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  • MIL-OSI: Xtract One Technologies Inc. Announces $7 Million “Bought Deal” Public Offering

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE U.S. NEWSWIRE OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

    BASE SHELF PROSPECTUS IS ACCESSIBLE AND PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT WILL BE ACCESSIBLE ON SEDAR+ WITHIN TWO BUSINESS DAYS

    TORONTO, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — June 11, 2025 – Xtract One Technologies Inc. (TSX: XTRA) (OTCQX: XTRAF) (FRA: 0PL), a leading technology-driven threat detection and security solution that prioritizes the patron access experience by leveraging AI, (the “Company” or “Xtract One“) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Ventum Capital Markets (the “Underwriter“) pursuant to which the Underwriter has agreed to purchase 18,000,000 units (the “Offered Securities“) from the treasury of the Company, at a price of $0.39 per Unit (the “Issue Price”) and offer them to the public by way of prospectus supplement for total gross proceeds of $7,020,000 (the “Offering“). Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (each a “Common Share”) and one common share purchase warrant (each full warrant, a “Warrant” and collectively the “Warrants”).

    The Company has granted the Underwriter an option to purchase up to an additional 15% of the Offered Securities at the Issue Price. The Over-Allotment Option may be exercised in whole or in part to purchase Offered Securities as determined by the Underwriter upon written notice to the Company at any time up to 30 days following the Closing Date (the “Over-Allotment Option”).

    The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for working capital and general corporate purposes.

    The Offered Securities will be offered (i) by way of a prospectus supplement to the base shelf prospectus of the Company dated February 6, 2024 (the “Base Shelf Prospectus”) to be filed in all provinces and territories of Canada, except Quebec (the “Prospectus Supplement”); (ii) may be distributed in the United States to Qualified Institutional Buyers (as defined in Rule 144A under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”)) pursuant to an exemption under Rule 144A; and (iii) may be distributed outside Canada and the United States on a basis which does not require the qualification or registration of any of the Company’s securities under domestic or foreign securities laws.

    This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

    The Offering is expected to close on or about June 18, 2025, or such other date as the Company and the Underwriter may agree, and is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approval of the securities regulatory authorities and the Toronto Stock Exchange.

    Access to the Prospectus Supplement, the Base Shelf Prospectus and any amendments thereto are provided in Canada in accordance with securities legislation relating to procedures for providing access to a shelf prospectus supplement, a base shelf prospectus supplement and any amendment to such documents. The Base Shelf Prospectus is, and the Prospectus Supplement will be (within two business days from the date hereof), accessible through SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com. An electronic or paper copy of the Prospectus Supplement, the Base Shelf Prospectus and any amendment thereto may be obtained, without charge, from Ventum Financial Corp., or email at ecm@ventumfinancial.com by providing the contact with an email address or address, as applicable.

    About Xtract One

    Xtract One Technologies is a leading technology-driven provider of threat detection and security solutions leveraging AI to deliver seamless and secure experiences. The Company makes unobtrusive weapons and threat detection systems that are designed to assist facility operators in prioritizing- and delivering improved “Walk-right-In” experiences while enhancing safety. Xtract One’s innovative portfolio of AI-powered Gateway solutions excels at allowing facilities to discreetly screen and identify weapons and other threats at points of entry and exit without disrupting the flow of traffic. With solutions built to serve the unique market needs for schools, hospitals, arenas, stadiums, manufacturing, distribution, and other customers, Xtract One is recognized as a market leader delivering the highest security in combination with the best individual experience. For more information, visit www.xtractone.com or connect on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

    About Threat Detection Systems

    Xtract One solutions, when properly configured, deployed, and utilized, are designed to help enhance safety and reduce threats. Given the wide range of potential threats in today’s world, no threat detection system is 100% effective. Xtract One solutions should be utilized as one element in a multilayered approach to physical security.

    For further information, please contact:
    Xtract One Inquiries: info@xtractone.com, http://www.xtractone.com
    Media Contact: Kristen Aikey, JMG Public Relations, 212-206-1645, kristen@jmgpr.com
    Investor Relations: Chris Witty, Darrow Associates, 646-438-9385, cwitty@darrowir.com

    Forward-Looking Information
    This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated completion of the Offering, intended use of proceeds from the Offering, future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, are “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “estimates”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, events or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the Company’s limited operating history and lack of historical profits; risks related to the Company’s business and financial position; fluctuations in the market price of the Company’s Common Shares; that the Company may not be able to accurately predict its rate of growth and profitability; the failure of the Company and/or the Underwriter to satisfy closing conditions to the Offering; whether the Over-Allotment Option will be exercised; the failure of the Company to satisfy certain TSX additional listing requirements in respect of the Offered Securities; the failure of the Company to use any of the proceeds received from the Offering in a manner consistent with current expectations; reliance on management; the Company’s requirements for additional financing, and the effect of capital market conditions and other factors on capital availability; competition, including from more established or better financed competitors; and the need to secure and maintain corporate alliances and partnerships, including with research and development institutions, clients and suppliers. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other risk factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. The Company has no intention to update any forward-looking statement, even if new information becomes available as a result of future events, new information or for any other reason, except as required by law.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: New Providence Acquisition Corp. III Announces the Separate Trading of its Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants, Commencing June 16, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Palm Beach, FL, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — New Providence Acquisition Corp. III (Nasdaq: NPACU) (the “Company”) announced today that, commencing June 16, 2025, holders of the units sold in the Company’s initial public offering may elect to separately trade the Company’s Class A ordinary shares and warrants included in the units. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants that are separated will trade on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbols “NPAC” and “NPACW,” respectively. Those units not separated will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “NPACU.”

    This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities of the Company, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

    About New Providence Acquisition Corp. III

    The Company is a special purpose acquisition company incorporated under the laws of Cayman Islands for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. The Company seeks to acquire and operate a business in the consumer industry, however, it may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any business or industry or at any stage of its corporate evolution.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release may include, and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may include, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements regarding possible business combinations and the financing thereof, and related matters, as well as all other statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management team, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company’s management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are qualified in their entirety by this paragraph. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company’s registration statement and prospectus for the Company’s initial public offering filed with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

    Company Contact

    New Providence Acquisition Corp. III
    Leo Valentine
    leo.valentine@npa-corp.com
    929-249-8832

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Extensions on Extensions: Statement on Further Extension of the Form PF Compliance Date

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    Today’s open meeting looks like a straightforward Commission vote to extend a compliance date for a recently adopted rulemaking.[1] But there is more here than meets the eye. The reality of our action today is more complex – and more concerning. And the clock is ticking because the compliance date at issue is, in fact, tomorrow.

    Form PF is the confidential form on which certain SEC-registered investment advisers to private funds report information to the SEC that helps us to understand potential systemic risk.[2] The SEC, and other regulators including FSOC, depend on these detailed data to better comprehend when the private markets may be experiencing turbulence that could affect our entire financial system. Because these entities generally operate outside of our regulatory view, these data are our best – and perhaps only – way to spot large scale financial disasters originating in the private funds market, or amplified by private fund exposure, before they happen. And, these data can help us understand more fully the impact of a market event if it has already occurred.

    The recent amendments, and the “new” version of the form they create, would improve the quality of these data so that they are more precise and helpful for identifying and responding to systemic risk.[3] Remember, many of our pension fund dollars are invested in private funds – so understanding risks in this market is important for American retirement savings.

    Today, the Commission is attempting to extend the new form’s compliance date under the wire, with just hours to spare, to accommodate a last-minute request[4] from some of the most highly sophisticated, highly resourced entities in our financial system, who have already been given an extension several months ago.[5] Now they’re back for more time with what doesn’t seem like a credible reason.

    The truth is that we are here to extend this compliance date not because firms actually need additional time to comply, but to allow for reconsideration of these amendments more broadly. If you look closely, you’ll find the proof in footnote 12 of today’s release. That footnote admits that the Commission is delaying the Form’s compliance date so it can revisit – or perhaps endeavor to abandon – this information altogether.[6] So, although this extension is for just a few more months, I suspect that we will continue to accommodate requests to extend this compliance date until we have significantly revised or undone this rule.[7],[8]

    Abandoning the APA

    And so, with this vote, we plough ahead and do exactly that. We are simply disregarding the authority of two previous Commissions – at both the SEC and the CFTC – who adopted this new form just one year ago. And while I would posit that entities in such a situation should abide by regulations lawfully adopted and thus file the new form, this procedural quagmire is certainly a far cry from what the APA intends.[9] Much has been said about the Commission’s desire to “return” to a reasoned agency process, [10] but this desire is nowhere to be found when there’s a looming compliance date that some would like to dodge.

    Less Information, But More Retail Access

    Finally, it is important to remember that this timing also just so happens to be aligned with a powerful policy push to increasingly open private markets to retail investors.[11] By preventing these amendments from coming online, we are willfully blindfolding the Commission and similarly hobbling our and other financial regulators’ ability to conduct more precise and effective analysis of private markets. This further undermines our ability to do data-driven rulemaking in the future,[12] including our ability to effectively do an economic analysis if this or any future Commission tries to open private markets to retail investors. And the timing couldn’t be worse, as evidenced by increasingly widespread concern about the stability of private markets.[13]

    Refusing to receive these improved data on systemic risk doesn’t make those risks go away. And we can’t have it both ways. We can’t suggest that its perfectly safe and appropriate for investors of all stripes to gain exposure to these markets while we are going out of our way to put our head in the sand about what’s actually going on in those same markets.[14]

    Conclusion

    Of course, if this Commission wants to revisit Form PF and reconsider any part of the Form, it can attempt to do so as part of the rulemaking process and in proper coordination with the CFTC. Not by forcing through an eleventh-hour compliance date extension under false pretenses.

    Thank you to the staff in the Division of Investment Management, the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis, and the Office of the General Counsel for their work on this release. I’m particularly grateful to many of these team members who also worked on the final form amendments last year. I hope that, one day, the Commission will actually experience the benefits of your work and the important data from these Form PF amendments.

    [1] See Form PF; Reporting Requirements for All Filers and Large Hedge Fund Advisers; Further Extension of Compliance Date, Release No. [ ] (Jun. 11, 2025) (“Current Compliance Date Extension Release”).

    [2] See Sections 404 and 406 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, Pub. L. 111-203, 124 Stat. 1376 (2010).

    [3] See Form PF; Reporting Requirements for All Filers and Large Hedge Fund Advisers, Release No. IA-6546 (Feb. 8, 2024) [89 FR 17984 (Mar. 12, 2024)].

    [5] See Form PF; Reporting Requirements for All Filers and Large Hedge Fund Advisers; Extension of Compliance Date, Release No. IA-6838 (Jan. 29, 2025) [90 FR 9007 (Feb. 5, 2025)].

    [6] “During the interim period prior to the compliance date of October 1, 2025, the Commissions may continue to review whether Final Form PF raises substantial questions of fact, law, or policy.” Current Compliance Date Extension Release, supra note 1 at n. 12.

    [8] See Current Compliance Date Extension Release, supra note 1.

    [9] The release admits that, in this instance, we are not providing for notice and comment under the APA “[g]iven the time constraints […].” I question the assertion in the release that dispensing with the APA requirements in this circumstance are for “good cause” as required by the statute. See section 553(b)(3)(B) of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B)) (providing that an agency may dispense with prior notice and comment when it finds, for good cause, that notice and comment are “impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest”).

    [11] Chairman Paul S. Atkins, Prepared Remarks Before SEC Speaks (May 19, 2025) (“Much has changed since 2002 — including the growth of private markets and the increased oversight and enhanced reporting by both private fund advisers and registered funds. Indeed, in the last 10 years alone, private fund assets have almost tripled from $11.6 trillion to $30.9 trillion. Allowing [for more retail exposure to private funds via registered closed-end funds] could increase investment opportunities for retail investors seeking to diversify their investment allocation in line with their investment time horizon and risk tolerance.”).

    [13] “‘If growth [from retail investors] outpaces the industry’s ability to manage such complexities, such challenges could have systemic consequences. Private asset managers also face reputational risk if—in a scramble to grow share—credit standards slip or risk management falter.’” Matt Wirz, Moody’s Sounds Alarm on Private Funds for Individuals, The Wall Street Journal (Jun. 10, 2025).

    [14] “A few large private-fund managers now dominate the market and they often invest in the same deals and in each other’s funds. This makes it harder for individuals to diversify their investments and “this kind of interconnectedness can amplify systemic vulnerabilities.’” Id.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom statement on the passing of Brian Wilson

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jun 11, 2025

    Los Angeles, California – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement today on the passing of Brian Wilson, singer-songwriter and Beach Boys co-founder:

    “Jennifer and I join the world in mourning the death of Brian Wilson, a musical genius and California icon. Wilson fundamentally changed modern music, helping make the Beach Boys not only the defining American band of their era, but also the California band to this day. He captured the mystique and magic of California, carrying it around the world and across generations. Wilson did not lead an easy life, but he persevered through the trials he faced to find peace with his family and his music. He leaves a legacy that, like any one of the Beach Boys’ hits, will not be forgotten.”

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    Jun 10, 2025

    News Los Ángeles — En un discurso pronunciado esta noche ante casi 40 millones de californianos y estadounidenses en todo el país, el Gobernador Gavin Newsom condenó la militarización ilegal de Los Ángeles por parte del Presidente Trump y advirtió que las acciones del…

    Jun 10, 2025

    News What you need to know: In an address delivered to nearly 40 million Californians and Americans nationwide tonight, Governor Gavin Newsom condemned President Trump’s unlawful militarization of Los Angeles and warned that the President’s actions mark a dangerous…

    Jun 10, 2025

    News LOS ANGELES – Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta are standing up all states by filing a lawsuit and request to block President Trump and the Department of Defense’s illegal militarization of Los Angeles and the takeover of a California National Guard (Cal…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: CLEAR, T-Mobile Modernize Workforce Identity Verification to Strengthen Enterprise Security

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CLEAR (NYSE: YOU), the secure identity company, today announced that it worked with T-Mobile to deploy CLEAR1, the identity platform for enterprises, across its operations.

    CLEAR1 enables seamless and secure identity verification for employees, an experience that is as simple as taking a selfie. With this biometric multi-factor authentication (MFA) solution, T-Mobile is able to verify employees and other team members based on who they are – not just the phones and laptops they use or the passwords and security questions they know.

    T-Mobile uses CLEAR1 as an enhanced way to authenticate access to its platforms and systems using biometric MFA, which replaces legacy methods like passwords and one-time PINs.

    “As cyber threats grow more complex and bad actors become more sophisticated, further securing T-Mobile starts with knowing exactly who’s behind the screen,” said Mark Clancy, SVP, Cybersecurity at T-Mobile. “CLEAR1 gives us a strong, identity-first approach that helps us build trust across our systems by verifying the person — not just their credentials. It’s a key step in strengthening our identity verification and better protecting our infrastructure, teams and customers.”

    “Identity is the foundation of trust in every organization,” said Jon Schlegel, Chief Security Officer at CLEAR. “CLEAR1 empowers businesses to strengthen security, reduce friction, and build confidence across their workforce. We’re proud to help organizations meet today’s threats head-on with a solution that’s fast, secure, and built for the real world.”

    Today’s cybercriminals are outpacing outdated screening and authentication methods, posing as trusted employees to gain access to sensitive systems and data. According to estimates from the U.S. Treasury, State Department, and FBI scams involving fake IT workers have generated hundreds of millions of dollars annually since 2018 — highlighting the need for identity-first strategies that strengthen cybersecurity and protect business continuity.

    CLEAR1 empowers organizations in the fight against sophisticated cyber threats by anchoring authentication in real identity, drawing from identity signals across biometrics, documents, device, and source corroboration–to maximize security and minimize friction for employees.

    For more information on how T-Mobile is using CLEAR1, visit: verifywithclear.com/post/case-study-t-mobile

    About CLEAR
    CLEAR’s mission is to strengthen security and create frictionless experiences. With over 31 million Members and a growing network of partners across the world, CLEAR’s identity platform is transforming the way people live, work, and travel. Whether you are traveling, at the stadium, or on your phone, CLEAR connects you to the things that make you, you – making everyday experiences easier, more secure, and friction-free. CLEAR is committed to privacy done right. Members are always in control of their own information, and we never sell Member data. For more information, visit clearme.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This release may contain statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that any and such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results, developments and events may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those described in the Company’s filings within the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the sections titled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10- K. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein.

    MEDIA
    CLEAR
    media@clearme.com

    This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Arra Finance To Acquire Crescent Auto Finance, Rapidly Scaling Its Subprime Auto Finance Platform

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    IRVING, Texas, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Arra Finance, LLC (“Arra” or the “Company”), a subprime indirect auto finance company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the auto financing division of Crescent Bank (“Crescent”), a New Orleans-based FDIC insured bank with approximately $1 billion in assets that has provided nationwide indirect auto lending since 1991. The deal accelerates the rapid expansion of Arra’s platform, enhancing its technology stack and analytics capacity well ahead of growth expectations. Crescent will retain its branch and online retail banking platforms, as well as its commercial lending program, and Arra will become the servicer for Crescent’s $815 million originated auto loan portfolio. The transaction is expected to close in 3Q 2025. Financial terms were not disclosed.

    As a well-established operator in the subprime auto financing space, Crescent has originated upwards of $5.3 billion in auto loans nationwide over its 30-year history and $652 million in the last two years. This acquisition brings Crescent’s e-contracting, internal loan servicing and accelerated auto-decision capabilities to the Arra platform, alongside advanced analytics and additional fraud protection tools in underwriting and funding.

    With financial backing from Obra Capital (“Obra”), Arra now has the operational bandwidth and capital structure necessary to provide a comprehensive suite of financing solutions to auto dealers across the country. Arra expects to rapidly scale delivery of customer financing solutions to dealers by leveraging Crescent’s existing operations, with a significantly increased auto finance origination capacity, larger dealer base and the ability to respond to credit applications within seconds of submission.

    As part of the acquisition, Arra will welcome approximately 180 new employees from Crescent, expanding Arra’s best-in-class team by a factor of six. This includes 24 new sales team members, who will support the deployment of Arra’s capital base and provide a consistent touchpoint for new and existing dealer customers alike. The new additions will continue to be primarily based in Carrollton, Texas, supporting a seamless operational integration while opening new pathways for opportunity, as enabled by Arra’s access to asset-backed financing solutions.

    “With today’s announcement, we have rapidly advanced Arra’s growth trajectory, substantially improving our ability to be the premier financing partner for franchise and select independent dealers,” said Kenn Wardle, Chief Executive Officer of Arra Finance. “After only six months in market, we are on track to outpace our growth targets by a number of years, and we have developed the platform capabilities necessary to deliver responses to credit applications in a matter of seconds. I look forward to welcoming our new team members as we bring our combined offerings to market and continue to streamline the car buying experience for dealers and consumers across the country.”

    Gary Solomon Sr., Chairman of Crescent Bank praised the transaction, stating: “Partnering with Arra and Obra has ensured the talent, momentum and reputation Crescent has garnered over the years will continue to support the auto industry, as Crescent Bank shifts its focus to our core retail banking business.” Crescent Bank has significantly grown its online banking presence nationwide in recent years, particularly in its offering of Certificates of Deposits. Mr. Solomon added, “This is a pivotal moment for Crescent Bank, as we refocus our investment strategy in support of our local New Orleans area community and nationwide customers alike.”

    “Today’s announcement is a major growth milestone for Arra, and a testament to the opportunity in the auto finance market,” added Blair Wallace, President and CEO of Obra. “With the capital structure and flexibility provided by Obra’s insurance company balance sheets, Arra has taken decisive and aggressive steps to meet the needs of dealers across the country and become a leading player in the subprime space. The business is capitalized for success in the long term, and we look forward to seeing what’s next.”

    About Arra Finance
    Arra Finance is a subprime indirect auto finance company that purchases and services retail installment contracts originated by U.S. automobile dealers. Arra offers fast, simplified solutions and options for dealers. The company’s cutting-edge auto finance platform provides more than 1,200 franchise and independent dealerships across 15 states (with planned business expansion to dealerships in 37 states) with auto financing solutions for used car buyers. Its scalable origination system and data warehouse provide dealers with access to finance solutions and enables them to facilitate auto sales for the dealership’s customers. For more information about Arra Finance, please visit www.arrafinance.com.

    About Crescent Bank
    Crescent Bank is a Louisiana chartered, FDIC insured bank which has served the New Orleans area community since 1991 providing retail banking services and direct lending to businesses and consumers. Shortly after its founding, Crescent Bank began to open loan production offices throughout Louisiana to provide auto loans to consumers who were not being served by traditional lending institutions. As the bank succeeded and grew, its geographical lending footprint expanded nationwide. In recent years it has further expanded its retail operations to include offering certificates of deposits to consumers and investors in all states.

    About Obra Capital
    Obra is a specialized alternative asset management firm with approximately $5.8 billion in capital under management as of May 31, 2025. Obra provides investment products and solutions across insurance, multi-sector credit, asset-based finance and longevity investment strategies. Obra aims to generate long-term value and attractive returns for investors through a variety of funds and separate accounts. With capabilities in investing, originating, structuring and servicing, Obra strives to provide differentiated investment opportunities and capital solutions for investors worldwide. For more information about Obra and its registered investment advisors, please visit www.obra.com.

    Media Contact:
    Dan Gagnier
    Gagnier Communications
    Obra@gagnierfc.com
    646-569-5897

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Carmelo Marrelli Files Early Warning Report with Respect to BE Resources

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Marrelli Capital Limited, a company that Carmelo Marrelli (the “Acquiror”), the CEO of BE Resources Inc. (the “Company”), exercises control and direction over, announces today that it has filed an early warning report in respect of its holdings in the Company. On June 11, 2025, the Acquiror acquired 769,230 common shares of the Company (the “Shares”) by way of private agreement (the “Acquisition”) with a third-party vendor.

    Prior to the Acquisition, the Acquiror beneficially owned and exercised control and direction over, through Marrelli Capital Limited, 6,839,946 Shares (or approximately 60.22% of the total issued and outstanding Shares on both a non-diluted and partially diluted basis). Following completion of the Acquisition, the Acquiror beneficially owns and exercises control and direction over, through Marrelli Capital Limited, 7,609,176 Shares (or approximately 66.99% of the total issued and outstanding Shares on both a non-diluted and partially diluted basis). As a result of the Acquisition the Acquiror’s ownership of the Company has increased by more than 2% since the filing of its last early warning report. The Shares were acquired for an aggregate purchase price of $1.00.

    The Acquiror acquired the Shares investment purposes. In the future, the Acquiror may acquire additional securities of the Company including on the open market or through private acquisitions or sell the securities including on the open market or through private dispositions in the future depending on market conditions, and/or other relevant factors, subject to applicable restrictions and contractual obligations.

    A copy of the early warning report will be filed by the Acquiror under the Company’s profile on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.com.

    About BE Resources

    BE Resources Inc. is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: BER.H) and is focused on repositioning its business to pursue opportunities that will optimize its operations and potential. BE Resources’ shares are currently listed on the NEX board under the symbol BER.H. The Company’s head office is located at 82 Richmond St. East, Toronto, Ontario M5C 1P1.

    No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: NVIDIA Stockholder Meeting Set for June 25; Individuals Can Participate Online

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NVIDIA today announced it will hold its 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders online on Wednesday, June 25, at 9 a.m. PT. The meeting will take place virtually at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/NVDA2025.

    Stockholders will need their control number included in their notice or proxy card to access the meeting and may vote and submit questions while attending the meeting. Non-stockholders are welcome to attend by going to the above link and registering under “Guest Login.”

    The matters to be voted on at the meeting are set forth in the company’s proxy statement filed on May 13, 2025, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The proxy statement is available at www.nvidia.com/proxy.

    A replay of the 2025 annual meeting webcast will be available until June 24, 2026, at www.nvidia.com/proxy.

    About NVIDIA
    NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the world leader in accelerated computing.

    For further information, contact:

    NVIDIA Investor Relations
    ir@nvidia.com

    NVIDIA Corporate Communications
    press@nvidia.com

    © 2025 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA and the NVIDIA logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: 13th Edition of IADC Drilling Manual Now Available!

    Source: International Association of Drilling Contractors – IADC

    Headline: 13th Edition of IADC Drilling Manual Now Available!

    The IADC Drilling Manual has recently been updated and is now available in its 13th edition in the IADC Bookstore. This book is the definitive manual for drilling operations, training, maintenance and troubleshooting. 

    The two-volume, 27-chapter reference guide covers all aspects of drilling, with chapters on types of drilling rigs, automation, drill bits, casing and tubing, casing while drilling, cementing, chains and sprockets, directional drilling, downhole tools, drill string, drilling fluid processing, drilling fluids, hydraulics, drilling practices, floating drilling equipment and operations, high-pressure drilling hoses, lubrication, managed pressure drilling and related practices, power generation and distribution, pumps, rotating and pipehandling equipment, special operations, structures and land rig mobilization, well control equipment and procedures, and wire rope. A comprehensive glossary of drilling terms is also included. 

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Fuel Supplier Charged in Multimillion-Dollar Scheme to Defraud U.S. Department of Defense, other Federal Agencies

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    A federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment today charging a Florida business owner with multiple counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and forgery for orchestrating a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies by submitting altered and fake invoices to U.S. Navy ships and other vessels through the SEA Card Program, which allows U.S. vessels to purchase critical fuel from suppliers at ports around the world.

    According to court documents filed in the Southern District of Florida, between August 2022 and January 2024, Jasen Butler, 37, of Jupiter, Florida, the owner of Independent Marine Oil Services LLC, submitted dozens of falsified documents to multiple U.S. warships — including the USS Patriot — demanding and receiving over $5 million dollars in payments for phony expenses that Butler had not incurred. These ships were attempting to purchase fuel in international ports such as Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Croatia, among others. Butler also concealed his identity from government officials by using a false name and feigning employment by a fictitious fuel division of a different company. As alleged in the indictment, Butler used the millions in fraud proceeds to personally enrich himself and purchase multiple properties, including in Florida and Colorado. 

    “This indictment sends a clear, public message: the Antitrust Division and its Procurement Collusion Strike Force under President Trump will not rest until all who defraud the brave men and women of the U.S. military and the American taxpayers receive swift justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail A. Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.

    “Investigating complex fraud schemes which impact U.S. Coast Guard operations is a priority for CGIS,” said Special Agent in Charge Josh Packer of the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) Southeast Field Office. “CGIS remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate any fraud which undermines the integrity of the Coast Guard’s supply chain.”

    “Mr. Butler’s alleged involvement in unlawfully submitting fraudulent invoices related to U.S. naval ships receiving fuel during port visits is an affront to the warfighter and taxpayer,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Economic Crimes Field Office. “NCIS remains committed to thoroughly investigating those who commit fraud impacting the Department of Navy.”

    If convicted, Butler faces maximum penalties of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, up to 10 years for each count of forgery, and up to 10 years for each count of money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

    Assistant Chief Sara Clingan and Trial Attorney Jonathan Pomeranz and of the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.

    The NCIS and CGIS are investigating the case.

    Anyone with information about this investigation or other procurement fraud schemes should notify the PCSF at www.justice.gov/atr/webform/pcsf-citizen-complaint. The Justice Department created the PCSF in November 2019. It is a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government — federal, state and local. For more information, visit www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.

    An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Newington Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MARTIN DELGADO, 30, of Newington, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing narcotics.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 13, 2024, members of the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force conducted a court-authorized search of Delgado’s residence on Main Street in Newington and seized approximately 2,500 wax paper sleeves containing fentanyl, approximately 160 grams of loose fentanyl, approximately 21 grams of cocaine, narcotics packaging materials, and a loaded 9mm gun magazine.  Delgado, who fled on foot when officers arrived at his residence, was apprehended a short time later in West Hartford.  Investigators also located and seized a loaded 9mm handgun near Delgado’s residence that he discarded as he fled, and additional quantities of fentanyl and cocaine from Delgado’s vehicle.

    The firearm had been reported stolen in 2019.

    Delgado was charged with state offenses and released on bond.

    Delgado has been detained since his federal arrest on August 2, 2024.  On February 11, 2025, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of cocaine.

    This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, the Connecticut State Police, and the West Hartford Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Lembo and Reed Durham through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal alien drug dealer sentenced for unlawfully returning to the country for fifth time

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 36-year-old citizen of Mexico with a felony record has been sentenced for illegal reentry into the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Jose De Jesus Soto-Gonzalez pleaded guilty March 5. 

    U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Soto-Gonzalez to serve 21 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is again expected to face removal proceedings following his sentence. 

    In handing down the sentence, the court noted Soto-Gonzalez had a felony conviction for possession with intent to distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana and served approximately four years in prison before his removal in 2022. He illegally returned and was removed again in 2023. Authorities had also previously removed him in 2008 and 2014. 

    On Dec. 20, 2024, authorities encountered Soto-Gonzalez at the Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias. They discovered he was a citizen of Mexico without any permission to be back in the United States. The investigation revealed he had illegally reentered the country in July 2024 near Laredo after his 2023 removal.  

    Soto-Gonzalez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. 

    Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Martin prosecuted the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Baltimore County Man Facing Federal Charges in Connection With Bribing Former Baltimore City Finance Official

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Baltimore, Maryland – Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland unsealed an indictment charging James Carroll Erny Jr., 54, of Glen Arm, Maryland, with paying more than $10,000 in bribes to Joseph Gillespie, a former Baltimore City Department of Finance, Revenue Collections, employee.

    Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Acting Special Agent in Charge Amanda M. Koldjeski, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office. 

    As alleged in the indictment, from about August 2021 through September 2023, Erny paid Gillespie at least $10,000 in bribes in exchange for Gillespie extinguishing various financial obligations he owed to Baltimore City. The debt was in connection with various properties Erny owned, including unpaid water bills.

    On February 20, 2025, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Gillespie to four years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, in connection with his role in the bribery scheme, along with an unrelated fraud scheme. According to his plea agreement, beginning in 2016, and continuing into 2023, Gillespie engaged in a bribery scheme. Through the scheme, Gillespie abused his position of trust as a public official within the Baltimore City Department of Finance for personal gain.

    As an employee of the Department of Finance’s Revenue Collections, Gillespie routinely accepted bribes from various property owners in Baltimore City. These property owners were subject to financial obligations with Baltimore City, and if these debts remained unpaid, the property became subject to a tax sale. 

    Gillespie accepted these bribes — typically 10-15 percent of the amount owed to the City — in exchange for removing or extinguishing these financial obligations, including for citations, tax, and water obligations, which caused losses for the City.  He also accepted bribes in exchange for delaying or postponing due dates — without approval or permission from other City officials — for payments owed to the City. By adjusting payment due dates, this prevented the City from placing liens on these properties.

    Once Gillespie received bribe payments, he then extinguished the financial obligation owed by marking it as paid in the City’s online records.  After removing the obligation, Gillespie sometimes sent a photograph of a cashier slip reflecting that the City received payment toward the financial obligation when, in fact, no such payment was made.

    The bribery scheme continued for years, and Gillespie admitted that he enlisted the help of multiple co-conspirators.  According to the plea agreement, Gillespie received more than $250,000 in connection with the bribery scheme and caused losses to the City in excess of $1.25 million.

    Erny faces one charge of Bribery in connection with his role in the bribery scheme.  If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its work in the investigation and the Baltimore County Police Department for its valuable assistance.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Evelyn L. Cusson who are prosecuting the federal case.

    For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md  and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: CEA Industries Posts Updated Investor Presentation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Conference Call Scheduled for Today, June 11, 2025 at 4:30pm ET 

    CEA Industries to Provide Business Update and Discuss Strategic Implications of Fat Panda Acquisition

    Louisville, Colorado, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CEA Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: CEAD, CEADW) (“CEA Industries” or the “Company”), today announced that it has published an updated investor presentation, now available on the Investor Relations section of its website. Management will host a live conference call today, June 11, 2025, at 4:30pm ET to outline the Company’s new strategic priorities, including the recent acquisition of Fat Panda and the go-forward strategy to accelerate growth and enhance shareholder value.

    To access the conference call, please use the following information:

    CEA Industries management may utilize this presentation during upcoming meetings with analysts and investors. The posting of this presentation is being made pursuant to Regulation FD.

    About CEA Industries Inc.

    CEA Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: CEAD) is a growth-oriented company focused on building category-leading businesses in regulated consumer markets. With a focus on the high-growth, Canadian nicotine vape industry, one of the fastest-expanding segments of the global nicotine market, CEA Industries targets scalable operators with strong regulatory alignment, defensible market share, and high-margin business models. The Company provides capital, operational expertise, and strategic resources to accelerate retail expansion, strengthen e-commerce infrastructure, and drive long-term value creation in performance-driven sectors. For more information, visit www.ceaindustries.com.

    Investor Contact:

    Sean Mansouri, CFA or Aaron D’Souza
    Elevate IR
    info@ceaindustries.com
    (720) 330-2829

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Stifel Announces Victor Nesi to Retire as Co-President and Head of Institutional Group; Joins Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ST. LOUIS, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) today announced that Victor Nesi, Co-President and Head of the Institutional Group, will retire from his day-to-day operating responsibilities effective July 1, 2025, after 16 years of distinguished service. Mr. Nesi will, however, continue to serve the firm, simultaneously joining its Board of Directors.

    “Victor has been instrumental in building the platform we have today,” said Ronald J. Kruszewski, Chairman and CEO of Stifel. “The transformation of our Institutional Group under his guidance is one of the great success stories in our firm’s history. His strategic vision, leadership, and relentless focus on client service elevated Stifel into a major player in the investment banking world. On a personal level, I am grateful for Victor’s partnership and steady counsel, and I am thrilled he will continue to contribute as a valued member of our Board.”

    Mr. Nesi joined Stifel in 2009, at a formative moment for the firm’s Institutional Group. Under his stewardship, the Institutional Group’s overall revenue grew from $391 million in 2008 to a peak of $2.2 billion in 2021, while extending its reach across geographies, products, and capabilities. Investment banking revenue alone climbed 20x during this time from $84 million to a record $1.6 billion.

    In 2024, the Institutional Group reported $1.6 billion in revenue, which represents a more than fourfold increase since Mr. Nesi’s arrival.

    “Importantly, Victor has also ensured that the Institutional Group is well-positioned for continued success,” added Mr. Kruszewski. “He has put in place a seasoned leadership team and a strong organizational structure designed to carry forward the culture that he helped establish.”

    “It has been an honor and privilege to help grow Stifel into a premier full-service investment bank,” said Mr. Nesi. “Our success is a direct reflection of the extraordinary people of Stifel – their talent, relentless drive, and unwavering commitment have made everything possible. Together, we have built something enduring with the momentum to achieve even greater things. Consequently, I believe this is the appropriate time for me to step back and allow the next generation of leaders to continue driving our firm forward. I am still energized and eager for new challenges and I look forward to supporting Stifel’s continued success in my new role on the Board.”

    Mr. Nesi’s career in investment banking spans four decades. Before coming to Stifel, he held several leadership positions at Merrill Lynch, including Head of Americas Investment Banking. He has also worked as an investment banker at Salomon Brothers and Goldman Sachs and practiced corporate and securities law at Shea & Gould.

    Stifel Company Information
    Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifel’s broker-dealer clients are served in the United States through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, including its Eaton Partners business division; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.; Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC; and Stifel Independent Advisors, LLC. The Company’s broker-dealer affiliates provide securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses, and municipalities. Stifel Bank and Stifel Bank & Trust offer a full range of consumer and commercial lending solutions. Stifel Trust Company, N.A. and Stifel Trust Company Delaware, N.A. offer trust and related services. To learn more about Stifel, please visit the Company’s website at www.stifel.com. For global disclosures, please visit https://www.stifel.com/investor-relations/press-releases.

    Media Contact
    Neil Shapiro, +1 (212) 271-3447
    shapiron@stifel.com

    Investor Relations Contact
    Joel Jeffrey, +1 (212) 271-3610
    investorrelations@stifel.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: 201 ways to say ‘fuck’: what 1.7 billion words of online text shows about how the world swears

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Schweinberger, Lecturer in Applied Linguistics, The University of Queensland

    Our brains swear for good reasons: to vent, cope, boost our grit and feel closer to those around us. Swear words can act as social glue and play meaningful roles in how people communicate, connect and express themselves – both in person, and online.

    In our new research published in Lingua, we analysed more than 1.7 billion words of online language across 20 English-speaking regions. We identified 597 different swear word forms – from standard words, to creative spellings like “4rseholes”, to acronyms like “wtf”.

    The findings challenge a familiar stereotype. Australians – often thought of as prolific swearers – are actually outdone by Americans and Brits, both in how often they swear, and in how many users swear online.

    Facts and figures

    Our study focused on publicly available web data (such as news articles, organisational websites, government or institutional publications, and blogs – but excluding social media and private messaging). We found vulgar words made up 0.036% of all words in the dataset from the United States, followed by 0.025% in the British data and 0.022% in the Australian data.

    Although vulgar language is relatively rare in terms of overall word frequency, it was used by a significant number of individuals.

    Between 12% and 13.3% of Americans, around 10% of Brits, and 9.4% of Australians used at least one vulgar word in their data. Overall, the most frequent vulgar word was “fuck” – with all its variants, it amounted to a stunning 201 different forms.

    We focused on online language that didn’t include social media, because large-scale comparisons need robust, purpose-built datasets. In our case, we used the Global Web-Based English (GloWbE) corpus, which was specifically designed to compare how English is used across different regions online.

    So how much were our findings influenced by the online data we used?

    Telling results come from research happening at the same time as ours. One study analysed the use of “fuck” in social networks on X, examining how network size and strength influence swearing in the UK, US and Australia.

    It used data from 5,660 networks with more than 435,000 users and 7.8 billion words and found what we did. Americans use “fuck” most frequently, while Australians use it the least, but with the most creative spelling variations (some comfort for anyone feeling let down by our online swearing stats).

    Teasing apart cultural differences

    Americans hold relatively conservative attitudes toward public morality, and their high swearing rates are surprising. The cultural contradiction may reflect the country’s strong individualistic culture. Americans often value personal expression – especially in private or anonymous settings like the internet.

    Meanwhile, public displays of swearing are often frowned upon in the US. This is partly due to the lingering influence of religious norms, which frame swearing – particularly religious-based profanity – as a violation of moral decency.

    Significantly, the only religious-based swear word in our dataset, “damn”, was used most frequently by Americans.

    Research suggests swearing is more acceptable in Australian public discourse. Certainly, Australia’s public airing of swear words often takes visitors by surprise. The long-running road safety slogan “If you drink, then drive, you’re a bloody idiot” is striking – such language is rare in official messaging elsewhere.

    Australians may be comfortable swearing in person, but our findings indicate they dial it back online – surprising for a nation so fond of its vernacular.

    In terms of preferences for specific forms of vulgarity, Americans showed a strong preference for variations of “ass(hole)”, the Irish favored “feck”, the British preferred “cunt”, and Pakistanis leaned toward “butt(hole)”.

    The only statistically significant aversion we found was among Americans, who tended to avoid the word “bloody” (folk wisdom claims the word is blasphemous).

    Being fluent in swearing

    People from countries where English is the dominant language – such as the US, Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland – tend to swear more frequently and with more lexical variety than people in regions where English is less dominant like India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Ghana or the Philippines. This pattern holds for both frequency and creativity in swearing.

    But Singapore ranked fourth in terms of frequency of swearing in our study, just behind Australia and ahead of New Zealand, Ireland and Canada. English in Singapore is increasingly seen not as a second language, but as a native language, and as a tool for identity, belonging and creativity. Young Singaporeans use social swearing to push back against authority, especially given the government’s strict rules on public language.

    One possible reason we saw less swearing among non-native English speakers is that it is rarely taught. Despite its frequency and social utility, swearing – alongside humour and informal speech – is often left out of language education.

    Cursing comes naturally

    Cultural, social and technological shifts are reshaping linguistic norms, blurring the already blurry lines between informal and formal, private and public language. Just consider the Aussie contributions to the July Oxford English Dictionary updates: expressions like “to strain the potatoes” (to urinate), “no wuckers” and “no wucking furries” (from “no fucking worries”).

    Swearing and vulgarity aren’t just crass or abusive. While they can be used harmfully, research consistently shows they serve important communicative functions – colourful language builds rapport, expresses humour and emotion, signals solidarity and eases tension.

    It’s clear that swearing isn’t just a bad habit that can be easily kicked, like nail-biting or smoking indoors. Besides, history shows that telling people not to swear is one of the best ways to keep swearing alive and well.

    Martin Schweinberger has received funding from from the Centre for Digital Cultures and Society and the School of Languages and Cultures at the University of Queensland. He is currently funded by the Language Data Commons of Australia, which has received investment from the Australian Research Data Commons, funded by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

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

    – ref. 201 ways to say ‘fuck’: what 1.7 billion words of online text shows about how the world swears – https://theconversation.com/201-ways-to-say-fuck-what-1-7-billion-words-of-online-text-shows-about-how-the-world-swears-257815

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Extreme weather could send milk prices soaring, deepening challenges for the dairy industry

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milena Bojovic, Lecturer, Sustainability and Environment, University of Technology Sydney

    Australia’s dairy industry is in the middle of a crisis, fuelled by an almost perfect storm of challenges.

    Climate change and extreme weather have been battering farmlands and impacting animal productivity, creating mounting financial strains and mental health struggles for many farmers.

    Meanwhile, beyond the farm gate, consumer tastes are shifting to a range of dairy substitutes. Interest and investment in alternative dairy proteins is accelerating.

    Earlier this month, industry figures warned consumers to prepare for price rises amid expected shortages of milk, butter and cheese. Already mired in uncertainty, the dairy industry is now being forced to confront some tough questions about its future head on.

    Dairy under pressure

    Dairy is Australia’s third-largest rural industry. It produces more than A$6 billion worth of milk each year, and directly employs more than 30,000 people.

    But the sector has been under sustained pressure. This year alone, repeated extreme weather events have affected key dairy-producing regions in southern and eastern parts of Australia.

    In New South Wales, dairy farmers face increased pressure from floods. In May, many regions had their monthly rainfall records broken – some by huge margins.

    In Victoria, drought and water shortages are worsening. Tasmania, too, continues to endure some of the driest conditions in more than a century.

    Conditions have prompted many farmers to sell down their cattle numbers to conserve feed and water.

    All of this heavily impacts farm productivity. Agriculture has long been predicated on our ability to predict climate conditions and grow food or rear animals according to the cycles of nature.

    As climate change disrupts weather patterns, this makes both short and long-term planning for the sector a growing challenge.

    High costs, low profits

    Climate change isn’t the only test. The industry has also been grappling with productivity and profitability concerns.

    At the farm level, dairy farmers are feeling the impacts of high operating costs. Compared to other types of farming (such as sheep or beef), dairy farms require more plant, machinery and equipment capital, mostly in the form of specialised milking machinery.

    The price of milk also has many farmers concerned. The modest increase in farmgate milk prices – just announced by dairy companies for the start of the next financial year – left many farmers disappointed. Some say the increase isn’t enough to cover rising operating costs.

    Zooming out, there are concerns about a lack of family succession planning for dairy farms. Many young people are wary of taking on such burdens, and the total number of Australian dairy farms has been in steady decline – from more than 6,000 in 2015 to just 4,163 in 2023.

    What’s the solution?

    Is there a way to make the dairy industry more productive, profitable and sustainable? Australian Dairy Farmers is the national policy and advocacy group supporting the profitability and sustainability of the sector.

    In the lead up to this year’s federal election, the group called for $399 million in government investment to address what it said were key priorities. These included:

    • investment in on-farm technologies to improve efficiencies
    • funding for water security
    • upskilling programs for farmers
    • support for succession planning.
    Industry figures have warned consumers to brace for possible increases in the cost of dairy products.
    wisely/Shutterstock

    However, as the industry struggles to grapple with a changing climate, financial strain and mental health pressures, there should also be pathways for incumbent farmers to transition, either to farming dairy differently (such as by reducing herd sizes) or exiting out of dairy farming and into something else.

    Dairy without the cows

    The push to make dairy production more sustainable and efficient faces its own competition. A number of techniques in development promise dairy products without the cows, through cellular agriculture – and more specifically, “precision fermentation”.

    Australian company Eden Brew, in partnership with dairy giant Norco, has plans to produce and commercialise precision fermentation dairy proteins.

    And last year, Australian company All G secured approval to sell precision fermentation lactoferrin (a key dairy ingredient in baby formula) in China – another animal-free milk product.

    It is important to note that cost and scalability for cellular agriculture remains a challenge.

    Nonetheless, Australia’s rapidly growing non-dairy milk market – soy, oat, and so on – is now worth over $600 million annually. This reflects the global shift towards plant-based options driven by health, environmental, and ethical concerns.

    Is there a win-win outcome?

    Is there a possible future where more funding is given to produce milk at scale through precision fermentation while we also look after incumbent dairy workers, farms and the rural sector at large to diversify or leave the sector altogether?

    Some believe this future is possible. This is what researchers call “protein pluralism” – a market where traditional and alternative proteins coexist. Long-term planning from both the dairy industry and government would be needed.

    Remember, while techniques like precision fermentation offer the promise of animal-free dairy products, their benefits are largely yet to materialise. How they will ultimately benefit the whole of society remains speculative.

    What we can do now

    For this reason, some scholars have argued we should prioritise actions that can be taken now. This includes support for practices such as agroecology, which seek to address injustice and inequity in food systems to help empower primary food producers.

    A recent study found Australian dairy farmers were interested in financial and technical advice to make decisions about where they take their business in future.

    Despite growing recognition of the challenges facing the dairy sector, responses from government and alternative dairy remain uneven. A more coordinated approach is needed for affected farmers, helping them adapt or diversify with guidance from government and industry experts.

    Milena Bojovic volunteers with Farm Transitions Australia, a registered charity which helps Australian dairy and beef farmers facing hardship and seeking a transition from the industry. She is affiliated with ARC Centre for Excellence in Synthetic Biology.

    – ref. Extreme weather could send milk prices soaring, deepening challenges for the dairy industry – https://theconversation.com/extreme-weather-could-send-milk-prices-soaring-deepening-challenges-for-the-dairy-industry-258175

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Hard to measure and difficult to shift’: the government’s big productivity challenge

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra

    Higher productivity has quickly emerged as an economic reform priority for Labor’s second term.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has laid down some markers for a productivity round table in August, saying he wants it to build the “broadest possible base” for further economic reform.

    The government is right to focus on productivity. Improving economic efficiency will increase real wages, help bring down inflation and interest rates, and improve living standards.

    Treasurer Jim Chalmers is flagging a broad productivity agenda, but acknowledges the rewards will take time to percolate through the economy:

    Human capital, competition policy, technology, energy, the care economy – these are where we are going to find the productivity gains, and not quickly, but over the medium term.

    Making the economy operate more efficiently is simple in concept. But Albanese and Chalmers would be well aware productivity is hard to measure, and even more difficult to shift.

    The numbers are fraught

    What do we mean by productivity growth? And how will it help lift the economy? The authors of the bestselling new book Abundance offer this neat explanation:

    People need to think up new ideas. Factories need to innovate new processes. These new ideas and new processes must be encoded into new technologies. All this is grouped under the sterile label of productivity: How much more can we produce with the same number of people and resources?

    At its most basic, productivity measures outputs divided by inputs – what we produce compared to the resources such as labour and capital used to produce it.

    But large parts of the “non-market” economy including the public service, health care and education are excluded from the official productivity figures.

    The Australian Bureau of Statistics is working to address the gap in the data. For example, it is developing “experimental estimates” for the health sector, which suggests hospital productivity has fallen.

    However measurement is fraught. If a nurse, for instance, who previously cared for four patients now looks after eight, is that a productivity improvement? Or a drop in standard of care?

    Flatlining productivity

    Australian productivity growth has averaged just 0.4% a year since 2015 – the lowest rate in 60 years.

    The exception was during COVID, when industries with low productivity, such as accommodation and food, were shut down and those with high productivity – such as IT and communications – thrived.

    The objective must be to return to, or even surpass, historical levels of productivity. However, it won’t be easy given economists have no clear idea why productivity growth has fallen in Australia and overseas.

    Theories include:

    • measurement problems
    • new industries
    • decline in business investment in equipment and technology
    • more service industries, where productivity is lower
    • the easy reforms have all been done.

    No shortage of advice

    Productivity is multidimensional, with an absurd number of moving parts. It depends on skills, technology, investment, knowledge, management, and a host of other factors. Like the movie, it’s “everything, everywhere all at once”.

    The government has a plethora of advice on how to improve productivity. Scientists argue for more scientific research; business lobbies for more investment breaks;
    innovators for more technological advances.

    This poses a dilemma for the Treasurer. Most suggestions on their own would make some difference. Doing all of them would make a huge difference. Alas, government cannot do everything. It must choose where to apply its limited resources.

    Beyond money and time, the government must also have appetite for the fight.

    Interest groups typically support productivity reforms in principle, but resist them if they are directly affected. Every inefficient regulation or program has a supporter somewhere.

    Five pillars

    Jim Chalmers does not need another shopping list. He needs help to sort through options and set priorities for which fights to pick. To this end, in December year he tasked the Productivity Commission with new inquiries into the five main drivers – “pillars” – of higher productivity.



    Read more:
    Labor says its second term will be about productivity reform. These ideas could help shift the dial

    Yet the Albanese government has already been handed a comprehensive blueprint for productivity reform.

    In March 2023, the Productivity Commission released the Advancing Prosperity report, which it described as a “road map”.

    However, it had more of a shopping list feel, incorporating 71 recommendations and 29 “reform directives”. Many were of the “should” variety, lacking a detailed plan of how to do them.

    Roughly speaking, any government only has bandwidth for one big and a few small reforms a term. It cannot implement more than 70, even if that’s ideal.

    Productivity reform will succeed if it involves only a few changes – preferably those that deliver the most improvement for the least complaint.

    Some proposed measures are desirable but controversial. The tax system, for example, is crying out for improvement, but the government is unlikely to take it on.

    Reforming occupational licences to make it easier for tradies to move states is a more modest aim. It would not generate the same productivity gains, but politically would be simpler to implement.

    Nothing to fear

    Finally, some words of caution.

    Productivity is not code for exploiting workers. As The Guardian recently noted:

    When most people hear the word ‘productivity’ they think of their boss wanting them to take on more duties for the same pay. That’s not the case. It’s about getting more out of the hours you work.

    Working harder to get the same result is in fact a drop in productivity. Working shorter hours for the same outputs is productivity growth, with the benefits seen in better work-life balance.

    Nor is productivity just about producing more outputs. Who needs more useless stuff?

    And statistics can mislead, because they measure the value of production, not the quality. A broader accounting for production, incorporating society and the environment, would help the productivity debate avoid this trap.

    Albanese and Chalmers readily acknowledge the government can do more on productivity. Anyone with an interest in driving a more efficient economy, higher real wages and better living standards will hold them to their word.

    This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the productivity dilemma.

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

    – ref. ‘Hard to measure and difficult to shift’: the government’s big productivity challenge – https://theconversation.com/hard-to-measure-and-difficult-to-shift-the-governments-big-productivity-challenge-257968

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A reversal in US climate policy will send renewables investors packing – and Australia can reap the benefits

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Downie, Professor, Australian National University

    President Donald Trump is trying to unravel the signature climate policy of his predecessor Joe Biden, the Inflation Reduction Act, as part of a sweeping bid to dismantle the United States’ climate ambition.

    The Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, is a A$530 billion suite of measures that aims to turbocharge clean energy investment and slash emissions in the US. Once hailed as a game-changer for the global clean energy transition, it set in train a fierce international competition for renewable energy investment.

    But the policy is now hanging by a thread, after the US House of Representatives last month narrowly passed a bill to repeal many of its clean energy measures.

    Should the bill pass the Senate, billions of dollars in renewables investment once destined for the US could be looking for a new home. Now is the time for the Albanese government to woo investors with a bolder program of climate action in Australia.

    The Trump administration is seeking to wind back Biden’s signature climate policy.
    Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Climate Power 2020

    What is the Inflation Reduction Act?

    The Inflation Reduction Act passed US Congress in 2022. It legislated billions of dollars in tax credits for solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and geothermal plants, among other technologies.

    It included around A$13 billion in rebates for Americans to electrify their homes, tax credits of almost A$11,000 to electrify their cars, and billions more to establish a “green bank” and target agricultural emissions.

    The money flowed. Last year, almost A$420 billion was invested in the manufacture and deployment of clean energy – double that in 2021, the year before the legislation passed.

    Even in the first quarter of this year, under a Trump presidency, A$103 billion was invested in clean energy tech – an increase on the first quarter results of 2024. Electric vehicle manufacturing projects, especially batteries, were standout performers.

    Then US president Joe Biden in August 2023, celebrating the first anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act. The policy aimed to turbocharge the clean energy transition.
    Win McNamee/Getty Images

    But then came the proposed repeal. The Trump administration wants to gut tax credits for clean energy technologies. The measures passed the House of Representatives and must now clear the US Senate, where the Republicans have a margin of three votes.

    Initial modelling suggests the bill, if passed, could derail clean energy manufacturing in the US – including in Republican states where new projects were planned.

    The potential economic damage has sparked concern even among Trump’s own troops. Some Republicans last week reportedly urged the scaling back of the cuts, despite voting for the bill in the House.

    Opportunities for Australia

    After the IRA was enacted, many countries followed the US’ lead – including Australia’s Albanese government, which legislated the A$22.7 billion Future Made in Australia package.

    So how will Trump’s unravelling of the policy affect the rest of the world?

    The economic impacts are still being modelled. Some studies suggest the US could cede A$123 billion in investment to other countries.

    The US axing of tax credits for battery and solar technology paves the way for nations such as China and South Korea to capitalise – given, for example, they already dominate battery manufacturing.

    Australia should be doing its utmost to attract investors that no longer see the US as an option. Our existing policies are a start, but they are not sufficient.

    In February this year, Labor increased the investment capacity of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation – Australia’s “green bank” – by A$2 billion. But more will be needed if the government is serious about crowding-in private investment in low-emission technologies exiting the US.

    The government would also be wise to remove incentives that increase fossil fuel use. This includes the diesel fuel rebate, which encourages the use of diesel-powered trucks on mine sites. Fortescue Metals this week announced a push for the subsidy to be wound back – potentially providing the political opening Labor needs.

    What about nuclear?

    Trump has also promised a “nuclear renaissance”, signing four executive orders designed to reinvigorate the US nuclear energy industry.

    But those measures are likely to fail, just as Trump’s 2016 promise to revive the coal industry never eventuated.

    In fact, his cuts to the Loan Programs Office – which helps finance new energy projects including nuclear – threaten to undermine the viability of new nuclear plants. The office has been the guarantor for every new US nuclear plant this century, bar one.

    If the US is struggling to scale up its existing nuclear industry, this does not bode well for the technology’s hopes in Australia. Here, the prospect of a nuclear energy policy still appears alive in the Coalition party room, even though the technology remains politically unpopular, and the economics don’t stack up.

    What’s next?

    Predicting US climate and energy policy is a fool’s errand, given the potential IRA repeal, flip-flopping tariff announcements and daily social media tirades from Trump, including a social media bust-up with former ally Elon Musk over the merits of the repeal itself.

    Stepping back from the politics, we cannot ignore the climate harms flowing from a walk-back on US climate action.

    The US is the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. As climate change reaches new extremes, the policy vacuum created by Donald Trump must urgently be filled by the rest of the world.

    Christian Downie receives funding from the Australian Research Council

    – ref. A reversal in US climate policy will send renewables investors packing – and Australia can reap the benefits – https://theconversation.com/a-reversal-in-us-climate-policy-will-send-renewables-investors-packing-and-australia-can-reap-the-benefits-258388

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Galloping Goose will bridge Tillicum for a safer commute

    A new crossing is coming to the Galloping Goose Regional Trail in Saanich, allowing people using the trail to safely cross Tillicum Road without waiting at the traffic lights.

    The new 100-metre (almost 330 feet) Tillicum Active Transportation Bridge will feature two three-metre-wide (10 feet) lanes with ramp access to sidewalks, safe connections to intersections and rapid bus stops, and an incline for accessibility.

    Work is expected to begin in early 2026, with the bridge opening scheduled for summer 2027.

    People are invited to learn more about this safer, more accessible way to cross Highway 1 at Tillicum Road. Galloping Goose Regional Trail users can get more information at a pop-up open house just off the trail (northwest corner of Tillicum Road and Highway 1) on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, from 3:30 until 5:30 p.m. Information is also available on the ministry’s website.

    Once complete, the Tillicum Active Transportation Bridge will eliminate one of the last signalized crossings on the Galloping Goose Trail between downtown Victoria and the Westshore, improving safety and reducing travel times for active commuters. Improvements to the trail also support goals outlined in the Province’s South Island Transportation Strategy, by providing better links for people to move more easily between communities in the Capital Region.

    During construction, users of the Galloping Goose Regional Trail will be temporarily detoured onto the shoulder of the Trans-Canada Highway. The trail will be separated from highway traffic by concrete barriers.

    More than 3,000 people use this stretch of the Galloping Goose Regional Trail each day in summer, and as many as 1,500 in winter. The new bridge will support more people in choosing active transportation and enjoying the outdoors.

    Learn More:

    For more information, visit:
    https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation-projects/other-transportation-projects/tillicum-active-transportation-bridge-project

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Opening Remarks at Hearing on Army Corps, Bureau of Reclamation Budgets

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s opening remarks***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, during a Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget requests for the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, underscored the indispensable role each agency plays in ensuring America’s waterways are flowing, supporting our economy, and protecting the American people—and slammed President Trump’s politicization of America’s water resources and proposal to gut investments in the Corps and Bureau.

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

    “Thank you very much, Chair Kennedy. Good morning to all of you, Acting Assistant Secretary Forsgren, Lieutenant General Graham, and Acting Assistant Secretary Cameron—thank you all for being here today.

    “We are here today to talk about the fiscal year 2026 budget requests for the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation. Whether they know it or not—every American depends on the work of these agencies every day. And that is especially true for folks in my home state of Washington, and anyone who lives out West or near a major waterway.

    “The Army Corps keeps our ports running smoothly, which is critical for our economy and trade. They manage critical infrastructure like our dams, levees, and bridges—and protect communities from dangerous floods. And they support our ecosystems and help protect keystone species like salmon, among a lot else. Bureau of Reclamation brings water to over 30 million people and irrigation to one-in-five farmers out West, it generates power to keep the lights on in millions of homes, and it protects farmers and communities against drought—to name a few things!

    “It is critical work—work that we cannot afford to shortchange. But President Trump’s budget request shows yet again that he has no clue, and no problem gutting essential water investments our communities rely on to feed their families and stay safe from flooding. The president’s budget requests a nearly 25 percent cut for the Corps of Engineers.

    “And when you consider the fact that House Republicans’ last yearlong CR already cut funding for the Corps, we are really talking about a nearly 30 percent cut for the Corps relative to the funding level just a few months ago. This request, for example, falls $1.7 billion below the target level for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund—leaving more than half of that target funding on the table.

    “Not only that, you include just $60 million for Donor and Energy ports like in my home state, when our bipartisan Water Resources Development Act has specifically instructed that there be $417 million for these ports. And President Trump’s budget also proposes a massive 30 percent cut for the Bureau of Reclamation. These cuts would end critical work on flood prevention, port dredging, basic management of our water resources, and more. This is flat-out dangerous—and Trump’s budget is dead on arrival here in Congress as far as I’m concerned.

    “But we have a lot more to cover beyond the budget request. Because, as we sit here today, the President seems bent on doing everything he can to undermine the work of the Corps and the Bureau with reckless staffing cuts, and by brazenly—and corruptly—politicizing the allocation of funding and control over our nation’s water resources. In the span of just a few months, DOGE has pushed out a quarter of the Bureau’s staff without any discernible strategy. This mass exodus of talent puts the Bureau’s mission at serious risk. The last thing we need are fewer dam safety inspections or big delays on repair projects.

    “And when it comes to politicization, the President spent much of his first few weeks in office making up conspiracies about California’s water supply as wildfires raged; vowing to block disaster relief, picking fights with the state’s governor, and—against the advice of all experts—ultimately ordered the Corps to open two dams and unleash billions of gallons of water on California’s central valley. That move, predictably, did absolutely nothing to stop the fires and came nowhere near LA. But it did waste huge quantities of precious water and nearly flooded—yes, flooded—local farms and communities and put agriculture at risk.

    “It was one of the first instances we saw of this president meddling in the Corps’ work and overruling experts to chase some fixation, but it was not the last. A few weeks ago, the Corps released plans detailing how it is allocating funding for construction projects in FY-25. Now, usually, that is something we decide here in Congress. But that decision-making power was turned over to the Trump administration with House Republicans’ yearlong, slush-fund CR.

    “That was one of the many reasons I voted against that bill, and it’s a reminder to all of us about why we need strong, bipartisan spending bills. So instead of allocating construction funding to projects that were selected in both our bipartisan Senate appropriations bill and the Republican House bill and giving funding to red and blue states roughly evenly—as both bills did—this administration decided to steal hundreds of millions of dollars in critical investments from blue states, and steer those investments instead to red states and the president’s political allies.

    “Every single construction project in California—the most populous state in the country—was zeroed out. We’re talking about funds to protect people in one of the most flood-prone states in the country—gone. And Trump completely defunded construction at the Howard Hansom Dam in Washington state, leaving a literal hole in the ground! This is a shovel-ready project that will ensure water reliability for over one million people in the region. And of course, the administration’s budget proposal does not fund those projects in FY-26 either.

    “All told, two-thirds of Army Corps construction funding is now headed to red states, for no reason other than Trump wanting to punish political enemies and reward his friends. This is not how these projects should work—ever—in the United States of America.

    “Lieutenant General Graham, a few weeks ago the Assistant Secretary’s office was asked in a House hearing about this nakedly partisan allocation. That official didn’t even try to justify it. Instead, they said, tellingly, the buck stopped with OMB. So, there it is: Trump and Russ Vought called the final shots and defunded these projects on their own.

    “Now, I shouldn’t need to tell anyone here, floods hit red states and blue states alike. Droughts hammers farmers in rural districts, and strain families in big ways. Every single American—in one way or another—depends on our ports being well-maintained to get the basic goods we count on and keep our economy humming. And everyone should be able to trust their government will decide how to invest resources and protect them from threats like flooding, drought, and wildfire based on science, based on engineering—that is, what’s best for people—not on a president’s desire for retribution.

    “I believe Congress needs to reject the reckless cuts you’re requesting for the Corps and the Bureau. And we need to see an end to the egregious politicization of these resources—this is not a path we can afford to continue going down as a country.

    “So, I will just give a warning to all of my colleagues, once again: It may have not been your state this time, but you all know full well just how fickle the President can be.

    “Let’s not leave this authority with him. We do need to come together and write a strong bipartisan bill.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Slams Trump Administration’s Politicization of Water Resources, Proposal to Gut Investments in America’s Waterways, Flood and Drought Prevention

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ***WATCH AND READ: Senator Murray’s opening remarks***

    ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s questioning***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, at a Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee hearing on the fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, slammed the Trump administration’s politicization of water resources and proposal to gut investments in the Corps and Bureau.

    Senator Murray questioned witnesses D. Lee Forsgren, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works); Lt. Gen. William H. Graham, Jr., Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and Scott J. Cameron, Acting Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, Department of Interior, on the Trump administration threatening the Howard Hanson Dam project in Washington state, not meeting funding targets for donor ports like the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma, and putting the Columbia River Treaty with Canada—which is critical for the entire Pacific Northwest—at risk.

    [RANK POLITICIZATION OF ARMY CORPS FUNDING]

    Senator Murray began by asking General Graham about President Trump’s flagrant politicization of Army Corps funding—an issue she touched on in her opening remarks—stating: “The Howard Hanson dam project is to address dam safety issues, provide additional water supply, and meet the Corps’ legal obligations by opening up miles of critical salmon habitat—would you agree with that assessment?”

    General Graham responded, “Yes. The Howard Hanson project right now is, the one we are working on is primarily is fish passage, to figure out how to get small juvenile fish off of a high head dam which we have never done before, but it is part of a larger project that provides as you said, critical flood risk management and water supply protection to the southeastern part of Seattle.”

    “Is it true that the $500 million the project was slated to receive in the FY25 budget—as well as in the House and Senate bills—would have allowed construction to proceed on schedule?” Senator Murray asked General Graham.

    General Graham replied, “Yes, that would have allowed us to keep on our current construction schedule.”

    Senator Murray said, “Well it’s clear that the Howard Hanson project is shovel ready. And despite that—the Trump Administration seems ready to walk away from that. Everyone needs to understand, turning the Army Corps into a political slush fund sets a very dangerous precedent.”

    “In fact, in testimony before the House, a top Army Corps official very explicitly stated that OMB—not the experts at the Corps—called the final shots here. Section 107 has been passed on a bipartisan basis in our bill for the last five years and makes clear that funding should be allocated only to projects determined to be eligible by the Chief of Engineers. But it appears that OMB handed the Corps the final spend plan without consulting you as required,” Senator Murray continued. “The law needs to be followed. So, I am going to ask you, yes or no—were you provided a final spend plan so you could determine all the projects listed were eligible?”

    General Graham answered, “We provided our best technical recommendation to the assistant secretary.”

    Mr. Forsgren responded, “We provided input through the presidential budget process on that spending plan. We provided technical input on that spending plan.”

    “So that you could prove that all of them were eligible, correct?” pressed Senator Murray.

    “I don’t think eligibility was ever the question,” replied Mr. Forsgren.

    Senator Murray replied, “That’s really troubling—and really an example of this Administration that just somehow thinks they are above the law. I’ve got news for Russ Vought—the law applies to him the same as for everybody else. So that is very troubling.”

    [DONOR PORT FUNDING]

    Senator Murray continued her questioning by discussing the administration’s failure to meet statutory targets for Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) funding for donor ports like the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma—which contribute significantly to the HMTF but have historically received relatively little funding back for harbor maintenance projects. Murray said, “I consistently hear from ports and harbors across the country about how they rely on the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to maintain critical port infrastructure. Now, in April, the Administration issued an Executive Order acknowledging that cargo carriers divert goods to Canada from our donor ports, Seattle and Tacoma, to avoid the Harbor Maintenance Tax—that is really an unfair practice, I have spoken about for years.”

    “But this year’s budget request does not even attempt to meet the WRDA [Water Resources Development Act] targets for HMTF donor port funding,” continued Senator Murray. “Even more troubling, in the skinny budget, this administration tries to tell Congress that it is not a federal responsibility to provide those dollars—even though that is one of the explicit purposes Congress passed into law. That is really unacceptable. Donor Port funding has already been determined through the WRDA process and our annual appropriations bills for years. It is extremely frustrating that I have to continue raising this issue year after year to get our ports the fair share they are entitled to under the law.”

    Senator Murray asked Mr. Forsgren, “Will you commit to ensure that Donor Ports like Seattle and Tacoma will receive their full, fair share of the HMTF dollars as Congress intended?”

    Mr. Forsgren responded, “I will commit to working to ensure that the Harbor Maintenance Fund is used to the maximum extent it possibly can. We understand the Harbor Maintenance Fund is the backbone of the commercial navigation system for our ports and that system has to be able to be functional across all of the nation’s ports. But I will say, there needs to be a primary focus on the principal federal responsibility which is the mainline channels. I will commit to working with you to fully utilize the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund as it is passed into law.”

    [COLUMBIA RIVER TREATY]

    Finally, Senator Murray emphasized the importance of the Columbia River Treaty for Washington state and the entire Pacific Northwest, and the shared waterway with Canada, “The Columbia River provides habitat for salmon and endangered species, it also irrigates 600,000 acres of farmland, and serves as a marine highway, it also provides electricity to the entire Northwest. And critically, it is also a transboundary waterway shared with Canada. Now, the State Department has been leading efforts to negotiate a modernized Columbia River Treaty—which is really critical to providing certainty for people and businesses across our region who rely on the Columbia River. But this Administration appears committed to doing everything they can now to tank our relationship with our friend and neighbor, Canada. And the key to getting this agreement in place, and all the hard work that has gone into it, was collaboration between all the stakeholders. It is really imperative that as the interim agreement is executed, that that collaboration continues.”

    Senator Murray asked Mr. Cameron and Mr. Forsgren, “Will you commit to ensuring that the Corps and Reclamation continue to communicate with tribes and the mid-C public utilities on the operation of the Columbia River System?”

    Mr. Forsgren replied, “We certainly commit—we are committed to the treaty, as is reflected in the budget. We are committed to continuing the dialogue necessary to operate and maintain the system.”

    “Mr. Cameron?” followed up Senator Murray.

    Mr. Cameron said, “Yes Senator, I’ve already had multiple meetings with stakeholders from throughout the Columbia River basin, including tribes. Conversations are ongoing.”

    Senator Murray concluded, “This is really a critical treaty. We need to get it enacted. And again, Canada is not our enemy there, we need to include them.”

    ___________________________________

    Senator Murray recently led the Washington state and California delegations to call out President Trump’s outrageous, nakedly-political decision to zero out critical funding for Army Corps of Engineers construction projects in blue states like Washington and California while steering hundreds of millions more to red states. Supporting the Howard Hanson Dam has been a longtime priority for Senator Murray, and she has pressed the Army Corps to prioritize funding for the Dam for years. Under the last administration, Senator Murray was able to secure critical funding boosts for Howard Hanson Dam, including $220 million in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $50 million to begin construction of a new facility in the funding bills for fiscal year 2024 that Murray wrote as then-Chair of the Appropriations Committee. Back in 2010, Murray secured $44 million in badly needed emergency funds for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repair the Howard Hanson Dam. In the draft fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill she cleared unanimously out of Committee last year, Senator Murray secured $500 million for the dam, which would support fish passage and address dam safety and water supply issues for cities like Tacoma and Covington. $500 million was also included in the House’s draft fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill. The funding is needed to execute a construction option on the contract for the project, which would have allowed construction to begin in 2026 as scheduled.

    Congress typically provides specific, detailed instructions in its annual appropriations bills on how the Army Corps (and so many other agencies) must spend funding provided by Congress. Annual appropriations bills note exactly what Army Corps projects must be funded and at what levels. But instead of working with Democrats to pass full-year appropriations bills that deliver for communities across America, Republicans in Congress put forth a yearlong continuing resolution (CR) that failed to include hundreds of specific directives on how funding must be spent. For months, Senator Murray warned of the dangers of passing Republicans’ slush fund CR, noting, for example, that it would allow the administration to zero out funding for Army Corps projects. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Slams Secretary Hegseth for Playing Politics with America’s National Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s exchange with Secretary Hegseth***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth at a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for DOD. Senator Murray pressed Secretary Hegseth on firing skilled Navy shipbuilders, firing qualified and experienced military leaders, Trump’s recent comments to use “heavy force” on peaceful protesters, and his leaked Signal Chat.

    In opening comments, Vice Chair Murray said:

    “Secretary Hegseth—you oversee one of the largest and most important organizations on planet earth. More than anything, the Department of Defense needs stable, competent, and strategic leadership. And much as I had feared back in January, that is not what we’ve seen under your leadership.

    “In a matter of months, you have lost top aides and reportedly struggled to hire new ones. You have fired highly respected top military officials. You shared highly-sensitive attack plans over Signal—and apparently with people in your own personal circles. And you have not taken responsibility for these mistakes.

    “All the while, the security challenges we face have grown larger—not smaller. And in the face of these challenges, you have taken a series of actions that weaken our posture.

    “For example: in my home state of Washington, which is home to many DOD installations critical to our Indo-Pacific strategy, you have pushed out almost 2,000 highly trained civilian, including at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

    “Mr. Secretary, you talk about returning the Department to its mission of ‘warfighting.’ But I am repeatedly hearing that your policy and personnel changes at the Pentagon are only undermining–not strengthening–our military’s preparedness to protect our country.

    “You are deploying the American military to police the American people. Sending the National Guard into California without the Governor’s request. Sending the Marines—not after foreign threats, but after American protesters.

    “And now President Trump is promising ‘heavy force’ against peaceful protesters at his D.C. military parade. Those sorts of actions, and that sort of rhetoric from the President—should stop every one of us cold. Threatening to use our own troops—on our own citizens—at such scale is unprecedented, it is unconstitutional, and it is downright un-American.

    “We should all be speaking out against this—and demanding accountability.

    “Now Mr. Secretary, I have to say, for people who tout their commitment to transparency and efficiency, I have never seen an administration more hell-bent on hiding basic facts from the American people. Your Department has been unresponsive to Congressional inquiries and oversight requests. And all the while you are working to muzzle the free press, denying journalists’ access to the Pentagon.

    “Now before I turn to my questions, let me also just note: it is now mid-June—and we only, just days ago, received some—but not all—important portions of your budget request.

    “It should not have taken this long to get a request—and we still need to see the justifications, in order for this committee to do its work. We are missing those. Not having a full budget at this juncture is unacceptable.”

    [CIVILIAN CUTS TO SHIPYARDS]

    Senator Murray began her questioning by noting how the Trump administration’s staffing cuts and attacks on the civilian workforce are undermining key defense initiatives: “This administration has put the civilian workforce under attack from day one: encouraging resignations, firing probationary employees, instituting a hiring freeze, requiring OPM to approve any new hire one-by-one, and—new last week—requiring prospective employees to explain how they would, ‘help support the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities.’ We have spoken with military installations across our country. Almost all of them have been forced to fire skilled, civilian employees who are badly needed. And all of them also have hundreds—in some cases, thousands—of new hires ready to bring onboard but now have to have individually reviewed by OPM—apparently to ensure they ‘support the President’s priorities.’”

    Senator Murray asked Secretary Hegseth, “Will you be firing more shipbuilders? Yes or no?”

    Despite firing probationary employees at our shipyards, Secretary Hegseth falsely claimed no shipbuilders have been fired—and dodged Senator Murray’s question, instead arguing the Department is merely letting thousands go through its buyout program: “We haven’t fired shipbuilders. We’ve offered through a right-sizing of our civilian position, which everyone on this Committee would acknowledge the Defense Department has had a bloated bureaucracy for a long time. Have given a voluntary process by – which some people can choose to take a DRP [deferred resignation program].”

    Senator Murray interjected to ask: “Mr. Secretary, do we need more or fewer shipbuilders?”

    Secretary Hegseth dodged the question, instead claiming—after letting go more than 2000 civilian workers at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard alone—that: “We are investing historically in our shipbuilding industrial base and workforce and ships in this budget—more than anything the previous administration ever did.”

    Senator Murray said, “Well you managed to fire highly skilled workers, including in my home state of Washington, for no reason, so let me just say: the Navy needs welders, not people who can recite the President’s Executive Orders.”

    “If the Navy wants to hire a qualified candidate for the role—but that candidate happened to vote for or donate to Democrats—would they be hired?” Senator Murray asked, referred to the administration’s new, first-ever requirements that prospective employees explain how they would help support the President’s orders and policies.

    Secretary Hegseth replied, “there’s never been a litmus test for hiring welders”—but did not respond to Senator Murray’s question about whether there would be a litmus test going forward—or how the new requirements will be effectuated.

    Senator Murray responded: “That is what they are being asked. Mr. Secretary, I just have to say: we need to drop the politics in our military. We need to hire the best people—we do not need to force them out.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Presses US Forest Service Chief on Wildfire Preparedness Amid Mass Layoffs & Funding Freezes at Hearing on Forest Service Budget

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Murray, Schrier, Larsen, WA Colleagues Urge U.S. Forest Service to Reinstate Fired Employees Critical to Wildfire Response, Timber Harvest

    ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s exchange with Schultz***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned Chief of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Tom Schultz, at a Senate Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Forest Service. During her questioning, Senator Murray highlighted the critical importance of Forest Service workers, and how the firing of these employees puts wildfire preparedness in jeopardy. Senator Murray also questioned how it is remotely realistic for the Forest Service to meet the demands of President Trump’s Executive Order aiming to increase timber output from federal lands by 25 percent while the Trump administration is right now cutting budgets, delaying funding, freezing hiring, and reducing staff across the agency.  

    In her opening comments, Vice Chair Murray said:

    “As everyone knows, we’re approaching wildfire season. In my home state of Washington, wildfires are a constant threat as you well know—and when we invest in fire prevention, we save lives, we save entire communities. One of the most important investments we make is in the people who do that work.

    “But President Trump is throwing all of that work into jeopardy right now. He’s pushed out nearly 7,500 skilled employees across the Forest Service, either by firing them outright or pressuring them to leave under threat of losing their job later down the line. That includes at least 500 Forest Service employees in the Pacific Northwest. But we hardly know the full scope of the damage because the administration won’t share critical information with us.

    “I have spoken with countless Forest Service workers from Washington state who loved their job, they played an important role fighting those fires and are gone now—thanks to Trump.

    “Setting aside the proposal for a consolidated firefighting agency, this Budget proposes a $1.4 billion cut, that is 40 percent, to the Forest Service’s non-fire programs at a time when our nation’s trees, from our backyards to backcountry, are under stress and we need to step up the pace of forest health and resiliency to withstand these catastrophic wildfires.

    “On top of all that, the Forest Service has illegally withheld federal funds to help reduce wildfire risk and is currently not distributing $97 million to support state, rural, and volunteer fire departments.

    “That is a huge threat to our communities I represent in Washington state who have told me personally: this administration is putting them in danger by gutting our ability to respond to wildfires.

    “So, Chief Schultz, I do appreciate your service to our country.

    “I realize you are not making all the decisions here, but I have a number of important questions today, and I hope you can provide this committee with the information we do need.”

    [MASS FIRING OF FOREST SERVICE EMPLOYEES]

    Senator Murray began by highlighting the importance of Forest Service employees, from combatting wildfires to maintaining trails, and questioned Chief Schultz on the reasoning behind these mass firings: “Now, as I mentioned—I am profoundly concerned about this administration’s reckless decision to mass fire and push out essential Forest Service employees across the country. The Administration claimed that no firefighters have been fired, but the reality is on the ground, we have lost workers whose jobs are absolutely essential. Nearly every single Forest Service worker supports fire operations in some capacity. Trail maintenance crews, for instance, ensure access to routes remain clear for firefighting personnel and equipment. Biologists conduct essential environmental assessments that inform prescribed burns and fuel reduction strategies. Other support staff—ecologists, engineers, maintenance workers, camp managers—receive firefighting training and they are actually mobilized during peak fire season to bolster our frontline firefighting crews.”

    “So, Chief Schultz, was there any formal analysis conducted to determine the potential effect of the mass firings for wildfire preparedness?” asked Senator Murray.

    “So, I’ll try to just clarify a few things. So, in terms of a mass firing, we did not have a mass firing,” Chief Schultz replied.

    Senator Murray pressed, “I’m talking about across the board, pushing people out, early retirement, among other things.”

    Chief Schulz said, “Right, I just want to clarify. So, we did have two rounds of that deferred resignation program, and that was about 4,200 people that left voluntarily.”

    “Because they didn’t know what was coming, right?” Senator Murray followed up.

    “Right…I don’t disagree with you. And we had another 600 that took voluntary early retirement. So, there were incentives for people to leave. Now in terms of—we did not know who was going to leave obviously, it was a voluntary process. So, what we’ve done is, when they did leave, we’ve been moving people to—we call that lateral movement—we’ve been doing that across the agency. We’ve moved probably close to six- or seven-hundred people to fill those critical vacancies. When it comes to the fire piece, specifically, we have, I think I mentioned earlier, about 1,400 people that have fire quals that did leave. And we have reached out to those folks to secure their services this fire season, to see if they want to come back on a voluntary basis, to function on their…” Chief Schultz replied.

    Senator Murray called back to her initial question, “It just seems really ridiculous that it was done this way. Which was my question, actually. Was there an analysis done before this was all done, to realize the impacts of these people that you’re now trying to find and bring back?”

    “Well Senator, so we couldn’t do the analysis. So, we didn’t know who was going to leave, because it was voluntary, right? We didn’t go handpick who was going to leave,” Chief Schultz dodged.

     
    “Well, I want to get on. But the stakes are life and death here, and this really raises serious alarms about this agency being ready for this critical fire season,”     Senator Murray said.

    [UNPREPARDENESS FOR WILDFIRE SEASON]

    Senator Murray continued by emphasizing the consequences of these mass firings on wildfire preparedness across the country: “Interior Secretary Burgum recently told this Committee that on-the-ground wildfire operations would not be affected by the administration’s staffing cuts across various agencies. But we know that’s not true. In the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, one firefighter barracks recently and abruptly lost power. And it stayed without power not for a few hours or a day—but for weeks. Why? Because the maintenance workers in that Forest had been pushed out the door. There was no ability to put even a small purchase on a credit card because the card limit was drastically decreased. And there was no one left to process a basic contract to get that repair done. This is what happens when administrative staff disappear. It’s not just an inconvenience—it directly affects whether firefighters have a safe place to sleep, whether they have power, whether they can be deployed effectively. Maybe Elon didn’t care about the maintenance crew but turns out they’re pretty important. And this is not an isolated incident. I’ve heard so many stories: administrative staff responsible for coordinating travel for crews when a fire breaks out—gone. People who made sure fire response teams had their fuel and supplies ready—they’re gone. And all of this is happening as we now head straight into what is going to be a dangerous fire season in Washington state.”

    “So, Chief Schultz, tell us: do you believe the Forest Service is ready for wildfire season, given this absence of critical administrative and support staff, do you believe they are ready?” Senator Murray asked.

    “Yes, I do believe they’re ready. And then some of the credit card issues you’re talking about, we have adjusted those. We’ve had increases in cards, and we’ve—again we’ve been moving people into lateral positions to ensure critical vacancies that we can clear them to fill those,” replied Chief Schultz.

    “Well, I can just tell you from the ground, it feels like we are not prepared for this wildfire season. You just said we were. We’ll see what happens. But I fear I’m going to be right,” stated Senator Murray.

    [RESOURCES STRIPPED FROM TIMBER]

    Senator Murray moved on to the sale of timber, President Trump vows to increase output while reneging funding and resources, effectively crippling the ability of the Forest Service to produce timber at all: “The President supposedly wants to increase timber output from federal lands by 25 percent. Here’s the problem. This same Administration is simultaneously cutting budgets, delaying funding, freezing hiring, and reducing staff at the Forest Service—the very agency that is responsible for that work. So how exactly is that going to work? Who’s going to consult with tribes, who’s going to lay out the sale plans, who’s going to mark the timber, who’s going to manage compliance, and issue contracts when field offices have already been literally decimated? Is the expectation Chief Schultz—is it really the expectation that these fewer people, with fewer resources, less support, can somehow deliver work, at a faster pace and with greater complexity? How is that realistic?”

    Chief Schultz responded, “I think it’s an iterative process. We don’t have all the answers today, but in terms of how we’re going to get there, we’re going to, again, fill critical vacancies. We’re also going to have to lean on partners differently. So, the states in Washington, they have a very aggressive Good Neighbor program.”

    “The states are being relied on for just about, virtually everything. And I got to tell you, firefighters don’t sit—as my partner from Oregon knows—they do not sit in one state,” stated Senator Murray.

    “That’s right. But to your point though, we are going to be working with partners in a different way. We’re going to have different kind of contracting terms that we’re going to have looking at longer term contracts,” replied Chief Schultz.

    Senator Murray pressed, “Well, that begs the question, so do you have some kind of plan for this? It’s going to be executed over the next year? Because the wildfire season is here right now, and critical employees are not in place.”  

    “So, when it comes to the wildfire season, yes, ma’am, we do have the critical folks in place. When it comes to administering the timber program that you’re talking about, we’re building that right now. So that’s part of what we’re doing. Is we’re building that, that process, those interim operating plans, we’re working on that right now,” said Chief Schultz.

    “When will we see that?” followed up Senator Murray.

    “You know, I would suspect in the next couple months we’ll have that whole plan figured out how we’re going to execute that for the next four years. That’s what we’re working on right now,” Chief Schultz responded.

    Senator Murray said, “Okay, thank you.” 

    ___________________________________

    Senator Murray is a leading voice pushing back against the Trump administration’s attacks on federal agencies, including NOAA and the U.S. Forest Service, that support disaster preparedness and response in Washington state and across the country. Last month, Senator Murray held a press conference with Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and wildfire officials in Washington state and Oregon to sound the alarm on how the Trump administration’s funding freezes and punishing cuts to the workforce at the U.S. Forest Service and other key agencies are seriously undermining wildfire preparedness and response in Washington state and Oregon and putting communities at risk. Senator Murray is working to secure critical investments in wildfire suppression and mitigation—and in our firefighters. Last year, as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, she secured nearly $22 million in funding for wildfire risk reduction projects across Washington state as part of the USFS Wildfire Crisis Strategy. In the Interior and Environment appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2024, she worked to include essential investments in wildfire preparedness and suppression. And in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, she secured $25 million in funding for wildfire mitigation projects across Washington state.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy on Senate Floor: Reestablishing American Energy Dominance Starts in Louisiana

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    [embedded content]

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) delivered a speech on the U.S. Senate floor highlighting Louisiana’s energy abundance and detailing how unleashing American energy will benefit American families, the economy, and our national security.
    “The benefits of unleashing American energy go beyond our borders. President Trump’s America First policies are good for the U.S., good for Louisiana, and good for the world,” said Dr. Cassidy. 
    “America has the resources. We have an abundance. Let’s put it to use,” concluded Dr. Cassidy. 
    Background
    In January, Cassidy released a statement applauding President Trump’s executive order to lift the Biden administration’s harmful pause on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permitting. In March, Cassidy was joined by U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) in reiterating support for President Trump’s approach to American energy. 
    Last year, immediately following the Biden administration’s announcement that they would freeze pending applications for LNG export permits, Cassidy led 25 of his Republican colleagues in condemning the decision. Cassidy later delivered a speech on the U.S. Senate floor blasting the decision. In February 2024, Cassidy penned an op-ed with U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Houston Chronicle underscoring the devastating economic, environmental, and national security impacts of the LNG export freeze.
    Cassidy also introduced the LNG Security Act to reverse President Biden’s LNG export ban and require the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to approve LNG exports to all countries that have imported, currently import, or are capable of importing Russian or Iranian natural gas. Additionally, he introduced the Unlocking Domestic LNG Potential Act, which depoliticizes the export of American LNG. It eliminates the requirement for the DOE to authorize exports and instead gives the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sole authority over the approval process. 
    Cassidy’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below:
    Louisiana fuels the world.
    That is what we say in my state. And that is true.
    Louisiana accounted for more than 60% of U.S. energy exports last year. The United States is the world’s largest LNG exporter—Louisiana has some of the largest export terminals in the world.
    And it’s a whole-of-state initiative! A lot of the gas that we export is produced in the Haynesville shale, which is in Northwest Louisiana.
    And that gas comes down to Cameron LNG in Hackberry, Louisiana. That one is capable of exporting 12 million metric tons of LNG per year.
    Cheniere Energy in Cameron Parish. 30 million metric tons of LNG per year.
    Venture Global in Plaquemines Parish. 27 million metric tons of LNG per year, and it is growing.
    President Trump wants to reestablish American energy dominance. That dominance starts in Louisiana.
    Louisiana has the infrastructure, the strategic location, and most importantly the workers to put America back on top.
    Louisiana’s ports, railroads, highways, and pipelines provide an outlet for gas and oil from landlocked states to export through our ports.
    Some oil is transported by rail. And the only place in the United States of America where six major freight railway carriers converge is in—you guessed it—Louisiana. 
    Our fully integrated, 50,000-mile pipeline network and 11,000 miles of state highways make Louisiana an obvious choice when considering which states can best transport these goods.
    We’re positioned where the Mississippi River drains into the Gulf of America.
    Besides our LNG export terminals, we have six combined deep draft ports.
    Louisiana moves oil and gas, and we also move the refined products of that oil and gas, which is part of fueling the world.
    Louisiana is critical to production and distribution of fuel and fuel products.
    I’m making these points because reestablishing American energy dominance is about creating better jobs—higher-paying jobs—changing the trajectory of a family in my state and across the nation. 
    By the end of President Biden’s term, after four years of attacks against American energy production, the Department of Energy reported tens of thousands of jobs lost.
    But tens of thousands of jobs is a statistic! **These are real people, real families we’re talking about!
    Think of the young couple with children who have lost their job!
    The wife immediately wonders how they’re going to pay the house note.
    The husband feels as if he’s letting his family down.
    The kids see conflict that was never there before between the parents.
    Those are human stories and those stories are relived over and over when those jobs are killed. Not because the fuel is not needed, but because the last administration decided they didn’t like it. 
    That was the case for tens of thousands of Americans under President Biden. His war on American energy was a war on American jobs, which is a war on American families.
    That war on the American family is over. I recognize, President Trump recognizes, that American energy dominance fueling our state, our country, and the world—and along with it, giving enough product for the manufacturing of the refined products that we all need—creates with it the high-paying jobs for the Americans who should never have been out of work in the first place. 
    Woodside Energy recently announced the largest single foreign direct investment in Louisiana history: a $17.5 billion investment in Calcasieu Parish for a new LNG export facility.
    It will support 15,000 jobs during construction and, once operational, thousands more after it’s built.
    By the way, there are other things we do with this plentiful, abundant energy! There are wonderful spin-offs!
    Last month, Hyundai Steel announced a $5.8 billion investment to build a new, next-generation steel production facility in Ascension Parish. The facility is expected to generate $4.1 billion in annual revenue and will bring nearly 1,500 direct jobs to the state, plus thousands of indirect jobs.
    That’s low-cost energy paving the way for more opportunity!
    By the way, this benefits my state, our nation, but guess who else it benefits? Our allies!
    Europe imports 45% of its LNG from the United States. Now they still get 20 from Russia, and the rest from Qatar and other countries.
    But WE send them 45% of their LNG. Before the Russia-Ukraine war, it was only 27%!
    We have a bill before Congress now to put even stricter sanctions upon Russia. If the Europeans buy even less gas from Russia, they’ll need more gas from us.
    We can make up that difference.
    With our LNG export facilities and with our gas, I want to send MORE natural gas from the Haynesville shale, through those LNG export facilities, across the Atlantic Ocean, creating tax revenue for my parish governments and wealth for my workers—to help their national security, to help our economy, to help my working families.
    The European Union using more U.S. LNG hurts Vladimir Putin’s war machine.
    Last year, the EU paid 22 billion euros for Russian natural gas, and Putin used that for his war machine.
    Next year, if the Europeans buy that much U.S. natural gas, that’s $25 billion coming to OUR economy!
    After Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine in 2022, America stood up against Putin. Europe did too. Let’s help them do it even more so.
    We can help them by saying, “Don’t buy Putin’s gas to fuel his war, buy OUR gas.”
    Louisiana is ready to help.
    America has the resources. We have an abundance. Let’s put it to use.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Five killed in gas explosion in apartment building in Armenia

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    YEREVAN, June 11 (Xinhua) — Five people were killed and 11 hospitalized in a gas explosion that occurred in an apartment building in the eastern Armenian city of Chambarak on Wednesday, according to preliminary data, the rescue service of the country’s Interior Ministry said.

    It is noted that the explosion occurred due to a gas leak in one of the apartments on the third floor of the building. As a result of the explosion, apartments on the second, third and fourth floors collapsed. In addition, apartments in the neighboring entrance were partially damaged.

    Three of the injured were taken to medical facilities in Yerevan. The condition of the others is assessed as moderate.

    A working group has been created at the local mayor’s office to eliminate the consequences of the incident. A criminal case has been opened and an investigation is underway. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The final of the national stage of the “Chinese Language is a Bridge” competition was held in Armenia

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    Yerevan, June 11 (Xinhua) — The final of the national stage of the World Chinese Language Proficiency Contest among students and secondary school pupils “Chinese is a Bridge” was held in the capital of Armenia on Wednesday. It was jointly organized by the Chinese Embassy in Armenia and the Confucius Institute of the Yerevan State University of Foreign Languages named after Valery Bryusov.

    Five students from the country’s leading universities and 10 schoolchildren from different grades from three cities took part in the competition. They delivered welcoming speeches, recited poems, sang songs and performed short stage productions in Chinese.

    Welcoming the participants, Chinese Ambassador to Armenia Li Xinwei noted that even the simplest communication clearly highlights the important role of language as an intercultural bridge and reflects the sincere friendship between the peoples of China and Armenia.

    “Learning Chinese helps people gain a deeper understanding of the rich Chinese culture, penetrate the spiritual world of the Chinese people, and become ambassadors of people-to-people exchanges between our countries. It also creates a solid foundation for cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Armenia,” Li Xinwei said.

    Rector of Yerevan State University of Foreign Languages named after V. Bryusov David Gyurjinyan admitted that he was impressed by the results of the competition.

    The winners of the competition were Yerevan State University student Laura Arakelyan, Gyumri Academic College student Sos Vardanyan and Nor Hachin school student Robert Zakharyan. They will travel to China to participate in the global stage of the “Chinese Language is a Bridge” competition. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Number of Chinese tourists in Belarus is growing due to increase in flights from China — Ministry of Sports and Tourism

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    MINSK, June 11 /Xinhua/ – The number of Chinese travelers to Belarus is actively growing, which is facilitated by the increase in flights from China, Deputy Director of the Tourism Department of the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of Belarus Ekaterina Goncharenok said on Wednesday. The relevant information was published by BELTA.

    “The main flow of tourists to Belarus are Russians. They make up about 80 percent of all arrivals. The number of tourists from China is also growing very actively, which is facilitated by the increase in flights from China. Flights have been opened not only to Urumqi, but also to Xi’an,” noted E. Goncharenok.

    The head of the information department of the Belarusian state institution “National Tourism Agency” Ekaterina Alekseyeva added that familiarization tours are also organized in Belarus for foreigners, including citizens of China. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES: “HOUSE REPUBLICANS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO STOP THE GOP TAX SCAM”

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

    Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer where they urged House Republicans to use their second chance to do the right thing and stop the GOP Tax Scam.  

    LEADER JEFFRIES: It’s an honor and a privilege to be joined today by Leader Chuck Schumer. We’ve been working closely with Leader Schumer and Senate Democrats in a unified way to stop the Republican One Big, Ugly Bill from ever becoming law. Later on today on the House Floor, Republicans will have an opportunity to stop the GOP Tax Scam and address the concerns that have been raised by dozens of House Republicans with respect to the damage that the One Big, Ugly Bill will do to everyday Americans. The GOP Tax Scam represents the largest assault on healthcare in American history. More than 16 million Americans will lose access to healthcare in the United States of America as a result of the One Big, Ugly Bill. Hospitals will close, nursing homes will shut down and people will die because they’ll lose access to the medical care that they need. Tens of millions of additional Americans will pay higher premiums, co-pays and deductibles.

    There are more than a dozen House Republicans who have indicated that they don’t support cutting Medicaid for the people that they represent. Those House Republicans have a chance to stop this bill from even being sent over to the United States Senate by voting no on the rule today. Other House Republicans have indicated that they don’t support the cuts to the clean energy tax credits that have generated jobs and economic opportunity in their communities. Yet somehow, mysteriously, they voted for the One Big, Ugly Bill a few weeks ago. But now, these House Republicans have the ability to stop the GOP Tax Scam from being sent over to the United States Senate.

    It’s strange to me that you have Republicans who voted for a bill that they apparently disliked, and then publicly sent a letter to their Senate Republican colleagues to say, stop these provisions from ever becoming law. I mean, that’s the height of irresponsibility. Vote yes and then hope for the best. No, you have a job to do in the House of Representatives, and now you have a second chance to actually stop this One Big, Ugly Bill and the provisions that you disagree with, whether that’s the cuts to Medicaid or the cuts to clean energy tax credits, or the prohibition against regulating artificial intelligence across all 50 states or the aggressive overreach that many Republicans have complained about in terms of trying to strip away the ability of federal courts to issue contempt orders against an out-of-control executive branch. Every single one of those Republicans, dozens of them, now have an opportunity to actually act responsibly. Vote no against the rule that will be on the Floor of the House and stop the GOP Tax Scam from even going over to the United States Senate. I’m thankful again for the leadership and presence of Chuck Schumer. It’s now my honor to yield to him.

    Full press conference can be watched here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Aguilar Announces Over $5 million to Improve and Expand HIV Prevention and Treatment Services in San Bernardino

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Pete Aguilar (31 CD Ca)

    Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar announced $5,306,794 in grant funding for the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health to expand access to and improve HIV prevention, early intervention and treatment services for underserved communities in San Bernardino County. 
    “Everyone in our community deserves access to quality health care and treatment options to prevent the devastating effects of HIV,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar. “This grant funding represents a significant step forward in expanding early intervention and treatment services across San Bernardino County, bringing us closer to ending this disease and ensuring no one is left behind.”
    “Securing funding through the HIV Emergency Relief Project Grants and the Ending the HIV Epidemic Program represents a major advancement in San Bernardino County’s efforts to address HIV prevention, care, and treatment. These funds will enable the Department of Public Health and community partners to expand access to critical medical and support services, enhance testing and prevention efforts, and ensure individuals living with or at risk of HIV receive the comprehensive care they need. We are deeply committed to improving health access, strengthening our public health infrastructure, and making measurable progress in ending the HIV epidemic within our communities,” said Josh Dugas, Director of the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health.
    The funding comes as part of four grant awards secured under the Biden-Harris Administration from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources & Services Administration. Included in the funding is $2,444,965 from the FY25 HIV Emergency Relief Project Grant Program, $1,076,917 from the FY25 Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, $122,744 from the FY25 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part C Early Intervention Services (EIS) Grant Program and $1,662,168 from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part A HIV Emergency Relief Grant Program.  Rep. Aguilar serves as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as a member of the House Committee on Appropriations.

    MIL OSI USA News –