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Category: Trump administration

  • MIL-OSI USA: Heinrich, Luján, Senate Democrats Press Trump Administration to Resume Processing DACA Applications

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to urge the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume processing applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, following a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that limited a nationwide injunction to Texas.

    The senators began by highlighting the popular support for providing Dreamers a pathway to citizenship, writing:“Noncitizens brought to the United States as children, often known as Dreamers, are American in every way but their immigration status. Many only know this country as their home, and they contribute every day to this great nation by paying taxes and serving in critical roles, such as police officers, teachers, and nurses. Americans overwhelmingly support providing Dreamers a path to citizenship, and in December 2024, President Trump stated that he supported protections for Dreamers to remain in the United States.”

    The senators continued by making their request, writing:“Consistent with this statement, we implore you to use your authority at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to resume processing initial applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and provide such protections for Dreamers immediately.”

    Sunday, June 15 marked the thirteenth anniversary of President Obama establishing the DACA program via policy memorandum in 2012. Since then, more than 825,000 people have received deferred action pursuant to DACA, empowering recipients to bolster their careers and contribute an estimated $140 billion to the U.S. economy in spending power and $40 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.

    In 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen halted the DACA program and enjoined USCIS from approving any new DACA applications nationwide. While the program was enjoined, USCIS has continued to accept and hold initial applications, and in 2022, the Department of Homeland Security published the DACA Final Rule, codifying the 2012 memorandum establishing DACA into regulation. More than 100,000 initial DACA applications are pending with USCIS.

    On January 17, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision limiting Judge Hanen’s injunction to Texas.

    The senators further elaborated on the Fifth Circuit’s decision to limit the injunction, writing: “Pursuant to the order, in Texas, DACA must resume as a limited program providing protection from deportation for current DACA recipients, but without access to work authorization or driver’s licenses as part of those renewals. This order went into effect on March 11, giving USCIS the authority to start processing initial DACA applications from states other than Texas. However, nearly three months later, USCIS has not made any public announcement on whether new DACA applications will be processed; nor has the agency begun processing initial applications that have been pending with the agency for years.”

    The senators concluded: “We urge you to begin processing these DACA applications immediately, consistent with the Fifth Circuit decision and existing regulations, and to ensure Dreamers eligible to file initial DACA applications can do so as soon as possible.”

    The letter is led by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Alongside Heinrich and Luján, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    The text of the letter is here and below:

    Dear Acting Director Alfonso-Royals:

    Noncitizens brought to the United States as children, often known as Dreamers, are American in every way but their immigration status. Many only know this country as their home, and they contribute every day to this great nation by paying taxes and serving in critical roles, such as police officers, teachers, and nurses. Americans overwhelmingly support providing Dreamers a path to citizenship, and in December 2024, President Trump stated that he supported protections for Dreamers to remain in the United States. Consistent with this statement, we implore you to use your authority at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resume processing initial applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and provide such protections for Dreamers immediately.

    In 2001, the Dream Act was introduced on a bipartisan basis to provide a path to citizenship to undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children but remained vulnerable to deportation. Since that time, the Dream Act has been introduced in every Congress. It has passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate with bipartisan majority votes, but no version has yet to be signed into law. In response to bipartisan pressure to protect Dreamers until Congress acted, the Obama Administration implemented DACA through a policy memorandum in 2012.

    Since 2012, more than 825,000 people have received deferred action pursuant to DACA. Many DACA recipients report that deferred action—and the accompanying employment authorization — allowed them to apply for their first job or move to a higher-paying position more commensurate with their skills. Since its establishment, DACA recipients have contributed an estimated $140 billion to the U.S. economy in spending power, and $40 billion dollars in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.

    In 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen halted the DACA program and enjoined USCIS from approving any new DACA applications nationwide. While the program was enjoined, USCIS has continued to accept and hold initial applications, and in 2022, the Department of Homeland Security published the DACA Final Rule, codifying the 2012 memorandum establishing DACA into regulation. Over 100,000 initial DACA applications are pending with USCIS.

    On January 17, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision limiting Judge Hanen’s injunction to Texas. Pursuant to the order, in Texas, DACA must resume as a limited program providing protection from deportation for current DACA recipients, but without access to work authorization or driver’s licenses as part of those renewals. This order went into effect on March 11, giving USCIS the authority to start processing initial DACA applications from states other than Texas. However, three months later, USCIS has not made any public announcement on whether new DACA applications will be processed; nor has the agency begun processing initial applications that have been pending with the agency for years.

    We urge you to begin processing these DACA applications immediately, consistent with the Fifth Circuit decision and existing regulations, and to ensure Dreamers eligible to file initial DACA applications can do so as soon as possible.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Heinrich, Luján, Senate Democrats Demand Trump Withdraw Military Forces from Los Angeles

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in demanding that President Trump immediately withdraw all military forces from Los Angeles and cease threats to deploy the National Guard or active-duty troops to American cities without the request of state or local leaders.

    The letter comes after Trump’s unprecedented move to federalize and deploy the California National Guard without the consent of the California Governor and mobilize U.S. Marine Corps elements, deploying approximately 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles amid unrest created by the President’s indiscriminate and intentionally inflammatory immigration enforcement raids across the region. The first 200 Marines arrived at the Los Angeles Federal Building on Friday, marking the first time in over 30 years that the Marines have been deployed in the United States.

    Trump deployed these military personnel without the request or support of Governor Gavin Newsom, manufacturing a crisis and repeatedly escalating the conflict in order to create a spectacle. The federalizing of California’s National Guard marked the first time the Guard had been deployed without a Governor’s consent since 1965, when President Lyndon Johnson federalized the Alabama National Guard to protect civil rights protesters in Selma.

    “We write to express deep concern over your decision to deploy the National Guard and United States Marine Corps to Los Angeles without consultation or coordination with the Governor and local leaders,” wrote Heinrich, Luján, Padilla, and the entire Democratic Senate Caucus. “This unilateral action represents an alarming abuse of executive authority, continues to inflame the situation on the ground, and undermines the constitutional balance of power between the federal government and the states. We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles unless their presence is explicitly requested by the Governor and local leaders.”

    The senators slammed the deployment of military personnel as an abuse of power that undermines state and local leadership, interferes with critical law enforcement operations, and wastes military resources and taxpayer dollars. They also expressed concern for the dangerous precedent Trump’s misguided deployment of military forces could set for mobilizing military personnel to other cities across the country.

    “For the federal government to deploy military forces into American cities without consulting the Governor and local leaders is a dangerous misuse of federal power that has actively disrupted local law enforcement efforts to maintain peace and order,” continued the senators. “Deploying military personnel should always be a last resort – not a first step – and should only occur when local law enforcement makes a specific request for such federal resources. The decision to use military personnel to create a spectacle has escalated tensions on the ground and created confusion among local law enforcement. Significantly, it also pulls military assets away from other critical missions and is a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

    “We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles in recent days and to cease any further threats of deploying National Guard or active-duty military personnel into American cities absent a request from the Governor,” concluded the senators. “Respect for our Constitution and for our civilian law enforcement demands nothing less.”

    The Trump Administration has repeatedly utilized excessive force and aggressive tactics in its immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles and across the country. This pattern of unnecessary violence was evident on Thursday when Padilla was forcibly removed from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s press conference,thrown to the ground, and handcuffed after simply trying to ask a question.

    The legality of Trump’s federalizing of California’s National Guard without the Governor’s consent is currently being disputed in federal court. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a stay to pause a lower court’s ruling, which had returned command of the California National Guard to Governor Newsom.

    The district court ruled that the President did not follow the statutorily mandated procedure necessary to deploy the National Guard and ordered him to return control of the Guard to California. The Court ruled that Trump violated the 10th Amendment and 10 USC § 12406, the provision that authorizes the President to federalize the Guard in the event of insurrection or rebellion. The court held that California was also likely to prevail on the merits of its suit — there was no rebellion or insurrection, and local, county, and state law enforcement were fully capable of enforcing the law.

    “At this early stage of the proceedings, the Court must determine whether the President followed the congressionally mandated procedure for his actions. He did not. His actions were illegal—both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith,” wrote the court.

    “We’re talking about the president exercising his authority, and the president is, of course, limited to his authority,” the court continued.“That’s the difference between a constitutional government and King George. It’s not that a leader can simply say something, and it becomes it.”

    In addition to Heinrich, Luján, and Padilla, the letter to President Trump was signed by the entire Senate Democratic Caucus, including Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.),  John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear President Trump,

    We write to express deep concern over your decision to deploy the National Guard and United States Marine Corps to Los Angeles without consultation or coordination with the Governor and local leaders. This unilateral action represents an alarming abuse of executive authority, continues to inflame the situation on the ground, and undermines the constitutional balance of power between the federal government and the states. We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles unless their presence is explicitly requested by the Governor and local leaders.

    For the federal government to deploy military forces into American cities without consulting the Governor and local leaders is a dangerous misuse of federal power that has actively disrupted local law enforcement efforts to maintain peace and order. Deploying military personnel should always be a last resort – not a first step – and should only occur when local law enforcement makes a specific request for such federal resources. The decision to use military personnel to create a spectacle has escalated tensions on the ground and created confusion among local law enforcement. Significantly, it also pulls military assets away from other critical missions and is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

    We are particularly concerned by the precedent that this ill-conceived deployment of military personnel to Los Angeles sets for other cities and states. Governors are the Commanders in Chief of their National Guards when operating within state borders. As Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said last year when serving as Governor of South Dakota, “If Joe Biden federalizes the National Guard, that would be a direct attack on states’ rights.”

    We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles in recent days and to cease any further threats of deploying National Guard or active-duty military personnel into American cities absent a request from the Governor. Respect for our Constitution and for our civilian law enforcement demands nothing less.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Read More (Rep. Steube: Hold South Africa Accountable for Antisemitism)

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17)

    June 17, 2025 | Press ReleasesWASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) today introduced the Addressing Hostile and Antisemitic Conduct by the Republic of South Africa Act of 2025.  This bill would suspend direct assistance to South Africa while imposing targeted sanctions on political leaders responsible for their government’s antagonism towards the United States and its allies, lawfare against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and aligning with Iranian economic and military interests. “It is clear as day that the Government of South Africa is unfairly targeting the State of Israel and inciting hostility towards the United States and our allies,” said Rep. Steube. “South Africa’s purported grievances against Israel are nothing more than antisemitism wrapped in a bad-faith interpretation of international law. America has no business engaging with a corrupt government that weaponizes its political system against the Jewish people while jeopardizing our national security interests by indulging terrorist organizations and their sponsors. That is why I have proposed cutting off all direct assistance to South Africa and sanctioning their leaders until they stop abusing international institutions and catering to Iran and its terrorist proxies.”Background:

    The Government of South Africa has aligned itself with enemies of the United States, including Iran and the terrorist organization Hamas. Only ten days after the October 7th attacks, South Africa’s foreign minister expressed support for Hamas in a phone call with representatives of the terrorist organization.
    Two months following the October 7th attacks, Hamas sent a senior delegation to South Africa for the Fifth Global Convention of Solidarity with Palestine. Shortly thereafter, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa welcomed representatives of Hamas for formal meetings in Johannesburg.
    In 2023, Iran and South Africa signed a cooperation agreement expanding economic ties between their two nations, including the development of five oil refineries in South Africa by the Iranian Oil Ministry. 
    While the Government of South Africa has used lawfare to accuse the State of Israel of genocide before the International Court of Justice, it has repeatedly turned a blind eye to the atrocities committed by Hamas and Iran against Israel and the United States.
    By suspending direct assistance to the Government of South Africa and imposing targeted sanctions on its political leadership, the Addressing Hostile and Antisemitic Conduct by the Republic of South Africa Act of 2025 would help codify provisions of President Trump’s Exec. Order No. 14204 (2025), Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa.

    Read the full bill text here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: This hurricane season Greenpeace USA helps deliver Uncle Sam’s disturbing message to America

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Greenpeace USA deployed a banner at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters to assist in making Uncle Sam’s message to the country crystal clear: this hurricane season, you are on your own. It was in esponse to the Trump Administration’s recent gutting of federal emergency response capacity.
    © Tim Aubry / Greenpeace

    WASHINGTON, DC (June 17, 2025) –  Tuesday, Greenpeace USA deployed banners at FEMA headquarters to assist in making Uncle Sam’s message to the country crystal clear: this hurricane season, you are on your own. 

    Photos and videos are available here.

    In response to the Trump Administration’s recent gutting of federal emergency response capacity, Greenpeace USA Deputy Climate Director John Nöel said: 

    “At this point, it’s not even shocking, but it still bears repeating: the Trump Administration can’t just get rid of critical infrastructure to address natural disasters – and then declare hurricanes extinct. But that’s exactly what it’s trying to do. On the heels of NOAA (another agency being dismantled) saying this hurricane season could be especially intense – and possibly more deadly – The Trump White House now wants to scrap FEMA, the agency that could help Americans survive it. This agency has long served as a lifeline for communities recovering from natural disasters – but even prior to cuts, it was struggling to keep up with worsening disasters and an administration that’s been tying aid to political alignment. 

    “Without federal support, states will have to raise taxes on working people and businesses in order to fill budget gaps created by extreme weather. While Americans face increasingly deadly hurricanes and floods Trump is firing the staff from agencies that track and coordinate emergency response while carrying out Big Oil’s wishlist that slashes climate funding when communities need it most. This only ensures Americans pay with not just the cost of their lives, businesses, and homes, but also higher energy bills, disaster relief taxes, and skyrocketing insurance premiums.

    “As the Trump administration abandons its responsibility to protect Americans, it is time for governors to step up and make polluters, specifically oil and gas corporations, pay for the crisis they’ve created instead of your constituents.” 

    Contact: Madison Carter, Greenpeace USA National Press Secretary, [email protected]

    Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Blue-Collar Wage Growth Sees Largest Increase in Nearly 60 Years Under Trump

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    In President Donald J. Trump’s first five months in office, real wages for hourly workers have seen their largest increase under any administration in nearly 60 years — and we’re just getting started with pro-growth, pro-prosperity policies that finally put America First.
    Blue-collar workers have seen real wages grow almost two percent in the first five months of President Trump’s second term — a stark contrast from the negative wage growth seen during the first five months of the Biden Administration.
    “The only other time it has been this high … was during President Trump’s first term,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in an interview with the New York Post.
    The New York Post notes: “Since Richard Nixon in 1969, Trump has been the only president to record positive growth for blue-collar workers in his first five months. He also achieved 1.3% in his first term … The recovery from a 1.7% decline recorded in Biden’s first five months, as inflation outpaced earnings, suggests a shift in economic conditions for this financially stressed segment of the workforce.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Blue-Collar Wage Growth Sees Largest Increase in Nearly 60 Years Under Trump

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    In President Donald J. Trump’s first five months in office, real wages for hourly workers have seen their largest increase under any administration in nearly 60 years — and we’re just getting started with pro-growth, pro-prosperity policies that finally put America First.
    Blue-collar workers have seen real wages grow almost two percent in the first five months of President Trump’s second term — a stark contrast from the negative wage growth seen during the first five months of the Biden Administration.
    “The only other time it has been this high … was during President Trump’s first term,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in an interview with the New York Post.
    The New York Post notes: “Since Richard Nixon in 1969, Trump has been the only president to record positive growth for blue-collar workers in his first five months. He also achieved 1.3% in his first term … The recovery from a 1.7% decline recorded in Biden’s first five months, as inflation outpaced earnings, suggests a shift in economic conditions for this financially stressed segment of the workforce.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fact Sheet: Implementing the General Terms of the U.S.-UK Economic Prosperity Deal

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    IMPLEMENTING A HISTORIC TRADE DEAL: Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order implementing American commitments under the General Terms of the United States-United Kingdom Economic Prosperity Deal.
    This historic trade deal provides American companies unprecedented access to British markets while bolstering U.S. national security.
    The deal will include billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially for beef, ethanol, and certain other American agricultural exports.
    The UK will reduce or eliminate numerous non-tariff barriers that unfairly discriminate against American products, hurt the U.S. manufacturing base, and threaten our national security.
    The U.S. and UK will negotiate preferential treatment outcomes for UK pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients contingent on the findings of a Section 232 investigation.
    The U.S. and UK have also committed to adopting a structured, negotiated approach to addressing U.S. national security concerns regarding sectors that may be subject to future Section 232 investigations and UK compliance with certain supply chain security standards.
    This Executive Order addresses automobiles, aerospace, and steel and aluminum.
    For automobiles, the Order provides that the first 100,000 vehicles imported into the U.S. by UK car manufacturers each year will be subject to a total tariff rate of 10% (7.5% plus 2.5% most-favored-nation rate) and any additional imported vehicles each year will be subject to the automobile Section 232 tariff rate of 25%.
    Additionally, automotive parts that are products of the UK and are for use in UK vehicles will be subject to a total tariff rate of 10%.

    For aerospace, the Order provides that certain UK products will no longer be subject to tariffs, thus strengthening aerospace and aircraft manufacturing supply chains.
    For steel and aluminum articles and their derivatives, the Order provides that the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the U.S. Trade Representative, will establish tariff-rate quotas for UK products consistent with the General Terms of the Economic Prosperity Deal and pursuant to certain principles outlined in the Order. Products outside those quotas or that do not meet certain requirements will remain subject to existing Section 232 tariffs.
    Today’s action strengthens our bilateral relationship with the UK and sets the tone for other trading partners to promote reciprocal trade with the United States.
    ADVANCING RECIPROCAL TRADE: This U.S.-UK trade deal will usher in a golden age of new opportunity for U.S. exporters and level the playing field for American producers.
    On April 2, 2025, Liberation Day, President Trump imposed a 10% tariff on all countries to address unfair trade practices that have contributed to America’s trade deficit in order to better protect American workers, manufacturers, and our national security. 
    In 2024, the U.S. total goods trade with the UK was an estimated $148 billion.
    The UK average applied agricultural tariff was 9.2%, while the U.S. average applied agricultural tariff (prior to April 2) was 5%.

    On April 18, President Trump had a call with Prime Minister Starmer to discuss our bilateral trade relationship.
    On May 8, President Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced this historic Economic Prosperity Deal.
    USHERING IN A NEW ERA OF PROSPERITY: Since Day One, President Trump has challenged the assumption that American workers and businesses must tolerate unfair trade practices that disadvantage our workers and businesses and contribute to our historic trade deficit.
    President Trump continues to advance the interests of the American people, enhancing market access for American exporters and lowering tariff and non-tariff barriers to protect our economic and national security.
    The Economic Prosperity Deal with the United Kingdom is a critical step toward promoting reciprocal trade with a key ally and partner.
    President Trump: “The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol, and virtually all of the products produced by our great farmers.”
    “The UK will reduce or eliminate numerous non-tariff barriers that unfairly discriminated against American products.”
    “This is now turning out to be, really, a great deal for both countries.”

    Prime Minister Starmer: “This is going to boost trade between and across our countries. It’s going to not only protect jobs, but create jobs, opening market access.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: The Weimar triangle: how Germany’s new government could reinvigorate an important European security alliance

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rachel Herring, PhD candidate, Department of Politics, History and International Relations, Aston University

    Decisions made by German chancellor Friedrich Merz when he came to power in May indicate that a somewhat dormant regional partnership is about to take on new significance in Europe. Merz immediately travelled to Paris and Warsaw to meet Emmanuel Macron and Donald Tusk, suggesting the so-called Weimar triangle is a top priority for his government.

    Following Merz’s visit to Poland, Polish prime minister Tusk declared “a new beginning, perhaps the most important in the history of the last dozen or so years, in Polish-German relations”.

    If Tusk is right, the Weimar triangle – an alliance between France, Germany and Poland – will have a key role to play. The Weimar triangle was established in 1991 as a forum for the three countries to work together in the interest of European security. This involved integrating Poland into the EU, as well as providing another channel for Germany to pursue friendship and reconciliation with its neighbours.

    The Franco-German “special relationship” was already established, along with their shared reputation as Europe’s “motor”. But Poland’s inclusion was crucial. As a large, influential country in Central Europe, it was well placed to become a pillar of European security and a partner in European expansion following the collapse of Communist regimes.

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

    As well as being a smaller security forum in which Germany, France and Poland can find common ground on EU security and foreign policy, the Weimar triangle has at times taken on an active international role. During the 2014 Ukraine crisis, ministers from the three Weimar triangle countries took the lead and negotiated on behalf of the EU.

    However, the importance and effectiveness of the format has declined in recent years due to deteriorating relations between the French, German and Polish governments.

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 elevated the significance of the Weimar triangle once again. But in the early days of the war, although all three governments condemned the invasion, Poland, Germany and France were far from being on the same page.

    Germany’s cautious response provoked criticism in Poland – and indeed in other Central European countries. Many in the region had long been sceptical of Germany’s Russia policy and had warned of Russian aggression, but did not feel taken seriously.

    While the Polish government was quick to commit significant military support to Ukraine, Germany, under former chancellor Olaf Scholz, soon gained a reputation for being overly cautious in the eyes of its more hawkish allies. This led the Polish government to begin turning to security alliances in Scandinavia and the Baltics.

    Meanwhile, Scholz’s hesitancy and orientation towards Washington for leadership was also met with frustration in France, where the idea of “European sovereignty” in security issues had more traction.

    When the new Merz government made it clear that it wanted to prioritise foreign policy and the Weimar triangle, there was a sense that things were about to change. It is still early days, but the rhetoric of all three Weimar triangle leaders signals a commitment to making the alliance finally deliver, as well as an awareness of earlier failures.

    New challenges in Poland

    It won’t be plain sailing from here though. The election of nationalist Karol Nawrocki as president in Poland in early June was a blow for those that support a new, strong Weimar triangle.

    Poland’s current government is a centrist coalition led by pro-European prime minister Donald Tusk, but the concern now is that Nawrocki will block pro-European legislation as his predecessor did, given that he has the support of the nationalist, Eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party. The PiS party (in government from 2015-2023) has a record of anti-German and anti-EU rhetoric.

    Nawrocki has not yet questioned Poland’s military aid to Ukraine but the Tusk government must now continue to balance pursuing its own more liberal agenda and more pro-German and pro-European approach with the alternative views that Nawrocki represents, and which are clearly backed by a significant portion of Polish voters.

    What next for the Weimar triangle?

    Given the centrality of the Weimar triangle countries in Europe and the EU, their alliance has consequences that go far beyond the bilateral and regional levels. With the ongoing war in Ukraine and the uncertain status of the US as a security partner since Donald Trump’s re-election, a strong and unified pillar at the centre of Europe would be an asset to the EU and European security.

    So far, the Weimar triangle has failed to deliver on the expectations attached to it, often due to domestic differences. However, it holds untapped potential. A divided Europe and EU is in the interest of Putin’s government, and is not the unified ally Ukraine needs.

    The Weimar triangle, in bringing together three key member states – crucially including from Central Europe – can both symbolically and practically strengthen European foreign and security policy.

    This will involve finding compromises to build a united front on security at the EU level, bringing issues and policies to the table, and strengthening understanding where security perspectives diverge. The positions and signals of France, Germany and Poland matter to other EU member states and to Ukraine. Joint efforts could have even more clout.

    Rachel Herring receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council.

    – ref. The Weimar triangle: how Germany’s new government could reinvigorate an important European security alliance – https://theconversation.com/the-weimar-triangle-how-germanys-new-government-could-reinvigorate-an-important-european-security-alliance-257995

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Auchincloss probes corruption of healthcare executives in the Trump Administration

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jake Auchincloss (Massachusetts, 4)

    June 17, 2025

    Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, Congressman Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) sent letters calling on the boards of health companies True Medicine (TrueMed) and Main Street Health to provide information about conflicts of interest regarding their founders’ roles as special government employees overseeing health policy for the Trump administration: Calley Means of TrueMed, and Brad Smith of Main Street Health.

    Mr. Means currently serves as a White House Advisor and as a Special Government Employee detailed to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As a leading policy-maker behind the Trump Administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiative, Mr. Means has significant influence in both regulation and legislation. 

    Mr. Smith served as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) until his reported departure on May 29, 2025. In this position, Mr. Smith was reportedly the primary official responsible for planning and implementing the major reduction-in-force (RIF) at HHS.

    In these letters, Auchincloss raises concerns that, as special government employees, neither Mr. Means nor Mr. Smith were required to recuse themselves from their private business interests or obtain ethics waivers. Auchincloss cites concerning instances of self-dealing:

    • Mr. Means’ TrueMed creates partnerships with businesses to sell health and wellness products, many of which are not FDA-approved. TrueMed offers  “letters of medical necessity” (LMNs) that enable patients to use pre-tax dollars from their Health Savings Accounts (HSA) to purchase these products. The Executive Order establishing the MAHA commission ordered health agencies to promote this application of HSAs, ultimately suggesting increased revenue for companies like TrueMed. The ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ also promotes the use of HSAs. 
    • Mr. Smith’s Main Street Health’s biggest investors are regulated by or transact with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), including the largest Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs): UnitedHealthcare, Centene, CVS Health Ventures, Elevance, and Humana. These MAOs benefited from the Administration’s reduction in oversight and increase in reimbursement, as well as from Mr. Smith’s ability to win favor with CMS by protecting personnel from RIFs .

    Auchincloss has called on the boards of TrueMed and Main Street Health to explain the apparent conflicts of interest involving their executives and the steps they took internally to prevent self-dealing, as their founders gained control over our nation’s public health agencies. 

    Full copies of the letters can be found below: 

    Letter to Calley Means 

    Letter to True Medicine 

    Letter to Main Street Health

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Secures Ruling Striking Down Terminations and Withholding of Medical and Public Health Research Grants

    Source: US State of California

    Judge sides with States, calling out the Trump Administration for an “appalling” pattern of discrimination against vulnerable communities

    OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta yesterday secured a ruling by U.S. District Judge William Young, a Reagan Administration appointee in the District of Massachusetts, who ruled that the Trump Administration’s directives to terminate National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to public health research institutions in plaintiff states were unlawful. The court struck down both the termination of the grants and the underlying executive orders under the Administrative Procedure Act. Judge Young stated that the Trump Administration’s conduct represents racial discrimination and discrimination against America’s LGBTQ community, and that he had “never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable” in his 40 years on the bench. With this decision, the court ordered the terminated grants in plaintiff states to be restored. This will allow California universities to resume their work of life-saving biomedical advancement while the case proceeds. The court will consider next steps in the case, including addressing the issue of whether NIH has unreasonably delayed new grant applications. 

    “The Trump Administration’s illegal attack on NIH grants is an assault on life-saving medical research, and our diverse communities who rely on it, and I’m glad to see the court has recognized the merits of our case,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Today’s decision restores grant funding to research institutions in plaintiff states that were terminated due to the Trump Administration’s reckless and discriminatory anti-DEI directives. The California Department of Justice will continue to fight for our diverse communities and the research institutions that do crucial work to advance our understanding of human disease and potential treatments.”

    Background

    On April 4th, 2025, Attorney General Bonta co-led a multistate coalition in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the NIH for failing to disperse grant funds and for unlawfully terminating existing grants for medical and public health research institutions across the country. The lawsuit alleged that NIH had terminated large swaths of already-issued grants for projects that are currently underway based on the projects’ perceived connection to “DEI,” “transgender issues,” “vaccine hesitancy,” and other topics disfavored by the current Administration. In boilerplate letters issued to the grants’ recipients, NIH claimed that each cancelled project “no longer effectuates agency priorities.” On April 14th, the coalition filed an amended complaint and motion for preliminary injunction. The court later set the case for trial on the merits dividing the case into two parts, the first being whether the termination of existing grants was illegal and the second whether the delay in processing new grants was unreasonable. 

    NIH is the federal agency responsible for biomedical and public health research. Over 80% of Congressional funding supports NIH research and training at external labs, schools, and hospitals. It is estimated that every $1 invested in NIH research generates $2.56 of economic activity.

    Over the years, NIH-supported research has had a profound impact on the health and wellbeing of the American people. NIH scientists pioneered the rubella vaccine, eradicating a disease that, in the 1960s, killed thousands of babies and left thousands more with lifelong disabilities. NIH studies led to the discovery of the BRCA mutation, helping countless Americans reduce their risk of breast and ovarian cancer. NIH research fueled the development of treatments for HIV and AIDS, transforming what used to be a fatal disease into one with a nearly normal life expectancy.   

    The coalition will be filing a proposed order with the court in the coming days.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Plastics threaten ecosystems and human health, but evidence-based solutions are under political fire

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Tony Robert Walker, Professor, School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University

    Negotiations toward a global, legally binding plastics treaty are set to resume this summer, with the United Nations Environment Programme announcing that the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastic pollution will reconvene in August.

    The committee was established to develop an international legally binding instrument — known as the plastics treaty — to end plastic pollution, one of the fastest-growing environmental threats.



    Read more:
    Here’s how the new global treaty on plastic pollution can help solve this crisis

    Globally, 40 per cent of plastics production goes into the production of single-use plastic packaging, which is the single largest source of plastic waste and is a threat to wildlife and human health. Without meaningful action, global plastic waste is projected to nearly triple by 2060, reaching an estimated 1.2 billion tonnes.

    As the world prepares for another round of talks, Canada’s own plastic problem reveals what’s at stake, and what’s possible for the future.

    Canada’s plastic problem

    Canada is no exception to the global plastic crisis. Nearly half (47 per cent) of all plastic waste in Canada comes from the food and drink sector, contributing 3,268 million tonnes annually. Canadians use 15 billion plastic bags annually and nearly 57 million straws daily, yet only nine per cent of plastics are recycled — a figure that is not expected to improve.

    Most of Canada’s plastic — except for plastic bottles made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) — are uneconomical or difficult to recycle because of the complexity of mixed plastics used in our economy. As a result, 2.8 million tonnes of plastic waste — equivalent to the weight of 24 CN Towers — end up in landfills every year.

    This is not a trivial problem, as Ontario is projected to run out of landfill space by 2035. Plastic pollution poses growing risks to both urban and rural infrastructure.

    In addition to landfill overflow, around one per cent of Canada’s plastic waste leaks into the environment. In 2016, this was 29,000 tonnes of plastic pollution. Once in the environment, plastics disintegrate into tiny particles, called microplastics (small pieces of plastic less than five millimetres long).

    We drink those tiny microplastic particles in our tap water, and eat them in our fish dinners. Some are even making their way into farmland.

    Plastics are everywhere, including inside us

    More than 93 per cent of Canadians have expressed concerns over single-use plastics used in food packaging and have supported government bans. There is a good reason for concern over the mounting levels of plastics in the environment, in our food and in us.

    Growing evidence indicates that plastics can cause harmful health effects in humans and animals. Microplastics and smaller nanoplastics (less than one micron in length) have been found in humans, including infants and breast milk. They can cause metabolic disorders, interfere with our immune and reproductive systems and cause behavioural problems.

    These health problems may be caused by chemicals added to plastics, including single-use plastics, of which 4,200 chemicals have been identified as posing a hazard to human and ecosystem health.

    It is for these reasons that the Canadian government introduced a ban on single-use plastics in 2022 as part of a plan to reach zero plastic waste in Canada by 2030.

    The decision was based extensive public and industry consultation, as well as decades of data on plastic pollution gathered from the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. This data shows the most common plastic litter items found in the environment across Canada, known as the “dirty dozen” list.

    Six of these items were included in the federal ban. Three eastern Canadian provinces had already implemented single-use plastic bag bans before the federal government, with little to no public or industry opposition. Prince Edward Island was the first Canadian province to implement a province-wide plastic bag ban in July 2019, closely followed by Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia in October 2020.

    The politics of plastic

    Despite overwhelming scientific consensus, debates around plastic pollution are becoming increasingly politicized.

    In February in the United States, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. government to “stop purchasing paper straws and ensure they are no longer provided within federal buildings.”

    Trump told reporters at the White House: “I don’t think plastic is going to affect a shark very much, as they’re munching their way through the ocean.” Almost 2,000 peer-reviewed studies have reported, however, that more than 4,000 species have ingested or been entangled by plastic litter.

    In Canada, plastic has also become a political flashpoint. During the recent federal election, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he would scrap the federal government’s ban on single-use plastics and bring back plastic straws and grocery bags. He argued the government’s ban was about “symbolism” rather than “science,” saying, “the Liberals’ plastics ban is not about the environment, it’s about cost and control.”

    His promise would have harmed Canadians by dismissing the overwhelming scientific evidence showing that plastics in our bodies are linked to health impacts. Legislation to ban single-use plastics can be highly effective, ranging from 33 to 96 per cent reductions in plastic waste and pollution in the environment, depending on the policy and jurisdiction.

    Canada’s single-use plastics ban is a great example of evidence-based policymaking. The latest data from the conservation group Ocean Wise shows there was a 32 per cent drop in plastic straws found on Canadian shorelines in 2024 compared to the previous year.

    Science-based policies are needed

    It is indisputable that growing plastic production is directly related to plastic pollution in the environment and in human beings. Increasing plastic pollution is a global threat to human and ecosystem health, regardless of borders and political affiliation.

    As negotiators gear up for another round of talks to finalize a Global Plastics Treaty to end plastic pollution, the need for policies that are supported by scientific evidence is more urgent than ever.

    Future generations deserve a healthy and sustainable planet. The path towards a healthy and sustainable planet requires supporting action based on scientific evidence, not misinforming people with catchy phrases and political rhetoric.

    Tony Robert Walker receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Canada Foundation for Innovation, and Research Nova Scotia. He is also a non-remunerated member of the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty.

    Miriam L Diamond receives funding from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Future Earth, and Environment and Climate Change Canada. She is affiliated with the University of Toronto, serves as a paid expert for the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility, and has non-remunerated positions with the International Panel on Chemical Pollution (Vice-Chair), is a member of the Scientist Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, and sits on the board of the Canadian Environmental Law Association.

    – ref. Plastics threaten ecosystems and human health, but evidence-based solutions are under political fire – https://theconversation.com/plastics-threaten-ecosystems-and-human-health-but-evidence-based-solutions-are-under-political-fire-256764

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Congressman Sorensen Helps Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Fully Staff National Weather Service Offices Across the Country

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17)

    The “Weather Workforce Improvement Act” Ensures the National Weather Service is Fully Staffed Going into This Year’s Hurricane and Severe Weather Season

    Last week, Congressmen Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Mike Flood (NE-1), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Frank Lucas (OK-3), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) introduced their bipartisan Weather Workforce Improvement Act to help the National Weather Service (NWS) fully staff critical positions at their offices as the country prepares for severe weather and hurricanes this summer.

    Read more about the bipartisan legislation:

    • CNN: Rep. Sorensen discusses bipartisan legislation to help staff the National Weather Service during severe weather and hurricane season 

      • Congressman Sorensen: “We need to make sure that we are understanding that the National Weather Service meteorologists are there to care for our communities, but they are essential. They are as essential to our safety as TSA and air traffic controllers. I’m so thankful – as being the only meteorologist in Congress – that we’re able to work across the aisle. Congressman Flood from Nebraska and myself realized that ‘hey, we’re in severe weather season – we’re going to be ramping up into hurricane season.’ We need to make sure that we have the staffing levels that are needed. We have too many people that have been let go. This administration needs to hire them back.” 
         

    • New York Times: Law would make most National Weather Service workers hard to fire 

      • A bill introduced in the House of Representatives on Friday would make it harder to fire most employees of the National Weather Service and give the agency’s director the authority to hire new staff directly, months after it lost nearly 600 employees to layoffs and retirements as part of the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to the federal work force. 

      • The bill’s other sponsors include Representative Frank Lucas, Republican of Oklahoma, as well as Democratic Representatives Jared Moskowitz of Florida, Jimmy Panetta of California, and Eric Sorensen of Illinois. All represent states that have been hit by severe weather this year. 

      • “Severe weather affects both blue states and red states, and ensuring Americans have access to reliable and accurate weather forecasting is something everyone should support regardless of their political affiliation,” said Mr. Sorensen, who is the only meteorologist in Congress. “I’m grateful for Congressman Flood’s partnership on bipartisan legislation that will help fully staff National Weather Service offices across the country during severe weather and hurricane season.” 
         

    • NBC News: Tired in tornado alley 

      • NBC News joined a congressional tour — at the invitation of Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., Congress’ only meteorologist and a critic of the administration — to see the effects of the Trump administration’s cuts at the Quad Cities forecasting office for Iowa and Illinois.

      • Sorensen, who worked for 22 years as a TV meteorologist, has signed on to co-sponsor Flood’s bill, along with Reps. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif. Sorensen said he’s concerned a mistake by a worn-down meteorologist will lead to unnecessary deaths. He compared the situation to a used car — once trusty and now headed for a lapse.

      • “It’s not running the way that it was supposed to,” Sorensen said of the service. “Meteorologists, we’re human, you know. We will make mistakes, and I don’t want to ever see us in a situation where funding or a lack of funding has now caused there to be a loss of life.”
         

    • NBC News: Rep. Sorensen highlights importance of the National Weather Service in his congressional district 

      • Reporter: […] Congressman Eric Sorensen visited his local weather office to listen to and encourage the forecasters stretched thin. So thin, that sometimes they can’t do basic things, like launch a weather balloon.

      • […]

      • Reporter: Now, (Rep.) Flood is partnering with Sorensen on a bipartisan bill to further protect weather service forecasters by reclassifying them as public safety, alongside FBI agents and air traffic controllers.

      • Congressman Sorensen: “We have to make sure that we’re protecting [National Weather Service meteorologists] because they don’t just serve my constituents here. They serve constituents of every Member of Congress.” 
         

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Wilson leads defense of President Trump’s efforts to deport violent Tren de Aragua gang using Alien Enemies ActRead More

    Source: US State of South Carolina

    (COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is leading a strong 25-state coalition in filing a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in support of President Donald Trump’s lawful use of executive authority to deport members of Tren de Aragua (TdA), a violent Venezuelan gang designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

    “President Trump is acting decisively to protect American citizens, and we’re proud to stand with him,” said Attorney General Wilson. “For too long, America’s enemies have flooded through our open borders: violent gangs, traffickers, and foreign proxies exploiting our weakness. President Trump has plugged the holes in the boat, but we’re still bailing out water from years of federal failure. I am proud to be leading the states that are stepping up to help him stop the flood and protect our citizens before it’s too late.”

    The brief argues that the President is operating at the height of his constitutional and statutory authority under Article II of the U.S. Constitution and the Alien Enemies Act to remove foreign nationals affiliated with hostile organizations. The brief underscores that this is not only a lawful use of power, but a necessary one in response to escalating violence across the nation tied to TdA.

    States participating in the brief detail the ongoing harm their communities have suffered from TdA’s infiltration—ranging from murder and human trafficking to cartel-linked operations within the United States. The brief emphasizes that the gang’s expansion is not merely a public safety threat, but part of a broader campaign of hybrid warfare coordinated with the Maduro regime in Venezuela.

    “This is about preserving national security and defending the rule of law,” Attorney General Wilson continued. “The Constitution vests the President with the authority, and the responsibility to act when foreign criminal organizations invade our communities. We won’t let activist courts tie the hands of our national leaders while innocent Americans are targeted.”

    The coalition’s message is clear: judicial overreach must not interfere with the President’s core duty to defend the nation. The brief strongly urges the court to reject the injunction and allow federal authorities to continue removing dangerous illegal immigrants who do not belong in the country.

    South Carolina is joined by: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

    You can read the full brief here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The Justice Department Files Complaint Challenging Kentucky Regulation Providing Reduced In-State Tuition for Illegal Aliens

    Source: US State of California

    WASHINGTON – Today the United States is challenging a Kentucky regulation that provides reduced in-state tuition for illegal aliens. This law unconstitutionally discriminates against U.S. citizens, who are not afforded the same privilege, in direct conflict with federal law. The Department of Justice has filed the complaint in the Eastern District of Kentucky. This challenge builds upon a recently successful lawsuit against the state of Texas on a similar law.

    “No state can be allowed to treat Americans like second-class citizens in their own country by offering financial benefits to illegal aliens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice just won on this exact issue in Texas, and we look forward to fighting in Kentucky to protect the rights of American citizens.”

    In the complaint, the United States seeks to enjoin enforcement of a Kentucky regulation that requires public colleges and universities to provide reduced in-state tuition rates for illegal aliens who are deemed to be Kentucky residents. Federal law prohibits public institutions of higher education from providing benefits to illegal aliens that are not offered to U.S. citizens. This regulation blatantly conflicts with federal law and thus is unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

    This lawsuit follows two executive orders recently signed by President Trump that seek to ensure illegal aliens are not obtaining taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment.

    Read the complaint HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Ending Trump’s unlawful militarization of Los Angeles

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jun 17, 2025

    SACRAMENTO – Ahead of today’s court hearing in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to stop Trump’s unlawful militarization of Los Angeles, learn more about what Governor Gavin Newsom has done to protect Californians.

    I’m confident in the rule of law. I’m confident in the Constitution of the United States. I’m confident in the reasoned decision issued last week by a very well respected federal judge. And I’m confident that common sense will prevail here: The U.S. military belongs on the battlefield, not on American streets.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Taking action early 

    On Friday, June 6, 2025, the federal government, through Immigration and Customs Enforcement, began conducting widespread operations throughout Los Angeles without notifying local law enforcement. ICE officers sparked panic with military-style operations and the arrest and detention of children. This panic quickly grew into outrage, as community members stood up to make their voices heard through spontaneous protests. Local law enforcement, despite the lack of communication or advance notice about the raids from the federal government, responded quickly to keep the peace and quell any unrest. California has a robust array of law enforcement resources, which it quickly began to mobilize, without requesting federal assistance. Despite the lack of need to escalate the response, President Trump declared on July 7 that he was taking over the state’s National Guard and would begin deploying thousands of soldiers into the Los Angeles community.

    Trump’s action was unnecessary, unwelcome, and unsafe. Before Trump federalized the National Guard, Governor Newsom had already deployed additional California Highway Patrol officers to Los Angeles to assist with safety on regional highways and enlisted local law enforcement mutual aid partners to help keep the peace.

    • LA Police Department Chief has said: “We’re nowhere near a level where we would be reaching out to the governor for the National Guard.”

    • LA County Sheriff has said: “We have access to a lot of other law enforcement agencies.”

    And again, as is standard practice, Governor Newsom mobilized, through a pre-deployment, additional resources across the Golden State ahead of the “No Kings” nationwide protests — which went peacefully. Instead of easing tension, Trump’s deployment of military officials to Los Angeles only drew more protesters, requiring state law enforcement officials to increase their efforts to maintain order. 

    Requesting immediate removal  

    On Sunday, June 8, the day after Trump’s unprecedented takeover of a California National Guard unit , Governor Newsom formally requested the federalization of the National Guard members be rescinded — and the state regain control, rightfully.

    Action in the courts

    Governor Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit requesting a stay on Trump’s unlawful order to federalize the National Guard unit, and shortly afterwards, filed an emergency motion for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO). Read a step-by-step blog post about why Trump’s militarization is illegal. 

    On Thursday, June 12, a federal judge in San Francisco sided with the Governor — ordering the Trump Administration to return the federalized National Guard unit (at this point numbering 4,000 soldiers) back to Governor Newsom’s command. A 3-judge appellate panel will now decide whether to let the district court judge’s order take effect sometime after June 17. See the Governor’s argument in support of the Judge’s order here.

    Governor Newsom is standing up for the rights of all Americans, as President Trump’s order was not only directed at California, but suggested he could assume control of any state’s militia, using soldiers as a police force against American citizens.

    Hypocrisy of the Trump Administration 

    In 2020, President Trump told George Stephanopoulos: “We have laws. We have to go by the laws. We can’t move in the National Guard — I can call an insurrection — but there is no reason to ever do that, even in a Portland case. We can’t call in the National Guard unless we’re requested by a Governor.” 

    In 2024, Secretary Kristi Noem — then a sitting Governor — said to Sean Hannity on Fox News: “If Joe Biden federalizes the National Guard, that would be a direct attack on state’s rights…South Dakota defends the Constitution.”

    See the prior times the Trump Admin didn’t federalize a state’s national guard — though conditions were likely worse than Los Angeles.

    Military veterans speaking out

    Veterans are speaking out over the unnecessary and inflammatory actions.  

    • Janessa Goldbeck, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, Senior Advisor of VoteVets said: “When a president uses the military to police his own people, we are no longer in the realm of democratic governance—we are witnessing the rehearsal of authoritarian rule.” 

    And former secretaries of the Army and Navy and retired four-star admirals and generals filed an amicus brief warning of the grave risks associated with the Trump administration’s illegal militarization of downtown Los Angeles.

    • Former U.S. Army and Navy secretaries and retired four-star admirals and generals have said: “While the President is entitled to criticize his opponents in political terms, involving the military in domestic political controversies risks harming the military’s ability to recruit and retain servicemembers and garner broad public support for its budgets and programs, therefore undermining its ability to achieve its core mission of protecting the nation. It is precisely for this reason that the military should be kept out of domestic law enforcement whenever possible.”

    $134 million reasons why this is wrong 

    As the federal government adds to the open deficit tab, taxpayers are footing the $134 million militarization display in Los Angeles where Trump illegally took control over state National Guard units. Trump federalized 4,000 National Guard soldiers and deployed 700 Marines to use as pawns in Los Angeles – turning the military into his own personal police force. Even as tensions rise in the Middle East, in an unprecedented move, there are now more American troops deployed in Los Angeles than in Iraq and Syria combined.

    Threats to Californians 

    Governor Newsom launched a new effort to recruit for one of the world’s leading firefighting departments, CAL FIRE. The effort coincides with President Trump’s illegal militarization of Los Angeles cuts into valuable firefighting resources — roughly 300 California National Guard fire crews have been diverted to armories in the Los Angeles region, cutting CalGuard’s firefighting force by three-quarters. This is on top of the Trump administration’s cuts to the U.S. Forest Service, which also threatens the safety of communities across the states.

    President Trump’s proposing to gut public safety funding across the country — putting the safety and lives of all Americans at risk. At a time when violent crime is dropping, Trump’s so-called “big beautiful bill” threatens to erase substantial progress on public safety, at a time when exactly the opposite is needed.

    In constant contact with law enforcement

    The Governor has met multiple times with local law enforcement leaders on the ground, and with state officials. The Governor announced that 800+ local and state law enforcement would be “surged” into the Los Angeles area to de-escalate the situation manufactured by Trump.

    Bigger picture: Transforming the Mental Health Services Act into the Behavioral Health Services Act and building more community mental health treatment sites and supportive housing is the last main pillar of Governor Newsom’s Mental Health Movement – pulling together significant recent reforms like 988 crisis line, CalHOPE, CARE Court, conservatorship reform, CalAIM behavioral health expansion (including mobile crisis care and telehealth), Medi-Cal expansion to all low-income Californians, Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (including expanding services in schools and on-line), Older Adult Behavioral Health Initiative, Veterans Mental Health Initiative, Behavioral Health Community Infrastructure Program, Behavioral Health Bridge Housing, Health Care Workforce for All and more.

    Learn more: The Governor launched a new website to track the chaos campaign Trump is pursuing in his militarization of LA

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    Jun 17, 2025

    News What you need to know: President Trump’s illegal militarization of Los Angeles is hamstringing firefighting resources in California just as peak fire season begins. SACRAMENTO – All 14 Joint Task Force Rattlesnake teams responded to the Los Angeles fires in…

    Jun 17, 2025

    News What you need to know: Against the backdrop of President Trump’s massive and costly bill gutting laws protecting against AI-generated child pornography, scams, and other criminal activity, Governor Newsom is continuing his leadership by releasing a groundbreaking…

    Jun 17, 2025

    News What you need to know: As Governor Newsom’s motion to block the Trump Administration’s illegal militarization of downtown Los Angeles heads to the Ninth Circuit, former military leaders agree – Trump’s takeover poses grave risk to both servicemembers and…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: The Justice Department Files Complaint Challenging Kentucky Regulation Providing Reduced In-State Tuition for Illegal Aliens

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    WASHINGTON – Today the United States is challenging a Kentucky regulation that provides reduced in-state tuition for illegal aliens. This law unconstitutionally discriminates against U.S. citizens, who are not afforded the same privilege, in direct conflict with federal law. The Department of Justice has filed the complaint in the Eastern District of Kentucky. This challenge builds upon a recently successful lawsuit against the state of Texas on a similar law.

    “No state can be allowed to treat Americans like second-class citizens in their own country by offering financial benefits to illegal aliens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice just won on this exact issue in Texas, and we look forward to fighting in Kentucky to protect the rights of American citizens.”

    In the complaint, the United States seeks to enjoin enforcement of a Kentucky regulation that requires public colleges and universities to provide reduced in-state tuition rates for illegal aliens who are deemed to be Kentucky residents. Federal law prohibits public institutions of higher education from providing benefits to illegal aliens that are not offered to U.S. citizens. This regulation blatantly conflicts with federal law and thus is unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

    This lawsuit follows two executive orders recently signed by President Trump that seek to ensure illegal aliens are not obtaining taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment.

    Read the complaint HERE.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Brazil’s ‘bill of devastation’ pushes Amazon towards tipping point

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Philip Fearnside, Biólogo e pesquisador titular (Departamento de Ecologia), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)

    A bill essentially abolishing Brazil’s environmental licensing system is just days away from likely passage by the country’s National Congress. Despite the environmental discourse of President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, what is known as the “bill of devastation” (PL 2159/2021) apparently has his tacit approval. Even if Lula vetoes the bill, anti-environmental voting blocks in the National Congress have more than the 60% in each house needed to override a veto.

    The “bill of devastation” has been promoted as relieving “low impact” projects of unnecessary bureaucracy, but it is very much more than this. First, it is for both “low” and “medium” impact projects, two categories that are vaguely defined, allowing projects with major impacts to be benefitted. The bill applies to licensing at both the state and federal levels, and at the state level there is expected to be a “race to the bottom” as states compete to attract investments by loosening environmental restrictions.

    The “medium impact” category is a misnomer, as it includes most mining projects such as the mine tailings dams that broke in 2015 at Mariana and in 2019 at Brumadinho to create two of Brazil’s worst environmental disasters.

    Under the bill, these “low” and “medium” impact projects would be licensed by what is known as “self-licensing,”. This eliminates the need for an environmental impact assessment, public hearings and specification of compensatory measures in the event of accidents or other impacts. Basically, this self-declared statement consists of checking a series of boxes on an online form.

    Bypassing any public or committee debate, at the last minute before the Senate’s plenary vote the bill was modified with an amendment that increased its environmental impact even more. The amendment created a “Special Environmental License” that would allow any project considered to be “strategic” to have an accelerated approval process, regardless of the magnitude of its impacts.

    The amendment is believed to be specifically intended to facilitate the controversial mouth-of-the-Amazon oil project, which has major potential impacts both from potentially uncontrollable oil spills and from its impact on climate change.

    Brazil’s imminent climate disaster

    Global climate and the Amazon forest are both approaching tipping points where the process of collapse escapes from human control. These imminent disasters are intertwined: if the Amazon forest were to collapse it would release more than enough greenhouse gases to push global temperatures beyond the point where human society loses the option to contain climate change by cutting emissions to zero, and if global temperatures rise uncontrollably, it would soon push the Amazon forest to collapse.

    The Amazon forest is on the verge of tipping points in terms of temperature, the ongoing increase in dry season length, the percentage of forest cleared and a combination of various climatic and direct anthropogenic impacts.

    The loss of the Amazon forest that would result from crossing any of these tipping points would, among other impacts, sacrifice the forest’s vital role in recycling water.

    A volume of water greater than the Amazon River’s total flow is released as water vapor by the leaves of the trees, providing rainfall that not only maintains Amazon forest but also maintains agriculture and city water supplies in other parts of Brazil and in neighboring countries. The water vapor is transported by winds known as “flying rivers” to São Paulo, the World’s fourth largest city, which depends on this water supply.

    Amazon destruction

    Given these catastrophic prospects, Brazil’s government should be acting decisively to halt the country’s greenhouse gas emissions and to lead the World in combatting climate change. These necessities are interrelated, as effective leadership is done through example and Brazil cannot continue to merely exhort other countries to reduce their emissions when its domestic decisions are acting to increase global warming. This includes the “bill of devastation”.

    Rapidly phasing out fossil fuel use is fundamental to containing global warming. The amount by which human society must reduce its emissions and the trajectory in time that this reduction must follow are determined by analysis of the best available data and climate models.

    The “Global Stocktake” by the Climate Convention, released at COP-28 in 2023, showed that anthropogenic emissions must decline by 43% by 2030 compared to 2023, and by 84% by 2050 to stay within the limit currently agreed under the Paris Agreement of 1.5 ºC above the pre-industrial average global temperature.

    This limit represents a tipping point both for the global climate system and for the Amazon forest. Above this point there is a sharp increase in the annual probability of uncontrollable feedbacks driving the system to a catastrophic shift or collapse.

    The mouth-of-the-Amazon project is critical. A massive auction of drilling rights, both onshore and offshore, is scheduled for 17 June, including 47 blocks in the mouth of the Amazon River.

    Environmental approval of the first “experimental” well (FZA-M-59) is viewed as the key to international oil companies being willing to bid on these blocks. The head of the Brazilian licensing agency (IBAMA) has been under intense pressure to approve the project.

    Oil project

    Within the licensing debate, the focus is almost entirely on whether Petrobras has the infrastructure and personnel to mount a rescue operation for marine wildlife in the event of an oil spill, rather than the more basic question of whether a leak could be plugged if it should occur.

    Unfortunately, there are strong indications that a leak could not be plugged for months or years, as the site has double the 1.5-km water depth at the Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico that spilled uncontrollably for five months in 2010, and the ocean currents are much stronger and more complex in the mouth of the Amazon.

    Petrobras constantly brags about its long experience with offshore oil extraction, but neither Petrobras nor any other company has plugged a leak at a location with the depth and complexity of the mouth-of-the-Amazon site.

    Containing global warming is inconsistent with opening new oil fields due to the economic logic of these projects, which is different from the economics of continued extraction of existing oilfields. This is what led the International Energy Agency (IEA) to recommend that no new oil or gas fields be opened anywhere in the World.

    In the case of the mouth of the Amazon project, the expectation is that it would take five years to begin commercial production and another five years to pay for the investment; since no one will want to stop with zero profit, the project implies extracting petroleum for many years after that – far beyond the time when the World must stop using oil as fuel.

    Petrobras claims that the mouth-of-the-Amazon project and other planned new oilfields are needed for Brazil’s “energy security” to guarantee that Brazilians will not lack fuel for their vehicles.

    The falsity of this argument is obvious from the fact that Brazil currently exports over half of the oil it extracts, and this percentage is expected to rise with the planned expansion. The reserves in Brazil’s existing oilfields are far greater than what the country can consume before fossil-fuel use must cease. In other words, the expansion of oil extraction is purely a matter of money.

    Another argument promoted by Petrobras and by President Lula is that the oil revenue is needed to pay for Brazil’s energy transition. While the energy transition must indeed be paid for, it should have a guaranteed place in Brazil annual budget, like health and education, and not be treated as something optional that depends on windfall financial gains.

    President Lula’s sleepwalk

    President Lula apparently lacks understanding of Brazil’s suicidal course towards a climate catastrophe. He has surrounded himself with proponents of projects with enormous climatic consequences, such as his minister of transportation who presses for Highway BR-319 and his minister of mines and energy and the president of Petrobras who push for the mouth-of-the-Amazon and other new oil and gas projects.

    Clearly, Lula does not listen to his minister of environment and climate change on these issues. He lives in a “disinformation space,” to use the term coined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinski to describe Donald Trump. The question of whether President Lula will awake from his sleepwalk before COP-30 in November is critical, as this is his opportunity to assume global leadership on climate change. Although there is no indication that this is likely, efforts to penetrate his disinformation space must continue.

    Philip Fearnside receives funding from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), the Amazonas State Research Support Foundation (FAPEAM), and the Brazilian Research Network on Global Climate Change (Rede Clima).

    – ref. Brazil’s ‘bill of devastation’ pushes Amazon towards tipping point – https://theconversation.com/brazils-bill-of-devastation-pushes-amazon-towards-tipping-point-259027

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ahead Of GENIUS Act Vote, Durbin Highlights President Trump’s Shady Use Of Cryptocurrency For His Own Benefit

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    June 16, 2025

    Durbin: If the Senate passes the GENUIS Act, it would give Congress’ blessing for President Trump & his family to further enrich themselves with little protection for consumers

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) delivered a speech on the Senate floor condemning President Trump’s use of cryptocurrency ahead of the Senate vote on the GENUIS Act this week. During his remarks, Durbin highlighted that President Trump’s level of corruption is unprecedented.  

    “Throughout his first term, President Trump was officially skeptical of crypto. In a social media post from July 11, 2019, the President said, ‘I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air. Unregulated cryptoassets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity.’ But once the President figured out how to personally make billions off crypto scams, he changed his tune,” said Durbin.

    Three days before he took office for his second term, President Trump launched his memecoin—a novelty item, similar to baseball cards or Beanie Babies, that holds no intrinsic value. Memecoins are risky and highly volatile. Despite the risks, many investors purchased President Trump’s memecoin, and in the first few weeks after its launch, the President profited up to $100 million in trading fees while more than 200,000 investors lost money. Then, President Trump auctioned off access to himself by hosting a “crypto gala.” The President made a whopping $148 million just off this dinner from the top 220 investors willing to pay for face time with the President. But nearly half the “winners” of the memecoin dinner competition were still “losers.” About 95 attendees suffered a net $8.95 million loss from purchasing President Trump’s memecoin. And in total, 764,000 investors lost money to President Trump’s memecoin scam. 

    “But his corruption does not stop there. His family started its own crypto firm, World Liberty Financial, and in March, they launched their own stablecoin right as the Senate was working on the GENIUS Act, legislation to regulate the stablecoin market. Conveniently, this legislation allows the President and his family to continue owning and issuing stablecoins,” said Durbin.

    Durbin continued, “Passing the GENIUS Act could help the stablecoin market grow 10-fold over the next three years to a $2 trillion market. I will vote ‘no’ when it comes up this week. We prohibit congress from [issuing] cryptocurrency, why do we have two different standards? I think the answer is obvious. If the Senate passes this legislation tomorrow, it would give Congress’ blessing forPresident Trump and his family to further enrich themselves with very little protection for consumers. President Trump’s crypto dealings reportedly account for nearly 40 percent of his net worth… In just a few months, the Trump family has pulled in approximately $1 billion from crypto.”

    Tomorrow, the Senate is scheduled to vote on passage of the GENUIS Act without a single vote on amendments.

    Durbin concluded, “This is shameful, it’s corrupt, especially since we could have stopped this from happening if we had conducted an open amendment process like Leader Thune promised… I filed an amendment to crack down on crypto ATM operators who have been scamming seniors out of their life savings. My amendment would have created guardrails to prevent crypto ATM fraud… Instead, the GENIUS Act will allow crypto scammers to continue [to scam] at the expense of unsuspecting Americans and to the enrichment of the President and his family.”

    Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

    Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

    Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: As Trump moves to decimate state AI laws, Governor Newsom taps the nation’s top experts for groundbreaking AI report

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jun 17, 2025

    What you need to know: Against the backdrop of President Trump’s massive and costly bill gutting laws protecting against AI-generated child pornography, scams, and other criminal activity, Governor Newsom is continuing his leadership by releasing a groundbreaking new report from leading experts and academics to help guide the responsible, safe, and ethical development and deployment of AI in California and beyond.

    SAN FRANCISCO – Today, Governor Newsom advanced California’s ongoing leadership in the responsible development and deployment of artificial intelligence with the release of a new report from world-leading AI academics and experts. The group, which was convened at the request of the Governor last September, today released its final report, The California Report on Frontier AI Policy. This landmark report will help pave the way for the responsible, ethical, and safe use of AI for the benefit of all Californians by offering a policy framework for workable guardrails based on an empirical, science-based analysis of the technology’s capabilities and risks. The announcement comes as President Trump pushes his massive spending bill, which includes a 10-year moratorium on state laws protecting against the misuse of AI, including California’s laws that ban AI-generated child pornography, deepfake porn, and robocall scams against the elderly.

    “California is the home of innovation and technology that is driving the nation’s economic growth — including the emerging AI industry. As Donald Trump chooses to take our nation back to the past by dismantling laws protecting public safety, California will continue to lead the way with smart and effective policymaking. I thank the experts and academics who responded to my call for this important report to help ensure that, as we move forward to help nurture AI technology, we do so with the safety of Californians at the top of mind.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    AI is already changing the world, and California will play a pivotal role in defining that future. As the fourth-largest economy in the world and the birthplace of the tech industry, California continues to dominate this sector as the leader in AI. The state is home to 32 of the 50 top AI companies worldwide. In addition to championing safe, responsible, and ethical development and use of this emerging industry, California is harnessing its potential to increase government efficiency and support state operations. 

    Studying AI’s risk and opportunities 

    Today’s report is a result of the Governor’s convening of leading experts on artificial intelligence and policy to help California develop workable guardrails for deploying generative AI (GenAI), focusing on developing an empirical, science-based trajectory analysis of frontier models and their capabilities and attendant risks. Authors include the  “godmother of AI,” Dr. Fei-Fei Li, Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University and Founding Co-Director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute;  Mariano-Florentino “Tino” Cuéllar, President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Social and Ethical Implications of Computing Research; and Dr. Jennifer Tour Chayes, Dean of the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society at UC Berkeley.

    The report includes recommendations on ensuring evidence-based policymaking, balancing the need for transparency with considerations such as security risks, and determining the appropriate level of regulation in this fast-evolving field.  

    Public engagement

    The report incorporated robust public participation in the drafting process. The final report incorporates public feedback submitted following the draft released in March 2025, and provides a framework that can help California policymakers, as well as policymakers across the country, provide guardrails on the frontier of AI development

    California’s AI global leadership 

    California has launched efforts to help the state take advantage of this emerging technology, while also creating responsible policy guardrails to protect Californians, including businesses and workers

    In 2023, Governor Newsom signed an executive order laying out California’s measured approach to state GenAI procurement. That EO has shaped the future of ethical, transparent, and trustworthy GenAI deployment, all while California remains the world’s GenAI leader. Within state government, projects are already underway to utilize GenAI to reduce highway congestion, improve roadway safety, and enhance customer service in a state call center. 

    First of-its-kind effort with NVIDIA

    In August 2024, the state partnered with NVIDIA to launch a first-of-its-kind AI collaboration. The initiative, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom and NVIDIA founder & CEO Jensen Huang, aims to train students, educators and workers; support job creation and promote innovation; and use AI to solve challenges that can improve the lives of Californians.

     

    Staying ahead of threats 

    Last year, Governor Newsom also signed a series of bills to crack down on sexually explicit deepfakes and require AI watermarking, ban AI-generated child pornography, protect consumers by preventing scams from AI-generated robocalls, protect performers’ digital likenesses, and combat deepfake election content. 

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    Jun 17, 2025

    News What you need to know: As Governor Newsom’s motion to block the Trump Administration’s illegal militarization of downtown Los Angeles heads to the Ninth Circuit, former military leaders agree – Trump’s takeover poses grave risk to both servicemembers and…

    Jun 13, 2025

    News What you need to know: Donald Trump is raiding public safety funds to bankroll his militarized birthday party this Saturday, while stripping local police departments, first responders, and communities across the country of the tools they need to keep Americans…

    Jun 13, 2025

    News What you need to know: President Trump’s illegal military deployment impacts firefighting resources already seeing cuts by the U.S. Forest Service. SACRAMENTO – With the risk of catastrophic wildfire on the rise as peak fire season sets in across California, the…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI—Hagerty Joins Mornings With Maria on Fox Business to Discuss Conflict in Middle East, Budget Reconciliation, GENIUS Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty

    WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations, Banking, and Foreign Relations Committees and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, joined Mornings With Maria on Fox Business to discuss the conflict in the Middle East, the ongoing negotiations of the budget reconciliation package, and final passage of the GENIUS Act.

    *Click the photo above or here to watch*

    Partial Transcript

    Hagerty on Trump preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon: “It’s not surprising. President [Donald] Trump has been entirely clear this entire period that Iran needs to come to the table, that he will not allow them to have a nuclear weapon. Yet what does Iran do? Continues to tap the ball. They go past the 60-day window that they’d been given, and they continue to advance their nuclear program. It’s no surprise that Israel has taken the action that they have, Maria. I think they have no choice. This is an existential decision on behalf of [Israel Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. He cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon because Iran’s been very clear: death to Israel and also death to America. We have to take them at their word. This regime has been nothing but using every tactic in the book to, basically, buy more time to ‘negotiate’ while, in the background, they continue to develop this weapon. This capability is something we can’t let them finalize. President Trump has been, again, extraordinarily clear. He will not let that happen.”

    Hagerty on the U.S. standing with Israel: “I think President Trump has been very clear. He’s not for these forever wars that go on. I agree with that. At the same time, he’s also been very clear that we stand with Israel. I think most people in America feel the same way. I think President Trump has a spectrum of options before him. I’m not going to get ahead of him and try to predict what he might do, but I’ll say this: Israel’s doing an incredible job. Their intelligence has been impeccable, and I think the Iranians need to wake up and realize they’re on their back foot. They’re on their back heel, and they need to get to the table quickly to get this resolved because they are not winning.”

    Hagerty on China supporting Iran’s terror regime: “They have been supporting Iran, Maria, over time. If you think about it, who’s been buying this illicit oil? Iran’s been evading sanctions. How? They’re selling their oil to China. China’s been providing the funds. The funds have been used, therefore, to build up Hamas, to build up Hezbollah, to build up Houthis. It’s Iranian technology, Iranian knowhow, that’s being used, along with Iranian funds, which are being, basically, funneled from China through Iran, back into these zones of terror. China needs to bring this to a complete halt. They need to join us, and we need to see this come to an end.”

    Hagerty on the ongoing budget reconciliation negotiations: “There’s a lot in that that, I think, is going to be refined. There’s going to be more deficit reduction orientation in what the Senate is working on right now. I’m not going to get in the middle of negotiations, but just take SALT, for example, the state and local tax exemption. It came over from the House with a $40,000 exemption per year. The Senate’s come back with a $10,000 exemption. That’s a negotiation that’s underway. Again, I’m not going to try to get ahead of the negotiators, but this is what’s going to take place. This is how it gets done here in Washington. Overall, though, I’d say this: we have to keep in mind that to not address this, to not address the extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, would deliver north of $4 trillion of tax increases to the American people. The White House budget model predicts that there would be a six percent decline in GDP next year, were that to happen. We’re not going to let that happen either, Maria. So, we’re in the process of fine-tuning. Everybody wants this to be as conservative as it can be, but also, it’s imperative that we get this passed and passed quickly, so the capital expenditure plans can firm up, so that the investments that we want to see happen in America do begin to get plans. The 2026 is the best year we’ve seen on record.”

    Hagerty on SALT provisions: “I think you look at the Senate, we don’t have a SALT constituency in the Senate. We don’t have [Republican] senators from California, New York, Illinois. We’re trying to address this, but we’re trying to do this in a fiscally responsible manner. Again, we’re in the middle of a negotiation. [Representative] Mike [Lawler] is at $40,000, the U.S. Senate right now is at $10,000. Again, I’m sure Mike will be clear in his point tomorrow, but we’re in the middle of a negotiation. We’ll see where it lands.”

    Hagerty on the IRA subsidies: “I think they’re going to be scrutinized very, very carefully, Maria. I understand the arguments that is that certain companies are relied, to their detriment, on the tax subsidies that were there, but I think we’re going through this with a fine-tooth comb. Certainly, we don’t want to see anymore new utilization of these types of tools, and I think they’re trying to minimize the disruption in the damage that might have occurred from those companies that have already relied upon it and started projects.”

    Hagerty on final passage of the GENIUS Act: “I’m very enthusiastic about the stablecoin legislation that I’ve led. We’ve been working on this for months. We have a strong bipartisan product. We will deliver that midday today. We’ll have it ready, and I think it’s got a tremendous amount of input from the industry, from my colleagues here. We’ve involved the administration. I think we’re going to have a great product that actually sets the stage for moving into a modern-day payment system into the 21st century. Getting us off the old system that was designed in the 1970s and eighties, making the dollar the key element in the digital arena. And frankly, it will stimulate more demand for U.S. treasuries. It will strengthen the dollar’s position as a reserve currency. We’re going to see that advance in a way that, again, takes a lot of friction out of an old, clunky system, reduces counterparty risk, reduces currency risk, and will bring a lot of working capital back to the companies that need it and back into the economy. With respect to the [Securities and Exchange Commission], I couldn’t ask for a better partner than [SEC Chairman] Paul Atkins. He’s doing a terrific job already. We’re going to be working arm-in-arm to try to help advance the entire cryptocurrency industry, the entirety of this industry, that’ll keep us on the cutting edge of the 21st century. As you mentioned, I want to make my state a hub. We’ve got Bitcoin miners there. We’ve got Bitcoin Park there. We had the great Bitcoin Conference there that President Trump attended. That’s where he announced that he would be firing [Former SEC Chairman] Gary Gensler. I think that received great applause, and I think everybody’s extremely happy to see someone, strong conservative, hard-nosed fellow, like Paul Atkins, coming into office. I’m looking forward to working, arm-in-arm, together with him.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pressley Joins Trahan, Massachusetts Delegation to Demand Reversal of Trump Administration’s Disastrous Job Corps Center Closures

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    Text of Letter

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) joined Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) and fellow members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation, including Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) as well as Representatives Richard E. Neal (MA-01), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08) and Bill Keating (MA-09) in demanding that the Trump administration reverse its decision to cancel federal Job Corps funding, threatening the abrupt closure of 99 contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide.

    Their letter to U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez DeRemer highlights the impact to Massachusetts’ three Job Corps centers: Shriver Job Corps Center in Devens, Grafton Job Corps Center in North Grafton, and Westover Job Corps Center in Chicopee.

    “We are writing to express our deep concerns regarding the Department of Labor’s recent decision to pause operations at Job Corps centers across the country. We urge you to consider the long-standing value and potential of the Job Corps program in offering young people a critical second chance at personal and professional success,” the lawmakers wrote.

    On May 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a pause in operations at contractor-run Job Corps centers across the U.S. With more than 120 centers nationwide, the Job Corps program provides opportunities for low-income and at-risk youth to gain the skills necessary to begin successful careers in a skilled trade or other profession.

    “With 92,000 Massachusetts residents aged 18 to 24 living in poverty, the Shriver, Grafton, and Westover Job Corps Centers stand as vital resources for economic mobility and career development. Combined, they contribute an estimated $80 million to the local economy annually and across the state, we have seen the impact. Graduates have become union carpenters, plumbers, bricklayers, police officers, cybersecurity professionals, and entrepreneurs. This is not just an investment in the local talent pipeline for employers but an investment in our communities as many of these graduates stay in the region to live, work, and raise their families. Pausing operations at these centers at the end of the month will directly detract from workforce training and discourage economic development in communities across the country like Devens, North Grafton, and Chicopee,” the lawmakers continued.

    The decision to close Job Corps centers was met with swift legal opposition. On June 3, 2025, the National Job Corps Association, a trade organization representing Job Corps centers nationwide, filed a lawsuit against the DOL, arguing that the closure of the country’s largest residential career training program was both unlawful and based on misleading data about its performance. The following evening, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr. issued a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, blocking the DOL from suspending program operations.

    “The Job Corps program is built on second chances, and we urge you to offer this program the same opportunity to adapt and grow that it has provided its students for the last 60 years,” the lawmakers concluded.

    Text of the letter can be found here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pressley Joins Trahan, Massachusetts Delegation to Demand Reversal of Trump Administration’s Disastrous Job Corps Center Closures

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    Text of Letter

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) joined Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) and fellow members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation, including Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) as well as Representatives Richard E. Neal (MA-01), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08) and Bill Keating (MA-09) in demanding that the Trump administration reverse its decision to cancel federal Job Corps funding, threatening the abrupt closure of 99 contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide.

    Their letter to U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez DeRemer highlights the impact to Massachusetts’ three Job Corps centers: Shriver Job Corps Center in Devens, Grafton Job Corps Center in North Grafton, and Westover Job Corps Center in Chicopee.

    “We are writing to express our deep concerns regarding the Department of Labor’s recent decision to pause operations at Job Corps centers across the country. We urge you to consider the long-standing value and potential of the Job Corps program in offering young people a critical second chance at personal and professional success,” the lawmakers wrote.

    On May 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a pause in operations at contractor-run Job Corps centers across the U.S. With more than 120 centers nationwide, the Job Corps program provides opportunities for low-income and at-risk youth to gain the skills necessary to begin successful careers in a skilled trade or other profession.

    “With 92,000 Massachusetts residents aged 18 to 24 living in poverty, the Shriver, Grafton, and Westover Job Corps Centers stand as vital resources for economic mobility and career development. Combined, they contribute an estimated $80 million to the local economy annually and across the state, we have seen the impact. Graduates have become union carpenters, plumbers, bricklayers, police officers, cybersecurity professionals, and entrepreneurs. This is not just an investment in the local talent pipeline for employers but an investment in our communities as many of these graduates stay in the region to live, work, and raise their families. Pausing operations at these centers at the end of the month will directly detract from workforce training and discourage economic development in communities across the country like Devens, North Grafton, and Chicopee,” the lawmakers continued.

    The decision to close Job Corps centers was met with swift legal opposition. On June 3, 2025, the National Job Corps Association, a trade organization representing Job Corps centers nationwide, filed a lawsuit against the DOL, arguing that the closure of the country’s largest residential career training program was both unlawful and based on misleading data about its performance. The following evening, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr. issued a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, blocking the DOL from suspending program operations.

    “The Job Corps program is built on second chances, and we urge you to offer this program the same opportunity to adapt and grow that it has provided its students for the last 60 years,” the lawmakers concluded.

    Text of the letter can be found here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Lays Out Six “Big Beautiful” Options to Save Tens of Billions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) rolled out six proposals for the One Big Beautiful Bill based on her decade of work to make Washington Squeal, reduce reckless spending, and save taxpayers’ money.
    Ernst’s proposals would save tens of billions of dollars by eliminating bogus payments, snapping back SNAP overpayments, ending unemployment for millionaires, defunding welfare for politicians, stopping subsidies for union bosses, and selling vacant buildings.
    Here is some of the coverage of the proposals:
    Fox News | Republican senators roll out DOGE budget proposals for Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’
    “While a $9.4 billion rescissions package, a formal request from the executive branch to codify its DOGE cuts, is in the works, proponents of the Senate DOGE package say their total estimated savings would accentuate that and also surpass it in value.”
    National Review |Ernst Pushes Plan to End Food Stamp Overpayments to Cut Spending in ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill
    “Senator Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) is rolling out a series of measures to cut spending in the GOP’s ‘big, beautiful,’ bill including a proposal for ending mismanagement in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.”
    New York Post | Sen. Joni Ernst pushes to ban taxpayer-funded union time in One Big Beautiful Bill Act
    “Sen. Joni Ernst wants to tweak the House-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act to eliminate the longstanding practice of taxpayer-funded union time. Approximately $160 million of your money went toward fed workers’ union time as of 2019, the last time such data was available, and Ernst (R-Iowa) has been on a quest for more recent information.”
    Breitbart | Sen. Joni Ernst Aims to Stop Fraudulent Payments as Pay-For in Big Beautiful Bill
    “The Hawkeye State senator, as the chair of the Small Business Committee, aims to have her bill, the Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) in Spending Act, as a pay-for in Trump’s marquee bill to stop fraudulent and improper federal payments. The legislation could have a significant effect, as more than $160 billion in improper payments occurred in fiscal year 2024.”
    The six proposals are:
    Saving billions in bogus payments
    Snapping back overpayments
    Ernst’s Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act strengthens the integrity of the important Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by identifying all errors, clawing back overpayments, and holding states with high payment inaccuracies accountable.
    In 2023, there were approximately $10.73 billion in overpayments. However, the true cost is unknown because errors totaling $56 or less are excluded.
    Ending unemployment for millionaires
    Eliminating welfare for politicians
    The ELECT Act eliminates the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, which utilizes tax dollars to fund presidential campaigns.
    This fund has been dipped into previously to reduce spending. Last year, $320 million was allocated to Secret Service and $25 million was given to the Department of Justice.
    Ending the absurd practice of taxpayer-funded union time
    Ernst’s Protecting Taxpayers’ Wallet Act ends the absurd policy of taxpayer-funded union time which allows federal employees to engage in union activities when they are supposed to be serving the American people.
    It cost taxpayers at least $160 million per year according to the most recent report from 2019.
    Selling vacant buildings
    Ernst has exposed how it costs billions every year to maintain thousands of vacant government buildings and empty offices.
    Selling just a handful of these buildings would generate hundreds of millions of dollars.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The current escalation of tariff restrictions is a consequence of the West’s confrontation with the rest of the world – Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation A. Novak

    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

    Moscow, June 17 /Xinhua/ — The growth of protectionism and the current escalation of tariff restrictions are a consequence of the West’s attempts to counteract the growing influence of the Global South countries on the world economy, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak said in an interview with the Vedomosti newspaper.

    According to him, since the early 2000s, the economic center of the world has been shifting from the West to the East. Developing countries are gaining a much greater role in the global economy. “Of course, such a situation does not suit those who are used to dictating their terms. And we increasingly see how, in order to counteract the growing influence of developing countries on the world economy, Western countries are making active attempts to maintain the status quo on the world stage and preserve their leadership,” A. Novak noted.

    As a consequence of this, the strengthening of protectionism in the national economy and the revision of the existing results of globalization are coming to the fore, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian government noted. The main steps in this direction, he believes, were the actual destruction of the multilateral mechanisms of the World Trade Organization, unilateral tariff and non-tariff restrictions on developing countries under the pretext of “threats to national interests,” and the introduction of various sanctions against competitors.

    At the same time, according to A. Novak, it is important to understand that “tariffs are just a tool, and the goal is not at all to redirect trade flows. The goal, apparently, is to return key production chains to the native territory of the United States, to return production, competencies, infrastructure. Localization of value chains is what the Trump administration wants to achieve.”

    However, the “destabilizing US tariffs,” according to the deputy prime minister, will probably not have catastrophic consequences for the global economy.

    “Most likely, the situation with trade wars will not be universal. Some commodity flows will be redirected, as usually happens during trade wars. At the same time, a repeat of the pandemic situation, when world trade stopped and trade flows collapsed, will not happen. Therefore, the baseline forecast scenario approved by the Russian government assumes that the growth rate of world trade will slow down, but will not go into recession,” A. Novak emphasized. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Neal Statement on May 2025 Jobs Report

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

    Neal Statement on May 2025 Jobs Report

    Washington, D.C., June 6, 2025

    Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) May 2025 jobs report:

    “The warning signs are here: revisions quietly wiped out 95,000 jobs from the past two months and participation in the labor force shrunk. The President is sowing cracks underneath the resilient economy he inherited—his irresponsible flip-flopping tariff agenda, his careless weaponization of government, and a White House filled with chaos undermines our economic strength with more seriousness each day. While workers and families brace for what’s next, the Administration, enabled by Republicans in Congress, is trying to speed up the damage with a cruel and destructive tax bill that will rip health care from 16 million people, shutter hospitals across the country, and deliver another windfall to the wealthy. Even Elon Musk is warning of a recession ahead. Trump’s reckless economic agenda is inching us closer to the full weight of his mismanagement— where the economy will buckle and millions of Americans will get socked with the consequences.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Larson and Neal Blast Supreme Court Decision Allowing ‘DOGE’ Access to Personal Data at Social Security

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

    Today, Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) and Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member John B. Larson (D-CT) released the following statement after the Supreme Court stepped in to allow Elon Musk’s ‘DOGE’ access to Social Security beneficiaries’ personal data.

    “Today’s decision by the Supreme Court should alarm every American. Common sense suggests that Elon Musk’s ‘DOGE’ minions should not have unfettered access to the personal records of over 70 million Americans. Overturning two lower courts’ decisions to put their access on pause while the facts of this case are sorted, something rational minds could all agree to, only further creates suspicion and mistrust on the real intentions of ‘DOGE.’ Why do they need this access? What is the sense of urgency? In addition to the fears surrounding artificial intelligence, it only fuels the fire that ‘DOGE’ wants to dismantle Social Security from within. They have cut more than 7,000 workers, closed regional offices, slashed phone services, and fired inspectors general. They have their sights set on the $2.7 trillion in Social Security’s Trust Funds. This is the people’s money that American citizens have paid for. Elon Musk and his twenty-four-year-old proteges have not been vetted, gone through hearings, or any Senate confirmation. They have continued to dodge our inquiries and will not appear before the Ways and Means Committee, even after we filed a Resolution of Inquiry demanding answers from the Administration. They operate as if they are above the law, hiding behind President Trump’s designation of their ‘special’ status. For the Supreme Court to allow them to access Social Security numbers, income history, and medical records, is outrageous. We have been in contact with Ranking Member Jamie Raskin and are in full agreement with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s opinion that there is no reason for this. We introduced legislation to deny political appointees this type of unfettered access to sensitive beneficiary data at the Social Security Administration. Congress must act.”  

    Ranking Members Larson and Neal’s Protecting Americans’ Social Security Data Act would block political appointees, like Elon Musk and his ‘DOGE,’ from accessing sensitive data systems at the Social Security Administration. It would also establish privacy requirements in law for beneficiary data and strengthen oversight and civil penalties for any privacy and disclosure violations of Social Security beneficiaries’ personal information.  

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Neal Opening Statement at Hearing with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

    WATCH HERE

    (As prepared for delivery)

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

    Since Republicans reclaimed the power of a trifecta in Washington, we have seen nothing but an onslaught of unprecedented and irresponsible abuses of power. Whether it’s been the Elon Musk led DOGE shadow operation rifling through Americans’ confidential data or the blatant weaponization of the IRS to target critics of the President, this Administration has trampled legality and dodged transparency at every turn. They operate in deception—circumventing oversight, misleading the public, and bending the levers of power to benefit those in the President’s ear. And Republicans in Congress and on this committee are rubberstamping all of it. Blocking resolutions to get answers for the American people as the Administration ducks accountability and refusing to assert their own power as an oversight and legislative body. They’ve written a blank check for the Trump Administration to taint the system in favor of wealthy tax cheats and against everyone else.

    Now, hand in hand they’re attempting to ram through an abomination of a bill that adds at least $3 trillion to the debt and kicks 16 million from their health care. The Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are about to make history. They will be responsible for the biggest theft of health care we’ve ever seen. And they’re racing to do it on rushed timelines and in the dead of night before their own members, let alone the public, can catch on. They’re gutting the IRS, shredding enforcement, and handing the ultra-rich billions while everyone else gets scraps. The Administration is robbing states of manufacturing and energy projects that have already proved effective in creating jobs and spurring investments. Cancelling these projects will cost Americans thousands of jobs and hand innovations to our global competitors. How does taking jobs away from American workers and ceding innovation to China square with what this Administration claims to stand for?  

    Mr. Secretary, when you were named Treasury Secretary, you had a reputation for steady, sound, fact-based decision-making, which set you apart from others in the President’s orbit. That’s why it’s so disappointing to see you attack nonpartisan scorekeepers like CBO and JCT, who just call balls and strikes, and rely instead on fantasy math to defend a bill that I believe you know clearly explodes the deficit. Mr. Secretary, if the math you project is to be true, why don’t the bond markets believe you? You claim CBO and JCT are providing partisan numbers, but it’s the markets who are reacting. Are they partisan, too? 

    When the President took office, we warned the consequences would be swift. Over four months in, they’re undeniable. Markets have been rattled. Confidence is crashing. GDP is shrinking. Power has been turned over to unelected and unqualified loyalists and lackeys, and the President has ignited a reckless trade war he has no plan for and is over his head with. And it’s all while he guts services millions rely on so he can enrich himself and his friends.

    Under Trump and Republicans’ watch, the American people are being left with a system rigged against them. Their privacy is under threat. Their basic needs are on the chopping block. And their government is being twisted into a tool for political retribution and personal gain.

    We cannot let this stand. Oversight is a sacred obligation of Congress. When Republicans refuse to ask real questions, Democrats will. We will fight to protect taxpayers and their privacy, defend the integrity of our institutions, and ensure no one, no matter how wealthy or well-connected, is above the law.

    I yield back. 

    ###

     

    (As prepared for delivery)

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

    Since Republicans reclaimed the power of a trifecta in Washington, we have seen nothing but an onslaught of unprecedented and irresponsible abuses of power. Whether it’s been the Elon Musk led DOGE shadow operation rifling through Americans’ confidential data or the blatant weaponization of the IRS to target critics of the President, this Administration has trampled legality and dodged transparency at every turn. They operate in deception—circumventing oversight, misleading the public, and bending the levers of power to benefit those in the President’s ear. And Republicans in Congress and on this committee are rubberstamping all of it. Blocking resolutions to get answers for the American people as the Administration ducks accountability and refusing to assert their own power as an oversight and legislative body. They’ve written a blank check for the Trump Administration to taint the system in favor of wealthy tax cheats and against everyone else.

    Now, hand in hand they’re attempting to ram through an abomination of a bill that adds at least $3 trillion to the debt and kicks 16 million from their health care. The Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are about to make history. They will be responsible for the biggest theft of health care we’ve ever seen. And they’re racing to do it on rushed timelines and in the dead of night before their own members, let alone the public, can catch on. They’re gutting the IRS, shredding enforcement, and handing the ultra-rich billions while everyone else gets scraps. The Administration is robbing states of manufacturing and energy projects that have already proved effective in creating jobs and spurring investments. Cancelling these projects will cost Americans thousands of jobs and hand innovations to our global competitors. How does taking jobs away from American workers and ceding innovation to China square with what this Administration claims to stand for?  

    Mr. Secretary, when you were named Treasury Secretary, you had a reputation for steady, sound, fact-based decision-making, which set you apart from others in the President’s orbit. That’s why it’s so disappointing to see you attack nonpartisan scorekeepers like CBO and JCT, who just call balls and strikes, and rely instead on fantasy math to defend a bill that I believe you know clearly explodes the deficit. Mr. Secretary, if the math you project is to be true, why don’t the bond markets believe you? You claim CBO and JCT are providing partisan numbers, but it’s the markets who are reacting. Are they partisan, too? 

    When the President took office, we warned the consequences would be swift. Over four months in, they’re undeniable. Markets have been rattled. Confidence is crashing. GDP is shrinking. Power has been turned over to unelected and unqualified loyalists and lackeys, and the President has ignited a reckless trade war he has no plan for and is over his head with. And it’s all while he guts services millions rely on so he can enrich himself and his friends.

    Under Trump and Republicans’ watch, the American people are being left with a system rigged against them. Their privacy is under threat. Their basic needs are on the chopping block. And their government is being twisted into a tool for political retribution and personal gain.

    We cannot let this stand. Oversight is a sacred obligation of Congress. When Republicans refuse to ask real questions, Democrats will. We will fight to protect taxpayers and their privacy, defend the integrity of our institutions, and ensure no one, no matter how wealthy or well-connected, is above the law.

    I yield back. 

    ###

     

    (As prepared for delivery)

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

    Since Republicans reclaimed the power of a trifecta in Washington, we have seen nothing but an onslaught of unprecedented and irresponsible abuses of power. Whether it’s been the Elon Musk led DOGE shadow operation rifling through Americans’ confidential data or the blatant weaponization of the IRS to target critics of the President, this Administration has trampled legality and dodged transparency at every turn. They operate in deception—circumventing oversight, misleading the public, and bending the levers of power to benefit those in the President’s ear. And Republicans in Congress and on this committee are rubberstamping all of it. Blocking resolutions to get answers for the American people as the Administration ducks accountability and refusing to assert their own power as an oversight and legislative body. They’ve written a blank check for the Trump Administration to taint the system in favor of wealthy tax cheats and against everyone else.

    Now, hand in hand they’re attempting to ram through an abomination of a bill that adds at least $3 trillion to the debt and kicks 16 million from their health care. The Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are about to make history. They will be responsible for the biggest theft of health care we’ve ever seen. And they’re racing to do it on rushed timelines and in the dead of night before their own members, let alone the public, can catch on. They’re gutting the IRS, shredding enforcement, and handing the ultra-rich billions while everyone else gets scraps. The Administration is robbing states of manufacturing and energy projects that have already proved effective in creating jobs and spurring investments. Cancelling these projects will cost Americans thousands of jobs and hand innovations to our global competitors. How does taking jobs away from American workers and ceding innovation to China square with what this Administration claims to stand for?  

    Mr. Secretary, when you were named Treasury Secretary, you had a reputation for steady, sound, fact-based decision-making, which set you apart from others in the President’s orbit. That’s why it’s so disappointing to see you attack nonpartisan scorekeepers like CBO and JCT, who just call balls and strikes, and rely instead on fantasy math to defend a bill that I believe you know clearly explodes the deficit. Mr. Secretary, if the math you project is to be true, why don’t the bond markets believe you? You claim CBO and JCT are providing partisan numbers, but it’s the markets who are reacting. Are they partisan, too? 

    When the President took office, we warned the consequences would be swift. Over four months in, they’re undeniable. Markets have been rattled. Confidence is crashing. GDP is shrinking. Power has been turned over to unelected and unqualified loyalists and lackeys, and the President has ignited a reckless trade war he has no plan for and is over his head with. And it’s all while he guts services millions rely on so he can enrich himself and his friends.

    Under Trump and Republicans’ watch, the American people are being left with a system rigged against them. Their privacy is under threat. Their basic needs are on the chopping block. And their government is being twisted into a tool for political retribution and personal gain.

    We cannot let this stand. Oversight is a sacred obligation of Congress. When Republicans refuse to ask real questions, Democrats will. We will fight to protect taxpayers and their privacy, defend the integrity of our institutions, and ensure no one, no matter how wealthy or well-connected, is above the law.

    I yield back. 

    ###

     

    (As prepared for delivery)

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

    Since Republicans reclaimed the power of a trifecta in Washington, we have seen nothing but an onslaught of unprecedented and irresponsible abuses of power. Whether it’s been the Elon Musk led DOGE shadow operation rifling through Americans’ confidential data or the blatant weaponization of the IRS to target critics of the President, this Administration has trampled legality and dodged transparency at every turn. They operate in deception—circumventing oversight, misleading the public, and bending the levers of power to benefit those in the President’s ear. And Republicans in Congress and on this committee are rubberstamping all of it. Blocking resolutions to get answers for the American people as the Administration ducks accountability and refusing to assert their own power as an oversight and legislative body. They’ve written a blank check for the Trump Administration to taint the system in favor of wealthy tax cheats and against everyone else.

    Now, hand in hand they’re attempting to ram through an abomination of a bill that adds at least $3 trillion to the debt and kicks 16 million from their health care. The Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are about to make history. They will be responsible for the biggest theft of health care we’ve ever seen. And they’re racing to do it on rushed timelines and in the dead of night before their own members, let alone the public, can catch on. They’re gutting the IRS, shredding enforcement, and handing the ultra-rich billions while everyone else gets scraps. The Administration is robbing states of manufacturing and energy projects that have already proved effective in creating jobs and spurring investments. Cancelling these projects will cost Americans thousands of jobs and hand innovations to our global competitors. How does taking jobs away from American workers and ceding innovation to China square with what this Administration claims to stand for?  

    Mr. Secretary, when you were named Treasury Secretary, you had a reputation for steady, sound, fact-based decision-making, which set you apart from others in the President’s orbit. That’s why it’s so disappointing to see you attack nonpartisan scorekeepers like CBO and JCT, who just call balls and strikes, and rely instead on fantasy math to defend a bill that I believe you know clearly explodes the deficit. Mr. Secretary, if the math you project is to be true, why don’t the bond markets believe you? You claim CBO and JCT are providing partisan numbers, but it’s the markets who are reacting. Are they partisan, too? 

    When the President took office, we warned the consequences would be swift. Over four months in, they’re undeniable. Markets have been rattled. Confidence is crashing. GDP is shrinking. Power has been turned over to unelected and unqualified loyalists and lackeys, and the President has ignited a reckless trade war he has no plan for and is over his head with. And it’s all while he guts services millions rely on so he can enrich himself and his friends.

    Under Trump and Republicans’ watch, the American people are being left with a system rigged against them. Their privacy is under threat. Their basic needs are on the chopping block. And their government is being twisted into a tool for political retribution and personal gain.

    We cannot let this stand. Oversight is a sacred obligation of Congress. When Republicans refuse to ask real questions, Democrats will. We will fight to protect taxpayers and their privacy, defend the integrity of our institutions, and ensure no one, no matter how wealthy or well-connected, is above the law.

    I yield back. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Neal Statement on Trump Administration Terminating Clean Energy Grants

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

    Congressman Richard E. Neal released the following statement after the Trump Administration terminated $3.7 billion in grants issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations. This includes an $87 million grant issued to Sublime Systems, whose low-carbon cement manufacturing plant is scheduled to open in Holyoke in 2027.

     

    “The Trump Administration’s decision to kill critical clean energy projects is deeply irresponsible and is a betrayal of American innovation, workers, and the fight against climate change. Scrapping funding for projects for innovators like Sublime Systems in Holyoke undercuts years of progress in decarbonizing heavy industry, and it jeopardizes good-paying jobs and economic development in communities that need it most.

    “The Inflation Reduction Act was written in the Ways and Means Committee during my time as chairman, representing the largest investment in combatting climate change in our nation’s history. I can say unequivocally that this was not the intention of the bill; it was designed to accelerate the clean energy transition through innovation, not stall it.

    “This isn’t just about climate— it’s about global competitiveness and leadership. Turning away from American-made clean technologies in favor of outdated fossil fuel priorities is shortsighted and will be disastrous for our economy and environment, all while giving the upper hand to our competitors around the world. I urge the Trump Administration to reverse course and recommit to a forward-looking energy strategy that supports innovators and benefits our communities, economy, and planet.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Iran claims strike on Mossad headquarters as conflict enters fifth day

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed successful strikes on Israeli intelligence facilities in Tel Aviv, including a Mossad operational center, as the military conflict between Iran and Israel intensified into its fifth day. The IRGC reported that its ballistic missile attacks targeted two major intelligence facilities, with explosions confirmed in Herzliya, Ramat HaSharon, and Ra’anana. Israeli media reported at least five missiles hit the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, with images indicating damage to a significant command center or warehouse facility.

    The strikes are part of Iran’s “Operation True Promise 3,” which the IRGC described as delivering “precise and painful blows” in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on Iranian cities and infrastructure. The IRGC’s Aerospace Force announced that a “ninth wave of combined drone and missile attacks” began and will continue until dawn, declaring all Israeli cities and facilities as legitimate military targets.

    In response, Israel has intensified airstrikes on Iran, targeting nuclear and military infrastructure around Tehran. The Israeli military claimed it is close to destroying ten additional nuclear targets in the capital, with a focus on the Fordow uranium enrichment facility. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported damage only at Iran’s Natanz nuclear site, with no changes noted at the Fordow or Esfahan facilities based on satellite imagery analysis following Friday’s attacks.

    Tensions escalated after Israel rejected Iran’s overnight diplomatic efforts to halt the conflict. The IRGC issued evacuation warnings for Israeli-occupied territories, followed by precision strikes. Conversely, Israeli authorities and U.S. President Donald Trump urged approximately 330,000 residents of central Tehran to evacuate due to the threat of large-scale Israeli attacks. Israel’s air force has reportedly destroyed about one-third of Iran’s ballistic missile stockpiles and launchers, targeting air defenses protecting nuclear sites. Iran has launched over 370 missiles and numerous drones, though most have been intercepted by Israeli air defenses.

    The United States has bolstered its military presence in the region, deploying the USS Nimitz carrier strike group and additional air assets. Nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran, mediated by Oman, were canceled after Tehran refused to negotiate amid ongoing attacks. President Trump demanded that Iran halt its nuclear program, stating compliance could end the conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the strikes have significantly delayed Iran’s nuclear program, though he noted that additional targets remain.

    The Israeli strikes represent the most serious threat to the Iranian regime since 1979, potentially pressuring Tehran to reconsider its nuclear ambitions. As warnings of further attacks persist, civilians in Tehran are fleeing, and expatriate communities are being evacuated, raising fears of a widening regional conflict.

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Baird’s Statement on Israel’s Strikes on Iran

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Baird (R-IN-04)

    Congressman Baird’s Statement on Israel’s Strikes on Iran

    Washington, June 17, 2025

    Today, Congressman Jim Baird (IN-04) released the following statement after Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear program and military leadership:

    “The U.S. has been clear: Iran cannot and will not obtain a nuclear weapon. President Trump has given Iran every opportunity to dismantle their nuclear program and make a deal in good faith. Iran has failed to come to the table. Iran has also been the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world. Iran backed Hamas’ horrific October 7th attack that murdered nearly 1,200 Israelis and 46 Americans and took hundreds of innocent people hostage. Iran has long sought the destruction of Israel and used proxies to attack our greatest ally in the Middle East. Israel has the right to take action to defend itself. I will continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds, and I stand with our ally Israel in its fight for its very existence.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –