NewzIntel.com

Category: Law

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Charged with Kicking Federal Agent During Immigration Inspection

    Source: US FBI

    BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 37-year-old Mexican woman living in San Benito has been charged with assaulting an agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Maria Isabel Cruz-Salas is expected for her next hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Betancourt June 18 at 11:15. She is currently in custody.

    The criminal complaint filed June 10 alleges Cruz-Salas assaulted a federal officer during a worksite immigration inspection in San Benito.

    According to the charges, authorities were conducting a lawful enforcement operation June 9 at Taqueria El Mante, where they discovered Cruz-Salas. As an HSI agent attempted to detain her, she allegedly kicked him in the face.

    If convicted, she faces a maximum of eight years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

    ICE-HSI and FBI are conducting the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Coronado is prosecuting the case. 

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

    A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Charged with Kicking Federal Agent During Immigration Inspection

    Source: US FBI

    BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 37-year-old Mexican woman living in San Benito has been charged with assaulting an agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Maria Isabel Cruz-Salas is expected for her next hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Betancourt June 18 at 11:15. She is currently in custody.

    The criminal complaint filed June 10 alleges Cruz-Salas assaulted a federal officer during a worksite immigration inspection in San Benito.

    According to the charges, authorities were conducting a lawful enforcement operation June 9 at Taqueria El Mante, where they discovered Cruz-Salas. As an HSI agent attempted to detain her, she allegedly kicked him in the face.

    If convicted, she faces a maximum of eight years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

    ICE-HSI and FBI are conducting the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Coronado is prosecuting the case. 

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

    A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Government Watchdog Finds Trump Admin is Illegally Impounding Funding for Museums and Libraries Across America; Senator Murray Responds

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on another Government Accountability Office (GAO) decision announced this morning, which concludes that President Trump is illegally impounding funding approved by Congress for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), in violation of the Impoundment Control Act (ICA):
    “Here again, it is clear as day President Trump is breaking the law to block funding Congress provided—in this case, we’re talking about investments in local museums and libraries in all fifty states.
    “President Trump may not like the fact that Congress has, on a bipartisan basis, invested in helping kids learn at their local library—but that does not change the fact that he himself signed these investments into law, and they need to start flowing immediately. The president’s funding freeze isn’t just illegal; every day it continues, it hurts real people and communities across our country who are suffering the consequences as investments they count on get choked off.”
    Presidents do not wield the power to unilaterally withhold or block investments that have been enacted into law through what’s known as “impoundment.” This foundational principle has been affirmed time and again. The Impoundment Control Act (ICA) of 1974 makes this plain and establishes limited procedures the president can and must follow to propose delaying or rescinding enacted funding. The Impoundment Control Act also charges the GAO with the responsibility of investigating and reporting to Congress when the president illegally withholds funding. In testimony to the Committee this spring, the GAO acknowledged that it has opened 39 impoundment investigations and counting. Today’s announcement follows the GAO’s first decision in May in one of its ongoing investigations, which concluded Trump is illegally impounding funding. The ICA also authorizes the Comptroller General to file suit when the president illegally impounds funding.
    IMLS was established and funded by Congress on a bipartisan basis to support museums, libraries, and similar entities in every part of the country through grants, research, and policy development. But earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order calling for IMLS to be eliminated, which was followed by grant cancellations, delays in allocating required funds, and nearly all of IMLS’ employees being put on administrative leave.
    In its decision today, the GAO concluded that:
    “IMLS has not responded to GAO’s requests for information regarding the potential impoundment of appropriated funds. Yet publicly available evidence, including sworn testimony, federal court cases, data on USAspending.gov, and information on IMLS’s website, indicates that IMLS withheld grant and other appropriated funds. Based on the available evidence and the lack of any special message pertaining to IMLS funds, GAO concludes that IMLS has violated the ICA by withholding funds from obligation and expenditure. GAO also concludes that IMLS violated the ICA by withholding funds that cannot be withheld under the ICA’s fourth disclaimer. …. The Constitution specifically vests Congress with the power of the purse, providing that ‘No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.’ The Constitution also gives Congress the exclusive power to legislate, and sets forth the procedures of bicameralism and presentment, through which the President may accept or veto a legislative bill passed by both houses of Congress, and Congress may subsequently override a presidential veto. This process does not grant the President the authority to pass his own laws or to ignore or amend a law duly enacted by Congress. …. If IMLS wishes to make changes to the appropriation provided to IMLS, it must propose funds for rescission or otherwise propose legislation to make changes to the law for consideration by Congress.”
    Since his first hours in office, President Trump has illegally blocked funding owed to communities across the country through a variety of different means. Senate and House Appropriations Committee Democrats have been tracking Trump’s illegal funding freeze and found that, as of June 3, President Trump is blocking at least $425 billion in funding owed to the American people.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trump Administration Allows VA Doctors to Deny Care to Unmarried Women and Democrats, Senator Murray Responds

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, released the following statement on new U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital guidelines from the Trump administration explicitly eliminating language requiring healthcare professionals to care for veterans regardless of their politics and marital status, and allowing doctors and other medical staff to be barred from working at VA hospitals based on their marital status, political party affiliation or union activity:
    “Health care isn’t just a special privilege Trump gets to dole out to veterans who agree with the President—it’s a moral obligation our country owes to every single man and woman who serves in uniform. Anyone who doesn’t understand that has no business leading our armed forces in any way.
    “It’s outrageous that President Trump and Secretary Collins are effectively green-lighting discrimination against wide swaths of our veteran population and the doctors who serve them. Under Trump’s new rules, veterans can be blocked from getting care, and doctors can be barred from working at VA hospitals for the sole reason that they may be unmarried, belong to a union, are registered Democrats, or identify as gay or trans—it’s appalling and un-American. Servicemembers defend our country in uniform whether they’re Democrat or Republican, married or unmarried, they have already proven they are worthy of VA care.  They shouldn’t have to fight again when they’re home to get benefits they have earned.
    “President Trump is going out of his way to discriminate against veterans and ripping up the sacred contract we make with our veterans that we will take care of them when they come home, and that they are entitled to the best health care our nation has to offer. This is bigotry, plain and simple, and it cannot be allowed to stand—and I sincerely hope my Republican colleagues would agree.
    “It’s disgusting that this policy was ever allowed to go into effect, and I will not let it fly under the radar. This policy must be rescinded immediately—this administration is not immune to public pressure and now is the time for everyone to speak out.” 
    Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee—as the daughter of a World War II veteran, supporting veterans and their families has always been an important priority for her. Senator Murray has been a leading voice in the Senate speaking out forcefully against President Trump and Elon Musk’s mass firing of VA employees and VA researchers across the country and Elon Musk and DOGE’s infiltration of the VA, including accessing veterans’ sensitive personal information.
    Last week at a hearing on veterans’ mental health, Senator Murray pressed administration officials on the importance of transparency and communication with Congress and how the Trump administration’s mass firings might undermine care for veterans who have dealt with sexual trauma. In February, Murray grilled Trump’s then-nominee for VA Deputy Secretary, Dr. Paul Lawrence, on the mass firings of VA employees and VA researchers. After pressing Doug Collins on EHR and protecting women’s access to VA health care, including lifesaving abortion care, at his nomination hearing, Senator Murray voted against Doug Collins’s nomination to be VA Secretary in early February, sounding the alarm over Elon Musk and DOGE’s activities at the VA and making clear that the Trump administration’s lawlessness is putting our national security and our veterans at risk.
    Recently, Senator Murray released a report on how Trump’s mass firings at VA are already hurting veterans’ services and health care in Washington state and across the country. Senator Murray and her colleagues have demanded that VA swiftly reverse moves to cut VA researchers, and have sent multiple letters pressing Secretary Collins to sever Elon Musk and DOGE’s access to any VA or other government system with information about veterans, and protect veterans, their families, and VA staff from unprecedented access to sensitive information.
    Last month, Senator Murray grilled Secretary Collins on how the Trump administration’s mass firing of VA employes is hurting veterans’ ability to get the health care they need—from jeopardizing VA research, to creating new risks around the deployment of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system to additional VA Medical Centers, which the Trump administration is insisting on moving ahead with despite persistent and unresolved issues at the sites where it is currently deployed. Murray also pressed Secretary Collins on new policies the Trump administration recently rolled out that severely limit Congressional engagement with veterans and VA for no legitimate reason.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fire at Scott Street, Perth – update, Monday 16 June

    Source: Scotland – City of Perth

    “Since the fire, Scottish Fire and Rescue, Police Scotland and Council staff have been on site to ensure the safety of the wider public.

    “On Saturday 14 June a structural engineering contractor was brought in to assess the damage caused to the building at 41 Scott Street.

    “Their report outlined devastating damage to the whole building. The structure has been made unsafe and no part of it is salvageable. As things stand, the building is a serious risk to health and safety.

    “Unfortunately, this means that the whole building will require complete demolition. This will be an extremely complex process, and specialist demolition contractor Reigart has been appointed to carry out the task. Preliminary work has already begun on site.

    “The building will require careful demolition from the top, down to ground level and this will take some time to complete. It is estimated that the work could take around 24 weeks, but it is possible that it could be concluded earlier if there are no complications.

    “To allow the work to be carried out safely, pedestrian and traffic access to sections of Scott Street and South Street around the site will remain closed. We appreciate that this will cause continued significant disruption in Perth City Centre, but unfortunately this is unavoidable given the situation we face.”

    Ongoing arrangements

    The closure means that some households who live in blocks very near the site have been asked to move out of their homes while demolition work is carried out to ensure their safety. These people will be provided with alternative suitable housing, as well as any other support they need at this difficult time. To assist with the rehousing effort, the Council is asking any local landlords or AirBnB owners to get in touch with us if they have accommodation that is currently available. They can contact our Housing Team by emailing privatesectoraccess@pkc.gov.uk

    It is hoped some of these people will be able to move back into their homes after 16 weeks, when demolition work has progressed and the building will be of a safe height. People who live in the block directly adjacent to number 41 (number 33) will have to be rehoused for the entire duration of the work.

    Some other households who live further away from the fire site but who still live inside the cordon have been asked to leave their homes for the short-term. We are aiming to allow these people back into their homes soon.

    The Council will support businesses who will be affected by the road closures. We have been speaking to them today to see what arrangements can be put in place to help. This support will continue and develop throughout the duration of the closure. Anyone who needs to speak to our Business Support Team can email businessdevelopment@pkc.gov.uk

    It is hoped that the outer cordon can be reduced in the near future, which would allow some businesses to reopen and some people to return to their homes.

    A new road traffic configuration for Perth city centre is being designed to allow the free flow of traffic as far as we can, and to provide delivery access to premises. We will provide an update with these arrangements.

    Buses will be re-routed, and some temporary stops will be put into the city centre. Signage will be in place so that people know where they can get their bus.

    Councillor Drysdale added: “The people of Perth and local businesses have responded to this sad event with huge compassion and generosity. It has been heartening to see our local community pull together to help people at their time of greatest need.

    “We would appreciate everyone’s ongoing co-operation and understanding as we deal with this difficult situation.

    “We understand that the disruption to the city centre will bring frustrations, but we are committed to completing the work as soon as we can and most importantly, to continue support for the people and businesses who have been directly affected by the fire.

    “I would once again like to pay tribute to our emergency services for their continued excellent response to this incident, as well as to the wide range of Council and Health and Social Care Partnership staff who rose to a significant challenge over the weekend to provide all the support and help that they could. I also want to pass on my sincere gratitude to the staff at Salutation Hotel, who have been superb in working with us to make sure that people affected had the care they needed in the aftermath of the fire.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Press release – “Schools must remain safe spaces of learning and growth – never of fear”

    Source: European Parliament

    MEPs remembered the school killing victims in Austria and France and marked the Schengen area’s fortieth anniversary, after opening the 16 19 June plenary session in Strasbourg.

    School killings in Austria and France

    At the very start of the sitting, President Metsola expressed her deep sadness at the shocking events of Tuesday 10 June, when a school boy stabbed and killed a school assistant in Nogent, France, and a former pupil shot and killed nine students and a teacher and injured many more in Graz, Austria.

    Violence and hatred have no place in Europe, and no place in our schools, she said, concluding that “schools must remain safe spaces of learning and growth – never of fear”. President Metsola invited MEPs to join her in a minute’s silence in memory of those killed.

    Forty years of the Schengen area

    Immediately after opening the June 2025 plenary session, President Metsola led celebrations to mark the Schengen Agreement’s 40th birthday. “Around the world, the Schengen area is looked at with admiration as a clear and very tangible example of what European cooperation can achieve, she said. But we should never take it for granted, she continued, preserving and strengthening Schengen takes constant commitment and effort from all of us”, she said.

    The President’s speech was followed by a round of statements by the political group leaders. You can watch a recording of the proceedings on Parliament’s Multimedia Centre website.

    Changes to the agenda

    President Metsola announced the following changes to the Tuesday’s agenda.

    The Council and Commission statements on the assassination attempt on Senator Miguel Uribe and the threat to the democratic process and peace in Colombia will be replaced by a statement by the Vice-President/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.

    A joint debate with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and the Polish Council Presidency on the situation in the Middle East including the risk of further instability in the Middle East following the Israel-Iran military escalation, the review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza is added as the ninth point in the afternoon following the debate on the revision of air passenger rights.

    Parliamentary immunity

    The President announced that Polish authorities have asked for the parliamentary immunity of Grzegorz Braun (NA, Poland) to be waived and the authorities of Belgium have asked for the parliamentary immunity of Giusi Princi (EPP, Italy) to be waived. These requests will be referred to the Legal Affairs Committee.

    The Legal Affairs Committee has found the request to waive the parliamentary immunity of Helmut Geuking (EPP, Germany) to be inadmissible.

    Requests by the LIBE and SANT committees to start negotiations with Council and Commission

    The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the Committee on Public Health have decided to enter into interinstitutional negotiations pursuant to Rule 72, paragraph 1 of the Rules of Procedure, on the basis of the reports available on the plenary website.

    Outgoing MEPs

    MEP Ondřej Kovařík (PfE, Czechia) has resigned with effect from 31 July 2025.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Agenda – Tuesday, 17 June 2025 – Strasbourg

    Source: European Parliament

    34 Combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child sexual abuse material and replacing Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA (recast)
    Jeroen Lenaers (A10-0097/2025)      – Amendments; rejection Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00 50 Amending Regulation (EU) No 228/2013 as regards additional assistance and further flexibility to outermost regions affected by severe natural disasters and in the context of cyclone Chido devastating Mayotte     – Amendments; rejection Friday, 13 June 2025, 12:00     – Requests for “separate”, “split” and “roll-call” votes Monday, 16 June 2025, 19:00 36 Electoral rights of mobile Union citizens in European Parliament elections
    Sven Simon (A10-0090/2025)      – Amendments Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00 30 Amendments to Parliament’s Rules of Procedure concerning the declaration of input (Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure)
    Sven Simon (A10-0086/2025)      – Amendments Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00 16 Strengthening rural areas in the EU through cohesion policy
    Denis Nesci (A10-0092/2025)      – Amendments by the rapporteur, 71 MEPs at least; Alternative motions for resolutions Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00 28 Financing for development – ahead of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville
    Charles Goerens (A10-0101/2025)      – Amendments by the rapporteur, 71 MEPs at least; Alternative motions for resolutions Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00 26 Implementation report on the Recovery and Resilience Facility
    Victor Negrescu, Siegfried Mureşan (A10-0098/2025)      – Amendments Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00 19 The Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law report
    Ana Catarina Mendes (A10-0100/2025)      – Amendments by the rapporteur, 71 MEPs at least, Alternative motions for resolutions Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00 25 2023 and 2024 reports on Montenegro
    Marjan Šarec (A10-0093/2025)      – Amendments Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00 17 2023 and 2024 reports on Moldova
    Sven Mikser (A10-0096/2025)      – Amendments Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00 Separate votes – Split votes – Roll-call votes Texts put to the vote on Tuesday Friday, 13 June 2025, 12:00 Texts put to the vote on Wednesday Monday, 16 June 2025, 19:00 Texts put to the vote on Thursday Tuesday, 17 June 2025, 19:00 Motions for resolutions concerning debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (Rule 150) Wednesday, 18 June 2025, 19:00

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Agenda – Wednesday, 18 June 2025 – Strasbourg

    Source: European Parliament

    51 Macro-financial assistance to Egypt
    Céline Imart (A10-0037/2025)      – Amendments; rejection Monday, 16 June 2025, 20:00     – Requests for “separate”, “split” and “roll-call” votes Tuesday, 17 June 2025, 16:00 39 Adoption by the Union of the Agreement on the interpretation and application of the Energy Charter Treaty
    Anna Cavazzini, Borys Budka (A10-0009/2025)      – Amendments; rejection Friday, 13 June 2025, 12:00 26 Implementation report on the Recovery and Resilience Facility
    Victor Negrescu, Siegfried Mureşan (A10-0098/2025)      – Amendments Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00 19 The Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law report
    Ana Catarina Mendes (A10-0100/2025)      – Amendments by the rapporteur, 71 MEPs at least, Alternative motions for resolutions Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00 25 2023 and 2024 reports on Montenegro
    Marjan Šarec (A10-0093/2025)      – Amendments Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00 17 2023 and 2024 reports on Moldova
    Sven Mikser (A10-0096/2025)      – Amendments Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00 38 Clean Industrial Deal
    (O-000020/2025 – B10-0006/25)      – Motions for resolutions Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00     – Amendments to motions for resolutions; joint motions for resolutions Friday, 13 June 2025, 12:00     – Amendments to joint motions for resolutions Friday, 13 June 2025, 13:00 41 Electricity grids: the backbone of the EU energy system
    Anna Stürgkh (A10-0091/2025)      – Amendments by the rapporteur, 71 MEPs at least, Alternative motions for resolutions Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 13:00 65 Media freedom in Georgia, particularly the case of Mzia Amaglobeli     – Motions for resolutions (Rule 150) Monday, 16 June 2025, 20:00     – Amendments to motions for resolutions; joint motions for resolutions (Rule 150) Wednesday, 18 June 2025, 13:00     – Amendments to joint motions for resolutions (Rule 150) Wednesday, 18 June 2025, 14:00 66 Case of Ahmadreza Jalali in Iran     – Motions for resolutions (Rule 150) Monday, 16 June 2025, 20:00     – Amendments to motions for resolutions; joint motions for resolutions (Rule 150) Wednesday, 18 June 2025, 13:00     – Amendments to joint motions for resolutions (Rule 150) Wednesday, 18 June 2025, 14:00 68 Dissolution of political parties and the crackdown on the opposition in Mali     – Motions for resolutions (Rule 150) Monday, 16 June 2025, 20:00     – Amendments to motions for resolutions; joint motions for resolutions (Rule 150) Wednesday, 18 June 2025, 13:00     – Amendments to joint motions for resolutions (Rule 150) Wednesday, 18 June 2025, 14:00 Separate votes – Split votes – Roll-call votes Texts put to the vote on Tuesday Friday, 13 June 2025, 12:00 Texts put to the vote on Wednesday Monday, 16 June 2025, 19:00 Texts put to the vote on Thursday Tuesday, 17 June 2025, 19:00 Motions for resolutions concerning debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (Rule 150) Wednesday, 18 June 2025, 19:00

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Peter McNeilly Appointed As United States Attorney for the District of Colorado

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DENVER – Peter McNeilly has been appointed as the United States Attorney for the District of Colorado by U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi. Mr. McNeilly was sworn in by United States District Judge Daniel D. Domenico on June 16, 2025.

    Mr. McNeilly has been an Assistant United States Attorney in Colorado since 2014. During his time as a federal prosecutor, Mr. McNeilly has focused on pursuing members of Mexican drug cartels, combatting the deadly fentanyl epidemic, and reducing violent crime. Mr. McNeilly’s work prosecuting fentanyl cases—and particularly cases involving fatal overdoses—has made him one of the leading experts on fentanyl prosecutions in Colorado and a resource for other federal prosecutors throughout the country. As a supervisor within the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he has overseen the creation and expansion of federal task forces which focus on transnational organized crime and violent crime. Mr. McNeilly has previously served as the Deputy United States Attorney, the Chief of the Transnational Organized Crime and Money Laundering Section, the District of Colorado’s Opioid Coordinator, and the Lead Strike Force Attorney for the Denver Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force.

    Mr. McNeilly is a lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine Corps. Mr. McNeilly supported commanders and advanced the rule of law as a Marine judge advocate on active duty before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and he has continued that work in the reserves for his entire time with the office. On active duty, he prosecuted complex cases throughout the Marine Corps’ western region, including sexual assaults, child exploitation, financial crimes, and crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the reserves, Mr. McNeilly has served as a prosecutor, as a legal advisor on the staff for a three-star commanding general, and he is currently in his second tour as a military judge.

    As United States Attorney, Mr. McNeilly will oversee all federal criminal prosecutions as well as all civil litigation undertaken on behalf of the United States Government in Colorado. Mr. McNeilly leads a dedicated team of more than 160 attorneys, professional staff, and government contractors.

    Mr. McNeilly’s senior leadership team includes J. Bishop Grewell, who will serve as First Assistant United States Attorney and Chief of the Appellate Division, and Marcy Cook, who will serve as Deputy United States Attorney.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Eight Members and Associates of the Transnational 18th Street Gang Charged with Racketeering Crimes in Queens

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    The Defendants’ Crimes Involved Brutal Assaults, Extortion, Drug Trafficking, Production and Sale of Fraudulent Identification Documents, and Counterfeit Currency

    Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging eight members and associates of the 18th Street gang, a violent transnational criminal organization, with serious crimes.  Six defendants are charged with racketeering conspiracy, including predicate acts involving narcotics and firearms trafficking, production and sale of fraudulent identification documents, and extortion. Seven defendants are also charged with assaults in aid of racketeering.  One defendant is charged with being an alien in possession of a 9mm semiautomatic pistol and ammunition. 

    Seven defendants were taken into custody in New York City and are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Cheryl M. Pollak.  Another defendant, currently in custody on separate criminal charges, is expected to be arraigned tomorrow. 

    Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD); and Melinda Katz, Queens District Attorney, announced the arrests and charges.

    “This indictment represents a significant step in our ongoing effort to dismantle violent gang networks in our communities,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “The 18th Street gang exploited a Queens neighborhood as a hub for violence and illicit activity.  Today’s arrests show the community that my Office and our law enforcement partners are working tirelessly to put these violent criminals behind bars.”

    Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI New York Metro Safe Streets Task Force, the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General – New York Office, the United States Secret Service, and the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, New York City Field Office, for their invaluable assistance with the case.

    “These violent members and associates of the 18th Street gang allegedly relied on violence—including assault of innocent civilians and rival gang members—to exert and maintain control over a busy commercial corridor along Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens. Those arrested today acted and behaved with callous and cruel disregard for those around them. Our actions today represent yet another example of the FBI’s commitment to crushing the violent transnational gangs plaguing our communities,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia.

    “The defendants in this case are accused of unleashing terror onto Queens communities through brutal assaults, extortion, fraud, and drug trafficking—all in furtherance of the 18th Street gang’s agenda. Every resident deserves to feel safe walking down the street, without having to worry about gang violence. My office will continue to combat violent criminal enterprises and assist partner investigations to dismantle gangs as they try to establish themselves in our neighborhoods, stated Queens District Attorney Katz.  “We thank the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, the FBI and the NYPD for their hard work in this case.”

    As alleged in the indictment and other court filings, the 18th Street gang is a violent transnational criminal organization with members and associates throughout the United States and Central America.  The gang is divided into several “cliques.”  The defendants are members and associates of the “54 Tiny Locos” clique, which controls a busy commercial corridor along Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens. For years, 18th Street has maintained control over this area through violence, including assaults on perceived rival gang members that often result in harm to innocent civilians.  The gang financed its operations through drug-dealing and various other crimes, including trafficking in fraudulent identification documents and counterfeit currency.  The gang’s production and sale of fraudulent documents—including fake passports, permanent resident cards, Social Security cards, driver’s licenses, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cards—was a primary driver of income for its members and associates.  Members of 18th Street, including the defendants, also committed extortion by charging “rent” to other illicit businesses operating in the area, including unregulated brothels. 

    Certain of the defendants are also charged in connection with three assaults in-aid-of racketeering in Queens, New York, that wounded four individuals.

    The December 2021 Assault

    As alleged, on December 31, 2021, members of 18th Street, including Bonilla Ramos, Ramirez, and a co-conspirator, assaulted two victims, including John Doe #1, outside of a bar in Queens, New York, after asking if they were in a gang.  The defendants violently beat both John Doe #1 and his friend, including twice smashing John Doe #1’s head with a glass bottle of tequila, leaving him with severe lacerations to his face and nerve damage.

    The January 2022 Assault

    As alleged, on January 15, 2022, members of 18th Street attacked two victims, John Doe #2 and John Doe #3, outside a bar in Queens, New York. A co-conspirator stabbed John Doe #2 while two other defendants held him in place.  John Doe #2 sustained serious injuries, including injuries to his lung. The defendants then attacked a second victim, John Doe #3, with large wooden planks, causing lacerations that required sutures.  The serious injuries to John Doe #2, the victim who was stabbed, were reflected in the blood left behind after the assault.

    The June 2024 Assault

    As alleged, on June 20, 2024, members of 18th Street attacked a victim, John Doe #4, who they believed was a rival gang member, in a parking lot in Queens, New York.  The assailants, including certain of the defendants, beat John Doe #4 with a bike lock and a metal chair, among other things.  John Doe #4 received medical care for lacerations to his head, which required sutures. 

    1. The charges announced today are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
    2. The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at eradicating transnational criminal organizations, combating violent crime, and restoring the rule of law.
    3. This prosecution also is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.  OCDETF targets the highest-level criminal organizations threatening the U.S., using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.  More info is available here: www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren A. Bowman, Andy Palacio, and Kamil R. Ammari are in charge of the prosecution.

    The Defendants:

    FELIX BONILLA RAMOS (also known as “Chabelo” and “Ferras”)
    Age: 36
    Corona, New York

    URIEL LOPEZ (also known as “Tanke”)
    Age: 30
    Jackson Heights, New York

    REFUGIO MARTINEZ (also known as “Cuco”)
    Age: 32
    Elmhurst, New York

    MARGARITO ORTEGA (also known as “Pinocchio”)
    Age: 38
    Elmhurst, New York

    ORLANDO RAMIREZ (also known as “Niñote”)
    Age: 24
    Elmhurst, New York

    GERMAN RODRIGUEZ (also known as “Loco”)
    Age: 34
    Woodhaven, New York

    DAVID VASQUEZ CORONA (also known as “Teba”)
    Age: 29
    Elmhurst, New York

    MARCO VIDAL MENDEZ (also known as “Matute”)
    Age: 36
    Formerly of Elmhurst, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-196

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Port Charlotte Man Indicted For Production And Distribution Of Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Tyler Russell Kuhn (29, Port Charlotte) with one count of production and one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material. If convicted on all counts, Kuhn faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in federal prison. 

    According to the indictment and court records, in October 2019, Kuhn engaged in an online conversation with another individual. During the conversation, Kuhn produced a video and image of child sexual abuse material involving himself and a toddler. Kuhn distributed this video and image over the internet, to the individual to whom he was speaking.

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Tampa and Houston Field Offices. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tampa Man Indicted For Attempted Enticement Of A Minor To Engage In Sexual Activity

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Johan Smith Pavon Mejia (Tampa, 41) with attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. If convicted, Mejia faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. 

    According to the indictment and court records, in April 2025, Mejia communicated online with an undercover detective with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and arranged to meet a fictitious minor to engage in sexual activity. Mejia traveled to an agreed upon location to meet the fictitious minor and arrived with items requested by the undercover detective, including candy, iced tea, and money to pay for the arranged sexual acts.

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by FBI Tampa and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sanford Man Sentenced For Possessing A Machinegun

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Orlando, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Timothy Aden-Alan Calhoun (27, Orlando) to 2 years and 10 months in federal prison for possession of a machinegun. The court also ordered Calhoun to forfeit the firearm he possessed. Calhoun pleaded guilty on February 25, 2025.

    According to court documents, officers from the Maitland Police Department stopped Calhoun for a traffic violation while he was operating a stolen motorcycle. During a search incident to his arrest, an officer located a Glock 19 with an extended magazine and a machinegun conversion device installed. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was contacted and confirmed that the firearm was converted into a fully automatic weapon.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Maitland Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael P. Felicetta and Kaley Austin-Aronson.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After Two-Day Manhunt, Suspect Charged with Shooting Two Minnesota Lawmakers and Their Spouses

    Source: US State of California

    Vance Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, Minnesota, has been charged by federal complaint with stalking and murdering Minnesota House of Representatives Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, in addition to stalking and shooting Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife.

    According to court documents, in the early morning hours of June 14, 2025, Vance Luther Boelter put into effect a calculated plan to inflict fear and violence upon Minnesota elected officials and their families. Boelter equipped himself with firearms and body armor, disguised himself as a law enforcement officer, and drove to the home of Senator Hoffman. Boelter knocked on the door repeatedly, claiming to be a police officer. Shortly after the Hoffmans opened the door, they were alarmed to realize Boelter was wearing a facemask. The Hoffmans tried to close the door on Boelter, but Boelter repeatedly shot both Senator and Mrs. Hoffman.

    “The horrific, targeted murders of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman, as well as the shooting of Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman, have shocked the nation and united us in grief,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “These horrific acts of violence will not go unanswered: the Department of Justice will prosecute this suspect to the fullest extent of the law and if convicted deliver severe consequences for his alleged crimes.”

    “According to the charges, the defendant had a list of possible targets and went to the homes of public officials to conduct violent attacks,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This type of violence is unacceptable, and the FBI stands united with our law enforcement partners to find and hold accountable anyone who commits such despicable acts. I commend all the law enforcement officers who worked throughout the weekend to find the defendant and take him into custody.”

    “Vance Luthor Boelter went on a violent rampage against our elected officials,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson for the District of Minnesota. “These were targeted political assassinations the likes of which have never been seen in Minnesota. It was an attack on our state and on our democracy. We will not rest until he is brought to justice.” 

    “This was a horrific act of targeted violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office. “A gunman, impersonating a police officer, deliberately lured public servants to their own doorstep and opened fire. A Minnesota lawmaker and her spouse were murdered in cold blood, and others wounded, simply for serving as elected officials. This is not only unacceptable — it is an attack on the democratic values that define this nation. This marked the largest manhunt in Minnesota’s history, and it would not have been possible without the extraordinary partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The tireless coordination and commitment ensured Boelter was located and taken into custody without further incident. The FBI remains steadfast in our pursuit of justice. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the communities they served.”

    “The deliberate targeting of elected officials and their families is an appalling act of political violence that has no place in our country,” said Special Agent in Charge Travis Riddle of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) St. Paul Field Division. “We extend our deepest condolences to the victims, their families, and all those affected by this tragedy. In response, ATF brought forward key investigative resources, including firearms tracing, NIBIN analysis, and a specially trained K-9 team, to help recover evidence and generate leads. Our agents contributed their full expertise and manpower to the search and continue to support the ongoing investigation. I’m proud of the role ATF has played and commend the extraordinary work of all law enforcement partners who came together to bring the suspect into custody.”

    Boelter then traveled to the homes of two other Minnesota elected officials, still disguised as a law enforcement officer. Boelter did not manage to make contact with either of those officials or their families.

    Next, Boelter drove to the home of Speaker Emerita and Representative Melissa Hortman. Meanwhile, local law enforcement, having heard of the shooting at the Hoffman residence, drove to the Hortman household to conduct a safety check. Upon arriving, officers saw Boelter’s car, a black Ford Explorer SUV designed to look at a law enforcement vehicle. It was equipped with police-style lights that were on and flashing. Officers saw Boelter, standing several feet from and facing the front door of the Hortman home. Moments later, Boelter fired several gunshots into the home, repeatedly striking Mr. Hortman. As Boelter did so, he rushed into the home and fired several additional shots, repeatedly striking Representative Hortman. Officers provided medical aid to the Hortmans and attempted to pursue Boelter, who abandoned the SUV and fled, initially, on foot. Both Hortmans died from their wounds.

    Law enforcement searched Boelter’s SUV and recovered five firearms, including semi-automatic, assault-style rifles, a large quantity of ammunition, and several notebooks filled with handwritten notations. Those notes listed out the names of dozens of Minnesota state and federal elected officials. The notes often identified those officials’ home addresses.

    A two-day manhunt, coordinated among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies across the state, ensued. As a result of those efforts, at approximately 9:15 on the evening of June 15, law enforcement located Boelter in a field in Green Isle, Minnesota, approximately one mile from his family residence. Law enforcement officers then took Boelter into custody.

    Boelter will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court today, before Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty.

    The FBI, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, ATF, Brooklyn Park Police Department, Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sherriff’s Office, Champlin Police Department, and New Hope Police Department, together with several other state and local partners, are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Jacobs, Bradley M. Endicott, Matthew D. Forbes, and Daniel W. Bobier for the District of Minnesota are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from Trial Attorneys Dimitriy Slavin and Joshua Champagne of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

    A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: After Two-Day Manhunt, Suspect Charged with Shooting Two Minnesota Lawmakers and Their Spouses

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Vance Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, Minnesota, has been charged by federal complaint with stalking and murdering Minnesota House of Representatives Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, in addition to stalking and shooting Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife.

    According to court documents, in the early morning hours of June 14, 2025, Vance Luther Boelter put into effect a calculated plan to inflict fear and violence upon Minnesota elected officials and their families. Boelter equipped himself with firearms and body armor, disguised himself as a law enforcement officer, and drove to the home of Senator Hoffman. Boelter knocked on the door repeatedly, claiming to be a police officer. Shortly after the Hoffmans opened the door, they were alarmed to realize Boelter was wearing a facemask. The Hoffmans tried to close the door on Boelter, but Boelter repeatedly shot both Senator and Mrs. Hoffman.

    “The horrific, targeted murders of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman, as well as the shooting of Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman, have shocked the nation and united us in grief,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “These horrific acts of violence will not go unanswered: the Department of Justice will prosecute this suspect to the fullest extent of the law and if convicted deliver severe consequences for his alleged crimes.”

    “According to the charges, the defendant had a list of possible targets and went to the homes of public officials to conduct violent attacks,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This type of violence is unacceptable, and the FBI stands united with our law enforcement partners to find and hold accountable anyone who commits such despicable acts. I commend all the law enforcement officers who worked throughout the weekend to find the defendant and take him into custody.”

    “Vance Luthor Boelter went on a violent rampage against our elected officials,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson for the District of Minnesota. “These were targeted political assassinations the likes of which have never been seen in Minnesota. It was an attack on our state and on our democracy. We will not rest until he is brought to justice.” 

    “This was a horrific act of targeted violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office. “A gunman, impersonating a police officer, deliberately lured public servants to their own doorstep and opened fire. A Minnesota lawmaker and her spouse were murdered in cold blood, and others wounded, simply for serving as elected officials. This is not only unacceptable — it is an attack on the democratic values that define this nation. This marked the largest manhunt in Minnesota’s history, and it would not have been possible without the extraordinary partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The tireless coordination and commitment ensured Boelter was located and taken into custody without further incident. The FBI remains steadfast in our pursuit of justice. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the communities they served.”

    “The deliberate targeting of elected officials and their families is an appalling act of political violence that has no place in our country,” said Special Agent in Charge Travis Riddle of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) St. Paul Field Division. “We extend our deepest condolences to the victims, their families, and all those affected by this tragedy. In response, ATF brought forward key investigative resources, including firearms tracing, NIBIN analysis, and a specially trained K-9 team, to help recover evidence and generate leads. Our agents contributed their full expertise and manpower to the search and continue to support the ongoing investigation. I’m proud of the role ATF has played and commend the extraordinary work of all law enforcement partners who came together to bring the suspect into custody.”

    Boelter then traveled to the homes of two other Minnesota elected officials, still disguised as a law enforcement officer. Boelter did not manage to make contact with either of those officials or their families.

    Next, Boelter drove to the home of Speaker Emerita and Representative Melissa Hortman. Meanwhile, local law enforcement, having heard of the shooting at the Hoffman residence, drove to the Hortman household to conduct a safety check. Upon arriving, officers saw Boelter’s car, a black Ford Explorer SUV designed to look at a law enforcement vehicle. It was equipped with police-style lights that were on and flashing. Officers saw Boelter, standing several feet from and facing the front door of the Hortman home. Moments later, Boelter fired several gunshots into the home, repeatedly striking Mr. Hortman. As Boelter did so, he rushed into the home and fired several additional shots, repeatedly striking Representative Hortman. Officers provided medical aid to the Hortmans and attempted to pursue Boelter, who abandoned the SUV and fled, initially, on foot. Both Hortmans died from their wounds.

    Law enforcement searched Boelter’s SUV and recovered five firearms, including semi-automatic, assault-style rifles, a large quantity of ammunition, and several notebooks filled with handwritten notations. Those notes listed out the names of dozens of Minnesota state and federal elected officials. The notes often identified those officials’ home addresses.

    A two-day manhunt, coordinated among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies across the state, ensued. As a result of those efforts, at approximately 9:15 on the evening of June 15, law enforcement located Boelter in a field in Green Isle, Minnesota, approximately one mile from his family residence. Law enforcement officers then took Boelter into custody.

    Boelter will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court today, before Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty.

    The FBI, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, ATF, Brooklyn Park Police Department, Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sherriff’s Office, Champlin Police Department, and New Hope Police Department, together with several other state and local partners, are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Jacobs, Bradley M. Endicott, Matthew D. Forbes, and Daniel W. Bobier for the District of Minnesota are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from Trial Attorneys Dimitriy Slavin and Joshua Champagne of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

    A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Air India crash in Ahmedabad sends reverberations to Canadian families of Air India Flight 182

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Chandrima Chakraborty, Professor, English and Cultural Studies; Director, Centre for Global Peace, Justice and Health, McMaster University

    The June 12 Air India crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, with 230 passengers and 12 crew members aboard is sending deep reverberations through a group of Canadians who know all too well the shock, grief and horror of losing loved ones in hauntingly similar circumstances.

    They are the families of those killed in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 en route from Canada to India 40 years ago this month.

    I work closely with these families as a researcher and advocate. I began interviewing these families in 2014 and have witnessed firsthand their pain, advocacy and emotional turmoil of living in the shadow of a historical event.

    As reports of the Ahmedabad crash came in, the WhatsApp account of the Air India Flight 182 families immediately flooded with expressions of shock, concern, sympathy and memories triggered by the latest incident.

    On June 23, 1985, Flight 182 was brought down by terrorist bombs created and planted on Canadian soil. The devastating mid-air explosion occurred over the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland. It killed all 329 passengers and crew, including 268 Canadians. The crew and most of the passengers were of Indian origin.

    Investigations into the causes of the crash of Air India Flight 171, en route to London’s Gatwick airport, shortly after take-off are still underway. At least 279 people died in the crash, which also impacted people on the ground.

    Acknowledging losses as significant

    A recent public conference at McMaster University commemorated the 40th anniversary of Flight 182, bringing together Indian and Canadian families, researchers, creative artists and community members.

    Book cover for ‘Remembering Air India The Art of Public Mourning,’ edited by Chandrima Chakraborty, Amber Dean and Angela Failler.
    University of Alberta Press

    The conference dealt with critical themes, including the challenge of Flight 182 families recovering from their losses within a climate of broad indifference among their fellow Canadians.

    Regardless of what may have caused the more recent crash in western India, these Canadian families know the shock and loss that a new set of victims’ families are facing, and how important it is to support them.

    Hopefully, the home countries of last week’s crash victims — most of them Indian and British citizens, with at least one Canadian reported to have been aboard — will regard their deaths as significant losses. If so, this would be unlike what the 1985 victims’ families experienced in Canada.

    A little-mourned Canadian tragedy

    In Canada, we have a national day to remember on June 23, 1985. The bombing has been called a Canadian tragedy in a public inquiry report.

    Yet according to a 2023 Angus Reid poll, “nine out of 10 Canadians say they have little or no knowledge of the worst single instance of the mass killing of their fellow citizens.” That essentially means the bombing has yet to penetrate the consciousness of everyday Canadians or evoke shared grief or public mourning.

    The families continue to carry the torch of remembrance as they organize annual memorial vigils every June 23. Few others attend. Many victims’ relatives have died since 1985. Some spouses, siblings or parents are now in their 80s, wondering why the bombing is still not widely discussed in schools or in public discourse.

    The grinding and unsatisfying criminal proceedings, the belated public inquiry and the welcome but lukewarm apology by the Canadian government 25 years after the fact have all contributed to the failure of this tragedy to adhere more solidly to the Canadian consciousness. In fact, many continue to deny the Canadian significance of Flight 182 and view the bombing as a foreign event.

    A torch of remembrance

    At last month’s conference, my research team launched the Air India Flight 182 archive to counter this collective amnesia and lack of acknowledgement.

    Canadian archival consultant and writer Laura Millar has said that archives act as “touchstones to memory” and can aid the process of transforming individual memories into collective remembering. Adopting NYU professor Carol Gilligan’s ethics of care for the archive, we have been consulting with families to find ways to share their grief with the public.

    The Flight 182 memory archive — both physical and digital — serves as a repository for artefacts, first-person narratives, memorabilia and creative works related to the tragedy produced by family members. Family donations of artefacts such as dance videos and pilot wings redirect notions of archives away from a documental deposit. Hopefully, they can move the public to learn and care for the impacts of the Flight 182 bombing.

    The archive is a publicly accessible record of the tragedy, where scholars and everyday citizens can learn about the victims and their families.

    Since the past involves both the present and the future, the archive will enable a meaningful recognition of marginalized voices and histories. It can offer a form of memory justice for those who would otherwise be forgotten by sustaining memory from generation to generation.

    While the archive articulates the demand from families that the bombing of Flight 182 and its aftermath be incorporated into Canadian national consciousness, establishing this archive alone will not be enough to elevate the memory of Flight 182 to the place it deserves.

    But at least it establishes a rich, permanent academic and personal legacy for the community of mourners, and for the Canadian and global public to find it, use it and learn from its many lessons.

    Families of those on board the 1985 flight are preparing to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the terror bombing of Flight 182 that has devastated their lives.

    As we learn more about the tragic Air India Flight 171 crash on June 12, the lessons of Flight 182 will hopefully prevent a new set of families from feeling the pain of indifference on top of the unimaginable agony of loss they’re already experiencing.

    Chandrima Chakraborty receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. Air India crash in Ahmedabad sends reverberations to Canadian families of Air India Flight 182 – https://theconversation.com/air-india-crash-in-ahmedabad-sends-reverberations-to-canadian-families-of-air-india-flight-182-258991

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department Addresses Racial Discrimination in Lawsuit Challenging Race-Based Admissions at United States Naval Academy

    Source: US Justice – Antitrust Division

    Headline: Justice Department Addresses Racial Discrimination in Lawsuit Challenging Race-Based Admissions at United States Naval Academy

    WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced a joint filing with the plaintiff challenging former race-based admissions practices at the U.S. Naval Academy to dismiss the lawsuit based on the federal government’s commitments to end those practices permanently. The lawsuit challenged race-based admissions at the Academy as unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Addresses Racial Discrimination in Lawsuit Challenging Race-Based Admissions at United States Naval Academy

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced a joint filing with the plaintiff challenging former race-based admissions practices at the U.S. Naval Academy to dismiss the lawsuit based on the federal government’s commitments to end those practices permanently. The lawsuit challenged race-based admissions at the Academy as unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment.

    “This Department is committed to ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity throughout the federal government,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We are proud to partner with the Department of Defense to permanently end race-based admissions at the United States Naval Academy and ensure that admission to this prestigious institution is based exclusively on merit.”

    The joint filing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit also asks that court to vacate the district court decision on appeal, which upheld race-based admissions, because the appeal has become moot. As explained in the filing, the “Naval Academy changed its admissions policy so that race and ethnicity are no longer considered in any way at any point” and those changes “are intended to be permanent.” And the policy “changes reflect the judgment of the United States—based on the military’s experience and expertise, and after reviewing the record in this case—that the consideration of race and ethnicity in admissions at the Naval Academy does not promote military cohesiveness, lethality, recruitment, retention, or legitimacy; national security; or any other governmental interest.”

    Combatting unlawful discrimination is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. Additional information about the Civil Division is available at https://www.justice.gov/civil.

    Read the full filing HERE.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Addresses Racial Discrimination in Lawsuit Challenging Race-Based Admissions at United States Naval Academy

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced a joint filing with the plaintiff challenging former race-based admissions practices at the U.S. Naval Academy to dismiss the lawsuit based on the federal government’s commitments to end those practices permanently. The lawsuit challenged race-based admissions at the Academy as unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment.

    “This Department is committed to ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity throughout the federal government,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We are proud to partner with the Department of Defense to permanently end race-based admissions at the United States Naval Academy and ensure that admission to this prestigious institution is based exclusively on merit.”

    The joint filing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit also asks that court to vacate the district court decision on appeal, which upheld race-based admissions, because the appeal has become moot. As explained in the filing, the “Naval Academy changed its admissions policy so that race and ethnicity are no longer considered in any way at any point” and those changes “are intended to be permanent.” And the policy “changes reflect the judgment of the United States—based on the military’s experience and expertise, and after reviewing the record in this case—that the consideration of race and ethnicity in admissions at the Naval Academy does not promote military cohesiveness, lethality, recruitment, retention, or legitimacy; national security; or any other governmental interest.”

    Combatting unlawful discrimination is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. Additional information about the Civil Division is available at https://www.justice.gov/civil.

    Read the full filing HERE.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Charged in Albuquerque Alien Harboring, Kidnapping Case

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – Two men face federal charges for harboring illegal aliens after a kidnapping and human smuggling investigation in Albuquerque.

    According to court documents, on March 1, 2025, a complainant told the FBI their spouse had been kidnapped and held for ransom. The kidnappers demanded 90,000 quetzales (about $11,600) and threatened to turn the victim over to the Zeta Cartel if payment was not made. “Proof of life” videos were sent to the family.

    Using phone data from the ransom calls, agents traced the location to a residence in southwest Albuquerque. On March 2, agents executed a search warrant and found 11 undocumented immigrants, including an unaccompanied minor and defendants Isaias David Jose and Tomas Mateo Gaspar. The house was sparsely furnished and contained over 20 cell phones and a ledger of smuggling activity.

    Victims said they were locked in rooms, threatened with violence or being turned over to criminal organizations, and told not to talk to law enforcement. Both Jose and Gaspar were identified as running the stash house and making ransom videos.

    Jose and Gaspar were indicted for harboring an illegal alien and aiding and abetting and will remain in custody pending trial, which is scheduled for August 11, 2025. If convicted of the current charges, Jose and Gaspar each face up to five years in prison.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Mysliwiec is prosecuting the case as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Nine Members of Lopez Human Smuggling Organization Plead Guilty to Federal Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – Nine of the 10 members of the Lopez Human Smuggling Organization indicted in June 2023 have pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from a multi-year investigation into their roles in an extensive alien smuggling conspiracy. All nine defendants admitted to conspiring to bring, harbor, and transport groups of undocumented individuals into and within the United States for financial gain.

    The defendants are identified as Rosa Adriana Lopez-Escobar, 43, illegal residing in Phoenix, Arizona; Deysi Marisela Lopez-Ambrosio, 27, illegal residing in Long Beach, California; Franklin Leonardo Chilel-Ramirez, 39, illegal residing in Phoenix, Arizona; Junior Vanegas Portillo, 22, illegal residing in Phoenix, Arizona; Jose Denilson Lopez Chilel, 26, illegal residing in Phoenix, Arizona; and Mildred Yanira Lopez-Ambrosio, 23, illegal residing in Long Beach, California, all citizens of Guatemala, as well as Jose Gianluca Lopez-Perez, 21, of Phoenix, Arizona, Sebastian Rolando Cortez, 22, of Tempe, Arizona, and Carlos Chavez-Hernandez, 22, of Avondale, Arizona.

    According to court records, between October 2021 and April 2023, these individuals operated in Luna County, New Mexico, and elsewhere, coordinating and executing the transportation and harboring of undocumented aliens. The organization used peer-to-peer money transfer apps to facilitate payments among co-conspirators and instructed others to pick up and move groups of undocumented individuals in exchange for money.

    The organization coordinated pick-ups near the U.S.-Mexico border, including attempts to move individuals from Animas, New Mexico, to Phoenix, Arizona. In one instance, a defendant was apprehended by Border Patrol while en route to pick up a group of undocumented aliens.

    To date, four defendants have been sentenced. Junior Vanegas Portillo was sentenced to 37 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Sebastian Rolando Cortez was sentenced to one year of probation. Carlos Chavez-Hernandez was sentenced to time served and two years of supervised release. Jose Denilson Lopez Chilel was sentenced to 45 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Sentencing for the remaining defendants is pending.

    As part of his plea agreement, Jose Denilson Lopez Chilel agreed to forfeit several items used in furtherance of the conspiracy. These include two firearms, ammunition, a 2017 Chevrolet Camaro, a 2017 Ford Mustang, a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado and a 2020 Polaris Can-Am Side by Side UTV.

    Ronaldo Galindo Lopez-Escobar, 47, of Guatemala City, Guatemala, the alleged leader of the Lopez Crime Family, remains a fugitive.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens of U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso, made the announcement today.

    HSI New Mexico led U.S. investigative efforts, with enforcement assistance from HSI in Arizona and the Central District of California. HSI received investigative assistance from U.S. Border Patrol Deming, Lordsburg, Blythe, El Centro, Yuma, and Tucson, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center/Operation Sentinel, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department. The Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division also provided support in this matter.

    The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy Castellano and Alyson Hehr as part of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been elevated with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, District of Arizona, District of New Mexico, and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by HRSP and supported by MLARS; Office of Enforcement Operations; and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 380 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 340 U.S. convictions; more than 290 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Footage released of man wanted in connection to an attempted rape

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Detectives have released CCTV footage of a man they wish to speak to following an attempted rape in Finchley on Wednesday, 11 June.

    A woman in her 30s reported that a man seriously sexually assaulted her at a cinema in Finchley Road, NW3 at around 15:45hrs. She is currently being supported by specialist officers.

    The man can be seen leaving the venue following the incident – walking south down Finchley Road towards Swiss Cottage.

    He is described as in his 50s and approximately 5ft 6ins tall, with a slim build. He has dark hair on the sides of his head and was captured on CCTV wearing a black North Face coat and glasses.

    Detective Chief Inspector Paul Ridley, leading the Met’s investigation, said: “We are steadfast in our commitment to take those who pose the biggest threat off our streets, so women and girls in London can feel safe going about their daily lives.

    “This horrific attack happened in the middle of the day in a busy establishment – highlighting the brazen and opportunistic nature of the offender.

    “It is really important we find this man as soon as possible.

    “If you have any information to share – particularly if you were in Finchley Road, NW3 on Wednesday afternoon – please contact us on 101 immediately and quote 5365/11JUN.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NPCC responds to national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse

    Source: United Kingdom National Police Chiefs Council

    The findings of the Casey Audit and the policing response to group-based child sexual exploitation are a sobering reminder of the urgent need for continued cultural change, accountability, and a victim-centred, trauma informed approach from a multi-agency perspective.

    The National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse been published today (Monday).

    Director of the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Helen Millichap, said:

    “The report published by Baroness Casey today includes several recommendations with implications for policing which will now be carefully considered. 

    “We are sorry to all those who have experienced child sexual abuse and exploitation. The pain, trauma, and long-lasting impact experienced by victims and survivors is immeasurable. We recognise that for too long, your voices went unheard, and opportunities to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our communities were missed.

    “The findings of the Casey Audit and the policing response to group-based child sexual exploitation are a sobering reminder of the urgent need for continued cultural change, accountability, and a victim-centred, trauma informed approach from a multi-agency perspective.  

    “We have made real progress in the way forces now investigate and record these awful crimes, but we know more must be done.

    “The findings show clearly that change cannot wait. Police chiefs will now reflect on the findings and work with partners across law enforcement, third sector stakeholders, victims and survivors to reflect on what we have learnt, which must inform how we move forward.    

    “Policing has made significant strides in its understanding and response to child sexual exploitation and abuse in recent years, but we recognise there is more to do. We thank the many victims and survivors who have worked with police forces and our partners to ensure we take a trauma informed approach to policy making and investigations, with those who matter most at the heart of all we do.

    “The report rightly raises the need for improvements in how policing records and uses data, particularly around ethnicity. Ethnicity data is self-defined and only captured where contact is made with an alleged offender, which presents clear challenges. We recognise these gaps and continue to work closely with HMICFRS and the College of Policing to improve the consistency and quality of data collection across all protected characteristics. Improved data will not only inform operational decisions, but ensure we have an increasingly accurate picture.

    “As we have shown in recent years, policing is willing to confront difficult truths. The lessons from cases such as Rotherham and Rochdale have led to significant change, and we remain determined to build on that progress. Every allegation will be taken seriously, every investigation will be professional and evidence-led, and every victim will be treated with empathy, compassion, and respect.

    “This report marks a significant moment for policing. We haven’t always got it right, but our resolve is strong. The national Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce, alongside local forces and partners, will continue to put victims and survivors at the heart of our work, relentlessly pursue those who cause harm, and do everything in our power to prevent these devastating crimes.

    “Every child has the right to grow up safe from harm. We owe it to them, and to those whose lives have already been affected, to face these challenges head on and deliver the protection and justice they deserve.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: San Antonio Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years for Two Counts of Enticing, Coercing a Minor

    Source: US FBI

    SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced in a federal court to 151 months in federal prison and 20 years of supervised release for attempted online enticement and coercion of a minor.

    According to court documents, between June and August of 2023, Stephen Eugene Hall, 41, communicated with two undercover law enforcement agents whom he believed to be 12- and 14-year-old girls. Throughout their conversations over the Kik app, Hall attempted to entice them to engage in sexual activity and to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

    Hall was arrested by FBI agents on Aug. 23, 2023, when he traveled to a hotel in San Antonio with the intent to engage in sex with the individual whom he thought was a 14-year-old girl. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 10, 2025, to two counts of attempted online enticement and coercion of a minor and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez.

    “These proactive law enforcement operations, using the social media apps many children use today, are vital and necessary in order to catch child predators before they can cause their irreparable intended harm,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Thanks to the work of our FBI partners in Boston and in San Antonio, we were able to put another child predator in federal prison for over a decade, with another 20 years of supervised release to follow.”

    “This sentencing sends a clear message that neither the FBI, our law enforcement partners, nor the American people will tolerate those who seek to sexually abuse or exploit children,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. “We want to thank our colleagues at the San Antonio Police Department and Bexar County Sheriff’s Office for their outstanding work and ongoing partnership as we continue to seek justice on behalf of the victims in this case.”

    The FBI investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Mangels prosecuted the case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. 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 Security: San Antonio Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years for Two Counts of Enticing, Coercing a Minor

    Source: US FBI

    SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced in a federal court to 151 months in federal prison and 20 years of supervised release for attempted online enticement and coercion of a minor.

    According to court documents, between June and August of 2023, Stephen Eugene Hall, 41, communicated with two undercover law enforcement agents whom he believed to be 12- and 14-year-old girls. Throughout their conversations over the Kik app, Hall attempted to entice them to engage in sexual activity and to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

    Hall was arrested by FBI agents on Aug. 23, 2023, when he traveled to a hotel in San Antonio with the intent to engage in sex with the individual whom he thought was a 14-year-old girl. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 10, 2025, to two counts of attempted online enticement and coercion of a minor and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez.

    “These proactive law enforcement operations, using the social media apps many children use today, are vital and necessary in order to catch child predators before they can cause their irreparable intended harm,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Thanks to the work of our FBI partners in Boston and in San Antonio, we were able to put another child predator in federal prison for over a decade, with another 20 years of supervised release to follow.”

    “This sentencing sends a clear message that neither the FBI, our law enforcement partners, nor the American people will tolerate those who seek to sexually abuse or exploit children,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. “We want to thank our colleagues at the San Antonio Police Department and Bexar County Sheriff’s Office for their outstanding work and ongoing partnership as we continue to seek justice on behalf of the victims in this case.”

    The FBI investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Mangels prosecuted the case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. 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 Global: Israel, Iran and the US: why 2025 is a turning point for the international order

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Brian Brivati, Visiting Professor of Contemporary History and Human Rights, Kingston University

    Israel’s large-scale attack against Iran on June 13, which it conducted without UN security council approval, has prompted retaliation from Tehran. Both sides have traded strikes over the past few days, with over 200 Iranians and 14 Israelis killed so far.

    The escalation has broader consequences. It further isolates institutions like the UN, International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), which have found themselves increasingly sidelined as Israel’s assault on Gaza has progressed. These bodies now appear toothless.

    The world appears to be facing an unprecedented upending of the post-1945 international legal order. Israel’s government is operating with a level of impunity rarely seen before. At the same time, the Trump administration is actively undermining the global institutions designed to enforce international law.

    Other global powers, including Russia and China, are taking this opportunity to move beyond the western rules-based system. The combination of a powerful state acting with impunity and a superpower disabling the mechanisms of accountability marks a global inflection point.

    It is a moment so stark that we may have to rethink what we thought we knew about the conduct of international relations and the management of conflict, both for the Palestinian struggle and the international system of justice built after the second world war.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    The Israeli government is, in addition to its preemptive air campaign against Iran’s nuclear programme, advancing with impunity on three other fronts. It is tightening its hold on Gaza, with the prospect of a lasting occupation increasingly possible.

    Senior Israeli ministers have also outlined plans for the annexation of large parts of the occupied West Bank through settlement expansion. This is now proceeding unchecked. Israel confirmed plans in May to create 22 new settlements there, including the legalisation of those already built without government authorisation.

    This is being accompanied by provocative legislation such as a bill that would hike taxes on foreign-funded non-governmental organisations. The Israeli government is also continuing its attempts to reduce the independence of the judiciary.

    Hardline elements of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet say they will collapse the government if he changes course.

    The ICJ moved with urgency in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank. In January 2024, it found evidence that Palestinians in Gaza were at risk of genocide and ordered Israel to implement provisional measures to prevent further harm.

    Then, in May 2024, as Israeli forces pressed an offensive, the ICJ issued another ruling ordering Israel to halt its military operation in the southern Gazan city of Rafah immediately. It also called on Israel to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip.

    The court went further in July, issuing a landmark advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal. The ICC took bold action by issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and the leaders of Hamas.

    Disregarding international law

    These dramatic attempts to enforce international law failed. Israel only agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Gaza in January 2025 when Washington insisted, demonstrating that the only possible brake on Israel remains the US.

    But the second Trump administration is even more transactional than the first. It prioritises trade deals and strategic alliances – particularly with the Gulf states – over the enforcement of international legal norms.

    In January, Trump issued an executive order authorising sanctions on the ICC over the court’s “illegitimate” actions against the US and its “close ally Israel”. These sanctions came into effect a little over a week before Israel launched its strikes on Iran.

    Trump then withdrew the US from the UN human rights council and extended a funding ban on Unrwa, the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees.

    A further executive order issued in February directed the state department to withhold portions of the US contribution to the UN’s regular budget. And Trump also launched a 180-day review of all US-funded international organisations, foreshadowing further exits or funding cuts across the multilateral system.

    In May 2025, the US and Israel then advanced a new aid mechanism for Gaza run by private security contractors operating in Israeli-approved “safe zones”. Aid is conditional on population displacement, with civilians in northern Gaza denied access unless they relocate.

    This approach, which has been condemned by humanitarian organisations, contravenes established humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality.

    In effect, one pillar of the post-war order is attacking another. The leading founder of the UN is now undermining the institution from within, wielding its security council veto to block action while simultaneously starving the organisation of resources. The US vetoed a UN security council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza on June 4.

    The implications of this turning point in the international order are already playing out across the globe. Russia is continuing its war of aggression in Ukraine despite rulings from the ICJ and extensive evidence of war crimes. It knows that enforcement mechanisms are weak and fragmented and the alternative Trumpian deal making can be played out indefinitely.

    And China is escalating military pressure on Taiwan. It is employing grey-zone tactics, that do everything possible in provocation and disinformation below the threshold of open warfare, undeterred by legal commitments to peaceful resolution.

    These cases are symptoms of a collapse in the credibility of the post-1945 legal order. Israel’s policy in Gaza and its attack on Iran are not exceptions but the acceleration. They are confirmation to other states that law no longer constrains power, institutions can be bypassed, and humanitarian principles can be used for political ends.

    Brian Brivati is executive director of the Britain Palestine Project. He is writing this article in a personal capacity.

    – ref. Israel, Iran and the US: why 2025 is a turning point for the international order – https://theconversation.com/israel-iran-and-the-us-why-2025-is-a-turning-point-for-the-international-order-258044

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: MPs could vote on two proposals to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales – the debate explained

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ruth Fletcher, Professor of Law, Queen Mary University of London

    Protesters in summer 2023 demanding decriminalisation of abortion. Loredana Sangiuliano/Shutterstock

    Legal protection of abortion rights in England and Wales is fragile. Abortion has popular support and is readily available on the NHS, but has also generated a series of criminal investigations. Nicola Packer is one of the most recent abortion-seekers facing criminalisation rather than care. She was found innocent in May after a five year ordeal.

    Amid concerns about investigations for illegal abortions, MPs may vote on June 17 on legislative action to decriminalise abortion. Political opinion is divided, however, on how to do it. In the absence of a broader push for the kind of inquiries that produced full decriminalisation in Northern Ireland in 2019, MPs will consider two different legal proposals: NC1 and NC20.

    In England and Wales, people do not have explicit abortion rights as a matter of domestic law. They may feel that they have when they get good abortion care. But as a matter of law, abortion is only permissible under the Abortion Act 1967 if two conditions are met.

    Two doctors must approve, and the case must meet the legal grounds outlined in the act. These are that there must be a risk to health up to 24 weeks gestation or, after 24 weeks, a risk to life, a risk of grave permanent injury to health or a serious foetal anomaly.

    If these conditions are not met, then someone who voluntarily ends a pregnancy could be criminally liable. This is because old criminal provisions against abortion – under the Offences against the Person Act 1861 and the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929 – are still on the books.

    Each of the two amendments being put forward would decriminalise abortion by amending a government bill that is already making its way through parliament, the crime and policing bill, rather than by adopting a standalone piece of legislation for abortion.

    The two amendments

    NC1, proposed by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, is for a partial decriminalisation that would entail the “removal of women from the criminal law related to abortion”. This would put a stop to criminal investigations of women and pregnant people on suspicion of abortion, and mean that abortion-seekers no longer face the possibility of prosecution.

    The proposed amendment has the support of over 130 MPs, has been negotiated with and has the backing of abortion providers, including the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas), MSI Reproductive Choices and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. But it would not repeal or remove the existing criminal law. The criminal offences in the Offences against the Person Act and the Infant Life (Preservation) Act would remain in place.

    Neither would abortion providers, or those who assist or support abortion-seekers, including friends and family buying abortion pills on the internet, be exempted from criminal liability.

    NC20, the second amendment, is for full decriminalisation and is proposed by MP Stella Creasy. It has the support of over 100 MPs, but apparently not the support of abortion providers according to Bpas.

    Creasy’s proposal is more complex and wider in scope. This amendment would fully decriminalise abortion by repealing the criminal provisions altogether. It would maintain the Abortion Act 1967 as the legal framework for abortion care, so the legal grounds for abortion would remain the same.

    The proposed amendments to decriminalise abortion come after several high-profile cases.
    Brizmaker/Shutterstock

    Most importantly, this amendment aims to make abortion a human right, and protect the law from being restricted in the future. It does this by requiring that the secretary of state apply to England and Wales the human rights recommendations that led to decriminalisation in Northern Ireland. These are outlined in a 2018 UN report on the elimination of discrimination against women.

    The report’s recommendations establish full decriminalisation as a baseline standard that must be achieved. They also require minimum legal standards of allowing abortion in cases where there is a risk to health, where the pregnancy results from rape, and in cases of severe foetal anomaly.

    The Abortion Act 1967 already delivers these standards. But the recommendations – and Creasy’s proposed amendment – would set out a framework that could be applied in the future to other questions around bodily autonomy.

    No change in the law will happen immediately after the vote as the crime and policing bill has several more stages to pass in parliament. But the debate should give observers an indication of the direction of travel when it comes to the future of reproductive rights in England and Wales.

    Ruth Fletcher is Chairperson of the Abortion Support Network.

    – ref. MPs could vote on two proposals to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales – the debate explained – https://theconversation.com/mps-could-vote-on-two-proposals-to-decriminalise-abortion-in-england-and-wales-the-debate-explained-258966

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why is Stalin back in the Moscow metro?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jeremy Hicks, Professor of Post-Soviet Cultural History and Film, Queen Mary University of London

    A statue of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was unveiled in the Taganskaya metro station in Moscow in May, recreating a mural that was dismantled decades ago. It is the first such statue to be erected in central Moscow since Stalin’s death in 1953 and marks a disturbing new stage in Russia’s authoritarian path.

    Tens of millions of people died as a direct result of Stalin’s policies between 1924 and his death. These policies included the forced collectivisation of agriculture, the Gulag labour camp system and the “great terror” – a wave of mass arrests between 1937 and 1938, including of key figures in the army.

    Yet ultimate victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, with the support of Britain and the US, redeems Stalin in the eyes of Russia’s current rulers. For the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, this victory was one of the crowning achievements of the Soviet Union and remains a unifying force in modern Russia.

    De-Stalinisation, which from 1956 to the late 1960s saw the dismantling of Stalin’s policies and legacy, meant no statues of him were erected from his death until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. But 110 monuments have been built since then (at the last count in 2023), with 95 of them erected in the Putin era. The rate of construction multiplied after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    These statues initially tended to be in peripheral parts of the Russian Federation, such as Yakutia, North Ossetia and Dagestan, and not in city centres. The renaming by presidential decree of the airport in Volgograd as Stalingrad in April 2025, to echo the city’s wartime name, was thus a significant moment.

    But the statue in the Moscow metro, an architectural gem in the centre of Russia’s capital that is used by millions of people each day, is an even more important symbolic statement.

    ‘Stalinwashing’

    Stalin’s reputation in Russia continues to recover. According to a poll from 2015, 45% of the Russian population thought the deaths caused by Stalin’s actions were justified (up from 25% in 2012). By 2023, 63% of Russians had an overall positive view of his leadership.

    This reflects the view promoted in schools and amplified by the Russian media, where criticism of Stalin is rare. Even the 2017 British comedy, The Death of Stalin, was banned in Russia for fear of popping the bubble of public approval.

    The purpose of rehabilitating Stalin is about boosting support for Putin’s regime, training Russians’ conformity reflex, and instilling pride in their history. But it also has external ramifications.

    With the partial exception of Georgia, his birthplace, Stalin is widely reviled by Russia’s neighbours which were often the victims of Stalin’s repressive policies. This is especially true of Ukraine. A famine known to Ukrainians as the Holodomor was deliberately imposed there between 1932 and 1933 as part of collectivisation and killed as many as 3.8 million people.

    As a result, his death unleashed de-Stalinisation accompanied by the destruction of his statues all over eastern Europe. This began during the 1956 Budapest uprising and was followed by later such reactions in Prague and elsewhere.

    The statue of Stalin in Budapest was torn down by demonstrators in 1956.
    Fortepan adományozó / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-NC-SA

    After the uprisings were put down, Stalin’s place was typically taken by the less controversial Vladimir Lenin, the revolutionary leader who founded the Soviet Union.

    But since the 2014 Maidan revolution in Ukraine, which culminated in the ousting of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych, Ukrainians have also been pulling down statues of Lenin. Other Soviet-era symbols have also been torn down in a wave of demonstrations known as Leninopad or Leninfall.

    This is what has informed the latest intensification of Stalin-washing. The Ukrainian refutation of the symbolic heritage of the Soviet Union seems to have supercharged the Russian embrace of it, Stalin included.

    Russia has restored statues of Lenin in the Ukrainian territories it occupies. And it has now also started erecting statues of Stalin, notably in the southeastern city of Melitopol, where a statue was unveiled in May to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the second world war.

    This is against the law in Ukraine, where there is a ban on pro-Communist (and pro-totalitarian) symbolism. Russian forces have meanwhile been destroying memorials to the Holodomor in a battle over the meaning of the Soviet legacy.

    Russia’s military strength

    The re-elevation of Stalin promotes a narrow interpretation of his rule, stressing Russia’s military strength. Modern statues typically portray Stalin in a military uniform and evoke a sense of him as a victorious wartime leader.

    In fact, some of the appeal of the symbol of Stalin lies in welfare provisions of his leadership where, despite imposing an often cruelly authoritarian system, education and healthcare were free for all. The same can be said for his use of fear as a work incentive. Russians sometimes still denounce complacent or inept officials with the imprecation: “If only Stalin was here to sort you out” (Stalina na vas net in Russian).

    Nevertheless, it is the imperial version of Stalin that dominates, vindicating Russian refusal to reckon with its colonial past as the centre of the Soviet Union. Stalin’s record is sometimes defended within Russia on the basis that Winston Churchill, for instance, remains a British national hero despite a bloody past (such as his role in the Bengal famine of 1943).

    While there is an element of truth in this, the difference is that Churchill’s shortcomings and complicity in the death toll attributable to the British empire are publicly discussed. Such criticism of Stalin is not permitted in Russia. Even the new statue in Moscow was erected under cover of the night, evading public scrutiny and debate.

    The fact that the UK subjects its historical heroes to scrutiny is what distinguishes it from Russia, and defines it as democratic. At least for the time being.

    Jeremy Hicks is a member of the UK Labour Party

    – ref. Why is Stalin back in the Moscow metro? – https://theconversation.com/why-is-stalin-back-in-the-moscow-metro-258006

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Kehoe Applauds Accomplishments of Joint Recovery Effort One Month After EF-3 Tornado Devastated St. Louis

    Source: US State of Missouri

    JUNE 16, 2025

    Jefferson City — Today, Governor Mike Kehoe praised the united recovery effort in St. Louis that is moving the community forward following the devastating May 16 EF-3 tornado that destroyed or damaged thousands of homes and businesses, killed five people, and impacted the lives of tens of thousands of St. Louisans.

    The State of Missouri’s response began immediately, with the Missouri State Highway Patrol surging troopers to St. Louis to assist with law enforcement and traffic control and the Missouri Department of Transportationdeploying emergency response trucks and barricading impacted ramps and routes to assist with cleanup efforts. Governor Kehoe activated the state’s Urban Search and Rescue team, Missouri Task Force 1, which responded to the city and began search operations on May 16. The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) also began initial damage assessments on May 16 and conducted joint damage assessments with city counterparts of thousands of buildings within days that have allowed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin approving FEMA assistance funding to residents last week.

    “From the moments immediately after the EF-3 tornado struck and each day since, Missourians have shown they will come to the aid for their neighbors, no matter how daunting the task before them,” Governor Kehoe said. “In our many visits to St. Louis over the last month, we have seen people come together to support one another. We could not control what occurred on the afternoon of May 16, but we are proving that we can control the path forward as we rebuild lives and homes in the months and years to come. We have directed our state disaster recovery agencies to continue to build on what they have already accomplished and do everything possible to assist in St. Louis. We are confident in St. Louis’s future because of the great work that has already been accomplished as we’ve worked as a united team.”

    SEMA’s team has worked around the clock to support the St. Louis response effort and continues to tirelessly assist in the St. Louis Emergency Operations Center and across the damage area, supplying support in emergency management command, operations, logistics, planning, finance and administration, transportation, and medical care, through the Missouri Disaster Medical Assistance Team (MO DMAT-1) and the Operations Division. Approximately 35% of the SEMA workforce has worked in St. Louis or supported tornado recovery efforts from SEMA headquarters over the last month. With the exception of a few days, SEMA Director Jim Remillard and Deputy Director Terry Cassil have spent the last month in St. Louis to support the recovery effort.

    “I have never been more impressed with the performance, professionalism, and dedication of any group of public servants than with SEMA’s effort to support the people of St. Louis,” Missouri Department of Public Safety Director Mark James said. “Their commitment, alongside additional state agencies, has been tireless, and they have integrated incredibly well working with St. Louis City Government, the St. Louis Fire Department, and all our other partners, playing an essential role in the progress that has been made in the community.”

    The State of Missouri’s response and recovery assistance over the last month has included:

    Missouri Task Force 1 (MO-TF1)

    MO-TF-1 was activated by Governor Kehoe and SEMA on May 16 and deployed an 88-person Type 1 Urban Search and Rescue Task Force and a 5-person Disaster Situation Awareness and Reconnaissance (DSAR) team to St. Louis. The team integrated with the St. Louis Fire Department and other search and rescue teams. MO-TF-1 searched and evaluated over 2,150 structures using state-of-the-art technological resources from May 16 to 18 and utilized drone technology to provide real-time situational awareness.

    SEMA Missouri Disaster Medical Assistance Team (MO DMAT-1)

    DMAT provided medical team members at St. Louis shelters housing people displaced by the tornado and Emergency Human Services staffing in the St. Louis Emergency Operations Center. In addition, DMAT team members have provided essential support to the St. Louis EOC in the areas of Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance and Administration. DMAT Logistics personnel also transported supplies and equipment to support the Disaster Assistance Center and the Multi-Agency Recovery Warehouse.

    SEMA Operations Division

    The SEMA Troop C – Urban regional coordinator responded immediately after the tornado hit on May 16 and continues to work out of the St. Louis Emergency Operations on a daily basis. Other SEMA regional coordinators from across the state have supported the St. Louis Emergency Operations Centers over the last month. The Operations Division also participated in initial damage assessments with local officials while response efforts were still ongoing. 

    SEMA Recovery Division

    The Recovery Division began conducting initial damage assessments with the local officials while response efforts were ongoing. A formal request to FEMA to conduct joint FEMA/SBA/SEMA/Local preliminary damage assessments for the Individual Assistance Program was submitted on May 19. The joint preliminary damage assessments for the were conducted May 21-24 and identified at least 512 homes destroyed, 1,321 homes sustaining major damage and 195 homes sustaining minor damage, totaling at least $17 million in expected FEMA and State of Missouri assistance to homeowners and renters. A request for a Major Presidential Disaster Declaration for designation of the Individual Assistance Program was signed by Governor Kehoe and submitted to FEMA on May 25. A formal request to FEMA to conduct joint FEMA/SEMA/Local preliminary damage assessments for the Public Assistance Program was submitted on May 23. Joint preliminary damage assessments for the Public Assistance Program were conducted May 28-June 3. A formal request was submitted to FEMA on June 6 for designation of the Public Assistance Program be added to the Major Presidential Disaster Declaration request for Individual Assistance submitted on May 25. These were approved by the President on June 9. FEMA had begun approving financial assistance to residents by June 12.

    SEMA Emergency Human Services

    SEMA’s Emergency Human Services Branch has been coordinating with local officials and faith-based and volunteer organizations, beginning with emergency sheltering needs since the May 16 tornado. SEMA has worked collaboratively with its partners to ensure the needs of those impacted by the tornado were met, including:

    • The American Red Cross has opened 21 shelters, providing 453 individuals with shelter for a total of 5,515 of shelter stays. ARC and its partners have been working to transition residents to longer-term sustainable housing solutions.
    • An array of charitable groups has provided over 285,000 hot meals.
    • The St. Louis Area Food bank has distributed over 350,000 pounds of food to organizations providing meals to storm survivors. It is also supplying community members with 500 food, water, and hygiene kits weekly at points of distribution in the impacted zone.
    • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has assembled and delivered 5,500 meal kits to those impacted.
    • The Urban League donated over 7,000 box meals to disaster survivors.
    • A 140,000 square-foot Multi-Agency Warehouse, operated for the City of St. Louis by Adventist Community Services Disaster Response, has opened to support long-term recovery operations by accepting donated supplies, including PPE and construction materials. The warehouse received its first delivery on June 8 and sent out its first truckload of supplies for distribution on June 13. The warehouse receives in-kind donated goods from companies, corporations and community collection drives and provides inventory and fair market value tracking to support FEMA’s local match disaster assistance funding requirements. Its inventory will supply an approved partner network within the impact zone to support long-term recovery.
    • United Way and AmeriCorps St Louis are coordinating the Volunteer Reception Center and to date have connected over 5,200 volunteers to disaster-related opportunities.
    • Convoy of Hope has distributed over 389,000 pounds of essential supplies to 20,379 individuals.
    • The Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) opened June 9 at Chaifetz Arena and will operate for three weeks,  providing a one-stop-shop where disaster survivors received financial assistance, information, referrals, and emergency supplies from over 30 state agencies, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, St. Louis city government, and community organizations. The DAC served 1,276 households reaching 3,325 family members in its first four days of operation. State agencies involved include the Department of Social Services, which refilled SNAP benefits and signed up those eligible for SNAP benefits; Department of Commerce and Industry, which has been providing guidance and information to residents who are having insurance issues; Department of Revenue, which has had its License Office on Wheels at the DAC replacing driver licenses, motor vehicle titles, and providing all services available at fixed license offices. Missouri Department of Mental Health team members are serving as ambassadors at the DAC, providing emotional support and guidance to survivors going through the DAC process. The Attorney General’s Office has been on site advising residents about potential scams and scammers.

    Missouri Structural Assessment and Visual Evaluation (SAVE) Coalition

    From May 21-24 and June 7-10, the SAVE Coalition (a mobile reserve unit of SEMA) assisted the St. Louis Building Division with evaluating residences and businesses for structural integrity. Over 100 volunteer engineers, architects, and building officials from across Missouri spent more than 3,000 hours assisting St. Louis inspectors evaluate 6,748 structures, categorizing 2,136 as unsafe and 1,529 as restricted because of extensive damage. City inspectors went through SAVE’s standard one-day training class on rapid exterior building evaluations. They utilized mapping software to compile digital reports, to help guide city rebuilding efforts. “Without [the SAVE Coalition’s] assistance St. Louis would, I feel, be struggling with the task of trying to catalog the tremendous damage that occurred on May 16th,” said Ed Ware, St. Louis Building Commissioner.

    Missouri State Highway Patrol

    Troop C troopers began to assist the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department immediately after the tornado struck on May 16, with 25 troopers assisting through May 17. The Patrol also provided additional assistance May 22-May 30, after receiving an additional request.  

    Missouri National Guard

    The Guard provided a Liaison Officer to St. Louis on May 20, which resulted in a request from the city for a Guard mission to support debris removal through an Engineer Task Force that provided a comprehensive debris clearance package. Engineer Teams deployed to St. Louis on May 28 and established and operated four debris collection sites and assisted with sorting, loading, transporting, and removing debris to designated landfills beginning on May 29. Operations involved close partnership with St. Louis Parks, Recreation and Forestry, and other city agencies. In its release letter to the Guard, the City of St. Louis called the Guard’s service “remarkable and exemplary.” The letter further noted that “the support enabled the city and its residents to remove the equivalent of well over 200 football fields piled one foot high with debris.” The debris drop-offs concluded at the Guard managed sites on June 8.

    Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS)

    DHSS has deployed staff to the St. Louis EOC and the Disaster Assistance Center to support public health partners, health care efforts and survivors. DHSS has sent more than 20 pallets of PPE and supplies to the St. Louis region, totaling 207,658 goggles, N95 masks, protective coveralls, gloves, disinfectant wipes, and hand sanitizer. DHSS, in collaboration with state and local partners, provided guidance on environmental cleanup efforts and PPE recommendations for debris removal crews and citizen cleanup efforts.

    DHSS issued two important state regulatory waivers: facilitating the rapid deployment of meals to impacted senior living sites; and allowing pharmacists to fill controlled substance prescriptions for patients in impacted areas without a written prescription when they deemed it necessary. DHSS staff also received and disseminated a USDA Food and Nutrition Service waiver for replacement of the current month food benefits for WIC participants who had damaged food from the storms.

    DHSS has also assisted with data analysis from air sampling efforts in the St. Louis area and is continuing to monitor for any concerning health trends at local hospitals.

    Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance (DCI)

    DCI continues to provide consumer support and guidance for those navigating insurance policies and the post-disaster claims process, including at the ongoing Disaster Assistance Center. DCI has assisted over 360 families at the DAC as of June 13. Consumer Affairs has also fielded hundreds of calls and is currently processing insurance complaints as a result of the storms. DCI leadership has met with industry partners and community leaders on key insurance matters. To assist tornado survivors with major damage to their homes, on June 12, DCI issued a bulletin to the insurance industry that for properties with 50% or more damage the City of St. Louis had waived its mandatory claim holdback ordinance, which limited the ability to receive payment for insured losses. For insurance help, consumers can call DCI’s Consumer Hotline at 800-726-7390 or visit insurance.mo.gov for more information.

    Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

    DNR has waived certain requirements related to the disposal of yard waste and appliances, burning of woody vegetation, asbestos abatement and the discharge of wastewater. These actions were taken to expedite cleanup and minimize the risk to human health and the environment. DNR team members are participating at the Disaster Assistance Center events to answer questions related to storm recovery, including debris disposal, drinking water systems, water quality issues, and hazardous materials.

    Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS)

    On May 27,  the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) approved DSS’s request to waive the 10-day reporting requirement for food purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits that was lost as a result of the May 16 tornado. The waiver applies to specific ZIP Codes in the City of St. Louis City and is in effect through June 16. DSS sent an additional request for FNS to approve a second extension for Missourians in impacted areas. If approved, those in impacted areas would have until July 16 to report their loss to DSS Family Support Division (FSD) for SNAP replacement benefits.

    Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DOLIR)

    Once Missouri received a federal Major Disaster Declaration, DOLIR’s updated the state’s unemployment claims application to allow for filing of claims for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits and claims are already being received. DUA applications will be accepted through August 8. Individuals may file a DUA claim online 24/7 by visiting uinteract.labor.mo.gov/benefits. The department has also been providing claim filing assistance and information to storm survivors at the Disaster Assistance Center. 

    Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT)

    On May 16 and 17, the MoDOT deployed emergency response trucks and barricaded impacted ramps and routes to assist with tornado cleanup efforts, as well as staffing the State Emergency Operations Center to assist with transportation and infrastructure needs. In the month since, MoDOT has remained involved in the infrastructure recovery efforts, performing damage assessments, and providing detailed inspection reports.

    Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (DHEWD)

    On May 29, DHEWD dedicated $750,000 in federal workforce funds to provide temporary wages to eligible individuals interested in helping with storm cleanup in St. Louis and southeast Missouri. The department is partnering with Local Workforce Development Boards, including the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE), local elected officials, and community organizations, such as the Urban League, to find eligible participants and provide an hourly wage for time spent assisting with removing debris and repairing infrastructure. DHEWD has also hosted jobs fairs to assist unemployed St. Louisans.

    The federal Major Disaster Declaration means DHEWD will be able to apply for a $5 million National Dislocated Worker Grant through the U.S. Department of Labor within the next few weeks. If approved, this grant will provide supplemental funding to support the community as it continues to recover.

    Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR)

    Since June 9, the DOR Mobile License Office has operated at the entrance of Chaifetz Arena to assist tornado survivors who lost licenses or other DOR documents, with the normal $6 transaction fee being waived. Through June 12, 97 individuals have been served. The mobile office is equipped to handle all license office functions, including ID card processing or replacement. The unit will continue to be available Monday, June 16, through Tuesday, June 17, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Wednesday, June 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. DOR has also extended certain deadlines for those in the federal disaster declaration area until November 3, 2025, to align with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

    Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH)

    The DMH Office of Disaster Services and DMH’s Behavioral Health Strike Team (BHST) were deployed to St. Louis to help deliver crisis counseling to those impacted by the May 16 tornado. They will be deployed through June to help provide crisis counseling at the Disaster Assistance Center, shelters, and in the community. They will also provide crisis counseling once FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers open. DMH is also applying for the FEMA crisis counseling program to provide continued mental health support to the community for an extended period of time.

    Photos of the State of Missouri response in St. Louis can be found at this link. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Signs On to $7.4 Billion Purdue Settlement

    Source: US State of California

    California will receive up to $440 million  

    OAKLAND – Attorney General Bonta today announced that 55 attorneys general, representing all eligible states and U.S. territories, agreed to sign on to a $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma L.P. and its owners, the Sackler family. The Sackler family has also informed the attorneys general of its plan to proceed with the settlement, which would resolve litigation against Purdue and the Sacklers for their role in creating the national opioid crisis. Now that the state sign-on period has concluded, local governments across the country will be asked to join the settlement contingent on bankruptcy court proceedings.   

    “The opioid epidemic has ravaged communities in California and across the country. The companies and individuals who fueled this crisis must be held accountable. With today’s announcement, the California Department of Justice is continuing to deliver results for our communities,” said Attorney General Bonta. “By holding Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family accountable for their role in fueling the opioid epidemic, we’re bringing much-needed funds for addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery to those impacted by this crisis. The California Department of Justice will continue to fight for the health and wellbeing of all Californians.”

    Under the Sacklers’ leadership, Purdue sold and aggressively marketed opioid products for decades, fueling the largest drug crisis in the nation’s history. The settlement ends the Sacklers’ control of Purdue and their ability to sell opioids in the United States. Communities across the country will directly receive funds over the next 15 years to support addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery. This settlement in principle is the nation’s largest settlement to date with individuals responsible for the opioid crisis. California’s state and local governments will receive as much as $440 million from this settlement over the next 15 years.  

    Most of the settlement funds will be distributed in the first three years. The Sacklers will pay $1.5 billion and Purdue will pay roughly $900 million in the first payment, followed by the Sacklers paying $500 million after one year, an additional $500 million after two years, and $400 million after three years. 

    Like prior opioid settlements, the settlement with Purdue and the Sacklers will involve resolution of legal claims by state and local governments. The local government sign-on and voting solicitation process for this settlement moving forward will be contingent on bankruptcy court approval. A hearing is scheduled on that matter in the coming days. 

    The settlement also reflects the end of the Sacklers’ control of Purdue and bars them from selling opioids in the United States. A board of trustees selected by participating states in consultation with the other creditors will determine the future of the company. Purdue will continue to be overseen by a monitor and will be prevented from lobbying or marketing opioids under the settlement. 

    Including the Purdue/Sackler settlement, California has obtained settlements committing up to $4.6 billion in funds from companies that helped fuel the opioid epidemic.  

    Attorney General Bonta is joined in securing this settlement in principle by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

    MIL OSI USA News –