

    This May, I had the privilege of leading Plymouth’s delegation to the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) in Leeds – and what a week it was.

    We went to UKREiiF with a clear purpose: to shout loud and proud about Plymouth’s ambition, our potential, and our readiness for growth. We weren’t just there to attend – we were there to lead, to connect, and to inspire. Because for Plymouth, growth isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a necessity. It’s about jobs, homes, innovation, and opportunity. It’s about building a city that works for everyone.

    From the moment we arrived, the energy was electric. Day one kicked off with a bang – our stand was buzzing with interest, and we hit the ground running with meetings, networking, and a strong presence across the event. We were there alongside major cities and regions, but we made sure Plymouth’s voice was heard. We’re not just a coastal city – we’re a city of ideas, of resilience, and of bold ambition.

    One of the highlights was our panel session, where we brought together key voices to talk about the future of cities like ours. We spoke about the power of place, the importance of sustainable development, and the need for long-term investment in infrastructure and skills. I was proud to see Plymouth leading that conversation – not just reacting to change, but shaping it.

    Throughout the week, we met with investors, developers, government officials, and partners from across the UK. We showcased our major regeneration opportunities – from the Freeport and Oceansgate to the city centre and waterfront. We talked about our strengths in marine, defence, digital, and clean energy. And we made it clear: Plymouth is open for business.But UKREiiF wasn’t just about promotion – it was about connection.

    It was about building relationships that will unlock real benefits for our city. We had meaningful conversations that we’re already following up on – conversations that could lead to new investment, new jobs, and new opportunities for our residents.

    For example, we had a fantastic conversation with Homes England. Earlier this year, we launched a bold new plan together to deliver up to 10,000 new homes in the heart of Plymouth. This isn’t just about numbers – it’s about creating a vibrant, liveable city centre that supports our growing workforce and attracts new talent. At UKREiiF, we built on this momentum with strategic conversations about other key sites.

    Marcus Ralling from Homes England was clear: Plymouth offers one of the most compelling investment stories in the country. With the right partners, we can deliver high-quality homes, strong returns, and transformational change. This partnership is already bearing fruit – and it’s only just beginning.

    What struck me most was the shared sense of purpose in all our conversations. Across the country, councils are grappling with similar challenges – housing, climate change, economic resilience. But there was also a shared optimism. A belief that with the right partnerships, the right vision, and the right leadership, we can build better places. And Plymouth is absolutely part of that story.

    So what do we hope to get out of it? Tangible outcomes. We want to see investment flow into our city. We want to accelerate delivery of key projects. We want to bring partners on board who share our vision for inclusive, sustainable growth. And we want to keep raising Plymouth’s profile – nationally and internationally – as a city that’s going places.

    UKREiiF 2025 was a milestone for us. It showed that Plymouth belongs on the national stage. It showed that we have the ambition, the assets, and the leadership to drive real change. And it reminded me – once again – why I’m so proud to lead this city.

    Growth matters. Not for its own sake, but because of what it means for people. For families looking for a decent home. For young people seeking opportunity. For businesses ready to expand. For communities that deserve investment and pride in place.

    Plymouth is ready. And we’re just getting started.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Minister Smyth address to Medicine 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Minister Smyth address to Medicine 2025

    Minister Smyth addressed the Royal College of Physicians annual conference

    Since 1948, this organisation has been one of the greatest allies advocating for universal access to health care, high standards in clinical practice, and evidence based medicine.

    And today, I really want to thank our members for everything that you have done over the past 14 years to hold our NHS together.

    Through no fault of your own, you’ve been through the worst crisis in the history of the NHS waiting list at historic highs, patient satisfaction at record lows, people struggling to see a GP, ambulances not turning up on time. Any department is full to bursting.

    That founding promise that the NHS will always be there for us when we needed it, broken.

    But as someone who had my own career 30 years ago in the health service, I completely understand how demoralising this has been for so many staff, how powerless people have felt desperately trying to stop standards slipping or holding a broken system together.

    That’s how I felt as an NHS leader locally, watching the disastrous 2012 reorganisation imposed from the top down, despite all the warnings from frontline leaders and staff. And since then we’ve also had to deal with underinvestment and the global pandemic.

    But while those blows may have left the NHS broken, it’s not beaten.

    Every day there are amazing people delivering outstanding and compassionate care.

    Despite all of those challenges, day in, day out, you show up for work and you fight to deliver the very best care possible for your patients.

    Since coming into office, this government has done everything we can to support you. To restore that basic founding principle that the NHS should always be there for us when we need it. With our Plan for Change, we have hit the ground running.

    As our first step, we promised two million more appointments in our first year.

    Promise made, promise kept: we delivered our promise seven months early and we’ve reached our target, delivering not two, but three million more appointments since July and counting.

    We’ve got waiting lists down by over 200,000 people.

    We ended the strike within three weeks and have now delivered two above-inflation pay rises for NHS staff.

    We’ve invested an extra £26 billion in health and care.

    We’ve recruited 1,500 more GPs, and agreed a GP contract for the first time since the pandemic.

    We’ve delivered the biggest investment to hospitals in a generation.

    The biggest expansion of carer’s allowance since the 1970s.

    A boost for older and disabled people through the Disabled Facilities Grant.

    The biggest real-terms increase to the Public Health Grant in nearly a decade.

    We’ve given pharmacies the biggest funding uplift in a generation.

    For patients, we’ve frozen prescription charges.

    We’ve struck a new deal that will mean women will be able to get the morning-after-pill from pharmacies across the country, absolutely free of charge.

    A lot done, but we know, a hell of a lot more left to do.

    But from day one, we have been clear that investment must come with reform.

    Our job is twofold.

    First, to get the NHS back on its feet, treating patients on time again, and second, to reform the service for the long term, so it is fit for the future.

    This summer we will publish our 10 Year Plan for Health.

    Shifting the focus of healthcare out of hospital and into the community with more investment in primary and community care.

    Bringing our analogue health service into the digital age, arming staff with modern equipment and cutting edge technology.

    And thirdly, turning our sickness service into a preventative health service to help people live well for longer and tackle the biggest killers.

    We’re supporting the effort of prevention through our Smoking and Vapes Bill, to protect children and the most vulnerable to make this generation of kids the first smoke-free generation, and to save untold billions spent on their future care.

    The ban on junk food advertising targeted at children will be a first step in addressing the growing problem of childhood obesity, and those same kids are benefiting from breakfast clubs, so they start school with hungry minds and not hungry bellies.

    Our Mental Health Bill will stop the disgraceful incarceration of learning-disabled adults.

    We’re working with health unions, councils and employers to deliver the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for social care staff.

    And Louise Casey is leading the Commission on Social Care, which will finally get a grip on a system that is broken for too many families.

    Because, as you all know so well, the pressures facing hospitals don’t start in hospitals, just as the problems facing the NHS don’t necessarily start in the NHS, they are a reflection of wider society.

    Fixing broken Britain will require more than fixing a broken NHS.

    After this speech, I’m going to add my own post-it note to your interactive map.

    When my team asked me to think about the most pressing issue in my constituency of Bristol South, I was very quick to answer. Poverty.

    The health service can fix people when they’re broken, but we don’t want people broken.

    The factors that make my constituents unwell are wide ranging, socioeconomic and environmental.

    In other words, the conditions in which we are born, grow, live and work. Secure jobs. Fair pay. Decent housing. Safe streets. Clean air. Accessible transport. The time and affordable facilities to exercise and nutritious food.

    These are the essential building blocks of a healthy life.

    And that’s why this government is focused on economic growth and improving healthy life expectancy for all, while halving the gap in healthy life expectancy between different regions of England.

    And it’s why reform of the health service is so important, because every pound we spend on the health service is a pound that can’t be spent on what you and I call the social determinants of ill health.

    But what everyone else calls feeding hungry children, building warm homes and cleaning up our water and the air that we breathe.

    The NHS has often been compared to an oil tanker that has immense capacity but is slow to change direction. Shifting the focus of our health service will be an immense task, and one that we can only accomplish with your help.

    We’ve already been clear that we’re embarking on a decade of national renewal and that’s why we’re launching a 10 Year Plan.

    Since coming into office, we’ve sought to reset the relationship with medics to improve working lives and restore value.

    This government was never going to be able to completely reverse a decade and a half of decline in only ten months, but this year’s pay awards, the second above inflation pay rise in a row, demonstrates our commitment to rebuilding the NHS and rebuilding the pay conditions and morale of all NHS staff.

    When I joined the NHS 30 years ago, I saw the NHS at what I thought was the worst.

    I remember later on working with the team at the Bristol Royal Infirmary on urgent care, discussing those awful trolley waits, coming into work every day, people trying to find a space or somewhere to discharge people from A&E, conversations that, sadly, are all too familiar again today.

    But I also saw, especially in the years leading up to 2010, the pride people have when they’re working in an improving, well-run system.

    When you’re able to go home at the end of the day, knowing that your patients received the best possible care and the pride, you know that you’re working at the top of your license as part of a team rebuilding a healthier Britain.

    The NHS cannot be saved by one person sitting behind a desk in Whitehall.

    We will only succeed if this is a team effort. From the Prime Minister to the 1.5 million people who work in the service, and the millions of us who use it to take decisions needed to lead healthier, more active lives.

    Turning the NHS around will take time.

    It really won’t be easy, but the prize, the prize available to us is huge and if we get this right, we will be able to say that we were the generation that took the NHS from the worst crisis in its history, got it back on its feet and made it fit for future generations.

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Truxton Capital Advisors Serves as Sole Financial Advisor to T&R Recovery in Growth Investment from Genesis Park and Cyprium Partners

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Truxton Capital Advisors (TCA) is pleased to announce its role as the exclusive financial advisor to T&R Recovery Holdings, LLC (“T&R Recovery” or the “Company”) in connection with a strategic growth investment from GP Capital Partners, LP, an investment fund managed by Genesis Park, and Cyprium SBIC I LP, an investment fund managed by Cyprium Partners.

    This transaction included a combination of debt and minority equity, as well as a delayed draw facility to support T&R Recovery’s future expansion initiatives. The capital infusion will accelerate the Company’s strategic growth through acquisitions and market expansion across the behavioral health landscape.

    “We are proud to have advised the outstanding team at T&R Recovery in this transformative transaction,” said Andrew May, Vice Chairman of Truxton. “Their dedication to clinical excellence and operational strength made this a compelling opportunity. We are excited to watch their continued growth with the support of Genesis Park and Cyprium.”

    Founded by seasoned behavioral health operators, T&R Recovery is a leading provider of mental health and addiction treatment services, with three accredited facilities across Arizona and Texas. The Company offers a comprehensive continuum of care, including residential treatment, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, detoxification, and other specialized services.

    This transaction underscores Truxton Capital Advisors’ deep expertise in the healthcare services sector, particularly within behavioral health, and its ability to deliver outstanding outcomes for founder-led and mission-driven businesses.

    About Truxton Capital Advisors
    Truxton Capital Advisors (TCA) provides family-owned businesses with thoughtful, consultative services and investment banking strategies to meet their capital needs. Through a comprehensive, relationship-focused approach, TCA delivers highly sophisticated, tax-sensitive solutions to maximize desired outcomes both for the business today and for the family long-term.

    About Truxton
    Truxton is a premier provider of wealth, banking, and family office services for wealthy individuals, their families, and their business interests. Serving clients across the world, Truxton’s vastly experienced team of professionals provides customized solutions to its clients’ complex financial needs. Founded in 2004 in Nashville, Tennessee, Truxton upholds its original guiding principle: do the right thing. Truxton Trust Company is a subsidiary of financial holding company, Truxton Corporation (OTCPK: TRUX). For more information, visit truxtontrust.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Strategic Defence Review oral statement

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Oral statement to Parliament

    Strategic Defence Review oral statement

    Statement from Defence Secretary John Healey on the Strategic Defence Review.

    With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the Strategic Defence Review.

    And I have laid the full 130-page review report first before this house. I am grateful to be able to make this statement on the first day back from recess.

    Mr Speaker, the world has changed, and we must respond.

    The SDR is our Plan for Change for Defence.

    A plan to meet the threats we face.

    A plan to step up on European Security and lead in NATO.

    A plan that learns the lessons from Ukraine.

    A plan to seize the defence dividend from our record increase in defence investment, to boost jobs and growth throughout the United Kingdom.

    And a plan to put the men and women of our Armed Forces at the heart of our defence plans: better pay, better kit, better housing.

    Through the SDR will make our Armed Forces stronger, and the British people safer.

    I’d like to thank those who led the SDR… Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, General Barrons and Dr Fiona Hill.

    “The politician, the soldier, and a foreign policy expert”, as they say themselves in their forward. Thye have put in a huge effort, alongside others.

    This is a first-of-its-kind, externally led review.

    A process, in which we received 8 000 submissions from experts, individuals, organisations, and MPs from across the House, including the Shadow Defence Secretary.

    I thank them all – and I thank those in the MOD who have contributed to this SDR.

    This is not just the government’s review it is Britain’s defence review.

    And so, the government endorses the SDR’s vision, accepts its 62 recommendations, which will be implemented.

    Mr Speaker, the threats we face is now more serious and less predictable than at any time since the of Cold War.

    We face war in Europe, growing Russian aggression, new nuclear risks, and daily cyber-attacks at home. 

    Our adversaries are working more in alliance with one another, while technology is changing the way war is fought.

    We are in a new era of threat, which demands a new era for UK Defence.

    Mr Speaker, since the General Election we have demonstrated that we are a government dedicated to delivering for defence.

    Committing the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War… £5 billion extra this year, 2.5% in 2027, the ambition to 3% in the next parliament.

    Mr Speaker, there can be no investment without reform.

    And so we are already driving also the deepest reforms to defence in 50 years.

    And these will ensure clearer responsibilities, better delivery, stronger budget control and new efficiencies, worth £6 billion in this parliament, money all of which will be reinvested directly into defence.

    Mr Speaker, our Armed Forces will always do what’s needed to keep the nation safe –24/7, in more than 50 countries around the world.

    But in a more dangerous world, the SDR confirms that we must move to warfighting readiness.

    Warfighting readiness means stronger deterrence.

    We need stronger deterrence to avoid the huge costs, human and economic that wars create.

    And we prevent wars by being strong enough to fight and win them. And that is what has made NATO the most successful defence alliance in history, over the last 75 years.

    So Mr Speaker, we will establish a “New Hybrid Navy” by:

    … building Dreadnought, AUKUS submarines, cutting-edge warships and new autonomous vessels.

    Our carriers will carry the first hybrid airwings in Europe.

    We will develop the next generation RAF with:

    F35s, upgraded Typhoons, 6th Gen GCAP and autonomous fighters, to defend Britain’s skies and be able to strike anywhere in the world.

    And we will make the British Army 10 times more lethal by:

    Combining the future technology of drones, autonomy and AI with the heavy metal tanks and artillery.

    Mr Speaker for too long, our Army has been asked to do more with less.

    We inherited a long run recruitment crisis – [political content removed].

    Reversing this decline will take time but we are acting to stem the loss now and aiming to increase the British Army to at least 76,000 full time soldiers in the next parliament.

    Mr Speaker, for the first time in a generation, we are a government who want the number of regular soldiers to rise.

    In our homeland, Mr Speaker, this a government that will protect our island home, we’ll do so by:

    Committing £1bn in new funding to homeland air and missile defences,  by creating a new CyberEM Command to defend Britain in the grey zone and by preparing legislation to improve defence readiness.

    Mr. Speaker, as Ukraine shows a country’s armed forces are only as strong as the industry that stands behind them.

    So this SDR begins a new partnership with industry, with innovators and with investors, we will make engine. We will make defence an engine for growth, an engine for growth to create jobs and increase prosperity in every nation and every region of the UK.

    Take our nuclear enterprise.

    We will commit 15 billion pounds in investment into the sovereign warhead programme in this Parliament, supporting over 9000 jobs. We will establish continuous submarine production through investments in Barrow and in Derby, that will allow us to produce a submarine every 18 months, allowing us to grow our nuclear attack submarine fleet to up to 12 submarines, supporting more than 20,000 jobs.

    And on munitions, we will invest 6 billion pounds in this Parliament, including for six new munitions factories and up to 7000 new long-range weapons, supporting nearly 2000 jobs.

    Mr. Speaker, the lives of workers in Barrow or Derby or Govan, where I was with the Prime Minister this morning, are being transformed, not just by this defence investment, but by the pride and purpose that comes with work that comes with defence work. And in the coming years, more communities and more working people will benefit from the defence dividend that this brings.

    Mr. Speaker Ukraine also tells us that whoever gets new technology into the hands of their armed forces fastest will have the advantage. So we will place Britain at the leading edge of innovation in NATO.

    We will double investment into autonomous systems this parliament. We will invest more than a billion pounds to integrate our armed forces through a new digital targeting web, and we will finance a £400 million UK Defence Innovation organization.

    Mr. Speaker, to ensure that Britain gains the maximum benefit from what we invent and what we produce in this country, we will create a new defence exports office in the MOD, driving exports to our allies and driving growth at home.

    Mr. Speaker, the SDR sets a new vision, a new framework for defence investment.

    The work to confirm a new defence investment plan, superseding the last government’s defence equipment plan, will be completed in the autumn.

    It will ensure our frontline forces get what they need when they need it.

    The plan will be deliverable. It will be affordable. It will consider infrastructure alongside capabilities. It will seize the opportunities of advanced tech, and it will seize the opportunities to grow the British economy.

    And Mr. Speaker, as we lose the national service generation, fewer families across this country have a direct connection to the armed forces. And so we must do more to reconnect the nation with those who defend us.

    And so as the SDR recommends, we will increase the number of cadets by 30%, we will introduce a voluntary Gap Year scheme for school and college leavers, and we will develop a new strategic reserve by 2030.

    Mr. Speaker, we must also renew the nation’s contract with those who serve. We’ve already awarded the biggest pay increase in over 20 years, an inflation busting increase this year. And now I’ve announced we will invest 7 billion pounds of funding this parliament for military accommodation, including 1.5 billion of new money for rapid work to deal with the scandal of military family homes.

    Mr. Speaker, this SDR is the first defence review in a generation for growth and for transformation in UK defence. It will end 14 years of hollowing out in our armed forces, and instead, we will see investment increased, the Navy expanded, the army grown, the Air Force upgraded, war fighting readiness, restored, NATO strengthened, the nuclear deterrent, guaranteed advanced technology developed and jobs, jobs created. Jobs created in every nation, and region of this country. Mr. Speaker. Mr. Strategic Defence Review will make Britain, safer, more secure, at home, and stronger abroad.

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: England’s water crisis needs more than just new reservoirs – here’s what will help

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Hannah Cloke, Professor of Hydrology, University of Reading

    The UK government wants to build more reservoirs like this one (Ladybower reservoir) in the Peak District Jon_Clark/Shutterstock

    England is facing a water crisis. The UK government has just announced plans to fast-track two massive reservoir projects in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, warning that without them, we could run out of drinking water by the mid-2030s. But as a hydrologist who studies Britain’s often erratic weather patterns, I believe these reservoirs alone won’t solve our water problems.

    No major reservoirs have been completed in England since 1992. But the rising population, housing developments and the construction of data centres which use large amounts of water as a coolant are putting intense pressure on our water supplies.

    Meanwhile, climate change is bringing hotter, drier summers that increase the risk of drought, as a warmer atmosphere soaks up more water and moves it around in increasingly extreme patterns. This year’s arid spring has already pushed north-west England into official drought status.

    The government’s solution is to build nine new reservoirs by 2050, potentially providing 670 million litres of extra water daily. The two fast-tracked projects in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire are pencilled for completion in 2036 and 2040 respectively. On paper, this sounds like a sensible response to a growing crisis.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    But here’s the problem: we’re thinking about water all wrong. We need a complete overhaul of the way we use water. We need to plug leaks, cut down on waste and use water more than once in our homes and buildings before sloshing it down the drain. We need to catch more water wherever it falls – not just in the river basins that are linked to big reservoirs.

    Water companies lose billions of litres daily through leaky pipes. Some estimates suggest that around 20% of treated water never reaches taps because it seeps out of ageing infrastructure. Meanwhile, we’re planning to pump water across huge distances from new reservoirs to supply areas that could be managing their local water resources far more efficiently.

    It would be better to make more difficult decisions around the regulation of new buildings, as well as retrofitting older homes and businesses, to cut waste and recycle water where it is used. This isn’t just about taking shorter showers or turning off taps as you brush your teeth – although these things do help.

    We need systematic changes: building standards that require water recycling systems, tighter management of water-hungry developments in already dry areas and serious investment in our crumbling water infrastructure.



    Read more:
    Recycling sewage is a sensible way to improve water security – but would you swallow it?

    The reservoirs planned for Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire will take more than a decade to complete and will cost billions of pounds. In the UK, little research has been done to compare the costs of major infrastructure against a mass roll out of household-level water saving techniques.

    Such schemes are rare in Europe. But evidence from historically water-scarce regions, such as parts of Australia, have shown that widely-adopted community and domestic water storage and recycling is cost effective. In the past, the approach in the UK and most European countries has followed a traditional model that often dates to Victorian times, or before.

    These civic water supply and drainage systems were built to address public health crises and cut water-borne diseases across urban areas.

    But an unprecedented climate calls for unprecedented solutions. These could include the widespread roll out of sustainable drainage solutions that mimic nature and capture rainwater where it falls, on roofs or ditches filled with plants, rather than letting it rush straight down the drains into the rivers.

    Green roofs need to be part of the solution.
    Virrage Images/Shutterstock

    Britain’s weather has always been variable, but it’s now extremely variable. We’ve experienced this seesaw pattern of drought followed by flooding, as seen in the contrast between dry and wet months seen over the past year.

    This all-or-nothing rainfall pattern makes it even more important to capture and store water locally when we have it, rather than relying on large, centralised infrastructure that may be in the wrong place when extreme weather strikes.

    The government’s decision to override local planning objections for these reservoir projects highlights another issue. Communities may be asked to sacrifice their land and landscapes for water infrastructure that primarily serves distant urban areas. This approach feels increasingly outdated when we could manage water more sustainably at the local level.

    None of this means we don’t need new reservoirs. More water storage needs to be part of the solution. But while big reservoir projects may be politically attractive as they are visible examples of government action, they shouldn’t be our only solution, or even our primary one.

    The climate crisis demands that we think differently about water. A warmer world shifts water from region to region more easily, causing problems by its presence or its absence. In the UK, we will increasingly have to treat water as a precious resource, to be more carefully managed wherever we find it.

    Hannah Cloke advises the Environment Agency, the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts, the Copernicus Emergency Management Service, local and national governments and humanitarian agencies on the forecasting and warning of natural hazards. She is a member of the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council and a fellow of the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts. Her research is funded by the UKRI Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council, the UKRI Natural Environment Research Council and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

    – ref. England’s water crisis needs more than just new reservoirs – here’s what will help – https://theconversation.com/englands-water-crisis-needs-more-than-just-new-reservoirs-heres-what-will-help-257922

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How medieval lessons for managing floods could help those facing them in northern Italy today

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Marco Panato, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Department of History, University of Nottingham

    Saint Fredianus diverts the Serchio River by Filippo Lippi, 1438
     Wikiart

    Northern Italy has been hit by a series of devastating floods in recent years. In March 2025 and the previous autumn, heavy rainfall hammered the region, swamping fields, farms and towns. More than 3,000 had to leave their homes in Emilia-Romagna, between Bologna and Ravenna.

    The downpours caused widespread floods, landslides, and infrastructure damage. This has been a repeated event since 2023 when the area saw what has been called the worst flood in a century.

    While climate change is a major factor behind the likelihood of these disasters, human neglect has worsened the risk. Decades of poor maintenance of drainage canals and ageing riverbanks – some of which are medieval, like those in Bologna – have made the Po valley particularly vulnerable.

    As the meteorologist James Parrish has explained, when dried-out soil suddenly receives half a year’s rainfall in two days, even modern flood defences cannot cope, especially in a landscape prone to waterlogging.

    According to the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research and the data collected in 2021 by the National Institute of Statistics, in Emilia-Romagna alone, over 2.5 million live in areas of high or medium flood-risk.

    Yet if today’s floods feel apocalyptic, history tells us that living with floods is nothing new in these territories. Medieval communities faced similar challenges and how they lived with water may offer lessons for today.

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    Since the earliest times, people in the Po valley developed what the historian Petra van Dam calls an amphibious culture: a way of life that continuously adjusted to the threats and benefits posed by rivers. From the Terramare and Etruscan cultures in the second and first millennium BC (but even earlier) to the middle ages and in some cases even now, communities did not just fight floods; they integrated them into their daily lives and economies.

    After the fall of the Roman state, Italy entered a period of intense political, socio-economic, climatic and environmental change. As archaeological and historical research shows, settlements from this period often clustered near waterways despite their risks.

    Every year, rivers overflowed destroying crops or buildings. Evidence of these events comes from contemporary narratives, such as the life of Saint Fredianus, and in the flood layers buried in the soil. Traces are even found in cave minerals in the Apuan Alps.

    Why live so close to something so destructive? Because rivers also brought huge benefits like fertile land, irrigation, mills, fish, woodlands and trade.

    Communities adapted in practical ways. They grew crops suited to wet soils, grazed animals in seasonal marshes, and even breached riverbanks on purpose to let in muddy water that deposited rich sediment for farming. To stay dry, they also built houses on natural or artificial high grounds above floodwaters.

    These strategies show a deep resilience in medieval societies, something to keep in mind also in the current situation.

    A shared responsibility

    In early medieval Italy, people dug canals and drained wetlands not just to farm new land, but also to manage flooding and redirect rivers. These projects were often led by monasteries, landowners, and farmers, who worked together out of necessity.

    Research research from the Maremma wetlands in Tuscany shows how communities and rulers cooperated to maintain dikes, drainage channels, and salt pans (where seawater was left to dry and leave behind salt). Local know-how and labour mattered as much as political coordination and investment.

    Today, people often expect the state to manage floods. But public response is not always quick or fair. For instance, in Traversara, a village severely hit by floods, locals were furious towards proposed mandatory insurance policies, feeling abandoned by authorities.

    Modern flood defence relies heavily on centralised systems, satellite monitoring and major infrastructure projects. These tools are crucial, but not enough.

    Historical lessons suggest that effective flood resilience must also incorporate local (historical) knowledge and community participation. Some solutions include restoring spaces for rivers to overflow safely and continuous targeted maintenance of canals and levees.

    Strengthening and adapting Italy’s consorzi di donifica – local organisations responsible for drainage and water management – could revive a model of shared governance that proved successful for centuries.

    As recently suggested in the response strategies to the 2023 floods, responsive resilience takes teamwork. National, regional, and local actors must coordinate. In this case, adopting an “amphibious” mentality – one that views rivers not just as threats but as central, living elements of the landscape – could help reshape flood policy.

    Combining historical understanding with modern science and community empowerment can guide better ways to live with water. Medieval societies, through trial and adaptation, managed to coexist with their rivers. Relearning from them today could help build more sustainable futures in flood-prone regions – not only in Italy, but across the globe.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

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

    – ref. How medieval lessons for managing floods could help those facing them in northern Italy today – https://theconversation.com/how-medieval-lessons-for-managing-floods-could-help-those-facing-them-in-northern-italy-today-257062

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Does the key to uniting against divisive politics lie in our personal lives?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Peter Beresford, Professor of Citizen Participation, University of East Anglia

    Shutterstock/Top Vector Studio

    Modern Britain is plagued by a sense of disempowerment and political exclusion – a feeling that is, somewhat ironically, shared between groups of people who otherwise feel divided from one another.

    This division has opened the door to a frightening rightwing populism that seeks to set “us” against “them”. And so far, the response from traditional political parties seems to amount to little more than trying to mimic rightwing rhetoric.

    It’s possible that the solution to this drive towards division is simply hiding in plain sight. The term “populist politics” merely means “a political approach that strives to appeal to people who feel their concerns are disregarded”.

    It’s unfortunate but not inevitable that voters are being offered merely the illusion of being listened to rather than real action to address their concerns. People don’t actually want more promises. They want a real say – whether they live in a neglected town in northern England or face personal barriers and discrimination.

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    But here’s where the biggest contradiction lies. While formal politics has been moving hard right, our personal politics have been headed determinedly in the opposite direction.

    We have seen a powerful pressure towards the equalisation of roles and relationships in society, across gender, sexuality, ethnicity, age and disability. And these trends stretch far deeper than any narrow preoccupation with the equality, diversity and inclusion agendas that are attacked as “woke” and “elitist”.

    The new social movements that have been the force for such personal, social, cultural and environmental change have also had another underlying agenda – people pressing for a real say in state and other organisations and structures that affect their lives. The growing demand has been for more participation and fewer traditional top-down, paternalistic approaches.

    This has been conspicuous in areas like the NHS and care where patients and service users are demanding more information and explanations and staff are being trained to expect this and respond positively.

    Thus, the rallying call of the women’s movement, “the personal is political”. And here perhaps lies the way forward – shifting the ground from phoney populism to real participation. Can we build on the quiet transformation that’s been taking place in our personal lives and relationships to rebuild our formal politics – highlighting that “the political is personal” too?

    The minority politics we now have which privileges a few over the many is unlikely ever to end until the rest of us can unite as many (albeit overlapping) minorities on equal terms. The present tendency to sort our differences and relative oppression into a hierarchy will merely serve the interest of the ultimate minority – rich and powerful organisations and individuals.

    Joining forces

    The only convincing way to challenge rightwing populism is to give all the groups now set against each other a real say in change. Crucially, it means building equal and inclusive alliances between our different groups and movements – real grassroots work – emulating and learning from the progress we have undoubtedly made in our personal politics.

    It means highlighting what we have in common as much as our differences. None of us has one single monolithic identity – we have multiple overlapping identities which offer insights and understanding into other experiences.

    We’re not so different as populists would have us believe – and we don’t have to hate ourselves or others for being tagged as such. You may be divorced or in a blended family. You almost certainly have experienced your own money worries or faced mental health issues personally or with a loved one. Such intersectionality enters all our personal lives, even if we aren’t familiar with the term.

    Some of the most disempowered groups have key contributions to offer here. Disabled people, including mental health service users, people with learning difficulties and long-term conditions actually have some of the most helpful learning to offer more broadly because of the scale of routine exclusions they face.

    They remind us of the importance of challenging barriers in our environment, such as inaccessible buildings, or communication barriers imposed by ignoring the access needs of deaf, blind and other groups.

    Like the black civil rights movement before them, disabled people have majored in sharing their experiences to build their personal confidence and assertiveness as a basis for empowerment.

    Of course, all this is easier to say than do, it takes time. That’s why in terms of formal political calendars, it’s a strategy we can’t afford to delay. The general election clock is ticking and already Reform is eyeing up next year’s Welsh elections.

    It means building from the bottom, not yielding to top-down rhetoric, and learning from the massive amount of experience we already have from our different movements and activism. As the black lesbian feminist Audre Lorde wrote: “We will not rebuild the master’s house using the master’s tools.” We have to the have confidence instead to join forces to use our own.

    Peter Beresford receives funding from the National Institute for Health Reseearch Applied Research Collaboration East of England as a part-time academic at the University of East Anglia and some of the work in this book was made possible through reseearch undertaken as part of this post

    – ref. Does the key to uniting against divisive politics lie in our personal lives? – https://theconversation.com/does-the-key-to-uniting-against-divisive-politics-lie-in-our-personal-lives-257696

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Heart attacks, fainting and falls: the perils of pooping

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michelle Spear, Professor of Anatomy, University of Bristol

    Ivan Moreno sl/Shutterstock.com

    The humble toilet seems like the least likely setting for drama. Yet throughout history, it has claimed kings, toppled celebrities and served as the scene of untimely deaths ranging from the tragic to the downright bizarre. What is it about the smallest room that makes it, occasionally, the most dangerous?

    At the heart of this peril lies the Valsalva manoeuvre – the act of forcibly exhaling against a closed airway while straining, such as during defecation. This puts pressure on your chest, which reduces blood flow back to the heart. For most people, it’s harmless. But for those with heart problems, this strain can lead to “defecation syncope” (fainting), irregular heart rhythms and even sudden death.

    The vagus nerve is a key player here. It helps control your heart rate, and when it becomes overstimulated – through intense straining or pressure in the rectum – it can cause bradycardia (a dangerously slow heartbeat), low blood pressure and loss of consciousness. This makes defecation a surprisingly high-stakes event for those with underlying heart conditions.

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    Two of history’s most frequently cited examples of toilet-related deaths – Elvis Presley and King George II – offer sobering case studies in the hidden dangers of defecation.

    Presley, aged just 42, was found collapsed on the bathroom floor of Graceland on August 16, 1977. Though fans speculated about drug overdose – and it’s worth noting that the full report is withheld until 2027 – the post-mortem narrative reveals a more complex and tragic medical picture.

    Presley had suffered from chronic constipation, possibly exacerbated by a high-fat, low-fibre diet, prolonged opiate use and a “megacolon” – a pathologically enlarged colon. On the morning of his death, he was reportedly straining forcefully. The Valsalva manoeuvre may have triggered a fatal arrhythmia in a heart already compromised by years of prescription drug abuse and poor health.

    A more aristocratic death occurred in 1760 when King George II of Great Britain died suddenly after visiting his privy. His physician, Dr Frank Nicholls, performed a rare royal autopsy and found that the king had suffered a ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm – a ballooning of the body’s main artery.

    The event probably occurred as George stood up from the toilet, at a moment when blood pressure fluctuated dramatically. Historians and physicians now believe that the effort of defecation or the sudden change in posture may have been the trigger.

    The king’s heart was also notably diseased, with significant calcification of the aortic valve, further compounding the risks posed by even minor circulatory strain.

    Deaths by drowning (and worse)

    While fainting on the toilet poses risks today, historical toilet use came with even deadlier consequences, particularly for those using privies and cesspits before the advent of modern plumbing.

    In the 18th and 19th centuries, many households relied on outdoor privies built over deep pits designed to collect human waste. These structures were often unstable, poorly maintained and perilously constructed.

    Falling into a cesspit wasn’t just revolting, it could be deadly. People who lost their footing, especially in the dark or while drunk, sometimes drowned in the filth or were overcome by toxic gases like methane and hydrogen sulphide, which are released as waste breaks down.

    Newspapers and coroners’ reports from the time reveal a grim pattern: people – especially children and the elderly – regularly died after falling into night soil pits. In his 1851 classic London Labour and the London Poor, Henry Mayhew vividly describes the deadly risks faced by night soil men, including suffocation by toxic cesspit gases.

    These grim accidents helped drive 19th-century public health reforms and campaigns for better sewage infrastructure, eventually paving the way for the modern sewers we rely on today.

    But the danger hasn’t disappeared. In some parts of the world, pit latrines are still common, and toilet-related falls and drownings still occur, particularly where facilities are poorly built or inadequately maintained.

    The dangers of sitting too long

    Modern habits add new risks. Bringing your smartphone to the toilet often means longer sitting times. This increases pressure on the rectal venous plexus (the network of veins around the rectum), raising the risk of haemorrhoids and anal fissures.

    The “toilet scroll” also poses microbial dangers. Studies have found that phones used in the bathroom can carry harmful germs from the toilet to your hands – and eventually, your mouth. They can harbour E coli and other pathogens long after you’ve finished washing your hands.

    There’s also the issue of toilet posture. The western-style sitting toilet, unlike the squatting toilets common in parts of Asia and Africa, places the rectum at an angle that makes defecation more effortful and hence more likely to provoke straining. This is why some people use footstools or “toilet squat platforms” to adjust their position and reduce the risk of complications.

    Whether it’s sudden cardiac death, fainting and falls or microbial exposure, the toilet is not always the sanctuary we imagine. It’s a space where anatomy, privacy and risk intersect – often unnoticed until something goes terribly wrong.

    So the next time nature calls, think twice before settling in with your phone. Sit smart, don’t strain and remember: even in the smallest room, your body could be handling some surprisingly high-stakes business.

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

    – ref. Heart attacks, fainting and falls: the perils of pooping – https://theconversation.com/heart-attacks-fainting-and-falls-the-perils-of-pooping-256934

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –