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Category: Elon Musk

  • MIL-OSI USA: 15,000 Attend Congresswoman Stansbury Town Halls Across New Mexico

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01)

    ALBUQUERQUE — This week, Representative Melanie Stansbury (NM-01)wrapped up a Town Hall Tour across New Mexico, reaching more than 15,000 New Mexicans across 10 counties and 12 cities and towns with 15 events.

    The Congresswoman traveled across New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District, covering a large swath of central New Mexico—holding town halls in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Tijeras, Moriarty, Fort Sumner, Carrizozo, Placitas, Corrales, Roswell, and Ruidoso and Mescalero. She also held virtual and telephone town halls for those who could not make it in person. Rep. Stansbury also consulted and met with a number of Pueblo and Tribal Nations, including those in the district, the All Pueblo Council of Governors and individual Pueblos, the Mescalero Apache Nation, and Navajo Nation Council members.

    “The most important thing Members of Congress can do right now is listen to the people they represent and do their jobs,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01).  “Americans across the country are deeply concerned about what is happening to American democracy, the federal government, and our communities—and they deserve answers. That is why I traveled to every corner of our district to listen to New Mexicans and answer questions. It is my duty to serve the people, and that’s exactly what we’re doing—fighting to protect Social Security, Medicaid, and vital programs our people depend on.”

    Across the district, the same questions were asked in rural, tribal, urban, large, and small communities alike. The top five issues raised by New Mexicans at all fifteen Town Halls included: 

    1. What Elon Musk, DOGE, and the Trump Administration are doing with Americans’ private data, mass firings, the dismantling of agencies, and how it all can be stopped. 
    2. Cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, and other vital programs. 
    3. Attacks on American civil liberties, due process, and the Constitution. 
    4. Attacks on voting rights, including the potential passage of the SAVE Act, and protecting free and fair elections going forward. 
    5. How Congress can protect New Mexicans and continue to fight back. 

    Congresswoman Stansbury now returns to Washington for a three-week Congressional work schedule that will include Republican-led hearings on a large tax and reconciliation package that could impact millions of Americans on Medicaid and food assistance. Congresswoman Stansbury returns armed with feedback and stories from New Mexicans on both sides of the aisle who are deeply concerned about what is happening in Washington. 

    Find photos and videos from the town halls here.  

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Astronomers fear impact of Musk’s Starlink on South Africa mega-telescope observations

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Astronomers working with South Africa‘s SKA telescope are pushing authorities to ensure that any licensing agreement with Elon Musk’s Starlink will protect their groundbreaking observations, a senior scientist said.

    Discussions to bring Musk’s internet service Starlink in South Africa have already been contentious, with parent company SpaceX criticising local shareholding laws while backing equity equivalent programmes.

    Attaching astronomy-linked licensing conditions may further complicate attempts to introduce Starlink to the country of Musk’s birth, where he has already said he is deterred by government Black empowerment policies.

    South Africa said it will review its Information and Communication Technology sector rules but will not back down on government policies to transform the economy three decades after white-minority rule ended.

    Scientists fear South Africa‘s Square Kilometre Array (SKA-Mid), the world’s most powerful radio telescope together with another array co-hosted in Australia, will have their sensitive space observations distorted by Starlink‘s low-orbiting satellites.

    “It will be like shining a spotlight into someone’s eyes, blinding us to the faint radio signals from celestial bodies,” Federico Di Vruno, co-chair of International Astronomical Union Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

    Di Vruno said the SKA Observatory, where he is spectrum manager, and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) were lobbying for license requirements to reduce the impact on observations in certain frequency ranges, including some that SKA-Mid uses.

    That could direct Starlink to steer satellite beams away from SKA receivers or stop transmission for a few seconds to minimise interference, he said.

    South Africa‘s current SKA antennae, in the remote Northern Cape town of Carnarvon, use the 350 megahertz to 15.4 gigahertz bandwidth, a range also used by most satellite operators for downlinks.

    MAJOR OBSERVATIONS

    South Africa‘s MeerKAT radio telescope, a precursor to SKA-Mid which will be incorporated into the larger instrument, has already discovered a rare giant radio galaxy that is 32 times the size of the Milky Way.

    Last year, it found 49 new galaxies in under three hours, according to SARAO.

    SKA Observatory, an international body, also campaigns for conditions on licensing agreements with other major satellite operators such as Amazon and Eutelsat’s OneWeb to ensure quiet skies amid a boom in new satellite launches.

    “We are trying to follow different technical and regulatory avenues to mitigate this issue on the global stage,” Di Vruno said.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI Russia: E. Musk’s Neuralink Completes Series E Funding Round

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    SAN FRANCISCO, June 3 (Xinhua) — Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface company Neuralink announced on Monday that it has closed a $650 million funding round.

    Investors participating in the Series E round included ARK Invest, Founders Fund, Sequoia Capital and Thrive Capital, the company said in a blog post.

    Neuralink last raised funds in a $280 million Series D funding round in 2023, with an additional $43 million tranche raised a few months later.

    The company said it had conducted additional human clinical trials, implanting its brain chips in five patients with severe paralysis.

    In May, Neuralink received a Breakthrough Devices Program from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

    According to the FDA, it is a voluntary program for certain medical devices and combination products that provide more effective treatment or diagnosis of life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating diseases or conditions.

    The goal of the program is to provide patients and health care providers with timely access to medical devices by accelerating their development, evaluation, and review for premarket approval. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEW REPORT: Trump’s Mass Firings at NIOSH Spokane Research Lab Put Americans at Risk, Jeopardize Progress to Keep Workers Safe on the Job

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Senator Murray Presses Secretary Kennedy on Decimation of NIOSH and Mass Firings at NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory

    ***NEW REPORT with testimonials from Spokane employees HERE***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released a new report on how President Trump and Elon Musk’s decimation of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including their effective shuttering of the NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory, will jeopardize on-the-job safety for firefighters, miners, agricultural workers, commercial fishermen, in Washington state and across the country. The report details the work that was done at the NIOSH Spokane Research laboratory, the Spokane Mining Research Division in particular, and outlines how the Trump administration’s mass firings across NIOSH will jeopardize the pipeline to train the next generation of workplace safety and health professionals, including those studying at Gonzaga University in Spokane and University of Washington in Seattle. Senator Murray’s report features testimonials from Washington state residents, including employees at NIOSH who were recently fired through no fault of their own.

    The release of the report comes as the Trump administration’s large-scale reduction in force (RIF) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes NIOSH, has been put on hold by a U.S. District Court judge in San Francisco, who ruled that the administration violated separation of powers principles with its agency restructuring.

    “The Trump administration’s unfathomable decision to gut NIOSH and fire nearly every person at the Spokane Research Lab is a devastating and shortsighted move that puts workers everywhere at risk,” Senator Murray said upon releasing the report. “In Spokane alone, President Trump abruptly fired nearly a hundred people working to protect those in high-risk professions including mining, firefighting, health care and emergency medicine, and the maritime industry—bringing their research to a screeching halt and creating a ticking time bomb for disasters in the workplace.”

    “These thoughtless firings don’t just risk Americans’ health and safety in the workplace today, but threaten decades of progress toward preventing workplace hazards,” Senator Murray continued. “Researchers in Spokane who have dedicated their careers to protecting workers across the country are being kicked to the curb because Donald Trump and his conspiracy theorist Health Secretary don’t have a clue what NIOSH does and don’t care to learn—no one should be treated like this. We need answers and accountability. I’m going to keep fighting to hold the Trump administration to account and shine a bright spotlight on how this administration is hurting people and communities like Spokane and forcing critical, lifesaving research to go to waste.”

    Senator Murray has been a leading voice in Congress against RFK Jr.’s destruction of HHS and America’s health infrastructure, raising the alarm over HHS’ unilateral reorganization plan and slamming the closure of the HHS Region 10 office in Seattle and the NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory. Senator Murray has sent oversight letters and hosted numerous press conferences and events to lay out how the administration’s reckless gutting of HHS is risking Americans health and safety and will set our country back decades, and lifting up the voices of HHS employees who were fired for no reason and through no fault of their own.

    The full report is available HERE and below:

    Report: Mass Firings in Spokane and Beyond: How Gutting the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Harms Workers

    This report is part of a series detailing the harm President Trump and Elon Musk’s reckless and devastating attacks on the federal workforce are causing on the ground in Washington state. The Trump administration’s mass firings and harmful actions have real consequences for Washington’s residents, their communities, and for the entire United States.

    This report focuses on the mass firings of employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effectively shuttering the NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory. These Reductions in Force (RIFs) will lead to increased health and safety risks for firefighters, miners, agricultural workers, commercial fishermen, and so many others. No one should have to worry about whether they will come home safe from their job or not come home at all – NIOSH is vital to keeping workers safe. 

    The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is Dedicated to Keeping Workers Safe Across America

    NIOSH is the only government agency statutorily authorized to conduct workplace health and safety research. In April 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. terminated about 900 of NIOSH’s approximately 1,100 employees, effectively shuttering the agency. Among these firings, the Trump administration eliminated 90 scientific positions at the Spokane Research Laboratory. In addition to NIOSH’s Spokane location, the agency also conducts research at campuses in Cincinnati, Ohio; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Due to recent outcry over these firings, the Trump administration has recently agreed to bring back around 300 NIOSH workers, but primarily in West Virginia and Ohio, leaving the Spokane Research Laboratory’s programming and research work shuttered.

    By firing and then only bringing back a small portion of NIOSH workers, and almost none from Spokane, the Trump administration is jeopardizing decades of progress in improving worker health and safety. Over the course of NIOSH’s history, worker deaths, injuries, and illnesses in America have gone down—on average, from about 38 worker deaths a day in 1970 to 15 a day in 2023, and from 10.9 incidents of worker injury and illness per 100 workers in 1972 to 2.4 per 100 in 2023. However, workplace hazards still kill and disable approximately 125,000 workers each year—5,190 from traumatic injuries and an estimated 120,000 from occupational diseases. Workplace injuries and illnesses cost businesses between $174 billion and $348 billion a year, which is still likely an underestimate given underreporting of workplace injuries.

    Kyle Zimmer, recently retired from International Union of Operating Engineers Local 478 and current Chair of the Mine Safety Health Research Advisory Committee stated, “Losing these researchers will result in the loss of safety for every worker in the United States. This research turns into standards that become guidelines that every safety professional uses throughout the country in every industry, from health care, to auto body shops, to mining and firefighting. Once your workforce really understands what you are doing, that is when you get results and changes in workplace safety culture.”

    NIOSH’s $362.8 million budget represents only 0.2% of the discretionary portion of the HHS budget. NIOSH’s lifesaving research has also saved more than $1 billion annually. For example, NIOSH research supporting improved protective equipment for firefighters is associated with an estimated $71 million in annual savings in medical and productivity losses.NIOSH work produces a tremendous return on investment, and the Trump administration’s firings have huge costs both for worker safety and the nation.

    Tristan Victoroff, a union steward and epidemiologist in the NIOSH Western States Divisions, pointed out: “The 900 people fired from NIOSH are scientists, mainly. We are industrial safety scientists, epidemiologists, engineers…. The goal is to work with industry to protect workers’ health and safety and find solutions to the problems. We do research and development. It’s not duplicative. [The Occupational Safety and Health Administration] doesn’t do this. They don’t have the capacity or the mandate. All of these cuts are supposedly to save costs. What costs are we going to tolerate? What are the costs of increased workers’ compensation claims? What are the costs of disabling injuries and chronic diseases from workplace exposures? What is the cost to a family of losing a parent to a workplace accident?”

    The NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory is Critical to Keeping Workers Safe

    NIOSH was created by Congress to address and prevent work-related injury and illness and was created in the same statute that authorized the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the Department of Labor. While OSHA sets and enforces safety standards, NIOSH is required to conduct or fund research, experiments, and demonstrations on occupational safety and health; produce criteria identifying toxic substances including setting exposure levels that are safe for various periods of employment, and publish annually a list of all known toxic substances and the concentrations at which such toxicity is known to occur; disseminate information about occupational safety to employers and employees; conduct education programs about occupational safety; and contract with state personnel to provide compliance assistance for employers.

    In Washington state, NIOSH conducts research to understand and promote safe job conditions and develop science-based products and interventions that support worker health, safety, and well-being, prevent future occupational injuries and deaths, and train new generations of health and safety professionals. This work is done through the Spokane Research Laboratory (which houses the Spokane Mining Research Division and the Western States Division) and the Region 10 Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety Education and Research Center.

    Tristan Victoroff, a union steward and epidemiologist in the NIOSH Western States Divisions, explained: “The NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory in Washington State is the only NIOSH facility west of the Mississippi. Its two divisions— the Western States Division and the Spokane Mining Research Division — conduct safety research for natural resource industries across the western U.S. and Alaska, including commercial fishing, wildland firefighting, oil and gas extraction, and mining. They’re working directly with naval shipyards to assess exposures from new technology for corrosion control. They track commercial fishing deaths nationwide. They have major research efforts in high wall safety, rockfall and slope stability, and seismic monitoring using advanced fiber optic technology, to name just a few examples. This work is not duplicative, and it’s not wasteful. If we’re expanding domestic energy, mineral, and seafood production, we need to protect the people doing that work. These workers deserve to come home safe and be healthy enough to work again tomorrow. Cutting this research does not keep us competitive — it puts workers in danger.”

    The Spokane Mining Research Division Keeps Washington Miners Safe on the Job

    The Spokane Mining Research Division (SMRD) is part of the NIOSH Mining Program, which aims to eliminate mining fatalities and injuries. Since 1990, total injuries in mining have significantly decreased, reflecting safer practices industry-wide, strongly linked to NIOSH’s research and prevention programs. SMRD partners with labor, mining associations, equipment manufacturers, and mine operators to study worker health and safety problems in the field. Washington’s mining industry is vital to the state’s economy, supporting 18,845 jobs, directly and indirectly, and providing $4.07 billion in economic benefits to the state.

    SMRD also conducts laboratory research at the Spokane, WA facility, where highly specialized scientists in unique laboratories develop products and interventions that offer solutions to mining challenges.Scientists in Spokane have been doing innovative laboratory work to:

    • Simulate ground stresses to test rock samples to determine the strength of the environment and whether bolts, steel, mesh or shotcrete are needed to support the mining efforts and keep workers safe on the job.
    • Simulate mining conditions and tasks to study health effects, such as heat and stress;
    • Examine field samples to understand miners’ exposure to respiratory and other health hazards; and more.

    Dr. Art Miller, a research engineer who retired from SMRD after 34 years, explains: “No one else in the world is doing this time-sensitive, cutting-edge research that will make workers safer. We conduct research in a lot of different ways. Our lab is a unique environment of cutting-edge technology and brain power aimed at improving worker health and safety. Discontinuing our work would be a huge loss to the future health and safety of workers. Workplace safety is dynamic, and our work is never going to be done. NIOSH is small relative to the federal government but it’s a well-run entity. Why would we want to get rid of something like that?”

    Spokane Research Laboratory’s SMRD also runs the Miner Health Program, created in 2016 to collaborate with the mining community to improve workers’ physical and mental health.Prevention of opioid misuse is just one of many examples of the collaborative work being produced by the Miner Health Program. The mining industry has been hit particularly hard by drug overdoses. Work-related pain and injury increase workers’ chances of being prescribed an opioid and subsequent risks of worker prescription opioid misuse, long-term opioid use, and opioid use disorder (OUD). These overdoses and especially deaths related to opioid use have had a significant impact on mine workers, their families, and communities. This program is now archived on the CDC website, indicating that this program is no longer operating.

    In Fall 2024, Spokane’s SMRD experts launched a new guide, Implementing Effective Workplace Solutions to Prevent Opioid Use Disorder: A Resource Guide for the Mining Industry. This guide provides a model for planning and implementing prevention efforts to normalize conversations about OUD, reduce stigma, and break down barriers to treatment and recovery. Losing this Miner Health Program focused on preventing OUD will lead to increased overdoses and preventable deaths in the mining community.

    The impact of the Trump administration’s cuts to NIOSH are already being felt in the mining industry. NIOSH is the only federal agency that can test and supply approved and certified respirators and personal dust monitors to keep miners safe on the job. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) at the U.S. Department of Labor announced a temporary enforcement pause of mine operators’ respiratory protection programs. Given that NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory has been effectively eliminated, the “Lowering Miners’ Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory Protection,” (“Silica Rule”), is now paused until at least August 2025.Without NIOSH, the Silica Rule cannot go into effect and workers will continue to be exposed to extremely harmful silica dust that results in the debilitating and often fatal condition of silicosis.

    These respirators are not just used in mining; they are used across industries. As explained by Tristan Victoroff, union steward and epidemiologist in the NIOSH Western States Divisions: “There will be no NIOSH-certified respirators, if there’s no NIOSH. NIOSH certifies all the respiratory protection equipment used in healthcare — and not just the N95 masks we’ve all become familiar with in recent years. That includes reusable respirators that filter oils and vapors… even supplied air systems. NIOSH is the only organization in the country equipped to perform all the required testing — more than 150 test procedures — to certify respirators that protect firefighters, miners, shipyard workers — anyone who needs respiratory protection on the job. In fact, any employer in general industry — from construction to manufacturing — if they have an OSHA-approved respiratory protection program, they must use NIOSH-certified equipment. Only NIOSH can certify that equipment to meet those standards. Rebuilding these labs somewhere else would take years, and there’s no guarantee we could replicate the expertise and facilities we currently have at NIOSH. NIOSH also monitors products on the market to spot counterfeits. Without that oversight, fake and substandard products will increasingly flood the market. That’s not theoretical. NIOSH recently found that every counterfeit product it purchased off the open market failed to meet established standards. These products were not fully protective. Workers using those products on the job could be exposed to dangerous particulates or chemicals. If these labs shut down, it will put workers at risk and stifle innovation in protective technology. Workers won’t know which products they can trust. The NIOSH certification is essential.”

    The Western States Division of NIOSH Conducts Critical Research Focusing on Hazards in the Western States

    Workers in the Western U.S. face hazards and issues unique to their industries and environment, including commercial fishing, agriculture, and firefighting. Many of these occupations include climate extremes, working at altitude, long distance commutes, remote locations, and wildland forest fires. NIOSH’s Western States Division (WSD)employs a diverse group of public health and safety scientists with expertise in industrial hygiene, epidemiology, engineering, occupational medicine and health communication, working together to reduce and eliminate workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. WSD is headquartered at the Spokane Research Laboratory, but also has staff at offices in Denver, Colorado, and Anchorage, Alaska. WSD in Spokane focused on health and safety research for several industries, including commercial fishing, firefighting and wildfires, maritime, and emergency medical services.

    Commercial Fishing. NIOSH’s work has decreased the number of fatalities in the commercial fishing industry in Washington, which is recognized as one of the most hazardous work settings. Many operations are characterized by strenuous labor, long work hours, harsh weather, and moving decks with hazardous machinery and equipment. This industry generates nearly $46 billion and more than 170,000 jobs. The annual number of fatalities has declined over the past two decades because of the prevention work carried out by NIOSH.For 30 years, WSD has operated the Commercial Fishing Safety Program, working in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and the Gulf Coast in Southeastern states to keep fishermen safe from vessel disasters, falls overboard, onboard hazards, and more. WSD operates maintains the Commercial Fishing Incident Database, which tracks commercial fishing fatalities and provides statistics by region, fishery, type of vessel, and type of incident.This is the only national source for details of commercial fishing fatalities; neither the Bureau of Labor Statistics nor the U.S. Coast Guard report this type of information. Collecting this data is crucial for reducing the number of injuries and fatalities among the nation’s fishermen. Through NIOSH-funded research, WSD has developed solutions to prevent winch entanglements on commercial fishing boats, reducing loss of limb accidents. This critical research has come to a standstill with the Administration putting these scientists on administrative leave and scheduling them to be fired as of June 2, 2025.

    Outdoor Workers and Wildfires. Washington is one of the five states with the highest average annual burned acreage in the U.S., and the state is home to over 8,500 firefighters. Washington’s firefightersput themselves at enormous risk to keep Washington residents safe. Wildfire smoke is also dangerous to outdoor workers like the state’s 8,280 farmworkers whose jobs have been made safer through the work of NIOSH. For example, NIOSH scientists were instrumental in developing Washington’s Wildfire Smoke Rule, put in place January 15, 2024, which protects the health of workers who are exposed to the small particles contained in wildfire smoke. NIOSH recently developed a comprehensive hazard assessment on exposure to wildland fire smoke among outdoor workers. If NIOSH is eliminated, this document might never be finalized, and necessary revisions to the Washington Wildfire Smoke Rule may not happen, threatening firefighters, farmworkers, and other outdoor workers.

    NIOSH Provides Valuable Resources to Employers to Help Them Keep Workers Safe

    NIOSH’s Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program has provided 11 technical assistance evaluations to businesses and industry in Washington over the last 20 years. The HHE program was established with the passage of the 1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act. The HHE program includes evaluations of occupational exposure to illicit drugs in toxicology laboratories, health effects in commercial airline employees associated with new, mandatory uniforms, transmission of tuberculosis to zoo employees working with Asian elephants, and respiratory effects following acute exposure to chlorine gas at a metal recycling facility. These evaluations and publications are at no cost to industry or the public, and recommendations from these reports are used to establish health and safety protocols throughout the state.

    WSD conducts research to evaluate toxic exposures associated with removal and application of marine coatings on vessels at the U.S. Navy’s Trident Retrofit Facility near Bangor, WA, and at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, as part of the Center for Maritime Safety and Health Studies. Moreover, WSD evaluates exposures from rehabilitation of hydroelectric turbines, such as the Little Goose Dam on the Snake River in Southeast Washington.A timely WSD project involves assessing mental and physical health issues in emergency medical service (EMS) responders in Tribal communities in the Puget Sound area. The Trump administration RIFs have effectively shut down each of these programs.

    NIOSH Trains the Next Generation of Occupational and Safety Health Professionals

    Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to require funding for research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health. NIOSH funds 18 Education and Research Centers (ERCs), which provide high-quality interdisciplinary graduate and post-graduate training in occupational safety and health disciplines.The Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety Education and Research (NWCOHS) at the University of Washington is an ERC, housed in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, bringing together faculty from the UW Schools of Public Health, Nursing and Medicine. The program, funded continuously since 1977, has an annual budget of $1.8 million and serves four states (Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Oregon), preparing students for careers in occupational medicine, nursing, health services research, industrial hygiene and more. Funding supports an average of 20 graduate students per year, and continuing education for an average of 1,000 occupational health and safety professionals per year.

    As Lawrence Sloan, Chief Executive Officer of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), a membership organization for occupational and environmental health and safety professionals says, “NIOSH’s work is foundational in protecting American workers. Without adequate support for these programs, achieving the goal of a healthier American workforce will be challenging. Specifically, for AIHA, our members will be disadvantaged by the inability to leverage research on various worker populations to advance our understanding of the profession. Additionally, the absence of funding for Education & Research Centers (ERCs) will significantly impact our pipeline of future talent and hinder the funding of academic research studies that benefit the American worker.”

    NIOSH engineers have worked with Gonzaga University’s Mechanical Engineering Department to guide student senior design projects for the past 15 years. Many of these projects were entered into national American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) competitions, with several teams winning awards and presenting at national ASME conventions. This collaboration has led to increased scientists seeking positions supporting mining safety and health, both in Spokane and around the country, creating a pipeline of the next generation of professionals ensuring workplace safety and health.

    NIOSH Protects Firefighters in Washington State and Nationwide

    As a nationally-based program, the NIOSH Center for Firefighter Safety, Health, and Well-Being supports all 50 states to protect firefighters and to identify and prevent new and emerging hazards in the fire service earlier and faster. NIOSH-funded research has:

    1. Increased our understanding of the 200-plus carcinogenic chemicals involved in byproducts of combustion, leading to better respiratory protection standards;
    2. Identified the presence of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as “forever chemicals,” in firefighter foam and turnout gear and how these impact cancer risk levels;
    3. Created and provided for continuous enrollment in the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer, the largest effort ever undertaken to understand and reduce the risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters; and
    4. Provided for the development of the Firefighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, which conducts independent investigations of firefighter line-of-duty deaths and recommends prevention methods.

    After being shutdown in April 2025, the registration portal of the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer is now operational, following the questioning of HHS Secretary Kennedy by members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee on May 14, 2025.

    Spokane Firefighters Union Local 29 is very worried about the cuts to NIOSH and has called for the continuation of NIOSH-funded research, specifically the study on how high heat affects firefighters’ cognitive abilities, using the highly technical and sophisticated labs in the SMRD. Much of this research is conducted in partnership with Washington State University, where researchers have expertise in the impacts of sleep, fatigue, circadian rhythm, and heat on the ability to be safe at work. These grants to WSU were some of the first to be terminated by HHS.

    Conclusion: The Time is Now to Return NIOSH Spokane Scientists to their Jobs

    NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory scientists were set to be fired on June 2, 2025, but on May 22, 2025, a U.S. District Court judge ordered a preliminary injunction prohibiting the Trump administration from carrying out its RIFs. However, if the RIFs legally continue, President Trump and HHS Secretary Kennedy will eliminate the NIOSH Spokane office. Without the Congressionally-mandated occupational health and safety research conducted by NIOSH scientists, Washington workers, as well as workers across the country, in commercial fishing, mining, firefighting, manufacturing, and other industries will experience preventable and potentially fatal injuries. Through NIOSH-funded research, Spokane Research Laboratory scientists promote evidence-based safety protocols that are implemented through strong industry collaborations that create productive workplaces that contribute to Washington’s and America’s economic prosperity. President Trump and HHS Secretary Kennedy need to bring back the Spokane Research Laboratory scientists now and fully fund NIOSH research to maintain the promise of healthier and safer workplaces, communities, and families.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Gomez and Waters, Local Leaders Rally to Protect Job Corps Program at LA Center

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

    Los Angeles, CA – Today, Representatives Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) and Maxine Waters (CA-43), as well as LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, labor leaders, and Job Corps graduates rallied outside the LA Job Corps Center to demand that the Trump administration reverse its harmful decision to shut down all contractor-operated Job Corps centers by June 30. The Job Corps program provides free vocational training, housing, and GED programs for young people ages 16-24, especially those from underserved communities.

    “Job Corps isn’t just about teaching basic skills—it creates real opportunity and has launched tens of thousands of young people into successful careers,” said Rep. Jimmy Gomez. “Shutting down job corps doesn’t just hurt these students — it hurts our economy. This program has saved taxpayers millions by helping at-risk youth become self-sufficient. We can’t let the administration take that away.”

    “[Congress] included funding to enroll students in Job Corps centers for the new program year starting in 2025, and the administration must faithfully implement Job Corps with the resources Congress appropriated,” said Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-43). “Ending it now without congressional approval would be yet another example of this administration’s disregard for Congress and our constitutional role in federal spending.”

    “Many of these students will be the first in their families to earn a high school diploma or GED, an apprenticeship certificate, or go on to college,” said Hilda Solis, LA County Supervisor and former Department of Labor Secretary. “I’ve seen Job Corps graduates thrive in the healthcare industry and culinary arts, and many more.”

    “Since coming to Job Corps, I had to teach myself basic math. I’ve earned my BLS certification and CNA certification, and now, my classmates and I are just four months away from getting our LDN licenses. Job Corps gave me the chance to build a better future,” said Emily, an LA Job Corps graduate and a constituent of Rep. Gomez.

    Job Corps, established in 1964 under the Economic Opportunity Act, has long had broad bipartisan support, serving more than 2 million people. It equips young people with real job skills, helping them earn diplomas and certifications to secure good-paying jobs in high-demand trades. But under Trump’s Project 2025 — an extremist conservative blueprint to dismantle federal social programs — his administration is cutting off these vital supports.

    Rep. Gomez has been fighting back against the Trump administration’s attacks on working families, including efforts to stop illegal funding freezes and extremist cuts. Earlier this year, he visited Echo Park CDC Head Start to hear from parents about the harm these actions could cause. He and his colleagues also rallied at the U.S. Treasury Department to demand answers about Elon Musk’s unprecedented access to Americans’ sensitive financial data, including Social Security numbers, as well as bank and routing account information. Trump is still pushing cuts even after public pressure and some injunctions from lower courts forced the White House to reverse its blanket funding freeze — and with Project 2025 architect Russell Vought now leading the Office of Management and Budget, Rep. Gomez is holding the line in Congress to protect these essential programs.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Reducing American antisemitism requires more than condemning opposition to Israel and targeting elite universities

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By David Mednicoff, Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Public Policy, UMass Amherst

    Law enforcement officials dress in protective gear to investigate after an attack on a march in Boulder, Colo., on June 1, 2025, calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. AP Photo/David Zalubowski

    Violent antisemitism in the U.S. isn’t limited to the far right wing of the political spectrum. This was tragically obvious in two recent events – the June 1, 2025, attack using Molotov cocktails to burn participants in a Boulder, Colorado, march supporting Israeli hostages in Gaza, and the murders of two Israeli embassy staffers, an American Jew and an Israeli, on May 21, 2025, outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.

    As an expert on the Middle East, including Israel, my research and administrative work have included contributing to a global effort to define antisemitism and addressing antisemitism on my own campus.

    Antisemitism can be defined simply as “discrimination, prejudice, hostility or violence against Jews as Jews (or Jewish institutions as Jewish).” What actually constitutes it is more contested, especially with respect to links between Jews and the state of Israel.

    President Donald Trump claims he is taking “unprecedented” steps to combat antisemitism.

    American Jews perceive antisemitism as rising since 2016, largely because, as one study put it, “people who hold anti-Semitic views now feel more free to express them.” But the current federal fight against antisemitism in the U.S. may have more to do with the agendas of members of the American and Israeli governments than with the concerns of most American Jews.

    First, the Trump administration’s attacks on antisemitism center on elite universities, where the president claims antisemitism runs rampant. Second, the current Israeli government tries to blur the lines between pro-Palestinian activism and antisemitism.

    These factors polarize and complicate the landscape for combating antisemitism effectively.

    GOP nominee for president Donald Trump speaks to prominent Jewish donors at an event called Fighting Anti-Semitism in America on Sept. 19, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
    Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    Targeting speech at universities by charging ‘antisemitism’

    Trump’s administration has taken dramatic actions in the name of curbing antisemitism. Yet, his policies are notable for what they ignore as well as what they target.

    Right-wing antisemitism was responsible for the deadliest attack on a Jewish community in U.S. history in Pittsburgh in 2018. Yet the administration’s model for fighting antisemitism is not based in fighting white supremacist hatred toward Jews, which relates back to the Nazis in Germany.

    In fact, members of Trump’s administration, including senior adviser Stephen Miller and former Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk, have supported white supremacist ideas or groups. Trump’s own words have evoked right-wing antisemitic tropes, such as assuming American Jews are loyal to Israel or adept at making money.

    Trump administration policies on antisemitism are most vocal around punishing leading American universities as unsafe for Jews. As the leading target of the president’s ire, Harvard University has acknowledged that some activism against Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza has contributed to antisemitism on campuses.

    However, federal actions targeting Harvard ostensibly seek to punish antisemitism by demanding sweeping federal oversight of Harvard’s curriculum and self-governance. Billions of dollars in research funds have been cut. Neither action connects clearly to Harvard’s patterns or policies around antisemitism.

    Given this, Harvard sued the government in April.

    Many American Jews believe that Trump’s true purpose is to use the antisemitism issue as one means to curb free expression at universities.

    Defending Israeli policy by charging ‘antisemitism’

    National governments naturally seek political and material support from powerful allies. Israel’s efforts to encourage Americans to champion that support fit this pattern.

    Israel receives more U.S. aid than any other country. Thus, its government has an interest in enlisting diverse people and organizations in a sustained way to support its policies.

    The Israeli intervention has grown because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government is unpopular in both Israel and the U.S. Its war in Gaza, provoked by Hamas, is highly destructive and globally unpopular.

    Most experts and policymakers now argue that Israel, along with Hamas, has committed international war crimes.

    The Israeli government recently increased its funding to US$150 million for global public relations efforts. This is a major acceleration of policies that Israeli has pursued for decades known in Hebrew as “hasbara,” which translates to “explanation.”

    Documenting specific links between Israel’s government and groups promoting its agenda in the U.S. can be difficult. This may be a deliberate strategy by Israeli leaders to conceal their efforts.

    Yet, mainstream Israeli-run organizations such as the Jewish Agency have played up links between pro-Palestinian activism and antisemitism since Hamas triggered the war in Gaza. Groups whose funding and leadership are hard to trace maintain public blacklists labeling vocal pro-Palestine activists as antisemites. Those lists have been used by Israeli government bureaucrats to bar visitors to the country.

    U.S.-based groups aligned with Israeli government messaging engage in persistent strategies to discredit opposition voices. Some attack publicly vocal activists, including some American Jews. Others press organizations, political bodies and institutions to adopt a definition of antisemitism that makes it easy to conflate criticism of Israeli policy with antisemitism.

    Anti-Israel behavior in the U.S. can be antisemitic, such as asserting that American Jews, because they are Jews, are responsible for Israeli state actions. And some American Jews support crackdowns on pro-Palestinian activists.

    However, characterizing antisemitism in the U.S. mostly in terms of speech and activism against the Israeli government augments the Trump administration’s neglect of dangerous right-wing antisemitism.

    Presidential adviser Elon Musk interviews via video the German right-wing party AfD leader Alice Weidel at AfD’s election campaign launch on Feb. 23, 2025.
    Hendrik Schmidt/picture alliance via Getty Images

    Polarization and antisemitism in the US

    Taken together, the politics pursued by Trump and the Netanyahu government combine to target legally protected speech in the U.S. more than they deter antisemitism.

    By contributing to polarization, the conflation of antisemitism with a wide range of speech critical of Israel could add to threats faced by Jews and other religious minorities. Those who wish to undermine work toward Palestinian-Israeli coexistence benefit from the charge that most pro-Palestinian activists are antisemitic. This worsens already visible divides among American Jews over how Israel’s mistreatment of Palestinians squares with their Jewish identities.

    Supported by the most aggressive pro-Netanyahu groups, the Trump administration links concerns against antisemitism to efforts to deport immigrants who have expressed pro-Palestine views, such as Tufts doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk. Deporting people in the name of policing speech critical of Israel also runs a risk that Jews will be blamed for government actions many Americans find objectionable.

    Let’s be clear. Some pro-Palestinian activism embraces Jew-hatred, as the attacks in Washington and Boulder highlight. But lumping together as antisemitic most pro-Palestinian speech, as current American and Israeli leaders do, complicates seeing antisemitism clearly and countering it.

    In addition, most Americans – and Israelis – seek an end to the war, mounting deaths and humanitarian disaster in Gaza. Any potential to blur this with antisemitism augments the few, loud American voices that support one side in the conflict by dehumanizing the other side.

    Americans believe other minority groups face greater discrimination than Jews. Yet, antisemitism from diverse directions is the worst I have seen in my lifetime.

    As with any policy problem, the way to deal with this issue is to focus on all facets of the problem, including right-wing racism and Christian nationalism.

    Current national politics around antisemitism may serve many purposes. Yet most American Jews doubt that these policies actually protect them.

    David Mednicoff 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. Reducing American antisemitism requires more than condemning opposition to Israel and targeting elite universities – https://theconversation.com/reducing-american-antisemitism-requires-more-than-condemning-opposition-to-israel-and-targeting-elite-universities-257290

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: Harder Condemns House Passage of Devastating Medicaid Cuts

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

    Cuts health care for 42,000 residents, lays off 3,000 health care workers in San Joaquin County

    Finances trillions in tax cuts for billionaires like Elon Musk

    WASHINGTON – Today, following the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the federal budget reconciliation bill, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) released the following statement condemning the devastating health care cuts:

    “Today, politicians voted to strip health care from 14 million people to fund tax breaks for billionaires like Elon Musk. This isn’t an exaggeration. Right here in San Joaquin County, 42,000 people are set to lose their health coverage. That means tens of thousands of families won’t be able to take their kids to the doctor, fill a prescription, or access emergency care. Because of this bill, medical centers will shut down, ER wait times will spike, and thousands of health care workers will lose their jobs. 

    “At a time when families are already stretched thin, this bill puts billionaire tax cuts ahead of working people’s lives. It’s shameful, it’s dangerous, and I’m enraged. I voted no on this cruel bill, and I’ll do everything in my power to stop this nightmare from becoming reality.”

    San Joaquin County impacts by the numbers:

    • Cuts health care for 42,000 residents.
    • Lays off 3,000 health care workers.
    • Raises premiums for thousands of Medicaid and Affordable Care Act enrollees.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What are Canada’s governing Liberals going to do about AI?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jake Pitre, PhD Candidate in Film & Moving Image Studies, Concordia University

    Fresh off his election victory, Prime Minister Mark Carney has been focused on standing up to Donald Trump’s claims on Canada as the 51st state and American tariffs. But while that political drama unfolds, one topic that seems to have quietly slipped under the radar is the rise of artificial intelligence.

    Despite its transformative impact on everything from jobs to national security, AI received surprisingly little attention during the campaign and in the first weeks following Carney’s victory. The consequences of that lack of attention are already starting to show, as emissions and electricity costs continue unabated without a clear vision of where AI fits in.



    Read more:
    Anxious over AI? One way to cope is by building your uniquely human skills

    Although Carney has appointed former journalist Evan Solomon as Canada’s first-ever AI minister, it’s not yet clear what action the Liberal government plans to take on AI.

    The Liberals’ “Canada Strong” plan outlining the prime minister’s proposals is scarce on details. Still, it provides some clues on how the Liberals see AI and what they believe it offers to the Canadian economy — and also what they seem to have misunderstood.

    Economy of the future?

    First, the plan includes some robust initiatives for improving Canada’s digital infrastructure, which lags behind other leading countries, especially in terms of rural broadband and reliable cell service.

    To accomplish these goals, the Liberals say they’ll incentivize investment by “introducing flow-through shares to our Canadian startup ecosystem…to raise money faster” for AI and other technologies.

    In other words, they will reuse the model of mining and oil companies whereby investors can claim a tax deduction for the same amount as their investment. A major question is whether Canada’s investment ecosystem has enough big players willing to take these risks.

    The plan gets less promising as it comes to the implementation of AI within “the economy of tomorrow.”

    The Liberals say they plan to build more data centres, improve computing capacity and create digital supply chain solutions “to improve efficiency and reduce costs for Canadians.”

    All that that sounds OK — so far. But how will they do this?

    Connecting AI with Armed Forces

    The Liberals plan to establish the Bureau of Research, Engineering and Advanced Leadership in Science (BOREALIS), linking AI development directly to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Communications Security Establishment Canada, which provides the federal government with information technology security and foreign signals intelligence.

    This approach to AI is focused on what it offers to Canada’s defence, whether by manufacturing semiconductors or improving intelligence gathering, so that it can rely less on the U.S. Similarly, Canadian defence tech firms will access funding to help reduce dependence on American suppliers and networks.

    The Liberals are pledging sovereignty and autonomy for Canada’s defence and security, all enabled by “the construction and development of AI infrastructure.”

    What goes unsaid is the intense power needs of data centres, and the consequences for emissions and climate action of “building the next generation of data centres” in Canada.

    Climate concerns

    New data centres cannot be built without also constructing more renewable energy infrastructure, and none of this addresses emissions or climate change.

    If the centres crop up in big numbers as planned, Canadians could also see their electricity costs go up or become less reliable.

    That’s because finding space within the existing grid is not as easy as it may sound when AI data centres require over 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity demand versus five to 10 MW for a regular centre.

    With the rapidly evolving market for AI-based data centres, Canadian policymakers need to provide clear guidance to utilities in terms of their current decisions on competing industrial-scale demands. As the Canadian Climate Institute points out: “Anything less risks higher rates, increased emissions, missed economic opportunities — or all of the above.”

    So far, the Liberal plan fails to address any of these concerns.

    A Canadian department of efficiency?

    What else does the “economy of tomorrow” hold?

    Apparently, it means more efficient government. According to the Liberal plan, AI “is how government improves service delivery, it is how government keeps up with the speed of business, and it is how government maximizes efficiency and reduces cost.”

    Despite otherwise clashing with the Trump administration, this language is reminiscent of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has also centred its use of AI.



    Read more:
    DOGE’s AI surveillance risks silencing whistleblowers and weakening democracy

    The Liberals will open an Office of Digital Transformation, which aims to get rid of red tape and “reduce barriers for businesses to operate in Canada.”

    They don’t seem to really know what this would actually look like, however. They say: “This could mean using AI to address government service backlogs and improve service delivery times, so that Canadians get better services, faster.”

    Their fiscal plan points out that this frame of thinking applies to every single expenditure: “We will look at every new dollar being spent through the lens of how AI and technology can improve service and reduce costs.”

    The economy will also benefit, the government argues, from AI commercialization, with $46 million pegged over the next four years to connect AI researchers with businesses.

    This would work alongside a tax credit for small and medium-sized businesses to “leverage AI to boost their bottom lines, create jobs, and support existing employees.”

    But a new report by Orgvue, the organizational design and planning software platform, shows that over half of businesses that rushed to impose AI just ended up making their employees redundant without clear gains in productivity.

    Creating a tax credit for smaller companies to introduce AI seems like a recipe for repeating the same mistake.

    Protect Canadians with good AI policy

    Much of the Liberal plan seems to involve taking risks. There’s a shortsightedness on this rapidly advancing technology that requires significant guardrails.

    The government seem to view AI as a solutions machine, buying into the hype around it without taking the time to understand it.

    As policy is properly hashed out in the weeks and months to come, the Liberals’ feet will have to be held to the fire on the issue of AI. Canadians must benefit from its limited uses and be protected from its abuses.

    Jake Pitre 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. What are Canada’s governing Liberals going to do about AI? – https://theconversation.com/what-are-canadas-governing-liberals-going-to-do-about-ai-257537

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Representative Adriano Espaillat’s Statement on House Republicans’ Passage of The GOP Tax Scam

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) issued the following statement on House Republicans’ passage of their GOP Tax Scam:

    “The only winners following the Trump’s ‘Big Ugly Bill’ are the billionaire donors who will get massive new tax breaks and big corporations that already pay next to nothing in taxes. This disastrous bill includes devastating cuts to health care and food assistance, taking vital funding from the American people,” said Espaillat. “Once again Donald Trump has proven where his loyalties lie – with the extremely wealthy like his buddy Elon Musk. Donald Trump has no problem taking from poor to give to the wealthy.

    “These cuts are a matter of life and death. If this bill becomes law, people will die from lack of food, from lack of health care, and from lack of housing.  This bill fails to uphold the values of our nation and is misaligned with the interests of working families — while making grocery bills and health care more expensive for tens of millions of Americans who rely on this assistance.”

    Earlier this week, Rep. Espaillat denounced the GOP Tax Scam in remarks on the House floor, which may be watched here. House Democrats utilized every available tool to stop passage of the GOP Tax Scam and every single Democrat voted against its final passage. During yesterday’s Rules Committee hearing, Espaillat and more than 100 Democrats offered more than 500 amendments – to delay passage of the bill for more than 20 hours. 

    ###

    Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fifth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 119th Congress. He is Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

    Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Adams on the House Passage of the Republican Reconciliation Budget

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Alma Adams (12th District of North Carolina)

    WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), Senior Member of the House Agriculture Committee and House Education & Workforce Committee, released a statement on the House passage of the Republican reconciliation budget.

    “Republicans have shown today that billionaires are their top priority, not the millions of people who will be harmed by the reckless GOP reconciliation budget,” said Congresswoman Adams. “This bill does nothing to combat waste, fraud, and abuse like they claim. Instead, it will cause average Americans across the country to suffer. More children will go to bed hungry. More working Americans will lose their healthcare. More families will face eviction and homelessness. More veterans and seniors will lose access to lifesaving basic needs programs. Americans will die because Republicans are choosing to place greed over our country.”

    “In North Carolina, this bill would mean putting the food security of 1.4 million SNAP recipients in jeopardy,” Adams continued. “656,000 North Carolinians covered under Medicaid expansion could lose their lifesaving healthcare. Our farmers and small business owners, the backbone of North Carolina’s economy, will find it even harder to make ends meet. My constituents will suffer so Republicans can make people like Elon Musk even richer.”

    “My office will continue working closely with state and local governments, non-profits, community and civic groups, and local leaders to support our community when Republicans in Congress won’t. I also encourage every North Carolinian to contact all members of Congress—Democrats and Republicans, House and Senate—to voice their concern and disapproval over this budget. This bill will hurt a lot of beautiful people. Now, more than ever, we need to fight to protect our basic needs programs and our futures,” Adams concluded.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: THOMPSON STATEMENT ON PASSAGE OF REPUBLICAN RECONCILIATION BILL

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

    Bill Set to Rip Health Care from 14 Million People, Food Assistance from 9 Million People

    Washington – Today, Ranking Member of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Tax, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04), released the following statement on House Republicans’ passage of their reconciliation bill: 

    “Congressional Republicans’ reconciliation bill gives tax breaks to their billionaire donors like Musk. Simply put, it’s a bad deal for the American people.

    “My Republican colleagues have offset the cost of their huge tax breaks for the wealthy by stripping health care away from nearly 14 million Americans, taking food assistance from 9 million people, and cutting green energy investments responsible for our manufacturing boom.

    “Make no mistake: non-partisan experts agree that this bill will disproportionately benefit the wealthiest Americans while leaving the hardworking middle class behind — all while adding $4.3 trillion to our national debt.

    “We have a responsibility as members of Congress to work for everyone, not just the well-off and well connected. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle ought to be ashamed.” 

    The bill passed the House of Representatives 215-214. Every Democrat and two Republicans voted “No.” Watch Rep. Thompson’s speech on the House floor here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. McCollum Opposes Donald Trump’s Tax Scam

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — After beginning debate at 2:45am on Thursday morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Republicans’ massive budget reconciliation bill, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, on a vote of 215-214. All Democrats opposed the legislation. Following the vote, Congresswoman Betty McCollum issued the following statement:

    “The ugly truth of Donald Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is that it strips away healthcare from 20,000 Minnesotans with disabilities, seniors, children, and working parents in Minnesota’s 4th Congressional District – that’s the equivalent of every resident of Stillwater losing their healthcare overnight. The ugly truth is that 45,000 Minnesotans will go hungry without the SNAP food assistance they rely on – the equivalent of every resident of Maplewood going to bed hungry and waking up hungry. The ugly truth is that Donald Trump and his Republican Congressional followers are cutting healthcare and food access for the most vulnerable Minnesotans to give permanent tax breaks to billionaires like Elon Musk and corporations who currently don’t pay their fair share. In fact, some large corporations pay $0 in taxes. In short, the ugly truth about the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is that it’s just another Trump GOP Tax Scam.

    “Under this legislation, the average family earning less than $50,000 would get under $300 in tax cuts in 2027, less than $1 a day, while a wealthy tax filer earning $1,000,000 or more a year would receive about $90,000 in tax breaks. The more the American people learn about this ugly legislation, the more they dislike it, which is why the House Republican majority advanced it through key committees during dead-of-the-night hearings and rushed the floor vote through while most Americans were sleeping.

    “It was easy to vote no on this bill. Leading with my Minnesota values and representing the voice of my community, I will oppose any Republican efforts to cut Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Veterans’ benefits, and nutrition assistance for Minnesota families, especially when they’re made in service to millionaires and billionaires.”

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES: “OUR REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES CONTINUE TO BE NOTHING MORE THAN RUBBER STAMPS FOR TRUMP’S RECKLESS AND EXTREME AGENDA”

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

    Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN’s State of the Union with Dana Bash where he emphasized the unity of House and Senate Democrats in opposing the reckless Republican One Big Ugly Bill and serving as a check and balance on the out-of-control Trump White House.

    DANA BASH: Here with me now is the House Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Thank you so much for being here this morning, sir. I want to start with that bill. You have vowed to keep the pressure on and stop it from becoming law. Obviously, you’re in the minority, same goes with Democrats in the Senate. How will you do that?

    LEADER JEFFRIES:     Trump’s One Big Ugly Bill narrowly escaped the House of Representatives, and we’re going to continue to press our case across the country, partner with Senate Democrats in making clear to the American people the type of damage that this bill would do if it ever became law. This bill actually hurts everyday Americans in order to reward billionaires. It would strip away healthcare from approximately 14 million Americans. Premiums, copays and deductibles for tens of millions more will go up. Actually, if it ever were to be implemented into law, hospitals will close, nursing homes will shut down and people will literally die. At the same time, this bill represents the largest cut to nutritional assistance in American history. It takes food out of the mouths of children, seniors and veterans, and all of this is being done in order to enact massive tax breaks for their billionaire donors like Elon Musk. And then they want to stick the American people with the bill, increase the debt by more than $5 trillion. So I expect that you’ll see strong Democratic opposition in the Senate, just like there was strong Democratic opposition in the House. And the bill just narrowly escaped the House of Representatives.

    DANA BASH: You made these arguments before it passed the House. Democrats are going to make that argument in the Senate, but again, you don’t have the votes, so what makes you think that what you’re saying will prevail and change the outcome?

    LEADER JEFFRIES: The bill is deeply unpopular. If you go back to where we were in 2017, where Republicans, after several failed attempts, finally got their effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act out of the House of Representatives, but it limped out of House and then failed in the Senate. I think the One Big Ugly Bill is setting up for a similar fate, but we can’t let our foot off the gas pedal.

    DANA BASH: I want to ask you about something that happened in your home state of New York. In the past couple of days, Congressman Jerry Nadler said that DHS agents entered his congressional office on Wednesday without a warrant and handcuffed a member of his staff. This, of course, comes after the Trump Justice Department charged Democratic Congresswoman LaMonica McIver with obstructing ICE agents after an altercation at a facility in Newark, New Jersey. Now, I know you previously warned that the administration charging Members of Congress was a, quote, red line. What are you doing now that the red line you talked about has apparently been crossed?

    LEADER JEFFRIES:     Well, let me make clear that the House is a separate and co-equal branch of government, the Congress. We don’t work for Donald Trump, we don’t work for the administration, we don’t work for Elon Musk, we work for the American people. And we have a responsibility to serve as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch. That’s the constitutional blueprint that was given to us by the framers of the United States democracy that we have inherited over the last few centuries. And so, we’re going to continue to undertake our congressional responsibility, notwithstanding efforts by the Trump administration to try to intimidate Democrats. It’s unfortunate that our Republican colleagues continue to be nothing more than rubber stamps for Trump’s reckless and extreme agenda, and the American people, I think, will ultimately reject that next year when we will take back control of the House of Representatives. In the meantime, in terms of how we will respond to what Trump and the administration have endeavored to do, we will make that decision in a time, place and manner of our choosing, but the response will be continuous and it will meet the moment that is required.

    DANA BASH: What exactly does that mean? Have you not decided how to respond?

    LEADER JEFFRIES: We’ve publicly responded in a variety of different ways. We haven’t let our foot off the gas pedal in terms of additional things that may take place with respect to our congressional oversight authority and capacity. We will respond in a time, place and manner of our choosing if this continues to happen.

    DANA BASH:     You believe, as Jerry Nadler said, that the administration is trying to intimidate Democrats?

    LEADER JEFFRIES: I think the administration is clearly trying to intimidate Democrats, in the same way that they’re trying to intimidate the country. This whole shock and awe strategy, this flood the zone with outrageous behavior that they’ve tried to unleash on the American people during the first few months of the Trump administration is all designed to create the appearance of inevitability. But Donald Trump has learned an important lesson, the American people are not interested in bending the knee to a wannabe king. It’s the reason why Donald Trump actually is the most unpopular president at this point of a presidency in American history. The American people have rejected this approach, and we as Congressional Democrats will continue to reject this approach.

    DANA BASH: Mr. Leader, you brought up polls, so let me tell you about a new one that just came out here at CNN this morning. It shows that only 19% of Americans say that your party can get things done. 36% say the same about Republicans. And just 16% say your party has strong leaders. It’s pretty rough, and you are one of those leaders. How do you turn that around?

    LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, we don’t have the presidency right now, so that’s always going to be challenging a few months after a presidential election. But we have to continue to make the case, one, that Democrats, of course, are the party that is determined to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, for hardworking American taxpayers, that we believe that we need to lower the high cost of living, which for decades has been going up while the size of the middle class has been going down. So, understandably, there’s real frustration amongst the American people. They should be frustrated. Housing costs are too high, childcare costs—

    DANA BASH: But they’re frustrated with you as well, with Democrats as well.

    LEADER JEFFRIES: Of course, they’re frustrated with the system. But what is interesting, Dana, I think you’re aware of this, every single public poll that has come out since the Trump presidency has had congressional Democrats winning the generic ballot against congressional Republicans. And in fact, we know this is not simply speculative, in every single high-profile special election, Iowa in January, New York in February, Pennsylvania in March, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court race in April and most recently in Omaha, the mayor’s race in May, Democrats have won. So the American people are actually being very clear and decisive in saying who they trust more to govern.

    DANA BASH: We’re gonna have to leave it there. Hakeem Jeffries, the Leader of the House Democrats. Appreciate you being here this morning.

    Full remarks can be watched here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: D. Trump to Announce New NASA Administrator Nominee

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    WASHINGTON, June 1 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump will soon announce a new candidate to lead the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) after his decision to withdraw the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a close ally of Elon Musk, the White House said Saturday.

    “After careful review, I am withdrawing Jared Isaacman’s nomination to lead NASA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I will soon announce a new nominee who will live up to the mission and put America first in space.”

    Late last year, Trump named billionaire and amateur astronaut J. Isaacman as his candidate to head NASA. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation approved his nomination in late April.

    J. Isaacman, a close associate of I. Musk and a major client of his company SpaceX, has purchased several private space flights from the company for hundreds of millions of dollars. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • Trump pulls Musk ally’s NASA nomination, will announce replacement

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The White House withdrew on Saturday its nominee for NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, abruptly yanking a close ally of Elon Musk from consideration to lead the space agency.

    President Donald Trump said he would announce a new candidate soon.

    “After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site.

    “I will soon announce a new nominee who will be mission aligned, and put America First in space.”

    Isaacman, a billionaire private astronaut who had been Musk’s pick to lead NASA, was due next week for a much-delayed confirmation vote before the U.S. Senate. His removal from consideration caught many in the space industry by surprise.

    Trump and the White House did not explain what led to the decision.

    “It may not always be obvious through the discourse and turbulence, but there are many competent, dedicated people who love this country and care deeply about the mission,” Isaacman said in a post on X.

    “That was on full display during my hearing, where leaders on both sides of the aisle made clear they’re willing to fight for the world’s most accomplished space agency.

    “I am incredibly grateful to President Trump, the Senate and all those who supported me.”

    His removal comes days after Musk’s official departure from the White House, where the SpaceX CEO’s role as a “special government employee” leading the Department of Government Efficiency created turbulence for the administration and frustrated some of Trump’s aides.

    Semafor reported the news earlier.

    According to a person familiar with his reaction, Musk was disappointed by Isaacman’s removal.

    “It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted,” Musk wrote of Isaacman on X, responding to the news.

    It was unclear whom the administration might tap to replace Isaacman.

    One name being floated is retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Steven Kwast, an early advocate for the setting-up of the U.S. Space Force and Trump supporter, according to three people familiar with the discussions.

    Isaacman, the former CEO of payment processor company Shift4, had broad space industry support but faced concerns from lawmakers over his ties to Musk and SpaceX, where he spent hundreds of millions of dollars as an early private spaceflight customer.

    The former nominee had donated to Democrats in prior elections. In his confirmation hearing in April, he sought to balance NASA’s existing moon-aligned space exploration strategy with pressure to shift the agency’s focus on Mars, saying the U.S. can plan for travel to both destinations.

    As a potential leader of NASA’s roughly 18,000 employees, Isaacman faced a daunting task of implementing that decision to prioritize Mars, given that NASA has spent years and billions of dollars trying to return its astronauts to the moon.

    On Friday, the space agency released new details of the Trump administration’s 2026 budget plan that proposed killing dozens of space science programs and laying off thousands of employees, a controversial overhaul that space advocates and lawmakers described as devastating for the agency.

    Montana Republican Tim Sheehy, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee, wrote on X that Isaacman “was a strong choice by President Trump to lead NASA” in response to reports of his departure.

    “I was proud to introduce Jared at his hearing and strongly oppose efforts to derail his nomination,” Sheehy said.

    Some scientists saw the nominee change as further destabilizing to NASA as it faces dramatic budget cuts without a confirmed leader to navigate political turbulence among Congress, the White House and the agency’s workforce.

    “So not having (Isaacman) as boss of NASA is bad news for the agency,” Harvard-Smithsonian astronomer Jonathan McDowell said on X.

    “Maybe a good thing for Jared himself though, since being NASA head right now is a bit of a ‘Kobayashi Maru’ scenario,” McDowell added, referring to a no-win situation cadets face in the science fiction franchise Star Trek.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell & Colleagues Call on Trump Administration to Stop Bureaucratic Delays and Immediately Release Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment Funding to States

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    05.31.25
    Cantwell & Colleagues Call on Trump Administration to Stop Bureaucratic Delays and Immediately Release Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment Funding to States
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, Democratic Leader Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) called on the Trump Administration to immediately release the $42 billion allocated for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The program was designed with the goal of building high-speed, scalable, and reliable networks everywhere in the United States.
    “For six months, states have been waiting to break ground on scores of projects, held back only by the Commerce Department’s bureaucratic delays,” wrote the Senators in a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and President Trump. “If states are forced to redo or rework their plans, they will not only miss this year’s construction season but next year’s as well, delaying broadband deployment by years. That’s why we urge the Administration to move swiftly to approve state plans, and release the $42 billion allocated to the states by the BEAD Program.”
    In the innovation economy, universal access to high-speed internet is essential for the nation’s future economic growth and to ensure that some 25 million Americans will not be denied the opportunity to fully participate in and contribute to that growth. And, in addition to excluding millions of citizens, lack of broadband access also puts our nation further behind in the race with China, putting at risk our ability to compete in AI, advanced robotics, and semiconductor manufacturing. The BEAD program has allocated $1.2 billion to the State of Washington.
    “High-speed, reliable, and scalable connectivity is essential for jobs, education, and telehealth.  It’s also the backbone for the advanced industries of today and tomorrow,” the Senators wrote. “AI systems require massive volumes of data and low-latency networks to operate effectively. Data centers, smart warehouses, robotic assembly lines, and chip fabrication plants all depend on fast, stable, and scalable bandwidth. If we want these job-creating facilities built throughout the United States, including rural areas, we must ensure the infrastructure—including high-speed internet networks—is in place to support them.”
    Sen. Cantwell, at the time the chair of the Commerce Committee, was an early supporter of the BEAD program.
    “We urge you to move forward with the submitted BEAD plans and deliver on the promise of the BEAD program without further delay. Every American and every community needs access to reliable, scalable, and high-speed internet if we are to remain the world’s innovation leader,” concluded the letter.
    The full text of the letter is available HERE and below.
    Dear Sec. Lutnick / President Trump,
    Congress created the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to finish the job of connecting everyone and building high-speed, scalable, and reliable networks everywhere.  For six months, states have been waiting to break ground on scores of projects, held back only by the Commerce Department’s bureaucratic delays. If states are forced to redo or rework their plans, they will not only miss this year’s construction season but next year’s as well, delaying broadband deployment by years. That’s why we urge the Administration to move swiftly to approve state plans, and release the $42 billion allocated to the states by the BEAD Program.
    Universal access to high-speed internet is essential for jobs, education, and telehealth —and also for the bandwidth-hungry innovation economy, from artificial intelligence and advanced robotics to smart manufacturing and semiconductor production.  Further delay means 25 million Americans continue to wait for high-speed internet and the economic benefits it brings.  It also means that we risk falling behind China, which is aggressively building out digital infrastructure to support its AI, advanced manufacturing, and semiconductor ambitions. 
    States have already developed plans to address these needs, and restarting or slowing down the process will only hold back progress.  States must maintain the flexibility to choose the highest quality broadband options, rather than be forced by bureaucrats in Washington to funnel funds to Elon Musk’s Starlink, which lacks the scalability, reliability, and speed of fiber or other terrestrial broadband solutions.
    High-speed, reliable, and scalable connectivity is essential for jobs, education, and telehealth.  It’s also the backbone for the advanced industries of today and tomorrow. AI systems require massive volumes of data and low-latency networks to operate effectively. Data centers, smart warehouses, robotic assembly lines, and chip fabrication plants all depend on fast, stable, and scalable bandwidth. If we want these job-creating facilities built throughout the United States, including rural areas, we must ensure the infrastructure—including high-speed internet networks—is in place to support them.  If we want AI developed and deployed in the United States, if we want to win the race for semiconductor dominance, if we want the next generation of manufacturing jobs to be created here, then we must act now—and we must build the high-speed, high-capacity networks those technologies demand.
    States have spent years developing implementation plans under the BEAD program to reach every  American with high-speed internet access. These plans reflect local needs, technical realities, and the bipartisan intent of Congress. States are ready to put shovels in the ground and have been waiting for months to get started connecting communities and building networks that will support the industries of tomorrow. Additional delays and onerous changes to the program at this stage threaten to further stall urgently needed deployment and leave communities behind. 
    We urge you to move forward with the submitted BEAD plans and deliver on the promise of the BEAD program without further delay. Every American and every community needs access to reliable, scalable, and high-speed internet if we are to remain the world’s innovation leader.
    Sincerely, 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: D. Trump thanks I. Musk, who is leaving the government, for “colossal changes”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    WASHINGTON, May 31 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump bid farewell to Elon Musk in the Oval Office on Friday after the billionaire announced his decision to step down from his position at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

    “I just want to say that Elon has worked tirelessly to help lead the largest and most significant government reform program in generations,” he said.

    Mr. Musk has “made a huge change to the old ways of doing things in Washington,” the president said, adding that some of his staffers will retain positions in the administration.

    “I look forward to remaining a friend and adviser to the president,” Musk told reporters after Trump presented him with a golden key.

    Musk, who has spent about $300 million supporting the election campaigns of Donald Trump and other Republicans, recently said he plans to significantly cut his political spending. “I think I’ve done enough,” he said. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: DOGE is WINNING! Thank you, Elon! 🇺🇸

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    The Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.) is VICTORIOUS in slashing waste, fraud, and abuse!

    Thank you, Elon Musk.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2euvlvwswE

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: With Over $42 BILLION In Vital Broadband Funding Still Held Up By Trump Administration, Leader Schumer, Ranking Member Cantwell, And Senator Luján Demand Admin Stop The Delays & Immediately Release The Funding Into American Communities; Senators Say 25 Million Americans Still Lack High-Speed Internet As Bipartisan Funding Lingers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with Commerce Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), sent the following letter to Commerce Secretary Lutnick and President Trump demanding that the Commerce Department immediately release the $42 billion allocated for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program.

    Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee, Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), sent the following letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and President Trump demanding the immediate release the $42 billion allocated for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This program was designed to help our country on its path to creating universal access to high-speed internet – vital for remote work, education, job training and applications, telehealth, emergency services, and more. With the endless delays to get the crucial funding out the door and into American communities, 25 million people across our country risk going without access to the internet. 

    “States have spent years developing implementation plans under the BEAD program to reach every American with high-speed internet access. These plans reflect local needs, technical realities, and the bipartisan intent of Congress,” the Senators wrote. “States are ready to put shovels in the ground and have been waiting for months to get started connecting communities and building networks that will support the industries of tomorrow. Additional delays and onerous changes to the program at this stage threaten to further stall urgently needed deployment and leave communities behind.”

    The Senators also noted that beyond everyday applications of high-speed internet, this money is also essential to ensuring that America is able to maintain its competitive edge over countries such as China. Al systems – including data centers, chip manufacturing facilities and more – require access to power and internet. Without proper broadband networks in place, communities will not be able to house these job-creating facilities. Our government must work to ensure that all areas in our country – especially rural ones – are able to contribute to America’s innovative edge and technological dominance. Without BEAD funding getting out the door, these rural communities risk falling either further behind. 

    States have spent months developing plans to break ground and build high-speed, scalable, and reliable networks everywhere. The Trump administration should not throttle this process or delay it just to give more money to the world’s richest man. The Senators urge the immediate and swift release of all BEAD program funding.

    BEAD Grant Allocations By State

    State Amount
    Texas $3,312,616,455.45
    California $1,864,136,508.93
    Missouri $1,736,302,708.39
    Michigan $1,559,362,479.29
    North Carolina $1,532,999,481.15
    Virginia $1,481,489,572.87
    Alabama $1,401,221,901.77
    Louisiana $1,355,554,552.94
    Georgia $1,307,214,371.30
    Washington $1,227,742,066.30
    West Virginia $1,210,800,969.85
    Mississippi $1,203,561,563.05
    Florida $1,169,947,392.70
    Pennsylvania $1,161,778,272.41
    Kentucky $1,086,172,536.86
    Wisconsin $1,055,823,573.71
    Illinois $1,040,420,751.50
    Arkansas $1,024,303,993.86
    Alaska $1,017,139,672.42
    Arizona $993,112,231.37
    Indiana $868,109,929.79
    Colorado $826,522,650.41
    Tennessee $813,319,680.22
    Oklahoma $797,435,691.25
    Ohio $793,688,107.63
    Oregon $688,914,932.17
    New Mexico $675,372,311.86
    New York $664,618,251.49
    Minnesota $651,839,368.20
    Montana $628,973,798.59
    Idaho $583,256,249.88
    South Carolina $551,535,983.05
    Kansas $451,725,998.15
    Nevada $416,666,229.74
    Iowa $415,331,313.00
    Nebraska $405,281,070.41
    Wyoming $347,877,921.27
    Puerto Rico $334,614,151.70
    Utah $317,399,741.54
    Maine $271,977,723.07
    Maryland $267,738,400.71
    New Jersey $263,689,548.65
    Vermont $228,913,019.08
    South Dakota $207,227,523.92
    New Hampshire $196,560,278.97
    Guam $156,831,733.59
    Hawaii $149,484,493.57
    Massachusetts $147,422,464.39
    Connecticut $144,180,792.71
    North Dakota $130,162,815.12
    Rhode Island    $108,718,820.75
    Delaware $107,748,384.66
    District of Columbia $100,694,786.93
    Northern Mariana Islands $80,796,709.02
    American Samoa $37,564,827.53
    U.S. Virgin Islands $27,103,240.86

    The letter can be seen here and below.

    Dear Sec. Lutnick and President Trump,

    Congress created the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to finish the job of connecting everyone and building high-speed, scalable, and reliable networks everywhere. For six months, states have been waiting to break ground on scores of projects, held back only by the Commerce Department’s bureaucratic delays. If states are forced to redo or rework their plans, they will not only miss this year’s construction season but next year’s as well, delaying broadband deployment by years. That’s why we urge the Administration to move swiftly to approve state plans, and release the $42 billion allocated to the states by the BEAD Program. 

    Universal access to high-speed internet is essential for jobs, education, and telehealth—and also for the bandwidth-hungry innovation economy, from artificial intelligence and advanced robotics to smart manufacturing and semiconductor production. Further delay means 25 million Americans continue to wait for high-speed internet and the economic benefits it brings. It also means that we risk falling behind China, which is aggressively building out digital infrastructure to support its AI, advanced manufacturing, and semiconductor ambitions. 

    States have already developed plans to address these needs, and restarting or slowing down the process will only hold back progress. States must maintain the flexibility to choose the highest quality broadband options, rather than be forced by bureaucrats in Washington to funnel funds to Elon Musk’s Starlink, which lacks the scalability, reliability, and speed of fiber or other terrestrial broadband solutions.

    High-speed, reliable, and scalable connectivity is essential for jobs, education, and telehealth. It’s also the backbone for the advanced industries of today and tomorrow. AI systems require massive volumes of data and low-latency networks to operate effectively. Data centers, smart warehouses, robotic assembly lines, and chip fabrication plants all depend on fast, stable, and scalable bandwidth. If we want these job-creating facilities built throughout the United States, including rural areas, we must ensure the infrastructure—including high-speed internet networks—is in place to support them. If we want AI developed and deployed in the United States, if we want to win the race for semiconductor dominance, if we want the next generation of manufacturing jobs to be created here, then we must act now—and we must build the high-speed, high-capacity networks those technologies demand.

    States have spent years developing implementation plans under the BEAD program to reach every American with high-speed internet access. These plans reflect local needs, technical realities, and the bipartisan intent of Congress. States are ready to put shovels in the ground and have been waiting for months to get started connecting communities and building networks that will support the industries of tomorrow. Additional delays and onerous changes to the program at this stage threaten to further stall urgently needed deployment and leave communities behind. 

    We urge you to move forward with the submitted BEAD plans and deliver on the promise of the BEAD program without further delay. Every American and every community needs access to reliable, scalable, and high-speed internet if we are to remain the world’s innovation leader.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján Wraps Up Statewide Tour Highlighting Work to Protect Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Senator for New Mexico Ben Ray Luján

    Luján Visits Las Cruces, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe; Holds Town Hall With Rep. Stansbury

    New Mexico – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) concluded a series of events across New Mexico this week, meeting with health care providers, seniors, families, and union members to highlight the impact of Republican efforts to cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP.

    This week, Senator Luján traveled from Las Cruces to Albuquerque to Santa Fe to speak directly with New Mexicans about what’s at stake and to reaffirm his commitment to protecting the essential programs that thousands of New Mexico families, children, seniors, and communities rely on

    Candlelight Memorial Ceremony in Las Cruces

    Senator Luján began the week on Monday by honoring fallen service members at the 12th Annual Candlelight Ceremony in Doña Ana County.

    “On Memorial Day, we pause to remember the heroes who gave everything for our country. I was proud to stand with the community in Las Cruces to honor their service, their sacrifice, and their families,” said Senator Luján.

    Roundtable on Republican Benefit Cuts in Las Cruces

    At the Munson Senior Center on Tuesday, Senator Luján met with health care professionals, senior service providers, and AARP to discuss how Republican cuts would harm New Mexicans.

    “We heard firsthand how Republican cuts would shut down clinics, rip away food and care, and leave families with nowhere to turn,” continued Senator Luján. “For seniors living on fixed incomes, for parents working to make ends meet, and for rural communities already facing barriers to care – these programs are lifelines. I will keep fighting in the Senate to stop these cuts and protect the dignity and well-being of every New Mexican.”

    Town Hall with Representative Melanie Stansbury in Albuquerque

    Tuesday evening, Senator Luján joined Rep. Melanie Stansbury for a town hall focused on threats to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and SNAP.

    “This Republican-led bill is a total rip-off for New Mexicans – all to line the pockets of people like President Trump and Elon Musk,” said Senator Ben Ray Luján. “The Republicans’ priorities couldn’t be more clear: tax handouts for billionaires and massive corporations, paid for by cutting health care, food assistance, and benefits for New Mexicans. We are not backing down.”

    Health Care Roundtable at CHRISTUS St. Vincent in Santa Fe

    Senator Luján met with health careleaders and providers to discuss the impact of federal budget cuts on care delivery, staffing, and rural access.

    “Gutting Medicare and Medicaid would take health care away from those who need it most – especially in rural communities,” continued Senator Luján. “Providers are already stretched thin. These cuts would force closures, delay care, and put lives at risk. Our hospitals and health care workers need support, and I’ll keep fighting to make sure they get it.”

    AFSCME and SNAP Labor Event in Santa Fe

    Senator Luján concluded the tour with AFSCME union members, focusing on how GOP cuts to SNAP and public services would affect workers and families.

    “AFSCME members keep our state running, and SNAP keeps families fed. These cuts are a direct attack on both,” said Senator Luján. “That’s why I’ve introduced legislation to strengthen the SNAP workforce because supporting workers means better service for families. I’ll always stand with New Mexico’s workers and the communities they serve.”

    Throughout the statewide tour, Senator Luján underscored the devastating impact of the GOP budget proposal that slashes health and nutrition programs, raises costs for New Mexicans, and adds to the national debt – all to fund massive tax handouts for the wealthiest Americans and corporate interests.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Musk aiming to send uncrewed Starship to Mars by end of 2026

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Two days after the latest in a string of test-flight setbacks for his big new Mars spacecraft, Starship, Elon Musk said on Thursday he foresees the futuristic vehicle making its first uncrewed voyage to the red planet at the end of next year.

    Musk presented a detailed Starship development timeline in a video posted online by his Los Angeles area-based rocket company, SpaceX, a day after saying he was departing the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump as head of a tumultuous campaign to slash government bureaucracy.

    The billionaire entrepreneur had said earlier that he was planning to scale back his role in government to focus greater attention on his various businesses, including SpaceX and electric car and battery maker Tesla.

    Musk acknowledged that his latest timeline for reaching Mars hinged on whether Starship can accomplish a number of challenging technical feats during its flight-test development, particularly a post-launch refueling maneuver in Earth orbit.

    The end of 2026 would coincide with a slim window that occurs once every two years when Mars and Earth align around the sun for the closest trip between the two planets, which would take seven to nine months to transit by spacecraft.

    Musk gave his company a 50-50 chance of meeting that deadline. If Starship were not ready by that time, SpaceX would wait another two years before trying again, Musk suggested in the video.

    The first flight to Mars would carry a simulated crew consisting of one or more robots of the Tesla-built humanoid Optimus design, with the first human crews following in the second or third landings. Musk said he envisioned eventually launching 1,000 to 2,000 ships to Mars every two years to quickly establish a self-sustaining permanent human settlement.

    NASA is currently aiming to return humans to the surface of the moon aboard Starship as early as 2027 – more than 50 years after its last manned lunar landings of the Apollo era – as a stepping stone toward ultimately launching astronauts to Mars sometime in the 2030s.

    Musk, who has advocated for a more Mars-focused human spaceflight program, has previously said he was aiming to send an unmanned SpaceX vehicle to the red planet as early as 2018 and was targeting 2024 to launch a first crewed mission there.

    The SpaceX founder was scheduled to deliver a livestream presentation billed as “The Road to Making Life Multiplanetary” from the company’s Starbase, Texas, launch site on Tuesday night, following a ninth test flight of Starship that evening.

    But the webcast was canceled without notice after Starship spun out of control and disintegrated in a fireball about 30 minutes after launch and roughly halfway through its flight path without achieving some of its most important test goals.

    Two preceding test flights in January and March failed in more spectacular fashion, with the spacecraft blowing to pieces on ascent moments after liftoff, raining debris over parts of the Caribbean and forcing scores of commercial jetliners to change course as a precaution.

    Musk shrugged off the latest mishap on Tuesday with a brief post on X, saying it produced a lot of “good data to review” and promising a faster launch “cadence” for the next several test flights.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI Global: Will elections for judges make Mexico the ‘most democratic country in the world’? Critics fear the opposite

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong

    On Sunday, Mexico will hold an unprecedented election, becoming the first country in the world to allow voters to elect judges at every level.

    Voters will elect approximately half the judges in the country on June 1 – from the nine members of the Supreme Court down to 850 federal judges and thousands more at lower levels. In 2027, a second vote will see the rest of Mexico’s judiciary elected.

    As part of the overhaul, the country’s merit-based, career judiciary system will be abolished. Instead, all judges will serve nine-year terms, renewable by popular vote.

    The election had been championed by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador and embraced by his successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in October.

    Sheinbaum has proclaimed Mexico will be “the most democratic country in the world” because the people will now choose all three branches of government.

    Critics are not so sure. Some are calling the process a cynical farce. Others warn it will concentrate power in Morena, the ruling party, and its political allies, dismantling the country’s system of checks and balances.

    Critics also warn that inexperienced judges could be elected, or those who could be influenced by organised crime. Some candidates themselves have been investigated for crimes, and at least two are former defence attorneys for drug cartels.

    Former president Ernesto Zedillo, currently director at the Yale Centre for the Study of Globalisation, has gone so far as to declare that democracy itself “has come to an end” in Mexico.

    Why reform the judiciary?

    During his time in office from 2018–2024, López Obrador waged a rhetorical battle with Mexico’s courts, accusing judges of serving the elites and blocking his agenda.

    In truth, what irked López Obrador was the fact the courts wielded the power to review and restrain his actions through constitutional oversight.

    Sheinbaum seems to share his hostility towards the judiciary. Arturo Zaldívar, a former Supreme Court chief justice who designed the judicial reform system and later joined Sheinbaum’s cabinet, has accused the outgoing chief justice, Norma Piña, of being “a force of opposition allied with the oligarchy”.

    In September 2024, Morena used its congressional super-majority to ram through a series of constitutional amendments to enact the judicial reform.

    In response, judges walked off the job. Court staff, lawyers and law students took to the streets in support of their strike, some carrying banners reading “justice is not a popularity contest”.

    Experts note the reform does nothing to fix Mexico’s real justice problems – the rampant corruption and abuse that plagues the system. The institutions that allow criminals to act with impunity are not the courts, but the prosecutors and police.

    Human Rights Watch reports that nearly half of Mexicans have “little or very little confidence” in the country’s justice authorities. Nine in ten Mexicans don’t even bother to report crimes.

    The perils of judicial elections

    Electing judges is an idea fraught with peril. International human rights law treats an independent judiciary as a basic human right. Article 8 of the 1978 American Convention on Human Rights – an international treaty for North, Central and South America – guarantees every person “a hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal.”

    Popular elections invite precisely the opposite. As UN experts caution, election campaigns will inevitably inject “political loyalty or alignment with party interests” into judge selection, rather than competence and impartiality.

    In addition, leading legal theorists have long warned that politicising the judiciary undermines the rule of law.

    US jurist Ronald Dworkin argued judges must decide according to principles – not political winds. Italian jurist Luigi Ferrajoli’s notion of a “guarantee-based” democracy – which is hugely influential in Latin America – likewise insists judges be insulated from party bargaining.

    Even in the United States, where some states hold judicial elections, scholars lament their corrosive effects.

    As one study notes:

    Wealthy people and corporations can pump lots of money […] to elect and reelect judges who decide cases the way they want.

    Opponents of billionaire Elon Musk critiqued his decision this year to pour US$21 million (A$33 million) into the campaign of a conservative candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In a comment he posted on X, Musk said he didn’t expect to win but “there is value to losing a piece for positional gain.”

    Bolivia offers another cautionary tale. Beginning in 2011, Bolivia has held elections for the judges on its top courts in an effort to “decolonise” the justice system and fight corruption.

    In practice, though, only judges pre-approved by the ruling party’s congressional majority make the ballot. Voters, too, know little about the candidates. Turnout is very low.

    Courts increasingly under attack

    Mexico’s justice system, indeed, needs reform. But its multiple problems will not be solved with the wholesale politicisation of the courts.

    As Argentine scholar Roberto Gargarella bluntly observes, electing judges in this way is “one of the greatest institutional tragedies of our time.”

    Mexico’s reform effort threatens to turn the courts into just another party apparatus. In that sense, Mexico joins a disturbing global trend. From Washington to Brasília, populist leaders are increasingly attacking the courts as the enemies of the people.

    With courts in Mexico potentially beholden to the government or influenced by organised crime, neutral judges may become much harder to find. If history teaches anything, it’s that the night of authoritarianism grows darker when the last judges are gone.

    Luis Gómez Romero 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. Will elections for judges make Mexico the ‘most democratic country in the world’? Critics fear the opposite – https://theconversation.com/will-elections-for-judges-make-mexico-the-most-democratic-country-in-the-world-critics-fear-the-opposite-257730

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • Without Musk, DOGE likely to fizzle out, says ex-staffer

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Without billionaire Elon Musk in the Trump administration, his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency project is likely to sputter out, a former DOGE staffer said in his first interview since leaving the team.

    Tesla CEO Musk announced on Wednesday evening that he was ending his time as a special government employee but vowed that DOGE would continue without him. Administration media representatives also said in statements to Reuters that DOGE would continue its work.

    DOGE has overseen job cuts at nearly every federal agency as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to shake up the federal bureaucracy.

    However, software engineer Sahil Lavingia, who spent almost two months working for the group of pro-Musk technologists, said he expects DOGE to quickly “fizzle out.”

    “It’ll just die a whimper,” Lavingia, who was fired from DOGE earlier this month, told Reuters. “So much of the appeal and allure was Elon.” He said he expected DOGE staffers to “just stop showing up to work. It’s like kids joining a startup that will go out of business in four months.”

    That would cap a remarkable undoing for DOGE, which Musk initially vowed would cut $2 trillion in federal spending. Instead, DOGE estimates its efforts have saved around $175 billion so far and the group’s tallies have been riddled with errors.

    “DOGE is integral to the federal government’s operations, and its mission, as established by the President’s executive order, will continue under the direction of agency and department heads in the Trump administration,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said.

    Lavingia, the 32-year-old founder and CEO of creator platform Gumroad, said he was recruited by DOGE through a personal contact and joined the team in March.

    While he said he was proud of certain achievements at the Department of Veterans Affairs, including modernizing the agency’s internal artificial-intelligence chatbot, he said he was often at a loss about what work he was expected to do.

    “I got dropped into the VA with an HP laptop. What are we supposed to do? What is the road map?” Lavingia said he asked, to no avail. “I felt like I was being pranked.”

    Veterans Affairs press secretary Pete Kasperowicz said in a statement to Reuters: “VA looks forward to continuing to work with its DOGE liaisons to help the department improve its performance, customer service, and convenience to Veterans.”

    Lavingia said Steve Davis, the president of Musk’s tunneling enterprise the Boring Company, ran day-to-day operations while Turkish-born venture capitalist Baris Akis helped with DOGE recruitment and DOGE logistics.

    When instructions did come through, they were usually communicated through phone calls or small chats on the encrypted Signal messaging app that would typically auto-delete in one day, Lavingia said.

    Lavingia said instructions included moving faster to increase mass layoffs at the VA, the federal government’s second-largest agency.

    The only time he met Musk, Lavingia said, was at an all-hands meeting in March with what he estimated was between 40 and 60 fellow DOGE staffers.

    Lavingia said he asked to open-source, or make freely available, some of his computer code, which Musk approved.

    He then asked if they could livestream DOGE meetings to increase transparency.

    “Elon said: ‘That’s a great idea. We’ll do it next week.’ He then caught himself and said: ‘Maybe we pre-record it because of security risks.’”

    Lavingia said he never heard back.

    In early May, after he spoke to media outlet Fast Company about working at DOGE, Lavingia said his computer access was revoked in what amounted to a firing. He said Musk and team leaders never explicitly told him he should not talk to journalists.

    “My DOGE days were over,” Lavingia wrote in a blog about his experience.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-Evening Report: Will elections for judges make Mexico the ‘most democratic country in the world’? Critics fear the opposite

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong

    On Sunday, Mexico will hold an unprecedented election, becoming the first country in the world to allow voters to elect judges at every level.

    Voters will elect approximately half the judges in the country on June 1 – from the nine members of the Supreme Court down to 850 federal judges and thousands more at lower levels. In 2027, a second vote will see the rest of Mexico’s judiciary elected.

    As part of the overhaul, the country’s merit-based, career judiciary system will be abolished. Instead, all judges will serve nine-year terms, renewable by popular vote.

    The election had been championed by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador and embraced by his successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in October.

    Sheinbaum has proclaimed Mexico will be “the most democratic country in the world” because the people will now choose all three branches of government.

    Critics are not so sure. Some are calling the process a cynical farce. Others warn it will concentrate power in Morena, the ruling party, and its political allies, dismantling the country’s system of checks and balances.

    Critics also warn that inexperienced judges could be elected, or those who could be influenced by organised crime. Some candidates themselves have been investigated for crimes, and at least two are former defence attorneys for drug cartels.

    Former president Ernesto Zedillo, currently director at the Yale Centre for the Study of Globalisation, has gone so far as to declare that democracy itself “has come to an end” in Mexico.

    Why reform the judiciary?

    During his time in office from 2018–2024, López Obrador waged a rhetorical battle with Mexico’s courts, accusing judges of serving the elites and blocking his agenda.

    In truth, what irked López Obrador was the fact the courts wielded the power to review and restrain his actions through constitutional oversight.

    Sheinbaum seems to share his hostility towards the judiciary. Arturo Zaldívar, a former Supreme Court chief justice who designed the judicial reform system and later joined Sheinbaum’s cabinet, has accused the outgoing chief justice, Norma Piña, of being “a force of opposition allied with the oligarchy”.

    In September 2024, Morena used its congressional super-majority to ram through a series of constitutional amendments to enact the judicial reform.

    In response, judges walked off the job. Court staff, lawyers and law students took to the streets in support of their strike, some carrying banners reading “justice is not a popularity contest”.

    Experts note the reform does nothing to fix Mexico’s real justice problems – the rampant corruption and abuse that plagues the system. The institutions that allow criminals to act with impunity are not the courts, but the prosecutors and police.

    Human Rights Watch reports that nearly half of Mexicans have “little or very little confidence” in the country’s justice authorities. Nine in ten Mexicans don’t even bother to report crimes.

    The perils of judicial elections

    Electing judges is an idea fraught with peril. International human rights law treats an independent judiciary as a basic human right. Article 8 of the 1978 American Convention on Human Rights – an international treaty for North, Central and South America – guarantees every person “a hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal.”

    Popular elections invite precisely the opposite. As UN experts caution, election campaigns will inevitably inject “political loyalty or alignment with party interests” into judge selection, rather than competence and impartiality.

    In addition, leading legal theorists have long warned that politicising the judiciary undermines the rule of law.

    US jurist Ronald Dworkin argued judges must decide according to principles – not political winds. Italian jurist Luigi Ferrajoli’s notion of a “guarantee-based” democracy – which is hugely influential in Latin America – likewise insists judges be insulated from party bargaining.

    Even in the United States, where some states hold judicial elections, scholars lament their corrosive effects.

    As one study notes:

    Wealthy people and corporations can pump lots of money […] to elect and reelect judges who decide cases the way they want.

    Opponents of billionaire Elon Musk critiqued his decision this year to pour US$21 million (A$33 million) into the campaign of a conservative candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In a comment he posted on X, Musk said he didn’t expect to win but “there is value to losing a piece for positional gain.”

    Bolivia offers another cautionary tale. Beginning in 2011, Bolivia has held elections for the judges on its top courts in an effort to “decolonise” the justice system and fight corruption.

    In practice, though, only judges pre-approved by the ruling party’s congressional majority make the ballot. Voters, too, know little about the candidates. Turnout is very low.

    Courts increasingly under attack

    Mexico’s justice system, indeed, needs reform. But its multiple problems will not be solved with the wholesale politicisation of the courts.

    As Argentine scholar Roberto Gargarella bluntly observes, electing judges in this way is “one of the greatest institutional tragedies of our time.”

    Mexico’s reform effort threatens to turn the courts into just another party apparatus. In that sense, Mexico joins a disturbing global trend. From Washington to Brasília, populist leaders are increasingly attacking the courts as the enemies of the people.

    With courts in Mexico potentially beholden to the government or influenced by organised crime, neutral judges may become much harder to find. If history teaches anything, it’s that the night of authoritarianism grows darker when the last judges are gone.

    Luis Gómez Romero 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. Will elections for judges make Mexico the ‘most democratic country in the world’? Critics fear the opposite – https://theconversation.com/will-elections-for-judges-make-mexico-the-most-democratic-country-in-the-world-critics-fear-the-opposite-257730

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for May 30, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on May 30, 2025.

    French politicians in New Caledonia to stir the political melting pot
    By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk French national politicians have been in New Caledonia as the territory’s future remains undecided. Leaders from both right-wing Les Républicains (LR) and Rassemblement National (RN), — vice-president François-Xavier Bellamy and Marine Le Pen respectively — have been in the French Pacific territory this week. They expressed

    Elon Musk promises more risky launches after sixth Starship failure
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology What goes up must come down, and earlier this week yet another of SpaceX’s Starships, the biggest and most powerful type of rocket ever built, came back down to Earth in spectacular fashion. In the

    Tracking crime from the cradle: why some people keep breaking the law while most of us never do
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ayda Kuluk, PhD Candidate in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University Alena Lom/Shutterstock A major Australian study tracking more than 80,000 Queenslanders from birth to adulthood reveals stark differences between men and women in patterns of criminal behaviour. These patterns offer insights into effective crime prevention strategies.

    Most of Australia’s conservation efforts ignore climate risks – here are 3 fixes
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yi Fei Chung, PhD Candidate in Environmental Policy, The University of Queensland Imagine replanting various native species only to have them die because the area is too hot or too dry. Or reconnecting woodland habitat only to lose large tracts to bushfire. Well, our new research suggests

    Earth’s seasonal rhythms are changing, putting species and ecosystems at risk
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Hernández Carrasco, PhD Candidate in Ecology, University of Canterbury Shutterstock/Colin Stephenson Seasonality shapes much of life on Earth. Most species, including humans, have synchronised their own rhythms with those of Earth’s seasons. Plant growth cycles, the migration of billions of animals, and even aspects of human

    Google is going ‘all in’ on AI. It’s part of a troubling trend in big tech
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zena Assaad, Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, Australian National University Google recently unveiled the next phase of its artificial intelligence (AI) journey: “AI mode”. This new feature will soon be released as a new option to users of Google’s search engine in the United States, with no

    People with disability are dying from cancers we can actually prevent, our study shows
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yi Yang, Research Fellow, Social Epidemiology, Melbourne Disability Institute, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne Chona Kasinger/Disabled and Here, CC BY-SA People with disability are missing out on screening programs that could help detect cancer early, and after diagnosis, are less likely

    Researchers created a chatbot to help teach a university law class – but the AI kept messing up
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Armin Alimardani, Senior Lecturer in Law and Emerging Technologies, University of Wollongong Mikhail Nilov/ Pexels , CC BY “AI tutors” have been hyped as a way to revolutionise education. The idea is generative artificial intelligence tools (such as ChatGPT) could adapt to any teaching style set by

    NSW is again cleaning up after major floods. Are we veering towards the collapse of insurability?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Booth, Associate Professor of Human Geography, University of Tasmania Once again, large parts of New South Wales have been devastated by floods. It’s estimated 10,000 homes and businesses may have been damaged or destroyed and the Insurance Council of Australia reports more than 6,000 insurance claims

    Talk to Me was a rollercoaster, but the Philippou brothers’ Bring Her Back will trap you in a house of horrors
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Balanzategui, Associate Professor in Media, RMIT University A24 They may have only made two feature films so far, but Danny and Michael Philippou are already being hailed as Australia’s premiere horror auteurs. Their 2023 debut Talk To Me sparked a bidding war between distributors upon its

    Grattan on Friday: Trump, tariffs and the Middle East are looming challenges for Albanese
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Australia these days receives invitations to big-league international conferences. And so Anthony Albanese will be off soon to the G7 meeting in Alberta, Canada, on June 15-17. For the prime minister, what’s most important about this trip is not so

    Radical legal step towards ending impunity for Israel over killing Gaza journalists
    Pacific Media Watch Journalists have been targeted, detained and tortured by the Israeli military in Gaza — and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has now taken a new approach towards bringing justice these crimes. The Paris-based global media freedom NGO has submitted multiple formal requests to the International Criminal Court (ICC) asking that Palestinian journalists who

    New Australian data shows most of us have PFAS in our blood. How worried should we be?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian A. Wright, Associate Professor in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University New Africa/Shutterstock The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has this week released new data which tells us about the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Australians’ bodies. The data comes from concentrations measured in

    Labor gains Senate seats in Victoria and Queensland, and surges to a national 55.6–44.4 two-party margin
    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 Buttons have been pressed to electronically distribute preferences for the Senate in Victoria, the ACT, Queensland and Western Australia. Labor gained a seat from the Liberals in

    Influencer Andrew Tate is charged with a raft of sex crimes. His followers will see him as the victim
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Roberts, Professor of Education and Social Justice, Monash University British prosecutors have this week charged social media influencer Andrew Tate with a string of serious sexual offences, including rape and human trafficking, alleged to have been committed in the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2015. This

    How the North West Shelf expansion risks further damage to Murujuga’s 50,000-year-old rock art
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Smith, Professor of Archaeology (World Rock Art), School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Yesterday, new environment minister Murray Watt approved an extension for the North West Shelf liquefied natural gas project. The gas plant at Karratha, Western Australia, will run until 2070. This

    UNESCO expresses ‘utmost concern’ at the state of the Great Barrier Reef
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon C. Day, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has again raised grave fears for the future of the Great Barrier Reef, highlighting the problems of water pollution, climate change and unsustainable fishing. The committee this week

    Trump’s global trade plans are in disarray, after a US court ruling on ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Stone, Credit Union SA Chair of Economics, University of South Australia A US court has blocked the so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs that US President Donald Trump imposed on imported goods from around 90 nations. This puts implementation of Trump’s current trade policy in disarray. The Court

    30 years ago Australia confronted its Stolen Generation past – then the Howard government blew it
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Maree Payne, Senior Research Fellow, Indigenous Land & Justice Research Group, UNSW Sydney May 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the national inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. Conducted by the Human Rights and

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: On Fox, Cornyn Discusses Co-Chairing Hearing on Alleged Biden Health Cover-Up, Big Beautiful Bill Coming to the Senate

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    DALLAS – Today on Fox News’ The Will Cain Show, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed his efforts to get answers on the alleged cover-up of former President Biden’s cognitive decline by the mainstream media, Biden family, and his inner circle, including Sen. Cornyn’s recent letter to the Department of Justice calling for an investigation and an upcoming Senate Judiciary Committee hearing he will lead alongside Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), as well as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which the Senate is expected to begin processing next week. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.

    On the Upcoming Hearing on the Alleged Cover-Up of Biden’s Decline:

    CORNYN: “We need to get past the failures of the media, which were legend as you pointed out, or the political issue of ‘Were you for Biden or against Biden?’ This is about a constitutional crisis, where we basically have a mentally incompetent president who’s not in charge.”

    “The question is: Who is in charge? Whose finger is on the nuclear button or has the nuclear codes? Who can declare war? How do we defend the nation when we have basically an absent president? And those are Constitutional issues we need to address and correct.”

    CAIN: “You’re not one known for inflammatory language, respectfully, and so when I hear you say today we have a Constitutional crisis and ‘Whose finger was on the nuclear button,’ literally, who was responsible for war and peace is the right, exact question to be asking about what happened in this country.”

    CORNYN: “That’s why we’ve asked Pam Bondi, the Attorney General, to look into this to see what federal laws have been violated.”

    “Congress’ responsibility is actually bigger than just that. It is to provide oversight and to make sure that there’s more transparency for future presidents so we understand how this happened and how can we prevent it from happening again.”

    On Senate Considering the One Big Beautiful Bill:

    “We have 53 Republicans, and we need to get to the magic number 51, which means that we’re going to have to get virtually everybody on board. But I think building on what the House has done, in terms of savings—Elon Musk and DOGE have identified incredible examples of egregious misspent taxpayer dollars.”

    “Rescissions and the like— there is a lot of work that we can do to build on what the House did and get it to the President.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Elon Musk promises more risky launches after sixth Starship failure

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology

    What goes up must come down, and earlier this week yet another of SpaceX’s Starships, the biggest and most powerful type of rocket ever built, came back down to Earth in spectacular fashion. In the sky above the Indian Ocean, it exploded.

    This was the ninth test flight for the rocket, and the third catastrophic failure in a row, just this year.

    Is this what we should expect from the very ship some are counting on to take humans further than we’ve ever been in the solar system? Or does this failure point to deeper concerns within the broader program?

    A decade of development

    The Starship program from Elon Musk’s space technology company, SpaceX, has been in development for more than a decade now and has undergone many iterations in its overall design and goals.

    The Starship concept is based upon the SpaceX Raptor engines to be used in a multistage system. In a multistage rocket system, there are often two or three separate blocks with their own engine and fuel reserves. These are particularly important for leaving Earth’s orbit and travelling to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

    With Starship, the key factor is the ability to land and reuse vast amounts of the rocket stages again and again. The company’s Falcon 9 vehicles, which used this model, were fantastically successful.

    Initial tests of Starship began in 2018 with two low-altitude flights showing early success. Subsequent flights have faced numerous challenges with now four complete failures, two partial failures and three successes overall.

    Just two days ago, during the latest failed attempt, I watched alongside over 200 other space industry experts at the Australian Space Summit in Sydney. Broadcast live on a giant screen, the launch generated an excited buzz – which soon turned to reserved murmurs.

    Of course, designing and launching rockets is hard, and failures are to be expected. However, a third catastrophic failure within six months demands a pause for reflection.

    On this particular test flight, as Starship positioned itself for atmospheric re-entry, one of its 13 engines failed to ignite. Shortly after, a booster appeared to explode, leading to a complete loss of control. The rocket ultimately broke apart over the Indian Ocean, which tonnes of debris will now call home.

    Polluting Earth in pursuit of space

    We don’t know the exact financial cost of each test flight. But Musk has previously said it is about US$50–100 million.

    The exact environmental cost of the Starship program – and its repeated failures – is even harder to quantify.

    For example, a failed test flight in 2023 left the town of Port Isabel, Texas, which is located beside the launch site, shaking and covered in a thick cloud of dirt. Debris from the exploded rocket smashed cars. Residents told the New York Times they were terrified. They also had to clean up the mess from the flight.

    Then, in September 2024, SpaceX was fined by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for 14 separate incidents since 2022 where the launch facilities discharged polluted water into Texas waterways. Musk denied these claims.

    That same month, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed a fine of US$633,009 in civil penalties should be issued to SpaceX. This was on the grounds of using an unapproved launch control room and other violations during 2023. Musk denied these claims too and threatened to countersue the FAA for “regulatory overreach”.

    It’s unclear if this suit was ever filed.

    Two other failed launches in January and March this year also rained rocket debris over the Caribbean, and disrupted hundreds of commercial flights, including 80 which needed to be diverted and more than 400 requiring delayed takeoff to ensure they were entering safe air space.

    Success of different space programs

    Until last year, the FAA allowed SpaceX to try up to five Starship launches a year. This month, the figure was increased to 25.

    A lot can go wrong during a launch of a vehicle to space. And there is a long way to go until we can properly judge whether Starship successfully meets its mission goals.

    We can, however, look at past programs to understand typical success rates seen across different rocketry programs.

    The Saturn V rocket, the workhorse of the Apollo era, had a total of 13 launches, with only one partial failure. It underwent three full ground tests before flight.

    SpaceX’s own Falcon 9 rocket, has had more than 478 successful launches, only two in flight failures, one partial failure and one pre-flight destruction.

    The Antares rocket, by Orbital Sciences Corporation (later Orbital ATK and Northrop Grumman) launched a total of 18 times, with one failure.

    The Soyuz rocket, originally a Soviet expendable carrier rocket designed in the 1960s, launched a total of 32 times, with two failures.

    No sign of caution

    Of course, we can’t fairly compare all other rockets with the Starship. Its goals are certainly novel as a reusable heavy-class rocket.

    But this latest failure does raise some questions. Will the Starship program ever see success – and if so when? And what are the limits of our tolerance as a society to the pollution of Earth in the pursuit of the goal to space?

    For a rocketry program that’s moving so fast, developing novel and complex technology, and experiencing several repeated failures, many people might expect caution from now on. Musk, however, has other plans.

    Shortly after the most recent Starship failure, he announced on X (formerly Twitter, that the next test flights would occur at a faster pace: one every three to four weeks.

    Sara Webb 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. Elon Musk promises more risky launches after sixth Starship failure – https://theconversation.com/elon-musk-promises-more-risky-launches-after-sixth-starship-failure-257726

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed, Warren, Wyden Urge Investigation to Determine if DOGE Employees’ Committed Criminal Violations of Federal Ethics Laws

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Government Ethics (OGE), and Inspector Generals at the Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) urging their offices to investigate whether Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees broke the law by working to dismantle government agencies while holding hundreds of thousands of dollars in private companies. The lawmakers are Ranking Members of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; Senate Armed Services Committee; and Senate Finance Committee, respectively. 

    “These DOGE employees’ conflicts of interest and role in the mass firings at CFPB, Treasury, and IRS undermine the integrity of their decision-making and the actions taken by the agencies where they work,” the three senators wrote.

    Recent reporting by Politico revealed that Tom Krause, the leader of the Treasury’s DOGE team, has financial holdings worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in companies like JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, PNC, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, and Santander—all companies that have business before Treasury or provide services to the Department. Krause has also been responsible for leading Treasury’s efforts to modernize the Treasury’s IT and financial infrastructure while owning shares of big tech companies like Google, Oracle, and Amazon. 

    Krause and two other Treasury employees, Todd Newnam and Linda Whitridge, also own shares of Intuit, the parent company of TurboTax, which for years has attempted to sabotage the IRS Direct File program. Direct File allows taxpayers to file their taxes for free and directly with the IRS instead of using private sector programs like TurboTax. In recent months, DOGE fired the program’s development team and the Trump administration has reportedly decided to end the program. 

    “It would be deeply disturbing if DOGE employees with a financial stake in Intuit were involved with overseeing and dismantling the Direct File initiative, which would directly benefit Intuit and these employees’ financial holdings,” the lawmakers wrote. 

    ProPublica also recently reported that Gavin Kliger, a DOGE aid at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), was warned by ethics officials that he held stock in companies that “employees are forbidden from owning.” These holdings include as much as $715,000 of investments in barred companies such as Apple Inc., Tesla Inc., Alphabet Inc., and two cryptocurrencies, all companies subject to investigation by the CFPB. Three days later, despite ethics officials’ warnings, Kliger participated in layoffs at the agency, including firing the ethics lawyers that warned him of his conflicts. 

    At least one expert has described Mr. Kliger’s actions as “look[ing] like a pretty clear-cut violation’” of the federal criminal conflict-of-interest statute, which could carry a fine of up to $250,000 and up to five years in prison. 

    “Together, these three examples underscore what appears to be a pervasive problem with Elon Musk and DOGE employees trampling ethics rules and laws to benefit their own pockets at the expense of the American public,” wrote the senators. 

    The senators called on the DOJ, OGE, and Inspectors Generals of the Treasury, Office for Tax Administration, and the Federal Reserve to investigate the legality of these employees’ conflicts and whether they have violated federal ethics laws. 

    “Neither Mr. Musk nor those working on his behalf in DOGE are above the law, and if they have failed to follow it, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other relevant government officials should act to hold them accountable,” the senators concluded.

    Full text of the letter follows:

    Dear Attorney General Bondi, Acting Director Greer, Ms. Sciurba, Ms. Hill, and Mr. Gibson:

    We write regarding new reports that DOGE employees at the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) have been engaged in the dismantling of these agencies while holding hundreds of thousands of dollars of stock in private companies benefitting from these individuals’ efforts to eliminate key programs, staff, and policies. This poses a clear conflict of interest and potential criminal violation of federal ethics law, which bars any Federal government employee from “participat[ing] personally and substantially…[in any] particular matter in which [they] … ha[ve] a financial interest.” A willful violation of the law would subject these individuals to a fine of up to $250,000 and up to five years in prison. We request that your offices investigate this matter.

    Neither Mr. Musk nor those working on his behalf with DOGE are above the law, and if they have failed to follow it, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other relevant government officials should hold them accountable.

    First, earlier this month, reporting revealed that Tom Krause, the leader of Treasury’s DOGE team and top official overseeing Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, has financial holdings worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in companies that have business before Treasury or provide services to the Department. Some of Mr. Krause’s holdings—including hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of shares of JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, PNC, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, and Santander—are in financial institutions that provide financial services to and purchase U.S. debt securities directly from Treasury. In addition, Mr. Krause has also been responsible for leading Treasury’s efforts to “modernize its IT and financial infrastructure,” despite owning shares of big tech firms like Google, Oracle, and Amazon. Experts have described this as “a massive, glaring red flag of a conflict of interest.”

    Second, the same report also indicated that Mr. Krause and two other Treasury DOGE team members—Todd Newnam and Linda Whitridge—own shares of Intuit, the parent company of TurboTax, which has been engaged in a years’ long attempt to sabotage the IRS’ free tax filing program, “Direct File.” This easy-to-use program allows taxpayers to file their taxes for free and directly with the IRS, rather than use private sector tax preparation software like TurboTax. Troublingly, the program has been targeted for elimination by DOGE: months after Musk posted that DOGE had “deleted” a team that contributed to Direct File’s development, reports surfaced that the Trump Administration had decided to end the program. It would be deeply disturbing if DOGE employees with a financial stake in Intuit were involved with overseeing and dismantling the Direct File initiative, which would directly benefit Intuit and these employees’ financial holdings.

    Third, last month, ProPublica reported that Gavin Kliger, a DOGE aide at the CFPB, was warned by ethics attorneys “that he held stock in companies that employees are forbidden from owning — and was advised not to participate in any actions that could benefit him personally.” These holdings include as much as $715,000 of investments in barred companies such as Apple Inc., Tesla Inc., Alphabet Inc., and two cryptocurrencies. These companies are on the CFPB’s “Prohibited Holding” list since they are “subject to examination by the Bureau.”

    Three days later, Mr. Kliger “participated in mass layoffs at the agency anyway, including the firings of the ethics lawyers that warned him” of his conflicts. The conflicts are obvious: “a defanged and downsized consumer watchdog is unlikely to aggressively regulate those and other companies, freeing them of compliance costs and the risk associated with examinations and enforcement actions. That in turn could boost their stock prices and benefit … Kliger.” At least one expert has described Mr. Kliger’s actions as “look[ing] like a pretty clear-cut violation’” of the federal criminal conflict-of-interest statute

    Together, these three examples underscore what appears to be a pervasive problem with Elon Musk and DOGE employees trampling ethics rules and laws to benefit their own pockets at the expense of the American public. These DOGE employees’ conflicts of interest and role in the mass firings at CFPB, Treasury, and IRS undermine the integrity of their decision-making and the actions taken by the agencies where they work.

    To be clear, there continues to be uncertainty about the specific circumstances surrounding these individuals’ conflicts, including whether they may have divested from some or all of their conflicted holdings, whether their actions may have constituted involvement in “particular matters” that will have a “direct and predictable effect” on their financial interests, or whether they may have received waivers from relevant Designated Agency Ethics Officials or White House officials. But the American people deserve answers regarding whether their own interests may have been undermined by Trump Administration officials that acted in violation of federal ethics laws.

    Given these open questions, we ask that your offices investigate this matter. The Treasury Inspector General (Treasury IG), Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), and Inspector General of the Federal Reserve (Fed IG) should conduct a broad review of whether these and other DOGE representatives may have engaged in illegal or inappropriate efforts at the Treasury, IRS, and CFPB. The Department of Justice (DOJ) should investigate whether these and other DOGE representatives may have violated federal ethics law by abusing their official roles for the benefit of private companies in which they have a vested financial interest. We also ask that the Office of Government Ethics examine this matter and recommend any potential violations for appropriate enforcement action.

    Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 05/29/2025 PHOTO: Blackburn Tours Memphis xAI Facilities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released the following photo and statement after touring xAI’s Memphis facilities. In June 2024, xAI announced plans to build the world’s largest AI supercomputer, named Colossus, in Memphis:

    “Tennessee is the best state in the nation to do business, and xAI’s Memphis facility is proof that innovative companies thrive when entrpreneurs like Elon Musk choose to set up shop in our state,” said Senator Blackburn.  “Touring the site, I witnessed first-hand how xAI is creating hundreds of good-paying jobs, generating millions for Memphis and Shelby County, and partnering with small businesses to give hardworking Memphians exciting economic opportunities. This is only the beginning of what xAI will accomplish, and I’m excited to see how the company continues to grow and flourish for years to come.”

    Click here to download this photo of Senator Blackburn.

    BACKGROUND

    • xAI was founded by Elon Musk in 2023.
    • xAI’s Memphis facility occupies a 785,000-square-foot former Electrolux manufacturing plant. xAI has committed more than $10 billion to turn the plant into state-of-the-art super computer.
    • Memphis was chosen for a number of strategic reasons, including:
      • Existing industrial infrastructure, including access to water and energy resources;
      • Logistical advantages due to the city’s location as a major freight and shipping hub; and
      • Economic incentives provided by local and state governments eager to bring high-tech jobs and investment to the area.
    • In March, xAI announced a significant expansion of its operations in Memphis with the acquisition of a one million square foot property.
    • The development of the new facility is expected to attract additional tech companies to the region, further enhancing the city’s status as the “Digital Delta” and contributing to the local economy through job creation and technological advancement.
    • xAI has made numerous commitments to the city of Memphis, including:
      • Constructing an $80 million graywater recycling facility in Southwest Memphis, protecting the Memphis Aquifer for generations to come;
      • Developing a battery farm that allows its operations to function independently from the local power grid;
      • Creating over 320 high-paying jobs in Memphis, with 80% of the workforce being local hires. Hundreds of more hires are expected in the coming months and years; and
      • Generating between $15 and $20 million in tax revenue for the city.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Cabinet welcomes reset of SA-US Relations

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Cabinet has welcomed the reset of strategic relationships between South Africa (SA) and the United States (US) during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s working visit to the United States of America.

    Speaking during a post-Cabinet briefing in Cape Town on Thursday, Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the SA and US teams will finalise the details of the trade deal between the two countries. 

    “It is safe to emphasise that the objectives that SA had set for the trip have been met. Cabinet looks forward to the continued participation of the US administration in the G20, including the possible attendance of President Trump to the G20 Leaders’ Summit,” the Minister said.

    President Cyril Ramaphosa concluded a working visit to Washington DC in the United States last week Wednesday. The meeting at the Oval House was attended by senior US and South African officials. 

    READ I SA and US have ‘everything to gain’ from closer relations

    The South African delegation consisted of several Cabinet Ministers, notable business figures, and prominent South Africans.

    President Ramaphosa was flanked by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola, Minister Ntshavheni, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau, and Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen. 

    In addition, the President was accompanied by Johann Rupert, the Founder of Richemont and Chairman of Remgro. Vice President of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) Adrian Gore and President of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) Zingiswa Losi also formed part of the delegation.

    South African pro golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen were also in attendance. 

    President Trump was flanked by several key officials including Vice President JD Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Special Government Employee Elon Musk, and Dr Massad Boulos, who serves as a Senior Advisor for Africa as well as on Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs.

    South Africa – France Relations

    Cabinet has also welcomed the working visit by Deputy President Paul Mashatile aimed at strengthening relations between South Africa and France. 

    READ I Deputy President concludes working visit to France

    The Deputy President and the SA delegation also attended the SA-France Investment Conference with a view to improving investments by French Companies into South Africa and vice versa and also establishing partnerships between South African and French companies in joint investments through the African Continental Free Trade Area. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –