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Category: KB

  • MIL-OSI Security: Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, Man Sentenced for Distributing Cocaine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Young Woman Died After Using Cocaine Distributed as Part of Trafficking Conspiracy

    A man who conspired with others to distribute large quantities of cocaine that resulted in the death of a young Dubuque woman was sentenced today to more than 16 years in federal prison.

    Michael Samuel Knight, age 38, from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, received the prison term after a September 10, 2024, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams of more of cocaine within 1000 feet of several parks and schools in Dubuque, Iowa, between 2017 and April of 2021, that resulted in the death of a young Dubuque woman on February 14, 2021.  Knight also pled guilty to personally distributing the cocaine on February 14, 2021, that caused the woman’s death.

    At the plea hearing, Knight admitted he was a member of a conspiracy to distribute cocaine in the Dubuque area near numerous parks and schools.  He admitted getting cocaine from the individual who brought it from Chicago, and then worked with others to distribute the cocaine to customers in Dubuque.  On February 14, 2021, Knight distributed cocaine to a young woman in Dubuque who went home, used the cocaine and died.

    Knight was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Knight was sentenced to 201months’ and 19 days imprisonment and was ordered to make $13,911 in restitution to the victim’s family.  He must also serve a 8-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

    Knight is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick J. Reinert and Nicole Nagin and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office and the Dubuque Drug Task Force, comprised of Dubuque Police Department, Dubuque Sheriff’s Office.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. 

    Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

    The case file number is 23-CR-01013.

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Exploiter of Children Sentenced to 38 Years in Prison by Miami Federal Judge

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – Rafael Antonio Saldana, 39, of Miami-Dade County, has been sentenced to over 38 years in prison after a South Florida federal jury found him guilty in October 2024, of various child exploitation crimes.

    In 2023, Saldana solicited sexually explicit images from three minors (aged 14, 16, and 17) and attempted to meet them in person for sex. Ultimately, Saldana coordinated a plan with the youngest of the children: They would meet at a local McDonald’s then go to Saldana’s house for sex. Saldana arrived across the street from the restaurant on the set date and time and directed the minor to meet him, but law enforcement officers were waiting for him. Investigation revealed that Saldana possessed over sixty images of child sexual exploitation. 

    At trial, the jury found Saldana guilty of three counts of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, attempted production of visual depictions involving sexual exploitation of minors, receipt of visual depictions involving sexual exploitation of minors, and possession of visual depictions involving sexual exploitation of minors.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office; and Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.

    HSI Miami and MDSO investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Audrey Pence Tomanelli and Arielle Klepach prosecuted the case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about the Project Safe Childhood initiative and for information regarding Internet safety, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

    Anyone with information regarding child sexual exploitation and abuse is encouraged to call (877) 4-HSI-TIP [(877) 447-4847].

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-20308.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduran sex offender sentenced to two years in prison after repeatedly reentering the United States

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Honduran national was sentenced today to two years in prison for illegally reentering the United States and failing to register as a sex offender.

    According to court documents, Eliseo Garcia Gordillo, aka Julio Antonio Caceres Morales and Julio Caceres-Antonio, 43, has been removed three times previously for illegally entering or reentering the United States. On June 17, 2019, Garcia Gordillo was convicted in Prince William County of two counts of aggravated sexual battery of a victim under the age of 13. Garcia Gordillo was required to register as a sex offender on a quarterly basis for the rest of his life and to keep his registration current.

    After his most recent reentry into the United States, Garcia Gordillo was arrested in Prince William County. Garcia Gordillo failed to keep his registration as a sex offender current.

    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 Shannon Saylor, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.

    Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lyndi E. McVey, Katherine Legel-Kasper, and Noah Sissoko prosecuted 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. 1:24-cr-244.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Miccosukee Tribal Member Who Shot Another Sentenced to 198 Months Behind Bars

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – This week, a South Florida federal judge sentenced a member of Miccosukee tribe to almost 17 years in federal prison for shooting and seriously injuring an unarmed man on the reservation.   

    During a heated argument with the victim (also a Miccosukee tribal member), Sutanga Rex Cypress, 43, pulled out a Sig Sauer firearm and threatened to shoot the victim. Cypress pulled the trigger, hitting the victim in the abdomen. A helicopter team airlifted the victim to a hospital, where he received medical treatment. The victim survived but suffered permanent injury. In September, Cypress pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

    In addition to a term of incarceration and $50,000 fine, United States District Judge Jacqueline Becerra sentenced Cypress to five years of supervised release once he is out of prison. Judge Becerra will hold a hearing on May 6, to determine the amount of restitution Cypress must pay his victim.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Justin E. Fleck of FBI Miami, and Chief Roland Pandolfi of the Miccosukee Police Department made the announcement.

    FBI Miami’s Safe Trails Task Force and Miccosukee Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Latoya Brown and Vanessa Bonhomme are prosecuting it.  

    You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20195.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Arkansas man sentenced for possessing machinegun conversion device

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BEAUMONT, Texas – A Little Rock, Arkansas, man has been sentenced to federal prison for possessing a machinegun conversion device in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.

    Jajuan Lee Bonds, 22, pleaded guilty to possession of a machinegun and was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on February 7, 2025.

    According to information presented in court, on July 21, 2022, an officer with the Corrigan Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Bonds. The officer observed what appeared to be marijuana in a clear plastic baggie in the vehicle. During a search of the vehicle, the officer located a firearm outfitted with a machinegun conversion device, commonly referred to as a “Glock Switch”. The modified handgun had been previously reported stolen. Federal law defines a machinegun as a weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.

    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.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Corrigan Police Department and prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tommy Coleman.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey Joins Senators Launching Probe Into DOGE’s Interference With Department of Education, Access to Federal Student Loan Data

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Musk’s Team May Have Obtained Access to Personal Information of Millions of Borrowers; Raises Concerns About Violations of the Law, Failure to Protect Sensitive Information
    “The millions of families who rely on ED to help them achieve the American Dream deserve answers about reports that an unelected billionaire and his team now have access to some of their most sensitive personal information.”
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington (February 7, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and 13 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Acting Secretary of the Department of Education, Denise Carter, launching a probe into recent reports that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has infiltrated the Department of Education (ED) and that “DOGE staffers have gained access to federal student loan data, which includes personal information for millions of borrowers.”
    The letter was also signed by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
    There are over 40 million federal student loan borrowers in the United States. ED’s student loan database contains millions of borrowers’ highly sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, marital status, and income data. 
    “This deeply troubling report raises questions about potential exposures of Americans’ private data, the abuse of this data by the Trump Administration, and whether officials who have access to the data may have violated the law or the federal government’s procedures for handling sensitive information,” wrote the senators.
    According to public reporting, “a handful of 19-to-24-year-old engineers linked to Musk’s companies, with unclear titles, could be bypassing regular security protocols” during DOGE’s infiltration of federal agencies. The senators also raised concerns that the access provided to DOGE-affiliated staff by the Department may violate the Privacy Act, which generally prohibits the disclosure of such information.
    “We are especially troubled by this reporting given President Trump’s stated pledge to abolish the Department,” concluded the lawmakers. “The millions of families who rely on ED to help them achieve the American Dream deserve answers about reports that an unelected billionaire and his team now have access to some of their most sensitive personal information.”
    Additional reporting suggests that DOGE has “fed sensitive data from across the Education Department into artificial intelligence software to probe the agency’s programs and spending.” The 16 senators requested answers from Acting Secretary Carter about DOGE’s access to federal student loan data and any other sensitive databases by February 13, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Markey, Schmitt Applaud Committee Passage of Legislation to Increase Transparency in Ticket Sales

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Washington (February 7, 2025) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) celebrated Wednesday’s passage of their Transparency In Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act out of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, a major step toward increasing transparency and consumer protections in ticket sales. This bipartisan legislation ensures fair pricing in the ticketing marketplace by requiring upfront price disclosures, banning speculative ticket sales, clarifying refund policies, and strengthening enforcement against deceptive practices.

    “Consumers across the country are sick of the high prices and hidden fees for concerts, sports, and other event tickets, making entertainment expensive and inaccessible. The TICKET Act would make purchasing tickets straightforward and stop sellers from leaving people scrounging for cash when they are ready to check out. It’s time to stop the ruse and keep costs transparent right from the start,” said Senator Markey.

    “Consumers deserve to know exactly what they are paying for when they purchase tickets to their favorite sporting events or concerts. The TICKET Act will put an end to hidden fees and misleading resale practices by requiring sellers to display the total cost upfront,” said Senator Schmitt.

    The TICKET Act now moves to the Senate floor for further consideration.

    The TICKET Act establishes consumer protections for ticket sales. This bill requires ticket sellers for concerts, sporting events, and similar activities to clearly disclose fees at the beginning of the transaction with an itemized list of the base ticket price and each additional fee. This includes displaying the total cost, including all fees, in any advertising or sales listing. The Federal Trade Commission is responsible for enforcing these requirements.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Reaction to Senate Republicans’ Proposed Budget Resolution

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)

    BURLINGTON, VT — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, today released the following statement after Senate Republicans unveiled a proposed budget resolution that could lead to major cuts to critical programs like Medicaid and clean energy initiatives while providing trillions in tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy: 
    “With this plan, Senate Republicans have shown us that their true priority will always be following President Trump’s extremist agenda over doing what’s good for the American people. This blueprint would take a wrecking ball to the progress we’ve made to strengthen and repair our infrastructure, combat climate change, and lower health care costs. This plan also threatens to cut Medicaid and take away the health care that so many Vermonters and folks across America rely on. We will fight this budget plan at every turn to preserve the programs hardworking Vermont families and seniors rely on.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren on Senate GOP Budget Resolution Proposal

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    February 07, 2025
    Washington, D.C. – Today, in response to Senate Republicans unveiling their FY 2025 budget resolution proposal, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released the following statement:
    “The federal budget reflects our nation’s values, and Senate Republicans are showing us with their proposal that working people don’t matter to them. If Republicans really wanted to cut costs for families, then they wouldn’t slash the funds we use to educate and feed our kids, cut access to health care coverage, allow oil companies to pollute our air and water, and shovel even more money to defense contractors. This is an insult to the working people who hoped that Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress would use their complete control of Washington to lower their costs.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard national security cutter returns to California following a 130-day Bering Sea patrol

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 02/07/2025 06:15 PM EST

    News Release

    		  

    U.S. Coast Guard 17th District Alaska
    Contact: 17th District Public Affairs
    Office: (907) 463-2065
    After Hours: (907) 463-2065
    17th District online newsroom

     

    02/07/2025 05:47 PM EST

    ALAMEDA, Calif. — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL 750) and crew returned to Alameda Friday, after completing a 130-day deployment patrolling the Bering Sea. The Bertolf’s crew showcased how the U.S. Coast Guard is a unique instrument of national power that bridges the divide between defense, diplomacy, and law enforcement and creates opportunities to further national objectives and priorities.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Ernst: Kelly Loeffler is the Champion Small Businesses Need

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) made the case for the Honorable Kelly Loeffler, based on her success as a business leader, to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA).
    In the Washington Examiner, Ernst lays out how Loeffler, who advanced out of committee this week with bipartisan support, will reverse the damage done over the last four years, increase transparency and accountability at the SBA, and prioritize the needs of small businesses.

    Kelly Loeffler is the champion small businesses need
    By: Chair Joni Ernst 
    In Iowa and across the country, Main Street is in trouble.
    Small businesses are the lifeblood of communities, but under former President Joe Biden’s administration, they were crushed by bureaucratic overreach.
    After four years of price hikes and dismay, optimism on Main Street recently surged to its highest level since 2018 because job creators are eager for Republicans and the Trump administration to revitalize the small business economy.
    That starts with fixing the broken Small Business Administration, which has become a bloated bureaucratic mess.
    Change starts at the top, and we need a proven business leader as SBA administrator to gut the red tape and refocus the agency on serving Main Street.
    As an accomplished businesswoman, Kelly Loeffler is the perfect person for the job.
    Throughout her career, she rose through the ranks at multiple companies due to her determination and grit. She also started many businesses and knows what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.
    Most importantly, she knows what it means to be overrun by Washington’s bureaucratic overreach — and that the government must instead get out of the way so businesses can thrive.
    I believe substantial reforms must be made to get the SBA back in shape, and that will require strong leadership.
    While the SBA once may have been characterized as a smaller agency, COVID-19-era small business programs made the agency a household name, as it received $1.1 trillion in taxpayer funding to assist small businesses during the pandemic.
    With that funding came big responsibilities, and I remain concerned that the SBA has too often failed to live up to its mission.
    The Biden administration decided to turn a blind eye to COVID-19 fraud and delinquencies, refusing to properly collect outstanding debt and fraudulent funds, which has huge implications for the taxpayer.
    Reports have indicated the SBA charged about $18.6 billion worth of economic injury disaster loans in fiscal 2024.
    The agency has also been unable to provide an accounting of its loans receivable and loan guarantees, which means the Government Accountability Office hasn’t been able to even issue a financial audit of the agency since fiscal 2020.
    The SBA also mismanaged and misinformed Congress last year regarding its disaster loan account, resulting in a shortfall that lasted 66 days — an unacceptable failure for the disaster victims in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Florida.
    On top of this, it also appears the agency’s workforce continues to stay home, while its more than 246,000-square-foot Washington headquarters sits empty.
    The GAO found that even if everyone did show up to work in person, the SBA’s building space would still only be 67% utilized.
    That is why I introduced a bill to relocate 30% of the headquarters workforce to the SBA district offices across the country and cut 30% of office space. Not only will this save taxpayers money, but it will bring SBA employees closer to the people they serve.
    As chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I will work with Loeffler to ensure that the SBA effectively utilizes its personnel and that small businesses across the country can access resources if they need them.
    Small businesses will drive America into the Golden Age, but only if we get Washington out of the way.
    Loeffler will get the job done, and I encourage my Senate colleagues to confirm her, so we can unleash the small business economy.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Blasts USAID for Obstructing Investigations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    WASHINGTON – After the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) repeatedly stonewalled her investigations, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) blasted the rogue agency’s history of obstruction and waste.
    Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Ernst detailed how USAID had misled, lied, and deceived Americans by blocking her extensive efforts to get answers into how tax dollars were spent at the agency.
    In the letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Ernst outlined her experience beginning with how USAID falsely claimed aid data was classified.
    “However, after accepting the requested accommodations and waiting weeks for available SCIF space at USAID’s headquarters, my staff discovered the documents were not classified. The documents my staff reviewed, on their face, failed to comply with standard classifications protocols. Only after demanding to speak to your USAID Office of Security, my staff uncovered that this data was, in fact, unclassified. In a desperate attempt to limit congressional oversight of public information, USAID demonstrated intentional abuse of a system designed to keep our nation’s secret information secure,” wrote Ernst.
    Next, she explained how the agency attempted to mislead Congress about the true cost of aid hidden through Negotiated Indirect Cost Agreements (NICRA).
    “It was absurd that USAID failed to share NICRA rates on the grounds that the agency can refuse any congressional oversight unless they originate from a ‘committee of jurisdiction.’ Nevertheless, on April 24, 2023, former House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and I requested access to the NICRA data. After that, USAID finally allowed my staff to review,” Ernst continued.
    She concluded by illustrating USAID’s failures to use tax dollars responsibly.
    “In the wake of this series of significant misjudgments and oversight obstruction by USAID, it is of the utmost importance to conduct a full and independent analysis of the recipients of USAID assistance. Congress must pay particular attention to the activities of USAID’s implementing partners, including Chemonics, to verify whether USAID erred in selecting them to manage this funding,” Ernst concluded.
    Click here to view the letter.
    Background:
    While the full extent of waste at USAID remains shrouded in mystery, Senator Ernst exposed a series of jaw-dropping examples, including, sending Ukrainians to Paris Fashion Week, risky research in Wuhan, tourism in Lebanon, and much more.
    After being stonewalled, Ernst and Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) launched an official congressional investigation to get answers in April 2023.
    In November 2023, Ernst began investigating USAID’s assistance to small businesses in Ukraine.
    In March 2024 she led a bipartisan effort to eliminate waste at the agency.
    In May 2024, USAID’s obstruction of her oversight efforts led Ernst to call for a probe of the agency’s implementing partners and recipients of aid by the Inspector General.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2024 Article IV Consultation with Nicaragua

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    February 7, 2025

    Washington, DC: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation[1] with Nicaragua.

    Nicaragua’s economic performance remains robust, underpinned by prudent macroeconomic policies and very strong remittance flows. The economy continues to be open and resilient, on a backdrop of transfers of private property to the state, international sanctions, and a reorientation of official financing. Real GDP growth accelerated to around 4½ percent in 2023 and the first half of 2024, from about 3.8 percent in 2022, on the back of robust domestic demand, while inflation declined. Twin fiscal and external account surpluses are leading to a decline in the public debt-to-GDP ratio and the accumulation of strong buffers.

    Real GDP growth is projected to moderate to 4 percent in the near term and to 3.5 percent in the medium-term, amid a slower pace of remittances growth, limited labor contribution to growth due to recent emigration, and cautious private sector investment decisions. International reserves are expected to grow at a slower pace than in the recent period, with narrowing of fiscal and current account surpluses as the authorities’ increase public investment.

    Risks to the outlook are broadly balanced in the short-term and to the downside in the medium term. Upside risks include stronger domestic demand, while downside risks include lower global growth, a deterioration in the terms of trade, natural disasters, stricter and wider international sanctions, and a change in immigration policies in the U.S. In addition, going forward, domestic and international political developments, and deterioration of the rule of law may also impact economic performance by potentially increasing the cost of doing business.

    Executive Board Assessment[2]

    Executive Directors agreed with the thrust of the staff appraisal. They welcomed Nicaragua’s robust growth, declining inflation and public debt, and fiscal sector and current account surpluses, supported by prudent macroeconomic policies and high remittances. While noting the positive outlook, Directors stressed that risks are to the downside, including from natural disasters, international sanctions, and U.S. immigration policies. They underscored the importance of continued efforts to safeguard macroeconomic stability, strengthen buffers, and support higher and more inclusive growth.

    Directors welcomed the authorities’ commitment to preserving fiscal sustainability, while supporting growth. Efforts to strengthen domestic revenue mobilization, enhance spending efficiency, and support higher capital and social spending are important. Noting the limited availability of concessional financing, Directors highlighted the importance of prudent debt management to safeguard debt sustainability. They underscored the need to mitigate fiscal risks by strengthening fiscal transparency, enhancing oversight of state owned enterprises, and reforming the pension system.

    Directors agreed that monetary policy should remain focused on supporting price stability and the exchange rate regime and highlighted the criticality of policy coordination. They recommended that the Central Bank of Nicaragua adjust monetary and exchange rate policies, as needed, enhance communication, and strengthen monetary policy transmission. Directors encouraged steadfast implementation of the 2021 safeguard assessment recommendations.

    Directors welcomed the commitment to maintaining financial stability. Noting the vulnerabilities, they encouraged proactive provisioning of distressed assets, close monitoring of consumer credit growth, enhanced foreign exchange risk monitoring, and aligning the crisis preparedness framework with international best practice. Measures to increase financial inclusion and deepening, including developing local bond and capital markets, would support medium term growth.

    Directors stressed the need for efforts to promote higher medium term growth and enhance climate resilience. Important measures include increasing human capital investment, targeted social spending, and promoting labor force participation, particularly for women. Directors also called for efforts to enhance the business climate and strengthen government institutions and frameworks to support increased private investment.

    Directors noted the steps taken to enhance governance, anti corruption, and AML/CFT frameworks, and emphasized that further efforts are needed to ensure their effective and appropriate application. They stressed the need to significantly improve the rule of law and safeguard judicial independence. Publishing asset declarations of politically exposed persons and supporting property rights are important. Directors welcomed the authorities’ commitment to enhancing the quality and consistency of statistics.

    It is expected that the next Article IV consultation with Nicaragua will be held on the standard 12 month cycle.

    Table 1. Nicaragua: Selected Social and Economic Indicators, 2023-25

    I. Social and Demographic Indicators

    GDP per capita (current US$, 2023)

    2,606

    Income share held by the richest 10 percent (2014)

    37.2

    GNI per capita (Atlas method, current US$, 2023)

    2,270

    Unemployment (percent of labor force, 2023)

    3.4

    GINI Index (2014)

    46.2

    Poverty rate ($3.65/day line, 2017 PPP, percent, World Bank, 2023)

    12.5

    Population (millions, 2023)

    6.8

    Adult literacy rate (percent, 2015)

    82.6

    Life expectancy at birth in years (2022)

    74.6

    Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births, 2022)

    14.0

    II. Economic Indicators

    2023

    2024

    2025

    Projections

    Output

    (Annual percentage change; unless otherwise specified)

    GDP growth

    4.6

    4.0

    4.0

    GDP (nominal, US$ million)

    17,843

    19,204

    20,771

    Prices

    Consumer price inflation (period average)

    8.4

    4.0

    4.0

     

    (Percent of GDP)

    Gross domestic investment

    23.0

    25.0

    26.5

    Private sector

    15.1

    15.8

    15.5

    Public sector

    7.9

    9.2

    11.0

    Gross national savings

    30.8

    31.8

    32.9

    Private sector

    21.5

    22.5

    22.9

    Public sector

    9.3

    9.3

    10.0

    Exchange rate

    Period average (Córdobas per US$)

    36.4

    36.6

    …
     

    Fiscal sector

    (Percent of GDP)

    Consolidated public sector

    balance1/

    2.8

    1.8

    1.1

    Revenue (including grants)

    32.9

    33.2

    33.1

    Expenditure

    30.1

    31.4

    32.0

    of which: Central Government overall balance2/

    2.6

    2.1

    1.3

    Revenue

    21.7

    21.6

    21.6

    Expenditure

    19.1

    19.5

    20.3

    Cash payments for operating activities

    14.6

    14.5

    13.8

    Net cash outflow: investments in NFAs

    4.5

    5.0

    6.5

    Money and financial

    (Annual percentage change)

    Broad money

    11.9

    12.2

    11.2

    Credit to the private sector

    18.1

    18.3

    11.2

    Net domestic assets of the banking system

    -8.0

    5.8

    1.3

    Non-performing loans to total loans (ratio)3/

    1.2

    1.7

    …

    Regulatory capital to risk-weighted assets (ratio)3/

    19.1

    19.2

    …

    External sector

    (Percent of GDP, unless otherwise indicated)

    Current account

    7.7

    6.7

    6.4

    Remittances

    26.1

    27.2

    26.1

    Capital and financial account

    4.1

    2.5

    3.0

    Gross international reserves (US$ million)4/

    5,190

    5,907

    6,729

    In months of imports excl. maquila

    7.0

    7.4

    7.7

    Net international reserves (US$ million)5/

    4,249

    4,979

    5,724

    In months of imports excl. maquila

    5.7

    6.3

    6.7

    Non-financial public sector debt6/

    49.6

    46.9

    44.9

    Domestic public debt

    10.3

    8.0

    6-9

    External public debt

    39.3

    38.9

    38.0

    Private sector external debt

    31.0

    28.6

    26.2

    Sources: National authorities; World Bank; and IMF staff calculations.

    1/ The consolidated public sector comprises the central government, the municipality of Managua, the state-owned enterprises, social security system (INSS) and the central bank.

    2/ Include transfers to cover the INSS deficit for 2023-25, 0.5 percent of GDP per year, and payment for historical debt (0.7 percent of GDP in 2023).

    3/ 2024 data is as of September 2024.

    4/ Excludes resources from the Deposit Guarantee Fund for Financial Institutions (FOGADE).

    5/ Excludes FOGADE and reserve requirements for FX deposits.

    6/ Assumes that HIPC-equivalent terms were applied to the outstanding debt to non-Paris Club bilaterals. Does not include SDR allocation.
             

    [1] Under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members, usually every year. A staff team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, and discusses with officials the country’s economic developments and policies. On return to headquarters, the staff prepares a report, which forms the basis for discussion by the Executive Board.

    [2] At the conclusion of the discussion, the Managing Director, as Chairman of the Board, summarizes the views of Executive Directors, and this summary is transmitted to the country’s authorities. An explanation of any qualifiers used in summings up can be found here: http://www.IMF.org/external/np/sec/misc/qualifiers.htm.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Brian Walker

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

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/02/06/pr-2532-nicaragua-imf-executive-board-concludes-2024-article-iv-consultation-with-nicaragua

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Seattle captures illegal aliens with histories of unlawful entries into the US

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    February 7, 2025Seattle, United StatesEnforcement and Removal

    SEATTLE — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as part of a joint federal law enforcement effort captured 5 illegal aliens with a history of unlawful entry into the U.S. 

    • Fernando Nimacachi Matzar, 51, a citizen of Guatemala arrested Jan. 29 in Langley, Washington, with convictions for disorderly conduct and assault, as well as being previously removed twice to his home country.
    • Olin Ranulfo Navarro-Valle, 40, a citizen of Honduras arrested Jan. 29 in Sheridan, Oregon, convicted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon for illegal reentry, previously removed to his home country.
    • Miguel Tomas-Antonio, 30, a citizen of Guatemala arrested Feb. 1 in Ferndale, Washington, previously removed to his home country.
    • Exequiel Quezada-Sanchez, 56, a citizen of Mexico arrested Feb. 1 in Ferndale, Washington, previously removed to his home country.
    • Gilberto Francisco Lorenzo, 44, a citizen of Guatemala arrested Feb. 1 in Portland, Oregon, convicted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona of illegal reentry, previously removed to his home country.

    All five individuals will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

    Members of the public can report immigration crimes or suspicious activity by dialing the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

    Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X at @EROSeattle.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Investing in early intervention to address violence against women and children

    Source: Ministers for Social Services

    The Albanese Labor Government has announced additional funding for three early intervention support services for men, including those who perpetrate or experience family and domestic violence.

    No to Violence will receive an additional $1.89 million from 2024-25 to 2025-26 for the Men’s Referral Service and the Brief Intervention Service, and Lifeline Australia will receive an additional $800,000 in 2024-25 for MensLine Australia.

    Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth said this funding supports the early intervention goals of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.

    Since 2022, our Government has invested $4 billion across 113 initiatives and actions supporting the goals of the National Plan.

    “We know with increased awareness and media reporting on family, domestic and sexual violence, more people are reaching out to these helplines. This is a good thing,” Minister Rishworth said.

    “Particularly with our campaigns like Stop it at the Start and Consent Can’t Wait fostering understanding of what family, domestic and sexual violence is and how it starts, early intervention services are assisting more men across the country.

    “Since 2022, the Government has invested over $400 million in early intervention, as a crucial component in enacting our goal of ending violence against women in one generation.”

    Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, Justine Elliot, said the Government knows how important it is to intervene early in order to break the cycle of violence.

    “Our government is proud to deliver an almost $2.7 million funding boost for these vital early intervention services,” Assistant Minister Elliot said.

    “These national programs importantly engage with men early to stop violence from escalating and protect victim-survivors from immediate and long-term harm.”

    The Men’s Referral Service provides a 24/7 counselling, information and referral service for men who use violence, their friends, family and colleagues, and professionals working with these men.

    The Brief Intervention Service provides multi-session telephone-based counselling and referral options to assist men who have used violence to get further support.

    MensLine Australia is a free 24/7 national service that provides early intervention support for men with concerns about mental health, anger management, addiction, relationships, stress, wellbeing, and their use or experience of family and domestic violence.

    More information on the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 is available on the Department of Social Services website.

    If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family, or sexual violence, call 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au for online chat and video call services.

    If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit www.ntv.org.au

    Feeling worried or no good? Connect with 13YARN Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporters on 13 92 76, available 24/7 from any mobile or pay phone, or visit www.13yarn.org.au No shame, no judgement, safe place to yarn.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis and CEO Executive Director Toor Release Statement on Colorado Joining Updated Filing in Federal Funding Freeze Lawsuit

    Source: US State of Colorado

    Statewide – 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. In support of these efforts, the Colorado Energy Office submitted a declaration outlining the impacts that this funding freeze has had on energy programs that increase the security and resilience of our grid, help Coloradans save money on energy, and reduce pollution. 

    Despite the Temporary Restraining Order that has been in place since Jan. 31, as of Friday, Feb. 7, the Colorado Energy Office is still unable to access the vast majority of funds contracted to it. Colorado, along with the other states and District of Columbia, also filed a Request for Emergency Relief to Enforce Temporary Restraining Order. 

    “The President’s sloppy federal funding freeze is hurting businesses and jobs, impacting home heating assistance in the dead of winter, and is unlawful. The new administration should follow the law, and focus on saving people money rather than causing pain and confusion,” said Governor Jared Polis. 

    Colorado Energy Office Executive Director Will Toor made the following statement in conjunction with the filing: 

    “Our declaration makes it clear: This illegal freeze on funding is already having a negative impact on Coloradans. The federal government has signed contracts granting more than $500 million to Colorado through the IRA and the IIJA and, by not meeting these contractual obligations, the federal government is inflicting real harm on our state. Work like our Weatherization Assistance Program, the Solar For All program, and home energy rebates help residents save money on their energy bills. Other investments, such as work on grid resilience and security, make our electricity grid safer and more reliable, while also helping prevent wildfires. 

    The businesses, local governments, and non-profits that the Colorado Energy Office partners with have continued to do their work to fulfill their contractual obligations to insulate homes, harden grids, and install energy-saving devices in buildings. But through these unprecedented Executive Orders, the Trump Administration is denying them prompt reimbursement for their expenses, which puts them at risk to be unable to make payroll, cover their rent, and compensate their own suppliers. 

    We will not stop working to fulfill our mission of advancing clean, affordable energy for all Coloradans. With this litigation, we are ensuring that the federal government meets its obligations as part of this effort.” 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden, Colleagues Condemn the Use of U.S. Military Assets or Personnel to Take Over Gaza

    US Senate News:

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

    February 07, 2025

    Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Peter Welch (D-VT) today unveiled a resolution affirming that the Palestinian people have the right to self-determination and to express the sense of the Senate that the United States shall not deploy U.S. military assets or personnel to Gaza.

    The resolution rebuts Donald Trump’s declared support for forcibly displacing millions of Palestinians. Trump did not rule out using U.S. military force to take over Gaza.

    “Donald Trump’s demented call for ethnic cleansing is cruel even by his debased standards,” Wyden said. “Trump’s latest pronouncement would threaten the security of Americans and all people in the Middle East by inspiring fresh legions of terrorists. I continue to support a two-state solution as the best opportunity for peace, and I vehemently oppose the deployment of U.S. troops that this twisted and dangerous scheme would require.”

    “Gaza is home to Palestinians. The U.S. cannot take it away and must not support displacing Palestinians from their land,” said Kaine. “The lessons of the last 25 years demonstrate that U.S. efforts to nation build in the region are doomed to failure. I’m introducing this resolution with my colleagues to send a clear message: now is the time to support the hope of Israelis and Palestinians living peacefully side by side—not to drag our servicemembers into another endless war in the Middle East.”

    “Any proposal that the United States should take control of Gaza is outrageous,” said Durbin. “We must continue to push for a renewed focus on the future: long-term security for Israel, rebuilding Gaza, a reformed Palestinian Authority, and a two-state solution. The United States has a responsibility to push towards finding a solution that allows Israeli and Palestinian children to once and for all live together in peace and dignity. For the safety and security of our American troops, Congress must continue to push back against the President.”

    “My north star has always been a two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live together in peace and dignity,” said Warnock. “I will always support Israel, but I’m deeply disturbed by President Trump’s opposition to a two-state solution, especially the potential involvement of American troops in the Gaza Strip.”

    “The creation of a Palestinian state has been long-standing U.S. policy supported by presidents of both parties. President Trump’s proposal that the U.S. should ‘take over’ control of Gaza is not only dangerous—it would violate international law. There won’t be lasting peace in the Middle East until Palestinians have equal measures of dignity, safety, and sovereignty, alongside Israel,” said Welch. “Our resolution reaffirms the path to peace and the Palestinian people’s irrefutable right to self-determination.”

    Full text of the resolution is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden, Merkley Launch Probe into DOGE’s Interference with Department of Education, Access to Federal Student Loan Data

    US Senate News:

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

    February 07, 2025

    Musk’s Team May Have Obtained Access to Personal Information of Millions of Borrowers; Raises Concerns About Violations of the Law, Failure to Protect Sensitive Information

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today demanded an investigation into recent reports that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)  staffers have gained access to federal student loan data, which includes personal information for millions of borrowers.

    In a letter to Acting U.S. Education Department Secretary Denise Carter from Wyden, Merkley and 14 senate colleagues, they wrote, “This deeply troubling report raises questions about potential exposures of Americans’ private data, the abuse of this data by the Trump Administration, and whether officials who have access to the data may have violated the law or the federal government’s procedures for handling sensitive information.” 

    There are more than 40 million federal student loan borrowers in the United States. And the Education Department’s student loan database contains millions of borrowers’ highly sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, marital status, and income data. 

    According to public reporting, “a handful of 19-to-24-year-old engineers linked to Musk’s companies, with unclear titles, could be bypassing regular security protocols” during DOGE’s infiltration of federal agencies. The senators also raised concerns that the access provided to DOGE-affiliated staff by the Department may violate the Privacy Act, which generally prohibits the disclosure of such information.

    “We are especially troubled by this reporting given President Trump’s stated pledge to abolish the Department,” concluded the lawmakers, adding that the millions of families who rely on the department “to help them achieve the American Dream deserve answers about reports that an unelected billionaire and his team now have access to some of their most sensitive personal information.”

    Additional reporting suggests that DOGE has “fed sensitive data from across the Education Department into artificial intelligence software” in order to target programs or areas to cut off federal spending The 16 senators demanded answers from Carter about DOGE’s access to federal student loan data and any other sensitive databases by February 13, 2025.

    Wyden and Merkley signed the letter led by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), alongside additional signers Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.). 

    The letter is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Merkley, Murray, King, Heinrich Sound the Alarm Over National Parks Staffing Shortages Due to Trump’s Hiring Freeze

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Energy and Natural Resources National Parks Subcommittee Ranking Member Senator Angus King (I-ME), and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-NM) urged newly confirmed U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to immediately take action to resolve looming staffing shortages at the National Park Service.

    The letter follows President Trump’s hiring freeze, his cancellation of thousands of job offers for seasonal National Park Service employees, and his buyout offers made without clear legal authority. These actions pave the way for a damaging loss of staff at national parks across the nation in the coming summer months and beyond.

    “Without seasonal staff during this peak season, visitor centers may close, bathrooms will be filthy, campgrounds may close, guided tours will be cut back or altogether cancelled, emergency response times will drop, and visitor services like safety advice, trail recommendations, and interpretation will be unavailable,” wrote the Senators.

    “We are also alarmed that the administration’s offer of deferred resignation and voluntary early retirement, made without clear legal authority, as well as open threats about future terminations will lead to a damaging loss of full-time staff at the National Park Service, which is already operating well below prior staffing levels despite significant increases in visitation,” the Senators continued. “As a result of onerous budget caps during the 2010s, the National Park Service lost 15% of its staff while park visitation also increased by 15%. If a significant number of National Park Service employees take one of the offers – or further terminations are made – park staffing will be in chaos.  Not only does this threaten the full suite of visitor services, but could close entire parks altogether.”

    The Senators concluded, “Americans showing up to national parks this summer and for years to come don’t deserve to have their vacations ruined by a completely preventable – and completely irresponsible – staffing shortage. And local economies don’t deserve to have their livelihoods destroyed for political gain. We urge your cooperation in protecting national parks for the enjoyment of everyone by ensuring National Park Service staffing meets the needs of the 433 national park units in all 50 states.”

    In addition to Merkley, Murray, King, and Heinrich, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO).

    Full text of the letter can be found by clicking here and below.

    +++

    Dear Secretary Burgum: 

    We urge you to immediately reissue seasonal employment offers for the National Park Service, officially rescind damaging and short-sighted deferred resignation and early retirement offers, and to instead work to safeguard, grow, and shape the National Park Service workforce to meet the needs of our national parks and their visitors.

    We are alarmed that the National Park Service revoked employment offers for seasonal staff for the upcoming summer season. Incoming seasonal staff – whose work is critical to managing the influx of visitors during the summer “peak season” – had offers in their hands that were yanked away just days after the inauguration.

    National Park Service rangers carry out a wide array of functions critical to protecting natural resources, keeping visitors safe, providing for recreation, and creating an inspiring and educational experience for visitors. National Park units experience a summer surge in visitation that peaks in July, and the Service hires more than 6,000 seasonal employees to manage that extra work. Without seasonal staff during this peak season, visitor centers may close, bathrooms will be filthy, campgrounds may close, guided tours will be cut back or altogether cancelled, emergency response times will drop, and visitor services like safety advice, trail recommendations, and interpretation will be unavailable. 

    We are also alarmed that the administration’s offer of deferred resignation and voluntary early retirement, made without clear legal authority, as well as open threats about future terminations will lead to a damaging loss of full-time staff at the National Park Service, which is already operating well below prior staffing levels despite significant increases in visitation. As a result of onerous budget caps during the 2010s, the National Park Service lost 15% of its staff while park visitation also increased by 15%. If a significant number of National Park Service employees take one of the offers – or further terminations are made – park staffing will be in chaos.  Not only does this threaten the full suite of visitor services, but could close entire parks altogether.

    Gutting staffing at national park units will devastate local “gateway” communities where parks generate significant economic activity – from hotels to restaurants to stores to outfitters. In 2023, an estimated 325 million park visitors spent an estimated $26.4 billion in local gateway regions, supporting an estimated 415,000 jobs and $55.6 billion in total economic output in the national economy.

    Americans showing up to national parks this summer and for years to come don’t deserve to have their vacations ruined by a completely preventable – and completely irresponsible – staffing shortage. And local economies don’t deserve to have their livelihoods destroyed for political gain. We urge your cooperation in protecting national parks for the enjoyment of everyone by ensuring National Park Service staffing meets the needs of the 433 national park units in all 50 states.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Colleagues Demand VA Secretary Collins Defend Veterans’ Private Information from Elon Musk

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined a group of 26 Democratic Senators calling on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to take immediate action to secure veterans’ personal information provided by VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This letter follows Musk’s takeover of the U.S. Treasury’s payment system, which includes private information of veterans and their families and could jeopardize critical payments veterans rely on.

    In a letter to Collins, Cortez Masto and the Senators demanded the Secretary deny and sever Musk and DOGE’s access to any VA or other government system with information about veterans, and to delete any veterans’ information in their possession: “Among many tasks, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is entrusted with safeguarding the private and sensitive information of millions of veterans…Veterans risked their lives to defend our country, and they deserve better than to have an unelected billionaire reviewing their medical records, targeting the benefits they have earned, or using their private information for personal gain.”

    The Senators underscored the vast amounts of veterans’ private, sensitive information entrusted to VA, at-risk of being abused by Musk. The Senators also stressed their concerns of Musk and DOGE’s ability to freely access this information with no transparency or accountability mechanisms: “Meanwhile, the President has given unfettered access to federal databases and systems to Mr. Musk, an unelected citizen, and a team of colleagues with no formal documented employment agreement with the U.S. government…We are outraged these unelected, unvetted, and unaccountable individuals now have access to sensitive information that has been heavily secured for decades and by Administrations of both parties.”

    There are millions of veterans’ medical records stored in VA’s computer systems. These confidential records include veterans’ prescriptions, diagnoses, and procedures they have undergone. Access to these medical records could give Musk and DOGE the ability to identify veterans who have received abortions or abortion counseling in the past. The Million Veteran Program, which manages the genomic data of its more than one million veteran participants for authorized research programs, also stores its data in VA data systems. In addition, the U.S. Treasury’s payment system stores private information of veterans, surviving spouses, and their families, including their monthly disability compensation amount, home address, and bank account numbers.

    Calling on VA Secretary Collins to uphold the promises he made to Senators during his confirmation process, the group of Senators concluded: “During your confirmation process, you claimed you would be focused on rooting out corruption and ensuring accountability at VA, and committed to following the laws passed by Congress. We now call on you to respond quickly and comprehensively to these privacy violations by revoking DOGE’s access to VA systems and insisting they permanently remove all VA data collected from their files.”

    The full text of the senators’ can be found here.

    Senator Cortez Masto is a champion for our service members and their families, as well as our veterans. She passed her Brian Neuman Act into law to remove roadblocks for disabled veterans accessing their benefits. She passed the PACT Act to ensure veterans suffering from toxic exposure in the line of duty get the medical care they need and worked across the aisle to get legislation helping veterans exposed to Agent Orange and expanding benefits for women veterans signed into law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Continues Push to Reauthorize Program Supporting Rural Nevada Counties

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and 18 other Senate colleagues reintroduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Forest Service’s Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Program (SRS) through Fiscal Year 2026. The legislation passed the Senate unanimously last Congress, but did not receive a vote in the House of Representatives.
    The SRS was originally enacted in 2000 to provide critical funding for schools, roads, and other services in rural counties across the country. For the many rural counties in Nevada that contain large amounts of federal land, these SRS payments provide critical funding for schools and infrastructure that would otherwise be paid for by property taxes. In 2023, Nevada counties received $4,975,394.51 in funding from the SRS program.
    “Nevada’s rural communities deserve funding and support, no matter what part of the state they are in,” said Cortez Masto. “Without SRS payments, Nevada’s rural schools would lack needed resources to teach future generations and pay educators, and rural roads and public safety programs could go unfunded. Congress must act quickly to reauthorize this program before our rural communities are left hanging.”
    “Reauthorizing Secure Rural Schools for three years will help counties with large tracts of federal forests meet the needs of residents and visitors,” said National Association of Counties Executive Director Matthew Chase. “Without SRS, counties would face, on average, an 80 percent drop in resources for infrastructure improvement, education programs and forest health projects. Many rural counties and school districts are already making difficult decisions due to a lack of funds. Counties applaud the leadership of Senators Crapo and Wyden and look forward to prompt passage of this vital legislation.”
    The full text of the bill can be found here.
    Senator Cortez Masto is a champion for Nevada’s rural communities, working across the aisle to deliver for families. She is leading legislation to support key tourism and outdoor industries in every corner of Nevada through economic development, and she’s fighting to pass her bipartisan bill to cut red tape for small businesses—including those in rural areas. She also ensured rural Nevada communities have better access to federal funds and services through the Rural Partners Network. In the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, she secured funding for rural schools and over $460 million for broadband. She also made sure the law included her legislation to help rural counties with internet access at local schools and streamline federal broadband funding to improve internet access for rural areas.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Kaine Join Democratic Colleagues in Demanding VA Defend Veterans’ Private Information from Elon Musk’s DOGE

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Ranking Member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and 23 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins pushing him to take immediate actions to secure veterans’ personal information provided by the VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). This call follows Musk’s takeover of the U.S. Treasury’s payment system, which includes private information of veterans and their families, and reports of DOGE employees accessing VA computer systems at the Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

    There are millions of veterans’ medical records stored in VA’s computer systems. These confidential records include veterans’ prescriptions, diagnoses, and procedures they have undergone. Access to these medical records could give Musk and DOGE the ability to identify veterans who have received abortions or abortion counseling in the past. The Million Veteran Program, which manages the genomic data of its more than one million veteran participants for authorized research programs, also stores its data in VA data systems. In addition, the U.S. Treasury’s payment system stores private information of veterans, surviving spouses, and their families, including their monthly disability compensation amount, home address, and bank account numbers.

    In their letter, the senators demanded the Secretary deny and sever Musk and DOGE’s access to any VA or other government system with information about veterans, and to delete any veterans’ information in their possession writing, “Among many tasks, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is entrusted with safeguarding the private and sensitive information of millions of veterans…Veterans risked their lives to defend our country, and they deserve better than to have an unelected billionaire reviewing their medical records, targeting the benefits they have earned, or using their private information for personal gain.”

    “Our nation’s veterans have entrusted their health records, including genetic samples, disability data, bank information, and other private information, to VA. The Department also stores sensitive veteran casework, files of whistleblowers who have come forward with concerns about waste, fraud, and abuse, and sensitive investigative files with veteran and federal employee information,” they continued.

    The senators wrote, “Meanwhile, the President has given unfettered access to federal databases and systems to Mr. Musk, an unelected citizen, and a team of colleagues with no formal documented employment agreement with the U.S. government. It is a group of private citizens with no experience in the federal government, who lack proper approval from legal and agency authorities, lack the appropriate security clearances, and lack the requisite background investigations or ethical conflict requirements. We are outraged these unelected, unvetted, and unaccountable individuals now have access to sensitive information that has been heavily secured for decades and by Administrations of both parties.”

    A copy of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Secretary Collins,

    Among many tasks, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is entrusted with safeguarding the private and sensitive information of millions of veterans. Today, we call on you to immediately secure any personal and related information regarding veterans provided by VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and associates under the auspices of the “Department of Government Efficiency” established under Executive Order 14158. Further, we call on you to deny and sever their access to any VA or other government system that includes information about veterans, and to require them to immediately and permanently delete any information in their possession. Veterans risked their lives to defend our country, and they deserve better than to have an unelected billionaire reviewing their medical records, targeting the benefits they have earned, or using their private information for personal gain.

     Our nation’s veterans have entrusted their health records, including genetic samples, disability data, bank information, and other private information, to VA. The Department also stores sensitive veteran casework, files of whistleblowers who have come forward with concerns about waste, fraud, and abuse, and sensitive investigative files with veteran and federal employee information. Veterans and VA employees entrusted the Department with this information with the understanding that it would be kept private and only used to help deliver the highest quality of services to veterans, their families, and survivors.

     Meanwhile, the President has given unfettered access to federal databases and systems to Mr. Musk, an unelected citizen, and a team of colleagues with no formal documented employment agreement with the U.S. government. It is a group of private citizens with no experience in the federal government, who lack proper approval from legal and agency authorities, lack the appropriate security clearances, and lack the requisite background investigations or ethical conflict requirements. We are outraged these unelected, unvetted, and unaccountable individuals now have access to sensitive information that has been heavily secured for decades and by Administrations of both parties.

     These actions are in direct violation of federal laws meant to protect our national security and the privacy of our citizens’ personal information. This includes information on Social Security payments, Medicare, Medicaid, student loans, veterans’ disability compensation payments, GI Bill payments, federal civil servants’ personnel records, and much more. With every hour, we see DOGE further expand its efforts to create a massive private database of previously guarded data outside the federal government’s cyber and legal protections. It is an abhorrent and illegal overreach of executive powers, which conflicts with various federal statutes, including the Federal Information Security Modernization Act, the Privacy Act, the E-Government Act of 2002, and likely several other cyber and national security laws.

    During your confirmation process, you claimed you would be focused on rooting out corruption and ensuring accountability at VA, and committed to following the laws passed by Congress. We now call on you to respond quickly and comprehensively to these privacy violations by revoking DOGE’s access to VA systems and insisting they permanently remove all VA data collected from their files.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Young, Coons, Cornyn Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Critical Minerals Supply Chains

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Hickenlooper – Colorado
    STRATEGIC Minerals Act would increase U.S. supply of critical minerals essential for energy and national security technologies
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper, Todd Young, Chris Coons, and John Cornyn reintroduced their bipartisan Securing Trade and Resources for Advanced Technology, Economic Growth, and International Commerce (STRATEGIC) Minerals Act to strengthen America’s critical minerals supply chain by expanding trade with international partners.
    This December, China announced that they would immediately block the export of gallium, germanium, and antimony to the U.S. These minerals are essential to the U.S. defense industry, clean energy, and advanced technologies like microchips.
    “Critical minerals are key to our clean energy future and American innovation,” said Hickenlooper. “China currently controls the supply chain for many of these essential resources. Our international allies will help us diversify our critical mineral supply and strengthen our national security.”
    “Our nation depends on critical minerals for everything from consumer goods to defense technologies, and relying on foreign adversaries for these materials is a national security vulnerability we cannot afford,” said Young. “Negotiating more trade agreements specific to critical minerals with trusted partners will help shore up our supply of these resources, protect American interests, and strengthen our national security.”
     “If America is to remain a superpower, we need resilient supply chains for critical minerals— and that means strong relationships with reliable trading partners around the world,” said Coons. “The STRATEGIC Minerals Act will help us achieve that goal, and it’s one more way Congress is doing its part to position the U.S. to produce the technologies that will define the rest of the 21st century.”
    “China dominates the critical minerals supply chain, which leaves America vulnerable to national security risks,” said Cornyn. “By shoring up America’s critical minerals supply chain, this legislation would increase our competitiveness on the world stage, reduce our dependence on foreign adversaries, and foster greater trade with trusted allies.”
    Critical minerals are essential for U.S. technologies including smartphones, electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines. Experts warn that U.S. dependence on China for these critical minerals poses a significant risk to national security. This legislation addresses these challenges by building up domestic processing and establishing a diverse network of trade alliances that protect U.S. critical mineral supply chains.
    Specifically, the Strategic Minerals Act would:
    Authorize the president to negotiate specialized trade agreements for critical minerals
    Set trade negotiation objectives aiming to reduce or eliminate trade barriers with allies
    Prohibit critical minerals negotiations with countries designated as non-market economies unless approved by a joint resolution of Congress
    Require the president to consult with Congress before negotiations, detailing objectives, potential impacts, and ensuring legislative oversight
    Expand U.S. funding access to foreign critical minerals projects by amending the Defense Production Act
    In the 118th Congress, Hickenlooper introduced several bills to bolster U.S. energy independence and support the transition to renewable energy, including:
    Critical Materials Future Act, which seeks to establish a pilot program for the Department of Energy to financially support domestic critical mineral processing projects.
    National Critical Minerals Council Act, which establishes a National Critical Minerals Council to develop and implement a national critical mineral strategy and coordinate our federal investments and research.
    Unearth Innovation Act, which creates a Mining and Mineral Innovation Program within the Department of Energy to drive the responsible production of domestic critical minerals, with a focus on minimizing the environmental impact of mining.
    Global Strategy for Securing Critical Minerals Act, which works to ensure that the U.S., its allies, and global partners can count on a diverse and secure end-to-end supply of critical minerals.
    Enhancing Public-Private Sharing on Manipulative Adversary Practices in Critical Minerals Projects Act, which directs the intelligence community to develop a strategy to improve information sharing with private sector companies regarding foreign adversaries’ attempts to thwart U.S. involvement in critical minerals, energy generation, and storage projects.
    Critical Minerals Security Act which directs the Department of the Interior to evaluate the global supply and ownership of critical minerals and make it easier for the U.S. to establish stable supply chains with international allies.
    Full text of the legislation can be found HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján, Colleagues Raise Concerns About Risks in Delays to Accessing Funding for New Mexico Community Health Centers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M) joined U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and 19 of their colleagues in writing a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Acting Secretary Dorothy A. Fink, M.D. regarding reports that Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grantees, including community health centers, are experiencing significant delays in accessing funding. The senators also expressed concerns about restrictions on regular communications between HRSA and grantees. These issues come after an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memo that suspended all federal grant and loan funding. The memo has since been rescinded following pressure from the senators, other Democrats in Congress, and the public, but many grantees that rely on federal funding are still experiencing confusion and uncertainty, and have received little to no guidance from the Trump Administration about their funding.

    There are 19 Federally Qualified Health Centers with over 200 locations—a majority of which serve rural areas with limited access to medical care—in New Mexico. Disruption to funding could lead to closures of New Mexico’s community health centers, disrupting access to critical services thousands of New Mexicans rely on. This week, Senator Luján met with leaders from the New Mexico Primary Care Association to discuss ongoing challenges and support for the vital medical care they provide.

    “We are writing to express serious concerns regarding reports that Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grantees, such as Community Health Centers (health centers), continue to experience significant delays in accessing funding to support services, as well as restrictions on regular communications with agency staff as a result of the Trump Administration’s January 20, 2025 executive orders to pause external communication from federal agencies, and subsequent memorandum directing all federal departments and agencies to freeze all financial assistance.” wrote the members.

    The members continued, “While nearly 70 percent of health center revenue comes from payments from Medicaid, Medicare, commercial insurance, and self-pay patients, health centers rely on their regular federal grant funding to meet payroll obligations and keep their doors open. Beginning in late January, health centers started reporting issues accessing the Payment Management System (PMS) – getting “locked out”, being denied funding they had been awarded, and experiencing long delays in funding being released. As a result, health centers across the country are experiencing panic, unsure how to pay their staff and keep their doors open.”

    “Despite a judge’s order blocking the funding freeze, we are troubled by reports that health centers are unable to access funding duly appropriated by Congress through the PMS. To compound this issue, our offices have heard troubling reports that since the Trump Administration’s executive orders and funding freeze, funding that has already been appropriated and directed by Congress is still being restricted, and standing webinars, briefings, and meetings are being cancelled at the last minute,” they wrote. “Health centers are receiving little communication regarding these cancellations and changes, and the communication they have received from HRSA has been unclear, directing actions that may conflict with current court orders.”

    In addition to Senators Luján, Kaine, and Warner, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-CT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Angus King (I-ME), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). The letter is also signed by U.S. Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA-02), Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Eugene Vindman (D-VA-07), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10), and Sarah McBride (D-DE-At-Large).

    The full text of the letter is available here and below.

    Dear Acting Secretary Fink,

    We are writing to express serious concerns regarding reports that Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grantees, such as Community Health Centers (health centers), continue to experience significant delays in accessing funding to support services, as well as restrictions on regular communications with agency staff as a result of the Trump Administration’s January 20, 2025 executive orders to pause external communication from federal agencies, and subsequent memorandum directing all federal departments and agencies to freeze all financial assistance.

    Community Health Centers provide high-quality primary and preventive care, dental care, behavioral health and substance use disorder services, and low-cost prescription drugs to more than 32 million Americans annually, serving one in five rural Americans and one in three people living in poverty. Nationally, more than 1,400 health centers operate over 15,000 service sites across every state and Territory, employing more than 500,000 individuals and generating nearly $85 billion in economic output.

    Despite the critical role health centers play in addressing health inequities, many centers struggle to keep up with the growing demand for services and rising costs to deliver high-quality care in their communities. While nearly 70 percent of health center revenue comes from payments from Medicaid, Medicare, commercial insurance, and self-pay patients, health centers rely on their regular federal grant funding to meet payroll obligations and keep their doors open. Beginning in late January, health centers started reporting issues accessing the Payment Management System (PMS) – getting “locked out”, being denied funding they had been awarded, and experiencing long delays in funding being released. As a result, health centers across the country are experiencing panic, unsure how to pay their staff and keep their doors open. Due to delays in funding, health centers have reported:

    1. “We have put off signing a contract to replace our mammography machine, which has reached end of life, because of this freeze and the uncertainty.”
    2. “I’m also now getting providers asking if they should be looking for a new job. Without any understanding and guidance, I’m pretty limited with how much I can actually assure them to do other than tighten our belts…”
    3. “Any services that are directly funded by federal funds will be placed on hold…”
    4. “We had to use all reserves in 2024. We will not make payroll or any other payments next week without access to this federal funding. Staff will be dismissed without access to federal funds.”
    5. “If everything stays the same…the best guess is that we could be fully operational for six months.”
    6. “We have the ability to sustain current or full operations for 60 days…Outreach and case management staff…would be in the first wave of layoffs. Unfortunately, those positions rely on federal support as they are typically not reimbursable through third-party payors. In a short period of time, this has had a profound impact on our staff. [Staff are] concerned that we will lose valuable staff members as they are concerned about the stability of the organization.”
    7. “We will step back on hiring and likely implement hiring pause unless this is resolved quickly.”
    8. “We have enough in reserve to cover two payroll periods.”
    9. “The pause in grant funding would create a deficit for us…We would likely need to start reducing staff and healthcare services to the…patients we serve…within the next couple of weeks if the freeze persists.”

    As safety net providers operating on razor-thin margins, health centers need certainty to provide care in underserved communities. In Virginia alone, ongoing delays in accessing funding have caused health centers to close their doors and cancel patient appointments. When health centers close, people with chronic conditions miss appointments, pregnant women miss prenatal visits, and behavioral health services are interrupted, worsening outcomes and increasing costs to the entire health care system.

    Despite a judge’s order blocking the funding freeze, we are troubled by reports that health centers are unable to access funding duly appropriated by Congress through the PMS. To compound this issue, our offices have heard troubling reports that since the Trump Administration’s executive orders and funding freeze, funding that has already been appropriated and directed by Congress is still being restricted, and standing webinars, briefings, and meetings are being cancelled at the last minute. Health centers are receiving little communication regarding these cancellations and changes, and the communication they have received from HRSA has been unclear, directing actions that may conflict with current court orders.

    We request that you provide answers to the following questions in writing no later than Wednesday, February 12, 2025.

    1. How many health centers have draw-down requests pending in the PMS?
      1. How has that number changed, daily, since January 27, 2025?
      2. What is the average wait time from submission of a draw-down request to disbursement of funds prior to January 27, 2025 and after January 27, 2025?
    2. How many health center draw-down requests have been denied since January 27, 2025?
      1. What is the rationale for these denials?
    3. What is the exact timeline for ensuring the PMS is fully operational and disbursing all pending health center draw-down requests?
    4. What specific authority and under which executive action did HRSA or the Department of Health and Human Services use to restrict health center access to the PMS and funding that they had been previously awarded?
    5. Please provide a list of regular standing calls or meetings between HRSA staff and HRSA grantees that have been cancelled since January 20, 2025. Please include the following:
      1. A description of the grantees impacted, including the type of grantees and number of grantees.
      2. Whether funds appropriated by Congress for the purpose of the grant are being withheld from being awarded to the grantees.
    6. Please provide a list of webinars, briefings, information sessions, and trainings that have been cancelled since January 20, 2025. Please include the following:
      1. A description of the purpose of each webinar, briefing, information session, or training.
      2. Whether or not the webinar, briefing, information session, or training is required by statute and if so, provide the corresponding citation.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Exemption From Exchange Act Rule 13f-2 and Related Form SHO

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    The Securities and Exchange Commission today provided a temporary exemption from compliance with Rule 13f-2 under the Securities Exchange Act and from reporting on Form SHO. As a result of the exemption, filings on initial Form SHO reports from institutional investment managers that meet or exceed certain specified thresholds will be due by Feb. 17, 2026, for the January 2026 reporting period. The effective date for Rule 13f-2 and Form SHO was Jan. 2, 2024, and the compliance date for such rule and form was Jan. 2, 2025, with initial Form SHO filings originally due by Feb. 14, 2025. 

    Rule 13f-2 requires institutional investment managers that meet or exceed certain specified thresholds to file Form SHO with the Commission within 14 calendar days after the end of each calendar month with regard to certain equity securities via the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval System (EDGAR). The Commission will publish, on an aggregated basis, certain information regarding each equity security reported by institutional investment managers on Form SHO and filed with the Commission via EDGAR.

    “It is important that data collected by the Commission is accurate, complete, and helpful to the market,” said SEC Acting Chairman Mark Uyeda. “This exemption gives filers more time to implement the technical updates required for compliance according to standards that were released only on Dec. 16, 2024, immediately prior to the holidays. Regardless of this exemption, abusive naked short selling as part of a manipulative scheme remains unlawful, and the Commission will use its regulatory tools to combat such illegal activity.”

    This exemption will provide industry participants sufficient time to work with Commission staff to address any outstanding operational and compliance questions. This exemption will also provide filers sufficient time to complete implementation of system builds and testing. 

    Transparency is essential to well-functioning markets. And the Commission has stated the importance of providing more disclosure about short selling. It is also important to enhance the accuracy of the short sale-related data that would ultimately be provided to investors by giving institutional investment managers additional time.

    Rule 13f-2 and Form SHO reporting will enhance the transparency of other available short sale-related information. Currently, several self-regulatory organizations (SROs) are providing on their websites daily aggregate short selling volume information for individual equity securities. The SROs are also providing website disclosure on a one-month delayed basis of information regarding individual short sale transactions in all exchange-listed equity securities. Hyperlinks to short sale data provided by specific SROs are available. Further, the SROs are also publishing monthly statistics on short interest in securities that trade on their markets.

    Additionally, the Commission publishes on its website failures to deliver data for all equity securities, regardless of the fails level, twice per month.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ecuador’s tough on crime approach is popular, but major challenges remain

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Robert Muggah, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow na Bosch Academy e Co-fundador, Instituto Igarapé

    Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa moved quickly to impose the rule of law immediately after his surprise election victory in 2023. In the short-term, the results of the country’s youngest ever leader were impressive, including a reported 18% decline in murder in 2024. The president’s administration also reportedly increased drug seizures by over 30% – up from 188 tons in 2023 to 250 tons last year. Despite what some observers describe as a year of chaos, this has made him popular among many Ecuadorians.

    A central thrust of the president’s tough-on-crime strategy involves the imposition of states of emergency and the consolidation of security institutions under his control. Launched in early January 2024, the so-called Bloque de Seguridad strategy integrates the police, armed forces and ministries of interior and national defence. Prisons have also been declared “security zones” and are firmly under the control of the police and military. The president promises to do more of the same if he is re-elected on Feb. 9, 2025.

    The risks of militarized security

    While the militarization of public security has helped reduce sky-high homicide rates, this is only part of the story. Incidents of extortion and kidnapping actually increased last year, suggesting that far from being dismantled, several criminal organizations may be changing their tactics. The head of the national agency responsible for fighting violent crime, DINASED, claims that criminal groups are diversifying into new illicit economies in order to survive.

    One of the limitations of the Ecuadorian government’s response to organized crime is the absence of preventive measures to keep young people from joining criminal groups in the first place. While there is ample support to crack down on criminals, there is appetite for social, educational, and economic initiatives to encourage at-risk to avoid crime altogether. If there is any home of weakening the structures and networks of crime in the longer-term, more comprehensive strategies are needed.

    Another concern is that militarized security responses could give rise to new armed groups, including paramilitaries. While there is still limited evidence of paramilitary activity in Ecuador, the risk is real. Afterall, there is a tradition of so-called “autodefense” and “militia” across the Americas. Meanwhile, researchers have documented over 160 “criminal sanctuaries” (especially in the country’s Guayas and Esmeraldas provinces) where local gangs offer protection in return for “law and order”.

    A related worry among analysts is that harsh crackdown on criminal groups while improving some aspects of public security, may unintentionally contribute to structural transformation of the organized crime landscape. In Ecuador, as in other parts of Latin America, the risks appear to be particularly acute within the prison system itself. Indeed, over the past five years, criminal groups embedded in the penitentiary system have expanded operations nationwide.

    As in countries like Colombia and Mexico, Ecuador’s criminal networks are using violence to coerce and corrupt local politicians. In some cases, crime groups force local authorities to pay them in return for “protection”. Over time this degrades the latter’s authority and legitimacy and entrenches a kind of criminal governance. The so-called “Metastasis scandal” is revealing. Last year, Ecuador’s Attorney General accused 13 people, including politicians and prosecutors, of being involved in the largest case of corruption and drug trafficking in the country’s history.

    Despite repeated police and military interventions to assert control over Ecuador’s penitentiaries, there are still signs of lively criminal economies within the prison walls. Some of these appear to persist on account of involvement of corrupt police and prison guards officials. And even as the Noboa administration cracks down on criminal entities such as Los Choneros, Los Lobos and Los Tiguerones, their fragmentation has resulted in hyper-violent internal power struggles.

    Resorting to states of emergency

    While controversial, the Ecuadorian authorities have issued roughly half a dozen states of emergency since 2022. Some of these are restricted to specific provinces where crime “hotspots” persist. Ecuador’s Constitutional Court recently curbed Noboa’s emergency decrees, citing lack of justification for “internal armed conflict” and unconstitutional restrictions on rights. These rulings likewise stressed the need for lawful security measures rather than resorting to emergency decrees.

    Ecuador was under a state of emergency for more than 250 days in 2024. The latest state of emergency, issued in January this year, grants broad powers to security forces and calls for the deployment of the national police and armed forces into affected areas and prisons. It also permits inspections, searches, and seizures without a warrant, curbs privacy controls and facilitates arbitrary surveillance. Curfews between 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. are enforced in over 22 municipalities.

    Not surprisingly, human rights groups have sounded the alarm, linking the government’s hardline approach to violations of civil liberties on the street and in prisons. Social movements in Guayaquil and towns along the coast have carried-out protests, even as criminal violence escalates. Working in highly insecure conditions, rights activists and defenders continue to mobilize, though public support for Noboa’s law and order approach remains high.

    The enduring appeal of ‘mano dura’ in the Americas

    The spread and influence of transnational organized crime is generating complex challenges across Latin America. On the one hand, it is contributing to rising violence in countries with historically low homicide rates including Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Peru. On the other hand, it is generating rising insecurity in countries that are experiencing stable or declining homicide rates such as Brazil, Colombia, Panama and across Central America and the Caribbean.

    The hyper-aggressive response of certain governments to organized crime is getting considerable attention. The approach adopted by Nayib Bukele in El Salvador since 2022 is widely admired, including by officials in the new Trump administration in the U.S. Similar approaches were also put in place in neighboring Honduras as well as by Noboa in Ecuador. As admiration of Bukele grows, so to the attraction to so-called “mano dura” – or “iron fist” – measures across the region, including the imposition of states of emergency.

    Ecuador’s states of emergency are already generating reverberations across South America. On the one hand, they are being watched closely by political authorities in neighboring countries: if they are seen to be effective, then they will likely be emulated. On the other hand, they are also being monitored by civil society and human rights activists who are deeply concerned that such approaches may be emulated in ways that undermine basic freedoms and liberties.

    There are other practical ways in which Ecuador’s states of emergency are generating regional impacts. The fragmentation of criminal organizations means that some are relocating to areas far from state control, including near frontiers and neighboring countries. This could lead to so-called “contagion”, “displacement” or “balloon” effects, including across international borders. This could lead to a surge in criminal economies, as well as other externalities such as population displacement and migration.

    Ecuador’s next president must adopt a comprehensive approach to tackling organized crime. Disrupting the country’s 22 criminal groups will require cooperation with international partners to take-on the Colombian, Mexican, and Albanian drug trafficking and money laundering networks that back them. It will also involve reversing the infiltration of criminal networks into politics, many of which are corrupting politicians, prosecutors, police and prison guards. Preventive measures targeting impacted communities and poorly managed prisons are likewise essential if Ecuador stands a chance of changing course.

    Os autores não prestam consultoria, trabalham, possuem ações ou recebem financiamento de qualquer empresa ou organização que se beneficiaria deste artigo e não revelaram qualquer vínculo relevante além de seus cargos acadêmicos.

    – ref. Ecuador’s tough on crime approach is popular, but major challenges remain – https://theconversation.com/ecuadors-tough-on-crime-approach-is-popular-but-major-challenges-remain-249441

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: President Trump Greets the Prime Minister of Japan

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    The White House

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ygz0xGUYvo

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: President Trump Hosts a Bilateral Meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    The White House

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVYTmxCVNXI

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Serious crash, Great South Road, Manurewa

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    Northbound lanes of Great South Road at Manurewa are blocked following a serious crash involving a motorcycle.

    Emergency services were called to the scene, near Mahia Road, about 11.20am. The rider of the bike received critical injuries.

    The Serious Crash Unit will be carrying out a scene examination and traffic management is in place.

    ENDS

    Issued by the Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California Department of Justice Releases Report on Officer-Involved Shooting of Marcos Maldonado

    Source: US State of California

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta, pursuant to Assembly Bill 1506 (AB 1506), today released a report on Marcos Maldonado’s death from an officer-involved shooting in Los Angeles, California, on July 27, 2022. The incident involved officers from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The report is part of the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ongoing efforts to provide transparency and accountability in law enforcement practices. The report provides a detailed analysis of the incident and outlines DOJ’s findings. After a thorough investigation, DOJ concluded that criminal charges were not appropriate in this case. 

    “The loss of life is always heartbreaking,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We recognize the considerable challenges and difficulties faced by all those impacted, including Mr. Maldonado’s family, the law enforcement agencies involved, and the community at large. The California Department of Justice is dedicated to collaborating with all law enforcement entities to maintain a legal system that is fair, transparent, and accountable to every Californian.”

    On July 27, 2022, LAPD Officers answered a call for service regarding reports that there was a man with a gun walking down the street. They found the man, who was later identified as Marcos Maldonado, and saw that he was holding what appeared to be a gun. They ordered Mr. Maldonado to drop the gun, but he did not comply. After a short period of time, Mr. Maldonado pointed the gun at the officers. When he did so, they fired their own guns, killing Mr. Maldonado. The gun pointed by Mr. Maldonado at law enforcement was later determined to be a replica airsoft handgun.

    Under AB 1506, which requires DOJ to investigate all incidents of officer-involved shootings resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian in the state, DOJ conducted a thorough investigation into this incident and concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officers involved acted without the intent to defend themselves and others from what each of them reasonably believed to be the imminent risk of death or serious bodily injury. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution of the officers. As such, no further action will be taken in this case. 

    As part of its investigation, DOJ has identified several policy recommendations that it believes will help prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. The first recommendation is regarding officer communication. First, it is recommended that LAPD amend their policies and training regarding communication of significant contextual information impacting responding officers’ use of force decision-making as articulated in their other policies to include additional information.

    The second set of recommendations is regarding scene control. It is recommended that LAPD evaluate their policies and training regarding perimeter control. A significant concern in this incident was the presence of bystanders, both on foot and in vehicles, close to Mr. Maldonado and between Mr. Maldonado and the LAPD officers who arrived at the scene. The presence of these bystanders limited officers’ options and created additional dangers.

    The third set of recommendations is regarding the LAPD use of force policy. Government Code section 7286, enacted by Senate Bill 230 sets minimum standards for use of force policies maintained by law enforcement agencies in California. During the review of LAPD’s use of force policies relevant to this incident, it is recommended two provisions be updated. The recommended updates relate to the requirements of Government Code section 7286, separate and apart from the particular facts of the shooting of Mr. Maldonado.

    A copy of the report can be found here.   

    MIL OSI USA News –