NewzIntel.com

Category: United States of America

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Takano on Senate Passage of Republican Spending Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mark Takano (D-Calif)

    July 01, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39), released the following statement after the Senate passed the Republican reconciliation bill, sending the legislation back to the House for final passage:

    “The Republican spending bill is nothing more than a cruel giveaway to the powerful at the expense of everyday Americans. It slashes programs that help our neighbors meet their most basic needs—gutting SNAP, cutting Medicaid, and pushing hospitals, especially in rural areas, toward closure. 

    “These are lifelines for working families, seniors, and the most vulnerable among us. At the same time, the bill showers the ultra-wealthy with new tax breaks, proving once again that this legislation serves billionaires.

    “This isn’t governing. It’s grifting. This bill may be wrapped in populist packaging—but its contents are painfully clear: giveaways for the powerful, and devastation for the rest of us.”

    “I voted against this bill before when House Republicans used the cover of darkness to pass these cuts, and I will do it again.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PRESS RELEASE: Reps. Barragán, Buchanan, Sánchez, and Bilirakis Reintroduce Bipartisan Resolution Recognizing June 2025 as Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    June 30, 2025

    Contact: Jin.Choi@mail.house.gov

    Reps. Barragán, Buchanan, Sánchez, and Bilirakis Reintroduce Bipartisan Resolution Recognizing June 2025 as Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-16), Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (CA-38), and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) reintroduced a bipartisan resolution to designate June 2025 as Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. The resolution seeks to increase public understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, support continued investment in research, and recognize the strength and sacrifice of individuals living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.

    “Nearly 7 million Americans, including my own mother, are living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. This disease is deeply personal to me, and to the countless families who serve as caregivers while grappling with its emotional and financial toll,” said Rep. Barragán. “We must continue to raise awareness, advance research, and support caregivers, especially those in communities of color where disparities in diagnosis, access to care, and outcomes persist. I’m grateful to my colleagues, Reps. Buchanan, Sánchez, and Bilirakis, for their partnership in this bipartisan effort.”

    “As someone who cared for a parent with this horrible disease, I believe that it is critical for Congress to take steps to recognize the impact that Alzheimer’s and dementia have on the millions of Americans diagnosed every year,” said Rep. Buchanan. “I am proud to co-lead this bipartisan resolution with Reps. Barragán, Sánchez and Bilirakis to bring much-needed and continued awareness to these deadly diseases.”

    “As the daughter of two parents who suffered from Alzheimer’s, I can tell you firsthand how devastating the disease is, as well as the emotional toll it takes on families,” Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez said. “This resolution recognizes the importance of early detection and screening, as well as how this disease disproportionately affects women, Latinos, and Black Americans. It is important that we continue raising awareness around the facts of this disease, and advancing research to eventually find a cure.”

    “As research continues to yield advancement in the development of more treatment options for patients with Alzheimer’s, we know that early detection, diagnosis and intervention offers the best promise for disease management which is why we must raise awareness of the signs, symptoms and impact this disease has on millions of Americans,” said Congressman Gus Bilirakis. “My family has coped with the devastating impacts of this horrific disease for more than a decade, so I understand the toll it takes on the patient and his or her loved ones as it progresses. We owe it to our fellow Americans to develop a system of care that prioritizes education, screening and assessment so that patients can enjoy the best possible quality of life.”

    “On behalf of the over 7 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s, thank you to Reps. Barragán, Buchanan, Bilirakis and Sánchez for recognizing June as Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month and for your unwavering dedication to the Alzheimer’s community,” said Rachel Conant, Alzheimer’s Association senior vice president of public policy and AIM executive director. “Your commitment to bipartisan solutions is driving progress in the fight against this devastating disease.”

    The Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month resolution is endorsed by the Alzheimer’s Association and Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM).

    The full text of the legislation can be found here. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Report on Iranian Petroleum and Petroleum Products Exports

    Source: US Energy Information Administration

    Petroleum & Other Liquids

    Crude oil, gasoline, heating oil, diesel, propane, and other liquids including biofuels and natural gas liquids.

    Natural Gas

    Exploration and reserves, storage, imports and exports, production, prices, sales.

    Electricity

    Sales, revenue and prices, power plants, fuel use, stocks, generation, trade, demand & emissions.

    Coal

    Reserves, production, prices, employment and productivity, distribution, stocks, imports and exports.

    Total Energy

    Comprehensive data summaries, comparisons, analysis, and projections integrated across all energy sources.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement on the Senate Passing Trump’s ‘Big Ugly Bill’

    Source: US State of New York

    ??Today, Senate Republicans moved one step closer to ripping health care away from millions of Americans to pay for massive tax breaks for billionaires.

    “From North Country farmers to downstate hospitals, Trump’s ‘Big Ugly Bill’ would devastate New Yorkers. Over one million people in our state would lose their health care. A quarter million would see cuts to SNAP. Nursing homes will close. Food prices will rise. Hospitals will shutter. All during a national affordability crisis.

    “Every single New York Republican in Congress backed this disaster. They helped write it, cheered it on, and voted to gut the very programs that keep their constituents alive. The bill slashes Medicaid, axes clean energy tax credits, and guts SNAP.

    “I will do everything in my power to shield New Yorkers from the fallout. But if this bill becomes law, there will be real pain. And the Republicans who helped inflict it won’t be able to hide from the consequences. Not in Washington. Not in New York. Not ever.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Chicago Man Convicted of Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Foreign Terrorist Organization

    Source: US FBI

    CHICAGO — A Chicago man was convicted in federal court today of conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) by using social media to encourage attacks on ISIS’s enemies and recruit new ISIS members.

    ASHRAF AL SAFOO was a leader of Khattab Media Foundation, a sophisticated online organization that swore allegiance to ISIS and created and disseminated threats and ISIS propaganda on social media and other online platforms.  Al Safoo and other members of Khattab created and posted pro-ISIS videos, articles, essays, and infographics at the direction of, and in coordination with, ISIS.  Much of Khattab’s propaganda promoted violent jihad on behalf of ISIS, which has been designated by the United States government as a foreign terrorist organization.  In one posting, Al Safoo encouraged Khattab members to post pro-ISIS information “to cause confusion and spread terror within the hearts of those who disbelieved.”  In another posting, Al Safoo wrote, “Work hard, brothers, edit the issue into short clips, take the pictures out of it and publish the efforts of your brothers in the pages of the apostates.  Participate in the war, and spread terror, the [Islamic] State does not want you to watch it only, rather, it incites you, and if you are unable to, use it to incite others.”

    Many of Khattab’s postings included images of violence, celebrations of terrorist attacks and mass shootings in the United States, and encouragement for “lone wolf” attacks in western countries.

    Al Safoo, 41, was arrested in Chicago in 2018.  After a bench trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago in 2025, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey today announced his verdicts, finding Al Safoo guilty of one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, one count of conspiracy to transmit threats in interstate commerce, one count of conspiracy to intentionally access a protected computer without authorization, four counts of intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization, and four counts of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

    The convictions carry a maximum sentence of 130 years in federal prison.  Judge Blakey set sentencing for Oct. 9, 2025.

    The convictions were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the Department of Justice, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melody Wells, Barry Jonas, and Thomas P. Peabody of the Northern District of Illinois, and Trial Attorney Andrew J. Dixon of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

    “Today’s conviction demonstrates that the safety and security of the American public is always a top priority for me and my entire Office,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros.  “The prosecution of Ashraf Al Safoo is a testament to the vigilance and dedication of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners who stand watch to disrupt and prevent dangerous threats before they materialize.  We will vigorously pursue and bring to justice those who provide material support–in whatever form–to terrorist organizations.”

    “The conviction of Al Safoo affirms the FBI’s strong commitment to protecting and defending the United States from anyone who seeks to harm our citizens,” said FBI Chicago SAC DePodesta.  “Those who willingly associate with terrorist organizations or support violent extremism will be investigated, disrupted, and held accountable.  It is thanks to the FBI Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force and its partner agencies that our community is safe from those who pose a fundamental threat to our nation.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Banco Santander Chile: Second Quarter 2025 Analyst and Investor Webcast / Conference Call

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SANTIAGO, Chile, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — You are cordially invited to participate in Banco Santander Chile’s (NYSE: BSAC) conference call-webcast on Tuesday August 5, 2025, at 11.00 AM (ET time) where we will discuss 2Q 2025 financial results. The Bank’s Officers participating in the conference call are: Patricia Pérez, CFO, Cristian Vicuña, Chief Strategy Officer & Head of IR and Andrés Sansone, Chief Economist. A question and answer session will follow the presentation.

    The Management Commentary report will be published on July 31, 2025, before the market opens. The quiet period begins on July 17.

    To participate, the webcast presentation can be viewed at: https://mm.closir.com/slides?id=720987

    Or please dial in using any of the below numbers:
    United Kingdom +44 203 984 9844
    USA +1 718 866 4614
    Austria +43 720 022981
    Brazil +556120171549
    Canada +1 587 855 1318
    Chile +56228401484
    Czech Republic +420 910 880101
    Estonia +372 609 4102
    Finland +35 8753 26 4477
    France +33 1758 50 878
    Germany +49 30 25 555 323
    Hong Kong +852 3001 6551
    Mexico +52 55 1168 9973
    Peru +51 1 7060950
    Poland +48 22 124 49 59
    Russia +7 495 283 98 58
    Singapore +65 3138 6816
    South Africa +27872500455
    South Korea +82 70 4732 5006
    Sweden +46 10 551 30 20
    Turkey +90 850 390 7512
    Ukraine +380 89 324 0624

    Participant Passcode: 720987
    Please dial in approximately 10 minutes prior to the starting time of the conference.

    If you have any questions, please contact Cristian Vicuña at Banco Santander Chile at Cristian.vicuna@santander.cl, Rowena Lambert at Rowena.lambert@santander.cl or María Magdalena Rosende at Maria.rosende@santander.cl

    CONTACT INFORMATION

    Cristian Vicuña
    Investor Relations
    Banco Santander Chile
    Bandera 140, Floor 20
    Santiago, Chile
    Email: irelations@santander.cl
    Website: www.santander.cl

    Banco Santander Chile is one of the companies with the highest risk classifications in Latin America with an A2 rating from Moody’s, A- from Standard and Poor’s, A+ from Japan Credit Rating Agency, AA- from HR Ratings and A from KBRA. All our ratings as of the date of this report have a Stable Outlook.

    As of March 31, 2025, the bank had total assets of Ch$67,059,423 million (US$70,284 million), total gross loans (including those owed by banks) at amortized cost of Ch$41,098,666 million (US$43,075 million), total deposits of Ch$30,607,715 million (US$32,080 million), and bank owners’ equity of Ch$4,400,233 million (US$4,612 million). The BIS capital ratio was 16.9%, with a core capital ratio of 10.7%. As of March 31, 2025, Santander Chile employed 8,712 people and had 237 branches throughout Chile.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Old National Names Matt Keen Chief Information Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL, Minn., July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — (NASDAQ: ONB) – Old National Bancorp (“Old National”) has appointed Matt Keen as Chief Information Officer (CIO). In this role, Keen will join Old National’s Executive Leadership Team – the company’s senior-most group of C-suite executives.

    Keen brings more than three decades of experience in significant technology leadership roles at national companies, including leading architecture development, as well as experience with brokerage and banking services, cloud service optimization, and platform modernization.

    “As Old National continues our Midwest and Southeast expansion, our technology strategy and capabilities are also evolving to continue meeting our ever-growing clients’ needs and expectations,” said Old National Chairman & CEO Jim Ryan. “Matt’s wide-ranging technology expertise will be essential for helping us innovate and deliver client-focused solutions, while also supporting the personal relationships that have always been the heart of our success.”

    Keen’s previous technology leadership experience included consulting with American Express as part of his tenure at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, almost 15 years at Ameriprise Financial (formerly a division of American Express), and six years at Two Harbors Investments. Most recently, he served as CIO for Bremer Bank, which became a division of Old National Bank on May 1, 2025.

    As Old National’s CIO, Keen will lead a forward-thinking approach to leveraging technology as an enabler for business success. He will shape and execute the company’s technology strategy, working closely and collaboratively with all aspects of the business to identify ways to increase efficiencies and drive growth. With a particular emphasis on innovation, Keen and his team will use technology, as well as data and analytics, to effectively support and enhance the client and team member experience, to meet their ever-evolving expectations.

    “I’m looking forward to continuing to advance the strong technology foundation that has enabled Old National to achieve its growth goals,” Keen said. “Through a collaborative approach and intense focus on our clients, we’ll bring forward the best technology capabilities to serve the business and support the culture that our team members, clients, and communities expect and appreciate.”

    A resident of Chanhassen, Minn., Keen holds a degree in quantitative methods and computer science from the University of St. Thomas.

    Keen succeeds retiring Chief Information Officer Paul S. Kilroy, who joined Old National in 2020. During his tenure, Kilroy spearheaded a groundbreaking partnership with Infosys that vastly improved contact center quality and stabilized information quality metrics across the organization, leading to a 2024 “Tech Exec of the Year” honor from the Indianapolis Business Journal.

    ABOUT OLD NATIONAL
    Old National Bancorp (NASDAQ: ONB) is the holding company of Old National Bank. As the fifth largest commercial bank headquartered in the Midwest, Old National proudly serves clients primarily in the Midwest and Southeast. With approximately $70 billion of assets and $37 billion of assets under management (including Bremer Financial Corporation on a pro forma basis as of March 31, 2025), Old National ranks among the top 25 banking companies headquartered in the United States. Tracing our roots to 1834, Old National focuses on building long-term, highly valued partnerships with clients while also strengthening and supporting the communities we serve. In addition to providing extensive services in consumer and commercial banking, Old National offers comprehensive wealth management and capital markets services. For more information and financial data, please visit Investor Relations at oldnational.com. In 2025, Points of Light again named Old National one of “The Civic 50” — an honor reserved for the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States.

    Investor Relations:
    Lynell Durchholz
    (812) 464-1366
    lynell.durchholz@oldnational.com

    Media Relations:
    Rick Vach
    (904) 535-9489
    rick.vach@oldnational.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5d64d8b1-0fab-4151-8bd2-c21133a36465

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Celebrates Big Beautiful Win for Iowans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) released the following statement celebrating the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act:
    “President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill delivers on what Iowans voted for in November, keeping more money in hardworking folks’ pockets, real border security, and a safer America,” said Ernst. “In addition to the largest tax cut in history for our families, farmers, and small businesses, the bill strengthens the integrity of Medicaid and prioritizes those who truly need help by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. I am proud to have fought to save $100 million for taxpayers over the next decade and eliminated unfair practices in the FAFSA process that held back farm families from investing in their child’s education. I will always fight to improve Iowans’ lives and continue to lead the charge in Washington to reduce reckless spending and put taxpayers first.”
    The Senate unanimously approved Ernst’s Ending Unemployment Payments to Jobless Millionaires Act that will disqualify anyone making a million dollars or more from being eligible for unemployment income support. It is estimated to save taxpayers up to $100 million over the next decade.
    Ernst’s Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act was also included. It will ensure that Iowans will not have to sell off the farm, or their small business, to afford college by restoring the original exemption of all farmland, machinery, and other operational materials from being declared on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.
    Ernst also provided certainty for Iowa farmers by raising reference prices to strengthen the farm safety net, improving foreign animal disease prevention, protecting access to affordable crop insurance, prioritizing domestic feedstocks to support biofuel producers, expanding trade opportunities, and permanently extending the death tax exemption to ensure family farms and small businesses can be passed down to the next generation. 
    Ernst was a leading voice in the fight to make the Trump tax cuts permanent to avoid a $4 trillion tax increase and empower small business owners and farmers to invest in themselves through provisions like bonus depreciation, 199-A, and the research and development deduction.
    After the Trump administration busted more than 300 criminals accused of $14.6 billion in health care fraud, Ernst emphasized how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act strengthens and preserves Medicaid for our most vulnerable Americans who need it by targeting waste, fraud, and abuse.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Statement on Senate Passage of Draconian Republican Health Care, Clean Energy Cuts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Senator Markey: “Senate Republicans abdicated their responsibility to the American people.”
    Washington (July 1, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today released the following statement after Republicans voted to pass H.R. 1, Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.” The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.
    “Today, Senate Republicans abdicated their responsibility to the American people. They acted in service to Trump and billionaires while pursuing the largest cuts to health care, food security, and climate and clean energy in United States history. If these cuts pass into law and even one child goes hungry, one worker loses their job, or one person cannot get lifesaving care, the burden falls on Republicans for their record-setting cruelty.
    “People’s lives and livelihoods should not be treated as expendable. Hospitals, nursing homes, and community health centers should not be forced into financial emergency rooms. Families should not be poisoned by pollution or shoulder higher energy costs, and communities should not be left defenseless against the worsening climate crisis.
    “The fight is not over, but time is running out and inaction will cost lives. That’s why we cannot agonize – we must organize. As this Big Ugly Bill heads to the House of Representatives, we all need to continue to raise our voices even louder to stop Trump and Republicans from tearing health care, food assistance, and a livable future away from millions of Americans.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After Weeks of Markey Raising the Alarm, Senate Strikes AI Moratorium from Budget Reconciliation Bill Overnight in Overwhelming 99-1 Vote

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Washington (July 1, 2025) – Overnight, the U.S. Senate voted 99-1 in favor of an amendment co-sponsored by Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Senator Marsha Blackburn (R–Tenn.) to strip a ten-year moratorium on state AI regulations from the Republican budget reconciliation bill.
    “Early this morning, the Senate overwhelmingly voted to reject a dangerous provision to block states from regulating artificial intelligence, including protecting kids online. This 99-1 vote sent a clear message that Congress will not sell out our kids and local communities in order to pad the pockets of Big Tech billionaires. I am proud to have partnered with Ranking Member Cantwell and Senator Blackburn on an amendment to strip this dangerous language, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to develop responsible guardrails for AI,” said Senator Markey.
    For weeks, Senator Markey raised alarms over the provision which would have forced states to make an impossible choice between enforcing AI consumer protections or accepting federal BEAD funding to expand broadband access. Despite several revisions by its author and misleading assurances about its true impact, state officials from across the country, including 17 Republican Governors and 40 state Attorneys General, as well conservative and liberal organizations – from the Heritage Foundation to the Center for American Progress – rallied against the harmful proposal.
    On June 30, Senator Markey introduced an amendment with Senator Cantwell to strip the entire provision prior to introducing the same amendment with Senator Cantwell and Senator Blackburn on July 1. On June 10, Senator Markey announced his plans to file an amendment to the Senate reconciliation bill to block Republicans’ attempt to prevent states from regulating artificial intelligence (AI) for the next 10 years. On June 4, Senator Markey convened a virtual roundtable with advocates to discuss the impacts this ban would have on communities across the country. On June 3, Senator Markey delivered remarks on the Senate floor opposing the provision in the House-passed reconciliation bill that would prevent states from regulating AI for the next ten years.
    Senator Markey is the author of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Civil Rights Act, the most comprehensive AI civil rights legislation introduced in Congress. The legislation would put strict guardrails on companies’ use of algorithms for consequential decisions, ensure algorithms are tested before and after deployment, help eliminate and prevent bias, and renew Americans’ faith in the accuracy and fairness of complex algorithms.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman Statement on Passage of Budget Reconciliation Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman
    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) released the following statement after Senate passage of budget reconciliation legislation that advances President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ agenda:
    “This bill delivers the largest tax cut ever for working and middle-class Americans in addition to letting tipped and hourly workers, seniors and families keep more of their hard-earned income. It also eliminates waste, fraud and abuse so assistance programs can continue to serve the vulnerable, and provides transformational funding for border security, national security and energy security. These policies will help responsibly steward taxpayer dollars and make our nation stronger, safer and more prosperous.” 
    Boozman, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, also weighed in specifically on the committee-led provisions to deliver permanent tax relief to America’s farmers and invest in rural communities:
    “We make commonsense reforms to SNAP to ensure the program operates efficiently, is accountable to the taxpayers and helps those who truly need it. There is also good news for hardworking farmers, ranchers and producers who for too long were forced to operate under outdated policies. Our investments in farm country will support the long-term success of family farms and America’s agriculture industry, providing desperately needed and improved risk management tools as well as a modernized farm safety net.”
    Background
    The pro-growth legislation extends the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, preventing the largest tax hike in history and providing additional tax relief to working families and small businesses. Expiration of these cuts would mean a $4 trillion tax increase, including a $2.6 trillion-plus tax hike on households earning less than $400,000 per year. The average Arkansan would avoid paying $2,325 more in taxes under the Senate-passed bill.
    Provisions addressing important tax priorities permanently include:
    Lowering tax rates and removing taxes on tips as well as overtime for millions of workers in addition to a sizable deduction for millions of low- and middle-income seniors;
    Increasing and enhancing the child tax credit and standard deduction claimed by over 90 percent of taxpayers;
    Extending the 20 percent small business deduction and enabling full expensing on capital investment as well as research and development; and
    Keeping the death tax from doubling for farm families and small business owners so they can be passed on to the next generation.
    Click here for more on the tax impact for Arkansans.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McConnell on Senate Passage of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill

    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 passage of the Senate version of the Reconciliation Bill:
    “The American people sent President Trump and Republican majorities to Washington with a clear mandate: secure the border, restore peace through strength and American energy dominance, and give working families and small businesses relief from the Biden economy.
    “Our votes today are a step toward fulfilling that duty. We’re bolstering border security, investing in programs that assist our farmers, raising take-home pay for working Kentuckians, and preventing the largest tax hike in American history.
    “In the realm of national defense, there is still more to be done. Reconciliation was an opportunity to make an urgent, additive investment on top of a steadily increasing base budget, not an invitation to offload major annual priorities to a one-time injection of funds. Largely missing this opportunity makes the Congress’ work to secure robust topline defense funding even more important, and I will continue to urge my colleagues and the Administration to meet growing and coordinated threats to America’s security with the resources they demand.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 07/1/2025 Senators Blackburn and Hagerty Praise President Trump’s TVA Nominees

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) released the following joint statement after President Trump nominated three Tennesseans, Lee Beaman, Jeff Hagood, and Mitch Graves, to the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority:

    “The Tennessee Valley Authority is a critical part of our nation’s energy security, and we are pleased that President Trump has nominated three competent and visionary Tennesseans to the board who will help achieve America’s nuclear renaissance and deliver affordable and abundant energy. These nominees are a strong departure from the Biden-era TVA board which failed to meet the moment. We urge colleagues to swiftly confirm President Trump’s TVA board nominees to make certain the United States leads the world in next-generation nuclear and wins the global race for energy dominance.”

    RELATED

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand Statement on Senate Passage of Trump’s Big Beautiful Betrayal of the American People

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

    Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement after Senate passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act:

    “This destructive bill is a big, beautiful betrayal of the American people. President Trump and Senate Republicans are cutting health care and food assistance for working families in order to give massive tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. Just as bad, this bill will raise the cost of living for working families by thousands of dollars. It’s outrageous and I will continue fighting to defeat it.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján: Republican Bill Betrays New Mexico Families by Taking an Axe to Health Care, Nutrition Programs, and Rural Communities

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Luján Holds Senate Floor During Midnight Session 

    WATCH: Luján Introduces Amendment to Save SNAP 

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) issued the following statement after Senate Republicans voted to pass their partisan budget reconciliation bill: 

    “Senate Republicans just pushed through a budget bill that hurts New Mexican families. In their rush to meet President Trump’s demands, they voted blindly, with no regard for the harm this bill will inflict on all of our constituents.

    “This Republican bill guts health care for children and families, strips food assistance from our neighbors, and puts rural hospitals and grocery stores on the brink of closure – all to hand out massive tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy and big corporations. It also adds more than $3 trillion to the national debt – driving up interest rates across the board, making car loans and mortgages more expensive for families, and raising borrowing costs for small businesses and farmers.

    “This bill is not just bad policy – it’s a failure of leadership and a betrayal of New Mexico families, rural communities, and American values.”

    Senator Luján backed a series of amendments and motions to the Republican reconciliation bill aimed at protecting access to health care and nutrition programs and lowering costs for New Mexicans. Senate Republicans blocked these common-sense proposals from Senator Luján and Senate Democrats. Among those measures:

    Keeping Food on the Table for New Mexicans: 

    Millions of families rely on nutrition assistance programs. Senator Luján led a motion to protect funding for SNAP that ensures New Mexico families and children have access to nutritious food. These programs also support New Mexico’s farmers, ranchers, and local communities that rely on these dollars to keep food on shelves and economies strong. 

    Defending Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act:

    Republicans are trying to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations by ripping away Medicaid coverage from millions of Americans. New Mexico has the highest per-capita Medicaid enrollment in the country, and children, pregnant women, and working families depend on it. Senator Luján supported a motion to strengthen Medicaid and protect health care for New Mexicans.

    Keeping New Mexico Communities Safe:

    Amid a nationwide shortage of police officers, Senator Luján proposed a motion to provide increased resources for local law enforcement by funding the COPS Hiring Program. Senator Luján previously led dozens of his colleagues in calling for additional funding for public safety.

    Protecting New Mexicans from Wildfires:

    As wildfires continue to devastate New Mexico and the West, Senator Luján supported a motion to invest in wildfire prevention and protect our communities from future disasters.

    Protecting Clean Energy Investments:

    As the climate crisis grows more urgent – and Republicans push to gut clean energy programs – Senator Luján supported amendments to safeguard investments in our energy future and reduce costs.

    Lowering Taxes for Small Businesses and the Middle Class: 

    To bring down costs for New Mexico families and small businesses, Senator Luján supported amendments that would provide tax relief to the middle class and small businesses.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Research and outreach in the Clear Lake Volcanic Field

    Source: US Geological Survey

    CalVO geologist Seth Burgess looking across Clear Lake at Mount Konocti, a prominent volcanic dome complex within the Clear Lake volcanic field. Photo courtesy of Alexander Rubin (rights reserved)

    The Clear Lake Volcanic Field is located ~ 100 miles north of San Francisco, CA and is named after the lake adjacent to which much of the volcanism occurred. Eruptions have happened here in the past 10 thousand years, making it a “high threat” volcanic system, the closest such system to the densely populated Bay Area. With eruptions as old as almost 3 million years, the Clear Lake field is a spectacular example of long-lived volcanism. In its lifetime, the field has erupted numerous lava flows, built lava domes and cinder cones, and exploded maar craters. CalVO is actively studying and monitoring the Clear Lake field in an attempt to better understand its volcanic past and thus better predict how it might behave in future years, centuries, and millennia. Part of these efforts includes sharing science with local landowners, such as farmers and wineries, who are very interested in how volcanic soils affect the wines made from grapes grown upon them.

    In this photo, Dr. Seth Burgess, a CalVO geologist, is taking a break from “volcano camp,” an event hosted by Brassfield Estate Winery, during which wine industry professionals came together to discuss worldwide wines made from grapes grown on volcanic rocks. Seth is looking out over Clear Lake at Mount Konocti, a group of volcanic domes and lava flows erupted around 400 thousand years ago. The opportunity to speak with folks at events like Volcano Camp is critical to effectively communicating exciting new science with stakeholders who live and work within the Clear Lake volcanic field.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Sues Trump Administration for Illegally Sharing Californians’ Personal Health Data with ICE

    Source: US State of California

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, leading a multistate coalition, is filing a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) decision to provide unfettered access to individual personal health data to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In the seven decades since Congress enacted the Medicaid Act to provide medical assistance to vulnerable populations, federal law, policy, and practice has been clear: the personal healthcare data collected about beneficiaries of the program is confidential, to be shared only in certain narrow circumstances that benefit public health and the integrity of the Medicaid program itself. In today’s lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that the mass transfer of this data violates the law and ask the court to block any new transfer or use of this data for immigration enforcement purposes. 

    “The Trump Administration has upended longstanding privacy protections with its decision to illegally share sensitive, personal health data with ICE. In doing so, it has created a culture of fear that will lead to fewer people seeking vital emergency medical care,” said Attorney General Bonta. “I’m sickened by this latest salvo in the President’s anti-immigrant campaign. We’re headed to court to prevent any further sharing of Medicaid data — and to ensure any of the data that’s already been shared is not used for immigration enforcement purposes.”

    Created in 1965, Medicaid is an essential source of health insurance for lower-income individuals and particular underserved population groups, including children, pregnant women, individuals with disabilities, and seniors. The Medicaid program allows each participating state to develop and administer its own unique health plans; states must meet threshold federal statutory criteria, but they can tailor their plans’ eligibility standards and coverage options to residents’ needs. As of January 2025, 78.4 million people were enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) nationwide.  

    California’s Medi-Cal program provides healthcare coverage for one out of every three Californians, including more than two million noncitizens. Noncitizens include green card holders, refugees, individuals who hold temporary protected status, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival recipients, and others. Not all noncitizens are eligible for federally funded Medi-Cal services, and so California uses state-only funds to provide a version of the Medi-Cal program to all eligible state residents, regardless of their immigration status. 

    A certain amount of personal data is routinely exchanged between the states and the federal government for purposes of administering Medicaid, including verifying eligibility for federal funding. Historically, DHS has acknowledged that the Medicaid Act and other federal healthcare authorities foreclose the use of Medicaid personal information for immigration enforcement purposes. Yet now, the federal government appears to have — without formal acknowledgment — adopted a new policy that allows for the wholesale disclosure and use of state residents’ personal Medicaid data for purposes unrelated to Medicaid program administration. On June 13, 2025, California and other states learned through news reports that HHS has transferred en masse their state’s Medicaid data files, containing personal health records representing millions of individuals, to DHS. Reports indicate that the federal government plans to create a sweeping database for “mass deportations” and other large-scale immigration enforcement purposes.

    The federal government claims it gave this data to DHS “to ensure that Medicaid benefits are reserved for individuals who are lawfully entitled to receive them.” But it is Congress that extended coverage and federal funds for emergency Medicaid to all individuals residing in the United States, regardless of immigration status. The states have and will continue to cooperate with federal oversight activities to ensure that the federal government pays only for those Medicaid services that are legally authorized.  

    In today’s lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition highlight that the Trump Administration’s illegal actions are creating fear and confusion that will lead noncitizens and their family members to disenroll, or refuse to enroll, in emergency Medicaid for which they are otherwise eligible, leaving states and their safety net hospitals to foot the bill for federally mandated emergency healthcare services.  They may not get the emergency health services they need and will suffer negative health consequences — and even death — as a result. The coalition asks that the court find the Trump Administration’s actions arbitrary and capricious and rulemaking without proper procedure in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act, contrary to the Social Security Act, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Federal Information Security Modernization Act, and Privacy Act, and in violation of the Spending Clause. They ask the court to enjoin HHS from transferring personally identifiable Medicaid data to DHS or any other federal agency and DHS from using this data to conduct immigration enforcement.  

    Attorney General Bonta leads the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washinton in filing the lawsuit. 

    A copy of the lawsuit will be posted online here when available.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department Charges Two Individuals with Acting as Agents of the PRC Government

    Source: US State of California

    Arrests Disrupted Clandestine PRC Ministry of State Security Intelligence Network Operating in the United States

    Two nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) made their initial appearances in federal court in Portland, Oregon, and Houston, Texas, yesterday to face charges issued out of the Northern District of California for acting as agents of the Government of the PRC without prior notification to the Attorney General. The defendants, Yuance Chen, 38, a PRC national and legal permanent resident who resides in Happy Valley, Oregon, and Liren “Ryan” Lai, 39, a PRC national who traveled from the PRC to Houston, Texas, on a tourist visa in April 2025, were arrested Friday on a criminal complaint charging them with overseeing and carrying out various clandestine intelligence taskings in the United States on behalf of the PRC Government’s principal foreign intelligence service, the Ministry of State Security (MSS). These activities included facilitating a “dead drop” payment of cash for information relating to the national security of the United States previously provided to the MSS, gathering intelligence about U.S. Navy service members and bases, and assisting with efforts to recruit other individuals from within the U.S. military as potential MSS assets.

    Chen and Lai were arrested on June 27, 2025, by the FBI in Happy Valley, Oregon, and Houston Texas, as part of a coordinated counterintelligence and law enforcement operation across multiple states.

    “This case underscores the Chinese government’s sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Justice Department will not stand by while hostile nations embed spies in our country – we will expose foreign operatives, hold their agents to account, and protect the American people from covert threats to our national security.”

    “The FBI arrested two Chinese nationals who were allegedly attempting to recruit U.S. military service members on behalf of the PRC,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The Chinese Communist Party thought they were getting away with their scheme to operate on U.S. soil, utilizing spy craft, like dead drops, to pay their sources. This case was a complex, coordinated effort and is an example of outstanding counterintelligence work done by FBI San Francisco, Portland, Houston, San Diego, and the Counterintelligence Division. The FBI will continue to vigilantly defend the homeland from China’s pervasive attempts to infiltrate our borders.”

    “Adverse foreign intelligence services like the PRC’s Ministry of State Security dedicate years to recruiting individuals and cultivating them as intelligence assets to do their bidding within the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Under my leadership, the National Security Division will continue to defend our nation and neutralize our adversaries’ clandestine spy networks.”

    “These charges reflect the breadth of the efforts by our foreign adversaries to target the United States — this time by conducting illegal intelligence-gathering operations aimed at our national security information and military service members,” said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California. “My office and the FBI remain ever vigilant in guarding against these threats to the United States. We will continue to undertake counterespionage investigations and prosecutions, no matter how complex and sensitive, to disrupt attempts to weaken our national security.”

    As alleged in the criminal complaint unsealed yesterday, the PRC Government conducts intelligence activities against the United States through multiple arms, including the MSS. The MSS handles civilian intelligence collection for the PRC and is responsible for counterintelligence and foreign intelligence, as well as political security. The MSS and its bureaus seek to obtain information on political, economic, and security policies that might affect the PRC, along with military, scientific, and technical information of value to the PRC. The MSS and its bureaus are tasked with conducting clandestine and covert human source operations, of which the United States is a principal target.

    As alleged in the criminal complaint, Lai recruited Chen to work on behalf of the MSS in or about 2021. While in Guangzhou, China, in January 2022, Lai and Chen worked together to facilitate a dead-drop payment of at least $10,000 on behalf of the MSS, working with other individuals located in the United States to leave a backpack with the cash at a day-use locker at a recreational facility located in Livermore, California.

    Following the January 2022 dead drop, Lai and Chen continued to work on behalf of the MSS, including to help identify potential assets for MSS recruitment within the ranks of the U.S. Navy. For example, beginning in 2022, Chen was tasked by Lai and other agents of the MSS to contact a Navy employee over social media, and then later, in 2025, arranged for a tour with the employee of the USS Abraham Lincoln and provided information about the employee to the MSS. In 2022 and 2023, Chen was tasked to visit a U.S. Naval installation in Washington State and a U.S. Navy recruitment center in San Gabriel, California. While in the recruitment center, Chen obtained photographs of a bulletin board containing the names, programs, and hometowns of recent Navy recruits, the majority of whom listed their hometown as “China,” which he appears to have transmitted to an MSS intelligence officer in China. The complaint also alleges that Chen received instruction from the MSS on what to say to potential recruits regarding potential payment that could be made by the MSS, preferred Naval job assignments for potential recruits, and methods for minimizing Chen’s risk of exposure. The complaint alleges that in 2023, Lai flew to the United States from the PRC and provided Chen with a cellphone that Chen then used to communicate with the MSS. The complaint also alleges that Chen traveled to Guangzhou and met with MSS intelligence officers in April 2024 and March 2025 in order to discuss compensation and specific taskings.

    The complaint also alleges that Lai traveled to Houston, Texas, in April 2025, claiming that the purpose of his visit was related to his business as an online retail seller, and that he would be staying in the Houston area for two weeks. However, on May 9, 2025 – more than four weeks after his arrival in the United States – Lai traveled by car with a companion from Houston to Southern California, via New Mexico and Tucson, Arizona, before returning to Texas, on May 15, 2025.

    Chen and Lai are charged with violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 951, which makes it a crime for a person to operate or agree to operate within the United States as an agent of a foreign government without notification to the Attorney General of the United States. If convicted, the defendants face a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of imprisonment of up to 10 years.

    The FBI San Francisco Field Office is leading the investigation, with valuable assistance provided by the FBI Portland, Houston, and San Diego Field Offices. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) also provided valuable assistance during the operation. 

    The National Security and Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California and the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are in charge of the prosecution. Significant operational support and assistance is also being provided by the District of Oregon, the Southern District of Texas, and the Southern District of California.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Wayne County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Randy Price, 52, of Wayne, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 16, 2019, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Price in Charleston. Price attempted to flee on foot but was captured. Law enforcement seized a Raven Arms MP-25 .25-caliber pistol from the vehicle.

    Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Price knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for involuntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas on June 28, 2002.

    Price is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department.

    United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys JC MacCallum and Negar M. Kordestani have prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-97.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Wayne County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Randy Price, 52, of Wayne, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 16, 2019, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Price in Charleston. Price attempted to flee on foot but was captured. Law enforcement seized a Raven Arms MP-25 .25-caliber pistol from the vehicle.

    Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Price knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for involuntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas on June 28, 2002.

    Price is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department.

    United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys JC MacCallum and Negar M. Kordestani have prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-97.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pair Admit Attempted Armed Kidnapping and Robbery of Apartment Property Manager

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    ST. LOUIS – Two people have admitted to attempting to kidnap and rob a St. Louis apartment property manager at gunpoint in 2024, as well as other gun crimes.

    Emma M. Cunningham, 32, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court to attempted kidnapping, transfer of a firearm to a convicted felon and making a false statement in connection with the purchase of a firearm.

    Jervonz L. Williams, 49, pleaded guilty on June 23 to attempted kidnapping, robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon.

    Both admitted that on Feb. 20, 2024, Cunningham bought a handgun for Williams, her boyfriend and a convicted felon who is thus barred from possessing firearms. Cunningham lied on Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Form 4473 when she claimed she was buying the gun for herself and when she denied being an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

    Williams admitted using the gun to threaten others, including one of Cunningham’s neighbors. He also admitted using it to rob a drug dealer of $17, a gun and cocaine base in late June of 2024. Williams struck the dealer on the head with the revolver multiple times during the robbery.

    Williams and Cunningham used that gun again on Aug. 5, 2024, in a failed bid to kidnap an apartment property manager in St. Louis. The property manager was meeting Cunningham, her tenant, for a final walkthrough. When the victim entered the apartment, Cunningham locked the door and Williams threatened to kill her when she tried to call 911. Williams then demanded cash and the password to her phone so that they could access her financial accounts. They secured her to a chair with duct tape, but she broke free and was able to escape, even though Cunningham and Williams ripped off her shirt and tore out clumps of her hair trying to prevent her from leaving. Two days later, police arrested the couple. Williams had the .38-caliber revolver Cunningham purchased and she had a box of ammunition.

    Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on September 24 and Cunningham on September 30. The kidnapping and robbery charges each carry a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The felon in possession and transfer of a firearm charge each carry a penalty of up to 15 years. The false statement charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pair Admit Attempted Armed Kidnapping and Robbery of Apartment Property Manager

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    ST. LOUIS – Two people have admitted to attempting to kidnap and rob a St. Louis apartment property manager at gunpoint in 2024, as well as other gun crimes.

    Emma M. Cunningham, 32, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court to attempted kidnapping, transfer of a firearm to a convicted felon and making a false statement in connection with the purchase of a firearm.

    Jervonz L. Williams, 49, pleaded guilty on June 23 to attempted kidnapping, robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon.

    Both admitted that on Feb. 20, 2024, Cunningham bought a handgun for Williams, her boyfriend and a convicted felon who is thus barred from possessing firearms. Cunningham lied on Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Form 4473 when she claimed she was buying the gun for herself and when she denied being an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

    Williams admitted using the gun to threaten others, including one of Cunningham’s neighbors. He also admitted using it to rob a drug dealer of $17, a gun and cocaine base in late June of 2024. Williams struck the dealer on the head with the revolver multiple times during the robbery.

    Williams and Cunningham used that gun again on Aug. 5, 2024, in a failed bid to kidnap an apartment property manager in St. Louis. The property manager was meeting Cunningham, her tenant, for a final walkthrough. When the victim entered the apartment, Cunningham locked the door and Williams threatened to kill her when she tried to call 911. Williams then demanded cash and the password to her phone so that they could access her financial accounts. They secured her to a chair with duct tape, but she broke free and was able to escape, even though Cunningham and Williams ripped off her shirt and tore out clumps of her hair trying to prevent her from leaving. Two days later, police arrested the couple. Williams had the .38-caliber revolver Cunningham purchased and she had a box of ammunition.

    Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on September 24 and Cunningham on September 30. The kidnapping and robbery charges each carry a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The felon in possession and transfer of a firearm charge each carry a penalty of up to 15 years. The false statement charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Commends Trump Administration for Detaining Chinese Nationals Found Spying on U.S. Navy

    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 commending President Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel for arresting two Chinese nationals found spying on U.S. Navy servicemembers and bases:

    “I commend the Trump administration for arresting two Chinese nationals with ties to the Chinese Communist Party who were spying on U.S. Navy servicemembers and bases. From buying up our farmland to deploying spy balloons in our sovereign airspace, the Chinese Communist Party is no friend of the United States. We will not tolerate foreign espionage that threatens our troops and undermines our national security.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: House Republicans Pass Bills to Strengthen Border Security, Protect Public Safety

    Source: US House of Representatives Republicans

    The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –

    WASHINGTON—Today, House Republicans passed two pieces of legislation to strengthen border security, protect American communities, and enhance national security.

    House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) released the following statement:

    “House Republicans continue taking decisive action to restore the rule of law at our borders and put the safety of American citizens first,” Chairwoman McClain said. “I was proud to support these two critical bills that ensure dangerous individuals cannot exploit the immigration system or harm Americans and our communities. Michigan families, and all Americans, deserve leaders who will stand up for law, order, and national security.”

    H.R. 875, the Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act, ensures that non-U.S. nationals who commit DUI offenses are deported immediately and denied re-entry to protect public safety.

    H.R. 275, the Special Interest Alien Reporting Act, requires the Department of Homeland Security to provide monthly reports on non-citizens attempting illegal entry who may pose national security threats. This transparency is critical for assessing risks and defending America.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairwoman McClain Slams Democrats for Failing to Condemn Violent Attacks on Police Officers

    Source: US House of Representatives Republicans

    The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –

    Chairwoman McClain Slams Democrats for Failing to Condemn Violent Attacks on Police Officers

    Washington, June 27, 2025

    WASHINGTON—House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) released the following statement after the U.S. House passed H. Res. 516 – a resolution that condemns the violent riots in Los Angeles, California, and expresses support for law enforcement officers:

    “Burning cars and attacking law enforcement officers should never be considered a ‘peaceful protest’ in America. Democrats just failed to condemn the violent riots in Los Angeles and to express support for our law enforcement officers. Their derangement is on full display,” Chairwoman McClain said. “The contrast is clear: Democrats side with violent criminal illegal aliens, while Republicans will always stand with our heroic law enforcement officers. Shame on them.”  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: House Republican Leadership Statement on Senate Passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill

    Source: US House of Representatives Republicans

    The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –

    WASHINGTON—Speaker Johnson, Leader Scalise, Whip Emmer, and Chairwoman McClain released the following joint statement after the Senate’s passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill. The House will consider the bill immediately for final passage and put it on President Trump’s desk by the Fourth of July.

    “The House will work quickly to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill that enacts President Trump’s full America First agenda by the Fourth of July. The American people gave us a clear mandate, and after four years of Democrat failure, we intend to deliver without delay.

    “Republicans were elected to do exactly what this bill achieves: secure the border, make tax cuts permanent, unleash American energy dominance, restore peace through strength, cut wasteful spending, and return to a government that puts Americans first.

    “This bill is President Trump’s agenda, and we are making it law. House Republicans are ready to finish the job and put the One Big Beautiful Bill on President Trump’s desk in time for Independence Day.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Baltimore investigation leads to decade-long prison sentence for Prince George’s County man convicted of drug conspiracy

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    BALTIMORE — An investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement led to the sentencing of Amos Oluremi Nureni, 43, to 10 years in prison followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    “This sentence sends a clear message: Those who traffic fentanyl, a deadly drug fueling our nation’s overdose crisis, will be held accountable,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella. “In Maryland, we are seeing the devastating impact of fentanyl on our communities every day. Through our strong partnerships with the DEA and the U.S. attorney’s office, HSI will continue to pursue and dismantle the criminal networks responsible for pushing this poison into our neighborhoods. The sentencing of Amos Oluremi Nureni is a direct result of that commitment.”

    In September 2023, HSI and the DEA began investigating Nureni in connection with suspected fentanyl trafficking. During the investigation, law enforcement conducted two controlled purchases in which Nureni sold an undercover officer approximately 400 to 500 pills.

    The pills were blue in color and imprinted with “M30” — mimicking the markings on legitimate pills from a manufacturer containing oxycodone hydrochloride. As confirmed by laboratory analysis, the blue “M30” pills contained fentanyl. In total, Nureni sold approximately 866 fentanyl pills — or nearly 100 grams of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl — to the undercover officer.

    Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Nureni’s Laurel residence March 27, 2024. During the search, law enforcement found a bag containing approximately 10.48 grams (98 pills) of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl and a silver Taurus pistol with an obliterated number in Nureni’s safe. The pistol was loaded with a 9mm round of ammunition in the chamber and a magazine containing six rounds of 9mm ammunition.

    Additionally, law enforcement found a large silver and red hydraulic press; a small silver hydraulic press; a digital scale with white powder residue; and several bags containing approximately 6.44 grams (61 pills) of fentanyl, approximately 6.25 grams of cocaine base, approximately 0.859 grams of cocaine, approximately 3.04 grams of cocaine, approximately 3.02 grams of methamphetamine and approximately 1.478 grams of dipentylone in Nureni’s residence.

    Campanella, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly O. Hayes and DEA Washington Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian announced the sentence.

    Members of the public with information about criminal activity should contact the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423).

    Learn more about HSI Baltimore’s mission to increase public safety in our Maryland communities on X at @HSIBaltimore.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AFSCME’s Saunders: The Senate’s distorted priorities will leave working people footing the bill

    Source: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement after the Senate passed its version of the budget reconciliation bill, which would bring even deeper cuts to Medicaid while also slashing food assistance and public services nationwide:

    “We are deeply disappointed by the Senate’s decision to pass a dangerous budget that tears health care away from over 20 million people, leaves millions without food assistance, and saddles working families with higher costs. From the caregivers who rely on Medicaid to keep their loved ones at home, to the hardworking parents struggling to afford groceries, to the nurses worried about their patients losing care, everyday people will foot the bill for a budget that hands more tax cuts to billionaires at the expense of our communities.

    “For months, AFSCME members have urged Congress to reject this morally bankrupt budget and put working families ahead of debt-exploding tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. Instead, a narrow majority in the United States Senate sold out their own constituents by gutting the health care, food assistance and public services our communities count on. Their distorted priorities will not only increase costs for working people but also ignite a fiscal catastrophe that will force states, counties, cities and towns to slash funding for local schools, hospitals, nursing homes, emergency response centers, colleges and other basic services or shut them down entirely.

    “This budget bill is deeply unpopular for a reason: It is the largest transfer of wealth from working families to billionaires and big corporations in American history, and it will cost lives and jobs. But this fight is not yet over. As this budget bill moves back to the House for final passage, AFSCME members will be getting organized and fighting tooth and nail to protect our communities.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fugitive Cindy Rodriguez Singh, Wanted for Capital Murder in Everman, Texas, Added to the FBI’s List of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives

    Source: US FBI

    On October 31, 2023, Cindy Rodriguez Singh was charged with capital murder in the District Court of Tarrant County, Fort Worth, Texas. On November 2, 2023, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Rodriguez Singh in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth, Texas, for Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution. On August 29, 2024, the FBI announced a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to her arrest and conviction. Today, the FBI is increasing that amount and now offering up to a $250,000 reward.

    “The disappearance and suspected death of Noel Alvarez is still fresh in the minds of everyone in Everman as well as throughout North Texas. The addition of Cindy Rodriguez Singh to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List is an opportunity to bring this case to the eyes and ears of citizens across the country and around the world,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “We are confident that this publicity will culminate in her arrest and that she will be returned to the United States to answer for her alleged crimes.”

    “The addition of Cindy Rodriguez Singh to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list marks a powerful moment in our unrelenting pursuit of justice for Noel. This is a promise we made to him and to this community, that we would never stop until those responsible are held accountable,” said Craig Spencer, former chief of police and current city manager and emergency management coordinator for the city of Everman. “This designation amplifies our reach and renews our focus. We urge anyone, anywhere, with information to come forward now. Noel deserves that much. We are so incredibly thankful to the FBI for their continued effort and support on this incredibly important case.”

    “I deeply appreciate the unwavering dedication of our law enforcement agencies throughout this investigation,” Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells said. “We are hopeful that Cindy Rodriguez Singh will be apprehended and returned to Tarrant County. My office is committed to delivering justice for Noel.”

    Rodriguez Singh’s last confirmed sighting was on March 22, 2023, as she, her husband, and six juvenile children, boarded an international flight to India. She was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1985, and is 40 years old. The fugitive is 5’1” to 5’3” tall, weighs 120 to 140 pounds, has a medium complexion, and has tattoos on her back, both legs, right arm, right hand, and right calf. She has brown eyes and brown hair.

    Rodriguez Singh is believed to have ties to India and Mexico. Additional information and wanted posters in English, Spanish, and Hindi, can be found at this link: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten.

    The FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list was established in March 1950. Since its inception, 537 fugitives have appeared on the list and 497 have been apprehended or located—many due to tips from citizens. Since its inception, there have been eight fugitives wanted from the North Texas region placed on the list. In addition, five fugitives that have been placed on the list were arrested in the North Texas region.

    The FBI is offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading to the arrest of Cindy Rodriguez Singh. Anyone with information concerning Rodriguez Singh should immediately contact the nearest FBI office or local law enforcement agency.

    Calls can be directed to 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the FBI’s Dallas Field Office at 972-559-5000. Individuals from outside of the United States should contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Tips can also be submitted digitally at tips.fbi.gov. All information can remain anonymous, and confidentiality is guaranteed.

    This fugitive investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Fort Worth Resident Agency, Everman Police Department, Northeast Tarrant County Child Abduction Response Team, Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, and Texas Rangers.

    Media Contact:

    Public Affairs Officer, Melinda Urbina Garcia, murbina@fbi.gov

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Charges Two Individuals with Acting as Agents of the PRC Government

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    Arrests Disrupted Clandestine PRC Ministry of State Security Intelligence Network Operating in the United States

    Two nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) made their initial appearances in federal court in Portland, Oregon, and Houston, Texas, yesterday to face charges issued out of the Northern District of California for acting as agents of the Government of the PRC without prior notification to the Attorney General. The defendants, Yuance Chen, 38, a PRC national and legal permanent resident who resides in Happy Valley, Oregon, and Liren “Ryan” Lai, 39, a PRC national who traveled from the PRC to Houston, Texas, on a tourist visa in April 2025, were arrested Friday on a criminal complaint charging them with overseeing and carrying out various clandestine intelligence taskings in the United States on behalf of the PRC Government’s principal foreign intelligence service, the Ministry of State Security (MSS). These activities included facilitating a “dead drop” payment of cash for information relating to the national security of the United States previously provided to the MSS, gathering intelligence about U.S. Navy service members and bases, and assisting with efforts to recruit other individuals from within the U.S. military as potential MSS assets.

    Chen and Lai were arrested on June 27, 2025, by the FBI in Happy Valley, Oregon, and Houston Texas, as part of a coordinated counterintelligence and law enforcement operation across multiple states.

    “This case underscores the Chinese government’s sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Justice Department will not stand by while hostile nations embed spies in our country – we will expose foreign operatives, hold their agents to account, and protect the American people from covert threats to our national security.”

    “The FBI arrested two Chinese nationals who were allegedly attempting to recruit U.S. military service members on behalf of the PRC,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The Chinese Communist Party thought they were getting away with their scheme to operate on U.S. soil, utilizing spy craft, like dead drops, to pay their sources. This case was a complex, coordinated effort and is an example of outstanding counterintelligence work done by FBI San Francisco, Portland, Houston, San Diego, and the Counterintelligence Division. The FBI will continue to vigilantly defend the homeland from China’s pervasive attempts to infiltrate our borders.”

    “Adverse foreign intelligence services like the PRC’s Ministry of State Security dedicate years to recruiting individuals and cultivating them as intelligence assets to do their bidding within the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Under my leadership, the National Security Division will continue to defend our nation and neutralize our adversaries’ clandestine spy networks.”

    “These charges reflect the breadth of the efforts by our foreign adversaries to target the United States — this time by conducting illegal intelligence-gathering operations aimed at our national security information and military service members,” said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California. “My office and the FBI remain ever vigilant in guarding against these threats to the United States. We will continue to undertake counterespionage investigations and prosecutions, no matter how complex and sensitive, to disrupt attempts to weaken our national security.”

    As alleged in the criminal complaint unsealed yesterday, the PRC Government conducts intelligence activities against the United States through multiple arms, including the MSS. The MSS handles civilian intelligence collection for the PRC and is responsible for counterintelligence and foreign intelligence, as well as political security. The MSS and its bureaus seek to obtain information on political, economic, and security policies that might affect the PRC, along with military, scientific, and technical information of value to the PRC. The MSS and its bureaus are tasked with conducting clandestine and covert human source operations, of which the United States is a principal target.

    As alleged in the criminal complaint, Lai recruited Chen to work on behalf of the MSS in or about 2021. While in Guangzhou, China, in January 2022, Lai and Chen worked together to facilitate a dead-drop payment of at least $10,000 on behalf of the MSS, working with other individuals located in the United States to leave a backpack with the cash at a day-use locker at a recreational facility located in Livermore, California.

    Following the January 2022 dead drop, Lai and Chen continued to work on behalf of the MSS, including to help identify potential assets for MSS recruitment within the ranks of the U.S. Navy. For example, beginning in 2022, Chen was tasked by Lai and other agents of the MSS to contact a Navy employee over social media, and then later, in 2025, arranged for a tour with the employee of the USS Abraham Lincoln and provided information about the employee to the MSS. In 2022 and 2023, Chen was tasked to visit a U.S. Naval installation in Washington State and a U.S. Navy recruitment center in San Gabriel, California. While in the recruitment center, Chen obtained photographs of a bulletin board containing the names, programs, and hometowns of recent Navy recruits, the majority of whom listed their hometown as “China,” which he appears to have transmitted to an MSS intelligence officer in China. The complaint also alleges that Chen received instruction from the MSS on what to say to potential recruits regarding potential payment that could be made by the MSS, preferred Naval job assignments for potential recruits, and methods for minimizing Chen’s risk of exposure. The complaint alleges that in 2023, Lai flew to the United States from the PRC and provided Chen with a cellphone that Chen then used to communicate with the MSS. The complaint also alleges that Chen traveled to Guangzhou and met with MSS intelligence officers in April 2024 and March 2025 in order to discuss compensation and specific taskings.

    The complaint also alleges that Lai traveled to Houston, Texas, in April 2025, claiming that the purpose of his visit was related to his business as an online retail seller, and that he would be staying in the Houston area for two weeks. However, on May 9, 2025 – more than four weeks after his arrival in the United States – Lai traveled by car with a companion from Houston to Southern California, via New Mexico and Tucson, Arizona, before returning to Texas, on May 15, 2025.

    Chen and Lai are charged with violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 951, which makes it a crime for a person to operate or agree to operate within the United States as an agent of a foreign government without notification to the Attorney General of the United States. If convicted, the defendants face a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of imprisonment of up to 10 years.

    The FBI San Francisco Field Office is leading the investigation, with valuable assistance provided by the FBI Portland, Houston, and San Diego Field Offices. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) also provided valuable assistance during the operation. 

    The National Security and Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California and the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are in charge of the prosecution. Significant operational support and assistance is also being provided by the District of Oregon, the Southern District of Texas, and the Southern District of California.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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