NewzIntel.com

Category: Trumpism

  • MIL-OSI USA: Brownley, Correa Demand Transparency from Secretary Noem on ICE and DHS Overreach

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Julia Brownley (D-CA)

    Washington, DC – This week, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) joined Congressman Lou Correa (D-CA) and 21 House Democrats in pressing U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on the alarming actions of federal agents in California, including Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange Counties. In a letter to Secretary Noem, the Members expressed deep concerns about the Trump Administration’s lack of transparency in the agency’s recent immigration enforcement operations and activities, including the detention of individuals with no criminal record. The letter strongly condemns the administration’s overreach and demands immediate transparency.

    “President Trump initially promised to go after the worst of the worst in his immigration policy,” wrote the Members. “However the actions of this administration and your DHS show you are not interested in arresting dangerous criminals like murderers, rapists, and drug dealers. Instead, you are sending masked individuals who do not identify themselves as law enforcement to arrest college and high school students, restaurant workers, factory workers, and even American children.”

    “This administration refuses to provide accurate details around what criminal record, if any, DHS components use to justify the arrest of an individual,” wrote the members. 

    A recent analysis by the Los Angeles Times found that 69% of individuals detained by ICE had no criminal convictions. In their letter, the Members demanded DHS to provide immediate and accurate information on their immigration enforcement activities, including: 

    • A breakdown of criminal charges and convictions of people detained since January 20, 2025
    • Number of deported individuals and their criminal offenses
    • How many individuals have proven ties to gangs, foreign terrorist organizations, or criminal enterprises
    • DHS arrest policy
    • How agents and officers identify themselves when approaching an individual to detain 
    • Arresting officers’ training
    • If arresting officers are federal agents.

    Earlier this year, Brownley also contacted DHS to express concerns about ICE actions in the community, but ICE has thus far refused to answer questions or provide details on its operations. Brownley continues pressing the Trump administration to adhere to DHS’ mission and act “with honor and integrity to safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values.”

    The letter was also signed by Representatives Val Hoyle (D-OR), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (D-GA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Danny Davis (D-IL), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), John Garamendi (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Andre Carson (D-IN), Darren Soto (D-FL), Eleanor Norton (D-DC), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Timothy Kennedy (D-NY), and Brittany Pettersen (D-CO).

    The full letter can be found here and below:

    The Honorable Kristi Noem
    Secretary
    Department of Homeland Security
    Washington, D.C. 20528

    Secretary Noem:

    We write to express serious concern with this administration’s chilling actions of rounding up and arresting individuals with no criminal history and doing so without the transparency as to why the individuals are being arrested. The lack of accountability and transparency from this administration is of grave concern to the citizens of this country. Not only are Members of Congress concerned with the lack of transparency, accountability, and its immigration actions, but the majority of the American people do not agree with this administration’s actions either.

    President Trump initially promised to go after the worst of the worst in his immigration policy. Similarly, you recently went on Fox News and claimed you were going after the worst of the worst. However, the actions of this administration and your DHS show you are not focused on arresting dangerous criminals like murderers, rapists and drug dealers. Instead, you are sending masked individuals who do not identify themselves as law enforcement to arrest college and high school students, restaurant workers, factory workers, and even American children, some of whom have cancer which is beyond heartless. The scope of your enforcement activities has grown so large to include migrant workers and tourists with visas, that you are unable to effectively focus on arresting dangerous criminals, which makes our country less safe.

    Even though President Trump has finally acknowledged his immigration policies are harming individuals and businesses, particularly farmers, and those in the hotel and leisure business which is further damaging our once strong economy – we fear this administration will not learn from their mistakes. White House officials have said they hope U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can scale up to 3,000 arrests a day, from approximately 660 during the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency. Since these numbers cannot be achieved without arresting non-criminals, it appears this administration will continue arresting hardworking individuals who pose no threat to our communities. It also appears this is why DHS has eliminated any transparency efforts regarding migrant arrests. For an administration that claims to be the most transparent in history, you have contributed to being the least transparent this country has ever seen.

    This administration refuses to provide accurate data and details around what criminal record, if any, DHS components use to justify the arrest of an individual. After President Trump took office DHS stopped issuing detailed statistical reports on immigration enforcement, which makes it challenging to gauge the scope of your immigration crackdown.

    Since your administration will not provide transparent data, we must piecemeal different data sources to get an accurate picture of DHS’s enforcement efforts. For example, we look at The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse – a project from Syracuse University that compiles immigration figures – which estimates that of the 51,302 people in ICE detention facilities as of June 1, about 44% had no criminal record aside from entering the US without permission. News outlets also report ICE detention statistics show the number of detainees arrested by ICE with no other criminal charges or convictions rose from about 860 in January to 7,800 this month – a more than 800% increase.

    And if we look at recent events and updates from ICE, the unnecessary and harmful immigration raids in Los Angeles saw the immigration arrests of 118 people, which DHS said included five gang members. While the agency has identified a handful of people with criminal histories, due to DHS refusing to provide more transparent details of their actions, it’s unclear how many of the 118 individuals have criminal histories.

    Sadly, this administration’s credibility is so badly damaged we cannot simply rely on the words coming from a DHS spokesperson or yourself that this administration is targeting the worst of the worst. The fact this administration has repeatedly misrepresented migrants’ criminal histories, lied to the American people by photoshopping gang tattoos on the body of individual they were illegally detaining, and having to reluctantly admit to clerical errors and software errors that resulted in arrests and deportations of migrants with no criminal history, we in Congress and the American people cannot trust the administration’s word that they are doing what they say. President Trump and his administration leadership have eroded the trust of the American people and Congress, and we must request all necessary pieces of information to get a truthful picture of your immigration enforcement activities.

    Therefore, given these concerns we request the following information by July 18, 2025:

    1. A breakdown of the criminal charges and convictions migrants that have been arrested and detained by a DHS component from January 20, 2025 to date.
    2. Of these individuals how many have been deported since January? Please provide a breakdown of their criminal offenses by category.
    3. How many of the individuals have been found by a court to have proven ties, not alleged ties without proof, to criminal enterprises, gangs, or Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO)?
    4. What is the policy DHS components follow when deciding to arrest an individual? How are agents and officers deciding who to detain and arrest in public?
    5. How are agents and officers identifying themselves when they approach an individual to detain and or arrest in the streets?
    6. What type of training do arresting officers have?
    7. Are the arresting officers federal agents?

    Thank you for your attention to this matter. We must remind you of the DHS mission statement which is “With honor and integrity, we will safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values.” It seems you have forgotten this, and we truly hope you reverse course and start leading with integrity and honor while working to keep us safe.

    ###

    Issues: 119th Congress, Immigration

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DHS Releases Names of Worst of the Worst Convicted Criminal Illegal Aliens Detained at Guantanamo Bay

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: DHS Releases Names of Worst of the Worst Convicted Criminal Illegal Aliens Detained at Guantanamo Bay

    lass=”text-align-center”>Pedophiles, murderers, kidnappers, and other violent criminals are being held at the military facility
    WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today released the names of some of the dangerous, criminal illegal aliens detained at the Guantanamo Bay

      
    “We’re arresting criminal illegal aliens and getting them off America’s streets

    Guantanamo Bay is holding the worst of the worst including child predators, rapists and murderers,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin

    “Whether it is CECOT, Alligator Alcatraz, Guantanamo Bay or another detention facility, these dangerous criminals will not be allowed to terrorize U

    S

    citizens

    President Trump and Secretary Noem are using every tool available to get criminal illegal aliens off our streets and out of our country

    Our message is clear: Criminals are not welcome in the United States

    ” 
    Below are examples of nearly 30 high-threat, violent criminal illegal aliens that have committed heinous crimes and are detained at Guantanamo Bay

    These dangerous illegal aliens are convicted criminals with final orders of removal from an immigration judge

    Olma Juarez-Mendez, an illegal alien from Guatemala, has been convicted of domestic abuse

    Hung Vo, an illegal alien from Vietnam, has been convicted of robbery with a weapon

    Quan Phung, an illegal alien from Vietnam, has been convicted of aggravated assault with a weapon

    Andis Noe Cortes Zepeda, an illegal alien from Honduras, has been convicted of sexual assault

    Antonio Erazo-Ramos, an illegal alien from Honduras, has been convicted of assault

    Xiang Liu, an illegal alien from China, has been convicted of robbery

    Jin Feng Lu, an illegal alien from China, has been convicted of homicide

    Hieu Tran, an illegal alien from Vietnam, has been convicted of robbery

    Shubham Singh, an illegal alien from India, has been convicted of child pornography

    Franklin Almendarez-Alvarez, an illegal alien from Honduras, has been convicted of lewd acts with a minor

    Ramiro Villanueva, an illegal alien from Colombia, has been convicted of smuggling cocaine

    Tien Minh Cao, an illegal alien from Vietnam, has been convicted of kidnapping

    Khang Huy Trang, an illegal alien from Vietnam, has been convicted of kidnapping for ransom

    Carlos Olivo Orellana, an illegal alien from El Salvador, has been convicted of lewd acts with a minor

    Wen Lin, an illegal alien from China, has been convicted of robbery

    Guillermo Gonzales-Tiul, an illegal alien from Guatemala, has been convicted of assault

    Yong Liang, an illegal alien from China, has been convicted of kidnapping

    Luis Fernando Ospina Tabarez, an illegal alien from Colombia, has been convicted of smuggling heroin

    Ilie Bogde, an illegal alien from Romania, has been convicted of robbery

    Jose Diego Pereira Valdez, and illegal alien from El Salvador, has been convicted of aggravated assault with a gun

    Larry Medina, an illegal alien from Venezuela, has been convicted of sexual assault

    Brayan Vasquez-Montero, an illegal alien from Colombia, has been convicted of aggravated assault with a weapon

    Nathaniel Akeen, an illegal alien from Liberia, has been convicted of robbery

    Eric Gresford Miller, an illegal alien from Jamaica, has been convicted of aggravated assault with a gun

    Nigel Tomlinson, an illegal alien from the United Kingdom, has been convicted of child sexual abuse

    Victor Bonilla-Alvarez, an illegal alien from El Salvador, has been convicted of trafficking weapons

    On January 29, 2025, President Donald J

    Trump signed an executive order, Expanding Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to Full Capacity, directing Secretary Noem to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to provide additional detention space for high-priority criminal aliens illegally present in the United States

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Zelenskiy says he ordered intensified contacts with US for deliveries of arms

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday he ordered an expansion of contacts with the United States to ensure critical deliveries of military supplies, primarily air defence.

    Zelenskiy issued his call a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington would send more weapons to Ukraine, mainly defensive ones, to help the country defend itself against intensifying Russian advances.

    “Today, I instructed the minister of defence and the commander in chief to intensify all contacts with the American side,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

    “We currently have all the necessary political statements and decisions and we must implement them as quickly as possible to protect our people and positions,” he said.

    Zelenskiy said the current focus for deliveries was on “air defence, as well as other elements of supply from the U.S.”

    “These are critical deliveries that mean saving lives and protecting Ukrainian cities and villages. I expect results from these contacts very soon. And this week, we are preparing formats for meetings of our military and political teams.”

    The U.S. Defense Department said it would send additional defensive weapons to Ukraine at Trump’s direction, to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while efforts continue to secure a lasting peace.

    The U.S. decision to halt some arms shipments to Kyiv prompted Ukraine to warn the move would crimp its ability to fend off Russia’s air strikes and battlefield advances.

    Russia’s military has in recent weeks boosted air attacks on Ukrainian cities by drones and missiles.

    Trump on Tuesday again expressed disappointment at Russian President Vladimir Putin over the failure to introduce a ceasefire as part of moves to secure a peace. He said he was considering additional sanctions on Moscow.

    -Reuters

  • MIL-OSI USA: Jacobs, Deluzio Introduces Bill to Limit Presidential Power to Deploy Troops on American Soil under the Insurrection Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53)

    July 08, 2025

    Rep. Chris Deluzio (PA-17) and Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) introduced a new bill to check presidential authority under the centuries-old Insurrection Act. The new Insurrection Act of 2025 would reform legislation from 1807 that provides the President broad and vague authority to deploy troops—with or without the request of a state—to suppress “any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy.” Presidents have rarely used the current law, recognizing the long American tradition of keeping the military out of domestic law enforcement.

    Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) said, “The troubling scenes unfolding in Los Angeles give us a glimpse of what could happen nationwide if President Trump tries to invoke the Insurrection Act and turn U.S. troops on civilians. We’ve already seen him twist the law for political gain, so Congress must leave zero ambiguity about when—and for how long—any president can deploy the military for domestic law-enforcement purposes. That’s why I was relieved that last month, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine agreed with me that there’s currently no military invasion on our southern border that would justify invoking this law. Now we must go a step further by passing the Insurrection Act of 2025—modernizing the 1807 statute for the 21st century to narrow this authority and mandate transparency, accountability, and consultation with Congress.” 

    “No President should have such wide-ranging power to deploy American troops against the American people,” said Congressman Deluzio. “This President has threatened to use the United States military to crush dissent among the American people, and Congress should act to reform and update the law that governs deployment of our troops for law enforcement in the United States. We need these urgent reforms to the centuries-old Insurrection Act so that no President has such expansive power to use military force against Americans.”

     

    The new Insurrection Act of 2025 would:  

    • Clarify that the law cannot be used to suspend habeas corpus, impose martial law, or deputize private militias to act as soldiers. 

    • Require a report to Congress providing an explicit justification for the use of the Insurrection Act’s authority, as enumerated in this legislation, and a full description of the scope and duration of its use. 

    • Provide for judicial review to ensure that individuals, or a state or local government, may bring a civil action if the President’s authority under the Insurrection Act is misused or abused. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Jacobs, Deluzio Introduces Bill to Limit Presidential Power to Deploy Troops on American Soil under the Insurrection Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53)

    July 08, 2025

    Rep. Chris Deluzio (PA-17) and Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) introduced a new bill to check presidential authority under the centuries-old Insurrection Act. The new Insurrection Act of 2025 would reform legislation from 1807 that provides the President broad and vague authority to deploy troops—with or without the request of a state—to suppress “any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy.” Presidents have rarely used the current law, recognizing the long American tradition of keeping the military out of domestic law enforcement.

    Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) said, “The troubling scenes unfolding in Los Angeles give us a glimpse of what could happen nationwide if President Trump tries to invoke the Insurrection Act and turn U.S. troops on civilians. We’ve already seen him twist the law for political gain, so Congress must leave zero ambiguity about when—and for how long—any president can deploy the military for domestic law-enforcement purposes. That’s why I was relieved that last month, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine agreed with me that there’s currently no military invasion on our southern border that would justify invoking this law. Now we must go a step further by passing the Insurrection Act of 2025—modernizing the 1807 statute for the 21st century to narrow this authority and mandate transparency, accountability, and consultation with Congress.” 

    “No President should have such wide-ranging power to deploy American troops against the American people,” said Congressman Deluzio. “This President has threatened to use the United States military to crush dissent among the American people, and Congress should act to reform and update the law that governs deployment of our troops for law enforcement in the United States. We need these urgent reforms to the centuries-old Insurrection Act so that no President has such expansive power to use military force against Americans.”

     

    The new Insurrection Act of 2025 would:  

    • Clarify that the law cannot be used to suspend habeas corpus, impose martial law, or deputize private militias to act as soldiers. 

    • Require a report to Congress providing an explicit justification for the use of the Insurrection Act’s authority, as enumerated in this legislation, and a full description of the scope and duration of its use. 

    • Provide for judicial review to ensure that individuals, or a state or local government, may bring a civil action if the President’s authority under the Insurrection Act is misused or abused. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Jacobs, Deluzio Introduces Bill to Limit Presidential Power to Deploy Troops on American Soil under the Insurrection Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53)

    July 08, 2025

    Rep. Chris Deluzio (PA-17) and Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) introduced a new bill to check presidential authority under the centuries-old Insurrection Act. The new Insurrection Act of 2025 would reform legislation from 1807 that provides the President broad and vague authority to deploy troops—with or without the request of a state—to suppress “any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy.” Presidents have rarely used the current law, recognizing the long American tradition of keeping the military out of domestic law enforcement.

    Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) said, “The troubling scenes unfolding in Los Angeles give us a glimpse of what could happen nationwide if President Trump tries to invoke the Insurrection Act and turn U.S. troops on civilians. We’ve already seen him twist the law for political gain, so Congress must leave zero ambiguity about when—and for how long—any president can deploy the military for domestic law-enforcement purposes. That’s why I was relieved that last month, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine agreed with me that there’s currently no military invasion on our southern border that would justify invoking this law. Now we must go a step further by passing the Insurrection Act of 2025—modernizing the 1807 statute for the 21st century to narrow this authority and mandate transparency, accountability, and consultation with Congress.” 

    “No President should have such wide-ranging power to deploy American troops against the American people,” said Congressman Deluzio. “This President has threatened to use the United States military to crush dissent among the American people, and Congress should act to reform and update the law that governs deployment of our troops for law enforcement in the United States. We need these urgent reforms to the centuries-old Insurrection Act so that no President has such expansive power to use military force against Americans.”

     

    The new Insurrection Act of 2025 would:  

    • Clarify that the law cannot be used to suspend habeas corpus, impose martial law, or deputize private militias to act as soldiers. 

    • Require a report to Congress providing an explicit justification for the use of the Insurrection Act’s authority, as enumerated in this legislation, and a full description of the scope and duration of its use. 

    • Provide for judicial review to ensure that individuals, or a state or local government, may bring a civil action if the President’s authority under the Insurrection Act is misused or abused. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Padilla Unveil New Bill to Require Immigration Officers to Display Clear Identification

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, introduced new legislation to require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible identification during public-facing enforcement actions. The Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement (VISIBLE) Act of 2025 would strengthen oversight, transparency, and accountability for the Trump Administration’s indiscriminate and alarming immigration enforcement tactics that have terrorized communities across California and the nation.

    Under the Trump Administration’s mass deportation agenda, civil immigration enforcement operations have increasingly involved Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers engaging with the public while wearing unmarked tactical gear, concealing clothing, and face coverings that obscure both agency affiliation and personal identity. Without visible badges, names, or insignia, members of the public often have no way to confirm whether they are interacting with legitimate government officials.

    This lack of transparency endangers public safety by causing widespread confusion and fear, especially in communities already subject to heightened immigration scrutiny. It also increases operational and safety risks for law enforcement personnel by creating an opportunity for immigration enforcement impersonators and compounding uncertainty in high-stress situations. Clear, consistent, visible identification helps reduce miscommunication during enforcement encounters, strengthens officer credibility, and improves public cooperation, all of which are vital to mission success. The VISIBLE Actwould place a critical check on the government’s power, ensuring basic transparency safeguards that protect public trust and legitimacy in immigration enforcement operations.

    “For weeks, Americans have watched federal agents with no visible identification detain people off the streets and instill fear in communities across the country. Reports of individuals impersonating ICE officers have only increased the risk to public and officer safety. The lack of visible identification and uniform standards for immigration enforcement officers has created confusion, stoked fear, and undermined public trust in law enforcement,” said Senator Booker. “The VISIBLE Act is a necessary response grounded in law enforcement best practices that will prohibit immigration enforcement officers from wearing face coverings and require them to display their name or badge number and the agency they represent. We must act to maintain trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, and this legislation is a necessary step toward a more transparent, accountable, and safe immigration enforcement system.”

    “When federal immigration agents show up and pull someone off the street in plainclothes with their face obscured and no visible identification, it only escalates tensions and spreads fear while shielding federal agents from basic accountability,” said Senator Padilla. “Immigration agents should be required to display their agency and name or badge number — just like police and other local law enforcement agencies. The VISIBLE Act’s commonsense requirements will restore transparency and ensure impersonators can’t exploit the panic and confusion caused by unidentifiable federal immigration enforcement agents.”

    “This bill is an important step toward keeping immigration enforcement officers and all the people in America safe. Masked, plainclothes officers create an unreasonable risk of escalating violence and unnerve everyone who sees them,” said Scott Shuchart, Former ICE and DHS (Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties) Official. “As much as the cop in blues is a staple of American life, the masked bandit is a symbol of fear, and having government agents dressed like paramilitaries is un-American. Based on my experience in government, the VISIBLE Act makes good sense and would be straightforward for DHS officials to implement.”

    Specifically, the VISIBLE Act:

    • Requires immigration enforcement officers — including DHS personnel such as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), federal agents detailed to immigration operations, and deputized state or local officers — to display clearly legible identification, including their agency name or initials and either their name or badge number, in a manner that remains visible and unobscured by tactical gear or clothing;
    • Prohibits non-medical face coverings (such as masks or balaclavas) that obscure identity or facial visibility, with exceptions for environmental hazards or covert operations; and
    • Requires DHS to establish disciplinary procedures for violations, report annually to Congress on compliance, and investigate complaints through its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

    The bill does not apply to covert or non-public facing operations, nor does it prohibit face coverings when necessary for officer safety. It also does not apply to enforcement actions conducted solely under criminal authority.

    The VISIBLE Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Gary Peters (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    The bill is endorsed by the ACLU and Public Counsel.

    A one-pager on the bill is available here.

    To read the full text of the bill, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Dingell Leads Michigan House Democrats in Requesting Answers About Frozen Education Funding

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

    Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) led her colleagues in the Michigan Democratic delegation in sending a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon requesting answers about federally appropriated funds that have been withheld from school districts across the country, including over $156 million for Michigan. 

    These federal funds, used to support important K-12 programs and extracurricular activities, have historically been delivered to school districts by July 1 to ensure there is adequate time to plan before the beginning of the new school year.

    “Despite having already been appropriated by Congress and enacted into law by President Trump when he signed the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 on March 15, 2025, funds for this year are now being withheld pending a review,” the lawmakers write. “The uncertainty surrounding the unprecedented withholding of these funds will force districts to make budgetary adjustments that will lead to larger class sizes due to reductions in staff, restrict access to before- and after-school programs, and will impact services provided to students with disabilities, to name a few consequences.”

    “In past years, the funds were sent to Michigan by July 1 to ensure the districts had ample time to properly finance and plan for the upcoming school year,” the lawmakers continue. “With the funds being withheld, districts now face tremendous fiscal uncertainty, preventing them from being able to prepare for the programs, training, and services required for school educators and students alike. We, the undersigned members of the Michigan delegation, urge the Department of Education to release the appropriated funds to give school districts the certainty they need for the upcoming school year.”

    “In Michigan, the withheld funds are expected to have a significant fiscal impact on school systems. The state relies on this funding to train teachers and administrators, provide high-quality digital learning opportunities for students living in rural communities, invest in assistive technology to educate students with disabilities, and support school-based mental health services, counseling, and systems and practices to prevent bullying and harassment,” the lawmakers conclude. “These robust programs are authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and are essential for students of all ages to supplement their learning and participate in to grow thoughtful and well-rounded students. Withholding the funds will weaken the state of public education in our state and quality of learners for our future.”

    The lawmakers requested answers to the following questions:

    • Since the appropriated funds were enacted by President Trump and have been received by school districts by July 1st in previous years, when should states and school districts expect to receive these Congressionally appropriated funds?
    • How are federally funded public school districts expected to support their students, teachers, and staff without the expected funding budget at the start of the 2025-2026 school year?
    • What impacts do you expect funding delays to have on school districts, especially those in rural and underserved communities? 
    • What is the reason the Department of Education and/or the Office of Management and Budget chose to delay the funds?
    • Are you abiding by federal regulations which mandate that federal agencies determine if a specific recipient’s grant should be terminated, notify grant recipients of the termination, and provide each recipient with an opportunity to object through an appeals process? 
      • If not, please explain the process that the State of Michigan must go through to ensure proper and expected federal funding for their appropriated sum.

    The letter is signed by Representatives Haley Stevens, Rashida Tlaib, Shri Thanedar, Hillary Scholten, and Kristen McDonald Rivet. 

    View the full text of the letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Dingell Leads Michigan House Democrats in Requesting Answers About Frozen Education Funding

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

    Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) led her colleagues in the Michigan Democratic delegation in sending a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon requesting answers about federally appropriated funds that have been withheld from school districts across the country, including over $156 million for Michigan. 

    These federal funds, used to support important K-12 programs and extracurricular activities, have historically been delivered to school districts by July 1 to ensure there is adequate time to plan before the beginning of the new school year.

    “Despite having already been appropriated by Congress and enacted into law by President Trump when he signed the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 on March 15, 2025, funds for this year are now being withheld pending a review,” the lawmakers write. “The uncertainty surrounding the unprecedented withholding of these funds will force districts to make budgetary adjustments that will lead to larger class sizes due to reductions in staff, restrict access to before- and after-school programs, and will impact services provided to students with disabilities, to name a few consequences.”

    “In past years, the funds were sent to Michigan by July 1 to ensure the districts had ample time to properly finance and plan for the upcoming school year,” the lawmakers continue. “With the funds being withheld, districts now face tremendous fiscal uncertainty, preventing them from being able to prepare for the programs, training, and services required for school educators and students alike. We, the undersigned members of the Michigan delegation, urge the Department of Education to release the appropriated funds to give school districts the certainty they need for the upcoming school year.”

    “In Michigan, the withheld funds are expected to have a significant fiscal impact on school systems. The state relies on this funding to train teachers and administrators, provide high-quality digital learning opportunities for students living in rural communities, invest in assistive technology to educate students with disabilities, and support school-based mental health services, counseling, and systems and practices to prevent bullying and harassment,” the lawmakers conclude. “These robust programs are authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and are essential for students of all ages to supplement their learning and participate in to grow thoughtful and well-rounded students. Withholding the funds will weaken the state of public education in our state and quality of learners for our future.”

    The lawmakers requested answers to the following questions:

    • Since the appropriated funds were enacted by President Trump and have been received by school districts by July 1st in previous years, when should states and school districts expect to receive these Congressionally appropriated funds?
    • How are federally funded public school districts expected to support their students, teachers, and staff without the expected funding budget at the start of the 2025-2026 school year?
    • What impacts do you expect funding delays to have on school districts, especially those in rural and underserved communities? 
    • What is the reason the Department of Education and/or the Office of Management and Budget chose to delay the funds?
    • Are you abiding by federal regulations which mandate that federal agencies determine if a specific recipient’s grant should be terminated, notify grant recipients of the termination, and provide each recipient with an opportunity to object through an appeals process? 
      • If not, please explain the process that the State of Michigan must go through to ensure proper and expected federal funding for their appropriated sum.

    The letter is signed by Representatives Haley Stevens, Rashida Tlaib, Shri Thanedar, Hillary Scholten, and Kristen McDonald Rivet. 

    View the full text of the letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: US tariffs will not affect 95% of Kazakhstan’s exports to the US

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    Almaty, July 8 /Xinhua/ — 95 percent of Kazakhstan’s exports to the United States will not be affected by new American duties, the press service of the Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan reported on Tuesday.

    On Monday, an official announcement was received from US President Donald Trump about the introduction of new customs duties on a number of countries, including Kazakhstan, starting from August 1, 2025.

    For products exported from Kazakhstan to the United States, a single rate of 25 percent has been established for the entire volume of deliveries.

    “At the same time, the majority of Kazakhstan’s exports will continue to be supplied without new duties due to the exemption from the new tariff. This applies to the main raw materials and strategic goods – oil, uranium, silver, ferroalloys, tantalum and titanium. According to estimates, the measures taken will not affect about 95 percent of Kazakhstan’s exports to the United States,” the ministry reported.

    It is noted that as part of the work to maintain a predictable trade regime for Kazakh goods, the government of Kazakhstan has sent the US administration specific proposals and initiatives to improve the conditions of mutual trade. Kazakhstan’s goal is to achieve agreed decisions on issues of market access and trade conditions.

    “The American side is currently considering Kazakhstan’s proposals and will inform about the date of the negotiations. Kazakhstan is preparing for further negotiations with the American side to protect national interests and develop sustainable trade and economic partnership,” the ministry added. –0–

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

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Continues Engaging with Business Leaders, Hosts LA Discussion on Tariff Impacts

    Source: US State of California

    AG hosts second roundtable to discuss the impacts of Trump’s disruptive tariffs on front-line industries 

    LOS ANGELES — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today hosted business leaders for a roundtable conversation to discuss the impacts of President Trump’s illegal and chaotic tariffs across industries in California. The roundtable in Los Angeles follows California’s lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) to illegally impose tariffs, and included leaders from the trucking and shipping industries, ports, and small businesses and business chambers. President Trump’s erratic tariffs are wreaking havoc on the U.S. financial system and causing uniquely immense harm to California’s economy, which as the fourth largest economy in the world, remains a major driver of our national economy. The tariffs challenged under California’s current lawsuit are projected to shrink the U.S. economy by $178 billion, cost California consumers $25 billion, and result in the loss of over 64,000 jobs throughout California.  

    “President Trump’s destructive and unpredictable tariff regime has sent shockwaves through financial markets, businesses, and consumers in every corner of the globe — and especially here in California, home to the fourth largest economy in the world,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Today, I heard from leaders on the front lines concerned about the disastrous impact of tariffs on their industries and businesses. These folks are sounding the alarm — and I sincerely thank Los Angeles business and industry leaders for being open about the challenges Angelinos are facing on the ground. As the People’s Attorney, I will continue to fight for California’s vibrant economy, businesses, workers, and families.”  

    “The erratic tariff policies have created unprecedented uncertainty for harbor businesses, making it impossible to plan shipments or investments,” said Henry Rogers, Executive Director, Harbor Association of Industry & Commerce. “As representatives of companies on the front lines of global trade through the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, we need the predictability our industry requires to continue supporting California’s economy and the jobs that depend on efficient international commerce.”

    “Tariff increases are straining essential drivers of the LA economy, including the construction, manufacturing, and retail sectors,” said Nella McOsker, President & CEO, Central City Association. “Combined with immigration raids that terrorize small businesses, their employees, and potential patrons—especially in Downtown LA—these federal actions are unnecessarily destabilizing our workforce, hindering economic growth, and jeopardizing the well-being of our communities.”

    BACKGROUND 

    Attorney General Bonta is committed to challenging the illegal tariffs that threaten California jobs, businesses, and consumers. On April 16, Attorney General Bonta and Governor Newsom filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s unlawful use of power to impose tariffs and direct agencies within the administration to implement and enforce those tariffs without the consent of Congress. In May, California filed a motion for a preliminary injunction with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to stop the Trump Administration’s illegal tariffs while litigation in their case proceeds and filed an amicus brief in the Court of International Trade in Oregon v. Trump, another case also challenging President Trump’s illegal imposition of tariffs. In June, a judge granted California’s request for dismissal to allow the state to appeal its case challenging the Trump Administration’s illegal tariffs after the Administration asked that the case be transferred to the Court of International Trade — a motion that California opposed. The dismissal kept the case in California and allowed California to appeal to the Ninth Circuit. This case remains ongoing.

    More information about the lawsuit can be found here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Announces the Nomination of Joshua Dunlap to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced today that Joshua Dunlap, of Scarborough, Maine, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. 

    In February, Senator Collins established a Federal Appointments Advisory Committee to evaluate candidates for Senate-confirmed positions in Maine. As the senior Republican member of Maine’s congressional delegation, Senator Collins is advising the Trump Administration as it selects candidates for federal positions in the state, and the Committee’s recommendations are an integral part of that process.

    “Mr. Joshua Dunlap was a top candidate recommended by my Federal Appointments Advisory Committee for this important position.  Mr. Dunlap currently serves as a Partner at Pierce Atwood LLP where he co-chairs the firm’s Appellate & Amici team. His wealth of appellate experience, along with his intelligence and temperament, make him an excellent choice to serve on the federal bench,” said Senator Collins. “A native of Vassalboro, now living in Scarborough, he will serve Maine well in this critical role. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to swiftly confirm Mr. Dunlap.”

    A native of Vassalboro, Maine, Mr. Dunlap is currently a partner in the litigation group of Pierce Atwood LLP, where he co-chairs the firm’s Appellate & Amici team. He has practiced at Pierce Atwood for over fifteen years, handling substantial civil litigation matters in both appellate and trial courts. 

    His practice in federal and state courts has involved a wide range of common law, statutory, and constitutional claims. Mr. Dunlap currently serves as the chair for the Maine Appellate Rules Committee, to which he was appointed by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. 

    As an associate, Mr. Dunlap assisted multiple special masters, including the Honorable William J. Kayatta, Jr., and Ralph I. Lancaster, Jr., in overseeing original jurisdiction proceedings before the Supreme Court of the United States. 

    Prior to returning to Pierce Atwood, Mr. Dunlap clerked for the Honorable Paul J. Kelly, Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

    Mr. Dunlap graduated from the Notre Dame Law School, where he was the first in his class. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Booker Unveil New Bill to Require Immigration Officers to Display Clear Identification

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Booker Unveil New Bill to Require Immigration Officers to Display Clear Identification

    Padilla also leads 13 Democrats in letter to DHS requesting information about ICE’s use of unidentified plainclothes agents

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced new legislation to require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible identification during public-facing enforcement actions. The Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement (VISIBLE) Act of 2025 would strengthen oversight, transparency, and accountability for the Trump Administration’s indiscriminate and alarming immigration enforcement tactics that have terrorized communities across California and the nation.

    Under the Trump Administration’s mass deportation agenda, civil immigration enforcement operations have increasingly involved Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers engaging with the public while wearing unmarked tactical gear, concealing clothing, and face coverings that obscure both agency affiliation and personal identity. Without visible badges, names, or insignia, members of the public often have no way to confirm whether they are interacting with legitimate government officials.

    This lack of transparency endangers public safety by causing widespread confusion and fear, especially in communities already subject to heightened immigration scrutiny. It also increases operational and safety risks for law enforcement personnel by creating an opportunity for immigration enforcement impersonators and compounding uncertainty in high-stress situations. Clear, consistent, visible identification helps reduce miscommunication during enforcement encounters, strengthens officer credibility, and improves public cooperation, all of which are vital to mission success. The VISIBLE Act would place a critical check on the government’s power, ensuring basic transparency safeguards that protect public trust and legitimacy in immigration enforcement operations.

    “When federal immigration agents show up and pull someone off the street in plainclothes with their face obscured and no visible identification, it only escalates tensions and spreads fear while shielding federal agents from basic accountability,” said Senator Padilla. “Immigration agents should be required to display their agency and name or badge number — just like police and other local law enforcement agencies. The VISIBLE Act’s commonsense requirements will restore transparency and ensure impersonators can’t exploit the panic and confusion caused by unidentifiable federal immigration enforcement agents.”

    “For weeks, Americans have watched federal agents with no visible identification detain people off the streets and instill fear in communities across the country. Reports of individuals impersonating ICE officers have only increased the risk to public and officer safety. The lack of visible identification and uniform standards for immigration enforcement officers has created confusion, stoked fear, and undermined public trust in law enforcement,” said Senator Booker. “The VISIBLE Act is a necessary response grounded in law enforcement best practices that will prohibit immigration enforcement officers from wearing face coverings and require them to display their name or badge number and the agency they represent. We must act to maintain trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, and this legislation is a necessary step toward a more transparent, accountable, and safe immigration enforcement system.”

    “This bill is an important step toward keeping immigration enforcement officers and all the people in America safe. Masked, plainclothes officers create an unreasonable risk of escalating violence and unnerve everyone who sees them,” said Scott Shuchart, Former ICE and DHS (Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties) Official. “As much as the cop in blues is a staple of American life, the masked bandit is a symbol of fear, and having government agents dressed like paramilitaries is un-American. Based on my experience in government, the VISIBLE Act makes good sense and would be straightforward for DHS officials to implement.”

    The ongoing immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles County by unidentified federal agents have stoked fear and uncertainty throughout the region amid President Trump’s unprecedented escalation of militarized tactics. Recently at Dodger Stadium, plainclothes immigration agents parked outside of the stadium lot without identifying themselves. In Bell, masked agents wearing fatigues detained at least three people at a car wash, and in Pasadena, an agent exited an unmarked vehicle in the middle of the road and aimed his pistol at a group of pedestrians without identifying himself. From June 6 to June 22, immigration enforcement agents — many lacking identifying information — arrested 1,618 immigrants for deportation in Los Angeles County and surrounding areas.

    Specifically, the VISIBLE Act:

    • Requires immigration enforcement officers — including DHS personnel such as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), federal agents detailed to immigration operations, and deputized state or local officers — to display clearly legible identification, including their agency name or initials and either their name or badge number, in a manner that remains visible and unobscured by tactical gear or clothing;
    • Prohibits non-medical face coverings (such as masks or balaclavas) that obscure identity or facial visibility, with exceptions for environmental hazards or covert operations; and
    • Requires DHS to establish disciplinary procedures for violations, report annually to Congress on compliance, and investigate complaints through its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

    The bill does not apply to covert or non-public facing operations, nor does it prohibit face coverings when necessary for officer safety. It also does not apply to enforcement actions conducted solely under criminal authority.

    The VISIBLE Act is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    The bill is endorsed by the ACLU and Public Counsel.

    A one-pager on the bill is available here.

    Full text of the bill is available here.

    Senator Padilla also led 13 Democratic Senators in a letter criticizing ICE for engaging in counterproductive, theatrical enforcement activities — including raids on courthouses and restaurants — and requesting information from the agency on its mask and uniform policies. The Senators argued that these tactics are designed to sow fear and chaos and that allowing masked, plainclothes officers to engage in public raids creates situations where bad actors can commit crimes while claiming to be ICE agents.

    In addition to Padilla, the letter was also signed by Senators Blumenthal, Booker, Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Hirono, Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Murray, Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Schiff, Smith, Van Hollen, Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Welch, and Wyden.

    Full text of the letter is available here.

    Senator Padilla has been outspoken in criticizing Trump’s mass deportations and unprecedented militarization and escalation of tensions by deploying National Guard troops and active-duty U.S. Marines to respond to overwhelmingly peaceful protests in Los Angeles. Padilla recently led the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in demanding that President Trump immediately withdraw all military forces from Los Angeles and cease all threats to deploy the National Guard or active-duty servicemembers to American cities. Padilla spoke on the Senate floor following his forcible removal from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s press conference, where he was thrown to the ground and handcuffed after attempting to ask a question. He has spoken at a spotlight hearing and on the Senate floor multiple other times to blast President Trump for manufacturing a crisis by launching indiscriminate ICE raids across Los Angeles and using that crisis to dramatically expand executive power. Padilla is also leading legislation to restrict the President’s authority under the 217-year-old Insurrection Act and limit the domestic deployment of military troops for law enforcement purposes.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congress Codifies 28 of President Trump’s Executive Actions in One Big Beautiful Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

    Congress Codifies 28 of President Trump’s Executive Actions in One Big Beautiful Bill

    Washington, July 8, 2025

    WASHINGTON — Last week, when House Republicans passed President Trump’s signature legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill, they codified into law 28 executive actions taken by President Trump.

    “President Trump has done more to improve the lives of working Americans in the last six months than almost anyone could have imagined,” said Speaker Johnson. “He has repaired Joe Biden’s damage and kickstarted America’s new Golden Age. To help accomplish the mission, Congress has cemented President Trump’s agenda by passing the Administration’s signature legislation—the One Big Beautiful Bill. In this historic act, Republicans included 28 of President Trump’s top executive actions – now codifying some of the most significant America First priorities.”

    Executive Actions Codified into Law by the One Big Beautiful Bill:

    1. Securing our Borders
    2. Declaring A National Emergency At The Southern Border Of The United States
    3. Protecting the American People Against Invasion
    4. Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders
    5. Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and other National Security and Public Safety Threats
    6. Implementing the President’s “DOGE” Cost Efficiency Initiative
    7. Protecting America’s Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
    8. Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy
    9. Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos 
    10. Iron Dome for America
    11. Unleashing American Drone Dominance
    12. Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance
    13. Unleashing American Energy
    14. Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry
    15. Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential
    16. Declaring a National Energy Emergency
    17. Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production
    18. Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production
    19. Clarifying The Military’s Role In Protecting The Territorial Integrity Of The United States
    20. Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation
    21. Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities
    22. Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education
    23. Establishing the President’s Make America Health Again Commission
    24. Further Amendment to Duties Addressing the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain in the People’s Republic of China as Applied to Low-Value Imports
    25. The Organization for Economic Co-operations and Development (OECD) Global Tax Deal (Global Tax Deal)
    26. Enforcing the Hyde Amendment
    27. Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday – Garden of Heroes
    28. Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Ruiz introduces the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act to combat obesity epidemic, improve Americans’ health

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raul Ruiz (36th District of California)

    Palm Desert, CA – Today, U.S. Representatives Dr. Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D. (R-IA), and Gwen Moore (D-WI) introduced the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA), bipartisan legislation to combat the obesity crisis in the United States by providing regular screenings. 

    The bill would also prevent diseases associated with obesity through expanded coverage of new health care specialists and chronic weight management medications for Medicare recipients.

    “Obesity is a complex, chronic disease and a growing public health crisis that costs our nation billions each year,” said Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz. “As an emergency physician, I’ve treated countless patients suffering from diabetes, heart disease, and other serious complications linked to obesity. The bipartisan Treat and Reduce Obesity Act would give seniors struggling with obesity access to Medicare coverage for proven medications and behavioral therapies, empowering them to live healthier, longer lives.”

    “The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act takes a critical step toward improving patient costs and patient outcomes,” said Rep. Kelly. “This bipartisan legislation would allow seniors struggling with obesity to take a responsible, proactive approach to improve their health and live longer, more active lives. I look forward to working with the Trump administration and the team at CMS, including my friend Dr. Mehmet Oz, to make America healthy again!”

    “As a physician and former director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, I have seen firsthand how obesity contributes to serious and preventable health conditions. The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act allows Medicare beneficiaries to access life-changing treatments, including behavioral therapy and FDA-approved medications. This bipartisan legislation improves health outcomes, lowers long-term costs, and helps Americans live longer and healthier lives,” said Dr. Miller-Meeks.

    “Obesity poses a growing health risk to millions of Americans, especially older adults. TROA would support critical medical interventions that can help those struggling with obesity, improving the overall health and wellbeing of Medicare beneficiaries,” said Rep. Moore.

    You can find the full bill text here.

    Senator Bill Cassidy leads companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.

    BACKGROUND

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diseases associated with obesity such as heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, and certain types of cancer are the leading causes of preventable death in the U.S. TROA would work to directly prevent these comorbidities.

    The scientific understanding of obesity has evolved, recognizing it as a complex, chronic, and relapsing disease. Obesity is a public health crisis in the United States. The total economic and societal impact of obesity rose to $1.4 trillion in the United States in 2018, up from $976 billion in 2014.

    A recent study found that Medicare beneficiaries with obesity and at least one other chronic illness could significantly reduce healthcare costs through weight management. Annual savings were estimated at up to 38% or nearly $10,000 in medical cost savings. Additionally, the USC Schaeffer Center found coverage of new obesity treatments could generate approximately $175 billion in cost offsets to Medicare in the first 10 years alone, increasing to $700 billion in 30 years. Coverage of medications to treat obesity will enhance human health and reduce federal healthcare costs by lowering the risks and prevalence of costly obesity-related chronic diseases.

    The following organizations have endorsed TROA this Congress: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Academy of Pas, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, American Diabetes Association, American Gastroenterological Association, American Medical Group Association, American Psychological Association, American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, American Society for Nutrition, Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists, Black Woman’s Health Imperative, Boehringer-Ingelheim, ConscienHealth, Currax, Diabetes Leadership Council, Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition, Eli Lilly and Company, Endocrine Society, Gerontological Society of America, Global Liver Institute, Healthcare Leadership Council, HealthyWomen, Intuitive Surgical, MedTech Coalition for Metabolic Health, National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, National Consumers League, National Council on Aging, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Kidney Foundation, Novo Nordisk, Obesity Action Coalition, Obesity Medicine Association, Ro, Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, The Obesity Society, Trust for America’s Health, WW Weight Watchers International, and YMCA of the USA.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Four reasons why many of us feel the global economy is not on our side

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Cahal Moran, Visiting Fellow in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, London School of Economics and Political Science

    During my adult life, I have never experienced what it’s like to live in a “good” economy. Starting with the global financial crash in 2008, which hit just as I began studying economics, the world seems to have lurched from crisis to crisis and the UK economy even more so.

    Some of those crises, like the crash and COVID, are sudden shocks. Others have been more gradual, such as increasingly unaffordable housing or the rising dominance of the world’s ultra rich.

    As I explore in my new book, Why We’re Getting Poorer, the result of these crises is an economic system which works for some much more than it does for others. Here are four reasons why you may be feeling let down.

    1. Grasping for growth

    Like many of his fellow leaders across the world, the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, is aiming to make economic growth the primary mission of his government. And understandably so.

    A growing economy puts more money in people’s pockets and brings other benefits such as low unemployment. But economic growth is not easy (in the UK it has been poor for a long time).

    That’s because there’s no GDP dial that a prime minister or president can simply turn up. Research shows that economic growth is an amorphous and difficult goal which depends on many factors – geopolitical, demographic, technological – outside any single country’s control.

    One option is to focus on achievable goals around investment, like the public investments of £113 billion on homes, transport and energy planned in the UK. But big projects can take a long time to build and develop, so even if they do boost growth, it can take a while for households to feel the benefits.

    2. Inherent inequality

    Against the backdrop of low growth in the UK has been high inequality, under Conservative and Labour governments. And again, inequality is an international issue.

    The wealth of the richest people in the world skyrocketed over COVID, buoyed in many cases by the increased importance of the tech sector during lockdowns. Even before the pandemic, wealth inequality was a problem across the globe.

    This imbalance has given the very richest opportunities to buy up commercial competitors, indulge in space travel and control large parts of the media, exerting extreme economic, social and political power. Needless to say, their economic priorities are not the same as everyone else’s.

    Meanwhile, communities and regions may be left behind, with declining physical and social infrastructure. People living in hollowed out areas where incomes and opportunities are limited are unlikely to feel that the economic system is working for them.

    3. Globalisation

    Globalisation has made a lot of people – in places like China, India and Brazil – better off. But it is not a system which ensures economic benefits for everyone.

    With global competition, big businesses are often under pressure to reduce costs. Free trade deals have often failed to enforce labour standards or redistribute gains to poorly paid workers, and in many cases simply made the rich richer.

    Such a distorted form of economic governance, where large sections of society end up feeling left behind was bound to provoke a response. Some would link it to recent political events like Brexit and the presidencies of Donald Trump, whose international tariffs are a clear attempt to reverse the rise of globalisation.

    Sporadic supply chains.
    Corona Borealis Studio/Shutterstock

    Since the pandemic, more fault-lines have been exposed. The global economy has become too dependent on certain regions, epitomised by Taiwanese dominance in the manufacturing of semiconductors, or European reliance on Russia for gas and oil.

    Recent years have also seen supply chain bottlenecks, leading to shortages of goods including cars, phones and even salad ingredients. Inflexible global systems have been ineffective, and internationally agreed fixes are hard to achieve.

    4. Climate change

    World news at the start of 2020 was dominated by the massive wildfires raging across Australia. At the start of 2025, Los Angeles burned.

    As the global climate shifts and lurches, extreme weather events are becoming more common. Floods, hurricanes and extreme temperatures look to be the likely outcome.

    When sea levels rise, countless coastal cities will experience flooding, and many Pacific islands may disappear altogether. The UN’s climate science advisory group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests that humanity will struggle with food production, disease and massive migration.

    This will all result in huge economic costs, impeding growth and disrupting livelihoods across the world. According to the IPCC, the impacts could range from extreme weather events disrupting infrastructure to changing weather reducing yields in agriculture, forestry and fishing.

    Yet many countries appear to be backtracking on their commitment to reducing emissions. It seems they would prefer to deal with the fallout of climate change rather than invest in potential solutions like carbon taxes, walkable cities or alternative fuels. But such acts of self-harm are not a sound basis for a prosperous economy, society or planet.

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

    – ref. Four reasons why many of us feel the global economy is not on our side – https://theconversation.com/four-reasons-why-many-of-us-feel-the-global-economy-is-not-on-our-side-252220

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: As Netanyahu meets Trump in Washington, what hope for peace in Gaza? Expert Q&A

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor

    The US government “remains upbeat” about the prospects for at least a ceasefire in Gaza, according to the latest reports from Washington, where the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been meeting the US president, Donald Trump.

    Netanyahu handed the US president a letter nominating him for the Nobel peace prize, saying he deserved it for “forging peace, as we speak, in one country in the region after another”. But as yet there are no signs that either Hamas or Israel have moved any closer to accepting each other’s terms.

    In fact, reports emerging from the White House meeting are that the two leaders discussed the displacement of much of the Palestinian population. And a plan revealed by the Israeli foreign minister, Israel Katz, proposed the contruction of a “humanitarian city” at Rafah in the north of the Gaza Strip to house more than 600,000 Palestinians.

    The Conversation’s senior international affairs editor, Jonathan Este, spoke with Middle East expert, Scott Lucas, of University College Dublin to address this and other questions.

    The two leaders’ discussions in Washington seemed to centre around displacement of the Palestinian population in lieu of a two-state solution. What does this tell you about the chance of a ceasefire deal?

    I am fascinated – and sometimes disillusioned – by how some media outlets, led by the nose, miss the main story. Last week Donald Trump pronounced on social media that Israel had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire and Hamas “should take this deal”.

    But the Netanyahu government has not accepted the framework, circulated by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, let alone consented to a halt of their attacks, which have continued even as the Israeli prime minister travelled to Washington to meet the US president.

    As Trump hosted Netanyahu in the White House on Monday, the line was that the US president was “upbeat on Gaza ceasefire talks”. Meanwhile, few of them seemed to notice the important development. Hamas responded to the US framework with proposals for the staged release of 28 of the remaining 50 Israeli hostages over the 60 days while Israeli troops withdrew from positions inside the Strip and humanitarian aid was restored.

    But the Israeli government has thus far not given a substantive response. Instead, while pursuing a plan for the long-term military occupation of Gaza, it may also be seeking the displacement of a large portion of the more than 2.2 million population.

    Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

    Hard-right members of Netanyahu’s cabinet, such as finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and internal security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, have long called for more than a million Gazans to be moved out of the territory. Reports over the weekend confirmed that this is not rhetoric. Israeli businessmen and venture capitalists have reportedly been working on plans for postwar Gaza, to include a “Trump riviera”, mirroring the displacement declaration by the US President, and an “Elon Musk smart manufacturing zone”.

    On Tuesday, security cabinet member Ze’ev Elkin, a Netanyahu loyalist, proclaimed “a substantial chance” for a ceasefire. But Qatari negotiators have said there are currently no talks, only discussions with each side about the framework for talks.

    Meanwhile, citing the killing of five Israeli soldiers in Gaza on Sunday night by an improvised explosive device, Ben-Gvir said: “We should not negotiate with those who kill our soldiers. They should be crushed to pieces, starved to death, and not resuscitated with humanitarian aid that gives them oxygen.”

    He called for “a complete siege, crushing them militarily” and reiterated the plan for “encouraging [Palestinian] immigration and [Jewish] settlement — these are the keys to complete victory”.

    Smotrich also called for a ban on any aid to Gaza: “In addition, I demand … that any territory that was conquered and cleansed of terror with the blood of our fighters not be abandoned.”

    So I am not optimistic at the moment.

    Looking at the region as a whole, two events have ‘reset’ the Middle East: the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s recent 12-day war. Can you tell me more about the kaleidoscope effect these two events had?

    In October 2023, there was no open-ended war in Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu’s focus was on curbing the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, blocking any possibility of a two-state solution. His tactic was to ease the economic pressure on Gaza and Hamas, maintaining that organisation as a balance against its West Bank rivals.

    Hamas ripped up that approach with its mass murder on October 7 – the first of the two kaleidoscope moments which changed the whole picture in a matter of hours. The attack triggered the deadly Israeli response that continues 21 months later. That response did not “destroy” Hamas, as Netanyahu pledged, but it led the Israelis to take on other foes in the region.

    Pursuing its “octopus doctrine”, Israel severely damaged one of the tentacles, Hezbollah, when it destroyed much of the Lebanese group’s leadership in the autumn of 2024. It assassinated senior Iranian commanders and officials in Damascus, and received a further boost when Turkish-backed factions toppled the Assad regime in December.

    The 12-day war in June aimed to destroy the head of the octopus: Iran. Israel’s strikes and assassinations killed much of the country’s military leadership and many of its top nuclear scientists. The supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, hid in a bunker, only emerging on July 6. But Israel failed to topple his regime, as it had hoped.

    The war was another kaleidoscope moment. Israel had its regional victory. But paradoxically, because there has been no resolution in Gaza, this has come at the cost of further international isolation. Gulf States, having moved away from “normalisation” with Israel, put out tougher statements about “genocide” of Gazans and the violation of Iranian sovereignty. Saudi Arabia’s state media highlighted a letter from Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi to Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan for “ways to support and enhance [relations] across all fields”.

    This implies that for any normalisation to occur, Israel must end its military operation in Gaza?

    That question cuts to the chase. The Gulf states, with the notable exception of Qatar, are no friends of Hamas. They might even have accepted the destruction of the group if Israel had been able to accomplish it quickly.

    But there is no way that they can publicly acquiesce in the killing of almost 60,000 Gazans, the large majority of them civilians, and the humanitarian blockade that threatens every single person living in the Gaza Strip. Nor will they want to see Israel export Gazans across the region in an echo of the 1948 “Nakba” whose legacy is the millions of Palestinians living in refugee camps across the Middle East.

    Netanyahu can pursue his “absolute destruction” of Hamas by pursuing the destruction and displacement of Gazans. Or he can try to capitalise on his war with Iran through links with Arab countries. He cannot do both.

    Will Donald Trump get his Nobel peace prize?

    I don’t know, for that is a question which does not have a logical answer.

    Herny Kissinger was the US secretary of state who oversaw an escalation of the Vietnam war in which up to 3 million Vietnamese, 310,000 Cambodians, 62,000 Laotians and 58,220 US service members died. The singer-songwriter Tom Lehrer aptly noted: “Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”

    We are in a world where having caused so much disorder and chaos, having enabled violence, including Israel’s open-ended war, Donald Trump may succeed in a pose as “peacemaker”.

    Some may see the least worst option as flattery, which seems to work as a strategy for dealing with the US president. They may accept the White House theatre in which Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, personally hands Trump a peace prize nomination.

    Meanwhile, in the past 24 hours, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, the number of casualties in Gaza rose to 57,575 people killed and 136,879 wounded. Twenty hostages spent another day in limbo. That’s what matters here.

    – ref. As Netanyahu meets Trump in Washington, what hope for peace in Gaza? Expert Q&A – https://theconversation.com/as-netanyahu-meets-trump-in-washington-what-hope-for-peace-in-gaza-expert-qanda-260722

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Brics is sliding towards irrelevance – the Rio summit made that clear

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Amalendu Misra, Professor of International Politics, Lancaster University

    The Brics group of nations has just concluded its 17th annual summit in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. But, despite member states adopting a long list of commitments covering global governance, finance, health, AI and climate change, the summit was a lacklustre affair.

    The two most prominent leaders from the group’s founding members – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – were conspicuously absent. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, only attended virtually due to an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over his role in the war in Ukraine.

    China’s Xi Jinping avoided the summit altogether for unknown reasons, sending his prime minister, Li Qiang, instead. This was Xi’s first no-show at a Brics summit, with the snub prompting suggestions that Beijing’s enthusiasm for the group as part of an emerging new world order is in decline.

    Perhaps the most notable takeaway from the summit was a statement that came not from the Brics nations but the US. As Brics leaders gathered in Rio, the US president, Donald Trump, warned on social media: “Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy.”

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

    Trump has long been critical of Brics. This is largely because the group has consistently floated the idea of adopting a common currency to challenge the dominance of the US dollar in international trade.

    Such a move makes sense if we focus on trade figures. In 2024, the value of trade among the Brics nations was around US$5 trillion, accounting for approximately 22% of global exports. Member nations have always felt their economic potential could be fully realised if they were not reliant upon the US dollar as their common currency of trade.

    During their 2024 summit, which was held in the Russian city of Kazan, the Brics nations entered into serious discussions around creating a gold-backed currency. At a time when the Trump administration is waging a global trade war, the emergence of an alternative to the US dollar would be a very serious pushback against US economic hegemony.



    Read more:
    Why Donald Trump’s election could hasten the end of US dollar dominance

    But the freshly concluded Brics summit did not present any concrete move towards achieving that objective. In fact, the 31-page Rio de Janeiro joint declaration even contained some reassurances about the global importance of the US dollar.

    There are two key obstacles hindering Brics from translating its vision of a common currency into reality. First is that some founding member nations are uncomfortable with adopting such an economic model, in large part due to internal rivalries within Brics itself.

    India, currently the fourth-largest economy in the world, has a history of periodic confrontation and strategic competition with China. It is reticent about adopting an alternative to the US dollar, concerned that this could make China more powerful and undercut India’s long-term interests.

    Second is that the Brics member nations are dependent on their bilateral trade with the US. Simply put, embracing an alternative currency is counterproductive when it comes to the current economic interests of individual countries. Brazil, China and India, for example, all export more to the US than they import from it.

    In December 2024, following his election as US president, Trump said: “We require a commitment from these countries that they will neither create a new Brics currency nor back any other currency to replace the mighty US dollar or they will face 100% tariffs and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful US economy”. This blunt message all but killed any enthusiasm that was there for this grand economic model.

    Caught in contradiction

    The Brics group is a behemoth. Its full 11 members account for 40% of the world’s population and economy. But the bloc is desperately short of providing any cohesive alternative global leadership.

    While Brazil used its position as host to highlight Brics as a truly multilateral forum capable of providing leadership in a new world order, such ambitions are thwarted by the many contradictions plaguing this bloc.

    Among these are tensions between founding members China and India, which have been running high for decades.

    There are other contradictions, too. In their joint Rio declaration, the group’s members decried the recent Israeli and US attacks on Iran. Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, also used his position as summit host to criticise the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

    But this moral high ground appears hollow when you consider that the Russian Federation, a key member of Brics, is on a mission to destroy Ukraine. And rather than condemning Russia, Brics leaders used the Rio summit to criticise recent Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s railway infrastructure.

    Brics declared intention to address the issue of climate change is also problematic. The Rio declaration conveyed the group’s support for multilateralism and unity to achieve the goals of the Paris agreement. But, despite China making significant advances in its green energy sector, Brics contains some of the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases as well as several of the largest oil and gas producers.

    Brics can only stay relevant and provide credible leadership in a fast-changing international order when it addresses its many inner contradictions.

    Amalendu Misra is a recipient of British Academy and Nuffield Foundation Fellowships.

    – ref. Brics is sliding towards irrelevance – the Rio summit made that clear – https://theconversation.com/brics-is-sliding-towards-irrelevance-the-rio-summit-made-that-clear-260653

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Four reasons why many of us feel the global economy is not on our side

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Cahal Moran, Visiting Fellow in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, London School of Economics and Political Science

    During my adult life, I have never experienced what it’s like to live in a “good” economy. Starting with the global financial crash in 2008, which hit just as I began studying economics, the world seems to have lurched from crisis to crisis and the UK economy even more so.

    Some of those crises, like the crash and COVID, are sudden shocks. Others have been more gradual, such as increasingly unaffordable housing or the rising dominance of the world’s ultra rich.

    As I explore in my new book, Why We’re Getting Poorer, the result of these crises is an economic system which works for some much more than it does for others. Here are four reasons why you may be feeling let down.

    1. Grasping for growth

    Like many of his fellow leaders across the world, the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, is aiming to make economic growth the primary mission of his government. And understandably so.

    A growing economy puts more money in people’s pockets and brings other benefits such as low unemployment. But economic growth is not easy (in the UK it has been poor for a long time).

    That’s because there’s no GDP dial that a prime minister or president can simply turn up. Research shows that economic growth is an amorphous and difficult goal which depends on many factors – geopolitical, demographic, technological – outside any single country’s control.

    One option is to focus on achievable goals around investment, like the public investments of £113 billion on homes, transport and energy planned in the UK. But big projects can take a long time to build and develop, so even if they do boost growth, it can take a while for households to feel the benefits.

    2. Inherent inequality

    Against the backdrop of low growth in the UK has been high inequality, under Conservative and Labour governments. And again, inequality is an international issue.

    The wealth of the richest people in the world skyrocketed over COVID, buoyed in many cases by the increased importance of the tech sector during lockdowns. Even before the pandemic, wealth inequality was a problem across the globe.

    This imbalance has given the very richest opportunities to buy up commercial competitors, indulge in space travel and control large parts of the media, exerting extreme economic, social and political power. Needless to say, their economic priorities are not the same as everyone else’s.

    Meanwhile, communities and regions may be left behind, with declining physical and social infrastructure. People living in hollowed out areas where incomes and opportunities are limited are unlikely to feel that the economic system is working for them.

    3. Globalisation

    Globalisation has made a lot of people – in places like China, India and Brazil – better off. But it is not a system which ensures economic benefits for everyone.

    With global competition, big businesses are often under pressure to reduce costs. Free trade deals have often failed to enforce labour standards or redistribute gains to poorly paid workers, and in many cases simply made the rich richer.

    Such a distorted form of economic governance, where large sections of society end up feeling left behind was bound to provoke a response. Some would link it to recent political events like Brexit and the presidencies of Donald Trump, whose international tariffs are a clear attempt to reverse the rise of globalisation.

    Sporadic supply chains.
    Corona Borealis Studio/Shutterstock

    Since the pandemic, more fault-lines have been exposed. The global economy has become too dependent on certain regions, epitomised by Taiwanese dominance in the manufacturing of semiconductors, or European reliance on Russia for gas and oil.

    Recent years have also seen supply chain bottlenecks, leading to shortages of goods including cars, phones and even salad ingredients. Inflexible global systems have been ineffective, and internationally agreed fixes are hard to achieve.

    4. Climate change

    World news at the start of 2020 was dominated by the massive wildfires raging across Australia. At the start of 2025, Los Angeles burned.

    As the global climate shifts and lurches, extreme weather events are becoming more common. Floods, hurricanes and extreme temperatures look to be the likely outcome.

    When sea levels rise, countless coastal cities will experience flooding, and many Pacific islands may disappear altogether. The UN’s climate science advisory group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests that humanity will struggle with food production, disease and massive migration.

    This will all result in huge economic costs, impeding growth and disrupting livelihoods across the world. According to the IPCC, the impacts could range from extreme weather events disrupting infrastructure to changing weather reducing yields in agriculture, forestry and fishing.

    Yet many countries appear to be backtracking on their commitment to reducing emissions. It seems they would prefer to deal with the fallout of climate change rather than invest in potential solutions like carbon taxes, walkable cities or alternative fuels. But such acts of self-harm are not a sound basis for a prosperous economy, society or planet.

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

    – ref. Four reasons why many of us feel the global economy is not on our side – https://theconversation.com/four-reasons-why-many-of-us-feel-the-global-economy-is-not-on-our-side-252220

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: As Netanyahu meets Trump in Washington, what hope for peace in Gaza? Expert Q&A

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor

    The US government “remains upbeat” about the prospects for at least a ceasefire in Gaza, according to the latest reports from Washington, where the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been meeting the US president, Donald Trump.

    Netanyahu handed the US president a letter nominating him for the Nobel peace prize, saying he deserved it for “forging peace, as we speak, in one country in the region after another”. But as yet there are no signs that either Hamas or Israel have moved any closer to accepting each other’s terms.

    In fact, reports emerging from the White House meeting are that the two leaders discussed the displacement of much of the Palestinian population. And a plan revealed by the Israeli foreign minister, Israel Katz, proposed the contruction of a “humanitarian city” at Rafah in the north of the Gaza Strip to house more than 600,000 Palestinians.

    The Conversation’s senior international affairs editor, Jonathan Este, spoke with Middle East expert, Scott Lucas, of University College Dublin to address this and other questions.

    The two leaders’ discussions in Washington seemed to centre around displacement of the Palestinian population in lieu of a two-state solution. What does this tell you about the chance of a ceasefire deal?

    I am fascinated – and sometimes disillusioned – by how some media outlets, led by the nose, miss the main story. Last week Donald Trump pronounced on social media that Israel had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire and Hamas “should take this deal”.

    But the Netanyahu government has not accepted the framework, circulated by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, let alone consented to a halt of their attacks, which have continued even as the Israeli prime minister travelled to Washington to meet the US president.

    As Trump hosted Netanyahu in the White House on Monday, the line was that the US president was “upbeat on Gaza ceasefire talks”. Meanwhile, few of them seemed to notice the important development. Hamas responded to the US framework with proposals for the staged release of 28 of the remaining 50 Israeli hostages over the 60 days while Israeli troops withdrew from positions inside the Strip and humanitarian aid was restored.

    But the Israeli government has thus far not given a substantive response. Instead, while pursuing a plan for the long-term military occupation of Gaza, it may also be seeking the displacement of a large portion of the more than 2.2 million population.

    Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

    Hard-right members of Netanyahu’s cabinet, such as finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and internal security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, have long called for more than a million Gazans to be moved out of the territory. Reports over the weekend confirmed that this is not rhetoric. Israeli businessmen and venture capitalists have reportedly been working on plans for postwar Gaza, to include a “Trump riviera”, mirroring the displacement declaration by the US President, and an “Elon Musk smart manufacturing zone”.

    On Tuesday, security cabinet member Ze’ev Elkin, a Netanyahu loyalist, proclaimed “a substantial chance” for a ceasefire. But Qatari negotiators have said there are currently no talks, only discussions with each side about the framework for talks.

    Meanwhile, citing the killing of five Israeli soldiers in Gaza on Sunday night by an improvised explosive device, Ben-Gvir said: “We should not negotiate with those who kill our soldiers. They should be crushed to pieces, starved to death, and not resuscitated with humanitarian aid that gives them oxygen.”

    He called for “a complete siege, crushing them militarily” and reiterated the plan for “encouraging [Palestinian] immigration and [Jewish] settlement — these are the keys to complete victory”.

    Smotrich also called for a ban on any aid to Gaza: “In addition, I demand … that any territory that was conquered and cleansed of terror with the blood of our fighters not be abandoned.”

    So I am not optimistic at the moment.

    Looking at the region as a whole, two events have ‘reset’ the Middle East: the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s recent 12-day war. Can you tell me more about the kaleidoscope effect these two events had?

    In October 2023, there was no open-ended war in Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu’s focus was on curbing the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, blocking any possibility of a two-state solution. His tactic was to ease the economic pressure on Gaza and Hamas, maintaining that organisation as a balance against its West Bank rivals.

    Hamas ripped up that approach with its mass murder on October 7 – the first of the two kaleidoscope moments which changed the whole picture in a matter of hours. The attack triggered the deadly Israeli response that continues 21 months later. That response did not “destroy” Hamas, as Netanyahu pledged, but it led the Israelis to take on other foes in the region.

    Pursuing its “octopus doctrine”, Israel severely damaged one of the tentacles, Hezbollah, when it destroyed much of the Lebanese group’s leadership in the autumn of 2024. It assassinated senior Iranian commanders and officials in Damascus, and received a further boost when Turkish-backed factions toppled the Assad regime in December.

    The 12-day war in June aimed to destroy the head of the octopus: Iran. Israel’s strikes and assassinations killed much of the country’s military leadership and many of its top nuclear scientists. The supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, hid in a bunker, only emerging on July 6. But Israel failed to topple his regime, as it had hoped.

    The war was another kaleidoscope moment. Israel had its regional victory. But paradoxically, because there has been no resolution in Gaza, this has come at the cost of further international isolation. Gulf States, having moved away from “normalisation” with Israel, put out tougher statements about “genocide” of Gazans and the violation of Iranian sovereignty. Saudi Arabia’s state media highlighted a letter from Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi to Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan for “ways to support and enhance [relations] across all fields”.

    This implies that for any normalisation to occur, Israel must end its military operation in Gaza?

    That question cuts to the chase. The Gulf states, with the notable exception of Qatar, are no friends of Hamas. They might even have accepted the destruction of the group if Israel had been able to accomplish it quickly.

    But there is no way that they can publicly acquiesce in the killing of almost 60,000 Gazans, the large majority of them civilians, and the humanitarian blockade that threatens every single person living in the Gaza Strip. Nor will they want to see Israel export Gazans across the region in an echo of the 1948 “Nakba” whose legacy is the millions of Palestinians living in refugee camps across the Middle East.

    Netanyahu can pursue his “absolute destruction” of Hamas by pursuing the destruction and displacement of Gazans. Or he can try to capitalise on his war with Iran through links with Arab countries. He cannot do both.

    Will Donald Trump get his Nobel peace prize?

    I don’t know, for that is a question which does not have a logical answer.

    Herny Kissinger was the US secretary of state who oversaw an escalation of the Vietnam war in which up to 3 million Vietnamese, 310,000 Cambodians, 62,000 Laotians and 58,220 US service members died. The singer-songwriter Tom Lehrer aptly noted: “Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”

    We are in a world where having caused so much disorder and chaos, having enabled violence, including Israel’s open-ended war, Donald Trump may succeed in a pose as “peacemaker”.

    Some may see the least worst option as flattery, which seems to work as a strategy for dealing with the US president. They may accept the White House theatre in which Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, personally hands Trump a peace prize nomination.

    Meanwhile, in the past 24 hours, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, the number of casualties in Gaza rose to 57,575 people killed and 136,879 wounded. Twenty hostages spent another day in limbo. That’s what matters here.

    – ref. As Netanyahu meets Trump in Washington, what hope for peace in Gaza? Expert Q&A – https://theconversation.com/as-netanyahu-meets-trump-in-washington-what-hope-for-peace-in-gaza-expert-qanda-260722

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Brics is sliding towards irrelevance – the Rio summit made that clear

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Amalendu Misra, Professor of International Politics, Lancaster University

    The Brics group of nations has just concluded its 17th annual summit in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. But, despite member states adopting a long list of commitments covering global governance, finance, health, AI and climate change, the summit was a lacklustre affair.

    The two most prominent leaders from the group’s founding members – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – were conspicuously absent. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, only attended virtually due to an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over his role in the war in Ukraine.

    China’s Xi Jinping avoided the summit altogether for unknown reasons, sending his prime minister, Li Qiang, instead. This was Xi’s first no-show at a Brics summit, with the snub prompting suggestions that Beijing’s enthusiasm for the group as part of an emerging new world order is in decline.

    Perhaps the most notable takeaway from the summit was a statement that came not from the Brics nations but the US. As Brics leaders gathered in Rio, the US president, Donald Trump, warned on social media: “Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy.”

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

    Trump has long been critical of Brics. This is largely because the group has consistently floated the idea of adopting a common currency to challenge the dominance of the US dollar in international trade.

    Such a move makes sense if we focus on trade figures. In 2024, the value of trade among the Brics nations was around US$5 trillion, accounting for approximately 22% of global exports. Member nations have always felt their economic potential could be fully realised if they were not reliant upon the US dollar as their common currency of trade.

    During their 2024 summit, which was held in the Russian city of Kazan, the Brics nations entered into serious discussions around creating a gold-backed currency. At a time when the Trump administration is waging a global trade war, the emergence of an alternative to the US dollar would be a very serious pushback against US economic hegemony.



    Read more:
    Why Donald Trump’s election could hasten the end of US dollar dominance

    But the freshly concluded Brics summit did not present any concrete move towards achieving that objective. In fact, the 31-page Rio de Janeiro joint declaration even contained some reassurances about the global importance of the US dollar.

    There are two key obstacles hindering Brics from translating its vision of a common currency into reality. First is that some founding member nations are uncomfortable with adopting such an economic model, in large part due to internal rivalries within Brics itself.

    India, currently the fourth-largest economy in the world, has a history of periodic confrontation and strategic competition with China. It is reticent about adopting an alternative to the US dollar, concerned that this could make China more powerful and undercut India’s long-term interests.

    Second is that the Brics member nations are dependent on their bilateral trade with the US. Simply put, embracing an alternative currency is counterproductive when it comes to the current economic interests of individual countries. Brazil, China and India, for example, all export more to the US than they import from it.

    In December 2024, following his election as US president, Trump said: “We require a commitment from these countries that they will neither create a new Brics currency nor back any other currency to replace the mighty US dollar or they will face 100% tariffs and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful US economy”. This blunt message all but killed any enthusiasm that was there for this grand economic model.

    Caught in contradiction

    The Brics group is a behemoth. Its full 11 members account for 40% of the world’s population and economy. But the bloc is desperately short of providing any cohesive alternative global leadership.

    While Brazil used its position as host to highlight Brics as a truly multilateral forum capable of providing leadership in a new world order, such ambitions are thwarted by the many contradictions plaguing this bloc.

    Among these are tensions between founding members China and India, which have been running high for decades.

    There are other contradictions, too. In their joint Rio declaration, the group’s members decried the recent Israeli and US attacks on Iran. Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, also used his position as summit host to criticise the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

    But this moral high ground appears hollow when you consider that the Russian Federation, a key member of Brics, is on a mission to destroy Ukraine. And rather than condemning Russia, Brics leaders used the Rio summit to criticise recent Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s railway infrastructure.

    Brics declared intention to address the issue of climate change is also problematic. The Rio declaration conveyed the group’s support for multilateralism and unity to achieve the goals of the Paris agreement. But, despite China making significant advances in its green energy sector, Brics contains some of the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases as well as several of the largest oil and gas producers.

    Brics can only stay relevant and provide credible leadership in a fast-changing international order when it addresses its many inner contradictions.

    Amalendu Misra is a recipient of British Academy and Nuffield Foundation Fellowships.

    – ref. Brics is sliding towards irrelevance – the Rio summit made that clear – https://theconversation.com/brics-is-sliding-towards-irrelevance-the-rio-summit-made-that-clear-260653

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Blasts U.S. EPA for Illegally Terminating Environmental Justice Grants

    Source: US State of California Department of Justice

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today co-led a multistate coalition of 20 attorneys general in submitting an amicus brief supporting Earthjustice, Public Rights Project, and Southern Environmental Law Center in their class action lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for unlawfully terminating the Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant program. The funding, secured through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), was explicitly appropriated by Congress to ensure that communities across the country would have access to clean air, safe water, and healthy homes, with a particular focus on supporting disadvantaged communities nationwide. In today’s amicus brief, the attorneys general argue that the Trump Administration’s actions to terminate the grant program will leave hundreds of local communities nationwide unable to pursue vital environmental justice and public health projects — jeopardizing their fight for clean air, safe water, and climate resilience efforts.  

    “Congress directed these funds to protect public health and address long-standing environmental injustices in communities that have borne the brunt of pollution for decades,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We are not going to stand by while this administration continues to take illegal action and dismantle environmental justice programs where they are most urgently needed.” 

    More than 200 grantees of the terminated program within the coalition of states— including non-profits, local and regional governments, Native American tribes, and educational institutions — were slated to receive over $1.38 billion to support frontline communities in combating pollution, improving public health infrastructure, and building climate resilience. Due to the termination of this program, at least 40 grantees within California have lost access to over $301 million in funding from the EPA, which represents the greatest number of EPA grantees and highest amount of EJ funding from EPA flowing to any single state.

    In the amicus brief, Attorney General Bonta, alongside the coalition, argues that: 

    • The termination of the program disproportionately harms marginalized and historically disadvantaged communities — including Native American tribes, non-profits serving low-income neighborhoods, and communities of color — undermining the core purpose of Congress’s instruction to EPA when it passed the IRA. 
    • By halting critical environmental justice and public health improvement projects, the Trump Administration’s actions put vulnerable populations at increased health risk. 
    • The Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits in their argument that the EPA acted unlawfully by rescinding grants that were explicitly authorized by Congress under the IRA.

    Attorney General Bonta co-led the filing of today’s amicus brief, together with the Attorneys General of New York and Massachusetts, and is joined by the following states and territories: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

    A copy of the amicus brief can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Administrator Loeffler Joins Lara Trump for Exclusive Interview on One Big Beautiful Bill

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    WASHINGTON — In case you missed it, Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), joined My View with Laura Trump to discuss how President Donald J. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill will empower America’s 34 million small businesses. Signed into law on July 4, 2025, the bill provides historic tax cuts that will unleash a new era of hiring, growth, and prosperity on Main Street.

    During the exclusive interview, Administrator Loeffler and Lara Trump visited small businesses in Wilmington, North Carolina, where they spoke directly to job creators about how the One Big Beautiful Bill will help them create jobs, expand, and plan for the future. Administrator Loeffler highlighted that the bill will lock in tax relief, cut burdensome regulations, and strengthen American supply chains. She also emphasized how the SBA and President Trump will continue to work together to empower small businesses and workers as they drive America’s economic comeback, including through efforts like the agency’s Made in America Manufacturing Initiative and Make Onshoring Great Again Portal.

    Click HERE to watch the full interview or view excerpts below:

    “[The One Big Beautiful Bill] is the lifeblood for small businesses, to have that certainty of low taxes. It will also create about 1 million Main Street jobs—main streets like this that will benefit from the economic energy that will come behind it. It is literally rocket fuel for the economy.”

    “We’ve talked to manufacturers…from aerospace to defense to barbeque grills and boats and so many things that this country can do. We’ve even introduced a directory for Made in America, manufactured goods to ensure that small businesses can source supplies from America—and that’s what’s happening across this country. Small businesses are grateful for President Trump fighting for fair-trade.”

    “What’s great about getting out across the country, outside of Washington, you see the concerns that are on the minds of hardworking Americans that make this country work…the last thing they need to hear is that there is a tax increase on the horizon…massive tax increase on hardworking Americans who have been pushed to the brink by Biden inflation that created 20% inflation, $1.6 trillion of regulation.”

    “It’s such a great honor to serve in President Trump’s Administration…I bring 30 years of business experience to this role, but most importantly, I bring the heart of a small businessperson…so I know what small businesses go through every single day to make this country work—to make ours the greatest in the world—and President Trump is fighting for small businesses through fair trade, through deregulation and through low taxes.”

    # # #

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Huizenga Votes to Cut Taxes for Michiganders, Strengthen Michigan’s Economy

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)

    Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) released the following statement after voting in support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House by a vote of 218-214. The One Big Beautiful Bill will now head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

    “Today, Congress delivered on the promises President Trump and House Republicans made to the American people to stop the largest tax increase in our nation’s history.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will help Americans across all walks of life by making tax cuts permanent and increasing take home pay as much as $7,500 through provisions such as no tax on tips and no tax on overtime.

    “Additionally, by increasing tax breaks for seniors, strengthening the child tax credit for families, making made-in-America car loan interest tax deductible, and addressing inflation with the largest mandatory spending reduction ever, the Big Beautiful Bill will make everyday life more affordable.

    “Importantly, this bill makes significant progress to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse from both SNAP and Medicaid by implementing work requirements for able-bodied individuals without dependents. These commonsense reforms will preserve these important safety net programs for those who need it most — namely, low-income mothers, children, the elderly, and disabled Americans.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will supercharge Michigan’s economy by boosting manufacturing, helping farmers, modernizing our military, and unleashing American energy.

    “Lastly, the One Big Beautiful Bill provides critical resources to ensure our border remains secure by finishing the wall and ensuring we have the law enforcement manpower we need to keep our nation safe.

    “I look forward to President Trump signing this legislation, delivering a massive win for hardworking Americans, and putting America back on track for an age of prosperity!”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Huizenga Votes to Cut Taxes for Michiganders, Strengthen Michigan’s Economy

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)

    Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) released the following statement after voting in support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House by a vote of 218-214. The One Big Beautiful Bill will now head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

    “Today, Congress delivered on the promises President Trump and House Republicans made to the American people to stop the largest tax increase in our nation’s history.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will help Americans across all walks of life by making tax cuts permanent and increasing take home pay as much as $7,500 through provisions such as no tax on tips and no tax on overtime.

    “Additionally, by increasing tax breaks for seniors, strengthening the child tax credit for families, making made-in-America car loan interest tax deductible, and addressing inflation with the largest mandatory spending reduction ever, the Big Beautiful Bill will make everyday life more affordable.

    “Importantly, this bill makes significant progress to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse from both SNAP and Medicaid by implementing work requirements for able-bodied individuals without dependents. These commonsense reforms will preserve these important safety net programs for those who need it most — namely, low-income mothers, children, the elderly, and disabled Americans.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will supercharge Michigan’s economy by boosting manufacturing, helping farmers, modernizing our military, and unleashing American energy.

    “Lastly, the One Big Beautiful Bill provides critical resources to ensure our border remains secure by finishing the wall and ensuring we have the law enforcement manpower we need to keep our nation safe.

    “I look forward to President Trump signing this legislation, delivering a massive win for hardworking Americans, and putting America back on track for an age of prosperity!”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Huizenga Votes to Cut Taxes for Michiganders, Strengthen Michigan’s Economy

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)

    Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) released the following statement after voting in support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed the House by a vote of 218-214. The One Big Beautiful Bill will now head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

    “Today, Congress delivered on the promises President Trump and House Republicans made to the American people to stop the largest tax increase in our nation’s history.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will help Americans across all walks of life by making tax cuts permanent and increasing take home pay as much as $7,500 through provisions such as no tax on tips and no tax on overtime.

    “Additionally, by increasing tax breaks for seniors, strengthening the child tax credit for families, making made-in-America car loan interest tax deductible, and addressing inflation with the largest mandatory spending reduction ever, the Big Beautiful Bill will make everyday life more affordable.

    “Importantly, this bill makes significant progress to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse from both SNAP and Medicaid by implementing work requirements for able-bodied individuals without dependents. These commonsense reforms will preserve these important safety net programs for those who need it most — namely, low-income mothers, children, the elderly, and disabled Americans.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will supercharge Michigan’s economy by boosting manufacturing, helping farmers, modernizing our military, and unleashing American energy.

    “Lastly, the One Big Beautiful Bill provides critical resources to ensure our border remains secure by finishing the wall and ensuring we have the law enforcement manpower we need to keep our nation safe.

    “I look forward to President Trump signing this legislation, delivering a massive win for hardworking Americans, and putting America back on track for an age of prosperity!”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Applauds Trump Administration’s National Farm Security Action Plan

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    HULL, IOWA – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) issued the following statement praising the Trump administration’s National Farm Security Action Plan:

    “I thank President Trump and Secretary Rollins for rolling out the National Farm Security Action Plan and standing with Iowa farmers and producers. This initiative will help keep American farmland in the hands of American farmers, protect our agricultural research and supply chains from China, and defend American agriculture from the threat of foreign animal disease. By cementing our agricultural dominance and investing in our rural communities, we ensure that American farmers and producers can continue to feed and fuel our country and the world.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Applauds Trump Administration’s National Farm Security Action Plan

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    HULL, IOWA – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) issued the following statement praising the Trump administration’s National Farm Security Action Plan:

    “I thank President Trump and Secretary Rollins for rolling out the National Farm Security Action Plan and standing with Iowa farmers and producers. This initiative will help keep American farmland in the hands of American farmers, protect our agricultural research and supply chains from China, and defend American agriculture from the threat of foreign animal disease. By cementing our agricultural dominance and investing in our rural communities, we ensure that American farmers and producers can continue to feed and fuel our country and the world.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Senator Mullin on Securing America’s Borders with the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ICYMI:

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)

    ICYMI: Senator Mullin on Securing America’s Borders with the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ICYMI:

    Washington, D.C. – On Sunday, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) joined Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” to discuss how the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ and President Trump are securing America’s borders and making the country safe again. Senator Mullin also touted the record retention and recruiting numbers seen by the military under President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth’s leadership. Highlights below.

    Sen. Mullin’s full interview can be found here.

    On the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ providing funding to complete the southern border wall:

    “Look, first of all, what we’re going to do is actually complete the wall. The last time that President Trump started the wall, obviously you saw the Biden administration come in and just wreak havoc on it and sell the material at pennies on the dollar. So, the first thing we’re doing is we’re actually putting this into law by putting $46 billion to finally complete the wall all the way across our southern border.”

    On the ‘all-out attacks’ faced by border officials:

    “It’s not just land crossings, but it’s going across water, going around. It’s overwhelming our Coast Guard, the Marines, are able to augment that. We’re having to have a lot more sea power that you probably wouldn’t see when you’re thinking of just human smuggling and drug smuggling. It’s literally an all-out attack.”

    On President Trump securing America’s borders and making the U.S. safe again:

    “This is why President Trump has made it a high priority. He is the guy who’s going to save America from imploding from within.”

    “This is what peace through strength looks like, Jason. When you’re not just sitting back playing whac-a-mole, or just simply inviting them in like the Biden administration, President Trump is pushing forward.” 

    “President Trump now has made it a focus to not just focus on the southern border, but our northern border too, and he is restoring law and order on our borders.”

    On record breaking military recruiting and retention numbers:

    “If you’re a young man and you’re a patriot, you want to serve underneath this president. He is being forward thinking. I mean, you have Secretary Hegseth, that is absolutely a warrior leader that is appointed by President Trump. You’re having a strong emphasis on actually restoring America back to where it is. And you know President Trump isn’t going to put you into an endless war. He’s not going to use you as some type of political pawn. He is going to use you in a way that our military was designed for.” 

    “He brings pride back to our military, and that’s where you’re seeing recruiting numbers go through the roof. And not even recruiting numbers, but retention, people that were on their way out have decided, ‘Wait a second, I want to serve underneath President Trump. I want this as my commander in chief. I want to do great things and have generational changes inside DOD.’ And President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are delivering that.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McConnell on Continuing U.S. Lethal Assistance to Ukraine

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding the delivery of weapons to Ukraine:

    “Today, the strategic incoherence of underfunding our military and restricting lethal assistance to partners like Ukraine is measured in the avoidable erosion of American credibility with allies and the mounting deaths of innocents. 

    “I’m glad that President Trump wants to resume deliveries of lethal capabilities to Ukraine. America’s policy of providing lethal support to Ukraine began during his first term, and likely helped deter earlier Russian escalation.

    “This time, the President will need to reject calls from the isolationists and restrainers within his Administration to limit these deliveries to defensive weapons. And he should disregard those at DoD who invoke munitions shortages to block aid while refusing to invest seriously in expanding munitions production. The self-indulgent policymaking of restrainers – from Ukraine to AUKUS – has so often required the President to clean up his staff’s messes. And the budget OMB sent to Congress does not put America on a path to peace through strength.”

    MIL OSI USA News –