NewzIntel.com

Category: Law and Justice

  • MIL-OSI Security: Texas Man Pleads Guilty for Filing False Tax Returns

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    A Texas man pleaded guilty today to filing false tax returns with the IRS before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Hightower for the Western District of Texas. The plea must be accepted by a U.S. district court judge.

    The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Jason Smith, of Kerrville, was an independent distributor for a multi-level marketing (MLM) business that sold, among other things, essential oils and aromatherapy products. Smith created an entity, Live Young Now International Ministries (Live Young Now), and directed the MLM business to pay his compensation to that entity. Smith maintained control over Live Young Now’s bank accounts and used those funds to pay for personal expenses including his mortgage, automobiles, a motorcycle, a tractor, and an airplane. Although he received tax forms from the MLM business reporting his compensation as over $1,400,000 each year for both 2018 and 2019, Smith did not provide those forms to his return preparer and falsely told his return preparer that he did not have any such forms. This caused Smith’s return preparer to prepare false tax returns that omitted more than $2.9 million in income that Smith had earned from the MLM and instead reported that Smith earned only $43 from it. Instead, Smith reported earning only $43 from the MLM. In total, Smith caused a tax loss to the IRS over $1,500,000.

    Smith is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count of filing a false tax return, as well as a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

    Trial Attorneys Parker Tobin and Daniel Lipkowitz of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Malliotakis Applauds DOJ Lawsuit to Hold NYC Accountable for Dangerous Sanctuary Policies

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11)

    July 24, 2025

    (NEW YORK, NY) – Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis issued the following statement regarding the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against New York City over its sanctuary city policies.

     

    “I thank Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice for taking action to hold New York City accountable for its dangerous sanctuary policies, which have enabled violent crime in our streets, cost innocent lives, and resulted in billions of taxpayer dollars coming out of New Yorkers’ pockets. 

     

    Restoring public safety in our communities starts with New York City cooperating with ICE’s detainer requests. Failing to do so keeps dangerous criminals on our streets. I filed a Freedom of Information Law request that revealed just how far-reaching the consequences of these failed policies have become. The data showed that over 16,000 crimes were committed by thousands of perpetrators who were residing at hotels and shelters at taxpayer expense. The facts speak for themselves: sanctuary policies aren’t just misguided they are costly and dangerous.

     

    I look forward to continuing to work with the Department of Justice and the Trump Administration to enforce immigration laws, protect our communities, and hold city officials accountable for putting politics before public safety.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI and Law Enforcement Partners Arrest Members of the Mexican Mafia Prison Gang

    Source: US FBI

    Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) San Diego Field Office–Imperial County Resident Agency, FBI Los Angeles, FBI SWAT, ATF Los Angeles–El Centro Office, the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office (ICSO) Border Crime Suppression Team, the United States Marshals Service, and other law enforcement partners conducted court-authorized law enforcement activity related to an ongoing investigation involving the Mexican Mafia criminal enterprise. 

    “Removing violent criminals from our streets and seizing their resources is a top priority for the FBI and paramount to our mission of protecting the American people,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis of the San Diego Field Office. “Today’s successful operation is another example of what we can accomplish by working closely with our law enforcement partners on the shared goal of safer communities.” 

    The FBI and its law enforcement partners arrested a total of five individuals believed to be associated with the Mexican Mafia prison gang and seized several firearms, illicit proceeds, distribution amounts of methamphetamine, and electronics. All subjects were indicted for allegedly operating an illegal gambling establishment, money laundering, and/or importation of methamphetamine. 

    Since the start of this extensive investigation, the FBI, ATF, ICSO, and other law enforcement partner agencies have executed a number of search warrants and seized U.S. currency, drugs, firearms, electronics, and gambling machines. So far, 16 subjects associated with the Mexican Mafia have been indicted and or arrested on federal charges, including alleged drug trafficking and importation, weapons offenses, money laundering, and operating an illegal gambling business. 

    FBI San Diego will continue to collaborate with its law enforcement partners and U.S. Attorney’s Office to apprehend individuals tied to violent criminal organizations and bring them to justice. Learn more about the FBI’s violent crime program. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Landmark Bancorp, Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2025 Earnings per Share of $0.75 Declares Cash Dividend of $0.21 per Share

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Manhattan, KS, July 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Landmark Bancorp, Inc. (“Landmark”; Nasdaq: LARK) reported diluted earnings per share of $0.75 for the second quarter of 2025, compared to $0.81 per share in the first quarter of 2025 and $0.52 per share in the same quarter of the prior year. Net earnings for the second quarter totaled $4.4 million, compared to $4.7 million in the prior quarter and $3.0 million in the second quarter of 2024. For the three months ended June 30, 2025, the return on average assets was 1.11%, the return on average equity was 12.25% and the efficiency ratio(1) was 62.8%.

    For the first six months of 2025, diluted earnings per share totaled $1.56 compared to $1.01 during the same period in 2024. Net earnings for the first six months of 2025 totaled $9.1 million, compared to $5.8 million in the first six months of 2024. For the six months ended June 30, 2025, the return on average assets was 1.16%, the return on average equity was 12.96%, and the efficiency ratio(1) was 63.4%.

    Second Quarter 2025 Performance Highlights

      ● Total gross loans increased in the second quarter 2025 by $42.9 million, an annualized increase of 16.0% over the prior quarter.
      ● The net interest margin improved 7 basis points to 3.83% compared to 3.76% in prior quarter and 3.25% in the second quarter of the prior year.
      ● Net interest income increased $564,000, or 4.3%, in the second quarter of 2025, and increased $2.7 million, or 24.7%, from the same quarter of the prior year.
      ● Deposits increased $23.4 million, or 1.9%, from the same quarter of the prior year, and declined $61.9 million from the prior quarter.
      ● Total assets increased $46.7 million, or 11.9% annualized, compared to the prior quarter.
      ● Credit quality remained stable with net charge-offs totaling $40,000 in the second quarter.
      ● Stockholders’ equity increased $5.7 million, and the ratio of equity to assets increased to 9.13% in the second quarter.
         

    In making this announcement, Abby Wendel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Landmark, commented, “I am pleased to report continued strong net earnings this quarter driven by growth in loans and net interest income. Loan demand remained strong in the second quarter of 2025, especially for commercial, commercial real estate and residential mortgage loans as total gross loans increased by $42.9 million or 16.0% annualized. Despite a decrease in total deposits in the second quarter, we have sustained year-over-year growth of $23.4 million, or 1.9%. The strong growth in our loan portfolio led to net interest income growth of 24.7% over the previous year and continued expansion in our net interest margin, which increased to 3.83%. Non-interest income increased by 8.0% this quarter compared to the prior quarter and expenses were well controlled. Credit quality remained solid overall with minimal net charge-offs. A provision for credit losses of $1.0 million was recorded this quarter to reflect the growth in loans and higher reserves against individually evaluated loans on non-accrual. Our strong performance is a direct result of the daily commitment and effort our associates put into making Landmark the top choice for both customers and investors.”

    Landmark’s Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.21 per share, to be paid August 27, 2025, to common stockholders of record as of the close of business on August 13, 2025.

    Management will host a conference call to discuss the Company’s financial results at 10:00 a.m. (Central time) on Friday, July 25, 2025. Investors may participate via telephone by dialing (833) 470-1428 and using access code 703723. A replay of the call will be available through August 1, 2025, by dialing (855) 762-8306 and using access code 160217.

    (1) Non-GAAP financial measure. See the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section of this press release for a reconciliation. 

    Net Interest Income

    Net interest income in the second quarter of 2025 totaled $13.7 million representing an increase of $564,000, or 4.3%, compared to the previous quarter and an increase of $2.7 million, or 24.7%, in the same quarter of the prior year. The increase in net interest income this quarter was driven by higher interest income on loans and lower interest expense on deposits. The net interest margin increased to 3.83% during the second quarter from 3.76% during the prior quarter and 3.25% in the second quarter of the prior year. Compared to the previous quarter, interest income on loans increased $791,000 to $17.2 million, due to higher average balances combined with higher yields on loans. Average loan balances increased $33.3 million, while the average tax-equivalent yield on the loan portfolio increased 3 basis points to 6.37%. Interest on investment securities declined slightly due to lower balances, partially offset by higher earning rates. Compared to the first quarter of 2025, interest on deposits decreased $92,000, or 1.8%, due to lower rates and balances. Interest on other borrowed funds increased by $284,000, due to higher average balances. The average rate on interest-bearing deposits decreased 3 basis points to 2.14% while the average rate on other borrowed funds decreased 11 basis points to 4.98% in the second quarter of 2025.

    Non-Interest Income

    Non-interest income totaled $3.6 million for the second quarter of 2025, an increase of $268,000 from the previous quarter. The increase in non-interest income during the second quarter of 2025 was primarily due to increases of $178,000 in gains on sales of loans and $88,000 in fees and service charges.

    Non-Interest Expense

    During the second quarter of 2025, non-interest expense totaled $11.0 million, an increase of $200,000, or 1.9%, compared to the prior quarter. The increase in non-interest expense was primarily due to increases of $233,000 in data processing expense and $101,000 in other non-interest expense. The increase in data processing expense resulted from the implementation of additional services added and account growth, while the increase in other non-interest expense was primarily due to higher losses at our captive insurance subsidiary. Partially offsetting those increases was a decline in professional fees related to lower consulting and legal expenses during the quarter.

    Income Tax Expense

    Landmark recorded income tax expense of $944,000 in the second quarter of 2025 compared to $1.0 million in the first quarter of 2025. The effective tax rate was 17.7% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to 17.8% in the first quarter of 2025.

    Balance Sheet Highlights

    As of June 30, 2025, gross loans totaled $1.1 billion, an increase of $42.9 million, or 16.0% annualized since March 31, 2025. During the quarter, loan growth was primarily comprised of one-to-four family residential real estate (growth of $21.5 million), commercial (growth of $13.4 million) and commercial real estate (growth of $10.9 million). Investment securities available-for-sale decreased $3.6 million during the second quarter of 2025 mainly due to maturities. Pre-tax unrealized net losses on the investment securities portfolio decreased from $17.1 million at March 31, 2025, to $13.9 million at June 30, 2025, mainly due to lower market rates for these securities at June 30, 2025.

    Period end deposit balances decreased $61.9 million to $1.3 billion at June 30, 2025. The decline in deposits was driven by decreases in money market and checking accounts (decrease of $50.5 million), non-interest-bearing demand deposits (decrease of $16.5 million) and savings (decrease of $1.1 million), partially offset by an increase in certificates of deposit (increase of $6.2 million). The decrease in deposits was primarily driven by a decline in brokered deposits as well as lower core deposit balances at June 30, 2025. Total borrowings increased $105.9 million during the second quarter 2025 to fund asset growth and to offset lower deposit balances. At June 30, 2025, the loan to deposits ratio was 86.6% compared to 79.5% in the prior quarter.

    Stockholders’ equity increased to $148.4 million (book value of $25.66 per share) as of June 30, 2025, from $142.7 million (book value of $24.69 per share) as of March 31, 2025. The increase in stockholders’ equity was due mainly to a decrease in accumulated other comprehensive losses (lower unrealized net losses on investment securities) along with net earnings during the quarter. The ratio of equity to total assets increased to 9.13% on June 30, 2025, from 9.04% on March 31, 2025.

    The allowance for credit losses totaled $13.8 million, or 1.23% of total gross loans on June 30, 2025, compared to $12.8 million, or 1.19% of total gross loans on March 31, 2025. Net loan charge-offs totaled $40,000 in the second quarter of 2025, compared to $23,000 during the first quarter of 2025 and net recoveries of $52,000 in the second quarter of the prior year. A provision for credit losses on loans of $1.0 million was recorded in the second quarter of 2025 compared to no provision in the first quarter of 2025.

    Non-performing loans totaled $17.0 million, or 1.52% of gross loans, at June 30, 2025, compared to $13.3 million, or 1.24% of gross loans, at March 31, 2025. Loans 30-89 days delinquent totaled $4.3 million, or 0.39% of gross loans, as of June 30, 2025, compared to $10.0 million, or 0.93% of gross loans, as of March 31, 2025.

    About Landmark

    Landmark Bancorp, Inc., the holding company for Landmark National Bank, is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “LARK.” Headquartered in Manhattan, Kansas, Landmark National Bank is a community banking organization dedicated to providing quality financial and banking services. Landmark National Bank has 29 locations in 23 communities across Kansas: Manhattan (2), Auburn, Dodge City (2), Fort Scott (2), Garden City, Great Bend (2), Hoisington, Iola, Junction City, La Crosse, Lawrence (2), Lenexa, Louisburg, Mound City, Osage City, Osawatomie, Overland Park, Paola, Pittsburg, Prairie Village, Topeka (2), Wamego and Wellsville, Kansas. Visit www.banklandmark.com for more information.

    Contact:
    Mark A. Herpich
    Chief Financial Officer
    (785) 565-2000

    Special Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business of Landmark. Forward-looking statements, which may be based upon beliefs, expectations and assumptions of our management and on information currently available to management, are generally identifiable by the use of words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should” or other similar expressions. Additionally, all statements in this press release, including forward-looking statements, speak only as of the date they are made, and Landmark undertakes no obligation to update any statement in light of new information or future events. A number of factors, many of which are beyond our ability to control or predict, could cause actual results to differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements. These factors include, among others, the following: (i) the strength of the local, state, national and international economies and financial markets, including the effects of inflationary pressures and future monetary policies of the Federal Reserve in response thereto; (ii) effects on the U.S. economy resulting from the threat or implementation of new, or changes to, existing policies, regulations, regulatory and other governmental agencies and executive orders, including tariffs, immigration policy, regulatory and other governmental agencies, DEI and ESG initiatives, consumer protection, foreign policy and tax regulations; ; (iii) changes in interest rates and prepayment rates of our assets; (iv) increased competition in the financial services sector and the inability to attract new customers, including from non-bank competitors such as credit unions and “fintech” companies; (v) timely development and acceptance of new products and services; (vi) rapid and expensive technological changes implemented by us and other parties in the financial services industry, including third-party vendors, which may be more difficult to implement or more expensive than anticipated or which may have unforeseen consequence to us and our customers, including the development and implementation of tools incorporating artificial intelligence; (vii) our risk management framework; (viii) interruptions in information technology and telecommunications systems and third-party services; (ix) the economic effects of severe weather, natural disasters, widespread disease or pandemics, or other external events; (x) the loss of key executives or employees; (xi) changes in consumer spending; (xii) integration of acquired businesses; (xiii) the commencement, cost and outcome of litigation and other legal proceedings and regulatory actions against us or to which the Company may become subject; (xiv) changes in accounting policies and practices, such as the implementation of the current expected credit losses accounting standard; (xv) the economic impact of past and any future terrorist attacks, acts of war, including ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, or threats thereof, and the response of the United States to any such threats and attacks; (xvi) the ability to manage credit risk, forecast loan losses and maintain an adequate allowance for loan losses; (xvii) fluctuations in the value of securities held in our securities portfolio; (xviii) concentrations within our loan portfolio and large loans to certain borrowers (including commercial real estate loans); (xix) the concentration of large deposits from certain clients who have balances above current FDIC insurance limits and may withdraw deposits to diversify their exposure; (xx) the level of non-performing assets on our balance sheets; (xxi) the ability to raise additional capital; (xxii) the occurrence of fraudulent activity, breaches or failures of our or our third-party vendors’ information security controls or cybersecurity-related incidents, including as a result of sophisticated attacks using artificial intelligence and similar tools or as a result of insider fraud; (xxiii) declines in real estate values; (xxiv) the effects of fraud on the part of our employees, customers, vendors or counterparties; (xxv) the Company’s success at managing and responding to the risks involved in the foregoing items; and (xxvi) any other risks described in the “Risk Factors” sections of reports filed by Landmark with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Additional information concerning Landmark and its business, including additional risk factors that could materially affect Landmark’s financial results, is included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    LANDMARK BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
    Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited)

        June 30,     March 31,     December 31,     September 30,     June 30,  
    (Dollars in thousands)   2025     2025     2024     2024     2024  
    Assets                              
    Cash and cash equivalents   $ 25,038     $ 21,881     $ 20,275     $ 21,211     $ 23,889  
    Interest-bearing deposits at other banks     3,463       3,973       4,110       4,363       4,881  
    Investment securities available-for-sale, at fair value:                                        
    U.S. treasury securities     51,624       58,424       64,458       83,753       89,325  
    Municipal obligations, tax exempt     100,802       101,812       107,128       112,126       114,047  
    Municipal obligations, taxable     75,037       70,614       71,715       75,129       74,588  
    Agency mortgage-backed securities     124,979       125,142       129,211       140,004       142,499  
    Total investment securities available-for-sale     352,442       355,992       372,512       411,012       420,459  
    Investment securities held-to-maturity     3,730       3,701       3,672       3,643       3,613  
    Bank stocks, at cost     10,946       6,225       6,618       7,894       9,647  
    Loans:                                        
    One-to-four family residential real estate     377,133       355,632       352,209       344,380       332,090  
    Construction and land     26,373       28,645       25,328       23,454       30,480  
    Commercial real estate     370,455       359,579       345,159       324,016       318,850  
    Commercial     204,303       190,881       192,325       181,652       178,876  
    Agriculture     100,348       101,808       100,562       91,986       84,523  
    Municipal     6,938       7,082       7,091       7,098       6,556  
    Consumer     32,234       31,297       29,679       29,263       29,200  
    Total gross loans     1,117,784       1,074,924       1,052,353       1,001,849       980,575  
    Net deferred loan (fees) costs and loans in process     (615 )     (426 )     (307 )     (63 )     (583 )
    Allowance for credit losses     (13,762 )     (12,802 )     (12,825 )     (11,544 )     (10,903 )
    Loans, net     1,103,407       1,061,696       1,039,221       990,242       969,089  
    Loans held for sale, at fair value     4,773       2,997       3,420       3,250       2,513  
    Bank owned life insurance     39,607       39,329       39,056       39,176       38,826  
    Premises and equipment, net     19,654       19,886       20,220       20,976       20,986  
    Goodwill     32,377       32,377       32,377       32,377       32,377  
    Other intangible assets, net     2,275       2,426       2,578       2,729       2,900  
    Mortgage servicing rights     3,082       3,045       3,061       3,041       2,997  
    Real estate owned, net     167       167       167       428       428  
    Other assets     23,904       24,894       26,855       23,309       28,149  
    Total assets   $ 1,624,865     $ 1,578,589     $ 1,574,142     $ 1,563,651     $ 1,560,754  
                                             
    Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity                                        
    Liabilities:                                        
    Deposits:                                        
    Non-interest-bearing demand     351,993       368,480       351,595       360,188       360,631  
    Money market and checking     562,919       613,459       636,963       565,629       546,385  
    Savings     148,092       149,223       145,514       145,825       150,996  
    Certificates of deposit     210,897       204,660       194,694       203,860       192,470  
    Total deposits     1,273,901       1,335,822       1,328,766       1,275,502       1,250,482  
    FHLB and other borrowings     155,110       48,767       53,046       92,050       131,330  
    Subordinated debentures     21,651       21,651       21,651       21,651       21,651  
    Repurchase agreements     5,825       6,256       13,808       9,528       8,745  
    Accrued interest and other liabilities     20,002       23,442       20,656       25,229       20,292  
    Total liabilities     1,476,489       1,435,938       1,437,927       1,423,960       1,432,500  
    Stockholders’ equity:                                        
    Common stock     58       58       58       55       55  
    Additional paid-in capital     95,266       95,148       95,051       89,532       89,469  
    Retained earnings     63,612       60,422       56,934       60,549       57,774  
    Treasury stock, at cost     –       –       –       (396 )     (330 )
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (10,560 )     (12,977 )     (15,828 )     (10,049 )     (18,714 )
    Total stockholders’ equity     148,376       142,651       136,215       139,691       128,254  
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity   $ 1,624,865     $ 1,578,589     $ 1,574,142     $ 1,563,651     $ 1,560,754  


    LANDMARK BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
    Consolidated Statements of Earnings (unaudited)

        Three months ended,     Six months ended,  
        June 30,     March 31,     June 30,     June 30,     June 30,  
    (Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)   2025     2025     2024     2025     2024  
    Interest income:                                        
    Loans   $ 17,186     $ 16,395     $ 15,022     $ 33,581     $ 29,512  
    Investment securities:                                        
    Taxable     2,163       2,180       2,359       4,343       4,787  
    Tax-exempt     701       719       759       1,420       1,523  
    Interest-bearing deposits at banks     48       48       40       96       103  
    Total interest income     20,098       19,342       18,180       39,440       35,925  
    Interest expense:                                        
    Deposits     5,144       5,236       5,673       10,380       11,130  
    FHLB and other borrowings     861       565       1,027       1,426       2,049  
    Subordinated debentures     358       357       418       715       830  
    Repurchase agreements     52       65       88       117       195  
    Total interest expense     6,415       6,223       7,206       12,638       14,204  
    Net interest income     13,683       13,119       10,974       26,802       21,721  
    Provision for credit losses     1,000       –       –       1,000       300  
    Net interest income after provision for credit losses     12,683       13,119       10,974       25,802       21,421  
    Non-interest income:                                        
    Fees and service charges     2,476       2,388       2,691       4,864       5,152  
    Gains on sales of loans, net     740       562       648       1,302       1,160  
    Bank owned life insurance     278       272       248       550       493  
    Losses on sales of investment securities, net     –       (2 )     –       (2 )     –  
    Other     132       138       133       270       315  
    Total non-interest income     3,626       3,358       3,720       6,984       7,120  
    Non-interest expense:                                        
    Compensation and benefits     6,234       6,154       5,504       12,388       11,036  
    Occupancy and equipment     1,244       1,252       1,294       2,496       2,684  
    Data processing     629       396       492       1,025       973  
    Amortization of mortgage servicing rights and other intangibles     238       239       256       477       668  
    Professional fees     540       745       649       1,285       1,296  
    Valuation allowance on real estate held for sale     –       –       979       –       1,108  
    Other     2,076       1,975       1,921       4,051       3,881  
    Total non-interest expense     10,961       10,761       11,095       21,722       21,646  
    Earnings before income taxes     5,348       5,716       3,599       11,064       6,895  
    Income tax expense     944       1,015       587       1,959       1,105  
    Net earnings   $ 4,404     $ 4,701     $ 3,012     $ 9,105     $ 5,790  
                                             
    Net earnings per share (1)                                        
    Basic   $ 0.76     $ 0.81     $ 0.52     $ 1.58     $ 1.01  
    Diluted     0.75       0.81       0.52       1.56       1.01  
    Dividends per share (1)     0.21       0.21       0.20       0.42       0.40  
    Shares outstanding at end of period (1)     5,783,312       5,778,610       5,743,044       5,783,312       5,743,044  
    Weighted average common shares outstanding – basic (1)     5,782,555       5,777,593       5,745,310       5,780,930       5,744,381  
    Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted (1)     5,840,923       5,814,650       5,748,053       5,827,844       5,748,332  
                                             
    Tax equivalent net interest income   $ 13,851     $ 13,291     $ 11,167     $ 27,142     $ 22,075  
                                             

    (1) Share and per share values at or for the periods ended June 30, 2024 have been adjusted to give effect to the 5% stock dividend paid during December 2024.


    LANDMARK BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
    Select Ratios and Other Data (unaudited)

        As of or for the     As of or for the  
        three months ended,     six months ended,  
        June 30,     March 31,     June 30,     June 30,     June 30,  
    (Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)   2025     2025     2024     2025     2024  
    Performance ratios:                                        
    Return on average assets (1)     1.11 %     1.21 %     0.78 %     1.16 %     0.75 %
    Return on average equity (1)     12.25 %     13.71 %     9.72 %     12.96 %     9.30 %
    Net interest margin (1)(2)     3.83 %     3.76 %     3.21 %     3.80 %     3.16 %
    Effective tax rate     17.7 %     17.8 %     16.3 %     17.7 %     16.0 %
    Efficiency ratio (3)     62.8 %     64.1 %     67.9 %     63.4 %     70.0 %
    Non-interest income to total income (3)     20.9 %     20.4 %     25.3 %     20.7 %     24.7 %
                                             
    Average balances:                                        
    Investment securities   $ 363,878     $ 377,845     $ 437,136     $ 370,823     $ 447,034  
    Loans     1,081,865       1,048,585       955,104       1,065,317       950,420  
    Assets     1,592,939       1,574,295       1,545,816       1,583,669       1,550,739  
    Interest-bearing deposits     965,214       979,787       936,237       972,460       935,827  
    FHLB and other borrowings     74,007       48,428       72,875       61,288       72,747  
    Subordinated debentures     21,651       21,651       21,651       21,651       21,651  
    Repurchase agreements     6,683       8,634       11,524       7,653       12,947  
    Stockholders’ equity   $ 144,151     $ 139,068     $ 124,624     $ 141,623     $ 125,235  
                                             
    Average tax equivalent yield/cost (1):                                        
    Investment securities     3.34 %     3.29 %     3.04 %     3.32 %     2.99 %
    Loans     6.37 %     6.34 %     6.33 %     6.36 %     6.25 %
    Total interest-bearing assets     5.60 %     5.53 %     5.29 %     5.56 %     5.20 %
    Interest-bearing deposits     2.14 %     2.17 %     2.44 %     2.15 %     2.39 %
    FHLB and other borrowings     4.67 %     4.73 %     5.67 %     4.69 %     5.66 %
    Subordinated debentures     6.63 %     6.69 %     7.76 %     6.66 %     7.71 %
    Repurchase agreements     3.12 %     3.05 %     3.07 %     3.08 %     3.03 %
    Total interest-bearing liabilities     2.41 %     2.38 %     2.78 %     2.40 %     2.74 %
                                             
    Capital ratios:                                        
    Equity to total assets     9.13 %     9.04 %     8.22 %                
    Tangible equity to tangible assets (3)     7.15 %     6.99 %     6.09 %                
    Book value per share   $ 25.66     $ 24.69     $ 22.33                  
    Tangible book value per share (3)   $ 19.66     $ 18.66     $ 16.19                  
                                             
    Rollforward of allowance for credit losses (loans):                                        
    Beginning balance   $ 12,802     $ 12,825     $ 10,851     $ 12,825     $ 10,608  
    Charge-offs     (103 )     (108 )     (119 )     (211 )     (260 )
    Recoveries     63       85       171       148       305  
    Provision for credit losses for loans     1,000       –       –       1,000       250  
    Ending balance   $ 13,762     $ 12,802     $ 10,903     $ 13,762     $ 10,903  
                                             
    Allowance for unfunded loan commitments   $ 150     $ 150     $ 300                  
                                             
    Non-performing assets:                                        
    Non-accrual loans   $ 16,984     $ 13,280     $ 5,007                  
    Accruing loans over 90 days past due     –       –       –                  
    Real estate owned     167       167       428                  
    Total non-performing assets   $ 17,151     $ 13,447     $ 5,435                  
                                             
    Loans 30-89 days delinquent   $ 4,321     $ 9,977     $ 1,872                  
                                             
    Other ratios:                                        
    Loans to deposits     86.62 %     79.48 %     77.50 %                
    Loans 30-89 days delinquent and still accruing to gross loans outstanding     0.39 %     0.93 %     0.19 %                
    Total non-performing loans to gross loans outstanding     1.52 %     1.24 %     0.51 %                
    Total non-performing assets to total assets     1.06 %     0.85 %     0.35 %                
    Allowance for credit losses to gross loans outstanding     1.23 %     1.19 %     1.11 %                
    Allowance for credit losses to total non-performing loans     81.03 %     96.40 %     217.76 %                
    Net loan charge-offs to average loans (1)     0.01 %     0.01 %     -0.02 %     0.01 %     -0.01 %
    (1 ) Information is annualized.
    (2 ) Net interest margin is presented on a fully tax equivalent basis, using a 21% federal tax rate.
    (3 ) Non-GAAP financial measures. See the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section of this press release for a reconciliation to the most comparable GAAP equivalent.
         

    LANDMARK BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
    Non-GAAP Finacials Measures (unaudited)

        As of or for the     As of or for the  
        three months ended,     six months ended,  
        June 30,     March 31,     June 30,     June 30,     June 30,  
    (Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)   2025     2025     2024     2025     2024  
                                   
    Non-GAAP financial ratio reconciliation:                                        
    Total non-interest expense   $ 10,961     $ 10,761     $ 11,095     $ 21,722     $ 21,646  
    Less: foreclosure and real estate owned expense     49       (50 )     39       (1 )     (11 )
    Less: amortization of other intangibles     (151 )     (152 )     (171 )     (303 )     (341 )
    Less: valuation allowance on real estate held for sale     –       –       (979 )     –       (1,108 )
    Adjusted non-interest expense (A)     10,859       10,559       9,984       21,418       20,186  
                                             
    Net interest income (B)     13,683       13,119       10,974       26,802       21,721  
                                             
    Non-interest income     3,626       3,358       3,720       6,984       7,120  
    Less: losses on sales of investment securities, net     –       2       –       2       –  
    Less: gains on sales of premises and equipment and foreclosed assets     (9 )     –       –       (9 )     9  
    Adjusted non-interest income (C)   $ 3,617     $ 3,360     $ 3,720     $ 6,977     $ 7,129  
                                             
    Efficiency ratio (A/(B+C))     62.8 %     64.1 %     67.9 %     63.4 %     70.0 %
    Non-interest income to total income (C/(B+C))     20.9 %     20.4 %     25.3 %     20.7 %     24.7 %
                                             
    Total stockholders’ equity   $ 148,376     $ 142,651     $ 128,254                  
    Less: goodwill and other intangible assets     (34,652 )     (34,803 )     (35,277 )                
    Tangible equity (D)   $ 113,724     $ 107,848     $ 92,977                  
                                             
    Total assets   $ 1,624,865     $ 1,578,589     $ 1,560,754                  
    Less: goodwill and other intangible assets     (34,652 )     (34,803 )     (35,277 )                
    Tangible assets (E)   $ 1,590,213     $ 1,543,786     $ 1,525,477                  
                                             
    Tangible equity to tangible assets (D/E)     7.15 %     6.99 %     6.09 %                
                                             
    Shares outstanding at end of period (F)     5,783,312       5,778,610       5,743,044                  
                                             
    Tangible book value per share (D/F)   $ 19.66     $ 18.66     $ 16.19                  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Former Kokomo Police Department Officer Charged with Sexually Assaulting 14-Year-old Girl

    Source: US State of California

    A federal grand jury in Indianapolis, Indiana, returned a two-count indictment, unsealed today, charging former Kokomo Police Department officer Sinmi Asomuyide with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and with lying to state investigators to try to cover up the assault.

    The first count of the indictment charges Asomuyide, who was 31 years old, with willfully depriving Minor #1, who was 14 years old, of her constitutional rights by sexually assaulting her.  The first count also charges that the defendant’s conduct included kidnapping.

    The second count of the indictment charges Asomuyide with lying to the Indiana State Police to try to cover up the assault by, among other things, denying having sexual contact with Minor #1 and denying that there would be any reason for the presence of his semen in his squad car when, in fact, he ejaculated inside his squad car after causing Minor #1’s hand to touch his exposed penis.

    If convicted, Asomuyide faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

    Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Interim U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Wheeler for the Southern District of Indiana, and Special Agent in Charge Timothy O’Malley of the FBI Indianapolis Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Indianapolis Field Office is investigating the case, with the cooperation of the Kokomo Police Department; Bloomington Police Department; and Indiana State Police.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Blackett for the Southern District of Indiana and Senior Sex Crimes Counsel Tara Allison of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

    This investigation is ongoing.  Anyone with additional information is encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
    Section 1.  Purpose and Policy.  Endemic vagrancy, disorderly behavior, sudden confrontations, and violent attacks have made our cities unsafe.  The number of individuals living on the streets in the United States on a single night during the last year of the previous administration — 274,224 — was the highest ever recorded.  The overwhelming majority of these individuals are addicted to drugs, have a mental health condition, or both.  Nearly two-thirds of homeless individuals report having regularly used hard drugs like methamphetamines, cocaine, or opioids in their lifetimes.  An equally large share of homeless individuals reported suffering from mental health conditions.  The Federal Government and the States have spent tens of billions of dollars on failed programs that address homelessness but not its root causes, leaving other citizens vulnerable to public safety threats.
    Shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order.  Surrendering our cities and citizens to disorder and fear is neither compassionate to the homeless nor other citizens.  My Administration will take a new approach focused on protecting public safety.
    Sec. 2.  Restoring Civil Commitment.  (a)  The Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall take appropriate action to:
    (i)   seek, in appropriate cases, the reversal of Federal or State judicial precedents and the termination of consent decrees that impede the United States’ policy of encouraging civil commitment of individuals with mental illness who pose risks to themselves or the public or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves in appropriate facilities for appropriate periods of time; and
    (ii)  provide assistance to State and local governments, through technical guidance, grants, or other legally available means, for the identification, adoption, and implementation of maximally flexible civil commitment, institutional treatment, and “step-down” treatment standards that allow for the appropriate commitment and treatment of individuals with mental illness who pose a danger to others or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves.
    Sec. 3.  Fighting Vagrancy on America’s Streets.  (a)  The Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and the Secretary of Transportation shall take immediate steps to assess their discretionary grant programs and determine whether priority for those grants may be given to grantees in States and municipalities that actively meet the below criteria, to the maximum extent permitted by law:
    (i)    enforce prohibitions on open illicit drug use;
    (ii)   enforce prohibitions on urban camping and loitering;
    (iii)  enforce prohibitions on urban squatting;
    (iv)   enforce, and where necessary, adopt, standards that address individuals who are a danger to themselves or others and suffer from serious mental illness or substance use disorder, or who are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves, through assisted outpatient treatment or by moving them into treatment centers or other appropriate facilities via civil commitment or other available means, to the maximum extent permitted by law; or
    (v)    substantially implement and comply with, to the extent required, the registration and notification obligations of the Sex Offender Registry and Notification Act, particularly in the case of registered sex offenders with no fixed address, including by adequately mapping and checking the location of homeless sex offenders.
    (b)  The Attorney General shall:
    (i)    ensure that homeless individuals arrested for Federal crimes are evaluated, consistent with 18 U.S.C. 4248, to determine whether they are sexually dangerous persons and certified accordingly for civil commitment;
    (ii)   take all necessary steps to ensure the availability of funds under the Emergency Federal Law Enforcement Assistance program to support, as consistent with 34 U.S.C. 50101 et seq., encampment removal efforts in areas for which public safety is at risk and State and local resources are inadequate;
    (iii)  assess Federal resources to determine whether they may be directed toward ensuring, to the extent permitted by law, that detainees with serious mental illness are not released into the public because of a lack of forensic bed capacity at appropriate local, State, and Federal jails or hospitals; and
    (iv)   enhance requirements that prisons and residential reentry centers that are under the authority of the Attorney General or receive funding from the Attorney General require in-custody housing release plans and, to the maximum extent practicable, require individuals to comply.
    Sec. 4.  Redirecting Federal Resources Toward Effective Methods of Addressing Homelessness.  (a)  The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall take appropriate action to:
    (i)    ensure that discretionary grants issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery fund evidence-based programs and do not fund programs that fail to achieve adequate outcomes, including so-called “harm reduction” or “safe consumption” efforts that only facilitate illegal drug use and its attendant harm;
    (ii)   provide technical assistance to assisted outpatient treatment programs for individuals with serious mental illness or addiction during and after the civil commitment process focused on shifting such individuals off of the streets and public programs and into private housing and support networks; and
    (iii)  ensure that Federal funds for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics reduce rather than promote homelessness by supporting, to the maximum extent permitted by law, comprehensive services for individuals with serious mental illness and substance use disorder, including crisis intervention services.
    (b)  The Attorney General shall prioritize available funding to support the expansion of drug courts and mental health courts for individuals for which such diversion serves public safety.
    Sec. 5.  Increasing Accountability and Safety in America’s Homelessness Programs.  (a)  The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall take appropriate actions to increase accountability in their provision of, and grants awarded for, homelessness assistance and transitional living programs.  These actions shall include, to the extent permitted by law, ending support for “housing first” policies that deprioritize accountability and fail to promote treatment, recovery, and self-sufficiency; increasing competition among grantees through broadening the applicant pool; and holding grantees to higher standards of effectiveness in reducing homelessness and increasing public safety.  
    (b)  The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall, as appropriate, take steps to require recipients of Federal housing and homelessness assistance to increase requirements that persons participating in the recipients’ programs who suffer from substance use disorder or serious mental illness use substance abuse treatment or mental health services as a condition of participation.
    (c)  With respect to recipients of Federal housing and homelessness assistance that operate drug injection sites or “safe consumption sites,” knowingly distribute drug paraphernalia, or permit the use or distribution of illicit drugs on property under their control:
    (i)   the Attorney General shall review whether such recipients are in violation of Federal law, including 21 U.S.C. 856, and bring civil or criminal actions in appropriate cases; and
    (ii)  the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in coordination with the Attorney General, shall review whether such recipients are in violation of the terms of the programs pursuant to which they receive Federal housing and homelessness assistance and freeze their assistance as appropriate.
    (d)  The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall take appropriate measures and revise regulations as necessary to allow, where permissible under applicable law, federally funded programs to exclusively house women and children and to stop sex offenders who receive homelessness assistance through such programs from being housed with unrelated children. 
    (e)  The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall, as appropriate and to the extent permitted by law:
    (i)   allow or require the recipients of Federal funding for homelessness assistance to collect health-related information that the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development identifies as necessary to the effective and efficient operation of the funding program from all persons to whom such assistance is provided; and
    (ii)  require those funding recipients to share such data with law enforcement authorities in circumstances permitted by law and to use the collected health data to provide appropriate medical care to individuals with mental health diagnoses or to connect individuals to public health resources.
    Sec. 6.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
    (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
    (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
    (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
    (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
    (d)  The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
                                  DONALD J. TRUMP
    THE WHITE HOUSE,
        July 24, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
    Section 1.  Purpose and Policy.  Endemic vagrancy, disorderly behavior, sudden confrontations, and violent attacks have made our cities unsafe.  The number of individuals living on the streets in the United States on a single night during the last year of the previous administration — 274,224 — was the highest ever recorded.  The overwhelming majority of these individuals are addicted to drugs, have a mental health condition, or both.  Nearly two-thirds of homeless individuals report having regularly used hard drugs like methamphetamines, cocaine, or opioids in their lifetimes.  An equally large share of homeless individuals reported suffering from mental health conditions.  The Federal Government and the States have spent tens of billions of dollars on failed programs that address homelessness but not its root causes, leaving other citizens vulnerable to public safety threats.
    Shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order.  Surrendering our cities and citizens to disorder and fear is neither compassionate to the homeless nor other citizens.  My Administration will take a new approach focused on protecting public safety.
    Sec. 2.  Restoring Civil Commitment.  (a)  The Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall take appropriate action to:
    (i)   seek, in appropriate cases, the reversal of Federal or State judicial precedents and the termination of consent decrees that impede the United States’ policy of encouraging civil commitment of individuals with mental illness who pose risks to themselves or the public or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves in appropriate facilities for appropriate periods of time; and
    (ii)  provide assistance to State and local governments, through technical guidance, grants, or other legally available means, for the identification, adoption, and implementation of maximally flexible civil commitment, institutional treatment, and “step-down” treatment standards that allow for the appropriate commitment and treatment of individuals with mental illness who pose a danger to others or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves.
    Sec. 3.  Fighting Vagrancy on America’s Streets.  (a)  The Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and the Secretary of Transportation shall take immediate steps to assess their discretionary grant programs and determine whether priority for those grants may be given to grantees in States and municipalities that actively meet the below criteria, to the maximum extent permitted by law:
    (i)    enforce prohibitions on open illicit drug use;
    (ii)   enforce prohibitions on urban camping and loitering;
    (iii)  enforce prohibitions on urban squatting;
    (iv)   enforce, and where necessary, adopt, standards that address individuals who are a danger to themselves or others and suffer from serious mental illness or substance use disorder, or who are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves, through assisted outpatient treatment or by moving them into treatment centers or other appropriate facilities via civil commitment or other available means, to the maximum extent permitted by law; or
    (v)    substantially implement and comply with, to the extent required, the registration and notification obligations of the Sex Offender Registry and Notification Act, particularly in the case of registered sex offenders with no fixed address, including by adequately mapping and checking the location of homeless sex offenders.
    (b)  The Attorney General shall:
    (i)    ensure that homeless individuals arrested for Federal crimes are evaluated, consistent with 18 U.S.C. 4248, to determine whether they are sexually dangerous persons and certified accordingly for civil commitment;
    (ii)   take all necessary steps to ensure the availability of funds under the Emergency Federal Law Enforcement Assistance program to support, as consistent with 34 U.S.C. 50101 et seq., encampment removal efforts in areas for which public safety is at risk and State and local resources are inadequate;
    (iii)  assess Federal resources to determine whether they may be directed toward ensuring, to the extent permitted by law, that detainees with serious mental illness are not released into the public because of a lack of forensic bed capacity at appropriate local, State, and Federal jails or hospitals; and
    (iv)   enhance requirements that prisons and residential reentry centers that are under the authority of the Attorney General or receive funding from the Attorney General require in-custody housing release plans and, to the maximum extent practicable, require individuals to comply.
    Sec. 4.  Redirecting Federal Resources Toward Effective Methods of Addressing Homelessness.  (a)  The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall take appropriate action to:
    (i)    ensure that discretionary grants issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery fund evidence-based programs and do not fund programs that fail to achieve adequate outcomes, including so-called “harm reduction” or “safe consumption” efforts that only facilitate illegal drug use and its attendant harm;
    (ii)   provide technical assistance to assisted outpatient treatment programs for individuals with serious mental illness or addiction during and after the civil commitment process focused on shifting such individuals off of the streets and public programs and into private housing and support networks; and
    (iii)  ensure that Federal funds for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics reduce rather than promote homelessness by supporting, to the maximum extent permitted by law, comprehensive services for individuals with serious mental illness and substance use disorder, including crisis intervention services.
    (b)  The Attorney General shall prioritize available funding to support the expansion of drug courts and mental health courts for individuals for which such diversion serves public safety.
    Sec. 5.  Increasing Accountability and Safety in America’s Homelessness Programs.  (a)  The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall take appropriate actions to increase accountability in their provision of, and grants awarded for, homelessness assistance and transitional living programs.  These actions shall include, to the extent permitted by law, ending support for “housing first” policies that deprioritize accountability and fail to promote treatment, recovery, and self-sufficiency; increasing competition among grantees through broadening the applicant pool; and holding grantees to higher standards of effectiveness in reducing homelessness and increasing public safety.  
    (b)  The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall, as appropriate, take steps to require recipients of Federal housing and homelessness assistance to increase requirements that persons participating in the recipients’ programs who suffer from substance use disorder or serious mental illness use substance abuse treatment or mental health services as a condition of participation.
    (c)  With respect to recipients of Federal housing and homelessness assistance that operate drug injection sites or “safe consumption sites,” knowingly distribute drug paraphernalia, or permit the use or distribution of illicit drugs on property under their control:
    (i)   the Attorney General shall review whether such recipients are in violation of Federal law, including 21 U.S.C. 856, and bring civil or criminal actions in appropriate cases; and
    (ii)  the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in coordination with the Attorney General, shall review whether such recipients are in violation of the terms of the programs pursuant to which they receive Federal housing and homelessness assistance and freeze their assistance as appropriate.
    (d)  The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall take appropriate measures and revise regulations as necessary to allow, where permissible under applicable law, federally funded programs to exclusively house women and children and to stop sex offenders who receive homelessness assistance through such programs from being housed with unrelated children. 
    (e)  The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall, as appropriate and to the extent permitted by law:
    (i)   allow or require the recipients of Federal funding for homelessness assistance to collect health-related information that the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development identifies as necessary to the effective and efficient operation of the funding program from all persons to whom such assistance is provided; and
    (ii)  require those funding recipients to share such data with law enforcement authorities in circumstances permitted by law and to use the collected health data to provide appropriate medical care to individuals with mental health diagnoses or to connect individuals to public health resources.
    Sec. 6.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
    (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
    (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
    (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
    (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
    (d)  The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
                                  DONALD J. TRUMP
    THE WHITE HOUSE,
        July 24, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Saving College Sports

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
    Section 1.  Purpose and Policy.  College sports are a uniquely American institution that provide life-changing educational and leadership-development opportunities to more than 500,000 student-athletes through almost $4 billion in scholarships each year.  College athletics also provide substantial support to local economies and form an indelible part of family activities, pastimes, and culture in many communities. 
    While major college football games can draw tens of millions of television viewers and attendees, they feature only a very small sample of the many athletes who benefit from the transformational opportunities that college athletics provide.  Sixty-five percent of the 2024 United States Olympic Team members were current or former National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity athletes, and approximately seventy-five percent were collegiate athletes.  The 2024 United States Olympic Team earned 126 total medals, leading the overall medal count for the eighth consecutive Summer Olympic Games. 
    Beyond driving our unrivaled success in international competition, college athletes are more likely to report better outcomes in important respects during college and after graduation.  A substantial majority of female executives at the largest American companies participated in sports during adolescence, many at the high school or collegiate level, and examples of business leaders and former Presidents who played college sports are legion.  It is no exaggeration to say that America’s system of collegiate athletics plays an integral role in forging the leaders that drive our Nation’s success.
    Yet the future of college sports is under unprecedented threat.  Waves of recent litigation against collegiate athletics governing rules have eliminated limits on athlete compensation, pay-for-play recruiting inducements, and transfers between universities, unleashing a sea change that threatens the viability of college sports.  While changes providing some increased benefits and flexibility to student-athletes were overdue and should be maintained, the inability to maintain reasonable rules and guardrails is a mortal threat to most college sports.
    To illustrate, following a 2021 antitrust ruling from the United States Supreme Court striking down NCAA restrictions, the NCAA changed its rules to permit players to receive compensation for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) from third parties.  But guardrails designed to ensure that these were legitimate, market-value NIL payments for endorsements or similar services, rather than simply pay-for-play inducements, were eliminated through litigation.  Other limits on player transfers among schools were also taken down through litigation. 
    This has created an out-of-control, rudderless system in which competing university donors engage in bidding wars for the best players, who can change teams each season.  Meanwhile, more than 30 States have passed their own NIL laws in a chaotic race to the bottom, sometimes to gain temporary competitive advantages for their major collegiate teams.  As a result, players at some universities will receive more than $50 million per year, mostly for the revenue-generating sports like football.  Entering the 2024 season, players on the eventual college football national champion team were being paid around $20 million annually.  By the 2025 season, football players at one university will reportedly be paid $35-40 million, with revenue-sharing included. 
    This not only reduces competition and parity by creating an oligarchy of teams that can simply buy the best players — including the best players from less-wealthy programs at the end of each season — but the imperative that university donors must devote ever-escalating resources to compete in the revenue-generating sports like football and basketball siphons away the resources necessary to support the panoply of non-revenue sports.  Absent guardrails to stop the madness and ensure a reasonable, balanced use of resources across collegiate athletic programs that preserves their educational and developmental benefits, many college sports will soon cease to exist.
    A national solution is urgently needed to prevent this situation from deteriorating beyond repair and to protect non-revenue sports, including many women’s sports, that comprise the backbone of intercollegiate athletics, drive American superiority at the Olympics and other international competitions, and catalyze hundreds of thousands of student-athletes to fuel American success in myriad ways.
    Attempting to create some guardrails and shelter from litigation, colleges have adopted a new regime, deciding to pay athletes directly and simultaneously limit the total number of athletes on their campuses.  Given that the new roster limits, by exceeding the scholarship limits they replace, will increase the potential number of scholarships available in many sports, this opportunity must be utilized to strengthen and expand non-revenue sports.  Simultaneously, the third-party market of pay-for-play inducements must be eliminated before its insatiable demand for resources dries up support for non-revenue sports.  Otherwise, a crucial American asset will be lost.
    It is the policy of my Administration that all college sports should be preserved and, where possible, expanded.  My Administration will therefore provide the stability, fairness, and balance necessary to protect student-athletes, collegiate athletic scholarships and opportunities, and the special American institution of college sports.  It is common sense that college sports are not, and should not be, professional sports, and my Administration will take action accordingly.
    Sec. 2.  Protecting and Expanding Women’s and Non-Revenue Sports and Prohibiting Third-Party Pay-for-Play Payments.  (a)  It is the policy of the executive branch that opportunities for scholarships and collegiate athletic competition in women’s and non-revenue sports must be preserved and, where possible, expanded, including specifically as follows with respect to the 2025-2026 athletic season and future athletic seasons:
    (i)    collegiate athletic departments with greater than $125,000,000 in revenue during the 2024-2025 athletic season should provide more scholarship opportunities in non-revenue sports than during the 2024-2025 athletic season and should provide the maximum number of roster spots for non-revenue sports permitted under the applicable collegiate athletic rules;
    (ii)   college athletic departments with greater than $50,000,000 in revenue during the 2024-2025 athletic season should provide at least as many scholarship opportunities in non-revenue sports as provided during the 2024-2025 athletic season and should provide the maximum number of roster spots for non-revenue sports permitted under the applicable collegiate athletic rules; and
    (iii)  college athletic departments with $50,000,000 or less in revenue during the 2024-2025 athletic season or that do not have any revenue-generating sports should not disproportionately reduce scholarship opportunities or roster spots for sports based on the revenue that the sport generates.
         (b)  It is the policy of the executive branch that any revenue-sharing permitted between universities and collegiate athletes should be designed and implemented in a manner that preserves or expands scholarships and collegiate athletic opportunities in women’s and non-revenue sports.
    (c)  To preserve the critical educational and developmental benefits of collegiate athletics for our Nation, it is the policy of the executive branch that third-party, pay-for-play payments to collegiate athletes are improper and should not be permitted by universities.  This policy does not apply to compensation provided to an athlete for the fair market value that the athlete provides to a third party, such as for a brand endorsement. 
    (d)  Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Education, and the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, shall develop a plan to advance the policies set forth in subsections (a)-(c) of this section through all available and appropriate regulatory, enforcement, and litigation mechanisms, including Federal funding decisions, enforcement of Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, prohibiting unconstitutional actions by States to regulate interstate commerce, and enforcement of other constitutional and statutory protections, and by working with the Congress and State governments, as appropriate. 
    Sec. 3.  Student-Athlete Status.  The Secretary of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board shall determine and implement the appropriate measures with respect to clarifying the status of collegiate athletes, including through guidance, rules, or other appropriate actions, that will maximize the educational benefits and opportunities provided by higher education institutions through athletics.
    Sec. 4.  Legal Protections for College Athletics from Lawsuits.  (a)  The Attorney General and the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission shall work to stabilize and preserve college athletics through litigation, guidelines, policies, or other actions, as appropriate, by protecting the rights and interests of student-athletes and the long-term availability of collegiate athletic scholarships and opportunities when such elements are unreasonably challenged under antitrust or other legal theories.
    (b)  Within 60 days of the date of this order, to advance the purposes of subsection (a) of this section, the Attorney General and the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission shall:
    (i)   review, and as necessary revise, litigation positions, guidelines, policies, or other actions; and
    (ii)  develop a plan to implement appropriate future litigation positions, guidelines, policies, or other actions.
    Sec. 5.  Protecting Development of the United States Olympic Team.  The Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and the Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison shall consult the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and other appropriate organizations of American athletes about safeguarding the integral role and competitive advantage that American collegiate athletics provide in developing athletes to represent our Nation in international athletic competitions.
    Sec. 6.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
    (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
    (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
    (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
    (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
         (d)  The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of Education.
                                  DONALD J. TRUMP
    THE WHITE HOUSE,
        July 24, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Intros Bipartisan Bill to Help Tribes Combat MMIWP Crisis and Fentanyl Trafficking

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    07.24.25

    Cantwell Intros Bipartisan Bill to Help Tribes Combat MMIWP Crisis and Fentanyl Trafficking

    Bipartisan legislation would boost federal benefits to help recruit and retain tribal law enforcement officers; This week – local, federal, and tribal law enforcement indict 12 individuals in major drug trafficking operation on Yakama Nation lands

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Representative Dan Newhouse (R, WA-04) and Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D, WA-03) introduced the Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act of 2025. The legislation would help tribal police departments hire and retain tribal law enforcement officers by providing access to federal retirement, pension, death, and injury benefits on par with law enforcement officers from non-tribal jurisdictions.

    “Tribes need more law enforcement officers to fight both the fentanyl and murdered and missing indigenous people epidemics and to respond to emergencies in their communities,” said Sen. Cantwell. “The Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act will help tribal communities get the law enforcement resources they need to keep their communities safe.”

    “Tribal police departments work tirelessly to protect and serve our communities in Oklahoma and around the nation,” said Sen. Mullin. “Tribal police should receive equal treatment and resources needed for the safety of their communities without going through excessive red tape. I’m proud to join with my colleagues on this and support our Tribal law enforcement.”

    “As the missing and murdered indigenous women crisis continues to plague tribal communities across the country, tribal law enforcement agencies are facing serious challenges with recruiting and retaining officers and resources,” said Rep. Newhouse. “This bipartisan legislation empowers tribal law enforcement to build and maintain strong, well-trained forces who will be far better equipped to address the MMIW crisis, counter illicit drug flow, and protect tribal communities in Central Washington. I thank members of the House and Senate on both sides of the aisle who understand the scale of these challenges and are helping to lead towards a solution.”

    According to the Department of Interior, public safety and justice at the Bureau of Indian Affairs is funded at just 13% of need and over 25,600 personnel are needed to adequately serve Indian Country. This includes at least 13,000 more tribal law enforcement officers to meet FBI Community Safety Standards.

    “The Colville Tribes strongly supports the ‘Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act.’ The bill would implement long overdue reforms and remove administrative barriers to tribal law officers enforcing federal laws on their reservation lands. It will also assist the Colville Tribes and other tribes in recruiting and retaining officers, which is critical for rural tribes that have large land bases and not enough officers to adequately patrol.” – Jarred-Michael Erickson, Chairman, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

    “Bolstering support for Tribal law enforcement recruitment and retention is crucial to addressing the many serious and systemic public safety issues in Indian Country. The issue is particularly pressing for the Yakama Nation and other tribes with large-land bases and a severe lack of resources to adequately patrol such a vast area. At Yakama we are facing an overwhelming confluence of public safety crises. We have experienced a surge in violent and property crimes, the highest rate of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women/People in the region, and a terrifying rise in outside gang and cartel-related drug activity coming onto our lands, including the pervasive and deadly fentanyl epidemic. The recent coordinated, multi-agency drug trafficking interdiction “Operation Overdrive” that dismantled a large drug distribution network operating on the Yakama Reservation shows what is possible when all levels of government work together to make our communities safer. The Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act will help give the Yakama Nation and other tribes the tools and funding necessary to protect our communities and people who live, work, and raise their families on our lands. The Yakama Nation appreciates Senator Cantwell and Congressman Newhouse’s partnership with us and their continued work to address long-standing impediments to Tribal sovereignty and our public safety efforts.” – Jeremy Takala, Law & Order Committee Chairman, Yakama Nation Tribal Council

    “The Chehalis Tribe strongly supports the bill. Our Tribe is fortunate in that we are able to pay our law enforcement officers competitive salaries but competitive retirement benefits are currently out of reach for Chehalis and most other tribes around the country. If enacted, this will allow Chehalis and other tribes to take care of the officers that patrol and keep our communities safe.” – Dustin Klatush, Chairman, Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation

    “Many tribal police departments are chronically understaffed and massively underfunded. The Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act would level the playing field for tribal police benefits, retirement, and pension, allowing tribes to improve retention and recruitment of officers on tribal lands. Ultimately, passage of the act would help improve overall safety in tribal communities. We are grateful to Senator Cantwell, Congressman Newhouse, Congresswoman, Gluesenkamp Perez, and their colleagues for championing this act and hope the overwhelming tribal support will ensure its approval.” – Chairman Glen Nenema, Kalispel Tribe of Indians

    “As a tribal law enforcement officer and an elected tribal leader, I know firsthand how hard it is to recruit and retain law enforcement officers. This bill will make it so much easier to achieve that objective by ensuring tribal law enforcement officers have access to proper retirement benefits. This bill will make our community safer.” – Vice-President Everett Ekdahl, Jr. Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

    “The Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act will provide tribal nations with the tools necessary to recruit and retain law enforcements officers. It shows Congress’s commitment to public safety on tribal lands and the fair treatment of tribal law enforcement officers. We are grateful for Senator Cantwell, Congressman Newhouse, and Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez for their leadership on this important issue.” – Chairman Leonard Forsman, Suquamish Tribe

    “The Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act represents a crucial advancement in ensuring that tribal law enforcement agencies, such as Hopi Law Enforcement Services, have the support they need to protect those that live and work on the Hopi Reservation. The Hopi Tribe is grateful to Senator Cantwell, Congressman Newhouse, Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez, and their colleagues for their leadership strengthening recruitment, retention, and public safety across tribal nations.” – Chairman Timothy Nuvangyaoma, Hopi Tribe

    “Access to resources is critical to improving the recruitment and retention tribal law enforcement officers. The Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act removes administrative barriers and provides the necessary reforms to protect our community. The Nisqually Tribe thanks Senator Cantwell and Representative Newhouse for their leadership in strengthening safety and security across tribal communities.” – Chairman Ken Choke, Nisqually Tribe

    “Jurisdictional gaps in Indian Country have allowed far too many criminals to fall through the cracks. We appreciate Senator Cantwell’s leadership in taking meaningful action to close these gaps. By allowing qualified Tribal officers operating under 638 contracts to enforce federal law and receive federal protections, this bill strengthens our ability to respond to serious criminal activity on our reservation.” Chairman Anthony Hillaire, Lummi Nation

    Combatting the Fentanyl Epidemic

    Sen. Cantwell is a strong advocate for increasing the presence of tribal law enforcement officers on reservations to help combat the fentanyl epidemic and Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP) crisis among Native communities.

    Sen. Cantwell first introduced the Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act in July 2023. The bipartisan bill was first considered at a U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on May 1, 2024. During a hearing on the fentanyl crisis in Indian Country later that month, Sen. Cantwell pressed federal officials about the need to help tribes hire and keep more tribal law enforcement officers and highlighted several tribes in Washington state that urgently need more resources to improve chronic understaffing issues.

    In October 2023, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter to the leaders of the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee requesting that the committee hold an oversight hearing on how to address the fentanyl crisis in Indian Country. Soon after, the committee announced two hearings on the topic. At the November 2023 hearing titled: “Fentanyl in Native Communities: Native Perspectives on Addressing the Growing Crisis,” Sen. Cantwell invited Lummi Nation Chairman Anthony Hillarie to testify.

    In December 2023, Vanessa Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, and Glen Melville, Deputy Bureau Director at the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Justice Services and member of the Makah Tribe, participated in the second hearing titled: “Fentanyl in Native Communities: Examining the Federal Response to the Growing Crisis.” At the hearing, both Waldref and Melville commented that fentanyl traffickers often target tribal lands due to lack of tribal law enforcement.

    A background document on Sen. Cantwell’s legislative track record and advocacy to combat the fentanyl crisis is available HERE.

    Fighting Against MMIWP Crisis

    In 2020, Sen. Cantwell’s Savanna’s Act was signed into law to help federal, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies better respond to cases of missing and murdered indigenous women and people by improving coordination among all levels of law enforcement, increasing data collection and information sharing, and providing tribal governments with vital resources.

    In May 2023, Sen. Cantwell announced she sent a letter to the Biden Administration urging them to prioritize funding to assist Tribes and organizations working to combat the MMIWP crisis.

    Following Sen. Cantwell’s urging, in June 2023 the U.S. Department of Justice announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Regional Outreach Program, which dedicated five Assistant U.S. Attorneys and five coordinators to the task of resolving the cases of missing and murdered indigenous people. This included dedicated personnel based in Eastern Washington.

    In October 2024, Sen. Cantwell announced $6.9 million in federal funding for state and municipal law enforcement agencies, tribal justice departments and programs, and medical examiner offices to help fight the fentanyl crisis, gun violence, and violence against women and children.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Booker, Schumer, Duckworth, DeLauro Reintroduce Bicameral Legislation to Increase Access to Fertility Treatment

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) along with U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) reintroduced the bicameral Access to Fertility Treatment and Care Act, legislation that would require more health insurers to provide coverage for infertility treatment, as well as fertility preservation services for individuals who undergo medically necessary procedures that may cause infertility, such as chemotherapy.

    “Infertility is a painful struggle for millions of people in America, and the steep cost of infertility treatment like IVF prevents many of them from growing their families—that’s just wrong. The Access to Fertility Treatment and Services Act would require more insurance plans, including TRICARE and the VA coverage our veterans and their families rely on, to cover infertility treatment without raising insurance costs or copays. We should be doing everything we can to support families and make it easier to have and raise children in America, and our legislation is one important step in that direction,” said Senator Murray.

    “Everyone’s path to parenthood is different, and the decision to pursue fertility treatments is deeply personal,” said Senator Booker. “Nobody should have to choose between financial stability and the opportunity to have a family. On top of that, people who find themselves at the daunting intersection of a cancer diagnosis and fertility challenges should have access to affordable fertility services. This legislation would require more insurance plans to cover fertility treatments so that Americans no longer face barriers to care when deciding to start a family.” 

    “While Republicans have tried to brand themselves as the pro-family party, Senate Democrats are putting forward actual solutions to help the millions of Americans grappling with the financial and medical realities of safely growing their families,” said Leader Schumer. “Infertility can – and does – affect so many in our communities, and while Republicans continue their relentless attacks on reproductive rights, I will keep fighting to protect access to affordable health care and am proud to support this legislation which offers hope and opportunity to many with this deeply personal decision.”

    “Millions of Americans depend on IVF to build a family—and yet, this treatment is too often out of reach for so many because of exorbitant, out-of-pocket costs,” said Senator Duckworth. “If Donald Trump really wants to deliver on his campaign promise to ensure IVF is covered for those who rely on it, he’d call on Republicans to support our bill that would expand coverage for so many more Americans. Otherwise, all the pro-IVF talking points are just more empty promises from people who have proven time and again they have no interest in actually taking any meaningful action to protect IVF access.”

    “When people don’t have insurance coverage for fertility care, they are forced to make impossible choices between paying for treatment or affording essentials,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “The emotional and physical toll of trying to build a family is already heavy. We should not add a crushing financial burden on top of it. This bill ensures that all families have the insurance coverage they deserve. Americans should have the opportunity to grow their families without sacrificing their basic needs.”

    “Every day providers encounter patients who need medical treatments like IVF to build their families, but have to forego, delay, or stop treatment because they cannot afford it,” said Sean Tipton, ASRM Chief Advocacy & Policy Officer. “While ASRM has championed progress on state-level IVF mandates, we firmly believe that access to health care should not depend on your zip code. For this reason, we remain grateful to Sen. Booker and Rep. DeLauro for their tireless leadership on the Access to Infertility Treatment and Care Act. It is well past time for Congress to pass this critical legislation and achieve access to family building care for all Americans.”

    “Every day, millions of Americans face heartbreaking and unnecessary barriers to building their families, simply because they can’t afford the out-of-pocket medical costs. Access to fertility treatment should not depend on your income, your zip code, or your employer. The ‘Access to Fertility Treatment and Care Act’ is a critical step toward ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to pursue their dream of having a family. On behalf of RESOLVE and the family-building community, I thank Senator Cory Booker and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro for their steadfast leadership in championing equitable access to care,” said Danielle Melfi, President & CEO, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.

    Despite the prevalence of infertility – a reported one in six couples have challenges conceiving – coverage for treatment options is limited. In 2024, nearly half of large employers voluntarily offered fertility benefits and 97% of those offering benefits reported no significant increase in costs to their medical plans.

    Specifically, the Access to Fertility Treatment and Care Act would:

    1. Require most private health insurance plans, as well as plans offered by the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, Medicaid, TRICARE, ERISA, and the VA, to provide coverage for treatment of infertility without raising insurance or copayment costs.
    2. Ensure these plans cover fertility preservation services for individuals who undergo a medically necessary procedure that may cause infertility.

    The bill is endorsed by the following organizations: Alliance for Fertility Preservation, Endocrine Society, Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, National Women’s Political Caucus, American Society for Reductive Medicine, Resolve, MomsRising, In Our Own Voice: National Black, Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, National partnership for Women and Families, Invisible Project, Human Rights Campaign, Families USA, National  LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, Service Women’s Action Network, Guttmacher, ACOG, and AllPaths Family Building.

    The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

    The full text of the bill can be found HERE.

    Senators Murray has been leading the charge to protect IVF for the millions of Americans who rely on it nationwide. Last Congress, Murray introduced the Right to IVF Act in the Senate—which would establish a nationwide right to IVF and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) and lower the costs of IVF treatment for middle-class families. The Right to IVF Act also includes Senator Murray’s longtime bill—the Veteran Families Health Services Act—to help veterans and servicemembers, who experience higher rates of infertility and encounter restrictive laws and policies before they can access IVF services.

    Despite many Republicans publicly claiming to support IVF, nearly every Senate Republican voted against the bill in June twice last year. Overall, Republicans blocked legislation that would protect IVF nationwide three separate times last year.

    Senator Murray has been fighting for over a decade to expand access to IVF care for veterans and servicemembers, and  protect servicemembers’ and veterans’ access to the reproductive care they deserve. She has introduced multiple pieces of legislation to address the challenges veterans face when starting a family after their service, and in 2012, Senator Murray secured Senate passage of a provision to end the ban on IVF services at VA.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Crash at Wingfield

    Source: New South Wales – News

    The Port River Expressway has reopened after an overnight crash.

    The single vehicle collision occurred on the Port River Expressway at Wingfield about 2.45am on Friday 25 July.

    A car hit a light pole on the median strip and ended up in a ditch.

    The driver, a 32-year-old Elizabeth North man, was extricated from the wrecked car by emergency services and taken to hospital with serious injuries.

    His passenger, a 21-year-old Elizabeth Downs woman, also sustained injuries and was taken to hospital.

    The road was closed until 5am but has since reopened.

    The car was towed from the scene.

    Investigations into the crash are continuing.

    Anyone who witnessed the collision or has any dashcam footage is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

    191115

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Kokomo Police Department Officer Charged with Sexually Assaulting 14-Year-old Girl

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    A federal grand jury in Indianapolis, Indiana, returned a two-count indictment, unsealed today, charging former Kokomo Police Department officer Sinmi Asomuyide with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and with lying to state investigators to try to cover up the assault.

    The first count of the indictment charges Asomuyide, who was 31 years old, with willfully depriving Minor #1, who was 14 years old, of her constitutional rights by sexually assaulting her.  The first count also charges that the defendant’s conduct included kidnapping.

    The second count of the indictment charges Asomuyide with lying to the Indiana State Police to try to cover up the assault by, among other things, denying having sexual contact with Minor #1 and denying that there would be any reason for the presence of his semen in his squad car when, in fact, he ejaculated inside his squad car after causing Minor #1’s hand to touch his exposed penis.

    If convicted, Asomuyide faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

    Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Interim U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Wheeler for the Southern District of Indiana, and Special Agent in Charge Timothy O’Malley of the FBI Indianapolis Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Indianapolis Field Office is investigating the case, with the cooperation of the Kokomo Police Department; Bloomington Police Department; and Indiana State Police.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Blackett for the Southern District of Indiana and Senior Sex Crimes Counsel Tara Allison of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

    This investigation is ongoing.  Anyone with additional information is encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Last person on Interpol’s Red Notice list of 100 fugitives in Asia returned to China

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) — Fugitive suspect Zhou Jinghua, the last person on the International Criminal Police Organization’s (Interpol) 100 most wanted fugitives list of “red notices” to be in Asia, has been repatriated to China thanks to cooperation between law enforcement and judicial authorities in China and Thailand. –0–

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Action against ATM fraud in Romania and UK stopped by joint investigation team with Eurojust support

    Source: Eurojust

    Authorities in Romania and the United Kingdom have taken concerted action to block criminals who illegally withdrew cash from automated teller machines (ATMs) on a large scale. By using specialised computer programs and devices, the Romanian criminal network managed to steal an estimated EUR 580 000. The criminal group was also involved in other types of payment and card fraud. 

    During an operation in Romania, two suspects were identified and brought in for questioning. In the UK, prosecutions have already been initiated against eight members of the group, following an action day in December 2024.

    © DIICOT Poliția Română

    Eurojust supported a joint investigation team of the Romanian and British authorities, which investigated the case. The Agency also assisted with the preparation of the action day in Romania. Europol provided data analysis support, in addition to sending an analyst to Romania and organising meetings to prepare for the operations on the ground.

    The criminal network was formed last year in the Romanian city of Bacău, mainly consisting of family members and friends. They adopted a derogatory term aimed at the police as their so-called trademark, which they used on social media, on custom license plates and on clothes they wore.

    Most of the money was stolen in the UK by pretending to take money from an ATM with a bank card, removing the screen of the ATM and then cancelling the transaction. This allowed them to reach into the ATM itself and take all the cash inside, before ending the transaction.

    The criminals also counterfeited public transport cards, which they distributed across the UK with the help of individuals of Turkish origin. Furthermore, they committed card fraud by using software that identifies card numbers and then generates illicit income through fraudulent payments.

    The proceeds of the criminal activities were invested in luxury cars, jewellery, real estate and expensive holidays. The gang members being prosecuted in the UK and those brought in for questioning in Romania are suspected of cyber fraud, membership of an organised crime group, money laundering and forgery of payment instruments. 

    During the action day in Romania, a total of 18 places were searched and real estate, vehicles electronic devices and cash were seized. 

    The operations against the criminal network were carried out at the request of and by the following authorities:

    • Romania: Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) – Bacău Regional Service; Romanian Police – Anti Cybercrime Service of Bacău County Organised Crime Brigade
    • United Kingdom: Crown Prosecution Service; Eastern Regional Special Operations Unit

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Columbia’s $200M deal with Trump administration sets a precedent for other universities to bend to the government’s will

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Cantwell, Associate Professor of Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education, Michigan State University

    Students at Columbia University in New York City on April 14, 2025. Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

    Columbia University agreed on July 23, 2025, to pay a US$200 million fine to the federal government and to settle allegations that it did not create a safe environment for Jewish students during Palestinian rights protests in 2024.

    The deal will restore the vast majority of the $400 million in federal grants and contracts that Columbia was previously awarded, before the administration withdrew the funding in March 2025.

    It marks the first financial and political agreement a university has reached with the Trump administration in its push for more control over higher education – and stands to have significant ripple effects for how other universities and colleges carry out their basic operations.

    Amy Lieberman, the education editor at The Conversation U.S., spoke with Brendan Cantwell, a scholar of higher education at Michigan State University, to understand what’s exactly in this agreement – and the lasting precedent it may set on government intervention in higher education.

    Palestinian rights demonstrators march through Columbia University on Oct. 7, 2024, marking one year of the war between Hamas and Israel.
    Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

    What’s in the deal Columbia made with the Trump administration?

    The agreement requires Columbia to make a $200 million payment to the federal government. Columbia will also pay $21 million to settle investigations brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

    Columbia will need to keep detailed statistics about student applicants – including their race and ethnicity, grades and SAT scores – as well as information about faculty and staff hiring decisions. Columbia will then have to share this data with the federal government.

    In exchange, the federal government will release most of the $400 million in frozen grant money previously awarded to Columbia and allow faculty at the university to compete for future federal grants.

    How does this deal address antisemitism?

    The Trump administration has cited antisemitism against students and faculty on campuses to justify its broad incursion into the business of universities around the country.

    Antisemitism is a real and legitimate concern in U.S. society and higher education, including at Columbia.

    But the federal complaint the administration made against Columbia was not actually about antisemitism. The administration made a formal accusation of antisemitism at Columbia in May of this year but suspended grants to the university in March. The federal government had initially acknowledged that cutting federal research grants did nothing to address the climate for Jewish students on campus, for example.

    When the federal government investigates civil rights violations, it usually conducts site visits and does very thorough investigations. We never saw such a government report about antisemitism at Columbia or other universities.

    The settlement that Columbia has entered into with the administration also doesn’t do much about antisemitism.

    The agreement includes Columbia redefining antisemitism with a broader definition that is also used by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. The definition now includes “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews” – a description that is also used by the U.S. State Department and several European governments but some critics say conflates antisemitism with anti-Zionism.

    Instead, the agreement primarily has to do with faculty hiring and admissions decisions. The federal government alleges that Columbia is discriminating against white and Asian applicants, and that this will allow the government to ensure that everybody who is admitted is considered only on the basis of merit.

    The administration could argue that changing hiring practices to get faculty who are less hostile to Jewish students could change the campus climate, but the agreement doesn’t really identify ways in which the university contributed to or ignored antisemitic conduct.

    Is this a new issue?

    There has been a long-running issue that conservatives and members of the Trump administration – dating back to his first term – have with higher education. The Trump administration and other conservatives have said for years that higher education is too liberal.

    The protests were the flash point that put Columbia in the administration’s crosshairs, as well as claims that Columbia was creating a hostile environment for Jewish students.

    The administration’s complaints aren’t limited to Columbia. Harvard is in a protracted conflict with the administration, and the administration has launched investigations into dozens of other schools around the country. These universities are butting heads with the administration over the same grievance that higher education is too liberal. There are also specific claims about antisemitism on university campuses and the privileges given to nonwhite students in admissions or campus life.

    While the administration has a common set of complaints about a range of universities, there is a mix of schools that the administration is taking issue with. Some of them, such as Harvard, are very high profile. The Department of Justice forced out the president at the University of Virginia in January 2025 on the grounds that he had not done enough to root out diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the public university. The University of Virginia may have been a target for the administration because a Republican governor appointed most members of its governance board and agreed with Trump’s complaints.

    How could this change the makeup of Columbia’s student population?

    The Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that Harvard’s affirmative action program, which considered race in admissions, violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. This effectively ended race-based affirmative action for all U.S. colleges and universities.

    Now, with the Columbia deal, the government could say that it would expect to see a proportion of students who are white increase and students who are Black and Latino to decrease at Columbia. That’s a legal approach that America First Legal, a conservative legal advocacy group founded by Stephen Miller, a Trump administration official, has already tried.

    Back in February 2025, America First Legal alleged in a federal lawsuit that the University of California, Los Angeles, was using illegal admissions criteria, because of the number of Black and Latino students that were admitted by the school. That lawsuit is ongoing.

    Claire Shipman, Columbia University’s acting president, speaks during the school’s May 2025 commencement ceremony.
    Jeenah Moon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    What does this agreement mean for US higher education as a whole?

    It is an enormous, unprecedented shift in how the federal government works with higher education. Since the McCarthy era in the 1940s and ’50s, when professors were blacklisted and fired because of their alleged communism, Americans have not seen the federal government interrogate education.

    The federal government does have a role in securing people’s civil rights, including in the context of higher education, but this is very, very different from how the federal government has done civil rights investigations and entered into agreements with universities in the past.

    This agreement is very broad and gives the federal government oversight of things that have long been under universities’ control, such as whom they hire to teach and which students they admit.

    The federal government is now saying it has the right to look over universities’ shoulders and guide them in this work that has long been considered independent. And the government is willing to be extremely coercive to get universities to comply.

    What signal does this agreement send to other universities?

    This agreement sets a precedent for the government to direct colleges and universities to comply with its political agenda. This violates the long tradition of academic independence that had helped to make the U.S. higher education system the envy of the world.

    Columbia can afford paying $200 million to the federal government. Most universities can’t afford to pay $200 million.

    And most campuses cannot survive without federal resources, whether that comes in the form of student financial aid or research grants. This agreement sets a standard for other universities that, if they don’t immediately do what the federal government wants them to do, the government could impose penalties that are so high it could end their ability to operate.

    Brendan Cantwell is a Professor in the Department of Educational Administration at Michigan State University.

    – ref. Columbia’s $200M deal with Trump administration sets a precedent for other universities to bend to the government’s will – https://theconversation.com/columbias-200m-deal-with-trump-administration-sets-a-precedent-for-other-universities-to-bend-to-the-governments-will-261902

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey and Warnock Demand Answers from Secretaries Rubio and Noem on Contradictory U.S. Foreign and Immigration Policies Toward Haiti and Potential Illegal Arms Exports to Port-au-Prince

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Letter Text (PDF)
    Washington (July 24, 2025) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) today led their colleagues in writing to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, requesting clarification on the contradictory U.S. foreign and immigration policies toward Haiti. The senators also demand answers on the involvement of a U.S. private military contractor (PMC)—led by Blackwater Worldwide founder Erik Prince— conducting armed operations in Haiti.
    In the letter, the lawmakers write, “According to recent reports, a U.S. private military contractor (PMC) is conducting armed operations in Haiti under a formal contract with the country’s transitional government. These reports raise urgent questions about compliance with U.S. arms export laws, the risk of U.S. complicity in gross violations of human rights, and fundamental contradictions in current U.S. foreign and immigration policy toward Haiti. In light of these concerns, and in view of the Trump administration’s recent decision to both terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti and include Haiti in its newly announced travel ban, we request that you immediately clarify how these decisions are being coordinated and justified across the Executive Branch.”
    The lawmakers continued, “Weaponized drone operations, arms shipments, and deployments of U.S. mercenaries unquestionably constitute activities requiring export licenses. If those licenses were granted, their approval would appear inconsistent with NSPM-10’s human rights criteria. If no licenses were granted, then these activities may be proceeding in violation of U.S. law. At a time when U.S. foreign policy towards Haiti is increasingly inconsistent, by undermining multilateral efforts, ignoring human rights concerns, and pursuing deportations despite escalating violence, the unchecked deployment of a U.S. private military contractor with a troubling history of human rights abuses represents an urgent threat to U.S. legal obligations, credibility, and responsibilities to protect vulnerable populations.”
    The lawmakers request the following information by August 15, 2025:
    Has any U.S. private military contractor applied for or received export licenses for defense articles or military services provided in Haiti? If so, please identify them and provide copies of the export licenses.
    Have any such licenses been reviewed under NSPM-10, Section 3(d) regarding the risks to international peace and human rights? If so, please provide the results of any such review. If not, why not?
    Has any interagency review assessed whether such U.S. private military contractor activity could undermine the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission? If so, please provide the results of any such review. If not, why not? Has the Department of State assessed whether these activities are consistent with, duplicative of, or in conflict with the UN MSS mission? If so, please provide the results of any such assessment. If not, why not?
    Have the Haitian National Police units that are reportedly receiving U.S. security assistance been vetted under the Leahy Law? If so, please provide the results of that vetting. If not, why not?
    What accounts for the contradiction between State’s support for armed stabilization operations in Haiti and DHS’s determination that TPS protections should end?
    How does the Administration reconcile the security justification for Haiti’s inclusion in the travel ban with its simultaneous assessment that Haiti’s TPS status should be terminated because it is safe for Haitians to return home?
    The letter was co-signed by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Markey, Reps. Tonko, Fitzpatrick, Bacon, Introduce Community Mental Wellness & Resilience Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Bipartisan legislation bolsters mental wellness & resilience to traumas caused by climate disasters
    Washington (July 24, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and co-Chair of the Environmental Justice Caucus, along with Representatives Paul D. Tonko (D-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Don Bacon (R-NE), today introduced the Community Mental Wellness and Resilience Act, a bipartisan bill that tackles the nation’s mental health crisis by addressing the extensive community trauma caused by climate disasters. This innovative legislation will empower communities through a new federal grant program to craft their own locally specific responses to the mental health problems caused by disasters and toxic stresses.
    “Communities are struggling to meet the current need for mental health services, and as the climate crisis worsens, unprecedented disasters will only cause more unprecedented harm to our physical and mental health,” said Senator Markey. “Heat waves, flash floods, wildfires, and droughts leave devastation and trauma in their wake. My Community Mental Wellness and Resilience Act would give communities the help they need to protect residents’ mental health, especially those in rural and underserved communities that are getting hit first and worst by disasters and have the fewest resources to deal with them.”
    “Extreme weather disasters don’t just wreak havoc on our homes, economies, and infrastructure — they inflict lasting trauma and mental harm for those both directly impacted and far beyond the affected area,” Congressman Tonko said. “We need to provide compassionate, evidence-informed solutions to support our communities. That’s why I’m leading this bipartisan legislation in partnership with my colleagues. We’ll continue working to further mental wellness and equip our communities with the resources they need to meet and overcome these traumas.”
    “For too long, our disaster response has focused solely on physical recovery, while the mental and emotional toll has gone unaddressed. This bipartisan legislation corrects that imbalance by treating mental health as a core component of our public health and emergency preparedness strategy. By investing in evidence-based, community-driven solutions, we’re not just helping communities rebuild—we’re helping them heal,” said Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick.
    “The mental health crisis affecting our communities is one of the most serious challenges of our time. We need comprehensive, community-driven solutions that empower local leaders to develop and implement programs that work for their specific needs,”?said Congressman Don Bacon.?“The bipartisan Community Mental Wellness and Resilience Act puts the power back in the hands of our communities to create meaningful, lasting change in mental health care.”
    In 2024, Mental Health America reported that nearly 23 percent of U.S. adults (~60 million people) experienced a diagnosed mental illness, with more than 5 percent facing severe conditions. Climate disasters only exacerbate the problem. Consequently, the number of people who experience a mental health problem as a result of a natural disaster often outweigh those with physical injuries by 40 to 1.
    The Community Mental Wellness and Resilience Act will:
    Establish a competitive grant program at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create, operate, or expand community-based programs that use a public health approach to build mental wellness and resilience
    Utilize these programs to enhance the capacity of all residents for mental wellness and resilience to prevent and heal mental health problems generated by disasters and toxic stresses
    Incorporating a set-aside to help address rural mental health disparities
    Help community initiatives build their own strategies to enhance and sustain population-level mental wellness and resilience, with specific attention to high-risk individuals
    More than 110 organizations support the legislation, including: Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Lung Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Public Health Association, International Transformational Resilience Coalition, Mental Health America, Moms Clean Air Force, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, National Association of Social Workers, National League for Nursing, Rural Opportunity Institute, The Kennedy Forum, and YMCA of the USA.
    A fact sheet on the legislation can be found HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Introduces Legislation to Increase Wages Nationwide for Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Bill Text (PDF)
    Washington (July 24, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, today introduced the Pay Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Act, legislation that would set a minimum wage for school staff of $45,000 per year, or $30 per hour.
    “Paraprofessionals and education support staff make our schools safe, healthy places where all students can learn, grow, and thrive. They are a critical part of our education infrastructure, and we must invest in them the way they invest in our students, their families, and their communities,” said Senator Markey, who earlier today participated in a town hall at the U.S. Capitol with more than 100 educators and educational leaders to discuss the educator pay crisis. “As Trump and Republicans work to cut public education and attack educators across the country, I am proud to introduce this legislation, which will uplift paraprofessionals and education support staff and give them the support and resources they need to succeed.”
    Several educational leaders voiced their support for the Pay Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Act. 
    “Every day, we fight for our paraprofessionals and school-related personnel who are not paid enough; they work under tough conditions, and many are subject to violence during the workday. Too many must work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. Given the crucial role that PSRPs play in classrooms and the invaluable support they give to the students they serve, securing commensurate compensation and respect is critical. We are grateful to Sen. Markey for his commitment to paraprofessionals, bus drivers, custodians, school office staff, school food service workers and all the school staff who make our schools run. Do you think teachers and principals could do their jobs without PSRPs? The answer is ‘no.’ Sen. Markey’s bill, the Pay Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Act, would guarantee that the more than 370,000 members who make up the AFT’s PSRP division would have access to a family-sustaining wage. We look forward to moving this bill forward in Congress,” said Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers.
    “Paraprofessionals play an invaluable role in our classrooms and are at the heart of our public school — helping students learn, grow, and meet their basic needs,” said Jessica Tang, President of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts. “Outside of the classroom, they’re important members of the community, many have kids and grandkids in the schools and live in the communities they serve. For far too long, paraprofessionals have been forced to work multiple jobs, or rely on public assistance, just to make ends meet. One job should be enough. It’s time our paraprofessionals receive the fair wages, benefits, and respect that reflects the important work they do every day.”
    “Education Support Professionals strengthen our schools and communities by making sure our students are safe, healthy and ready to learn every day. But too many of these educators are forced to work two or three jobs to support their families, when one job should be enough. By passing the Pay Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Act, Congress will show they recognize and appreciate the invaluable contributions of our ESPs – both inside and outside the classroom. We want to thank Senator Ed Markey for introducing this legislation, and we urge Congress to act swiftly in passing it to demonstrate to our Education Support Professionals that, as a nation, we respect and value all they do for our students,” said Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association. “As the Trump administration continues to take a wrecking ball to public education and the futures of the 50 million students in rural, suburban, and urban communities across America, this legislation is more important than ever to ensure our students get the support they need.”
    “An Education Support Professional told us how one of her students had an after-school job at a fast-food restaurant that paid more per hour than this district was paying veteran ESPs. This is shameful. ESPs play an increasingly vital role in our public schools, yet in too many districts across Massachusetts they do not earn a living wage. We have heard countless stories from ESPs who love working with their students but cannot afford to keep their school jobs. Senator Markey’s bill is a sensible and responsible approach to correcting a serious injustice in our public schools. By establishing a floor upon which to build a real living wage, this legislation will improve learning conditions – especially for our most vulnerable students – by stabilizing the education workforce,” said Max Page, President, and Deb McCarthy, Vice President of the Massachusetts Teachers Association.
    The bill is cosponsored by Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
    The bill is endorsed by the National Education Association, SEIU, American Federation of Teachers, AFSCME, Council for Exceptional Children, EdTrust, and National Women’s Law Center.
    On July 17, 2025, Senator Markey reintroduced the Preparing and Retaining All (PARA) Educators Act, legislation that would establish higher wages, career pipelines, and professional development opportunities for school paraeducators. In April 2025, Senator Markey and Representative Jahana Hayes (CT-05) introduced the Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Bill of Rights.
    On March 20, Senator Markey slammed Trump’s Executive Order to dismantle the Department of Education. On March 11, Senator Markey delivered remarks on the Senate Floor to spotlight Trump’s plan to gut the Department. On February 27, Senator Markey introduced the No Cuts to Public Schools Act, which would prevent any cuts to federal education formula funding during the Trump administration. On February 10, Senator Markey held a press conference in Boston with Massachusetts educators and teachers’ unions on Trump’s vow to dismantle the Department, and the impact on Massachusetts students, educators, and communities.
    On February 6, 2025, Senator Markey, members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, along with the Massachusetts Teachers Association, American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, Massachusetts Association of School Committees, and Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, released a joint statement after President Trump vowed to dismantle the Department of Education.
    In September 2023, Senator Markey introduced the Green New Deal for Public Schools Act, legislation that would invest $1.6 trillion over the next decade in public and Bureau of Indian Education schools to upgrade every public school building in the country; reduce hazardous pollution; give schools the resources to hire hundreds of thousands of educators, paraprofessionals, and counselors; invest in schools serving low-income students; and fully fund education for students with disabilities.
    Senator Markey first introduced the Paraprofessional and Education Support Staff Bill of Rights in November 2023.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Lee, McIver Introduce Bill to Expand Legal Representation for Tenants Facing Eviction

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) along with U.S. Representatives Summer L. Lee (D-PA-12) and LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10), reintroduced the Eviction Right to Counsel Act, a bold effort to combat the growing eviction crisis by ensuring that low-income tenants facing eviction have access to free legal representation.
    The Eviction Right to Counsel Act would establish a federal grant program through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support state, local, and Tribal governments that pass legislation guaranteeing a right to counsel in eviction proceedings. The bill prioritizes funding for jurisdictions that also implement additional tenant protections like just cause eviction laws, longer notice periods, emergency rental assistance, and eviction diversion programs—creating a comprehensive strategy to prevent displacement and housing instability.
    “Millions of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck while facing rapidly increasing rent prices,” said Senator Booker. “Renters facing eviction are often left defenseless without an attorney to represent them. By creating a grant program to support communities that offer a right to counsel for those facing eviction, we will make our housing system more equitable and provide substantial cost savings to both local governments and overburdened housing services across the country.”
    “Right now, in eviction courtrooms across America, 90% of landlords have lawyers while most tenants have none. And it’s no coincidence that Black families, women, and parents are bearing the brunt of it. No one should lose their home simply because they couldn’t afford a lawyer,” said Representative Lee. “In Western Pennsylvania and across PA-12, families are being crushed by rising rents, stagnant wages, and eviction threats. This bill is about supporting working people and ensuring they have a fighting chance—and that starts with legal representation. I am proud to partner with Senator Booker and Rep. McIver on this bill to help keep people in their homes.”
    “No one should lose their home because they can’t afford to hire a lawyer to take on their case,” said Representative McIver. “The Eviction Right to Counsel Act gives people a fair shot—a chance to fight their cases in court and keep families from falling into the spiral of poverty. Housing is a human right, and this bill takes a critical step toward making sure that right is a reality that people feel.”
    “Not only is housing a basic human need, but loss of housing can lead to a cascade of harms to other needs such as health, safety, and liberty. This bill would support states and cities enacting a right to counsel for tenants facing eviction, an evidence-based approach to increasing housing stability and reducing homelessness that has been adopted by cities and states across the country,” said John Pollock, Coordinator of the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel.
    “For years, NLIHC has called for a national right to counsel fund to help renters stay in their homes and mitigate harm when eviction is avoidable,” said Renee Willis, NLIHC president and CEO. “I applaud Senator Booker for introducing the Eviction Right to Counsel Act to ensure low-income tenants have legal representation when their housing is most at risk. Eviction defense attorneys can make the difference between a renter staying in safe, stable housing or homelessness, and the right to counsel helps tenants know their rights and find support in navigating the complicated eviction process.”
    “We applaud Senator Booker’s leadership on this issue and very glad to see this legislation introduced today. Eviction is a policy failure and the federal government must support mechanisms that keep people safely and stably housed. We look forward to working with the Senator to see this legislation enacted,” said Arnold Cohen, Senior Policy Advisor, Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey.
    The legislation comes amid skyrocketing rents and surging eviction filings. Nearly half of all renters in America are considered cost-burdened, spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent. Since the pandemic, rents have risen over 12 percent year-over-year, while the protections that temporarily shielded tenants from eviction have largely expired. The imbalance of legal power in eviction proceedings leaves many tenants—particularly Black renters and families with children—vulnerable to homelessness, economic instability, and trauma.
    Studies show that providing tenants with legal representation dramatically improves outcomes, often preventing eviction altogether and saving local governments millions in emergency shelter, health care, and social services costs. Cities that have invested in right to counsel programs have seen estimated cost savings of more than three times their annual investment.
    The Eviction Right to Counsel Act of 2025:
    Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to create a grant program for state, local, and Tribal governments that enact right to counsel legislation.
    Defines “covered individuals” as tenants with income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line.
    Covers civil legal actions in court or administrative forums related to:
    Eviction: Forcible removal from a tenant’s primary residence.
    Termination of Housing Subsidy: Loss of subsidies that help tenants afford their homes, which often functions as a de facto eviction.
    Requires jurisdictions receiving funding to provide full legal representation at no cost to covered individuals in these proceedings.
    Prioritizes funding for jurisdictions that have enacted additional tenant protections, including just cause eviction laws, extended notice periods, and eviction diversion programs.
    Allows grantees to use funds for implementation costs such as attorney training and legal resources.
    Authorizes $100 million in federal funding annually for five years.
    The bill is endorsed by: the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, National Housing Law Project, and the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey.
    The bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
    To read the full text of the bill, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Security News: Arizona Woman Sentenced for $17M Information Technology Worker Fraud Scheme that Generated Revenue for North Korea

    Source: United States Department of Justice

    An Arizona woman was sentenced today to 102 months in prison for her role in a fraudulent scheme that assisted North Korean Information Technology (IT) workers posing as U.S. citizens and residents with obtaining remote IT positions at more than 300 U.S. companies. The scheme generated more than $17 million in illicit revenue for Chapman and for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea).

    Christina Marie Chapman, 50, of Litchfield Park, Arizona, pleaded guilty on Feb. 11 in the District of Columbia to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. In addition to the 102-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss ordered Chapman to serve three years of supervised release, to forfeit $284,555.92 that was to be paid to the North Koreans, and to pay a judgment of $176,850.

    “Christina Chapman perpetrated a years’ long scheme that resulted in millions of dollars raised for the DPRK regime, exploited more than 300 American companies and government agencies, and stole dozens of identities of American citizens,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Chapman made the wrong calculation: short term personal gains that inflict harm on our citizens and support a foreign adversary will have severe long term consequences.  I encourage companies to remain vigilant of these cyber threats, and warn individuals who may be tempted by similar schemes to take heed of today’s sentence.”

    “North Korea is not just a threat to the homeland from afar. It is an enemy within. It is perpetrating fraud on American citizens, American companies, and American banks. It is a threat to Main Street in every sense of the word,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “The call is coming from inside the house. If this happened to these big banks, to these Fortune 500, brand name, quintessential American companies, it can or is happening at your company. Corporations failing to verify virtual employees pose a security risk for all. You are the first line of defense against the North Korean threat.”

    “The North Korean regime has generated millions of dollars for its nuclear weapons program by victimizing American citizens, businesses, and financial institutions,” said Assistant Director Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “However, even an adversary as sophisticated as the North Korean government can’t succeed without the assistance of willing U.S. citizens like Christina Chapman, who was sentenced today for her role in an elaborate scheme to defraud more than 300 American companies by helping North Korean IT workers gain virtual employment and launder the money they earned. Today’s sentencing demonstrates that the FBI will work tirelessly with our partners to defend the homeland and hold those accountable who aid our adversaries.”

    “The sentencing today demonstrates the great lengths to which the North Korean government will go in its efforts and resources to fund its illicit activities. The FBI continues to pursue these threat actors to disrupt their network and hold those accountable wherever they may be,” said Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke of the FBI Phoenix Field Office.

    “Today’s sentencing brings justice to the victims whose identities were stolen for this international fraud scheme,” said Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Phoenix Field Office. “The scheme was elaborate. If this sentencing proves anything, it’s that no amount of obfuscation will prevent IRS-CI and our law enforcement partners from tracking down those that wish to steal the identities of U.S. nationals, launder money, or engage in criminality that jeopardizes national security.”

    The case involved one of the largest North Korean IT worker fraud schemes charged by the Department of Justice, with 68 identities stolen from victims in the United States and 309 U.S. businesses and two international businesses defrauded.

    According to court documents, North Korea has deployed thousands of highly skilled IT workers around the world, including to the United States, to obtain remote employment using false, stolen, or borrowed identities of U.S. persons. To circumvent controls employed by U.S. companies to prevent the hiring of illicit overseas IT workers, the North Korean IT workers obtain assistance from U.S.-based collaborators.

    Chapman helped North Korean IT workers obtain jobs at 309 U.S. companies, including Fortune 500 corporations. The impacted companies included a top-five major television network, a Silicon Valley technology company, an aerospace manufacturer, an American car maker, a luxury retail store, and a U.S media and entertainment company. Some of the companies were targeted by the IT workers, who maintained a repository of postings for companies that they wanted to employ them. The IT workers also attempted to obtain employment at two different U.S. government agencies, although these efforts were generally unsuccessful.

    Chapman operated a “laptop farm” where she received and hosted computers from the U.S. companies at her home, deceiving the companies into believing that the work was being performed in the United States. Chapman also shipped 49 laptops and other devices supplied by U.S. companies to locations overseas, including multiple shipments to a city in China on the border with North Korea. More than 90 laptops were seized from Chapman’s home following the execution of a search warrant in October 2023.

    Christina Chapman organized and stored U.S. company laptops in her home, and included notes identifying the U.S. company and identity associated with each laptop.

    Much of the millions of dollars in income generated by the scheme was falsely reported to the IRS and Social Security Administration in the names of actual U.S. individuals whose identities had been stolen or borrowed. Additionally, Chapman received and forged payroll checks in the names of the stolen identities used by the IT workers and received IT workers’ wages through direct deposit from U.S. companies into her U.S. financial accounts. Chapman further transferred the proceeds from the scheme to individuals overseas.

    This case was investigated by the FBI Phoenix Field Office, and the IRS-CI Phoenix Field Office. Assistance was provided by the FBI Chicago Field Office.

    Trial Attorney Ashley R. Pungello of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen P. Seifert for the District of Columbia prosecuted the case, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rothstein for the District of Columbia, the Victim Witness Unit, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, and the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section also provided assistance.

    ***

    In a coordinated effort, FBI Phoenix also issued guidance for HR professionals on detecting North Korean IT workers, and the Department of State issued guidance on the North Korean IT worker threat.

    Prior guidance was issued by the FBI, State Department, and the Department of the Treasury on this threat in a May 2022 advisory, and by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in October 2023. The FBI issued updated guidance in May 2024 regarding the use of U.S. persons acting as facilitators by providing a U.S.-based location for U.S. companies to send devices and a U.S.-based internet connection for access to U.S. company networks and in January 2025 concerning the extortion and theft of sensitive company data by North Korean IT workers, along with recommended mitigations.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Issa, Stefanik Introduce the Modern Firearm Safety Act

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21) reintroduced legislation to eliminate unconstitutional handgun rosters that prevent law-abiding citizens in California and New York from freely purchasing modern handgun models.   

    “For decades, the clear Constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners have been targeted for elimination, and handgun rosters are only one of the cynical schemes used to undermine the Second Amendment through the pretense of firearm safety,” said Rep. Issa. “These rosters impose excessive and unnecessary requirements that actually restrict access to firearms equipped with the most up-to-date safety features, and that’s why I’m proud to partner with my friend Rep. Stefanik to defend sacred rights and end these unjust restrictions.”

    The Modern Firearm Safety Act prohibits all states from requiring gun manufacturers to adopt costly and unnecessary features – including loaded chamber indicators, magazine disconnect mechanisms, and microstamping – to sell firearms nationwide.  

    “I am proud to re-introduce the Modern Firearm Safety Act to end the unconstitutional gun-grabbing agenda thrust on law-abiding New York residents by Far-Left Democrats like Kathy Hochul. This legislation would ban Albany Democrats from imposing illegal handgun roster requirements meant to deter gun ownership. I will always protect American citizens’ Second Amendment rights and provide a critical check to any entity attempting to encroach on their liberties,” said Chairwoman Stefanik. 

    “Liberal states use handgun rosters to violate the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. The Modern Firearm Safety Act will put a stop to these unconstitutional rosters and uphold Americans’ right to bear arms,” said Rep. Gooden. 

    “Gun control governors are far too ready and willing to sign into law antigun policies sent to their desks by legislatures that do not respect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. That includes policies passed under the guise of ‘gun safety,’ that penalize responsible and lawful gun owners while doing nothing to improve community safety or hold criminals accountable,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President for Government and Public Affairs. “The Modern Firearm Safety Act, sponsored by Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), would ban states from enacting laws mandating unproven and unconstitutional infringements and would instead protect the Constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens and the highly regulated, lawful businesses that provide the means necessary for citizens to exercise their right to keep and bear arms. NSSF thanks Congressman Issa and Chairwoman Stefanik for their leadership on this effort.”

    “By eliminating outdated, burdensome, and unnecessary restrictions, the Modern Firearm Safety Act ensures access to safer, more advanced firearms for law-abiding citizens,” said Brian R. Marvel, President of the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC). “We appreciate Representative Issa’s leadership on this critical legislation that upholds constitutional rights while ensuring peace officers and responsible citizens have access to modern, safe firearms essential for their duties and personal safety.”

    For too long, states like California and New York have attempted to end-run the rights of law-abiding Americans by requiring them to select from a limited, pre-approved “handgun roster,” solely designed to restrict the sale of new semi-automatic handguns. These rosters mandate unwanted and unnecessary features that go beyond the industry standard, driving up costs while limiting the ability to purchase a safe and reliable firearm best suited for that individual’s situation,” said John Commerford, Executive Director of NRA-ILA. “The NRA thanks Representatives Darrell Issa and Elise Stefanik for their leadership on this issue and applauds the introduction of this vital legislation that would ensure the ability of NRA members and lawful firearm owners everywhere to exercise their Second Amendment rights as they see fit.”

    Cosponsors include: Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24), Congressman Mike Collins (GA-10), Congressman Lance Gooden (TX-05), Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Congressman Pat Fallon (TX-04), Congressman Cory Mills (FL-07), and Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03). 

    The bill text can be found here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Rejects Lifetime Judicial Appointment of Unfit Trump Loyalist Emil Bove

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement after voting against advancing the nomination of Third Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Emil Bove, one of Trump’s personal lawyers with an extensive track record of spreading misinformation and enacting political retribution:

    “With their votes today, Republicans turned a blind eye to Emil Bove’s lies, vindictiveness, and abuse of power to rubber-stamp one of President Trump’s most dangerous judicial nominees.

    “This is a man who dropped the charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams in exchange for his cooperation with the President’s cruel anti-immigrant agenda. A man who fired the investigators and prosecutors uncovering the truth about the January 6 insurrection. A man who has vowed to ignore courts’ lawful orders when they keep the President from doing what he wants.

    “President Trump’s litmus test for selecting his nominees is not experience or dedication to our country, or commitment to the truth or the rule of law — it’s only loyalty to him and his extreme agenda. Bove has made it clear that he won’t let the law prevent him from satisfying the President’s whims. My colleagues have one last chance to uphold their advice and consent responsibilities and reject Bove’s final confirmation.”

    Last week, Padilla and Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats boycotted Bove’s markup vote in response to Republicans’ flagrant violation of Committee rules to jam the nominees through without debate. Padilla also joined CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” to speak out against Bove’s extensive track record of unethical and unprofessional conduct and political retaliation.

    During Bove’s Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing, Padilla slammed him for his role in firing dozens of Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors who worked on January 6 cases and the DOJ’s decision to drop the corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams in exchange for assistance with President Trump’s mass deportations. Last week, Padilla joined Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in calling for Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to schedule a hearing to collect testimony from Mr. Erez Reuveni, former Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Immigration Litigation at the Department of Justice, who disclosed allegations of misconduct and documentation regarding Bove. Previously, Padilla joined Senate Judiciary Democrats in requesting personnel records relevant to Bove from Interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton. Padilla and Senate Judiciary Democrats also filed a professional misconduct complaint against Bove with the New York State Bar, citing reported misconduct in moving to dismiss charges against Mayor Adams.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Gallego, Salinas, Barragán Introduce Mental Health for Latinos Act

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the nation observes Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), along with Representatives Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.-02) and Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.-44), introduced the Mental Health for Latinos Act, legislation to improve mental health outcomes among Latino and Hispanic communities. 

    Barriers to mental health care within Latino communities cause far too many individuals to suffer in silence. Only 47.4 percent of Hispanic adults ages 18 or older with any mental illness received services in 2023. Between 2010 and 2020, the suicide rate among male Hispanic adults (ages 20 to 64) increased by 35.7 percent, and the rate among women specifically increased by 40.6 percent. Even those who can access services rarely receive the effective, culturally competent care they need.

    “No one should suffer in silence,” said Senator Padilla. “We need to break down the barriers that keep Latinos from getting the mental health care they need, when stigma and language access can make it even harder to ask for help. The Mental Health for Latinos Act would improve mental health outcomes by reducing stigma in the Latino community and encouraging people to reach out for help. As we tackle the rise in mental health challenges, it’s critical that we acknowledge the distinct needs of our diverse communities and develop solutions that meet people where they are.”

    “Too many Latinos, especially men, shy away from seeking help because they’re afraid of being judged, and that only makes the problem worse. This issue is personal to me. This bill would help break the stigma around mental health and make it easier to get care from people who actually understand our community. I want everyone to know that they’re not alone and that getting help is not a weakness,” said Senator Gallego.

    “As Co-Chair of the bipartisan Mental Health Caucus and a proud Latina, I know how crucial it is to end the stigma around mental health care and improve outcomes and access to care among Latino communities,” said Representative Salinas. “I’ve been on the other end of a phone call with someone who is having a mental health crisis. I see how important it is for people not only to have access to mental health care, but also to be able to get the culturally competent care that meets them where they are.”

    “This legislation is a first step to breaking down the unique barriers that prevent our Latino communities from receiving the help they need. Mental health is a challenge that many Americans bear silently — but they shouldn’t have to,” said Representative Barragán. “Ensuring that our communities in need receive specialized resources and outreach will help break down cultural stigmas and language barriers that prevent Americans from accessing mental health care that is essential to their overall health and well-being.”

    Informed and culturally competent resources, education materials, and outreach programs are vital to addressing the mental health crisis. The Mental Health for Latinos Act recognizes the unique mental health challenges of the Latino community, aiming to reduce cultural stigma and rectify health care disparities that prevent people from receiving lifesaving mental health services. As our nation confronts a worsening mental health crisis, this critical legislation reinforces the message that there is zero shame in asking for help and that seeking support is a sign of strength.

    Specifically, the bill would:

    • Require the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to develop and implement an outreach and education strategy to promote behavioral and mental health among the Latino and Hispanic populations that:
      • Meets diverse cultural and language needs and is developmentally and age-appropriate,
      • Increases awareness of symptoms of mental illnesses,
      • Provides information on evidence-based, culturally and linguistically appropriate adapted interventions and treatments,
      • Ensures full participation of community members, and
      • Uses a comprehensive public health approach to promoting behavioral health by focusing on the intersection between behavioral and physical health.
    • Require SAMHSA to report annually to Congress on the extent to which the strategy improved behavioral and mental health outcomes among these populations.

    The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).

    The Mental Health for Latinos Act is endorsed by organizations including American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, National Alliance on Mental Illness, UnidosUS, American Mental Health Counselors Association, Inseparable, American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work, Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN), Global Alliance for Behavioral Health & Social Justice, American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP), American Group Psychotherapy Association, Epilepsy Foundation of America, National Council for Mental Wellbeing, the International Society for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN), the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), and Fountain House.

    Senator Padilla is a leading advocate for expanding mental health care access, especially for underserved communities. In 2023, Padilla launched the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus to serve as a forum for Senators to collaborate on and promote bipartisan legislation and solutions, hold events to raise awareness of critical mental health issues, and destigmatize mental health. Earlier this year, Padilla condemned the Trump Administration’s proposed dissolution of SAMHSA as part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) restructuring plan and the White House Office of Management and Budget’s HHS budget proposal. Padilla also led 12 Democratic Senators in warning HHS Secretary Kennedy that additional staffing cuts at SAMHSA would have disastrous ramifications for millions of Americans struggling with mental and behavioral health challenges. Previously, Padilla applauded the Federal Communications Commission for making critical improvements to the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by adopting the main provisions of his Local 9-8-8 Response Act of 2023. Additionally, Padilla introduced bipartisan legislation earlier this year to combat the growing youth mental health crisis in America through early intervention and prevention services. Padilla previously introduced bills to address the unique mental health needs of military children and farm workers.

    A one-pager on the bill is available here.

    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Sues New York City Over Sanctuary Policies

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    WASHINGTON – Today, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against New York City, Mayor Eric Adams, and several other city officials to challenge New York’s sanctuary city laws.

    As detailed in the complaint, New York’s sanctuary policies have allowed dangerous criminals to roam the streets and commit heinous crimes within the community. These policies reflect an intentional effort to obstruct federal law enforcement and thus are preempted under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

    “New York City has released thousands of criminals on the streets to commit violent crimes against law-abiding citizens due to sanctuary city policies,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “If New York City won’t stand up for the safety of its citizens, we will.”

    “For too long, New York City has been at the vanguard of interfering with enforcing our immigration laws,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate. “Its efforts to thwart federal immigration enforcement end now.”

    The case, filed in the Eastern District of New York, is the latest action from the Justice Department fighting back against unlawful obstruction of enforcement of federal immigration laws. In the past three months, the Department has filed lawsuits against Los Angeles, New York State, Colorado, Illinois, the city of Rochester, New York, and several New Jersey cities to invalidate unconstitutional sanctuary policies. Recently, the Mayor of Louisville revoked the city’s sanctuary policy after the Justice Department threatened legal action.

    Read the full complaint here.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Liberia salutes African Development Bank President Adesina in landmark Government session

    Source: APO – Report:

    • I want you to know that your legacy in Liberia is strong and enduring, President Boakai tells Adesina
    • “With your vast natural resources, Liberia has no business being poor.” — Adesina

    Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai convened the full spectrum of his government leadership to hear from African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina (www.AfDB.org), whom he lauded for a transformative decade at the helm of Africa’s premier development finance institution.

    The expanded cabinet meeting, held Tuesday 22 July at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Monrovia, brought together all three branches of the Liberian government: executive ministers, legislative leaders, the Chief Justice, and heads of state-owned enterprises. The event served as both a celebration of partnership and a platform for Adesina to share leadership insights as he nears the end of his term in August 2025.

    “You have shown the world that bold ideas, when combined with clear vision and determination, can produce extraordinary results,” President Boakai declared. “Through your leadership, the African Development Bank has invested in real solutions that touch lives every day.”

    Underscoring the gravity of the occasion, the Liberian president added: “The fact that all three branches of our government are represented speaks volumes about the value we place on your visit and the respect we have for your leadership and contributions.”

    In his rousing keynote address titled “Liberia: Arise, and Shine!”, Dr. Adesina reflected on the Bank’s enduring partnership with Liberia, which has resulted in $1.02 billion in investments across 72 projects since 1967.

    Key achievements include nearly 2,500 km of electricity transmission lines connecting Liberia with Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Guinea; the Liberia Energy Efficiency and Access Project, which delivered nearly 40,000 new grid connections; and 177 km of new roads including the transformational Fish Town-Harper and Karloken to Fish Town corridors.

    A central highlight of the event was the launch of the Liberia Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank (YEIB), a flagship $17 million initiative under the African Development Bank’s Youth in Africa strategy. Liberia becomes the first African country to establish the dedicated youth-focused financial institution, aimed at equipping young Liberians aged 18-35 with the tools and capital to drive national development through entrepreneurship.

    President Boakai described the Bank’s portfolio as “more than numbers on paper.”

    “They are roads that connect our communities, energy that lights homes and businesses, and agriculture projects that strengthen food security and create income for our farmers,” he said.

    Drawing from his experience as Nigeria’s former Minister of Agriculture, and his decade-long leadership of the Bank, Adesina offered the Liberian cabinet a 7-point framework for transformational governance: setting clear and ambitious goals, ensuring measurable results, promoting teamwork and accountability and reforming institutions, especially the civil service and judiciary.

    “Don’t just blow the whistle, use your yellow card or red card. There is no need for rules in a soccer game if the referee never uses the yellow card or the red card,” Adesina said. “You cannot spend time baby-sitting poor performers. The public is eager for results and time is not on your side. So, be firm. Reward performers. Dispense with non-performers.”

    He recommended the adoption of a “One Government approach”, as well as the establishment of a presidential awards program to “recognize and incentivize inter-agency collaboration”; drawing from similar models at the African Development Bank.

    The Bank Group President urged the country to unlock greater value from its abundant resources. “With your vast natural resources, Liberia has no business being poor,” he stated. “The export of raw materials is the door to poverty. The export of value-added products is the highway to wealth.”

    During a Q&A session, Adesina emphasized the importance of technical and vocational training, citing that 60 percent of Liberia’s population is under the age of 35. He was responding to Education Minister Jarso Maley Jallah who inquired about strengthening entrepreneurship through the education system.

    Responding to a question from the Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, Jerolinmek Piah on achieving fiscal targets, Adesina urged the government to plug revenue leakages, noting that Africa loses $88 billion annually to illicit financial flows. “Make your country investable: invest in transparency, rule of law, create the right environment, provide incentives,” he added.

    Sannah Ziama, a local investor, praised Adesina’s visionary leadership and called for sustained investments in solar power to unlock Liberia’s industrial potential.

    As a low-income country and transition State, Liberia continues to benefit from the African Development Fund, the Bank’s concessional lending arm, as well as the Transition Support Facility, and the Nigeria Trust Fund.

    Liberia is also part of the inaugural group of countries that have developed energy compacts under the Mission 300 program, a joint initiative of the African Development Bank and the World Bank to deliver electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.

    In recognition of his exceptional contributions, President Boakai presented Adesina with a Presidential Pin of Honour. Adesina had previously received Liberia’s highest national honour – the Order of the Star of Africa, Grade of Grand Band – in 2018.

    “Dr. Adesina, as you prepare to move on from this chapter, I want you to know that your legacy in Liberia is strong and enduring, President Boakai said. “The programs you have championed will continue to make an impact for years to come. Thank you for your faith in Liberia’s potential, and thank you for investing in our people, especially our youth.”

    Adesina was accompanied by the Bank’s Director General for West Africa, Lamin Barrow; Bank Executive Director for Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Ghana and Sudan, Rufus Darkortey; and Acting Country Manager, Foday Yusuf Bob.

    Liberia’s historical connection with the African Development Bank dates back to the institution’s founding, when Liberian official Romeo Alexander Horton served as the pioneer Chairman of the Committee of Nine that established the Bank in 1964.

    Read Dr. Adesina’s address here (https://apo-opa.co/4maNUla).

    – on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

    Media Contacts:
    Natalie Nkembuh and Tolu Ogunlesi
    Communication and External Relations
    media@afdb.org

    About the African Development Bank Group:
    The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org

    Media files

    .

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • PM Modi condoles loss of lives in Himachal accident; announces assistance

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in a road accident in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district.

    In a post on X, the Prime Minister’s Office shared PM Modi’s message, “Saddened by the loss of lives due to an accident in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the mishap. May the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.”

    According to officials, the bus, carrying 30 passengers, skidded off the road and rolled down a hillside near Tarangala in the Sarkaghat subdivision.

    Emergency services rushed to the scene, with police and administrative personnel from the Sarkaghat police station and the office of the Deputy Superintendent of Police leading rescue operations. Ambulances were quickly deployed, but access to the crash site posed challenges due to the steep terrain.

    Locals were the first to respond and initiated rescue efforts before authorities arrived.

    Superintendent of Police Sakshi Verma confirmed that four people – two men and two women – died on the spot. Several injured passengers were taken to the Civil Hospital in Sarkaghat. Three critically injured individuals were later referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bilaspur.

    The cause of the accident is yet to be determined, and an investigation is underway.

    Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed grief over the incident and said the administration has been directed to ensure proper treatment of the injured.

    “In this hour of sorrow, I offer my condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he wrote on X.

    -IANS

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall & Risch Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Local Partnerships with Federal Immigration Authorities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) in introducing the 287(g) Program Protection Act to streamline partnerships between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) refused to process new 287(g) program applications during the Biden-Harris Administration, resulting in a significant backlog. In January 2025, President Trump issued an executive order to approve hundreds of 287(g) agreements, allowing local law enforcement officers to enforce immigration laws.
    “On Inauguration Day, President Trump vowed to secure the southern border and empower local law enforcement. With border encounters at nearly zero, he has fulfilled his first promise,” said Senator Marshall. “Now, it’s time to act on the second promise. The 287(g) Program Protection Act delivers tools to our local Kansas law enforcement agencies to undo the damage caused by the Biden-Harris Administration. I am proud to stand alongside Senator Risch and introduce this important legislation.”
    “President Trump’s enforcement of our immigration laws has brought encounters at the southern border to a screeching halt,” said Senator Risch. “To finish cleaning up the Biden administration’s mess, we must empower our local law enforcement to assist ICE in identifying and detaining the illegal immigrants in our communities.”
    The bill is also cosponsored by Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Jim Justice (R-West Virginia), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), and Rick Scott (R-Florida).
    Click here to read the bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2024: Minister Ellis

    “I am pleased to see Statistics Canada’s 2024 police-reported crime statistics show significant improvement in Alberta. Our province achieved a nine per cent decrease in both crime severity and overall crime rate – more than double the national decline of four per cent. These strong results show that Alberta is on the right track.

    “While there is still more work to do to keep Albertans and their property safe, these results reflect the outstanding efforts of law enforcement officers across the province. I want to thank all the police services operating across Alberta for their commitment to protecting our communities. Their work, combined with strategic provincial investments in public safety, community engagement and crime prevention is delivering clear, measurable results for Albertans.

    “For instance, Statistics Canada reports that property crime and vehicle theft in Alberta dropped by eight and nine per cent respectively in 2024, continuing a broader downward trend.

    “Our year-over-year figures are encouraging and so are those illustrating long-term trends. Alberta has seen a significantly lower increase in crime severity compared to the rest of the country and recorded the lowest increase in crime rate among all provinces – six times lower than the national average.

    “While these short- and long-term trends are cause for optimism, Alberta’s government remains firmly committed to improving the safety and security of our communities through comprehensive action. While police services across the province are working hard to serve their communities, specialized units within the Alberta Sheriffs continue to augment and support their work, closing drug houses, apprehending fugitives and bolstering surveillance and officer presence in rural areas.

    “The province’s strong support for the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams is also helping disrupt organized and serious crime across the province. It’s clear that officer presence matters, and investments in front-line policing are helping address social disorder and improve public safety in our urban centres. 

    “However, these local successes stand in stark contrast to the ongoing inaction from the federal government whose policies have broken the bail system, allowing violent repeat offenders back on our streets, contributing to a national increase in crime. Alberta continues to call on Ottawa to reverse its harmful policy decisions that have made it harder for police to do their jobs and easier for offenders to reoffend.

    “I look forward to continuing our productive partnerships with police services across the province to maintain these positive provincial trends. People deserve communities in which they can live, work and raise a family in peace and security. While this recent data shows that things are moving in the right direction, we won’t take our eye off the ball. Alberta’s government will continue to do whatever it takes to improve public safety, reduce crime and foster safer streets and neighbourhoods for all Albertans.”

    Related news

    • New chief, next step for municipal policing option (July 2, 2025)
    • Expanding municipal police service options (April 7, 2025)
    • Tackling catalytic converter and scrap metal theft (April 7, 2025)
    • Helping rural municipalities with policing costs (Nov. 6, 2024)
    • Alberta Sheriffs help bring fugitives to justice (Sept. 17, 2024)
    • More boots on the ground to fight rural crime (July 18, 2024)
    • More boots on the ground in Calgary and Edmonton (Apr. 11, 2024)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Missionary Charged with Sexually Abusing Minors Abroad

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    A former missionary was arrested today in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for sexually abusing minors abroad. William James Purdy, 28, of West Valley, Utah, was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 16 on charges related to the exploitation of minors outside the United States.

    “The defendant in this case chose to travel abroad under the guise of good intentions and then sexually exploited and abused children who had been trusted to his care,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “When foreign authorities sought to hold him accountable, he fled back to the United States. The United States will not export child exploitation. The Justice Department is committed to securing justice for children exploited overseas when these heinous acts are committed by Americans.”

    “William James Purdy’s actions represent a profound betrayal of trust and have caused immeasurable harm to the young lives he was supposed to protect and nurture,” said Special Agent in Charge Edward V. Owens of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia. “HSI’s global reach and partnerships are crucial in our relentless fight against child predators, ensuring that those who exploit and abuse children, no matter where they are, are brought to justice. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society and will continue to work tirelessly to prevent such heinous crimes.”

    “This is a perfect illustration of the DSS global reach and our ability to partner with U.S. and foreign law enforcement agencies on international cases,” said Acting Assistant Director of Domestic Operations Adrian Diaz of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). “DSS and our counterparts are conducting investigations like these on a daily basis around the world.”

    According to court documents, Purdy, a U.S. Citizen, traveled to Tonga in 2017 for his mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While there, he allegedly sexually abused multiple minor boys. Purdy returned to Tonga in late 2019 to teach at a school in Nuku’alofa, Tonga. For years, Purdy allegedly groomed and sexually abused numerous male students, some of whom lived with him. Purdy allegedly provided gifts, including electronic devices and access to the internet, food, toys, and money, in exchange for the performance of sexual acts. Purdy is also alleged to have surreptitiously recorded minor males in his bathroom at his various Tonga apartments.

    Purdy was arrested by Tonga police in October 2022, when an eight‑year‑old boy disclosed that Purdy sexually assaulted him during their tutoring sessions. When Purdy was released from jail, he allegedly continued to sexually abuse children. In March 2023, just prior to his scheduled trial, Purdy fled Tonga using an assumed identity and returned to Utah. The investigation thus far has identified 14 minor victims throughout Tonga.

    Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) are investigating the case, with the substantial assistance of the Tonga Police and the Tongan Department of Public Prosecutions.

    Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Joey L. Blanch for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: High-profile sex assault cases — and their verdicts — have consequences for survivors seeking help

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Lisa Boucher, Assistant Professor, Gender & Social Justice, Trent University

    Five former Canada world junior hockey players have been acquitted of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room in 2018 after Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia said the Crown failed to prove its case and that the victim’s evidence was neither credible nor reliable.

    The shocking outcome highlights the inadequacies and harms of the legal system and formal institutions in responding to sexual assault that advocates, researchers and victim/survivors have long pointed to.

    If we truly want to address sexual violence, then challenging rape myths — in the courts, in the media and elsewhere — is an essential part of this work.

    Sexual violence — a type of gender-based violence — is a persistent problem in Canada and across the globe, with high rates of sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence. Statistics Canada has found that approximately 4.7 million women in Canada have been sexually assaulted since the age of 15. Reporting remains low, however, and victims/survivors face a multitude of barriers to care and justice.

    Barriers to reporting and seeking help include factors like service gaps, not knowing where to go for help, inaccessibility and shame and stigma. Attitudes surrounding sexual violence can also impact survivors’ decisions to disclose. They can also influence the responses survivors receive when they reach out for support.

    Supportive vs. unsupportive reactions

    The majority of victims/survivors never report or seek help through formal channels. Instead, they’re more likely to disclose to informal support systems, like friends and family.

    When a disclosure of violence is met with a supportive reaction, victim/survivors can experience improved well-being. Positive reactions can also lead to additional help-seeking by affirming the victims/survivors’ need for care, and offering information about services and resources.

    In contrast, unsupportive responses can hinder a victim/survivor’s recovery. Such responses might involve blaming the victim, taking control of decision-making or priorizing the well-being of the person or entity receiving the information over the victim/survivor’s.

    Negative reactions can silence the victim/survivor, encourage self-blame and deter them from seeking help. And when victims/survivors anticipate negative reactions to a disclosure of violence, they are less likely to talk about it, alert authorities or seek help.

    Additionally, while most victims/survivors seek help through informal channels, most people are unprepared to hear about it. High levels of misinformation about sexual violence — or rape myths — also increase the likelihood that victims/survivors will receive unsupportive responses.

    The persistence of rape myths

    Rape myths are pervasive false beliefs about sexual assault. They minimize the seriousness of sexual violence and shift blame from individual perpetrators and root causes onto victims or survivors.

    Common rape myths include ideas that rape is rare and committed by strangers, that victims/survivors lie, that certain clothing or behaviour invites sexual assault and that it is only rape if it involves physical force and active resistance.

    Despite decades of research refuting rape myths, they persist. And they continue to influence perceptions of sexual violence, victims and perpetrators.

    Rape myth acceptance is linked to higher rates of sexual assault and lower reporting and convictionrates. Because rape myths are often internalized, they also decrease the likelihood that victims/survivors will identify their experience as violence.



    Read more:
    Rape myths can affect jurors’ perceptions of sexual assault, and that needs to change

    Rape myths and media

    One powerful way that rape myths circulate is through media. This includes traditional forms of media and social media. The pervasiveness of media in our lives makes it difficult to avoid exposure to false and harmful ideas about sexual violence.

    High-profile cases in the media — like the Jian Ghomeshi, Harvey Weinstein and Hockey Canada trials — expose the public to details and discourses about sexual violence. The intensity of coverage can have harmful effects on victims/survivors.

    For instance, in a study about experiences with seeking help and reporting sexual assault, researchers found interview participants were negatively affected by rape myths circulating during the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings for a position on the United States Supreme Court.



    Read more:
    Trauma 101 in the aftermath of the Ford-Kavanaugh saga

    Interviewees reported an increase in victim-blaming reactions from friends, family and professionals. They also described intense feelings like grief and anger, and reflected on barriers to reporting sexual violence.

    Sexual assault centres in Ontario have reported spikes in calls to their crisis/support lines in response to the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial.

    This is further evidence that coverage of sexual violence can be stressful and retraumatizing for victims/survivors. Service providers have noted that some of the calls include concerns about the hurdles and attitudes sexual assault victims face when they report.

    Challenging rape myths, victim-blaming

    There are signs of growing awareness of sexual violence, spurred in large part by survivor-led movements like the #MeToo movement. Nonetheless, rape myths continue to influence understandings of, and responses to, this type of violence.

    Challenging rape myths is therefore a critical anti-violence strategy. This requires ongoing education, for the public and for professionals.

    It also requires commitments from institutions, like the courts and media, to take an active role in stopping the spread of misinformation about sexual violence, and challenging it whenever possible.

    Lisa Boucher has previously received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Women and Gender Equality Canada.

    – ref. High-profile sex assault cases — and their verdicts — have consequences for survivors seeking help – https://theconversation.com/high-profile-sex-assault-cases-and-their-verdicts-have-consequences-for-survivors-seeking-help-260668

    MIL OSI Analysis –