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Category: housing

  • MIL-Evening Report: Labor gains 5-point lead in a YouGov poll, taken during Trump tariff chaos

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    A national YouGov poll, conducted April 4–10 from a sample of 1,505, gave Labor a 52.5–47.5 lead, a 1.5-point gain for Labor since the March 28 to April 3 YouGov poll. This is Labor’s best result in YouGov for 18 months, and slightly better for Labor than the 2022 election result (52.1–47.9 to Labor).

    Primary votes were 33.5% Coalition (down 1.5), 32% Labor (up two), 13% Greens (steady), 8.5% One Nation (up 1.5), 1% Trumpet of Patriots (down one), 9% independents (down one) and 3% others (steady). By 2022 election preference flows, Labor would lead by over 53.5–46.5.

    Anthony Albanese’s net approval improved four points to -2, with 47% dissatisfied and 45% satisfied. In the last two weeks, Albanese has gained seven points on net approval. Peter Dutton’s net approval was steady at -15. Albanese led Dutton as better PM by 48–37 (45–38 previously).

    The only other national poll since last Sunday’s article was a Morgan poll that also had Labor extending its lead. The poll graph below shows Labor has kept improving in the polls since early March. With three weeks to go until the May 3 election, Labor is the likely winner.

    The YouGov poll was taken during the period after Donald Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2, leading to a week of chaos on the stock markets. While US markets had their biggest one-day gain since 2008 on Wednesday after Trump suspended some of his tariffs for 90 days, they slumped again Thursday owing to the very high tariffs on China.

    I believe the more Trump is in the news for doing things that potentially damage the US and world economies, the more Labor will be assisted in the polls by not being the more pro-Trump major party.

    Candidate nominations for the federal election will be declared today after they closed Thursday. If candidates now embarrass their party, they can’t be replaced but only disendorsed; their names will still appear on the ballot paper.

    Morgan poll: Labor increases solid lead

    A national Morgan poll, conducted March 31 to April 4 from a sample of 1,481, gave Labor a 53.5–46.5 lead by headline respondent preferences, a 0.5-point gain for Labor since the March 24–30 Morgan poll.

    Primary votes were 33% Coalition (down two), 32.5% Labor (up 0.5), 13.5% Greens (up 0.5), 6% One Nation (up 0.5), 1.5% Trumpet of Patriots (new for this pollster), 9% independents (down 1.5) and 4.5% others. By 2022 election flows, Labor led by 54.5–45.5, a one-point gain for Labor.

    By 52–33, voters said the country was going in the wrong direction (51.5–32 previously). Morgan’s consumer confidence index increased 1.5 points to 86.8; this poll was taken before the stock market falls.

    Politicians’ net favourable ratings and seat polls

    I previously covered a national Redbridge poll for the News Corp tabloids that gave Labor a 52–48 lead. This poll asked about net favourable ratings for various politicians. Jacqui Lambie was at net -1 favourable, Albanese at -4, Dutton at -15, Greens leader Adam Bandt at -17, Pauline Hanson at -23 and Clive Palmer at -49.

    The Poll Bludger reported on Thursday a seat poll of McMahon by right-wing pollster Compass had Labor incumbent Chris Bowen on just 19% of the primary vote (48.0% in 2022). Bowen trailed the Liberals on 20% and right-wing independent Matt Camenzuli on 41%. The Poll Bludger was very sceptical of this poll.

    A uComms seat poll of Teal-held Wentworth for Climate 200 had teal Allegra Spender leading the Liberals by 58–42 (55.9–44.1 at the 2022 election adjusted for a redistribution). Neither of the polls above gave fieldwork dates, with both having a sample over 1,000. Seat polls are unreliable.

    Canadian and South Korean elections

    The Canadian election is on April 28, and it’s increasingly likely the governing centre-left Liberals will win a seat majority after they were 24 points behind the Conservatives in early January. There hasn’t been much movement from the Trump tariff chaos in the last week, but Trump’s US ratings are down.

    On April 4, South Korea’s Constitutional Court upheld the right-wing president’s impeachment by parliament in December after he declared martial law. A new presidential election was required and will be held on June 3. The centre-left Democrats are very likely to win, and they already have a big parliamentary majority. I covered these elections for The Poll Bludger on Thursday.

    Victorian state Redbridge poll: Coalition narrowly ahead

    A Victorian state Redbridge poll, reported in The Herald Sun, was conducted March 24 to April 2 from a sample of 2,013. It gave the Coalition a 51–49 lead, unchanged since November. Primary votes were 41% Coalition (down two), 29% Labor (down one), 13% Greens (down one) and 17% for all Others (up four). This poll is not as bad for Labor as other recent Victorian polls.

    Liberal leader Brad Battin was at +2 net favourable while Labor Premier Jacinta Allan was at a dismal -35. By 52–27, voters did not think the Labor government had the right priorities. By 46–29, voters supported the Suburban Rail Loop. Over 50% thought the government’s changes to machete and bail laws too lenient.

    Adrian Beaumont 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. Labor gains 5-point lead in a YouGov poll, taken during Trump tariff chaos – https://theconversation.com/labor-gains-5-point-lead-in-a-yougov-poll-taken-during-trump-tariff-chaos-253738

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Australia – Household spending lifts in March but consumers remain cautious – CBA

    Source: Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA)

    Interest rate cuts are expected to fuel a consumer recovery in 2025, however rising global uncertainty could weigh on sentiment.

    The CommBank Household Spending Insights (HSI) Index rose 0.9 per cent in March, buoyed by a lift in recreation and hospitality spending off the back of Melbourne Grand Prix and the return of the winter football codes.

    Modest gains were seen across all 12 spending categories for the month, led by Education which surged 4.3 per cent amid rising tuition fees and the start of the academic year. Notable uplifts were also seen in Insurance (+1.6 per cent), Recreation (+1.4 per cent), Hospitality (+1.2 per cent), the latter showing its first lift since December.

    “While it’s encouraging to see a rebound in spending this March, particularly across discretionary categories like Recreation and Hospitality, it’s premature to call this a turning point, as the overall pace of spending growth remains lower than the final quarter of 2024,” CBA Senior Economist Belinda Allen said.

    “We expect interest rate cuts over the coming year to see consumers loosen their purse strings, but global uncertainty from the U.S tariffs may impact this recovery. It’s worth noting Australia is well placed to weather the global economic volatility and remains in a structurally sound position with limited direct impacts from the US tariffs. At the same time, the RBA has room to cut rates if required.”

    Over the past 12 months, spending was up 5.6 per cent, with the strongest growth concentrated in essential services where inflation remains elevated and premiums have risen such as Insurance (+15.3 per cent), Education (+12.7 per cent), Health (+11.9 per cent) and Household Services (+9.2 per cent). In contrast, Transport was down 3.3 per cent annually, led by lower petrol prices.

    Renters continue to show the weakest spending growth, with the annual rate of spending in original per capita terms rising by 2.0 per cent, well below owners with a mortgage (+3.2 per cent) and those who own their home outright (+3.5 per cent).

    “Queensland saw the softest growth rate in March, with spending rising just 0.1 per cent following ex-tropical cyclone Alfred,” Ms Allen said.

    Spending gains were led by South Australia (+1.2 per cent), Northern Territory (+0.9 per cent).

    The CommBank HSI Index tracks month-on-month data at a macro level and is based on de-identified payments data from approximately 7 million CBA customers, comprising roughly 30 per cent of all Australian consumer transactions.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Auckland insights from the 2024 Quality of Life survey

    Source: Auckland Council

    Detailed regional results from the 2024 Quality of Life survey are now available, providing more insight into how Aucklanders are faring.

    The survey is carried out every two years and collects information on a range of current and topical issues relevant to wellbeing. 2,524 Aucklanders aged 18 and over took part last year.

    Following the initial release of topline results in February 2025, a report containing more detail for Auckland is now available on Knowledge Auckland.

    Dr Trudie Cain, Auckland Council’s Senior Social Researcher says the new data provides additional information on various factors that influence quality of life, including housing, transport, the built and natural environment, health and wellbeing, crime and safety, and climate change.

    “These results will help to shape Auckland Council’s ongoing efforts to create a thriving, sustainable community where all residents feel valued and supported. While challenges remain for some Aucklanders, these insights will contribute to policies that promote inclusive and equitable outcomes for everyone,” says Trudie.

    While three-quarters of Aucklanders rated their quality of life positively, the latest results have revealed wide variations in outcomes across Auckland by geographical area, ethnicity, and age.

    Urban South Auckland-based respondents were less likely than respondents in north and rural Auckland to report their quality of life positively, as were Māori and Pacific respondents, when compared with other ethnic groups. Older Aucklanders, aged 65 and over, tended to report higher perceptions of their quality of life. 

    Housing affordability

    Just one-third of Auckland respondents agreed that their housing costs were affordable. Young people aged 18 to 24, those living in South and East Auckland, and those who identified with an Asian ethnic group were least likely to agree their housing costs were affordable.

    Issues of concern

    Issues such as people begging, alcohol and drug-related anti-social behaviour, and people sleeping rough were viewed as issues of concern by many Aucklanders. Respondents living in southern parts of the city and those who identified as Pacific were more likely to view each of these issues as concerning, while those aged 65 and older were less likely to view them this way.

    Meanwhile, those living in northern and eastern parts of Auckland were more likely to appreciate the look and feel of their local area, and more commonly thought their local area was a great place to live.

    Social wellbeing

    Despite these differences, Auckland respondents across different geographical areas, age and ethnicity groups reported a high level of social wellbeing. Around three-quarters agreed that the neighbourhood and home they lived in suited the needs of everyone in their household. More than eight out of ten respondents felt they had someone they could turn to for practical and emotional support during a difficult time, and three-quarters had participated in a social network or group in the previous year. 

    Significantly, two-thirds (67 per cent) of Auckland respondents felt accepted and valued for their identity (a 19 per cent increase since 2022), and eight out of ten (79 per cent) agreed they felt comfortable dressing in a way that expresses their identity in public, an increase of 9 per cent since 2022.

    The results will be used by the council to help plan for the future and to monitor economic, social and environmental outcomes over time, as outlined in the Auckland Plan 2050 and Ngā Hapori Momoho, our Thriving Communities Strategy.

    About the survey 

    • The Quality of Life survey is a collaborative local government research project. Several councils participated in the 2024 survey including Auckland Council, Hamilton, Tauranga, Porirua, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin City Councils, as well as Waikato Regional Council.  

    • The fieldwork and analysis were undertaken by Ipsos. Fieldwork occurred was undertaken between April and August 2024.   

    • All sample surveys are subject to sampling error. The Auckland results are subject to a margin of error of plus or minus 2 per cent.

    • A detailed report for Auckland that presents results by geographic area, and across broad age and ethnic groups is now available on the Quality of Life website and Knowledge Auckland. 

    • Additional reports from the 2024 Quality of Life survey can be found on Knowledge Auckland:

    • Quality of Life survey 2024: Topline report

    • Quality of Life survey 2024: Technical report

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: More children going hungry under Coalition govt

    Source: Green Party

    The Government yesterday released its annual child poverty statistics, and by its own admission, more tamariki across Aotearoa are now living in material hardship.

    “The Government should be ashamed of the fact that more children are going without enough food and bare essentials under their watch,” says Green Party Social Development spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March.

    “Everyone in Aotearoa deserves a warm, dry home, a bed of their own, and a full belly. What’s achingly sad is that we have all the tools we need to give them that and more. All that’s missing is the political will to make it happen.

    “Worsening material hardship and food insecurity isn’t just a statistic, it means more tamariki are going without the bare basics. At the same time, this report shows food insecurity is on the rise, which means more families can’t afford three meals a day. 

    “This Government certainly is ‘Making a Difference for Young New Zealanders’–as they’ve titled their report–and it’s a pretty bleak one. 

    “There is a clear line to be drawn between the Government’s choices and the increase in hardship being experienced by our youngest. 

    “We are already seeing the harm that increasing public transport fares, gutting free prescription fees have had on children. While the Government hands $3 billion dollars in tax cuts to landlords and $12 billion to defence, it refuses to invest in ending child poverty. What is worse, their cuts to benefit increases will plunge more children into material hardship in the coming years.

    “This Government is clipping every ticket they can from those already doing it tough, all while lining the pockets of their wealthy mates. It’s absolutely appalling.

    “The Green Party campaigned to end poverty for all families in Aotearoa by providing everyone with an Income Guarantee that would ensure every household and every child has all they need to thrive. 

    “If this Government won’t deliver for children, we will,” says Ricardo Menéndez March.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: 10 April 2025 Kura students help bless 10 new Gisborne homes New Gisborne apartments resounded with the sweet voices of students from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hawaiki Hou as they assisted Kaikarakia to implant mauri (spiritual energy) into the homes.

    Source: New Zealand Government Kainga Ora

    As the sun streamed in the windows, aroha was put into each wall in each of the new homes as the students’ recited chants from local mōteatea and karakia they have learned in the classroom.

    Invited by Kaikarakia Morehu Pewhairangi who has blessed many of our new homes in Gisborne, Kura principal Russel Wilson said it’s a great opportunity for our tamariki to take what they are learning in the classroom and use it in the community. “The waiata, karakia, haka and moteatea learnt are all taonga that are passed down from generation to generation. Our students now have a deeper understanding about what they are learning and how it benefits people moving into a new whare. We definitely felt that today.”

    The sunny, warm dry apartments are close to the CBD and will provide a home for ten individuals and whānau who are leaving the uncertainty of living in emergency and transitional housing.

    The 10 new homes are a combination of two and three-bedrooms and include a three-story walk-up building, only the second one we have built in Gisborne.

    Built by Iconiq Group, Kāinga Ora has purchased the light, bright homes now they are completed. The development features universal design standards on the ground floors, insulation, bike racks, car parking, and views from the balconies.

    Mayor Rehette Stoltz says it makes a huge difference when we see homes like this built in our region. “We know Tairāwhiti has a massive shortage and builds like this don’t just happen. They are a culmination of us all working together and playing our part.

    “Thank you for inviting me to the blessings of your new homes and thank you to kaikarakia Morehu Pewhairangi for guiding us through the appropriate processes. I think the fact that we do it the right way – bless the whenua when the projects start and then put positive energy put into the walls of the homes when they are completed, sets everyone on the right path”.

    The new homes are definitely putting local health and disability support worker Ivan Te Momo on the right path. He is legally blind and has been living in emergency housing for the last two years. “The complex I was staying in had lots of corridors to navigate to the communal kitchen and bathroom facilities. Because of my disability, I have struggled to keep my room to the expected standards.

    “It has been difficult to cook because of my sight and because I could not keep anything in the kitchen. I had to carry everything instead, including my cutlery, down the hallways from my room to the kitchen. That was a struggle.”

    In the last year CCS Disability Action has helped me to cook, clean, cut vegetables and take my daily medication.

    “I am looking forward to feeling settled, having my own place and the autonomy that brings. Having a home gives you a tūrangawaewae … a place where you can stand.”

    For the man who used to be a body combat instructor, even when his eyesight was starting to fail, the first focus is his health. “With my cane, I can walk to work from here. It has been hard to get my health in order staying in a place I don’t control.”

    My other focus is finishing my PHD thesis on health services supporting disabled Māori with Te Whare Wānanga Awanuiārangi. There have been challenges, but I am determined to be one of the first blind Māoris to complete their doctorate in NZ. And I want to be able to show other blind people that it can be done!”

    Page updated: 10 April 2025

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: New partnerships for social housing

    Source: New Zealand Government

    The Government is on track to deliver the 1,500 social homes funded through Budget 2024 and has confirmed strategic partnerships with five Community Housing Providers (CHPs).
    “In Budget 2024, the Government committed $140 million in new funding for 1,500 new social homes to be provided by CHPs. We are on track to get these much-needed homes delivered by 30 June 2027,” Housing Minister Chris Bishop says.
    “Of the 1,500 social homes, 500 are being delivered through projects previously identified by CHPs as potential social homes. Funding has been approved for 218 places under this pathway, which we are calling “maintaining momentum”.
    “Under the maintaining momentum pathway, contracting is done on a project-by-project basis. This means, if a CHP has three developments they will need to go through the application and approval process three times and have three separate contracts with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 
    “In the short term, this was the most efficient way of getting on with delivering social homes, because CHPs had already completed some preparatory work on these projects.
    “To make contracting more efficient, the Government is taking a new approach to delivering social housing – Strategic Partnerships. These partnerships will be used to allocate the majority of the remaining 1,000 places.
    “Strategic Partnerships represent a more efficient contracting approach, where CHPs will have more autonomy, certainty, and flexibility to deliver social housing.
    “Under Strategic Partnerships, selected CHPs will be contracted to deliver a set number of places over a specific time period. This means providers can more flexibly deliver, as long as they meet key objectives and outcomes such as unlocking economies of scale and standardisation, delivering at a quicker pace, and providing good quality, value for money homes in the places they are needed.
    “This model moves away from the Government funding homes on a “project by project” basis to one that enables CHPs to spend less time going through approvals processes and more time building homes and supporting their tenants. 
    “Five CHPs have been selected to deliver places under the Strategic Partnership model. They were selected based on their current performance, capability, and capacity, as demonstrated by the social homes they already manage and the quality of the housing developments they have delivered to date.” 
    These CHPs are:

    Accessible Properties New Zealand Limited –
    Community of Refuge Trust (CORT)
    Emerge Aotearoa Housing Trust
    Te Āhuru Mōwai Limited Partnership
    The Salvation Army

     
    “To date, Government has committed to 661 social housing places through Strategic Partnerships – 393 of these have specific addresses identified and a further 268 have been allocated to partners based off of their capacity to deliver. Including the ‘maintaining momentum’ homes, that brings the total committed places to 879 of the 1,500 funded through Budget 2024,” Mr Potaka says. 
    “The typology and location of the specific places that CHPs have identified for delivery are aligned with need. For example, across maintaining momentum and Strategic Partnerships, 46% of places are one-bedroom and 38% are two-bedroom, as need across the country is dominated by those requiring smaller homes. 
    In terms of location, 23% of places identified so far are in the Waikato area, 21% are in Auckland, 15% are in Nelson, 14% are in the Bay of Plenty area, and the other 27% are other priority locations. 
    “The first places are expected to be delivered in the first half of this year, with delivery picking up as time goes on. All places will be delivered by June 2027.  
    “It is important to keep delivery of social housing going. By moving to a more reliable, outcome-focused partnership model, we are setting the stage for certainty for CHPs to provide social homes faster and more flexibly to individuals and whanau in need. 
    “The remainder of the 1,500 social homes are expected to be approved in the coming months.
    “These Strategic Partnerships are intended to be lasting relationships that can adapt to housing need and funding availability over time.”
    Note to Editor: 
    This approach builds on the Government’s recent work to level the playing between Kāinga Ora and CHPs. This includes: 

    Establishing Crown lending facilities of up to $150 million for the Community Housing Funding Agency (CHFA),
    exploring a loan guarantee scheme for CHPs,
    making up to $70 million of Operating Supplement available upfront to CHPs, and
    changing contractual terms to make social housing revenue streams more attractive to lenders.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Transcript: Speaking With Domestic Violence Survivors

    Source: US State of New York

    arlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul met in her Albany office with domestic violence survivors to discuss New York’s discovery laws.

    B-ROLL of the Governor during the event can be found on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.

    VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

    AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

    PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page has photos of the event here.

    A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

    Governor Hochul: Hello, everyone. I just had a really powerful, impactful conversation with our sisters in purple. These are women who’ve risen above their circumstances. Women who’ve been traumatized by domestic violence. But they’re not victims, they’re survivors. And because they were willing to come up here and tell their stories of how so many cases, brought by women who have the courage to step out of their home and go to a police precinct or a DA’s office and tell their stories and to bear their hearts and relive the trauma over and over — they’re willing to do that to stop the abusers from hurting them or their children. And then too many times, those cases end in dismissal because the rigid discovery laws that we have in place right now denied them justice.

    They’re here to use their voices to lift up, not just themselves, but to thousands of women and some men across the state whose voices have been silent until now. I told them, I will be their voice. I will be their champion, I will be their advocate, but also their stories themselves are just extraordinary.

    And I want to ask Angelina just to share what you described to me as some of the barriers that you have when it comes to cases like the one you endured. So Angelina?

    Angelina Rosado, Domestic Violence Survivor: Yes, absolutely. Thank you, Governor. I think our message that we want to get across is that we’re not against the other side, right?

    The facts are we are all on the same team. But we want to make sure that the demographics of victims are not left out of the conversation. For too often, survivors have not been invited to the table to have our voices be heard. Survivors are no longer staying silent. We will not cowardly walk away from this.

    And we appreciate the Governor putting her foot down and saying, “We have to make a stance right now, because too often, survivors of domestic violence, victims, are now turning into homicide victims.” And all because an order of protection may or may not get dropped due to the fact that a piece of evidence that may not even be relevant to what’s happening, wasn’t present at the time.

    And we all know that getting a survivor to even admit out of their mouths that they are survivors of domestic violence. I know for myself personally, it took me over six months to say I was a victim of domestic violence. It felt like lava coming out of my mouth because I couldn’t believe that I was a victim of anything. And this is something that we experience every single day.

    Survivors of domestic violence have to go to police precincts. We have to go to the courthouse, get an order of protection, and what does that look like? In court, we don’t argue feelings. We argue language. So I’m here to put that feeling to you in person, right?

    Because the feeling of going into a precinct and not being believed is something that runs in our heads because mental and emotional abuse is serious, right? And when you are in a home with someone who has convinced you that no one cares about you, and they are the Alpha and the Omega, that becomes a problem when we’re now seeking for justice. Because survivors, not only do they have to take all these steps and there’s so many different systems that get involved the minute they decide to take this step. And then could you imagine being told, “Well, we didn’t have your Uber receipt, so your case was dismissed and now your order of protection is dropped.”

    Could you imagine the feeling? We are here to show we are the faces of things in that nature that can happen to you. And we want the other side to understand we’re all on the same team. We want to figure out, how do we balance this out? How do we make sure that while we are still protecting the people who are wrongfully convicted, we also protect the people who are trying to get protection from that same system? Thank you.

    Governor Hochul: Thank you. I know that’s hard. Well, you heard from one individual and she represents so many thousands. And listening to their stories a little while ago here in my office, I was also reminded of my mother’s story. My mother became a champion for victims of domestic violence because of what she saw and endured in her own home as a child.

    And instead of living the life of a victim, she led it as a proud survivor. The survivor of what she saw happened to her own mother, and she channeled that into advocacy. And back in the 1970s when no one talked about spousal abuse — wife beaters, but people took their sides more often than not.

    My mother, inexperienced in the whole world of advocacy, just like these women were at one time, came to this capitol and raised up her voice when I was just a college student. And she told what happened to her mother, and she became a voice for so many and helped open a transitional home for survivors of domestic violence. So their stories really touch a nerve with me. And I’m told I have the empathy of my mother.

    Angelina Rosado, Domestic Violence Survivor: Yes.

    Governor Hochul: When you said that, you said, “I see the empathy that you must have gotten from your mother, because I understand them.” And I know how hard it is today to even come up here, travel up on a train, disrupt their lives and have to walk the halls in search of someone who understands what we’re fighting for. And I’m really proud to be fighting on their behalf, and people all over this state who are denied the justice because of some technicality in the discovery laws that are written out. And they put their heart and soul into trying to get justice and it’s thrown out because something minor, irrelevant, is missing — I’m going to keep fighting until we fix this. I’m going to keep fighting to put this in the Budget.

    This is my path to getting this done and I’ll always remember the faces and the voices of these brave women, and thank them for what they’ve done. We are going to continue this fight. We’re going to continue fighting, not just for public safety, but also affordability, to make sure that we can put more money back in people’s pockets at this time when people are just — their heads are spinning. They don’t know if these tariffs are going to make the next time they go to the store — the kids’ sneakers made in China are going to be 10 times more than they expected.

    So families are struggling, and shame on us if we can’t put this budget to bed and focus on the needs of the people of the state who put us in these jobs.

    So thank you so much. Thank you again for being here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Cut Bank man sentenced to two years in prison for assault

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GREAT FALLS – A Cut Bank man who assaulted a 17-year-old girl was sentenced today to 24 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Elijah John Bullcalf, 21, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that on May 25, 2023, Bullcalf assaulted Jane Doe in her bedroom at her parents’ home. They got into an argument after Bullcalf saw a text message he didn’t like on Doe’s cell phone. Bullcalf bit Doe’s hand and then punched her one time in the face, breaking her jaw.

    Bullcalf didn’t want her to go to the hospital and took her to his house instead. After several hours, Doe was in so much pain that Bullcalf relented and took her to the hospital. He told Doe to tell everyone she slipped and fell on the porch. Doe had to have two metal plates surgically placed in her jaw, one of which is permanent. Doe told law enforcement that one month after the assault, Bullcalf hit her again in the same part of the jaw, causing pain and bleeding. During a recorded interview with law enforcement in March 2024, Bullcalf admitted the assault.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case and the investigation was conducted by the FBI and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: April 10th, 2025 Heinrich, Stansbury Lead Reintroduction of Buffalo Tract Protection Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, reintroduced their Buffalo Tract Protection Act to permanently withdraw minerals from development on four parcels of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in southern Sandoval County, including the Buffalo Tract and the Crest of Montezuma. U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) are original cosponsors.

    “As New Mexicans have been saying for over a decade: the Buffalo Tract is the wrong place for a gravel mine. It would decrease home values, diminish quality of life, and degrade a vital wildlife corridor linking the Sandia and Jemez Mountains. It would also disregard the cultural significance of Buffalo Tract to the Pueblos of Santa Ana and San Felipe as well as the San Antonio de las Huertas Land Grant heirs,” said Heinrich, Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.  “We need to pass this bill to make the protections that local communities fought for permanent.”

    “The protection of New Mexico’s lands and waters is integral to our cultures, ways of life, and our natural resources. We must fight to protect these resources now more than ever,” said Stansbury. “Working collaboratively with our Pueblo and Tribal nations, Sandoval County, and local stakeholders, I am proud to re-introduce the Buffalo Tract Protection Act. This bill will help permanently protect these sacred and ancestral lands of San Felipe and Santa Ana Pueblos, safeguard the health of our communities, and preserve our ecosystems for generations to come.”

    “New Mexico’s public lands are sacred to our communities and heritage. I am proud to join Senator Heinrich and Representative Stansbury in introducing this crucial legislation to help protect our public lands for years to come,” said Luján. “This legislation responds to the significant concerns of rural, Tribal, and traditional communities about the harmful impacts of gravel mining and safeguards our landscapes and wildlife for future generations.”

    “I’m proud to be an original co-sponsor of the Buffalo Tract Protection Act,” said Leger Fernández. “The Buffalo Tract contains sacred landscapes that hold deep cultural and spiritual meaning for the Pueblos of Santa Ana and San Felipe and generations of New Mexicans. This bill protects those lands from mining and honors the voices of the communities who have spoken clearly for over a decade. We’re making sure these lands remain a place where people can experience their beauty for generations to come — not a site for gravel pits that threaten their beauty, wildlife, and history.”

    For years, local communities, Tribes, and homeowners have advocated for the protection of the Buffalo Tract and Crest of Montezuma. These lands hold ancestral and spiritual significance for the Pueblos of San Felipe and Santa Ana, and also provide accessible outdoor recreation opportunities, including hiking, sightseeing, and hunting.

    In 2023, the BLM initiated a public engagement process to consider management changes for four public land parcels in the Placitas area. In response to overwhelming support, the BLM withdrew mineral rights on approximately 4,200 acres for the next 50 years. When passed, the Buffalo Tract Protection Act would make these protections permanent under federal law.

    Heinrich first introduced the legislation with then-U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) in 2016 after working with local stakeholders and the community to find a solution that would protect public health and the many traditional uses of these public lands. Stansbury began leading the House bill when she joined Congress in 2021.

    A map of proposed boundaries is here.

    The text of the bill is here.

    The Buffalo Tract Protection Act is endorsed by Santa Ana Pueblo, San Felipe Pueblo, Land Use Protection Trust, New Mexico Wild, Eastern Sandoval Citizens Association, Sundance Mesa Homeowners Association, La Mesa Homeowners Association, Anasazi Homeowners Association, Pathways: Wildlife Corridors of NM, and Sandoval County Commission.

    A list of endorsements and statements of support are here.

    Heinrich Background:

    • May 2024: Heinrich convenes a celebration with local community members, land grants and Pueblos to commemorate their successful decades long work to protect the Buffalo Tract from mining for 50 years with BLM’s finalized proposal announced in April 2024.
    • April 2024: Heinrich issues statement celebrating the BLM’s decision to protect the Buffalo Tract from mining for 50 years.
    • September 2023: Heinrich issues statement welcoming the Biden administration’s proposal to protect Buffalo Tract that comes after his efforts with Pueblos and local community efforts to protect the Buffalo Tract.
    • March 2023: Heinrich, Stansbury call on Interior Department to withdraw Buffalo Tract from mineral development during community event.
    • May 2022: Heinrich, Stansbury lead a letter requesting that the U.S. Department of Interior administratively withdraw over 4,200 acres of BLM land near Placitas, New Mexico from mineral development.
    • November 2021: Heinrich’s Buffalo Tract Protection Act passes out of committee.
    • October 2021: Heinrich’s Buffalo Tract Protection Act gains support of BLM in key hearing. 
    • February 2021: Heinrich and Luján reintroduce the Buffalo Tract Protection Act.
    • February 2019: Heinrich and Udall reintroduce the Buffalo Tract Protection Act.
    • July 2016: Heinrich and Udall introduce the Buffalo Tract Protection Act.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: April 10th, 2025 N.M. Delegation Reintroduce Legislation to Permanently Protect Chaco Canyon

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    New Mexico Delegation Moves to Protect Sacred Site for Years and Generations to Come

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) reintroduced the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, legislation to protect Chaco Canyon and the greater sacred landscape surrounding the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The legislation will prevent future leasing and development of oil, gas, and minerals on non-Indian federal lands within a 10-mile buffer zone around the park. This proposed Chaco Protection Zone will preserve the sacred sites and cultural patrimony within Chaco Canyon and the surrounding landscape for generations to come.

    Located in northwestern New Mexico, the Greater Chaco landscape is a region of great cultural, spiritual, and historical significance to many Pueblos and Tribes that contains living sacred sites. Chaco was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and is one of only 24 such sites in the United States.

    In 2023, the Biden Administration announced it would commence a 20-year Administrative Withdrawal of non-Indian federal lands in the 10-mile buffer zone. That welcome step has been successful and is still in place but is under threat from the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress. By contrast, this legislation would provide permanent protections for the Greater Chaco Region by withdrawing non-Indian federal lands from new mineral development in perpetuity.

    “Chaco Canyon is one of the most important living cultural landscapes on the planet. It holds deep meaning for many communities and Pueblos across New Mexico,” said Heinrich, Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “Our Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act will prevent new oil and gas development in the vicinity of Chaco Culture National Historical Park and permanently protect the Chaco Canyon landscape. I am proud to stand alongside the Pueblos, Tribal Nations, and New Mexicans who have called for permanent protection of this irreplaceable and sacred landscape.”

    “Chaco Culture National Historical Park – and the Greater Chaco Region – is one of the world’s greatest treasures that must be protected for our future generations. Chaco holds deep spiritual and cultural significance for Tribes and Pueblos and is one of only a handful of World Heritage Sites in the United States,” said Luján. “With the New Mexico Delegation, I am proud to reintroduce legislation to permanently protect the Greater Chaco Region. This legislation is a longstanding priority for Pueblo and Tribal communities, environmental advocates, and the New Mexico Delegation to ensure we protect our sacred sites. I look forward to working with my colleagues to protect Chaco Canyon and the Greater Chaco Region for generations to come.”

    “When we visit Chaco Canyon and the Greater Chaco Region, we better understand America’s ancient history and wisdom about astronomy. It is a sacred area that educates, inspires, and compels us to reflect on our shared history and the communities we love today,”said Leger Fernández. “I am reintroducing the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, along with my colleagues in the New Mexico Congressional Delegation, so that we may preserve this irreplaceable, living landscape that so many Indian Tribes and Pueblos still use for traditional purposes. I will continue to work with surrounding communities and Tribal nations to preserve this jewel of New Mexico so future generations may be humbled by its beauty.”

    “Pueblo and Tribal leaders have fought to protect the sacred and ancestral lands of Chaco Canyon for generations, and the United States government must step up to ensure these lands remain protected,” said Stansbury, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee. “This legislation will protect sacred lands and sites for future generations, but we must not stop here. Protecting places like Chaco Canyon from the Trump Administration takes all of us. I am proud to join Pueblo and Tribal leaders, and the New Mexico delegation to re-introduce this critical piece of legislation.”

    “Chaco Canyon is sacred to Tribal communities and vital to our understanding of the Southwest’s cultural and environmental heritage. I’m proud to stand with leaders across New Mexico to permanently protect this irreplaceable site from future drilling and destruction. We have a responsibility to honor the voices of Indigenous leaders, safeguard our public lands, and preserve Chaco’s legacy for generations to come,” said Vasquez.

    “This legislation reflects the APCG’s long-standing commitment to protect Chaco Canyon and the Greater Chaco Region. Through countless meetings, cultural resource studies, and tireless advocacy, we have guided this effort forward. We extend our profound appreciation to Senator Luján, Representative Leger Fernández, our New Mexico Congressional Delegation, and all who stand with our Pueblos in ensuring these sacred landscapes remain a source of inspiration and cultural continuity for generations to come,” said James R. Mountain, Chairman of the All Pueblo Council of Governors.

    “As a Diné allottee and community organizer, I welcome the reintroduction of the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act as a critical step to defend our land, air, water, and sacred sites. For too long, extractive industries have threatened our health, culture, and future generations. This Act moves us closer to honoring the deep spiritual and cultural significance of Chaco while protecting the integrity of our homelands,” said Joseph Franklin Hernandez, Indigenous Energy Organizer, Naeva, Navajo Nation.

    “We are thankful and grateful for the reintroduction of the Chaco Cultural Heritage Protection Act. This would enhance our connections to the land and tell the generations ahead of the history of ancestral knowledge in astronomy, architecture, and independence. All of this in the time of pillage and extraction, the tourism economy will be enhanced.  To Our Congressional Leaders, you have our vote of endorsement,” said Former Navajo Councilman Daniel Tso.

    To ensure Indian lands and non-federal lands retain rights to develop their lands as the surrounding area is protected, this legislation strengthens protections for infrastructure and development on private, state, and Tribal lands, including Navajo allotments. According to a 2022 federal assessment of the proposed 10-mile buffer zone, only 10 Navajo allotments will be highly impacted by a withdrawal.

    The Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act is supported by the All Pueblo Council of Governors (APCG), Archaeology Southwest, Native Lands Institute, New Mexico Wild, Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, New Mexico Wildlife Federation, New Mexico Voices for Children, The Wilderness Society, Conservation Lands Foundation, Environment New Mexico, Sierra Club, and the National Wildlife Federation.

    Additional supporting quotes are here.

    A summary of the bill is here.

    Full text of the bill is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Animal Welfare – Greyhound racing’s death toll climbs as industry drags its feet – SAFE

    Source: SAFE For Animals

    Another greyhound has died on the racetrack, exposing once again the industry’s reckless disregard for animal welfare. Big Time Hinda collapsed at the lure and was pronounced deceased shortly thereafter at Cambridge raceway on Thursday 10 April.
    This marks the seventh greyhound death since Racing Minister Winston Peters announced a ban on greyhound racing in December 2024, with a 20-month phase-out period. It is also the 12th greyhound death this season-putting the industry on track for an even deadlier season than the last, which saw 13 dogs lose their lives.
    SAFE Head of Campaigns Jessica Chambers says this is a bitter reminder of just how urgently the industry needs clear directives to begin winding down.
    “The government has made its decision, yet every week, more greyhounds are injured or killed. We cannot let this industry drag out at the expense of more lives.”
    SAFE has repeatedly raised concerns about Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ) continuing to operate as if nothing has changed. Instead of winding down the industry and prioritising dog welfare, leaked documents have revealed GRNZ’s desperate attempts to fight the ban with PR spin and last-ditch welfare measures that fail to address the real issue-racing itself is inherently dangerous.
    “GRNZ should be focused on a responsible closure which means cancelling races, ending greyhound breeding for racing purposes, prioritising rehabilitation and rehoming, and supporting workers to transition out of the industry,” says Chambers.
    “Instead, they’re pushing on with business as usual, and dogs are dying because of it.”
    “Every dog still racing today deserves the chance to live out their life as a cherished family companion-not as another statistic.”
    The lack of clear instructions on winding down the industry has likely contributed toward the industry’s defiant attitude towards the ban. Just last week, a racing trainer exported 80 greyhounds to Australia despite the Racing Minister’s December 10 comment that dogs ‘will be re-homed, not re-race tracked’.
    The ministerial advisory committee formed to oversee the closure of the industry was due to release an interim report on 30 April, however it has been delayed until 30 May 2025. The report will include advice on changes required to implement closure of the industry.
    SAFE is Aotearoa’s leading animal rights organisation.
    We’re creating a future that ensures the rights of animals are respected. Our core work empowers society to make kinder choices for ourselves, animals and our planet.
    Notes:
    • Since Racing Minister announced a ban on greyhound racing on December 10, 2024, 261 dogs have suffered injuries requiring a standdown period, 53 dogs have suffered broken bones, and 7 dogs have died.
    • Since the racing season began on August 1, 2024, 604 dogs have suffered injuries requiring a standdown period, 94 dogs have suffered broken bones, and 12 dogs have died.
    • The ministerial advisory committee formed to oversee the closure of the industry was due to release an interim report on 30 April, however it has been delayed until 30 May 2025. The report will include advice on the legislative, regulatory or operational changes required to implement closure of the industry, an operational transition plan and a timeline for the closure. This report is intended to inform the content of the second Bill. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI: Political Activist Zahid F. Sarder Saddi Backs Tulsi Gabbard on Religious Persecution in Bangladesh

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Washington, DC , April 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

    “From Political Intimidation to Targeted Attacks—Bangladesh’s Minority Communities Remain Under Threat Despite Decades of Struggle. Zahid F. Sarder Saddi Joins Tulsi Gabbard in Condemning Religious Persecution—A Global Wake-Up Call.”

    In a time when global human rights concerns continue to shape diplomatic discussions, former U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard’s recent statement regarding the systematic persecution of religious minorities in Bangladesh has drawn global attention, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. She highlighted the ongoing abuse and displacement of minority communities, a crisis that has persisted since the birth of Bangladesh in 1971. As someone who has long advocated for democracy, religious freedom, and human rights, I wholeheartedly support her stance and recognize the urgency of addressing this growing crisis, says Zahid F. Sarder Saddi, a prominent exiled Bangladeshi politician, humanitarian, and advocate for Bangladesh and its people.

    For decades, Bangladesh’s religious minorities, including Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists, have faced systematic persecution. The mass atrocities committed since the country’s liberation war in 1971 have persisted over the years, resulting in millions of religious minorities being driven from their homes. While some may argue that Bangladesh has evolved into a democratic nation, the reality for many minority groups remains grim. Decades later, the situation is still dire. Violent attacks, destruction of places of worship, and forced displacements continue to this day, often overlooked or ignored by the authorities. Gabbard’s remarks serve as an important reminder that despite the passage of time, religious minorities in Bangladesh still face systematic persecution at the hands of radicalized groups, says Zahid F Sarder Saddi.

    Tulsi Gabbard’s remarks shed light on a troubling truth—radical elements within Bangladesh continue to suppress religious minorities through fear and violence. Extremism is on the rise, and radicalized factions within the country have gained influence, undermining the democratic values that should be upheld. In a democracy, every citizen, regardless of religion or ethnicity, must have the right to live without fear of persecution. However, when democracy is absent or compromised, radical ideologies take root, leading to intolerance and oppression, Saddi emphasized.

    The reality of religious persecution in Bangladesh is evident in the disturbing pattern of election-related violence. During election cycles, religious minorities are often the first to suffer from brutal attacks, political intimidation, and targeted killings. Recent cases of election-related terror have further highlighted the vulnerability of these communities. Many fear that more brutality will occur as the country looks forward to a democratic transition through the upcoming general election. The question remains whether the interim government will be able to combat extremism and make commendable progress in fostering religious inclusivity.

    Zahid F. Sarder Saddi, a prominent exiled Bangladeshi politician, humanitarian, and advocate for Bangladesh and its people, now living in the United States, has long raised his voice against the systematic oppression of minorities in his homeland. He has consistently spoken out against the brutalization of religious minorities, particularly during politically turbulent times. Saddi has previously condemned the autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina’s ruling party, the Awami League, for its involvement in attacks on minority communities, stating that these actions are part of a broader plan to eradicate religious diversity from the country.

    “Minorities in Bangladesh should be celebrating religious events, but instead, they are living in fear,” Saddi once stated, expressing his deep concern over the escalating violence against religious groups. These mob attacks, he argues, are designed to instill fear and force minorities to flee the country, further eroding Bangladesh’s multicultural fabric. “The fear is there,” he said, noting that the country is at risk of slipping toward extremism. “What is unfolding in Bangladesh mirrors a broader wave of fundamentalism that has already taken hold across the region. According to Zahid F. Sarder Saddi, both smaller extremist groups intent on dismantling the system and more established Islamist parties working within the democratic framework appear to be converging on a shared objective: the creation of a more extreme, conservative Bangladesh.”

    Gabbard’s statement also addresses the broader issue of rising Islamic extremism, radicalization, and the resurgence of Caliphate ideologies. When radical groups dictate political discourse and suppress moderate voices, the result is a fragmented society where religious and cultural harmony is at constant risk. The marginalization of minorities in Bangladesh is not merely a domestic issue; it is a growing regional concern with implications for stability in the Indo-Pacific.

    It is time for the international community, including global human rights organizations and democratic nations, to take a firm stance against the ongoing persecution in Bangladesh. The U.S. and its allies must exert diplomatic pressure to ensure that Bangladesh upholds the rights of all its citizens, regardless of their religious beliefs. Furthermore, democratic forces within Bangladesh must come together to restore the country’s founding principles of secularism, tolerance, and human dignity.

    “As we witness an era of increasing religious persecution worldwide, voices like Tulsi Gabbard’s serve as a reminder that silence is not an option. The systematic targeting of religious minorities in Bangladesh is a grave human rights violation that demands immediate action. If the world fails to recognize and address this crisis, the principles of democracy and religious freedom will continue to erode, leaving millions vulnerable to violence and displacement,” says Saddi.

    “U.S. intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard’s bold statement should not be dismissed—it is a call to action. Now, more than ever, we must stand in solidarity with religious minorities in Bangladesh and work toward a future where no one is persecuted for their faith. Only through collective effort can we ensure the restoration of democracy, human rights, and religious freedom in Bangladesh. The time for statements is over—now is the time for concrete action. The world must wake up to this crisis before it is too late,” Saddi concluded.

    About —Zahid F Sarder Saddi

    Zahid F Sarder Saddi is a prominent Bangladeshi politician, humanitarian, and advocate for Bangladesh and its people. He served as a Foreign Advisor to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, the Hon’ Begum Khaleda Zia. He was also appointed as a Special Envoy to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP. Zahid F Sarder Saddi works with several organizations and holds a special passion for helping the Bangladeshi community in the United States and around the world. He has been involved in the Bangladeshi American Society for over 25 years and works to carry the voice of Bangladeshi Americans to lawmakers. Zahid F Sarder Saddi has received numerous accolades, including a humanitarian award for his impactful work.

    To learn more about Zahid F Sarder Saddi, please visit www.ZahidFSarderSaddi.com or reach out to Zahid F Sarder Saddi at info@zahidfsardersaddi.com. 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Australia – South Australia a world leader in refugee settlement – report – AMES

    Source: AMES

    South Australia boasts a world leading refugee settlement program that offers protection to people fleeing conflict and persecution in their homelands, a new report has found.

    The state accepts up to 1400 refugees each year, providing on-arrival support and case management as well as accommodation and housing, cultural orientation and access to education and employment.

    This intensive, wrap-around support, facilitated by settlement agency AMES Australia and it partners, has meant that refugees in South Australia quickly become independent and are able to contribute back to the South Australian community, the report, titled ‘Bound for South Australia: A world leading settlement destination’, says.

    The report says new refugee arrivals benefit from a range of tailored settlement programs and initiatives in South Australia largely under the aegis of the federal government’s refugee settlement arrangements.

    “Services include on-arrival support and accommodation. Newly arrived refugees are initially housed at a dedicated accommodation facility and are supported to find long-term, appropriate housing in the community,” the report says.

    “Refugee clients can access an intensive orientation program which provides information about navigating Australian society, including schooling and education, public transport, healthcare, banking, employment and rights and responsibilities. They are provided with the tools and resources they need for long-term stability and successful integration.

    “Key partnerships ensure new arrivals have access to a range of health, mental health, family violence and trauma services as well as connections to government agencies and local support groups. This ensures clients have access to essential services and social opportunities,” the report says.

    In 2023-24 229 adult refugees were supported into sustainable jobs and 115 more received ongoing employment strategy development support with 109 achieving job interviews.

    Twenty-seven refugee businesses were established with support from AMES Australia.

    More than 210 families have been supported with children’s school enrolments and 356 adults were supported to enrol in English language tuition.

    Three refugees were assisted to enrol in tertiary and vocational training and two more with obtaining recognition of overseas skills and qualifications.

    In 2023-24 there were more than 8,100 individual attendances at orientation sessions covering settlement services, housing, health, managing money, life in Australia, transport, family life and services, Australian law, education and employment.

     Long-term appropriate housing was secured for 226 client families and around 350 families were supported with on-arrival accommodation.

    Ninety-nine per cent of people exiting the refugee support program had secured permanent accommodation.

    The report says refugee settlement generates around $19 million in economic activity for South Australia each year, including more than $3 million in federal investment and $15 million in extra tax receipts and spending.

    “The settlement of refugees in South Australia adds more than $19 million to South Australia’s economy each year through federal government investment, harnessing the skills and entrepreneurialism refugees bring with them,” the report says.

    “This includes South Australia’s share of the and the $21.2 million the federal government invests in refugee settlement each year (1) and of the $9.1 million invested engagement and transitions support programs.

    “It also includes the $5.1 million paid in tax by refugees who gained employment in South Australia in 2023-24 and the $10.2 million in cash injected into the economy by those workers and entrepreneurs.

    “The skills and experience possessed by refugees represents almost a 1 per cent boost to productivity in South Australia,” the report said.

    Consultant economist Dr Ian Pringle, who produced the report, said South Australia had unique refugee settlement arrangements.

    “What sets South Australia apart is the level of community input into successful settlement outcomes,” Dr Pringle said.

    “From schools to sporting clubs, local councils, community groups and faith organisations, there is an all of community approach to making sure refugees settle well and are made to feel welcome,” he said.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murkowski Argues for Congressional Oversight of Tariffs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski
    04.10.25
    Washington, DC – In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) made her case that Congress needs to reassert its authority – starting with oversight of levying tariffs. In light of the recent trade policies enacted by the executive branch, Senator Murkowski spoke about the role that belongs to Congress, but emphasized that institution has slowly ceded its responsibility to the executive over the last century.
    Click here to watch the Senator’s remarks.
     
    Below is the text of Murkowski’s remarks as delivered.
    Thank you, Mr. President.
    Yesterday was a day that really captured the attention of the world. We’ve all been talking about tariffs for a little bit, but yesterday was the day that really brought the focus to what was going on here in the United States.
    At 12:01 in the morning on Wednesday, President Trump’s tariffs on the countries with which the United States has had the largest trade deficits went into effect on top of the 10% tariff rates that had previously applied to all countries, which had been initiated on Saturday, April 5. Just hours later, yesterday afternoon, the President announced a 90-day pause and lowered reciprocal tariffs to 10% and at the same time, announced that he was raising tariffs on China to 125% – now today, it looks like that number is closer to 145%.
    So, to say that this has been a dizzying week in Washington, DC is probably an understatement. Those of us that are following the markets, it’s been somewhat head-spinning. I’m not going to comment here on the floor today about the negotiating tactics of President Trump. I think he is legendary, and really world renowned, for his skills in bringing nations to the table. We’re seeing some of this play out literally as we speak. Other countries that have approached the administration to have discussions about tariffs. This is a unique kind of leverage, most certainly keeping those across the table off balance. But bringing the world potentially to the brink of a ruinous trade war certainly qualifies as a very unique point of leverage.
    The effort to try to reshore manufacturing here in this country is important, it’s admirable, and it’s something that we should all be working towards. But, I think there has been general agreement that the message from the administration has been decidedly mixed, which leads to further confusion among our trading partners and our allies. If nobody understands where the finish line is, it’s hard to reach it.
    I don’t want to focus my comments here this afternoon about these possible strategies and end results of these policies. But I want to focus more on the process of how these tariffs were imposed, because I believe it is yet another example of Congress choosing to cede its powers to the executive branch. And if the global implications of these tariffs have shown us nothing else, it’s that measures that are as important as these should be considered by the 535 elected individuals that are in tune with the American people, rather than vesting that with just one individual acting unilaterally.
    It’s under Article One, Section Eight of our United States Constitution that clearly enumerates that “Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises.” In other words, the power to levy tariffs rests with us here in the Congress.
    So why have we seen the executive take control over tariff rates? The answer lies in almost in a centuries-long series of bills that we have seen here that Congress has voluntarily enacted and laid down its authority for the executive to pick up.
    Following the disastrous Smoot Hawley Act of 1930 which plunged our nation deeper into the Great Depression, Congress passed the following legislation. First, it was the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934, which authorized the president to make limited tariff rates without congressional review on top of negotiating bilateral, reciprocal trade agreements.
    Then, it was the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which broadened the President’s trade powers to include multilateral trade agreements, while also allowing the president to unilaterally impose tariffs if imports could threaten national security.
    Then, the Trade Act of 1974, which allowed the president to protect U.S. workers by adjusting tariffs if foreign countries engaged in unfair trade practices.
    And then, just a few years later, it was the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, which gives the president authorities to address declared emergencies if “unusual and extraordinary” threats exist to national security, foreign policy, or to the economy. So those powers include, you probably guessed it, the authority to regulate or prohibit imports.
    So, in his April 2 executive order, President Trump declared a national emergency because of a lack of reciprocity in our bilateral trade relationships and our trading partners’ economic policies that suppress domestic wages. He is authorized to do so under the National Emergencies Act of 1976, so I want to be clear about all of this: I know some people might not like it, but all of what he has done is clearly above board. The president is clearly within his powers to impose tariffs on our allies, like Mexico and Canada and the EU, just as much as he is with our adversaries, like China and Russia and Iran.
    President Trump, and President Biden before him, took this route because Congress has largely relegated tariff authority to the president through the laws that effectively cede to the executive.
    And my friends, it’s just one more example of Congress abdicating instead of legislating. In my time here, I have seen a troubling pattern, in both bodies, where the party that controls the White House seems all too comfortable relinquishing authority to the President, and then rubber stamping whatever policies the executive wants enshrined into law.
    Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have deferred to the executive to call the shots, in my view, for far too long. Now we use the phrase around here a lot: “co-equal branches of government.” I use it all the time. But the reality is, Congress was created in Article One of the Constitution. We’re given far more authority than the executive. All you need to do is look in your handy dandy little pocket constitution. Ours is a lot longer.
    Look at the authorities that we have:
    Congress may impeach and remove a President and members of the judiciary;
    Congress can override a presidential veto of legislation;
    Congress appropriates the money that funds the operation of all branches of government; and
    It is Congress that again, needs to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises.
    We also say a lot around here that “business loves certainty.” I would suggest the country’s entire tariff regime being subject to the whims of one individual lends anything but certainty. And that’s why I have signed on to Senator Grassley and Senator Cantwell’s legislation. They call it the Trade Review Act of 2025, and it would reclaim this branch’s authority and duty to help manage tariffs as outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
    The bill requires notice to Congress of the imposition of, or increase, in any tariffs. It requires notice to Congress in 48 hours. With that congressional notification, it has to include an explanation of the president’s reasoning for imposing or raising the tariffs, as well as providing an analysis of potential impact on American businesses and consumers.
    And I can tell you, the Alaskans that I’m talking to back home would really like the last part of this: an analysis of how this is going to impact us.
    And then another provision within the Grassley-Cantwell Act is within 60 days, Congress would pass a joint resolution of approval on the new tariff. Otherwise, all new tariffs on imports would expire after that deadline.
    What this act effectively would do would be to reaffirm Congress’s role with regards to tariffs. It allows for a greater engagement, if you will, between the executive and the congressional branch. Allows for the debate, allows for that engagement, allows for that understanding.
    So, again, I’m hearing from folks all over back home, because they’re worried we already pay high costs for just about everything in Alaska. They’re worried about what it’s going to mean for groceries, for cars, for furniture, electronics, even coffee.
    We had a visit with a group of high school students on the on the steps yesterday, and they were from all over the state. We had some from Ketchikan, all the way out to King Cove, and out in the YK Delta. And the first question from one of the 16-year-old’s in that group was, “Can you tell me what’s going on with tariffs? How is this going to impact us?”
    I really appreciated that question from that 16-year-old who’s paying attention to what’s going on. He’s got questions. He’s here in Washington, DC, and he’s figuring he’s going to get some answers from his senator.
    Alaskans are facing consequences. They want to know they have a voice in it, and their voice is us. It’s their senator, it’s their representative. That’s our role here.
    Now it’s been suggested, and the president himself has issued a statement about this legislation: he’s indicated that he does not support it, and that he would veto it. That is absolutely within his power.
    But, we also have powers have powers here in Congress, and we need to assert them. And so, I would hope that this bill is maybe just the start, maybe just the toe in the water, where we’re starting to see Congress reassert its authority.
    Because if we don’t stand up for the institution, if we don’t stand up for the legislative branch of our government by debating this issue by holding votes, debating. Let’s debate this! Let’s have a vote on the Trade Review Act. Because if we just sit back, if we don’t assert our authority, we’ve only got ourselves to blame when we don’t like the direction that may be taken.
    The executive has slowly arrogated more and more power since the end of World War II, and it’s dramatically accelerated post-9/11. We here in Congress have stood by, and we’ve accepted it. We’ve said it’s okay. I think it’s time for Congress to reassert itself, whether it’s on tariffs, whether it’s on the power of appropriation, whether it’s overseeing the bodies, the agencies that we as a body have authorized.
    So, let’s legislate. Let’s remember our role is to legislate. We owe that to those that we represent, as well as to this institution, for the long-term good of the nation.
    And with that, Mr. President, I yield the floor.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Lee Introduce Legislation to Repurpose Woke USAID Funding to Improve Veterans’ Homes

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Veterans First Act of 2025, which will redirect wasteful taxpayer funding previously allocated for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to instead pay for outstanding repairs in state veterans’ homes. This legislation follows the Trump administration’s actions to largely shut down USAID after it was revealed that the agency was using taxpayer funds to pay for woke, leftist priorities. As Alabama’s representative on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Sen. Tuberville is always looking for ways to improve the lives for our veteran heroes.
    “Let’s be honest, USAID was largely being used as a Democrat slush fund under Joe Biden,” said Sen. Tuberville. “We don’t need to waste BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars on research in Wuhan or transgender operas in Colombia when our own veterans are living in horrible conditions. There are more than 160 state veteran homes across the country that provide long-term care to eligible military veterans. The VA currently offers construction grants that cover up to 65% of renovation costs, but funding constraints can cause years of delays for homes that are waiting to receive federal funds to match the funds approved at the state level. This critical legislation would provide sufficient federal funding to cover all outstanding Priority 1 VA State Home Construction projects that already have the state-matching funds. Our veteran heroes were willing to lay down their lives for our freedom. The least we can do is make sure they have a decent place to call home.
    “Our bill takes 2 billion dollars that was going to be thrown into the USAID money pit and distributed to radical progressive causes across the globe, and instead puts it toward desperately needed housing and hospitals for the men and women who defend America. We should put our veterans before any foreign interests or organizations,” said Sen. Lee. 
    “Under the Biden-Harris Administration, taxpayer dollars were wastefully sent overseas to fund DEI initiatives while the pressing needs of veterans here at home were ignored,” said Rep. Taylor. “Under President Trump, Republicans are getting our Nation’s priorities straight and our Heroes are at the top of the list. I am proud to lead this bill to ensure State Veterans Homes across our country are equipped with the funding to meet our veterans’ needs.”
    Specifically, the Veterans First Act of 2025 would:
    Redirect $2 billion of USAID funds toward State Veteran Home repairs and renovations,
    Provide sufficient funding to cover all outstanding Priority 1 VA State Home construction grants,
    These are ready-to-go projects that already possess state-matching funds and are only awaiting federal matching funds to being work.

    Put America’s veterans first and reorient our nation’s spending priorities.
    Representative Dave Taylor (R-OH-02) led the effort in the U.S. House of Representatives.
    Read full text of the legislation here. 
    BACKGROUND:
    Sen. Tuberville represents Alabama’s more than 400,000 veterans on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and has worked to make quality improvements for veterans. He has introduced several pieces of legislation that have been signed into law, including the Supporting Families of the Fallen Act, Restoring Benefits to Defrauded Veterans Act, and legislation to streamline Post-9/11 benefits for service members and their dependents.
    Already this year, Sen. Tuberville introduced several pieces of legislation aimed at helping veterans, including the Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers (ACCESS) Act of 2025, Ensuring Continuity in Veterans Health Act, HBOT Access Act, andVeteran Fraud Reimbursement Act.
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Gillibrand, Wyden Lead A Group Of 21 Senators In Demanding That The Trump Administration Stop Their Attacks On Social Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

    Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, ranking member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Senator Ron Wyden, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, led a group of 21 senators in a letter calling on the Trump administration and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to stop their attacks on Social Security.

    This letter comes in the wake of the administration’s repeated actions to weaken the Social Security Administration (SSA), which include staffing cuts, plans for indiscriminate closures of field offices around the nation, and limits to phone services. These cuts are upending the lives of older adults and people with disabilities who rely on the Social Security benefits that they have earned to pay their rent, purchase groceries, and afford medical bills.

    “The changes undertaken by SSA leadership and the DOGE disregard the reality of daily life for those millions of Americans,” wrote the senators. “They are spearheaded by the out-of-touch, unelected leadership of the DOGE. They hurt our nation’s older adults and people with disabilities—our grandparents, our friends, and our neighbors. And they risk debilitating the Social Security System and denying Americans the money they are owed.”

    In addition to Gillibrand and Wyden, the letter to Acting SSA Commissioner Leland Dudek was signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Peter Welch (D-VT), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Edward Markey (D-MA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

    The full text of the senators’ letter is available here or below:

    Dear Acting Commissioner Dudek:

    We write to denounce the incessant havoc sparked by the Trump Administration’s continual cuts to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Changes implemented by SSA leadership and the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) include heinous staffing cuts, plans for indiscriminate closures of field offices around the nation, and limits to phone services. It is difficult to see how DOGE’s attacks on the SSA, and the complicity shown by SSA leadership, will improve efficiency when we are already hearing stories upon stories of how SSA’s changes have damaged the system responsible for ensuring timely, accurate payments—upending the lives of older adults and people with disabilities who rely on Social Security benefits that they earned to pay their rent, groceries, and medical bills.

    Social Security lifts 22 million Americans, including 16 million older adults, out of poverty. Many older adults rely on Social Security for life-saving sustenance—to ensure they have food to eat, a roof over their heads, and money to pay for medications. In fact, 40 percent of older Americans rely on Social Security as their only source of retirement income. Over seven million veterans received a Social Security benefit in 2024, while SSDI and Supplemental Security Income serve millions of workers with disabilities and their children. DOGE’s attacks on the SSA will break down access to services, affect timely and accurate payment of benefits,6 and have disastrous consequences for Americans everywhere.

    It is precisely because older adults, people with disabilities, and other deserving Americans count on Social Security that we are deeply concerned with efforts by DOGE and SSA leadership to impede access to SSA services. SSA has announced plans to slash at least 12 percent of its workforce, and offered a buyout incentives to staff, at a time when SSA staffing is at a 50-year low. SSA has also announced plans to close six of its ten regional offices, which coordinate and support the efforts of SSA employees. DOGE, meanwhile, has placed dozens of SSA offices across the country on the chopping block. At the same time, SSA has decided to limit the services it makes available over-the-phone, after backing down from broader restrictions following an outcry by older adults and people with disabilities. SSA’s new limits on over-the[1]phone services are still unacceptable, and the process used by SSA—swift revisions after public outcry—suggest the agency is not talking to the Americans who rely on Social Security the most before it makes its decisions. Instead, it appears that SSA leadership is pushing out half-baked ideas that lead to public confusion and panic.

    SSA leadership should strive to serve the public, not Elon Musk and his cronies with the DOGE. We are already witnessing the consequences of SSA’s complicity in DOGE’s irresponsible actions and cruel intentions. Scammers have taken advantage of the confusion surrounding SSA changes to defraud older adults. The SSA website crashed 4 times in 10 days because servers were overloaded; phone wait time and foot traffic to field offices have skyrocketed. This chaos does not create “efficiency.” It harms older adults and people with disabilities while undermining a program that is already efficient: Even as Social Security uplifts millions of older adults and people with disabilities, less than one percent of Social Security payments are improper—a percentage that includes underpayments as well as overpayments.

    We are pleased that Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is skilled with technology, lives his life with unfettered access to services, and has not experienced what it is like to live with a severe disability or financial hardship. We are also pleased that the Trump Administration’s supposed “leadership” is comfortable enough to believe older adults will not mind a missed Social Security payment. However, their experiences do not reflect the experiences of millions of Americans who rely on Social Security. The changes undertaken by SSA leadership and the DOGE disregard the reality of daily life for those millions of Americans. They are spearheaded by the out-of-touch, unelected leadership of the DOGE. They hurt our nation’s older adults and people with disabilities—our grandparents, our friends, and our neighbors. And they risk debilitating the Social Security System and denying Americans the money they are owed.

    In light of our concerns, we ask that you answer the following questions:

    1. Reports indicate that an internal memo proposing changes to the Social Security claims process was circulated within SSA on March 13, 2025. The memo also reportedly details how the changes could significantly impact the ability of Social Security recipients to access their benefits, including through “longer wait times and processing time” and “increased challenges for vulnerable populations.” Please provide:
    1. An unredacted copy of the March 13, 2025 memo, which was sent from Acting Deputy Commissioner Doris Diaz to Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek;
    1. Copies of any other written communications that are related to the March 13, 2025 memo, including e-mail, texts, letters, memorandums, or other documents; and
    1. Copies of any written communications, including e-mail, texts, letters, memorandums, or other documents, related to SSA’s decision to revise its changes to phone services, as announced on March 26, 2025.
    1. SSA’s new limitations on over-the-phone services are likely to increase the number of visitors per-week to SSA field offices, a potential impact reportedly detailed by SSA leadership in its March 13, 2025 memo. The DOGE website lists numerous SSA offices throughout the United States that will have their lease terminated, and one analysis suggests that 47 SSA offices are slated for closure.

    Please answer the following questions about potential SSA field office closures:

    1. SSA claims in a press release on March 27th that the SSA “has not permanently closed or announced permanent closure of any local field office.” Public reporting shows that multiple SSA field offices across the country were publicly slated for lease termination, many of which were taken off DOGE’s website prior to the press release.
    1. Explain the reason for the removal of the field offices previously listed for lease termination on the DOGE website.
    1. Explain why the SSA did not issue a public correction of the information provided on SSA lease termination after its removal off the DOGE website.
    1. Provide detailed information on each location on the DOGE and GSA lease termination lists that include an SSA office, including any locations that include an SSA field office but are leased by other federal departments, such as the General Services Administration. Please include the following information for each location:
    1. What SSA functions operate out of the location, whether the location is open to the public, what services the location provides to the public, and how many members of the public visit the location each day.
    1. How the SSA office will be impacted by the lease termination listed on the DOGE website, including which services at the SSA office will cease to be offered to the public and whether the SSA office will be closed entirely.
    1. Which field offices is SSA planning to close, or considering for closure, through December 31, 2026, regardless of whether the location appears on the DOGE lease termination list? Please provide a detailed list that includes the name, city, and state of each field office.
    1. How will SSA analyze the impact of potential field office closures on people who use SSA services in light of SSA’s new limitations on over-the-phone services? If SSA does not plan to include the new limitations on over-the-phone services when analyzing potential field office closures, please explain why.
    1. SSA’s new limitations on over-the-phone services are likely to drive more people to use the SSA website, including “my Social Security” accounts, when filing for benefits or making changes to their payments. Past oversight conducted by the Senate Aging Committee demonstrated that federal departments and agencies often fail to make their websites fully accessible for people with disabilities, as required by law. Further, the unelected billionaire running DOGE demonstrated his callous disregard for people with disabilities when he decimated Twitter’s accessibility team after taking over the company.
    1. How many staff held a role in ensuring SSA website accessibility for people with disabilities on January 20, 2025?
    1. How many staff held a role in ensuring SSA website accessibility for people with disabilities on April 8, 2025?
    1. How many staff with a role in ensuring SSA website accessibility for people with disabilities were fired or accepted a buyout between January 20, 2025 and April 8, 2025?
    1. How many contracts related to ensuring SSA website accessibility for people with disabilities have been delayed or cancelled since January 20, 2025? Please describe each delayed or cancelled contract and provide a justification for each delay or cancellation.
    1. How many tests to evaluate SSA websites for accessibility for people with disabilities have been delayed or cancelled since January 20, 2025? Please provide a justification for each delayed or cancelled accessibility test.
    1. Please describe how SSA consulted with older adults and people with disabilities before making the initial decision, announced on March 18, 2025, to implement new limits to over-the-phone services. Please include the names of groups representing older adults and people with disabilities that were contacted for feedback. If SSA did not conduct this outreach, please explain why.
    1. Please describe how SSA will collect feedback from older adults and people with disabilities on the impact of its limits to over-the-phone services once those limits have been implemented, including:
    1. The groups representing older adults and people with disabilities that SSA will work with to collect feedback; and
    1. The number of in-person meetings, virtual meetings, and town-hall style meetings related to the limits on over-the-phone services that SSA will conduct through December 31, 2026, the planned locations of those events, and plans by SSA leadership to participate in those events and answer questions.

    If SSA does not plan to collect feedback from older adults and people with disabilities in this fashion, please explain why.

    Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please respond by April 22, 2025.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand Joins 178 Colleagues In Introducing Bill To Raise Federal Minimum Wage To $17 By 2030

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

    U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduced the Raise the Wage Act alongside 32 of her colleagues in the Senate and 146 members of the House of Representatives. This bicameral legislation would raise the minimum wage to $17 for all workers and gradually eliminate subminimum wages for tipped workers, workers with disabilities, and youth workers.

    Last year, nearly one in four workers in the U.S. made less than $17 per hour. In New York, the minimum wage is currently $15.50 in most parts of the state and $16.50 on Long Island and in New York City, and Westchester. According to analysis by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), passing the Raise the Wage Act would provide raises to 213,000 New Yorkers.

    “A living wage is critical to make sure that Americans can pay their bills, feed their families, and put a roof over their heads,” said Senator Gillibrand. “No one working full-time in the United States should be living in poverty. This legislation will help lift workers out of poverty, drive economic growth, and reduce income inequality, and I am committed to working with my colleagues to get it passed.”

    Today, the value of the current federal minimum wage – $7.25 per hour – is the lowest it has been since 1956 and has declined significantly since it was last increased in 2009. Black and Hispanic workers disproportionately feel the burden of these low wages as compared to their white counterparts, and that disparity is even worse for women of color. Nearly 40 percent of Hispanic women and 35 percent of Black women make less than $17 per hour.

    Gillibrand is joined on the Raise the Wage Act by 32 senators: Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    Additionally, over 85 organizations endorsed the legislation, including Service Employees International Union (SEIU), AFL-CIO, American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, Communications Workers of America (CWA), Economic Policy Institute (EPI), Equal Pay Today, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), National Education Association (NEA), National Employment Law Project (NELP), The National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), One Fair Wage, Oxfam America, Patriotic Millionaires, UNITE HERE, United Autoworkers (UAW), United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), United for Respect, and United Steelworkers (USW).

    The text of the bill can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Sues Trump Administration for Blocking California’s Access to Over $200 Million in Previously Awarded Education Funding

    Source: US State of California

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) abrupt and unlawful rescission of prior agency actions that preserved states’ access to hundreds of millions of dollars in funding currently being used by school districts to support the academic recovery of students following the COVID-19 pandemic. Attorney General Bonta joined 15 other attorneys general in filing the lawsuit, arguing that ED’s decision to rescind access to this funding is arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act, exceeds ED’s statutory and regulatory authority under the law, and will cause immediate and devastating harm to school districts in California and across the nation. In California alone, over $200 million in previously awarded and obligated funding is at stake – funding that school districts are already putting to use for programs such as afterschool and summer learning initiatives, the purchase of educational technology, and the provision of mental health services and support. 

    “The Trump Administration’s blatant disregard for the education of our children is on full display with this latest round of funding cuts,” said Attorney General Bonta. “With each step President Trump takes to dismantle the Education Department, he is throwing our schools into turmoil and jeopardizing the academic success of a generation of American children. As a father, I can’t stand by and let this happen. I’m taking the President to court for the 13th time to help ensure our kids get the educational opportunities they deserve.”

    On March 28, 2025, Education Secretary Linda McMahon notified state departments of education that ED had unilaterally rescinded its previous actions preserving states’ access to awarded and obligated education funding that is currently supporting ongoing programs and services in local school districts across the country. These programs and services address, among other things, the impact of lost instructional time; students’ academic, social, and emotional needs; and the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on economically disadvantaged students, including homeless children and children in foster care.  

    In the lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta and the multistate coalition assert that the Department’s actions are arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act. The coalition seeks a court order vacating the termination and reinstating ED’s prior approvals allowing states to access this funding through March 2026. 

    Joining Attorney General Bonta in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and the District of Columbia, along with the Governor of Pennsylvania.

    A copy of the lawsuit is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Calls on Xi Jinping, CCP to Allow TikTok Sale: “We Need to Keep the Pressure On”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) called on the Chinese Communist Party to allow ByteDance to sell TikTok to American owners. Ricketts made the comments while objecting to a unanimous consent request from U.S. Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) to extend the deadline for a potential sale.
    “ByteDance was given 270 days to make a deal,” said Ricketts. “The Communist dictator Xi Jinping clearly did not want it. They tried to lobby us. They avoided getting a deal done. President Trump came into office. They are still avoiding getting a deal done.”
    “The law is very clear. TikTok needs to be sold to an American owner to continue operation,” closed Ricketts. “Not some half-baked plan, as my colleague from Arkansas was describing, where the Chinese Communist Party would still have influence on the TikTok algorithm, still have the ability to push their propaganda to the American people. That cannot happen. We need to make sure that the Chinese Communist Party cannot do that in our country again. We won’t allow other TV or radio stations to have that much access. Why on earth are we doing it for the Chinese Communist Party? It is absolutely ludicrous. We need to keep the pressure on. We need to make sure that TikTok is sold.”
    [embedded content]
    Watch the video HERE
    TRANSCRIPT:
    Senator Ricketts: “Mr. President, reserving the right to object.
    “I echo my colleague from Arkansas comments with regard to TikTok.
    “Let’s recall that in Communist China, there really isn’t such a thing as a private company, as much as ByteDance might want to say it is.
    “Chinese Communist law is very clear that companies in China have to do what they’re told to do by the Chinese Communist Party.
    “And that’s one of the reasons TikTok is so dangerous.
    “TikTok, as has been covered by my colleague from Massachusetts, reaches 170 million people.
    “52% of those people say that they regularly get their news from TikTok.
    “As I’ve risen on this floor in the past, I’ve discussed specific cases where the Chinese Communists have been pushing their propaganda through TikTok.
    “Now let’s also bear in mind that we would not allow any American TV news station, even newspaper, to be able to own as much of the American marketplace as TikTok has today.
    “170 million people.
    “Current law says that you can only own 39%, for example, of the TV marketplace across the country.
    “That would roughly equate to about 50 million households in the United States – far above what we’re seeing here with what TikTok has access to.
    “So if we’re not going to allow Americans to be able to have such broad access to our population, why on earth would we allow the Chinese Communist Party to do it?
    “And by the way, the way, the Chinese Communist Party has no First Amendment rights in this country.
    “ByteDance was given 270 days to make a deal.
    “The Communist dictator Xi Jinping clearly did not want it.
    “They tried to lobby us. They avoided getting a deal done.
    “President Trump came into office.
    “They are still avoiding getting a deal done.
    “The people who are taking on the liability here are the companies that are facilitating this.
    “I urge those companies to reconsider.
    “You should think carefully about what you’re doing.
    “The law is very clear.
    “TikTok needs to be sold to an American owner to continue operation.
    “Not some half-baked plan, as my colleague from Arkansas was describing, where the Chinese Communist Party would still have influence on the TikTok algorithm, still have the ability to push their propaganda to the American people.
    “That cannot happen.
    “We need to make sure that the Chinese Communist Party cannot do that in our country again.
    “We won’t allow other TV or radio stations to have that much access.
    “Why on earth are we doing it for the Chinese Communist Party?
    “It is absolutely ludicrous.
    “We need to keep the pressure on.
    “We need to make sure that TikTok is sold.
    “I echo my colleague’s comments with regard to any sort of future Chinese ownership that would allow them to be able to continue to do this.
    “We need to make sure that this is no longer going to threaten our young people.
    “And therefore, Mr. President, I object.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement From Congressman Dan Goldman on Trump Administration’s Termination of Grants to Vera Institute of Justice

    Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)

    “The Trump Administration’s decision to terminate five federal grants to the Vera Institute for Justice, including ones already designated for mental health crisis response, violence reduction, and resources for survivors of domestic violence, constitutes a direct assault on our most vulnerable communities and every New Yorker’s public safety.  

    “The Vera Institute engages in critical work in New York City and cities nationwide to reduce crime and recidivism that make our communities safer. Their efforts safeguard immigrant and low-income Americans, support survivors of domestic violence and victims of crimes, bolster public safety through mental health programs, facilitate important law enforcement trainings, and increase access to affordable housing for formerly incarcerated people.  

    “By cutting funding for essential public safety programs that serve diverse communities across New York City, the Trump administration is undermining the safety and security of our city in order to pay for massive tax breaks for billionaires. 

    “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are unlawfully cutting critical government programs that New Yorkers and Americans depend upon based on random keyword searches so that they can personally benefit from our federal government. I urge the Trump administration to immediately reinstate these funds so that the Vera Institute can pursue its mission of making our country safer.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Myanmar: UN seeks additional $240 million to bolster earthquake relief

    Source: United Nations 2-b

    By Vibhu Mishra

    Humanitarian Aid

    The United Nations is ramping up its response to Myanmar’s devastating earthquake, calling for increased funding and an immediate ceasefire to ensure more aid reaches those in desperate need.

    The 7.7 magnitude earthquake – which struck on March 28 – has claimed over 3,600 lives, injured a further 4,800 people and left 184 still missing.

    The disaster has affected more than nine million people across 58 townships, with thousands of buildings, including hospitals and schools, reduced to rubble. Aftershocks continue to rattle the hardest-hit regions, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.

    In response, UN agencies are calling for an additional $241.6 million to aid those in the most affected regions, while also channelling $134 million from the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Myanmar – which was released in December 2024.

    The revised plan identifies around two million newly affected people in urgent need of assistance, adding to the 4.3 million who were already in need before the quake.

    Myanmar was already in crisis before the disaster, with nearly 20 million – roughly a third of the population – in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, amid a brutal civil war between the forces of the military junta which seized power in February 2021 and opposition militias.

    Heartbreaking destruction

    During a visit to Myanmar, UN Special Envoy Julie Bishop met with communities devastated by the quake and urged international support for both immediate relief and long-term reconstruction.

    She reiterated the urgent need for a ceasefire to enable humanitarian response and recovery.

    “We need to continue to urge for a ceasefire, to stop the killing, stop the conflict so that the humanitarian workers, the search and rescue teams and those involved in rebuilding and reconstruction have the space to operate safely and securely,” she said.

    Ms. Bishop described the destruction as “heartbreaking” and praised the resilience of survivors.

    “I was particularly struck by those who have lost their homes but are determined to rebuild amid the rubble,” she said, stressing the need for global support.

    “The international community has a significant role to play in supporting additional funding during this particular time of need but also using their influence to ensure…that all actors in this conflict put down their arms and focus their efforts on restoring the shattered lives of the people of Myanmar.”

    Response overwhelmed

    UN agencies report that Myanmar’s vital public services, already strained by conflict and instability, are now overwhelmed.

    Myanmar’s remaining health facilities have critical shortages of medical supplies, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a humanitarian bulletin.

    More than 193 healthcare centres and 2,311 schools have been damaged or destroyed, while ongoing infrastructure failures have led to food shortages, rising prices, and an increased risk of infectious diseases.

    A cluster of acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) cases has already been reported in Sagaing and Mandalay, exacerbated by the destruction of sanitation systems.

    Furthermore, extreme heat – reaching 44°C (111°F) – and heavy, off-season rains have worsened conditions for survivors, many of whom remain without shelter.

    Fragile infrastructure exposed

    The earthquake has also reignited concerns about Myanmar’s fragile infrastructure.

    The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) warned that rebuilding roads, bridges and key public buildings must be prioritised to prevent future disasters inflicting a similar level of damage.

    “This is not optional – it is a social and economic imperative,” the commission said.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Fueling innovation, strengthening Alberta’s grid

    [. From heating and cooling homes to powering communities and businesses, Albertans need to know they have access to affordable utilities they can depend on, when and where they need them.

    Bill 52, the Energy and Utilities Statutes Amendment Act, 2025, proposes changes to meet growing demand, prioritizing reliability and affordability in the modernization of the utility system. If passed, the Energy and Utilities Statutes Amendment Act will enable hydrogen use in Alberta’s natural gas system. It will also support critical updates to power market rules and transmission policies to strengthen the power grid, lower and stabilize utility bills, and encourage investment in the province.

    “Albertans need to know they have reliable and affordable utilities to provide for their families and chase their dreams. From responsibly introducing hydrogen blending in our natural gas system to strengthening our power grid, the changes we’re making will drive new investment and fuel Albertans to pursue a bright, successful future.”

    Nathan Neudorf, Minister of Affordability and Utilities

    “We’re shaping a utility system built to last by preserving investment, innovation and open competition while tackling volatile prices and grid stability so Alberta’s energy future is resilient and full of opportunity.”

    Chantelle de Jonge, parliamentary secretary, Affordability and Utilities

    Driving innovation in hydrogen

    The world is looking to hydrogen as an energy solution for hard-to-abate industries. As the largest hydrogen producer in Canada, Alberta has the resources, expertise and investment-ready environment necessary to be a destination of choice for investors and innovators. Through the Energy and Utilities Statutes Amendment Act, 2025, proposed amendments would allow hydrogen blending in the natural gas distribution system for residential and commercial heating and support new technologies while ensuring the safety and reliability of the natural gas system.

    Changes will protect ratepayers from rising costs by ensuring only those who receive hydrogen-blended natural gas in their homes and businesses will pay for any additional system costs. Utility providers will also be required to ensure community support on hydrogen blending projects.

    Strengthening the grid, protecting ratepayers

    Albertans increasingly rely on electricity to power their homes, businesses and lives. The Energy and Utilities Statutes Amendment Act, 2025, if passed, will put Albertans first by advancing the modernization of the electricity market to ensure it can meet their growing needs, at a price they can afford.

    Proposed amendments support the move to a day-ahead reliability market, ensure there is enough power available and reduce the risk of grid alerts in the future. Much-needed updates will also be made to Alberta’s transmission policies to protect ratepayers from rising transmission costs on their utility bills. This includes encouraging more efficient use of existing infrastructure by maximizing the use of existing lines and ensuring new power projects are built in optimal locations. Changes will also see costs assigned on a cost-causation basis, ensuring that Albertans are not burdened with the full cost of any new transmission lines that need to be built.

    Additional legislative changes

    The Energy and Utilities Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 also includes an amendment to the Petroleum Marketing Act to increase the number of directors on the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission board from seven to 13 to increase the range of expertise and allow for more robust governance. This will also increase support for new initiatives such as the bitumen royalty in-kind and a proposed gas royalty in-kind, ensuring Albertans receive the maximum value for our resources.

    Quick facts:

    • By 2050, hydrogen is expected to be an $11-trillion industry worldwide.
    • Implementation of the Restructured Energy Market is expected to begin in 2027.

    Related information

    • Transforming the utilities system
    • Bill 52: Energy and Utilities Statutes Amendment Act, 2025
    • Stakeholder Quotes – Energy and Utilities Statutes Amendment Act, 2025
    • Hydrogen Roadmap
    • Alberta Electric System Operator  
    • Market Surveillance Administrator

    Related news

    • Power up, costs down (March 25, 2025)
    • Don’t default to the Rate of Last Resort (Feb. 4, 2025)
    • Rewiring Alberta’s electricity market (Dec. 10, 2024)
    • Keeping Albertans’ lights on and homes warm (Oct. 21, 2024)
    • Making Alberta a global leader in hydrogen (Sept. 13, 2024)
    • Power rates slashed in half by new market rules (Sept. 5, 2024)
    • $2B clean hydrogen investment for Alberta (Aug. 27, 2024)
    • Helping Alberta become a hydrogen powerhouse (April 23, 2024)
    • Power watchdog supports Alberta’s electricity market reforms (Aug. 6, 2024)
    • Preventing power price spikes (June 26, 2024)
    • Affordable and reliable electricity for Albertans (March 11, 2024)
    • Modernizing Alberta’s power grid (March 6, 2024)

    Multimedia

    • Watch the news conference
    • Listen to the news conference

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Update: Miramar homicide investigation

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Attributable to Detective Inspector Nick Pritchard:

    Police continue to make steady progress in the investigation into the homicide of 63-year-old Abdul Nabizadah, who was found critically injured in Camperdown Rd, Miramar at 2.20am on Monday 17 March.

    Mr Nabizadah later died in Wellington Hospital from injuries Police believe were received while being assaulted and robbed at this location at around 12.30am.

    The investigation team are continuing to gather evidence of the events of the evening and are establishing a good understanding of what occurred.

    The investigation has established a link between the homicide and an aggravated burglary that occurred at a nearby Darlington Road address at about 2am, when a man was found by homeowners inside their house. Police have arrested a man alleged to be responsible for this burglary and he is due to appear in the Wellington District Court on 17 April.

    During the examination of the Camperdown Road scene Police located a woman’s large size Mirrou brand zip-up jacket with white stripes on the arms. It was found discarded on the walkway leading from Camperdown Road to Nevay Road. Police want to speak to the owner of this jacket to determine if it is connected in any way to the incidents of that night.

    The investigation team have previously sought information about a silver Mazda 6 vehicle seen on several occasions in the Miramar area on the night of the incidents.

    Following assistance from members of the public the investigation team have now identified this vehicle and believe it is connected to the two incidents. Police now urgently want to speak to the driver and occupants of this car on the night of the incidents and we encourage them to make contact with us.

    We are actively looking for a number of people who we know have relevant information and encourage them, along with anyone else that has relevant information, to contact us as soon as possible.

    If you have any information that could help the investigation team, please update us online now or call 105.

    Please use the reference number 250317/6324, or reference Operation Celtic.

    Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

    ENDS

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Oregon State Treasurer Steiner Issues Statement to State Retirement Plan Beneficiaries as Markets Slump Following Federal Tariff Announcements

    Source: US State of Oregon

    regon State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner, MD, asked beneficiaries of state managed retirement funds to remain calm and patient as markets gyrate following the Trump administration’s recent tariff announcements. Treasurer Steiner urged the President to rescind the tariffs that have destabilized the finances of Oregonians and Americans.

    The Oregon State Treasury (OST) manages investments for more than 400,000 beneficiaries of the Oregon Public Employee Retirement Fund (OPERF), 132,000 beneficiaries of OregonSaves (which provides automatic savings for employees of businesses who do not offer a retirement plan) and other savings accounts. In addition, OST manages investments for the Common School Fund and the Short Term Fund, on behalf of schools and state and local agencies. OST has approximately $140 billion in assets under management.

    Treasurer Steiner said:

    ” know that concerns about the unfolding economic situation are weighing on the minds of many Oregonians. I want beneficiaries to know that Treasury stands with you during these difficult times. We know what’s at stake in your savings and we are managing the funds entrusted to us with your long-term well-being foremost in our minds. I ask for your patience as we navigate these rough waters together.

    Treasury’s investment strategies are designed to buffer the impact of market turmoil on the state’s retirement, savings and public agency portfolios. The turmoil of the past week has not spared our funds. Yet, we know that our portfolio is well diversified to withstand these types of market shocks better than less diversified portfolios. We will continue to uphold our fiduciary responsibility to you and put the needs of the people and communities we serve first.

    I once again call on President Trump to change course and revoke these reckless tariffs. The trillions in savings that have evaporated from United States markets in recent days represents the hopes of millions of people saving for retirement, college, the down payment on a house, launching a business or other aspirations.

    I urge the administration to read the room: Markets are tumbling, and consumers are bracing for the fallout by cutting spending. People in our state cannot afford this unwanted and unnecessary $3,800 per household tax hike, especially at a time when half of Oregonians do not have $500 available to handle an emergency. Rescind these tariffs, so Oregonians and Americans can continue to confidently create opportunity and pursue their dreams through hard work and innovation, without the economic pain and uncertainty the administration’s arbitrary and chaotic trade policies have caused.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo Statement at Nominations Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
    Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) delivered the following remarks at a hearing to consider the nominations of William Kimmitt to serve as Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade and Kenneth Kies to serve as the Assistant Treasury Secretary for Tax Policy.
    As prepared for delivery:
    “This meeting will come to order.  Thank you to our nominees, Mr. Kimmitt and Mr. Kies, for being here today.  Congratulations on your nominations and thank you both for your willingness to serve.
    “Today, we will first hear from William Kimmitt, who is nominated to serve as Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade.
    “If confirmed, Mr. Kimmitt will oversee the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration—or ITA.  Importantly, the ITA promotes market access and redresses unfair trade practices.  Both functions are critical to American prosperity.
    “In terms of market access, American farmers and manufacturers win when they have a chance to compete.  ITA helps to facilitate those opportunities. 
    “Our manufacturing and agricultural industries are second to none and we need to make sure they have opportunities to fairly compete at home and abroad.   
    “Mr. Kimmitt, given your background, I am confident that you will make important contributions to trade.  I look forward to working with you, if confirmed.
    “Moving to the other nominee before us today, Kenneth Kies, who is nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy at the Treasury Department.
    “The Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy is the senior advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury for analyzing, developing and implementing federal tax policies and programs.  Mr. Kies, if confirmed, will be a vital partner in Congress’ efforts to enact pro-growth tax policy and ensure it is properly implemented.
    “My Republican colleagues and I are committed to preventing a $4 trillion-plus tax hike on American families and businesses, and to delivering additional tax relief for middle-class workers and families who have struggled to keep up due to historic inflation over the last four years. 
    “We are also committed to making permanent the proven tax policy of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).  Making this tax policy permanent will provide the certainty that businesses need to make long-term investments that drive growth, and will also provide the stability that families need as they save and plan for the future.
    “Fear-mongering and mischaracterization aside, the generational reforms we made in 2017 strengthened investment, boosted economic growth, increased take-home pay and reduced poverty.
    “The TCJA made the tax code more progressive, helped all Americans keep more of their hard-earned money, and fostered a growing economy that powered median household income to an all-time high. 
    “Permanently extending and building upon our current tax framework is the best way to restore economic prosperity and opportunity for working families.
    “Mr. Kies’ wealth of experience in the world of tax policy makes him eminently qualified to assist us in this effort.  
    “Mr. Kies spent a total of 47 years as a tax attorney.  His experience covers every aspect of the Internal Revenue Code and, since 1981, he has been involved in every significant piece of federal tax legislation.  He also has a first-hand understanding of the legislative process, having served as Chief Tax Counsel on the House Ways and Means Committee and as Chief of Staff on the Joint Committee on Taxation.
    “Mr. Kies, if confirmed, I look forward to working with you to deliver on President Trump’s economic agenda.
    “Thank you again, Mr. Kimmitt and Mr. Kies, for your time today.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Prince George drug trafficker sentenced to over 12 years in prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RICHMOND, Va. – A Prince George man was sentenced today to 12 years and seven months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    According to court documents, on April 1, 2024, law enforcement searched the residence of Robert Damian Atkins, 39, based on prior controlled purchases of narcotics. During the search, detectives recovered $10,625; an electronic money counter; a shotgun; three semi-automatic pistols; multiple firearms magazines, including a drum magazine; and multiple boxes of ammunition. During a search of Atkins’ vehicle, detectives recovered another pistol and a backpack that contained 191 grams of fentanyl, 112 grams of methamphetamine, 84 grams of cocaine, two digital scales, and a magazine for the firearm. In the trunk of the vehicle, officers located a bag containing multiple firearm cartridges.

    An agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) arranged to take Atkins into custody on his federal warrant after his court appearance in Prince George County General District Court on Oct. 7, 2024. After learning of his impending arrest, Atkins fled the courthouse and cut off his GPS ankle monitor. Law enforcement located Atkins later that day in Chesterfield and took him into custody.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Washington Field Division; and Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck. The Prince George County Police Department assisted in the investigation.

    Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Gilliland, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Miller prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-158.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: April Federal Grand Jury 2025-A Indictments Announced

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the April Federal Grand Jury 2025-A Indictments.

    The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

    Jesus Sebastian Herrera Chavez. Alien Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country. Chavez, 21, a Mexican National, is charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was an alien illegally in the United States. Further, Chavez intentionally assaulted someone with a firearm. The ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-125

    Jimmie Leroy Cox, Jr. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; Possession of a Machinegun in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Cox, 63, of Fairland, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony. Cox is also charged with knowingly possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and maintaining a residence to distribute methamphetamine. Additionally, Cox knowingly possessed a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-110

    Victor Hubert Dominguez-Castro. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Dominguez-Castro, 31, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Sep. 2016. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-116

    Leonard Ray Ellis. Robbery in Indian Country; First Degree Burglary. Ellis, 40, of Inola and a member of the Osage Nation, is charged with taking property of value by force and violence. He is further charged with breaking into an occupied home intending to commit a crime. The FBI and the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyson McCoy is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-111

    Ryan Leon French; Lexie Renee French. Production of Child Pornography; Possession of Child Pornography. Ryan French, 46, and Lexie French, 42, of Tulsa, are charged with coercing a minor child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of child sexual abuse material. Ryan French is further charged with possessing videos depicting child sexual abuse material. The FBI, the Tulsa Police Department, the Muscogee Creek Nation Lighthorse Police, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Dewhurst is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-117

    Maria Gabriela Labrada Rico. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Rico, 39, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Nov. 2018. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michele Hulgaard is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-118

    Robert Nicholas Long. Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor;Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography; Possession of Child Pornography; Commission of Felony Sex Offense Involving a Minor by a Registered Sex Offender. Long, 36, of Tulsa, is charged with attempting to coerce and entice a minor child to engage in sexual activity and knowingly receiving and distributing visual images and videos that depict the sexual abuse of children. He is further charged with possessing visual images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children under 12 years old. As a registered sex offender, Long committed a felony involving a minor child. The Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shakema Onias is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-132

    Pablo Lopez-Ramirez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Lopez-Ramirez, 44, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in May 2013. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-119

    Joshua Clay Murphy. Threatening to Assault and Murder a Former Federal Law Enforcement Officer with Intent to Retaliate; Threatening to Assault and Murder Immediate Family Members of a Former Federal Law Enforcement Officer with Intent to Retaliate; Threatening to Assault and Murder Federal Law Enforcement Officers with Intent to Impede, Intimidate, Interfere, and Retaliate; Threatening to Assault and Murder Immediate Family Members of Federal Law Enforcement Officers with Intent to Impede, Intimidate, Interfere, and Retaliate. Murphy, 47, of Milfay, is charged with retaliating against a former federal law enforcement officer by threatening to assault and murder the former officer and their family. Further, Murphy knowingly threatened to assault and murder federal law enforcement officers and their families with intent to impede or interfere with the officers’ duties. The FBI is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Bailey is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-131

    Oscar Najera-De La Cruz. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Najera-De La Cruz, 31, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Mar. 2014. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ammon Brisolara is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-120

    Jose Ramon Portillo-Chavez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Portillo-Chavez, 47, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Jun. 2010. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michele Hulgaard is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-121

    Nick Lee Ramirez; Destiny Rayleen Steward. Drug Conspiracy; Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Ramirez, 39, and Steward, 25, of Tulsa, are charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine. They knowingly possessed methamphetamine and more than 500 grams of cocaine with the intent to distribute and maintained a residence for the purpose of drug distribution. Additionally, they both possessed a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Steward possessed a firearm, knowing she was previously convicted of felonies. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam McConney is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-122

    Raciel Ramirez-Vasquez Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Ramirez-Vasquez, 31, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in May 2016. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Augustus Forster is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-124

    Dominic Rocky Torres. Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery; Hobbs Act Robbery; Aiding and Abetting Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. Torres, 22, of Tulsa and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with conspiring with others and aiding and abetting others to obstruct commerce by robbery. Further, he knowingly aided and abetted in brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The FBI and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stacey Todd and Jessica Wright are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-112

    Jose Pedro Zelaya-Figueroa. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Zelaya-Figueroa, 53, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Jun. 2011. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-123

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Locus Chain Launches Public Testnet in April – Smart Contract and NFT Functions Under Full Review

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    – Open testnet available to all developers starting April 4, focusing on technical validation and usability

    – Smart contract development IDE and NFT minting environment provided, with real-use scenarios fully applied

    – Testnet mirrors the structure and performance of the mainnet, enabling debugging and stability testing ahead of a mainnet update

    GYEONGGI-DO, South Korea, April 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Locus Chain Launches Public Testnet on April 4 – Usability-Centered Environment for Real-World Testing.

    Locus Chain, a next-generation blockchain project striving to reach the pinnacle of blockchain technology, is launching a fully open, always-accessible public testnet starting April 4th. Far beyond a simple demonstration, this testnet marks the beginning of a comprehensive validation process, designed to expand the ecosystem through hands-on participation from developers and showcase the full capabilities of Locus Chain’s core technology step by step.

    The newly released testnet is architecturally identical to the mainnet, offering the same structure and real-time performance levels. It enables in-depth evaluation of functional completeness, network stability, and scalability under realistic conditions. The Locus Chain development team will use data gathered during the testnet phase to drive continuous improvements and debugging. Once individual features are confirmed to be technically stable, they will be gradually rolled out to the mainnet. More than just a technical preview, the public testnet serves as a symbolic milestone for Locus Chain—a bold open experiment that challenges the limits of public blockchain technology and marks the starting point for its future ecosystem.

    A Locus Chain representative stated, “The testnet is more than a simple functionality check—it’s a proving ground for a technological breakthrough that pushes the boundaries of public blockchain performance. By offering an open, accessible environment, we also aim to grow and strengthen our global developer ecosystem.”

    One of the key goals of this testnet is to verify Locus Chain’s unmatched scalability. In a real-world performance test conducted last December, the platform achieved an impressive 1,400 transactions per second (TPS). It is expected to maintain this performance even as the transaction volume increases to over 4,000 TPS—demonstrating one of the highest scalability levels in the industry without compromising speed or efficiency. The testnet also features the completed trial of Cubic Sharding, Locus Chain’s proprietary next-generation parallel processing technology. Unique to the platform, this innovation is expected to deliver transaction speeds in the hundreds of thousands TPS once fully implemented in real-world conditions—setting a new benchmark for blockchain performance and scalability.

    Decentralization Meets High Performance — A Technological Breakthrough Achieved Only by Locus Chain

    Locus Chain has achieved a breakthrough long considered unattainable in the blockchain industry: the true coexistence of full decentralization and high performance. While many of today’s fastest blockchain platforms reach high TPS (transactions per second) by compromising on decentralization—centralizing nodes, relying on high-end hardware, or weakening security—Locus Chain has taken an entirely different path. It delivers industry-leading speed and scalability without sacrificing decentralization or structural integrity, setting a new technological benchmark.

    What sets Locus Chain apart is its ability to maintain real-time, high-throughput performance while preserving the openness and purity of a truly public blockchain. This rare combination has become one of Locus Chain’s defining competitive advantages. It positions the platform not just as a faster blockchain, but as the only high-performance public infrastructure ready for real-world applications in next-generation industries like AI, real-time content delivery, and large-scale user platforms.

    Further reinforcing its accessibility, Locus Chain is built on an ultra-lightweight node architecture that requires minimal system resources—allowing stable operation even on low-spec devices or in limited infrastructure environments. This stands in stark contrast to traditional high-performance blockchains that depend on expensive servers or specialized hardware to function. With this approach, Locus Chain isn’t just raising the bar—it’s redefining what a high-performance public blockchain can be: decentralized, scalable, low-cost, and truly open to all.

    Developer-Centric Testnet: Hands-On Scalability with VME and Universal Asset Functionality

    In this testnet, users will have the opportunity to experience VME (Virtual Machine Engine)—Locus Chain’s proprietary smart contract execution environment—firsthand. Using custom-built developer tools, smart contracts written in Solidity can be seamlessly deployed and executed on Locus Chain, following the same familiar workflows used in other major blockchain platforms, but under a variety of testing conditions. The testnet offers two distinct channels: the PREVM channel, optimized for rapid feedback and iteration, and the VME channel, designed to evaluate network load handling and overall system stability. With these two channels offering entirely different use cases, developers can test a wide range of scenarios with precision. This setup allows even everyday developers to work in an environment that closely mirrors the mainnet—providing a realistic and hands-on experience of Locus Chain’s flexibility, performance, and real-world usability.

    Another standout feature of the testnet is Locus Chain’s exclusive Universal Asset Support. This functionality goes far beyond standard NFT capabilities. Users can mint NFTs, create and trade tokens, and manage digital assets through a dedicated interface—all without needing additional tools. The system also supports the creation of data-driven, utility-rich tokens, laying the foundation for cross-industry applications and future expansion.

    This testnet represents more than a routine technical evaluation—it is a comprehensive gateway into the full scope of the Locus Chain ecosystem. Developers can explore everything from conventional blockchain features, smart contracts, NFTs, digital asset issuance and trading—to advanced innovations unique to Locus Chain: real-time interactions, support for large-scale user environments, cost-efficient scalability, and readiness for AI integration.

    Ultimately, this testnet marks the true starting point for realizing Locus Chain’s long-term vision. It’s the only platform that not only performs existing blockchain tasks better—but also enables bold experimentation in areas that were previously out of reach.

    Real-Time Monitoring and AI Integration — Ushering in the Next Generation of Blockchain Ecosystems

    Locus Chain’s latest testnet marks a major step forward not only in performance validation but also in transaction transparency and monitoring. With the newly enhanced Locus Chain Explorer, users and developers can track smart contract execution, NFT and token creation, asset transfers, and timestamped transaction flows in real time. This level of visibility is essential for ensuring trust and transparency throughout the development lifecycle.

    More importantly, this testnet signals Locus Chain’s move toward integration with next-generation technologies, particularly AI. Traditional blockchains have long struggled with the processing speed and flexibility required for real-time AI interactions, high-frequency transactions, and large-scale user behavior analysis. Locus Chain’s uniquely high-performance, fully decentralized architecture breaks through these barriers—unlocking use cases that were previously out of reach for public blockchain infrastructure. This forward-looking structure sets the stage for a new kind of ecosystem—one capable of connecting diverse industries such as gaming, the metaverse, digital asset distribution, and knowledge-based content. All of it runs on the secure, scalable foundation that only Locus Chain can provide.

    A Locus Chain representative noted, “There are very few public blockchains in the world that can achieve thousands of TPS while remaining fully decentralized. This testnet is not just a technical showcase—it’s a meaningful milestone for developers and ecosystem participants to directly engage with Locus Chain’s advanced technology and long-term vision.”

    —————— Appendix ———————-

    • Universal Object Support Functionality
      A common and widely adopted use case for blockchain smart contracts is the creation and management of NFTs. NFTs are distinct, identifiable objects—each one a unique asset tied to a specific account via an ID. While these are often implemented through smart contracts, the actual storage and handling of these assets can be decoupled from the contract logic. Locus Chain’s Universal Asset Support feature takes this concept further by embedding asset object functionality directly into the protocol. This allows for the high-speed, large-scale processing of NFTs and other object-based assets without relying entirely on smart contracts, significantly improving efficiency and performance.
    • Locus Chain is a next-generation blockchain platform designed to solve the long-standing trilemma of decentralization, scalability, and security. With its proprietary Dynamic Sharding technology, Locus Chain ensures stable network performance under any conditions. Its Verifiable Pruning system minimizes node size, enabling even low-spec devices such as mini PCs or home routers to run full nodes and participate in the network. This low entry barrier allows anyone to operate a node at minimal cost, ensuring a highly efficient and stable infrastructure. As a result, Locus Chain is ideally suited for large-scale projects where high scalability and network reliability are essential.
    • Locus Chain’s Without Server technology is a groundbreaking innovation that replaces centralized game servers with blockchain infrastructure. It enables online games to remain playable permanently, as long as players are active—even without a centralized game operator.

      In 2023, this serverless architecture was successfully integrated into CRETA, a Web3 metaverse platform, and Locus Chain plans to expand its application to a broad range of Without Server DApps in the near future.

    Beyond gaming and metaverse applications, Locus Chain’s architecture also supports serverless operation for services like video conferencing and streaming—unlocking radical cost savings and ushering in a new paradigm for decentralized, infrastructure-free digital services.

    Reference:

    Locus Chain Official Webpage: https://locuschain.com/

    Locus Chain Official Telegram: https://t.me/locusofficialGroup, https://t.me/locusofficial 

    Locus Chain Official X: https://twitter.com/LocusChain

    Media Inquiry:
    Contact Person: Bloom Technology, Business Division, Senior Development manager, David Wang
     Email: david@bloomtechnology.co.kr
    Address: 802, Building 2, 15 Pangyo-ro 228beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fd8b6e78-48d0-483a-83b2-65bbb6bdce90

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e4704554-cb6f-4e0b-8837-3eb9d3064ce5

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8aa6fc1a-fce7-43e8-a33e-45a471305f40

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Oregon Delegation Urges Reversal of Cuts, Planned Layoffs at Social Security That Hurt State’s Seniors

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

    April 10, 2025

    Letter from Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici, Hoyle, Salinas, Bynum, Dexter Cites Disastrous Decisions in Social Security field offices in Warrenton, La Grande and The Dalles

    Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today led his Democratic colleagues in the Oregon delegation – Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Janelle Bynum (OR-05) and Maxine Dexter (OR-03) – in urging the Social Security Administration to reverse its severe layoffs and threats of worse to come for services to the state’s seniors and people with disabilities.

    In their letter to the Social Security Administration’s Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek, the Oregon lawmakers cited agency data showing staff in the Warrenton and La Grande field offices declined by at least 25 percent as a result of agency decisions to reduce its workforce. They also noted the field office in The Dalles has experienced a substantial drop in workers.

    “These three rural field offices already faced staffing shortages before these cuts, with just twenty combined employees serving more than 232,000 Oregonians in ten counties and parts of Washington and Idaho,” the lawmakers wrote, noting how nearly every American interacts with the agency at pivotal moments in their lives.

    “Access to in-person services is especially important for each of those moments, especially for people who have difficulty speaking by phone, who lack reliable internet access, and who have difficulty understanding program rules,” they wrote. “Any disruption in service, especially interruption of benefit payments, can be financially devastating for families. For many of these Oregonians, field offices are often their only channel of service. These field offices are located in predominantly rural areas, with the nearest field office more than 50 miles away from many users.”

    “Additionally, more than 400,000 Oregonians lack internet access at home because the state’s size and rugged terrain make it costly and difficult to build broadband infrastructure,” the lawmakers continued.  “Without in-person services, if those Oregonians have difficulty using a phone they are 100 percent cut off from their benefits.”

    Nearly 1 million Oregonians collect Social Security benefits, and the lawmakers’ letter noted that the agency’s reckless actions have already inflicted a devastating toll on those Oregon beneficiaries and tens of millions more across America.

    “Simply put, your decisions jeopardize Oregonians’ access to their Social Security benefits without providing any substantive plans to provide quality service to these communities,” they wrote. “We urge you to immediately reverse these changes and work to rebuild SSA’s workforce so it can serve the millions of Oregonians and Americans who depend on Social Security.”

    A copy of the entire letter is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Testing Starts on First Higher Enriched Fuel in U.S. Commercial Reactor

    Source: US Department of Energy

    Southern Nuclear recently loaded a new higher enriched nuclear fuel into a commercial reactor for irradiation testing. 

    This is the first time fuel enriched above 5 percent will be irradiated in a U.S. commercial reactor. 

    The higher enrichment levels allow the fuel to last longer and operate at increased power levels — potentially leading to additional reliable power production at nuclear power plants across the country.  

    The advanced fuel was developed through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Accident Tolerant Fuel Program to help improve fuel cycle safety and lower operational costs. 

    Preparing for Testing 

    Southern Nuclear recently loaded four lead test assemblies containing Westinghouse Electric Company’s ADOPT® fuel pellets into the Vogtle Unit 2 reactor in Waynesboro, GA.  

    The new fuel is enriched up to 6 weight percent of uranium-235 – the main fissile isotope that produces energy during a chain reaction and could be a game-changer for the industry.  

    Commercial reactors currently operate on fuel that typically ranges between 3 and 5 percent enrichment.  

    The higher enriched fuel could help extend operation cycles from 18 to 24 months, allow for higher power output, and lead to less waste generated over the life of the reactor. The pellets, which also include additives expected to enhance safety performance, were derived from higher enriched uranium oxide powder that was first prepared by Idaho National Laboratory.  

    The powder was further processed into fuel pellets and fabricated into pins at before they were shipped to Vogtle Unit 2 for commercial testing. 

    “This achievement is a significant step forward for not only the resiliency of the entire U.S. operating fleet, but future nuclear technologies,” said Pete Sena, Southern Nuclear Chairman, President and CEO. “Our goal is to operate our units for longer periods with higher output, and with higher enriched fuel, we’re even better positioned to meet the growing energy demands of the state of Georgia.” 

    What’s Next 

    The lead test assemblies will undergo testing for the next four and a half years at Plant Vogtle.  

    The fuel will be examined after each fuel cycle with a more extensive review after the fuel completes testing to support future commercialization and deployment in the United States. 

    MIL OSI USA News –