Category: KB

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Scott Peters Votes NO on Disastrous Republican Tax Plan

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)

    Washington, D.C – Today, Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) voted against the Republican tax plan to cut healthcare and food assistance for millions of vulnerable Americans to pay for tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations that don’t need them. The Republican plan would kick 17 million people off their Medicaid and Affordable Care Act health plans, according to an analysis by the independent Congressional Budget Office. The bill also cuts short programs that encourage clean energy development that would produce enough energy to power 227 million homes. This will increase electricity bills by up to 29% and cost millions of construction jobs. And the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has found that the bill could add more than $4 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years.

    After the House voted 218-214 to pass the measure, Representative Peters released the following statement:

    “Today, Congressional Republicans put President Trump’s cruel, reckless agenda above the good of the American people. They will have to answer to the people they represent on how forcing millions off their health coverage will make America healthy again, how higher energy prices, fewer jobs, and more pollution will help our communities, and how they can support the biggest ever addition to the national debt.

    “All of this is to pay for tax cuts for people and corporations that don’t need them. We can all agree that to get our fiscal house in order, there should be compromise and shared sacrifice. But this partisan bill asks only those with the least to sacrifice while giving tax breaks to those with the most. It is obscene.

    “The fight for more affordable and accessible healthcare, a cleaner environment, and responsible fiscal policy is not over. I will continue to work to minimize the harm of this disastrous bill on San Diegans.”

    Read more about Rep. Peters’ opposition to the bill here.

    CA-50 Medicaid Facts: 

    • 156,100 people in the district rely on Medicaid for health coverage—that’s 20 percent of all district residents. 
      • 34,700 children in the district are covered by Medicaid. 
      • 17,700 seniors in the district are covered by Medicaid. 
      • 64,900 adults in the district have Medicaid coverage through Medicaid expansion—that includes pregnant women who are able to access prenatal care sooner because of Medicaid expansion, parents, caretakers, veterans, people with substance use disorder and mental health treatment needs, and people with chronic conditions and disabilities. 
    • At least five hospitals in the district had negative operating margins in 2022. These hospitals would be especially hard-hit by cuts to Medicaid. For example: 
      • Scripps Mercy Hospital had a negative 25.3 percent operating margin—and nearly 22 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid. 
      • Sharp Coronado Hospital had a negative 3.5 percent operating margin—and over 36 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid. 
      • University of California San Diego Medical Center had a negative 2.4 percent operating margin—and nearly 19 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid. 
    • There are 54 health center delivery sites in the district that serve 529,944 patients. 
    • Those health centers and patients rely on Medicaid—statewide, 69 percent of health center patients rely on Medicaid for coverage. 
    • Health centers will not be able to stay open and provide the same care that they do today, with more uninsured and underinsured patients. They are already operating on thin margins—in 2023, nationally, nearly half of health centers had negative operating margins. 
    • Medicaid cuts put health centers at risk, including: 
      • Family Health Centers of San Diego 
      • Neighborhood Healthcare 
      • North County Health Project 
      • San Diego American Indian Health Centers 
      • St. Vincent De Paul Village 

    Representative Peters is the co-author of the Fiscal Commission Act, legislation to create a bicameral and open-door commission to tackle our nation’s long-term debt, help us avoid automatic and across-the-board cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and secure a more prosperous future for our children. 

     

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    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Brownley Statement on Final Passage of Republican Tax Scam

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Julia Brownley (D-CA)

  • MIL-OSI USA: Carbajal Slams Republican Passage of Trump’s Extreme Budget Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)

    U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) released the statement below following the final passage of the Republican reconciliation bill. Carbajal voted against the bill because it contains extreme and unprecedented cuts to essential programs like Medicaid and food assistance. The bill now heads to the President’s desk.

    “Republicans in Congress passed Donald Trump’s disastrous budget bill that puts billionaires first and working families last,” said Rep. Carbajal. “This bill is a betrayal of the millions of children, seniors, and veterans who will lose their health care and food assistance. It’s a betrayal of the young people who will now shoulder the massive national debt burden this bill creates. It’s a betrayal of rural communities who will face unprecedented funding cuts to their hospitals and nursing homes. Donald Trump and congressional Republicans promised to lower the cost of living and make life easier, but this bill will do the exact opposite. Their agenda is shameful, and I’ll continue to fight back.”

    In California’s 24th Congressional District, 119,000 residents benefit from food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Over 236,000 people rely on Medicaid (also known in California as Medi-Cal).

    While Republican leaders claim their bill won’t cut Medicaid benefits, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office confirmed that the Republican budget would result in the largest Medicaid cuts in U.S. history (see fact sheet here). The Republican bill slashes $900 billion from Medicaid, a critical program that provides essential health care to nearly one in three Americans.

    The Republican bill also makes unprecedented cuts to SNAP, which helps over 42 million Americans afford groceries. 

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pressley Condemns Passage of Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill: “This is Unforgivable”

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

    Pressley Implored Colleagues to Reject Cruel Legislation and Helped Stall a Vote on the House Floor

    Press Conference Video (YouTube)

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued the following statement on the final passage of Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill that will rip healthcare and food assistance away from millions of people, including in Massachusetts, push reproductive healthcare further out of reach nationwide, and fuel Trump’s unlawful mass deportation agenda.

    Yesterday, Rep. Pressley joined colleagues at a press conference imploring the House to reject this cruel, harmful legislation, and the Congresswoman also joined the Congressional Black Caucus and over 100 colleagues in stalling a vote on the House floor. Rep. Pressley also filed an amendment to the bill this week with Rep. Diana DeGette to protect and expand reproductive healthcare.

    “Republicans have passed a bill that will be a death sentence—denying millions medical care, denying children food, and violently deporting immigrant families to destabilized countries,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “This is unforgivable. I remain yours in service to every family who calls the Massachusetts 7th home, and I will never stop fighting for you.”

    In Massachusetts, this bill is estimated to cause:

    • Over 320,000 people to lose health insurance
    • At least 103,000 to lose food assistance
    • 63,334 students to lose their Pell grants
    • 11,000 manufacturing and energy jobs to be cut
    • $1,400 in yearly premium increases for people covered by the ACA in the MA-07
    • $290 more per year in increased energy bills

    Congresswoman Pressley has been an outspoken critic of this harmful legislation since its inception.

    • Rep. Pressley joined colleagues at a press conference imploring the House to reject the cruel and harmful legislation.
    • Rep. Pressley joined the Congressional Black Caucus and over 100 colleagues in stalling a vote on the Big, Ugly Bill.  
    • Rep. Pressley and Rep. Diana DeGette, Co-Chairs of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, filed an amendment to the bill to protect and expand reproductive healthcare.
    • Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Senate’s passage of the Big, Ugly Bill and vowing to continue fighting it using every tool available.
    • Ahead of the third anniversary if the Dobbs decision, Rep. Pressley and her colleagues stood in solidarity with Planned Parenthood and condemned the proposed cuts to reproductive healthcare under Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill.
    • Rep. Pressley and author Darrick Hamilton authored a Washington Post op-ed in which they discussed the regressive, ineffective “Trump Accounts” provision of Republicans’ reconciliation bill and urged Congress to instead embrace Baby Bonds to advance economic justice.
    • Rep. Pressley rallied with advocates from Caring Across Generations, Care Can’t Wait, and partner organizations to protest Trump’s and Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill that proposes disastrous cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other essential programs and would leave communities sicker, poorer, and more vulnerable.
    • Ahead of the House’s vote on the bill, Rep. Pressley delivered an impassioned speech on the House floor in which she made a direct appeal to her Republican colleagues to oppose this cruel and harmful bill.
    • Rep. Pressley delivered a floor speech in which she slammed the bill’s proposed Medicaid cuts, which would decimate reproductive healthcare in America and worsen maternal health outcomes.
    • Rep. Pressley co-hosted a press conference with Color of Change to oppose the Republicans’ cruel and harmful budget reconciliation package, which would gut critical programs like Medicaid and SNAP.
    • Rep. Pressley rallied with caregivers, advocates, and fellow lawmakers at a 24-hour vigil to protect Medicaid from Republicans’ cruel budget cuts that would devastate communities across this country.
    • In the House Oversight Committee’s markup of the Republican reconciliation bill, Rep. Pressley demanded Republicans answer to the families who would go hungry by way of this reconciliation bill – and she was met with silence.
    • In the House Financial Services Committee’s markup of the Republican reconciliation bill, Rep. Pressley condemned the bill’s proposed cuts to Medicaid and shared the story of Mary Marinelli, a 70-year-old hospice nurse from a Republican district in Michigan whose family depends on Medicaid to care for their autistic son.
    • In an impassioned speech on the House floor, Rep. Pressley slammed Republicans’ cruel and callous budget resolution that would slash Medicaid and other critical government services to pay for trillions of dollars in tax giveaways for Donald Trump’s billionaire donors.

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    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Baird Supports the One Big Beautiful Bill, Votes for Largest Tax Cut in American History

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Baird (R-IN-04)

    Congressman Baird Supports the One Big Beautiful Bill, Votes for Largest Tax Cut in American History

    Washington, July 3, 2025

    Today, Congressman Jim Baird (IN-04) released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act:
     
    “After months of hard work and thoughtful deliberation, I was proud to vote for the One Big, Beautiful Bill and help send it to President Trump’s desk. This includes much-needed tax relief for the American people. This bill delivers the largest tax cut in American history for workers, families, and seniors by ending taxes on tips and overtime for millions of workers and slashing taxes on Social Security. It also makes a generational investment in Rural America by expanding crop insurance, strengthening biosecurity measures, and boosting investment in the farm safety net, and it prevents a Death Tax increase that would devastate thousands of family farms in Indiana’s Fourth Congressional District. On top of these monumental wins, the One Big Beautiful Bill invests in our border security to deliver the most secure border on record and delivers on President Trump’s successful foreign policy of peace through strength.
     
    “There has been a lot of misleading information on this bill. This legislation strengthens federal programs for those who truly need them and enacts common-sense work requirements that a majority of Americans support. Additionally, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score assumes an incorrect baseline that simply does not reflect current policy. In reality, the One Big Beautiful Bill reduces the deficit, marking a long-overdue return to fiscal sanity in Washington.
     
    “This bill ultimately fulfills many of the promises made to the American people. As we celebrate Independence Day and the birth of our nation, I am pleased to deliver these significant wins that ensure America truly remains the greatest country in history.”
     

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    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Jimmy Gomez Denounces Passage of Trump’s Billionaire Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34)

    Rep. Jimmy Gomez Denounces Passage of Trump’s Billionaire Bill

    Washington, July 3, 2025

    WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) released the following statement after House Republicans passed their tax bill:  

    “Through the dead of night, I stood side by side with House Democrats at the Capitol fighting Trump’s all-out assault on the American people. I am proud to have just voted NO on his disastrous Big Billionaire Bill, written to steal from working families, shower trillions on the billionaire establishment that owns the Republican Party, and drown our country in debt.

    It guts Medicaid, ACA subsidies, and food assistance for millions of families, students, seniors, and workers just trying to get by. It raises costs, slashes services, and funds Trump’s deportation and immigrant detention machine. It buries a generation in poverty, all to give massive handouts to the ultra-wealthy, while ballooning the national debt to record highs. This isn’t policy, it’s economic sabotage. 

    That debt will drive up interest rates, hike borrowing costs on everything from mortgages to car loans to credit cards. It will choke off investment in jobs and growth, making life even more expensive for everyone except the ultra-wealthy. 

    This bill will deepen inequality and hollow out what is left of the American promise. But I didn’t fight through the night just to give up in the daylight. The stakes are too high. The damage to our neighbors is too real. And I remain laser-focused on turning outrage into action and this betrayal into accountability come Election Day.”

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Delays on Harbour Bridge, Auckland

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Police advise motorists travelling on the Harbour Bridge this morning to expect delays.

    A crash has occurred heading northbound, just after the Curran Street on-ramp.

    There are no serious injuries to report.

    While the vehicles are being cleared there is an extensive backlog of traffic in both directions.

    Please allow additional time to reach your destination safely this morning.

    ENDS.

    Amanda Wieneke/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former FBI Procurement Official Agrees to Plead Guilty to Bid-Rigging Scheme to Obtain Electronics Contracts

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – A former electronics technician at the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office and his sister were charged today with conspiring to defraud the United States to obtain at least $350,000 in low-bid electronics equipment contracts from the FBI.

    Jeffrey Spencer, 51, of Canyon Country, and Christy Evereklian, 43, of Temecula, were charged via a single-count information filed today with conspiracy to defraud the United States. In plea agreements also filed today, Spencer and Evereklian both agreed to plead guilty to the felony offense, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. 

    Spencer and Evereklian are expected to enter their guilty pleas in the coming weeks in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. 

    According to their plea agreements, from August 2015 through August 2020, Spencer and Evereklian conspired to defraud the United States by impeding the solicitation of competitive bids for electronic equipment by deceitful and dishonest means. Spencer, who was an FBI procurement official and solicited bids for electronic equipment, conspired with Evereklian to submit purportedly independent and competitive bids from Evereklian’s several companies for FBI contracts.

    In fact, Spencer and Evereklian already had decided which company would submit the lowest – and presumably winning – bid for a contract. Evereklian submitted bids from her own companies to the FBI using the names of her relatives to conceal her control over bidding companies, and she used a random number generator to create the fraudulent bids. 

    Evereklian further admitted in her plea agreement that during the conspiracy, her companies won at least $350,000 in contracts from the FBI. 

    The United States Department of Justice Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation in this matter as part of the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF).

    Assistant United States Attorney Jason Pang of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Orange County Man Charged in Federal Complaint Alleging He Helped $270 Million Medi-Cal Scam Involving Medication Reimbursement

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – An Orange County man has been charged via federal criminal complaint with submitting over an 11-month span nearly $270 million in fraudulent claims to Medi-Cal for expensive prescription drugs containing generic ingredients that were not medically necessary and, in many instances, not provided to the purported recipients, the Justice Department announced today.

    Paul Richard Randall, 66, of Orange, is charged with health care fraud, a felony that carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.

    Randall made his initial appearance in United States District Court in Los Angeles on Friday and was ordered jailed without bond. His arraignment is scheduled for July 17.

    Today’s announcement was made as part of the Justice Department’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants, including 96 doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other licensed medical professionals, in 50 federal districts and 12 State Attorneys General’s Offices across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving over $14.6 billion in intended loss. The Takedown involved federal and state law enforcement agencies across the country and represents an unprecedented effort to combat health care fraud schemes that exploit patients and taxpayers.

    Demonstrating the significant return on investment that results from health care fraud enforcement efforts, the government seized more than $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency, and other assets as part of the coordinated enforcement efforts. As part of the whole-of-government approach to combating health care fraud announced today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also announced that it successfully prevented more than $4 billion from being paid in response to false and fraudulent claims and that it suspended or revoked the billing privileges of 205 providers in the months leading up to the Takedown. Civil charges against 20 defendants for $14.2 million in alleged fraud, as well as civil settlements with 106 defendants totaling $34.3 million, were also announced as part of the Takedown.

    “This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Make no mistake – this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities.”

    “Public health programs are designed to help the sick and needy, not to help unscrupulous individuals pad their pockets,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Working with our federal and state law enforcement partners, we will continue to crack down on those who cheat taxpayers via health care fraud.” 

    According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Randall, Kyrollos Mekail, 37, of Moreno Valley, and Patricia Anderson, 57, of West Hills, took advantage of Medi-Cal’s suspension of its requirement that health care providers obtain prior authorization before providing certain health care services or medications as a condition of reimbursement. The suspension of the prior authorization requirements was part of an ongoing transition of Medi-Cal’s prescription drug program to a new payment system.

    Through a business called Monte Vista Pharmacy, Randall and his co-schemers exploited Medi-Cal’s prior authorization suspension by billing Medi-Cal tens of millions of dollars per month for dispensing high-reimbursement, non-contracted, generic drugs through Monte Vista Pharmacy. Some prescription medications purportedly were to treat pain and included Folite tablets, a vitamin available over the counter.

    Normally, these high-cost reimbursement medications would have required prior authorization under Medi-Cal’s old payment system. Medication involved in this scheme was medically unnecessary, frequently was not dispensed to patients, and procured by kickbacks. 

    From May 2022 to April 2023, Monte Vista billed Medi-Cal more than $269 million and was paid more than $178 million for 19 expensive, non-contracted drugs containing low-cost, generic ingredients that were not medically necessary, not provided, or both.

    Randall and others then laundered their illicit proceeds by transferring the proceeds of the Medi-Cal fraud scheme to a third party to pay kickbacks to Anderson, to promote the fraud scheme and to conceal and disguise the transfers from detection by law enforcement.

    A criminal complaint contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    Relatedly, Anderson was charged in a two-count information charging her with health care fraud for her role in the scheme which was unsealed last week. Mekail pleaded guilty to criminal charges in August 2024 and awaits sentencing.

    The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the FBI, and the California Department of Justice are investigating this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorney Roger A. Hsieh of the Major Frauds Section and Assistant Chief Niall M. O’Donnell and Trial Attorney Siobhan M. Namazi of the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section are prosecuting this case. Assistant United States Attorney James E. Dochterman of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section is handling asset forfeiture matters in this case. 

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner & Kaine Statement on Trump Administration Illegally Withholding $108 Million From Virginia Schools

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement after the Trump Administration missed a key deadline to distribute $6.2 billion in federal K-12 funding, including $108 million for Virginia schools, to support teacher training, after school programming, mental health resources, and more:
    “Virginians know that high-quality public schools and the well-being of our children are critical to the Commonwealth’s future and economic success. The Trump Administration’s decision to withhold over $6 billion in funding that Congress appropriated for schools across the country, while pushing for a disastrous megabill that slashes programs Virginians rely on to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, tells you everything you need to know about their priorities. This move will devastate our students, especially those in our rural communities. We demand that the Administration immediately provide Virginia schools with the $108 million in funding we voted to secure, and urge all of Virginia’s leaders to do the same.”
    The $108 million being withheld from Virginia represents over 12 percent of the Commonwealth’s total K-12 funding.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff, Colleagues Demand Accountability for President Trump’s Discriminatory Travel Ban

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Schiff, Colleagues Demand Accountability for President Trump’s Discriminatory Travel Ban

    Lawmakers: “We write to express our strong opposition to President Trump’s recent decision to issue a sweeping travel ban that will deny entry to thousands of individuals from 19 different countries.”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) joined 68 Democratic lawmakers in urging President Trump to rescind his discriminatory travel ban that will keep families apart and devastate the U.S. economy. The members demanded transparency into President Trump’s decision-making process and answers about how the travel ban will impact communities across the United States.  
    In a letter addressed to President Trump, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, the lawmakers outlined the disastrous consequences that President Trump’s travel ban will have on families and the American economy. U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28) led the letter.
    “The effects of President Trump’s discriminatory travel ban will be devastating. In the last year alone over 126,000 visas have been issued to nationals from just the twelve countries on the fully restricted list. These are individuals who are looking to come to the United States to reunite with family, support our economy, or otherwise enrich our country in innumerable ways,” wrote the lawmakers.
    During his first term, President Trump enacted extreme travel bans that disrupted thousands of lives and weakened our nation’s economy and global standing. On his first day in office, President Joe Biden rescinded these bans, but President Trump enacted another sweeping, discriminatory travel ban last month.
    President Trump is imposing full restrictions on entry into the United States from nationals of Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, as well as partial restrictions on entry from nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela — meaning individuals from these countries cannot come to the United States permanently or apply for certain visas. President Trump is also reportedly considering imposing travel restrictions on an additional 36 countries.
    “President Trump’s actions once again disgrace the founding principles of our nation and enshrine cruelty into our immigration system,” continued the lawmakers. “Additionally, this travel ban will harm our economy by depriving the United States of workers in key fields experiencing labor shortages like medicine and agriculture and further devastating our domestic tourism industry which is already expected to decline by $12.5 billion in 2025.”
    The members demanded accountability and answers from the Trump Administration, pushing the President to immediately rescind his cruel travel ban.
    Senator Padilla helped introduce a pair of bills earlier this year aimed at combating the chaos caused by Trump’s Muslim Ban in his first term. To prevent some of the most egregious violations from Trump’s first travel ban, Padilla is leading the Access to Counsel Act, which would ensure that U.S. citizens, green card holders, and other individuals with legal status can consult with an attorney, relative, or other interested parties to seek assistance if they are detained by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for more than an hour at ports of entry, including airports. Padilla is also cosponsoring Coons and Chu’s NO BAN Act, legislation to prevent any president from implementing a discriminatory travel ban by strengthening the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination based on religion. The bill would also require that any suspension of entry into the United States be narrowly tailored, backed by credible evidence, and subject to appropriate consultation with Congress.
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear President Trump, Secretary Noem, Secretary Rubio, and Attorney General Bondi:
    We write to express our strong opposition to President Trump’s recent decision to issue a sweeping travel ban that will deny entry to thousands of individuals from 19 different countries. This discriminatory ban will not improve our country’s national security, but it will needlessly rip families apart. We urge President Trump to rescind it immediately.
    During President Trump’s first term, his administration implemented a range of travel restrictions on nationals from several countries, many of which were majority-Muslim countries. These travel bans faced continual legal challenges because of their blatantly discriminatory designs. President Biden terminated the latest version of President Trump’s travel ban when he took office in 2021, but the damage had already been done. The first Muslim Ban wreaked havoc on families, forcing over forty thousand people who had cleared one of the most exhaustive immigration vetting systems in the world to miss weddings, funerals, graduations, and births. What’s more, there is no evidence that this ban or any further iteration did anything to improve national security or prevent terrorism.
    Despite the failure of the original Muslim and travel bans, President Trump has now issued an even broader travel ban. This new extreme travel ban will prevent nationals from twelve countries (Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen) from entering the United States, with seven other countries (Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela) facing partial restrictions, meaning individuals from these countries cannot come to the U.S. permanently or apply for certain visas. The administration is reportedly considering imposing restrictions on an additional 36 countries.
    The effects of this discriminatory travel ban will be devastating. In the last year alone over 126,000 visas have been issued to nationals from just the twelve countries on the fully restricted list. These are individuals who are looking to come to the United States to reunite with family, support our economy, or otherwise enrich our country in innumerable ways. President Trump’s actions once again disgrace the founding principles of our nation and enshrine cruelty into our immigration system.
    Additionally, this travel ban will harm our economy by depriving the United States of workers in key fields experiencing labor shortages like medicine and agriculture and further devastating our domestic tourism industry which is already expected to decline by $12.5 billion in 2025.
    Given these severe impacts, we condemn this proclamation and urge President Trump to rescind it immediately. We also seek transparency into President Trump’s decision-making process and, accordingly, request answers to the following questions by July 3rd, 2025:
    1. President Trump’s proclamation banned travel from countries based on a report that “identified countries for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a full suspension of admissions and countries that warrant a partial suspension of admission,” as well as considered “various factors, including each country’s screening and vetting capabilities, information sharing policies, and country-specific risk factors — including whether each country has a significant terrorist presence within its territory, its visa-overstay rate, and its cooperation with accepting back its removable nationals.”
    a. Will your administration release this report in full to Congress and the public?
    b. How are screening and vetting processes determined to be “deficient?”
    c. What are the specific criteria by which your administration will continuously evaluate a country’s “conditions and vetting standards?” What are the parameters for a country to have a system that is considered sufficient?
    2. What is the status of your administration’s deliberations to add more countries to the travel ban?
    3. What is the estimate of the economic impacts on tourism, jobs, and foreign direct investment as a result of this travel ban?
    4. What metrics will your administration use to evaluate the effectiveness of the travel ban in protecting national security?
    5. Section 4(c) and (d) of the proclamation contemplates exceptions when in the national interest.
    a. What procedures and guidelines will your administration use to determine who receives an exemption from your travel ban?
    b. Will your administration make these procedures and guidelines public, and will your administration allow individuals to apply for exceptions?
    6. President Trump’s proclamation identifies insufficient vetting as a reason to bar immigrant visas from certain suspended countries. However, his proclamation exempts immediate relatives of U.S. citizens who can show “clear and convincing evidence of identity and family relationship (e.g. DNA).”
    a. Given that your administration accept DNA tests as a valid form of identification and evidence of familial relationship, why has your administration categorically suspended the entry of all other family-based immigrant visa applicants, including those who could also prove their identity in that manner?
    7. For several countries (Burundi, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Togo, and Turkmenistan), President Trump’s proclamation lists no reason for a suspension of visas other than the visa overstay rates of individuals on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas, which are nonimmigrant visas. However, President Trump’s proclamation fully suspends all immigrant visas for those countries, including all family and employment-based visas.
    a. How does your administration justify suspending all immigrant visas on the basis of an unrelated nonimmigrant visa overstay rate?
    b. Did your administration conduct individualized analyses for all nonimmigrant visa types, or rely solely on the B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visa overstay rates?
    We thank you for your attention to this important manner.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Hoyle Statement on House Passage of the Partisan Budget Bill

    Source: US Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04)

    July 03, 2025

    For Immediate Release: July 3, 2025 

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) voted against Congressional Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill (H.R.1).

    Following the vote, Rep. Hoyle released the following statement:

    “This bill is ruthless. It is the single largest wealth transfer in American history, ripping healthcare away from families, taking food away from hungry people, and handing billions to the wealthiest Americans. My Republican colleagues knew exactly what they were doing – and they did it anyway. This bill slams the door shut on working class families like mine in Oregon and across the country. I proudly voted no.”

    Today’s vote was specifically on the Senate’s amended version of H.R. 1. Rep. Hoyle previously voted against the House’s version of H.R. 1.

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    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 4 killed, 14 injured in Chicago drive-by shooting

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    CHICAGO, July 3 (Xinhua) — Four people were killed and 14 others were wounded in a drive-by shooting that occurred outside a private album release party in downtown Chicago on Wednesday evening, local police said.

    The attack occurred shortly before midnight as guests were leaving an event hosted by local rapper Mello Buckzz in the River North neighborhood. A black SUV pulled over and several shooters opened fire before fleeing the scene.

    Of the 18 victims, two men and two women died. Several people remain in critical condition. The suspects have not yet been arrested, and police are investigating possible motives for the attack. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Armenia has announced its desire to join the SCO

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    Yerevan, July 3 (Xinhua) — The Armenian authorities have announced their desire to apply for the country’s accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

    “Sharing the fundamental principles of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, namely territorial integrity, non-use of force and inviolability of borders, the Republic of Armenia expressed its desire to become a member of the SCO,” the statement said.

    Armenia is currently a partner country of the SCO. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Delegation of the Azerbaijani military police visited Georgia on an official visit

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    TBILISI, July 3 (Xinhua) — A delegation of the Military Police of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan led by Major General Elgun Aliyev paid an official visit to Georgia to discuss bilateral cooperation in the military sphere, the Georgian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

    The members of the delegation were received by the Chief of the Military Police Department of Georgia, Major General of Defense Shalva Shengelia. During the working meeting, the parties discussed issues of bilateral cooperation and further plans to deepen relations.

    During the visit, representatives of the Azerbaijani military police inspected weapons and equipment, and observed live-fire exercises, including operations in buildings and activities to protect high-ranking officials.

    The visit took place within the framework of a bilateral agreement on cooperation in the defense sector. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Belarus celebrates Independence Day

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    MINSK, July 3 (Xinhua) — Belarus is widely celebrating its main national holiday, Independence Day, on Thursday. On this day, which is a day off for Belarusians, residents of the country visit cultural and mass events with their families, and relax at a variety of entertainment venues organized in all regions.

    On Thursday morning, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko took part in a ceremony dedicated to Independence Day. The event was attended by senior officials, labor collectives and public associations, veterans of the Great Patriotic War, and representatives of youth organizations.

    In his speech, A. Lukashenko particularly emphasized that the liberation of the capital of Belarus on July 3, 1944, during Operation Bagration brought peace back to the wounded Belarusian land and became an important stage on the path to the Great Victory. He noted that this holiday, a symbol of freedom and independence, embodies the memory of the feat of the victorious people and the eternal gratitude of descendants.

    “We are proud of our veterans and everyone who gave us the opportunity to live and work on our land. They have shown the world examples of unprecedented valor, fortitude and patriotism. We must at all costs preserve and pass on to future generations the faith in the victorious spirit of our ancestors, our own strength and the fact that together we will cope with any challenges,” the press service quotes the words of the President of Belarus. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI: Wealth Megatrends Releases 2025 Forecast Update on Gold Prediction Amid Historic Surge in Central Bank Demand

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Palm Beach Gardens, July 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION

    The gold market has re-entered a cycle of historic attention as macroeconomic uncertainty accelerates worldwide. In early 2025, gold prices surged beyond $3,200 per ounce for the first time on record, prompting a surge in online interest, independent forecasts, and portfolio reassessments. This surge can be attributed to factors such as recent tariff escalations, currency reallocation by foreign governments, and geopolitical fragmentation, which have amplified concerns about the long-term stability of fiat systems. Simultaneously, capital outflows and bond yield distortions have complicated traditional wealth preservation strategies. Many investors, both institutional and retail, are actively revisiting gold as a potential counterbalance to portfolio risk, particularly in light of rising stagflation narratives.

    This trend is rooted in increasingly visible disruptions across both U.S. and international markets. Recent tariff escalations, currency reallocation by foreign governments, and geopolitical fragmentation have amplified concerns about the long-term stability of fiat systems. Simultaneously, capital outflows and bond yield distortions have complicated traditional wealth preservation strategies. Many investors, both institutional and retail, are actively revisiting gold as a potential counterbalance to portfolio risk, particularly in light of rising stagflation narratives.

    Gold’s long-term historical performance, a key factor in its investment potential, continues to draw analytical interest. Since 2000, the metal has averaged over 20% annualized returns in periods of monetary dislocation, with only four annual declines in the past 25 years. This statistical consistency has aligned with peak search periods around previous crises, including the 2008 financial collapse, the 2020 pandemic response, and inflation spikes of the 1970s, providing reassurance to potential investors.

    As the dollar weakens and equity markets exhibit erratic momentum, digital conversations have also expanded beyond physical gold. Investor attention is turning toward ancillary market sectors with cyclical ties to the price of gold, specifically gold mining equities, royalty streaming models, and historically correlated commodities. In response to this emerging wave of interest, financial analysts and newsletter platforms have begun re-evaluating the long-term implications of sustained gold appreciation under current monetary and geopolitical conditions.

    To explore the full gold forecast and related analysis from Sean Brodrick, visit the Wealth Megatrends research platform at: www.weissratings.com.

    SECTION 2 – COMPANY / PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT

    In its latest macroeconomic outlook, Wealth Megatrends, backed by the highly respected and seasoned precious metals researcher Sean Brodrick, has released an updated analysis. His projection of a potential rise in gold prices to $6,900 per ounce—more than double current levels-is a significant milestone in the gold market. This projection, based on more than two decades of field-based research across global mining markets, follows gold’s recent break past $3,200, a milestone Brodrick had publicly projected following key shifts in post-election market dynamics and intensifying global trade disruptions.

    Brodrick’s projections are informed by more than two decades of field-based research across global mining markets. They are developed in collaboration with Weiss Ratings, an independent financial analysis firm known for its longstanding data-driven forecasting models. Founded nearly a century ago, Weiss Ratings has established a reputation for identifying risk-adjusted investment trends early in their cycle across multiple sectors, including commodities. Wealth Megatrends, on the other hand, is a leading authority in macroeconomic trends and has a track record of accurate forecasts in the precious metals market.

    The latest gold outlook presented through Wealth Megatrends is framed within the broader thesis that structural volatility—driven by tariffs, debt accumulation, and rising capital flight—may continue to pressure fiat currencies and redirect both institutional and sovereign interest toward hard assets. Within that narrative, Brodrick identifies gold’s current trajectory as part of a long-form secular cycle, where historical comparisons to the 1970s, early 2000s, and post-2008 recovery periods offer a relevant benchmark.

    The forecast does not focus solely on bullion pricing. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of understanding how gold-related equities—specifically gold mining stocks—have historically shown outsized performance during similar macroeconomic phases. While physical gold has traditionally served as a wealth preservation tool, equities tied to its production have demonstrated the potential for amplified movement, often reflecting operational leverage and commodity price elasticity. This comprehensive view of the market, providing a holistic understanding, is crucial for investors seeking to maximize their returns and feel prepared for their investment decisions.

    Wealth Megatrends positions this update as part of its ongoing commitment to transparency in informational research within the investment landscape. All perspectives are based on publicly observable market behavior, historical analogs, and forward-looking interpretations of supply-demand dislocations currently underway in the precious metals ecosystem. This commitment ensures that our audience can trust the information we provide.

    SECTION 3 – TREND ANALYSIS / CONSUMER INTEREST

    As uncertainty continues to shape global markets, search behavior and investor sentiment have undergone a noticeable shift. Interest in “gold forecast,” “gold prediction 2025,” and “how to invest in gold mining stocks” has surged across digital platforms. Concurrently, investment forums, macroeconomic newsletters, and institutional reports have intensified their coverage of gold and related asset classes, driven by elevated concerns over inflation, currency depreciation, and geopolitical fragmentation.

    Beyond retail curiosity, sovereign actors are playing an increasingly visible role in gold market dynamics. According to international financial reporting, global central banks have significantly increased their gold reserves over the last five years, with holdings reaching multi-decade highs. Nations such as China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Hungary have expanded their stockpiles, while institutions like the IMF have noted a material decline in U.S. dollar reserve dominance. This broader pivot toward physical gold reflects a growing skepticism toward traditional currency systems, particularly after recent asset seizures and shifting global monetary policies.

    At the same time, prominent hedge fund managers and macro investors have reportedly rotated capital into precious metals and resource equities. Though motivations vary—from protection against dollar volatility to long-term diversification—the directional trend suggests a shared expectation of continued financial instability. These evolving behaviors have contributed to an ecosystem where gold-related content now performs at record engagement levels across both news outlets and investment research platforms.

    Notably, the discourse is also expanding beyond bullion. Mining stocks, streaming firms, and gold-sector ETFs have re-emerged in public conversations due to their historical pattern of outperforming the underlying metal during bull cycles. This pattern, often tied to operational leverage and production scalability, is once again being evaluated by market analysts seeking exposure to gold-aligned opportunities without the logistical or storage limitations of physical assets.

    Additional insights into long-cycle gold behavior, macro trends, and equity exposure models are available through the Wealth Megatrends monthly publication, produced by Weiss Ratings.

    SECTION 4 – TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT

    Within the broader conversation about gold’s long-term role in financial strategy, renewed interest is emerging in an adjacent category: publicly traded gold mining companies. Historically, these companies have moved directionally with the price of gold but have shown the potential for outsized volatility—both upward and downward—due to the inherent operating leverage tied to commodity prices.

    Mining equities represent businesses engaged in the extraction, production, and refinement of gold, often operating across geographically diverse sites. Their revenue models are influenced not only by prevailing spot prices but also by internal efficiencies, fixed operating costs, jurisdictional stability, and resource scalability. This makes them a subject of focused interest for market analysts seeking to interpret how rising gold prices might impact corporate financial performance within the sector.

    In previous gold bull markets—such as those seen in the 1970s, early 2000s, and post-2008—specific gold mining equities exhibited exponential price action relative to the metal itself. This pattern, commonly attributed to margin expansion, arises when rising gold prices exceed fixed production costs. While the price of gold may increase incrementally, the profitability of certain miners can shift more dramatically under favorable conditions, depending on operational factors such as grade, jurisdiction, and scale of output.

    Recent digital commentary also reflects growing awareness of gold mining sub-sectors, including royalty and streaming companies. These entities do not engage directly in mining but instead finance producers in exchange for a fixed share of production, often at below-market rates. As a result, they tend to operate with reduced overhead and exposure, while still participating in the broader gold cycle.

    SECTION 5 – USER JOURNEY NARRATIVE / MARKET RECEPTION

    Public conversation around gold has shifted dramatically in recent quarters, with online forums, financial publications, and independent research platforms documenting a growing reappraisal of gold’s long-term role in diversified strategies. Once considered a niche or defensive holding, gold is increasingly being positioned by investors as a foundational asset in the face of mounting systemic uncertainty.

    The transition in tone—from peripheral interest to mainstream reconsideration—has coincided with several economic flashpoints. These include the recalibration of central bank policies, persistent inflation indicators, and pronounced volatility in both equity and fixed-income markets. As global confidence in fiat stability continues to waver, discourse around asset preservation has taken on new urgency. In this environment, physical gold is commonly cited as a symbolic safeguard, while gold-linked equities are being explored for their cyclical performance dynamics.

    This renewed attention is not limited to physical asset holders. Retail investors who previously focused on conventional equities or index strategies are now engaging with educational content around gold mining companies, royalty models, and global production footprints. Meanwhile, institutional portfolios have been observed increasing their allocations to tangible asset categories, sometimes through passive vehicles that provide exposure to diversified gold equity baskets.

    Notably, this shift in tone is not driven solely by performance metrics but by a broader cultural narrative about financial resilience, global realignment, and the search for assets that exist outside centralized systems.

    Wealth Megatrends is a subscription-based research newsletter published monthly by Weiss Ratings. It provides economic cycle analysis for informational purposes only.

    SECTION 6 – AVAILABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY

    Readers seeking additional context on gold market cycles, equity sector dynamics, or commodity-aligned investment frameworks can find expanded analysis in the Wealth Megatrends publication. The platform is designed to offer economic research and independent forecasting centered around macroeconomic cycles, resource asset classes, and long-term portfolio theory.

    All materials are presented for informational purposes only and are developed using a combination of historical market analysis, third-party data synthesis, and independent evaluation of publicly available company performance metrics. No materials constitute financial advice or investment guidance. Instead, Wealth Megatrends content is intended to support educational exploration for individuals seeking to understand the structural drivers behind evolving market behavior.

    SECTION 7 – FINAL OBSERVATIONS & INDUSTRY CONTEXT

    The renewed momentum behind gold and gold-aligned equities reflects a broader shift in investor expectations across global markets. What began as a defensive reaction to short-term economic stressors has evolved into a long-term reassessment of value preservation frameworks and asset decentralization strategies. Within this environment, commodities such as gold and, by extension, mining sector exposure have re-emerged as central discussion points in the allocation strategies of both institutional and individual investors.

    The movement is not isolated to metals alone. It parallels a growing trend toward so-called “clean-label assets”—investments perceived as tangible, auditable, and less reliant on third-party counterparty risk. This shift mirrors consumer demand in other sectors, where transparency, operational integrity, and verifiable origin are increasingly prioritized over yield projections or promotional narratives.

    As global policy tools face scrutiny and traditional diversification models come under pressure, the precious metals space may continue to serve as both a barometer and a response mechanism to macroeconomic volatility.

    SECTION 8 – PUBLIC COMMENTARY THEME SUMMARY

    Public commentary surrounding the current gold cycle reflects a diverse mix of enthusiasm, skepticism, and inquiry. A recurring theme among bullish observers is the belief that structural global instability—encompassing monetary policy and geopolitical shifts—has triggered a renewed case for gold as a long-term asset.

    At the same time, some participants express concern over the potential for near-term overvaluation. A recurring discussion point involves the pace of recent gains and whether market enthusiasm may be outpacing underlying supply-demand fundamentals.

    Discussions across digital channels also reflect an evolving understanding of how gold-related equities behave differently from physical bullion. Some have noted that while gold mining stocks can amplify exposure to the metal’s price, they may also introduce operational, jurisdictional, or liquidity risks not present in the physical commodity itself.

    Another frequently cited theme involves the role of silver and other precious metals within the current narrative. Some market observers have expressed curiosity about whether these secondary metals will follow gold’s trajectory or establish differentiated cycles based on industrial demand and production forecasts.

    ABOUT THE COMPANY

    Founded to help investors navigate complex economic cycles, Wealth Megatrends is a monthly research publication that provides independent, data-driven analysis across precious metals, energy, and global resource sectors. Veteran cycles analyst Sean Brodrick leads the newsletter and is part of the Weiss Ratings ecosystem, a firm originally established in 1971 and known for its transparent approach to financial modeling and risk assessment.

    The publication does not provide investment advice, treatment, or diagnostic services and is intended strictly for educational and informational purposes.

    Contact:

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Wealth Megatrends Releases 2025 Forecast Update on Gold Prediction Amid Historic Surge in Central Bank Demand

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Palm Beach Gardens, July 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION

    The gold market has re-entered a cycle of historic attention as macroeconomic uncertainty accelerates worldwide. In early 2025, gold prices surged beyond $3,200 per ounce for the first time on record, prompting a surge in online interest, independent forecasts, and portfolio reassessments. This surge can be attributed to factors such as recent tariff escalations, currency reallocation by foreign governments, and geopolitical fragmentation, which have amplified concerns about the long-term stability of fiat systems. Simultaneously, capital outflows and bond yield distortions have complicated traditional wealth preservation strategies. Many investors, both institutional and retail, are actively revisiting gold as a potential counterbalance to portfolio risk, particularly in light of rising stagflation narratives.

    This trend is rooted in increasingly visible disruptions across both U.S. and international markets. Recent tariff escalations, currency reallocation by foreign governments, and geopolitical fragmentation have amplified concerns about the long-term stability of fiat systems. Simultaneously, capital outflows and bond yield distortions have complicated traditional wealth preservation strategies. Many investors, both institutional and retail, are actively revisiting gold as a potential counterbalance to portfolio risk, particularly in light of rising stagflation narratives.

    Gold’s long-term historical performance, a key factor in its investment potential, continues to draw analytical interest. Since 2000, the metal has averaged over 20% annualized returns in periods of monetary dislocation, with only four annual declines in the past 25 years. This statistical consistency has aligned with peak search periods around previous crises, including the 2008 financial collapse, the 2020 pandemic response, and inflation spikes of the 1970s, providing reassurance to potential investors.

    As the dollar weakens and equity markets exhibit erratic momentum, digital conversations have also expanded beyond physical gold. Investor attention is turning toward ancillary market sectors with cyclical ties to the price of gold, specifically gold mining equities, royalty streaming models, and historically correlated commodities. In response to this emerging wave of interest, financial analysts and newsletter platforms have begun re-evaluating the long-term implications of sustained gold appreciation under current monetary and geopolitical conditions.

    To explore the full gold forecast and related analysis from Sean Brodrick, visit the Wealth Megatrends research platform at: www.weissratings.com.

    SECTION 2 – COMPANY / PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT

    In its latest macroeconomic outlook, Wealth Megatrends, backed by the highly respected and seasoned precious metals researcher Sean Brodrick, has released an updated analysis. His projection of a potential rise in gold prices to $6,900 per ounce—more than double current levels-is a significant milestone in the gold market. This projection, based on more than two decades of field-based research across global mining markets, follows gold’s recent break past $3,200, a milestone Brodrick had publicly projected following key shifts in post-election market dynamics and intensifying global trade disruptions.

    Brodrick’s projections are informed by more than two decades of field-based research across global mining markets. They are developed in collaboration with Weiss Ratings, an independent financial analysis firm known for its longstanding data-driven forecasting models. Founded nearly a century ago, Weiss Ratings has established a reputation for identifying risk-adjusted investment trends early in their cycle across multiple sectors, including commodities. Wealth Megatrends, on the other hand, is a leading authority in macroeconomic trends and has a track record of accurate forecasts in the precious metals market.

    The latest gold outlook presented through Wealth Megatrends is framed within the broader thesis that structural volatility—driven by tariffs, debt accumulation, and rising capital flight—may continue to pressure fiat currencies and redirect both institutional and sovereign interest toward hard assets. Within that narrative, Brodrick identifies gold’s current trajectory as part of a long-form secular cycle, where historical comparisons to the 1970s, early 2000s, and post-2008 recovery periods offer a relevant benchmark.

    The forecast does not focus solely on bullion pricing. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of understanding how gold-related equities—specifically gold mining stocks—have historically shown outsized performance during similar macroeconomic phases. While physical gold has traditionally served as a wealth preservation tool, equities tied to its production have demonstrated the potential for amplified movement, often reflecting operational leverage and commodity price elasticity. This comprehensive view of the market, providing a holistic understanding, is crucial for investors seeking to maximize their returns and feel prepared for their investment decisions.

    Wealth Megatrends positions this update as part of its ongoing commitment to transparency in informational research within the investment landscape. All perspectives are based on publicly observable market behavior, historical analogs, and forward-looking interpretations of supply-demand dislocations currently underway in the precious metals ecosystem. This commitment ensures that our audience can trust the information we provide.

    SECTION 3 – TREND ANALYSIS / CONSUMER INTEREST

    As uncertainty continues to shape global markets, search behavior and investor sentiment have undergone a noticeable shift. Interest in “gold forecast,” “gold prediction 2025,” and “how to invest in gold mining stocks” has surged across digital platforms. Concurrently, investment forums, macroeconomic newsletters, and institutional reports have intensified their coverage of gold and related asset classes, driven by elevated concerns over inflation, currency depreciation, and geopolitical fragmentation.

    Beyond retail curiosity, sovereign actors are playing an increasingly visible role in gold market dynamics. According to international financial reporting, global central banks have significantly increased their gold reserves over the last five years, with holdings reaching multi-decade highs. Nations such as China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Hungary have expanded their stockpiles, while institutions like the IMF have noted a material decline in U.S. dollar reserve dominance. This broader pivot toward physical gold reflects a growing skepticism toward traditional currency systems, particularly after recent asset seizures and shifting global monetary policies.

    At the same time, prominent hedge fund managers and macro investors have reportedly rotated capital into precious metals and resource equities. Though motivations vary—from protection against dollar volatility to long-term diversification—the directional trend suggests a shared expectation of continued financial instability. These evolving behaviors have contributed to an ecosystem where gold-related content now performs at record engagement levels across both news outlets and investment research platforms.

    Notably, the discourse is also expanding beyond bullion. Mining stocks, streaming firms, and gold-sector ETFs have re-emerged in public conversations due to their historical pattern of outperforming the underlying metal during bull cycles. This pattern, often tied to operational leverage and production scalability, is once again being evaluated by market analysts seeking exposure to gold-aligned opportunities without the logistical or storage limitations of physical assets.

    Additional insights into long-cycle gold behavior, macro trends, and equity exposure models are available through the Wealth Megatrends monthly publication, produced by Weiss Ratings.

    SECTION 4 – TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT

    Within the broader conversation about gold’s long-term role in financial strategy, renewed interest is emerging in an adjacent category: publicly traded gold mining companies. Historically, these companies have moved directionally with the price of gold but have shown the potential for outsized volatility—both upward and downward—due to the inherent operating leverage tied to commodity prices.

    Mining equities represent businesses engaged in the extraction, production, and refinement of gold, often operating across geographically diverse sites. Their revenue models are influenced not only by prevailing spot prices but also by internal efficiencies, fixed operating costs, jurisdictional stability, and resource scalability. This makes them a subject of focused interest for market analysts seeking to interpret how rising gold prices might impact corporate financial performance within the sector.

    In previous gold bull markets—such as those seen in the 1970s, early 2000s, and post-2008—specific gold mining equities exhibited exponential price action relative to the metal itself. This pattern, commonly attributed to margin expansion, arises when rising gold prices exceed fixed production costs. While the price of gold may increase incrementally, the profitability of certain miners can shift more dramatically under favorable conditions, depending on operational factors such as grade, jurisdiction, and scale of output.

    Recent digital commentary also reflects growing awareness of gold mining sub-sectors, including royalty and streaming companies. These entities do not engage directly in mining but instead finance producers in exchange for a fixed share of production, often at below-market rates. As a result, they tend to operate with reduced overhead and exposure, while still participating in the broader gold cycle.

    SECTION 5 – USER JOURNEY NARRATIVE / MARKET RECEPTION

    Public conversation around gold has shifted dramatically in recent quarters, with online forums, financial publications, and independent research platforms documenting a growing reappraisal of gold’s long-term role in diversified strategies. Once considered a niche or defensive holding, gold is increasingly being positioned by investors as a foundational asset in the face of mounting systemic uncertainty.

    The transition in tone—from peripheral interest to mainstream reconsideration—has coincided with several economic flashpoints. These include the recalibration of central bank policies, persistent inflation indicators, and pronounced volatility in both equity and fixed-income markets. As global confidence in fiat stability continues to waver, discourse around asset preservation has taken on new urgency. In this environment, physical gold is commonly cited as a symbolic safeguard, while gold-linked equities are being explored for their cyclical performance dynamics.

    This renewed attention is not limited to physical asset holders. Retail investors who previously focused on conventional equities or index strategies are now engaging with educational content around gold mining companies, royalty models, and global production footprints. Meanwhile, institutional portfolios have been observed increasing their allocations to tangible asset categories, sometimes through passive vehicles that provide exposure to diversified gold equity baskets.

    Notably, this shift in tone is not driven solely by performance metrics but by a broader cultural narrative about financial resilience, global realignment, and the search for assets that exist outside centralized systems.

    Wealth Megatrends is a subscription-based research newsletter published monthly by Weiss Ratings. It provides economic cycle analysis for informational purposes only.

    SECTION 6 – AVAILABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY

    Readers seeking additional context on gold market cycles, equity sector dynamics, or commodity-aligned investment frameworks can find expanded analysis in the Wealth Megatrends publication. The platform is designed to offer economic research and independent forecasting centered around macroeconomic cycles, resource asset classes, and long-term portfolio theory.

    All materials are presented for informational purposes only and are developed using a combination of historical market analysis, third-party data synthesis, and independent evaluation of publicly available company performance metrics. No materials constitute financial advice or investment guidance. Instead, Wealth Megatrends content is intended to support educational exploration for individuals seeking to understand the structural drivers behind evolving market behavior.

    SECTION 7 – FINAL OBSERVATIONS & INDUSTRY CONTEXT

    The renewed momentum behind gold and gold-aligned equities reflects a broader shift in investor expectations across global markets. What began as a defensive reaction to short-term economic stressors has evolved into a long-term reassessment of value preservation frameworks and asset decentralization strategies. Within this environment, commodities such as gold and, by extension, mining sector exposure have re-emerged as central discussion points in the allocation strategies of both institutional and individual investors.

    The movement is not isolated to metals alone. It parallels a growing trend toward so-called “clean-label assets”—investments perceived as tangible, auditable, and less reliant on third-party counterparty risk. This shift mirrors consumer demand in other sectors, where transparency, operational integrity, and verifiable origin are increasingly prioritized over yield projections or promotional narratives.

    As global policy tools face scrutiny and traditional diversification models come under pressure, the precious metals space may continue to serve as both a barometer and a response mechanism to macroeconomic volatility.

    SECTION 8 – PUBLIC COMMENTARY THEME SUMMARY

    Public commentary surrounding the current gold cycle reflects a diverse mix of enthusiasm, skepticism, and inquiry. A recurring theme among bullish observers is the belief that structural global instability—encompassing monetary policy and geopolitical shifts—has triggered a renewed case for gold as a long-term asset.

    At the same time, some participants express concern over the potential for near-term overvaluation. A recurring discussion point involves the pace of recent gains and whether market enthusiasm may be outpacing underlying supply-demand fundamentals.

    Discussions across digital channels also reflect an evolving understanding of how gold-related equities behave differently from physical bullion. Some have noted that while gold mining stocks can amplify exposure to the metal’s price, they may also introduce operational, jurisdictional, or liquidity risks not present in the physical commodity itself.

    Another frequently cited theme involves the role of silver and other precious metals within the current narrative. Some market observers have expressed curiosity about whether these secondary metals will follow gold’s trajectory or establish differentiated cycles based on industrial demand and production forecasts.

    ABOUT THE COMPANY

    Founded to help investors navigate complex economic cycles, Wealth Megatrends is a monthly research publication that provides independent, data-driven analysis across precious metals, energy, and global resource sectors. Veteran cycles analyst Sean Brodrick leads the newsletter and is part of the Weiss Ratings ecosystem, a firm originally established in 1971 and known for its transparent approach to financial modeling and risk assessment.

    The publication does not provide investment advice, treatment, or diagnostic services and is intended strictly for educational and informational purposes.

    Contact:

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-Evening Report: 6 simple questions to tell if a ‘finfluencer’ is more flash than cash

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dimitrios Salampasis, Associate Professor, Emerging Technologies and FinTech | FinTech Capability Lead, Swinburne University of Technology

    Oleg Golovnev/Shutterstock

    Images of flashy sports cars. Lavish lifestyle shots. These are just some of the red flags consumers should watch out for when they turn to social media for financial advice.

    Consumers should not believe everything they see on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube from the growing numbers of “finfluencers” – content creators who build their audience by giving out financial advice.

    The regulator responsible for financial products and advice, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), has issued warning notices to 18 social media finfluencers. ASIC said it suspects they have broken the law by promoting high-risk financial products or providing unlicensed financial advice. ASIC did not name them.

    So, why is regulated financial advice important and what are some of the common practices finfluencers use to attract followers and customers?

    Financial advice rules explained

    Australian Financial Services laws are designed to protect consumers and investors, while promoting the integrity of financial markets. It is both unethical and illegal to promote financial products without proper authorisation.

    In Australia, it is an offence under the Corporations Act to provide financial advice without an Australian Financial Services licence. Penalties include up to five years’ imprisonment or fines of A$1 million or more.

    ASIC issued a similar warning to online finfluencers in 2022. Since then, the number of social media posts by unauthorised finfluencers have substantially reduced.

    Many finfluencers became licensed or authorised representatives of a licensee, along with being more diligent about what they were posting online. Natasha Etschmann, with 300,000 Instagram and TikTok followers at @TashInvests, became licensed immediately after the 2022 warning.

    Some other finfluencers were arrested, issued fines or ordered to take down their websites.

    High-risk products

    However, some finfluencers who style themselves as “trading experts” continue to provide unauthorised financial advice, usually for a fee or commission. They promote high-risk, complex investment products that can cause consumers substantial harm.

    These products include contracts-for-difference
    and over-the-counter derivative products that do not trade on an exchange. ASIC says its current concerns lie with these content creators:

    Their social media content is often accompanied by misleading or deceptive representations about the prospects of success from the products or trading strategies they promote, sharing images of lavish lifestyles, sports cars and other luxury goods.

    What to watch on socials

    About 41% of young Australians aged 18 to 30 look online for financial information or advice.

    While budgeting tips can be helpful, it’s important to be extra careful with online financial advice. Consumers should not believe everything they see on social media.

    Conducting due diligence and checking finfluencers’ credentials on ASIC’s Professional Registers search tool is crucial. Choose expert and licensed finfluencers rather than accounts with large followings and exaggerated or misleading claims. Popularity does not always mean credibility.

    There are certain red flags to watch out for. Some finfluencers use pseudonyms. They promote “exclusive” financial advice content and access to “invitation-only” online communities for a fee. In many cases, they lack credible experience or certified financial planning training to provide financial advice.

    Your finfluencer vetting toolkit

    When choosing to follow or acquire the services of a finfluencer, ask:

    1. is this finfluencer licensed or authorised?

    2. how realistic are the promised financial outcomes? Are they too good to be true?

    3. does the finfluencer disclose their personal financial position or investments when discussing financial products or strategies?

    4. are they transparent about? their track record of accuracy or accountability?

    5. do they address publicly a case when their audience lost money from a strategy they recommended?

    6. does the finfluencer tailor content to different investment risk profiles or financial maturity levels in their audiences?

    Are you being sold a dream?

    Social media finfluencer content can often come with misleading or deceptive representations (such as the sports cars and luxury goods that ASIC has warned about). Content may overstate the prospects of success and potential profits.

    Some – usually unlicensed – finfluencers use social media content as “proof” of their financial expertise. One common practice is to try to lure consumers by creating a hyped world around their own personal lifestyle. Many finfluencers often extend invitations to consumers to join closed forums to “learn” their hidden secrets to success or copy their “famous” trading practices.

    These finfluencers usually try to convince consumers they can achieve a similar lifestyle by following their advice.

    Finfluencers are global

    ASIC issued the warnings as part of a recent global week of action. ASIC and eight regulators from the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Italy, Hong Kong and Canada took coordinated action to disrupt unlawful finfluencer activity.
    The global campaign aims to raise awareness about unlawful finfluencer activity, protect consumers, and prevent them from investing after encountering misleading content.

    Consumers need to distinguish between credible financial advice and self-serving or misleading content before trusting their money to anyone.

    Spotted unlicensed influencer activity? Report this misconduct to ASIC.

    Dimitrios Salampasis is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA), member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and member of the Singapore Institute of Directors (SID).

    ref. 6 simple questions to tell if a ‘finfluencer’ is more flash than cash – https://theconversation.com/6-simple-questions-to-tell-if-a-finfluencer-is-more-flash-than-cash-259906

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: 6 simple questions to tell if a ‘finfluencer’ is more flash than cash

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dimitrios Salampasis, Associate Professor, Emerging Technologies and FinTech | FinTech Capability Lead, Swinburne University of Technology

    Oleg Golovnev/Shutterstock

    Images of flashy sports cars. Lavish lifestyle shots. These are just some of the red flags consumers should watch out for when they turn to social media for financial advice.

    Consumers should not believe everything they see on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube from the growing numbers of “finfluencers” – content creators who build their audience by giving out financial advice.

    The regulator responsible for financial products and advice, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), has issued warning notices to 18 social media finfluencers. ASIC said it suspects they have broken the law by promoting high-risk financial products or providing unlicensed financial advice. ASIC did not name them.

    So, why is regulated financial advice important and what are some of the common practices finfluencers use to attract followers and customers?

    Financial advice rules explained

    Australian Financial Services laws are designed to protect consumers and investors, while promoting the integrity of financial markets. It is both unethical and illegal to promote financial products without proper authorisation.

    In Australia, it is an offence under the Corporations Act to provide financial advice without an Australian Financial Services licence. Penalties include up to five years’ imprisonment or fines of A$1 million or more.

    ASIC issued a similar warning to online finfluencers in 2022. Since then, the number of social media posts by unauthorised finfluencers have substantially reduced.

    Many finfluencers became licensed or authorised representatives of a licensee, along with being more diligent about what they were posting online. Natasha Etschmann, with 300,000 Instagram and TikTok followers at @TashInvests, became licensed immediately after the 2022 warning.

    Some other finfluencers were arrested, issued fines or ordered to take down their websites.

    High-risk products

    However, some finfluencers who style themselves as “trading experts” continue to provide unauthorised financial advice, usually for a fee or commission. They promote high-risk, complex investment products that can cause consumers substantial harm.

    These products include contracts-for-difference
    and over-the-counter derivative products that do not trade on an exchange. ASIC says its current concerns lie with these content creators:

    Their social media content is often accompanied by misleading or deceptive representations about the prospects of success from the products or trading strategies they promote, sharing images of lavish lifestyles, sports cars and other luxury goods.

    What to watch on socials

    About 41% of young Australians aged 18 to 30 look online for financial information or advice.

    While budgeting tips can be helpful, it’s important to be extra careful with online financial advice. Consumers should not believe everything they see on social media.

    Conducting due diligence and checking finfluencers’ credentials on ASIC’s Professional Registers search tool is crucial. Choose expert and licensed finfluencers rather than accounts with large followings and exaggerated or misleading claims. Popularity does not always mean credibility.

    There are certain red flags to watch out for. Some finfluencers use pseudonyms. They promote “exclusive” financial advice content and access to “invitation-only” online communities for a fee. In many cases, they lack credible experience or certified financial planning training to provide financial advice.

    Your finfluencer vetting toolkit

    When choosing to follow or acquire the services of a finfluencer, ask:

    1. is this finfluencer licensed or authorised?

    2. how realistic are the promised financial outcomes? Are they too good to be true?

    3. does the finfluencer disclose their personal financial position or investments when discussing financial products or strategies?

    4. are they transparent about? their track record of accuracy or accountability?

    5. do they address publicly a case when their audience lost money from a strategy they recommended?

    6. does the finfluencer tailor content to different investment risk profiles or financial maturity levels in their audiences?

    Are you being sold a dream?

    Social media finfluencer content can often come with misleading or deceptive representations (such as the sports cars and luxury goods that ASIC has warned about). Content may overstate the prospects of success and potential profits.

    Some – usually unlicensed – finfluencers use social media content as “proof” of their financial expertise. One common practice is to try to lure consumers by creating a hyped world around their own personal lifestyle. Many finfluencers often extend invitations to consumers to join closed forums to “learn” their hidden secrets to success or copy their “famous” trading practices.

    These finfluencers usually try to convince consumers they can achieve a similar lifestyle by following their advice.

    Finfluencers are global

    ASIC issued the warnings as part of a recent global week of action. ASIC and eight regulators from the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Italy, Hong Kong and Canada took coordinated action to disrupt unlawful finfluencer activity.
    The global campaign aims to raise awareness about unlawful finfluencer activity, protect consumers, and prevent them from investing after encountering misleading content.

    Consumers need to distinguish between credible financial advice and self-serving or misleading content before trusting their money to anyone.

    Spotted unlicensed influencer activity? Report this misconduct to ASIC.

    Dimitrios Salampasis is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA), member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and member of the Singapore Institute of Directors (SID).

    ref. 6 simple questions to tell if a ‘finfluencer’ is more flash than cash – https://theconversation.com/6-simple-questions-to-tell-if-a-finfluencer-is-more-flash-than-cash-259906

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: Mauna Loa Observatory captured the reality of climate change. The US plans to shut it down

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Sen Gupta, Associate Professor in Climate Science, UNSW Sydney

    Izabela23/Shutterstock

    The greenhouse effect was discovered more than 150 years ago and the first scientific paper linking carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere with climate change was published in 1896.

    But it wasn’t until the 1950s that scientists could definitively detect the effect of human activities on the Earth’s atmosphere.

    In 1956, United States scientist Charles Keeling chose Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano for the site of a new atmospheric measuring station. It was ideal, located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and at high altitude away from the confounding influence of population centres.

    Data collected by Mauna Loa from 1958 onward let us clearly see the evidence of climate change for the first time. The station samples the air and measures global CO₂ levels. Charles Keeling and his successors used this data to produce the famous Keeling curve – a graph showing carbon dioxide levels increasing year after year.

    But this precious record is in peril. US President Donald Trump has decided to defund the observatory recording the data, as well as the widespread US greenhouse gas monitoring network and other climate measuring sites.

    We can’t solve the existential problem of climate change if we can’t track the changes. Losing Mauna Loa would be a huge loss to climate science. If it shuts, other observatories such as Australia’s Kennaook/Cape Grim will become even more vital.

    The Keeling Curve tracking steadily rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere came from data gathered at Mauna Loa.
    Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, CC BY-NC-ND

    What did Mauna Loa show us?

    The first year of measurements at Mauna Loa revealed something incredible. For the first time, the clear annual cycle in atmospheric CO₂ was visible. As plants grow in summer, they absorb CO₂ and draw it out of the atmosphere. As they die and decay in winter, the CO₂ returns to the atmosphere. It’s like Earth is breathing.

    Most land on Earth is in the Northern Hemisphere, which means this cycle is largely influenced by the northern summer and winter.

    The annual cycle of carbon dioxide is largely due to plant growth and decay in the northern hemisphere.

    It only took a few years of measurements before an even more profound pattern emerged.

    Year on year, CO₂ levels in the atmosphere were relentlessly rising. The natural in-out cycle continued, but against a steady increase.

    Scientists would later figure out that the ocean and land together were absorbing almost half of the CO₂ produced by humans. But the rest was building up in the atmosphere.

    Crucially, isotopic measurements meant scientists could be crystal clear about the origin of the extra carbon dioxide. It was coming from humans, largely through burning fossil fuels.

    Mauna Loa has now been collecting data for more than 65 years. The resulting Keeling curve graph is the most iconic demonstration of how human activities are collectively affecting the planet.

    When the last of the Baby Boomer generation were being born in the 1960s, CO₂ levels were around 320 parts per million. Now they’re over 420 ppm. That’s a level unseen for at least three million years. The rate of increase far exceeds any natural change in the past 50 million years.

    The reason carbon dioxide is so important is that this molecule has special properties. Its ability to trap heat alongside other greenhouse gases means Earth isn’t a frozen rock. If there were no greenhouse gases, Earth would have an average temperature of -18°C, rather than the balmy 14°C under which human civilisation emerged.

    The greenhouse effect is essential to life. But if there are too many gases, the planet becomes dangerously hot. That’s what’s happening now – a very sharp increase in gases exceptionally good at trapping heat even at low concentrations.

    Greenhouse gases are the reason Earth isn’t an icebox. But the rate humans are emitting them is leading to very rapid changes.
    Reid Wiseman/NASA, CC BY-NC-ND

    Keeping our eyes open

    It’s not enough to know CO₂ is climbing. Monitoring is essential. That’s because as the planet warms, both the ocean and the land are expected to take up less and less of humanity’s emissions, letting still more carbon accumulate in the air.

    Continuous, high-precision monitoring is the only way to spot if and when that happens.

    This monitoring provides the vital means to verify whether new climate policies are genuinely influencing the atmospheric CO₂ curve rather than just being touted as effective. Monitoring will also be vital to capture the moment many have been working towards when government policies and new technologies finally slow and eventually stop the increase in CO₂.

    The US administration’s plans to defund key climate monitoring systems and roll back green energy initiatives presents a global challenge.

    Without these systems, it will be harder to forecast the weather and give seasonal updates. It will also be harder to forecast dangerous extreme weather events.

    Scientists in the US and globally have sounded the alarm about what the closure would do to science. This is understandable. Stopping data climate collection is like breaking a thermometer because you don’t like knowing you’ve got a fever.

    If the US follows through, other countries will need to carefully reconsider their commitments to gathering and sharing climate data.

    Australia has a long record of direct atmospheric CO₂ measurement, which began in 1976 at the Kennaook/Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station in north-west Tasmania. This and other climate observations will only become more valuable if Mauna Loa is lost.

    It remains to be seen how Australia’s leaders respond to the US retreat from climate monitoring. Ideally, Australia would not only maintain but strategically expand its monitoring systems of atmosphere, land and oceans.

    Alex Sen Gupta receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Katrin Meissner receives funding from the Minderoo Foundation and has received funding from the Australian Research Council in the past.

    Timothy Raupach receives funding from QBE Insurance, Guy Carpenter, and the Australian Research Council.

    ref. Mauna Loa Observatory captured the reality of climate change. The US plans to shut it down – https://theconversation.com/mauna-loa-observatory-captured-the-reality-of-climate-change-the-us-plans-to-shut-it-down-260403

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: Mauna Loa Observatory captured the reality of climate change. The US plans to shut it down

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Sen Gupta, Associate Professor in Climate Science, UNSW Sydney

    Izabela23/Shutterstock

    The greenhouse effect was discovered more than 150 years ago and the first scientific paper linking carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere with climate change was published in 1896.

    But it wasn’t until the 1950s that scientists could definitively detect the effect of human activities on the Earth’s atmosphere.

    In 1956, United States scientist Charles Keeling chose Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano for the site of a new atmospheric measuring station. It was ideal, located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and at high altitude away from the confounding influence of population centres.

    Data collected by Mauna Loa from 1958 onward let us clearly see the evidence of climate change for the first time. The station samples the air and measures global CO₂ levels. Charles Keeling and his successors used this data to produce the famous Keeling curve – a graph showing carbon dioxide levels increasing year after year.

    But this precious record is in peril. US President Donald Trump has decided to defund the observatory recording the data, as well as the widespread US greenhouse gas monitoring network and other climate measuring sites.

    We can’t solve the existential problem of climate change if we can’t track the changes. Losing Mauna Loa would be a huge loss to climate science. If it shuts, other observatories such as Australia’s Kennaook/Cape Grim will become even more vital.

    The Keeling Curve tracking steadily rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere came from data gathered at Mauna Loa.
    Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, CC BY-NC-ND

    What did Mauna Loa show us?

    The first year of measurements at Mauna Loa revealed something incredible. For the first time, the clear annual cycle in atmospheric CO₂ was visible. As plants grow in summer, they absorb CO₂ and draw it out of the atmosphere. As they die and decay in winter, the CO₂ returns to the atmosphere. It’s like Earth is breathing.

    Most land on Earth is in the Northern Hemisphere, which means this cycle is largely influenced by the northern summer and winter.

    The annual cycle of carbon dioxide is largely due to plant growth and decay in the northern hemisphere.

    It only took a few years of measurements before an even more profound pattern emerged.

    Year on year, CO₂ levels in the atmosphere were relentlessly rising. The natural in-out cycle continued, but against a steady increase.

    Scientists would later figure out that the ocean and land together were absorbing almost half of the CO₂ produced by humans. But the rest was building up in the atmosphere.

    Crucially, isotopic measurements meant scientists could be crystal clear about the origin of the extra carbon dioxide. It was coming from humans, largely through burning fossil fuels.

    Mauna Loa has now been collecting data for more than 65 years. The resulting Keeling curve graph is the most iconic demonstration of how human activities are collectively affecting the planet.

    When the last of the Baby Boomer generation were being born in the 1960s, CO₂ levels were around 320 parts per million. Now they’re over 420 ppm. That’s a level unseen for at least three million years. The rate of increase far exceeds any natural change in the past 50 million years.

    The reason carbon dioxide is so important is that this molecule has special properties. Its ability to trap heat alongside other greenhouse gases means Earth isn’t a frozen rock. If there were no greenhouse gases, Earth would have an average temperature of -18°C, rather than the balmy 14°C under which human civilisation emerged.

    The greenhouse effect is essential to life. But if there are too many gases, the planet becomes dangerously hot. That’s what’s happening now – a very sharp increase in gases exceptionally good at trapping heat even at low concentrations.

    Greenhouse gases are the reason Earth isn’t an icebox. But the rate humans are emitting them is leading to very rapid changes.
    Reid Wiseman/NASA, CC BY-NC-ND

    Keeping our eyes open

    It’s not enough to know CO₂ is climbing. Monitoring is essential. That’s because as the planet warms, both the ocean and the land are expected to take up less and less of humanity’s emissions, letting still more carbon accumulate in the air.

    Continuous, high-precision monitoring is the only way to spot if and when that happens.

    This monitoring provides the vital means to verify whether new climate policies are genuinely influencing the atmospheric CO₂ curve rather than just being touted as effective. Monitoring will also be vital to capture the moment many have been working towards when government policies and new technologies finally slow and eventually stop the increase in CO₂.

    The US administration’s plans to defund key climate monitoring systems and roll back green energy initiatives presents a global challenge.

    Without these systems, it will be harder to forecast the weather and give seasonal updates. It will also be harder to forecast dangerous extreme weather events.

    Scientists in the US and globally have sounded the alarm about what the closure would do to science. This is understandable. Stopping data climate collection is like breaking a thermometer because you don’t like knowing you’ve got a fever.

    If the US follows through, other countries will need to carefully reconsider their commitments to gathering and sharing climate data.

    Australia has a long record of direct atmospheric CO₂ measurement, which began in 1976 at the Kennaook/Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station in north-west Tasmania. This and other climate observations will only become more valuable if Mauna Loa is lost.

    It remains to be seen how Australia’s leaders respond to the US retreat from climate monitoring. Ideally, Australia would not only maintain but strategically expand its monitoring systems of atmosphere, land and oceans.

    Alex Sen Gupta receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Katrin Meissner receives funding from the Minderoo Foundation and has received funding from the Australian Research Council in the past.

    Timothy Raupach receives funding from QBE Insurance, Guy Carpenter, and the Australian Research Council.

    ref. Mauna Loa Observatory captured the reality of climate change. The US plans to shut it down – https://theconversation.com/mauna-loa-observatory-captured-the-reality-of-climate-change-the-us-plans-to-shut-it-down-260403

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ will soon have no real interisland rail-ferry link – why are we so bad at infrastructure planning?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

    Another week, another Cook Strait ferry breakdown. As the winter maintenance season approaches and the Aratere prepares for its final months of service, New Zealand faces a self-imposed crisis.

    The government has spent NZ$507.3 million on cancelled iReX ferry plans, the country’s fleet has an average age of 28 years, and the earliest New Zealanders can hope for promised replacements is 2029.

    The Marlborough Chamber of Commerce warns unreliable ferries already shake tourist confidence. Several more years of duct-tape solutions won’t help.

    The recent pattern of breakdowns and cancellations has become so routine that New Zealand risks normalising what should be viewed as a national crisis: a serious infrastructure failure.

    It is also a textbook example of how short-term political cycles, coupled with chronic under-investment, create far more expensive problems than the ones they promise to solve.

    Cost blowouts

    While ministers claim to have spared taxpayers a $4 billion blowout on new ferries, Treasury papers show almost 80% of the cost escalation lay in seismic upgrades for wharves, not in the vessels themselves. Those land-side works will be required no matter what ferries the country eventually orders.

    Justifying the original contract cancellation, Finance Minister Nicola Willis quipped that iReX was a Ferrari when a Toyota Corolla would do. But the cost of finding a suitable Corolla is adding up fast.

    Annual maintenance costs are projected to nearly double to $65 million, just to keep the existing ageing ferries running. Additionally, $300 million had to be earmarked to cover fees for breaking the original ferry replacement contract.

    By retiring the Aratere this year – New Zealand’s only rail-capable ferry – the government is also severing the interisland rail link for almost five years.

    KiwiRail will “road-bridge” rail freight, an expensive workaround that involves loading train cars onto trucks, putting those trucks on ferries, then reversing the process at the other end. This will increase truck traffic, produce more emissions and add more wear to already strained infrastructure.

    Forcing more than $14 billion worth of annual freight from rail to road could also negatively affect New Zealand’s climate change commitments. Freight moved by rail generates only about 25% of the CO₂ per tonne-kilometre of the same load produced when hauled by truck.

    The cancelled hybrid ferries would have also cut emissions by 40%. Instead, New Zealand is locking in higher emissions for another half decade or longer.

    Unrealistic timelines

    The ferry saga reflects New Zealand’s infrastructure problem in a nutshell. The country tends to underestimate costs, create unfeasible timelines, then shows dismay when projects blow up or limp home at double the price.

    Auckland exemplifies the pattern. The city has seen decades of cancelled harbour crossing proposals and a scrapped light rail project, with nothing to show but consultancy fees.

    When New Zealand does build –Transmission Gully, for example – the final bill bears little resemblance to initial quotes. The 27 kilometre motorway north of Wellington was nearly 50% over budget and took eight years to build – two years longer than promised.

    The systematic underestimation of costs reflects a flawed approach to infrastructure planning. Politicians need quick wins within three-year electoral cycles, while infrastructure projects take decades to deliver.

    Projects are approved based on lowball estimates, with the outcome inherited by another administration. This has crossed party lines and created a system that rewards short-term thinking and punishes long-term planning.

    Just consider the second crossing for Auckland Harbour. For 35 years, the government has commissioned study after study – from the 1988 tunnel plans to the 2010 business cases – each time backing away when the price tag appeared, or the government changed.

    The iReX cancellation marks the first time the government has actually signed contracts and then walked away. As with the second Auckland Harbour crossing, each delay has only made the inevitable solution more expensive.

    Other countries have, to a degree, addressed this problem. Infrastructure Australia, for example, provides independent cost assessments and long-term planning that transcends political cycles. New Zealand’s Infrastructure Commission, established in 2019, lacks similar teeth and independence.

    Ultimately this isn’t really about ferries. It’s about how New Zealand consistently fails to deliver, on time and at cost, the infrastructure that keeps its economy moving.

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

    ref. NZ will soon have no real interisland rail-ferry link – why are we so bad at infrastructure planning? – https://theconversation.com/nz-will-soon-have-no-real-interisland-rail-ferry-link-why-are-we-so-bad-at-infrastructure-planning-260279

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ will soon have no real interisland rail-ferry link – why are we so bad at infrastructure planning?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

    Another week, another Cook Strait ferry breakdown. As the winter maintenance season approaches and the Aratere prepares for its final months of service, New Zealand faces a self-imposed crisis.

    The government has spent NZ$507.3 million on cancelled iReX ferry plans, the country’s fleet has an average age of 28 years, and the earliest New Zealanders can hope for promised replacements is 2029.

    The Marlborough Chamber of Commerce warns unreliable ferries already shake tourist confidence. Several more years of duct-tape solutions won’t help.

    The recent pattern of breakdowns and cancellations has become so routine that New Zealand risks normalising what should be viewed as a national crisis: a serious infrastructure failure.

    It is also a textbook example of how short-term political cycles, coupled with chronic under-investment, create far more expensive problems than the ones they promise to solve.

    Cost blowouts

    While ministers claim to have spared taxpayers a $4 billion blowout on new ferries, Treasury papers show almost 80% of the cost escalation lay in seismic upgrades for wharves, not in the vessels themselves. Those land-side works will be required no matter what ferries the country eventually orders.

    Justifying the original contract cancellation, Finance Minister Nicola Willis quipped that iReX was a Ferrari when a Toyota Corolla would do. But the cost of finding a suitable Corolla is adding up fast.

    Annual maintenance costs are projected to nearly double to $65 million, just to keep the existing ageing ferries running. Additionally, $300 million had to be earmarked to cover fees for breaking the original ferry replacement contract.

    By retiring the Aratere this year – New Zealand’s only rail-capable ferry – the government is also severing the interisland rail link for almost five years.

    KiwiRail will “road-bridge” rail freight, an expensive workaround that involves loading train cars onto trucks, putting those trucks on ferries, then reversing the process at the other end. This will increase truck traffic, produce more emissions and add more wear to already strained infrastructure.

    Forcing more than $14 billion worth of annual freight from rail to road could also negatively affect New Zealand’s climate change commitments. Freight moved by rail generates only about 25% of the CO₂ per tonne-kilometre of the same load produced when hauled by truck.

    The cancelled hybrid ferries would have also cut emissions by 40%. Instead, New Zealand is locking in higher emissions for another half decade or longer.

    Unrealistic timelines

    The ferry saga reflects New Zealand’s infrastructure problem in a nutshell. The country tends to underestimate costs, create unfeasible timelines, then shows dismay when projects blow up or limp home at double the price.

    Auckland exemplifies the pattern. The city has seen decades of cancelled harbour crossing proposals and a scrapped light rail project, with nothing to show but consultancy fees.

    When New Zealand does build –Transmission Gully, for example – the final bill bears little resemblance to initial quotes. The 27 kilometre motorway north of Wellington was nearly 50% over budget and took eight years to build – two years longer than promised.

    The systematic underestimation of costs reflects a flawed approach to infrastructure planning. Politicians need quick wins within three-year electoral cycles, while infrastructure projects take decades to deliver.

    Projects are approved based on lowball estimates, with the outcome inherited by another administration. This has crossed party lines and created a system that rewards short-term thinking and punishes long-term planning.

    Just consider the second crossing for Auckland Harbour. For 35 years, the government has commissioned study after study – from the 1988 tunnel plans to the 2010 business cases – each time backing away when the price tag appeared, or the government changed.

    The iReX cancellation marks the first time the government has actually signed contracts and then walked away. As with the second Auckland Harbour crossing, each delay has only made the inevitable solution more expensive.

    Other countries have, to a degree, addressed this problem. Infrastructure Australia, for example, provides independent cost assessments and long-term planning that transcends political cycles. New Zealand’s Infrastructure Commission, established in 2019, lacks similar teeth and independence.

    Ultimately this isn’t really about ferries. It’s about how New Zealand consistently fails to deliver, on time and at cost, the infrastructure that keeps its economy moving.

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

    ref. NZ will soon have no real interisland rail-ferry link – why are we so bad at infrastructure planning? – https://theconversation.com/nz-will-soon-have-no-real-interisland-rail-ferry-link-why-are-we-so-bad-at-infrastructure-planning-260279

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: I’ve seen the brain damage contact sports can cause – we all need to take concussion and CTE more seriously

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, Adjunct Research Fellow, School of Health Science, Swinburne University of Technology

    AAP Image/The Conversation, CC BY

    Concussion in sport continues to make headlines, whether it be class actions, young men flocking to the highly violent “RunIt” activity or debate about whether Australian rules football should remove the “bump” once and for all.

    Bringing this weighty issue to greater prominence are the former athletes who bravely share their long-term health struggles after careers in sport – cognitive impairments, mental health issues or concerns about neurodegenerative disease, specifically chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

    Yet for all the progress made by many sports in recent years, it feels like we still have not fully grasped the understanding of CTE – or maybe we don’t want to.

    Remind me again, what is CTE?

    CTE is a neurodegenerative brain disease, just like dementia, motor neurone disease (MND) and Parkinson’s disease.

    Expert groups agree on the links between traumatic brain injury and increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (and other dementias), and the growing evidence of links to MND and Parkinson’s.

    People who have never had a traumatic brain injury can still regrettably suffer from these diseases. However, while CTE is rare in the general population, those with a history of repetitive impacts to the brain are more at risk.

    These impacts may not be diagnosed brain injuries or concussions, but rather non-concussive impacts (smaller hits that do not produce signs or symptoms of concussion).

    Contrary to anecdotal opinion, an athlete’s concussion history is not the crucial variable in risk and severity of CTE.

    Emerging international evidence, including my own recently published studies, show the risk of developing CTE (and its severity) is linked to exposure: the age a person starts full contact sport and the length of a playing career.

    The grey area of concussion, CTE and mental health

    Currently, CTE cannot be diagnosed in living people.

    However in understanding the progression of the disease in those who have passed away with CTE, families have described signs and symptoms including cognitive impairments such as:

    • Parkinsonism
    • memory loss
    • trouble with planning and organising tasks
    • impulsive behaviours
    • anger and irritability
    • emotional instability
    • substance misuse
    • suicidal thoughts/behaviour.

    While these signs and symptoms can overlap with those we associate with mental health, this does not necessarily mean the affected person had “mental health concerns”.

    The continued awareness in men’s mental health is a good thing broadly but it has sometimes misappropriated CTE as a mental health issue. For example, some fundraising games in the names of athletes who have died with CTE are being channelled to mental health charities and institutes, confusing the wider community.

    Consequently two recent tragic stories, one from the family of deceased former AFL player Shane Tuck and the other from Amanda Green, the widow of the late NRL player and coach Paul Green, needed to be told.

    Their stories contradicted widely held beliefs in the media and among fans that Tuck or Green were suffering with a psychiatric disease prior to their untimely deaths. In fact, they had CTE.

    An uncomfortable conversation

    So, why aren’t we talking about CTE more?

    The answer is, unfortunately it is an inconvenient truth.

    Considering CTE is entirely preventable if we remove exposure risk of repetitive hits to the head, the solution is to further modify many of our most popular sports to make head impacts much rarer.

    There is sizeable opposition to this idea.

    “Now is not the time to discuss such ‘political’ issues,” is the response I usually get from academics and colleagues involved in these sports, and even football loving friends, when I try to raise awareness.

    This continued hesitation only slows the science of CTE further.

    If an athlete’s family has been courageous in donating their brain to the Australian Sports Brain Bank and CTE has been found, the standard response from sports organisations is:

    the (insert sport here) takes athlete health and wellbeing as its greatest priority […] the (insert sport here) has implemented strict concussion protocols and continues research into athletes’ brain health.

    Even a Senate parliamentary inquiry has done little to change the situation.

    In fact, while most sports have tried to become safer through rule changes, progress more broadly has plateaued or even regressed in recent years.

    Take one recent example in the NRL, when some in the rugby league community made light of the multiple concussions suffered by Victor Radley. After playing his 150th game, he posed smiling with a t-shirt detailing the number of concussions he had suffered during his career. His club, the Sydney Roosters, posted the photo on Instagram before it was later removed.

    Even more worrying is a new controversial activity called “RunIt”, which involves two men running full speed at each other with the intention of knocking over (or more aptly knocking out) the opponent.

    A recent death of a New Zealand teenager playing RunIt has highlighted the dangers.




    Read more:
    Head knocks and ultra-violence: viral games Run It Straight and Power Slap put sports safety back centuries


    What more can be done?

    With the help of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, experts around the world, including myself, have produced a CTE prevention protocol. This does not mean banning any sports but rather modifying components that will reduce exposure risk.

    Here are five ideas I believe would make a difference.

    1. Reducing contact loads in training, particularly in pre-season training.

    2. Modify contact sports for children until the age of 14. This potentially removes six to eight years of incidental and unnecessary hits to kids’ heads. They can still play and learn all the fundamental motor skills and enjoy the psychological benefits of sport before graduating to the full version of the game at 14.

    3. Influential media commentators need to upskill themselves around CTE and to not be afraid to mention CTE rather than deferring to “concussion protocols”.

    4. Medical and allied health practitioners do not regularly screen for concussion or contact sport playing history when assessing a patient who is struggling with movement disorders, chronic headaches/fatigue or cognitive/behavioural impairments. Repetitive head impact history should be screened just like alcohol and drug use history.

    5. When an athlete suddenly and tragically dies, we need to include, along with emergency help lines, information for help and support for those unsure about CTE.

    Unfortunately, if we don’t have the political will to acknowledge CTE and act, more families will be grieving tragic deaths of athletes. These families may not even be aware of CTE.

    This does not make me anti-sport, but pro-athlete. Let’s all become pro-athlete for the sake of our sports and the people who play them.

    Alan Pearce is currently unfunded. Alan is a non-executive director for the Concussion Legacy Foundation (unpaid position) and Adjunct research manager for the Australian Sports Brain Bank (unpaid position). He has previously received funding from Erasmus+ strategic partnerships program (2019-1-IE01-KA202-051555), Sports Health Check Charity (Australia), Australian Football League, Impact Technologies Inc., and Samsung Corporation, and is remunerated for expert advice to medico-legal practices.

    ref. I’ve seen the brain damage contact sports can cause – we all need to take concussion and CTE more seriously – https://theconversation.com/ive-seen-the-brain-damage-contact-sports-can-cause-we-all-need-to-take-concussion-and-cte-more-seriously-259785

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: Rare wooden tools from Stone Age China reveal plant-based lifestyle of ancient lakeside humans

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bo Li, Professor, Environmental Futures Research Centre, School of Science, University of Wollongong

    Excavation at the Gantangqing site. Liu et al.

    Ancient wooden tools found at a site in Gantangqing in southwestern China are approximately 300,000 years old, new dating has shown. Discovered during excavations carried out in 2014–15 and 2018–19, the tools have now been dated by a team of archaeologists, geologists, chronologists (including me) and paleontologists.

    The rare wooden tools were found alongside an assortment of animal and plant fossils and stone artifacts.

    Taken together, the finds suggest the early humans at Gantangqing were surprisingly sophisticated woodworkers who lived in a rich tropical or subtropical environment where they subsisted by harvesting plants from a nearby lake.

    The location of the Gantangqing site and excavation trenches.
    Liu et al. / Science

    Why ancient wooden tools are so rare

    Wood usually decomposes relatively rapidly due to microbial activity, oxidation, and weathering. Unlike stone or bone, it rarely survives more than a few centuries.

    Wood can only survive for thousands of years or longer if it ends up buried in unusual conditions. Wood can last a long time in oxygen-free environments or extremely dry areas. Charred or fire-hardened wood is also more durable.

    At Gantangqing, the wooden objects were excavated from low-oxygen clay-heavy layers of sediment formed on the ancient shoreline of Fuxian Lake.

    Wooden implements are extremely rare from the Early Palaeolithic period (the first part of the “stone age” from around 3.3 million years ago until 300,000 years ago or so, in which our hominin ancestors first began to use tools). Indeed, wooden tools more than even 50,000 years old are virtually absent outside Africa and western Eurasia.

    As a result, we may have a skewed understanding of Palaeolithic cultures. We may overemphasise the role of stone tools, for example, because they are what has survived.

    What wooden tools were found at Gantangqing?

    The new excavations at Gantangqing found 35 wooden specimens identified as artificially modified tools. These tools were primarily manufactured from pine wood, with a minority crafted from hardwoods.

    Some of the tools had rounded ends, while others had chisel-like thin blades or ridged blades. Of the 35 tools, 32 show marks of intentional modification at their tips, working edges, or bases.

    Two large digging implements were identified as heavy-duty digging sticks designed for two-handed use. These are unique forms of digging implements not documented elsewhere, suggesting localised functional adaptations. There were also four distinct hook-shaped tools — likely used for cutting roots — and a series of smaller tools for one-handed use.

    Nineteen of the tools showed microscopic traces of scraping from shaping or use, while 17 exhibit deliberately polished surfaces. We also identified further evidence of intensive use, including soil residues stuck to tool tips, parallel grooves or streaks along working edges, and characteristic fracture wear patterns.

    The tools from Gantangqing are more complete and show a wider range of functions than those found at contemporary sites such as Clacton in the UK and Florisbad in South Africa.

    The wooden tools from Gantangqing took a variety of forms.
    Liu et al. / Science

    How old are the Gantangqing wooden tools?

    The team used several techniques to figure out the age of the wooden tools. There is no way to determine their age directly, but we can date the sediment in which they were found.

    Using a technique called infrared stimulated luminescence, we analysed more than 10,000 individual grains of minerals from different layers. This showed the sediment was deposited roughly between 350,000 and 200,000 years ago.

    Dating the different layers of sediment excavated at the site produced a detailed timeline.
    Liu et al. / Science

    We also used different techniques to date a mammal tooth found in one of the layers to roughly 288,000 years old. This was consistent with the mineral results.

    Next we used mathematical modelling to bring all the dating results together. Our model indicated that the layers containing stone tools and wooden implements date from 360–300,000 years ago to 290–250,000 years ago.

    What was the environment like?

    Our research indicates the ancient humans at Gantangqing inhabited a warm, humid, tropical or subtropical environment. Pollen extracted from the sediments reveals 40 plant families that confirm this climate.

    Plant fossils further verify the presence of subtropical-to-tropical flora dominated by trees, lianas, shrubs and herbs. Wet-environment plants show the local surroundings were a lakeside or wetlands.

    Animal fossils also fit this picture, including rhinoceros and other mammals, turtles and various birds. The ecosystem was likely a mosaic of grassland, thickets and forests. Evidence of diving ducks confirms the lake must have been at least 2–3 metres deep during human occupation.

    Examples of stone and bone tools found at Gantangqing.
    Liu et al. / Science

    What were the Gantangqing wooden tools used for?

    The site contained evidence of plants such as storable pine nuts and hazelnuts, fruit trees such as kiwi, raspberry-like berries, grapes, edible herbs and fern fronds.

    There were also aquatic plants that would have provided edible leaves, seeds, tubers and rhizomes. These were likely dug up from shallow mud near the shore, using wooden tools.

    These findings suggest the Gantangqing hominins may have made expeditions to the lake shore, carrying purpose-made wooden digging sticks to harvest underground food sources. To do this, they would have had to anticipate seasonal plant distributions, know exactly what parts of different plants were edible, and produce specialised tools for different tasks.

    Why the Gantangqing site is important

    The wooden implements from Gantangqing represent the earliest known evidence for the use of digging sticks and for the exploitation of underground plant storage organs such as tubers within the Oriental biogeographic realm. Our discovery shows the use of sophisticated wood technology in a very different environmental context from what has been seen at sites of similar age in Europe and Africa.

    The find significantly expands our understanding of early hominin woodworking capabilities.

    The hominins who lived at Gantangqing appear to have lived a heavily plant-based subsistence lifestyle. This is in contrast to colder, more northern settings where tools of similar age have been found (such as Schöningen in Germany), where hunting large mammals was the key to survival.

    The site also shows how important wood – and perhaps other organic materials – were to “stone age” hominins. These wooden artifacts show far more sophisticated manufacturing skill than the relative rudimentary stone tools found at sites of similar age across East and Southeast Asia.

    The excavation, curation, and research of the Gantangqing site were supported by
    National Cultural Heritage Administration (China), Yunnan Provincial Institute of
    Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Yuxi Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism,
    Chengjiang Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Australian Research Council
    (ARC) Discovery Projects, Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese
    Academy of Sciences, Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC), National Natural
    Science Foundation of China (NSFC).

    ref. Rare wooden tools from Stone Age China reveal plant-based lifestyle of ancient lakeside humans – https://theconversation.com/rare-wooden-tools-from-stone-age-china-reveal-plant-based-lifestyle-of-ancient-lakeside-humans-260204

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI Video: Gaza , Palestine, Lebanon & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (3 July 2025) | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (video statements)

    Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

    Highlights:
    Secretary-General/Trip Announcement
    Deputy Secretary-General
    Gaza 
    Occupied Palestinian Territory
    Lebanon
    Cyprus
    Ukraine
    Russia
    Senior Personnel Appointment  
    Yemen
    Global Risk Report
    International Days
    Financial Contribution

    SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
    The Secretary-General will be arriving in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to attend the 17th Summit of the BRICS countries.
    The Secretary-General has been invited to speak at an outreach session on “Strengthening multilateralism, economic-financial affairs and artificial intelligence”, that will take place on Sunday, 6 July. On Monday, 7 July, he will address a second outreach session, on “Environment, COP30 and global health.”
    During his visit, the Secretary-General will also be having meetings with various leaders who are attending the BRICS Summit and we will share those readouts with you.

    DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
    Our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, returned to Seville today for the closing of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4).
    At the closing with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain, she underscored the consensus around the Seville Agreement as a demonstration of multilateralism in action — with actions to close the SDG financing gap, address the debt crisis, and reform the international financial architecture. She recognized the more than 100 initiatives launched on the Sevilla Platform for Action, including solidarity levies on private jets and first-class travel to generate new resources for sustainable development.
    She said that the UN will be operationalizing a Seville Forum on Debt to help countries learn from one another and coordinate their approaches in debt management and restructuring; that forum will be supported by Spain.
    She called for FFD4 to be remembered not only as a conference that responded to crisis, but as the moment the world chose cooperation over fragmentation, unity over division, and action over inertia.
    Tomorrow, she will travel to Praia, Cabo Verde, to take part in celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence.

    GAZA 
    The Secretary-General is appalled by the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Multiple attacks in recent days hitting sites hosting displaced people and people trying to access food have killed and injured scores of Palestinians. The Secretary-General strongly condemns the civilian loss of life. 
    In just one day this week, Israeli orders to relocate forced nearly 30,000 people to flee, yet again, with no safe place to go and clearly inadequate supplies of shelter, food, medicine or water.
    International humanitarian law is unambiguous: civilians must be respected and protected, and the needs of the population must be met.
    With no fuel having entered Gaza in more than 17 weeks, the Secretary-General is gravely concerned that the last lifelines for survival are being cut off. Without an urgent influx of fuel, incubators will shut down, ambulances will be unable to reach the injured and sick, and water cannot be purified. The delivery by the United Nations and partners of what little of our lifesaving humanitarian aid is left in Gaza will also grind to a halt. 
    He once again calls for full, safe and sustained humanitarian access so aid can reach people who have been deprived of the basics of life for far too long. The UN has a clear and proven plan, rooted in the humanitarian principles, to get vital assistance to civilians – safely and at scale, wherever they are. 
    The Secretary-General reiterates that all parties must uphold their obligations under international law. He renews his call for an immediate permanent ceasefire and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups. 

    Full Highlights:
    https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=03%20July%202025

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CJL7IZOkzs

    MIL OSI Video

  • MIL-OSI USA: Dallas County Teen Serves as Senate Page

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

    Senate Page Sawyer Mann and Senator John Boozman in his office on Capitol Hill.

    WASHINGTON—High school student Sawyer Mann spent part of his summer in the nation’s capital navigating the corridors of Congress. The rising senior from Sparkman served as a U.S. Senate Page alongside several dozen other high schoolers from across the country.

    Mann and his peers reported to work one hour before the Senate convened on weekdays and helped prepare the U.S. Senate chamber for daily business, distributed documents to senators’ desks, assisted in the cloakrooms, supported chamber staff and – when the body was in session – sat near the dais waiting to aid members delivering remarks or casting votes. 

    “Serving as a Senate Page taught me that even the smallest roles can stand in the shadow of history and still help carry it forward,” Mann said.

    Mann earned his appointment to the position from Senator John Boozman (R-AR), who has long promoted the program for Arkansas youth interested in civics and public service.

    “Sawyer did an excellent job supporting the day-to-day activity of the Senate while observing legislative processes and procedures firsthand. I am confident that serving as a Page will inspire him to continue exploring his interest in public policy and enhance his leadership skills. Our entire state can be proud of how he represented us in this prestigious program,” Boozman said.

    Mann is an active participant in Future Farmers of America and a member of the Camden Harmony Grove High School yearbook staff. He also served on the student council as sophomore and junior class representative, and as captain of the quiz bowl team.

    While in Washington, D.C., he toured the National Archives and visited several Smithsonian museums in addition to attending a showing of Les Misérables at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. 

    He is the son of Russ Mann and Lauren Franks.

    The Senate Page program started in 1829 when Senator Daniel Webster appointed the first Senate Page. Today, the program is a unique, highly selective opportunity for high school juniors with a strong academic standing to learn firsthand about the institution often referred to as “the world’s greatest deliberative body.”

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Estes Delivers Remarks On House Floor In Support Of The One Big, Beautiful Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas)

    Rep. Estes Delivers Remarks On House Floor In Support Of The One Big, Beautiful Bill

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas) delivered remarks on the House floor in support of H.R. 1 – the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Read the full remarks below. Watch on YouTube and Rumble.

    Remarks as delivered:

    Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the Kansas families, workers, and small businesses who will benefit from the One Big Beautiful Bill.

    By extending and improving the TCJA, working-class families in my district will pay $10,900 less in taxes and see increased wages of $7,200 on average. It contains my bipartisan legislation to make research and development expensing permanent – a jobs provision ensuring America continues to lead the world entirely on innovation. It eliminates fraud and waste in Obamacare, and it builds on President Trump’s successes at securing the border.

    Despite the misleading spin from my colleagues on the left, this bill delivers on what Americans voted for in November – it’s time to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill.

    With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement from acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons on Rep. Jamila Prayapal calling ICE a ‘terrorist force’

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    July 3, 2025Washington, DC, United StatesStatement

    WASHINGTON — On July 2, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) called U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a “terrorist force.”

    Acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons’ response to the congresswoman:

    “An actual Antifa terrorist tried to blow up ICE’s Northwest Processing Center in Rep. Jayapal’s home state of Washington in 2019. At the time, she tried to blame the violent attack on rhetoric from the right, in defense of an actual terrorist who tried to murder detainees and employees alike! 

    Now, she labels ICE officers enforcing immigration law set by Congress ‘terrorists.’ This, at a time when officers are facing a nearly 700% increase in assaults, in part due to the type of rhetoric she spews. Never in a million years did I think I would witness a sitting member of Congress prioritize regard for violent criminals over the law enforcement officers protecting her community from actual public safety threats. The only apology needed is from the congresswoman to the people who voted for her.

    MIL OSI USA News