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Category: Donald Trump

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Helps Reintroduce John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act 

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Senate Judiciary Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and the entire Senate Democratic caucus in reintroducing the John R. Lewis Voting Advancement Act, legislation that would update and restore critical safeguards of the original Voting Rights Act of 1965 that have been eroded in recent years by federal court rulings. The legislation would strengthen our democracy by reestablishing preclearance for jurisdictions with a pattern of voting rights violations, protecting minority communities subject to discriminatory voting practices, and defending election workers from threats and intimidation. It is named in honor of voting rights champion and former U.S. Congressman John Lewis of Georgia. 
    This legislation is especially relevant in Texas, where, following historic disapproval of Congressional Republicans’ tax bill, Texas state lawmakers are looking to add five additional Republican seats in the House of Representatives. The move comes in direct response to President Trump’s fears that voters may flip the House in the 2026 midterms.  
    “Voting is a sacred freedom, and depriving people of their right to participate in our democratic process is a threat to democracy. Right now, states across the country are violating this fundamental right by enacting discriminatory laws deliberately designed to keep people from the ballot box. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act works to restore crucial protections of the Voting Rights Act to ensure that everyone has a voice in our democratic system,” said Senator Welch. 
    “As I often say, a vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and our children,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “Our prayers are stronger when we pray together. Democracy is the political enactment of a spiritual idea that each of us has within ourselves the spark of the divine. We all have value, and if we all have value, we ought to have a voice in the direction of our country; we ought to have a vote.”   
    “There is no freedom more fundamental than the right to vote.  But between the Trump Administration’s executive order on voter registration and state legislatures’ gerrymandering districts, there has been a clear, concerted effort to chip away at the protections guaranteed to every American under the Voting Rights Act,” said Senator Durbin. “In the face of these injustices that target communities of color and their right to vote, we must continue the work of civil rights leaders like John Lewis and strengthen the framework of the Voting Rights Act by passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.” 
    “The ‘good trouble’ John Lewis spoke of is not just an inspirational phrase – it’s a challenge to all of us to rise to the occasion and to fight for the ideals that make our country great. I’ve been clear that when it comes to protecting democracy, we must fight fire with fire. We will not stand idly by while Republicans’ revert to Jim Crow era voting restrictions— suppressing votes and people that do not match their ideals. We will fight to protect democracy – the bedrock of our society and the foundation of what makes the American dream possible,” said Democratic Leader Schumer.  
    In the wake of the Supreme Court’s damaging Shelby County decision in 2013—which crippled the federal government’s ability under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to prevent discriminatory changes to voting laws and procedures—states across the country have unleashed a torrent of voter suppression efforts, including SB 202 in Georgia. The Supreme Court’s decision in Brnovich v Democratic National Committee delivered yet another blow to the Voting Rights Act by making it significantly harder for plaintiffs to win lawsuits under the landmark law against discriminatory voting laws or procedures. 
    In addition to Senator Warnock, Ranking Member Durbin, Leader Schumer, and Senator Welch, the legislation is cosponsored by the entire Democratic caucus. The VRAA is endorsed by 178 organizations. These organizations understand that voting rights are preservative of all other rights and progress on a range of critical issues cannot take place if citizens cannot make their voices heard. The list of endorsing Georgia and national organizations of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act can be found here. 
    Learn more about the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. 
    Read and download the full text of the bill. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Larsen: Trade War with Canada Harms Washington Families

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

    Larsen: Trade War with Canada Harms Washington Families

    Everett, WA, July 31, 2025

    Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement:

    “President Trump’s unnecessary trade war with Canada is hurting families and businesses in Northwest Washington state.  

    • As of last month, Canadian travelers from B.C. to Washington state via Whatcom County have decreased by 43% compared to 2024.
    • Online purchases from U.S. retailers are down 14% and travel purchases in the U.S. are down 27%.
    • Northwest Yarns, a small business in Bellingham, lost 20% of their sales because of Canadian shoppers choosing to spend their money at home. 
    • Point to Point Parcel, a local Point Roberts shipping company that survived 24 years, closed in May because of the President’s reckless tariffs.
    • An international company shifted manufacturing work from Washington state to Canada and a maritime employer moved a project from Bellingham to Canada because of tariff uncertainty.

    “Instead of a pointless trade war, the President should work with Canada to address the challenges facing both Americans and Canadians. A positive, effective agenda would include rebuilding manufacturing jobs, bringing down the cost of living, building stronger cross-border energy and critical minerals sectors, and confronting unfair competition from non-market economies.

    “With Trump’s arbitrary deadline of August 1st approaching, any deal that locks in U.S. tariffs will cause further harm for families in Northwest Washington state. The Administration should be working with Canada to reduce barriers between our two economies, create jobs and lower prices.”

    Rep. Larsen is a member of the New Democrat Coalition Trade and Tariffs Task Force and has been a leader in opposing the Trump administration’s tariffs.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A Hawaiian epic made in NZ: why Jason Momoa’s Chief of War wasn’t filmed in its star’s homeland

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Duncan Caillard, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Communication Studies, Auckland University of Technology

    Jason Momoa’s historical epic Chief of War, launching August 1 on Apple TV+, is a triumph of Hawaiians telling their own stories – despite the fact their film and TV production industry now struggles to be viable.

    The series stars Momoa (Aquaman, Game of Thrones) as Kaʻaina, an ali’i (chief) who fights for – and later rises against – King Kamehameha I during the bloody reunification of Hawaii.

    Already receiving advance praise, the nine-episode first season co-stars New Zealand actors Temeura Morrison, Cliff Curtis and Luciane Buchanan, alongside Hawaiian actors Kaina Makua, Brandon Finn and Moses Goods.

    A passion project for Momoa, the Hawaiian star co-created the series with writer Thomas Pa’a Sibbett after years in development. With a reported budget of US$340 million, it is one of the most expensive television series ever produced.

    It is also a milestone in Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) representation onscreen. Controversially, however, the production only spent a month in Hawaiʻi, and was mostly shot in New Zealand with non-Hawaiian crews.

    Momoa has even expressed an interest in New Zealand citizenship, but the choice of location is more a reflection of the troubled state of the film industry in Hawaiʻi. On the other hand, it is a measure of the success of the New Zealand screen industry, with potential lessons for other countries in the Pacific.

    Ea o Moʻolelo – story sovereignty

    Set at the turn of the 19th century, Chief of War tells the moʻolelo (story, history) of King Kamehameha I’s conquest of the archipelago.

    Hawaiʻi was historically governed by aliʻi nui (high chiefs), and each island was ruled independently. Motivated by the threat of European colonisation and empowered by Western weaponry, Kamehameha established the Hawaiian Kingdom, culminating in full unification in 1810.

    The series is an important example of what authors Dean Hamer and Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu have called “Ea o Moʻolelo”, or story sovereignty, which emphasises Indigenous peoples’ right to control their own narrative by respecting the “the inalienable right of a story to its own unique contents, style and purpose”.

    Chief of War is also the biggest Hawaiian television series ever produced. Although Hawaiʻi remains a popular setting onscreen, these productions have rarely involved Hawaiians in key decision-making roles.

    Sea of troubles

    The series hits screens at a time of major disruption in Hollywood, with streaming services upending established business models.

    “Linear” network television faces declining viewership and advertising revenue. Movie studios struggle to draw audiences to theatres. The consequences for workers in the the industry have been severe, as the 2023 writers strike showed.

    Those changes have had a catastrophic impact on the Hawaiʻi film industry, too.

    Long a popular location – Hawaii Five-O (1968-1980, 2010-2020), Magnum P.I. (1980-1988, 2018-2024) and Lost (2004-2010) were all shot on location in Hawaiʻi – it is an expensive place to film.

    Actors, crew and production equipment often have to be flown in from the continental United States, and producers compete with tourism for costly accommodation.

    Kaina Makua as King Kamehameha and New Zealand actor Luciane Buchanan as Ka’ahumanu in Chief of War.
    Apple TV+

    An industry in transition

    These are not uncommon problems in distant locations, and many governments try to attract screen productions through tax incentives and rebates on portions of the production costs.

    New Zealand, for example, offers a 20-25% rebate for international productions and 40% for local productions. Hawaiʻi offers a 22-27% rebate.

    But this is less than other US states offer, such as Georgia (30%), Louisiana (40%) and New Mexico (40%). Hawaiʻi also has an annual cap of US$50 million on rebates.

    To make things even harder, Hawaiʻi offers only limited support for Indigenous filmmakers. Governments in Australia and New Zealand provide targeted funding and support for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori filmmakers.

    By contrast, the Hawaiʻi Film Commission doesn’t provide direct grants to local filmmakers or producers (Indigenous or otherwise). Small amounts of government funding have been administered through the Public Broadcasting Service, but this is now in jeopardy after US President Donald Trump recently cut federal funding.

    The Hawaiʻi screen industry faces a perfect storm. For the first time since 2004, film and TV production has ground to a halt. Many workers now doubt the long-term sustainability of their careers.

    Lessons from Aotearoa NZ

    While there are lessons Hawaiʻi legislators and industry leaders could learn from New Zealand’s example, there should also be a measure of caution.

    The Hawaiʻi tax credit system is out of date. But despite industry lobbying, legislation to update it failed to reach the floor of the legislature earlier this year. New tax settings would help make local production viable again.

    Secondly, decades of investment in Māori cinema have seen it become diverse, engaging and creatively accomplished. Hawaiʻi could benefit from greater direct investment in Hawaiian storytelling, respecting its cultural value even if it doesn’t turn a commercial profit.

    On the other hand, New Zealand has a favourable currency exchange rate with the US which can’t be replicated in Hawaiʻi. And New Zealand film production workers have seen their rights to unionise watered down compared to their American peers.

    But if Hawaiʻi can get its settings right, a possible second season of Chief of War may yet be filmed there, which could mark a genuine rejuvenation of its own film industry.

    Duncan Caillard 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. A Hawaiian epic made in NZ: why Jason Momoa’s Chief of War wasn’t filmed in its star’s homeland – https://theconversation.com/a-hawaiian-epic-made-in-nz-why-jason-momoas-chief-of-war-wasnt-filmed-in-its-stars-homeland-261742

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, and the Reestablishment of the Presidential Fitness Test

    Source: US Whitehouse

    RESTORING HEALTH AND FITNESS FOR AMERICA’S YOUTH: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order revitalizing the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, and reestablishing the Presidential Fitness Test.

    • The Order reestablishes the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition to develop bold and innovative fitness goals for young Americans with the aim of fostering a new generation of healthy, active citizens.
    • The Order directs the Council to create school-based programs that reward excellence in physical education and develop criteria for a Presidential Fitness Award.
    • The Order reestablishes the Presidential Fitness Test, which shall be administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
    • This Order ensures American youth will have opportunities at the global, national, State, and local levels that emphasize the importance of an active lifestyle, good nutrition, American sports, and military readiness.
    • The Order instructs the Council to partner with professional athletes, sports organizations, and influential figures.

    MAINTAINING A STRONG AND VITAL AMERICA: President Trump is addressing the widespread epidemic of declining health and physical fitness with a time-tested approach celebrating the exceptionalism of America’s sports and fitness traditions.

    • Rates of obesity, chronic disease, inactivity, and poor nutrition are at crisis levels, particularly among our children.
    • These trends weaken our economy, military readiness, academic performance, and national morale.
    • President Eisenhower recognized this issue when he created the President’s Council on Youth Fitness in response to reports on the poor state of youth fitness in America.
    • President Trump is creating a national culture of strength, vitality, and excellence for the next generation by promoting the physical, mental, and civic benefits of exercise and good nutrition.

    MAKING AMERICA ACTIVE AGAIN: President Trump is taking action to end the nationwide health crisis and restore urgency in improving the health of all Americans.

    • In 2018, President Trump originally revitalized the Council, renaming it the “President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.”
    • In 2019, The Trump Administration launched the National Youth Sports Strategy to unify U.S. youth sports culture around a shared vision that one day all youth will have the opportunity, motivation, and access to play sports.
    • In May 2025, President Trump proclaimed May 2025 as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month.
    • Over the next three years, America will host the Ryder Cup, the President’s Cup, the FIFA World Cup, and the Olympic Games –- the world’s premiere sporting competitions. 
    • In 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our great Nation, honor the 70th anniversary of the original President’s Council on Youth Fitness, and showcase America’s continued global dominance in sports. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Member Coons statement on SAC-D markup

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense (SAC-D), issued the following statement after the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and passed the SAC-D bill out of committee by a vote of 26-3:

    “Our nation faces critical and pressing national security challenges, from China and Russia to cyberattacks and drone warfare. In the face of those dangers, the Trump administration has focused on fighting culture wars instead of deterring real wars, forcing our military to be funded by its first continuing resolution in its history and dragging their feet with a delayed and error-filled budget process for fiscal year 2026. We cannot prepare for tomorrow’s battles with yesterday’s funding plans.

    “This administration may not take funding our military seriously, but it’s clear that the Senate still does. Today’s successful markup shows a strong, bipartisan commitment to funding a military that stands with Ukraine and our allies, that deters Chinese and Russian aggression, that modernizes our defense based on lessons we’re learning in Ukraine, and that better supports our servicemembers and military families. From investing in shipbuilding to expanding our munitions production capacity to fill critical shortages, this bill is responsive to what our nation’s military leaders and combatant commands have directly told us they need.

    “I’m proud to have worked with Chairman McConnell to look to the future and advance a bipartisan defense appropriations bill. I urge my Senate colleagues to swiftly take up and pass our bill to reassert our constitutional authority over the appropriations process and ensure our military is equipped to face the challenges of this decade and beyond. I also encourage them to support the rest of the appropriations process so we can ensure that our nation’s soft power matches our hard power. If we spend less on diplomacy and development, we will have to spend more on ammunition.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Members Coons and Reed, McCollum and Smith call on President Trump to stop diverting defense funds to domestic immigration enforcement

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

    WASHINGTON – Ranking Member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Member of Senate Armed Services Committee Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), and Ranking Member of House Armed Services Committee Adam Smith (D-Wash.) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth urging him to stop diverting military funds to support immigration enforcement operations usually handled by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

    The letter raises concerns about the Department of Defense’s (DOD) recent request to transfer funds from the Navy’s Working Capital Fund to cover non-reimbursable support for DHS’s immigration enforcement and removal operations. The proposed diversion is part of a DOD pattern of diverting funds to DHS-related efforts in ways that could weaken military readiness and make the United States less prepared to fight the wars of tomorrow.

    “Since January 2025, DOD has chosen to provide more than $838 million in non-reimbursable DOD support to DHS. Those transfers come at a cost; a dollar spent on immigration enforcement is a dollar unavailable to prepare and equip our troops,” the lawmakers wrote.

    The lawmakers highlighted that President Donald Trump’s recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes $1 billion for DOD and more than $170 billion for DHS, making the additional funding of immigration enforcement unnecessary.

    “With the funds now available to DHS, there is no need to continue non-reimbursable support to DHS, and the work of domestic immigration enforcement can and must be returned to DHS. Deploying military personnel for these tasks does not build lethality and risks politicizing those forces,” the lawmakers wrote.

    They conclude by urging DOD leadership to focus on the department’s core mission of military readiness and supporting our men and women in uniform.

    You can read the full letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Markey, Reps. Schakowsky, Ruiz, Jayapal Introduce Dr. Paul Farmer Memorial Resolution Outlining 21st Century Global Health Strategy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Resolution Text (PDF)

    Washington (July 31, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Dr. Raul Ruiz (CA-25), and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), today introduced the Dr. Paul Farmer Memorial Resolution, to honor Dr. Farmer’s staggering life and legacy and lay out his extraordinary vision for realizing global health equity. This resolution lays out a 21st century global health strategy that proposes spending $125 billion annually on global health aid, reforming aid to focus on building national health systems, and putting an end to the exploitation of impoverished countries to increase their domestic tax base and health spending. This resolution seeks to save over 100 million lives per decade by increasing the flow of money in the global economy.

    “Dr. Paul Farmer was a health care visionary and revolutionary who understood compassion and care went hand in hand. At a time when global health and well-being are strained, I am proud to introduce this resolution honoring Dr. Farmer and the transformational work he did to deliver health care to people and communities around the world. Health is the first wealth, and we must do everything in our power to ensure that people around the world are healthy, safe, and have access to the resources they need to live and thrive,” said Senator Markey.

    “Dr. Paul Farmer is responsible for transforming the lives of millions and millions of poor and marginalized people around the world, bringing them health care, dignity, and justice. A true visionary, Paul insisted that all people have a right to excellent health care, and he developed the systems to deliver it in places people had written off. Gleaming world class hospitals and locally trained doctors, nurses, and community workers now exist in places like Haiti and Rwanda. Paul was not only a world-renowned leader in global health, but also a precious friend and a tireless organizer, inspiring thousands of people to actively participate in his work. All of us owe him a debt that can only be paid by carrying on his mission and legacy,” said Congresswoman Schakowsky. “That is why I am introducing the Dr. Paul Farmer Memorial Resolution alongside my colleagues Senator Markey and Representatives Ruiz and Jayapal. This resolution lays out a 21st Century Global Health Strategy that enshrines Paul’s vision to achieve global universal health care and end unnecessary and preventable deaths. We are the richest country in the world at the richest time in the world. As the Trump Administration rips away lifesaving aid from millions of people, it is more important than ever for those of us who care about global health and justice to rededicate ourselves to building and fully funding a robust global health strategy. Paul called on us to understand global health inequity as an injustice—a result of centuries of violence and exploitation inflicted on the global poor. We can make the choice to end global health inequity, and with Paul’s vision guiding us, we will.”

    “Dr. Paul Farmer was more than a global health leader, he was my mentor, professor, and dear friend,” said Congressman Ruiz. “From my early years at Harvard Medical School to our work together in Boston, Chiapas, Guatemala, and post-earthquake Haiti, he showed me what it means to fight for underserved communities with unwavering dedication. I am honored to help reintroduce this resolution in his memory, as a testament to his extraordinary impact on humanity.”

    “Dr. Paul Farmer changed global health for the better with his work in impoverished countries, treating infectious diseases and providing high quality care to those who needed it most. He also fundamentally altered the way we think about international aid, and his organizing and movement building has led to millions of people worldwide living healthier and longer lives. As a lifelong organizer and someone who worked in global health for years before coming to Congress, I know the importance of this work and know how devastating Trump and Republicans’ cuts to USAID and other international aid programs are. This resolution outlines a vision for a world in which we tackle the injustice of global health inequities and treat health care as a true human right. It also recognizes that to achieve these goals, we need to democratize the global financial system, including cancelling predatory debt that has often crushed low- and middle-income countries. I’m proud to co-lead it with Representatives Schakowsky and Ruiz,” said Congresswoman Jayapal.

    The proposals in the resolution are as follows:

    • Increase global health aid to $125 billion per year
      • Close the essential universal health care financing gap for low-income countries
      • Allow the U.S. to meet the U.N. aid target of 0.7% GNI for the first time ever
    • Reform global health aid
      • Focus on building national health systems and direct funding to local partners, not the development industry
      • Develop new medical technologies for diseases of poverty and ensure their availability as global public goods
    • Make the global economy more fair, just, and democratic
      • Democratizing the IMF, World Bank, and World Trade Organization, so that poor countries have greater say over decisions that affect their economies and their ability to finance health systems
      • Global debt cancelation for all developing countries that need it
      • Ending harmful licit and illicit financial flows from poor countries—ending global tax havens and illegal practices like trade misinvoicing
      • Supporting global labor rights, such as a global minimum wage

    “In this moment of crisis, we need Paul’s vision for global health justice more than ever. Thankfully, that vision is captured in this resolution. It provides us with a much-needed roadmap for global cooperation based on solidarity and justice by getting to the root causes of unnecessary suffering and death, or what Paul called ‘structural violence’. This includes greatly improving development assistance for health, but also going well beyond aid to address ongoing extractive colonial arrangements, which preclude local investments in health systems,” said Sheila Davis, CEO of Partners in Health.

    As an infectious disease physician, Dr. Farmer earned accolades for treating patients in impoverished countries with high quality care, including those suffering from HIV and cancer. As a medical anthropologist, he was known for popularizing and deepening understandings of “structural violence,” the idea that social systems are designed to impoverish, sicken, and sideline select groups. As chief strategist of Partners in Health, he garnered plaudits for pioneering community-based treatment strategies, building teaching hospitals, and more. Dr. Farmer called on us to understand global health inequity as an injustice—an effect of centuries of violence and exploitation inflicted on the global poor. This resolution embodies that and will serve as a North Star that will guide the movement for global health equity for years to come.

    In addition to Sen. Markey, this resolution is cosponsored in the Senate by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

    In addition to Reps. Schakowsky, Ruiz, and Jayapal, this resolution is cosponsored in the House of Representatives by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Juan Vargas (CA-52).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Releases Discussion Draft of Legislation to Keep TikTok Online and Protect National Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Bill Text (PDF) | One Pager (PDF)

    Washington (July 31, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today released a discussion draft of legislation, called the TikTok Transparency and Data Security Act, that would address the national security risks posed by ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok without banning an application used by 170 million American users and 7 million American businesses. After President Donald Trump’s repeated illegal extensions of the TikTok divestment deadline, the next deadline is September 17, 2025.

    The TikTok Transparency and Data Security Act would eliminate the requirement that Bytedance sell TikTok’s U.S. operations or face a ban if the company (1) establishes transparency requirements about the content displayed and promoted on the application, and (2) limits foreign access to the data of TikTok’s American users. This two-pronged approach is designed to address the biggest risks from Bytedance’s ownership of TikTok.

    “For months, I have been urging my colleagues to find an alternative path to the TikTok ban that keeps TikTok online without jeopardizing national security,” said Senator Markey. “Today, I am proposing a new approach. The TikTok Transparency and Data Security Act abandons the failed effort to force Bytedance to sell TikTok and seeks to directly address the app’s national security risks. With Trump continuing to illegally extend the divestment deadline, it’s time for Congress to reassert its legislative power, fix its mistake, and consider a new approach to TikTok. I look forward to reviewing the feedback on this discussion draft.”

    In March 2025, Senator Markey, along with Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Chris Van Hollen D-Md.), sent a letter to President Donald Trump, requesting additional information on any efforts to keep TikTok online in the United States and urging the Administration to work with Congress on any potential resolutions to the TikTok ban. President Trump has not answered Senator Markey’s letter. On April 9, 2025, Senator Markey asked for unanimous consent to pass his Extend the TikTok Deadline Act on the Senate floor. Senate Republicans blocked it.

    On January 16, 2025, Senator Markey, along with Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to trigger the 90-day extension in the Protection Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act to allow ByteDance additional time to divest from TikTok. On January 15, 2025, Senators Markey, Booker, and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Congressman Khanna (CA-17) introduced the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act, legislation that would delay the January 19 deadline by which ByteDance must sell TikTok or face a ban, by an additional 270 days.

    In December 2024, Senators Markey and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), along with Congressman Khanna, submitted a bipartisan, bicameral amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the D.C. Circuit Court’s decision in TikTok Inc. v. Garland, which upheld the TikTok ban established under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. On December 19, Senators Markey and Paul sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to provide TikTok owner ByteDance with a 90-day extension to either sell TikTok or face the ban.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Fischer Introduce MAP for Broadband Funding Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) introduced the Modernization, Accountability, and Planning (MAP) for Broadband Funding Act, to provide oversight of the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) Broadband Funding Map to ensure it is functioning effectively for the public, federal agencies, and broadband providers.

    Cortez Masto and Fischer originally created the Broadband Funding Map as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With oversight needed to ensure federal agencies are utilizing the Map to its full potential, the MAP For Broadway Funding Act will ensure that these agencies are reliably reporting their funding data to the FCC.

    “As we work to expand broadband access across the country, it’s critical that we do so with as much transparency, accountability, and coordination as possible,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Reliable access to the internet is already so important for people to work and take care of their everyday tasks. Congress must ensure we continue to expand its access efficiently.”

    “I have worked diligently for years to close the digital divide for unserved and underserved communities,” said Senator Fischer. “My work with Senator Cortez Masto was underscored by the Broadband Funding Map, which we created in 2021. While I’m pleased the FCC launched the Map in 2023, it is clear oversight is needed here to ensure all federal agencies are utilizing the Map to its full potential. I won’t relent in my efforts to expand Internet connectivity for those who lack access—this is a critical step in that mission.”

    The MAP for Broadband Funding Act provides fresh oversight for the FCC’s Broadband Funding Map to ensure the Map is functioning effectively, efficiently, and transparently as possible for the public, federal agencies, and broadband providers alike. To meet this goal, the bill:

    • Directs the FCC to conduct a Notice of Inquiry on the Map’s function and data it displays for maximum usability, assessing any necessary updates from a user-experience perspective, and
    • Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to evaluate how well federal agencies are populating the Map in compliance with current law, identifying any gaps in reporting for its optimum functionality. 

    As part of her Innovation State Initiative, Senator Cortez Masto has led efforts to improve broadband access and strengthen Nevada’s economy. She successfully called for increased accountability for federal broadband programs through efforts like the FCC broadband map which helped deliver the State of Nevada additional BEAD funding – totaling $416 million – through more accurate broadband accessibility data. The Senator has also passed her bipartisan ACCESS Broadband Act to establish a broadband oversight office in the Commerce Department, which administers the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law BEAD funding, provides technical assistance to communities, and tracks taxpayer dollars. Most recently, the Senator has condemned the Trump Administration’s reckless decision to rescind approval for states to receive their share of BEAD program funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Calls on Trump Administration to Increase Transparency on Trade Negotiations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Following Announcement of Recent Trade Agreement, Indonesian Authorities Have Publicly Disputed Announced Agreements

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer calling on the Trump Administration to provide more transparency to Congress on their trade negotiations with other nations, in light of recent reporting showing that a trade agreement announced with Indonesia has been publicly disputed by Indonesian authorities. Her letter comes one day before President Trump’s tariffs on other nations are scheduled to go into effect.

    In a recent statement, the White House has asserted that Indonesia had committed to lifting its ban on nickel exports. “However, Indonesian officials are now saying that they made no such commitment,” the Senator wrote. “Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has said that the U.S.-Indonesia agreement does not touch Indonesia’s export restrictions and that ‘nothing will be removed.’ Similarly, Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources – which oversees Indonesia’s mining sector – has confirmed that Indonesia will not export raw minerals to the United States and that there are no directives or policy revisions permitting such exports to the United States. Key industry groups in Indonesia – like the Indonesia Mining Association – are also unaware of any forthcoming changes to the country’s export ban, and continue to tout the success of this policy.”

    “As we look ahead, I strongly urge you to adopt greater transparency and Congressional consultation in your negotiations. Indonesia’s export ban policy is not only an important economic issue impacting U.S. firms, but given Chinese investment in Indonesia’s nickel sector, it has national security implications for our country. I stand ready to work with you to ensure real commitments and real enforceability in our trade agreements, and encourage you to adopt a more effective and transparent approach in your negotiations,” the Senator concluded.  

    Read the full letter here.

    Senator Cortez Masto has continued to push the Trump Administration to address the impacts of Trump’s tariffs on working families and Nevada small businesses. During a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Cortez Masto pressed USTR Greer about the impacts of President Trump’s blanket tariffs on Nevadans, particularly those employed in the tourism and hospitality industry. The Senator introduced the Tariff Transparency Act to require the U.S. International Trade Commission to publicly investigate how Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada would impact the American people.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: The Muslim world has been strong on rhetoric, short on action over Gaza and Afghanistan

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University; and Vice Chancellor’s Strategic Fellow, Victoria University

    When it comes to dealing with two of the biggest current crises in the Muslim world – the devastation of Gaza and the Taliban’s draconian rule in Afghanistan – Arab and Muslim states have been staggeringly ineffective.

    Their chief body, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in particular, has been strong on rhetoric but very short on serious, tangible action.

    The OIC, headquartered in Saudi Arabia, is composed of 57 predominantly Muslim states. It is supposed to act as a representative and consultative body and make decisions and recommendations on the major issues that affect Muslims globally. It calls itself the “collective voice of the Muslim world”.

    Yet the body has proved to be toothless in the face of Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza, triggered in response to the Hamas attacks of October 7 2023.

    The OIC has equally failed to act against the Taliban’s reign of terror in the name of Islam in ethnically diverse Afghanistan.

    Many strong statements

    Despite its projection of a united umma (the global Islamic community, as defined in my coauthored book Islam Beyond Borders), the OIC has ignominiously been divided on Gaza and Afghanistan.

    True, it has condemned Israel’s Gaza operations. It’s also called for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the starving population of the strip.

    It has also rejected any Israeli move to depopulate and annex the enclave, as well as the West Bank. These moves would render the two-state solution to the long-running Israeli–Palestinian conflict essentially defunct.

    Further, the OIC has welcomed the recent joint statement by the foreign ministers of 28 countries (including the United Kingdom, many European Union members and Japan) calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as well as France’s decision to recognise the state of Palestine.

    The OIC is good at putting out statements. However, this approach hasn’t varied much from that of the wider global community. It is largely verbal, and void of any practical measures.

    What the group could do for Gaza

    Surely, Muslim states can and should be doing more.

    For example, the OIC has failed to persuade Israel’s neighbouring states – Egypt and Jordan, in particular – to open their border crossings to allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza, the West Bank or Israel, in defiance of Israeli leaders.

    Nor has it been able to compel Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco to suspend their relations with the Jewish state until it agrees to a two-state solution.

    Further, the OIC has not adopted a call by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, for Israel to be suspended from the UN.

    Nor has it urged its oil-rich Arab members, in particular Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to harness their resources to prompt US President Donald Trump to halt the supply of arms to Israel and pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war.

    Stronger action on Afghanistan, too

    In a similar vein, the OIC has failed to exert maximum pressure on the ultra-extremist and erstwhile terrorist Taliban government in Afghanistan.

    Since sweeping back into power in 2021, the Taliban has ruled in a highly repressive, misogynist and draconian fashion in the name of Islam. This is not practised anywhere else in the Muslim world.

    In December 2022, OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha called for a global campaign to unite Islamic scholars and religious authorities against the Taliban’s decision to ban girls from education.

    But this was superseded a month later, when the OIC expressed concern over the Taliban’s “restrictions on women”, but asked the international community not to “interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs”. This was warmly welcomed by the Taliban.

    In effect, the OIC – and therefore most Muslim countries – have adopted no practical measures to penalise the Taliban for its behaviour.

    It has not censured the Taliban nor imposed crippling sanctions on the group. And while no Muslim country has officially recognised the Taliban government (only Russia has), most OIC members have nonetheless engaged with the Taliban at political, economic, financial and trade levels.

    Why is it so divided?

    There are many reasons for the OIC’s ineffectiveness.

    For one, the group is composed of a politically, socially, culturally and economically diverse assortment of members.

    But more importantly, it has not functioned as a “bridge builder” by developing a common strategy of purpose and action that can overcome the geopolitical and sectarian differences of its members.

    In the current polarised international environment, the rivalry among its member states – and with major global powers such as the United States and China – has rendered the organisation a mere talking shop.

    This has allowed extremist governments in both Israel and Afghanistan to act with impunity.

    It is time to look at the OIC’s functionality and determine how it can more effectively unite the umma.

    This may also be an opportunity for its member states to develop an effective common strategy that could help the cause of peace and stability in the Muslim domain and its relations with the outside world.

    Amin Saikal 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. The Muslim world has been strong on rhetoric, short on action over Gaza and Afghanistan – https://theconversation.com/the-muslim-world-has-been-strong-on-rhetoric-short-on-action-over-gaza-and-afghanistan-262121

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: Brown University reaches agreement with Trump administration to restore federal funding

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

    Brown University on Wednesday announced an agreement with the Donald Trump administration to restore federal funding and resolve three ongoing nondiscrimination reviews.

    “The agreement will reinstate payments for active research grants and restore Brown’s ability to compete for new federal grants and contracts, while also meeting Brown’s core imperative of preserving the ability for its students and scholars to teach and learn without government intrusion,” the university said in a statement.

    The agreement will restore Brown’s medical and health sciences research funding, including reimbursement of more than 50 million U.S. dollars in unpaid federal grant costs.

    The agreement also includes Brown’s commitment to pay 50 million dollars in grants over 10 years to workforce development organizations in Rhode Island, where the university is located.

    “The University’s foremost priority throughout discussions with the government was remaining true to our academic mission, our core values, and who we are as a community at Brown,” Brown President Christina H. Paxson said in a letter to the Brown community.

    “We stand solidly behind commitments we repeatedly have affirmed to protect all members of our community from harassment and discrimination, (and) we protect the ability of our faculty and students to study and learn academic subjects of their choosing,” Paxson said.

    The president noted that the agreement “does not include any payments or fines to the federal government.”

    Explaining why Brown “voluntarily negotiated toward an agreement,” Paxson said that for the last few months, the university’s mission and its community have been under threat.

    “Beyond the financial stresses of terminated and unpaid research grants and contracts, we have observed a growing push for government intrusion into the fundamental academic operations of colleges and universities, and with the stated purpose of compelling a commitment to comply with laws focused on prohibitions against antisemitism and discrimination,” she said.

    U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon reacted to the agreement on social media platform X, saying, “The Trump Administration is successfully reversing the decades-long woke-capture of our nation’s higher education institutions.”

    “Because of the Trump Administration’s resolution agreement with Brown University, aspiring students will be judged solely on their merits, not their race or sex. Brown has committed to proactive measures to protect Jewish students and combat Antisemitism on campus. Women’s sports and intimate facilities will be protected for women,” McMahon said.

    In April, the Trump administration announced that it would freeze 510 million dollars in federal contracts and funding to Brown University, citing its handling of campus antisemitism and diversity policies.

    The Education Department had previously announced that approximately 60 American colleges and universities — including Harvard, Cornell, Yale, and Brown — were under federal investigation.

    Brown University is one of the eight elite Ivy League universities, known for its academic excellence and historic legacy.

    Last week, another Ivy League school, Columbia University, announced that it had reached a settlement with the federal government, agreeing to pay over 200 million dollars to restore access to 400 million dollars in federal funding.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • Cambodia asks Thailand to release detained soldiers as truce holds

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Cambodia accused Thailand on Thursday of detaining 20 of its soldiers and killing another in post-ceasefire incidents, as a fragile peace held for a third day along their disputed border.

    Five days of intense clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours that began last week killed at least 43 people, many of them civilians, and displaced more than 300,000, until a truce brokered in Malaysia on Monday halted the fighting.

    Thailand has since accused Cambodian troops of violating the ceasefire multiple times, a charge denied by authorities in Phnom Penh, who instead allege that the Thai military has wrongfully detained a number of its soldiers.

    “We appeal to the Thai side to promptly return all 20 of our forces, including other forces if any are under Thai control,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Thursday.

    In a statement, senior Cambodian defence official Lieutenant General Rath Dararoth said one Cambodian soldier had died in Thai custody since the ceasefire and his body had been returned. He did not provide further details.

    Thailand currently has custody of 20 Cambodian soldiers who had surrendered, including two who are under medical treatment, Thai Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri told reporters.

    “We are investigating them to verify the facts. After this is finished, they will be released,” Thailand’s Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said, stressing the Thai military had not violated the ceasefire agreement.

    As per talks between military commanders held after Monday’s truce announcement, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to facilitate the return of wounded soldiers and bodies of those deceased, besides refraining from reinforcing troops along the border.

    Cambodia took military attaches and diplomats to a border checkpoint on Wednesday to verify the ceasefire as both sides exchanged accusations of violating the truce.

    For decades, Thailand and Cambodia have wrangled over undemarcated points along their 817-km (508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes.

    The recent truce followed a push by Malaysia and calls by U.S. President Donald Trump’s phone calls to leaders of Thailand and Cambodia, warning them that trade deals would not be concluded if the fighting continued.

    Both countries face a tariff of 36% on goods sent to the U.S., their biggest export market.

    U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, said early on Thursday that trade deals had been made with both countries ahead of the August 1 tariff deadline.

    (Reuters) 

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Russia has already acquired immunity to Western sanctions – Russian President’s press secretary

    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

    Moscow, July 30 (Xinhua) — Russia’s economy has already managed to develop immunity to Western sanctions, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to introduce new restrictive measures.

    “We have been living under a huge number of sanctions for quite a long time. Our economy operates under a huge number of restrictions. Therefore, of course, we have already developed a certain immunity in this regard,” he said, answering a question about preparations for the introduction of new restrictions.

    Earlier, D. Trump announced that he was reducing the 50-day deadline he had set for reaching a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to 10 days. If the negotiations fail, he plans to introduce new import duties, sanctions or “something else.” –0–

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

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Lightning: US Federal Reserve leaves interest rate unchanged at 4.25-4.5% despite Trump’s calls for lowering it

    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

    Xinhua | 31.07.2025

    Keywords: US-Fed-Interest rate

    Source: Xinhua

    Flash: US Federal Reserve leaves interest rate unchanged at 4.25-4.5% despite D. Trump’s calls for it to be lowered Flash: US Federal Reserve leaves interest rate unchanged at 4.25-4.5% despite D. Trump’s calls for it to be lowered

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

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: D. Trump announced the introduction of 25 percent customs duties on imports from India

    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

    NEW YORK, July 30 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Indian goods exported to the United States will be subject to a 25 percent tariff starting Aug. 1, the American leader said in a post on the Truth Social social network.

    According to D. Trump, although India is “our friend,” the United States does “relatively little business with it because their tariffs are too high.” The American president added that India has “the most onerous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers of any country.”

    The head of the White House also noted that India “has always purchased the vast majority of military equipment from Russia and is the largest buyer of Russian energy resources.”

    Therefore, he announced, starting from August 1, India will pay 25 percent customs duties and “a penalty for the above.”

    U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer told CNBC on July 28 that the United States needs more time to negotiate with India to assess the country’s readiness to open its market more to American goods.

    Any tariff rate of 20 percent or more would be a disappointment to India, which had sought better terms than the 19 percent Trump offered Indonesia and the Philippines, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. –0–

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

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Pakistan Deal Completed – 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

    NEW YORK, July 30 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States and Pakistan have reached an agreement that includes bilateral cooperation in developing Pakistan’s oil reserves.

    “We just made a deal with Pakistan where Pakistan and the United States will work together to develop their vast oil reserves,” Trump wrote on social media. “We are in the process of selecting an oil company to lead this partnership.”

    So far, the US and Pakistani governments have not released official statements about the deal. –0–

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

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: D. Trump announced the conclusion of a trade agreement with the Republic of Korea

    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 30 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a trade deal with the Republic of Korea.

    “We have agreed to impose a 15 percent tariff on South Korea. There will be no tariff on America,” he wrote on the Truth Social social network.

    “The deal is that South Korea will provide the United States with $350 billion for investments owned and controlled by the United States and selected by me as President,” Trump said. –0–

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

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Masked and armed agents are arresting people on US streets as aggressive immigration enforcement ramps up

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dafydd Townley, Teaching Fellow in US politics and international security, University of Portsmouth

    There are masked men, and some women, on the streets in American cities, sometimes travelling in unmarked cars, often carrying weapons and wearing military-style kit. They have the power to identify, arrest, detain non-citizens and deport undocumented immigrants. They also have the right to interrogate any individual who they believe is not a citizen over their right to remain in the US.

    These are agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, known as Ice. This is a federal law enforcement agency, which falls under the control of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and is playing a significant and contentious role in the implementation of Donald Trump’s tough immigration policy.

    On the campaign trail Trump promised “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history”. And he is giving Ice more power to deliver his plans.

    Since Trump took office in January, Ice funding has been significantly increased. Trump’s “big beautiful bill”, passed by Congress in July 2025, gave Ice US$75 billion (£55 billion) of funding for the next four years, up from around US$8 billion a year.

    This funding boost will allow the agency to recruit more agents as well as adding thousands more beds plus extensions to buildings to increase the capacity of detention centres. There is also new funding for advanced surveillance tools including AI-assisted facial recognition and mobile data collection. There’s another US$30 billion going to frontline operations, covering removing immigrants and transport to detention centres.

    The president has committed to deporting everyone who is in the US illegally, that is estimated by the Wall Street Journal to be about 4% of the current US population. For the past five months, the numbers of people being picked up by Ice agents has been ticking up fast.

    Average daily arrests were up 268% to about 1,000 a day in June 2025, compared with the same month a year earlier. This was also a 42% rise on May 2025, according to data analysis from the Guardian and the Deportation Data Project. However, this is still considerably short of the 3,000 a day ordered by secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

    Ice’s tactics have already attracted significant criticism. Right-leaning broadcaster Fox News has reported on how masked agents are not showing ID or naming their agency when picking up people in raids. Other reporting has highlighted allegations that American citizens are also sometimes being swept up in the raids.

    The agency, currently led by acting director Todd M. Lyons, has three main divisions: the Enforcement and Removal Operations division, which identifies and deports undocumented immigrants as well as manages detention centres. The Homeland Security Investigations, which investigates criminal activities with an international or border nexus such as human trafficking, narcotics, and weapons smuggling. The Office of the Principal Legal Advisor provides legal advice to Ice and prosecutes immigration cases in court.

    Lyons claimed that mask wearing was necessary because of Ice agents being “doxed” – when a person’s personal information such as names and home addresses are revealed online without their permission. Assaults on Ice agents have risen, he claimed. DHS data suggested that there were 79 assaults on Ice agents from January to June 2025, compared to ten in the same period in 2024.

    Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries compared mask wearing by Ice agents to secret police forces in authoritarian regimes. “We’re not behind the Iron Curtain. This is not the 1930s.”



    Read more:
    ICE has broad power to detain and arrest noncitizens – but is still bound by constitutional limits

    The Ice agency was established in 2003 by the George W. Bush administration, partly as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and was part of a broader reorganisation of federal agencies under the then newly created DHS. It incorporated parts of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and some elements of the US Customs Service.

    According to the agency’s website, Ice’s core mission is “to protect America through criminal investigations and enforcing immigration laws to preserve national security and public safety”.

    News coverage of Ice agents wearing masks and not identifying themselves.

    What’s changed?

    At the start of the administration in January, the White House gave Ice the authority to hasten the deportation of immigrants that had entered the country with government authorisation during the previous administration. This “expedited removal” authority allowed Ice to deport individuals without requiring an appearance before an immigration judge.

    As arrests have grown in the past months, Lyons told CBS News that Ice would detain any undocumented immigrant, even if they did not have a criminal record.

    And the Trump administration has also allowed Ice agents to make arrests at immigration courts, which had previously been off limits. This restriction was introduced by the Biden administration in 2021 to ensure witnesses, victims of crimes and defendants would still appear in court without fear of arrest for immigration violations, unless the target was a national security threat.

    Protests over Ice raids have spread across California.

    However, Lyons rescinded those restrictions in May, part of a broader shift towards aggressive enforcement.

    Much of the time, Ice has targeted illegal immigrants. But the agency has also arrested and detained some individuals who were residents (green card holders) or tourists – and, in some cases, citizens.

    In recent weeks, according to the Washington Post, Ice has been ordered to increase the number of immigrants shackled with GPS-enabled ankle monitors. This would significantly increase the number of immigrants that are under surveillance. Ankle monitors also restrict where people can travel.

    Sparking protests

    There have been numerous public protests about Ice raids, most notably in California. This peaked on June 6 after Ice had conducted numerous raids in Los Angeles, resulting in clashes between agents and protesters. This led to the White House sending around 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles, despite opposition from California governor Gavin Newsom.

    Part of the friction between the Trump administation and the state is that Los Angeles and San Francisco have adopted local policies to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities including Ice. California has sanctuary laws, such as SB 54, that prohibit local police and sheriffs from assisting Ice with civil immigration enforcement.

    However, Trump shows every sign of pushing harder and faster to crack down on illegal immigrants, and Ice agents are clearly at the forefront of how he aims to do it.

    Dafydd Townley 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. Masked and armed agents are arresting people on US streets as aggressive immigration enforcement ramps up – https://theconversation.com/masked-and-armed-agents-are-arresting-people-on-us-streets-as-aggressive-immigration-enforcement-ramps-up-261499

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin Statement After Voting to Send a Message to Trump and Netanyahu to End War, Surge in Aid, Release Hostages

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) released the following statement after voting on the Senate floor for Joint Resolutions of Disapproval concerning sales of weapons to Israel:

    “The starvation and suffering that we are watching unfold in Gaza is unimaginable and heartbreaking. There is simply no way to defend it, and it has to stop.

    “I have been crystal clear since the day of Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack on Israel that they have the right to defend themselves, respond, and bring the hostages home. I still believe that. I also firmly believe that this Netanyahu government must protect innocent Palestinian families and prevent children from starving – and right now, they are not doing that. I cannot stand idly by.

    “This vote is about sending a loud and clear message to Netanyahu and the Trump Administration that they must urgently act to end this war, surge food and aid to innocent Palestinians, and finally bring all the remaining hostages home.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How Rupert Murdoch helped to build brand Trump – podcast

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation

    Donald Trump’s lawyers are pushing to get Rupert Murdoch deposed, and quickly.

    The US president is suing the billionaire media owner, alongside the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones and others, for libel after it published an article alleging that Trump once wrote a “bawdy” birthday letter to the convicted sex offender, the late Jeffrey Epstein.

    Trump is seeking US$10 billion in damages. In a court filing in late July, his lawyers asked the court to order a swift deposition, citing Murdoch’s age at 94.

    Trump and Murdoch have a transactional friendship that goes back decades. Despite past tensions, this rupture is something new in a relationship that has continued to serve both men’s interests.

    In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, professor of journalism Andrew Dodd at the University of Melbourne takes us back to where their relationship began in 1970s New York, to understand how Murdoch helped to build brand Trump.

    Murdoch was already a very successful media magnate in Australia and the UK before he made his move to America. In 1976, after dabbling in two newspapers in Texas, he bought the New York Post.

    “ Murdoch wanted to make it big in the US and to do that he really needed to break into New York,” says Dodd. US television networks were all based in US, he explains, “so by influencing what was going on in Manhattan, he was influencing the entire country’s media.”

    Meanwhile, Trump was a young property developer from Queens. “ He’s wanting to develop and build, and he’s also wanting a profile because the profile will help him along the way,” says Dodd. “But he’s also an egomaniac. He needs publicity for its own sake, and so he’s attracted to the media.” Trump became easy and frequent fodder for the new Page Six gossip column of Murdoch’s New York Post.

    Dodd says that both men saw in each other “opportunities for their own advancement”. For Trump, it was about access to notoriety. For Murdoch, a newcomer and foreigner in New York, he needed to make friends quickly and start establishing relationships. “He’s becoming ingratiated with power in the city, and so they’re all using one another,” he says.

    Listen to the conversation with Andrew Dodd about Trump and Murdoch and the power they now wield over each other, on The Conversation Weekly podcast.

    This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware with assistance from Ashlynne McGhee. Mixing and sound design by Eloise Stevens and theme music by Neeta Sarl.

    Newclips in this episode from ITV News, MSNBC and The Independent.

    Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here. A transcript of this episode is available on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

    Andrew Dodd 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. How Rupert Murdoch helped to build brand Trump – podcast – https://theconversation.com/how-rupert-murdoch-helped-to-build-brand-trump-podcast-262158

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Labor well-placed to win three Bass seats in Tasmanian election, giving left a total of 20 of 35 MPs

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    Labor is well-placed to win three seats in the electorate of Bass at the Tasmanian election, although its party totals imply it deserves only two. This would give left-leaning MPs a total of 20 of 35 seats. Interstate, New South Wales Labor has surged to a large lead in a Resolve poll.

    The postal receipt deadline for the July 19 Tasmanian state election passed at 10am Tuesday. Final statewide vote shares
    were 39.9% Liberals (up 3.2% since the March 2024 election), 25.9% Labor (down 3.2%), 14.4% Greens (up 0.5%), 2.9% Shooters, Fishers and Farmers (up 0.6%), 1.6% Nationals (new) and 15.3% independents (up 5.7%).

    Tasmania uses the proportional Hare-Clark system to elect its lower house. There are five electorates corresponding to Tasmania’s five federal seats, and each electorate returns seven members, for a total of 35 lower house MPs.

    Under this system, a quota for election is one-eighth of the vote or 12.5%, but half of this (6.2%) is usually enough to give a reasonable chance of election. There’s no above the line section like for the federal Senate. Instead, people vote for candidates not parties, with at least seven preferences required for a formal vote.

    Robson rotation means that candidates for each party are randomised across ballot papers for that electorate, so that on some ballot papers a candidate will appear at the top of their party’s ticket and on others at the bottom.

    This means parties can’t control the ordering of their candidates. Independents can be listed in single-candidate columns.

    Leakage occurs when party candidates with more than one quota are elected and their surplus distributed, or when minor candidates are excluded and their preferences distributed. In the federal Senate, the large majority of votes are cast above the line, and these votes cannot leak from the party that received a first preference vote.

    The consequence of leakage is that parties will lose votes from their totals during the distribution of preferences when their own candidates are elected or excluded. Single-candidate tickets can’t lose votes, and will only gain as other candidates are excluded.

    Unlike other states and federally, the Tasmanian distribution of preferences is done manually. Before the distributions, analyst Kevin Bonham had called 14 of the 35 seats for the Liberals, ten for Labor, five for the Greens and four for left-leaning independents, leaving two undecided (the final seats in Bass and Lyons).

    Labor well-placed to win three seats in Bass

    Final primary votes in Bass gave the Liberals 3.34 quotas, Labor 2.20, the Greens 1.32, the Shooters 0.32 and independent George Razay 0.27. The Shooters and Razay had single-candidate tickets that can’t leak votes.

    After three days of preference distributions, vote shares in Bass are 3.30 quotas for the Liberals, 2.25 for Labor, 1.31 for the Greens, 0.40 for the Shooters and 0.37 for Razay.

    On quota fractions, the final seat in Bass looks as if it should go to the Shooters or Razay. However, with one Labor candidate already elected, the two leading Labor candidates (Jess Greene and Geoff Lyons) each have about 0.37 quotas with two Labor candidates still to be excluded.

    If the remaining Labor votes divide roughly evenly between Greene and Lyons, they would each have about 0.62 quotas. Greens preferences will then favour Labor whether their final opponent is the Shooters or the Liberals. So Labor is well-placed to win three seats in Bass despite their party total implying they only deserve two.

    If Labor wins the final Bass seat, Labor, the Greens and left-leaning independents would have a total of 20 of the 35 seats, making any Labor attempt to form government easier.

    In Lyons, final primary votes gave the Liberals 3.36 quotas, Labor 2.27, the Greens 1.08, the Shooters 0.53 and the Nationals 0.33. The Shooters had a single-candidate ticket.

    The Liberals now have 3.36 quotas, Labor 2.44, the Greens one, the Shooters 0.68 and the Nationals 0.34. Neither Labor nor the Liberals have any chance of pulling off an even split across candidates, so the Shooters will win the final Lyons seat.

    NSW Resolve poll: Labor surges to large lead

    A New South Wales state Resolve poll for The Sydney Morning Herald, conducted July 13–18 from a sample of 1,054, gave Labor 38% of the primary vote (up five since April), the Coalition 32% (down four), the Greens 13% (up two), independents 8% (down six) and others 10% (up four).

    Resolve does not usually give a two-party estimate for its state polls, but The Poll Bludger estimated a Labor lead by 57–43. Despite the strong voting intentions for Labor, Labor incumbent Chris Minns’ lead over Liberal Mark Speakman as preferred premier narrowed from 40–15 to 35–16. This indicates that Labor’s surge is due to the federal election result.

    Resolve polls taken well before an election have overstated the independent vote as they give independent as an option in all seats, when many seats don’t have viable independents. The six-point drop for independents in this poll suggests a different method is now being used.

    By 32–25, respondents expected their personal outlook in the next year to get better rather than worse, but by 25–21 they expected the NSW state outlook to get worse.

    Additional questions from federal Resolve poll

    I previously covered a national Resolve poll for Nine newspapers that gave Labor a 56–44 lead. On reforms, 36% thought the government should take the opportunity from its landslide re-election to undertake reforms, while 32% thought it should restrict itself to policies put forward at the election.

    By 47–20, respondents opposed raising the GST rate even if it would reduce other taxes. By 31–26, they supported reducing or ditching negative gearing concessions. By 36–27, they supported reducing or ditching capital gains tax concessions on properties.

    By 57–18, respondents thought the opposition should work with the government to negotiate changes, rather than just oppose major reforms.

    By 53–18, respondents thought Donald Trump’s election as United States president last November a bad outcome for Australia (68–11 bad in April, after Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs).

    By 46–22, they thought Australia becoming more independent from the US on foreign policy and national security would be good. By 38–26, voters blamed Trump more than Albanese for the lack of a meeting.

    Adrian Beaumont 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. Labor well-placed to win three Bass seats in Tasmanian election, giving left a total of 20 of 35 MPs – https://theconversation.com/labor-well-placed-to-win-three-bass-seats-in-tasmanian-election-giving-left-a-total-of-20-of-35-mps-261751

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Doggett’s Statement on Republicans’ Gerrymandering Scheme

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)

    Contact: Alexis Torres  

    Washington, D.C.—Today, U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) released the following statement: 

    “Trump is taking a hatchet to chop up Austin and our state with the sole objective of maintaining his one-man rule. This is designed to eliminate accessibility, accountability, and a strong voice for our shared values. For years, Republicans have failed in their attempts to use redistricting to get rid of me. If we continue working together, they will fail again. If Trump and his cowardly Republican accomplices get away with rigging Texas, voters in states across America will be at risk. For now, my sole focus is on defeating this Trump-imposed gerrymandering, which relies on crooked lines instead of honest votes. The only ‘What if’ that matters is ‘What if this crooked scheme is approved to give Trump a rubber stamp to do whatever he pleases.’”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Secretary Noem is Taking a Sledgehammer to Criminal Human Trafficking Rings

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Secretary Noem is Taking a Sledgehammer to Criminal Human Trafficking Rings

    lass=”text-align-center”>On this World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Kristi Noem and the Department of Homeland Security continue taking action to disrupt criminal human trafficking organizations
    WASHINGTON – On this year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is announcing a series of major crack downs against the worst of the worst criminal organizations: human trafficking rings

     
    The previous administration’s open border policies empowered human traffickers and allowed over 450,000 unaccompanied children to be illegally smuggled over the border

     
    Under President Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the full weight of the American government is bringing the hammer down on human trafficking rings

      In just the first few months, the Trump administration has developed leads on thousands of human trafficking cases

     
    DHS has also cracked down on the criminal terrorist gang Tren de Aragua, which enriches itself through the sex trafficking of vulnerable young women

      The Trump administration has arrested more than 2,700 members of Tren de Aragua so far

     
    This crisis is fueled by organized crime networks: sophisticated cartels that exploited the weakness of the previous administration, especially its open border and refusal to enforce immigration law, to rake in billions from forced labor, brutal sexual exploitation, coercing innocent people into drug running, and other heinous crimes

     
    “The brave men and women of DHS are the best in the world at going after traffickers

    They are always able to track down those who are trafficking individuals, find the ringleaders, and rip that evil off by its head,” said Secretary Kristi Noem

    “I’m so thankful that I get the chance to lead individuals like that, and agents who get up every day to help save our children and to save women and men from the kind of slavery that we’ve seen

    ” 
    Below are some examples of how DHS is fighting to put human traffickers out of business: 

    July 28, 2025: As part of Operation Apex Predator, a Child Exploitation Investigations Unit initiative with the Cyber Crimes Center, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Newark arrested four illegal alien child predators over the course of four days

    All four are registered sex offenders

    July 23, 2025: ICE arrested 243 illegal aliens in the Denver metro area

    Among those arrested were aliens wanted for human trafficking, and several members of transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), including Tren de Aragua (TdA), Los Zetas, and the Sinaloa Cartel

    July 22, 2025: Following an ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigation, a resident of Laredo, Texas was sentenced to 63 months in prison for smuggling 101 migrants in a locked trailer

    Among the illegal aliens smuggled were 12 children

    The suspect was sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy to transport migrants

    July 21, 2025: As a result of an investigation by ICE HSI Rio Grande Valley, a convicted human smuggler was sentenced to 20 years in prison for possessing images of sexual assaults of prepubescent children

    July 10, 2025: ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) executed criminal warrant operations at marijuana facilities in Carpinteria and Camarillo, California

    In these facilities, at least 14 migrant children were rescued from potential exploitation, forced labor, and human trafficking

    During this operation, federal officers also arrested at least 361 illegal aliens

    Among those arrested were criminals with convictions for kidnapping, rape, attempted rape, and attempted child molestation, among other charges

    July 10, 2025: As the result of an ICE New York investigation, the leader of a Mexican sex trafficking organization was sentenced to 188 months in prison for sex trafficking multiple victims by force, fraud, and coercion

    July 9, 2025: An ICE Del Rio investigation resulted in an illegal Honduran alien being sentenced to 10 years in prison, with three years of supervised release, for his role in smuggling thousands of aliens into the United States for financial gain

    His smuggling conspiracy spanned three years and involved thousands of aliens from 11 different countries

    July 7, 2025: Border Patrol agents assisted the U

    S

    Marshals in executing an arrest warrant on a high-priority target linked to a criminal syndicate operating in human exploitation

    The suspect, a U

    S

    citizen, was wanted for multiple charges, including procurement of persons, placing individuals into prostitution, residing in a house of prostitution, and profiting from the earnings of prostitution

    The suspect was arrested without incident in Yuma, Arizona

     
    June 24, 2025: HSI Nashville identified one child victim and one adult victim of labor trafficking

    During an immigration court proceeding, the child victim revealed that she and her 18-year-old brother had been forced by their sponsor to work to pay off their smuggling fees and to pay for the sponsor’s household expenses

    June 16, 2025: A worksite enforcement operation by ICE HSI targeted employers and subcontractors who knowingly hire illegal aliens

    During this operation, HSI Mobile identified and rescued a child and arrested eight foreign nationals for violating immigration law

    The child was found to be working among adults and was believed to have never attended school since entering the United States two years ago

    June 6, 2025: The Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Venezuelan illegal alien and member of MS-13 arrested by ICE, on charges of alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling

    Despite the mainstream media insisting for months that Garcia was an innocent “Maryland father,” he is now standing trial after evidence emerged of his involvement in criminal smuggling rings

    June 2, 2025: ICE Rio Grande Valley discovered a stash house in South Texas and subsequently arrested 16 illegal aliens

    The owner of the property admitted to harboring the illegal aliens, who came from five different countries

    A Mexican national was taken in for questioning for his role in human smuggling

    May 28, 2025: HSI New York special agents arrested an adult male from Ecuador at his residence for violations relating to the sexual exploitation of a child

    New York received information regarding a 15-year-old female who was apprehended near El Paso, Texas, after illegally entering the United States

    At that time, she was pregnant with the adult’s child and had been in a relationship with him in Ecuador since the age of thirteen

    The subject organized the smuggling of the teenager across the border to engage in sexual acts

    His mother sponsored her after her illegal entry, and the subject continued his relationship with the children, living with his mother in Harlem

    May 28, 2025: CBP issued a Withhold Release Order against Zhen Fa 7, a Chinese-flagged fishing vessel

    As a result, CBP officers at all U

    S

    ports of entry will detain seafood harvested by Zhen Fa 7 based on reasonable suspicion that the vessel uses forced labor to harvest such seafood

    May 28, 2025: Border Patrol agents in the San Diego Sector prevented an attempt to smuggle two Mexican nationals into the United States

    The attempt involved one United States citizen and one Mexican national, who attempted to smuggle the illegal aliens across the border using a truck

    Inside the truck were three fully loaded firearms, including a “ghost gun

    ” The suspected smugglers face felony charges of bringing in and harboring aliens, and unlawful acts involving firearms

     
    May 12, 2025: HSI Austin identified and rescued a child, arrested two Guatemalan nationals for violating immigration law, and initiated an HSI-led investigation of state and federal charges of human trafficking and statutory rape

    During a welfare check, HSI Agents, assisted by the FBI, identified a pregnant 14-year-old female residing with an unrelated adult male sponsor, later determined to be the biological father of the unborn child

    May 7, 2025: CBP’s Air and Marine Operations (AMO) interdicted a vessel with four illegal aliens from Uzbekistan that were being smuggled into Puerto Rico

    The vessel attempted to enter Puerto Rico on the island of Vieques; onboard were the four illegal aliens from Uzbekistan and three United States citizens

    The Uzbeki nationals did not have any documents for an authorized entry or stay in the United States

    May 4, 2025: Border Patrol agents in the Tucson Sector arrested a United States citizen and two Mexican nationals after a high-speed pursuit

    The United States citizen, who was driving the car and had an extensive criminal history, fled from law enforcement at high speed after failing to stop at an immigration checkpoint

    After crashing into another car, the three occupants fled on foot before being arrested

    The driver faces federal charges that include human smuggling, fleeing law enforcement, and endangering human life

    May 2, 2025: Four Mexican nationals in the United States illegally were charged for their roles in an international human smuggling conspiracy that brought aliens across the Canadian border into the United States for profit

    The smuggling organization had been operating for two years and smuggled hundreds of aliens per week through Canada

    The aliens or their family members would pay thousands of dollars to be smuggled into the United States

    April 29, 2025: CBP officers at the Area Port of San Luis arrested a woman in connection with the failed smuggling attempt of a child

    The suspect, a Mexican citizen, had sedated the child prior to attempting to cross the border

    The suspect also presented a false birth certificate and alleged that she was the mother; the officers discovered that there was no family relationship between the woman and the child

    April 2, 2025: CBP issued a Withhold Release Order against Taepyung Salt Farm, based on information that reasonably indicates the use of forced labor in the production of the company’s sea salt products

    As a result, CBP personnel at all U

    S

    ports of entry will detain sea salt products from Taepyung Salt Farm in South Korea

    March 25, 2025: After an ICE Arizona investigation with law enforcement partners, a human smuggling coordinator was sentenced to 30 months in prison for her role in smuggling over 100 Colombians into the United States

    She had been operating a travel agency in her native country, Colombia, where she would charge the victims a fee to travel to Mexico, with additional bribes required at Mexican airports

    February 14, 2025: Working with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, an ICE investigation led to a four-count indictment against eight defendants with ties to Tren de Aragua on charges related to their involvement with a transnational commercial sex enterprise

    Everyone can be part of the fight against human trafficking

    The DHS Blue Campaign can help you recognize human trafficking and provide resources to report suspicious activity to law enforcement

     
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom signs legislation 7.30.25

    Source: US State of California 2

    Jul 30, 2025

    SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he has signed the following bills:

    • AB 17 by Assemblymember Juan Alanis (R-Modesto) – Elections: precinct maps.
    • AB 377 by Assemblymember David Tangipa (R-Clovis) – High-Speed Rail Authority: business plan: Merced to Bakersfield segment. A signing message can be found here.
    • AB 379 by Assemblymember Nick Schultz (D-Burbank) – Crimes: prostitution.
    • AB 642 by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) – Emergencies proclaimed by the Governor: school employee catastrophic leave.
    • AB 951 by Assemblymember Tri Ta (R-Westminster) – Health care coverage: behavioral diagnoses.
    • AB 1029 by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) – Statements of financial interest: digital financial assets.
    • AB 1051 by Assemblymember Laurie Davies (R-Laguna Niguel) – Route 76: Payómkawish Highway.
    • AB 1114 by Assemblymember Anamarie Ávila Farías (D-Martinez) – Emergency vehicles: fee and toll exemptions.
    • AB 1216 by the Committee on Education – Elementary and secondary education: omnibus.
    • AB 1459 by the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials – Hazardous waste: underground storage tanks.
    • SB 251 by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) – Claims against the state: appropriation.
    • SB 428 by Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) – State Auditor: permanent office.
    • SB 521 by Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) – Public employment: disqualification.
    • SB 648 by Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) – Employment: gratitudes: enforcement.
    • SB 652 by Senator Laura Richardson (D-South Bay) – Private security services: security guards: training.
    • SB 693 by Senator Dave Cortese (D-Silicon Valley) – Employees: meal periods.

    For full text of the bills, visit: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    Jul 30, 2025

    News What you need to know: California is standing up for all Americans by challenging Trump’s unlawful tariff policy, which is slowing the national economy and raising prices for consumers.  SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today filed an amicus brief in support of…

    Jul 30, 2025

    News What you need to know: California is taking targeted action to address the mental health crisis among young men and boys today with a new executive order focused on suicide prevention, behavioral health, and helping find purpose through education, family, and…

    Jul 29, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Gerald Tolbert, of La Jolla, has been appointed to the Medical Board of California. Tolbert has been a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Department of Emergency Medicine and Medical…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trump tariff policy continues to cause chaos in American economy

    Source: US State of California 2

    Jul 30, 2025

    What you need to know: California is standing up for all Americans by challenging Trump’s unlawful tariff policy, which is slowing the national economy and raising prices for consumers. 

    SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today filed an amicus brief in support of another lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s illegal tariff debacle.  The tariffs continue to cause chaos in the national economy, raise prices for American families, and put California’s ongoing economic dominance under threat.

    “Trump’s illegal tariffs are stagnating our economy and hurting American families. Bragging that your unlawful policies are producing ‘BETTER THAN EXPECTED’ results while the economy slowed.  That’s like an F student bragging because they got a D-. We should all expect more from the executive branch. California will continue to stand up against Trump’s unlawful actions on behalf of all Americans.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    In the first six months of Trump’s presidency, the US economy slowed as a result of his policies. While Trump celebrates that his administration’s economic performance is “BETTER THAN EXPECTED,” American families continue to feel the pain from the impacts of his failed negotiations and increased prices. 

    Even Fox Business set the record straight on Fox News saying: Let’s be real clear here. Tariffs cost, they’re a tax. That tax often gets passed on to consumers.

    Consumers, retailers and the business economy are bracing for the impacts of Trump’s tariffs going into effect in August. Here’s how Trump’s failed tariff policy is impacting all Americans:

    • Fewer people are buying goods. Consumer spending is down to only a 1.4 percent annual rate in the second quarter — well below the 2.8 percent growth in spending in 2024.
    • Stockpiling in anticipation of price increases. Trump tariffs are expected to raise prices on groceries and even Trump officials have reportedly started stockpiling to prepare for price increases and shortages.
    • Prices are already increasing. Price increases due to tariffs could cost households on average an extra $2,400 in 2025, the Yale Budget Lab predicted in their most recent analysis.
       

    A one-two gut punch for California

    In addition to the national repercussions, Trump’s tariffs are having an outsized impact on California’s economy in recent months:

    • Families and workers will bear the brunt. Tariffs could cost households $25 billion and lead to a loss of over 64,000 jobs across California.
    • Businesses are also paying the price. California firms incurred $11.3 billion in tariff costs from January through May 2025, the highest of any state in the country.
    • Global supply chains will continue to be impacted, especially here at home. Recently, the Port of Los Angeles was operating at only 70% capacity due to ongoing tariffs and Southern California saw a 40% decline in job postings related to trade and logistics.

    Standing up for California 

    On April 16, Governor Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit arguing that President Trump lacks the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs through the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, creating immediate and irreparable harm to California, the world’s fourth largest economy, and nation’s leading manufacturing and agriculture state. Today’s amicus brief was filed as part of a separate lawsuit filed by private parties, but aligns with California’s arguments. The lawsuit is ongoing.
     

    “As the country braces for continuous chaos from President Trump’s illegal tariffs, standing united to fight for American consumers and businesses is more important than ever,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Today, I urge the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit  to affirm the District Court’s decision that President Trump’s chaotic tariffs are unlawful — not one word in the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Trump Administration’s vehicle for these tariffs, authorizes tariffs. These illegal tariffs will affect everything from the cost of essential household items like food and toilet paper to the cost of housing. The tariff chaos is a man-made crisis, and California families and industries will pay the price.”

    Today’s brief was filed in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, a lawsuit challenging the tariffs President Trump imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and argues that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia was correct in holding that the Trump Administration’s interpretation of its authority is unlawful. 

    Recent news

    Jul 30, 2025

    News What you need to know: California is taking targeted action to address the mental health crisis among young men and boys today with a new executive order focused on suicide prevention, behavioral health, and helping find purpose through education, family, and…

    Jul 29, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Gerald Tolbert, of La Jolla, has been appointed to the Medical Board of California. Tolbert has been a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Department of Emergency Medicine and Medical…

    Jul 29, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he has signed the following bills:AB 104 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) – Budget Act of 2025.AB 138 by the Committee on Budget – State employment: state bargaining units.SB 119 by the Committee…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: The Countdown is on for Huge Health Insurance Price Increases Following Republican Passage of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08)

    IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Donald Trump and Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill” contains the most significant and devastating cuts to healthcare in American history, ripping away coverage from 15 million Americans, slashing Medicaid, and allowing for the expiration of critical tax credits that have helped stabilize premiums for millions who rely on Affordable Care Act policies. 

    As a result, millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians will see the cost of their healthcare skyrocket or will potentially lose their coverage altogether once these premium hikes take effect at the end of this year. 

    Congresswoman Schrier addresses her constituents about forthcoming health insurance price hikes.

    In response to this price hike, Congresswoman Schrier stated: “It is unacceptable and morally bankrupt that Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans are giving tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of working families across my district. Their Big Ugly Bill will enact devastating price hikes on essential healthcare for hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians at a time when so many are already struggling to make ends meet. I will continue to fight to reverse these actions and ensure all Americans can access affordable and comprehensive healthcare.”

    In the coming months, Congresswoman Schrier will continue to focus on hearing from her constituents about how these skyrocketing costs will impact their lives, taking those stories to the other Washington, and seeking comprehensive solutions to keep health insurance costs down and keep people insured ahead of the December 31, 2025, expiration of these credits. 

    You can follow Congresswoman Schrier’s social media and this webpage for updates and a countdown to track when premiums will soar pending action from Republicans in Congress. As open enrollment gets underway, she has asked constituents to report changes in their premiums, co-pays, and deductibles.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Roman Empire and the fall of Nero offer possible lessons for Trump about the cost of self-isolation

    Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Kirk Freudenburg, Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor of Classics, Yale University

    A marble statue of Nero on loan from the Louvre in Paris is seen at the Landesmuseum in Germany in 2016. Harald Tittel/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

    President Donald Trump’s first term saw a record-high rate of turnover among his Cabinet members and chief advisers. Trump’s second term has, to date, seen far fewer Cabinet departures.

    But some political commentators have observed that the president this time around has primarily appointed loyal advisers who will not challenge him.

    As Thomas Friedman pointed out in The New York Times on June 3, 2025, “In Trump I, the president surrounded himself with some people of weight who could act as buffers. In Trump II, he has surrounded himself only with sycophants who act like amplifiers.”

    As a scholar of Greco-Roman antiquity, I have spent many years studying the demise of truth-telling in periods of political upheaval. Spanning the period from 27 B.C.E. to 476 C.E., the Roman Empire still offers insights into what happens to political leaders when they interpret possibly helpful advice as dissent.

    Particularly telling is the case of Nero, Rome’s emperor from 54 to 68 C.E., who responded to a disastrous fire in 64 with extreme cruelty and self-worship that did nothing to help desperate citizens.

    Suppressing honest advice under Nero

    Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, established a handpicked circle of advisers – called the consilium principis in Latin, meaning emperor’s council – to give a republican look to his autocratic regime. Augustus became the emperor of Rome in 27 B.C.E. and ruled over the empire, which stretched from Europe and North Africa to the Middle East at its peak, until his death in 14 C.E.

    Augustus wanted to hear what others thought about the empire’s needs and his policies. At least some of Augustus’ advisers were bold enough to assert themselves and risk incurring his displeasure. Some, such as Cornelius Gallus, paid for their boldness with their lives, Gallus apparently took his own life, so that might not be the best example – unless it was a forced suicide while others, such as Cilnius Maecenas, managed to push their political agendas in softer ways that allowed them to maintain their influence.

    But the Roman emperors who came after Augustus were either less skilled at maintaining a republican facade, or less interested in doing so.

    Nero was the last of the emperors from the noble Julio-Claudian dynasty in ancient Rome at its peak of power. Historians who describe Nero’s rise and fall from power describe the first five years of his reign, or the quinquennium neronis in Latin, as a period of relative calm and prosperity for the empire.

    Because Nero was just 16 years old when he acceded to power, he was assigned advisers to guide his policies. Their opinions carried significant weight.

    But five years into his reign, chafing at their continued oversight, Nero began to purge these advisers from his life, via execution, forced suicide and exile.

    Nero instead collected a small cadre of self-interested enablers who derived power for themselves by encouraging their leader’s delusions, such as his desire to project himself as the incarnation of the sun god, Apollo.

    The single most unspeakably corrupt and nefarious of these preferred advisers was Ofonius Tigellinus. Tigellinus had caught Nero’s eye early in 62 by urging the senate to convict a Roman magistrate of treason for having composed poems that he deemed insulting to the emperor. Later that year, Tigellinus was appointed the head of the emperor’s personal army.

    As praetorian prefect, Tigellinus was charged not only with protecting Nero from physical harm, but also with crafting and guarding the leader’s public image. Tigellinus urged Nero to stage an ongoing series of public spectacles – like theatrical performances and athletic competitions – that featured him as a divine ruler and a god on Earth.

    The Roman Emperor Nero surveys the city of Rome after the disastrous fire in 64 C.E.
    Hulton Archive/Getty Images

    Up in flames

    It was likely at Tigellinus’ urging that, in the aftermath of the great fire of 64 that raged for six days in Rome, Nero staged an exorbitant garden party where Christians were soaked in flammable oils and lit as human torches to illuminate a decadent late-night feast.

    But, try as he might, Nero couldn’t outrun the fire and its aftermath by indulging in clever cruelties. Huge swathes of the city had been razed by the fire. Thousands of citizens lacked clothing. They were hungry, displaced and homeless.

    For answers, the fire’s countless victims looked to Nero, their earthly Apollo, for help. But they did not encounter a sympathetic leader sweeping in to address their needs. Instead, they found a man desperate to place blame on others – in this case, foreigners from the east.

    In order to squelch rumors that Nero had lit the fire, Tigellinus’ army unit rounded up Christians, falsely blamed them for starting the fire and executed them.

    But this move just showcased Nero’s failure to focus on the dire needs of the poor, the very people who worshipped him. Instead, he sought to rise above the ashes by doubling down on his divine pretensions.

    Once the rubble left by the fire was cleared away, Nero built a magnificent new home for himself. This palace, called the domus aurea in Latin, meaning house of gold, covered more than 120 acres in the heart of Rome. It featured spectacular water fountains, elaborate works of art and, standing tall in the entryway, a 120-foot bronze statue of Nero as the sun god, Apollo.

    No truth-teller was there to tell Nero that maybe he shouldn’t rub his people’s noses in their suffering. (can we say ‘Maybe he shouldn’t exploit his people’s suffering in this way’?) this suggestion needs either accepted or rejected

    Nero’s delusional response to the fire did not put an end to his career, but it did much to hasten its end.

    Less than four years later, with armies bearing down on the city, Nero committed suicide. Rome tumbled into civil war.

    President Donald Trump appears at an Independence Day event at the Mount Rushmore national monument near Keystone, S.D., in 2020.
    Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

    Self-worship in the Trump era

    Trump has long expressed a desire to have his face carved on Mount Rushmore, a national memorial in South Dakota that features the likenesses of legendary American presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt.

    This dream became a bit closer to reality when Tennessee Representative Andy Ogles in July 2025 urged the Department of the Interior to explore adding Trump’s image to Mount Rushmore – even though such an addition might not be possible because of geological issues.
    Trump’s critics have long noted the president’s propensity to focus on himself and his own greatness and power, rather than the needs of citizens.

    As far away as the Roman Empire might seem, Nero’s rise and fall offers a lesson in what can happen when honest criticism of a political leader is sidelined in favor of idolatry.

    Instead of honest solutions to real problems, what Romans got was a colossal statue that portrayed their leader as a god on Earth.

    Kirk Freudenburg 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. Roman Empire and the fall of Nero offer possible lessons for Trump about the cost of self-isolation – https://theconversation.com/roman-empire-and-the-fall-of-nero-offer-possible-lessons-for-trump-about-the-cost-of-self-isolation-257871

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Strengthening collective labor rights can help reduce economic inequality

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Skip Mark, Assistant professor of political science, University of Rhode Island

    Only about 1 in 10 U.S. workers belong to unions today. champc/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Despite the strength of the U.S. economy, the gap between rich and poor Americans is increasing.

    The wealthiest 1% of Americans have more than five times as much wealth as the bottom 50%, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve. That’s up from four times as much in the year 2000. In 2024 alone, the wealthiest 19 families got a total of US$1 trillion richer – the largest one-year increase on record.

    And yet 59% of Americans don’t have enough money saved up to cover an unexpected $1,000 expense.

    We are political scientists who study human rights and political economy.

    In a 2023 study, our team looked at 145 countries, including the U.S., to understand the link between labor rights and inequality. We found evidence that strengthening collective labor rights may reduce economic inequality.

    Empowering workers

    Collective labor rights include the rights to form and join a union, bargain collectively for higher pay and better working conditions, go on strike, and get justice if employers punish workers who exercise these rights.

    In the U.S., where less than 10% of workers belong to unions, union members typically earn higher wages than their nonunion counterparts.

    Through negotiations on behalf of their members, unions can pressure employers to provide fair wages and benefits. If negotiations break down, the union can call for a strike – sometimes winning better benefits and higher wages as a result.

    Some U.S. unions don’t have the right to strike, including air traffic controllers, teachers and those working on national security issues. But most unions have some ability to implement work stoppages and impose costs on employers to negotiate for raises and better benefits and conditions.

    Reducing inequality

    For our study, we analyzed the human rights in the CIRIGHTS dataset, which uses human rights reports from the U.S. State Department, Amnesty International and other sources to measure government respect for 24 human rights, including the rights to unionize and bargain collectively. The dataset is produced by the University of Rhode Island, Binghamton University and the University of Connecticut. One of us, Skip Mark, serves as a co-director of the project.

    Using a scoring guide, a team of researchers reads human rights reports and gives each country a score of zero if they have widespread violations, one point if they have some violations, or two if they have no evidence of violations. The team has assigned scores for all 24 rights from 1994 through 2022.

    Using this data, we created a measure of collective labor rights by adding scores for the right to workplace association and the right to collective bargaining. The resulting collective labor rights score ranges from zero to four.

    Countries where workers’ rights are routinely violated, such as Afghanistan, China and Saudi Arabia, scored a zero. The United States, Macedonia and Zambia, three countries with little in common, were among those that tended to get two points, placing them in the middle. Countries with no reported violations of the rights to workplace association and collective bargaining, including Canada, Sweden and France, got four points.

    According to the CIRIGHTS dataset, the strength of respect for collective labor rights around the world declined by 50%, from 2.06 in 1994 to 1.03 in 2022.

    At the same time, according to the World Inequality Dataset, the share of income earned by the 1% with the biggest paychecks increased by 11%.

    We used advanced statistical methods to figure out whether better worker protections actually reduce inequality or are just associated with it.

    Gaps between individuals and ethnic groups

    We also measured what’s been happening to economic inequality, using two common ways to track it.

    One of them is vertical inequality, the gap between what people earn within a country – the rich versus the poor. The more unequal a society becomes, the higher its vertical inequality score gets. We measured it using the disposable income measure from the Gini index, a commonly used indicator of economic inequality that captures how much money individuals have to spend after taxes and government transfers.

    We found that a one-point increase in collective labor rights on our four-point scale reduces vertical inequality by 10 times the average change in inequality. For the U.S., a one-point increase in collective labor rights would be about enough to undo the increase in inequality that occurred between 2008 and 2010 due to the Great Recession and its aftermath. It would also likely help stem the growing wealth gap between Black and white Americans. That’s because income disparities compound over time to create wealth gaps.

    We also assessed the connection between horizontal inequality, which measures income inequality between ethnic or other groups, and collective labor rights.

    Negative horizontal inequality measures the amount of a country’s income held by the poorest ethnic group. Higher scores for this metric indicate that the lowest-earning ethnic group has less income relative to the rest of society. Black Americans have the lowest median income of any racial or ethnic group, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

    Positive horizontal inequality measures the income earned by the richest ethnic group. When positive horizontal inequality rises, that means the richest ethnic group has more income relative to the rest of society. According to the same Census Bureau report, Asian Americans had the highest median earnings.

    We found that stronger collective labor rights, both in law and in practice around the world, also reduce both types of horizontal inequality. This means they raise the floor by helping to improve the income of the poorest ethnic groups in society. They also close the gap by limiting the incomes of the richest ethnic group, which can reduce the likelihood of conflicts.

    That is, our findings suggest that when workers are free to advocate for higher wages and better benefits for themselves, it also benefits society as a whole.

    Stephen Bagwell is a researcher with the Human Rights Measurement Initiative, a charitable trust registered in New Zealand

    Skip Mark 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. Strengthening collective labor rights can help reduce economic inequality – https://theconversation.com/strengthening-collective-labor-rights-can-help-reduce-economic-inequality-254258

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Yosemite embodies the long war over US national park privatization

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Michael Childers, Associate Professor of History, Colorado State University

    The Ahwahnee is a privately run hotel inside Yosemite National Park. George Rose/Getty Images

    The Trump administration’s cuts to the National Park Service’s budget and staffing have raised concerns among park advocates and the public that the administration is aiming to further privatize the national parks.

    The nation has a long history of similar efforts, including a wildly unpopular 1980 attempt by Reagan administration Interior Secretary James Watt to promote development and expand private concessions in the parks. But debate over using public national park land for private profit dates back more than a century before that.

    As I explain in my forthcoming book, no park has played a more central role in that debate than Yosemite, in California.

    Early concerns

    In early 1864, Central American Steamship Transit Company representative Israel Ward Raymond wrote a letter to John Conness, a U.S. senator from California, urging the government to move swiftly to preserve the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoia trees to prevent them from falling into private hands. Five months later, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act, ceding the valley and the grove to the state of California, “upon the express conditions that the premises shall be held for public use, resort, and recreation.” This was years before Yellowstone became the first federal land designated a national park in 1872.

    For centuries, the natural beauty of the Yosemite Valley has impressed visitors.
    Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    Controversy arose quickly at Yosemite. Two men – James Lamon and James Hutchings – had claimed land in the valley before the federal government gave it to California. Both began commercial operations, Lamon growing cash crops and Hutchings operating a hotel.

    California said their businesses threatened the state’s ability to develop roads and trails in Yosemite by competing for tourist dollars. A legal battle ensued and was not resolved until an 1872 U.S. Supreme Court ruling found that the men’s land claims had not been fully validated according to the procedures of the time. The California legislature paid both men compensation for their land, and both left the park.

    In 1890, neighboring parts of the Yosemite area became America’s third national park – and in 1906, the federal government again took possession of the Yosemite Valley itself and the Mariposa Grove, specifically to incorporate them into an expansion of the national park.

    Development rights

    Yet, as my research has found, the role of private interests in the park remained unsolved. Private companies under contract to the National Park Service have long provided needed amenities such as lodging and food within the national parks. But questions over what is acceptable in national parks in the pursuit of profit have shaped Yosemite’s history for generations.

    In 1925, I found, the question centered on the right to build the first gas station inside the park, in Yosemite Valley. Two private businesses, the Curry Camping Company and the Yosemite National Park Company, had long competed for tourist dollars within the park. Each wanted to build a gas station to boost profits.

    Frustrated over the need to decide, National Park Service Director Horace Albright ordered the rival firms to simplify management of the park’s concessions. The companies merged, and the newly formed Yosemite Park and Curry Company was granted the exclusive rights to run lodges, restaurants and other facilities within the park, including the new gas station.

    But as I found in my research, the park service and the concessions company did not always see eye to eye on the purpose of the park. The conflict between profit and preservation is perhaps most clearly illustrated by the construction of a ski area within the park in the early 1930s. The park service initially opposed the development of Badger Pass Ski Area as not conducive to the national park ideal, but the Yosemite Park and Curry Company insisted it was key to boosting winter use of the park.

    In 1973, the Music Corporation of America, an entertainment conglomerate, bought the Yosemite Park and Curry Company. The company already had a tourist attraction operating near Hollywood, where visitors could pay to tour movie sets, but had not yet changed its name to Universal Studios or launched major theme parks in Florida and California. Its purchase of the park’s concessions set off a firestorm of controversy over fears of turning Yosemite into a theme park.

    That didn’t happen, but annual park visitor numbers climbed from 2.5 million to 3.8 million over the 20 years MCA ran the concessions, which sparked concerns about development and overcrowding in the park. Conservationists argued the park service had allowed the corporate giant to promote and develop the park in ways that threatened the very aspects of the park most people came to enjoy.

    With three restaurants, two service stations with a total of 15 gas pumps, two cafeterias, two grocery stores, seven souvenir shops, a delicatessen, a bank, a skating rink, three swimming pools, a golf course, two tennis courts, kennels, a barbershop, a beauty shop, Badger Pass Ski Area and three lodges, the Yosemite Valley was a busy commercial district. Critics argued that such development contradicted the park service’s mandate to leave national parks unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.

    Crowds gather at some of Yosemite’s most popular sites, such as the California Tunnel Tree.
    David McNew/AFP via Getty Images

    Who owns the names?

    Falling profits and consolidation within the music industry led MCA to sell its concessions rights in Yosemite in 1993. The Delaware North Companies, a global hospitality corporation, took over and ran the park’s concessions until 2016, when it sold the rights to Aramark.

    But in that sale, the question of public resources and private profits arose again. Delaware North demanded $51 million in compensation for Aramark continuing to use the names of several historic properties within the park, such as the Ahwahnee, a hotel, and Curry Village, another group of visitor accommodations. The company claimed those names were a part of its assets under its contract with the park service.

    The park service rejected the claim, saying the names, which dated back more than a century, belonged to the American people. But to avoid legal problems during the transition, the agency temporarily renamed several sites, including calling the Ahwahnee the Majestic Yosemite Hotel and changing Curry Village to Half Dome Village. Public outrage erupted, denouncing the claim by Delaware North as commercial overreach that threatened to distort Yosemite’s heritage. In 2019, the park service and Aramark agreed to pay Delaware North a total of $12 million to settle the dispute, and the original names were restored.

    Protesters unfurl an upside-down U.S. flag from the top of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in February 2025, protesting Trump administration changes to the National Park Service.

    Renewed interest in commercial efforts

    In June 2025, Yosemite again took center stage in the dispute over the role of federal funding versus private interests at the start of the second Trump administration when a group of climbers unfurled an American flag upside down off El Capitan in protest of the administration’s cuts in personnel and slashing of the park service’s budget.

    Conservationists, including former National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis, argued that by defunding the park service and laying off as much as a quarter of its workforce, the Trump administration was “laying the groundwork to privatize” the national parks by allowing corporate interests more access to public lands. Those concerns echo ones raised during the first Trump administration, when the White House argued privatization would better serve the American public by improving visitor experiences and saving federal dollars.

    Whichever side prevails in the short term, the debate over the role of private interests within national parks like Yosemite will undoubtedly continue.

    Michael Childers 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. Yosemite embodies the long war over US national park privatization – https://theconversation.com/yosemite-embodies-the-long-war-over-us-national-park-privatization-261133

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