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  • MIL-OSI USA: Issa, Ernst Re-Introduce Bill to Protect Law-Abiding Gun Shops from ATF Overreach

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50)

    Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) and Senator Joni Ernst (IA) re-introduced legislation to protect gun store owners from onerous Biden-era gun control policies, which instigated the ATF to unfairly target small firearms businesses and the legal products they sell to customers.

    The Fighting Irrational Regulatory Enforcement to Avert Retailers’ Misfortune (FIREARM) Act, provides a safe harbor for law-abiding Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders – granting them the ability to correct minor clerical mistakes and insulating them from ATF retribution. The bill also increases due process protections for these businesses and establishes a retroactive reapplication process for those whose FFLs were unduly revoked. Senator Ernst earlier this week introduced the Senate companion of the FIREARM Act.

    “The Biden Administration repeatedly undermined Second Amendment rights and weaponized federal agencies against law-abiding citizens and family-owned small businesses because they were part of the lawful firearms industry. This delivered a transparently unfair assault on the fundamental rights of Americans, and that’s why my friend Senator Ernst and I introduced the FIREARM Act. This bill prevents a repeat of that kind of government weaponization and puts in permanent safeguards for the future,” said Rep. Issa.

    “The Biden administration’s zero-tolerance policy empowered gun grabbers in Washington to infringe on the Second Amendment and shutter small businesses,” said Senator Ernst. “Iowans spoke loud and clear in November that they were tired of bureaucratic overreach. My FIREARM Act disarms the out-of-control ATF and ensures that the rights of law-abiding gun owners are protected.”

    “The firearms industry is a core enabler of our constitutional rights under the Second Amendment, as well as acritical component of our National Defense apparatus. As such, ensuring fair and transparent adjudication of licensing matters — to include a mechanism for voluntary disclosures and self-corrections — for federal firearms licensees is of paramount importance. FRAC applauds Representative Issa for his leadership on this issue and for spearheading this bold legislation, which aims to create accountability, transparency, and fairness in such adjudication process.” Travis R. White, President & CEO, Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition

    “Congressman Issa’s ‘FIREARM’ Act will ensure that future administrations cannot weaponize the ATF as a political gun control tool for special interests,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President & General Counsel. “Under the Biden administration, the firearm and ammunition industry witnessed the ATF being weaponized to carry out that administration’s extreme antigun policies. That damaged the cooperative relationships between firearm retailers, who are on the frontline preventing illegal straw purchases of firearms, and the ATF, which enforces laws to safeguard our communities. NSSF is thankful for Congressman Issa’s leadership to provide remedies that repair this necessary public trust in our federal agencies.”

    Specifically, the FIREARM Act:

    • Prohibits zero-tolerance ATF FFL policies
    • Creates a safe harbor for self-reported violations and provides FFLs 30 days to correct violations that are not self-reported
    • Requires ATF to work collaboratively with FFLs to fix violations
    • Explicitly defines “willful” to mean a voluntary, intentional violation of a known legal duty achieved through specific intent or deliberate planning
    • Gives FFLs the option of district court judicial review in cases of revocation
    • Creates a license restoration process for stores impacted by the previous Biden Administration weaponization

    Cosponsors: Reps. Claudia Tenney (NY-24), Randy Weber (TX-14), Derrick Van Orden (WI-3), Mike Collins (GA-10), Wesley Hunt (TX-38), Lauren Boebert (CO-4), Troy Downing (MT-2), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2), Brett Guthrie (KY-2), Scott DesJarlais (TN-4), Gus M. Bilirakis (FL-12), Tim Burchett (TN-2), Cory Mills (FL-7), Michael Guest (MS-3), Pete Sessions (TX-17), David Kustoff (TN-8), Gabe Evans (CO-8), Scott Franklin (FL-18), Mary Miller (IL-15), Don Bacon (NE-2), Chuck Edwards (NC-11),Andy Biggs (AZ-5), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Diana Harshbarger (TN-1), Ashley Hinson (IA-2), Clay Higgins (LA-3), and Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13). 

    Industry support includes the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition (FRAC).

    The bill text can be found here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Blasts Trump Administration Decision to Rescind Requirement for Hospitals to Provide Emergency Abortions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen released the following statement condemning the Trump Administration’s dangerous decision to rescind federal guidance that required hospitals to provide emergency reproductive care and protected doctors and health care providers who perform abortions during life-threatening emergency cases, regardless of state bans on the procedure.
    “The outrageous decision by the Trump Administration to get rid of federal requirements for hospitals to provide emergency abortions will have dire consequences for women in need of life-saving care,” said Senator Rosen. “Make no mistake – doctors will be arrested simply for doing their jobs and women will die as a result of this dangerous action by Donald Trump to implement his Project 2025 agenda. I’ll do everything I can to fight back against these dangerous anti-choice policies and push to restore Roe v. Wade.”
    Senator Rosen has been fighting against extreme anti-choice efforts to restrict women’s reproductive freedoms. Last year, she voted to protect access to IVF and joined legislation to federally protect access to IVF treatments. Senator Rosen helped introduce the Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act to protect doctors and other health care professionals from being prosecuted for providing reproductive care to their patients. She also voted to protect women’s constitutional right to access birth control.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Your chance to try simpler train tickets in Yorkshire and the East Midlands this September

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Your chance to try simpler train tickets in Yorkshire and the East Midlands this September

    Up to 4,000 rail passengers can take part in each route of the pay-as-you-go ticketing trials.

    • digital ticketing trials will start from the end of the summer across Yorkshire and the East Midlands  
    • passengers can now sign up for one of the 4,000 places available  
    • demonstrates government action to overhaul ticketing and get more people onto our railways as part of our Plan for Change

    From today (6 June 2025), thousands of passengers across the north and East Midlands will have a chance to volunteer to take part in a new digital ticketing trial.  

    Backed by government funding, the trials will use GPS-based technology to track train journeys, ensuring passengers pay the best fare for the journey they take.  

    Digital ticketing builds on the government’s plans to overhaul the railways to make them simpler, more flexible and passenger-focused. Ahead of the creation of Great British Railways, the government continues to work to deliver positive changes like this for passengers – attracting more people back onto our trains, boosting the economy and delivering on the government’s Plan for Change. 

    The trials being operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR) and Northern Trains will run along these routes:

    • Leicester to Derby to Nottingham 
    • Harrogate to Leeds 
    • Sheffield to Doncaster 
    • Sheffield to Barnsley 

    Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said: 

    Contactless ticketing is making journeys easier to navigate for millions of passengers and now our digital trials are actively recruiting volunteers to help expand this technology across Yorkshire and the East Midlands. 

     Simplifying ticketing is a major part of our plans to overhaul the railways. I encourage anyone who regularly gets the train along these routes to get involved and help us build a ticketing system that delivers a better experience for passengers and communities across the country.

    Unlike the previous rollout of pay-as-you-go, which uses contactless payment at barriers, these trials will use GPS-based technology to track people’s location throughout their train journey.

    Up to 1,000 passengers will be able to take part in each route of the trials, meaning 4,000 passengers in total. The first trial to get underway will be on EMR between Leicester, Derby and Nottingham, kicking off at the beginning of September. The other routes, operated by Northern, will begin between September and November, with each running for 9 months from the start date. 

    Anyone interested in taking part should check EMR and Northern Trains’ websites, where a recruitment campaign has been launched.

    Alex Hornby, Commercial and Customer Director, Northern Trains, said:

    These trials mark an important step forward in simplifying rail travel and making the experience as frictionless as possible for our customers. By trialling pay-as-you-go technology on some of our routes, we’re helping to shape a future where hopping on a train is as easy as checking in and out.

    We will now be reaching out to regular customers on those routes to see if they would be willing to participate in these trials later this year. We’re excited to see how they respond and look forward to playing our part in modernising how people travel by rail in the north.

    These trials are expected to build on the success of the rollout of contactless ticketing at 53 stations across the south east. Since its introduction, more than 2 million entries and exits have been made using contactless cards or mobile devices, averaging around 140,000 a week – showing how popular the system is with customers using those stations already. 

    The department is also working closely with Greater Manchester and the West Midlands to develop their proposals for rolling out contactless ticketing even further. 

    Jenna Cowie, Interim Commercial Director at East Midlands Railway, said:

    We’re excited to be part of a project that aims to improve the way people travel and it is a great opportunity for our customers in Derby, Nottingham and Leicester to be among the very first in the country to experience a new, smarter way to buy train tickets.

    This trial is all about making train travel easier, faster and more intuitive. No more fare confusion – just check in and out with your phone and travel knowing you’ll automatically pay the best-value fare for your journey.

    This follows on from a watershed moment last month when South Western Railway (SWR) services became the first train operating company to transfer back into public control since the passing of the Public Ownership Bill, ending almost 30 years of fragmentation and waste under privatisation.   

    By bringing track and train together, Great British Railways will enable operations to run more seamlessly, bringing accountability and reliability back into the railways and, in turn, helping to reduce delays and cancellations.  

    Great British Railways will not just be the name of the new nationally owned railway, it symbolises a complete reset that will mark the high standard of service and delivery the public should expect to receive.    

    This week, the government also announced £15.6 billion – the biggest ever investment – in buses, trams and local train infrastructure for city regions, benefiting working people across the north, the Midlands and the south west. The funding – a more than double real-terms increase in capital spending on local transport in city regions by 2029 to 2030 compared with 2024 to 2025 – will empower local leaders to invest in transport projects that will make a difference to their local area.

    Rail media enquiries

    Media enquiries 0300 7777878

    Switchboard 0300 330 3000

    Updates to this page

    Published 6 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: More than £32 million to resurface roads and build new cycle lanes in the north east and Yorkshire as region hosts UK’s largest women’s cycling race

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    More than £32 million to resurface roads and build new cycle lanes in the north east and Yorkshire as region hosts UK’s largest women’s cycling race

    Investing in safer roads will encourage more women to cycle, build healthier, stronger communities and help ease pressure on the NHS.

    • an extra £20 million boost will improve roads across the north east and Yorkshire – part of an additional £500 million to tackle potholes nationwide
    • future of Roads Minister visits the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women – the UK’s biggest women’s cycling race – to promote safer roads for female cyclists
    • this is on top of nearly £12.8 million to build new cycle lanes and pavements in the north east – making active travel easier and easing pressure off the NHS, all part of the government’s Plan for Change

    Cyclists in the North East and Yorkshire will get around safely and easily as the government invests an extra £32 million to tackle potholes and build new cycle lanes in the region.

    Today (6 June 2025), the Minister for the Future of Roads will be in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, to speak to local schools, cycling clubs and female cycling champions during Stage 2 of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women – the UK’s biggest women’s road cycling race.

    The minister will show how the government is taking action to resurface roads and emphasise the need to make them safer and more accessible for all road users, including female cyclists. Her visit follows the £15.6 billion boost announced earlier this week to empower local leaders to invest in local transport projects that will make a real difference across England’s city regions – including South Yorkshire, the north east and Tees Valley.

    Pothole-ridden roads put everyone off cycling, with this impact felt the most by women. According to research from Cycling UK, more than half of women (58%) said their cycle journeys were limited by safety concerns and a lack of suitable infrastructure, with 36% of women pointing to poor roads as a main factor.

    The government is investing an extra £20 million to resurface roads across the north east and Yorkshire so that cyclists and all road users can get around more safely, more easily and with confidence.

    On top of this uplift, local cyclists are also benefiting from an almost £13 million boost to build new cycle lanes and pavements in the north east.

    Better roads and new cycle lanes will make it easier and safer for people to cycle. This will lead to 43,000 fewer sick days a year across the country and add £1.4 billion to the UK economy, putting money in the pockets of hardworking families to help deliver the government’s Plan for Change.

    Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood, said:

    Safer roads mean safer spaces to cycle. The Lloyds Tour of Britain Women is a fantastic way to show women and girls the power of cycling and the difference it can make to their lives.

    By investing in better roads, we’re delivering our Plan for Change – encouraging more women and girls to hop on a bike, easing pressure on the NHS and building healthier, stronger communities.

    Across the country, the government is investing a total of £1.6 billion to resurface roads – enough to fill 7 million extra potholes – which includes an extra £500 million boost to go above and beyond the government’s manifesto commitment.

    Lizzie Deignan MBE, Olympic silver medallist and world champion, said:

    I am incredibly passionate about getting more women and girls on bikes, whatever their background or ability. The benefits of cycling are vast, from improving your health, meeting new people and developing new skills and confidence.

    Having better cycling infrastructure across the UK will definitely break down barriers, which currently prevent women and girls from participating in cycling.

    Programmes like British Cycling’s Breeze and Go-Ride clubs are reaching out to local communities and creating opportunities to make it easier for women and girls to access cycling, so we can enable safe and fun environments to make sure that everyone can enjoy the freedom of riding a bike.

    With more investment in our roads and cycle lanes, programmes like this can go further as we bring the joy of cycling to more people across the country.

    The £13 million for new cycle lanes and pavements in the north east comes from a £291 million package to build new active travel infrastructure across the whole country and encourage more people to walk, wheel, scoot and cycle.

    The improvements will help people across the country make 30 million more journeys by bike or foot every year, including more than 20 million new walk-to-school journeys by children and their parents.

    Caroline Julian, Director of Brand and Engagement at British Cycling, said:

    Significant barriers still exist that prevent many people from accessing the health, economic and social benefits that cycling brings. We know from our research that road safety is the biggest reason that holds people back from getting on a bike. This is, unfortunately, particularly the case for women.

    We are encouraged to see the significant government investment in road and cycle lane infrastructure in the north-east and Yorkshire regions. Investing in infrastructure and places to ride, alongside strengthened promotion and enforcement of the Highway Code, is of critical importance to make cycling accessible to all.

    RAC Senior Policy Officer, Rod Dennis, said:

    Whether on two wheels or four, the quality of the nation’s roads must be improved to make journeys smoother and safer. It’s crucial now that councils use this cash as effectively as possible.

    While dangerous potholes must be filled quickly, councils need to do more surface dressing work to ensure decent roads stay in a better state for longer and resurface those that are beyond repair.

    IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Standards, Nicholas Lyes, said:

    Poorly maintained roads are not just a nuisance, they are a road safety hazard, particularly for those on two wheels. We welcome this additional funding that focuses not just on smoother surfaces but safer infrastructure, which will improve journey choice for people.

    Roads media enquiries

    Media enquiries 0300 7777 878

    Switchboard 0300 330 3000

    Updates to this page

    Published 6 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New ambulances and faster emergency care for patients next winter

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    New ambulances and faster emergency care for patients next winter

    Patients will receive better, faster and more appropriate emergency care as the government sets out reforms to shorten waiting times in A&E.

    • Nearly £450 million investment to expand urgent and emergency care facilities to provide faster care for patients

    • 800,000 fewer patients each year to wait more than four hours at A&E, and more will receive urgent treatment in their community

    • Part of government’s Plan for Change to modernise NHS services and improve emergencv care.

    Patients will receive better, faster and more appropriate emergency care as the government sets out reforms to shorten waiting times and tackle persistently failing trusts.

    The new package of investment and reforms will improve patients’ experiences this year, including by caring for more patients in the community, rather than in hospital which is often worse for patients and more expensive for taxpayers.

    Backed with a total of nearly £450 million, the plan will deliver:

    • Around 40 new Same Day Emergency Care and Urgent Treatment Centres – which treat and discharge patients in the same day, avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital.
    • Up to 15 mental health crisis assessment centres to provide care in the right place for patients and avoid them waiting in A&E for hours for care, which is not the most appropriate setting for people who are experiencing a crisis. These centres will offer people timely access to specialist support and are directed to the right care.
    • Almost 500 new ambulances will also be rolled out across the country by March 2026.

    The plan’s emphasis will be on shifting more patient care into more appropriate care settings as part of the move from hospital to community under the government’s Plan for Change to rebuild the NHS, while tackling ambulance handover delays and corridor care.

    Health Secretary Wes Streeting said:

    No patient should ever be left waiting for hours in hospital corridors or for an ambulance which ought to arrive in minutes.

    We can’t fix more than a decade of underinvestment and neglect overnight. But through the measures we’re setting out today, we will deliver faster and more convenient care for patients in emergencies

    Far too many patients are ending up in A&E who don’t need or want to be there, because there isn’t anywhere else available. Because patients can’t get a GP appointment, which costs the NHS £40, they end up in A&E, which costs around £400- worse for patients and more expensive for the taxpayer.

    The package of investment and reforms we are announcing today will help the NHS treat more patients in the community, so they don’t end up stuck on trolleys in A&E. Hundreds of new ambulances will help cut the unacceptably long waiting times we’ve seen in recent years. And new centres for patients going through a mental health crisis will provide better care and keep them out of A&E, which are not well equipped to care for them.

    By shifting staff and resources out of hospitals and into communities, and modernising NHS technology and equipment, our Plan for Change will make sure the NHS can be there for you when you need it, once again.

    NHS Chief Executive Sir Jim Mackey said:

    Urgent and emergency care services provide a life-saving first line of defence for patients – but for too long now, despite the incredible hard work of staff, the speed and quality of NHS care has often not been good enough.

    Our patients and staff deserve better, so that is why we need a radical change in approach and to ensure we get the basics right.

    This major plan sets out how we will work together to resuscitate NHS urgent and emergency care, with a focus on getting patients out of corridors, keeping more ambulances on the road, and enable those ready to leave hospital can do so as soon as possible.

    NHS National Director for Urgent and Emergency Care Sarah-Jane Marsh said:

    It is vital that patients can access our urgent and emergency care services in the right place at the right time, and that the care provided is to a standard we would want for ourselves and our own families.

    While the 10 Year Health Plan will set out a longer-term vision to transform urgent and emergency services for the 21st century, there is so much more we could all be doing now.

    This plan sets out not only what we know is working across the country, but how systems must work together to improve access and quality for the benefit of our patients.

    In order to support this shift in delivery focus, NHS England will be asking providers and systems to be accountable to their own local Boards and populations, creating robust winter plans which will be tested during winter exercises throughout September”.

    Every day, more than 140,000 people access urgent and emergency care services across England. Since 2010/11, demand has almost doubled with ambulance service usage rising by 61%.

    A&E waiting time standards have not been met for over a decade, while the 18-minute target for category 2 ambulance calls has never been hit outside the pandemic.

    But at least one in five people who attend A&E don’t need urgent or emergency care, while an even larger number could be better cared for in the community.

    The plan focuses on making winter 2025/26 significantly better than recent winters by setting ambitious but achievable targets and increasing transparency about progress.

    It marks a fundamental shift in our approach to urgent and emergency care – moving from fragmented efforts to genuine collaboration across the whole system and mean better coordination between NHS trusts and primary care to identify patients most vulnerable during winter.

    And it aims to make the most difference to patients by focusing on specific improvements across the healthcare system, aligning resources to areas that need them most.

    The plan will also see more patients receive care in the community, rather than being unnecessarily admitted into hospital, through measures including:

    • More paramedic-led care in the community – which means patients will receive more effective treatment at the scene of an accident or in their own homes from ambulance crews
    • Increasing numbers of patients seen by urgent community response teams – which provide urgent care to people in their homes, helping to avoid hospital admissions and enable people to live independently for longer. Local areas will be told to lay out how they will expand access to these teams, which includes understanding level of needs;
    • Better use of virtual wards – which use modern technology to provide patients with hospital-level care at home safely and in familiar surroundings, speeding up their recovery while freeing up hospital beds for patients that need them most
    • And publishing league tables on performance to drive improved transparency and public accountability and as well as encouraging less effective systems to work more closely with high performing systems to accelerate improvement.

    Thanks to the investment and reforms announced today, 800,000 fewer people should be forced to wait more than 4 hours for care in emergency departments this year.

    Chief Executive of NHS Providers Daniel Elkeles said:

    There is a lot to like about this plan. It’s helpful that we’re seeing it in early summer, with time to ensure meaningful measures are in place ahead of the added pressures of winter.

    It’s also good to see that so many parts of the system, including primary, community and mental health care, in addition to ambulance and hospital services, have been factored in.

    The extra capital investment for same day emergency care and mental health crisis assessment centres and ambulance services is particularly welcome, as is the emphasis on vaccination – and on this we’d urge NHS staff and the public to play their part by getting that protection.

    This plan should result in meaningful progress compared to last winter. As the plan acknowledges the public and our staff want to know the NHS can respond quickly, safely and effectively in an emergency. NHS Providers would like to work with NHSE and the government to develop long term UEC plans that are bold and ambitious.

    Association of Ambulances Chief Executives Managing Director Anna Parry said:

    The new urgent and emergency care plan reaffirms AACE’s vision for the future of NHS ambulance services. By extending and formalising a wider ambulance sector remit in urgent and emergency care, we will be better placed to help resolve some of the key system pressures, reduce the risks for patients and transform patient care while offering a more positive working environment for our people.

    By underscoring the importance of a system-wide focus to achieve improvements in urgent and emergency care, this new plan acts as a genuine challenge to all health and social care leaders, encouraging them to plan and act with purpose to achieve the transformation that is needed. Ambulance service leaders continue to proactively seek increased opportunities for greater collaboration with system partners while identifying new strategies and initiatives within their own ambulance trusts to achieve the transformation targets outlined in the plan.

    We are particularly heartened to see the plan’s emphasis on the reduction and improved management of hospital handover delays. Handover delays have the greatest detrimental impact on ambulance resources and create unnecessary delays and additional harm for thousands of patients each year. The elimination of corridor care and the focus on reducing 12-hour waits at emergency departments is also welcomed.

    Finally, we wholeheartedly endorse and support the plan’s underlined recognition of the impact of the delivery of sub-optimal care on NHS staff, alongside the pivotal role both leadership and a strong system-level approach must play in the transformation of urgent and emergency care.

    NHS Confederation Chief Executive Matthew Taylor said:

    Health leaders across systems, providers and primary care will welcome this plan to provide better, faster and more appropriate emergency care, an area which is facing high demand and rising public concern over performance.

    As the plan shows, there is a lot of good practice across the health service to build upon, including expanding the number of same day emergency treatment and mental health crisis assessment centres and rolling out more ambulances.

    Making sure the NHS does not continue to fall into crisis each winter will be essential for improving public confidence in the health service. Strong collaboration between health partners and with local government to improve discharges out of hospitals will also be key to progress.

    Updates to this page

    Published 6 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Miller, Lofgren, Capito, and Padilla Reintroduce the Preserving Emergency Access in Key Sites Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV)

    Washington D.C. – Today, Congresswomen Carol Miller (R-WV) and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Alex Padilla (D-CA), reintroduced the Preserving Emergency Access in Key Sites Act (PEAKS) Act. The PEAKS Act would ensure Critical Access Hospitals in mountainous areas receive fair compensation for ambulatory services and modify distance requirements.  

    “Everyone, regardless of where they live, should have access to quality and affordable health care. My home state of West Virginia has more Critical Access Hospitals in mountainous areas than any other state in the country, and I know how hard it can be for those who live in rural, mountainous regions to receive treatment in a timely manner. The Preserving Emergency Access in Key Sites Act (PEAKS Act) is life-saving legislation that will ensure Critical Access Hospitals in mountainous areas are compensated fairly for the ambulatory services they provide to patients and positively impact rural communities across the nation. It’s imperative that all patients, especially those that live in unforgiving terrain, can access emergency medical care,” said Rep. Carol Miller.

    “All Americans deserve quality access to health services, even if they reside in areas that are difficult to access. To protect the wellbeing of our rural residents, we must ensure that these hospitals have enough funding to continue providing their life-saving services. The Preserving Emergency Access in Key Sites (PEAKS) Act allows us to do so, by broadening the requirements to become a Critical Access Hospital and by providing fair compensation for their emergency transportation services. The American public should be able to rely on its ambulances,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren.

    “As residents of the Mountain State, we are proud of our beautiful peaks, however, we are also aware of the transportation challenges—especially for ambulances—that exist due to our mountainous topography. I’m proud to introduce the PEAKS Act to address this challenge and ensure even our most rural residents can depend on ambulance services, as well as ensure our critical access hospitals are able to provide the best care possible,” said Senator Capito.

    “We commend Congresswoman Miller for her leadership in introducing the PEAKS Act, which addresses the financial and operational challenges rural hospitals in West Virginia and across the country face every day. Her continued commitment to supporting access to care in underserved communities is deeply appreciated by our hospitals, providers, and the patients they serve. The PEAKS Act is a strong step toward ensuring the long-term sustainability of rural healthcare, and we’re proud to support this important effort,” said Jim Kaufman, President and CEO, West Virginia Hospital Association

    Click HERE for bill text. 

    Background: 

    • Critical Access Hospitals are hospitals that serve residents in rural areas.
    • The PEAKS Act would allow for Critical Access Hospitals located in mountainous areas to be reimbursed for their emergency medical transportation services.
    • The Act would also make certain that Critical Access Hospitals would not lose their designation despite any new hospital that is built within 15 miles. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Decisions on Christchurch intensification plan

    Source: New Zealand Government

    The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, has today released his decisions on 17 recommendations referred to him by Christchurch City Council on its Intensification Planning Instrument (Plan Change 14). 

    “In December 2024, the Council accepted the majority of the Independent Hearings Panel’s (IHP) recommendations on those parts of Plan Change 14 subject to Policies 3 and 4 of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 (NPS-UD),” Minister Bishop says.

    “These recommendations were incorporated into its district plan. The Council rejected 20 of the IHP’s recommendations and referred them, along with its own alternative recommendations, to me for a final decision in early 2025.

    “I have carefully considered this matter and taken extensive advice from officials. The law requires that I only consider matters that the IHP could have taken into account when making its recommendations.

    “I have made decisions on 17 of the 20 recommendations referred to me by the Council, which relate to a range of issues including qualifying matters, zoning and built form standards. 

    “Together, these decisions will enable a greater level of development in and around Christchurch City’s urban centres as required by Policies 3 and 4 of the NPS-UD.

    “I have not made decisions on three recommendations relating to Daresbury House, Antonio Hall and the Piko Residential Character Area.  

    “I intend to consider these recommendations once the Council has decided on the zoning of these areas. The Council may refer these decisions to me again ahead of deciding on the balance of Plan Change 14. 

    “I thank the Councillors, the Independent Hearings Panel and Council staff for the work undertaken on the Intensification Streamlined Planning Process so far.”

    Minister Bishop’s decisions, made under Schedule 1 of the Resource Management Act 1991, are final and cannot be appealed to the Environment Court.

    Editor’s note: 

    A table outlining the decisions is attached as a separate document. 

    Policies 3 and 4 of the NPS-UD are set out on page 11 of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020.

    The Minister’s decision making process is set out in Section 105, Schedule 1 of the RMA: Resource Management Act 1991 No 69 (as at 05 April 2025), Public Act 105 Minister must decide on rejected and alternative recommendations – New Zealand Legislation.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Discusses The 4th Financing for Development Conference—Contribution of the IMF to the International Financing for Development Agenda

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    June 5, 2025

    Washington, DC: On June 3, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) discussed the staff paper on the contribution of the IMF to the international financing for development agenda, prepared in view of the 4th Financing for Development Conference (FfD4) to be held in Sevilla, Spain from June 30 to July 3, 2025. The paper outlines the challenging context for development, updates staff’s assessment on the achievability of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and proposes actions to accelerate development progress.

    The series of shocks since 2020 has added to longstanding structural challenges, with low-income and fragile countries affected the most. Debt vulnerabilities deserve attention, particularly for low-income countries. While debt appears sustainable for most countries, many are facing high interest costs and elevated refinancing needs that constrain their ability to finance critical spending necessary to progress on their development path. Against this background, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 appears increasingly unlikely.

    Accelerating development progress will require a major collective effort, including advancing a strong domestic reform agenda, providing adequate international support to complement and facilitate domestic reforms, and proactively addressing debt vulnerabilities. Importantly, while developing countries share many characteristics, increasing heterogeneity across countries calls for appropriate differentiation in countries’ policy and reform agenda, as well as in the support from the international community.

    The IMF has a strong role to play in supporting countries maintain or restore macroeconomic and financial stability, which is a key condition to enable sustainable growth and development. Through its surveillance, capacity development, and financial support to countries faced with balance of payment needs, the IMF helps countries advance this agenda, including through continuous adjustments in its policies to ensure they remain fit for purpose and aligned with evolving needs of the membership. It also plays a leading role on debt and the global debt architecture, through its monitoring of debt vulnerabilities and debt sustainability assessments and further enhancing its work to tackle debt challenges and improve debt restructuring processes, including through the Common Framework and progress at the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable. In all these activities, the IMF collaborates closely with partners, particularly the World Bank.

    Executive Board Assessment[1]

    Executive Directors welcomed the opportunity to discuss the contribution of the IMF to the international financing for development agenda, as well as the review of recent experiences in the IMF’s collaboration with the World Bank, ahead of the 4th Financing for Development Conference. Directors concurred with staff’s analysis of the challenging context for development, as the series of shocks since 2020 has added to longstanding structural challenges weighing on economic and social progress in developing countries, with low‑income and fragile countries affected the most.

    Directors agreed that debt vulnerabilities deserve specific attention, in particular for low‑income countries. They noted that, while debt appears sustainable for most countries under baseline assumptions, uncertainties and risks to the baseline have increased significantly. In addition, many countries face high interest costs and elevated refinancing needs that constrain their ability to finance critical spending necessary to progress on their development path.

    Directors noted with regret that achieving the sustainable developments goals (SDGs) by 2030 appears increasingly unlikely, as it would require financing that exceeds credible assumptions and surpasses what countries could absorb without creating additional macroeconomic imbalances.

    Directors agreed that accelerating development progress requires a major collective effort comprising strong domestic reforms, significant international support, and proactively addressing debt vulnerabilities. They noted that, while developing countries share many characteristics, increasing heterogeneity across countries calls for appropriate differentiation in countries’ policy and reform agenda, as well as in the support from the international community.

    Directors emphasized the importance of advancing a strong domestic reform agenda to maintain or promote a stable and sound macroeconomic and financial environment and boost private‑sector led growth and job creation. This includes increasing the efficiency of public spending and optimizing the use of available resources, mobilizing domestic resources, strengthening debt management, and improving governance. These reforms are also key to increase resilience against external shocks.

    Directors also agreed that international support, through well‑coordinated and sequenced capacity development (CD), and additional public and private financing, will be critical to complement and facilitate domestic reforms. They underlined the importance of proactively addressing debt challenges and supported the proposed approach to: (i) improve further debt restructuring processes to ensure countries with unsustainable debt have access to timely and sufficiently deep debt relief, building on progress already made in particular under the Common Framework and through the work at the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR); and (ii) accelerate the implementation of the “3‑pillar approach” to help countries with sustainable debt and a robust reform agenda, where productive spending is crowded out by high debt service. They welcomed the recent publication of the GSDR “Restructuring Playbook” and supported further strengthening the IMF’s contribution to help address debt vulnerabilities, consistent with its role and policies and respecting its duty of neutrality. They also underlined the importance of further enhancing debt transparency and the accuracy of debt data.

    Directors agreed that, while the IMF is not a development institution, it has a strong role to play to help member countries maintain or restore macroeconomic and financial stability, which is a key condition to enable sustainable growth and development. They underlined the importance of IMF surveillance, CD, and financial support to members faced with balance of payment needs, to achieve this objective, and looked forward to the upcoming comprehensive surveillance review and review of program design and conditionality. Directors highlighted the recent reforms to ensure that the lending framework remains fit for purpose, including the finalization in October 2024 of the review of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) facilities and financing and the review of the Charges and the Surcharge Policy, and the significant expansion of CD delivery over time, with a strong emphasis on supporting low‑income countries and fragile and conflict‑affected states. In this context, some Directors saw room to further scale up the IMF’s concessional facilities and CD support. Some others cautioned against placing greater emphasis in IMF‑supported programs on development spending needs and higher financing volumes. Directors supported the continued active role of the IMF on debt issues and its sustained engagement in international efforts to address debt vulnerabilities. Some Directors noted that a greater emphasis in the paper on the IMF’s existing work on climate would have better illustrated that the Fund is already actively contributing to help address these challenges, in line with its mandate. A few Directors also highlighted the macro‑critical nature of inequality and its impact on long‑term stability and development, and supported a deeper analytical and operational engagement on these fronts within the Fund’s existing mandate.

    Directors underlined the importance of IMF collaboration with partners, in particular the World Bank and relevant UN agencies, building on comparative advantages and consistent with each institution’s mandate. They welcomed the review of recent experiences in the IMF’s collaboration with the World Bank and underscored the critical importance of maintaining or further deepening this efficient collaboration, leveraging the respective expertise of both institutions for an optimal division of work and avoiding duplication.

    Directors underscored the importance of clear communication to promote a better public understanding of the institution’s unique role, mandate, and activities in fostering macroeconomic and financial stability, which is a prerequisite for sustainable growth and development.

    [1] An explanation of any qualifiers used in summing up can be found here: http://www.IMF.org/external/np/sec/misc/qualifiers.htm.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Randa Elnagar

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/06/05/pr25184-imf-discusses-4th-financing-dev-conference-contribution-imf-intl-financing-for-dev-agenda

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Highway 4 near Cameron Lake closed Wednesday, June 11

    Drivers are advised that Highway 4 will be temporarily closed near Cameron Lake on Wednesday, June 11, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., for catchment cleanup and maintenance.

    Debris that was recently intercepted by the rockfall fencing next to the lake will be cleared to restore the catchment’s capacity. Geotechnical engineers have recommended this work to ensure the system continues to function as intended.

    The highway will reopen to traffic once the work is complete. No further closures are planned.

    For up-to-date information about road conditions, please visit www.DriveBC.ca

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pressley, Haiti Caucus Condemn Trump’s Bigoted Travel Ban 2.0

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    WASHINGTON – Today, House Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement on Donald Trump’s executive order that bans citizens of 12 countries, including Haiti, from traveling to the United States, and places partial restrictions on citizens of seven more nations:

    “We condemn Donald Trump’s bigoted travel ban in the strongest possible terms. Let’s be clear: the President of the United States has committed an unambiguously xenophobic attack on the most vulnerable people in the world, many of whom will die as a direct consequence of his cruelty. These are children, women, and men who are fleeing political turmoil and war, who are trying to survive famine and natural catastrophes. Haitians and so many others are drowning, and Donald Trump just ripped a life preserver from their desperate arms and tied weights around their ankles,” said the Co-Chairs. 

    “But the continuation of their suffering is the point. This is a targeted abuse of hundreds of millions of Black and Brown people at a scale of cruelty even beyond the historically despicable Muslim and African Bans, and it’s undergirded by nothing but baseless accusations and one man’s insatiable hate. The American people know that. No matter what sick justifications he gives or sadistic lies he spins, we see this vile, unlawful act for what is. Just as we see him for who he is. 

    “We call on all people of conscience to recognize this cruelty for what it is, and join us in standing with the innocent people who Donald Trump sought to hurt through this executive order. In the face of such brutal inhumanity, they need more than our support, and they need more than our love. Only our unwavering and absolute commitment to fight against this depraved act in the courts, in our communities, and in the halls of Congress is sufficient at this moment.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Foreign Arms Sales Task Force Hosts Roundtable with Defense Industry Leaders to Hear Perspectives on Needed Reforms

    Source: US House Committee on Foreign Affairs

    Media Contact 202-321-9747

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Foreign Arms Sales Task Force held the third in a series of roundtables featuring defense industry perspectives on reforming and improving America’s foreign arms sales process.

    As part of the bipartisan engagement, members heard from industry representatives from RTX, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris and Boeing on the need for regulatory reforms to the foreign arms sales process to meet the growing demand for cutting edge, American-made defense systems and hardware.

    During the roundtable, Task Force Chairman Ryan Zinke (R-MT) highlighted the importance foreign arms sales play in deterring adversaries, strengthening U.S. alliances and bolstering America’s defense industrial base. He underscored that improving the foreign arms sales process is critical for ensuring the U.S. remains as the partner of choice for allies around the globe.

    The roundtable provided a forum for candid, detailed discussions between industry insiders and Task Force members on the red-tape American companies face day-in and day-out because of outdated regulations and cumbersome approval processes across the interagency.

    The Task Force, which is being led by Chairman Zinke and Ranking Member Madeleine Dean (D-PA), will propose overdue reforms aimed at eliminating bureaucratic hurdles that encumber the current foreign arms sales process.

    The legislation put forward by the Task Force will build upon executive actions announced by President Trump last month to reform and improve the foreign defense sales process.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee Chairman Lawler Delivers Opening Remarks at Hearing on Syria

    Source: US House Committee on Foreign Affairs

    Media Contact 202-321-9747

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee Chairman Michael Lawler delivered opening remarks at a subcommittee hearing titled, “After Assad: The Future of Syria.”

    Watch Here

    -Remarks-

    Syria is at a turning point. The fall of Bashar al-Assad this past December following four decades of authoritarian rule has created conditions for unprecedented change for Syria and for the Middle East. This change comes with significant risk. The Syrian war dating back to 2011 has left most of the country in ruins, destroyed by years of indiscriminate bombing by Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers. The cost of reconstructing this broken country will be in the tens of billions, even by the most modest assessment, and investors face significant hurdles as they work to navigate the complex sanctions regime that has emerged after four decades of Assad family rule. While there are rightfully many who seek to break down barriers, advocating for sanctions relief to ensure reconstruction can take place and put Syria on a path of success, we must not lose sight of core US interests in this rush to embrace Syria’s new regime. There remain significant questions about Syria’s new interim authorities led by US-designated foreign terrorist organization Hayat Tahir al-Sham (HTS), a former al Qaeda affiliate. Ahmed al Shara, despite his hardened past, continues to verbally signal a commitment to reform through his ability, though his ability to deliver remains to be seen, which is why we must be explicit with our goals for Syria. This includes the counter ISIS mission, which has been a central part of US foreign policy since 2014.

    We must set clear expectations for the interim authorities on what we expect from them with respect to counterterrorism cooperation to prevent a resurgence and assume responsibility for detention centers holding thousands of ISIS members and affiliated individuals in the Northeast. Concerns about extremism are not by any means limited to ISIS. Iran and its proxies have long used the country as a sanctuary space to plan and carry out attacks, including against Israel, while Russia sees Syria as a strategic launch pad to undermine our interest not just in the Middle East but much further afield from Africa to Europe. There must be clear red lines when it comes to Iran and its proxies as well as Russia’s ability to operate in Syria. Preventing Syria from being used as a sanctuary space is vital not just for the US but also for Syria.

    This will no doubt be one of the metrics used as the international community measures the success of Syria’s transition and by extension for the prospects for further economic relief. For Syria to succeed and reestablish itself on the international world stage, it must take action to prevent extremism from thriving once again, including by signaling a commitment to inclusive governance by establishing a positive working relationship with our Kurdish partners, the Syrian Democratic Forces. They have been at the forefront of the campaign to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS. On that basis, the Trump administration has rightfully taken steps to waive US sanctions on a limited and temporary basis, giving Alhara sufficient time to demonstrate he is able to turn his words into actions, but this is not, I have to stress, a full embrace of Al Shara or those he continues to surround himself with. We must use this opportunity to press him on key US priorities, notably as to counterterrorism while also retaining limitations on US sanctions relief to ensure Iran and Russia cannot benefit financially. Al Shara has expressed a concerning willingness to embrace Moscow despite Putin’s complicity in war crimes against the Syrian people. For Russia, their presence in Syria is not just about the Middle East. It’s a vital staging ground essential to everything they do in Africa and the eastern Mediterranean. We underestimate the strategic importance Syria holds for the Russians at our own peril.

    Make no mistake, what happens in Syria does not stay in Syria. The country has consistently demonstrated its ability to impact and shape affairs far outside its borders, from Europe’s migrant crisis to ISIS to the war in Ukraine. When Secretary Rubio testified before Congress last month, he said, “There is no guarantee that by outreach and working with the transitional authority in Syria, things are going to work out. It may work out. It may not work out. But if we don’t reach out and try, it’s a guarantee not to work out.” I echo the secretary’s sentiments and just came back along with the ranking member from a trip to the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Jordan. That was the sentiment shared there as well. We want to give this an opportunity to work but are fully cognizant of the consequences of failure. Here during this hearing, we will further examine Syrian stability and the vital role Syria and the Syrian people play in the Middle East.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Volcano Watch — What Fans the Flames Observed at Volcanic Vents?

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. This week’s article is by Mike Cappos, a gas field engineer with HVO. 

    Image of burning hydrogen above the north vent inside Halemaʻumaʻu taken during the evening of May 21, 2025. USGS photo.

    During pauses between the high fountaining episodes of the ongoing Kīlauea volcano summit eruption, which began on December 23, 2024, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists—and astute watchers of the HVO livestream cameras—have periodically observed yellow to orange-colored flames emanating from the two vents inside of Halemaʻumaʻu. These flames, which look most impressive at night, are the result of burning hydrogen gas. 

    Flames of this nature have been observed in and near eruptive vents during past eruptions of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes, and at other volcanoes around the world—often basaltic ones like ours in Hawaii. Flames were observed at Kīlauea in the early 1900s by Thomas Jaggar, the original founder of HVO, while he was observing eruptions inside Halemaʻumaʻu. 

    Other occurrences of flames have been observed during the 1969–1974 Maunaulu eruption, the 1986–2018 Puʻuʻōʻō eruptive era on Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone, the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption, the 2021–2022 Kīlauea summit eruption, and others.      

    Image of burning methane (blue flames in foreground) from ground cracks taken during the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea in Leilani Estates subdivision. USGS photo.

    Hydrogen gas is a minor constituent of volcanic gases. Water—which is made of hydrogen and oxygen—is a major component of volcanic gases, but in oxygen-poor magmas, some hydrogen that might otherwise be part of water remains as hydrogen itself in very small amounts.

    How do we get flames from that hydrogen though? The temperature at which hydrogen ignites in air depends on its concentration. Generally, the higher the concentration of hydrogen present, the lower the temperature required for ignition. 

    One example of this was the Hindenburg airship disaster of 1937. The gas envelope of the Hindenburg was filled with pure hydrogen gas, which caught fire and exploded from only a stray spark when the airship was beginning to land, all at normal ambient temperatures in the atmosphere near the ground surface. 

    The low concentrations (less than 2%) of hydrogen gas present in and near volcanic vents requires significantly higher temperatures for ignition to be achieved. Hydrogen gas such low concentrations needs temperatures above about 1380°F (around 750°C). Eruptive vents at Kīlauea have temperatures in excess of 1,830°F (1,000°C), which is more than sufficient to ignite the hydrogen. 

    However, we believe another key player for hydrogen to be efficiently ignited at the vent is the vent geometry. In most cases, flames are observed emanating from a hornito or small spatter cone within the vent. In this sort of geometry, water-rich magmatic gas can accumulate inside the orifice and stay in an oxygen-poor state because it has not yet mixed with the oxygen-rich ambient atmosphere. The hornito or small spatter cone effectively acts as a super-hot nozzle to help induce the combustion of hydrogen, which creates the flames we have seen recently, and during earlier eruptions.

    But what about blue flames? The yellow/orange hydrogen flames in volcanic vents are somewhat elusive compared to the blue flames that are commonly observed around active lava flows.

    Lava flows themselves typically don’t emit flames. Their broad surfaces disperse any remaining volcanic gases quickly and temperatures are too low to ignite any further diluted levels of hydrogen gas at the surface of the flow. 

    Blue flames that are sometimes seen around lava flows are more likely to be caused by the burning of methane gas, which is produced by the “cooking” of vegetation beneath the lava flow. This was a common observation during Kīlauea’s 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption in the Leilani Estates subdivision. Although those dancing blue methane flames may seem beautiful… they are dangerous themselves and can even create a secondary danger. As methane gets trapped beneath the lava flow, the methane may not just burn, it may explode in and around lava flows in vegetated areas. This is a constant danger to those in close proximity to a lava flow and extreme caution must be maintained.

    Volcanic flames are an interesting offshoot of volcanic degassing; their intriguing presence is an informative clue about vent or lava flow conditions. Still, they are dangerous. So, we’re happy to have our current flames mesmerizing us from a safe distance away but easy to see in HVO livestreams.

    Volcano Activity Updates

    Kīlauea has been erupting episodically within the summit caldera since December 23, 2024. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is WATCH.

    Episode 24 of the Kīlauea summit eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu crater occurred from June 4-5, with approximately 7.5 hours of fountaining from the north and south vents. Lava fountains likely reached above 300 meters (1000 feet) and the eruption plume reached 16,500 feet (5,000 meters) above ground level. Summit region inflation since the end of episode 24, along with persistent tremor, suggests that another episode is possible. Sulfur dioxide emission rates are elevated in the summit region during active eruption episodes. No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone. 

    Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.

    One earthquake was reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M2.8 earthquake 20 km (12 mi) S of Pa‘auilo at 25 km (15 mi) depth on June 1 at 8:22 a.m. HST.

    HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.

    Please visit HVO’s website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake information, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Waterman to be U.S. Attorney for Iowa’s Southern District

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nomination of David Waterman to be the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa by a voice vote. Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) endorsed his nomination. Waterman has been nominated for this position two Congresses in a row and was voted out of Committee last Congress with an overwhelming, bipartisan vote.  

    A recording of the executive business meeting can be found HERE.

    Read Grassley’s full statement at the executive business meeting HERE.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Q&A: Religious Freedom Must Not Be Taken for Granted

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    Q: What have you learned about the FBI’s bias towards American Catholics?

    A: From my top spot on the Senate Judiciary Committee, I’m pushing to get answers from the FBI about its efforts during the Biden administration to tie certain Americans of Catholic faith to violent extremist views. New information I recently released showed the anti-Catholic Richmond memo was widely distributed to more than 1,000 FBI employees across the country during the Biden administration. What’s more, the newly released records showed the targeting of Catholics based on biased sources included more than just a single memo. Records reveal the FBI produced many written products containing anti-Catholic terminology that hinged on information from the radical far-left Southern Poverty Law Center. This contradicts former FBI Director Christopher Wray’s misleading testimony to my questioning about these operations that have undermined the public trust in our institutions of government. I’m working to get to the bottom of the Richmond memo, including the FBI’s efforts to skirt congressional oversight. The American people deserve answers to help restore confidence that federal law enforcement agencies administer justice without fear or favor. Targeting Americans based on their religious faith crosses a constitutional guardrail enshrined in the Bill of Rights.

    Q: Is religious freedom in America at risk?

    A: For more than two centuries, the First Amendment protects freedom of religion. Specifically, the Establishment Clause prevents the government from establishing a state religion; and the Free Exercise Clause protects the right to practice religion freely. Unfortunately, the recent murders outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. and the attack on the Jewish community in Boulder aren’t isolated incidents. They expose a grave and present danger for people of religious faith, particularly antisemitic extremism. Since the brutal attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitism is on the rise in the United States and around the world. During his first month back in the White House, President Trump signed an executive order to combat antisemitism. The Department of Justice formed a task force in February and zeroed in on incidents taking place on college campuses. I convened a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in March to strongly rebuke the stunning acts of antisemitism happening on campuses and elsewhere. During his first administration, President Trump made religious freedom a top foreign policy to stand against religious intolerance, persecution and violence around the world. Closer to home, President Trump last month created the Religious Liberty Commission to foster appreciation for our founding principles of religious freedom, identify emerging threats and protect the free exercise of religion. The president appointed advisory board members  representing  religious, legal and lay leaders to produce a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America and its impact on society leading up to the 250th anniversary of American independence on July 4, 2026. The commission also will discuss Supreme Court rulings on religious liberty and delve into the meaning of separation of church and state.

    Written public comments may be submitted in advance of its first meeting prior to June 15. Send comments to RLC@usdoj.gov, or by postal mail to U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Associate Attorney General, 950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Room 5706, Washington, D.C. 20530.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Grassley Report Shows Biden DOJ Sent Taxpayer-Funded Grants to Soros-Backed, Soft-on-Crime NGOs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today released a Majority staff report exposing the disastrous consequences of the Biden Department of Justice’s (DOJ) grants to two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – the Soros-backed Vera Institute of Justice and Impact Justice, which houses the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Resource Center.

    The Trump administration has since terminated these grants to ensure DOJ awards align with the administration’s stated priorities: “support[ing] law enforcement operations, combat[ing] violent crime, protect[ing] American children, support[ing] American victims of trafficking and sexual assault, and enhanc[ing] coordination among law enforcement.” Ninety-three percent of DOJ’s recently terminated grants only impacted NGOs.

    “The Biden-Harris administration awarded millions of taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars to advance left-leaning agendas that ultimately put lives at risk. The American people overwhelmingly rejected these soft-on-crime, defund-the-police policies in the last election because they undermined the safety and security of their communities. Organizations like the Vera Institute and Impact Justice that promote radical ideology have no business collecting another dime from the federal treasury. Americans are safer without their influence in the criminal justice system,” Grassley said.

    Read the Grassley staff report HERE.

    Background:

    Under the Biden-Harris administration, the Vera Institute was awarded millions of taxpayer dollars to prop up left-wing District Attorneys, who would then partner with the Vera Institute to implement Soros-backed progressive policies. These policies included prioritizing violent criminals over victims and declining to fully prosecute felony charges – including assault, kidnapping, rape and murder.

    Impact Justice & the PREA Resource Center was awarded $7.45 million by the Biden-Harris administration to help combat sexual abuse in prisons and ensure the integrity of the PREA audit process.  However, the PREA auditors routinely failed to uncover pervasive sexual abuse. Further, PREA Resource Center training materials endangered women by encouraging the housing of transgender inmates in female prisons. This was done without due regard for inmate safety and in ways inconsistent with federal regulation.

    Key Findings of the Report’s Analysis on the Vera Institute:

    The Vera Institute used taxpayer funds to gain unprecedented access to progressive prosecutor offices. Below are several examples that illustrate the Vera Institute’s influence over federal prosecutors across the county.

    • In New York, New York County DA Alvin Bragg partnered with the Vera Institute and declined to prosecute certain misdemeanor felonies, actively worked to downgrade felony charges to misdemeanors and refused to detain criminals before their trials. Meanwhile, Bragg attempted to prosecute President Donald Trump for federal campaign finance violations.
      • In 2025, there were over 48,000 individuals arrested for misdemeanors in New York County, but only 3,000 of them were detained.
    • In Georgia, Athens DA Deborah Gonzalez partnered with the Vera Institute and pledged to protect illegal immigrant defendants and release criminals on bonds that do not require the posting of money.
      • During the Gonzalez’s tenure, the Gonzalez negotiated a lenient plea deal for a sexual predator and serial rapist who preyed on women and children. Gonzalez later refused to pursue the death penalty for the murderer of Laken Riley.
    • In Wisconsin, Milwaukee DA John Chisholm partnered with the Vera Institute to implement several progressive, soft-on-crime policies and reportedly told the Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal, “Is there going to be an individual I divert, or I put into a treatment program, who’s going to go out and kill somebody? You bet.”
      • In 2020, the Milwaukee DA’s office released a criminal twice before he ultimately drove an SUV through a Christmas Parade, killing six and injuring 62 others.
    • In Missouri, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner partnered with the Vera Institute and pledged to “expand diversion programs, decline to prosecute low level cases and decrease the number of people held on cash bail.”
      • Under the guidance of the Vera Institute, the Gardner dismissed more than 9,000 criminal cases and refused to prosecute 90 percent of reported crime, including cop killers and a child murderer.
    • In Massachusetts, Suffolk County DA Rachel Rollins partnered with the Vera Institute and instructed prosecutors to decline prosecution of 15 different crimes, as well as create a screening unit tasked with decreasing the number of arraigned cases.
    • In Virginia, Fairfax Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano partnered with the Vera Institute and repeatedly released violent illegal immigrants back on the streets.
      • The Fairfax Commonwealth Attorney’s office repeatedly released an illegal immigrant who had a record of 29 run-ins with law enforcement and a documented history of sexual assault and indecent exposure. The illegal immigrant raped a woman in October 2024 upon release.

    -30- 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Investigates ‘Prohibited Access’ Files at FBI, Demands Accountability for Document Destruction and Obstruction in Mueller Investigation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is following up on recent revelations in a declassified Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) analysis he released exposing the FBI for placing certain Crossfire Hurricane files under “Prohibited Access” status, potentially preventing most FBI agents, Congress and the Inspector General from accessing some FBI records.

    Grassley is demanding Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel search for and produce all records related to Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the Biden family that may currently be under “Prohibited” or “Restricted” Access.

    “As I’m sure you are aware, the impact of parking records in a way that impedes, or in some cases prevents, responsive records from being produced to Congress pursuant to a valid request and during the course of court litigation, whether criminal or civil, is wide-ranging and potentially catastrophic to constitutional requirements,” Grassley wrote to Bondi and Patel. “Indeed, if the FBI has failed to take steps in the past to access records in ‘Restricted’ or ‘Prohibited’ status, the FBI has not fully responded to many years of my oversight requests.” 

    Grassley is also seeking records relating to current and former Department of Justice (DOJ)/FBI officials who may have committed serious misconduct by mishandling and destroying federal records, particularly related to Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation into the now-discredited Trump-Russia hoax.

    According to Freedom of Information Act disclosures, former Mueller team member Andrew Weissman deleted all of the data on his government phone multiple times over the course of the Meuller investigation.

    Additionally, whistleblowers allege the following of Special Agent (SA) Walter Giardina, who played a significant role in the investigation and prosecution of Trump advisor Peter Navarro, as well as Arctic Frost, Crossfire Hurricane, Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation, and the Dan Scavino, Roger Stone and Hillary Clinton cases:   

    • SA Giardina was an initial recipient of the Steele Dossier and falsely said that the report was corroborated as true.
    • SA Giardina stated openly his animosity toward President Trump and made known his personal motivation to investigate Trump.
    • SA Giardina electronically wiped the laptop he was assigned while working for Special Counsel Mueller outside of established protocol for record preservation, raising the possibility that he destroyed government records. The destruction of the laptop was reported to the DOJ Office of Inspector General.   
    • SA Giardina instructed agents to use false Emolument Clause predication on President Trump to “dig around.” 
    • SA Giardina was a case agent assigned to the Crimson River case, later changed to Red Maasari. This case was leaked, by whom it is not known, to the Washington Post in August 2024, roughly 90 days before the presidential election, in an attempt to falsely discredit President Trump.

    Read Grassley’s full letter to Bondi and Patel HERE.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Eid al-Adha: Associate Minister Yaseen

    Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Larsen Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Combat Drug Trafficking in Tribal Communities

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

    Today, Representative Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Representative Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced the bipartisan Protection for Reservation Occupants Against Trafficking and Evasive Communications Today (PROTECT) Act to combat drug trafficking in tribal communities. The PROTECT Act would expand Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction (STCJ) to allow tribal nations to prosecute non-Native offenders for drug trafficking. It would also allow tribal courts to execute warrants for electronic material to better combat drug traffickers and other criminals.  

    “The opioid epidemic has devastated Northwest Washington,” said Rep. Larsen. “Tribes in my district have continually told me about the unique challenges their courts and law enforcement face to stop drug trafficking on Tribal land. This bill would give Tribes the tools they need to protect tribal sovereignty, save lives and keep Tribes and communities across Northwest Washington safe,” said Larsen.  

    Read the bill text HERE.  

    Representatives Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez (D-Wash.), Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.), Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) also joined as original cosponsors of the bill.  

    Statements of Support:  

    “The opioid and fentanyl epidemic is harming all citizens in Washington State. Our reservations are no different. Our Tribal lands are being targeted by organized crime because of the jurisdictional complexities and other vulnerabilities. The PROTECT Act of 2025 restores Tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians for drug trafficking within our reservation boundaries, helping protect not only the residents on our reservation, but all Washingtonians,” said Teri Gobin, Chairwoman, Tulalip Tribes. 

    “The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians supports the PROTECT Act of 2025, a bill that strengthens tribal criminal justice systems to help combat the opioid-fentanyl epidemic that is devastating our tribal communities. We urge Congress to move swiftly on this bill,” said Leonard Forsman, President, ATNI. 

    “For the past few years, Tribes have been urging Congress to move forward with legislative fixes that recognize our sovereignty and restore jurisdiction over non-tribal predatory drug dealers who are causing great harm at Lummi Nation. We thank everyone who has played a part in making this happen,” said Anthony Hillaire, Chairman, Lummi Nation. 

    “This legislation is important for three key reasons. First, this bill will enhance our ability to investigate crimes, which in turn will help ensure the safety of our community. This bill will allow our Tribal law enforcement to utilize the prompt review by a Swinomish Court judge of a request for a search warrant of social media platforms that will be honored by the platforms, and as a result we can quickly tackle incoming drugs and other illegal activity. Second, this bill helps restore the inherent sovereignty of Tribes by recognizing Tribal criminal jurisdiction over offenses involving drugs and firearms. Restoring Tribal criminal jurisdiction over these offenses will allow for swift and certain repercussions for those who are violating the criminal drug and firearms laws of the Tribe. Third and finally, the ability to utilize the Bureau of Prisons Tribal Prisoner Program (BOP) provides access to a potentially useful resource for Tribes,” said Steve Edwards, Chairman, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. 

    “The Colville Tribes’ law enforcement agency has long been hampered by the omission in federal law that does not allow our tribal courts to compel social media companies to turn over information necessary for our officers to investigate crimes. The PROTECT Act would provide tribal courts this authority and, in the process, allow investigations to proceed faster and more efficiently,” said Jarred-Michael Erickson, Chairman, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. 

    “Any additional tools that Congress can provide us to keep our community safe is a welcome change. The amendments in this bill will assist tribes in fighting the fentanyl epidemic, which will help Indian Country and surrounding communities. We are all safer if we can reduce the effects of drug crimes and related violence that is taking out our youth in unprecedented numbers,” said Dustin Klatush, Chairman, Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation. 

    Larsen Is Focused on Combating Opioid Crisis in Northwest Washington 

    Rep. Larsen is focused on supporting local efforts to combat the opioid crisis and save lives. Last Congress, he introduced a districtwide opioid report outlining a comprehensive framework to combat the crisis. He built on this report by introducing four pieces of legislation: 

    • The Workforce Opportunities for Communities in Recovery Act, which would codify, strengthen, and expand pilot grant funding for community partnerships that promote employment for those recovering from substance use, help workers transition to occupations that support those affected by substance use, and provide supportive services to program participants, such as substance use treatment, peer support services, and mentorship opportunities. 

    • The Closing the Substance Use Care Gap Act, which would expand access to lifesaving, community-based harm reduction initiatives and services and enhance the federal response to the opioid and fentanyl epidemic. 

    Larsen plans to reintroduce all of his opioid-related bills to provide communities with the resources they need to regain the momentum to combat the opioid epidemic and save lives. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Woman seriously hurt in hit-and-run incident

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Police are working to locate the driver of a red ute involved in a hit-and-run crash that left a woman seriously injured in Rotorua last night.

    The crash happened about 9pm, near the intersection of Haupapa Street and Tuanekai Street.

    After striking the victim, the vehicle drove east on Haupapa Street towards Fenton Street, Detective Sergeant Philip Wilkinson said.

    The vehicle involved was still being sought by Police.

    “This incident easily could have been fatal, and it’s important we hear from anyone who saw it happen, and anyone who witnessed an interaction between a woman and the driver of a red ute immediately prior.

    “We are reviewing CCTV from the area, but if you have any information or cell phone footage, please contact us as soon as possible.”

    If you have information that may assist, please contact Police online at 105.police.govt.nz, clicking “Update Report”, or call 105.

    Please use the reference number 250605/9241.

    ENDS

    Issued by the Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Five Highs Gang Members Convicted by Jury of RICO Conspiracy, Drug Trafficking, and Firearms Offenses

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    Following a three-week trial, a federal jury in Minneapolis convicted five Minnesota men today for their involvement in the Highs — a violent Minneapolis street gang — and in gang-related murders, shootings, and narcotics distribution.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, defendants Tyreese Giles, 24, Josiah Taylor, 31, Trevaun Robinson, 29, William Banks, 35, and Gregory Brown, 35, all of Minneapolis, were members of various “cliques,” or subsets, of the Highs — a criminal enterprise that controlled territory north of West Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis. Members of the Highs committed murders, narcotics trafficking, weapons violations, burglaries, assaults, and robberies on behalf of the enterprise. As part of their Highs membership, the defendants were expected to retaliate against their rivals, the Lows gang, which operated south of West Broadway Avenue. These two gangs had been in a gang war that spanned years and alleged members of the Lows gang have been separately charged with federal crimes, including racketeering charges.

    “This is the second successful trial against members and associates of the Highs gang in this case in the last three weeks,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This case and these trials show the Department’s relentless determination to hold accountable criminal enterprises that use murder and intimidation to exert power and control narcotics territory. We will continue to dismantle violent gangs and secure justice for victims and their loved ones in communities around the country.”

    “The Highs have long terrorized north Minneapolis, bringing drugs, violence, and murder,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson for the District of Minnesota. “This verdict represents yet another step in our fight against gang violence. I want to thank the coalition of federal, state, and local law enforcement partners who joined together to bring down this violent criminal street gang. I also want to thank the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section for lending their expertise and partnering with the U.S. Attorney’s Office on our RICO cases.”

    “This case is a powerful example of how we use federal racketeering laws to take down violent gangs at the center of community violence,” said Acting Director Daniel Driscoll of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “These individuals relied on firearms, retaliation, and drug trafficking to fuel chaos and assert fear and dominance over their neighborhoods. ATF special agents worked closely with our partners to map the gang’s structure and document their vicious acts of violence, to bring the full weight of the law against its members. We will continue to use every tool available to protect the public and hold violent offenders accountable.”

    “The verdict today reflects the United States Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) dedication to building great partnerships with other federal agencies, as well as state and county law enforcement, to bring violent criminals in our communities to justice,” said Acting Inspector in Charge Steve Hodge of USPIS.

    “As financial investigators, IRS Criminal Investigation brings a unique skill set to dismantling violent criminal enterprises,” said Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington of the IRS Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office. “Our special agents are experts in exposing how criminal organizations move and hide their illicit funds. By following the money, we developed critical financial evidence on significant fentanyl suppliers. As an agency on the RICO task force to combat violent crime, IRS-CI will continue to collaborate with our federal, state, and local partners to make a noticeable impact in our community. These convictions are a critical step in restoring safety and stability to the streets of Minneapolis and maintaining the marked decrease in violence in our community.”

    As proven at trial, the gang war escalated when, on Sept. 9, 2021, a prominent Highs member was shot and killed at a barbershop in Minneapolis. About two hours later, suspecting that the Lows were responsible for the killing, defendant Giles traveled to Pennwood Market in Lows territory. Once there, Giles, who was dressed in black and wearing a mask covering his face, shot and killed a Lows member. He fired the fatal shot into the victim’s back before he attempted to flee from the scene.

    Evidence at trial tied defendant Robinson to two shootings — one into a crowd of individuals in downtown Minneapolis on July 7, 2019, and another in the parking lot of Merwin Liquors, a Highs hangout, on April 2, 2022.

    Defendants Taylor and Banks trafficked drugs, including fentanyl, on behalf of the Highs. Evidence proved that Brown was a high-level narcotics supplier for the Highs and coordinated trips to and from Arizona for Highs members to obtain tens of thousands of fentanyl pills to sell on the streets of Minneapolis. Each defendant was arrested in possession of narcotics, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and oxycodone, and one possessed a firearm in furtherance of their narcotics trafficking.

    The jury convicted defendants Giles, Robinson, Banks, And Brown of Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Conspiracy. Defendants Taylor and Banks were also convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy. The jury convicted Taylor of the separate crime of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    This is the second of several trials in this case, which charged over 40 defendants with RICO conspiracy, narcotics trafficking, firearms offenses, and other charges related to their activities as members and associates of the Highs gang. Nine defendants are awaiting trial.

    The ATF, FBI, Minneapolis Police Department, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Minnesota Department of Corrections are investigating the case, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, St. Paul Police Department, and numerous other law enforcement agencies contributed to the investigation.

    Trial Attorneys Brian Lynch and Alyssa Levey-Weinstein of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Lopez-Calhoun and Carla Baumel of the District of Minnesota are prosecuting the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gang Member Convicted by Jury for his Part in Murder

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    Following a one-week trial, a federal jury in Memphis convicted a member of the Unknown Vice Lords (UVL) — a violent street gang in Memphis — for his involvement in a gang-related murder, after deliberating for less than hour.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Vincent Grant, also know as “V-Slash,” 41, of Memphis, was a high-ranking member of UVL, also known as The Ghost Mob — a criminal enterprise that controlled territory throughout the entire city of Memphis and beyond to Arkansas and Mississippi. Members of UVL committed murders, burglaries, assaults, human trafficking, and drug trafficking on behalf of the enterprise. When the gang’s Supreme Elite Chief, the leader for the entire state of Tennessee, was murdered, the gang sought retaliation against anyone thought to be involved.

    As proven at trial, on Jan. 10, 2019, the gang’s Supreme Elite Chief and his girlfriend were murdered in a residential neighborhood in broad daylight. The gang sought retaliation that same night against a rival gang, the Traveling Vice Lords (TVL) whom they initially believed to have been responsible. Multiple UVL members drove to a known TVL hangout and engaged in a gun battle with the other gang. During the next few days, UVL conducted its own internal investigation and were informed that a fellow member was thought to be responsible for their Chief’s murder.

    Five days after the Chief was murdered, on Jan. 15, 2019, the implicated member, the victim for this trial, was murdered at the hands of Grant and other UVL members. On Jan. 14, 2019, Grant, as a keeper of guns for the gang, provided guns to multiple gang members for the purpose of going on a “demo,” which is the gang’s term for committing violent acts.  Then early the next morning at around 1:00 a.m., Grant and three other gang members drove the victim to an apartment complex, where two of them executed the victim with the guns Grant provided.

    “This violent gang brutally executed one of their own and left the body on display as a warning that betrayal would not be tolerated,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their blatant disregard for human life — carrying out shootings in broad daylight and in residential neighborhoods—underscores the urgent need to confront and dismantle this threat to public safety. The Justice Department and the ATF turned this case from a cold case into a conviction, and we remain committed to working closely with law enforcement to tackle even the most challenging cases. Our warning to street gangs is clear: their violence will not be tolerated.”

    “Gang violence is never isolated — it endangers entire communities,” said Acting Director Daniel Driscoll of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “This gang’s brutal executions, carried out openly in residential neighborhoods in broad daylight, sent a chilling message of intimidation; but ATF and our law enforcement partners sent an even stronger one back: violence and fear will not prevail. We remained dedicated to protecting the community and unraveled this deadly conspiracy to ensure justice was done. We remain relentless in our commitment to dismantle gangs that threaten public safety, and we’ll continue to hold accountable, those who inflict violence in our communities.”

    The jury convicted Grant of causing death by use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, that being murder in aid of racketeering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 19 and faces up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Police Department, and United States Secret Service assisted in the investigation.

    Trial Attorneys Lisa Thelwell and Christopher Usher of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case with substantial assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

    This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Memphis, Tennessee. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the violent offenders and prevent further violence. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Gang Member Convicted by Jury for his Part in Murder

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Following a one-week trial, a federal jury in Memphis convicted a member of the Unknown Vice Lords (UVL) — a violent street gang in Memphis — for his involvement in a gang-related murder, after deliberating for less than hour.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Vincent Grant, also know as “V-Slash,” 41, of Memphis, was a high-ranking member of UVL, also known as The Ghost Mob — a criminal enterprise that controlled territory throughout the entire city of Memphis and beyond to Arkansas and Mississippi. Members of UVL committed murders, burglaries, assaults, human trafficking, and drug trafficking on behalf of the enterprise. When the gang’s Supreme Elite Chief, the leader for the entire state of Tennessee, was murdered, the gang sought retaliation against anyone thought to be involved.

    As proven at trial, on Jan. 10, 2019, the gang’s Supreme Elite Chief and his girlfriend were murdered in a residential neighborhood in broad daylight. The gang sought retaliation that same night against a rival gang, the Traveling Vice Lords (TVL) whom they initially believed to have been responsible. Multiple UVL members drove to a known TVL hangout and engaged in a gun battle with the other gang. During the next few days, UVL conducted its own internal investigation and were informed that a fellow member was thought to be responsible for their Chief’s murder.

    Five days after the Chief was murdered, on Jan. 15, 2019, the implicated member, the victim for this trial, was murdered at the hands of Grant and other UVL members. On Jan. 14, 2019, Grant, as a keeper of guns for the gang, provided guns to multiple gang members for the purpose of going on a “demo,” which is the gang’s term for committing violent acts.  Then early the next morning at around 1:00 a.m., Grant and three other gang members drove the victim to an apartment complex, where two of them executed the victim with the guns Grant provided.

    “This violent gang brutally executed one of their own and left the body on display as a warning that betrayal would not be tolerated,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their blatant disregard for human life — carrying out shootings in broad daylight and in residential neighborhoods—underscores the urgent need to confront and dismantle this threat to public safety. The Justice Department and the ATF turned this case from a cold case into a conviction, and we remain committed to working closely with law enforcement to tackle even the most challenging cases. Our warning to street gangs is clear: their violence will not be tolerated.”

    “Gang violence is never isolated — it endangers entire communities,” said Acting Director Daniel Driscoll of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “This gang’s brutal executions, carried out openly in residential neighborhoods in broad daylight, sent a chilling message of intimidation; but ATF and our law enforcement partners sent an even stronger one back: violence and fear will not prevail. We remained dedicated to protecting the community and unraveled this deadly conspiracy to ensure justice was done. We remain relentless in our commitment to dismantle gangs that threaten public safety, and we’ll continue to hold accountable, those who inflict violence in our communities.”

    The jury convicted Grant of causing death by use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, that being murder in aid of racketeering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 19 and faces up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Police Department, and United States Secret Service assisted in the investigation.

    Trial Attorneys Lisa Thelwell and Christopher Usher of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case with substantial assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

    This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Memphis, Tennessee. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the violent offenders and prevent further violence. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Capito Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Emergency Medical Transportation in Mountainous Regions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Capito Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Emergency Medical Transportation in Mountainous Regions

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) introduced the bipartisan Preserving Emergency Access in Key Sites (PEAKS) Act to bolster emergency medical transportation services in mountainous areas. The PEAKS Act would help Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) in mountainous areas receive fair compensation for ambulatory services by modifying distance requirements for these hospitals to receive reimbursements. California has 37 total CAHs, of which two thirds are currently operating at a loss.

    CAHs, designated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, are smaller rural hospitals that are located more than a 35-mile drive — or a 15-mile drive in mountainous terrain — from any other hospital or CAH; are in an area with only secondary roads available; or otherwise are designated by their state as a “necessary provider.” Currently, CAHs in mountainous areas are not reimbursed for providing ambulatory services under the enhanced Medicare payment model if they do not meet the 35-mile distance requirement. The PEAKS Act would expand reimbursements for these services if a CAH in mountainous terrain or in an area with only secondary roads is the only provider within 15 miles.

    “Far too often, people in mountainous regions struggle to receive timely, affordable emergency care when they need it most,” said Senator Padilla. “California’s 37 Critical Access Hospitals help fill critical coverage gaps by providing emergency medical services in these rural areas, yet with two thirds of them operating in the red, we need to act quickly to prevent more ambulance service closures. Our bipartisan PEAKS Act would make commonsense updates to help Critical Access Hospitals in mountainous areas get Medicare reimbursements for the emergency care they provide.”

    “As residents of the Mountain State, we are proud of our beautiful peaks, however, we are also aware of the transportation challenges—especially for ambulances—that exist due to our mountainous topography. I’m proud to introduce the PEAKS Act to address this challenge and ensure even our most rural residents can depend on ambulance services, as well as ensure our critical access hospitals are able to provide the best care possible,” said Senator Capito.

    The PEAKS Act would also make certain that CAHs would not lose their designation if any new hospital is built within 15 miles.

    The PEAKS Act is supported by the West Virginia Hospital Association, California Hospital Association, Arkansas Hospital Association, Hospital Association of Oregon, Utah Hospital Association, and Wyoming Hospital Association.

    Senator Padilla has long been a leader in the fight to make health care more equitable, affordable, and accessible in the United States. Earlier this year, Padilla introduced the bipartisan Health Accelerating Consumers’ Care by Expediting Self-Scheduling (ACCESS) Act to improve digital health services by allowing patients to easily search for and book health care appointments online while protecting personal health information. Padilla also recently introduced the EASE Act, bipartisan legislation that would increase access to specialty care for rural and underserved Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) patients. Last year, Padilla introduced the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA) of 2024 to address health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities as well as women, the LGBTQ+ community, rural populations, and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities across the United States.

    Additionally, Padilla introduced the Equal Health Care for All Act, bicameral legislation that would make equal access to medical care a protected civil right to help address the racial inequities and structural failures in America’s health care system. He also recently joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and over 100 lawmakers in reintroducing the Medicare for All Act, historic legislation that would guarantee health care as a fundamental human right to all people in the United States regardless of income or background.

    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff, Heinrich, Huffman Call on Trump Admin to Reverse Unlawful Approval of Mining in Mojave National Preserve

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Schiff, Heinrich, Huffman Call on Trump Admin to Reverse Unlawful Approval of Mining in Mojave National Preserve

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate ENR Committee, and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.-02), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, expressed serious concern over the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) unlawful approval of mining activities by Dateline Resources inside the Mojave National Preserve and demanded they rescind their approval. In their letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, the lawmakers also called on Interior to comply with federal mining law, conduct a full mineral validity exam, reaffirm the National Park Service’s (NPS) authority over mining operations in the Preserve, and explain their legal rationale for permitting Dateline Resources mining activity.

    “We write with serious concern regarding the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) recent press release announcing BLM’s ‘approval’ of mining activity by Dateline Resources within Mojave National Preserve,” wrote the lawmakers. “This action appears to violate federal law, disregards National Park Service (NPS) authority, and sets a dangerous precedent for industrial development in lands that Congress has designated as worthy of inclusion in the National Park System.”

    Congress created the Mojave National Preserve in 1994 through the late Senator Dianne Feinstein’s California Desert Protection Act (CDPA), which transferred the land from BLM to NPS, helping support rare plant species and vital wildlife corridors. The law clearly states that any mining within the Preserve must comply with the Mining in the Parks Act, meaning companies with preexisting claims must conduct a mineral validity exam and obtain an NPS-approved plan of operations before any surface-disturbing activity can occur.

    Despite these requirements, BLM recently approved rare earth mineral exploration by Dateline Resources, an Australian company, based on a 1985 BLM plan of operations that predates the Preserve’s creation and only covers the extraction of gold. Dateline recently announced plans to begin exploratory drilling, despite lacking a valid NPS-approved plan or proof of the existence of a valuable mineral deposit, as the Mining in the Parks Act requires.

    “Congress set aside these lands and entrusted them to the NPS for permanent protection, not as a zone for future industrial exploitation,” continued the lawmakers.

    The lawmakers also criticized Secretary Burgum for backtracking on his commitments to safeguard America’s national parks.

    “This is not only illegal, but it directly contradicts a commitment you made during your confirmation hearing to ‘protect every inch of our national parks.’ Approving a foreign-owned company’s speculative mining project inside a national park in this way is clearly inconsistent with that promise and threatens future speculative actions across other national parks,” added the lawmakers.

    Local leaders expressed their strong support for Padilla, Schiff, Heinrich, and Huffman’s effort to protect the Mojave National Preserve from this unlawful mining activity.

    “We applaud Senator Padilla and congressional leaders for defending our beloved Mojave National Preserve from unchecked destruction by the Trump administration,” said Chance Wilcox, California Desert Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association. “In promoting speculative, damaging mining in our National Park System, the administration is pushing aside not only the legal protections afforded to this biodiverse landscape, but also the American people who love their parks. The administration’s misguided effort gives an Australian company a free pass to mining in one of America’s largest national park sites while saddling taxpayers with the clean-up costs.”

    “I spent my entire career in the National Park Service and was Superintendent of Mojave National Preserve for over a decade,” said Mary Martin, Retired National Park Service Official. “Speculative mining should have no place in our country’s most spectacular places – our national parks. It is infuriating that the Trump administration is urging an Australian mining company to drill and bulldoze this national park. This is nothing short of illegal and a betrayal of all Americans who own these national parks.”

    “The Clark mountain range is one of California’s most botanically important areas, estimated to harbor the second-highest density of rare plants of any of the state’s mountain ranges,” said Jim Andre, Director of UC Riverside’s Granite Mountains Desert Research Center. “The eastern Mojave Desert is also a global hotspot for new species discovery, where 15% of the vascular plant species have yet to be discovered. Will we know what we’ve lost if we bulldoze this area? They’re not just prized luxury items, they’re actually a functional part of the ecosystem that are supposed to be protected for the benefit of all Americans.”

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Secretary Burgum,

    We write with serious concern regarding the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) recent press release announcing BLM’s “approval” of mining activity by Dateline Resources within Mojave National Preserve. This action appears to violate federal law, disregards National Park Service (NPS) authority, and sets a dangerous precedent for industrial development in lands that Congress has designated as worthy of inclusion in the National Park System.

    Congress created the Mojave National Preserve in 1994 via the California Desert Protection Act (CDPA), elevating this cherished landscape to a National Park because of its outstanding ecological and cultural values, including in the Clark Mountain region, which supports rare plant species and critical wildlife corridors. Congress set aside these lands and entrusted them to the NPS for permanent protection, not as a zone for future industrial exploitation.

    The CDPA clearly states that any mining within the Mojave Preserve must comply with the Mining in the Parks Act, which requires a mineral validity examination and an NPS-approved plan of operations. However, it appears that BLM is attempting to circumvent this law and instead authorize Dateline’s project based on a 1985 plan originally approved by BLM for different minerals, under different ownership, and issued before the Preserve existed.

    To date, no mineral examination has been completed to validate Dateline Resource’s claims. Meanwhile, the NPS has repeatedly objected to Dateline’s unauthorized activities on lands within the Mojave National Preserve, including road grading and vegetation clearing, and requested over $200,000 in damages. Still, BLM appears to have acted unilaterally, greenlighting the company’s efforts to evade the law and ignore NPS oversight and review. In May, Dateline announced plans to begin exploratory drilling, despite lacking a valid NPS-approved plan of operations or proof of a valuable mineral deposit, as required by the Mining in the Parks Act. The original 1985 plan was for gold extraction, but Dateline is now touting rare earth elements – a major pivot that lacks any new environmental review or mineral validity determination.

    This is not only illegal, but it directly contradicts a commitment you made during your confirmation hearing to “protect every inch of our national parks.” Approving a foreign-owned company’s speculative mining project inside a national park in this way is clearly inconsistent with that promise and threatens future speculative actions across other national parks.

    Therefore, we urge you to:

    • Revoke BLM’s reliance on the outdated 1985 plan;
    • Affirm NPS’s jurisdiction and require compliance with the Mining in the Parks Act;
    • Conduct a full mineral validity exam; and
    • Provide, by June 20, 2025, the Department’s legal rationale for this decision, a copy of the 1985 plan of operations, and a clear statement on whether the Department supports industrial mining within national parks.

    We strongly urge you to reverse this decision and uphold the integrity of the Mojave National Preserve and the National Park System.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Introduces the AFIDA Improvements Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) introduced the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure (AFIDA) Improvements Act. The bill will codify legislative oversightrecommendations to update the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978. The AFIDA Improvements Act will equip the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to combat foreign adversaries’ ownership of American agricultural land. Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Roger Wicker (R-MS), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Katie Britt (R-AL) are original co-sponsors of this legislation in the Senate. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) is leading companion legislation in the House.

    “Agriculture is the heart and soul of Nebraska and of America,” said Ricketts. ”American farmland should remain in the hands of American farmers and ranchers, not foreign adversaries. Food security is national security.”

    “Over the past several decades, China has been buying up American farmland in an attempt to infiltrate our agriculture supply chains. Food security is national security, and we cannot give the CCP a foothold. Thankfully, President Trump and Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins are working to make American Farmland American Again. I’m proud to join this legislation with Senator Ricketts to update our reporting requirements for foreign purchases of our farmland for the first time in nearly 50 years. As Alabama’s voice on the Senate Ag Committee, I will always support our great farmers and work to protect them from bad actors like China,” said Sen. Tuberville.

    “We come together on this legislation to address the national security concerns stemming from the growing purchases of farmland by the Chinese Communist Party,” said Rep. Bacon. “Having actual processes in place will strengthen the security of our nation in the event nefarious foreign agents, such as the CCP, try to purchase agricultural lands within our nation. These lands must be protected as they are essential to feeding our country and other parts of the world, feeding livestock, fueling vehicles, and other uses.”

    “Foreign entities purchasing American farmland opens the door to serious national security threats from countries like China that aim to undermine the United States, and we’ve already seen nefarious attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to acquire farmland near U.S. military bases in Texas,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation would enhance existing measures by strengthening enforcement and promoting data sharing so that we can more easily identify foreign adversaries purchasing U.S. farmland with malicious intent.”

    The AFIDA Improvements Act:

    • Will codify recommendations published in January 2024 by the legislative branch’s oversight entity after it conducted a study of AFIDA.
      • In this report, it was found that the USDA’s AFIDA process has been ill-equipped to combat the foreign ownership of American agricultural land by foreign adversaries;
    • Will increase information sharing between the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and USDA;
    • Will require updates to the AFIDA handbook and establish a deadline by which USDA must set up an online AFIDA system; and
    • Will require AFIDA reporting for foreign persons holding more than one percent interest in American agricultural land. 

    The text of the bill is available here.

    This bill was initially covered in Fox News.

    BACKGROUND:

    Under AFIDA, foreign entities are required to disclose the transactions of American agricultural land to the USDA. 

    According to USDA, foreign investors own over 40 million acres of agricultural land across the United States. Additionally, between 2010 and 2021, Chinese ownership of American agricultural land increased from 13,720 acres to 383,935 acres.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: New digital service will help lower home-energy bills

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    The Province is giving people a free digital tool to help make their homes more energy-efficient and reduce heating bills.

    The BC Home Energy Planner makes it simple for people to save energy and reduce their environmental footprint at the same time.

    “Many British Columbians, especially those in older homes, may be needlessly wasting energy without even realizing it,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions. “People want their homes to be more energy-efficient and comfortable, and reduce heating bills. The Home Energy Planner is a free and easy-to-use way to do it.”

    The Home Energy Planner provides information about each home’s energy use by identifying issues, such as old windows or poor insulation, that may be causing heating bills to be higher than they should be. The tool also provides retrofit recommendations and connects people with program offers and registered contractors.

    The planner uses public data and information to assess how well a home uses energy. Homeowners will learn about:

    • the home’s energy score (measured in gigajoules per year);
    • what kinds of home-energy upgrades will have the biggest impact;
    • how home-energy upgrades can help prepare people for extreme weather events; and
    • resources to help upgrade the home.

    The planner is available to homeowners and renters. It can be used with single-family homes, as well as most townhouses, duplexes/triplexes, rowhouses and manufactured homes. It does not support condominiums, apartments or other multi-unit residential building types.

    Quotes:

    Kelly Greene, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness –

    “Extreme-heat events are becoming more frequent and are expected to become more severe because of climate change. The Home Energy Planner can help people make choices that protect those they care about, such as installing a heat pump, which can efficiently cool your home during the hottest days of summer, while reducing your monthly energy bill.”

    Maggie Baynham, sustainability project manager, District of Saanich –

    “As a pilot community, Saanich has had an opportunity to test the Home Energy Planner and see it as a valuable tool for helping our residents understand how to save money on their energy bills, prepare their homes for climate impacts, such as extreme heat, while also making a meaningful contribution to climate action.”

    Trevor Koot, CEO, BC Real Estate Association –

    “The BC Home Energy Planner is an important step in providing homeowners with more information and tools to better understand their home’s energy-efficiency. By recognizing the impacts of building structure and systems on the home’s operational cost, carbon emissions, comfort and air quality, homeowners can be guided to their best options for future energy-retrofit projects.”

    Chris O’Riley, president and CEO, BC Hydro –

    “The BC Home Energy Planner helps homeowners and renters improve efficiency and reduce costs. By identifying problem areas and offering solutions, it empowers British Columbians to make smarter energy choices.”

    Learn More:

    To use the BC Home Energy Planner, visit: https://bchomeenergyplanner.ca/

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Minister Anand to travel to United Kingdom and France

    Source: Government of Canada News

    June 5, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

    The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that she will be in London, United Kingdom, and Paris, France, from June 6 to 7, 2025, for bilateral visits.

    In London, Minister Anand will meet with David Lammy, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom. They will discuss ways to reinforce the close Canada-United Kingdom relationship, including by strengthening security and defence collaboration and expanding economic cooperation.

    There, Minister Anand will also meet with Shirley Botchwey, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, to discuss strengthening the Commonwealth through strategic reforms and focusing on its key strengths, such as advancing democracy and human rights. Minister Anand will also attend a meeting of G7 heads of mission and a round-table discussion with business leaders on defence and economic growth.

    Minister Anand will then travel to Paris, where she will meet with Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France. They will discuss Canada and France’s continued collaboration on shared priorities, including defence and security, the promotion of democratic values, the two countries’ consecutive G7 presidencies and the promotion of the French language.

    Throughout the trip, Minister Anand will reiterate Canada’s commitment to growing its already close ties with the United Kingdom and France as key transatlantic allies and reliable trading partners.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Fatal house fire, Waitara

    Source: New Zealand Police

    To be attributed to Detective Senior Sergeant Debra Gower:

    One person has been located deceased following a house fire in Browne Street, Waitara this morning.

    Emergency services were alerted to the fire at 7.30am.

    The person found deceased is believed to have been the only occupant of the house at the time of the fire.

    Enquiries are under way to determine the cause of the fire and at this stage there is no further information available.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Milestone for Favarh’s Project SEARCH at UConn Health

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    A specialized training program at UConn Health is now responsible for helping more than 60 adults overcome barriers to independent employment since 2016.

    Favarh’s Project SEARCH, which works with employers to provide structured work experiences for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities, has graduated its 10th cohort at UConn Health, which is the first employer in Connecticut to serve as a host site.

    The milestone bridge ceremony at UConn Health Wednesday celebrated the accomplishment of the five interns who completed a 10-month program that included daily hands-on work experiences in a variety of departments and settings. One of them, Ryan Cook, drew cheers (and some tears of happiness) when he announced from the podium, “We are proud to share that we are all employed.”

    Graduates of Favarh’s Project SEARCH at UConn Health from years past celebrate with the Class of 2025 as the training program celebrates its 10th cohort at UConn Health. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

    Cook, from Terryville, already is working at the Walgreens in Thomaston, as a cashier. He spent part of his internship as a cashier in the cafeteria in UConn Health’s main building, as well as in the pharmacy and the linen department.

    “We were not sure where our path would take us before Project SEARCH, but now we are profoundly grateful for being able to experience such amazing internships and met so many wonderful people along the way,” Cook said before accepting his certificate.

    Scott Masson, of Canton, interned in the mailroom, UConn Center on Aging, and central receiving, and is employed as a utility worker at Naples Pizza and the neighboring Fork and Fire Restaurant in Farmington.

    “We are glad to have all of you in our corners,” Masson told the audience, which included mentors, department representatives, and Project SEARCH graduates from previous years, in addition to family members. “You encourage us at every step of our employment journey. We could not ask for better leaders to have assisted us. It has been a life-changing experience. Our self-confidence as never been higher.”

    The ceremony also included a video about Favarh’s Project SEARCH at UConn Health, featuring this year’s interns:

    [embedded content]

    Meghan Dyer, from Bristol, interned in dental finance, the psoriasis center, and dental telecommunications. Reflecting on the bridge ceremony, she says, “It was definitely emotional. There’s a lot of people that I just don’t know, but it’s nice to see almost like the history of this program walking the halls, because I’m part of it now. I can say that I’m a graduating member of Project SEARCH’s 10 years.”

    Meghan Dyer is newly employed at UConn Health in dental telecommunications following completing of an internship with Favarh’s Project SEARCH at UConn Health. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

    Dyer had interviewed for a paid position in dental telecom. She described a call she had while on duty there about two weeks before graduating.

    “It’s almost like a sitcom,” she says. “Completely mundane day, the out of the blue, the phone that never takes inbound calls magically gets an inbound call, and it’s Pamela Rucker from HR, telling me I got the job… It was like a pipe dream – I wasn’t expecting it to happen, would have loved it to happen. I wanted to be in the medical field.”

    The bridge ceremony included an open forum, where attendees spoke about their connection to the program. George Moses is the operations manager for housekeeping and linens, both areas where interns have been rotating through from the program’s start.

    “It’s been amazing,” Moses said. “They have taught our staff some great skills too, how to communicate and communicate with each other very well. It’s just been a pleasure.”

    Then he addressed Logan Haynes, who interned in custodial, housekeeping, and central receiving:

    Logan Haynes is among five young adults who completed a 10-month internship with Favarh’s Project SEARCH at UConn Health. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

    “And Logan, you are an amazing young man!”

    Haynes, from Canton, is employed as a dishwasher at Beanz & Co., a coffee shop in Avon.

    Beanz & Co. also hired Chloe Roberts, who interned in the kitchen, the dermatology clinic, and the psoriasis center.

    “It was a bit scary for a couple weeks, and then the staff was really nice and kind and it helped me get through my experience and job skills,” Roberts says. “I used to be shy, talking to the patients, but now my confidence went up a little bit.”

    Over its 10 years at UConn Health, 98% of Favarh’s Project SEARCH interns have found successful independent employment, working a minimum of 16 hours a week in a nonseasonal position with market wages. The National Project SEARCH placement rate is 72%.

    “I think the mentors here at UConn really understand the program and the purpose, and that is a big part of why we’re so successful,” says Sandy Finnimore, Favarh’s competitive employment coordinator. “The mentors understand that this is not just something to fill the interns’ day, it’s going to change their life. They have to be held accountable and teach them their skills, or they’re not going to be successful, and the mentors understand that. We’ve been very lucky, because all of our mentors have been amazing.”

    Finnimore has been involved in the program at UConn Health since Day 1.

    “[Ten years ago] I wouldn’t be able to fathom that this many people would have come into my life and I would have been a part of teaching them,” she says. “It’s just unbelievable.”

    For Favarh assistant manager Keegan Riley, this was the first cohort she worked with at UConn Health.

    Sandy Finnimore of Favarh directs Ryan Cook toward a camara at the bridge ceremony for Project SEARCH at UConn Health. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

    “They did so well,” Riley says. “They came in so nervous and excited and driven. I mean, they didn’t’ stop, they just kept trying, kept trying, kept trying. Any feedback we gave them, anything that the mentor said they need to work on, we told them, and they applied it. They were hungry for that position and that job.”

    After the ceremony, Cook reflected on his biggest takeaway from his Project SEARCH experience.

    “Learning about who I wanted to become and changing my life around,” Cook says.

    The 11th cohort, which starts at UConn Health in August, has eight interns.

    Favarh is based in Canton and is a chapter of the Arc, a worldwide organization that supports people with disabilities. In partnership with UConn Health Human Resources and the Connecticut Departments of Developmental Services and Rehabilitative Services, Favarh brought Project SEARCH to UConn Health in 2015.

    Learn more about Project SEARCH at UConn Health.

    MIL OSI USA News –