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Category: KB

  • MIL-OSI USA News: President Trump Announces Appointments to the White House Faith Office

    Source: The White House

    President Donald Trump announced appointments to the White House Faith Office.

    Pastor Paula White-Cain will return to the White House as a Special Government Employee and Senior Advisor of the newly created White House Faith Office. In the last 40 years, White-Cain has expanded her influence globally in almost 200 countries, ministering, fighting for religious freedom and humanitarian rights, and advocating for the voiceless. She is the founder and president of Paula White Ministries and National Faith Advisory Board. She is president of City Destiny and the overseer and a teaching pastor at StoryLife Church in Florida. Paula previously served an advisor to President Trump in the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative. She also served as chairwoman of the Evangelical Advisory Board (2016). Paula is a celebrated New York Times best-selling author, teacher, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, mentor, popular TV personality, and spirit-led preacher of God’s Word. She is married to legendary singer/songwriter Jonathan Cain of the iconic Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band Journey.

    Jennifer S. Korn will return to the White House as a Deputy Assistant to the President and Faith Director of the newly created White House Faith Office after serving as Senior Advisor of National Faith Advisory Board, America’s largest faith coalition. Korn previously served President Trump all four years as Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison and during the 2016 Presidential Election leading Latino, Minority, Faith, Veteran and other coalition engagement for historic gains among these communities. Korn has served two decades working to elect officials and implement policies at the national and state levels to improve the lives of these important constituencies. Korn is also a proud military spouse.
     
    Jackson Lane will join the White House as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Faith Engagement after serving as the Deputy Director of Faith Outreach for the Trump-Vance 2024 Campaign.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Addressing Egregious Actions of The Republic of South Africa

    Source: The White House

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

         Section 1.  Purpose.  In shocking disregard of its citizens’ rights, the Republic of South Africa (South Africa) recently enacted Expropriation Act 13 of 2024 (Act), to enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation.  This Act follows countless government policies designed to dismantle equal opportunity in employment, education, and business, and hateful rhetoric and government actions fueling disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners.
    In addition, South Africa has taken aggressive positions towards the United States and its allies, including accusing Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International Court of Justice, and reinvigorating its relations with Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements.  

         The United States cannot support the government of South Africa’s commission of rights violations in its country or its ‘undermining United States foreign policy, which poses national security threats to our Nation, our allies, our African partners, and our interests.

         Sec. 2.  Policy.  It is the policy of the United States that, as long as South Africa continues these unjust and immoral practices that harm our Nation:
              (a)  the United States shall not provide aid or assistance to South Africa; and
              (b)  the United States shall promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation.

         Sec. 3.  Assistance.  (a)  All executive departments and agencies (agencies), including the United States Agency for International Development, shall, to the maximum extent allowed by law, halt foreign aid or assistance delivered or provided to South Africa, and shall promptly exercise all available authorities and discretion to halt such aid or assistance.
              (b)  The head of each agency may permit the provision of any such foreign aid or assistance that, in the discretion of the relevant agency head, is necessary or appropriate. 

         Sec. 4.  Refugee Resettlement and Other Humanitarian Considerations.  The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall take appropriate steps, consistent with law, to prioritize humanitarian relief, including admission and resettlement through the United States Refugee Admissions Program, for Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination.  Such plan shall be submitted to the President through the Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor.

         Sec. 5.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: 
              (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or 
              (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. 
         (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. 
         (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    THE WHITE HOUSE,
        February 7, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Sues Trump Administration Over DOGE’s Unlawful Access to Americans’ Personal Information

    Source: US State of California

    DOGE access blatantly violates Americans’ right to privacy

    OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s decision to expand access to data maintained by the Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS). In today’s lawsuit, 19 attorneys general argue that this executive action has allowed people associated with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access Americans’ personal and private information, including bank account and social security numbers. The lawsuit seeks to immediately halt improper access to this sensitive information while litigation proceeds. 

    “President Trump’s and the Treasury Department’s actions to allow DOGE access to Americans’ private information is chilling and unconstitutional — and Americans are paying attention,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Millions entrust the federal government to carry out vital operations that people rely on every day. In doing so, we also entrust them with our sensitive and personal information. This week’s action is a breach of that trust and a gross and blatant power grab. The President does not hold the power to give Americans’ bank account and social security numbers to anyone he’d like. I am proud to stand with attorneys general around the country to demand the immediate halt to this violation of both trust and law.”

    Since Inauguration Day, DOGE has infiltrated executive agencies with the goal of eliminating federal funding, services, and personnel. Starting last week, there have been reports of billionaire Elon Musk and his DOGE associates gaining an unprecedented level of access to vital payment systems of the U.S. Treasury, which provide access to Americans’ extremely sensitive information, like social security numbers. 

    The Treasury Department payment systems — managed by BFS — are responsible for trillions of dollars in U.S. government payments. Millions of Americans rely on the support of these payments for services like health care, childcare, and other essential programs, like Social Security, Medicare benefits, veteran’s benefits, salaries for federal employees, and tax refunds. The Treasury Department’s payment systems are critical, sensitive, and incredibly vital. Given their critical importance to U.S. government operations, these systems have been highly regulated and tightly guarded — but with the election of Donald Trump, are no longer safe. 

    In the complaint filed today, the attorneys general allege the Trump Administration has no constitutional, statutory, or regulatory authority to widen access to the BFS payment system for political appointees or special government employees, including members of DOGE. As such, the attorneys general seek both a temporary restraining order to immediately stop this practice and a permanent injunction barring political appointees, special government employees, and any government employee from an agency outside the Treasury Department from accessing BFS systems and Americans’ private personally identifying information. 

    In filing the lawsuit today, Attorney General Bonta is joined by the attorneys general of New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. 

    A copy of the complaint can be found here. A copy of the request for a temporary restraining order can be found here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China, ROK should consolidate ties amid rising uncertainties: Xi

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with National Assembly Speaker of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Woo Won-shik in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday said China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) should work together to strengthen their strategic cooperative partnership, amid mounting global and regional uncertainties.

    Xi made the remarks while meeting with ROK National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik in Harbin, capital city of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. Woo is here for the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games.

    Since the establishment of diplomatic relations over 30 years ago, the two countries have continuously developed their relations and boosted cooperation, contributing to regional peace and development, Xi said, noting that China’s policy toward the ROK remains consistent.

    He called on the two countries to deepen their mutually beneficial economic and trade ties and increase cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

    Woo said maintaining friendly relations with China is a core foreign policy of the ROK.

    The ROK is willing to work with China to elevate bilateral relations to a new level in the new year, Woo added. He also expressed the hope that the two countries will strengthen economic and trade cooperation, ensure the stability of global industrial and supply chains, and expand personnel exchanges.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Corona Customs Broker Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Clients Out of More Than $5 Million and Evading More Than $1 Million in Taxes

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – A customs broker pleaded guilty today to defrauding his clients – businesses who ship goods into the United States from foreign countries – out of more than $5 million, including after he had been indicted on fraud charges, and to committing more than $1 million in tax evasion.

    Frank Seung Noah, 64, of Corona, pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion and two counts of wire fraud.

    According to his plea agreement, Noah owned and operated Comis International Inc., a Cerritos-based logistics and supply-chain company, which offered customs import brokerage services on behalf of businesses. From 2007 to 2019, Comis was a customs import broker for Daiso, a Japan-based variety and value store with stores in the United States, including Southern California.

    During that time, Noah provided Daiso with false customs duty forms and invoices in support of fraudulent requests for reimbursement for duty fees. These forms differed materially from those Noah submitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and inflated the total amounts, resulting in Daiso overpaying Noah nearly $3.4 million.

    After Noah was indicted for defrauding Daiso in 2022, he continued to defraud his other clients out of more than $2 million using a different fraud scheme. Noah defrauded two other client companies by invoicing and receiving funds from the two victim companies, and then simply pocketing the funds instead of paying the customs duties to CBP. After CBP notified the victim clients of their unpaid customs duties, they asked Noah about the unpaid fees, and he sent the victim clients altered bank statements falsely reflecting that he had paid the customs duties. 

    Noah also willfully evaded payment of federal taxes resulting in a loss to the IRS of approximately $2.4 million, with penalties and interest continuing to accrue. After agreeing with the IRS that he owed more than $1 million in taxes in 2014, Noah actively avoided IRS attempts to collect the amount owed. This included paying for two homes in his former girlfriend’s name, using check cashing businesses to avoid IRS levies of his bank accounts, lying to IRS collection agents, and spending thousands of dollars on country club memberships, travel, and golf purchases.

    United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton scheduled a May 8 sentencing hearing at which time he will face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count and up to five years in federal prison for the tax evasion count.

    IRS Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations investigated this matter with the assistance of United States Customs and Border Protection.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Nandor F.R. Kiss and Robert J. Keenan of the Orange County Office are prosecuting this case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hampton man convicted on mail theft and firearm charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Hampton man today on charges of conspiracy, mail theft, and illegal receipt of a firearm by a person under indictment.

    According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on July 22, 2024, Jamal Ashton Shields, 33, drove to a postal collection box at the Patrick Henry Post Office in Newport News along with Sampson G. Jumbo, 28, of the Bronx, New York, and another co-conspirator. Because the collection box had been broken into on multiple recent occasions, law enforcement was surveilling it. Jumbo and the other co-conspirator exited the vehicle and approached the collection box, then used an arrow key to open the collection box and remove mail. An arrow key is used to access collection boxes, outdoor parcel lockers, and apartment mailbox panels in a specific area.

    After witnessing Jumbo and the co-conspirators take mail from the box, law enforcement moved in to apprehend them, and the three men fled. Shields, who fled in the vehicle, was eventually pulled over and taken into custody after a high-speed chase. When officers approached the vehicle, Shields informed them that he had a firearm in the vehicle. An investigation revealed that Shields had received the firearm while under felony indictment for rape and forcible sodomy in Hampton.

    Jumbo, who fled on foot along with the co-conspirator, was apprehended 50 yards from the collection box. Jumbo had a black backpack with approximately 35 pieces of stolen mail.

    The other co-conspirator discarded his jacket and then carjacked a vehicle. The discarded jacket was recovered and contained the arrow key.

    The conspirators stole at least 82 pieces of outgoing mail, at least ten of which included checks.

    On Nov. 15, 2024, Jumbo pled guilty to mail theft. Jumbo is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21 and faces up to five years in prison.

    Shields faces up to 15 years in prison when sentenced on June 13. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen accepted the verdict. The Virginia State Police and Newport News Police Department assisted in the investigation of this case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Therese O’Brien and Mack Coleman are prosecuting the case.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-cr-49.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Army Private Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Child Sexual Exploitation Crimes Involving Girls He Met on Snapchat

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – A former Army private based at Fort Irwin was sentenced today to 264 months in federal prison for producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting a 14-year-old girl, using Snapchat to receive CSAM of her when she was 13 years old, possessing CSAM featuring her on his iPhone, and for receiving sexually explicit images of a 15-year-old girl via Snapchat. 

    Parker William White, 24, of Johnsonville, New York, was sentenced by United States District Judge André Birotte Jr., who scheduled a restitution hearing for May 2. Upon his eventual release from prison, White will be placed on lifetime supervised release. White has been in federal custody since February 2023.

    At the conclusion of a five-day trial in August 2024, a jury found White guilty of one count of production of child pornography, three counts of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.

    In January 2022, the Department of Children and Families in Bay County, Florida received a tip that White was engaging in an online, sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl.  Later, investigators found CSAM of her on White’s iPhone as well as CSAM that White had received via Snapchat featuring her and another minor.

    White used Instagram, Snapchat, and other social media platforms to find minor “girlfriends” as young as 13 years old, according to court documents.  White groomed these minor girls by boasting about his military service, telling them that they were “beautiful” and “queens,” and pretending to be in love with them.  In some instances, White deceptively portrayed himself as teenager to earn their trust.  White’s behavior would then escalate to a practice that he called “teasing.”  He would send these children sexually explicit videos and photographs of himself via social media and encourage them to “tease” him back by doing the same.

    Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Lyndsi C. Allsop of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Laura A. Alexander of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section prosecuted this case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Texas Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Kidnapping 13-Year-Old Girl at Gunpoint and Repeatedly Assaulting Her

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – A Texas man was sentenced today to 420 months in federal prison for kidnapping a 13-year-old girl at gunpoint last year in San Antonio, admitting that he drove her to California, threatened her with a firearm, and sexually assaulted her multiple times before his arrest in Long Beach.         

    Steven Robert Sablan, 63, of Cleburne, Texas, was sentenced by United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha, who also ordered him to pay $1,158 in restitution.

    Sablan pleaded guilty in January 2024 to one count of kidnapping. He has been in federal custody since July 2023.

    “The 35-year sentence imposed ensures this defendant will not have the opportunity to victimize children,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “There is nothing as important as protecting our young people. I commend our federal and local law enforcement partners for their efforts to secure justice here.”

    “Mr. Sablan took this young girl from the safety of her Texas home and repeatedly sexually assaulted her at gunpoint throughout a lengthy drive of terror to California,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI will not tolerate sexual deviants who exploit our children at will and – as in this case – will hold these violent offenders accountable.”

    “This sentencing announcement represents a collaborative commitment to holding individuals accountable for victimizing and inflicting trauma upon our children,” said Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish. “I am deeply grateful to our officers and federal law enforcement partners from the FBI and DOJ for their tireless efforts on this case.”

    On July 6, 2023, in San Antonio, Sablan abducted the victim, held her, and transported her in his gray Nissan Sentra to Long Beach, California. The victim told Sablan she was 13 years old. During this ordeal, Sablan used a firearm to threaten and control the victim.

    Sablan confined the victim until she was rescued on July 9, 2023, in Long Beach after a Good Samaritan called 911 after seeing her holding a “Help Me” sign in the window of Sablan’s car.

    During the Texas-to-California journey, he sexually assaulted the victim. At the time of the crime, Sablan had no legal custody or familial relationship to the victim.

    “[Sablan] violently abducted a child and repeatedly sexually assaulted her while driving her thousands of miles from her home,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “And while [Sablan] spent days abusing her for his own pleasure, her parents agonized over their missing child, fearing the worst. The worst was not far from reality.”

    The FBI and the Long Beach Police Department investigated this matter. The Cleburne (Texas) Police Department and the Fort Worth (Texas) Police Department provided assistance. 

    Assistant United States Attorney Chelsea Norell of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Sentenced for Sweepstakes Scam Targeting Elderly

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Fabrisio Arias was sentenced in federal court today to 41 months in prison for his part in an international scam that tricked seniors into believing they’d won a sweepstakes prize, but first they had to pay a fee or tax to release their winnings.

    At today’s hearing, U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta also ordered Arias to pay $395,536.05 in restitution to 22 victims.

    According to his plea agreement, between November 2020 and September 2022, Arias was a member of an international conspiracy that defrauded victims in the United States and laundered large amounts of money.

    The conspiracy involved scammers who contacted victims by phone and convinced them to send thousands of dollars to Arias’ home in Fontana, California; and Arias, who laundered the proceeds through his U.S.-based bank accounts. Arias received and transferred most of the ill-gotten gains to coconspirators in Costa Rica, and in the process concealed the nature, source, location, ownership and control of the proceeds.

    The phone scammers in Costa Rica made unsolicited calls to elderly victims in the United States using spoofed numbers. This allowed callers to conceal their identity and make it appear as if the calls originated from locations in the United States.

    During calls with victims, the scammers purported to be with the Internal Revenue Service or the  Federal Trade Commission, and made victims believe they’d won a sweepstakes award or prize and had to pay a fee or tax to release the winnings. The scammers instructed victims to send cashier’s checks, blank money orders or cash to Arias, who scammers falsely identified as a government CPA.

    In reality, there was no sweepstakes prize or award. Arias simply received the fraud proceeds, deposited them into his U.S.-based bank accounts, and notified his co-conspirators in Costa Rica when he received the proceeds. Co-conspirators then contacted the victims again, attempting to convince and pressure them to send more money to release the purported winnings.

    According to the government’s sentencing memorandum, Arias received 200 cashier’s checks and blank money orders from at least 22 victims throughout the U.S. Arias concealed the proceeds and made them appear legitimate by writing false payor names, signatures, and memo line entries on money orders and by commingling the proceeds with funds from his nightclub and used-car businesses. Arias also concealed the proceeds he sent to his co-conspirators in Costa Rica and made them appear legitimate by placing false information on at least 30 wire transfers, claiming the payments were for used cars, a house, or family support.

    The victims – many of whom were in their seventies, eighties, or nineties – suffered financial hardship as a result of the scheme. To make ends meet, one victim had to obtain a reverse mortgage on his home; another had to take money from a family member’s college fund; and another had to return to work after retirement. Several victims lost their life savings, including a victim whose entire 401(k) retirement account was drained.

    Arias received and laundered more than $395,000 in fraud proceeds over the course of nearly two years and sent more than $237,000 of proceeds to his co-conspirators in Costa Rica. Arias kept a substantial portion of the remaining $157,000 as profit.

    “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “These schemes can be difficult to identify and very appealing – when in doubt, hang up the phone and report suspicious callers to law enforcement.”

    “Victimizing taxpayers by impersonating IRS employees is a serious crime,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Brandon Knarr. “TIGTA and our law enforcement partners will do everything within our power to ensure that those involved in the impersonation of IRS employees are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” 

    “The consequences of this type of fraud scheme are far reaching, affecting not only people in the United States, but also across the world,” said Los Angeles Division U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Matt Shields. “This investigation is just another example of how effective law enforcement agencies can be when they join forces. By working together, we can keep our communities and our vulnerable populations safe from financial exploitation. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is proud to be at the forefront of the fight against fraud and Postal Inspectors will continue to adapt to the ever changing landscape to stop the scammers and protect our customers.”

    This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Swan.

    If you think you’ve been contacted by a scammer, report it quickly to the FBI at IC3.gov. There is a team standing by. The faster the report comes in, the more likely we are to stop the transaction and recover your money.

    For other non-life-threatening emergencies, call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11, or go to the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative website for more information: www.justice.gov/elderjustice.

    DEFENDANT                                   Case Number 22-cr-2745-JO           

    Fabrisio Arias                                     Age: 46                                   Fontana, CA

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371

    Maximum penalty: Five years in prison; a maximum $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, whichever is greatest; and a term of supervised release up to 3 years

    Concealment Money Laundering – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(a)(1)(B)(i)

    Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison; a maximum $500,000 fine or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greatest

    INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

    U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)

    U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Los Angeles Division

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi says China ready to work with IOC to promote Olympic Movement

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

    Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. Bach is here for the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games. [Photo/Xinhua]

    HARBIN, Feb. 7 — Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday that China stands ready to work with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to continue promoting the development of the Olympic Movement.

    Xi made the remarks when meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach in Harbin, capital city of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. Bach is here for the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games.

    China’s successful hosting of multiple major sports events in recent years demonstrated the close collaboration between China and the IOC, Xi noted.

    Xi said that China is vigorously developing its sports sector and moving toward the goal of building a sports powerhouse and a healthy China, which will continuously make new contributions to the development of international sports.

    Bach praised China for advocating and practicing the concepts of unity, cooperation, equality and respect, upholding multilateralism, opposing the politicization of sports, and supporting the broad participation of developing countries in international sports.

    He expressed the confidence that China will continue to achieve greater accomplishments and make greater contributions to world peace, development and progress.

    Senior Chinese leaders including Cai Qi were present at the meeting.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. Bach is here for the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Cauldron lit at Harbin Asian Winter Games opening ceremony

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

    HARBIN, Feb. 7 — The cauldron has been ignited at the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games on Friday night.

    Joined by children holding ice lanterns, China’s first Winter Olympic champion and short track speed skater Yang Yang, China’s first male Winter Olympic gold medalist and freestyle skier Han Xiaopeng, Olympic race walk champion Wang Zhen, and Sochi Winter Olympic speed skating champion Zhang Hong lit the cauldron in a shape of a blooming lilac flower at the Harbin Ice-Snow World, the world’s largest ice-and-snow theme park.

    The flame for the Games was lit at the Sun Island Scenic Area in Harbin on January 20. The torch relay involved 120 torchbearers on a route featuring landmarks in the city, including Harbin Central Street, which has a history of more than 100 years, and the Songhua River.

    After the athletes’ parade and the official opening of the Games, a gala performance themed “Dream of Winter, Love among Asia” ushered in a climax of the ceremony – lighting of the cauldron.

    The Harbin Ice-Snow World is the sub-venue for the opening ceremony, in addition to the main venue at the Harbin International Conference, Exhibition and Sports Center. During this year’s eight-day Spring Festival holiday, the Harbin Ice-Snow World saw over 610,000 visits.

    It is the second time for Harbin to host the Asian Winter Games, after doing so for the tournament’s third edition in 1996. Over 1,200 athletes from 34 countries and regions across Asia will compete in 64 events across six sports, making this edition the largest in terms of participating delegations and athletes. The Games will conclude on February 14.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Joins Colleagues from Both Parties in Calling for Quick Implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act

    US Senate News:

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

    In December, Senator Rosen Helped Pass The Social Security Fairness Act To Allow Public Employees To Fully Access Their Social Security Benefits
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues in calling on the Trump Administration to immediately implement the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act, which Senator Rosen helped pass in December. This law provides full Social Security benefits for millions of public employees that were otherwise barred from accessing them. 
    “The Social Security Fairness Act restores full Social Security benefits for the millions of teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public servants who are unfairly penalized by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO),” wrote the senators. 
    “The Social Security Administration’s website currently states, ‘SSA expects that it could take more than one year to adjust benefits and pay all retroactive benefits’ owed under the Social Security Fairness Act,” they continued. ‘We call for the immediate implementation of this legislation to provide prompt relief to the millions of Americans impacted by WEP and GPO.” 
    The full letter can be found HERE.
    Senator Rosen has been a staunch supporter of critical programs like Social Security and Medicare. She has vocally and repeatedly called to protect them and the benefits they provide to Nevadans. Last Congress, she renewed her commitment to fight against any attempts in Congress to cut Social Security and Medicare.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Helps Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Reunite Filipino World War II Veterans with Their Children

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) helped introduce bipartisan legislation to expedite the visa process for children of Filipino World War II veterans. Despite their service, Filipino World War II veterans were not granted citizenship until 1990, and their children still face long backlogs in obtaining a visa to reunite with their parents. The bipartisan Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt the sons and daughters of Filipino World II veterans who were naturalized from global limits. Nevada is home to one of the largest Filipino-American communities in the United States.
    “Filipino veterans served our country admirably during World War II, but outdated laws have prevented them from reuniting with their loved ones in the United States,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort to expedite visa processing for the children of these heroes to ensure they can reunite. I’ll always push to honor our veterans for their service to our nation.”
    Senator Rosen has worked consistently to deliver for Nevada’s veterans. Earlier this year, she announced that a bipartisan bill she backed to expand veterans benefits outreach became law. Senator Rosen’s bipartisan legislation to require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to maintain a permanent helpline for veterans to use for information on VA services is now law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025. She also successfully pushed President Biden to include the construction of a new VA hospital in Reno in his 2024 Budget Request and helped introduce and pass bipartisan legislation to officially authorize its construction.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin, Murray, DeLauro Blast Trump Administration on Halt of Vital Work at Nation’s Largest Public Health Agency

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Related Agencies Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, and Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, in calling out the Trump Administration for the chaos and confusion they have unleashed by pausing communications and critical work, groundbreaking research, and funding for programs Americans rely on at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The legislators also demanded answers from the Trump Administration on the funding freeze that has impacted Medicaid, Head Start and other vital services in their states.

    “The Department’s issuance of internal guidance combined with implementation of sweeping Executive Orders has unleashed significant confusion and hindered the Department’s mission to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans,” wrote the legislators in a letter to Dorothy A. Fink, M.D., Acting Secretary of HHS.

    The legislators outlined their concerns that HHS has paused external communications for weeks that give Americans basic information about the spread of diseases and viruses that impact their communities. As communities across the country deal with avian flu, the Centers for Disease paused the release of a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from January 16 to February 6, the first time in decades that this basic public health communication for states and local communities did not go out. The National Institutes of Health was also forced to cancel over 50 critical meetings, resulting in delays for tens of thousands of grant applications and delaying lifesaving biomedical research and clinical trials across the country.

    Meanwhile on the ground in communities across the country, community health centers have been unable to reach anyone at the Health Resources and Services Administration who can help them access the federal funds that they are owed, while public health data that researchers and local doctors rely on was removed from CDC’s website.

    The legislators also rebuked the Trump Administration for the chaos and confusion caused by an Office of Management and Budget memo that called for a halt on federal funding of agency grant, loan, and other financial assistance programs. While that memo was later rescinded and courts stepped in to pause the freeze on spending, significant confusion and ongoing disruptions in federal funding remain. The legislators warned against continued efforts to override Congress, especially the delay or termination of grants through programs already secured and passed in bipartisan spending legislation.

    “The Department’s actions over the last two weeks have done nothing to improve the health of Americans. They have disrupted early childhood education for our youngest children. They have put at risk opioid prevention and treatment programs and led to domestic violence programs wondering how they can keep their doors open and phones on,” the legislators continued. “They have delayed biomedical research and clinical trials for lifesaving cures for deadly diseases. We are deeply concerned this is a precursor of actions to come from this Administration.”

    Given the lack of transparency or clear communication from HHS, the legislators concluded by demanding more information about the full scope of the HHS communications pause and further information on their plan to implement the flurry of Executive Orders from the Trump Administration in its first few weeks. The legislators requested a response by no later than February 10, 2025. A full list of their questions is available below.

    A full version of this letter is available here and below.

    Dear Acting Secretary Fink,

    We write with serious concerns about actions at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (the Department) since January 20, 2025, including a pause in external communications and lack of transparency regarding the Administration’s funding freeze. The Department’s issuance of internal guidance combined with implementation of sweeping Executive Orders has unleashed significant confusion and hindered the Department’s mission to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans.

    On the first full day of the Trump Administration, you sent a memo, “at the direction of the new Administration” to the heads of HHS operating and staff divisions implementing an immediate pause on issuing documents and public communications. Although you noted in the memo that these directives were consistent with precedent, they are clearly more far reaching, restrictive and long-standing than any limitations on communication that have been implemented during previous transitions. As a result, CDC did not issue its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for two weeks, the first time in decades this basic public health communication to states and local communities has not been published. A February 20-21 meeting (notably outside the scope of the “temporary” pause that was supposed to be in effect until February 1) of CDC’s National Vaccine Advisory Committee, which advises HHS leadership on vaccine policy, was cancelled.  The National Institutes of Health cancelled more than 53 FACA meetings, including at least 10 Advisory Committee meetings and innumerable peer review sections, holding up tens of thousands of grant applications and delaying lifesaving biomedical research and clinical trials across the country. Community health centers have been unable to reach anyone at the Health Resources and Services Administration who can help them access the federal funds that they are owed. Public health data that researchers and practitioners rely on was removed from CDC’s website.

    In addition to this internal memo, over the last two weeks the Administration has issued sweeping Executive Orders (EOs) that directly implicate HHS and its programs, and sought to disrupt funding in a manner that far exceeds the President’s legal authority. The Office of Management and Budget issued a memo on January 27 (M-25-13) to heads of executive Departments and agencies directing them to broadly freeze federal funding of agency grant, loan, and other financial assistance programs. While that memo was later rescinded and courts quickly issued Temporary Restraining Orders against its implementation and any freeze, pause, cancelation, or termination of existing grant funding related to recent EOs, it created significant confusion and ongoing disruptions in federal funding. Attempts to illegally pause federal funding led to a nationwide outage of HHS payment management systems including Medicaid portals in all 50 states and organizations continue to have problems accessing their grant funds this week, including Head Start programs and community health centers. Compounding this problem, grantees are largely unable to get answers from their program officers or agency contacts, apparently because of restrictions on external communications. 

    In the midst of this confusion, HHS has begun implementing Trump Administration EOs, many of which focus on broadly undefined terms and provide little concrete information for grantees or Congress. This includes directives to federal grant recipients that they must comply with various EOs which has created more confusion and uncertainty among Federal grant recipients tasked with carrying out HHS’ broad mission. The Department has also provided no information to the Committees on Appropriations regarding how it is implementing EOs that seek to directly alter the availability and uses of funds provided in prior appropriations acts.

    Finally, while we are focused on the most immediate issues created by the Administration’s actions, we are also concerned about continued, ongoing restrictions on HHS grantmaking and communications and the impact they will have on families and communities if they persist for the remainder of the fiscal year. The cancellation of HHS advisory committee meetings and study sections has already delayed the grant making process and impacted tens of thousands of research grants. Implementation of the Trump Administration’s EOs has already delayed the posting of scores of funding opportunity announcements and the awarding of new grants. This not only slows biomedical innovation and destabilizes national security, but it jeopardizes the health and wellbeing of every American. This is particularly concerning given the Administration’s stated intentions to impound federal funding for activities it simply does not support.

    The Department’s actions over the last two weeks have done nothing to improve the health of Americans. They have disrupted early childhood education for our youngest children. They have put at risk opioid prevention and treatment programs and led to domestic violence programs wondering how they can keep their doors open and phones on. They have delayed biomedical research and clinical trials for lifesaving cures for deadly diseases. We are deeply concerned this is a precursor of actions to come from this Administration. Given the tremendous importance and reach of HHS programs, and the lack of transparency over the Department’s actions to date, we write to request additional information. Because most of these questions have been previously provided in writing we request a prompt response by no later than February 10, 2025 at 5pm.

    Regarding the memo issued on January 21, 2025, directing an immediate pause on issuing documents and public communications:

    1. What restrictions on issuing documents and public communications are currently in place as a result of this memo?
    1. Are there any restrictions on communications with Members of Congress and/or Congressional staff, including Appropriations Committee staff? Are there any restrictions on communicating with existing grantees?
    1. Does the directive to pause issuing documents and public communication apply to any part of the grant making process, including the release of notices of award, notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs), or any part of the peer review process? If so, does the Department expect any delay in the awarding of grant funds or posting of funding opportunity announcements? Please provide the total number of grant applications and NOFOs impacted, broken down by agency.
    1. Has the directive to pause issuing documents and public communication resulted in the delay of FACA meetings, including advisory meetings or councils, or peer review sections? If so, please provide the total number of meetings and study sections impacted, broken down by agency. When do you expect any paused activities to resume?
    1. Does the guidance to pause external communications and public documents apply to public health information, including the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)?
    1. Does the guidance to pause external communications, or any subsequent guidance provided through acquisition alerts issued by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources, apply to communications between HHS personnel and private vendors for the purposes of acquisition, procurement, or contracting of goods or services necessary to carry out activities under existing grant awards or contracts?
    1. Does the guidance to pause external communications apply to communications between HHS personnel and current grant recipients that are eligible to exercise grant extensions? 

    Regarding Executive Orders:

    1. Describe all actions taken and planned to be taken to implement the Executive Order (EO) “Withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO)”, including addressing the specific questions below:
      1. Will the directive to “pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO” impact ongoing cooperative agreements between HHS and WHO in the interim between the announcement and the official withdrawal? 
      2. What new activities will HHS have to assume that are currently a function of the United States’ participation in WHO in response to Section 2 (d)(iii) of this EO?
    1. Describe all actions taken and planned to be taken to implement Executive Order “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”, including addressing the specific questions below:
      1. How will HHS “assess grant conditions and grantee preferences and ensure grant funds do not promote gender ideology”? How is HHS defining “promote gender ideology”?
      2. Will this assessment include a review of existing grant awards/contracts where funding has already been obligated? 
      3. What if any guidance has been provided to existing grantees/contractors regarding implementation of this EO? If guidance has been provided has it been provided to all grantees or just select grantees? If it’s only been provided to select grantees how was it determined which grantees would receive guidance?
      4. How does HHS plan to implement this EO with regard to future funding opportunities? 
    1. Describe all actions taken and planned to be taken to implement Executive Orders “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity”, including addressing the specific questions below:
      1. How is HHS identifying offices, positions, initiatives, programs, grants, or contracts implicated by this EO? How is HHS defining equity actions and equity-related grants or contracts?
      2. Provide a list of all offices, positions, initiatives, programs, grants, or contracts that have been identified or terminated as a result of this EO.
      3. What if any guidance has been provided to existing grantees/contractors regarding implementation of these EOs?  If guidance has been provided has it been provided to all grantees or just select grantees? If it has only been provided to select grantees how was it determined which grantees would receive guidance?
    1. How does HHS plan to conduct the Position Reviews referenced in OPM’s memo, “Guidance on Implementing President Trump’s Executive Order titled, ‘Restoring Accountability To Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce’”?        
    1. In response to any Executive Orders issued to date, or as a result of any other administrative action, has HHS issued stop work orders on existing grants/contracts or imposed new restrictions on existing grants/contracts? If so, please explain. 
    1. In response to Executive Orders issued to date, or as a result of any other administrative action, does HHS expect delays in awarding new, renewal or continuation grants relative to the timelines of previous years?
    1. Describe in detail the timeline of events since January 20, 2025 that led to widespread problems with grantees being unable to draw down or access their grant funds from HHS’ Payment Management System in a timely manner, including ongoing problems as of today. When was HHS first aware of problems and what was the cause of them?  When will issues with HHS’ Payment Management System be resolved and what efforts are being made to ensure it is operational as soon as possible?

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff, Colleagues Call on Trump Administration to End Harmful Freeze on Health Communications and Funding

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Schiff, Colleagues Call on Trump Administration to End Harmful Freeze on Health Communications and Funding

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and a group of 30 other Senators in calling on Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services Dorothy Fink to end the unprecedented freeze on all external health communications and funding.

    This freeze has disrupted clinical trials, prevented the National Institutes of Health and other agencies from engaging with patient groups and scientific advisory committees, and delayed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) — the nation’s premier publication for disseminating public health updates — for the first time in over 60 years. This political interference in public health agencies is an unprecedented, dangerous threat to public health.

    With the Administration’s own deadline already having passed, it remains unclear when these restrictions will be lifted.

    “We write to express our deep concern over the Administration’s recent decision to freeze external communications and suspend federal health funding at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),” wrote the Senators. “The abrupt order has already disrupted patient care, public health oversight, halted medical research funding, and obstructed critical regulatory processes.”

    “This political interference in public health agencies is unprecedented and unacceptable,” continued the Senators. “… The American people depend on HHS agencies to provide accurate, real-time information about disease outbreaks, medical research, and regulatory decisions. We urge you to immediately reverse this harmful decision.”

    In addition to Senators Padilla, Schiff, Klobuchar, and Sanders, the letter was also signed by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    After the Trump Administration paused crucial communications from federal health agencies last month, Senator Padilla joined Senator Schatz in introducing a resolution calling for uninterrupted health warning services for the American people.

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Acting Secretary Fink:

    We write to express our deep concern over the Administration’s recent decision to freeze external communications and suspend federal health funding at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The abrupt order has already disrupted patient care, public health oversight, halted medical research funding, and obstructed critical regulatory processes.

    On January 22, all 13 HHS operating divisions – including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were told to immediately “pause” all external communications and grant disbursements until at least February 1, with no clear plan for restoration. This directive prohibits agencies from issuing public health advisories, publishing scientific reports, updating websites, announcing regulatory decisions, or conducting outreach to patient groups – unless such activity is explicitly approved by politically appointed leadership.

    With the Administration’s own deadline having passed, it remains unclear when these restrictions will be lifted. While limited exceptions exist for critical health, safety, or national security concerns, the freeze has already severely impeded essential public health and biomedical research functions.

    The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the nation’s premier publication for disseminating public health updates, was abruptly delayed for the first time in over 60 years, limiting reporting on the H5N1 bird flu outbreak and other emerging infectious disease threats. The MMWR often includes clinical recommendations for doctors, such as guidance on how to treat diseases that are currently circulating in the United States – and delaying the MMWR means that doctors may not have all the latest information they need to keep their patients healthy.

    At the NIH, new clinical trials have been delayed and external peer-review grant processes have faced disruptions. NIH study sections – which legally must review grant applications before funding can be disbursed – were initially canceled, creating uncertainty about when federal research funds will be awarded. Despite efforts by the Administration to provide clarity, it remains unclear whether the full peer-review process has resumed and how long grant funding decisions will continue to be delayed. This uncertainty has placed billions in federal research funds in limbo, directly threatening ongoing medical studies and academic research programs.

    The freeze has also blocked NIH from engaging with patient groups on ways to recruit participants into ongoing clinical trials. This means that patients with rare diseases, cancer, and other serious conditions who rely on clinical trials for treatments may be prevented from enrolling, directly jeopardizing their access to life-saving care.

    This political interference in public health agencies is unprecedented and unacceptable. While it is not unusual for a new administration to conduct brief reviews of existing programs, no past transition has implemented a blanket freeze of this magnitude.

    Accordingly, we request an immediate and detailed response to the following questions by Monday, February 10:

    1. Provide a full accounting of all scientific reports, disease surveillance updates, grant decisions, public health advisories, events, calls, research reviews, reports, issue briefs, inspections, surveys, and postings that have been postponed or cancelled since noon on January 20.

    2. Which of the postponed or cancelled items will be rescheduled or published, and by what date?

    3. Has the pause affected communications between HHS and other federal Departments or state agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture. If so, in what capacity?

    4. Can you confirm that all external communications, including those listed above in your answer to the first question, have already resumed or will resume by February 10? If not, please provide a detailed explanation for any continued delay.

    5. Has the communications and funding freeze affected the department’s ability to respond promptly to public health threats and ongoing outbreaks? If so, in what ways?

    6. Given that we are at the height of virus season, how has this pause affected the department’s ability to fulfill its core mission of protecting public health?

    The American people depend on HHS agencies to provide accurate, real-time information about disease outbreaks, medical research, and regulatory decisions. We urge you to immediately reverse this harmful decision.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this request. We look forward to your response and to working with the Department to protect public health and ensure Americans can get the care they need.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Leads Fellow SFRC Democrats in Demanding Answers from Secretary Rubio on How Much Evacuating USAID Workers Overseas Will Cost American Taxpayers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    February 07, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—led her fellow SFRC Democratic colleagues in demanding immediate answers from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on how much it will cost American taxpayers to pull USAID workers off the job overseas and relocate them back to the United States. In their letter, the lawmakers underscored that the Trump Administration’s attacks on USAID are not only likely illegal, but also counterproductive to U.S. interests and actually cost our country more money despite the Administration’s so-called claim that this move will cut costs. By helping reduce global instability that contributes to conflict and mass migration, USAID’s development work is critical in protecting our national security in addition to saving lives. The lawmakers’ letter comes amid news that the Trump Administration plans to cull the USAID global workforce from about 10,000 individuals to just under 300.

    In their letter, the lawmakers wrote: “While any new administration has a right to review programs, you do not have authority to unilaterally dismantle USAID, an independent agency created and funded by federal law, and destroy its infrastructure and workforce in a manner that would be difficult and even more costly to repair, despite how critical they are to our national security.”

    “We are incredulous that any such plan, which would come with great logistical challenges and cost to taxpayers, could be lawfully organized and funded under current requirements,” the lawmakers continued. “Public reporting that an appointee under your direction suggested that the military would step in if the impossible deadlines that were set for this global retreat were not met raises even more questions about how these appointees would be authorized to obligate U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) funds and manpower, at the direct cost of our military readiness.”

    The lawmakers are requesting immediate answers to 14 questions about the costs and legality of the decision to force the return of the global USAID workforce and their families to return to the United States, including: “What is the expected cost of the forced recall of USAID staff from overseas locations?” and “What is the estimated cost to DoD in dollars and in manhours required to support this evacuation?”

    Along with Duckworth, the letter is co-signed by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Chris Coons (D-DE).

    A copy of the full letter is available on the Senator’s website and below:

    Dear Secretary Rubio:

    We write with escalating concern about the spiral of destabilizing and likely illegal orders drafted by officials under your direct authority and often approved by you, with said orders providing directives to the global workforce of USAID. While any new administration has a right to review programs, you do not have authority to unilaterally dismantle USAID, an independent agency created and funded by federal law, and destroy its infrastructure and workforce in a manner that would be difficult and even more costly to repair, despite how critical they are to our national security.

    The February 4, 2025, communication to USAID staff announcing administrative leave for the global USAID workforce, along with a declaration that the Agency is working on a plan to force and fund the return of the global workforce—including their family members—raises a series of urgent questions to which Congress is owed immediate answers. While your directive suggests that exceptions will be granted for designated programs and personnel with extenuating circumstances, the necessary guidance hasn’t been provided and many personnel have already been cut off from their emails with little way to seek clarity. We are incredulous that any such plan, which would come with great logistical challenges and cost to taxpayers, could be lawfully organized and funded under current requirements. Public reporting that an appointee under your direction suggested that the military would step in if the impossible deadlines that were set for this global retreat were not met raises even more questions about how these appointees would be authorized to obligate U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) funds and manpower, at the direct cost of our military readiness.

    We are extremely skeptical about the legal authority under which such an evacuation may be undertaken but also the counterproductive and inefficient nature of the order.

    Therefore, we request answers to the following series of questions. We look forward to your response no later than February 12, 2025.

    1. What is the expected cost of the forced recall of USAID staff from overseas locations? Please detail the estimated cost of transportation for staff, for dependents, for obligated but unused housing and all other anticipated costs separately.
    2. From what accounts is this funding expected to be withdrawn, and under what authority would the Agency use funding in this manner?
    3. What are the terms of leases for office space that will be impacted by this forced recall, how quickly do you anticipate terminating them and how many months of rent for unused office space will U.S. taxpayers pay for?
    4. Please name the “applicable requirements and laws” to be taken into consideration in planning the evacuation, as referenced in the notification to all USAID staff.
    5. What specific congressional funding directives will go unmet as a result of the forced withdrawal of these personnel?
    6. Given the abrupt nature of the forced recall of USAID staff, what plans would the Agency have to provide a resettlement allowance for resettled staff and what amount is intended for that allowance?
    7. From what accounts would such resettlement allowances be withdrawn and under what authority would the Agency use funding in this manner?
    8. Who is responsible for making case-by-case determinations as referenced in the announcement to all USAID staff, by name and office? What accommodations will be available to those with medical and familial needs?
    9. What is the specific process for requesting and evaluating those determinations and what is the timeline for these decisions?
    10. What coordination is happening with DoD regarding potential support for evacuations?
    11. Who at DoD is responsible for this coordination, by name and by office?
    12. Under what authority is DoD potentially providing assistance for this evacuation?
    13. What specific platforms and assets are being requested of DoD to support this evacuation and how would their capabilities and responsibilities be covered while on this task deviating from their normal mission set?
    14. What is the estimated cost to DoD in dollars and in manhours required to support this evacuation?

    An abrupt withdrawal of overseas personnel for this critical agency directly contradicts your statements during your confirmation that the United States needs to show up and be engaged as we work to counter our adversaries around the world, in support of our own national security. The work of development is critical to this national security mission, as it reduces drivers of global instability that contribute to conflict and mass migration, in addition to saving lives. This preventative action comes at a low cost to the taxpayer for the value provided, and a literal retreat from this global mission would amount to burning taxpayer dollars and even military readiness for an emergency of your own making. Images of withdrawal would provide a defining and lasting stain on the United States’ reputation and our failures, and we urge you to shift course.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement from Premier Tim Houston

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    NOTE: The following is a statement from Premier Tim Houston

    Today, Nova Scotians have another unfortunate reminder of the dangers of working on the sea as the fishing vessel Fortune Pride capsized in the waters near Sambro last night.

    I want to express my sincere condolences to the families and friends of the souls we lost – you are in my thoughts and prayers as are the two fishers who survived this heartbreaking tragedy.

    The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax responded last night to the emergency and continued its efforts today.

    I want to commend the Canadian Coast Guard vessels, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax, and everyone involved in the response to this emergency.

    I would like all those affected by this terrible incident to know that I – and all Nova Scotians – are thinking of you at this difficult time.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trump Administration Withholding Critical Infrastructure Funding, Making Colorado Roads Less Safe, Costing People Time & Money

    Source: US State of Colorado

    DENVER – Today, Governor Polis released the following statement on the Trump administration withholding critical funding, including for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, that makes Colorado roads safer and supports infrastructure like charging stations for wildly popular electric vehicles. This misguided move to withhold NEVI funding comes on the heels of a memo from the Department of Transportation that threatened to prioritize transportation and infrastructure funding for states with higher birth and marriage rates which would put politics above fixing potholes.

    “Fresh off their ludicrous attempt to tie highway funding to birthrates, the Trump administration is attacking the freedom to move, including the freedom to drive, and putting their own agendas above what Americans and the market are demanding.  Coloradans want more charging stations to support the many electric vehicles they are choosing to buy and to drive across our state. Electric vehicles save money, are quiet and fun to drive, driver demand for electric vehicles in our state is high, and the market has rewarded Colorado for breaking down barriers, making it easier for hardworking people to own these vehicles,” said Governor Polis.

    NEVI builds on the many successful efforts happening at the state level, and provides important resources to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure to help meet the extensive demand of Coloradans who are choosing to drive electric across our vast road network. Colorado recently opened the first NEVI fast-chargers for Coloradans and visitors from across the country, with many more under contract and on the way.

    “New guidance from the federal highway administration would seem to stop work on many of the contracts that have already been signed, which would mean stopping companies from work they have already started to deliver the charging infrastructure that Coloradans want, in places people want to go. This would be unfortunate since rapidly rising EV sales are putting high demand on the current supply of chargers along our vast roadway network,” said Shoshana Lew, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Transportation.

    Last week, Colorado joined with other states to successfully bring a temporary restraining order (TRO) to unfreeze federal funds and make them available for this important work. Earlier today, the State of Colorado, along with 22 other states and the District of Columbia, filed a Motion for Preliminary Injunction to require federal agencies to release funds that were withheld based on instructions from the Office of Management and Budget and related Executive Orders, and also also filed a Request for Emergency Relief to Enforce Temporary Restraining Order.

    Colorado is the national leader in electric vehicle adoption, with EVs making up 31.5% of new car sales last quarter. Coloradans are purchasing electric vehicles at a higher rate than any other state because EVs offer so much upside. The State is committed to ongoing investment in convenient and reliable access to EV charging as more Coloradans are switching to EVs to reduce emissions and save money on fuel and maintenance costs.

    Overall, EVs have 60% to 68% lower lifetime emissions compared to gas-powered vehicles. EVs are also a quiet, great ride, and people know that these electric vehicles protect our clean air. Consumers in Colorado and across the country have made it clear: electric vehicles are here to stay, and demand will continue to grow.

    Colorado has granted more than $33.6 million in congressionally approved NEVI funds to add 364 new fast-charging ports at 61 sites through the DCFC Plazas Grant program. The Polis administration has contracted for two rounds of projects and announced awards for a third in late-December. Many of these projects will start construction this Spring. Two NEVI-funded sites have opened to date, with numerous more sites anticipated to open in 2025.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis Adds Montrose County to Disaster Emergency Due to Flooding and Debris Flow

    Source: US State of Colorado

    DENVER – Today, Governor Polis amended a 2024 Executive Order concerning the disaster emergency for flooding and debris flow in Ouray County to include Montrose County.

    The same storm system that impacted Ouray County also damaged a bridge in Montrose County carrying CO 141 over the Dolores River. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is working to repair the bridge before spring runoff to prevent a closure that could cause a four hour detour, impacting the residents of Norwood, Nucla, and Naturita. The amendment to the Executive Order will assist CDOT with securing federal funding to repair the bridge.

    Here is the updated Executive Order.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Strong Winter Storms Expected Through Sunday

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on two winter storms expected to impact areas throughout the State today through Sunday. The first storm arrived earlier today and is impacting Central New York and the Mohawk Valley. The second storm will be more widespread and is expected to affect much of the State Saturday through Sunday. Snowfall rates of up to two inches per hour on Friday and one inch per hour on Saturday in the heaviest bands may create hazardous travel conditions. People should monitor local forecasts and take precautions when traveling.

    “Our State resources are ready and mobilized to keep New Yorkers safe as we respond to this next round of winter weather, and we will continue coordinating with our local partners throughout the storm including taking steps to facilitate emergency salt deliveries,” Governor Hochul said. “Monitoring your local forecast is critical — especially when traveling — and I encourage all New Yorkers to exercise caution as weather conditions can be unpredictable, and many warnings and watches are in effect.”

    The Governor also signed an Executive Order today declaring a State of Emergency, allowing the State to coordinate and share resources with local governments affected by upcoming storms. This includes the State Department of Transportation, which will provide assistance to municipalities impacted by the State of Emergency in excess of existing shared service agreements. The order also waives “hours of service” requirements for truck drivers to facilitate emergency salt deliveries ahead of these storms and includes other measures to facilitate emergency salt deliveries to State and local agencies across the State.

    Today’s storm will impact most of the State through Friday evening, including areas from Herkimer to Oswego County with up to four inches of snow and peak accumulations up to ten inches in some areas. Peak snowfall rates of up to two inches per hour can be expected and may impact commutes in Central New York and the Mohawk Valley. Winds could gust up to 45 miles per hour in some locations, which will produce blowing and drifting snow.

    The second storm begins Saturday afternoon and is forecast to continue through Sunday afternoon. Widespread snow will fall across the State with the potential for moderate to heavy accumulations of up to seven or more inches of snow from Central New York to the Capital Region. A widespread three to six inches of snow is expected north of the Thruway with snowfall rates potentially exceeding one inch per hour. Wind gusts are expected to remain below 35 miles per hour with isolated gusts of up to 40 mph. For New York City and Long Island, heavy mixed precipitation is possible with total snow and sleet accumulations between three to five inches and ice accumulations around a light glaze possible through Sunday morning.

    There are several lake effect snow warnings and winter storm watches in place for multiple locations through Sunday. For a complete listing of weather alerts, visit the National Weather Service website. New Yorkers are also encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts by subscribing to NY Alert — a free service providing critical emergency information to your cell phone or computer.

    Agency Preparations

    New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
    The Division’s Office of Emergency Management is in contact with their local counterparts and is prepared to facilitate requests for assistance. State stockpiles are staffed and ready to deploy emergency response assets and supplies as needed. The State Watch Center is monitoring the storm track and statewide impacts closely. Winter preparedness tips can be found here.

    New York State Department of Transportation
    The State Department of Transportation is monitoring weather conditions and prepared to respond with 3,701 supervisors and operators available statewide. All field staff are available to fully engage and respond. All available response equipment is ready to deploy and all residencies in impacted locations will remain staffed for 24/7 operations with operators, supervisors, and mechanics throughout the duration of the event and priority cleanup operations.

    Statewide equipment numbers are as follows:

    • 1,642 large plow trucks
    • 353 large loaders
    • 157 medium duty plows
    • 53 tow plows
    • 35 snow blowers
    • 19 graders

    The need for additional resources will be re-evaluated as conditions warrant throughout the event. For real-time travel information, motorists should call 511 or visit 511ny.org, New York State’s official traffic and travel information source.

    Thruway Authority
    The Thruway Authority is monitoring the forecast and ready to respond with 689 operators and supervisors available. Statewide equipment numbers and resources are listed below:

    • 352 large and medium duty plow trucks
    • 9 tow plows
    • 67 loaders
    • 99,000+ tons of salt on hand

    Variable Message Signs and social media — X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook — are utilized to alert motorists of winter weather conditions on the Thruway.

    New this snow and ice season, all of the Thruway’s more than 250 heavy-duty plow trucks are equipped with green hazard lights, complementing the standard amber hazard lights. Green lights are intended to improve visibility and enhance safety during winter operations, particularly in low-light conditions and poor weather. Drivers are reminded that Thruway snowplows travel at about 35 mph — which in many cases is slower than the posted speed limit — to ensure that salt being dispersed stays in the driving lanes and does not scatter off the roadways. The safest place for motorists is well behind the snowplows where the roadway is clear and treated.

    The Thruway Authority encourages motorists to download its mobile app which is available for free on iPhone and Android devices. The app provides motorists direct access to real-time traffic information, live traffic cameras and navigation assistance while on the go. Motorists can also sign up for TRANSalert e-mails and follow @ThruwayTraffic on X for the latest traffic conditions along the Thruway.

    New York State Department of Public Service
    New York’s utilities have about 5,500 workers available statewide to engage in damage assessment, response, repair and restoration efforts across New York State, as necessary. Agency staff will track utilities’ work throughout the event and ensure utilities shift appropriate staffing to regions that experience the greatest impact.

    New York State Police
    State Police have instructed all Troopers to remain vigilant and will deploy extra patrols to affected areas as needed. All four-wheel drive vehicles are in service and all specialty vehicles, including Utility Terrain Vehicles and snowmobiles, are staged and ready for deployment.

    New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
    DEC Emergency Management staff, Environmental Conservation Police Officers, Forest Rangers and regional staff remain on alert and continue to monitor the developing situation and weather forecasts. Working with partner agencies, DEC is prepared to coordinate resource deployment of all available assets, including first responders, to targeted areas in preparation for potential impacts due to snow.

    DEC reminds those responsible for the removal and disposal of snow to follow best management practices to help prevent flooding and reduce the potential for pollutants like salt, sand, oils, trash and other debris from affecting water quality. Disposal of snow in local creeks and streams can create ice dams, which may cause flooding. Public and private snow removal operators should be aware of these safety issues during and after winter storms. Additional information is available at Division of Water Technical and Operational Guidance Series: Snow Disposal.

    Unpredictable winter weather and storms in the Adirondacks, Catskills and other backcountry areas, can create unexpectedly hazardous conditions. Visitors should be prepared with proper clothing and equipment for snow, ice and the cold to ensure a safe winter experience. Snow depths range greatly throughout the Adirondacks, with the deepest snow at higher elevations in the High Peaks region and other mountains over 3,000 feet. Most lower elevation trails are frozen, including many trails in the Catskill Mountains.

    While some waterways are currently frozen, DEC advises outdoor enthusiasts to review ice safety guidelines before heading out.

    Hikers are advised to temporarily avoid all high-elevation trails as well as trails that cross rivers and streams. Hikers in the Adirondacks are encouraged to check the Adirondack Backcountry Information webpages for updates on trail conditions, seasonal road closures and general recreation information.

    Backcountry visitors should Hike Smart and follow proper safety guidelines. Plan trips accordingly. In an emergency, call 9-1-1. To request Forest Ranger assistance, call 1-833-NYS-RANGERS.

    Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
    New York State Park Police and park personnel are on alert and closely monitoring weather conditions and impacts. Response equipment is being fueled, tested and prepared for storm response use. Park visitors should visit parks.ny.gov, check the free mobile app, or call their local park office for the latest updates regarding park hours, openings and closings.

    Metropolitan Transportation Authority

    The MTA is closely monitoring weather conditions to ensure safe, reliable service. MTA employees will be poised to spread salt, clear platforms and stairs where ice exists, and keep signals, switches, and third rail operating, remove any downed trees that may fall across tracks, and attend to any weather-related challenges. MTA Bridges and Tunnels advises motorists to use caution when driving on icy roadways and drive at reduced speeds.

    Customers are encouraged to check https://new.mta.info for the latest service updates, and to use caution while navigating the system. Customers should also sign up for real-time service alerts via text or email. These alerts are also available via the MTA app and TrainTime app.

    Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

    The Port Authority monitors weather conditions across all its facilities. In the event of severe weather, the agency issues travel alerts and updates as needed via facility email alerts and on social media. For the latest information about Port Authority facilities, please check social media, sign up for PA Alerts or download one of the PA mobile apps, including RidePATH, which provides real-time updates and alerts for PATH service.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Orange County felon sentenced for federal gun violation

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BEAUMONT, Texas – A Vidor convicted felon has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.

    Dennis Lee Kelley, 32, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on February 7, 2025.

    According to information presented in court, on July 27, 2023, Kelley was arrested near Hwy 105 in Beaumont pursuant to an active warrant for a parole violation.  At the time of his arrest, a pistol was discovered in the vehicle he was driving. As a convicted felon, Kelley was prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.

    This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

    This case was investigated by the Beaumont Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard detains 11 Mexican fisherman, seizes 1,595 pounds of illegally caught fish and 9 sharks off Texas coast

    Source: United States Coast Guard

     News Release  

    U.S. Coast Guard 8th District Public Affairs Detachment Texas
    Contact: 8th District Public Affairs Detachment Texas
    Office: 281-464-4810
    After Hours: 832-293-1293
    PA Detachment Texas online newsroom

     

    02/07/2025 04:34 PM EST

    CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Coast Guard interdicted four lanchas, detained 11 Mexican fishermen, and seized approximately 1,595 pounds of illegally caught red snapper and nine sharks in federal waters off southern Texas on Thursday.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed, Colleagues Demand Answers About Trump’s Efforts to Restrict & Undermine NSF-Funded Scientific Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – With several major sources of federal research funding in limbo after chaotic directives from the Trump Administration, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has been forced to pause grant review panels, re-examine previously awarded research funding, and initiate the process for dismissing a significant portion of the agency’s workforce.

    Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) joined with 24 colleagues in sounding the alarm over the Trump Administration injecting partisanship into scientific studies, obstructing critical research, potentially derailing the careers of promising American researchers, and attempting to undermine the U.S. scientific research ecosystem.  The Senators wrote to NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan “to express concern about funding delays and widespread confusion at universities and research organizations across the country, resulting from the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders.”  The lawmakers are demanding answers about actions that could damage advancements in scientific discovery and undermine NSF’s mission.

    “In light of NSF’s congressionally mandated mission, we are deeply concerned by recent reports that the Trump Administration’s memoranda and Executive Orders forced the NSF to pause all grant review panels, initiate a re-examination process for existing awards, and develop plans to dismiss a significant portion of the agency’s workforce within the next two months,” the 25 Senators wrote.

    The NSF is an independent federal agency with a $9 billion fiscal year 2024 (FY24) budget that is the funding source for about a quarter of federally supported basic research conducted by U.S. colleges and universities in a variety of fields such as mathematics, biology, computer science, engineering, physics, and marine sciences.  NSF also helps cultivate the nation’s STEM workforce of the future by strengthening academic partnerships and research opportunities with colleges and universities across the country.

    Earlier this month, NSF staff were forced to pause their regular work in order to examine whether any existing grants ran afoul of President Trump’s directive to halt programs aimed at addressing issues of diversity and historic systems of discrimination.

    “We believe these actions are having a devastating impact on our universities and their ability to sustain robust research programs, the Senators continued.  “These pauses will also undermine NSF’s competitive, peer-reviewed research selection process, and could result in a corrupt research system based on ideology and party loyalty rather than independent, scientific inquiry and intellectual integrity.”

    In FY24 alone, NSF awarded $57 million in federal funding to Rhode Island-based research projects. 

    NSF-funded research has helped contribute to numerous, diverse areas of scientific development and discovery, including medical imaging, kidney matching, Doppler radar, geographic information systems (GIS), sign language, and 3D printing.

    In addition to Senator Reed, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    The Senators demanded written responses to the following questions no later than February 13, 2025: 

    1.         Have agents of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency established a presence at NSF?  If so, what measures and directives have they established?  What access to NSF’s computer systems do they have?  Do they have sufficient clearances and background checks?

    2.         How much research funding has been placed on hold?

    3.         How many grant review panels has NSF canceled? 

    4.         Will all grant review panels be rescheduled?  If so, for when?

    5.         Will delays in grant approvals impact faculty and students who depend on NSF grants for financial support?

    6.         Is it standard practice for NSF to re-examine existing awards once a new administration takes office?

    7.         How many existing awards is NSF re-examining?

    8.         Will NSF terminate any existing awards?

    9.         Is NSF planning to dismiss “between a quarter and a half of its staff in the next two months,” as reported by E&E News? If so, what authorities enable the NSF to take this action?

    10.       How would NSF ensure that any reduction in force complies with the requirements of Division C, section 505 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118–42)?

    11.       How will these proposed layoffs comply with the agency’s union agreements?

    Full text of the letter follows:

    Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan

    Director

    National Science Foundation

    2415 Eisenhower Ave

    Alexandria, VA 22314

    Dear Director Panchanathan:

    We write to express concern about funding delays and widespread confusion at universities and research organizations across the country, resulting from the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders. 

    In 1950, Congress established the National Science Foundation (NSF) as an independent federal agency to “promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes.”  Since then, the NSF has served as a critical facilitator and funding source for U.S. research at universities, and has contributed to countless modern advancements – from medical imaging and kidney matching, to Doppler radar and geographic information systems (GIS), to sign language and 3D printing.  NSF’s achievements have relied on its longstanding, merit-based, independent approach to advancing scientific discovery. 

    In light of NSF’s congressionally mandated mission, we are deeply concerned by recent reports that the Trump Administration’s memoranda and Executive Orders forced the NSF to pause all grant review panels, initiate a re-examination process for existing awards, and develop plans to dismiss a significant portion of the agency’s workforce within the next two months.  We believe these actions are having a devastating impact on our universities and their ability to sustain robust research programs.  These pauses will also undermine NSF’s competitive, peer-reviewed research selection process, and could result in a corrupt research system based on ideology and party loyalty rather than independent, scientific inquiry and intellectual integrity.

    Given the severity of this threat, we request that you provide written answers to the following questions by February 13, 2025:

    1. Have agents of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency established a presence at NSF?  If so, what measures and directives have they established?  What access to NSF’s computer systems do they have?  Do they have sufficient clearances and background checks?
    2. How much research funding has been placed on hold?
    3. How many grant review panels has NSF canceled? 
    4. Will all grant review panels be rescheduled?  If so, for when?
    5. Will delays in grant approvals impact faculty and students who depend on NSF grants for financial support?
    6. Is it standard practice for NSF to re-examine existing awards once a new administration takes office?
    7. How many existing awards is NSF re-examining?
    8. Will NSF terminate any existing awards?
    9. Is NSF planning to dismiss “between a quarter and a half of its staff in the next two months,” as reported by E&E News? If so, what authorities enable the NSF to take this action?
    10. How would NSF ensure that any reduction in force complies with the requirements of Division C, section 505 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118–42)?
    11. How will these proposed layoffs comply with the agency’s union agreements?

    We appreciate your attention and prompt response to this important matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Protecting Second Amendment Rights

    Source: The White House

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

         Section 1.  Purpose.  The Second Amendment is an indispensable safeguard of security and liberty.  It has preserved the right of the American people to protect ourselves, our families, and our freedoms since the founding of our great Nation.  Because it is foundational to maintaining all other rights held by Americans, the right to keep and bear arms must not be infringed. 

         Sec. 2.  Plan of Action.  (a)  Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Attorney General shall examine all orders, regulations, guidance, plans, international agreements, and other actions of executive departments and agencies (agencies) to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens, and present a proposed plan of action to the President, through the Domestic Policy Advisor, to protect the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.
         (b)  In developing such proposed plan of action, the Attorney General shall review, at a minimum:
              (i)    All Presidential and agencies’ actions from January 2021 through January 2025 that purport to promote safety but may have impinged on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens;
              (ii)   Rules promulgated by the Department of Justice, including by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, from January 2021 through January 2025 pertaining to firearms and/or Federal firearms licensees;
              (iii)  Agencies’ plans, orders, and actions regarding the so-called “enhanced regulatory enforcement policy” pertaining to firearms and/or Federal firearms licensees;
              (iv)   Reports and related documents issued by the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention;
              (v)    The positions taken by the United States in any and all ongoing and potential litigation that affects or could affect the ability of Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights;
              (vi)   Agencies’ classifications of firearms and ammunition; and
              (vii)  The processing of applications to make, manufacture, transfer, or export firearms.

         Sec. 3.  Implementation.  Upon submission of the proposed plan of action described in section 2 of this order, the Attorney General shall work with the Domestic Policy Advisor to finalize the plan of action and establish a process for implementation.

         Sec. 4.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
              (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or
              (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
         (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
         (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dumfries man pleads guilty to nearly $150,000 fraud of COVID relief program

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

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Dumfries man pled guilty today to wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent application for and receipt of funds through a COVID-19 relief program.

    According to court documents, in 2021, Kingsley Apenteng, 40, was the registered owner of Pioneers Real Estate LLC (Pioneers). From at least 2017 through 2021, Pioneers had no employees, transacted no business, and was completely inactive.

    In March 2021, Apenteng completed and signed a loan application seeking $149,740.00 for Pioneers through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a COVID-19 relief program intended to provide loans to certain businesses to help them retain their employees or stay afloat during the pandemic. Apenteng falsely claimed on the application that, during all of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020, Pioneers had nine employees and paid them, on average, a combined payroll of $59,896 per month. Apenteng falsely certified on the application that the PPP loan funds he was requesting would be used to pay the wages of those employees.

    Apenteng prepared fraudulent tax return forms to support the PPP application. Apenteng filled out five IRS Forms 941 for Pioneers, one for each quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020. To make these forms appear legitimate, Apenteng falsely claimed that they had been prepared by a professional tax preparer. Apenteng wrote the name of a real tax preparer, forged that person’s digital signature, and entered that person’s business information.

    Apenteng also fraudulently altered a bank account statement. After downloading a PDF of a monthly statement for Pioneers’ bank account, Apenteng used a computer program to alter the date and transaction information on the statement to make it appear that Pioneers paid payroll to employees during the first quarter of 2020.

    On or around March 10, 2021, Apenteng caused the fraudulent PPP loan application, tax forms, and bank statement to be electronically submitted to a lender and to the Small Business Administration (SBA). Based on the false claims in those fraudulent documents, Apenteng’s PPP loan application was approved and Apenteng received PPP loan funds in the amount of $149,740.00 on April 28, 2021.

    On Nov. 2, 2021, Apenteng submitted a loan forgiveness application to the SBA for the Pioneers PPP loan. Apenteng again falsely claimed that Pioneers had nine employees and claimed that he spent all the PPP loan funds on their wages. On Nov. 9, 2021, the SBA approved Apenteng’s loan forgiveness application and reimbursed the lender for the full amount of the loan. Apenteng never repaid any portion of the PPP loan.

    Apenteng is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6 and faces up to 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Sean Ryan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey is prosecuting the case.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-21.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Feeding Our Future Defendant Sentenced to 43 Months in Prison For Her “Flagrant” Role in $250 Million Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MINNEAPOLIS – Sharon Denise Ross, 54, of Willernie, Minnesota, has been sentenced to 43 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for her role in a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. Ross was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,434,360. Ross was further ordered to forfeit to the United States all property derived from fraud proceeds, including her house in Willernie.

    Ross was charged in a 12-count indictment on March 7, 2023, with wire fraud and money laundering for her role in devising and carrying out a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud the Federal Child Nutrition Program.  On January 10, 2024, Ross pled guilty to one count of wire fraud.

    According to court documents, Ross was the executive director of House of Refuge Twin Cities, a St. Paul-based non-profit which she enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and Partners in Nutrition. Ross claimed that House of Refuge operated distribution sites at a dozen locations throughout the Twin Cities that served food by a vendor called Brava Café, a restaurant in Minneapolis run by Hanna Marakegn. Between September 2021 through February 2022, Ross falsely claimed to be serving thousands of children each day at her House of Refuge sites, which included fraudulently claiming to feed children at multiple area churches.  In total, Ross fraudulently claimed to have served nearly 900,000 meals and she received approximately $2.4 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Ross distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to family members and used the rest of the money to fund her lifestyle, including to pay for vacations to Florida and Las Vegas, to purchase a suite at a Minnesota Timberwolves game, and to purchase her house in Willernie.

    In handing down the sentence today, Judge Nancy E. Brasel commented that Ross “used a position of trust in the community” for her own “flagrant personal gain.” Judge Brasel further noted that Ross’s crime was all the more aggravating because she acquired large amounts of fraudulent money in an “extremely short time span” while Ross was on probation for another fraud.

    The case is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. 

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Minnesota Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, Matthew S. Ebert, and Daniel W. Bobier prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Salvadoran national pleads guilty to illegal possession of a firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Salvadoran national pled guilty today to unlawful possession of a firearm.

    According to court documents, on July 13, 2024, law enforcement responded to a report of a man brandishing a handgun at the Harmony Trailer Park. There, officers located Adalberto Rivas Machado, 20, who matched the description of the subject.

    When a uniformed officer exited his marked vehicle, Rivas Machado fled on foot but was detained after a short chase. During a subsequent pat-down, officers located the handgun in Rivas Machado’s sweatpants above his left ankle. The firearm was loaded with 9mm hollow point ammunition.

    Rivas Machado was prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law. Rivas Machado had illegally entered the United States and did not have any legal status in the country. An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) revealed that he entered the United States without authorization as a juvenile in 2018 and an immigration judge ordered in 2019 that he be removed to El Salvador. Additionally, Rivas Machado could not possess a firearm because he was addicted to and an unlawful user of drugs. Rivas Machado admitted that he was addicted to fentanyl at the time he possessed the firearm. FCPD officers recovered fentanyl from him when he was arrested.

    Rivas Machado is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22 and faces up to 15 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kai Wah Chan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles accepted the plea.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc J. Birnbaum is prosecuting the case.

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

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-221.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Postal Service Supervisor Pleads Guilty to Stealing More Than $300,000 in Checks and Gold and Collectable Currency from Mail

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SANTA ANA, California – A United States Postal Service (USPS) supervisor pleaded guilty today to stealing approximately $284,000 in checks and up to $40,000 in other items – including gold and collector-type currency such as a Confederate $10 bill – from the U.S. mail.

    Joivian Tjuana Hayes, 36, of Compton, who was a supervisor at the Costa Mesa Post Office, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of mail matter by Postal Service employee and one count of unlawful transfer, possession, and use of means of identification.

    According to her plea agreement, from early last year until December 2024, while on duty with USPS, Hayes stole mail from the Costa Mesa Post Office, including checks that had been mailed, which she then deposited into her own bank accounts by forging the payees listed on the checks.

    Hayes stole at least 20 checks totaling approximately $284,000, which she then deposited into her bank accounts at various banks. She also stole and deposited $3,000 in postal money orders that had been mailed. She deposited the stolen checks by using her banks’ mobile apps and at ATMs. During some of the ATM deposits, Hayes wore a blue t-shirt bearing a USPS logo.

    During a search of Hayes’ residence last month, law enforcement found multiple gold coins and bills of U.S. currency that had been sent by registered mail. Hayes had stolen these items from the Costa Mesa Post Office. Among those items included a $1 bill dating from 1917 with a sticky note listing a value of $675, a $100 bill dating from 1914 valued at $1,500, and a $10 Confederate States of America bill.

    During that same search, federal agents also found various gold pieces, including a $5 gold piece with sticky note listing a value of $1,600. Federal agents also found inside Hayes’ bedroom a pink wallet with a U.S. Treasury check payable to a victim in the amount of $2,599, addressed to a location in Costa Mesa, which defendant had also stolen from the mail at the Costa Mesa Post Office.

    The intended loss from Hayes’ theft of mail is approximately $304,000 to $324,288, which is comprised of approximately $284,000 in stolen checks that Hayes deposited into her various bank accounts and approximately $20,000 to $40,000 in other items she had stolen from the mail, including gold coins and currency.

    United States District Judge John W. Holcomb scheduled a May 23 sentencing hearing, at which time Hayes will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the theft count and up to 15 years in federal prison for the unlawful transfer count.

    The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorney Charles E. Pell of the Orange County Office is prosecuting the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry after an Aggravated Felony

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Mexican national has pleaded guilty to illegal reentry to the United States after an aggravated felony conviction for a crime of violence, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

    According to court documents, Jonathan Chavez-Galarza, 28,was removed from the United States on July 15, 2020, following his 2018 conviction in Hennepin County for second degree assault with a dangerous weapon. In that matter, Chavez-Galarza was convicted of stabbing a victim multiple times with a knife. The defendant was sentenced to – and served – a term of 36 months imprisonment for that offense, prior to his removal. On December 20, 2022, the defendant was removed a second time, following his conviction in the Southern District of Texas for illegal reentry. Following this last removal to Mexico, Chavez-Galarza knowingly, voluntarily, and unlawfully returned to the United States. Beginning on or around May 24, 2024, and several times afterwards, the defendant was observed near his residence in Minneapolis and around the Twin Cities Metro Area.

    Chavez-Galarza pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court before Judge Donovan W. Frank on one count of illegal reentry to the United States after commission of an aggravated felony.

    This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Marshals Service.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney David Green is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Massachusetts Man Arrested for Making Violent Threats Against Officials, Private Individuals and Children

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – A Wilbraham, Mass. man has been arrested and charged for allegedly making numerous violent threats on social media targeting certain officials and their families, private individuals, children and sensitive locations such as shopping malls and an elementary school.

    Funwayo Mbilini Nyawo, also known as “Jonathan Funwayo Nyawo,” “Michael Jacobs,” “Robert Jacobs,” and “Carl Fields,” 36, was charged in the District of Massachusetts with one count of interstate transmission of threatening communications. Nyawo was arrested yesterday in the Southern District of Florida and ordered detained until his appearance in federal court in Springfield, Mass., which will take place at a later date.

    According to the charging documents filed in federal court in Springfield, Mass., between approximately July 30, 2024 and Nov. 7, 2024, Nyawo posted various threatening communications on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Google targeting certain officials and their family members; private individuals; the children of Wilbraham and Boston; members of the Wilbraham Police Department, Wilbraham Fire Department and the Miami Police Department (and their family members); shopping malls in Holyoke and Burlington, Mass.; and an elementary school, among others.

    Specifically, according to the charging documents, Nyawo’s threats involved explicit and repeated threats to bomb, shoot, or otherwise kill his targets. For example, on Aug. 21, 2024, Nyawo allegedly posted the following threat on social media: “wilbraham and boston:  time for your children to die. […] The Wilbraham Police and Fire Department I’m going to kill their families next and make them watch before I kill them.” It is further alleged that Nyawo frequently fixated on children. For example, on Sept. 27, 2024, Nyawo allegedly posted a threatening message concerning an elementary school, stating: “Torch it. Kill the kids,” followed by a photograph of the elementary school.

    Nyawo’s threats also often allegedly expressed a call to arms directed at followers of the foreign terrorist organizations ISIS and Al Qaeda or at Muslim holy warriors known as mujahadeen. For example, on Nov. 1-4, 2024, Nyawo allegedly made three successive posts: “ISIS: Attack Boston again;” “Start killing g [sic] the children of the Miami Police ISIS;” and “Mujahideen from around the world: Go to boston. Shoot to kill. Preferably their children.”

    The charge of interstate transmission of threatening communications provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and J. Thomas Manger, Chief of the United States Capitol Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department and the Wilbraham and Miami-Dade Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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