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Category: Justice

  • MIL-OSI Global: President Carter had to balance employers’ demands for foreign workers with pressure to restrict immigration – and so does Trump

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Gabrielle Clark, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Public Law, California State University, Los Angeles

    Jimmy Carter shakes riders’ hands in a Mexican American parade while campaigning in Southern California in 1976. AP Photo

    President Donald Trump promised during his three presidential campaigns to deport as many immigrants living in the U.S. without legal authorization as possible.

    His second administration got underway less than one month after former President Jimmy Carter died in December 2024. This sequence of events brings to mind, for me – a public law scholar who studies the historical role of foreign workers in the U.S. – the legacy of Carter’s immigration policy and its stark contrast with Trump’s agenda.

    Carter left several lasting markers on immigration policy. Among them was that he reformed the H-2 visa, a permit that allows foreigners to legally and temporarily work in the United States for one employer for one year. He did so by striking a new balance between satisfying the needs of employers and protecting American workers from foreign labor competition.

    Trump, by contrast, intends to undertake mass deportations. He has stated that his administration will remove millions of immigrants living in the U.S. without legal authorization.

    I’m writing a book about the long-standing conflict between employers and workers over allowing foreigners to legally work in the U.S. Despite Trump’s anti-immigration agenda, I won’t be surprised if Republicans follow in Carter’s footsteps by making it easier for more low-wage migrants to get short-term authorization to hold U.S. jobs.

    Replacing the Bracero Program

    When Carter became president in January 1977, 13 years had passed since the end of the Bracero Program, which let Mexican men legally get short-term jobs on U.S. farms. Demand for that labor persisted after the Bracero program ended, so large farms hired Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. illegally instead.

    The AFL-CIO, an umbrella group that most U.S. unions belong to, and the United Farm Workers, a labor union, pressured the Carter administration for immigration enforcement. They were engaged in heated organization campaigns in the fields and wanted to reduce competition from foreign workers.

    Carter, a former peanut farmer and a pragmatist, had the Immigration Naturalization Service authorize 5,000 new H-2 foreign labor visas in June 1977. Over 800 of the visas went to onion, melon, pepper and cotton farms in south Texas.

    Congress had created the H-2 guest worker visa in 1952 on behalf of owners of large farms and other employers who wanted a path around immigration restrictions and access to a seasonal labor force. In 1965, however, President Lyndon B. Johnson’s secretary of labor, W. Willard Wirtz, had limited H-2 certifications to Florida sugar farms and East Coast fruit orchards.

    The total number of foreigners with H-2 visas who were employed in U.S. agriculture fell from 13,578 in 1967 to 11,661 in 1977.

    Carter saw things differently than Johnson and Wirtz.

    “I believe it is possible to structure this program so that it responds to the legitimate needs of both employees, by protecting domestic employment opportunities, and of employers, by providing a needed workforce,” he told Congress on Aug. 4, 1977.

    Mexican migrant workers, employed under the Bracero Program to harvest crops on California farms, are shown working in a field in 1964.
    AP Photo

    Striking a new compromise

    By 1978, the Labor Department had issued H-2 visa regulations that balanced the interests of business and workers.

    For employers, they were a boon: For the first time, agricultural employers were entitled to hire foreign workers under the law.

    The secretary of labor could no longer eliminate whole crop areas from the program, as Wirtz had done. The reasoning behind the change was simple: The Carter administration wanted to help farms switch from workers living in the U.S. without legal authorization to migrants holding H-2 visas.

    Yet, the Carter administration also expanded protections for migrant farmworkers. Their employers now needed to offer them higher wages and better working conditions. The regulations also mandated that employers seeking authority to use the H-2 program try harder to recruit Americans.

    Under Carter, the Labor Department also extended the rules to Maine’s lumber industry and western wool producers.

    These industries had relied on French Canadians and Spanish Basques to handle much of their work through the H-2 program since the 1950s without having to pay minimum wage rates or recruit American workers first. The Maine Woodcutter’s Association and the Navajo Indian Council had lobbied Carter to address poverty and underemployment in their regions.

    United Farm Workers President Cesar Chavez, seen here at a rally in 1985, played a key role in immigration reform efforts over several decades.
    Bettmann/Getty Images

    Carter and the immigration Reform and Control Act

    In 1986, Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act. While that immigration reform law is best known for providing immigrants living in the U.S. without legal authorization a path to citizenship, it also split the H-2 visa program into two parts. From then on, foreign workers could obtain an H-2A visa for agriculture work or an H-2B visa for other kinds of jobs.

    The new law kept Carter’s employer obligations in place for H-2As. The AFL-CIO and several civil rights organizations had objected to guest workers having to depend on their employer for their immigration status, which could make them more vulnerable to exploitation.

    It is a historical irony that President Ronald Reagan, who signed the bill into law, is associated with the reform because the measure originated with Carter.

    President Ronald Reagan prepares to sign a landmark immigration reform bill in 1986. Behind him were members of Congress and Vice President George H.W. Bush.
    Bettmann/Getty Images

    Reforming immigration policies vs. mass deportations

    The population of foreign laborers working on U.S. farms with H-2A visas soared from around 26,000 in 1989 to more than 340,000 in 2023. Because the number of H-2A visas the government can issue is unlimited, this arrangement has become an alternative to employing workers living in the U.S. without legal authorization.

    The number of foreign workers with H-2B visas is much smaller.

    This is because Congress limited the number of people who could get them to 66,000 per year in 1990 as a way to limit competition for American workers seeking or holding down low-wage jobs. In 2017, Congress gave the president the authority to double the maximum number of H-2B visas.

    As Trump’s deportations get underway in 2025, I believe that the maximum number of H-2B visas available is likely to become a point of contention among Republicans as Trump and many GOP members of Congress face Carter’s dilemma.

    Many Americans, perhaps a majority, want immigration laws enforced. But employers will continue to demand low-wage labor for jobs that U.S. citizens may be reluctant or unwilling to do.

    Maintaining a compromise

    This time, the mismatch between the government’s efforts to deport foreigners living in the U.S. without authorization and employers’ desires for low-cost labor will be greatest outside of agriculture: 69% of those workers without papers today are employed in construction, food services and other parts of the hospitality industry.

    Jason Miller, one of Trump’s senior advisers, has conceded that Republicans will need to take a “second look” at the visa.

    In my view, guest worker visas, like the H-2A and H-2B, are never ideal. They can displace American workers and make migrants vulnerable to exploitation by their employers.

    However, the U.S. is likely to continue to expand employer access to the visas because they provide an alternative to foreign workers seeking to get jobs in the U.S. without authorization. In this way, Trump’s presidency may end up having something in common with Carter’s time in the White House.

    Gabrielle Clark receives funding from the National Endowment of Humanities for her immigration research.

    – ref. President Carter had to balance employers’ demands for foreign workers with pressure to restrict immigration – and so does Trump – https://theconversation.com/president-carter-had-to-balance-employers-demands-for-foreign-workers-with-pressure-to-restrict-immigration-and-so-does-trump-247187

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Almost half of evicted women and families in metro Detroit say they were illegally pushed out of their homes

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson, Associate Professor of Social Epidemiology, The Ohio State University

    Every year, 2.7 million households nationwide face a court-ordered eviction filing.

    Michigan has one of the highest eviction filing rates in the country, tied with Mississippi. Fourteen percent of all Michiganders who rent homes were threatened with eviction between 2006 and 2016.

    Due to historical and contemporary structural racism in the U.S., Black renters and their children are affected the most. For example, 20% of Black adult renters compared with 4% of white adult renters lived in a household that received an eviction filing.

    I am a Black woman, proud native and resident Detroiter, and tenured social epidemiology professor.

    Social epidemiologists like me are interested in naming specifically who and what is accountable for inequities in the health of different population groups. I’m interested in documenting root causes of community ill health to provide data-driven analysis to inform policy change, interventions and social activism.

    My project on evictions in metro Detroit is called the SECURE Study. Contributing to the study is a team of trainees, early-career researchers and a multigenerational community advisory board of Black women. Members of the board are local and international leaders from multiple sectors, including some who have lived experience with evictions.

    My intention for convening the board was to center the expertise and creativity of Black women in service of reproductive justice for Black communities.

    Reproductive justice is focused on a set of interconnected human rights. It includes the ability to choose whether to have children. And for parents it protects the right to raise your children in safe and sustainable communities. Evictions can undermine reproductive justice.

    My research uses numbers and stories to document, for the first time, the scope and impact of court-ordered and illegal residential evictions among Black women, families and communities in metro Detroit.

    The available court-ordered eviction data, while alarming, underestimates the true extent of the housing crisis caused by eviction. In fact, my study shows only 55% of the evictions experienced by Black women in metro Detroit were court-ordered, which means the other 45% were illegal.

    How the process works legally

    Residential evictions are not events that unfold in easily predictable ways. Rather, they are complicated processes that often drag out.

    Eviction policy varies by jurisdiction, but in Michigan it is illegal for a landlord to take any action to force the removal from or prevent the entry into or the use of a rental property by a tenant without a court order.

    Even legal evictions can involve some illegal activity by landlords or property managers. For example, landlords may repeatedly threaten to evict tenants through the courts and force residents out of their home before a formal eviction judgment occurs.

    Court-ordered evictions usually start with a landlord notifying a tenant of a lease violation – but this can happen only if a formal lease exists. As part of our work, we collected data about how prevalent renting without a lease or formal agreement is for our participants, and we plan to release this data in the coming months.

    Illegal evictions are forced residential moves and can include – but are not limited to – a landlord’s use of strong-arm lockouts or threats to force a tenant to leave a rental property.

    Focusing on those most impacted

    Here’s how my study worked. My team and I recruited 1,470 reproductive-age Black women, most of whom have biological children, from July 2021 to July 2024 and asked them to share their experiences. Women completed surveys, participated in focus groups and in-depth interviews, and answered questions about both individual and neighborhood-level impacts of court-ordered and illegal evictions.

    After the surveys were complete, I conducted 55 in-depth interviews in 21 days with survey participants who experienced an illegal eviction.

    We focused on Black women between the ages of 18 and 45 because this group is disproportionately impacted by eviction, yet their unique experiences are understudied and therefore insufficiently understood.

    More than 50% of our survey participants reported being evicted in their lifetime.

    What’s missing from this stat and much of the official data are recent numbers and in-depth accounts of how people experience illegal evictions.

    I know of only one other quantitative study examining illegal evictions, and it is over a decade old. It was based on limited evidence collected in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, between 2009 and 2011. The researchers looked at a group of 1,086 low-income adults of all racial, ethnic or age groups and found that 48% of all evictions in their study were illegal. The study concluded that illegal evictions are significantly less expensive and more efficient than court-ordered evictions for landlords.

    Preliminary data from our own study, which included women from all socioeconomic groups – unlike the work done in Wisconsin – found that 45% of all evictions experienced by SECURE Study participants were illegal.

    Problem bigger than it seems

    While the data tells part of the story, the stories of those who have experienced an illegal eviction tell a much richer tale.

    One woman I interviewed told me how it felt to lose her home after an illegal eviction. “My God, a whole house worth of stuff: kids’ beds, clothes, toys, my stuff,” she said. “It’s material, yes, but when you have to literally walk away and like, close the door and leave everything you own … you leave a piece of yourself.”

    Research ethics do not allow me to name the SECURE Study participants.

    Some of the most frequently reported ways Black women told us they experienced illegal evictions were having their belongings removed from the property, being illegally locked out or having utilities shut off, and being forced to relocate because their landlord failed to provide a habitable residence.

    Female renters face sexual harassment

    Many of the women who participated in our study experienced threats or actual violence and sexual harassment.

    “Me being a single female, they go to the threatening tactics,” one study participant told me. “I think they know … I can’t fight against … a man, I can’t beat you.”

    “Me and my children got to pack up and move out of the house to avoid my house being shot up or somebody tells me they gonna drag me and my children out of the house by gunpoint,” one participant said. “Now I gotta stress. I’ll move my children.”

    “He would ask me personal questions,” another said. “Am I dating, or, where’s my kid’s father? And then, that kind of escalated into him, OK, well, if we do this, then you don’t have to give me the money for the rent.”

    “I feel like they’re preying on people like, they know you’re a single mom,” another woman said. “Oh, yeah. Come on in here with that Section 8. So, we can not fix nothing to get this guaranteed money. Come on in here with you working three jobs and your kids is at home all the time, and you got that teenage daughter, she kinda cute.”

    “I couldn’t afford for my children to be homeless, so he took advantage,” said another participant.

    The role that discrimination plays in evictions is not well understood, so we collected data on this. Forty percent of our participants reported experiencing housing discrimination. These experiences were connected to multiple factors, including their race, economic status, family size, ethnicity, age and relationship status.

    In my assessment, misogynoir – or contempt for Black women – is a major yet unacknowledged factor in the eviction crisis.

    Six months after completing those interviews, with the help of weekly therapy and various other self-care and self-soothing interventions, I am finally beginning to feel my nervous system restabilize after hearing so many violent stories.

    I see the current eviction crisis as a human rights issue and a clear example of the disrespect, lack of protection and neglect of Black women in America that Malcolm X drew attention to more than 60 years ago.

    Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson receives funding from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and National Institutes of Health.

    – ref. Almost half of evicted women and families in metro Detroit say they were illegally pushed out of their homes – https://theconversation.com/almost-half-of-evicted-women-and-families-in-metro-detroit-say-they-were-illegally-pushed-out-of-their-homes-244386

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Cousins Sentenced for Pandemic-Related Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ATLANTA – Johnny Narcisse, and his cousin Johnson Dieujuste, have been sentenced to prison for their scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program of more than $2 million. 

    “These defendants brazenly stole funds from programs designed to help individuals and businesses suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “We are grateful to our law enforcement partners for identifying and investigating these individuals which led to their successful prosecution.”

    According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, Jr., the charges and other information presented in court: In July 2021, federal agents investigating a Florida resident for suspected tax crimes obtained and executed a search warrant for the home, computer and cellular phone of Johnny Narcisse in Georgia. The search of the computer and phone revealed a large volume of evidence showing that Narcisse and his cousin, Johnson Dieujuste, had been engaged in an extensive conspiracy with each other to recruit small business owners and then file fraudulent applications for COVID-19 relief loans, including both PPP and EIDL loans, on their behalf.

    Narcisse and Dieujuste, after obtaining the names, business names, and employer identification numbers from the would-be borrowers, simply invented the rest of the information needed to apply for the fraudulent loans. If the loan was approved, the borrowers kicked back a percentage of the loan proceeds to Narcisse and/or Dieujuste. Dozens of loans were applied for as part of the scheme, with over $2 million dispersed.

    Johnny Narcisse, 46, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross to two years, four months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,000,332. Narcisse was convicted on October 21, 2024, after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

    Johnson Dieujuste, 37, of Loganville, Georgia, was sentenced by Judge Ross on January 8, 2025, to two years, eight months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,081,559. Dieujuste was convicted on September 24, 2024, after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

    In addition to their conspiracy to file fraudulent loan applications on behalf of others, the evidence showed that Narcisse and Diejuste each independently filed for fraudulent COVID-19 loans for themselves. Both men were held accountable for those loans as well during the sentencing process, and the losses that resulted from this additional conduct were included in each defendant’s restitution order.

    This case was investigated by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General.

    Assistant U.S Attorney Alana R. Black, and Trial Attorneys Jennifer Bilinkas and David A. Peters of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, prosecuted the case.

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus

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

    For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom announces appointments 1.28.25

    Source: US State of California 2

    Jan 28, 2025

    SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

    Deborah Hoffman, of Sacramento, has been appointed Chief Deputy Director at the Office of Tax Appeals. Hoffman has been Special Advisor at the California Department of Veterans Affairs since 2020, where she was previously Senior Advisor for Communications from 2019 to 2020. She was Undersecretary of the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency from 2017 to 2019. Hoffman was Deputy Press Secretary in the Office of Governor Brown from 2015 to 2017. She was Assistant Secretary of Public and Employee Communications at the California Department of Corrections from 2012 to 2015. Hoffman was Deputy Secretary of Communications and External Affairs at the California Environmental Protection Agency from 2011 to 2012. She was Communications Director and Policy Consultant in the Office of Senator Fran Pavley from 2009 to 2011. Hoffman was a Reporter at KXTV ABC10 News Sacramento from 1995 to 2009. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from California State University, Northridge. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $187,104. Hoffman is registered without party preference.

    Krista Dunzweiler, of Sacramento, has been appointed Chief Deputy General Counsel in the Office of Legal Affairs at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, where she has been Chief Deputy General Counsel since 2019. Dunzweiler held several positions at the California Department of Justice from 2014 to 2019 including Deputy Attorney General IV and Deputy Attorney General III. She was an Associate at Locke Lord LLP from 2011 to 2014, Bullivant Houser Bailey from 2008 to 2011, Diepenbrock Harrison from 2006 to 2008, and at Weinstraub Genshlea Chediak from 2004 to 2006. Dunzweiler earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and a Master of Arts degree in Communications and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Psychology from the University of the Pacific. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $229,236. Dunzweiler is a Democrat.

    Todd Gloria, of San Diego, has been appointed to the California Air Resources Board. Gloria has been the Mayor of the City of San Diego since 2020. He was an Assemblymember with the California State Assembly from 2016 to 2020. Gloria was a Councilmember, District 3 in the City of San Diego from 2008 to 2016. He was a District Director in the Office of Congresswoman Susan A. Davis from 2001 to 2008. Gloria was a San Diego Housing Commissioner on the San Diego Housing Commission from 2005 to 2008. He was Board Chair at San Diego LGBT Community Center from 2002 to 2007. Gloria earned his Bachelor of the Arts degree in Political Science and History from the University of San Diego. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Gloria is a Democrat.

    Roxanne Messina Captor, of Redondo Beach, has been reappointed to the California Arts Council, where she has been serving since 2022. Captor has been Associate Faculty at Santa Monica College since 1986, an Emmy-nominated Filmmaker at Messina Captor Films Inc. since 1994, and a teacher at the New York Film Academy since 2022. She was a Faculty Member at Emerson College LA and CalArts from 2000 to 2019. Captor was Executive Director for the San Francisco International Film Festival and Society from 2001 to 2006. She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Who’s Who of America, Greenlight Women, and the National Association of Television Program Executives. Captor earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing for Cinema from Columbia College of Chicago and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts from Julliard School of Music. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Captor is a Democrat.

    Press Releases, Recent News

    Recent news

    Jan 28, 2025

    News What you need to know: Governor Newsom met today with leaders of the Pacific Palisades synagogue Kehillat Israel, which still stands after the fire. Los Angeles, California – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom met with clergy, staff, and board members of Kehillat…

    Jan 28, 2025

    News Dodgers Chairman Mark Walter, Mark Walter Family Foundation, and Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation will provide an initial commitment of up to $100 million   LA Rises will support city and county efforts to help accelerate recovery LOS ANGELES — In the wake of one…

    Jan 27, 2025

    News LOS ANGELES — Scientists, water managers, state leaders, and experts throughout the state are calling out the federal administration’s ongoing misinformation campaign on water management in California. Here is a snapshot of what water leaders and media are saying…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 2025-09 STATE OF HAWAIʻI JOINS 21 STATES AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TO STOP TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FROM WITHHOLDING ESSENTIAL FEDERAL FUNDING

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    2025-09 STATE OF HAWAIʻI JOINS 21 STATES AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TO STOP TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FROM WITHHOLDING ESSENTIAL FEDERAL FUNDING

    Posted on Jan 28, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI

    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

     

    DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

    KA ʻOIHANA O KA LOIO KUHINA

     

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
     GOVERNOR

    KE KIAʻĀINA

     

    ANNE LOPEZ

    ATTORNEY GENERAL

    LOIO KUHINA

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI JOINS 21 STATES AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TO STOP TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FROM WITHHOLDING ESSENTIAL FEDERAL FUNDING

     

    New Trump Administration Policy Would Block Trillions in Funding for Health, Education, Law Enforcement, Disaster Relief, and Other Essential State Programs

     

    News Release 2025-09

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    January 28, 2025

     

    HONOLULU – Attorney General Anne Lopez today joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general suing to stop the implementation of a new Trump administration policy that orders the withholding of trillions of dollars in funding that every state in the country relies on to provide essential services to millions of Americans.

    The new policy, issued by the President’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), puts an indefinite pause on the majority of federal assistance to states. The policy would immediately jeopardize state programs that provide critical health and childcare services to families in need, deliver support to public schools, combat hate crimes and violence against women, provide life saving disaster relief to states, and more.

     

    Attorney General Lopez and the coalition of attorneys general are seeking a court order to immediately stop the enforcement of the OMB policy and preserve essential funding.

     

    “We are aware of U.S. District Court Judge Loren L. AliKhan’s ruling which blocks the federal grant and loan freeze until Monday,” said Attorney General Lopez. “It is imperative that we continue with our court filing to make sure that the enforcement of the OMB policy is halted.”

     

    Attorney General Lopez continued: “The people of Hawaiʻi pay the federal government millions upon millions of dollars in taxes every year, and the people of this state are entitled to receive a broad array of federal funds to pay for law enforcement and other crucial programs in accordance with federal law. And the impacts of this policy withholding federal funds have already been realized in our state. Neither the President of the United States nor an acting federal budget official can unilaterally upend federal law and cause such mass uncertainty in the Hawaiʻi and our sister states by withholding federal funds authorized by law. The Department of the Attorney General will stand up for the rule of law in this nation.”

    The OMB policy, issued late on January 27, directs all federal agencies to indefinitely pause the majority of federal assistance funding and loans to states and other entities beginning at 5:00 pm today, January 28. As Attorney General Lopez and the coalition note in their lawsuit, OMB’s policy has caused immediate chaos and uncertainty for millions of Americans who rely on state programs that receive these federal funds. Essential community health centers, addiction and mental health treatment programs, services for people with disabilities, and other critical health services are jeopardized by OMB’s policy.

     

    Attorney General Lopez and the coalition also argue that jeopardizing state funds will put Americans in danger by depriving law enforcement of much-needed resources. OMB’s policy would pause support for U.S. Department of Justice initiatives to combat hate crimes and violence against women, stop drug interdiction, support community policing, and provide services to victims of crimes. In addition, Attorney General Lopez and the coalition of attorneys general note that the OMB policy would halt essential disaster relief funds to places like California and North Carolina, where tens of thousands of residents are relying on FEMA grants to rebuild their lives after devastating wildfires and floods.

     

    While the administration has attempted to clarify the scope and meaning of the OMB policy, states have already reported that funds have been frozen. As part of their lawsuit, Attorney General Lopez and the coalition of attorneys general argue that OMB’s policy violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act by imposing a government-wide stop to spending without any regard for the laws and regulations that govern each source of federal funding. The attorneys general argue that the president cannot decide to unilaterally override laws governing federal spending, and that OMB’s policy unconstitutionally overrides Congress’ power to decide how federal funds are spent.

     

    Joining Attorney General Lopez in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

     

    The Complaint can be found here.

     

    # # #

     

    Media contacts:

    Dave Day

    Special Assistant to the Attorney General

    Office: 808-586-1284                                                  

    Email: [email protected]        

    Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov

     

    Toni Schwartz
    Public Information Officer
    Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General
    Office: 808-586-1252
    Cell: 808-379-9249
    Email:     [email protected] 

    Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Office of the Governor — News Release — Governor Green Applauds Federal Judge for Halting Funding Freeze

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    Office of the Governor — News Release — Governor Green Applauds Federal Judge for Halting Funding Freeze

    Posted on Jan 28, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom, Office of the Governor Press Releases

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI 
    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI 
     
    JOSH GREEN, M.D. 
    GOVERNOR
    KE KIAʻĀINA 
     

    GOVERNOR GREEN APPLAUDS FEDERAL JUDGE FOR HALTING FUNDING FREEZE
     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    January 28, 2025

    HONOLULU — Governor Josh Green, M.D., applauds the ruling by a federal court judge today, blocking the order by President Trump to freeze federal funding for crucial programs serving Americans. The Governor stands in strong opposition to President Trump’s executive order pausing federal disbursements, which has caused a great deal of chaos, confusion and uncertainty.

    “The presidential order seeks to prevent the people of Hawai‘i from receiving crucial services funded by the millions of dollars they pay to the federal government each year. This cannot stand,” said Governor Green. “My administration is currently assessing the impact of this pause on essential state programs and services, including education, health care, social services, and wildfire recovery. For those programs that are found to be impacted, the state of Hawai‘i will work to develop alternate plans to ensure that key services for local residents are continued. The state Attorney General has joined other states in initiating legal action to challenge the federal administration’s actions, as Hawai‘i has already encountered impacts of this threatened funding freeze.”

    The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum on January 27, 2025, which requires federal agencies to complete a comprehensive analysis of all of their federal financial assistance programs to identify programs, projects and activities that may be impacted by any of the president’s executive orders. During this review period, the obligation and disbursement of federal funds were to be paused effective January 28, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.

    “The OMB has since issued clarification guidance indicating that any program that provides direct benefits to individuals is not subject to the pause, such as Medicaid, SNAP or Social Security benefits, among others,” said state Department of Budget and Finance Director Luis Salaveria.

    “The Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) has several divisions or attached agencies that would be affected,” said state Comptroller Keith Regan. “The main impact would be to our public arts initiatives in the State Foundation of Culture and the Arts. Indirectly, it is possible the Archives may need to halt projects funded by its federal grants and our State Procurement Office’s Surplus Property Program may be affected by the pause in funding.”

    The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation is working with the Trump Administration on clarifications to the OMB memo, including its impacts on obligated formula projects and discretionary funds.

    The state Department of Law Enforcement welcomed the OMB’s clarification memo, but is still seeking final determination of impacts from federal partners.

    “The Hawaiʻi Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) is deeply concerned about the temporary pause on federal financial assistance and its potential impacts on our ability to deliver essential services,” said DLIR Director Jade T. Butay. “A significant portion of our operations, including workforce development, unemployment insurance, job training and workplace safety through our Occupational Safety and Health division, is supported by federal funds. Any disruption to these critical programs could affect workers, employers and communities statewide. We are actively monitoring the situation and are awaiting further guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor to understand the full scope of the impacts and next steps. We remain committed to serving the people of Hawaiʻi and ensuring the continuity of essential programs.”

    The State of Hawaiʻi Department of Defense (HIDOD) (comprising the Hawaiʻi National Guard, Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, Office of Veterans’ Services and Civilian Military Programs) evaluated potential impacts to its core mission to enable a safe, secure, and thriving state of Hawaiʻi. HIDOD relies on approximately $88M in federal funding for its annual operating budget; about $350M to administer its Hazardous Mitigation Program Grant; close to $25M for its Emergency Management Program Grant, and anticipates approximately $56M in FEMA reimbursement for the recent Maui Wildfires disaster response and recovery. It also receives federal grant funding for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program to synergize its counter-narcotics efforts with federal, state and county law enforcement agencies.

    “While these federal programs are being reviewed by OMB, there’s no immediate impact to operate, retain qualified personnel, and continue to protect the citizens of the state of Hawaiʻi,”, said Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan, State Adjutant General.

    The Hawaiʻi State Public Library System (HSPLS) receives about $1.5M in Library Services and Technology Act funding that ensures that all local residents have access to library materials, technology in the library to connect to the Internet, and online databases that provide equal access to information and learning opportunities no matter where they live. The suspension of this funding will cause our communities to face limited access to information that supports their health, business, education and ability to connect to the world. Specifically, students will not have free access to test preparation and families will not have easy access to legal forms to support their needs.

    HSPLS also is a recipient and partner for two digital equity projects. One provides basic digital literacy classes in all of our communities through May of this year. The second is part of the Federal Broadband Equity Access Deployment (BEAD) funding received by the University of Hawaiʻi. The funding supports Digital Literacy Navigators in all public libraries to ensure our patrons have access to learning the digital literacy skills they need to be successful.

    Governor Green and his administration will continue to work to support the people of Hawai‘i, prioritizing affordability, housing, reducing homelessness, increasing food security and more, to allow the residents of the islands to live and thrive in the place they love and call home.

    # # # 

    Media Contacts:   
    Erika Engle
    Press Secretary
    Office of the Governor, State of Hawai‘i
    Phone: 808-586-0120
    Email: [email protected]

    Makana McClellan
    Director of Communications
    Office of the Governor, State of Hawaiʻi
    Cell: 808-265-0083
    Email: [email protected]

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: VATICAN/GENERAL AUDIENCE – Pope Francis: Saint Joseph, the man who “trusts in God.”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Wednesday, 29 January 2025

    Vatican Media

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “Factores Verbi”, that is, he who “puts the Word of God into practice”, “translating it into deeds, flesh, life”. This expression, coined by the apostle James in his letter, well defines the figure and the entire existence of St. Joseph, the legal father of Jesus. This was underlined by Pope Francis during the general audience this Wednesday.In his jubilee catechesis on the theme “Jesus, our hope”, Pope Francis reflected today on the figure of St. Joseph, highlighting his role in the history of salvation as a man who fully trusted in God. Drawing on the Gospel of Matthew, the Pontiff recalled the passage in which an angel appears to Joseph in a dream, revealing to him the mystery of Mary’s conception. “Joseph does not utter a word” in the face of this divine manifestation. “He trusts in God and obeys”.He, who “enters the scene in the Gospel of Matthew as Mary’s betrothed”, when he “discovers Mary’s pregnancy, and his love is put to the test”. Faced with a similar situation, “which would have led to the termination of the betrothal, the Law suggested two possible solutions: either a legal act of a public nature, such as the convocation of the woman in court, or a private action such as giving the woman a letter of repudiation”.But Joseph, whom the Gospel defines as “righteous”, “following the Word of God, Joseph acts thoughtfully: he does not let himself be overcome by instinctive feelings and fear of accepting Mary with him, but prefers to be guided by divine wisdom. He chooses to part with Mary quietly, privately. And this is Joseph’s wisdom, which enables him not to make mistakes and to make himself open and docile to the voice of the Lord”. And so he hears a voice that resonates in him through his dream, an element that “in this way, Joseph of Nazareth brings to mind another Joseph, son of Jacob, dubbed the “lord of dreams”, greatly beloved by his father and much loathed by his brothers, whom the Lord raised up by having him sit in the Pharaoh’s court.”Faced with this revelation, “Joseph does not ask for further proof; he trusts. Joseph trusts in God, he accepts the God’s dream of his life and that of his betrothed. He thus enters into the grace of one who knows how to live the divine promise with faith, hope and love,” the Pope added, concluding: “Let us, too, ask the Lord for the grace to listen more than we speak, the grace to dream God’s dreams and to welcome responsibly the Christ who, from the moment of our baptism, lives and grows in our life.”At the end of the General Audience, in his greeting in various languages, Pope Francis addressed a special thought to Chinese Catholics, recalling that “in East Asia and in various parts of the world, millions of families are celebrating the Lunar New Year today, an opportunity to live family and friendship relationships more intensely. With my best wishes for the New Year, may my blessing reach you all, while I invoke peace, serenity and health from the Lord for each one of you.” The Pontiff also asked for the intercession of St. Joseph “who loved Jesus with a paternal love,” so that “he may be close to so many children who have no family and long for a father and a mother.” “May the Lord bless you all and always protect you from all evil,” he added in his greeting to the Arabic-speaking pilgrims.Finally, the Pope made an urgent appeal for an end to violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a situation that continues “with concern.” “I urge all parties to the conflict to commit themselves to the cessation of hostilities and to the protection of the civilian population of Goma and other areas affected by military operations. I am also following with concern what is happening in the capital, Kinshasa. We hope that all forms of violence against people and their property will cease as soon as possible. While I pray for the prompt restoration of peace and security, I appeal to the local authorities and the international community to do everything possible to resolve the conflict situation by peaceful means.” (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 29/1/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK: JSO mass-hearing a ‘critical opportunity to rethink the crackdown on peaceful protest’

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Two-day hearing will see 16 Just Stop Oil activists seek to challenge historically draconian sentences for peaceful protest 

    Activists were sentenced for up to five years imprisonment, for a range of peaceful protests 

    ‘Now is the time for the courts to step back from the anger and irritation aimed at protesters – for calmer heads to prevail, and for reason to return to sentencing for protest offences’- Kerry Moscogiuri 

    Ahead of a major legal test over the right to protest which is due to begin at the Court of Appeal today (Wednesday 29 January) in which 16 Just Stop Oil (JSO) activists will challenge jail terms of unprecedented length related to peaceful protest, Kerry Moscogiuri, Campaigns and Communications Director at Amnesty International UK, said: 

    “This week’s hearing is a critical opportunity for the courts to rethink the increasingly harsh approach being taken against the right to peacefully protest.  

    “In recent years, UK politicians have instigated a severe crackdown on peaceful protesters, often cheered on by sections of the media. Police powers to interfere with peaceful protests have been expanded, a raft of new criminal offences have been created and maximum sentences for protest offences are now dramatically increased.

    “It is the duty of the independent courts to protect fundamental rights, regardless of whether governments and newspaper like the actions of peaceful protesters or not. Sadly, the courts have increasingly bowed to this political pressure and have abandoned their historic approach of treating conscientious protesters with leniency.  

    “The result has been catastrophic for those caught up in the crackdown and for the free exercise of protest rights in this country. 

    “Peaceful protest is a fundamental human right that everyone must always be able to enjoy – it helped forge the society we live in today and should continue to play a crucial role in the world of tomorrow.  

    “Protest can be irritating and antagonising for other people, but it is precisely this form of protest that must be protected. Choosing only to allow protest that doesn’t disturb or inconvenience anyone else renders all protest protections meaningless.  

    “Now is the time for the courts to step back from the anger and irritation aimed at protesters, for calmer heads to prevail, and for reason to return to sentencing for protest offences.” 

    An injustice of historic proportions 

    This week’s hearing involves 16 JSO activists from four separate cases. The decision by the court to conduct the hearing as a single, mass two-day event highlights the significance of this case – it is rare for so many different appeals to be combined.  

    The appeal is being supported by environmental justice organisations Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace UK. Last month, the two groups were granted permission to intervene specifically on the appeal brought by Daniel Shaw, Louise Lancaster, Lucia Whittaker De Abreu, Cressida Gethin and Roger Hallam, all of whom were sentenced in July last year at Southwark Crown Court for their participation in a Zoom call to organise a planned M25 protest. However, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace UK’s submissions have been written to assist those involved in the other linked appeals too. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Court orders tagger caught on camera to pay £1,300

    Source: City of Canterbury

    Home  »  Latest News   »   Court orders tagger caught on camera to pay £1,300

    A tagger has been forced to pay more than £1,300 in fines and costs after admitting daubing graffiti in four locations across Canterbury city centre.

    Magistrates in Margate heard that Alexander Taylor of Paxton Avenue, Folkestone, was captured defacing the underpass in St George’s Street, Canterbury, with his tag by CCTV operators in May last year.

    Canterbury City Council’s Environmental Crime team, Graffiti Officers and CCTV operators worked to trace the 24-year-old back to a vehicle parked in Ivy Lane.

    The registered keeper of the vehicle was then invited to interview.

    On Thursday (23 January), the court was told how Taylor was then linked to tags on Newingate House in Lower Bridge Street, a wall next to the entrance to the Beaney in Best Lane and the old Nason’s building in the High Street.

    All were breaches of the council’s Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).

    Taylor pleaded guilty to all four offences. Magistrates fined him £532 and ordered him to pay £200 costs, £365.12 compensation for cleaning costs and a victim surcharge of £213.

    This case follows that of the Mr Slime tagger who was ordered to pay £1,500 in fines and costs in November.

    Cllr Connie Nolan, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement, Safety and Enforcement, said: “Another tagger being asked to fork out a large sum of money must act as a warning to anyone tempted to scrawl across the city’s walls – we will track you down.

    “Tagging isn’t harmless fun. It affects people’s quality of life and makes an area feel unsafe.

    “And the cost of cleaning up after taggers and hunting them down could be better spent on other frontline services helping those in need.

    “I pay tribute to the team behind this court case but also to our officers who cleaned off more than 5,000 tags across the district in 2024.”

    Published: 29 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Sobyanin: Hero of the Soviet Union awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Moscow

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The Great Patriotic War veteran Boris Kravtsov was awarded the title of honorary citizen of the city of Moscow. This in his blog Sergei Sobyanin said.

    On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward an initiative to award the titles of honorary citizens of regions, cities and municipalities to front-line soldiers who participated in the Great Patriotic War.

    “In response to this initiative of the head of state, I submitted to the Moscow City Duma a proposal to award the title of honorary citizen of the city of Moscow to war participant Boris Vasilyevich Kravtsov. Today, the deputies supported my proposals,” the Mayor of Moscow noted.

    He specified that in the coming days he would send proposals to municipal councils of deputies to award the title of “Honorary Resident of the Municipality” to all Muscovites who participated in the Great Patriotic War.

    Boris Kravtsov was born on December 28, 1922 in Moscow. In June 1941, he was mobilized into the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. As a lieutenant, he fought on the Southwestern, Stalingrad and Don fronts. He participated in the Battle of Kharkov, the Battle of Stalingrad, then fought for Donbass, liberated the cities of Pavlograd and Zaporozhye.

    On October 24, 1943, Guards Senior Lieutenant Boris Kravtsov and a reconnaissance group crossed the Dnieper River to Khortitsa Island near Zaporozhye. From there, he transmitted targeting information to the artillery via radio, ensuring the suppression of enemy firing points. When enemy soldiers surrounded the scouts’ dugout, Boris Kravtsov called in Soviet artillery fire on his position, which allowed it to be cleared of the enemy. The Red Army soldiers themselves survived the shelling. On December 31, 1943, he received a severe shrapnel wound to the thigh.

    By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 19, 1944, for the heroic feat demonstrated in the performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the German invaders, Boris Kravtsov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. In June 1944, after a long treatment, with the rank of captain, he was discharged from the army due to injury.

    After the war, Boris Vasilyevich graduated from the Law Institute, and then worked his entire life in the justice and prosecutor’s offices, rising from a judge to the Minister of Justice of the USSR.

    After retirement, Boris Kravtsov became an active participant in the veterans’ movement. In 2022, Vladimir Putin awarded him the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 1st degree.

    “Boris Vasilyevich recently turned 102 years old. He is the only living Hero of the Soviet Union in the country, awarded this title for his exploits during the Great Patriotic War,” added Sergei Sobyanin.

    On behalf of the residents of the capital, he congratulated Boris Kravtsov on being awarded the title of “Honorary Citizen of the City of Moscow” and thanked him for his heroic deeds and selfless service to the Motherland and the city.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/mayor/tkhemes/12323050/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Results announced for the best Marching Contingents & Tableaux of Republic Day Parade 2025

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 29 JAN 2025 12:57PM by PIB Delhi

    The results for the best Marching Contingents and Tableaux of Republic Day Parade 2025 have been announced. Three panels of judges were constituted to assess the performance of Marching Contingents from the Services & Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)/other auxiliary forces and tableaux from various States/Union Territories (UTs) & Ministries/Departments of the Central Government. The panels have declared the following results: 

    • Best Marching Contingent among Services – Jammu & Kashmir Rifles Contingent
    •  Best Marching Contingent among CAPFs/other auxiliary forces – Delhi Police Marching Contingent
    •  Top three tableaux (States/UTs)

     

    •   1st – Uttar Pradesh (Mahakumbh 2025 – Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas)
    •    2nd – Tripura (Eternal Reverence: The worship of 14 Deities in Tripura – Kharchi Puja)
    •    3rd – Andhra Pradesh (Etikoppaka Bommalu – Eco-Friendly Wooden Toys)

     

    ·        Best Tableau from Central Ministries/Departments

     

    •  Ministry of Tribal Affairs (Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh)

     

    • Special Prize:

                                         i.        Central Public Works Department (75 years of Constitution of India)

                                        ii.        ‘Jayati Jai Mamah Bharatam’ Dance Group

     

              In addition, an online poll was conducted on the MyGov portal from January 26 to 28, 2025 for the citizens to vote for their favourite tableau and Marching Contingents as ‘Popular Choice Category. The results are as under:

     

    • Best Marching Contingent among Services – Signals Contingent
    •  Best Marching Contingent among CAPFs/other auxiliary Forces – CRPF Marching Contingent
    •  Top three tableau (States/UTs)

     

    • 1st – Gujarat (Swarnim Bharat: Virasat Aur Vikas)
    •  2nd – Uttar Pradesh (Mahakumbh 2025 – Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas)
    •  3rd – Uttarakhand (Uttarakhand: Cultural Heritage and Adventure Sports)

     

    • Best tableau from Central Ministries/Departments – Ministry of Women & Child Development (Multifaceted journey of women and children nurtured under the Ministry’s comprehensive schemes)

     ***

    VK/SR/Savvy

    (Release ID: 2097256) Visitor Counter : 68

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Vice-President to visit Chennai (Tamil Nadu) on 31st January, 2025

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Vice-President to visit Chennai (Tamil Nadu) on 31st January, 2025

    VP to be the Chief Guest at the 3rd National Conference of the Deaf-Blind on Advocacy for Education, Accessibility and Well being

    Posted On: 29 JAN 2025 12:56PM by PIB Delhi

    The Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, will be on a tour of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on 31st January, 2025.

    During his visit, the Vice-President will preside as the Chief Guest at the 3rd National Conference of the Deaf-Blind on Advocacy for Education, Accessibility and Wellbeing, being organised by the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (Divyangjan), Chennai, an organisation under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India.

    ****

    JK/RC/SM

    (Release ID: 2097253) Visitor Counter : 71

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Criminals smuggling 1.5 billion untaxed cigarettes stopped

    Source: Eurojust

    The investigation into the smuggling group started in May 2020, when three containers arrived in Belgium filled with undeclared cigarettes instead of the supposed construction material destined for Germany. The group tried to avoid suspicion by filling one of the three containers with the declared goods and presenting it correctly to customs. The building materials would then be loaded into the second and third containers to get them through customs. The smuggling did not go unnoticed as customs officers discovered that the containers were filled with undeclared cigarettes.

    With the support of the European Anti-Fraud Office, Belgian and German customs launched a cross-border investigation into the criminal group. They discovered that the same method had been used to smuggle over 150 containers filled with cigarettes into the EU. During the investigation, customs authorities also learned that the group was now also unloading cigarettes at warehouses in the Netherlands. The Dutch customs authorities joined the international investigation to take down the smuggling operation.

    The cigarettes were manufactured in Türkiye and Iran, then exported to ports worldwide, reloaded and brought into EU ports using forged sea freight documents. The criminal group is suspected of smuggling 150 containers into the EU. The fiscal loss of the smuggling scheme is estimated at EUR 550 million.

    The four-year long investigation culminated in an action day coordinated from Eurojust’s headquarters in The Hague. Authorities executed arrest warrants in three countries, leading to two arrests in Belgium, one in the Netherlands and seven in Germany. Seventeen locations and one vehicle were searched where authorities seized multiple phones laptops and paper documents.

    The following authorities carried out the operations:

    • Germany: Public Prosecutor’s Office Bielefeld; Customs Investigation Office Hanover
    • Belgium: Public Prosecution Office Namur; Public Prosecution Office Charleroi; Federal Police Namur; Federal Police Charleroi; Belgian Customs Authorities
    • The Netherlands: National Public Prosecutors Office for Economic and Environmental Crimes; Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service
    • European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Nasdaq Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Results; A Year of Strong Financial Performance and Strategic Execution

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nasdaq, Inc. (Nasdaq: NDAQ) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2024

    • 2024 net revenues1 were $4.6 billion, or $4.7 billion on a non-GAAP basis2, an increase of 19% over 2023, or up 9% on an adjusted3 basis. This included Solutions4 revenue increasing 25%, or up 10% on an adjusted basis.
    • Fourth quarter 2024 net revenue was $1.2 billion, an increase of 10% over the fourth quarter of 2023. This included Solutions revenue increasing 10%, or up 9% on an adjusted basis.
    • Annualized Recurring Revenue (ARR)5 of $2.8 billion increased 7% over the fourth quarter of 2023. Annualized SaaS revenues increased 14% and represented 37% of ARR.
    • Financial Technology revenue of $438 million increased 10% over the fourth quarter of 2023, or up 7% on an adjusted basis.
    • Index revenue of $188 million grew 29%, with $80 billion of net inflows over the trailing twelve months and $28 billion in the fourth quarter.
    • GAAP diluted earnings per share fell 7% in 2024 and grew 72% in the fourth quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was flat in 2024 and grew 5% in the fourth quarter of 2024, or grew 11% and 10% on organic6 basis, respectively.
    • In the fourth quarter of 2024, the company returned $138 million to shareholders through dividends. The company also repurchased $181 million of senior unsecured notes in the fourth quarter of 2024.

    Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Highlights

    (US$ millions,
    except per share,
    % changes YoY)    		 4Q24 Change % Adjusted
    change    3%    		 Organic
    change %    		 2024 Change % Adjusted
    change    3%    		 Organic
    change %
    GAAP Solutions revenue $949 10%     $3,593 25%    
    Non-GAAP Solutions revenue $949 10% 9% 9% $3,627 26% 10% 10%
    Market Services net revenue $268 8% 12% 8% $1,020 3% 4% 3%
    GAAP net revenue $1,227 10%     $4,649 19%    
    Non-GAAP net revenue $1,227 10% 10% 9% $4,683 20% 9% 8%
    GAAP operating income $517 47%     $1,798   14%  
    Non-GAAP operating income $671 10% 13% 12% $2,521 22% 11% 9%
    ARR $2,768 7% 7% 7% $2,768 7% 7% 7%
    GAAP diluted EPS $0.61 72%     $1.93 (7)%    
    Non-GAAP diluted EPS $0.76 5%   10% $2.82 0%   11%


    Adena Friedman, Chair and CEO     said, “2024 was a transformative year for Nasdaq. With the integration of AxiomSL and Calypso largely complete, we’ve made substantial progress as a scalable platform company. We are executing well across our strategic priorities, including driving cross-sell opportunities, innovating across our solutions, and expanding client relationships with our One Nasdaq strategy.

    Looking to 2025, we are well positioned to provide more value to our clients while driving profitable and durable growth as the trusted fabric of the world’s financial system.”

    Sarah Youngwood, Executive Vice President and CFO said, “After setting ambitious targets, Nasdaq delivered strong revenue growth and profitability across 2024 and is tracking ahead of schedule against our deleveraging and cost synergy targets.

    Our achievements this year reflect our team’s relentless focus on our clients and our ability to deliver outsized, long-term growth within our large and expanding market opportunity.”

    FINANCIAL REVIEW

    • 2024 net revenue was $4,649 million, reflecting 19% growth versus the prior year period while non-GAAP net revenue was $4,683 million. Adjusted net revenue growth was 9%.
    • Fourth quarter 2024 net revenue was $1,227 million, reflecting 10% growth versus the prior year period. Adjusted net revenue growth was also 10%.
    • Solutions revenue was $949 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, up 10% versus the prior year period, or up 9% on an adjusted basis, reflecting strong growth from Index and Financial Technology.
    • ARR grew 7% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2024 with 11% ARR growth for Financial Technology, or 12% on an organic basis, and 3% ARR growth for Capital Access Platforms.
    • Market Services net revenue was $268 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, up 8% versus the prior year period, or 12% growth on an adjusted basis. The increase was primarily driven by a $15 million increase in U.S. equity derivatives and a $14 million increase in U.S. cash equities, partly offset by a $4 million decrease in U.S. tape plan revenue.
    • 2024 GAAP operating expenses were $2,851 million, an increase of 23% versus the prior year period. The increase for the year was due to expenses related to the acquisition of Adenza, which resulted in an incremental $288 million in amortization expense of acquired intangible assets, $220 million of other AxiomSL and Calypso operating expenses, as well as organic growth driven by increased investments in technology and people to drive innovation and long-term growth, partially offset by lower merger and strategic initiative costs.
    • Fourth quarter 2024 GAAP operating expenses were $710 million, a decrease of 7% versus the prior year period. The decrease in the fourth quarter was primarily due to lower merger and strategic initiative costs and lower general and administrative expense, partially offset by expenses related to the acquisition of Adenza, which resulted in an incremental $29 million in amortization expense of acquired intangible assets, $24 million of other AxiomSL and Calypso operating expenses, as well as organic growth driven by increased investments in technology and people to drive innovation and long-term growth.
    • 2024 non-GAAP operating expenses were $2,162 million, an increase of 18% over 2023, or 6% growth on an adjusted basis. Fourth quarter 2024 non-GAAP operating expenses were $556 million, reflecting 10% growth versus the prior year period, or 6% growth on an adjusted basis. The increase for the full year and fourth quarter included $220 million and $24 million, respectively, of AxiomSL and Calypso operating expenses. The increases for the year and quarter on an adjusted basis reflected growth driven by increased investments in technology and people to drive innovation and long-term growth, as well as increased regulatory costs, partially offset by the benefit of synergies.
    • Cash flow from operations was $705 million for the fourth quarter and $1,939 million for 2024, enabling the company to make additional progress on its deleveraging plan. In the fourth quarter, the company returned $138 million to shareholders through dividends. The company also repurchased $181 million of senior unsecured notes in the fourth quarter of 2024. As of December 31, 2024, there was $1.7 billion remaining under the board authorized share repurchase program.

    2025 EXPENSE AND TAX GUIDANCE UPDATE7

    • The company is initiating its 2025 non-GAAP operating expense guidance at a range of $2,245 million to $2,325 million, and its 2025 non-GAAP tax rate guidance to be in the range of 22.5% to 24.5%.

    STRATEGIC AND BUSINESS UPDATES

    • Strong execution across Financial Technology led to double-digit ARR growth in the fourth quarter. Financial Technology ARR growth was up 12% on an organic basis, in the fourth quarter with 120 new clients, 127 upsells, and 4 cross-sells. Division revenue increased 7% on an adjusted basis. Financial Technology had an exceptional year for new bookings, including a number of sizeable and strategic enterprise deals, underscoring its leadership position and expanding Nasdaq’s right to win across its products. Fourth quarter highlights included:
      • Financial Technology continued its international expansion with several strategic enterprise deals. In the fourth quarter, Nasdaq signed a long-term agreement to provide a future-proof, regulatory management solution through AxiomSL to AuRep, a collaborative joint venture of banks and financial service providers in Austria. The companies will provide additional details on this important partnership in the coming weeks. AxiomSL also secured an upsell with Société Générale to manage its domestic regulatory reporting needs. During the quarter, Calypso also expanded its reach with international customers through upsells with a large European bank and a Middle Eastern bank.
      • Financial Crime Management Technology generated 23% ARR growth with 114% net revenue retention. In the fourth quarter, Nasdaq Verafin added 102 new SMB clients, completed a new cross-sell with a Tier 1 bank, and launched in Europe. Nasdaq Verafin’s data consortium continues to benefit from strong growth in its client base, which now represents nearly $10 trillion in assets.
      • AxiomSL and Calypso accelerated cloud bookings. Cloud bookings as a percent of AxiomSL and Calypso’s combined new annual contract value was 52% for 2024 and 60% in the fourth quarter, increasing the combined business’ cloud mix of ARR to 27% at year end.
    • Index delivered another quarter of outstanding performance benefiting from its growth strategy across innovation, globalization, and institutional client expansion. In 2024, Nasdaq’s Index business launched a record 116 new products with its clients, more than half of which were international, 27 were within the institutional insurance annuity space, and 30 were launched in partnership with new Index clients. For the year, the business had $80 billion of net inflows, including $28 billion in the fourth quarter, and reported its fifth consecutive record quarter in ETP AUM, reaching $647 billion at quarter end.
    • Nasdaq extended listing leadership in 2024 with its sixth consecutive year as the top U.S. exchange by number of IPOs and proceeds raised. For the year, Nasdaq welcomed 180 IPOs, representing $23 billion in total proceeds raised. New listings included 130 operating companies, headlined by Lineage, the largest IPO of the year. In 2024, Nasdaq had an 80% win rate among eligible operating company IPOs in the U.S. In the third quarter, Nasdaq celebrated its 500th listing transfer, bringing the cumulative market capitalization at transfer to nearly $3 trillion. The company had 14 new transfers in the fourth quarter, including Palantir, the largest transfer on a U.S. exchange in 2024, bringing the total to 30 new switches with over $180 billion in market value for the year.  
    • Market Services achieved record fourth quarter and full year net revenue. Fourth quarter net revenue benefited from momentum in U.S. cash equities, including the Closing Cross reaching a new record in fourth quarter share volume, and record U.S. equity derivatives volumes. 2024 Market Services net revenue growth reflected healthy growth in U.S. cash equities, with the Closing Cross setting full year records in both share volume and notional value traded, and index options revenue more than doubling.
    • Nasdaq successfully delivered on its 2024 strategic priorities – Integrate, Innovate, Accelerate – positioning the company to capitalize on opportunities for sustainable, scalable, and resilient growth.
      • Integrate – Nasdaq finished the year ahead of its net expense synergy and deleveraging goals. The company has fully actioned the $80 million net expense synergies goal that was announced with the acquisition of AxiomSL and Calypso, a year ahead of the initial target. Nasdaq is broadening its efficiency program beyond the Financial Technology division and now expects to action annual cost savings of $140 million by the end of 2025, inclusive of the net expense synergies related to the AxiomSL and Calypso acquisition.
      • Innovate – In 2024, Nasdaq demonstrated its innovation leadership with the launch of AI-powered solutions and product enhancements across its divisions. Nasdaq has a robust pipeline of new AI capabilities to deliver through our software and analytics solutions, with several feature launches planned for 2025. The company has advanced its focus from “exploration and experimentation” to driving “impact” as it targets AI-driven productivity enhancements across the organization.
      • Accelerate – The company continues to make progress on its One Nasdaq strategy, with 17 cross-sell deals since the Adenza acquisition across solutions such as Nasdaq Surveillance, AxiomSL, and Verafin. Nasdaq remains on track to exceed $100 million in run-rate revenue from cross-sells by the end of 2027.

    ____________
    1 Represents revenue less transaction-based expenses.
    2 Refer to our reconciliations of U.S. GAAP to non-GAAP Solutions revenue, net revenue, net income attributable to Nasdaq, diluted earnings per share, operating income, operating expenses and organic impacts included in the attached schedules.
    3Adjusted change reflects AxiomSL and Calypso on a pro forma basis (including ratable revenue recognition for AxiomSL in 2024 and 2023). Adjusted change also excludes the impacts of foreign currency except for AxiomSL and Calypso, which will be calculated on an organic basis beginning in 2025, and the previously announced one-time revenue benefits in Market Services in 4Q23 and Index in 1Q24. These results are not calculated, and do not intend to be calculated, in a manner consistent with the pro forma requirements in Article 11 of Regulation S-X. Preparation of this information in accordance with Article 11 would differ from results presented in this earnings release.
    4 Constitutes revenue from our Capital Access Platforms and Financial Technology segments.
    5 Annualized Recurring Revenue (ARR) for a given period is the current annualized value derived from subscription contracts with a defined contract value. This excludes contracts that are not recurring, are one-time in nature or where the contract value fluctuates based on defined metrics. ARR is currently one of our key performance metrics to assess the health and trajectory of our recurring business. ARR does not have any standardized definition and is therefore unlikely to be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. ARR should be viewed independently of revenue and deferred revenue and is not intended to be combined with or to replace either of those items. For AxiomSL and Calypso recurring revenue contracts, the amount included in ARR is consistent with the amount that we invoice the customer during the current period. Additionally, for AxiomSL and Calypso recurring revenue contracts that include annual values that increase over time, we include in ARR only the annualized value of components of the contract that are considered active as of the date of the ARR calculation. We do not include the future committed increases in the contract value as of the date of the ARR calculation. ARR is not a forecast and the active contracts at the end of a reporting period used in calculating ARR may or may not be extended or renewed by our customers.
    6 Organic changes reflect adjustments for: (i) the impact of period-over-period changes in foreign currency exchange rates, and (ii) the revenue, expenses and operating income associated with acquisitions and divestitures for the twelve month period following the date of the acquisition or divestiture.
    7 U.S. GAAP operating expense and tax rate guidance are not provided due to the inherent difficulty in quantifying certain amounts due to a variety of factors including the unpredictability in the movement in foreign currency rates, as well as future charges or reversals outside of the normal course of business.

    ABOUT NASDAQ

    Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) is a global technology company serving corporate clients, investment managers, banks, brokers, and exchange operators as they navigate and interact with the global capital markets and the broader financial system. We aspire to deliver world-leading platforms that improve the liquidity, transparency, and integrity of the global economy. Our diverse offering of data, analytics, software, exchange capabilities, and client-centric services enables clients to optimize and execute their business vision with confidence. To learn more about the company, technology solutions and career opportunities, visit us on LinkedIn, on X @Nasdaq, or at www.nasdaq.com.

    NON-GAAP INFORMATION

    In addition to disclosing results determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP, Nasdaq also discloses certain non-GAAP results of operations, including, but not limited to, non-GAAP Solutions revenue, non-GAAP net revenue, non-GAAP net income attributable to Nasdaq, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share, non-GAAP operating income, and non-GAAP operating expenses, that include certain adjustments or exclude certain charges and gains that are described in the reconciliation table of U.S. GAAP to non-GAAP information provided at the end of this release. Management uses this non-GAAP information internally, along with U.S. GAAP information, in evaluating our performance and in making financial and operational decisions. We believe our presentation of these measures provides investors with greater transparency and supplemental data relating to our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we believe the presentation of these measures is useful to investors for period-to-period comparisons of results as the items described below in the reconciliation tables do not reflect ongoing operating performance.

    These measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative to, U.S. GAAP, and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. In addition, other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate such measures differently, which reduces their usefulness as a comparative measure. Investors should not rely on any single financial measure when evaluating our business. This information should be considered as supplemental in nature and is not meant as a substitute for our operating results in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We recommend investors review the U.S. GAAP financial measures included in this earnings release. When viewed in conjunction with our U.S. GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliations, we believe these non-GAAP measures provide greater transparency and a more complete understanding of factors affecting our business than U.S. GAAP measures alone.

    We understand that analysts and investors regularly rely on non-GAAP financial measures, such as those noted above, to assess operating performance. We use these measures because they highlight trends more clearly in our business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on U.S. GAAP financial measures, since these measures eliminate from our results specific financial items that have less bearing on our ongoing operating performance.

    Organic revenue and expense growth, organic change and organic impact are non-GAAP measures that reflect adjustments for: (i) the impact of period-over-period changes in foreign currency exchange rates, and (ii) the revenue, expenses and operating income associated with acquisitions and divestitures for the twelve month period following the date of the acquisition or divestiture. Reconciliations of these measures are described within the body of this release or in the reconciliation tables at the end of this release.

    Foreign exchange impact: In countries with currencies other than the U.S. dollar, revenue and expenses are translated using monthly average exchange rates. Certain discussions in this release isolate the impact of year-over-year foreign currency fluctuations to better measure the comparability of operating results between periods. Operating results excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations are calculated by translating the current period’s results by the prior period’s exchange rates.

    Restructuring programs: In the fourth quarter of 2023, following the closing of the Adenza acquisition, our management approved, committed to and initiated a restructuring program to optimize our efficiencies as a combined organization. We further expanded this program in the fourth quarter of 2024 to accelerate our momentum and further optimize our efficiencies (efficiency program). We have incurred costs principally related to employee-related costs, contract terminations, real estate impairments and other related costs and expect to incur additional costs in these areas in an effort to accelerate efficiencies through location strategy and enhanced AI capabilities. Actions taken as part of this program will be complete by the end of 2025, while certain costs may be recognized in the first half of 2026. We expect to achieve benefits primarily in the form of expense synergies. In October 2022, following our September announcement to realign our segments and leadership, we initiated a divisional alignment program with a focus on realizing the full potential of this structure. In connection with the program, we expect to incur pre-tax charges principally related to employee-related costs, consulting, asset impairments and contract terminations over a two-year period. We expect to achieve benefits in the form of both increased customer engagement and operating efficiencies. Costs related to the Adenza restructuring and the divisional alignment programs are recorded as “restructuring charges” in our consolidated statements of income. We exclude charges associated with these programs for purposes of calculating non-GAAP measures as they are not reflective of ongoing operating performance or comparisons in Nasdaq’s performance between periods.

    CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

    Information set forth in this communication contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Nasdaq cautions readers that any forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and that actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to (i) projections relating to our future financial results, total shareholder returns, growth, dividend program, trading volumes, products and services, ability to transition to new business models or implement our new corporate structure, taxes and achievement of synergy targets, (ii) statements about the closing or implementation dates and benefits of certain acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic, restructuring, technology, environmental, deleveraging and capital allocation initiatives, (iii) statements about our integrations of our recent acquisitions, (iv) statements relating to any litigation or regulatory or government investigation or action to which we are or could become a party, and (v) other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or other factors beyond Nasdaq’s control. These factors include, but are not limited to, Nasdaq’s ability to implement its strategic initiatives, economic, political and market conditions and fluctuations, geopolitical instability, government and industry regulation, interest rate risk, U.S. and global competition. Further information on these and other factors are detailed in Nasdaq’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, which are available on Nasdaq’s investor relations website at http://ir.nasdaq.com and the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Nasdaq undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    WEBSITE DISCLOSURE

    Nasdaq intends to use its website, ir.nasdaq.com, as a means for disclosing material non-public information and for complying with SEC Regulation FD and other disclosure obligations.

    Media Relations Contact
    Nick Jannuzzi
    +1.973.760.1741
    Nicholas.Jannuzzi.@Nasdaq.com

    Investor Relations Contact
    Ato Garrett
    +1.212.401.8737
    Ato.Garrett@Nasdaq.com

    NDAQF

    Nasdaq, Inc.
    Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
    (in millions, except per share amounts)
     
               
      Three Months Ended   Year Ended
      December 31,   December 31,   December 31,   December 31,
       2024     2023     2024     2023 
        (unaudited)   (unaudited)   (unaudited)    
    Revenues:              
    Capital Access Platforms $ 511     $ 461     $ 1,972     $ 1,770  
    Financial Technology   438       399       1,621       1,099  
    Market Services   1,070       778       3,771       3,156  
    Other Revenues   10       10       36       39  
      Total revenues   2,029       1,648       7,400       6,064  
    Transaction-based expenses:              
    Transaction rebates   (548 )     (462 )     (2,026 )     (1,838 )
    Brokerage, clearance and exchange fees   (254 )     (69 )     (725 )     (331 )
    Revenues less transaction-based expenses   1,227       1,117       4,649       3,895  
                   
    Operating Expenses:              
    Compensation and benefits   324       305       1,324       1,082  
    Professional and contract services   44       36       152       128  
    Technology and communication infrastructure   75       65       281       233  
    Occupancy   28       30       112       129  
    General, administrative and other   24       52       109       113  
    Marketing and advertising   20       16       54       47  
    Depreciation and amortization   152       125       613       323  
    Regulatory   18       8       55       34  
    Merger and strategic initiatives   12       97       35       148  
    Restructuring charges   13       31       116       80  
      Total operating expenses   710       765       2,851       2,317  
    Operating income   517       352       1,798       1,578  
    Interest income   8       30       28       115  
    Interest expense   (101 )     (111 )     (414 )     (284 )
    Other income (loss)   7       5       21       (1 )
    Net income (loss) from unconsolidated investees   9       2       16       (7 )
    Income before income taxes   440       278       1,449       1,401  
    Income tax provision   85       81       334       344  
    Net income   355       197       1,115       1,057  
    Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests   —       —       2       2  
    Net income attributable to Nasdaq $ 355     $ 197     $ 1,117     $ 1,059  
                   
    Per share information:              
    Basic earnings per share $ 0.62     $ 0.36     $ 1.94     $ 2.10  
    Diluted earnings per share $ 0.61     $ 0.36     $ 1.93     $ 2.08  
    Cash dividends declared per common share $ 0.24     $ 0.22     $ 0.94     $ 0.86  
                   
    Weighted-average common shares outstanding              
    for earnings per share:              
    Basic   574.8       547.1       575.4       504.9  
    Diluted   579.7       550.6       579.2       508.4  
                     
    Nasdaq, Inc.
    Revenue Detail
    (in millions)
     
               
      Three Months Ended   Year Ended
      December 31,   December 31,   December 31,   December 31,
       2024     2023     2024     2023 
      (unaudited)   (unaudited)   (unaudited)    
    CAPITAL ACCESS PLATFORMS              
    Data and Listing Services revenues $ 192     $ 189     $ 754     $ 749  
    Index revenues   188       146       706       528  
    Workflow and Insights revenues   131       126       512       493  
    Total Capital Access Platforms revenues   511       461       1,972       1,770  
                   
    FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY              
    Financial Crime Management Technology revenues   73       60       273       223  
    Regulatory Technology revenues   98       110       352       212  
    Capital Markets Technology revenues   267       229       996       664  
    Total Financial Technology revenues   438       399       1,621       1,099  
                   
    MARKET SERVICES              
    Market Services revenues   1,070       778       3,771       3,156  
    Transaction-based expenses:              
    Transaction rebates   (548 )     (462 )     (2,026 )     (1,838 )
    Brokerage, clearance and exchange fees   (254 )     (69 )     (725 )     (331 )
    Total Market Services revenues, net   268       247       1,020       987  
                   
    OTHER REVENUES   10       10       36       39  
                   
    REVENUES LESS TRANSACTION-BASED EXPENSES $ 1,227     $ 1,117     $ 4,649     $ 3,895  
                   
                   
    Nasdaq, Inc.
    Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
    (in millions)
               
          December 31,   December 31,
           2024     2023 
    Assets   (unaudited)    
    Current assets:        
      Cash and cash equivalents   $ 592     $ 453  
      Restricted cash and cash equivalents     31       20  
      Default funds and margin deposits     5,664       7,275  
      Financial investments     184       188  
      Receivables, net     1,022       929  
      Other current assets     293       231  
    Total current assets     7,786       9,096  
    Property and equipment, net     593       576  
    Goodwill     13,957       14,112  
    Intangible assets, net     6,905       7,443  
    Operating lease assets     375       402  
    Other non-current assets     779       665  
    Total assets   $ 30,395     $ 32,294  
               
    Liabilities        
    Current liabilities:        
      Accounts payable and accrued expenses   $ 269     $ 332  
      Section 31 fees payable to SEC     319       84  
      Accrued personnel costs     325       303  
      Deferred revenue     711       594  
      Other current liabilities     215       146  
      Default funds and margin deposits     5,664       7,275  
      Short-term debt     399       291  
    Total current liabilities     7,902       9,025  
    Long-term debt     9,081       10,163  
    Deferred tax liabilities, net     1,594       1,642  
    Operating lease liabilities     388       417  
    Other non-current liabilities     230       220  
    Total liabilities     19,195       21,467  
             
    Commitments and contingencies        
    Equity        
    Nasdaq stockholders’ equity:        
      Common stock     6       6  
      Additional paid-in capital     5,530       5,496  
      Common stock in treasury, at cost     (647 )     (587 )
      Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (2,099 )     (1,924 )
      Retained earnings     8,401       7,825  
    Total Nasdaq stockholders’ equity     11,191       10,816  
      Noncontrolling interests     9       11  
    Total equity     11,200       10,827  
    Total liabilities and equity   $ 30,395     $ 32,294  
               
    Nasdaq, Inc.
    Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP to Non-GAAP Net Income Attributable to Nasdaq and Diluted Earnings Per Share
    (in millions, except per share amounts)
    (unaudited)
                       
                   
           Three Months Ended   Year Ended
          December 31,   December 31,   December 31,   December 31,
           2024     2023     2024     2023 
                       
    U.S. GAAP net income attributable to Nasdaq   $ 355     $ 197     $ 1,117     $ 1,059  
    Non-GAAP adjustments:                
      Adenza purchase accounting adjustment (1)     —       —       34       —  
      Amortization expense of acquired intangible assets (2)     122       95       488       206  
      Merger and strategic initiatives expense (3)     12       97       35       148  
      Restructuring charges (4)     13       31       116       80  
      Lease asset impairments (5)     —       1       —       25  
      Net (income) loss from unconsolidated investees (6)     (9 )     (2 )     (16 )     7  
      Extinguishment of debt (7)     4       —       4       —  
      Legal and regulatory matters (8)     2       23       20       12  
      Pension settlement charge (9)     —       9       23       9  
      Other (income) loss (10)     (6 )     3       (15 )     21  
      Total non-GAAP adjustments     138       257       689       508  
      Non-GAAP adjustment to the income tax provision (11)     (55 )     (59 )     (208 )     (134 )
      Tax on intra-group transfer of intellectual property assets (12)     —       —       33       —  
      Total non-GAAP adjustments, net of tax     83       198       514       374  
    Non-GAAP net income attributable to Nasdaq   $ 438     $ 395     $ 1,631     $ 1,433  
                       
    U.S. GAAP diluted earnings per share   $ 0.61     $ 0.36     $ 1.93     $ 2.08  
      Total adjustments from non-GAAP net income above     0.15       0.36       0.89       0.74  
    Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share   $ 0.76     $ 0.72     $ 2.82     $ 2.82  
                       
    Weighted-average diluted common shares outstanding for earnings per share:     579.7       550.6       579.2       508.4  
                       
                       
    (1) During the third quarter of 2024, as part of finalizing the purchase accounting of the Adenza acquisition, we implemented a change to the accounting treatment of the revenues associated with AxiomSL on-premises subscription contracts, which are included in the Regulatory Technology business within the Financial Technology segment. Starting in the third quarter of 2024, we began recognizing AxiomSL’s subscription-based revenues on a ratable basis over the contract term. As a result of this change, we recognized a one-time revenue reduction of $32 million in the third quarter of 2024, reflecting the net impact of the accounting change since the date of the Adenza acquisition. The adjustment of $34 million reflects the prior year impact of this change.
           
    (2) We amortize intangible assets acquired in connection with various acquisitions. Intangible asset amortization expense can vary from period to period due to episodic acquisitions completed, rather than from our ongoing business operations.
           
    (3) We have pursued various strategic initiatives and completed acquisitions and divestitures in recent years which have resulted in expenses which would not have otherwise been incurred. These expenses generally include integration costs, as well as legal, due diligence and other third party transaction costs. The frequency and amount of such expenses vary significantly based on the size, timing and complexity of the transaction. For the three months and years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, these costs primarily relate to the Adenza acquisition. For the year ended December 31, 2024, these costs were partially offset by a termination payment recognized in the second quarter of 2024 relating to the proposed divestiture of our Nordic power trading and clearing business.
                       
    (4) In the fourth quarter of 2023, following the closing of the Adenza acquisition, our management approved, committed to and initiated a restructuring program to optimize our efficiencies as a combined organization. In connection with this program, we expect to incur pre-tax charges principally related to employee-related costs, contract terminations, real estate impairments and other related costs. We expect to achieve benefits primarily in the form of expense and revenue synergies. In October 2022, following our September 2022 announcement to realign our segments and leadership, we initiated a divisional alignment program with a focus on realizing the full potential of this structure. In September 2024, we completed our divisional alignment program and recognized total pre-tax charges of $139 million over a two-year period.
                       
    (5) During the first quarter of 2023, we initiated a review of our real estate and facility capacity requirements due to our new and evolving work models. As a result, for the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded impairment charges related to our operating lease assets and leasehold improvements associated with vacating certain leased office space, which are recorded in occupancy expense and depreciation and amortization expense in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.
                       
    (6) We exclude our share of the earnings and losses of our equity method investments. This provides a more meaningful analysis of Nasdaq’s ongoing operating performance or comparisons in Nasdaq’s performance between periods.
                       
    (7) For the three months and year ended December 31, 2024, we recorded costs related to the early extinguishment of debt. This charge is recorded in general, administrative expense in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.
                       
    (8) For the year ended December 31, 2024, these items primarily included the settlement of a Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (SFSA) fine and accruals related to certain legal matters. For the three months and year ended December 31, 2023, these charges primarily included accruals related to certain legal matters recorded in general, administrative and other expense and professional and contract services expense in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. For the year ended December 31, 2023, these accruals were offset with insurance recoveries related to legal matters recorded in general, administrative and other expense and professional and contract services expense in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.
                       
    (9) For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 and for the three months ended December 31, 2023, we recorded a pre-tax charge as a result of settling our U.S. pension plan. The plan was terminated and partially settled in 2023, with final settlement occurring during the first quarter of 2024. The loss was recorded in compensation and benefits in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.
                       
    (10) For the three months and year ended December 31, 2024, other items include net gains from strategic investments entered into through our corporate venture program, which are included in other income (loss) in our Consolidated Statements of Income. For the three months and year ended December 31, 2023, other items included certain financing costs related to the Adenza acquisition and a net loss from a strategic investments entered into through our corporate venture program.
                       
    (11) The non-GAAP adjustment to the income tax provision primarily includes the tax impact of each non-GAAP adjustment. For the three months and year ended December 31, 2024, we recorded a tax benefit related to return to provision adjustments and release of tax reserves due to lapse in statute of limitations.
                       
    (12) For the year ended December 31, 2024, the completion of an intra-group transfer of intellectual property assets to U.S. headquarters resulted in a net tax expense of $33 million.
                       
    Nasdaq, Inc.
    Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP to Non-GAAP Revenues Less Transaction-Based Expenses
    (in millions)
    (unaudited)
           
      Year Ended
      December 31, 2024
      U.S. GAAP Revenues
    Less Transaction-
    Based Expenses    		 Adenza purchase
    accounting
    adjustment     (1)    		 Non-GAAP Revenues
    Less Transaction-
    Based Expenses
    CAPITAL ACCESS PLATFORMS $ 1,972 $ — $ 1,972
           
    FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY      
    Financial Crime Management Technology revenues   273   —   273
    Regulatory Technology revenues (1)   352   34   386
    Capital Markets Technology revenues   996   —   996
    Total Financial Technology revenues   1,621   34   1,655
    SOLUTIONS REVENUES   3,593   34   3,627
           
    MARKET SERVICES REVENUES, NET   1,020   —   1,020
    OTHER REVENUES   36   —   36
    REVENUES LESS TRANSACTION-BASED EXPENSES $ 4,649 $ 34 $ 4,683
           
           
    (1) During the third quarter of 2024, as part of finalizing the purchase accounting of the Adenza acquisition, we implemented a change to the accounting treatment of the revenues associated with AxiomSL on-premises subscription contracts, which are included in the Regulatory Technology business within the Financial Technology segment. Starting in the third quarter of 2024, we began recognizing AxiomSL’s subscription-based revenues on a ratable basis over the contract term. As a result of this change, we recognized a one-time revenue reduction of $32 million in the third quarter of 2024, reflecting the net impact of the accounting change since the date of the Adenza acquisition. The adjustment of $34 million reflects the prior year impact of this change.
           
    Nasdaq, Inc.
    Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP to Non-GAAP Operating Income and Operating Margin
    (in millions)
    (unaudited)
                   
           Three Months Ended   Year Ended
          December 31,   December 31,   December 31,   December 31,
           2024     2023     2024     2023 
                       
    U.S. GAAP operating income   $ 517     $ 352     $ 1,798     $ 1,578  
    Non-GAAP adjustments:                
      Adenza purchase accounting adjustment (1)     —       —       34       —  
      Amortization expense of acquired intangible assets (2)     122       95       488       206  
      Merger and strategic initiatives expense (3)     12       97       35       148  
      Restructuring charges (4)     13       31       116       80  
      Lease asset impairments (5)     —       1       —       25  
      Extinguishment of debt (6)     4       —       4       —  
      Legal and regulatory matters (7)     2       23       20       12  
      Pension settlement charge (8)     —       9       23       9  
      Other loss     1       5       3       7  
      Total non-GAAP adjustments     154       261       723       487  
    Non-GAAP operating income   $ 671     $ 613     $ 2,521     $ 2,065  
                     
    U.S. GAAP revenues less transaction-based expenses   $ 1,227     $ 1,117     $ 4,649     $ 3,895  
                       
    Non-GAAP revenues less transaction-based expenses   $ 1,227     $ 1,117     $ 4,683     $ 3,895  
                       
    U.S. GAAP operating margin (9)     42 %     32 %     39 %     41 %
                       
    Non-GAAP operating margin (10)     55 %     55 %     54 %     53 %
                       
    Note: The current period percentages are calculated based on exact dollars, and therefore may not recalculate exactly using rounded numbers as presented in US$ millions.
                       
    (1) During the third quarter of 2024, as part of finalizing the purchase accounting of the Adenza acquisition, we implemented a change to the accounting treatment of the revenues associated with AxiomSL on-premises subscription contracts, which are included in the Regulatory Technology business within the Financial Technology segment. Starting in the third quarter of 2024, we began recognizing AxiomSL’s subscription-based revenues on a ratable basis over the contract term. As a result of this change, we recognized a one-time revenue reduction of $32 million in the third quarter of 2024, reflecting the net impact of the accounting change since the date of the Adenza acquisition. The adjustment of $34 million reflects the prior year impact of this change.
           
    (2) We amortize intangible assets acquired in connection with various acquisitions. Intangible asset amortization expense can vary from period to period due to episodic acquisitions completed, rather than from our ongoing business operations.
                       
    (3) We have pursued various strategic initiatives and completed acquisitions and divestitures in recent years which have resulted in expenses which would not have otherwise been incurred. These expenses generally include integration costs, as well as legal, due diligence and other third party transaction costs. The frequency and amount of such expenses vary significantly based on the size, timing and complexity of the transaction. For the three months and years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, these costs primarily relate to the Adenza acquisition. For the year ended December 31, 2024, these costs were partially offset by a termination payment recognized in the second quarter of 2024 relating to the proposed divestiture of our Nordic power trading and clearing business.
                       
    (4) In the fourth quarter of 2023, following the closing of the Adenza acquisition, our management approved, committed to and initiated a restructuring program to optimize our efficiencies as a combined organization. In connection with this program, we expect to incur pre-tax charges principally related to employee-related costs, contract terminations, real estate impairments and other related costs. We expect to achieve benefits primarily in the form of expense and revenue synergies. In October 2022, following our September 2022 announcement to realign our segments and leadership, we initiated a divisional alignment program with a focus on realizing the full potential of this structure. In September 2024, we completed our divisional alignment program and recognized total pre-tax charges of $139 million over a two-year period.
                       
    (5) During the first quarter of 2023, we initiated a review of our real estate and facility capacity requirements due to our new and evolving work models. As a result, for the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded impairment charges related to our operating lease assets and leasehold improvements associated with vacating certain leased office space, which are recorded in occupancy expense and depreciation and amortization expense in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.
                       
    (6) For the three months and year ended December 31, 2024, we recorded costs related to the early extinguishment of debt. This charge is recorded in general, administrative expense in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.
                       
    (7) For the year ended December 31, 2024, these items primarily included the settlement of a SFSA fine and accruals related to certain legal matters. For the three months and year ended December 31, 2023, these charges primarily included accruals related to certain legal matters recorded in general, administrative and other expense and professional and contract services expense in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. For the year ended December 31, 2023, these accruals were offset with insurance recoveries related to legal matters recorded in general, administrative and other expense and professional and contract services expense in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.
                       
    (8) For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 and for the three months ended December 31, 2023, we recorded a pre-tax charge as a result of settling our U.S. pension plan. The plan was terminated and partially settled in 2023, with final settlement occurring during the first quarter of 2024. The loss was recorded in compensation and benefits in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.
                       
    (9) U.S. GAAP operating margin equals U.S. GAAP operating income divided by revenues less transaction-based expenses.
                       
    (10) Non-GAAP operating margin equals non-GAAP operating income divided by non-GAAP revenues less transaction-based expenses.
                       
    Nasdaq, Inc.
    Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP to Non-GAAP Operating Expenses
    (in millions)
    (unaudited)
                   
           Three Months Ended   Year Ended
          December 31,   December 31,   December 31,   December 31,
           2024     2023     2024     2023 
                       
    U.S. GAAP operating expenses   $ 710     $ 765     $ 2,851     $ 2,317  
    Non-GAAP adjustments:                
      Amortization expense of acquired intangible assets (1)     (122 )     (95 )     (488 )     (206 )
      Merger and strategic initiatives expense (2)     (12 )     (97 )     (35 )     (148 )
      Restructuring charges (3)     (13 )     (31 )     (116 )     (80 )
      Lease asset impairments (4)     —       (1 )     —       (25 )
      Extinguishment of debt (5)     (4 )     —       (4 )     —  
      Legal and regulatory matters (6)     (2 )     (23 )     (20 )     (12 )
      Pension settlement charge (7)     —       (9 )     (23 )     (9 )
      Other (loss)     (1 )     (5 )     (3 )     (7 )
      Total non-GAAP adjustments     (154 )     (261 )     (689 )     (487 )
    Non-GAAP operating expenses   $ 556     $ 504     $ 2,162     $ 1,830  
                       
                       
    (1) We amortize intangible assets acquired in connection with various acquisitions. Intangible asset amortization expense can vary from period to period due to episodic acquisitions completed, rather than from our ongoing business operations.
           
    (2) We have pursued various strategic initiatives and completed acquisitions and divestitures in recent years which have resulted in expenses which would not have otherwise been incurred. These expenses generally include integration costs, as well as legal, due diligence and other third party transaction costs. The frequency and amount of such expenses vary significantly based on the size, timing and complexity of the transaction. For the three months and years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, these costs primarily relate to the Adenza acquisition. For the year ended December 31, 2024, these costs were partially offset by a termination payment recognized in the second quarter of 2024 relating to the proposed divestiture of our Nordic power trading and clearing business.
                       
    (3) In the fourth quarter of 2023, following the closing of the Adenza acquisition, our management approved, committed to and initiated a restructuring program to optimize our efficiencies as a combined organization. In connection with this program, we expect to incur pre-tax charges principally related to employee-related costs, contract terminations, real estate impairments and other related costs. We expect to achieve benefits primarily in the form of expense and revenue synergies. In October 2022, following our September 2022 announcement to realign our segments and leadership, we initiated a divisional alignment program with a focus on realizing the full potential of this structure. In September 2024, we completed our divisional alignment program and recognized total pre-tax charges of $139 million over a two-year period.
                       
    (4) During the first quarter of 2023, we initiated a review of our real estate and facility capacity requirements due to our new and evolving work models. As a result, for the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded impairment charges related to our operating lease assets and leasehold improvements associated with vacating certain leased office space, which are recorded in occupancy expense and depreciation and amortization expense in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.
                       
    (5) For the three months and year ended December 31, 2024, we recorded costs related to the early extinguishment of debt. This charge is recorded in general, administrative expense in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.
                       
    (6) For the year ended December 31, 2024, these items primarily included the settlement of a SFSA fine and accruals related to certain legal matters. For the three months and year ended December 31, 2023, these charges primarily included accruals related to certain legal matters recorded in general, administrative and other expense and professional and contract services expense in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. For the year ended December 31, 2023, these accruals were offset with insurance recoveries related to legal matters recorded in general, administrative and other expense and professional and contract services expense in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.
                       
    (7) For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 and for the three months ended December 31, 2023, we recorded a pre-tax charge as a result of settling our U.S. pension plan. The plan was terminated and partially settled in 2023, with final settlement occurring during the first quarter of 2024. The loss was recorded in compensation and benefits in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.
                       
    Nasdaq, Inc.
    Reconciliation of Adjusted Impacts for U.S. Non-GAAP Revenues less transaction-based expenses, Non-GAAP Operating Expenses,
    Non-GAAP Operating Income, and Non-GAAP Operating Margin
    (in millions)
    (unaudited)
                                       
      Three Months Ended                    
      December 31,
    2024    		   December 31,
    2023    		   Total Variance   FX & Other (2)   Adjusted YoY
      Non-GAAP   Non-GAAP   Adenza   Pro Forma (1)   $   %   $   $   %
    CAPITAL ACCESS PLATFORMS                                  
    data                                  
    listings                                  
    Data and Listing Services revenues $ 192     $ 189     $ —     $ 189     $ 3     2 %   $ —     $ 3     2 %
    Index revenues   188       146       —       146       42     29 %     —       42     29 %
    Workflow and insights revenues   131       126       —       126       5     4 %     —       5     4 %
    Total Capital Access Platforms revenues   511       461       —       461       50     11 %     —       50     11 %
                                       
    FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY                                  
    Financial Crime Management Technology revenues   73       60       —       60       13     22 %     —       13     22 %
    Regulatory Technology revenues   98       110       (16 )     94       4     5 %     (1 )     5     6 %
    Capital Markets Technology revenues   267       229       26       255       12     4 %     —       12     4 %
    Total Financial Technology revenues   438       399       10       409       29     7 %     (1 )     30     7 %
                                       
    Non-GAAP Solutions revenues (3)   949       860       10       870       79     9 %     (1 )     80     9 %
                                       
    Market Services, net revenues   268       247       —       247       21     8 %     (8 )     29     12 %
    Other revenues   10       10       —       10       —     (1 )%     —       —     (2 )%
    Non-GAAP Revenues less transaction-based expenses   1,227       1,117       10       1,127       100     9 %     (9 )     109     10 %
                                       
    Non-GAAP operating expenses   556       504       23       527       29     5 %     (3 )     32     6 %
    Non-GAAP operating income $ 671     $ 613     $ (13 )   $ 600     $ 71     12 %   $ (6 )   $ 77     13 %
    Non-GAAP operating margin   55 %     56 %         53 %                    
                                       
                                       
      Year Ended                    
      December 31,
    2024    		   December 31,
    2023    		   Total Variance   FX & Other (2)   Adjusted YoY
      Non-GAAP   Non-GAAP   Adenza   Pro Forma (1)   $   %   $   $   %
    CAPITAL ACCESS PLATFORMS                                  
    Data and Listing Services revenues $ 754     $ 749     $ —     $ 749     $ 5     1 %   $ —     $ 5     1 %
    Index revenues   706       528       —       528       178     34 %     16       162     31 %
    Workflow and insights revenues   512       493       —       493       19     4 %     1       18     4 %
    Total Capital Access Platforms revenues   1,972       1,770       —       1,770       202     11 %     17       185     10 %
                                       
    FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY                                  
    Financial Crime Management Technology revenues   273       223       —       223       50     22 %     —       50     22 %
    Regulatory Technology revenues   286       212       149       361       25     7 %     1       24     7 %
    Capital Markets Technology revenues   996       664       257       921       75     8 %     1       74     8 %
    Total Financial Technology revenues   1,655       1,099       406       1,505       150     10 %     2       148     10 %
                                       
    Non-GAAP Solutions revenues (3)   3,627       2,869       406       3,275       352     11 %     19       333     10 %
                                       
    Market Services, net revenues   1,020       987       —       987       33     3 %     (8 )     41     4 %
    Other revenues   36       39       —       39       (3 )   (9 )%     (2 )     (1 )   (5 )%
    Non-GAAP Revenues less transaction-based expenses   4,683       3,895       406       4,301       382     9 %     9       373     9 %
                                       
    Operating expenses   2,162       1,830       217       2,047       115     6 %     (4 )     119     6 %
    Operating income $ 2,521     $ 2,065     $ 189     $ 2,254     $ 267     12 %   $ 13     $ 254     11 %
    Operating margin   54 %     53 %         52 %                    
                                       
                                       
                                       
    (1) Includes the pro forma results for AxiomSL and Calypso and are presented assuming AxiomSL and Calypso were included in the entire prior year quarterly and full year results and revenue for AxiomSL on-premises contracts were recognized ratably for 2024 and 2023.
    (2) Reflects the impacts from changes in foreign currency exchange rates (except for AxiomSL and Calypso, which will be calculated on an organic basis beginning in 2025) and the exclusion of a non-recurring payment received in 4Q23 recorded within our Market Services business. In addition, the full year also excludes the impact of a one-time revenue benefit related to a legal settlement to recoup revenue recorded within Index in 1Q24.
    (3) Represents Capital Access Platforms and Financial Technology Segments.
                                       
    Note: The pro forma results above are not calculated, and do not intend to be calculated, in a manner consistent with the pro forma requirements in Article 11 of Regulation S-X. Preparation of this information in accordance with Article 11 would differ from results presented in this press release. The current period percentages are calculated based on exact dollars, and therefore may not recalculate exactly using rounded numbers as presented in US$ millions.
                                       
    Nasdaq, Inc.
    Reconciliation of Organic Impacts for U.S. Non-GAAP Revenues less transaction-based expenses, Non-GAAP Operating Expenses,
    Non-GAAP Operating Income, and Non-GAAP Diluted Earnings Per Share
    (in millions)
    (unaudited)
                                   
      Three Months Ended                        
      December 31,
    2024    		   December 31,
    2023    		   Total Variance   Other Impacts (1)   Organic Impact (2)
      Non-GAAP   Non-GAAP   $   %   $   %   $   %
    CAPITAL ACCESS PLATFORMS                              
    Data and Listing Services revenues $ 192   $ 189   $ 3     2 %   $ —     — %   $ 3     2 %
    Index revenues   188     146     42     29 %     —     — %     42     29 %
    Workflow and Insights revenues   131     126     5     4 %     —     — %     5     4 %
    Total Capital Access Platforms revenues   511     461     50     11 %     —     — %     50     11 %
                                   
    FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY                              
    Financial Crime Management Technology revenues   73     60     13     22 %     —     — %     13     22 %
    Regulatory Technology revenues   98     110     (12 )   (10 )%     (15 )   (13 )%     3     4 %
    Capital Markets Technology revenues   267     229     38     16 %     27     12 %     11     5 %
    Total Financial Technology revenues   438     399     39     10 %     12     3 %     27     7 %
                                   
    Non-GAAP Solutions revenues (3)   949     860     89     10 %     12     1 %     77     9 %
                                   
    Market Services, net revenues   268     247     21     8 %     —     — %     21     8 %
                                   
    Other revenues   10     10     —     (1 )%     —     — %     —     (2 )%
                                   
    Non-GAAP Revenues less transaction-based expenses $ 1,227   $ 1,117   $ 110     10 %   $ 12     1 %   $ 98     9 %
                                   
    Non-GAAP Operating Expenses $ 556   $ 504   $ 52     10 %   $ 21     4 %   $ 31     6 %
                                   
    Non-GAAP Operating Income $ 671   $ 613   $ 58     10 %   $ (9 )   (1 )%   $ 67     12 %
                                   
    Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share $ 0.76   $ 0.72   $ 0.04     5 %   $ (0.03 )   (5 )%   $ 0.07     10 %
                                   
      Year Ended                        
      December 31,
    2024    		   December 31,
    2023    		   Total Variance   Other Impacts (1)   Organic Impact (2)
      Non-GAAP   Non-GAAP   $   %   $   %   $   %
    CAPITAL ACCESS PLATFORMS                              
    Data and Listing Services revenues $ 754   $ 749   $ 5     1 %   $ —     — %   $ 5     1 %
    Index revenues   706     528     178     34 %     —     — %     178     34 %
    Workflow and Insights revenues   512     493     19     4 %     1     — %     18     4 %
    Total Capital Access Platforms revenues   1,972     1,770     202     11 %     1     — %     201     11 %
                                   
    FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY                              
    Financial Crime Management Technology revenues   273     223     50     22 %     —     — %     50     22 %
    Regulatory Technology revenues   386     212     174     83 %     165     78 %     9     5 %
    Capital Markets Technology revenues   996     664     332     50 %     316     48 %     16     2 %
    Total Financial Technology revenues   1,655     1,099     556     51 %     481     44 %     75     7 %
                                   
    Non-GAAP Solutions revenues (3)   3,627     2,869     758     26 %     482     17 %     276     10 %
                                   
    Market Services, net revenues   1,020     987     33     3 %     —     — %     33     3 %
                                   
    Other revenues   36     39     (3 )   (9 )%     (2 )   (4 )%     (1 )   (5 )%
                                   
    Non-GAAP Revenues less transaction-based expenses $ 4,683   $ 3,895   $ 788     20 %   $ 480     12 %   $ 308     8 %
                                   
    Non-GAAP Operating Expenses $ 2,162   $ 1,830   $ 332     18 %   $ 216     12 %   $ 116     6 %
                                   
    Non-GAAP Operating Income $ 2,521   $ 2,065   $ 456     22 %   $ 264     13 %   $ 192     9 %
                                   
    Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share $ 2.82   $ 2.82   $ —     — %   $ (0.31 )   (11 )%   $ 0.31     11 %
                                   
    Note: The current period percentages are calculated based on exact dollars, and therefore may not recalculate exactly using rounded numbers as presented in US$ millions. The sum of the percentage changes may not tie to the percentage change in total variance due to rounding.
                                   
    (1) Primarily includes the impacts of the Adenza acquisition and changes in FX rates. The revenue adjustments related to the Adenza acquisition reflect an additional $514 million of total revenue recorded in FY 2024 and $48 million for 4Q24, partially offset by an adjustment to reported 2023 revenues related to AxiomSL ratable revenue recognition of $34 million.
    (2) Organic impact reflects adjustments for: (i) the impact of period-over-period changes in foreign currency exchange rates, and (ii) the revenue, expenses and operating income associated with acquisitions and divestitures for the twelve month period following the date of the acquisition or divestiture.
    (3) Represents Capital Access Platforms and Financial Technology Segments.
                                   
    Nasdaq, Inc.
    Key Drivers Detail
    (unaudited)
                     
        Three Months Ended   Year Ended
        December 31,   December 31,   December 31,   December 31,
         2024     2023     2024     2023 
    Capital Access Platforms              
      Annualized recurring revenues (in millions) (1) $ 1,268     $ 1,235     $ 1,268     $ 1,235  
      Initial public offerings              
      The Nasdaq Stock Market (2)   66       28       180       130  
      Exchanges that comprise Nasdaq Nordic and Nasdaq Baltic   7       4       14       7  
      Total new listings              
      The Nasdaq Stock Market (2)   162       100       463       330  
      Exchanges that comprise Nasdaq Nordic and Nasdaq Baltic (3)   13       7       31       23  
      Number of listed companies              
      The Nasdaq Stock Market (4)   4,075       4,044       4,075       4,044  
      Exchanges that comprise Nasdaq Nordic and Nasdaq Baltic (5)   1,174       1,218       1,174       1,218  
      Index              
      Number of licensed exchange traded products (6)   401       364       401       364  
      Period end ETP assets under management (AUM) tracking Nasdaq indexes (in billions) $ 647     $ 473     $ 647     $ 473  
      Total average ETP AUM tracking Nasdaq indexes (in billions) $ 632     $ 436     $ 558     $ 396  
      TTM (7) net inflows ETP AUM tracking Nasdaq indexes (in billions) $ 80     $ 31     $ 80     $ 31  
      TTM (7) net appreciation ETP AUM tracking Nasdaq indexes (in billions) $ 110     $ 128     $ 110     $ 128  
                     
    Financial Technology              
      Annualized recurring revenues (in millions) (1)              
      Financial Crime Management Technology $ 278     $ 226     $ 278     $ 226  
      Regulatory Technology   354       325       354       325  
      Capital Markets Technology   868       799       868       799  
      Total Financial Technology $ 1,500     $ 1,350     $ 1,500     $ 1,350  
                     
    Market Services              
      Equity Derivative Trading and Clearing              
      U.S. equity options              
      Total industry average daily volume (in millions)   47.5       40.2       44.4       40.4  
      Nasdaq PHLX matched market share   10.5 %     11.5 %     10.0 %     11.3 %
      The Nasdaq Options Market matched market share   5.2 %     5.5 %     5.5 %     6.1 %
      Nasdaq BX Options matched market share   1.8 %     2.4 %     2.1 %     3.3 %
      Nasdaq ISE Options matched market share   7.2 %     6.1 %     6.9 %     5.9 %
      Nasdaq GEMX Options matched market share   2.6 %     2.7 %     2.6 %     2.4 %
      Nasdaq MRX Options matched market share   3.0 %     2.6 %     2.7 %     2.0 %
      Total matched market share executed on Nasdaq’s exchanges   30.3 %     30.8 %     29.8 %     31.0 %
      Nasdaq Nordic and Nasdaq Baltic options and futures              
      Total average daily volume of options and futures contracts (8)   228,955       327,680       233,610       301,320  
                     
      Cash Equity Trading              
      Total U.S.-listed securities              
      Total industry average daily share volume (in billions)   13.6       11.2       12.2       11.0  
      Matched share volume (in billions)   125.2       113.3       479.4       455.6  
      The Nasdaq Stock Market matched market share   14.0 %     15.4 %     15.1 %     15.8 %
      Nasdaq BX matched market share   0.3 %     0.4 %     0.3 %     0.4 %
      Nasdaq PSX matched market share   0.1 %     0.3 %     0.2 %     0.3 %
      Total matched market share executed on Nasdaq’s exchanges   14.4 %     16.1 %     15.6 %     16.5 %
      Market share reported to the FINRA/Nasdaq Trade Reporting Facility   47.6 %     40.9 %     44.3 %     36.7 %
      Total market share (9)   62.0 %     57.0 %     59.9 %     53.2 %
      Nasdaq Nordic and Nasdaq Baltic securities              
      Average daily number of equity trades executed on Nasdaq’s exchanges   669,234       637,403       651,455       666,411  
      Total average daily value of shares traded (in billions) $ 4.5     $ 4.5     $ 4.5     $ 4.5  
      Total market share executed on Nasdaq’s exchanges   70.9 %     72.0 %     71.9 %     71.0 %
                     
      Fixed Income and Commodities Trading and Clearing              
      Fixed Income              
      Total average daily volume of Nasdaq Nordic and Nasdaq Baltic fixed income contracts   91,471       93,128       93,747       95,625  
                     
      (1) Annualized Recurring Revenue (ARR) for a given period is the current annualized value derived from subscription contracts with a defined contract value. This excludes contracts that are not recurring, are one-time in nature, or where the contract value fluctuates based on defined metrics. ARR is currently one of our key performance metrics to assess the health and trajectory of our recurring business. ARR does not have any standardized definition and is therefore unlikely to be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. ARR should be viewed independently of revenue and deferred revenue and is not intended to be combined with or to replace either of those items. For AxiomSL and Calypso recurring revenue contracts, the amount included in ARR is consistent with the amount that we invoice the customer during the current period. Additionally, for AxiomSL and Calypso recurring revenue contracts that include annual values that increase over time, we include in ARR only the annualized value of components of the contract that are considered active as of the date of the ARR calculation. We do not include the future committed increases in the contract value as of the date of the ARR calculation. ARR is not a forecast and the active contracts at the end of a reporting period used in calculating ARR may or may not be extended or renewed by our customers.
      (2) New listings include IPOs, issuers that switched from other listing venues, closed-end funds and separately listed ETPs. For the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, IPOs included 22 and 8 SPACs, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, IPOs included 50 and 27 SPACs, respectively.
      (3) New listings include IPOs and represent companies listed on the Nasdaq Nordic and Nasdaq Baltic exchanges and companies on the alternative markets of Nasdaq First North.
      (4) Number of total listings on The Nasdaq Stock Market for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 included 768 and 600 ETPs, respectively.
      (5) Represents companies listed on the Nasdaq Nordic and Nasdaq Baltic exchanges and companies on the alternative markets of Nasdaq First North.
      (6) The number of listed ETPs as of December 31, 2023 has been updated to reflect a revised methodology whereby an ETP listed on multiple exchanges is counted as one product, rather than formerly being counted per exchange. This change has no impact on reported AUM.
      (7) Trailing 12-months.
      (8) Includes Finnish option contracts traded on Eurex for which Nasdaq and Eurex had a revenue sharing arrangement, which ended in the fourth quarter of 2023.
      (9) Includes transactions executed on The Nasdaq Stock Market’s, Nasdaq BX’s and Nasdaq PSX’s systems plus trades reported through the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority/Nasdaq Trade Reporting Facility.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Street racing review hearing to be held next month

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    The injunction, led by the City of Wolverhampton Council on behalf of Dudley Council, Sandwell Council and Walsall Council and supported by West Midlands Police, prohibits people from participating, as a driver, rider or passenger, in a gathering of 2 or more people where some of those present engage in car racing, vehicular stunts or other dangerous or obstructive driving.

    It also prohibits people from promoting, organising or publicising gatherings, or from participating in a gathering as a spectator with the intention or expectation that some of those present will engage in street racing.

    The injunction covers the whole of the boroughs of Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall and anyone found to be breaching it will be in contempt of court and may be imprisoned, fined or have their assets seized. They may also be ordered to pay the council’s legal costs of any hearing.

    The High Court ordered that the injunction and power of arrest should remain in force until at least 2027 subject to annual review, with the next hearing taking place on Wednesday 26 February, 2025, at 10.30am at the High Court of Justice, King’s Bench Division, Birmingham District Registry at Birmingham Civil and Family Justice Centre, The Priory Courts, 33 Bull Street, Birmingham B4 6DS.

    Any existing defendants who wish to file any evidence in respect of the review hearing must do so by next Friday (7 February, 2025). To contact the claimants, write to: FAO: Black Country Car Cruise, Legal Services, City of Wolverhampton Council, Civic Centre, St Peter’s Square, Wolverhampton WV1 1RG. Alternatively, email litigation@wolverhampton.gov.uk or call 01902 556556. Anyone wishing to be joined as a defendant to proceedings may apply to the High Court, as provided for by paragraph 11 of the injunction.

    For more information, including a copy of the injunction and the power of arrest, the notice of review hearing, and updated documents and evidence for the review hearing, please visit the street racing pages of the applicants – Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell, or Dudley.

    Incidents of street racing should be reported via asbu@wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk or to West Midlands Police on 101. In an emergency, always dial 999.

    Police are also inviting members of the public to submit dash cam or mobile phone footage of street racing events or dangerous driving via its Op Snap website. 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Joint Statement: Colombia-Sweden Bilateral Partnership

    Source: Government of Sweden

    At the invitation of Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Gilberto Murillo, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard is making an official visit to Colombia on 28–29 February 2025.

    “In a conversation I had with Ms Malmer Stenergard last November, we agreed to hold the first High-Level Dialogue between Colombia and Sweden during her visit to Colombia, thereby putting the Bilateral Partnership established by President of Colombia Gustavo Petro and the Prime Minister of Sweden in June 2024 into practice. During this meeting, we will identify this Partnership’s concrete benefits for our populations, and we will task our teams with implementing the lines of action to continue moving forward as partners,” said Mr Murillo. 

    In view of the above and in the framework of Ms Malmer Stenergard’s official visit, the first High-Level Dialogue between Colombia and Sweden is taking place at the San Carlos Palace, chaired by Colombia’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Paola Vásquez and with more than 30 institutions from both countries present. 

    Sweden and Colombia are partners for peace. Colombia is grateful for Sweden’s invaluable support for its efforts for peace with a territorial emphasis. Both countries share the values of democracy and respect for human rights, and we reaffirm the importance of multilateralism, international cooperation, respect for international law and support for the UN Charter.

    For the implementation of the Colombia-Sweden Bilateral Partnership, a High-Level Dialogue was agreed between the two Governments, in accordance with the declaration signed during Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visit to Sweden on 12–14 June 2024 and as part of the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. 

    This first High-Level Dialogue will result in a report on progress of the thematic working groups that form a part of the Agreement, namely: (i) cooperation for peace (with a territorial emphasis), human rights, human security and strengthening institutions; and (ii) economic opportunities, science, innovation and sustainable development. 

    The progress includes:   

    1. Sweden’s addition of USD 1 million to the agreement with UN Women to strengthen collaboration with the private sector for women’s economic empowerment and the implementation of the Action Plan on women, peace and security.
    2. The addition of SEK 2 million to the ongoing agreement with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to promote its work in Colombia. With this addition, Sweden’s contribution totals SEK 49 million. These efforts emphasise the protection of leaders in conflict-affected areas, the Ethnic Chapter’s accompaniment of the peace agreement with the FARC, reconnaissance activities and responsibilities in the framework of the conflict, etc.
    3. The addition of SEK 6 million to the regional agreement with the Nonprofit Enterprise and Self-Sustainability Team to identify, accompany and help accelerate the work of small businesses that can create green and sustainable jobs in the most vulnerable and conflict-affected areas in Colombia.
    4. The launch of the ‘legacy’ project that was initiated at COP16 in Cali with a contribution of USD 5 million with the Colombian NGO Fondo Acción, to support the implementation of the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development’s restoration plan in the Colombian Pacific region. This agreement also supports local Colombian organisations to ensure sustainability of protected areas through conservation and sustainable management of natural resources.
    5. The funding of a study to produce and create a biogas value chain for the transport sector in Bogotá. Sweden has completed the first phase of the study with an investment of USD 700 000, and the second phase will begin during the first half of 2025, with a value of USD 800 000, making a total of USD 1.5 million. This project is financed by Swedfund.
    6. An investment of more than USD 80 million by EQT, a Swedish investment organisation, and Zelestra, which will lead the development of the ‘Wimke’ solar photovoltaic project in San Juan del Cesar in the La Guajira department. ‘Wimke’ joins the ‘La Unión’ and ‘La Mata’ projects, with capacities of 100 MW and 80 MW respectively, strengthening Zelestra’s presence as a leader in the Colombian solar photovoltaic generation sector and its commitment to sustainability and energy transition.
    7. The realisation of the Memorandum of Understanding on law enforcement cooperation between the Colombian Ministries of Defence and Justice and the Swedish Government.
    8. In the area of sustainable mining, Colombia is part of the ‘MARS’ programme for responsible and sustainable mining, a form of cooperation between Sweden and the Latin America and Caribbean region to promote sustainable and responsible mining.  USD 1.3 million is being allocated for a Colombian component of this programme. 
    9. The implementation of a sustainable transport model for the small-scale fishing supply chain in Guapi, in the Cauca department, by the National University of Colombia, the Royal Institute of Technology and Lund University.

    Ms Malmer Stenergard was accompanied by a large business delegation, with the opportunity to discuss and develop the socio-ecological transition portfolio in Colombia and identify the many opportunities for Swedish investors.

    Ms Malmer Stenergard is also visiting Chocó, joined by Vice-Minister for Women at the Colombian Ministry of Equality and Equity Tamara Ospina and others, which will be an opportunity to hold meetings with civil society organisations and the general public, as well as to reaffirm support to initiatives and projects to promote peace and gender equality with territorial impact.  

    Bogotá, 28 January 2025 

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Action to reduce prison population

    Source: Scottish Government

    Legislation to come into force.

    A new law to bring about an immediate and sustained reduction in the prison population will take effect from 11 February.

    The Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Act – passed by the Scottish Parliament in November 2024 – will change the release point for those serving prison sentences of less than four years from 50% of their sentence to 40%.

    There will be no change to the release point for prisoners serving sentences for domestic abuse or sexual offences.

    It is expected this change will bring about a 5% reduction in the sentenced prison population compared to if no change had been made. At the point of commencement the change will apply to eligible prisoners already serving sentences of less than four years and those sentenced from then on.

    This will mean that an estimated 260-390 short-term prisoners who have served 40% of their sentence will be released by the Scottish Prison Service in three tranches over six weeks.

    The commencement regulations laid in the Scottish Parliament today, which bring the Act into force, set out this will be done on:

    Tranche 1: 18th – 20th February

    Tranche 2: 4th – 6th March

    Tranche 3: 18th – 20th March

    The Bill does not make any changes to the Victim Notification Schemes. Victims who have already signed up to the Victim Notification Scheme (VNS) will be told automatically by the Scottish Prison Service if there is a change to the date of release of the prisoner in their case. Victims who are not signed up to the VNS, can also contact the Scottish Prison Service directly to receive information. Victims will also be able to nominate Victim Support Scotland, Rape Crisis Scotland, ASSIST or Children First to receive information about prisoner release on their behalf.

    Justice Secretary Angela Constance said:

    “The prison population has significantly grown in recent years and I recognise that the impact is being felt in prisons and across the justice system.

    “While not a complete solution, this Act will bring sustained reduction to prisoner numbers so the prison estate can continue to function effectively.

    “We need the prison system to focus on those who pose the greatest risk to the public and provide a range of support to help reduce reoffending and integration back into the community. That is why this Act is backed by both the Prison Officers’ Association and the Prison Governors Association.

    “I absolutely recognise that the release of prisoners can be distressing for victims of crime and that changing the release point for short-term prisoners has the potential to raise questions and cause concern. That is why we will continue to work closely with victim support organisations to ensure that accessible information is available to victims on the change to the release point for short-term prisoners.”

    Background

    In November 2024, the Scottish Parliament voted in favour of the Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Act.

    The Prisoner (Early Release) (Scotland) Act 2025 (Commencement) Regulations 2025.

    Support is available to those being released from prison. All prisoners are entitled to support to help reintegrate with their community and rebuild relationships, including through mentoring and one-to-one support both prior to and post release.

    Information of the number of prisoners released at each tranche will be published within two months following the initial release of prisoners including how many victims were notified of release.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 01/29/2025 will be held deposit auction Moscow Regional Guarantee Fund

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV. MEEX.K.M.M.

    Categoris24-7, Miles, Moscow, Moscow Stotsk Exchang, Russians savings, Russians Federal, Russians Language, Russian economy

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    Archives

    Archives Police Privces Guide I would turn the WordPress

    Parameters
    Date of the deposit auction 01/29/2025
    Placement currency Rub
    Maximum amount of funds placed (in placement currency) 550,000,000.00
    Placement period, days 34
    Date of deposit 01/29/2025
    Refund date 04.03.2025
    Minimum placement interest rate, % per annum 22.20
    Conditions of imprisonment, urgent or special Urgent
    Minimum amount of funds placed for one application (in placement currency) 100,000,000.00
    Maximum number of applications from one Participant, pcs. 1
    Auction form, open or closed Open
    Basis of the Treaty General Agreement
     
    Schedule (Moscow time)
    Preliminary applications from 15:00 to 15:15
    Applications in competition mode from 15:15 to 15:25
    Setting a cut-off percentage or declaring the auction invalid until 15:45
       
    Additional terms Interest payment at the end of the term

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: On 29.01.2025, the deposit auction of the PPC “TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT FUND” will take place

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV. MOEX.K.M.M.

    Categoris24-7, Miles, Moscow, Moscow Stotsk Exchang, Russians savings, Russians Federal, Russians Language, Russian economy

    Post Navigation


    Archives

    Archives Police Privces Guide I would turn the WordPress

    Parameters
    Date of the deposit auction 01/29/2025
    Placement currency Rub
    Maximum amount of funds placed (in placement currency) 720,000,000.00
    Placement period, days 7
    Date of deposit 01/29/2025
    Refund date 05.02.2025
    Minimum placement interest rate, % per annum 21.00
    Conditions of imprisonment, urgent or special Urgent
    Minimum amount of funds placed for one application (in placement currency) 720,000,000.00
    Maximum number of applications from one Participant, pcs. 1
    Auction form, open or closed Open
    Basis of the Treaty General Agreement
     
    Schedule (Moscow time)
    Preliminary applications from 12:30 to 12:40
    Applications in competition mode from 12:40 to 12:45
    Setting a cut-off percentage or declaring the auction invalid until 12:55
       
    Additional terms  

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Superintendent Lindsay Ellis is appointed as Commanding Officer of the Yukon RCMP

    Superintendent Lindsay Ellis is appointed as Commanding Officer of the Yukon RCMP
    jlutz

    This is a joint news release between the Government of Yukon and the Yukon Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

    The Commissioner of the RCMP, Mike Duheme, has appointed Superintendent Lindsay Ellis to the role of Commanding Officer of the Yukon. This change takes effect immediately and brings Superintendent Ellis to the rank of Chief Superintendent.

    Both the Government of Yukon and the RCMP would like to extend their congratulations to Chief Superintendent Ellis on her new role.

    Chief Superintendent Ellis has a rich history of policing in the Yukon for over 12 years and was promoted to Superintendent in 2022 as the Criminal Operations Officer of M Division. During this time, her focus on public safety, modernization of policing services for frontline and specialized units and increased policing accountability has strengthened and enhanced policing across the territory.

    Chief Superintendent Ellis has fostered genuine relationships with Yukon First Nations and diverse groups while promoting collaboration, inclusion and communication across business lines. Her work, relationships and dedication to policing in the territory has resulted in great success under Criminal Operations and the Division increasing Yukoners’ trust in the RCMP.

    Chief Superintendent Ellis has been acting as the Commanding Officer of the Yukon RCMP since September 2024.

    The Government of Yukon and the RCMP would also like to thank Chief Superintendent Scott Sheppard for his many outstanding years of service as the Commanding Officer of the Yukon.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Nigerian who defrauded U.S. pandemic aid programs of more than $1 million sentenced to 54 months in prison

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

    Defendant defrauded Americans for a decade with trove of over 14,000 stolen identities

    Tacoma – The second of two Nigerian men residing in Canada who defrauded pandemic aid programs of millions was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 54 months in prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Fatiu Ismaila Lawal, 46, was extradited from Canada last July, and pleaded guilty in September 2024. At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright said, the crime required substantial planning. “This took advantage of programs designed to help people who were really struggling in an international emergency,” Judge Cartwright said.

    “This defendant made it his full-time job to defraud the U.S. for years before the pandemic, but he kicked it into high gear once critical aid to Americans workers was flowing,” said U.S. Attorney Gorman. “His fraud included using stolen identities of Washington residents to file dozens of unemployment claims in the first few weeks of the pandemic, contributing to the flood of fraudulent claims that caused the state to pause all unemployment payments. In this way his fraud harmed all Washingtonians who desperately needed assistance at the onset of the pandemic.”

    According to records filed in the case, Lawal, and codefendant Sakiru Olanrewaju Ambali, 46, used the stolen identities of thousands of workers to submit over 1,700 claims for pandemic unemployment benefits to over 25 different states, including Washington State. In total, the claims sought approximately $25 million, but the conspirators obtained approximately $2.7 million, primarily from pandemic unemployment benefits. Lawal admits that he personally submitted claims for $1,345,472.

    Lawal personally submitted at least 790 unemployment claims using the stolen identities of 790 workers. He submitted claims for pandemic unemployment benefits to New York, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, California, Washington and some 19 other states. Lawal also established four internet domain names that were subsequently used for fraud – creating some 800 different email addresses that were used in this scheme.

    Additionally, between 2018 and November 2022, Lawal used stolen personal information to submit 3,000 income tax returns for $7.5 million in refunds. The IRS detected the fraud and paid just $30,000.

    “While Mr. Lawal may not have secured the $7.5 million he sought from fraudulent tax refunds, each of the 3,000 returns he filed represents a life he disrupted,” said Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office.

    Lawal and co-defendant Ambali also attempted to use the stolen American identities for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA). The pair submitted some 38 applications, but SBA caught most of the fraud and paid only $2,500.

    Lawal and Ambali had the proceeds of their fraud sent to cash cards or to “money mules” who transferred the funds according to instructions given by the co-conspirators. They also allegedly used stolen identities to open bank accounts and have the money deposited directly into those accounts for their use.

    Evidence gathered in the case shows that Lawal personally received a substantial portion of the criminal proceeds. Lawal was ordered to pay restitution of $1,345,472.

    Co-defendant Ambali was sentenced to 42 months in prison in March 2024.

    In asking for a 65-month prison sentence, the government argued, “During major disasters and nationwide emergencies, it is particularly importantfor the government to be able to disburse aid quickly to real victims to mitigate the impact of the crisis. The actual monetary loss to the government comes secondary to the fact that a real person or business behind each stolen identity had difficulty accessing assistance because a fraudulent claim was already paid in their identity. These difficulties were further compounded by the onslaught of fraudulent claims that clogged the infrastructure in place to distribute the aid. The estimated loss from these fraudulent pandemic unemployment claims is over $100 billion.”

    The National Unemployment Fraud Task Force provided a lead on this case to the investigative team in Western Washington. The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG). Also contributing to the investigation were Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington State Employment Security Division (ESD), and the Small Business Administration (SBA).

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cindy Chang of the Western District of Washington. DOJ’s Office of International Affairs assisted with extradition on this matter.

    The COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force was established to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud related to COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Criminals denied £7.5m in profits from the illegal trade in medicines

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) last year stopped criminals making more than £7.5 million linked to the illegal trade in medicines. 

    Person holding seized medicines in MHRA storeroom. Credit: MHRA

    As part of the crackdown on criminal profits, more than 17 million doses of illegally traded medicines, with a potential street value of more than £40 million, were taken out of circulation last year by the MHRA and its law enforcement partners. These included painkillers, sleeping tablets and erectile dysfunction treatments.  

    Andy Morling, who heads the MHRA’s Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU), said:

    Criminals are in the illegal medicines trade for one reason only, to make money. By seizing their profits, we’re removing that single motivation. Whether held in Bitcoin or banknotes, we can take these criminal profits out of the hands of offenders. We can also use some of the money to strengthen our enforcement efforts against them. It’s a win for the safety of the public, and a serious blow for organised crime.  

    Following the money 

    The MHRA’s CEU leads efforts to disrupt medicine crime by denying criminals the profits that fuel it. Using its legislative powers, the CEU can freeze bank accounts, intercept digital currencies, seize luxury goods and confiscate the proceeds of crime following conviction. During 2024, the CEU’s financial investigators denied these criminals access to a total of £7.5 million in criminal assets.  

    Protecting the public from illegally traded medicines 

    The CEU deployed teams to work in partnership with the Home Office’s Border Force at ports across the UK to identify and seize medicines illegally entering the UK.  

    Most of the seized medicines are not licensed for sale in the UK, so can contain too much or too little of the declared active ingredient and may also contain other ingredients that are not approved for use.  

    The CEU also continued to target those individuals and networks illegally trading in medicines online, disrupting more than 1,500 websites and posts on social media accounts selling medicinal products illegally.  

    Andy Morling said:

    Buying from unverified sources risks your health, as there is no guarantee that the products are safe or effective.

    We work tirelessly to protect patients by preventing medicines crime, disrupting it, and bringing offenders to justice. We do this by working with partners to remove illegally traded medicines from circulation, deny the criminal networks the proceeds of their crimes and disrupt online criminality.

    Where appropriate we will also use the full range of our powers to bring offenders before the courts. These actions help ensure the public can trust the medicines they rely on every day.

    Minister of State for Health, Karin Smyth, said:

    Shameful criminals selling unregulated and illegal medicines must feel the full force of the law.

    We are cracking down on these rogue retailers, taking illicit medicines off the streets, and keeping the public safe.

    The MHRA will use the funds made through this to strengthen future action against criminals.

    Notes to editors

    • The 17 million doses seized include 5.5 million doses of erectile dysfunction medicines, 5.5 million doses of pain treatments, 2.8 million doses of sedatives, 1.6 million doses of sleep disorder treatments, and 1.9 million doses of other medicines.

    • Anyone who suspects they are having a side effect from a medicine are encouraged to talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse and report it directly to the MHRA Yellow Card scheme, either through the Yellow Card website or by searching the Google Play or Apple App stores for MHRA Yellow Card.

    • The MHRA’s Accredited Financial Investigators are authorised by the National Crime Agency under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA). They support investigations by tracing, freezing, and confiscating assets linked to crime, including money laundering and the illegal supply of medicines. Their work includes seizing cash, valuable items, and freezing bank accounts or cryptocurrency suspected of criminal origins. The Home Office’s Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) allows a proportion of the proceeds of crime recovered under POCA, to be redistributed to agencies involved in the asset recovery process. The Home Office encourages agencies to invest ARIS funds to drive up performance on asset recovery or, where appropriate, to fund local crime fighting priorities for the benefit of the community.

    • The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe.  All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks. 

    • The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care. 

    • For media enquiries, please contact the newscentre@mhra.gov.uk, or call on 020 3080 7651. 

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: WHO in Africa: three ways the continent stands to lose from Trump’s decision to pull out

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Lawrence O. Gostin, University Professor; Founding Linda D. & Timothy J. O’Neill Professor of Global Health Law, Georgetown University

    President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization (WHO) will be keenly felt across the globe, with profound implications for health in Africa.

    In the executive order putting the withdrawal process in place, Trump also paused the transfer of US funds, support and resources to the WHO.

    Trump’s executive order is his second attempt to pull the US out of the agency. He has also complained that the US financial contribution to the international organisation is “onerous”.

    The biggest impacts will come from the loss of US funding. The US is by far the WHO’s largest state donor, contributing approximately 18% of the agency’s total funding.

    The WHO’s funding is split into two tranches.

    There are assessed contributions: countries’ membership fees, to which all WHO members agree and over which the WHO has full control. The US accounts for 22%, or US$264 million of these, for the current 2024/25 budget. The US is yet to pay the WHO its assessed contributions for 2024 and 2025. Withdrawing from the organisation without paying these fees would violate US law and must be challenged in the US courts.

    Then there are voluntary contributions: donations by member countries, foundations and other sources, usually earmarked to that donor’s priorities. The US contributes 16%, or US$442 million, of all voluntary contributions.

    In the case of the US, these priorities include HIV/AIDS, polio eradication and health emergencies.

    As experts in global health law, we are deeply concerned about the impacts of this order, which will be far reaching.

    The US withdrawal from the WHO threatens core health programmes in Africa. It will weaken the ability of African countries to respond to health emergencies, and could lead to increases in death and illness on the continent.

    It will also have broader implications for leadership and governance in global health.

    Impact on core programmes

    Trump’s decision to withdraw comes at a time when the WHO’s health priorities in Africa were already underfunded. Eight of 12 areas were funded less than 50% earlier this year.

    Twenty-seven percent of all US funding through the WHO for the African region goes to polio eradication, 20% supports improved access to quality essential health services, and much of the balance goes to pandemic preparedness and response.

    The WHO/US partnership has long supported the HIV/AIDS response in Africa, but the redirection and reduction in funds could reduce the availability of prevention, testing and treatment programmes across the continent. This threatens progress to end AIDS by 2030.

    The funding gap will also have an impact on programmes designed to increase access to quality essential health services, including the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis and malaria, and child and maternal health services.

    If the WHO is forced to cut back on these services due to a lack of financing, it could lead to increases in mortality and morbidity in Africa.

    European countries filled the financing gap in 2020 when Trump last withheld US funding from the WHO. But it is unlikely that they will be able to do so again, as countries across Europe are facing their own geopolitical and financial challenges.

    The WHO’s budget was already thinly spread, and its mandate keeps growing.

    Through its new investment round, the WHO raised US$1.7 billion in pledges, and is expecting another US$2.1 billion through partnerships and other agreements. Yet even before the US president’s executive order, this left a funding gap of approximately US$3.3 billion (or 47%) for the WHO’s 2025-2028 strategy.

    If the gap left by the loss of US funding cannot be filled from other sources, it will fall to African nations to fund health programmes and services that are cut, placing a greater strain on governments reckoning with limited fiscal space.

    Weakened response to health emergencies

    Trump’s decision comes at a pivotal moment for health in Africa, which is experiencing major outbreaks.

    The US has been a key actor supporting WHO-led emergency responses to outbreaks.

    Last year, the US partnered with the WHO and Rwanda to rapidly bring a Marburg outbreak under control. The Marburg virus continues to threaten the continent. Tanzania has just confirmed an outbreak.

    Earlier in August 2024, the WHO and Africa Centres for Disease Control each declared mpox on the continent to be a public health emergency.

    The Biden administration delivered 60,000 vaccines, pledged 1 million more, and contributed over US$22 million to support capacity building and vaccination.

    But now US health officials have been instructed to immediately stop working with the WHO, preventing US teams in Africa from responding to Marburg virus and mpox.

    Even before these outbreaks, the US supported WHO-led emergency responses to COVID-19, Ebola and HIV/AIDS. The US withdrawal could lead to increased transmission, sickness and death in vulnerable regions.

    Similarly, strong partnership between the WHO and the US has helped build health system capacities in Africa for public health emergencies.

    US experts have supported nearly half of all WHO joint external evaluation missions to assess countries’ pandemic preparedness and response capacities under the International Health Regulations. This is a binding WHO agreement to help countries prepare for, detect and initially respond to health emergencies globally.

    The US withdrawal from the WHO risks eroding these efforts, though it may also accelerate a regionalisation of health security already underway in Africa, led by the African Union through the Africa CDC.

    Restructuring of governance

    The US was instrumental in establishing the WHO and shaping WHO norms and standards, in particular driving amendments to the International Health Regulations adopted in June 2024. This included improved obligations to facilitate the rapid sharing of information between the WHO and countries.

    The US has also been a key figure in ongoing negotiations for a new international treaty, a Pandemic Agreement. This would create new rights and obligations to prevent, prepare for and respond to pandemics with elements that go beyond the International Health Regulations. These include obligations on the equitable sharing of vaccines.

    Trump’s executive order would prevent these instruments from being implemented or enforced in the US.

    This would only entrench inequitable dynamics when the next global health emergency breaks out, given the concentration of global pharmaceutical companies in the US.

    The order also pulls the US out of the Pandemic Agreement negotiations. This will inevitably create new diplomatic dynamics. Optimistically, this could provide enhanced opportunities for African nations to strengthen their position on equity.

    The US departure from the WHO will create a leadership vacuum, ushering in a restructuring of power and alliances for global health.

    This vacuum could cede influence to US adversaries, opening the door to even greater Chinese influence on the African continent.

    But it also presents opportunities for greater African leadership in global health, which could strengthen African self-reliance.

    Trump has directed the US to find “credible and transparent” partners to assume the activities the WHO would have performed. And yet there is no substitute for the WHO, with its worldwide reach and stature.

    For more than 75 years, the WHO has been, and remains, the only global health organisation with the membership, authority, expertise and credibility to protect and promote health for the world’s population.

    For this reason, the African Union, among scores of other bodies and leaders, has already urged Trump to reconsider.

    It is now time for the global community to stand up for the WHO and ensure its vital health work in Africa and beyond can thrive.

    – WHO in Africa: three ways the continent stands to lose from Trump’s decision to pull out
    – https://theconversation.com/who-in-africa-three-ways-the-continent-stands-to-lose-from-trumps-decision-to-pull-out-248237

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Comments on Illegal Trump Administration Directives to Withhold Vast Swaths of Congressionally-Approved Federal Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Murray: “The scope of this illegal action is unprecedented and could have devastating consequences across the country for real people. We could see a screeching halt to resources for child care, housing, police officers, opioid addiction treatment, rebuilding roads and bridges, and even disaster relief efforts.”

    Murray: “I am also urging Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham—a fellow appropriator—to hold Russ Vought’s nomination. Republicans should not advance this nomination out of committee until the Trump administration follows the law.”

    ***VIDEO HERE***

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Andy Kim (D-NJ) for a press conference raising the alarm on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memo issued by the Trump administration last night that directs agencies to freeze vast swaths of federal funding passed into law by Republicans and Democrats alike.

    Last night, Murray and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro sent a letter to Acting OMB Director Matthew J. Vaeth raising the alarm on President Trump’s unlawful executive orders and the new memoranda issued by OMB on Monday directing agencies to withhold vast swaths of approved federal funding.

    A fact sheet on the issue of the impoundment is available HERE.

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

    “Look, we were coming here to discuss a very simple resolution on a different kind of lawlessness by the President in response to him pardoning violent criminals and insurrectionists who attacked police officers.

    “That resolution—so you know—read very simply, in its entirety: ‘RESOLVED: that the Senate disapproves of any pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police officers.’ You’ll hear more from me and others regarding this resolution later on the floor.

    “But we are here today to respond to the OMB memo issued by the Trump administration last night.

    “In a brazen and illegal move, the Trump administration is working to freeze vast swaths of federal funding passed into law by Republicans and Democrats alike.

    “The scope of this illegal action is unprecedented and could have devastating consequences across the country for real people.

    “We could see a screeching halt to resources for child care, housing, police officers, opioid addiction treatment, rebuilding roads and bridges, and even disaster relief efforts. Trump was just in California to witness the devastation and now he is holding back that aid.

    “Trump’s actions would wreak havoc in red and blue communities. This is funding that communities are expecting, and this memo has sown chaos and confusion about whether these resources will be available to them.

    “Entire budgets and payrolls across the country are carefully hinging on these resources—we are talking about small towns, our cities, our school districts, our universities, and a lot more.

    “Will local Head Start facilities get their funding? Will grantees at any of our local universities get the funding they need to continue clinical trials? What does this mean for homeless veterans we are working to get housed? 

    “Americans should ask themselves: is it woke to fund cancer research or to rebuild unsafe bridges?

    “All of these critical priorities are funded by the grants that the Trump administration would pause tonight.

    “This illegal move is a massive, massive overreach by the Trump administration. The American people did not vote for this kind of senseless chaos.

    “So, I am also urging Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham—a fellow appropriator—to hold Russ Vought’s nomination that was supposed to move this Thursday. Republicans should not advance this nomination out of committee until the Trump administration follows the law. 

    “The law is the law—the Trump administration must immediately reverse course, follow the requirements of the law, and ensure the nation’s spending laws are implemented as Congress intended.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Blasts Trump Admin for Illegally Blocking Funding for Communities, Comments on Latest OMB Update & Continued Chaos Nationwide

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Murray: “In a brazen and illegal move, the Trump administration is working to freeze huge chunks of federal funding passed into law—by Republicans and Democrats alike.  Now, not even 24 hours later, they are issuing new guidance trying to clean up the massive mess they have made, saying: ‘Wait, we don’t actually know what we are doing….’ but still leaving needless uncertainty about what actually is happening—and they are still—let me make that clear: still—withholding approved funding all across government.”

    ***VIDEO HERE***

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Senate Democrats’ weekly press conference and discussed the Trump administration’s unprecedented and illegal directives to withhold vast chunks of federal funding that were signed into law by Republicans and Democrats alike. She also touched on the recent update the Trump administration sent on its orders, as well as Senate Democrats’ resolution condemning President Trump’s pardons for violent insurrectionists.

    Earlier today, Senator Murray joined colleagues in raising the alarm on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memo issued by the Trump administration last night directing agencies to withhold federal funding and creating mass chaos and confusion in the process.

    Last night, Senator Murray and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro sent a letter to Acting OMB Director Matthew J. Vaeth raising the alarm on President Trump’s unlawful executive orders and the new memoranda issued by OMB on Monday directing agencies to withhold vast swaths of approved federal funding.

    A fact sheet on the issue of the impoundment is available HERE.

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

    “Every one of us in this building owes a huge debt to our Capitol Police. Considering all they sacrifice to keep us safe, we should be able to say—with one voice—that if you violently assault a Capitol Police officer, you should not get a pardon. You should not get off scot free. I will have more to say later on the floor—but from Trump pardoning violent insurrectionists to issuing blatantly unconstitutional executive orders to lawlessly blocking bipartisan funding, we have a lot more ground to cover. And today I want to talk about the OMB guidance the Trump administration issued in the dead of night.

    “In a brazen and illegal move, the Trump administration is working to freeze huge chunks of federal funding passed into law—by Republicans and Democrats alike.

    “Now, not even 24 hours later, they are issuing new guidance trying to clean up the massive mess they have made, saying: ‘Wait, we don’t actually know what we are doing….’ But still leaving needless uncertainty about what actually is happening—and they are still—let me make that clear: still—withholding approved funding all across government.

    “Meanwhile, this chaos is already hurting people, causing confusion, and causing devastating delays. I mean where do we start here? There are a lot of urgent questions but precious few answers—and the answers keep changing.

    “What about grants for public safety? Grants for firefighters and for police departments, or that prevent violence against women—those aren’t direct to individuals—are they still halted?

    “Or health care? What about community health centers that millions rely on—including in rural areas?

    “Or money fighting the opioid crisis—grants that go to states, communities, and non-profits? Are they stopping funding for addiction treatment and prevention?

    “Or clinical studies. Scientists at the University of Washington and Washington State University are deeply alarmed—this is not theoretical; research projects will collapse and staff will be furloughed or laid off.

    “Tribes in my state are deeply alarmed that they will see severe cuts across health care, education, law enforcement, housing—practically every aspect of daily life on Indian land.

    “And of course, what about disaster relief that could be derailed? In Eastern Washington, in my home state, $44 million to help Spokane County rebuild after wildfires—money that was announced weeks ago—is that still on pause? Last week Trump visited communities in North Carolina and California still reeling from disaster; now he is throwing the aid those communities need into chaos.

    “Schools that need Title I payments are worried they may not get the funds that Congress has allocated and voted on.

    “Suddenly, we don’t know: How will Meals on Wheels feed seniors who depend on them? Or what this means for homeless veterans we are working to get housed?

    “Entire budgets and payrolls across the country are carefully hinging on these resources—we’re talking about small towns, cities, rural America, school districts, universities, and much more.

    “And look—saying, ‘just kidding’ not even 24 hours later—is not a solution.

    “You can’t pretend you had no idea it would cause chaos despite all the warnings. That is not believable, and even if it was true, it’s not a good reason for the damage caused.

    “Even despite what we’ve heard from the administration in the last hour or so, they are still illegally withholding funding owed to all of our states—that basic truth has not changed.

    “So I am urging my fellow Republicans to open your eyes to just how bad this is and will be for your states and your communities and speak out. I know reports say the White House is trying to silence members who have done that—but stand up. We are talking about your constituents.

    “And specifically, I am urging my Republican colleagues on the Senate Budget Committee to vote against Russ Vought’s nomination. Republicans should not advance this nomination out of committee until the Trump administration follows the law. 

    “And I am warning the Trump Administration—the law is the law. You need to reverse course, follow the requirements of the law, ensure the nation’s spending laws are implemented as Congress intended, and avoid this pointless, damaging chaos.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Democrats Speak Out After Republicans Block Simple Resolution Condemning Pardons of Individuals Found Guilty of Assaulting Capitol Police Officers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Schumer, Murphy, Kim Lead 47 Senators in Introducing Resolution Condemning Pardons of Individuals Found Guilty of Assaulting Capitol Police Officers

    Murray: “Trump is showing every day, with nearly every action—that he has zero regard for the laws of our country. From pardoning, en masse, violent insurrectionists, to illegally firing government watchdogs charged with holding him accountable, to issuing blatantly unconstitutional executive orders, to asking OMB to halt funding Congress passed—something that is causing serious chaos and harm to red states and blue states alike.”

    ***VIDEO HERE of Senator Murray’s floor speech***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, Republicans senselessly blocked a one-line resolution offered by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and her Democratic colleagues that simply condemns the pardons of individuals found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police Officers. After Republican John Barrasso (R-WY) blocked the resolution, Murray and Senate Democrats took to the Senate floor to speak out against Trump’s move to grant full, complete, and unconditional pardons to violent criminals who assaulted U.S. Capitol Police officers and call out Republicans for refusing to stand up for the Capitol Police who put their lives on the line—and suffered severe injuries—protecting senators’ lives on January 6th.

    All 47 Members of the Senate Democratic Caucus are cosponsors of the resolution, which simply states: “Resolved, That the Senate disapproves of any pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police officers.” A PDF of the resolution is HERE.

    On the Senate floor today, Senator Murray made clear that the throughline of the first week of the Trump administration has been lawlessness—with Trump, “showing every day, with nearly every action, that he has zero regard for the laws of our country. From pardoning, en masse, violent insurrectionists, to illegally firing government watchdogs charged with holding him accountable, to issuing blatantly unconstitutional executive orders, to asking OMB to HALT funding Congress passed— something that is now causing serious chaos and harm to red states and blue states.”

    “I will not sit back and allow President Trump to rewrite the history of the January 6th insurrection,” Murray continued. “Officers here sacrificed tremendously to keep senators safe, Republicans and Democrats alike—and we have the footage, photos, and police reports that clearly show the crimes and the violence committed… President Trump’s decision to pardon, en masse, 1,500 people charged in the insurrection is a truly unthinkable attempt to erase the facts of that day, and undermine our democracy. But it is especially heinous that he chose to pardon individuals who violently attacked our Capitol Police officers… It is a betrayal of the law enforcement that protected us all that day and a dangerous endorsement of political violence—telling criminals that you can beat cops within an inch of their lives as long as it’s in service to Donald Trump.”

    According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, approximately 1,572 defendants have been federally charged with crimes associated with the attack of the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. This includes approximately 598 charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement agents or officers or obstructing those officers during a civil disorder, including approximately 171 defendants charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer. As proven in Court, the weapons used and carried on Capitol grounds during the January 6th attack include firearms; OC spray; tasers; edged weapons, including a sword, axes, hatchets, and knives; and makeshift weapons, such as destroyed office furniture, fencing, bike racks, stolen riot shields, baseball bats, hockey sticks, flagpoles, PVC piping, and reinforced knuckle gloves. During the siege of the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, over 80 U.S. Capitol Police Officers were assaulted.

    Senator Murray’s full remarks, as delivered, are below and video is HERE:

    “Mr. President, we are a week into the Trump Administration, and it can be summed up in one word: lawlessness. Trump is showing every day, with nearly every action, that he has zero regard for the laws of this country.

    “From pardoning, en masse, violent insurrectionists, to illegally firing government watchdogs charged with holding him accountable, to issuing blatantly unconstitutional executive orders, to asking OMB to halt funding Congress passed—something that is now causing serious chaos and harm to red states and blue states.

    “We are not going to let his strategy of overwhelming chaos win the day. We are fighting each of the actions, and will not stop asserting our power as an equal branch of the government.

    “But right now, today, we are going to focus on one issue in particular—one that is not just alarming, but actually personal to all of us here in the Senate, because it concerns the Capitol Police each of us walk by every single day.

    “I have made it clear, I will not sit back and allow President Trump to rewrite the history of the January 6th insurrection. Already, his Justice Department has taken down the public database that laid out the thousands of investigations—he is literally trying to erase the evidence from public memory!

    “But no President can rewrite history—not unless we stand by and let him. And that is absolutely not going to happen. We will not forget what really happened here on January 6th, 2021.

    “As we all remember, as the American people witnessed in real time, armed insurrectionists—egged on by the sitting president—broke into the U.S. Capitol and violently assaulted Capitol Police officers in their attempt to overturn a free and fair election.

    “You do not have to take my word for it—though, like many of my colleagues, I have a first-person account of that day. The reality is well documented in videos, in photos, in case documents from thousands of people charged with felonies after that day—including assault.

    “We know, as a matter of fact, some insurrectionists brought knives, tasers, axes, hatchets, pepper spray, zip ties and more.

    “We know, as a matter of fact, some assaulted officers with flagpoles, stun guns, fire extinguishers, and bear spray.

    “We know as a matter of fact, that Capitol Police officers suffered severe injuries as a result—including cracked ribs, smashed spinal disks, brain injuries, and even the loss of an eye.

    “Officers here sacrificed tremendously to keep senators safe, Republicans and Democrats alike—and we have the footage, photos, police reports that clearly show the crimes and the violence that was committed.

    “So Mr. President, President Trump’s decision to pardon—en masse—1,500 people charged in the insurrection is truly an unthinkable attempt to erase the facts of that day, and undermine our democracy.

    “But it is especially heinous that he chose to pardon individuals who violently attacked our Capitol Police officers. Not to mention commuting the sentences of 14 others: people found guilty of seditious conspiracy, people like Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys, and Stewart Rhodes, leader of the Oath Keepers.

    “It is a betrayal of the law enforcement that protected all of that day, and a dangerous endorsement of political violence—telling criminals that you can beat cops within an inch of their lives as long as it’s in service to Donald Trump.

    “Every one of us here owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to our Capitol Police. They protected our lives, and they protected our democracy. That is why we are here today to pass a resolution today, that makes clear the U.S. Senate stands with our Capitol Police officers—by disapproving the pardon of those who violently attacked the officers who keep us safe.

    “It is a very simple, modest resolution—its reads, in its entirety: ‘Resolved: that the Senate disapproves of any pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police officers.’

    “It is that simple. We aren’t relitigating every case—this is only about people guilty of assaulting Capitol Police.

    “I made sure this was short and clear—something we can pass unanimously. Because a message like this really should be unanimous.

    “In fact, Mr. President, just to underscore how straightforward this is—I want to read it in its entirety once again: ‘Resolved: that the Senate disapproves of any pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police officers.’

    “That’s it. The entire thing. I don’t really think there is anything here for anyone to disagree with.

    Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, after Republicans blocked the resolution:

    “Mr. President, I am deeply frustrated that is the response we got today. We cannot agree on something as simple as standing by the officers who keep this building safe?! Officers every one of us walk by every day?

    “There are officers standing just outside the floor right now keeping watch as we are forced to debate whether it was not was okay to pardon the people that violently attacked them.

    “I don’t know how my colleagues who oppose this simple resolution can look them in the eye!

    “It is insulting enough that Speaker Johnson—someone who has a dedicated, 24/7 detail—has refused to put up the plaque honoring the brave officers who kept us safe four years ago.

    “But the fact we can’t pass a resolution as simple as the one I presented today—the fact we can’t all agree that we should side with the people who keep us safe, over the people who are attacking us, is disgraceful.

    “It is unworthy of this body, and unworthy of the sacrifice our Capitol Police have demonstrated time and again. We owe them better.

    “I will not going to stop pushing to make sure we show them we understand that.

    “The President may be able to grant pardons, commute sentences, release criminals, delete databases… but I will tell you here, he can take no action he takes can erase the past, unless we let him.

    “And as long as I can stand, as long as I can speak, as long as I am here—I will not let him, or anyone, rewrite the history of the January 6th insurrection or erase the important lessons that we must learn from it.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Kim, NJ Non-Profits Warn of Severe Disruptions to Vital Community Services Following Trump OMB Guidance

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    NEWARK, NJ –– This afternoon, Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Andy Kim (D-NJ) joined New Jersey non-profit service providers to warn of the immediate and tangible negative effects the Trump-Vance administration’s January 27 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memorandum will have on communities across the Garden State.

    Requiring all executive departments and agencies “to identify and review all Federal financial assistance,” OMB’s memorandum pauses all grant, loan, and other congressionally apportioned financial assistance programs to municipalities and critical service providers across the country, including funding for veterans’ assistance groups, police, firefighters, and local first responders, early childhood education centers, older adult service providers, and domestic violence survivor organizations. 

    Condemning these pauses, Senator Cory Booker, Senator Andy Kim, and local and state-wide service providers warned:

    “Once again, President Trump has made clear his willingness to inflict pain upon communities across the country, including at home in New Jersey. OMB’s latest guidance has produced immense uncertainty across our state’s municipalities and critical service providers. My office has heard from veterans’ assistance groups, local first responders, and domestic violence survivor organizations, and they’re all telling us the same thing. Their operational integrity and the wellbeing of those they serve are in jeopardy. These are the actions of a callous president––one wholly unconcerned by the day-to-day realities of the majority of Americans and New Jerseyans. While President Trump continues to ignore families who want to see actions that lower costs and make their lives better, I’ll continue to work to guarantee New Jerseyans––from Sussex County to Cumberland County and everywhere in between––have the resources they need to get ahead,” said Senator Cory Booker.

    “President Trump and his administration continue to serve their own power first, not caring that local communities are the collateral damage to their incompetence. OMB’s decision disregards the basic functions of our federal government and how it meets critical needs in communities across our country. We want Donald Trump to know exactly what these decisions and loss of funding could mean for New Jersey: it places independent living centers on the brink, risks vital Meals on Wheels for our seniors, and threatens crucial Head Start services for our families. These are just a couple examples from the calls and messages coming into my office today.  At a moment of such distrust between people and their government, this isn’t simply a disregard for our Constitution, this is a cruel attack hurting families all across this nation. We will look at all possible actions to force the Trump administration to honor Congress’ power of the purse and ensure these funds reach our communities,” said Senator Kim.

    “The new executive order pausing the release of federal grant funding impacts sexual violence services, putting individuals who have been assaulted and their loved ones at greater risk. With reduced funding, service providers face the challenge of maintaining critical support systems, including the availability of advocates to answer hotlines, provide accompaniments to forensic exams, navigate the court system, and offer counseling and other critical services.  Often, there is no duplication of services supporting survivors, and our data show that there are already existing waitlists for them. Interruptions in funding will only exacerbate an already strained system and delay access to care. This increase in wait times will not only heighten the immediate danger of further harm but also prolong the impact on survivors’ healing,” said Robert Baran and Denise Rodriguez, Co-Directors, New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

    “We have worked with Senator Booker countless times to be sure we have secured these much needed dollars to Fire Departments across New Jersey. These dollars have offset costs for manpower, training, and equipment. All of which have provided a safer workplace for our members while we protect the residents and visitors of our great State. We urge the President to release these funds Congress has appropriated for AFG and SAFER grants,” said Eddie Donnelly, President, New Jersey State Firefighters’ Mutual Benevolent Association (FMBA).

    “A pause in federal funding of any length will impact our ability to serve our homeless veteran population. This is not just the case for our program but for similar programs throughout the nation. The effects of this pause will be immediate and grave. For example, they will imperil the support families enrolled in the VA’s Support Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) programs receive, including rental assistance. And, as rents come due in a matter of days, this raises the specter of evictions and increased veteran homelessness. Additionally, a pause in the federal funding we receive will immediately affect our ability to purchase and prepare food for our 100+ housed veterans, prevent us from taking in, and providing services, for additional homeless veterans in New Jersey, halts our ability to pay leases on vehicles used for support services, and jeopardizes the jobs of nearly 200 employees dedicated to serving our nation’s veterans, many of whom are veterans or were once unhoused veterans themselves. While we will continue to provide those who rely on us with the dignity and care they deserve, OMB’s memorandum seriously endangers the wellbeing of an already vulnerable population,” said Bruce Buckley, Chief Executive Officer, Soldier On.

    “The recent pause in funds has produced considerable concern across the Rutgers University community, which prides itself on the federally supported research and service it carries out to promote the common good and serve the national interest. The federal government is a critical partner to Rutgers, with federal funding for student aid, research, and public service initiatives accounting for about $1 billion of the university’s $5.6 billion budget. As we work across the university to understand the impact of the federal pauses and to provide guidance to our community during these uncertain times, Rutgers remains profoundly committed to our public mission of research, teaching, and service, and to our students’ success,” said Jonathan Holloway, President, Rutgers University.

    “A freeze to the release of federal funds will impact all victims and survivors of domestic violence. The vast majority of our 33 domestic violence providers in NJ rely on federal funding to ensure that every county has a domestic violence shelter, legal advocacy, counseling and other critical services that survivors need. A freeze in funding will increase barriers for survivors seeking safety, and will cause many to stay in abusive situations, increasing the danger and harm they will experience. The federal government must act accordingly, and not hastily, to ensure victims and survivors have the services they need in their community when they need them” said Adrienne Gantz and Nicole Morella, Co-Executive Directors, New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence.

    “Just a few days into their term, the Trump-Vance Administration has imposed an unprecedented freeze on federally funded programs, including programs that benefit more than 578,000 New Jerseyans, who rely on community health centers for vital, cost-efficient and life-saving care. For a majority of our state’s community health centers, this freeze in federal funding will cause them to shutter, leaving hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans without access to healthcare. These freezes come asemerging public health risks––like bird flu and other infectious diseases––continue to pose dangers to our communities. Our health centers are already struggling financially, and many are facing the likelihood of not making payroll in the next few weeks, dealing a death blow to centers that are already having difficulty in retaining an adequate workforce for the services they provide,” said Selina Haq, Ph.D., President/Chief Executive Officer, New Jersey Primary Care Association.

    “Boys & Girls Club of Newark has six funding sources that may be impacted by the federal spending freeze. These funds represent more than 10% of our annual budget of $5M and could affect funding for 35-50 team members in direct service with youth. The kinds of programs that could be affected are meal service at our after-school programs, food distribution to families, mentorship for at-risk youth, and critical funding related to safety at our facility. We believe these services are of vital importance to the work we do in our community. Our hope is to see funding restored to ensure our constituents can receive these services that they rely on for their well-being,” said Ameer Washington, Chief Executive Officer, Boys & Girls Club Newark.

    “The freeze in federal funding, which has been imposed, will undoubtedly have a devastating impact on Centers for Independent Living throughout the country. These centers provide crucial support and assistance to individuals with disabilities, allowing them to live independently and fully participate in their communities. With this ban in place, these centers may be forced to put vital services on hold, leaving many individuals without the necessary resources and support they rely on. Furthermore, the ban may also result in significant financial strain for these centers, potentially leading to payrolls being put on hold and difficulty paying rent. This could ultimately jeopardize the ability of these centers to continue operating and providing essential services to those in need. The impact of this ban will not only be felt by the centers themselves, but also by the individuals they serve, creating a ripple effect throughout the disability community. It is essential that this ban be reconsidered and alternative solutions be explored to ensure that Centers for Independent Living can continue their important work without interruption,” said Carole Tonks, Executive Director, Alliance Center for Independence – Edison, NJ.

    “This order to halt federal funding will have devastating consequences for millions of New Jerseyans, including many that New Jersey Citizen Action directly serves. Federal grants enable many organizations like ours to help New Jerseyans to save themselves from foreclosures, afford first-time homebuyer loans, protect themselves from housing discrimination, file their taxes for free, navigate essential social safety-net programs, and achieve financial stability. These key investments have allowed New Jersey to build stronger communities and healthier, thriving families. The order would also affect the entire New Jersey nonprofit sector dedicated to serving our state’s most vulnerable populations.  These include organizations that provide services for seniors, people with disabilities, children, women, victims of domestic violence, and organizations in the field of mental health. It’s unconscionable that the Trump administration should halt these investments—which have already been approved by Congress—for American taxpayers while considering further tax cuts for billionaires and corporations,” said Dena Mottola, Executive Director, New Jersey Citizen Action.

    “The work that we do along with other nonprofit public health agencies is vital to the health of our communities. We know that maternal child health is critical to the health of our nation and limiting or cutting funding that states, agencies and programs like ours receive will have negative long-term consequences on the women, children and families that we serve,” said Robyn D’Oria MA, RNC, APN, Chief Executive Officer, Central Jersey Family Health Consortium. 

    Additional programs and initiatives adversely impacted by OMB’s memorandum include but are not limited to:

    Head Start

    Click here for a state-by-state table of FY 2024 funding for Head Start, which funds comprehensive early childhood education, or here for state-by-state fact sheets that use the same funding data.  

    VAWA Grants

    Click here for state level totals of FY 2024 grant funding from the Office of Violence Against Women.    

    Community Health Center

    Click here for a 2023 table of state-by-state Section 330 grant funding for community health centers, which provide affordable care for millions of Americans. 

    IDEA and Other Department of Education Grant Programs

    Click here for a state-by-state table of IDEA Grants (which help children with disabilities) from FY 2023, and data on other grant programs through the Department of Education that could be impacted by the freeze.  

    COPS Grants

    The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program is a Department of Justice grant program for law enforcement. More info here, and many of the links include state-by-state fact sheets. This link here includes FY 2024 grant amounts for the COPS Hiring Program (CHP). These are divided up by state but you may have to calculate your state’s total separately.  

    State Opioid Response Grants

    Click here for total state awards from FY 2024 for the State Opioid Response Grantsprogram, which funds addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services.  

    SBA Loans to Small Business

    Click here for a dashboard of approved SBA loans by state for recent fiscal years including FY 2024. State totals for both the 7(a) program and 504 program are available. Copying values from the dashboard does not always work, but the Download Data option is a good other way to access the numbers.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Tesla suing EU over tariffs on China-made EVs

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    United States electric vehicle, or EV, maker Tesla is challenging the European Union’s decision to slap hefty import tariffs on China-made electric autos.

    The legal action by the company, which is owned by technology guru Elon Musk, is similar to court challenges launched last week by German automaker BMW and Chinese carmakers, including BYD Auto, SAIC Motor, and Geely. Chinese industry body the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products has also launched a legal challenge in the EU’s courts. And China’s government has filed a complaint about the bloc’s tariffs with the World Trade Organization.

    The European Court of Justice confirmed Tesla’s legal challenge on Monday.

    Olof Gill, the EU’s trade spokesperson, told Agence France-Presse: “We take note of these cases and we look forward to defending ourselves in court as necessary.”

    Tesla’s legal challenge is in response to the EU introducing tariffs at the end of October of 7.8 percent on Tesla’s China-made vehicles. The bloc has also set tariffs of up to 35.3 percent on other China-made EVs. The new tariffs come on top of a 10 percent standard import tariff that was already in place for electric vehicle imports into the EU.

    The bloc said it introduced the China-specific tariffs in response to what it says are unfair subsidies that include low-interest loans, cheap land, and supplier discounts, claims China has strongly denied.

    Tesla’s legal challenge will be heard in the EU’s General Court. Any verdict handed down there could then be challenged in the European Court of Justice.

    The court case comes against the backdrop of deteriorating relations between the EU and Musk, who is the world’s richest individual.

    Musk, who owns the social media platform X, has spoken out strongly against the bloc’s efforts to regulate internet activity. He has also angered the EU by throwing his support behind far-right political parties, including Germany’s Alternative for Germany.

    Critics have said Musk’s political activism may have contributed to Tesla’s recent decline in Europe, with the brand seeing its sales fall by 13 percent, year-on-year, in 2024, to 242,945 units, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. Around 28 percent of Chinese-made electric automobiles imported into the EU in 2023 were Teslas.

    Around one-fifth of all electric cars sold in the EU – some 300,000 units – are made in China.

    The court case is likely to take around 18 months to complete.

    Tesla has also called on the Canadian government to scrap its 100 percent tariff on electric cars imported from China.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CS inspects Lo Wu Control Point

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki paid a visit to the Lo Wu Control Point this morning to learn about the various arrangements and operations of relevant departments to cope with the increase in inbound and outbound passenger traffic during the Lunar New Year period.

    Mr Chan also expressed wishes for the country to thrive vigorously, for Hong Kong to have harmony and prosperity, and every success to the community.

    During his visit to the control point, the Chief Secretary extended his New Year greetings to the staff on duty and expressed his gratitude to them for performing their duties with dedication during the holidays.

    Along the way, he took the opportunity to extend Lunar New Year greetings to citizens and travellers.

    Accompanied by Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung, Director of Immigration Benson Kwok and Commissioner of Customs & Excise Chan Tsz-tat, Mr Chan met the frontline staff of the Immigration Department, Customs and Police on duty at the control point.

    He learnt about the arrangements and operation conditions for customs clearance, diverting passenger movements, public order maintenance, etc at the control point during the Lunar New Year period.

    Mr Chan was pleased to note that the relevant government departments have been in close co-ordination and liaison with stakeholders of transport, tourism and other sectors for making good preparations for receiving visitors during the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland, and ensuring the orderly operation of boundary control points.

    The Chief Secretary also encouraged visitors arriving in Hong Kong to stay overnight during the Lunar New Year holidays to fully enjoy the rich and diverse celebratory activities to be held across various districts and experience Hong Kong’s unique city charm.

    At the same time, he instructed relevant departments to collaborate with various stakeholders, including public transport operators, to strengthen information dissemination, including the situation at various boundary control points, details of celebration events and transport arrangements.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: On the Senate Floor, Cortez Masto Calls Out Trump’s Anti-Law Enforcement Pardons

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    “Earlier today, my Democratic colleagues and I co-sponsored a resolution to condemn these pardons. One would think that my Republican colleagues who claim to be pro-law enforcement would sign onto this resolution and stand against any action that harms our police.”
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) blasted President Trump on the Senate floor for pardoning a drug trafficking kingpin and the violent criminals who assaulted police officers on January 6, 2021. A former prosecutor and Nevada attorney general, Cortez Masto urged her supposedly pro-law enforcement Republican colleagues to join her resolution condemning these pardons.
    Below are her remarks as prepared for delivery:
    Mr. President, I’m so appreciative of my colleagues coming down here to talk about not only the January 6 pardons that President Trump has done but to stand with the men and women in law enforcement.
    When I’m home, quite often I will hear at times that “well, Democrats don’t support law enforcement, they don’t support the men and women who keep our communities safe.” And that’s just not true, as you can see today.
    But here’s what I know, and this is why this was devastating to so many men and women who not only are Capitol Police officers right here, who defended our Capitol on January 6, who stand to protect us, but for all of the men and women in law enforcement across this country who are paying attention and watching what this president does.
    Will he have their back when the time comes? Will he be there to truly support them in their time of need when they’re doing their job like he says he will?
    Now, we’ve spent the last decade hearing Donald Trump talk about “law and order” and cracking down on crime. Last fall, on a national podcast, he called for giving our law enforcement their “dignity back”. Just last week at a White House press conference, he claimed to be a friend of the police.
    Well, Donald Trump has been in office for just one week, and already his actions are making it clear that he doesn’t mean what he says. In fact, from his actions we’ve seen so far, he’s actively working against our men and women in law enforcement – not only here who work at this Capitol, but across this country.
    Let me put this in starker terms that I think my Republican colleagues will understand. Mr. President, Nevada families across my state have been torn apart by dangerous drugs like methamphetamines and opioids. And that’s true for so many families across the country.
    It doesn’t matter if they’re Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, or independents – illicit drug trafficking is impacting everyone in this country.
    But last week, Donald Trump pardoned the founder of Silk Road, an underground internet site that oversaw the trafficking of $200 million in illegal drugs and other illicit trade.
    The founder was convicted by a jury of his peers and sentenced to life in prison for participating in a criminal organization and distributing narcotics on the internet.
    Americans died after purchasing illicit drugs on his website. A website that was specifically designed to skirt the law and support criminal activity.
    But now, this founder is walking free because of Donald Trump.
    Donald Trump giving a full, unconditional pardon to this drug dealer and criminal profiteer is a slap in the face to the victims of this crisis, and to law enforcement who work to protect our communities and to take drug traffickers like him off our streets.
    What Donald Trump has done is not law and order, it’s chaos.
    And it’s not just with this one pardon.
    Donald Trump has also pardoned more than 130 individuals who were convicted of assaulting police officers right here at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
    I was here that day. I remember running into a Capitol Police officer who was pepper-sprayed by a rioter in Donald Trump’s mob. And at the same time that he was washing out his eyes, he was saying to us senators, “Don’t worry. I’ve got your back, and I am standing guard.” And he ran back out to the front of the Capitol. He was doing his job.
    That day, those rioters and insurrectionists brought weapons and zip ties to the Capitol, they used WD-40 and bear spray on our officers, and they assaulted Capitol Police with American flags.
    This isn’t some political conspiracy – these insurrectionists posted videos online of themselves shoving, punching, and attacking our law enforcement.
    And now, instead of serving their time and facing the consequences for the dangerous actions they committed against our police officers, Donald Trump is telling them that not only were they wrongfully punished, but in fact, their behavior on that day is encouraged – as long as they’re doing his bidding.
    Criminals convicted of attacking law enforcement are giving TV interviews saying that President Trump’s pardons have vindicated their actions.
    This is an endorsement of political violence, and it’s an insult to the men and women who risk their lives every day to keep our families safe.
    I know many law enforcement officers personally. As a former prosecutor and attorney general of the state of Nevada, I’ve spent most of my life working with some great men and women in law enforcement.
    And by the way, I’m married to one. My husband worked in federal law enforcement his entire career. His priority was doing his job and keeping people safe, because that’s what our law enforcement is trained to do. To put their lives on the line every single time to keep our communities safe.
    And it’s not just about the officers – it’s about their families. When you are the spouse or the loved one of an officer who gets that call, sometimes in the middle of the night, and they leave to address some crime or issue and keep your community safe, you don’t know if they’re coming back.
    There are two calls that are the worst kind you can get as the spouse of a law enforcement officer. The first one is from your spouse saying “I’m in the hospital, but don’t worry, everything’s okay.” The second one is not from your spouse, but it’s from another law enforcement officer telling you that your husband or wife went out on a call and didn’t come back.
    The sacrifices of not only our officers but their loved ones need to be considered. And if we truly believe in law and order and we truly believe that we should support them because they put their lives on the line every single day, then we should have their backs. No matter your politics, we should always be there to support them.
    I will always stand up for law enforcement.
    I’ve passed legislation to support public safety under administrations of both parties. And I will always speak out when our leaders act against law enforcement, whether they’re a Democrat or a Republican.
    I disagreed with President Biden granting pardons to his family, I disagreed when he granted clemency for Leonard Peltier, who was convicted of murdering two FBI agents. And I disagree with President Biden in commuting the sentence of Adrian Peeler, who was convicted of drug trafficking and murder.
    I also spoke out when President Biden nominated Adeel Mangi to be a federal judge. I did not support him because of his affiliation with a group that wanted to let cop killers out of prison.
    That was me standing up for law enforcement.
    So believe me when I say, this is not partisan; this is about standing up for the men and women who put their lives on the line for us every day.
    This shouldn’t be hard. You commit a violent crime in our community, you should face the consequences.
    Don’t take my word for it – the Fraternal Order of Police, which is the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the world, has condemned Trump’s pardoning of those who assaulted Capitol Police officers on January 6.
    But there are too many members of this body, who had the benefit of those Capitol Police officers on January 6 protecting their lives, who have been oddly silent.
    Earlier today, my Democratic colleagues and I co-sponsored a resolution to condemn these pardons. One would think that my Republican colleagues who claim to be pro-law enforcement would sign onto this resolution and stand against any action that harms our police.
    If we truly believe in law and order and we want to work together to keep our communities safe, we have to not only talk about it, we have to act.
    Because the American people deserve better. The American people deserve a president who isn’t going to release violent criminals back into our communities. The American people deserve safety – and our law enforcement, who maintain that safety, deserve to know we have their backs.

    MIL OSI USA News –