NewzIntel.com

Category: Donald Trump

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Keith Self Introduces Legislative Package to Codify President Trump’s Executive Orders

    Source:

    Congressman Keith Self has introduced a strong legislative package aimed at codifying four of President Donald Trump’s executive orders. This package advances the America First agenda by securing long-term victories in education reform, biological research safety, public service loan forgiveness, and curriculum standards.

    “These executive orders by President Trump reflect commonsense governance and clear priorities. Now more than ever, public accountability, educational integrity, and national security are vital,” Congressman Self said. “To preserve the integrity of these accomplishments, we must protect them from being reversed by the radical left and cement these wins into law.”

    The four bills include:

    • Reinstating Common Sense School Discipline Policies: Returns authority to teachers and school administrators, empowering them to maintain order in classrooms without fear of federal overreach.

    • Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research: Establishes strict oversight for high-risk biological experiments, enhancing transparency and risk mitigation in federally funded research labs and institutions.

    • Restoring Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Strengthens the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program by ensuring clear and consistent eligibility for borrowers who commit to careers in public service—delivering on the federal government’s promises.

    • Restoring Truth in American History: Promotes a factual approach to U.S. history instruction, focusing on foundational principles, civic virtue, and the unifying aspects of the American experience.

    “Each of these executive orders was designed to correct imbalances, protect taxpayer interests, and restore public trust,” Self added. “We cannot waste the opportunity to make them permanent.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren Secures Commitments From Military Nominees to Prevent Civilian Harm, Study the Long-Term Effects of Blast Overpressure

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    July 23, 2025

    Lieutenant General Anderson agrees that following the laws of war to protect civilians is “critical to our success and competition.”

    Vice Admiral Bradley voices support to study the long-term effects of blast overpressure exposure: “People are more important than hardware, and the critical part of those people is the intellectual capacity.”

    Video of Exchange (YouTube)

    Washington, D.C. – At a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Personnel Subcommittee, secured commitments from Vice Admiral Frank M. Bradley and Lieutenant General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, nominees to be Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), respectively, on integrating and protecting reforms from Republican and Democratic administrations on civilian harm prevention. Senator Warren also secured support from Vice Admiral Bradley to partner with outside experts to conduct a longitudinal study of blast overpressure.

    Senator Warren has continued to lead the charge in pushing Trump administration nominees to prioritize civilian harm prevention. In his March 2025 nomination hearing, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby agreed with Senator Warren that civilian harm prevention is crucial to national security and that commanders can make better decisions in the field when they are trained on how to avoid civilian casualties.

    During the hearing, Senator Warren highlighted that the outgoing head of SOCOM, General Fenton, confirmed that civilian harm experts have “assisted commanders and their staffs in mitigating civilian harm without compromising lethality” and that their knowledge has “enhanced precision, preserving legitimacy and enabling mission success.” Vice Admiral Bradley committed to keeping civilian harm prevention as a “focus for our command” and affirmed it is “a critical obligation” for all Department of Defense (DoD) personnel using or overseeing lethal force to protect civilians, saying, “it is critical to our success and competition.”

    Similarly, Lieutenant General Anderson said prioritizing civilian harm mitigation planning “is a critically important show of our values” and that he would carry forward efforts to work with regional partners on civilian harm prevention and investigating incidents of civilian harm.

    Senator Warren also raised her concerns about the high levels of traumatic brain injuries caused by blast overpressure and the need to address the long-term effects—an initiative that has bipartisan support in both the House and Senate versions of the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (FY26 NDAA). In response, Vice Admiral Bradley supported DoD working with outside experts and organizations to study the long-term effects of blast overpressure.

    “People are more important than hardware, and the critical part of those people are the intellectual capacity… We see them as a critical contract with our operators and our operators’ families to ensure that we keep them sustainable,” said Vice Admiral Bradley.

    Senator Warren secured key wins earlier this month during the markup of the FY26 NDAA, including bipartisan support for a provision requiring DoD to provide a congressional briefing on the feasibility of conducting a study on the long-term effects of blast overpressure exposure. In September 2024, Senator Warren led a forum in Massachusetts on the importance of addressing these issues with leading brain health personnel at DoD and experts from Home Base, a national nonprofit organization in Charlestown that treats invisible wounds of veterans, service members, military families, and families of the fallen.

    Transcript: Hearings to examine the nominations of Vice Admiral Frank M. Bradley, USN, to be admiral and Commander, United States Special Operation Command, and Lieutenant General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, USAF, to be general and Commander, United States Africa Command
    Senate Armed Services Committee
    July 22, 2025

    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and congratulations to both of you on your nominations.

    So, the American military is built to defeat our enemies, not to create more of them, and that is why Republican and Democratic administrations have worked to reduce risks to innocent civilians as part of military operations. In fact, the last Trump administration issued the DoD’s first instruction to establish policies to mitigate civilian harm after concerns grew about civilian casualties in the campaign against ISIS. Now, one of the tools that commanders now have in the toolkit is working with civilian harm and mitigation response advisors, from refining war games to real attack planning in the Middle East and Africa operations, and more.

    Vice Admiral Bradley, your predecessor at Special Operations Command, recently said that these experts “assisted commanders and their staffs in mitigating civilian harm without compromising lethality.” What’s more, their knowledge “enhanced precision, preserving legitimacy, and enabling mission success.”

    So, Vice Admiral Bradley, if you are confirmed, will you commit to keeping civilian harm prevention experts at SOCOM to advise you and your team?

    Vice Admiral Frank M. Bradley: Senator, first, just to resonate, it is not only an obligation to adhere to the law of armed conflict to protect civilians. It is critical to our success and competition to represent our values. I believe that every uniform, every civilian, and every contractor that is employed or in oversight of the use of lethal force has a critical obligation to be able to do that, and I do commit to keeping that as a focus for our command if confirmed.

    Senator Warren: Thank you. That is a strong answer, and I appreciate it. You know, other tools in the toolkit here are the civilian harm mitigation and response action plan and DOD policy instruction on civilian harm, which outline DoD plans and policies to reduce civilian harm risks. AFRICOM has made progress in implementing these policies, including through training allies and partners on how to reduce risks to innocent civilians. We are serving as a model that our other partners are now beginning to adopt. In May, the Nigerian Air Force announced its own civilian harm prevention plan. These are efforts that save innocent lives.

    Lieutenant General Anderson, if you’re confirmed, will you carry forward these efforts to integrate civilian harm mitigation planning into AFRICOM operations and train allies in the region to help them do the same?

    Lieutenant General Dagvin R.M. Anderson: Senator, to echo Vice Admiral Bradley’s importance of this: this is a critically important show of our values. It’s also important that we maintain the laws of armed conflict, and, when we engage with our partners, that we help them educate and that we model this. And this has been something that when I was at Special Operations Command Africa, we did. We worked with partners, and when we saw things or heard of things that were credible, we encouraged them to investigate and to look into this, and then we gave them assistance as needed in order for them to conduct their own investigation. So I will continue, if confirmed, to take that on at AFRICOM.

    Senator Warren: I appreciate that. I want to get one other point here, because we also need to reduce harm to our own special operators. I’ve worked with Senator Ernst and others on this committee for years to address high levels of brain injury caused by blast over pressure exposed service members have reported debilitating symptoms, from seizures to depression to suicidality. And now, preliminary research is showing high rates of heart disease, chronic pain, hypertension, even links to brain cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Clearly, we have a lot more we need to learn.

    So, let me ask Vice Admiral Bradley, if confirmed, you’ll oversee tens of thousands of Special Operations personnel. Do you support DoD partnering with outside experts to study the long-term effects of blast overpressure?

    Vice Admiral Bradley: Senator, I do. I have seen great benefit from our partnerships with academia and other organizations that are studying this problem critically. Our number one soft truth is that people are more important than hardware, and the critical part of those people is the intellectual capacity. Of course, that is jeopardized by these brain health issues, and we see them as a critical contract with our operators and our operators’ families to ensure that we keep them sustainable.

    Senator Warren: I appreciate that very, very much. If you’re confirmed, I’ll be calling on you to help us with that. There’s language in both the House and the Senate NDAA that would help us get this study, and there are lots of organizations like Home Base Massachusetts who have the expertise to help us get these answers. We owe this to our service members. Thank you.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Trump’s budget cuts could shut down local news outlets and reduce reporting on emergencies

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Colleen Murrell, Chair of the Editorial Board, and Full Professor in Journalism, Dublin City University

    Donald Trump’s campaign against the “fake news” media continues largely unchecked, with a decision that is expected to reduce reporting and close down some local news stations around the US.

    This follows a House of Representatives decision on July 18 to agree with the Senate and slash US$1.1 billion (£813 million) funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which manages the money for National Public Radio (NPR), the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and their member stations. These cuts will affect the next two years of their operations.

    There are fears that some local and rural stations will be forced to lay off staff and may even have to close, if they haven’t amassed significant cash reserves or receive other funding. Don Dunlap, the president of KEDT-TV/FM in Texas, said in an interview: “There are ten public TV stations in Texas, and we’re thinking probably six of them will close down within a year.”

    Experts are warning that in national emergencies such as wild fires and floods, local news media are “absolutely essential services” – and that they may not be able to help keep citizens well informed in future. “Nearly three-in-four Americans say they rely on their public radio stations for alerts and news for their public safety,” NPR’s CEO Katherine Maher said .

    Trump has had these media outlets in his sights for a while, claiming they are a waste of taxpayers’ money and are ideologically biased against Republicans – a claim denied by NPR and PBS.



    Read more:
    PBS and NPR are generally unbiased, independent of government propaganda and provide key benefits to US democracy

    Public broadcasting regularly sends out alerts related to extreme weather and emergency news. This appears particularly pertinent after the recent Texas floods which killed 135 people. Kate Riley, CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, said local news outlets provide “essential lifesaving public safety services, proven educational services and community connections to their communities every day for free”.

    Republican senator from Alaska Lisa Murkowski said she recently received a tsunami warning from her local radio station after an earthquake. Murkowski has tried to introduce an amendment to reduce the cuts to local stations.

    The more-than-1,000 NPR stations around the US are vulnerable precisely because significant funding comes from federal sources. According to figures from news organisation Politico: “Approximately 19% of NPR member stations count on CPB funding for at least 30% of their revenue.”

    Ed Ulman, president and CEO of Alaska Public Media, told Politico that over a third of public media stations in his state will shut down “within three-to-six months”. He has begun a renewed public funding campaign on social media.

    Small rural US radio stations are facing tough budget cuts.

    Even at well-funded TV stations such as Arizona PBS, owned by Arizona State University and run by its Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications, some curtailing of plans is afoot. The station provides daily programming to the region, and has trained generations of journalism students to enter careers in TV and radio. Following the announcement of these federal cuts, I spoke to Scott Woelfel, the station’s general manager, who said:

    Arizona PBS will lose about US$2.3 million per year over the next two years. That represents around 13% of our total budget. While that is a significant percentage, its loss will not prevent us from operating. In fact, we prepared a reduced budget in the likely event that the rescission would occur, and have been operating under it since July 1 … It contains cuts across the board in an equal amount to the lost revenue.

    Following these federal cuts, 60% of the station’s funding will derive from charitable giving, 16% from corporate support and a further 24% from state grants for education services. Woelfel doesn’t plan on making any staff cuts, but said some unstaffed positions will remain open indefinitely – and that the station will be “delaying major new initiatives until new funding is found”.

    What happens next?

    Overall, these cuts are likely to create additional “news deserts” – regions of the US which don’t have access to important local news and information.

    After President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 into law to give funds to public broadcasting, he said: “While we work every day to produce new goods and to create new wealth, we want most of all to enrich man’s spirit. That is the purpose of this act.” But such touching sentiments now seem old-school in this era of Trump’s loud media wars.

    In the past week, the US president has also announced he would sue “the ass off” Rupert Murdoch, founder of News Corp, and the Wall Street Journal, which News Corp owns. This follows the WSJ’s publication of a story concerning a 2003 birthday letter framed around the outline of a naked woman that Trump allegedly sent to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump said the letter was fake. His US$10 billion lawsuit also takes in the WSJ’s owner, Dow Jones, and two of its reporters.

    As Trump pushes forward with significant changes to the media landscape, he is no doubt hoping that friendly television stations such as Fox News – also a part of Murdoch’s empire – as well as his influencer following will stay loyal to his brand.

    His Maga followers will undoubtedly be supportive of budget cuts and his anti-PBS and NPR statements. But when it comes to reporting from a flood or fire, influencers tend not to be on the ground supplying local residents with up-to-date information. Voters may find those important, and sometimes life-saving, services hard to replace.

    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.

    Colleen Murrell received funding from Irish regulator Coimisiún na Meán (2021-4) for research for the annual Reuters Digital News Report Ireland.

    – ref. Trump’s budget cuts could shut down local news outlets and reduce reporting on emergencies – https://theconversation.com/trumps-budget-cuts-could-shut-down-local-news-outlets-and-reduce-reporting-on-emergencies-261493

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Trump takes lead role in Cold War Steve’s reimagining of Hogarth’s 18th-century satire, The Rake’s Progess

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rebecca Anne Barr, Associate Professor in English Literature, University of Cambridge

    A reimagining of the sixth cartoon in William Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress depicting Trump pleading for divine assistance at a gambling den. Cold War Steve

    British satirist Cold War Steve has published a series of images based on the British painter William Hogarth’s The Rake’s Progress (1733-35). Hogarth’s 18th-century original charts the catastrophic decline of an affluent young man, Tom Rakewell. Cold War Steve’s 2025 reimagining substitutes the foolish rake with the US president, Donald Trump.

    Hogarth’s eight densely packed images are a forerunner of the modern comic script, a kind of condensed graphic novel. The works swarm with life and hidden meanings for viewers to decode.

    Tom starts out in high life, flashing his cash and enjoying himself. But he is rapidly drawn into a vortex of late-night drinking, gambling and prostitution. Desperate to save himself from extreme poverty, he sells himself in marriage to an older woman (no cougar, alas, but a rather decrepit heiress).

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    But he still cannot control his behaviour. Tom is eventually imprisoned for debt, loses his mind – either to syphilis or sorrow – and dies in Bedlam, the notorious 18th-century madhouse.

    Hugely popular and culturally influential, A Rake’s Progress is a modern morality tale. It’s a warning against the perils of self-indulgence, and a devastating critique of those too wealthy and foolish to care about the damage they do.

    The Gaming House, the sixth engraving in The Rake’s Progress, depicts the protagonist back to his profligate ways after marrying an older wealthy woman.
    Wikimedia

    Political satire as tragicomedy

    Keeping close to the original narrative, Cold War Steve uses the 18th-century paintings as backdrops, while altering the object of the satire by making Trump the main target. Renamed Trump’s Progress, this is a pointed political satire, directed at those in power.

    Steve’s is a 21st-century reimagining, not a pious homage. Instead, Trump’s Progress has an irreverent punk aesthetic: a horde of Trump-supporting celebrities (such as Don King, Hulk Hogan and Liberace) are photoshopped into his digital canvases, cavorting crazily alongside Trump as he moves from his immense wealth to political pre-eminence.

    Cold War Steve’s reimagining of A Rake’s Progress with Trump as its protagonist.
    Cold War Steve

    Both funny and dark, this is political satire as tragicomedy. The contemporary satirist takes Hogarth as precedent, suggesting a bad end lies in store for the president.

    Just as the 18th-century rake ends up in the madhouse, Cold War Steve ends his sequence with an aged Trump lying in a prison cell. Trump is tended to by Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his daughter Ivanka, while his other erstwhile friends look less than pleased to be incarcerated along with him.

    Hogarth was a key figure in 18th-century culture. His images of late-night drunkenness , sleazy politicians, and the cheek-by-jowl of luxury living and extreme poverty encapsulated the irrepressible messiness of modern life.

    Hogarth reflected Britain’s aspirations to liberty and progress, but also its ongoing struggles with consumerism, luxury, corruption, and greed. These are issues that dominate our present day too, and give Hogarth’s satires an urgent and unsettling relevance.

    This is not the first time Cold War Steve has used historical images from the 18th century to indict the present. In a recent article, I explored how Hogarth became a powerful visual source for the satirist during the COVID-19 crisis.

    Hogarth’s Beer Street and Gin Lane.
    Wikimedia

    In May 2020, Steve published an update of Hogarth’s famous print, Gin Lane. The original shows London as a drunken dystopia, as the poor turned to cheap imported gin to ease their daily grind.

    But Cold War Steve’s version dramatically altered the image’s moral message. By populating the city street with members of the Tory party and Britain’s business elite, he accused the government of gross moral negligence in treating the pandemic as an opportunity to make money.

    The choice of Hogarth is not accidental. Not merely familiar to students of art history, Hogarth has a cultural legibility that makes his work an influential satirical template for artists who want to comment on the social malaise of their times.

    Being in conversation with Hogarth gives contemporary works added gravitas. The veteran cartoonist Steve Bell created numerous parodies of Hogarth throughout his time at the Guardian and other publications.

    The penultimate scene in A Rake’s Progress, The Prison Scene, shows the vices of the protagonist having caught up with him.
    Wikimedia

    In 2016, English artist Thomas Moore created a version in which the 18th-century gin craze has been replaced by the obesity epidemic. Hogarth’s impoverished city street is now full of fast food shops, pubs and pawnbrokers. The manic energy and cultural anxiety of Hogarth’s satires resonates with our own accelerated culture and widespread sense of moral and social decline.

    In his study of the cultural afterlives of the 18th century, scholar James Ward has shown that postmodern popular culture often invokes Hogarth to question the assumption that our distance from the past is the same as progress.

    By splicing together images of the past with the present, Cold War Steve’s visual satires make the serious political point that society has failed to progress since the enlightenment. In his eyes, the vices that Hogarth showed ravaging his society are still part of a culture of political shamelessness, personified by Trump.

    Steve’s energetically subversive reworking of 18th-century material shows how Hogarth’s satires continue to be understood and appreciated by diverse audiences.

    Former prime minister Boris Johnson portrayed Hogarth as a patriotic British product. But by successfully translating Hogarth’s satires for a transatlantic audience, Cold War Steve shows that his appeal transcends both national and political divides. Current politics might be almost beyond parody on both sides of the pond, but Steve’s bleak humour shows us that satire is thriving.

    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.

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

    – ref. Trump takes lead role in Cold War Steve’s reimagining of Hogarth’s 18th-century satire, The Rake’s Progess – https://theconversation.com/trump-takes-lead-role-in-cold-war-steves-reimagining-of-hogarths-18th-century-satire-the-rakes-progess-261701

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement of Vice Chairman Warner on DNI Gabbard’s Release of Partisan HPSCI Russia Report

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement on DNI Gabbard’s release of a partisan report prepared by Republicans on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence regarding Russia’s intervention in the 2016 presidential election:

    “It seems as though the Trump administration is willing to declassify anything and everything except the Epstein files. The desperate and irresponsible release of the partisan House intelligence report puts at risk some of the most sensitive sources and methods our Intelligence Community uses to spy on Russia and keep Americans safe. And in doing so, Director Gabbard is sending a chilling message to our allies and assets around the world: the United States can no longer be trusted to protect the intelligence you share with us.

    “Let’s be clear: the bipartisan, unanimous finding of the Senate Intelligence Committee, after years of painstaking investigation, more than 200 witness interviews, and millions of documents, was that Russia launched a large-scale influence campaign in the 2016 election in order to help then-candidate Donald Trump. Nothing in this partisan, previously scuttled document changes that. Releasing this so-called report is just another reckless act by a Director of National Intelligence so desperate to please Donald Trump that she is willing to risk classified sources, betray our allies, and politicize the very intelligence she has been entrusted to protect.

    “The American people are right to continue asking: What are they trying to hide?”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sanctuary City NYC Sees a More Than 400% Spike in ICE Detainers as DHS Prioritizes American People Over Criminal Illegal Aliens

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Sanctuary politicians forbid local law enforcement from any assistance on immigration matters, even to the point of refusing to assist with criminal arrest warrants 

    WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued 6,025 arrest requests to transfer custody, or detainers, in sanctuary New York City (NYC), since January 20, 2025. To put this into perspective, during the entire Biden Administration, ICE only issued 9,472 detainers in NYC. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, there has been a more than 400 percent increase in the number of detainers lodged in NYC. 

    Despite the 6,025 arrest detainers lodged, NYC has honored just a handful. In non-sanctuary cities, law enforcement would honor these requests and transfer these criminal illegal aliens to ICE law enforcement to detain and deport them. 

    “In just six months ICE has issued over 6,000 detainers in NYC alone—that’s a more than 400 percent increase in the number of detainers lodged under Biden,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “When sanctuary politicians like Mayor Eric Adams ignore ICE detainers, they are protecting criminal illegal aliens at the expense of American citizens. These are barbaric criminals with prior convictions for rape, murder, drug trafficking, and instead of holding them for ICE, sanctuary politicians release them back into your communities. These reckless policies have deadly consequences. Just this week, two illegal aliens who entered our country and were released under President Biden shot and nearly killed a brave off-duty CBP officer. Both criminal illegal aliens had been arrested previously for violent crimes and released by the NYPD.”  

    ICE detainers are legal requests to state or local law enforcement to hold illegal aliens in custody and turn them over to immigration authorities. These individuals often have prior deportation orders, criminal convictions, or pose as national security threats.  

    As ICE officers are arresting and removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens, they are facing a record number of assaults against them. Assaults on ICE law enforcement have increased by 830 percent since Trump took office. This increase in violence is largely driven by anti-ICE rhetoric and further fueled by these sanctuary politicians and their reckless policies.  

    DHS reaffirms our commitment to the American people—it will not be deterred by partisan attacks or activist pressure. ICE will continue placing detainers, enforcing immigration law, and defending public safety—because every American deserves to feel safe in their own neighborhood.

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  • MIL-OSI USA: McClellan and Tonko Send Letter to Administrator Zeldin Urging EPA to Retract Proposal to Weaken Pollution Standards

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (Virginia 4th District)

    Today, Representatives Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) and Paul Tonko (NY-20) led 73 House Members in sending a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin urging EPA to immediately retract its harmful proposal to weaken the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). 

    “It is the mission of EPA to protect human health and the environment,” wrote the Members. “To achieve these goals, Congress gave EPA authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate hazardous air pollutants, like mercury and arsenic from power plants. Rolling back the MATS rule is a cruel abandonment of the agency’s statutory obligations that will endanger children’s health, harm communities, and let the worst industrial polluters off the hook.”

    Coal-fired power plants emit mercury and other toxic pollutants that poison the air and water. This pollution impacts those living on the fenceline and downwind of these facilities, particularly communities of color and low-income communities, who are more likely to live near coal-fired power plants and be exposed to dangerous pollution. 

    “The standards set by the 2024 rule for mercury and air toxics pollution are not only achievable, but the majority of power plants were either already meeting them or only required small changes to comply,” the Members continued. “Weakening these commonsense standards would allow for the worst of the worst industrial polluters to ratchet up their hazardous emissions. The Trump Administration is already giving out free passes for power plants to pollute and concealing the process for granting exemptions from the public, allowing some of the biggest corporate polluters to increase toxic air pollution into nearby communities without accountability.”

    Strong standards have successfully limited mercury pollution by 90% and decreased other dangerous air pollutants. A recent study estimated that eliminating more than 30 EPA protections that protect our air, water, and climate would cost $275 billion dollars and more than 30,000 lives lost each year.

    “By rolling back the MATS rule, the Trump Administration is choosing corporate polluters over the health and lives of everyday Americans across the country,” the Members concluded. “We implore you to keep our communities and the environment safe from health-harming pollution by stopping this reckless rollback, extending the comment period to 75 days to allow for meaningful public engagement, and committing to holding multiple public hearings to allow affected fenceline communities ample opportunities to be heard in this process.”

    Read the full letter here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tonko, Fitzpatrick, Smith Introduce Bill to Expand Access to Mental Health Services

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Paul Tonko (Capital Region New York)

    WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representatives Paul D. Tonko (D-NY-20) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1), and U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) today reintroduced the Medicaid Bump Act, legislation that would increase the federal reimbursement rate for mental and behavioral health care services under Medicaid.

    “As the largest payer for mental health and substance use treatment, Medicaid is essential to behavioral health care,” Congressman Tonko said. “The massive cuts to Medicaid made in President Trump’s Big Ugly Law will leave countless Americans without access to the lifesaving, affordable care, but we must do all we can as legislators to stem the harm caused by this cruel legislation and work to deliver meaningful federal resources for mental health services. That’s why we’re introducing this bipartisan, commonsense legislation. I hope my colleagues will join me in helping remove these barriers in behavioral health treatment and ensure our communities are delivered affordable, quality care.”

    “As Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force, I’m working directly with community providers, health systems, and local leaders to identify the structural barriers limiting access to care. This initiative is a direct result of those conversations—delivering targeted federal support to expand state investment, raise provider reimbursement, and build capacity in the areas that need it most. It’s a data-driven response to a national crisis, and Congress must act,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick.

    “The best way to combat the mental health crisis in America is by offering comprehensive, affordable mental health services for those who need it,” said Senator Tina Smith. “The Medicaid Bump Act helps more Americans access this life-changing care by expanding state-level coverage and ensuring providers are appropriately compensated. This way, we can start addressing the stigma around mental health and the gross inequities in our medical system.”

    Traditionally, states receive federal reimbursement rates between 50 and 75 percent. Under the Medicaid Bump Act, Medicaid would reimburse states for 90 percent of the cost of providing new mental and behavioral health services. Further, the bill would:

    • Direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to define which services qualify as eligible behavioral health services for the enhanced FMAP.
    • Require HHS to provide annual reports on the impact of increased federal Medicaid reimbursement on the utilization of behavioral health services in each state.

    The Medicaid Bump Act is supported by 34 organizations, including: Alliance for Rights and Recovery, American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Mental Health Counselor Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association Services, American Society of Addiction Medicine, Anxiety & Depression Association of America, Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Community Catalyst, Faces and Voices of Recovery, Friends of Recovery- New York, Global Alliance for Behavioral Health & Social Justice, Huntington’s Disease Society of America, Inseparable, International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses, Legal Action Center, Mental Health America, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association for Behavioral Healthcare, National Association for Rural Mental Health, National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Social Workers, National Board for Certified Counselors & Affiliates, National Council for Mental Wellbeing, National Federation of Families, National League for Nursing, The National Register of Health Service Psychologists, Overdose Prevention Initiative, Treatment Communities of America, and Youth Villages

    Text of the bill can be found HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES: “THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND HOUSE REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN A COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

    Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference with Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar ahead of the August District Work Period where they highlighted the commitment of House Democrats to delivering for the American people, while Donald Trump and Rubber Stamp Republicans celebrate their devastating cuts to healthcare and food assistance.

    LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning, everyone. Honored to be joined today by Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar as we prepare to depart for the August District Work Period. The Trump administration and House Republicans have been a complete and total failure. These MAGA extremists promised they were going to lower costs in the United States of America. In fact, they promised the American people that costs would go down on day one. But costs haven’t gone down. They are on the way up. Inflation is up. It’s the quality of life of everyday Americans that is deteriorating. And Donald Trump and House Republicans are making things worse.

    The One Big Ugly Bill will rip away healthcare from millions of Americans. Hospitals will close. Nursing homes will shut down. Community-based health clinics will be unable to operate. And as a result of the inability of everyday Americans to get the medical care that they need, people will die. This is a direct result of action taken by Donald Trump and House Republicans connected to the One Big Ugly Bill. It’s extraordinary that as we prepare to leave for the August District Work Period, what House Republicans can point to is a toxic and extreme Republican budget that will cause millions of Americans to be broke, sick and hungry. That’s the legislative accomplishment of House Republicans. And all of this was done to reward billionaires with massive tax breaks.

    The One Big Ugly Bill is deeply unpopular. Donald Trump is deeply unpopular. And House Republicans haven’t done a damn thing to make life more affordable for the American people. During the August District Work Period, House Democrats will hold events all across the country talking about our efforts to build an affordable economy that lowers the high cost of living in the United States of America, to protect the healthcare of the American people and to combat the cultural corruption that exists in this town that undermines the ability to have a government of the people, by the people and for the people. We’re looking forward to holding town hall meetings across the country, at the same time that Republicans will continue to run away from town hall meetings. But we will fill the void that they are leaving and engage aggressively with the American people, all in service of building a country where everyone can experience the American dream.

    Full press conference can be watched here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: William Briggs Sworn in as Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    WASHINGTON — Today, following his confirmation by the U.S. Senate on July 9, 2025, William (Bill) Briggs was sworn in as the Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration at the SBA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

    “I’m pleased to welcome Deputy Administrator Bill Briggs to the SBA as part of an incredible leadership team that is hard at work delivering results for America’s job creators,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “With a strong record of service at the agency and in the private sector, Bill will be a tremendous asset as we work to restore the SBA as an engine for opportunity and economic growth – and advance President Trump’s agenda that will Make Main Street Great Again.”

    “It’s an honor to be back at the SBA and to continue my work serving America’s small businesses,” said SBA Deputy Administrator Bill Briggs. “Under the leadership of President Trump and Administrator Loeffler, our job creators are poised for a historic era of growth, innovation and prosperity. I’m excited to deliver that comeback to Main Streets across America – by empowering them with the capital, counseling, and contracting opportunities to thrive.”

    Briggs previously served as Acting Associate Administrator for SBA’s Office of Capital Access during the first Trump Administration, where he played a leading role in the development and implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Texas native and small business owner, Briggs brings over two decades of private sector experience to the role.

    # # #

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: President Trump Approves Governor Kehoe’s Request for Major Disaster Declaration in Response to Memorial Weekend Severe Storms

    Source: US State of Missouri

    JULY 23, 2025

    Jefferson City — Today, Governor Mike Kehoe announced that President Donald J. Trump has approved Missouri’s request for a major disaster declaration for five southwest Missouri counties in response to the severe storms, straight-line winds, hail, heavy rains, and flooding that occurred throughout Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26. This is Missouri’s fifth major disaster declaration since March.

    “For the past four months, communities across Missouri have been heavily damaged by continuing severe storms, with some of the most devastated areas affected once again by this four-day severe weather event,” Governor Kehoe said. “I spoke personally with President Trump last night, and we appreciate his approval of this federal assistance, which will provide millions of dollars to assist in rebuilding infrastructure that is vital to the recovery of the impacted communities.”
     

    The President’s action makes the FEMA Public Assistance program available to local governments and qualifying nonprofits for the repair and restoration of damaged roads, bridges, and other public infrastructure as well as reimbursement of emergency response costs in Dade, Douglas, Ozark, Vernon, and Webster counties.

    Governor Kehoe requested the federal disaster declaration on June 21, following joint Preliminary Damage Assessments that were conducted in early June. Damage and response costs were estimated at more than $13.5 million.

    The other four federal Major Disaster Declarations during Governor Kehoe’s term in office are:

    For more information on the federal disaster declaration process, visit this link.

    For additional resources and information about disaster recovery in Missouri, please visit recovery.mo.gov.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: President Trump Approves Governor Kehoe’s Request for Major Disaster Declaration in Response to Memorial Weekend Severe Storms

    Source: US State of Missouri

    JULY 23, 2025

    Jefferson City — Today, Governor Mike Kehoe announced that President Donald J. Trump has approved Missouri’s request for a major disaster declaration for five southwest Missouri counties in response to the severe storms, straight-line winds, hail, heavy rains, and flooding that occurred throughout Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26. This is Missouri’s fifth major disaster declaration since March.

    “For the past four months, communities across Missouri have been heavily damaged by continuing severe storms, with some of the most devastated areas affected once again by this four-day severe weather event,” Governor Kehoe said. “I spoke personally with President Trump last night, and we appreciate his approval of this federal assistance, which will provide millions of dollars to assist in rebuilding infrastructure that is vital to the recovery of the impacted communities.”
     

    The President’s action makes the FEMA Public Assistance program available to local governments and qualifying nonprofits for the repair and restoration of damaged roads, bridges, and other public infrastructure as well as reimbursement of emergency response costs in Dade, Douglas, Ozark, Vernon, and Webster counties.

    Governor Kehoe requested the federal disaster declaration on June 21, following joint Preliminary Damage Assessments that were conducted in early June. Damage and response costs were estimated at more than $13.5 million.

    The other four federal Major Disaster Declarations during Governor Kehoe’s term in office are:

    For more information on the federal disaster declaration process, visit this link.

    For additional resources and information about disaster recovery in Missouri, please visit recovery.mo.gov.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Scholten Blocks Trump Cuts, Delivers Millions for Michigan Manufacturers

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Hillary Scholten – Michigan

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (MI03) announced a major win for West Michigan, successfully securing more than $4.9 million in federal funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program (MEP) and The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC) after it was announced the Department of Commerce would not be renewing their cooperative agreement that provided these funds. This victory will allow manufacturers and working-class families in West Michigan and beyond to thrive. 

    “I fought back against an attack on Michigan manufacturing and won. Michigan’s manufacturers are the backbone of our economy, and I refuse to sit back while political games threaten their future,” said Rep. Scholten. “West Michigan’s manufacturers deserve a partner in Washington who shows up and delivers–and that’s exactly what I did. I’ll always fight to protect the working families and businesses that keep West Michigan running.”

    At the beginning of the year, the Trump Administration notified several MEP Centers that they would not be renewing their cooperative agreements, risking MMTC’s funding. In April, the MMTC discussed how defunding this program would harm the 157 American manufacturers and 16,513 employees in Michigan’s Third District that have worked with them. Across the state, the MMTC created 4,949 manufacturing jobs. On June 9th, Rep. Scholten called on Secretary Lutnick and Acting Director Burkhart to support MMTC’s cooperative agreement. 

    After pushing Rep. Scholten’s calls, the National Institute of Standards and Technology announced that MMTC would receive a year of federal funding. They emphasized the aim of the funding is to empower Michigan’s small and medium-sized manufacturers (SSMs) by providing essential resources, expert knowledge and collaborative support. Additionally, employees within these manufacturing companies will benefit from workforce development programs, equipping them with essential skills for career advancement. 

    The broader Michigan economy will also see positive impacts through increased manufacturing output, investment, and job creation. Scholten’s advocacy ensured that the Trump Administration could not get in the way of Michigan’s manufacturing.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Hagerty Reintroduce Legislation to Punish Foreign Governments that Violate American Trade Agreements

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville

    Tuberville continues fighting for Alabama-based Vulcan Materials

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) in reintroducing the Defending American Property Abroad Act to address the continued aggression from the Mexican government toward Alabama-based Vulcan Materials Company in flagrant violation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The senators’ legislation would impose retaliatory prohibitions to deter and punish any nation in the Western Hemisphere that unlawfully seizes American assets, such as the Mexican government’s ongoing attempts to seize Vulcan’s deep-water port in Quintana Roo, Mexico.

    Sen. Tuberville cosponsored this legislation in the 118th Congress.           

    “For years, the Mexican Government has shown undue aggression toward American businesses, primarily Alabama’s Vulcan Materials,” said Sen. Tuberville. “The continued attempts to exploit Vulcan’s operation in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico is a disgrace to our longstanding trade agreement with Mexico. The Trump Administration has hit the ground running to prioritize and empower American companies — I look forward to seeing this bill get across the finish line to ensure American companies are fully protected.”

    “I strongly condemn the Mexican government’s threats against Vulcan Materials Company, and I am pleased to see this bipartisan and bicameral rebuke from the United States Senate,” said Sen. Hagerty. “Under the leadership of Mexico’s previous president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and now the current president, Claudia Sheinbaum, the Mexican government is committing a blatant theft against a major American company and, by extension, the United States itself. No nation should be allowed to bully an American firm without consequences. Our legislation will counter any attempt by the Mexican government to profit from illegal moves to expropriate, nationalize, or otherwise seize U.S. assets.”

    Sens. Tuberville and Hagerty were joined by U.S. Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) in cosponsoring the legislation. U.S. Congressman August Pfluger (R-TW-11) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

    BACKGROUND:

    This legislation would authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prohibit vessels from entering a U.S. port if they previously used a port, land, or infrastructure that had been illegally seized from a U.S. entity by a foreign nation in the Western Hemisphere. It also empowers the U.S. Trade Representative to investigate and respond to foreign governments that deny U.S. companies fair and equal treatment or that have expropriated, nationalized, or seized U.S. assets.

    In May 2022, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) abruptly shut down Vulcan’s operations with false claims that the firm was violating its contract, and since then, the Mexican Government, under AMLO’s direction, has waged an unceasing pressure campaign against Vulcan, including multiple lawsuits and, at times, sending military and law enforcement officers toits facility in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Last year, AMLO announced that he is pushing to designate the port and mine a “Protected Natural Area.”

    The Alabama delegation has been united in advocating for Vulcan in its ongoing dispute with Mexico. Last year, Sens. Tuberville, Britt, Hagerty, and Kaine sent a letter to Alicia Bárcena, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, urging her to take action regarding the Mexican government’s mistreatment of Vulcan Materials Company.

    In 2023, the Alabama delegation met with Mexico’s Ambassador to the U.S. Moctezuma to advocate for Vulcan. In 2022, Sen. Tuberville sent a letter with former Senator Richard Shelby and eight other U.S. senators calling on the Biden-Harris administration to discourage Mexican aggression against American companies with investments or operations in Mexico.

    Sen. Tuberville also spoke in support of Vulcan on the Senate floor earlier this year.

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: July 23rd, 2025 Heinrich Releases Statement on Trump Administration Preventing Gallup Indian Medical Center from Providing Health Care to Vulnerable New Mexicans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    Reports illustrate how Trump’s Executive Order to “promote efficiency” in federal government forced Gallup Indian Medical Center to halt medical services and lose staff

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement in response to new reporting that details how Trump’s Executive Order to “promote efficiency” is preventing Gallup Indian Medical Center (GIMC) from providing medical services, pushed physicians out, and upended necessary contracts that make the medical center function.

    “I am appalled at Gallup Indian Medical Center’s dismal state. Despite the truly heroic work being done by providers there, burdensome and unnecessary red tape inflicted by the Trump Administration has caused this already overburdened hospital to cut down on essential services.

    “My office has received numerous reports that GIMC has slashed the number of beds available and scaled back maternal care. That’s not okay. If expectant mothers need an ultrasound or experience pregnancy complications overnight, they shouldn’t have to be flown to another facility to receive basic medical services. But that is the state of care right now.

    “I continue to call on President Trump to take immediate action to repeal DOGE’s policies that are crushing this hospital.

    “This facility desperately needs federal investment in a new location. Instead, this Administration is nearly bringing its operations to a halt, undermining Tribal sovereignty, existing federal law, and the government-to-government relationship.

    “The inherent sovereignty of Tribes is recognized in the U.S. Constitution, in treaties, and across many federal laws and policies, and it has been consistently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. These trust and treaty obligations require the federal government to adequately fund and staff IHS hospitals like GIMC.

    “The Trump Administration’s actions are a blatant and unacceptable violation of treaty obligations and must end now.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS AMERICA’S AI ACTION PLAN

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    WASHINGTON, DC – The White House today released “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan”, in accordance with President Trump’s January executive order on Removing Barriers to American Leadership in AI. Winning the AI race will usher in a new golden age of human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security for the American people.
    The Plan identifies over 90 Federal policy actions across three pillars – Accelerating Innovation, Building American AI Infrastructure, and Leading in International Diplomacy and Security – that the Trump Administration will take in the coming weeks and months.
    Key policies in the AI Action Plan include:
    Exporting American AI: The Commerce and State Departments will partner with industry to deliver secure, full-stack AI export packages – including hardware, models, software, applications, and standards – to America’s friends and allies around the world.
    Promoting Rapid Buildout of Data Centers: Expediting and modernizing permits for data centers and semiconductor fabs, as well as creating new national initiatives to increase high-demand occupations like electricians and HVAC technicians.
    Enabling Innovation and Adoption: Removing onerous Federal regulations that hinder AI development and deployment, and seek private sector input on rules to remove.
    Upholding Free Speech in Frontier Models: Updating Federal procurement guidelines to ensure that the government only contracts with frontier large language model developers who ensure that their systems are objective and free from top-down ideological bias.
    “America’s AI Action Plan charts a decisive course to cement U.S. dominance in artificial intelligence. President Trump has prioritized AI as a cornerstone of American innovation, powering a new age of American leadership in science, technology, and global influence. This plan galvanizes Federal efforts to turbocharge our innovation capacity, build cutting-edge infrastructure, and lead globally, ensuring that American workers and families thrive in the AI era. We are moving with urgency to make this vision a reality,” said White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios.
    “Artificial intelligence is a revolutionary technology with the potential to transform the global economy and alter the balance of power in the world. To remain the leading economic and military power, the United States must win the AI race. Recognizing this, President Trump directed us to produce this Action Plan. To win the AI race, the U.S. must lead in innovation, infrastructure, and global partnerships. At the same time, we must center American workers and avoid Orwellian uses of AI. This Action Plan provides a roadmap for doing that,” said AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks.
    “Winning the AI Race is non-negotiable. America must continue to be the dominant force in artificial intelligence to promote prosperity and protect our economic and national security. President Trump recognized this at the beginning of his administration and took decisive action by commissioning this AI Action Plan. These clear-cut policy goals set expectations for the Federal Government to ensure America sets the technological gold standard worldwide, and that the world continues to run on American technology,” said Secretary of State and Acting National Security Advisor Marco Rubio.
    Learn more at ai.gov. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Congress has a chequered history of overseeing US intelligence and national security

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Luca Trenta, Associate Professor in International Relations, Swansea University

    Tonya Ugoretz, a top FBI intelligence analyst, was placed on administrative leave in June. The FBI has not said why. But the decision came around the time she refused to endorse what was reportedly a thinly sourced report accusing China of interfering in the 2020 US presidential election in favour of Joe Biden.

    At the Bureau, loyalty tests and polygraph checks have also allegedly become routine as part of a crackdown on news leaks. When approached by the New York Times about the matter, the FBI declined to comment and cited “personnel matters and internal deliberations”.

    The situation does not seem to be much different at the CIA. In May, agency director John Ratcliffe ordered a review of the intelligence community’s earlier conclusion that Russia had interfered in the 2016 presidential campaign on behalf of Donald Trump. The conclusion, Ratcliffe contends, was unwarranted and imposed by political pressure – a claim that has been rejected by one of the report’s leading authors.

    The intelligence community has reportedly also been under pressure to substantiate Trump’s claims that the recent military strikes on Iran had obliterated its nuclear sites. This is despite mixed evidence regarding the extent of their success. These examples suggest a growing politicisation of intelligence and national security in the US.

    Researchers and observers have highlighted the detrimental effect of this process. When intelligence is conducted by ideologues that are screened for loyalty, it often becomes more about pleasing the leader than collecting accurate information and preventing failure.

    Less attention has been paid to the permissive attitude of Congress. Many Republicans in Congress have taken an unquestioning attitude toward the claims made by the president and other officials, allowing intelligence agencies to pursue Trump’s agenda unimpeded.

    While Trump and Patel’s focus on personal loyalty when it comes to intelligence is new, partisan influence in congressional oversight is not. In fact, Congress has a long history of supporting the intelligence priorities of the governing administration.

    For much of the cold war, Congress was not involved – and did not want to be involved – in matters of intelligence. This view was expressed by former CIA legal counsel, Walter Pforzheimer, during an interview in 1988. Reflecting on the early days of oversight, he stated: “It wasn’t that we were attempting to hide anything. Our main problem was we couldn’t get them [Congress] to sit still and listen.”

    This quote isn’t entirely true. In research from 2023, I showed that Congress was more involved than was generally believed. The US-backed 1954 coup in Guatemala, which deposed the democratically elected president, Jacobo Árbenz, is a case in point. Leading members of Congress were “in the know” and others pushed Dwight Eisenhower’s administration to be even more aggressive.

    But Congress took on a more active role in intelligence matters in the 1970s. Following a series of public revelations about the CIA’s behaviour, a select committee was established in 1975 and exposed abuses by intelligence agencies including the surveillance of US citizens, experiments with drugs and involvement in assassinations.

    In the wake of this, Congress established intelligence committees with oversight duties. The idea was that the CIA would present a document signed by the president to notify congressional committees of its intentions.

    However, the system ran into trouble in the 1980s, and partisanship and politicisation were part of the story. The Ronald Reagan administration’s support for the “contra” rebels in Nicaragua made intelligence a matter of severe partisan conflict.

    Removing Nicaragua’s government

    When Reagan took office in 1981, one of the primary foreign policy priorities for his administration was removing the Sandinista National Liberation Front from power in Nicaragua. The administration saw the Sandinistas as a threat to the region and – in Reagan’s black-and-white thinking – as puppets of Communist Moscow and Havana.

    The administration sought to convince Congress that its aims were limited. The aim, or so CIA director William Casey told the intelligence committees, was to obstruct the transfer of weapons from Nicaragua to neighbouring El Salvador. Another left-wing guerrilla movement, the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, was threatening the US-supported government there.

    Initially, the policy received bipartisan support in Congress. The linchpin of this policy was the creation of an insurgent group in Nicaragua called the contras (contrarevolucionarios). It was made up of members of the previous regime’s brutal national guard, as well as other groups that had become disgruntled with the Sandinistas.

    Nicaraguan contras, who fought against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua during the 1980s.
    Tiomono / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-NC-SA

    News stories soon made clear that the size of the contra army had radically expanded, from the 500 members discussed by Casey in his initial briefing to thousands. The contras’ stated goal of overthrowing the Sandinistas, which they ultimately failed to do, also contradicted the earlier Reagan administration’s statements to Congress.

    Democrats in Congress pushed the leadership of intelligence committees to curtail the administration’s activities. Edward Boland, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, penned and helped to pass two amendments. The first prohibited any US government support for the purpose of overthrowing the Nicaraguan government.

    When the administration found loopholes to circumvent this, Boland’s second amendment prohibited any US funds from being spent in support of the contras. This amendment is generally understood as a first step towards the so-called Iran-Contra scandal.

    The Reagan administration illegally funded the contras behind Congress’s back by using the proceeds from secret arms sales to Iran – a state the US had been at loggerheads with since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

    The Boland amendments also helped make an intelligence and covert operations issue a matter of public debate and – more importantly – congressional votes. Republicans in Congress abandoned their oversight duties and followed the administration’s guidelines.

    Votes on contra aid became an opportunity for partisan controversy, vitriolic attacks, accusations of betrayal and large-scale influence campaigns. Instead of oversight, a deep partisan divide materialised.

    Counting on Congress? Think again

    The role of Congress is to conduct oversight. It is the role of the governing administration to keep Congress informed of intelligence matters, particularly covert operations. History shows this has often been hard to achieve.

    Congress has been complacent, complicit and often too willing to follow the government’s lead. In some cases, Congress has acted but primarily in the aftermath of major scandals or media revelations. This is called “firefighting” behaviour.

    But “firefighters” seem to now be in short supply. As much as domestic constraints on Trump’s power are decreasing, the same is happening in the context of intelligence and foreign policy.

    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.

    Luca Trenta received funding from British Academy Grant SRG21211237.

    – ref. Congress has a chequered history of overseeing US intelligence and national security – https://theconversation.com/congress-has-a-chequered-history-of-overseeing-us-intelligence-and-national-security-261120

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Department of Energy Terminates Taxpayer-Funded Financial Assistance for Grain Belt Express

    Source: US Department of Energy

    The Department of Energy today announced the Loan Programs Office has terminated its conditional commitment for the Grain Belt Express Phase 1 project.

    Energy.gov

    July 23, 2025

    WASHINGTON— The Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the Loan Programs Office (LPO) has terminated its conditional commitment for the Grain Belt Express Phase 1 project, a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line intended to connect wind and solar capacity across Kansas and Missouri. The conditional commitment, which would have provided a taxpayer-funded loan guarantee of up to $4.9 billion dollars, was issued by the Biden administration in November 2024 – one of many conditional commitments that were rushed out the door in the final days of the Biden administration.

    After a thorough review of the project’s financials, DOE found that the conditions necessary to issue the guarantee are unlikely to be met and it is not critical for the federal government to have a role in supporting this project. To ensure more responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources, DOE has terminated its conditional commitment.

    DOE is conducting a review of every applicant and borrower – including the nearly $100 billion in closed loans and conditional commitments LPO made between Election Day 2024 to Inauguration Day 2025 – to ensure every single taxpayer dollar is being used to advance the best interest of the American people. This ongoing review positions LPO to move forward with a lower risk tolerance in lending practices and an uncompromising focus on expanding access to affordable, reliable and secure energy for the American people.

    DOE remains focused on advancing projects that expand American energy dominance and deliver on President Trump’s commitment to lower energy prices for the American people.

    Asa Reynolds Named Winner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2025 CyberForce® Conquer the Hill® Reign Competition

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Understanding the violence against Alawites and Druze in Syria after Assad

    Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Güneş Murat Tezcür, Professor and Director of the School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University

    Bedouin fighters at Mazraa village on the outskirts of Sweida city, during clashes in southern Syria on July 18, 2025. AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed

    In July 2025, clashes between the Druze religious minority and Sunni Arabs backed by government-affiliated forces led to hundreds of deaths in Sweida province in southern Syria. Israel later launched dozens of airstrikes in support of the Druze.

    This eruption of violence was an eerie reminder of what had unfolded in March 2025 when supporters of the fallen regime led by Bashar Assad, an Alawite, targeted security units. In retaliation, militias affiliated with the newly formed government in Damascus carried out indiscriminate killings of Alawites.

    While exact figures remain difficult to verify, more than 1,300 individuals, most of them Alawites, lost their lives. In some cases, entire families were summarily executed.

    Although the Syrian government promised an investigation into the atrocities, home invasions, kidnappings of Alawite women and extrajudicial executions of Alawite men continue.

    The violence in Sweida also bore a sectarian dimension, pitting members of a religious minority against armed groups aligned with the country’s Sunni majority.

    A key difference, however, involved the active Israeli support for the Druze and the U.S. efforts to broker a ceasefire.

    Post-Assad Syria has seen promising developments, including the lifting of international sanctions, a resurgence of civil society and the end of diplomatic isolation. There was even a limited rapprochement with the main Kurdish political party controlling northeastern Syria.

    The persistent violence targeting the Alawites and, to a more limited extent, the Druze, starkly contrasts with these trends. As a scholar of religious minorities and the Middle East, I argue that the current political situation reflects their historical persecution and marginalization.

    History of the Alawites

    The Alawites emerged as a distinct religious community in the 10th century in the region of the Latakia coastal mountains, which today make up northwestern Syria.

    Although their beliefs have some commonalities with Shiite Islam, the Alawites maintain their own unique religious leadership and rituals. Under the Ottoman regime in the late 19th century, they benefited from reforms such as the expansion of educational opportunities and economic modernization, while gaining geographical and social mobility.

    After Hafez Assad, the father of Bashar, came to power in a coup in 1970, he drew upon his Alawite base to reinforce his regime. Consequently, Alawites became disproportionately represented in the officer corps and intelligence services.

    Prior to the civil war, which began in 2011, their population was estimated at around 2 million, constituting roughly 10% of Syria’s population. During the civil war, Alawite young men fighting for the regime suffered heavy casualties. However, most Alawites remained in Syria, while Sunni Arabs and Kurds were disproportionately displaced or became refugees.

    Members of the Alawite minority gather outside the Russian air base in Hmeimim, near Latakia in Syria’s coastal region, on March 11, 2025, as they seek refuge there after violence and retaliatory killings in the area.
    AP Photo/Omar Albam

    Among Syria’s minorities, two key factors make the Alawites most vulnerable to mass violence in post-Assad Syria. The first factor is that, like the Druze, Alawites have their own distinct beliefs that deviate from Sunni Islam. Their religious practices and teachings are often described as “esoteric” and remain mostly inaccessible to outsiders.

    In my 2024 book “Liminal Minorities: Religious Difference and Mass Violence in Muslim Societies,” I categorize the Alawites and Druze in Syria alongside Yezidis in Iraq, Alevis in Turkey and Baha’is in Iran as “liminal minorities” – religious groups subject to deep-seated stigmas transmitted across generations.

    These groups are often treated as heretics who split from Islam and whose beliefs and rituals are deemed beyond the pale of acceptance. For instance, according to Alawite beliefs, Ali, the son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad, is a divine manifestation of God, which challenges the idea of strict monotheism central to Sunni Islam.

    From the perspective of Sunni orthodoxy, these groups’ beliefs have been a source of suspicion and disdain. A series of fatwas by prominent Sunni clerics from the 14th to the 19th century declared Alawites heretics.

    Resentment against the Alawites

    The second factor contributing to the Alawites’ vulnerability is the widespread perception that they were the main beneficiaries of the Assad regime, which engaged in mass murder against its own citizens. Although power remained narrowly concentrated under Assad, many Alawites occupied key positions in the security apparatus as well as the government.

    In today’s political landscape where the central government remains weak and its control over various armed groups is limited, religious stigmatization and political resentment create fertile ground for mass violence targeting the Alawites.

    The massacres of March 2025 were accompanied by sectarian hate speech, including open calls for the extermination of the Alawites, both in the streets and on social media.

    While many Sunni Muslims in Syria also perceive the Druze as heretics, they maintained a greater degree of distance from the Assad regime and were less integrated into its security apparatus.

    Nonetheless, in recent months the situation deteriorated rapidly in the Druze heartland. The Druze militias and local Bedouin tribes engaged in heavy fighting in July 2025. Unlike the Alawites, the Druze received direct military assistance from Israel, which has its small but influential Druze population. This further complicates peaceful coexistence among religious groups in post-Assad Syria.

    A sober future

    Sunni Arab identity is central to the newly formed government in Damascus, which can come at the expense of religious and ethnic pluralism. However, it has incentives to rein in arbitrary violence against the Alawites and Druze. Projecting itself as a source of order and national unity helps the government internationally, both diplomatically and economically.

    Internally, however, the new government remains fractured and lacks effective control over vast swaths of territory. While it pays lip service to transitional justice, it is also cautious about being perceived as overly lenient toward individuals associated with the Assad regime and its crimes. Meanwhile, Alawite and Druze demands for regional autonomy continue to stoke popular Sunni resentments and risk triggering further cycles of instability and violence.

    I believe that in a post-Assad Syria defined by fractured governance and episodic retribution, the Alawites as well as Druze are likely to face deepening marginalization.

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

    – ref. Understanding the violence against Alawites and Druze in Syria after Assad – https://theconversation.com/understanding-the-violence-against-alawites-and-druze-in-syria-after-assad-255292

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: FFB Bancorp Announces Second Quarter 2025 Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FRESNO, Calif., July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FFB Bancorp (the “Company”) (OTCQX: FFBB), the parent company of FFB Bank (the “Bank”), today reported net income of $6.04 million, or $1.94 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2025, compared to $8.08 million, or $2.54 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2024, and $8.10 million, or $2.55 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2025.

    For the six months ended June 30, 2025, net income was $14.13 million, or $4.50 per diluted share, compared to $15.87 million, or $4.99 per diluted share, for the same period in 2024. All results are unaudited.

    Second Quarter 2025 Summary: As of, or for the quarter ended June 30, 2025, compared to the quarter ended June 30, 2024:

    • Operating revenue (net interest income, before the provision for credit losses, plus non-interest income) increased 11% to $27.35 million.
    • Pre-tax, pre-provision income increased 1% to $11.58 million.
    • Net income decreased 25% to $6.04 million.
    • Return on average equity (“ROAE”) was 13.75%.
    • Return on average assets (“ROAA”) was 1.59%.
    • Net interest margin contracted 22 basis points to 5.09% from 5.31%.
    • Total assets increased 2% to $1.47 billion.
    • Total portfolio of loans increased 13% to $1.09 billion.
    • Total deposits increased 6% to $1.23 billion.
    • Shareholder equity increased 17% to $173.91 million.
    • Book value per common share increased 22% to $56.87.
    • The Company’s tangible common equity ratio was 11.80%, while the Bank’s regulatory leverage capital ratio was 14.41%, and the total risk-based capital ratio was 20.61% at June 30, 2025.

    “During the quarter FFB Bank was recognized as #1 in American Banker’s top-performing public banks with under $2B in assets and #34 in S&P Global’s 100 best-performing US community banks of 2024, for bank’s under $3B in assets,” said Steve Miller, President & CEO. “This recognition is a testament to the consistent success we’ve enjoyed, and a reminder of the results we expect and continue to strive toward. As we navigate the challenges this year has brought, we’re proud to build upon our history of success.”

    “During the quarter we have made continued and timely progress on the matters outlined in our consent order, although ultimate compliance will be determined by our regulators. We are confident we can continue to address these items going forward. Although the added resource allocation to properly address the order will have near-term impacts to our performance, we feel that building a best in-class compliance and risk frame-work will enable the bank to drive results over the long-term.”

    Update on Stock Repurchase Program:

    On January 22, 2025, the Company announced that it had authorized a plan to utilize up to $15.0 million of capital to repurchase shares of the Company’s common stock. As of June 30, 2025, the Company has repurchased 133,021 shares, at an average price of $76.79, totaling $10.22 million. This represents approximately 5.33% of total shareholders’ equity at June 30, 2025. During the second quarter of 2025 the Company repurchased 91,106 shares, at an average price of $74.58, totaling $6.79 million. These purchases represent approximately 3.54% of total shareholders’ equity at June 30, 2025.

    Under the terms of the repurchase plan, the Company may repurchase shares of the Company’s common stock from time to time, through December 31, 2025, in open market purchases or privately negotiated transactions. Repurchases under the plan may also be made pursuant to a trading plan under Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which would permit shares to be repurchased by the Company when the Company might otherwise be precluded from doing so because of self-imposed trading blackout periods or other regulatory restrictions. The timing, manner, price and exact amount of any repurchases by the Company will be determined at the Company’s discretion and depend on various factors including the performance of the Company’s stock price, general market and economic conditions, applicable legal and regulatory requirements, availability of funds, and other relevant factors. Through December 31, 2025, the repurchase plan may be discontinued, suspended or restarted at any time.

    Results of Operations

    Quarter ended June 30, 2025:

    Operating revenue, consisting of net interest income before the provision for credit losses and non-interest income, increased 11% to $27.35 million for the second quarter of 2025, compared to $24.73 million for the second quarter a year ago, and decreased 4% from $28.48 million for the first quarter of 2025.

    Net interest income, before the provision for credit losses, increased 5% to $18.11 million for the second quarter of 2025, compared to $17.31 million for the same quarter a year ago, and decreased 4% to $18.90 million from last quarter. “Net interest income has benefited from strong loan portfolio growth, partially offset by higher funding costs,” said Bhavneet Gill, Chief Financial Officer. “We have been able to capitalize on a higher yielding loan portfolio, but that yield was impacted by a $261,000 interest reversal as loans, totaling $11.86 million, were placed on non-accrual during the quarter.”

    The Company’s net interest margin (“NIM”) decreased by 22 basis points to 5.09% for the second quarter of 2025, compared to 5.31% for the second quarter of 2024, and decreased 26 basis points from 5.35% for the preceding quarter. “The decrease in NIM is primarily the result of an increase in deposit and borrowing interest expense, and the decrease in investment interest income. During the quarter, average non-interest bearing deposits decreased $37.67 million. The resulting shift in the deposit portfolio saw the cost of deposits increase 13 basis points,” noted Gill. “During the second quarter of 2025 we sold $48.05 million in investment securities to generate liquidity ahead of anticipated deposit outflows due to ISO partner exits. That transaction was the driver of the decrease in investment interest income in the current quarter and will result in lower investment income in future quarters.”

    The yield on earning assets was 6.18% for the second quarter of 2025, compared to 6.40% for the second quarter a year ago, and 6.31% for the previous quarter. The cost to fund earning assets increased to 1.09% for the second quarter of 2025 compared to 0.96% for the previous quarter, and 1.10% for the same quarter a year earlier. This increase is the result of an increase in brokered deposits and overnight borrowings during the quarter due to ISO deposit outflow that occurred in early June.

    Total non-interest income was $9.24 million for the second quarter of 2025, compared to $7.42 million for the second quarter of 2024, and $9.58 million for the previous quarter. The increase in non-interest income, from the second quarter of 2024, was driven by more gain on the sale of loans, higher merchant services revenue, and a reduction in loss on sale of investments. The quarter-over-quarter decrease in non-interest income was attributed to a decrease in merchant services revenue, partially offset by more gain on the sale of loans.

    Merchant services revenue increased 9% to $6.61 million for the second quarter of 2025, compared to $6.07 million from the second quarter of 2024. The increase over prior year was primarily related to higher volume across ISO partner sponsorship lines and higher gross revenue related to FFB Payments. Merchant services revenue decreased from $7.86 million when compared to the first quarter of 2025 as a result of seasonality and the loss of a significant FFB Payments direct merchant.

    During the first and second quarters of 2025, ISO Partner Sponsorship volumes included $2.78 billion and $2.56 billion in volume, respectively, for the ISO partners that were exited in the second quarter of 2025. Additionally, the first and second quarters of 2025 included ISO Partner Sponsorship revenues of $990,000 and $1.09 million, respectively, from the ISO partners that were exited in the second quarter of 2025. “These ISO exits were driven by our efforts to comply with the Consent Order and designed to ensure best in class oversight. We anticipate replacing this volume and revenue through growth in FFB Payments and with our remaining ISO partners as we move forward,” said Miller.

    Merchant ISO Processing Volumes(in thousands)
    Source   Q2 2025 Q1 2025 Q4 2024 Q3 2024 Q2 2024
    ISO Partner Sponsorship   $ 5,347,695   $ 5,007,998   $ 4,891,643   $ 4,556,868   $ 4,391,365  
    FFB Payments – Sub-ISO Merchants     20,766     21,551     22,950     24,661     24,414  
    FFB Payments – Direct Merchants     71,746     97,095     91,133     64,512     76,059  
    Total volume   $ 5,440,207   $ 5,126,644   $ 5,005,726   $ 4,646,041   $ 4,491,838  
    Merchant ISO Processing Revenues(in thousands)
    Source of Revenue   Q2 2025 Q1 2025 Q4 2024 Q3 2024 Q2 2024
    Net Revenue*:            
    ISO Partner Sponsorship   $ 2,654   $ 2,410   $ 2,535   $ 2,284   $ 2,156  
                 
    Gross Revenue:            
    FFB Payments – Sub-ISO Merchants     727     745     764     810     795  
    FFB Payments – Direct Merchants     3,228     4,709     4,262     2,476     3,117  
          3,955     5,454     5,026     3,286     3,912  
    Gross Expense:            
    FFB Payments – Sub-ISO Merchants     708     616     638     723     675  
    FFB Payments – Direct Merchants     2,179     2,558     2,511     1,766     1,989  
          2,887     3,174     3,149     2,489     2,664  
    Net Revenue:            
    FFB Payments – Sub-ISO Merchants     19     129     126     87     120  
    FFB Payments – Direct Merchants     1,049     2,151     1,751     710     1,128  
    FFB Payments Net Revenue     1,068     2,280     1,877     797     1,248  
    Net Merchant Services Income:   $ 3,722   $ 4,690   $ 4,412   $ 3,081   $ 3,404  
    *ISO Partnership Sponsorship is recognized net of expense in Merchant Services Income. FFB Payments revenues are recognized gross in Merchant Services Income and Merchant Services expenses are recognized in Non-Interest Expense.

    Total deposit fee income increased 1% to $854,000 for the second quarter of 2025, compared to $847,000 for the second quarter of 2024, and increased 1% from $849,000 for the previous quarter.

    There was a $1.45 million gain on the sale of loans during the second quarter of 2025, compared to a gain on the sale of loans of $509,000 during the second quarter 2024, and a gain on the sale of loans of $261,000 in the previous quarter. There was a $243,000 loss on the sale of investments during the second quarter of 2025, compared to a $459,000 loss recorded during the second quarter of 2024, and no loss recorded in the previous quarter. The gain on the sale of loans was the result of $16.95 million in SBA loans sold and a $31.77 million RE-multifamily loan sale package that was completed during the quarter. These sales contributed $968,000 and $482,000 in gain respectively.

    Non-interest expense increased 19% to $15.77 million for the second quarter of 2025, compared to $13.29 million for the second quarter 2024, and decreased 4% from $16.47 million from the previous quarter. The increase on a year-over-year comparison was driven by increases in salaries and employee benefits expense, and increases in other operating expense, primarily data and software related expenses and professional fees. Compared to the first quarter of 2025 the decrease in non-interest expense was attributed to a decrease in merchant services operating expenses, marketing expense, director fess, and operational losses.

    Salaries and employee benefits increased 19% to $8.00 million for the second quarter of 2025, compared to $6.72 million for the second quarter 2024. The increase year-over-year was primarily the result of expense associated with the increase in full-time employees. Full-time employees increased to 181 at June 30, 2025, compared to 147 full-time employees a year earlier, and 175 full-time employees from the previous quarter. Total salaries and employee benefits decreased 1% from $8.06 million in the previous quarter. The decrease when compared to the first quarter of 2025 is the result of a decrease in payroll tax expense and increased loan originations, partially offset by higher salary expense from additional full-time employees. Compensation related direct costs associated with loan originations offset salary and employee benefits expense upon loan origination.

    Occupancy and equipment expenses decreased 19% from a year ago, representing 2% of non-interest expense, and remained consistent with the preceding quarter. Merchant operating expense totaled $2.89 million for the second quarter of 2025, compared to $2.66 million for the second quarter of 2024 and $3.17 million for the previous quarter. The change in merchant operating expense is attributed to fluctuations in volume and revenue for the FFB Payments lines of business. Merchant operating expenses include interchange fees, chargebacks, partnership fees, and other card brand fees.

    Other operating expense increased 31% or $1.07 million to $4.53 million from a year earlier and decreased 7% or $357,000 from the previous quarter. The year-over-year increase was driven by increases of $458,000 in data and software related expense, $327,000 in professional fees, $136,000 in regulatory assessment expense, and $127,000 in marketing expense. The increase in data and software expense and professional fees, which include legal, audit, and consulting fees, are primarily due to actions taken to enhance the Company’s AML/CFT, compliance, and merchant services programs.

    The efficiency ratio was 57.15% for the second quarter of 2025, compared to 52.74% for the same quarter a year ago, and 57.83% for the preceding quarter. The efficiency ratio can fluctuate period-over-period based on changes in merchant services’ gross revenues and associated expenses. The Company also calculates an adjusted efficiency ratio where the merchant services’ gross expense, which is included in non-interest expense, is netted against merchant services’ revenue in non-interest income. The adjusted efficiency ratio was 52.14% for the second quarter of 2025, compared to 47.15% for the same quarter a year ago, and 52.54% for the previous quarter.

    “Over the last few quarters, we’ve made intentional investments in people and technology to ensure that the bank can efficiently scale moving forward, and specifically to support our payment ecosystem, product development, regional expansion, and compliance/risk management initiatives. We saw elevated legal, audit, and technology related expenses in the first half of the year mostly related to addressing the Consent Order,” said Miller.

    Six months ended June 30, 2025:

    For the six months ended June 30, 2025, operating revenue increased 15% to $55.83 million, compared to $48.34 million for the same period in 2024. For the six months ended June 30, 2025, net interest income before the provision for credit losses increased 11% to $37.01 million, compared to $33.44 million for the same period in 2024. The increase in revenue is attributed to growth in the loan portfolio, partially offset by a decrease in investment interest income, an increase in interest bearing liabilities, and the cost of funds. For the six months ended June 30, 2025, the yield on earning assets was 6.24% compared to 6.27% for the same period in 2024, while the cost to fund earning assets was 1.02% for the six months ended June 30, 2025, compared to 1.05% for the same period in 2024.

    For the six months ended June 30, 2025, non-interest income increased 26% to $18.82 million compared to $14.90 million for the same period in 2024. Deposit fee income increased 4% to $1.70 million resulting from growth in business demand deposit accounts. The year-over-year growth in non-interest income was also largely attributable to the decrease in loss on sale of investments, an increase in the gain on sale of loans, and an increase in merchant services revenue.

    For the six months ended June 30, 2025, operating expenses increased by 24% to $32.24 million from $25.99 million for the same period in 2024. Salaries and employee benefits expense increased 21% to $16.06 million as a result of the increase in FTE. There was a 21% increase in merchant services operating expenses, to $6.06 million, which represents 19% of total operating expenses for six months ended June 30, 2025. Other operating expenses increased 38% to $9.41 million due to a $711,000 increase in technology related expenses, increases of $683,000 in professional fees, and increase of $389,000 in marketing expense, and a $293,000 increase in operational losses.

    For the six months ended June 30, 2025, the efficiency ratio was 57.49%, compared to 52.85% for the same period ended June 30, 2024. The adjusted efficiency ratio was 52.34%, compared to 47.48% for the same period ended June 30, 2024.

    Balance Sheet Review

    Total assets increased 2% to $1.47 billion at June 30, 2025, compared to $1.44 billion at June 30, 2024, and decreased 6% compared to March 31, 2025.

    The total portfolio of loans increased 13%, or $122.20 million, to $1.09 billion, compared to $969.76 million at June 30, 2024, and remained consistent with the $1.09 billion reported at March 31, 2025.

    Commercial real estate loans increased 22% year-over-year to $683.74 million, representing 63% of total loans at June 30, 2025. The CRE portfolio includes approximately $254.16 million in multi-family loans originated by the Southern California team that the Company may consider selling at some point in the future for liquidity and concentration management. The multi-family portfolio includes $74.32 million in short-term bridge loans for transitional projects of multi-family properties. The short-term bridge loans are conservatively underwritten with minimum DSCR and liquidity requirements. The bank continues to market our bridge loan product in a more measured approach, keeping to our conservative underwriting standards. The real estate construction and land development loan portfolio decreased 84% from a year ago to $12.78 million, representing 1% of total loans, while residential RE 1-4 family loans totaled $17.07 million, or 2% of loans, at June 30, 2025, compared to $17.44 million one year ago.

    The commercial and industrial (C&I) portfolio increased 15% to $266.81 million, at June 30, 2025, compared to $232.79 million a year earlier, and increased 3% from $260.06 million at March 31, 2025. C&I loans represented 24% of total loans at June 30, 2025. Agriculture loans represented 10% of the loan portfolio at June 30, 2025. At June 30, 2025, the SBA, USDA, and other government agencies guaranteed loans totaled $53.36 million, or 4.9% of the loan portfolio.

    Investment securities totaled $254.18 million at June 30, 2025, compared to $345.49 million a year earlier, and decreased $59.65 million from $313.83 million at March 31, 2025. Investment securities were sold during the quarter to generate liquidity ahead of anticipated deposit outflows due to ISO partner exits. The investment portfolio consists of mortgage-backed and municipal securities, both tax exempt and taxable, treasury securities as well as other domestic debt. At June 30, 2025, the Company had a net unrealized loss position on its investment securities portfolio of $25.41 million, compared to a net unrealized loss of $24.50 million at March 31, 2025. The Company’s investment securities portfolio had an effective duration of 6.26 years at June 30, 2025, compared to 5.61 years at March 31, 2025.

    Total deposits increased 6%, or $65.69 million, to $1.23 billion at June 30, 2025, compared to $1.17 billion from a year earlier, and decreased $85.73 million from $1.32 billion at March 31, 2025. Non-interest bearing demand deposits increased 4% to $759.30 million at June 30, 2025, compared to $731.03 million at June 30, 2024, and decreased $66.10 million from $825.40 million at March 31, 2025. Non-interest bearing demand deposits represented 61% of total deposits at June 30, 2025. During the second quarter of 2025 non-interest bearing demand deposits were reduced by $111.20 million due to ISO partner exits completed in early June 2025. Certificates of deposits increased 49%, or $55.01 million, during the quarter primarily due to the addition of $51.00 million in brokered deposits that mature over the next 12 months.

    Included in non-interest bearing deposits at June 30, 2025 are $75.83 million from ISO partners for merchant reserves, $45.24 million from ISO partners for settlement, and $11.61 million in ISO partner operating accounts, totaling $132.68 million. These deposits represent 17.5% of non-interest bearing deposits and 10.7% of total deposits.

    Within the $132.68 million in ISO partner deposits retained as of June 30, 2025 are $29.56 million in deposits for ISO partners being exited in the second half of 2025. The Bank plans to replace these non-interest bearing deposits with growth from new Bank customers in its markets and from the existing ISO partners it will continue to support. In the short-term, the new deposit growth will likely be made up of a higher percentage of interest bearing deposits.

    There was $16.00 million in short-term borrowings at June 30, 2025, compared to $68.00 million at June 30, 2024, and $10.00 million at March 31, 2025. The Company primarily utilizes FHLB advances and the Federal Reserve discount window for short-term borrowings. The following table summarizes the Company’s primary and secondary sources of liquidity which were available at June 30, 2025:

    Liquidity Source
    (in thousands)    		   June 30, 2025 March 31, 2025
           
    Cash and cash equivalents   $ 77,244   $ 103,071  
    Unpledged investment securities, fair value     67,952     104,732  
    FHLB advance capacity     293,198     338,036  
    Federal Reserve discount window capacity     162,755     130,590  
    Correspondent bank unsecured lines of credit     71,500     71,500  
        $ 672,649   $ 747,929  

    The total primary and secondary liquidity of $672.65 million at June 30, 2025 represents a decrease of $75.28 million in primary and secondary liquidity quarter-over-quarter. The decreases in unpledged investment securities and the FHLB advance capacity are the result of investment and loan sales that occurred during the quarter.

    Shareholders’ equity increased 17% to $173.91 million at June 30, 2025, compared to $148.64 million from a year ago, and decreased slightly from the $174.71 million reported at March 31, 2025. Book value per common share increased 22% to $56.87, at June 30, 2025, compared to $46.79 at June 30, 2024, and increased 2% from $55.52 at March 31, 2025. The tangible common equity ratio was 11.80% at June 30, 2025, compared to 10.30% a year earlier, and 11.20% at March 31, 2025. Book value improved as a result of quarterly net income and a reduction in shares outstanding through the bank’s strategic share repurchase program.

    At the Bank level, unrealized losses and gains reflected in AOCI are not included in regulatory capital. As a result, Tier-1 capital at the Bank for regulatory purposes was $222.14 million at quarter end excluding the unrealized loss. The regulatory leverage capital ratio was 14.41% for the current quarter, while the total risk-based capital ratio was 20.61%, exceeding regulatory minimums to be considered well-capitalized.

    Asset Quality

    Nonperforming assets, which consists of nonperforming loans and other real estate owned, increased to $27.23 million, or 1.85% of total assets, at June 30, 2025, compared to $15.37 million, or 0.98% of total assets, from the previous quarter. Of the $26.29 million in nonperforming loans, $10.98 million are covered by SBA guarantees. Total delinquent loans decreased to $2.86 million at June 30, 2025, compared to $19.12 million at March 31, 2025. The increase in nonperforming loans is primarily the result of two multi-family loans, which are real estate secured, totaling $10.00 million to a related group of borrowers. These loans were included in the delinquent balances for the quarter ended March 31, 2025. As a result of their non-accrual status, the balance of the loans exceeding the real estate collateral value is reserved for in the allowance for credit loss, resulting in $1.62 million of additional reserve. The Bank is working closely with the borrowers as they work through stabilization and sale of the properties.

    Past due loans 30-60 days were $1.80 million at June 30, 2025, compared to $17.53 million at March 31, 2025, and $1.05 million at June 30, 2024. There were $1.02 million past due loans from 60-90 days at June 30, 2025, compared to $1.54 million at March 31, 2025 and $175,000 in past due loans from 60-90 days a year earlier. Past due loans 90+ days at quarter end totaled $46,000 at June 30, 2025, compared to $1.05 million, at June 30, 2024. Of the $2.86 million in past due loans at June 30, 2025, $965,000 were purchased government guaranteed loans, which are guaranteed by the SBA for the full payment of the principal plus interest.

    Delinquent Loan Summary   Organic Purchased Govt. Guaranteed Total
    (in thousands)  
             
    Delinquent accruing loans 30-59 days   $ 877   $ 919   $ 1,796  
    Delinquent accruing loans 60-89 days     1,020     —     1,020  
    Delinquent accruing loans 90+ days     —     46     46  
    Total delinquent accruing loans   $ 1,897   $ 965   $ 2,862  
             
    Non-Accrual Loan Summary   Organic Purchased Govt. Guaranteed Total
    (in thousands)  
             
    Loans on non-accrual   $ 26,285   $ —   $ 26,285  
    Non-accrual loans with SBA guarantees     10,979     —     10,979  
    Net Bank exposure to non-accrual loans   $ 15,306   $ —   $ 15,306  

    There was a $3.16 million provision for credit losses in the second quarter of 2025, compared to $291,000 provision for credit losses in the second quarter a year ago, and a $1.16 million provision for credit losses booked in the first quarter of 2025. The provision recorded during the second quarter of 2025 is the result of changes in loan portfolio concentrations, net charge-offs recognized, and a $10.92 million increase in total non-accrual loans which were individually evaluated in the allowance for credit losses.

    The ratio of allowance for credit losses to total loans was 1.40% at June 30, 2025, compared to 1.11% a year earlier and 1.18% at March 31, 2025. The Company individually evaluates non-accrual loans in the allowance for credit losses which has resulted in carrying a higher level of reserve.

    During the second quarter of 2025 the Bank recorded $949,000 in other real estate owned (“OREO”). This OREO was the result of a loan foreclosure completed during the quarter where the bank acquired a single-family-residence property as payment through collateral. The property is in good condition and is anticipated to sell during the second half of 2025.

    “As SBA loans have historically been the primary driver of nonperforming loans, the portfolio is watched very closely. Rates have increased so rapidly over the last two years putting pressure on borrowers. A majority of the loans within the portfolio are floating rate loans tied to WSJ Prime and reset quarterly. Borrowers saw a 50bps reduction in their rates on January 1, 2025 and additional rate relief may occur during the second half of 2025,” added Miller. “The ratio of allowance for credit losses to the total, non-guaranteed, loan portfolio was 1.48%, as of June 30, 2025, and our total non-guaranteed exposure on these SBA loans is $44.61 million spread over 222 loans.”

    “We incurred net charge offs of $605,000 during the current quarter, compared to $27,000 in net recoveries in the second quarter a year ago, and $167,000 in net charge offs in the previous quarter,” said Miller. “Our loan portfolio increased 13% from a year ago with commercial real estate (“CRE”) loans representing 63% of the total loan portfolio. Within the CRE portfolio, there are $49.90 million in loans for CRE office as shown in the table below. Since the majority of our CRE office exposure is concentrated in the Central Valley, we are experiencing less volatility than city center CRE markets. Our credit metrics remain strong as we continue to maintain conservative underwriting standards.”

    (in thousands)   CRE Office Exposure of June 30, 2025
    Region   Owner-Occupied Non-Owner Occupied Total
    Central Valley   $ 24,611   $ 17,268   $ 41,879  
    Southern California     2,262     350     2,612  
    Other California     4,463     417     4,880  
    Total California     31,336     18,035     49,371  
    Out of California     —     524     524  
    Total CRE Office   $ 31,336   $ 18,559   $ 49,895  


    About FFB Bancorp

    FFB Bancorp, formerly Communities First Financial Corporation, a bank holding company established in 2014, is the parent company of FFB Bank, founded in 2005 in Fresno, California. As a leading SBA Lender in California’s Central Valley and one of the few direct acquiring banks in the United States, FFB Bank offers clients a range of personal and business checking accounts, payment processes, and loan programs. Among the Bank’s awards and accomplishments, it was ranked #1 on American Banker’s list of the Top 20 Publicly Traded Banks under $2 Billion in Assets for 2024. The Bank was also ranked by S&P Global as the #34 best performing US community bank under $3 billion in assets. The Company has also received recognition as part of the OTCQX Best 50 Companies for 2019, 2023, and 2024. For additional information, you can visit the Company’s website at www.ffb.bank or by contacting a representative at 559-439-0200.

    Forward Looking Statements

    This earnings release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance, nor should they be relied upon as representing management’s views as of any subsequent date. The forward-looking statements are based on managements’ expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include, without limitation, the Company’s ability to effectively execute its business plans; the impact of the Consent Order on our financial condition and results of operations; changes in general economic and financial market conditions; changes in interest rates, and in particular, actions taken by the Federal Reserve to try and control inflation; changes in the competitive environment; continuing consolidation in the financial services industry; new litigation or changes in existing litigation; losses, customer bankruptcy, claims and assessments; changes in banking regulations or other regulatory or legislative requirements affecting the Company’s business; international developments; the tariff strategy of the Trump administration, and its related effects on the agriculture industry and connected businesses in the Central Valley; and changes in accounting policies or procedures as may be required by the Financial Accounting Standards Board or other regulatory agencies. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to the forward-looking statements included herein to reflect events or circumstances after today, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. The Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

    Member FDIC

    Select Financial Information and Ratios   For the Quarter Ended:   Year to Date as of:
      June 30, 2025   March 31, 2025   June 30, 2024   June 30, 2025   June 30, 2024
    BALANCE SHEET – ENDING BALANCES:                    
    Total assets   $ 1,473,927     $ 1,560,376     $ 1,443,723          
    Total portfolio loans     1,091,964       1,092,441       969,764          
    Investment securities     254,177       313,826       345,491          
    Total deposits     1,234,648       1,320,381       1,168,957          
    Shareholders equity, net     173,908       174,711       148,640          
                         
    INCOME STATEMENT DATA                    
    Operating revenue     27,349       28,476       24,729       55,825       48,340  
    Operating expense     15,768       16,467       13,285       32,235       25,986  
    Pre-tax, pre-provision income     11,581       12,009       11,444       23,590       22,354  
    Net income after tax     6,036       8,098       8,076       14,134       15,866  
                         
    SHARE DATA                    
    Basic earnings per share   $ 1.95     $ 2.56     $ 2.54     $ 4.51     $ 5.00  
    Fully diluted EPS   $ 1.94     $ 2.55     $ 2.54     $ 4.50     $ 4.99  
    Book value per common share   $ 56.87     $ 55.52     $ 46.79          
    Common shares outstanding     3,057,874       3,146,727       3,176,611          
    Fully diluted shares     3,104,067       3,175,178       3,183,844       3,139,346       3,178,974  
    FFBB – Stock price   $ 78.00     $ 76.50     $ 89.00          
                         
    RATIOS                    
    Return on average assets     1.59 %     2.14 %     2.31 %     1.86 %     2.32 %
    Return on average equity     13.75 %     18.83 %     22.89 %     16.26 %     23.08 %
    Efficiency ratio     57.15 %     57.83 %     52.74 %     57.49 %     52.85 %
    Adjusted efficiency ratio     52.14 %     52.54 %     47.15 %     52.34 %     47.48 %
    Yield on earning assets     6.18 %     6.31 %     6.40 %     6.24 %     6.27 %
    Yield on investment securities     4.13 %     4.36 %     4.60 %     4.25 %     4.54 %
    Yield on portfolio loans     6.70 %     6.81 %     6.89 %     6.75 %     6.79 %
    Cost to fund earning assets     1.09 %     0.96 %     1.10 %     1.02 %     1.05 %
    Cost of interest-bearing deposits     2.81 %     2.60 %     2.75 %     2.71 %     2.73 %
    Net Interest Margin     5.09 %     5.35 %     5.31 %     5.22 %     5.22 %
    Equity to assets     11.80 %     11.20 %     10.30 %        
    Net loan to deposit ratio     88.44 %     82.74 %     82.96 %        
    Full time equivalent employees     181       175       147          
                         
    BALANCE SHEET – AVERAGES                    
    Total assets     1,525,601       1,531,573       1,407,255       1,528,570       1,377,447  
    Total portfolio loans     1,112,380       1,076,848       954,871       1,094,712       940,216  
    Investment securities     289,127       325,699       334,416       307,312       325,117  
    Total deposits     1,281,357       1,300,550       1,199,124       1,290,901       1,164,121  
    Shareholders equity, net     176,074       174,410       141,881       175,247       138,251  
    Consolidated Balance Sheet (unaudited)   June 30, 2025   March 31, 2025   June 30, 2024
    (in thousands)      
    ASSETS            
    Cash and due from banks   $ 55,897     $ 83,033     $ 46,477  
    Interest bearing deposits in banks     21,347       20,038       26,842  
    CDs in other banks     1,722       1,724       1,683  
    Investment securities     254,177       313,826       345,491  
    Loans held for sale     —       —       —  
                 
    Construction & land development     12,784       12,649       79,132  
    Residential RE 1-4 family     17,066       17,146       17,439  
    Commercial real estate     683,743       696,625       562,548  
    Agriculture     109,926       104,616       77,518  
    Commercial and industrial     266,810       260,063       232,786  
    Consumer and other     1,635       1,342       341  
    Portfolio loans     1,091,964       1,092,441       969,764  
    Deferred fees & discounts     (3,541 )     (3,946 )     (4,106 )
    Allowance for credit losses     (15,330 )     (12,913 )     (10,749 )
    Loans, net     1,073,093       1,075,582       954,909  
                 
    Non-marketable equity investments     9,809       8,890       8,440  
    Cash value of life insurance     12,594       12,496       12,211  
    Other real estate owned     949       —       —  
    Accrued interest and other assets     44,339       44,787       47,670  
    Total assets   $ 1,473,927     $ 1,560,376     $ 1,443,723  
                 
    LIABILITIES AND EQUITY            
    Non-interest bearing deposits   $ 759,300     $ 825,404     $ 731,030  
    Interest checking     75,815       109,555       75,907  
    Savings     49,657       54,686       51,052  
    Money market     183,071       218,940       184,495  
    Certificates of deposits     166,805       111,796       126,473  
    Total deposits     1,234,648       1,320,381       1,168,957  
    Short-term borrowings     16,000       10,000       68,000  
    Long-term debt     38,086       38,046       39,678  
    Other liabilities     11,285       17,238       18,448  
    Total liabilities     1,300,019       1,385,665       1,295,083  
                 
    Common stock     29,501       35,693       37,430  
    Retained earnings     162,272       156,235       129,856  
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (17,865 )     (17,217 )     (18,646 )
    Shareholders’ equity     173,908       174,711       148,640  
    Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity   $ 1,473,927     $ 1,560,376     $ 1,443,723  
    Consolidated Income Statement (unaudited)   Quarter ended:   Year ended:
    (in thousands)   June 30, 2025   March 31, 2025   June 30, 2024   June 30, 2025   June 30, 2024
                         
    INTEREST INCOME:                    
    Loan interest income   $ 18,582     $ 18,069     $ 16,354     $ 36,651     $ 31,726  
    Investment income     2,978       3,499       3,823       6,477       7,335  
    Int. on fed funds & CDs in other banks     270       574       316       844       572  
    Dividends from non-marketable equity     141       132       394       272       523  
    Total interest income     21,971       22,274       20,887       44,244       40,156  
                         
    INTEREST EXPENSE:                    
    Int. on deposits     3,288       2,891       3,008       6,178       5,526  
    Int. on short-term borrowings     126       31       109       158       258  
    Int. on long-term debt     451       451       464       902       929  
    Total interest expense     3,865       3,373       3,581       7,238       6,713  
    Net interest income     18,106       18,901       17,306       37,006       33,443  
    PROVISION FOR CREDIT LOSSES     3,157       1,164       291       4,321       670  
    Net interest income after provision     14,949       17,737       17,015       32,685       32,773  
                         
    NON-INTEREST INCOME:                    
    Total deposit fee income     854       849       847       1,703       1,643  
    Debit / credit card interchange income     215       191       186       407       353  
    Merchant services income     6,609       7,864       6,068       14,473       12,137  
    Gain on sale of loans     1,446       261       509       1,707       961  
    Loss on sale of investments     (243 )     —       (459 )     (243 )     (833 )
    Other operating income     362       410       272       772       636  
    Total non-interest income     9,243       9,575       7,423       18,819       14,897  
                         
    NON-INTEREST EXPENSE:                    
    Salaries & employee benefits     8,002       8,056       6,724       16,058       13,306  
    Occupancy expense     352       353       437       705       820  
    Merchant services operating expense     2,887       3,174       2,664       6,060       5,023  
    Other operating expense     4,527       4,884       3,460       9,412       6,837  
    Total non-interest expense     15,768       16,467       13,285       32,235       25,986  
                         
    Income before provision for income tax     8,424       10,845       11,153       19,269       21,684  
    PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES     2,388       2,747       3,077       5,135       5,818  
    Net income   $ 6,036     $ 8,098     $ 8,076     $ 14,134     $ 15,866  
    ASSET QUALITY   June 30, 2025   March 31, 2025   June 30, 2024
    (in thousands)      
    Delinquent accruing loans 30-60 days   $ 1,796     $ 17,533     $ 1,046  
    Delinquent accruing loans 60-90 days     1,020       1,537       175  
    Delinquent accruing loans 90+ days     46       46       1,052  
    Total delinquent accruing loans   $ 2,862     $ 19,116     $ 2,273  
                 
    Loans on non-accrual   $ 26,285     $ 15,366     $ 11,250  
    Other real estate owned     949       —       —  
    Nonperforming assets   $ 27,234     $ 15,366     $ 11,250  
                 
    Delinquent 30-60 / Total Loans     0.16 %     1.60 %     0.11 %
    Delinquent 60-90 / Total Loans     0.09 %     0.14 %     0.02 %
    Delinquent 90+ / Total Loans     — %     — %     0.11 %
    Delinquent Loans / Total Loans     0.26 %     1.75 %     0.23 %
    Non-accrual / Total Loans     2.41 %     1.41 %     1.16 %
    Nonperforming assets to total assets     1.85 %     0.98 %     0.78 %
                 
    Year-to-date charge-off activity            
    Charge-offs   $ 772     $ 167     $ —  
    Recoveries     —       —       31  
    Net charge-offs (recoveries)   $ 772     $ 167     $ (31 )
    Annualized net loan losses to average loans     0.14 %     0.06 %     (0.01 )%
                 
    CREDIT LOSS RESERVE RATIOS:            
    Allowance for credit losses   $ 15,330     $ 12,913     $ 10,749  
                 
    Total loans   $ 1,091,964     $ 1,092,441     $ 969,764  
    Purchased govt. guaranteed loans   $ 15,138     $ 16,081     $ 18,141  
    Originated govt. guaranteed loans   $ 38,224     $ 45,285     $ 41,201  
                 
    ACL / Total loans     1.40 %     1.18 %     1.11 %
    ACL / Loans less 100% govt. gte. loans (purchased)     1.42 %     1.20 %     1.13 %
    ACL / Loans less all govt. guaranteed loans     1.48 %     1.25 %     1.18 %
    ACL / Total assets     1.04 %     0.83 %     0.74 %
    SELECT FINANCIAL TREND INFORMATION   For the Quarter Ended:
      June 30, 2025 March 31, 2025 December 31, 2024 September 30, 2024 June 30, 2024
    BALANCE SHEET – PERIOD END            
    Total assets   $ 1,473,927   $ 1,560,376   $ 1,504,128   $ 1,512,241   $ 1,443,723  
    Loans held for sale     —     —     —     —     —  
    Loans held for investment     1,091,964     1,092,441     1,071,079     998,222     969,764  
    Investment securities     254,177     313,826     322,186     345,428     345,491  
                 
    Non-interest bearing deposits     759,300     825,404     828,508     826,708     731,030  
    Interest bearing deposits     475,348     494,977     455,869     460,241     437,927  
    Total deposits     1,234,648     1,320,381     1,284,377     1,286,949     1,168,957  
    Short-term borrowings     16,000     10,000     —     —     68,000  
    Long-term debt     38,086     38,046     38,007     37,967     39,678  
                 
    Total equity     191,773     191,928     186,574     176,350     167,286  
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (17,865 )   (17,217 )   (18,182 )   (12,715 )   (18,646 )
    Shareholders’ equity     173,908     174,711     168,392     163,635     148,640  
                 
    QUARTERLY INCOME STATEMENT            
    Interest income   $ 21,971   $ 22,274   $ 22,403   $ 21,404   $ 20,887  
    Interest expense     3,865     3,373     3,591     3,617     3,581  
    Net interest income     18,106     18,901     18,812     17,787     17,306  
    Non-interest income     9,243     9,575     9,435     7,616     7,423  
    Gross revenue     27,349     28,476     28,247     25,403     24,729  
                 
    Provision for credit losses     3,157     1,164     1,671     762     291  
                 
    Non-interest expense     15,768     16,467     13,270     12,735     13,285  
    Net income before tax     8,424     10,845     13,306     11,906     11,153  
    Tax provision     2,388     2,747     3,588     3,343     3,077  
    Net income after tax     6,036     8,098     9,718     8,563     8,076  
                 
    BALANCE SHEET – AVERAGE BALANCE            
    Total assets   $ 1,525,601   $ 1,531,573   $ 1,529,439   $ 1,477,259   $ 1,704,255  
    Loans held for sale     —     —     —     —     —  
    Loans held for investment     1,112,380     1,076,848     1,038,215     982,152     954,871  
    Investment securities     289,127     325,699     333,135     343,096     334,416  
                 
    Non-interest bearing deposits     812,753     850,426     838,748     822,200     758,977  
    Interest bearing deposits     468,604     450,124     460,321     432,143     440,147  
    Total deposits     1,281,357     1,300,550     1,299,069     1,254,343     1,199,124  
    Short-term borrowings     11,110     2,856     951     —     10,053  
    Long-term debt     38,068     38,028     37,989     39,479     39,660  
                 
    Shareholders’ equity     176,074     174,410     167,268     161,363     141,881  
    Contact: Steve Miller – President & CEO
      Bhavneet Gill – EVP & CFO
      (559) 439-0200

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pfluger, Colleagues Reintroduce Legislation to Protect American Assets From Unlawful Seizure by Foreign Governments

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11)

    WASHINGTON, DC — As first reported in The Blaze, Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) and Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-07) reintroduced critical bipartisan, bicameral legislation to protect American companies operating abroad. The Defending American Property Abroad Act would impose retaliatory prohibitions to deter and punish any nation in the Western Hemisphere that unlawfully seizes American assets.

    The need for this legislation has been exemplified by the Mexican government’s ongoing efforts to seize a deep-water port owned by U.S.-based Vulcan Materials Company, which is in direct violation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) governing trade between our two nations. This violation poses a direct threat to American economic interests.

    Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

    “American companies operating abroad should not have to fear arbitrary government actions that undermine their property rights,” said Rep. Pfluger. “The Defending American Property Abroad Act will ensure that such actions do not go unchecked and that American businesses are protected from unjust expropriation. The protection of American property rights abroad is essential for fostering economic growth and maintaining our national security. I urge my colleagues in Congress to support this critical legislation and send a clear message that the United States will not tolerate unjust actions against American companies.”

    “U.S.-based companies with operations overseas should be able to conduct business without the fear of any government asserting any wrongful actions against employees or property,” said Congresswoman Sewell. “The Defending Americans Abroad Act will ensure that the United States has the ability to thwart any threats to both national security and economic endeavors.”

    “I strongly condemn the Mexican government’s threats against Vulcan Materials Company, and I am pleased to see this bipartisan and bicameral rebuke from the United States Senate,” said Senator Hagerty. “Under the leadership of Mexico’s previous president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and now the current president, Claudia Sheinbaum, the Mexican government is committing a blatant theft against a major American company and, by extension, the United States itself. No nation should be allowed to bully an American firm without consequences. Our legislation will counter any attempt by the Mexican government to profit from illegal moves to expropriate, nationalize, or otherwise seize U.S. assets.”

    “The Mexican government’s unfair targeting of Vulcan Materials Company, a U.S.-based company that employs over 1,000 people in Virginia, is harmful to the relationship between our two countries and severely undermines investor confidence,” said Senator Kaine. “That’s why I’m joining my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan legislation to deter the illegal seizure of U.S. assets.”

    Key provisions of the bill include:

    ·     Prohibiting trade partners in the Western Hemisphere from engaging in certain activities, such as docking vessels and importing goods, if they have expropriated or otherwise seized property owned by American entities.

    ·     Expanding Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to treat property expropriation as an unreasonable trade practice

    ·     Empowering the President to implement and enforce prohibitions against offending countries

    ·     Mandating publication of prohibited property designations in the Federal Register

    The bill is co-sponsored in the House by Representatives David Rouzer (NC-07), Aaron Bean (FL-04), Dale Strong (AL-05), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Mike Collins (GA-10), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), John Carter (TX-31), Addison McDowell (NC-06), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Buddy Carter (GA-01), Barry Moore (AL-01), Gary Palmer (AL-06), Robert Aderholt (AL-04), Chuck Edwards (NC-11), Craig Goldman (TX-12), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), John McGuire (VA-05), Tim Moore (NC-14), Tim Burchett (TN-02), Morgan Luttrell (TX-08), Maria Salazar (FL-27), Thomas Kean (NJ-07), John Rutherford (FL-05), Ben Cline (VA-06), Beth Van Duyne (TX-24), Shomari Figures (AL-02), and Greg Steube (FL-17).

    The bill is co-sponsored in the Senate by Senators Katie Britt (R-AL), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ted Budd (R-NC), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD).

    Read the full text of the legislation here.

    Background:

    In May 2022, then-Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) abruptly shut down Vulcan Materials Company’s operations with false claims that the firm was violating its contract, and his government subsequently waged an unceasing pressure campaign against Vulcan, including multiple lawsuits and sending military and law enforcement to its facilities.

    In December 2023, Rep. Pfluger led a bipartisan letter to the Mexican Ambassador demanding answers about Mexico’s actions against the American company.

    Earlier this year, Rep. Pfluger also led a letter commending President Trump’s commitment to this issue by protecting American industries and jobs, which was first reported in The Blaze.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Caution in the C-suite: How business leaders are navigating Trump 2.0

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Erran Carmel, Professor of Business, American University Kogod School of Business

    In the first months of Donald Trump’s second term as president, his policies – from sweeping tariffs and aggressive immigration enforcement to attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion – have thrown U.S. businesses into turmoil, leading to a 26-point decline in CEO confidence.

    Yet despite this volatility, many American corporations have remained notably restrained in their public responses.

    This might come as a surprise. After all, in recent decades, CEOs have become increasingly willing to speak out about social and political issues. But while some universities and law firms have publicly pushed back against the Trump administration, business leaders are seemingly opting for caution.

    What would it take for these titans of corporate America to speak out against Trump’s policies? We are a professor and a graduate student who study business, and back in 2018, one of us – Dr. Carmel – conducted an analysis asking this very question. More recently, we gathered new data looking at how business leaders are responding to Trump’s second term.

    The 2018 analysis, involving data from about 200 leading U.S. CEOs, found that most business leaders remained publicly neutral on Trump, and only a handful expressed strong opposition. Silence was often a strategic choice, with many leaders staying mum due to fear of retaliation. The evidence also suggested that Trump could one day cross a line that would prompt a broader CEO backlash.

    Seven years later, that line hasn’t yet appeared, even as Trump’s footprint on corporate America is now far more direct and substantial.

    Most notable are Trump’s tariffs, first announced in April 2025, which have roiled global markets and unnerved CEOs. And there are many other ripples: Some companies, such as CBS’ parent company, Paramount – which is seeking the Trump administration’s approval for a merger – have decided to self-censor. Others, including Disney and Meta, gave in to Trump’s lawsuits and paid multimillion-dollar settlements, against the counsel of many outside experts. CEOs also have to deal with the threat of backlash from both the right and left.

    Against this backdrop, we collected new public data to see how corporate leaders are responding to the second Trump administration. Just as in 2018, we examined the 232 companies that make up the Business Roundtable – a club of the most powerful American businesses.

    We assessed the actions that these companies took regarding DEI and whether they experienced any backlash. We focused on these criteria as a way to assess whether CEOs are seeking either to support or placate Trump, or to stand on other principles. We also collected other data, including public statements from CEOs and campaign donations.

    DEI as a bellwether

    Corporate DEI actions were an early, useful way to gauge a business’s stances, since, from the outset, the Trump administration identified DEI as a “scourge” to be eliminated. Although the White House’s anti-DEI directives have applied to the executive branch and federal contractors, some private businesses rushed to make changes as well.

    By May, just a bit over 100 days into Trump’s second term, a significant number of companies had decided to go along with Trump’s preferences. Sixty-nine of the 232 companies in the Business Roundtable rolled back their DEI initiatives in some way, while just 20 companies announced that they kept their DEI programs in place. There’s no information either way on the remaining 61% – likely because they decided it’s better to stay out of the news.

    DEI-related actions have tapered off since May, but there’s still an impact. For example, the Federal Communications Commission pressured T-Mobile to eliminate DEI. Only then was its merger approved.

    Companies that scaled back their DEI initiatives sometimes pointed to the political environment as a factor. Meta, for example, said in an internal memo that it was ending its DEI efforts due to a “shifting legal and policy landscape.” Other companies, including Verizon and Comcast, reportedly rolled back DEI programs because they feared legal action by the federal government.

    Some corporations announced changes through internal announcements, legal filings or quiet updates to their websites, suggesting they want to stay out of the media spotlight.

    A small number of Business Roundtable companies stood firm on their DEI policies – to mixed results. When Marriott’s CEO voiced support for DEI at a corporate leadership event, he reportedly received 40,000 appreciative emails from employees. On the other hand, after Coca-Cola reiterated its “commitment to sponsoring an inclusive workplace,” the right-wing activist Robby Starbuck — who The New York Times has described as “the anti-DEI agitator that companies fear most” – said Coca-Cola “should be very nervous about continuing with its woke policies.”

    Bracing for backlash

    Overall, 22% of Business Roundtable companies saw some sort of backlash to their actions. Most came from the political right: 36 companies were called out by conservatives, another eight by progressives, and eight more faced bipartisan backlash.

    With more than three years left in Trump’s second term, it’s worth asking what lies ahead. We think the most likely scenario is that companies will continue to try to stay off the president’s radar and placate him when they must. After all, following the split with Elon Musk, Trump quite explicitly threatened to use presidential powers to hurt Musk’s businesses. Any CEO gets the implications.

    While our analysis primarily focused on social issues, policies at the business core may push U.S. companies to confront Trump. Tariff policy is a prime example. Back in April, major retailers like Walmart quietly warned Trump that tariffs could lead to empty shelves and higher prices. More recently, the CEO of Goldman Sachs publicly warned that tariffs “have raised the level of uncertainty to a degree I do not think is healthy for investment and growth.”

    These are voices of criticism – but worded quite softly.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Caution in the C-suite: How business leaders are navigating Trump 2.0 – https://theconversation.com/caution-in-the-c-suite-how-business-leaders-are-navigating-trump-2-0-260557

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Trump has fired the head of the Library of Congress, but the 225-year-old institution remains a ‘library for all’ – so far

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Alex H. Poole, Associate Professor of Information Science, Drexel University

    The main reading room is seen at the Library of Congress on June 13, 2025, in Washington. Kevin Carter/Getty Images

    Carla Hayden, the 14th librarian of Congress, who has held the position since 2016, received an unexpected email on May 8, 2025.

    “Carla, on behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service,” wrote Trent Morse, deputy director of presidential personnel at the White House.

    White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later explained that Hayden, who was the first woman, Black person and professionally trained librarian to oversee the Library of Congress, had done “quite concerning things,” on the job, including “putting inappropriate books in the library for children.”

    Democratic politicians sharply criticized Hayden’s termination, saying the firing was unjust. It was actually about Trump punishing civil servants “who don’t bend to his every will,” New York Sen. Chuck Schumer said.

    An information science scholar, I have written extensively about the history of libraries and archives, including the Library of Congress. To fully understand the role Hayden played for the past nine years, I think it is important to understand what the Library of Congress does, and the overlooked and underappreciated role it has played in American life.

    Carla Hayden, the recently fired librarian of Congress, attends an event in March 2025 in Washington.
    Shannon Finney/Getty Images

    The Library of Congress’ work

    The Library of Congress is an agency that was first established, by an act of Congress, in 1800. The act provided for “the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress at the said city of Washington, and for fitting up a suitable apartment for containing them.” Its chief librarian is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

    The library has six buildings in Washington that hold a print and online collection of nearly 26 million books, as well as more than 136 million other items, including manuscripts, maps, sheet music and prints and photographs.

    It also houses historic documents, like Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the Declaration of Independence and James Madison’s notes on the 1787 Constitutional Convention.

    The library is the property of the American people. Anyone over the age of 16 with a government-issued photo identification can enter its buildings and read or view its materials on-site. The Library of Congress was partially designed as a research institution to suit the needs of members of Congress, and only Congress members can borrow items from the library and take them home.

    The Library of Congress has an annual budget of about US$900 million, with a staff of 3,263. In 2024, the library’s staff helped acquire 1,437,832 million new items, issue nearly 69,000 library cards and answer more than 764,000 reference requests, among other tasks.

    The library’s deep roots

    The library has evolved alongside the U.S. itself. Five years before the Constitutional Convention of 1787, future president James Madison called for a library to provide materials to help inform Congress and its members. In 1800, President John Adams signed a bill that established the institution, which began with a $5,000 government appropriation, equivalent to more than $127,000 today.

    The library’s first collection included 152 works in 740 volumes imported from England. It occupied a space in a Washington Senate office that measured just 22 feet by 34 feet.

    The British army torched the infant library and its collection that had grown to 3,000 books in 1814, during the War of 1812. In response, former president Thomas Jefferson sold his personal collection of 6,479 books to the library, which he called “unquestionably the choicest collection of books in the U.S.”

    Tragedy struck again in 1851, with a fire that incinerated two-thirds of the library’s 55,000 volumes, including most of Jefferson’s personal collection.

    The organization rebounded in the next few years, as it purchased the 40,000-volume Smithsonian library in 1866, among other new acquisitions.

    Ainsworth Spofford, the sixth librarian of Congress, boosted the library’s national image in the late 1800s when he tried to centralize the country’s patchwork copyright system.

    Spofford also successfully lobbied Congress to pass the Copyright Act of 1870, which stipulated that any party registering a work for copyright needed to deposit two copies of that work with the library.

    A growing place in American life

    As its collections burgeoned in both scale and scope in the latter part of the 19th century, the library assumed an increasingly visible role and became known by some as “the nation’s library.” By 1900, it had nearly 1 million printed books and other materials.

    The opening of a new library building in 1897, offering services to blind people with a designated reading room containing 500 raised character – or braille – books and music items, epitomized the library’s new status.

    President Theodore Roosevelt said in 1901 that the library was “the one national library of the United States” and that was “a unique opportunity to render to the libraries of this country – to American scholarship – service of the highest importance.”

    The library’s work, and global approach, continued to grow during the 20th century.

    By the late 1900s, the library held materials in more than 450 languages.

    It continued to add remarkable items to its collection, including a Gutenberg Bible, the first book printed in Europe from movable metal type, a kind of printing technology, in 1455.

    Documenting the evolution of democracy, the library also assumed stewardship of 23 presidents’ official papers, from George Washington to Calvin Coolidge, during this time frame.

    A public service

    While primarily designated a research institution for Congress, the library has also catered to a diverse range of patrons, including by mail and telephone.

    As one Science Digest writer noted in 1960, reference staff members fielded questions ranging from “What was the color of a mastodon’s eye?” to “How many words are there in the English language?” and “Could you suggest a name for twins?”

    The library’s register of copyrights received similarly diverse and even humorous inquiries. One older woman seeking to publish her poetry wrote in 1954 to request “a poetic license” to ensure her work conformed to the law.

    In the late 20th century, the library focused on a new democratic national and international mission, as it embraced a new role. Daniel Boorstin, the librarian from 1975 to 1987, termed that role a “multimedia encyclopedia.”

    A congressional resolution marking the Library of Congress’s bicentennial in 2000 noted that it was “the largest and most inclusive library in human history,” as it digitized its collections to extend its reach still further with the growth of the internet.

    As the library marks its 225th year, it continues to represent, as David Mearns, chief of the library’s manuscript division, said in 1947, “the American story.”

    The Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress is seen on June 11, 2025, in Washington.
    Kevin Carter/Getty Images

    A library for all

    Following Hayden’s dismissal, Trump appointed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, his former personal lawyer, as acting librarian of Congress.

    Hayden has contended that her dismissal, which occurred alongside other firings of top civil servants, including the national archivist, represents a broad threat to people’s right to easily access free information.

    “Democracies are not to be taken for granted,” Hayden said in June. She explained in an interview with CBS that she never had a problem with a presidential administration and is not sure why she was dismissed.

    “And the institutions that support democracy should not be taken for granted,” Hayden added.

    In her final annual report as librarian, Hayden characterized the institution as “truly, a library for all.” So far, even without her leadership, it remains just that.

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

    – ref. Trump has fired the head of the Library of Congress, but the 225-year-old institution remains a ‘library for all’ – so far – https://theconversation.com/trump-has-fired-the-head-of-the-library-of-congress-but-the-225-year-old-institution-remains-a-library-for-all-so-far-257508

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Díaz-Balart: Doing More for National Security with Less, in the FY 2026 National Security and State Department Funding Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – This morning, House Appropriations Committee Vice Chair and Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, the Department of State, and Related Programs (NSRP), Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), joined Cheryl Casone on Mornings with Maria on Fox Business to discuss the NSRP Fiscal Year 2026 funding bill, concerns over a potential Democrat-led government shutdown, and allegations surrounding former President Obama’s role in the Russia collusion hoax against President Trump.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: US Science Agency Members Oppose Trump Administration’s Science Policy

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    LOS ANGELES, July 23 (Xinhua) — More than 140 employees of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) have signed a letter condemning the Donald Trump administration’s science policies and actions, which they say have undermined one of the country’s leading science funding institutions.

    In a letter released Monday to Zoe Lofgren, ranking member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, scientists accuse the Trump administration of drastically cutting staff, cutting funding for critical research, and slashing the agency’s budget.

    Due to concerns about the possible consequences, all but one of the employees’ signatures were revoked.

    The signatories expressed concern about a series of “politically motivated” and “legally questionable” actions by the Trump administration that threaten the integrity of the NSF and undermine the civil service protections guaranteed by federal law.

    The statement follows similar letters of protest issued last month by scientists and employees at the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as a recent “Voyager Declaration” signed by current and former employees of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). –0–

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

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Qatar Reaffirms Commitment to Peaceful Dispute Resolution

    Source: Government of Qatar

    New York, July 23

    The State of Qatar foreign policy gives the highest priority to the peaceful settlement of disputes, particularly through mediation. This commitment is reflected in a track record of successful mediation efforts that have contributed to enhancing security and stability across various regions of the world, HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani stated.

    Delivering Qatar statement before the Security Council s high-level open debate on Promoting International Peace and Security through Multilateralism and the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes at the UN Headquarters in New York, Her Excellency highlighted the tripartite summit held last March in Doha, during which HH the Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani hosted HE the President of the Republic of Rwanda and HE the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    The summit contributed to creating favorable conditions for de-escalation, which led to the signing of the Declaration of Principles between representatives of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and representatives of the Congo River Alliance/March 23 Movement, last Saturday in Doha. This declaration complements the peace agreement signed last month in Washington, D.C., between the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda under the auspices of HE President of the United States of America Donald Trump, and supports the path toward a comprehensive peace agreement facilitated by the State of Qatar.

    On the situation in Afghanistan, Her Excellency reaffirmed that the State of Qatar will continue its mediation efforts to support the country in facing major challenges to achieving peace and stability. This includes hosting the UN-led Doha Process on Afghanistan, which aims to fully reintegrate Afghanistan into the international community.

    Addressing the situation in the Gaza Strip, Her Excellency stated that the outbreak of war in Gaza in 2023 posed a serious challenge to the international community. In line with its unwavering commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes, the State of Qatar initiated intensive mediation efforts in cooperation with the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America. Despite the complexities, these efforts led to tangible outcomes, including a ceasefire agreement that improved humanitarian conditions and increased access to aid for civilians in the Gaza Strip, as well as the exchange of hundreds of prisoners and detainees. Mediation efforts are still ongoing to achieve a final ceasefire agreement that would bring an end to the war and its resulting humanitarian catastrophe.

    Her Excellency emphasized that Qatar has spared no effort in working with regional and international partners to prevent the further escalation and regional spread of the conflict, while consistently warning of the grave consequences of regional destabilization. Nevertheless, despite repeated international warnings, the Israeli military escalation has persisted, not only in Gaza but also targeting Lebanese, Syrian, and other territories in the region, leading to heightened tensions and threatening the stability of the entire region, culminating in a peak last June.

    She noted that the escalation on June 23 resulted in a direct missile attack on Qatari territory. However, Qatari air defenses successfully intercepted the missile, preserving the country s territorial integrity.

    Her Excellency further stated that Qatar was among the first countries to warn of the dangers of regional conflict escalation and the consequences of continued Israeli military actions. She reiterated Qatar s call for prioritizing diplomatic solutions, upholding the principles of good neighborliness, and exercising restraint over escalation. She also welcomed the ceasefire reached between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel, expressing hope that both parties would adhere to it and that it would serve as a foundation for meaningful dialogue and diplomacy, paving the way toward sustainable peace and stability.

    In conclusion, Her Excellency reiterated Qatar’s emphasis on the need for the Security Council to maintain its commitment to advancing peaceful processes and political solutions to avoid further human suffering and promote global stability. She called on the Council to assume its responsibilities in preventing conflicts and addressing violations of international law by enforcing its resolutions, ensuring respect for international norms, and ending impunity. 

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: D. Trump accused B. Obama of “treason”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    WASHINGTON, July 23 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused former President Barack Obama of “treason” over the 2016 presidential election, prompting a sharp response from Obama’s spokesman, who called the accusations “ridiculous” and a “weak attempt to distract.”

    Answering a media question about the case involving the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein, D. Trump moved on to attacks on B. Obama.

    “They tried to rig the election, and they got caught. And there are going to be very serious consequences for that,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

    Calling B. Obama a “gang leader,” D. Trump claimed that Democrats, including Joseph Biden and Hillary Clinton, allegedly engaged in election manipulation from 2016 through 2020.

    “It was treason. It was everything you could think of. They tried to steal the election. They tried to confuse the election,” Trump said.

    “Out of respect for the institution of the presidency, our office does not typically dignify a response to the constant nonsense and disinformation emanating from the White House. But these allegations are outrageous enough to merit refutation,” Obama’s press secretary Patrick Rhodenbush said.

    “These bizarre accusations are ridiculous and a feeble attempt to distract attention,” he said in a statement.

    J. Epstein, who had extensive connections to the US political and business elite, was arrested on sex crimes charges and died in prison in August 2019. It was determined that he died by suicide.

    During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump promised to release documents related to the Epstein case if he was re-elected. But earlier this month, the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a joint memo saying that there was no “client list” for Epstein and that “further disclosure would not be appropriate or warranted.”

    The Trump administration’s shifting stance on the issue has drawn widespread criticism, with some angry supporters even calling for Attorney General Pam Bondi to resign, demanding more transparency from the government. –0–

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

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Trump says US completes trade deal with Japan

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

    U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States has reached a trade deal with Japan, which will impose a 15 percent tariff on Japanese goods.

    Japan will invest 550 billion U.S. dollars into the United States, which will receive 90 percent of the profits, said Trump, adding that the deal will create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

    “Japan will open their Country to Trade including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products, and other things. Japan will pay Reciprocal Tariffs to the United States of 15 percent,” said Trump in a post on social media.

    In a recent letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Trump threatened to raise the so-called reciprocal tariff on Japan to 25 percent starting Aug. 1, higher than the 24 percent tariff announced on April 2.

    As one of the major U.S. trading partners, Japan has been tough in bilateral trade talks.

    The United States saw 68.5 billion dollars of trade deficit in goods with Japan in 2024, with imports from Japan totalling 148.2 billion dollars and exports to Japan at 79.7 billion dollars, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

    Trump also announced a trade deal with the Philippines after meeting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier Tuesday.

    Still, the White House hasn’t released details on U.S. trade deals with the Philippines and Japan.

    On Tuesday, the White House unveiled more details about the U.S. trade deal with Indonesia, which was announced on July 15.

    Indonesia will eliminate approximately 99 percent of tariff barriers for a full range of U.S. industrial, food and agricultural products exported to Indonesia, while the United States will impose a 19 percent tariff on products imported from Indonesia, said a release by the White House.

    Indonesia will remove restrictions on exports to the United States of industrial commodities, including critical minerals, it said.

    Trump has signed an executive order earlier this month to extend the 90-day suspension of sweeping U.S. reciprocal tariffs from July 9 to Aug. 1, with trade negotiations ongoing with the European Union and other major trading partners. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: US Agrees on Trade Deal with Japan – D. Trump

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    WASHINGTON, July 23 (Xinhua) — The United States has reached a trade deal with Japan that includes a 15 percent tariff on Japanese goods, U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media on Tuesday.

    Japan will invest $550 billion in the United States, which will receive 90 percent of the profits, he said, adding that the deal will create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

    “Japan will open its country to trade, including cars and trucks, rice and some other agricultural products, and other goods. Japan will pay the United States equivalent tariffs of 15 percent,” the president wrote.

    In a recent letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the U.S. leader threatened to raise tariffs on Japan to 25 percent from August 1, up from the 24 percent tariff announced on April 2.

    As one of the United States’ major trading partners, Japan has been tough in bilateral trade negotiations.

    According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S.-Japan merchandise trade deficit in 2024 was $68.5 billion, with imports from Japan reaching $148.2 billion and exports to Japan reaching $79.7 billion.

    D. Trump also announced a trade deal with the Philippines after meeting with the country’s President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier on Tuesday.

    The White House did not release details of the trade deals with the Philippines and Japan.

    On Tuesday, U.S. officials released more details about the trade deal with Indonesia, which was announced July 15. Indonesia will eliminate about 99 percent of tariff barriers on a full range of U.S. manufactured, food, and agricultural goods, while the United States will impose a 19 percent tariff on Indonesian imports. Jakarta will also lift restrictions on exports to the U.S. of manufactured goods, including key minerals.

    Earlier in July, Trump pushed back the tariffs’ implementation date from July 9 to August 1 amid ongoing negotiations with the European Union and other major trading partners. –0–

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

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Japanese PM says he plans to resign amid mounting party pressure

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    TOKYO, July 23 (Xinhua) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has told close aides he intends to step down by August after the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) conducts an internal review of its defeat in the recent House of Councillors election, the Mainichi newspaper reported Wednesday.

    Ishiba is expected to meet with senior LDP officials later on Wednesday to discuss his political future.

    Although Mr Ishiba initially announced his decision to remain in office despite the election setback, calls for his resignation have intensified within the party. However, the timing of his departure remains uncertain, the report said.

    US President Donald Trump announced on social media that the US and Japan have reached a trade deal that includes 15 percent tariffs on American imports from the country.

    Asked how the trade deal would affect his political future, Ishiba said: “I cannot comment until I thoroughly study the contents of the agreement.” –0–

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

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    MIL OSI Russia News –