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Category: Trump

  • US begins uneasy FIFA World Cup countdown as Trump moves Marines to Los Angeles

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. cities hosting next year’s FIFA World Cup faced questions on Wednesday about how to reassure international fans concerned by President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and travel ban as the year-to-go countdown began.

    The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, is set to co-host the finals, which will feature 48 teams and a record 104 matches in a tournament that FIFA boss Gianni Infantino said would usher in a new generation of soccer fans.

    Celebrities and soccer stars were due to walk the red carpet at the Fox Studio Lot in Los Angeles – one of the host cities – for the year-to-go event there, a day after President Trump deployed Marines and the National Guard to quell protests.

    California Governor Gavin Newsom described the deployment as an “unmistakable step toward authoritarianism,” while Trump officials defended it and branded the protests as lawless, blaming local and state Democrats for permitting upheaval.

    Los Angeles is one of several host cities marking the year-to-go occasion.

    New York-New Jersey held a waterside party on Wednesday, where local officials and fans celebrated against the backdrop of Ellis Island.

    Asked about comments Vice President JD Vance made last month warning World Cup travellers not to overstay their welcome, New York-New Jersey host Committee CEO Alex Lasry said: “Our goal is to make sure everyone who comes to New York-New Jersey has an incredible time.”

    “Something that you have to kind of know, when you’re putting on mega sporting events … is the world is still going on. The world doesn’t stop for these sporting events,” said Lasry.

    “And you kind of have to go with the flow and make sure that you’re able to adapt.”

    Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, said FIFA needed to work with the U.S. government to ensure the rights of competitors, support staff, fans and media were protected regardless of their identities or views.

    “FIFA should publicly acknowledge the threat US immigration and other anti-human rights policies pose to the tournament’s integrity … (and) should establish clear benchmarks and timelines for the US policy changes needed to ensure respect for immigrants’ rights during the 2026 World Cup and beyond,” she said.

    The Sport & Rights Alliance, a global coalition of non-governmental organisations that promotes human rights in sports, on Wednesday said that it had identified “areas where government policies in the 2026 host countries, particularly the United States under President Donald Trump, pose significant and immediate risks to the human rights of immigrants.”

    Special Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields told Reuters: “President Trump is proud to have secured our great country as one of the hosts for the 2026 World Cup, and he is eager to welcome fans from across the globe to celebrate America and this great pastime.”

    “The Trump Administration will work diligently to facilitate the entry of law-abiding and applicable fans, ensure that all attendees are properly vetted and that these are the most secure and historic games,” said Fields.

    U.S. Democratic leaders, meanwhile,raised concerns over a national crisis on Tuesday as Trump moved U.S. Marines into Los Angeles to tackle civilian protests over his immigration policies.

    “There are certainly things that are happening at the national level, the international level, there are going to be geopolitical issues that we don’t even know right now that are going to affect the tournament,” Meg Kane, a host city executive for Philadelphia told reporters at a Paley Center event on Monday.

    “So we recognise that we’re planning within uncertainty.”

    FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    INFANTINO CONFIDENT

    FIFA President Gianni Infantino said last month after meeting Trump that he was confident the world would be welcomed in for the 2026 World Cup and this year’s Club World Cup, which runs from June 14 to July 13.

    But the task of reassuring international fans was complicated by a travel ban that went into effect on Monday, cracking down on what Trump called “foreign terrorists”.

    Of the 12 countries facing travel bans, Iran is the only one that has qualified for the 2026 tournament so far. Tehran said on Saturday that the ban showed “deep hostility” toward Iranians and Muslims.

    European fans, supporter groups and former players contacted by Reuters said it was too early for anyone to be thinking about revising schedules or reevaluating plans for attending the World Cup.

    Alina Hudak, the Miami host committee president and CEO, told Reuters she had been in touch with the local consular corps to address their concerns and to offer support.

    “My responsibility is to make sure that we’re ready, that we’re safe, that we’re coordinating logistically with all of our law enforcement agencies, that we’ve done everything we can to ensure that our mass transit system is ready and can handle the volume,” said Hudak.

    “And so for me, you know, what’s happening outside of that is something that we’re monitoring, but not something that, quite frankly, I have an impact (on).”

    REUTERS

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Coons Statement on Joint Resolution of Disapproval Vote

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement after voting against two Joint Resolutions of Disapproval over U.S. arms sales to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates:
    “In just a few months, Donald Trump has shown that his second term will be the most corrupt in American history. He needs to be held accountable for this corruption by the courts and by Congress, and I have repeatedly worked to do so over the past several months. I appreciate my colleagues’ efforts to shine a light on this stunning level of corruption by exploring new avenues to do so while we are in the minority.
    “Unfortunately, these resolutions don’t hold President Trump accountable. Instead, they target other countries for the actions of our president, countries that host more than 10,000 U.S. troops on strategically important bases and are our partners. President Trump himself will feel no consequences.”
    “President Trump and his administration are both creating a more dangerous world and driving wedges between our nation and nearly every one of our partners and allies. Canceling these long-planned sales won’t just weaken two nations the world relies on for stability in a region made more volatile by President Trump’s actions, they will also distance us from key partners at a time we cannot afford to do so.
    “The United States negotiated contracts for these arms sales years ago. Many nations already know they cannot count on our president to keep his word. I am concerned that passing these resolutions would send a message that they can’t count on Congress to do so, either.”
    Senator Coons is Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • China, Hong Kong stocks retreat as trade optimism fades

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    China and Hong Kong stocks fell on Thursday, led by declines in the rare-earth and tech sectors, as markets struggled to sustain positive momentum from Sino-U.S. trade talks that provided few concrete details.

    A deal getting the fragile truce in the U.S.-China trade war back on track was reached after negotiators from Washington and Beijing agreed on a framework covering tariff rates, U.S President Donald Trump said on Wednesday.

    The deal removes Chinese export restrictions on rare-earths minerals and allows Chinese students access to U.S. universities, but many specifics and detailed terms were absent, leaving investors cautious.

    China‘s blue-chip CSI300 Index .CSI300 fell 0.6% from a three-week high touched in the previous session. Hong Kong‘s benchmark Hang Seng index .HSI lost 0.7% to pull back from its highest level in nearly three months.

    The CSI Rare Earth Index CSI930598 slipped 0.8% from a seven-month high, and the semiconductor sector subindex .CSI931865 slid more than 1%.

    In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Tech Index .HSTECH lost 1.5% in early trades.

    -Reuters

  • Trump met with cheers, boos at Kennedy Center as he attends ‘Les Miserables’

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. President Donald Trump was greeted with a high-volume mix of boos and cheers on Wednesday as he took his seat for his first production at the Kennedy Center, the performing arts facility he has subjected to a conservative takeover.

    The mixed reception for Trump and his wife Melania as they arrived in the presidential box before a performance of “Les Miserables” reflected the heightened emotions that have been unleashed by his overhaul of the cultural center.

    Trump has pushed out its former chairman,fired its longtime president and pledged to overhaul an institution that he criticized as too liberal. The center, a leading U.S. arts facility, had long enjoyed bipartisan support.

    Ticket sales have fallen since and some shows, including the hit “Hamilton,” have canceled their appearances at the 2,300-capacity theater.

    At Wednesday’s performance, several drag queens in full regalia sat in the audience, likely in response to Trump’s criticism of the venue for hosting drag shows.

    One person shouted “Viva Los Angeles” as Trump stepped out of the presidential box at the intermission. Trump has sent military troops to quell protests against his immigration raids in that city.

    Trump’s appearance was meant to boost fundraising for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and he said donors raised over $10 million.

    “We’re going to make it incredible. We have all the funding. We raised a lot tonight, and we’ll put in a lot of money to bring it back to the highest level,” a tuxedo-clad Trump told reporters after other administration officials arrived on the red carpet.

    SUBSCRIPTIONS DOWN

    Still, overall year-on-year subscription revenue was down 36% to $2.8 million as of early June for next season, which begins in the autumn, according to a person briefed on the data. Theater subscriptions, normally a major revenue driver for the center, were down 82%.

    A Kennedy Center official said the comparisons reflected in those subscription sales were not accurate because the center had launched its subscription renewal campaign later in 2025 than 2024.

    “Our renewal campaign is just kicking off,” Kim Cooper, senior vice president of marketing, said in a statement. Cooper also noted the center had launched a new subscription option that allowed customers to “mix and match” genres and said more announcements of shows were coming.

    The Kennedy Center depends on revenue from tickets and subscriptions as well as donations to operate. Ticket sales for “Les Miserables” have been robust, according to another Kennedy Center official.

    Donors who pay $100,000 to $2 million got to attend a reception before the show, receive a photo with the president and be seated in good locations in the theater.

    “We’ve raised a little more than $10 million for tonight, which is pretty remarkable, and it’s an organization that needs the money right now,” said Ric Grenell, a close Trump ally and former ambassador to Germany who now heads the Kennedy Center.

    Under his leadership, the center has sought to add more conservative-leaning programming, including a show that Grenell has described as a celebration of the birth of Christ.

    Trump said he particularly enjoyed “Les Miserables,” a musical about citizens rising up against their government. “I’ve seen it many times, it’s one of my favorites,” he said.

    Along with the first lady, Vice President JD Vance, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also attended.

    Vance was likewise met with boos when he attended a Kennedy Center show with his wife earlier this year.

    Trump has zeroed in on drag shows to argue that the Kennedy Center had lost its way before he took office. But multiple upcoming musicals on the Kennedy Center’s agenda include characters dressed in drag, such as “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Chicago.”

    Other musicals have pulled out, according to a former Kennedy Center official.

    (Reuters)

  • White House says Trump ‘acknowledges’ Elon Musk’s apology

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The White House confirmed on Wednesday that former President Donald Trump has acknowledged an apology from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, suggesting a potential easing of recent tensions between the two high-profile figures.

    In a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, “The President acknowledged the statement that Elon put out this morning and he is appreciative of it. We are continuing to focus on the business of the American people.”

    Leavitt also clarified that, contrary to earlier speculation, there are currently no active efforts to review Musk’s government contracts. “Currently no efforts have been made on that front as far as I’m aware,” she said.

    According to CNN, Musk personally called Trump on Monday night and later issued a public statement on Wednesday, expressing regret over comments made on social media that had sparked a public fallout.

    The apology reportedly followed a private conversation on Friday involving Musk, Vice President JD Vance, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, during which the disagreement was discussed at length.

    Sources cited by CNN said that several prominent Republican lawmakers and Trump allies have been encouraging Musk to reconcile with the former President. They are also urging him to support a key legislative proposal dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill,” a major domestic policy initiative currently facing resistance in the Senate.

    Musk, once considered one of Trump’s closest allies in the tech world, continues to maintain ties with members of the former President’s inner circle. In recent days, those relationships have been used to facilitate dialogue, with aides reportedly engaging Musk through phone calls and text messages to ease tensions.

    While Musk is said to be receptive to reconciliation, he has reportedly expressed reservations about the bill’s lack of spending cuts—a concern he raised during conversations with Republican lawmakers.

    Although the situation remains fluid, the mutual acknowledgment and continued communication suggest the potential for renewed cooperation between Trump and one of the country’s most influential tech leaders.

    —IANS

  • Marines to deploy on LA streets within two days with authority to detain civilians

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. Marines will join National Guard troops on the streets of Los Angeles within two days, officials said on Wednesday, and would be authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration officers on raids or protesters who confront federal agents.

    U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the deployments over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom, sparking a national debate about the use of the military on U.S. soil and animating protests that have spread from Los Angeles to other major cities, including New York, Atlanta and Chicago.

    Los Angeles on Wednesday endured a sixth day of protests that have been largely peaceful but occasionally punctuated by violence, mostly contained to a few blocks of the city’s downtown area.

    The protests broke out last Friday in response to a series of immigration raids. Trump in turn called in the National Guard on Saturday, then summoned the Marines on Monday.

    “If I didn’t act quickly on that, Los Angeles would be burning to the ground right now,” said Trump at an event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

    State and local leaders dispute that, saying Trump has only escalated tensions with an unnecessary and illegal deployment of federal troops, while Democrats nationally have condemned his action as authoritarian.

    Trump is carrying out a campaign promise to deport immigrants, employing forceful tactics consistent with the norm-breaking political style that got him elected twice.

    “President Trump promised to carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history and left-wing riots will not deter him in that effort,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

    The U.S. military said on Wednesday that a battalion of 700 Marines had concluded training specific to the L.A. mission, including de-escalation and crowd control. They would join National Guard under the authority of a federal law known as Title 10 within 48 hours, not to conduct civilian policing but to protect federal officers and property, the military said.

    “Title 10 forces may temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances such as to stop an assault, to prevent harm to others, or to prevent interference with federal personnel performing their duties,” the Northern Command said.

    Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement: “If any rioters attack ICE law enforcement officers, military personnel have the authority to temporarily detain them until law enforcement makes the arrest.”

    U.S. Army Major General Scott Sherman, who commands the task force of Marines and Guardsmen, told reporters the Marines will not carry live ammunition in their rifles, but they will carry live rounds.

    Newsom and the state of California have sued Trump and the Defense Department to stop the deployment, maintaining that none of the Title 10 conditions were met to justify military deployment – such as a when the U.S. is under threat from a foreign invasion or rebellion.

    California is also seeking a temporary restraining order to immediately stop the National Guard and Marines from participating in civilian law enforcement.

    A hearing on that restraining order is scheduled for Thursday in San Francisco federal court.

    The Trump administration argued in a court filing ahead of the hearing that the president has the discretion to determine whether a “rebellion or danger of a rebellion” requires a military response.

    PROTESTS SPREAD NATIONWIDE

    In downtown L.A., shortly before the second night of a curfew over a one square mile (2.5 square km) area, relative calm was broken.

    Police said demonstrators at one location threw commercial grade fireworks and rocks at officers. Another group of nearly 1,000 demonstrators were peacefully marching through downtown when police suddenly opened fired with less lethal munitions in front of City Hall.

    Marlene Lopez, 39, a Los Angeles native, was demonstrating as flash bangs exploded just a few meters away.

    “I am out here because of the fact that our human rights are being violated every day. If we give up, it’s over. We have to stand our ground here in L.A. so that the nation will follow us,” Lopez said.

    Other protests have also taken place in Santa Ana, a largely Mexican-American city about 30 miles (50 km) to the south, as well as major cities such as Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston and Washington and San Antonio, Texas.

    New York police said an unknown number of people had been taken into custody on Wednesday. On Tuesday New York police said they took 86 people into custody, of which 34 were arrested and charged, while the others received a criminal court summons.

    The protests are set to expand on Saturday, when several activist groups have planned more than 1,800 anti-Trump demonstrations across the country. That day, tanks and other armored vehicles will rumble down the streets of Washington, D.C., in a military parade marking the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and coinciding with Trump’s 79th birthday.

    (Reuters)

  • U.S. to deploy 4,000 National Guard troops, 700 Marines to Los Angeles amid ongoing protests

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has said it is going to deploy 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to help protect federal property and personnel during the ongoing protests in the city.

    Here is everything we know about the U.S. troops that are being deployed to Los Angeles:

    WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TROOPS SENT TO LA?

    National guard troops usually belong to individual states and personnel in many cases are trained to help with emergencies that those states have to deal with, such as natural disasters.

    Since they are the reserve force of the U.S. military, National Guard troops are usually part time, meaning that they have other jobs as well.

    U.S. Marines on the other hand are active duty troops – it is a full time job.

    Marines are trained for conflicts around the world – from the Middle East to Africa – and are used for rapid global deployments in case of emergencies, such as threats to U.S. embassies.

    All those troops will come under a task force, known as Task Force 51.

    HOW CAN TROOPS LEGALLY BE DEPLOYED WITHIN THE UNITED STATES?

    Trump cited Title 10 of the U.S. Code, a federal law that outlines the role of the U.S. Armed Forces, in his June 7 order to call members of the California National Guard into federal service.

    A provision of Title 10 – Section 12406- allows the president to deploy National Guard units into federal service if the U.S. is invaded, there is a “rebellion or danger of rebellion” or the president is “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”

    The president also has the authority to deploy active duty troops, like the Marines, within the United States in limited cases.

    WHERE ARE THE TROOPS COMING FROM?

    Many of the 4,000 National Guard troops are coming from the California National Guard. So far, 2,100 soldiers from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, a unit of the California National Guard, are on the ground.

    The Marines being deployed are from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. They are based out of Twentynine Palms, close to Los Angeles.

    WHAT CAN TROOPS DO AND WHAT CAN THEY NOT DO?

    Both National Guard troops and Marines will be carrying out the same tasks, according to U.S. Army Major General Scott Sherman, who is commanding the troops.

    They are tasked with protecting federal property and federal personnel. This means that they will accompany ICE agents on raids, officials have said.

    The troops are authorized to detain people who pose a threat to federal personnel or property, but only until police can arrest them. Military officials are not allowed to carry out arrests themselves.

    The Posse Comitatus Act, generally forbids the U.S. military, including the National Guard, from taking part in civilian law enforcement.

    Trump could take a more far-reaching step by invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow troops to directly participate in civilian law enforcement.

    WHAT TRAINING WILL THE TROOPS RECEIVE?

    Troops receive varying levels of training in dealing with riots and crowd control.

    Since National Guard troops are used domestically in many cases, they receive extensive training when it comes to crowd control and civil unrest.

    While Marines may receive a basic level of crowd control training, it is not their expertise in domestic situations. The 700 Marines will receive two days of training focused on civil disturbance, crowd control and protection of facilities, before they are deployed to the streets of Los Angeles.

    The Marines will also have added “legal and law enforcement expertise,” the military said.

    WHAT WILL TROOPS BE ARMED WITH?

    National Guard troops have been seen carrying shields, batons and rifles, along with regular protective equipment.

    The Marines will also be armed with riot shields and batons, and Sherman said they will not have ammunition in their rifles, but they will carry it.

    (Reuters)

  • Sensex, Nifty trade flat in early session amid sectoral weakness

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Indian benchmark indices opened on a flat note on Thursday as investors remained cautious ahead of key retail inflation data. Early trade witnessed selling pressure in the auto, IT, and PSU Bank sectors.

    As of 9:28 a.m., the Sensex was trading 69.22 points, or 0.08 per cent higher, at 82,584.36, while the Nifty rose 23.65 points, or 0.09 per cent, to 25,165.05.

    The Nifty Bank index was up 98.65 points, or 0.17 per cent, at 56,558.40. Meanwhile, the Nifty Midcap 100 was trading at 59,267.75, down 120.40 points or 0.20 per cent, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 stood at 18,772.35, having declined by 26.40 points or 0.14 per cent.

    According to analysts, although the Nifty closed higher in the previous session, it retreated from its intra-day high. Technically, the candle formed was a doji with a slightly extended upper shadow, following the ‘upside-gap two crows’ pattern. Analysts suggest that the bulls now have the responsibility to defend the 25,029 level in the near term.

    “If bears manage to push the index below the 24,987–25,029 zone, a test of the 24,800–24,863 range becomes highly probable,” said Akshay Chinchalkar, Head of Research at Axis Securities.

    Among Sensex constituents, Asian Paints, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Finserv, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finance, NTPC, and HDFC Bank emerged as the top gainers. In contrast, Infosys, Eternal, Tata Motors, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Tata Steel, and IndusInd Bank were among the top losers.

    In Asian markets, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Japan were trading in the red, while Seoul and China saw gains.

    In the previous trading session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed marginally lower at 42,865.77, down 1.10 points, or 0.00 per cent. The S&P 500 fell 16.57 points, or 0.27 per cent, to 6,022.24, while the Nasdaq dropped 99.11 points, or 0.50 per cent, to close at 19,615.88.

    Experts suggest the market’s recent flat trend is likely to persist in the near term due to a lack of clear positive triggers.

    “There are reports of a potential agreement between the US and China, but no official confirmation has come from the Chinese side,” noted analysts.

    “Additionally, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to send letters to trade partners within the next two weeks, outlining universal tariffs. Market participants are waiting for more clarity, as the tariff crisis is far from resolved,” said Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.

    On the institutional front, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers, offloading equities worth ₹446.31 crore on June 11. Meanwhile, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers, purchasing equities worth ₹1,584.87 crore.

    — IANS

  • Australia confident AUKUS submarine pact will proceed amid U.S. review

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Australia‘s Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday he was confident the AUKUS submarine pact with the U.S. and Britain would proceed, and his government would work closely with the U.S. while the Trump administration conducted a formal review.

    Australia in 2023 committed to spend A$368 billion ($239 billion) over three decades on AUKUS, the country’s biggest ever defence project with the United States and Britain, to acquire and build nuclear-powered submarines.

    A Pentagon official said the administration was reviewing AUKUS to ensure it was “aligned with the President’s America First agenda”, on the eve of expected talks between President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

    In an Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio interview, Marles said AUKUS was in the strategic interests of all three countries and the new review of the deal signed in 2021 when Joe Biden was the U.S. president was not a surprise.

    “I am very confident this is going to happen,” he said of AUKUS, which would give Australia nuclear-powered submarines.

    “This is a multi-decade plan. There will be governments that come and go and I think whenever we see a new government, a review of this kind is going to be something which will be undertaken,” Marles told the ABC.

    Albanese is expected to meet Trump for the first time next week on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Canada, where the security allies will discuss a request from Washington for Australia to increase defence spending from 2% to 3.5% of gross domestic product.

    Albanese has said defence spending would rise to 2.3% and has declined to commit to the U.S. target.

    The opposition Liberal party on Thursday pressed Albanese to increase defence spending.

    Under AUKUS, Australia was scheduled to make a $2 billion payment in 2025 to the U.S. to help boost its submarine shipyards and speed up lagging production rates of Virginia-class submarines to allow the sale of up to three U.S. submarines to Australia from 2032.

    The first $500 million payment was made when Marles met with his U.S. counterpart Pete Hegseth in February.

    US NOT MEETING PRODUCTION TARGETS

    The Pentagon’s top policy adviser Elbridge Colby, who has previously expressed concern the U.S. would lose submarines to Australia at a critical time for military deterrence against China, will be a key figure in the review, examining the production rate of Virginia-class submarines, Marles said.

    “It is important that those production and sustainment rates are improved,” he added.

    AUKUS would grow the U.S. and Australian defence industries and generate thousands of manufacturing jobs, Marles said in a statement.

    John Lee, an Australian Indo-Pacific expert at Washington’s conservative Hudson Institute think tank, said the Pentagon review was “primarily an audit of American capability” and whether it can afford to sell up to five nuclear powered submarines when it was not meeting its own production targets.

    “Relatedly, the low Australian defence spending and ambiguity as to how it might contribute to a Taiwan contingency is also a factor,” Lee said.

    John Hamre, the president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and a former senior Pentagon official, told a Lowy Institute seminar in Sydney on Thursday there is a perception in Washington “the Albanese government has been supportive of AUKUS but not really leaning in on AUKUS“, and defence spending is part of this.

    Under the multi-stage pact, four U.S. commanded Virginia submarines will be hosted at a Western Australian navy base on the Indian Ocean from 2027, which a senior U.S. Navy commander told Congress in April gives the U.S. a “straight shot to the South China Sea”.

    Albanese wants to buy three Virginia submarines from 2032 to bring its submarine force under Australian command.

    Britain and Australia will jointly build a new AUKUS-class submarine expected to come into service from 2040. Following a recent defence review, Britain said it would boost spending on its attack submarine fleet under AUKUS.

    Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who struck the AUKUS deal with Biden, said on Thursday Australia should “make the case again” for the treaty.

    AUKUS would build more submarines across the three partners and was “fundamentally about strengthening collective deterrence, particularly in the Indo-Pacific against potential adversaries”, he wrote on LinkedIn.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Brown leads 21 states opposing Trump’s military deployment in California

    Source: Washington State News

    SEATTLE – Attorney General Nick Brown today filed an amicus brief with leaders from 21 states supporting California’s request for a court order blocking the president’s unlawful federalization and deployment of that state’s National Guard.

    “The president is escalating events in Los Angeles not to prevent violence, but to stoke fear and division,” Brown said. “It’s a deliberate enticement to chaos. It’s unlawful, it’s undemocratic, and Washington state would act swiftly to protect our residents if the president did the same here.”

    The amicus brief outlines how Trump’s action is wholly inconsistent with our nation’s founding principle that freedom depends on the subordination of the military to civilian authority.

    “By calling forth troops when there is no invasion to repel, no rebellion to suppress, and when state and local law enforcement is fully able to execute the laws, the President flouts the vision of our Founders, undermines the rule of law, and sets a chilling precedent that puts the constitutional rights of Americans in every state at risk,” the brief reads.

    The president’s memo federalizing the Guard does not restrict these actions to just Los Angeles, California, or any specific U.S. region. Instead, it is an unlimited claim of presidential authority to deploy the National Guards of any state for the next 60 days. The states have an interest in standing up against this unnecessary and legally unjustified military call-up.

    The states also have an interest in ensuring their National Guards are available to perform the essential services they provide the states on an ongoing basis. They provide critical services responding to natural disasters, counter-drug operations, and cybersecurity support, among other daily contributions to public safety. This unlawful federalization pulls volunteer service members away from performing vital services, and states are not in a position to replace them.

    The president’s unlawful and unconstitutional use of the military has exacerbated safety issues and threatened constitutionally protected activity under the First Amendment. Every state has an interest in protecting their residents from these threats.

    The brief is led by Washington Attorney General Nick Brown and Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings. Others joining are the state attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly also joined the brief.

    Document: Amicus Brief 

    -30-

    Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties.

    Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

    Media Contact:

    Email: press@atg.wa.gov

    Phone: (360) 753-2727

    General contacts: Click here

    Media Resource Guide & Attorney General’s Office FAQ

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Amid Iran tensions, U.S. withdraws diplomats, military families from West Asia over security concerns

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The US State and Defence Departments have begun moving non-essential personnel out of several locations across West Asia amid growing regional tensions, CNN reported citing US officials and sources familiar with the matter.

    While the exact cause of the shift in posture remains unclear, a defence official told CNN that US Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring “developing tension in the Middle East.”

    President Donald Trump, commenting on the situation, said, “They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place… we’ve given notice to move out, and we’ll see what happens.

    CNN reported that the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the region has been authorized by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. “The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority,” an official said.

    CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Kurilla postponed his scheduled testimony before a Senate committee due to the evolving situation, according to a defence official. The State Department, in coordination with the Pentagon, is also preparing to order the departure of non-essential personnel from US embassies in Iraq, Bahrain, and Kuwait, as well as the consulate in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, CNN reported.

    A local Iraqi official, however, stated that the movements were not connected to the security environment in Iraq. A State Department spokesperson said, “President Trump is committed to keeping Americans safe, both at home and abroad… Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our Mission in Iraq.” The department also updated its travel advisory, citing “heightened regional tensions” as the reason for the ordered departure.

    CNN further reported that President Trump expressed waning confidence in reaching a new nuclear agreement with Iran, telling a New York Post podcast that Tehran may be “delaying” the deal. “I’m getting more and more less confident about it… Something happened to them,”

    Trump said, adding that his instincts suggest the deal is increasingly unlikely. In a related development, CNN cited sources saying Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call on Monday to stop discussing a potential attack on Iran. The call, according to Trump, went “very well, very smooth.”

    Last month, CNN reported the US had obtained intelligence suggesting that Israel was preparing for a potential strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. US officials noted signs of Israeli military posturing, including the movement of air munitions and completion of an air exercise, though a final decision by Israeli leadership had not been confirmed.

    Amid these developments, Iran’s Defence Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh issued a stern warning. As per Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, he said if nuclear talks fail and conflict erupts, the US would be “forced to leave the region,” asserting that all US bases are within the reach of Iranian forces. “The adversary will certainly suffer heavier casualties,” he added, though he did not clarify whether he was referring to the US, Israel, or both. (ANI)

  • MIL-OSI USA: As Senate Moves to Advance Landmark Stablecoin Legislation, Scott Hails U.S. Leadership in Digital Assets

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott

    “Let’s finish the job and get this bill to President Trump’s desk for his signature.”

    WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Senate took an important step towards passing the bipartisan Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act – legislation led by Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and co-sponsored by Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) – to establish a clear regulatory framework for payment stablecoins.

    Ahead of the vote, Senator Scott spoke on the Senate floor to highlight the importance of passing the bill to protect consumers, bolster our national security, expand financial inclusion, and assert U.S. leadership in digital assets. The GENIUS Act is the result of months of good-faith, bipartisan negotiations and has benefited from extensive consultation with industry participants, legal and academic experts, and government stakeholders. The bill advanced out of the Senate Banking Committee in March, with every Republican and five Democrats supporting it.

    Click here to watch the full speech.

    Senator Scott’s full remarks as delivered: 

    Today, Mr. President, is a good day to watch a bipartisan coalition do what we were sent here to do – work on the behalf of the American people.

    Today, the United States Senate can take a bold and historic step forward – not just for financial innovation, but also for American leadership, consumer protection, and economic opportunity.

    With the bipartisan GENIUS Act, we can do more than just pass a bill. We can deliver results for the American people.

    We can bring clarity to a sector that’s been clouded by uncertainty.

    And we can make it known: the United States will lead, not follow, in the digital asset revolution.

    When I became Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, I promised to prioritize innovation, accountability, and smart regulation in the evolving digital economy.

    And we have the opportunity to deliver on that promise.

    The GENIUS Act will be the most significant digital assets legislation ever to pass the U.S. Senate.

    It’s the product of months of bipartisan work – and I also want to thank the bill’s sponsor, Bill Hagerty, who went out of his way to make this legislation a bipartisan success – by partnering with Senator Alsobrooks, working with Gillibrand, along with our colleagues on this side of the aisle – Senator Lummis and myself. I am incredibly proud to see the hard work of Senator Hagerty pay off – not for him – but for the American people. That’s what makes this process such a special one. It’s what makes the United States Senate the most deliberative body in the world today.

    This is a victory for working families, small businesses, and everyday Americans who deserve faster, cheaper, and safer access to financial services.

    It’s a win for innovation because this framework will give entrepreneurs the confidence to build here in the United States of America, and not abroad.

    And it’s a win for national security – because the GENIUS Act brings stablecoin issuers under strict anti-money laundering standards, cracking down on bad actors at home and abroad.

    Let me be clear: this did not happen by accident.

    It happened because we led.

    To those who said Washington could not act, to those who doubted bipartisanship – let’s prove them wrong.

    Let’s show that principled leadership, conservative values, and common sense can still move this country forward.

    And I would not be complete in my comments if I did not stop and thank the Senate Banking staff for their hard work and their dedication. It would be incomplete, if I did not stop and thank Senator Hagerty’s staff for their hard work, countless hours, and Senator Gillibrand’s staff, for her dedication, and their dedication to this issue, and certainly, Senator Lummis and her staff who spent countless hours making a good product better. 

    Let’s finish the job and get this bill to President Trump’s desk for his signature.

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff Statement on Immigration Raids Targeting California’s Agricultural Workers and Communities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Schiff Statement on Immigration Raids Targeting California’s Agricultural Workers and Communities

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) released the following statement in response to reporting of federal immigration authorities targeting California’s agricultural workers and communities in the Central Coast and Central Valley:  

    “We are deeply alarmed by the latest actions from the Trump Administration targeting workers at agricultural fields, packinghouses, and other facilities from the Central Coast to the Central Valley. California is the nation’s largest agricultural state, and without the people who work through harsh conditions — extreme heat, cold weather, or pouring rain — feeding the nation would be impossible, and putting food on the table would be much more expensive for American families. 

    “While the Trump Administration repeatedly claims it is focused on violent criminals and gangs, their draconian actions tell a different story. Targeting hardworking farm workers and their families who have been doing the backbreaking work in the fields for decades is unjustified and unconscionable. We will be monitoring federal immigration officials to ensure that they follow the law and provide the due process that is required by our Constitution. These disruptive raids are harming American businesses and separating families, and will only push food prices higher. This must stop.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Warns Against Trump’s Unprecedented Overreach in Los Angeles, Condemns Abuse of Immigrants to Attack Our Constitutional Order

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    WATCH: Padilla Warns Against Trump’s Unprecedented Overreach in Los Angeles, Condemns Abuse of Immigrants to Attack Our Constitutional Order

    WATCH: Padilla calls President Trump’s cruel immigration enforcement in Los Angeles “a threat to everybody. Because an attack on anyone’s rights is an attack on everyone’s rights.”

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined a spotlight forum entitled “Cruel and Unamerican: The Abuse of Immigrants to Attack our Constitutional Order” to condemn President Trump’s inhumane, theatrical immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, including his unprecedented move to federalize the California National Guard and mobilize hundreds of members of the U.S. Marine Corps. He warned that Trump’s actions in California are a “test case” for using the National Guard or Marines to attack immigrants’ rights in communities across the country.

    Padilla made clear that the blame for the unrest in Los Angeles falls squarely on President Trump. He blasted the President for using the same playbook when the headlines turn against him: scapegoat immigrants and manufacture a crisis. He outlined that Trump sought to sow chaos across Los Angeles to distract from his struggling political agenda, including Republicans’ billionaire-first tax bill that would gut health care and nutrition services that millions of Americans depend on to give tax breaks to the wealthy.

    Padilla also urged Californians to continue peacefully protesting the Trump Administration’s unprecedented overreach, and strongly condemned violence in all its forms, including the small set of bad actors engaging in violent behavior or vandalism.

    • “Proud to have been born and raised in Los Angeles, and I can tell you that Angelenos have a long history of speaking up for ourselves — for our communities and for the vulnerable in our community. We’ve seen that tradition continue this past week as Angelenos have spoken up against the extreme actions of the Trump Administration. And yes, while a small number of bad actors have sought to exploit the peaceful protests and have engaged in violence or vandalism, the overwhelming majority of activity has been peaceful and protected by the First Amendment.”
    • “Donald Trump created this chaos. He inflamed this violence. And he did it intentionally. He sent federal agents in to terrorize communities, and then turned around and blamed state and local leaders for the very chaos that he unleashed.”
    • “By last Friday, Trump was drowning in negative headlines. And so just as he’s done throughout the years, when all else fails, when everything is going bad, he turns to the same tired playbook: Attack immigrants. Blame immigrants. And manufacture a crisis to try to change the news cycle.”

    Padilla criticized Trump for his severe escalation of the conflict, deploying the National Guard without the Governor’s consent or request for the first time since 1965. Since then, Trump has arrested Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California President David Huerta for peacefully protesting, threatened to arrest Governor Newsom, and mobilized approximately 700 Marines to Los Angeles without a clear mission or justification. Padilla warned of the dangerous precedent Trump’s actions set, not just for California, but for the entire nation.

    • “This is dangerous territory. Servicewomen and men are trained to fight wars overseas not to police communities here in the United States. But that’s exactly what Donald Trump wants. He wants to create theatrics. He wants a viral clip of a protest turned chaotic so he can justify his crackdown on immigrants and distract from his own failures. He’s testing the boundaries of his power.”
    • “And my message to the country today is this: What’s happening in California is not just a threat to California, it’s not just a threat to immigrant communities. It’s a threat to everybody. Because an attack on anyone’s rights is an attack on everyone’s rights.”
    • “And no matter where you live or what’s your background, don’t think that anybody is insulated from Trump’s actions. If Donald Trump can bypass the Governor of California to activate the National Guard and suppress immigrant rights, he’ll do whatever he wants to suppress other rights, too. And if he can deploy Marines to Los Angeles, he can deploy them to any city in America.”

    Padilla concluded his remarks by promising to fight against President Trump’s reckless attempt to circumvent due process to enact his mass deportation agenda.

    • “If he can bypass due process, declare lawful residents ‘criminals’ subject to deportation, and disappear them to foreign countries without even giving them an opportunity to make their case, what’s to stop him from doing the same to any of us?”
    • “California is nothing but Trump’s test case for the rest of the country. We can’t let him get away with it. We won’t let him get away with it.”

    Video of Padilla’s full remarks is available here.

    In his questioning, Padilla discussed the Trump Administration’s alarming erosion of due process, including the unprecedented number of arrests taking place over the last few weeks at immigrants’ court dates, hearings, or regular check-ins.

    Senator Padilla has been outspoken in calling out the Los Angeles Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and Trump’s misguided mobilization of the National Guard and U.S. Marine Corps. Yesterday, Padilla and U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) demanded answers regarding the Trump Administration’s decision to deploy approximately 700 Marines to Los Angeles. Padilla has spoken on the Senate floor multiple times to blast President Trump for manufacturing a crisis by launching indiscriminate ICE raids across Los Angeles and deploying the National Guard and active-duty servicemembers to the region. Earlier this week, Padilla, Schiff, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) demanded answers from top Trump Administration officials regarding the arrest and detention of David Huerta, President of SEIU California and SEIU-United Service Workers West.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Statement Blasting Misguided Trump Admin Memo Threatening California National Monuments

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla Statement Blasting Misguided Trump Admin Memo Threatening California National Monuments

    WATCH: Padilla Questions Interior Secretary Burgum on DOJ Memo During ENR Committee Hearing

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a new legal opinion that could pave the way for the Trump Administration to eliminate or shrink California’s recently established national monuments, Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands:

    “Once again, the Trump Administration is upending the rule of law and flouting 90 years of legal precedent — this time by coming after our nation’s treasured public lands. With this opinion, the Trump Administration is trying to give itself unlawful authorities that will devastate California’s hard-fought progress to protect our iconic wildlife, preserve our sacred tribal sites, and ensure clean energy production.

    “I was proud to work alongside local governments, tribal leaders, and the energy industry to build broad bipartisan support for Chuckwalla and Sáttítla, California’s recently designated national monuments. I will continue fighting this shortsighted effort to give carte blanche to this Administration which is determined to destroy our cherished public lands.”

    Earlier today, Padilla questioned Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum on DOJ’s legal opinion and its implications for California’s national monuments during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing.

    Senator Padilla led the charge to establish the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments, protecting roughly 850,000 acres of California’s public lands. Padilla, Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), former California Senator Laphonza Butler, and Representative Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.-25) successfully urged former President Biden to designate the Chuckwalla National Monument. Padilla, Butler, and Ruiz also introduced legislation to push for the establishment of the monument.

    Last year, Padilla, Schiff, and Butler called on President Biden to designate the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument, and Padilla and Butler introduced legislation to establish it. Padilla and Schiff celebrated former President Biden’s official signing of proclamations to establish the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments in California earlier this year.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: US partially evacuate embassy staff from Iraq

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

    Non-essential U.S. embassy staff and their dependents have been ordered to leave Iraq due to unspecified security risks, sources from the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday.

    “Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our mission in Iraq,” the State Department said in a statement.

    “We are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies,” it added.

    Aslo on Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved the voluntary departure of U.S. military dependents from the Middle East.

    The security risks leading to the ordered departure from Iraq are not immediately clear. According to media reports, Iran recently threatened to strike U.S. bases in the region if negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program fail.

    U.S. President Donald Trump told a podcast on Wednesday that he was growing less confident in reaching a nuclear deal with Iran.

    “I don’t know,” Trump told the “Pod Force One” podcast when asked about talks over the Iran nuclear program. “I don’t know. I did think so, and I’m getting more and more – less confident about it.”

    Later on Wednesday, when asked why families of U.S. military personnel were authorized to leave the Middle East, Trump said: “You will have to see.”

    White House special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this weekend for a sixth round of nuclear talks. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trump may try to strike a deal with AUKUS review, but here’s why he won’t sink it

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University

    The Pentagon has announced it will review the massive AUKUS agreement between the United States, United Kingdom and Australia to ensure it’s aligned with US President Donald Trump’s “America first” agenda.

    The US undersecretary of defence for policy, Elbridge Colby, is reportedly going to oversee the review.

    The announcement has raised concern in Australia, but every government is entitled to review policies that their predecessors have made to consider whether or not there’s a particular purpose.

    The UK has launched a parliamentary inquiry into AUKUS too, so it’s not actually unreasonable for the US to do the same.

    There’s a degree of nervousness in Australia as to what the implications are because Australia understandably has the biggest stake in this.

    But we need to consider what Colby has articulated in the past. In his book, The Strategy of Denial: American Defence in the Nature of Great Power Conflict, he made the case the US could “prepare to win a war with China it cannot afford to lose – in order to deter it from happening”.

    So, with a deterrent mindset, he sees the need for the US to muscle up militarily.

    He’s spoken about the alliance with Australia in very positive terms on a couple of occasions. And he has called himself an “AUKUS agnostic”, though he has expressed deep concern about the ability of the submarine industrial base in the US to manufacture the ships quickly enough.

    And that leads to the fear the US Navy would not have enough submarines for itself if Washington is also sending them to Australia.

    As part of the deal, Australia would eventually be able to contribute to accelerating the production line. That involves Australian companies contributing to the manufacture of certain widgets and components that are needed to build the subs.

    Australia has already made a nearly A$800 million (US$500 million) down payment on expanding the US industrial capacity as part of the deal to ensure we get some subs in a reasonable time frame.

    There’s also been significant legislative and industrial reforms in the US, Australia and UK to help facilitate Australian defence-related industries unplug the bottleneck of submarine production.

    There’s no question there’s a need to speed up production. But we are already seeing significant signs of an uptick in the production rate, thanks in part to the Australian down payment. And it’s anticipated the rate will significantly increase in the next 12–18 months.

    Even still, projects like this often slide in terms of timelines.

    Why the US won’t spike the deal

    I’m reasonably optimistic that, on balance, the Trump administration will come down on the side of proceeding with the deal.

    There are a few key reasons for this:

    1) We’re several years down the track already.

    2) We have more than 100 Australian sailors already operating in the US system.

    3) Industrially, we’re on the cusp of making a significant additional contribution to the US submarine production line.

    And finally, most people don’t fully appreciate that the submarine base just outside Perth is an incredibly consequential piece of real estate for US security calculations.

    Colby has made very clear the US needs to muscle up to push back and deter China’s potential aggression in the region. In that equation, submarines are crucial, as is a substantial submarine base in the Indian Ocean.

    China is acutely mindful of what we call the “Malacca dilemma”. Overwhelmingly, China’s trade of goods and fossil fuels comes through the Malacca Strait between Malaysia and Indonesia’s island of Sumatra. The Chinese know this supply line could be disrupted in a war. And the submarines operating out of Perth contribute to this fear.

    This is a crucial deterrent effect the US and its allies have been seeking to maintain. And it has largely endured.

    Given nobody can predict the future, we all want to prevent a war over Taiwan and we all want to maintain the status quo.

    As such, the considered view has been that Australia will continue to support the US to bolster its deterrent effect to prevent such a scenario.

    Could Trump be angling for a deal?

    As part of the US review of the deal, we could see talk of a potential slowdown in the delivery rate of the submarines. The Trump administration could also put additional pressure on Australia to deliver more for the US.

    This includes the amount Australia spends on defence, a subject of considerable debate in Canberra. Taking Australia’s overall interests into account, the Albanese government may well decide increasing defence spending is an appropriate thing to do.

    There’s a delicate dance to be had here between the Trump administration, the Australian government, and in particular, their respective defence departments, about how to achieve the most effective outcome.

    It’s highly likely whatever decision the US government makes will be portrayed as the Trump administration “doing a deal”. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not a bad thing. This is what countries do.

    We talk a lot about the Trump administration’s transactional approach to international relations. But it’s actually not that different to previous US administrations with which Canberra has had to deal.

    So I’m reasonably sanguine about the AUKUS review and any possible negotiations over it. I believe the Trump administration will come to the conclusion it does not want to spike the Australia relationship.

    Australia has been on the US side since federation. Given this, the US government will likely make sure this deal goes ahead. The Trump administration may try to squeeze more concessions out of Australia as part of “the art of the deal”, but it won’t sink the pact.

    However, many people will undoubtedly say this is the moment Australia should break with AUKUS. But then what? What would Australia do instead to ensure its security in this world of heightened great power competition in which Australia’s interests are increasingly challenged?

    Walking away now would leave Australia more vulnerable than ever. I think that would be a great mistake.

    From 2015 to 2017 John Blaxland received funding from the US Department of Defense Minerva Research Initiative (subsequently disbanded by the Trump administration). This was used to write a book (with Greg Raymond) entitled “The US Thai Alliance and Asian International Relations” (Routledge, 2021). John currently is a fulltime employee of the ANU.

    – ref. Trump may try to strike a deal with AUKUS review, but here’s why he won’t sink it – https://theconversation.com/trump-may-try-to-strike-a-deal-with-aukus-review-but-heres-why-he-wont-sink-it-258798

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 12, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 12, 2025.

    Trump may try to strike a deal with AUKUS review, but here’s why he won’t sink it
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University The Pentagon has announced it will review the massive AUKUS agreement between the United States, United Kingdom and Australia to ensure it’s aligned with US President Donald Trump’s “America first” agenda. The US undersecretary of defence

    Why are sunsets so pretty in winter? There’s a simple explanation
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chloe Wilkins, Associate Lecturer and PhD Candidate, Solar Physics, University of Newcastle nelo2309/Shutterstock If you live in the southern hemisphere and have been stopped in your tracks by a recent sunset, you may have noticed they seem more vibrant lately. The colours are brighter and bolder, and

    After weeks of confusion and chaos, Tasmania heads back to the polls on July 19
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Hortle, Deputy Director, Tasmanian Policy Exchange, University of Tasmania The Tasmanian government has called a state election for July 19, the fourth in a little over seven years. Following days of high drama, Governor Barbara Baker finally granted Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s election request, saying there

    Goodbye to all that? Rethinking Australia’s alliance with Trump’s America
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Beeson, Adjunct professor, Australia-China Relations Institute, University of Technology Sydney Even the most ardent supporters of the alliance with the United States – the notional foundation of Australian security for more than 70 years – must be having some misgivings about the second coming of Donald

    A reversal in US climate policy will send renewables investors packing – and Australia can reap the benefits
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Downie, Professor, Australian National University President Donald Trump is trying to unravel the signature climate policy of his predecessor Joe Biden, the Inflation Reduction Act, as part of a sweeping bid to dismantle the United States’ climate ambition. The Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, is a

    ‘Hard to measure and difficult to shift’: the government’s big productivity challenge
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra Higher productivity has quickly emerged as an economic reform priority for Labor’s second term. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has laid down some markers for a productivity round table in August, saying he wants it to build the “broadest possible

    Extreme weather could send milk prices soaring, deepening challenges for the dairy industry
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milena Bojovic, Lecturer, Sustainability and Environment, University of Technology Sydney Australia’s dairy industry is in the middle of a crisis, fuelled by an almost perfect storm of challenges. Climate change and extreme weather have been battering farmlands and impacting animal productivity, creating mounting financial strains and mental

    201 ways to say ‘fuck’: what 1.7 billion words of online text shows about how the world swears
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Schweinberger, Lecturer in Applied Linguistics, The University of Queensland Our brains swear for good reasons: to vent, cope, boost our grit and feel closer to those around us. Swear words can act as social glue and play meaningful roles in how people communicate, connect and express

    Were the first kings of Poland actually from Scotland? New DNA evidence unsettles a nation’s founding myth
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Historian, Australian Catholic University An illustration from a 15th-century manuscript showing the coronation of the first king of Poland, Boleslaw I. Chronica Polonorum by Mathiae de Mechovia For two centuries, scholars have sparred over the roots of the Piasts, Poland’s first documented royal

    Medical scans are big business and investors are circling. Here are 3 reasons to be concerned
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sean Docking, Research Fellow, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University wedmoments.stock/Shutterstock Timely access to high-quality medical imaging can be lifesaving and life-altering. Radiology can confirm a fractured bone, give us an early glimpse of our baby or detect cancer. But behind the x-ray, ultrasound,

    ‘Microaggressions’ can fly under the radar in schools. Here’s how to spot them and respond
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Leslie, Lecturer in Curriculum and Pedagogy with a focus on Educational Psychology, University of Southern Queensland Klaus Vedfelt/ Getty Images Bullying is sadly a common experience for Australian children and teenagers. It is estimated at least 25% experience bullying at some point in their schooling. The

    New Zealand’s ‘symbolic’ sanctions on Israel too little, too late, say opposition parties
    By Russell Palmer, RNZ News political reporter Opposition parties say Aotearoa New Zealand’s government should be going much further, much faster in sanctioning Israel. Foreign Minister Winston Peters overnight revealed New Zealand had joined Australia, Canada, the UK and Norway in imposing travel bans on Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar

    More deaths reported out of Sugapa in West Papua clashes with military
    By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist Further reports of civilian casualties are coming out of West Papua, while clashes between Indonesia’s military and the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement continue. One of the most recent military operations took place in the early morning of May 14 in Sugapa District, Intan Jaya in Central

    Q+A follows The Project onto the scrap heap – so where to now for non-traditional current affairs?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne Two long-running television current affairs programs are coming to an end at the same time, driving home the fact that no matter what the format, they have a shelf life. The Project on Channel

    Sanctioning extremist Israeli ministers is a start, but Australia and its allies must do more
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Whyte, Scientia Associate Professor of Philosophy and ARC Future Fellow, UNSW Sydney The Australian government is imposing financial and travel sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers: Itamar Ben-Gvir (the national security minister) and Bezalel Smotrich (finance minister). This is a significant development. While Australia has previously

    Malaria has returned to the Torres Strait. What does this mean for mainland Australia?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Webb, Clinical Associate Professor and Principal Hospital Scientist, University of Sydney Aspect Drones/Shutterstock Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases spread by mosquitoes. Each year, hundreds of millions of people worldwide are infected and half a million people die from the disease. While mainland Australia was

    Is regulation really to blame for the housing affordability crisis?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Gurran, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Sydney ymgerman/Shutterstock The Albanese government has a new mantra to describe the housing crisis, which is showing no signs of abating: homes have simply become “too hard to build” in Australia. The prime minister and senior ministers

    NZ’s goal is to get smoking rates under 5% for all population groups this year – here’s why that’s highly unlikely
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janet Hoek, Professor in Public Health, University of Otago Getty Images Next week is “scrutiny week” in parliament – one of two weeks each year when opposition MPs can hold ministers accountable for their actions, or lack thereof. For us, it’s a good time to take stock

    Labor’s win at the 2025 federal election was the biggest since 1943, with its largest swings in the cities
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne We now have the (almost!) final results from the 2025 federal election – with only Bradfield still to be completely resolved. Labor won 94 of the 150

    What are the ‘less lethal’ weapons being used in Los Angeles?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samara McPhedran, Principal Research Fellow, Griffith University After United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested multiple people on alleged immigration violations, protests broke out in Los Angeles. In response, police and military personnel have been deployed around the greater LA area. Authorities have been using

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI—Hagerty Joins America’s Newsroom on Fox News to Discuss Iran Nuclear Talks, Chinese Nationals

    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 America’s Newsroom on Fox News to discuss Iran nuclear talks, along with deporting Chinese nationals that are in the country illegally.

    *Click the photo above or here to watch*
    Partial Transcript
    Hagerty on Iran nuclear talks: “If you think about it, we would not be in this position had we stayed with the ‘Maximum Pressure Campaign’ that President [Donald] Trump put in place in the first administration. When I was Ambassador to Japan, that was part of my role to get the Japanese to stop buying Iranian crude [oil]. We did that all over the world. We brought Iranian reserves down to almost nothing. The pressure was enormous on them. They were ready to deal. [Former President] Joe Biden comes into office, immediately relaxes all of the sanctions. Money starts flowing back to Iran. Terror starts flowing in the region. Iran is the heart of all of the terror that’s happening in the Middle East right now. And this is their tactic. They go back to obfuscating, trying to kick the can down the road, drawing out time. President Trump has dealt with them. He understands this—and I’m certain he’s disappointed with it—but he also strategically needs to bring them back to the table. And Iran needs to understand we will not tolerate their behavior. We’re not going to tolerate their funding [of] terrorism, and they will not have a nuclear weapon.”
    Hagerty on the stark difference between Obama’s and Trump’s negotiations with Iran: “If you think about what’s happened since that time, the Bidens allowed a lot more money to flow into Iran. Iran has advanced the ball much further in terms of their enrichment capabilities. That would’ve never happened at President Trump’s state in office. But again, the overarching objective is to stop Iran and stop this regime from funding terror and also do not allow them to get in a position to threaten the rest of the world with nuclear competence. That means they’re not going to get a nuclear weapon. So, the terms broadly are the same. The conditions are quite different though, and they’re much worse thanks to the Biden administration that stepped in and made [it] difficult for President Trump the first time, with the pallets of cash that [Former President Barack] Obama gave them, even though the Iranians never abided by the original negotiation, the original deal that they struck as well.”
    Hagerty on deporting illegal Chinese nationals: “This threat wouldn’t exist [had] Joe Biden not collapsed our southern border. These people are here illegally in the first place. The many that have been deported now recently were here illegally coming from China, coming from all over the world, many without our best interests at heart. The other piece of this, though—and let’s not forget what China has done on fentanyl as well—the precursors that continue to flow into this country. They’re waging war on us in multiple ways. This agroterrorism is a part of a biotechnology effort that China has going on, that the [Chinese Communist Party] has going on. I’ve fought hard here with my Biosecure Act to prevent U.S. funds from supporting biotechnology research that would happen here with Chinese equipment. We don’t want them to have access to our DNA data, certainly our genomic data. They’re trying at every front to gain advantage. And this agroterrorism was deeply, deeply concerning. If that had happened, if we’d not caught that, who knows what might’ve happened to our crops. It would’ve been devastating. So, we need to be much more diligent at every level. President Trump’s certainly trying to do that, and by making certain that these Chinese nationals, as well as many others, that are here illegally that may not have our best interest at heart. Sending them back out of the country is the right move.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Golden grills Navy Secretary over potential lapse in destroyer procurement that could cost jobs at BIW

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

    Budget without DDG destroyers in FY26 would undermine shipbuilding capacity, national security, Golden says

    WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) today questioned the Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations on the lack of procurement funding for DDG-51 destroyers in their FY26 budget request. These ships are built at Bath Iron Works, and a lack of procurement would harm domestic shipbuilding capacity and national defense. 

    Golden addressed the top Navy officials during a full hearing of the House Armed Services Committee.

    “What we are asking for is simply consistency,” Golden said while questioning Secretary of the Navy John Phelan. “It’s just as important as how big the Navy you want to have, and how quickly you want to get there. You’re not going to maintain the best shipbuilders in the world if they don’t think it’s a consistent career. And you need their skills and assets. I would ask for you to give that some deep thought.” 

    DDG-51 destroyers, known as the “backbone of the Navy’s surface fleet,” are highly versatile warships capable of both anti-air defense and striking targets like submarines, land-based threats, and other warships. Two shipyards in the United States produce DDG-51s: Bath Iron Works in Maine, and Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi.

    During the hearing, Acting Chief of Naval Operations James Kilby indicated that DDG class destroyers are a critical element to the Navy’s fleet. But the Trump Administration has released limited details about its upcoming FY2026 budget request, and current records show no plans to fund new DDG procurement in the upcoming year. 

    In addition to Phelan and Kilby, Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps General Eric M. Smith also testified on Wednesday. Golden’s full questioning can be watched here. A partial transcription is provided below:

    +++

    CONGRESSMAN JARED GOLDEN (ME-02), HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: The navy’s shipbuilding plan envisions 23 [DDG] Flight III ships. You currently have one in the fleet. Correct? 

     

    ADMIRAL JAMES W. KILBY, ACTING CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS: Well, yes, sir. One is about ready to deliver. 

     

    GOLDEN: Thank you. Mr. Secretary, the pending reconciliation bill includes two DDG Flight IIIs. Congressional intent was pretty clear that these would result in a three-ship cadence in FY26 and FY27. I’m now hearing behind the scenes that the plan that we don’t have yet — the complete plan from you — is going to goose-egg the DDG program in your request for FY26. So I’ve been on the committee for six years and I’ve heard from the Navy consistently a desire that the two DDG yards [each] achieve a 1.5-ship per-year rate of production. But here you’re signaling demand that would not support that rate of production. So, do you envision paying these yards to build ships — well, I’m sorry I’ll rephrase that — to not build ships? Or do you expect these yards to achieve a 1.5-ship production rate only to then turn around and lay shipbuilders off? 

     

    THE HON. JOHN C. PHELAN, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY: Thank you for the question, Congressman. The president and I are committed to national defense and are committed to shipbuilding. As it relates to the budget, you know, we are working very closely with the OSD and the OMB on this as we speak, basically daily. And so we have a good idea of what we need and don’t need, and I don’t want to get in front of the president on that. He’ll be coming out with a budget soon. But I think shipbuilding will fare quite well in that budget. 

     

    GOLDEN: Shipbuilding, yes, but I’m talking about destroyers. 

     

    PHELAN:Yeah, I can’t go into specifics with you right now Congressman, but I understand the question. I think that we are at the end of the line on the current destroyers, on the DDG (X) as I’ve said before, we’re looking at the whole force and trying to understand what the whole force posture should be, in terms of what we’re learning and what’s going on, and how it should be structured, in effect. And destroyers are an important component of that. 

     

    GOLDEN:Yes. You know, across the country we have skilled shipbuilders, but they are aging. And every yard is trying to bring in new shipbuilders, to train them up, to have the skills that they need to build the best, most quality, most lethal Navy that this country needs. On this committee, we have found through studies, which we partnered with the Navy to do, that it takes on average seven years to develop a high-asset, fully skilled Navy shipbuilder. So this rate, this signal, the consistency of the signaled demand from the Navy, and then to actually deliver on acquiring at that rate, is key to not only developing that workforce — taking seven years to get them there — but maintaining them. You cannot build a future DDG (X) without shipbuilders. 

     

    PHELAN:I agree with you and I have more ships than our shipyards can handle for the next 10 years. Whether it’s a destroyer, whether it’s a tanker, whether it’s an oiler, whether it is a submarine. So I am not worried about the demand signal we have. It is getting those workers and getting them trained. It is there, and I think it is incenting the private sector to help us as well. So this is a, as I’ve said, It’s really going to be a whole of government approach. I think the demand signal, you know, as Congressman Courtney mentioned, which we recently did …

     

    GOLDEN:I hear you. What I’m asking to is a consistent concern that has been raised that these two yards [Ingalls and BIW] get to a 1.5-ship per year production rate, and you’re not actually then demanding that rate — which will inevitably lead to ups and downs, to bathtubs in the workforce, where you are hiring people, training people, and then laying people off. What we are asking for is simply consistency. It’s just as important as how big the Navy you want to have, and how quickly you want to get there. You’re not going to maintain the best shipbuilders in the world if they don’t think it’s a consistent career. And you need their skills and assets. I would ask for you to give that some deep thought. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At Spotlight Forum, Cortez Masto Highlights Struggles Small Businesses Face Due to Trump Tariffs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

     ***VIDEO AVAILABLE***

    FTPs for TV stations is available here.

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) hosted a Spotlight Forum titled “Costs, Chaos, Corruption: The Household Impact of Trump’s Tariffs” to examine how President Trump’s tariff policies fuel economic instability, raise costs on working families, and harm the travel and tourism sector. During the forum, Cortez Masto asked small business owners to describe the impacts of the tariffs on their individual businesses.

    Senator Cortez Masto highlighted the concerns she has heard while traveling across Nevada – the effects on tourism, the rising costs for families, and the squeeze that small businesses across the state are feeling. 

    “Let me ask you, because I think…some of this is also getting lost, not only the additional costs that you are incurring because of these tariffs [but] the additional opportunities,” she said to Preston Martin, CEO of Bicycle Technologies International who was planning to open a 29,000 square foot warehouse in Reno and had to cancel the contract because of additional costs brought on by tariffs. “What we also are missing out on here are the jobs that are created, the opportunity to put people to work. Mr. Martin, if you were able to open that warehouse in Reno, how many people would you have employed in Nevada?” she asked.

    Martin confirmed in his response that he would have been able to increase his workforce in Nevada by 50 percent.

    “Our policies should be congressionally-driven in the sense that we want to grow this economy and create jobs,” the Senator continued. “And the policies are just the opposite…People want a good life. They want less stress. They want to be able to work. They want a good economy. They want everybody to thrive. And that’s where our policies should be, but this [trade] policy is not there.”

    Senator Cortez Masto has continued to push the Trump Administration to address the impacts of Trump’s tariffs on working families and Nevada small businesses. Last week, Cortez Masto led the Nevada delegation in a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to reverse his blanket tariffs that have had harmful impacts on Nevada. During a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Cortez Masto pressed U.S. Trade Representative Greer about the impacts of President Trump’s blanket tariffs on Nevadans, particularly those employed in the tourism and hospitality industry. The Senator introduced the Tariff Transparency Act to require the U.S. International Trade Commission to publicly investigate how Donald Trump’s recent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada will impact the American people.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Bill Protecting Americans from Foreign-Directed Crimes Passes Senate

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate advanced Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Maggie Hassan’s (D-N.H.) Deterring External Threats and Ensuring Robust Responses to Egregious and Nefarious Criminal Endeavors Act (DETERRENCE) Act, which increases criminal penalties for individuals who commit, or attempt to commit, violent crimes in the United States on behalf of foreign governments.
    The bill’s passage comes after two Eastern European organized crime leaders were convicted in March 2025 of targeting an American journalist in a murder-for-hire scheme on behalf of the Iranian government. Additionally, a recent report detailed how the Iranian government ordered an operative to assassinate President Donald Trump before the 2024 election.
    “America will not allow foreign adversaries, like Iran, to finance violent crimes on our soil,” said Senator Ernst. “Peace through strength is back and that includes right here at home. I look forward to the House swiftly passing this commonsense bill to create severe consequences for those who wish to harm our citizens.”
    “It is a direct assault on our national security when foreign adversaries recruit criminals to commit violence on American soil,” said Senator Hassan. “This bipartisan legislation will strengthen criminal penalties on gangs and criminals who engage in violent behavior on behalf of a foreign government. The Senate has sent a clear message that such behavior will be met with severe consequences, and I urge my colleagues in the House to quickly pass this bill to strengthen our national security.” 
    The DETERRENCE Act now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: June 11th, 2025 Heinrich Highlights Harmful Impact of DOGE Cuts to the Department of the Interior, Slams President Trump’s Interior Budget Request

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON — In his opening statement, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member on the U.S. Energy and Natural Resources Committee, grilled the U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum over the Trump Administration’s budget request for the Department of the Interior, which will further gut the Department already reeling from chaos and mismanagement by the “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE.

    VIDEO: Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivers opening remarks on the Department of Interior’s Fiscal 2026 budget request before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, June 11, 2025.

    “Mr. Secretary, when you were going through the confirmation process, I believed that you would be a responsible steward of our public lands, conservative, of course, but responsible. And with your experience in the private sector and as a governor, I believed that you could rein in the sometimes reckless tendencies of DOGE, at least within the Department of Interior,” said Heinrich in his opening statement. “We’re never going to agree on everything, but I thought we could agree that our public lands are the greatest heritage of our nation, and we have a responsibility to hand them down to the next generation, well-stewarded.

    Heinrich continued, “This budget request will not resource your department to responsibly steward our lands and waters. The proposal for the Interior Department operations next year includes a 30 percent cut across programs. It’s no exaggeration to say that this would cripple the Department as we know it.”

    A video of Heinrich’s opening remarks is here.

    A transcript of Heinrich’s remarks as delivered is below:

    We are here today to talk about the budget proposal of a department that is, quite frankly, not resourced to meet its mission.

    Parks are cutting hours and services for visitors. Ranger tours are cancelled. Toilets are overflowing and trashcans sit unemptied.

    Permits are languishing on empty desks. Energy projects are delayed or cancelled.

    Contracts slowly wind their way through a byzantine bureaucracy that was invented overnight.

    The senior leadership positions at the department are mostly vacant.

    Roughly 100 park superintendent positions are vacant. Five of the seven regional director positions for the National Park Service sit empty.

    At the Bureau of Land Management, about a third of senior leadership positions are vacant, including both deputy directors and the director position itself.

    And the front-line staff is in no better shape.

    After promising to hire 7,700 seasonal employees to serve Americans visiting their national parks this summer, the Park Service has managed, at least according to public reports, to hire only half that. Memorial Day is gone. The 4th of July just around the corner.

    And all of this has occurred before this budget request is put place.

    Mr. Secretary, when you were going through the confirmation process, I believed that you would be a responsible steward of our public lands, conservative, of course, but responsible. And with your experience in the private sector and as a governor, I believed that you could rein in the sometimes reckless tendencies of DOGE, at least within the Department of Interior.

    We’re never going to agree on everything, but I thought we could agree that our public lands are the greatest heritage of our nation, and we have a responsibility to hand them down to the next generation, well-stewarded.

    This budget request will not resource your department to responsibly steward our lands and waters.

    The proposal for the Interior Department operations next year includes a 30 percent cut across programs.

    It’s no exaggeration to say that this would cripple the department as we know it.

    The cut to the Park Service is paid for by getting rid of most park system units.

    The National Park System would have to lose more than 350 of its 433 units to swallow that kind of a proposed cut.

    And yet, the Department has still not told us which units those might be.

    Any hope for a speedier permitting system from the BLM is gone, with a proposed 35 percent cut to that agency.

    Anyone who needs a recreation permit, a right-of-way, or a grazing lease will be left waiting. That is not efficiency.

    The 35 percent cut to the Bureau of Reclamation puts critical water infrastructure at risk of failing to safely deliver water to farmers, fish, and people.

    The proposal completely eliminates the WaterSMART program that provides resources to local, often rural communities and water users to conserve water and to make efficiency improvements to their water infrastructure, thereby reducing conflicts over this scarce resource.

    The nearly 40 percent cut to the U.S. Geological Survey would kneecap the scientific research we need to understand how our natural world is changing in the face of a changing climate

    And the major reduction to the Natural Hazards program would leave communities more vulnerable to earthquakes, volcanos, and landslides.

    The proposal also completely eliminates the biological resources program at USGS, which could mean abandoning bird flu monitoring, closing the most advanced wildlife disease lab in the United States, and discontinuing research efforts for climate adaptation.

    The USGS migratory bird research also directly informs the Fish and Wildlife Service’s bag limits for migratory bird hunting seasons. Eliminating this research would hobble the management of migratory bird hunting seasons.

    One of the seven pillars of the North American model of wildlife conservation, the foundation of wildlife management in the United States, is scientific management. We cannot manage wildlife without wildlife science.

    The budget proposal also overturns the bipartisan work of this committee in 2020 to pass the Great American Outdoors Act signed into law by this president.

    Instead of supporting reauthorization of this great accomplishment, this budget robs the Land and Water Conservation Fund in order to pay for deferred maintenance projects.

    And lastly, but most importantly, this budget request, if implemented, would cause irreparable harm to Indian Country.

    With 30-plus percent cuts to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education, this budget represents a dereliction of every treaty obligation this country has to tribes and their members.

    This proposal even cuts the BIA’s Public Safety account, belying any claim that this administration might try to make that it cares for the safety of people of Indian Country.

    Mr. Secretary, you promised to prioritize the needs of Indian country in your time leading this department, but this budget simply doesn’t give you the resources to be able to effectively accomplish that.

    I think we need to do better, which I say out of respect for you and our shared values.

    It is often said a president’s budget requests that they’re “dead on arrival” on Capitol Hill.

    For the sake of the shared landscapes that we hold in trust for our grandchildren. I hope that’s the case for this budget.

    I yield back my time.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: June 11th, 2025 Heinrich: ‘Republicans are going to own increased energy prices’

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    Democrats are going to make increasing energy prices an issue for Republicans in the next election cycles, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ranking member Martin Heinrich said Tuesday.

    President Donald Trump promised to bring down energy prices during his campaign, but congressional Republicans are threatening to cut incentives for renewable energy and battery projects. The lack of new electricity generation projects plus rising demand from AI data centers and greater volumes of natural gas for export threaten to increase electricity bills for U.S. consumers, the New Mexico Democrat said during the POLITICO Energy Summit.

    “We’re in a constrained supply environment and an increased demand environment,” Heinrich said. “People’s electricity bills all over the country are going to go up. What I can guarantee you is in the next election and the election after that Republicans are going to own increased energy prices.”

    Natural gas prices could rise 25 percent next year as LNG exports rise faster than drillers can produce the resource, Bank of America analysts wrote. And tech companies are building data centers that consume huge amounts of electricity.

    Republicans are trying to rescind government support for new solar and wind power projects in their reconciliation bill. Meanwhile, power plants fed by nuclear energy and natural gas can take years to build.

    “If you’re not building renewables and storage over the next five years, you’re only artificially increasing the cost of electricity everywhere,” Heinrich said. “I don’t think consumers are going to stand for that. There’s going to be an enormous political price to pay for that. People will see it and feel it in their electricity bills.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Smith: Trump is Halting Biden’s Red Tape Factory

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE)

    Washington, DC — Today Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) released the following statement after Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced proposal of a rule withdrawing from the Biden administration’s Clean Power Plan 2.0.

    “The Biden power plant rules were a step backward for American energy, undermined grid reliability, and threatened to inflate costs for Nebraskans who get about half our state’s electricity from coal. I was pleased when President Trump signed an executive order requiring EPA to reconsider these overreaching regulations earlier this year, and Administrator Zeldin is right to eliminate them. Putting a stranglehold on energy productivity was never the answer. Halting production at EPA’s red tape factory will restore American energy abundance.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Musk backs off from feud with Trump

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

    U.S. multibillionaire and high-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk stepped back from his explosive feud with U.S. President Donald Trump, writing on X that he regrets some of his posts about his onetime ally and that they went “too far.”

    Early Wednesday morning, he posted “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”

    “Musk’s break with a president whom he spent hundreds of millions of dollars to elect appeared to put an end to his influence in the White House and prompted concerns about effects on his companies,” noted the Los Angeles Times in its report about the development. As a major government contractor, Musk’s businesses could be particularly vulnerable to retribution, and Trump has already threatened to cut Musk’s contracts.

    Musk earlier deleted a post in which he claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president’s association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, other posts that irritated Trump, including ones in which Musk called the spending bill an “abomination” and claimed credit for Trump’s election victory, remained live.

    On Sunday, Trump told NBC that he has no desire to repair their relationship and warned that Musk could face “serious consequences” if he tries to help Democrats in upcoming elections.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Cities across US brace for more protests against ICE raids

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

    More protests against immigration enforcement raids are planned across the United States this week, after many of the kind have sprung up nationwide from Los Angeles to Seattle, Austin, Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C., with some of them peaceful while others resulting in clashes with law enforcement.

    Activists are planning more and even larger demonstrations in the coming days, with “No Kings” events across the country on Saturday to coincide with U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned military parade through D.C., according to The Associated Press (AP). The Trump administration said it would continue its program of raids and deportations despite the protests.

    “Cities across the United States were bracing for a new round of immigration protests on Wednesday after the Los Angeles mayor imposed an overnight curfew downtown and Governor Gavin Newsom of California blamed President Trump for unrest that began with deportation raids last week,” reported The New York Times.

    In San Antonio, protests against immigration raids are planned Wednesday night and on Saturday, but Mayor Ron Nirenberg said that city officials did not ask for the Texas National Guard to be deployed in advance. Governor Greg Abbott’s office said that National Guard troops were “on standby” in areas where demonstrations are planned. That came after police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators on Monday near the state Capitol.

    In Los Angeles, a sixth day of protests is planned downtown and near federal buildings. In Eugene, Oregon, several groups including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which calls for the end of capitalism, said they planned to hold a solidarity protest in the city. In Mission Viejo, California, a protest is planned for Orange County, according to the local branch of the 50501 Movement, which was formed against the Trump administration’s “anti-democratic” actions.

    In Raleigh, North Carolina, hundreds of people are expected to gather in downtown Raleigh Wednesday evening, spurred in part by anger over a state immigration bill. In Seattle, the Party for Socialism and Liberation is among the groups behind a planned “ICE Out” protest in the city against ICE. In St. Louis, Missouri, a “NO ICE” protest is planned for this week, according to U.S. media reports.

    Meanwhile, Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the United States to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. “It’s one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president,” noted AP.

    Tuesday night, Los Angeles police swiftly enforced a downtown curfew, making arrests moments after it took effect, while deploying officers on horseback and using crowd control projectiles to break up a group of hundreds of demonstrators. Immigration raids across Southern California are rattling the area’s immigrant communities, even among those in the country legally. More than 100 people have been detained since Friday.

    New York City police detained more than 80 people during protests around Lower Manhattan’s Foley Square against federal immigration enforcement actions Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful. She blamed smaller groups for causing disorder that required police intervention.

    By Tuesday night, demonstrations against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown have intensified and spread far beyond Los Angeles, with thousands of people gathering in at least two dozen U.S. cities, holding banners and chanting slogans like “Stop the Deportation Now” and “Abolish ICE.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Joins Bipartisan Bill to Help Lower Housing Costs, Incentivize Housing Development in Nevada

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) announced her support for a bipartisan bill to incentivize housing development and lower costs in Nevada. The bipartisan Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act would increase the amount of Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) allocated to each state by 50 percent for the next two years. The LIHTC program provides tax credits for housing developers that incentivize construction of affordable housing units. 
    In Nevada, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit has developed or preserved 36,213 homes, supported 59,128 jobs, generated $2.325 billion in tax revenue, and generated $6.698 billion in wages and business income within the state.
    “Hardworking Nevada families are being squeezed by high housing costs and a dire shortage of affordable homes,” said Senator Rosen. “That’s why I’m joining this bipartisan bill to incentivize more development of housing Nevadans can actually afford and help lower costs for families. I’ll keep doing everything I can to bring down the prices of buying or renting a home.”
    “Senator Rosen’s support for the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act is a win for Nevada families,” said Maurice Page, Executive Director of the Nevada Housing Coalition. By championing the expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, she’s standing up for working Nevadans and ensuring that more people have access to safe, stable, and affordable homes. Her leadership gives a voice to those too often left out of the conversation.”
    “We applaud Senator Rosen for championing the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act,” said Wally Swenson, Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Nevada HAND. “This bipartisan legislation will provide the resources Nevada needs to expand access to safe, stable, affordable housing that empowers residents and strengthens communities. Nevada faces one of the most severe affordable housing shortages in the country, and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit is our most effective tool to create and preserve quality affordable homes for low-income seniors, individuals, and families.”
    “The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act would be a true game-changer for our industry. It strengthens the public-private mechanisms that make attainable housing possible in communities across the country,” said Bill Brewer, Executive Director of Nevada Rural Housing. “This bill has long had strong support, and we’re thrilled to have champions like Senator Rosen helping to build momentum. Her support brings us closer to the traction we need to move this critical legislation forward and expand access to safe, affordable homes for those who need them most.”
    Senator Rosen is working to lower housing costs and prevent housing prices from increasing further. Earlier this year, she introduced the Housing Choice Vouchers Fairness Act to update the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s decades-old Housing Choice Voucher allocation formula so fast-growing cities like Las Vegas can access more of them. Senator Rosen also sent a letter urging the Trump Administration to reverse course on imposing tariffs on Canada and Mexico, which are raising housing construction costs. Additionally, Senator Rosen introduced bipartisan legislation to invest in the construction workforce to be able to build more housing and help lower costs.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin, Shaheen, Castor, Evans Intro Bill to Reverse Trump’s Cuts to Key ACA Program That Helps More Americans Sign Up for Health Insurance

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – As President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans work to gut the Affordable Care Act (ACA), U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and U.S. Representatives Kathy Castor (D-FL-14) and Dwight Evans (D-PA-3) introduced legislation today in the Senate and House to restore a key program of the health care law that helps American families navigate the ACA marketplace and connect them with high quality, affordable health care plans. The Expand Navigators’ Resources for Outreach, Learning, and Longevity (ENROLL) Act would ensure the Navigator program, which was established under the ACA to help Americans navigate, shop, and enroll in affordable health care plans, will continue despite the Trump Administration cutting funding by 90 percent in February.

    “We have seen this movie before: when he doesn’t get his way to fully repeal it, Donald Trump tries every which way to chip away at the Affordable Care Act and kick Wisconsin families off their health care, and sadly, it works. At a time when Wisconsinites are worried their care is on the chopping block under Republicans’ plan to give tax breaks to the wealthy, the Trump Administration is also gutting a key program that helps our neighbors find health care coverage that they can afford,” said Senator Baldwin. “Wisconsin’s Navigator has connected thousands of families with good health care coverage, ensuring more Wisconsinites can access the care and treatment they need to stay healthy. We should be investing in bringing the cost of care down for Wisconsinites, not jacking up costs and eliminating proven resources that connect more families with affordable insurance.”

    “We’ve seen this before: When the first Trump administration slashed funding for the navigator program, ACA health care enrollment shrank by more than 2.5 million – and when that funding was restored, enrollment rose and reached historic levels. Despite the hard facts that it helps everyday Americans access critical health care, the administration is gutting the navigator program again and leaving Granite Staters in rural and underserved areas behind,” said Senator Shaheen. “Our ENROLL Act is urgently needed to restore this funding so Granite Staters—and all Americans—have access to the help they need to make informed decisions about their health insurance coverage.”

    “Florida families value and appreciate affordable health coverage. In fact, over 4.7 million Floridians selected an affordable marketplace plan for 2025—almost one-fifth of the nation’s 24.2 million enrollees. Robust outreach and assistance by navigators is vital to families so they can evaluate options and choose a health plan that is right for them. Unfortunately, the Trump Administration has slashed navigator support and complicated the lives of families who need advice on lifesaving health coverage,” said Representative Castor. “President Trump and Congressional Republicans appear dead set on making Affordable Care Act coverage more expensive, driving up premiums and putting hardworking families at risk. I am proud to work with Senator Baldwin to protect American’s health, well-being and pocketbooks by ensuring navigators stay on the job.”

    “The Affordable Care Act Navigators program provides free, objective, expert advice and information to Americans in red, purple and blue states alike to help them find affordable health coverage that meets their needs. A similar cut to the program in President Trump’s first term resulted in more people being uninsured, and letting his new cut stand is likely to raise costs for working-class Americans at a time when the cost of living is already high,” said Representative Evans. “One of the ways the Navigators program has helped American families is by helping hundreds of thousands of eligible consumers in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage. President Trump recently promised not to touch Medicaid, and keeping people who qualify for Medicaid from getting covered breaks that promise, as far as I’m concerned.”

    In 2017 and 2018, the first Trump Administration cut funding for the Navigator program by 84 percent, contributing to 2.5 million fewer people accessing healthcare through the ACA Marketplace over the course of the first Trump Administration. Navigator funding was restored in 2021, and enrollment reached historic levels for the 2025 plan year. In February 2025, the Trump Administration slashed nearly 90 percent of funding for the Navigator program, threatening to leave millions of Americans without critical assistance to access health insurance.

    In 2024, Covering Wisconsin (CWI), Wisconsin’s only federal navigator program, helped process nearly 100,000 applications for ACA Marketplace and Medicaid coverage, answering questions about coverage, and navigating the marketplace to ensure families get quality care and a price they can afford. From 2019 to 2024, CWI has seen a 163% increase in Marketplace and Medicaid enrollments completed directly by CWI Navigators. As of August 25, 2025, CWI anticipates their funding will be reduced by 90 percent. This is especially harmful to Wisconsinites in rural communities who already lack access to in-person assistance for shopping and enrolling in quality, affordable health insurance coverage.

    The ENROLL Act would:

    • Ensure that Navigators have the resources they need to assist Americans in finding affordable health care coverage and restore funding for the program to $100 million annually;
    • Promote efforts to ensure that Navigators provide public education and assistance that helps consumers, including those who may need extra help signing up, find coverage, rather than prioritizing application numbers;
    • Clarify that Navigator responsibilities include enrolling consumers in Medicaid and CHIP coverage;
    • Promote efforts to provide Americans with information on comprehensive health insurance that protects individuals with pre-existing conditions.

    In addition to Senators Baldwin and Shaheen, the ENROLL Act is also co-sponsored in the Senate by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Angus King (I-ME).

    The ENROLL Act is supported by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Federation of Teachers, American Heart Association, American Public Health Association, Community Catalyst, Epilepsy Foundation, MomsRising, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), National Bleeding Disorders Foundation, National Health Council, National Immigration Law Center, National Kidney Foundation, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Psoriasis Foundation, and Young Invincibles.

    “Marketplace navigators are a crucial resource for the more than 24 million people who access their health coverage through the ACA Marketplace and anyone who has questions about their coverage options. Appropriately funding health care navigators is essential for making sure consumers—especially those with complex medical conditions like cancer—can get access to the most appropriate health insurance coverage that will meet their needs. We commend Senator Baldwin, Senator Shaheen, and Representative Castor for acting to reverse the significant and damaging funding cuts that were enacted earlier this year and urge the Senate and House to pass this legislation quickly,” said Lisa Lacasse, President of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

    “At a time when health care is under relentless attack, advancing the ENROLL Act is a clear signal that there are leaders in Congress committed to putting people over profit. The current administration has gutted funding for Navigators, trusted community members who guide people through the daunting, complex process of enrolling in coverage. Restoring that funding is essential to ensuring everyone, especially those facing the greatest barriers, can enroll in the most affordable, comprehensive options for their families. We thank Senator Baldwin and Representative Castor for their leadership and for standing with communities who depend on this trusted, unbiased help,” said Mona Shah, Senior Director of Policy and Strategy at Community Catalyst.

    A one-pager on this legislation is available here. Full bill text of this legislation is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin, Reed Demand Written Answers from RFK, Jr. on Firings of Childhood Lead Poisoning Experts at CDC

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Jack Reed (D-RI) are demanding written answers from the Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in response to detailed questions on the Trump Administration’s firing of childhood lead experts. On numerous occasions in Senate hearings, Secretary Kennedy has claimed that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is not shuttering the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, and that cities requesting help, like Milwaukee, would receive it when needed. He also claimed, incorrectly, that CDC experts were on the ground in Milwaukee providing assistance. However, after applying for support from the CDC to help mitigate lead found in school classrooms, Milwaukee Public Schools was notified that their request for support was denied because the Trump administration fired the entire Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Surveillance Branch. Local officials continue to confirm that the requested aid is not being provided, and the Secretary has provided no documentation that the fired employees have been rehired, as Baldwin demanded.

    “You offered to follow up with more specifics, which we have not yet received, and to provide responses in a timely manner,” wrote the Senators in a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

    “The CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program has played an essential role for many years in identifying lead hazards in homes and the associated risk to children and helping direct resources to the families and communities most in need,” the Senators continued.

    The crisis in Milwaukee has shuttered six schools and displaced 1,800 children. Senator Baldwin visited Milwaukee Public Schools’ Frances Starms Discovery Learning Center to meet with parents whose children’s health was at risk and schools were closed this year because of lead hazards. Senator Baldwin also pressed Kennedy on the firings at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing. Senator Baldwin and Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI-04) demanded that the Trump administration reinstate the fired CDC lead poisoning experts and approve Milwaukee’s plea for federal assistance to help keep children safe.

    The full letter is available here and below.

    Dear Secretary Kennedy:

    During the May 20, 2025, hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Budget request, you were asked to clarify the status of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. You offered to follow up with more specifics, which we have not yet received, and to provide responses in a timely manner. We have included additional questions below and ask that you respond no later than June 16, 2025:

    1. Is the CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program operational? Does the Program currently have any staff? If so, how many staff? How many staff were working for the Program as of January 20, 2025 compared to now?
    2. Soon after the April 1, 2025 reduction in force (RIF), you noted in an interview that some of the terminations could “be mistakes.” Was the decision to terminate the staff within the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention branch a mistake?
    3. HHS has reinstated some employees previously terminated by the RIFs, citing health and safety concerns. Does HHS have the ability to reinstate employees from the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention branch in order to deploy to areas like Milwaukee, Wisconsin that are in need of assistance?
    4. During the hearing, reiterating a comment you made the week prior at a HELP Committee hearing, you said, if Congress appropriates the funding for the CDC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, it will be spent. Has CDC released fiscal year 2025 funding to the 62 states and localities it supports to address gaps in service? How much funding has been spent by the Program in fiscal year 2025? How much funding has been spent by the Program since January 20, 2025?
    5. The fiscal year 2026 budget request proposes continuing funding for the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program outside of CDC and within the proposed Administration for a Healthy America. How does HHS plan to effectuate this program when all program staff have reportedly been terminated? Does HHS plan to hire new experts?
    6. During the hearing, when asked about the status of the Program, you said that a team from the Program was on the ground in Milwaukee to deal with the ongoing crisis of lead contamination in schools. The City of Milwaukee has refuted that claim. Has CDC sent any staff to Milwaukee in response to their request for technical assistance to help with the lead issue in schools? This request is unrelated to the support that was provided to the state last month to certify and calibrate lab equipment.
    7. Has the CDC deployed any teams or provided technical assistance related to the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program since the April 1st reductions in force at HHS? Please outline any activities or work conducted by the Program since this date.
    8. The Rhode Island Department of Health is in year four of a five-year grant from the CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. Will CDC follow through on its commitment and provide year five funding later this year?

    The CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program has played an essential role for many years in identifying lead hazards in homes and the associated risk to children and helping direct resources to the families and communities most in need. We look forward to your timely responses to these questions, as your answers will help inform the Subcommittee’s fiscal year 2026 bill.

    Again, thank you for your testimony and your commitment to follow up on our questions.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –