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Category: United States of America

  • MIL-OSI: Willis Lease Finance Corporation Announces Closing of $596.0 Million in Fixed Rate Notes

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    COCONUT CREEK, Fla., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: WLFC) (“WLFC” or the “Company”), the leading lessor of commercial aircraft engines and global provider of aviation services, announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Willis Engine Structured Trust VIII (“WEST”), has completed the previously announced offering of $524,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of Series A Fixed Rate Notes (the “Series A Notes”) and $72,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of Series B Fixed Rate Notes (the “Series B Notes” and, together with the Series A Notes, the “Notes”).

    The Notes are secured by, among other things, WEST’s direct and indirect interests in a portfolio of 62 aircraft engines and two airframes, which WEST will acquire from WLFC or its other subsidiaries, pursuant to an asset purchase agreement. The final subscription was 3.60x (gross) and 5.10x (avail) on the Series A Notes and 7.15x (gross) and 13.00x (avail) on the Series B Notes.

    The Series A Notes and Series B Notes have a fixed coupon of 5.582% and 6.070%, respectively, an expected maturity of approximately six years, an expected weighted average life (based on certain modeling assumptions) of 5.1 years and a final maturity of 25 years. The Series A Notes and Series B Notes were issued at a price of 99.99721% and 99.99711% of par, respectively.

    The Notes offered by WEST have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or any other securities laws of any jurisdiction, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. The Notes were offered only to persons reasonably believed to be “qualified institutional buyers” as defined in, and in reliance on, Rule 144A under the Securities Act and outside the United States to non-U.S. persons in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.

    This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of, the Notes in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

    Willis Lease Finance Corporation

    Willis Lease Finance Corporation (“WLFC”) leases large and regional spare commercial aircraft engines, auxiliary power units and aircraft to airlines, aircraft engine manufacturers and maintenance, repair, and overhaul providers worldwide. These leasing activities are integrated with engine and aircraft trading, engine lease pools and asset management services through Willis Asset Management Limited, as well as various end-of-life solutions for engines and aviation materials provided through Willis Aeronautical Services, Inc. Through Willis Engine Repair Center®, Jet Centre by Willis, and Willis Aviation Services Limited, the Company’s service offerings include Part 145 engine maintenance, aircraft line and base maintenance, aircraft disassembly, parking and storage, airport FBO and ground and cargo handling services. Willis Sustainable Fuels intends to develop, build and operate projects to help decarbonize aviation.

    Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Do not unduly rely on forward-looking statements, which give only expectations about the future and are not guarantees. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which the forward-looking statement is based, except as required by law. Our actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to: the effects on the airline industry and the global economy of events such as war, terrorist activity and the COVID-19 pandemic; changes in oil prices, rising inflation and other disruptions to world markets; trends in the airline industry and our ability to capitalize on those trends, including growth rates of markets and other economic factors; risks associated with owning and leasing jet engines and aircraft; our ability to successfully negotiate equipment purchases, sales and leases, to collect outstanding amounts due and to control costs and expenses; changes in interest rates and availability of capital, both to us and our customers; our ability to continue to meet changing customer demands; regulatory changes affecting airline operations, aircraft maintenance, accounting standards and taxes; the market value of engines and other assets in our portfolio; and risks detailed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other continuing and current reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It is advisable, however, to consult any further disclosures the Company makes on related subjects in such filings. These statements constitute the Company’s cautionary statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

    CONTACT: Scott B. Flaherty
    Executive Vice President &
    Chief Financial Officer
    sflaherty@willislease.com
    561.413.0112
       

    The MIL Network –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 06/18/2025 VIDEO: Blackburn Scorches World Anti-Doping Agency for Refusing to Investigate Chinese Swimmers for Doping

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy led a hearing to hold the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accountable following the organization’s refusal to investigate Chinese swimmers testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs before the Tokyo Olympics.
    Senator Blackburn asked former Olympic swimmer Katie McLaughlin about the bombshell reporting that revealed top Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned drug and then went on to win Olympic Gold medals ahead of American athletes. Senator Blackburn also spoke with Travis Tygart, Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, on why it is completely implausible that Chinese Olympic swimmers were unwittingly contaminated.

    Click here to download video of Senator Blackburn’s remarks during the Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing.
    On Chinese Doping Scandal’s Impact on Olympic Athletes:
    Blackburn: “Miss McLaughlin, I want to come to you first. Talk to me a minute about how it made you feel when you read the New York Times expose, and you felt like it was confirmed to you that you had been beat because somebody was a cheater, and here you were putting your heart and soul into your training, and you get to that moment to get that medal, and it’s not there because somebody cheated you out of it.”
    McLaughlin: “Yeah, thank you for your question. It was devastating, honestly. I remember getting the call from USADA letting me know that the New York Times article was going to break, and I was just so taken aback and heartbroken, and I think I spent a lot of my career trusting in the powers that be, and it was really sad to find out that that’s not someone who could be trusted, meaning WADA. I think a lot of my teammates and I were just pretty let down, and I think, you know, at the end of the day, all I can control was myself and my own race, and my teammates could only control their part of the race, so that’s something to kind of hold on to. But I think, just pretty devastating, heartbreaking all around, but thank you.”
    On Why It Is Completely Implausible That Chinese Swimmers Were Unwittingly Contaminated
    Blackburn: “Mr. Tygart, as we’ve mentioned before, as soon as the allegations came to light, I got a letter out to WADA demanding to know why they felt like they could ignore this doping, and their answer back to me was insufficient, and of course, they blame everyone but themselves, which is not a surprise to us. And they even said that there was no basis to challenge that contamination and that the source was TMZ. And so there you go. We find out, of course, that they have lied about this, and I know you’ve reviewed their response. I want you to just talk for a minute about why it is completely implausible that the Chinese swimmers were unwittingly contaminated.”
    Tygart: “WADA did no investigation, just blindly accepted the factual scenario that was provided by the Chinese. And in fact, months before these positive tests showed up on their desk, they had interviewed a defector, a whistleblower from China, who had indicated to them that TMZ was being given in a systemic fashion to athletes, but yet, WADA leaders never brought in their independent investigative unit. They have a 16 person, very experienced investigative unit. They were not involved at all with investigating the facts of this case. TMZ is a prescription medication in some countries, it does not just show up in the kitchen. It’s unbelievable to think that, you know, Tinker Bell showed up and sprinkled it within the kitchen…”
    RELATED

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 06/12/2025 Blackburn, Booker, Boozman, Rosen, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Honoring Female Veterans

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate June 12, 2025, as “Women Veterans Appreciation Day” to honor the women who have served in the Armed Forces both on and off the battlefield throughout American history. June 12 marks the signing of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948:

    “From the women who disguised themselves to fight in the American Revolution and Civil War to the Hello Girls of World War I to today’s brave female service members, women have always answered the call to defend our nation,” said Senator Blackburn. “Millions of female veterans have served our country throughout its history, and Women Veterans Appreciation Day honors their courage, sacrifice, and vital contributions to our military.”

    “Since the Revolutionary War, women have proudly served in our armed forces with skill, sacrifice, and a deep commitment to defending the pillars of our nation’s democracy,” said Senator Booker. “By designating June 12 as Women Veterans Appreciation Day, we honor the over three million women who have served valiantly in our armed forces. This recognition is long overdue, and we as a country are forever indebted to these women for their bravery.” 

    “Our nation can be proud to honor and recognize the invaluable contributions and achievements of our women in uniform,” said Senator Boozman. “The Natural State is home to 19,000 female veterans who have served with valor, dedication and courage and I am proud to join my colleagues to celebrate their vital efforts as well as champion policies that ensure they receive the care and benefits they’ve earned.”

    “Women in Nevada and across the nation have served our country selflessly as members of our military, and we are forever grateful for their heroism and sacrifice,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to help introduce this bipartisan resolution to honor women veterans and the incredibly important role they’ve played in defending our nation. I will always work to advocate for all our nation’s veterans.”

    “On Women Veterans Appreciation Day, we honor the millions of American women whose service has strengthened both our military and our nation,” said Senator Collins. “As we prepare to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States Army, it is fitting that we recognize the vital contributions that women have made throughout the history of America’s armed forces. Over the years, their roles have expanded from support positions to senior leadership, and at every step, women have answered the call of duty, serving with courage, skill, and distinction.”

    Click here for resolution text.

    RELATED

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand Introduces Legislation To End Food Deserts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

    Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a virtual press conference to reintroduce her Healthy Food Financing Initiative Reauthorization Act, legislation to help end food deserts. Food deserts are areas where a significant portion of residents don’t have easy access to a grocery store and affordable, nutritious food. Instead, they are forced to rely on corner and convenience stores, which often sell little to no fresh produce, meat or dairy and whose prices are higher than those of a typical supermarket. 

    Gillibrand’s legislation would provide $50 million annually in mandatory federal funding for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). HFFI is a USDA program that offers loans and grants to incentivize grocery stores to establish locations in areas where residents lack easy access to fresh food retailers.

    “An easily accessible grocery store is a basic necessity, but hundreds of communities across our state don’t have consistent access to one,” said Senator Gillibrand. “That means residents have to travel miles outside their neighborhood just to buy staple groceries, a trip that can take hours on foot or by public transit for those without access to a car. It’s unacceptable. This legislation would provide $50 million each year to a federal program that incentivizes grocers to open new locations or expand existing ones to bring fresh food to areas that need it. It is a commonsense bill that would help communities across our country, and I look forward to working to get it passed.” 

    A map of food deserts across New York State is available here.

    In New York State, HFFI has provided financial or technical assistance to 4 fresh food retailers in Troy, Rochester, Buffalo, and Brooklyn, as well as dozens more nationwide. A full list of recipients is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Crapo Releases Finance Committee Reconciliation Text

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo

    Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) today released legislative text within the Finance Committee’s jurisdiction for inclusion in Senate Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill.
    “This bill prevents an over-$4 trillion tax hike and makes the successful 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent, enabling families and businesses to save and plan for the future. 
    “It delivers additional tax relief to middle-class families still recovering from record inflation under the Biden Administration.  It powers the economy by permanently extending critical pro-growth provisions and introduces new incentives for domestic investment, providing certainty for American job creators to spur domestic economic activity and invest in their workers.
    “The legislation also achieves significant savings by slashing Green New Deal spending and targeting waste, fraud and abuse in spending programs while preserving and protecting them for the most vulnerable. 
    “I look forward to continued coordination with our colleagues in the House and the Administration to deliver President Trump’s bold economic agenda for the American people as quickly as possible.”
    Click HERE to view bill text.
    Click HERE for a section-by-section.
    Click HERE for a bill overview.
    Click HERE to view the 2025 Tax Reform landing page.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo: Senate Republican Plan Powers Economic Growth, Delivers Tax Relief

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo

    Washington, D.C.– U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to talk about Senate Republicans’ plans to prevent the largest tax hike in U.S. history, power the economy through pro-growth tax policy, provide additional tax relief for working families and address wasteful spending.

    Click here or above to watch the interview

    On the importance of making pro-growth tax policy permanent: 

    [T]he Council of Economic Advisors has indicated that—together with some regulatory reform that President Trump is doing and some of the DOGE activities—we ought to generate somewhere between 4 and 6 percent growth in GDP, and what that translates into with regard to our tax bill is trillions of dollars for growth in capital formations, jobs, wages, benefits and new revenue to the treasury to pay down our deficits.

    This tax package will stop a $4.3 trillion tax increase, and it will make these taxes cuts permanent so that we don’t have to face another tax cliff like this in the future.

    Bonus depreciation—permanent; R&D—permanent; and the EBITDA accounting rules—permanent.  Those three business taxes that are now permanent are a big part of what is going to generate that capital formation in this country and help us grow back to the strength we did when we originally passed the [Tax Cuts and Jobs Act].

    . . .

    [The] 20 percent small business deduction is now permanent.  Our passthrough entities can get treated fairly like corporations do, and be a part of that incredible capital formation and growth that our country is going to see.

    On additional tax relief for American workers, seniors and businesses:

    [I]n addition to stopping a $4.3 trillion tax increase, we’ve got full factory expensing, as President Trump has asked for as well, and a number of other tax cuts. 

    We’ve got no tax on tips, an increase in the deduction for seniors, and we also have no tax on overtime.

    On Republican efforts to reduce spending: 

    We reduce actual spending in our entitlement programs by somewhere between one-and-a-half and $2 trillion, and that spending, as well as the growth element of these tax policies is going to generate a deficit reduction, not a deficit increase.

    The $1.5 to $2 trillion in actual spending reduction is the biggest entitlement reform that has ever been done by Congress.

    Legislative text within the Finance Committee’s jurisdiction can be found here, a section-by-section here and summary here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Minister for the Cabinet Office speech at Constitution Unit Conference

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Speech

    Minister for the Cabinet Office speech at Constitution Unit Conference

    Delivered on Wednesday 18th of June 2025 by The Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office.

    Introduction

    It’s a pleasure to be here with you all.

    Before I start, let me commend the Constitution Unit…

    …not just for hosting today’s conference…

    …but for – this year – reaching its 30th birthday. 

    Don’t worry, I’m not going to sing…

    …but I will sing your praises…just a little.

    The esteem in which you are held speaks to the high quality and rigor of your work…

    …and I could not imagine a better audience to speak to on today’s topic.

    Today, I want to focus on Constitutional reform…

    …what it means for our democracy…

    …and, most importantly, what it means for the public.

    But before I start talking about the future, I would like to focus – briefly – on the past.

    Magna Carta

    This year, we celebrate the 800th Anniversary of the 1225 edition of Magna Carta.

    The definitive edition that, arguably, set the template for the United States Declaration of Independence…

    …and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

    It may be surprising, then, to learn that the original Magna Carta from 1215 was revoked as quickly as it was ratified.

    King John wrote to Pope Innocent the Third to repudiate the agreement that he himself had struck…

    …and it was annulled a few months after it was sealed.

    As the comedian David Mitchell puts it: “King John thought the country was his to do with what he liked…

    …and the idea that the Kingdom could generate rules that he would then have to obey was absurd to him…

    …as if a billionaire found a ‘No Diving’ sign next to their private swimming pool”.

    But it was the determination of a few people that ensured it was reintroduced…

    …ratified by King John’s son, Henry III, and found its proper place on the statute book.

    Magna Carta began a constitutional thread…

    …to the Bill of Rights in 1689, which established parliamentary sovereignty and the right to free election…

    …the Reform Acts of the 19th Century, which led to the modern electoral system…

    …all the way up to the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law through the Human Rights Act 1998.

    For one of the country’s oldest historic written documents, it still delivers a few new surprises…

    …with Harvard University recently uncovering a Magna Carta original from 1300, after believing it was a much more recent copy. 

    Recent Context

    But what isn’t surprising is what a foundation that Magna Carta creates for our modern constitution…

    …made up of laws, conventions and rules…

    …that, crucially, outlined how no one person is above the law…

    …and that we must all be held to the same standard.

    That’s right in historical principle…

    …but when it comes to Government, has that always been the modern practice?

    To put it plainly: we have reached record levels of distrust and dissatisfaction with how the Government works…

    …and how it can get things done.

    The most recent National Centre for Social Research report found that 45% of people surveyed say they ‘almost never’ trust governments – of any party – to place the needs of the nation above their political party.

    That is at one level a remarkable statistic – but it is hardly surprising. 

    [political content removed]

    No wonder people became exhausted with Westminster… it felt like politics wasn’t working for them.

    What a shocking indictment of our political and constitutional system.

    Especially, when I know the change I can help secure for my constituents through Parliament…

    …and how MPs across parties are motivated by making a difference.

    Parliament remains the forum through which the British people can give an instruction for change.

    …but that is not to say it cannot – or should not – be strengthened.

    Nor is it to say that we should not, always, be looking at the adequacy of checks and balances.

    But, fundamentally, I believe that, through that change, we can restore the public’s faith in our constitution…

    …restore their capacity to feel like political choices can make their lives better… 

    …and make ordinary people feel like they have a stake.

    That couldn’t be more important to this Government. 

    [political content removed]

    Driven by the desire for change. To rebuild our country. National renewal. Returning politics to public service.

    These were not just words on a leaflet. They were something we felt angry about, driven by.

    After fourteen years, we have the opportunity to make people feel like they have a stake in their communities again…

    …a stake in their country again…

    …for people to see their politicians governing as an act of public service, not personal gratification.

    To put country before party.

    Changes to Date

    And we can do this in sensible ways, with tangible steps.

    Take the small task of restoring trust. 

    All of us in this room know that accountability and integrity are core parts of protecting our constitution.

    But what do those things mean to the majority of the population? 

    How can we show action … 

    …convey what that action represents, 

    …and what it will do. 

    If we want to govern in the name of public service, we need to show we care about it.

    That is why we brought in changes – holding our Government Ministers to account in a much stronger way than ever before. 

    The Prime Minister has given the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards the power to independently initiate investigations…

    …without retaining a veto. 

    And the new Ministerial Code, published in November last year, strengthened and clarified standards across the board…

    …enshrining the ‘Seven Principles of Public Life’ directly into the Code. 

    For too long, standards slipped…

    …and few were interested in re-establishing the ideals and principles that should define the Government’s work.

    This is precisely what the Prime Minister promised… 

    …that we would get a grip on the problems we face. 

    And, crucially, that we would be judged by our actions, not by our words. 

    This is a Government focused on national renewal…

    …and, as part of that renewal, embedding higher standards in public life. 

    House of Lords

    Nowhere is our desire for sensible change more evident than in the House of Lords…

    …and the reforms we are finally bringing to that Chamber. 

    Now, I know that there are many hardworking Peers across the Lords…

    …I am incredibly fortunate, in working in the Cabinet Office, to work alongside the Leader of the House of Lords. 

    Peers are, undeniably, a crucial part of our democracy…

    …who use their expertise and experience to ensure legislation is scrutinised to an incredibly high standard.

    But that doesn’t mean we cannot improve it. 

    This belief is at the heart of our Hereditary Peers Bill, which is soon to have its Report Stage in the House of Lords.

    It is shaping up to be the largest constitutional reform to Parliament in the last 25 years…

    …and it was introduced in our first 100 days in office. 

    This could not be more important. 

    It is wholly indefensible that, in the 21st century, there are seats in our legislature allocated by an accident of birth. 

    So, finally, that historic wrong is being put right. 

    It is, in an important way, a gesture towards young people across our country. 

    I want people growing up in Blaenavon, Pontypool and Cwmbran in my constituency…

    …and, indeed, in every part of the country…

    …to feel that they have the same chance as anyone else to play a part in making the laws of the land.

    To remove the barriers, piece by piece, to ordinary people being able to feel like they have a stake in politics, and in parliamentary democracy.

    This sits alongside our other manifesto commitments on Lords reform…

    …like setting a retirement age, minimum participation requirements and making the appointments process more transparent

    …all making Parliament fit for modern Britain. 

    House of Commons

    But our ideas of constitutional reform are not solely focused on the House of Lords.

    No, we must look at the Commons, too…

    …and consider what we could improve. 

    So much of our constitution is wrapped up in the tradition displayed in the Commons. 

    Everything from the architecture, the layout, the procedures…

    …so much of it is symbolic of parliamentary sovereignty…

    …and the great tradition of open parliamentary debate. 

    But while tradition and ritual often protects the principles of our constitution, it can sometimes become a barrier if not updated for today’s world.

    I know that the vast majority of our MPs work hard to serve their constituents…

    …but they can often find that work is hamstrung by arcane procedures and outdated working practices.

    We should not forget that over half of MPs elected in the most recent General Election are new to Parliament.

    So, we need to make sure that the Commons is brought into the 21st Century…

    …and that these new MPs are able to navigate the historic system and use it to create modern, progressive change. 

    This is the precise objective of our Modernisation Committee.

    It’s headed up by my ministerial colleague, the Leader of the House of Commons…

    …and is considering many important issues to make the Commons more up-to-date so that MPs are enabled to deliver for their constituents.

    Everything from the accessibility of the physical parliamentary estate…

    …as well as the accessibility of procedures, language and information.

    It will also examine how to use MPs’ time better…

    …ensuring that sitting hours provide enough time to scrutinise legislation…

    …and give backbenchers a fair opportunity to raise issues on behalf of their constituents.

    The Modernisation Committee has, building on the changes we made in July 2024, asked the Committee on Standards to go further… 

    …exploring how the rules on MPs outside interests can be tightened even further, to ensure MPs are prioritising their constituents…

    …as I know the vast majority already do.

    This is all about making sure that those who turn up in Westminster are not blocked from speaking up for those they represent.

    Union and Devolution

    But I wouldn’t want anyone listening to think that we’re solely focused on what’s going on in Westminster. 

    England is one of the most centralised countries…

    …and my colleague the Deputy Prime Minister and I believe that it’s time we change that. 

    That’s why, in the English Devolution White Paper, we set out our plans to move power out of Westminster…

    …and move it back to those who know their areas best.

    We need to ensure that there is proper devolution throughout England…

    …and hand more power over to cities and communities to make the changes they see needed.

    I believe that devolution is crucial if we want communities to combat the challenges they recognise as uniquely their own…

    …while giving ordinary people a greater stake in shaping their region. 

    Only with strong local leadership and empowered institutions will we fix the foundations of the economy…

    …and bring about the kind of economic growth that is at the very heart of our ‘Plan for Change’.

    But it would be a mistake to think that the UK Government is only concerned with England. 

    We are a government of and for the whole of the UK. 

    My own constituency is in Wales…

    …and many of my ministerial colleagues are from Scotland. 

    But even if we weren’t, the UK Government has a responsibility for the entire UK. 

    Which is why the nations are – and always will be – at the heart of our thinking.

    In fact, an important part of delivering on our missions is rebuilding the UK Government’s  relationship with the devolved governments. 

    We’re putting an end to the disrespect that has been shown to the legitimate devolved Governments and Parliaments…

    …and focusing on a future built on partnership and recognition. 

    We introduced the Council of the Nations and Regions…

    …which creates genuine partnership between the UK Government, the devolved governments, and the mayors of England’s regions. 

    This has met twice since the General Election, most recently on 23rd May…

    …when the discussion was on trade and AI…

    …and how we can harness its potential and use it across the public sector to improve services.

    It’s about letting local leaders have more of a say…

    …and we will work together across the UK on legislation…

    …strengthening the Sewel Convention, which defines how the UK Government interacts with devolved legislatures.  

    A new Memorandum of Understanding will underpin this work. 

    It has been 25 years since power was devolved to governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland…

    …and it is through strengthening this partnership that we can make sure that all UK-wide decisions don’t just benefit one part of our nation…

    …but are made in the national interest – with every region and nation contributing, and shaping, that interest.

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, I would like to thank you for joining me today…

    …and UCL, for putting on this important conference. 

    Outside of these four walls, the phrase ‘constitutional reform’ may not immediately mean much to the ordinary person.

    But they are more than familiar with the rationale for it. 

    Politics that feels divorced from their day-to-day lives…

    …decisions about their local area being made in another nation…

    …a system that seems to safeguard a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ approach to public life. 

    All that has to change…

    …and this Government is making that a reality. 

    We are serious about ensuring our political systems represent every member of our society.

    This isn’t going to be an overnight change…

    …but we have shown – whether it’s in the Lords, the Commons or in our approach to devolution, this is a Government that has heard the calls for change.

    People want to have more of a stake in how they live their lives…

    …and they want a system of Government that represents and empowers them. 

    Through our constitution’s historic foundations, we are building a modern and thriving society…

    …one that serves the people of this country better than before.

    Thank you very much.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Connecting Communities to Ocean Exploration: Outreach from the Aleutian Arc Expedition

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Alaska’s rich and dynamic ecosystems draw scientists from around the world. But for the people who live here—many of whom have deep cultural, historical, and personal connections to the land and sea—it’s especially important that scientific research feels local, accessible, and relevant.

    As part of the deep-sea research and exploration cruise in the Aleutian Arc, the expedition team, including scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Smithsonian Institute (SI) partnered with local organizations to host a series of community engagement events in Unalaska. These events provided a chance to connect with residents, share deep-sea research, and celebrate the incredible biodiversity and geology of this region. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:

    Ship Tours of the R/V Atlantis

    Community members—including representatives from the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska, the Museum of the Aleutians, Unalaska City Council, local students, and other organizations—toured the 274-foot research vessel Atlantis. One of the biggest highlights? Seeing the deep-diving submersible HOV Alvin in person!

    Dive into Tidepools – Museum of the Aleutians

    Christina Bonsell, marine ecologist with BOEM, had the pleasure of leading this hands-on event at the Museum of the Aleutians, where visitors of all ages got an up-close look at the incredible marine life found right in their own backyard. From sea stars to anemones, attendees explored tidepool creatures and learned about local biodiversity through interactive touch tanks and engaging conversations about life in the nearshore ocean.

    “Exploring the Deep Sea: Hidden Habitats, Volcanoes, and More!” – Public Talk at the Unalaska Library

    Scientists from the expedition team—including Bonsell, Cathleen Yung (NOAA), Ashton Flinders (USGS), Katlin Bowman Adamczyk (USGS), and Stephanie Bush (SI)—gave a public presentation at the library, sharing the goals and the exciting science behind the 2025 Aleutian Arc Expedition.

    Ocean Discovery Day – Hands-on Science with Local Students

    In partnership with the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska and the Museum of the Aleutians, the science team hosted a day of hands-on activities that brought deep sea science to life for local students:

    • Deep Sea Biodiversity: Students learned how scientists use Alvin to explore life in the deep sea, led by Rhian Waller (Gothenburg University) and Lauren Rice (Florida State University).
    • Traditional Boatbuilding: Keegan Salners, Matt Tutiakoff, and Anfesia Tutiakoff of the Qawalangin Tribe introduced students to iqyax (Aleutian kayak) design—and the students even built their own boats!
    • Volcanoes and Earthquakes: Ashton Flinders (USGS) got students moving and learning as they became “earthquake-makers” and explored seismic waveforms.
    • Archaeological Discoveries: Thomas McLenigan from the Museum of the Aleutians guided students through sorting fish, bird, and mammal bones from ancient midden material to reveal clues about past ecosystems.
    • Deep Sea Pressure: Shannon Cofield (BOEM) explained the effects of deep-sea pressure, and students decorated foam cups that will travel to the ocean depths and shrink to amusingly-small size.
    • Community Science and Ecosystem Knowledge: Shanoy Anderson from the Qawalangin Tribe led a discussion on local ecosystem observations and how to share them using the Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network.
    Students sort animal bones from ancient midden material in a hands-on archaeological activity during the Ocean Discovery Day. Image courtesy of The Aleutian Arc: Integrated Exploration of Biodiversity at Priority Benthic Habitats. Photographer: Art Howard. 

    It was an honor to collaborate with dedicated local partners and organizations to make this action-packed week of activities a success. These events offered an incredible opportunity to share our science, inspire curiosity, and build lasting connections with the community.

    We can’t wait to share the discoveries we make as this deep-sea expedition unfolds.

    Members of the local community including representatives from the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska, the Museum of the Aleutians, Unalaska City Council, local students, and other organizations had the chance to tour the research vessel Atlantis (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) in Dutch Harbor, Unalaska. Image courtesy of The Aleutian Arc: Integrated Exploration of Biodiversity at Priority Benthic Habitats. Photographer: Art Howard. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: United States Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint Against $225M in Funds Involved in Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud Money Laundering

    Source: US State of Vermont

    The Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against more than $225.3 million in cryptocurrency. According to the complaint, law enforcement used blockchain analysis and other investigative techniques to determine that the cryptocurrency is connected to the theft and laundering of funds from victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes, commonly referred to as “cryptocurrency confidence scams.”

    The complaint alleges that the cryptocurrency addresses that held the over $225.3 million in cryptocurrency were part of a sophisticated blockchain-based money laundering network that executed hundreds of thousands of transactions and was used to disperse proceeds of cryptocurrency investment fraud across many cryptocurrency addresses and accounts on the blockchain to conceal the source of the illegally obtained funds. 

    “Today’s civil forfeiture complaint is the latest action taken by the Department to protect the American public from fraudsters specializing in cryptocurrency-based scams, and it will not be the last,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These schemes harm American victims, costing them billions of dollars every year, and undermine faith in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Our investigators and prosecutors are relentlessly pursuing these scammers and their ill-gotten gains, and we will relentlessly pursue recovery of victim funds.”

    “Under my leadership, with the support of President Trump and Attorney General Bondi, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is taking a leading role in the fight against crypto-confidence scams, partnering with law enforcement throughout the country to seize and forfeit stolen funds and rip them from the hands of foreign criminals, all with the eye toward making victims whole,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia.

    “The forfeiture of these illicit funds is a powerful tool in the FBI’s toolbox to stop the fraudsters who are operating online from stealing from the American people,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Division. “The FBI will not standby while these criminals target unsuspecting victims who believe they are making legitimate investments. The hard work of the FBI and our partners continues as we work with victims and potential victims across the country to put an end to these scams and warn others about their devastating effects.”

    “This seizure of $225.3 million in funds linked to cryptocurrency investment scams marks the largest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. Secret Service (USSS) history,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Bradstreet of the USSS San Francisco Field Office. “These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims. The USSS, FBI, and our private partners worked diligently to trace these illicit transactions, identify victims and seize these funds so that they can eventually be returned to their rightful owners.”

    As part of the investigation of the laundering network, over 400 suspected victims are believed to have lost funds after being duped into believing that they were making legitimate cryptocurrency investments. The complaint recounts millions of dollars in victim losses. According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2024 Internet Crime Report, cryptocurrency investment fraud caused more than $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone. The USSS San Francisco Field Office and FBI San Francisco Field Offices investigated the case. The Department of Justice thanks Tether for its proactive assistance in this investigation.

    Trial Attorneys Stefanie Schwartz and Ethan Cantor of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Rosenberg and Rick Blaylock Jr. for the District of Columbia are handling the matter.

    Members of the public who believe they are victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud and other cyber-enabled crime should contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. If you believe you may be a victim of one of the scams alleged in the government’s complaint, add the code “BT06182025” in the narrative of your complaint, and if you have previously filed a related complaint, make note of the prior complaint in the narrative.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint Against $225M in Funds Involved in Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud Money Laundering

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    The Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against more than $225.3 million in cryptocurrency. According to the complaint, law enforcement used blockchain analysis and other investigative techniques to determine that the cryptocurrency is connected to the theft and laundering of funds from victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes, commonly referred to as “cryptocurrency confidence scams.”

    The complaint alleges that the cryptocurrency addresses that held the over $225.3 million in cryptocurrency were part of a sophisticated blockchain-based money laundering network that executed hundreds of thousands of transactions and was used to disperse proceeds of cryptocurrency investment fraud across many cryptocurrency addresses and accounts on the blockchain to conceal the source of the illegally obtained funds. 

    “Today’s civil forfeiture complaint is the latest action taken by the Department to protect the American public from fraudsters specializing in cryptocurrency-based scams, and it will not be the last,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These schemes harm American victims, costing them billions of dollars every year, and undermine faith in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Our investigators and prosecutors are relentlessly pursuing these scammers and their ill-gotten gains, and we will relentlessly pursue recovery of victim funds.”

    “Under my leadership, with the support of President Trump and Attorney General Bondi, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is taking a leading role in the fight against crypto-confidence scams, partnering with law enforcement throughout the country to seize and forfeit stolen funds and rip them from the hands of foreign criminals, all with the eye toward making victims whole,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia.

    “The forfeiture of these illicit funds is a powerful tool in the FBI’s toolbox to stop the fraudsters who are operating online from stealing from the American people,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Division. “The FBI will not standby while these criminals target unsuspecting victims who believe they are making legitimate investments. The hard work of the FBI and our partners continues as we work with victims and potential victims across the country to put an end to these scams and warn others about their devastating effects.”

    “This seizure of $225.3 million in funds linked to cryptocurrency investment scams marks the largest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. Secret Service (USSS) history,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Bradstreet of the USSS San Francisco Field Office. “These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims. The USSS, FBI, and our private partners worked diligently to trace these illicit transactions, identify victims and seize these funds so that they can eventually be returned to their rightful owners.”

    As part of the investigation of the laundering network, over 400 suspected victims are believed to have lost funds after being duped into believing that they were making legitimate cryptocurrency investments. The complaint recounts millions of dollars in victim losses. According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2024 Internet Crime Report, cryptocurrency investment fraud caused more than $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone. The USSS San Francisco Field Office and FBI San Francisco Field Offices investigated the case. The Department of Justice thanks Tether for its proactive assistance in this investigation.

    Trial Attorneys Stefanie Schwartz and Ethan Cantor of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Rosenberg and Rick Blaylock Jr. for the District of Columbia are handling the matter.

    Members of the public who believe they are victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud and other cyber-enabled crime should contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. If you believe you may be a victim of one of the scams alleged in the government’s complaint, add the code “BT06182025” in the narrative of your complaint, and if you have previously filed a related complaint, make note of the prior complaint in the narrative.

    MIL Security OSI –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Strengthen business resilience with Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Strengthen business resilience with Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop

    Build a future-ready IT strategy with secure, scalable cloud solutions

    In the face of today’s complex and interconnected work ecosystems, resilience isn’t just a safeguard; it’s a strategic imperative for IT leaders driving sustainable transformation. True resilience means building an environment that proactively minimizes disruptions through robust systems, secured architectures and operational foresight. Resilience means an organization can anticipate, respond and recover swiftly, maintaining continuity without compromise. Security plays a foundational role in this approach.

    That’s why cloud-powered solutions such as Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop are essential; they empower organizations to build resilience from the ground up. By enabling secure and scalable Windows experiences, these services help minimize disruptions, support flexible work and protect business continuity. Whether it’s seamless access to apps and data or built-in security and compliance, customers rely on these solutions to stay productive and protected, no matter where or how they work.

    Building on that foundation, we’re introducing new experiences across Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop, each designed to strengthen organizational resilience through simplified, secured and flexible Windows solutions.

    And to make it easier for organizations to take the first step, new customers can take advantage of a limited-time 20% discount on all Windows 365 plans. Visit Windows 365 today to take advantage of the 20% promotional offer.

    Introducing Windows 365 Reserve: uninterrupted access, secured and ready when users need it

    Unexpected disruptions such as a lost, stolen, delayed or malfunctioning device can bring productivity to a halt and lead to considerable financial and operational losses. A recent study, which surveyed 1,000 ITDMs across a range of industries, highlighted the impact on business operations caused by device thefts and resulting data breaches. Seventy-six percent of those surveyed reported having been impacted by incidents of device theft in the last two years, with 33% reporting they were subjected to legal or regulatory consequences due to compromised data and 32% citing disruption to employee productivity. 1

    With Windows 365 Reserve, a new offering from Microsoft, employees can have instant access to a temporary, pre-configured Cloud PC when their primary device is unavailable. Windows 365 Reserve provides a secure, cloud-hosted Windows desktop that looks and feels like a physical PC, and is accessible from any device, anywhere, so employees can continue being productive.

    Device disruptions are more than an inconvenience — they’re a business risk that can lead to lost revenue, delayed service and reduced employee productivity.

    Windows 365 Reserve helps mitigate these risks by enabling:

    • Business continuity during device loss, theft, delivery delays or outages
    • Temporary access for onboarding, remote work delays or testing new OS/app configurations
    • Faster recovery from disruptions, reducing downtime and IT burden

    Windows 365 Reserve isn’t your traditional virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution — it’s a modern, secured and scalable offering designed for any type of worker across the entire organization to stay uninterrupted and productive, without the hassle or cost of managing cumbersome loaner PCs, temporary backup PC solutions or legacy VDI access. Each Reserve Cloud PC is preloaded with Microsoft 365 apps,2 corporate settings and security policies — ensuring data protection and compliance. IT teams can manage both physical and Cloud PCs — including these new Reserve Cloud PCs — through Microsoft Intune, streamlining endpoint oversight and reducing complexity. And because users can connect to their Reserve Cloud PC within minutes from any device using the Windows App or a browser to access the Windows 11 experience, there is minimal disruption to their workflow and business continuity.

    Windows 365 Reserve will soon be available for preview. Complete this form or contact your Microsoft account team to express interest in participating in the preview.

    Windows 365 Cloud Apps: app streaming without the full desktop

    Now in private preview, Windows 365 Cloud Apps let organizations deliver secure access to individual apps hosted on Cloud PCs, without requiring a dedicated Cloud PC for every user. Windows 365 Cloud Apps are a great fit for enterprise customers whether they’re experienced with VDI or just starting their cloud journey. They also give IT teams more flexibility to support a range of user needs and scenarios, while maintaining centralized control. Organizations can use Windows 365 Cloud Apps to:

    • Streamline app delivery for frontline, seasonal or remote workers
    • Provide information workers with the line of business apps they require
    • Simplify management with Windows 365 and Microsoft Intune integration
    • Accelerate migration from on-premises VDI to the cloud

    Windows 365 Cloud Apps will soon be available for preview. Complete this form or contact your Microsoft account team to express interest in participating in the preview.

    Windows 365 Link: purpose-built Cloud PC device gets even better

    Windows 365 Link — the first Cloud PC device purpose-built by Microsoft for Windows 365 — became generally available in select markets in April 2025 and is expanding to more markets later this year. To make the experience of using Windows 365 Link even better, we are excited to introduce the following updates:

    Connection Center: access multiple Cloud PCs with ease

    The Connection Center makes accessing multiple Cloud PCs from a Windows 365 Link simple and intuitive. For users with more than one Cloud PC and no default set, the Connection Center prompts them to choose the Cloud PC they want to use right at sign-in. This means less confusion and more control.

    The Connection Center also empowers users with self-service tools to reboot, restore and manage their Cloud PCs without needing IT support. If something goes wrong, people can quickly access troubleshooting options — minimizing downtime and boosting productivity.

    This experience is now generally available, and starting mid-July, the Connection Center can also be launched from the Ctrl+Alt+Delete screen, making it even more accessible.

    Connection Center showing multiple Cloud PCs after sign-in

    Enhanced multi-monitor support for a more flexible Windows 365 Link experience

    For users who rely on multiple monitors to stay productive, Windows 365 Link now offers expanded display settings — available in preview. Users can easily configure duplicate or extend monitors, giving them the flexibility to mirror their screen or expand their workspace across displays.

    We have also added intuitive controls to adjust resolution, scale and orientation — all fully integrated into the Cloud PC settings. That means they can personalize their display setup directly from the familiar Display Settings menu, just like on a local PC.

    With these latest updates, Windows 365 Link makes it even easier to work more efficiently, multitask seamlessly and tailor your Cloud PC experience to meet your unique workflows.

    Accessing display settings for Windows 365 Link

    Making sign-in even easier with NFC reader support

    We have heard from customers that using near-field communication (NFC) readers helps streamline the Windows sign-in experience — especially in environments where speed and security are critical. That is why, based on your feedback, we introduced preview support for NFC readers for FIDO2 security keys with the launch of Windows 365 Link in April 2025. Today, we’re excited to announce that NFC reader support is now generally available. Users can simply tap their FIDO2 security key on a USB NFC reader and enter their PIN to sign in. This enhancement helps organizations improve both security posture and user productivity, especially in shared device or frontline scenarios. To learn more, check out the documentation.

    To purchase Windows 365 Link for desk-based and frontline users in your organization, contact your Microsoft account team or select resellers in Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. We continue to expand availability to new markets, including Denmark, France, India, Netherlands and Sweden, with Switzerland anticipated later this year.

    Cross-region Disaster Recovery is available for Windows 365 Frontline

    Disaster recovery is a critical consideration for any IT desktop strategy. When it comes to virtualization, most organizations consider disaster recovery a primary objective. Since its introduction, Windows 365 has provided robust business continuity and disaster recovery options. Whether for compliance requirements, natural disasters, technical failure or human error, putting greater distance between your primary and backup environments can add an extra sense of security and peace of mind to any IT desktop strategy.

    On July 1, 2024, we introduced Cross-region Disaster Recovery, an add-on feature for Windows 365 Enterprise that creates “snapshots” of Cloud PCs. These snapshots are placed in customer-defined, geographically distant locations, and they can be recovered to Cloud PCs running in the selected location during a disaster recovery event.

    Today, we are excited to announce Cross-region Disaster Recovery is available in public preview as an add-on for Windows 365 Frontline. Now, in addition to Windows 365 Enterprise users, any user assigned to a dedicated Windows 365 Frontline Cloud PC will also be shielded against regional outages. If you’re interested in signing up for the public preview, please use this form. To learn more, read Cross-region Disaster Recovery in Windows 365 | Microsoft Learn.

    Secure by default: New security settings for Windows 365 Cloud PCs

    New default security settings are available for new and newly reprovisioned Cloud PCs. These updates mean Cloud PCs are more secure by default and include:

    • Disabling select redirections, such as USB and clipboard, making it easier for organizations to protect their data
    • Enabling additional security controls, including virtualization-based security, to better protect against credential theft and kernel-level exploits

    These updates are part of Microsoft’s commitment to making our products more secure by default, one of the core principles of our Secure Future Initiative.

    Powering high-performance scenarios: GPU support now available in HP Anyware for Windows 365

    We’re expanding our collaboration with HP Anyware to support GPU-enabled Windows 365 Enterprise Cloud PCs, now in preview. This integration brings the power of PC-over-IP (PCoIP) — a protocol known for delivering high-definition, low-latency performance — to Windows 365, making it ideal for graphics-intensive workloads such as 3D modeling, video editing and data visualization.

    With HP Anyware for Windows 365, users can securely access their Cloud PCs through a familiar digital workspace, while IT admins benefit from simplified deployment and management with Intune — no additional gateways or network reconfiguration required.

    To learn more or join the public preview of HP Anyware for Windows 365 GPU-enabled Enterprise Cloud PCs, contact your Microsoft account team or sign up to be notified.

    Bridge legacy and modern app delivery: App-V support now available for App attach in Azure Virtual Desktop

    Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) for Windows is now supported by App attach in Azure Virtual Desktop and is generally available, marking a major step forward in application delivery for virtual environments.

    Organizations can incorporate existing App-V packages into the App attach framework without repackaging. This capability streamlines the transition to Azure Virtual Desktop by preserving investments in legacy applications while enabling more modern and scalable delivery.

    The time for this update is critical, as App-V enters a phase of extended support. By bridging the gap between legacy application virtualization and modern desktop infrastructure, App attach combines continuity with innovation to help teams maintain stability while evolving their cloud strategy. To learn more about App-V support in App attach and to find information about partner solution integration with App attach visit our Azure Virtual Desktop documentation pages.

    Windows App updates: better Microsoft Teams, printing and remote access

    The Windows App is your gateway to securely connect to Windows on any device across Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Remote PC, Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Dev Box and more.  Available on Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS,3 web browsers and now Android,4 it brings a unified, modern experience across platforms, making it easier than ever to access your Cloud PCs, virtual machines (VMs) and remote resources anywhere on any device. With the latest updates, we are excited to announce several new capabilities that will enhance your experience and productivity.

    Better Microsoft Teams performance on mobile: in public preview for Windows App on Android and iOS/iPadOS

    Building on last year’s Teams optimizations for Windows App on Windows, new exclusive optimizations for the Windows App on Android and iOS/iPadOS will soon be available in the newest versions of Windows App. These enhancements improve audio and sound quality in Teams, reducing issues and enhancing the overall user experience. Learn more.

    New Remote App launcher in Windows App on web

    People connecting to Windows App via the web can access the Remote App launcher directly from the toolbar inside the web client. The Remote App launcher can be used to launch additional apps from the same workspace without switching between tabs, making app discovery and launching apps more seamless.

    New printing capabilities in Windows App on web

    Windows App on web now supports new printing capabilities for locally attached printers on Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop. Users can easily print documents directly to their locally attached printers, streamlining the printing process and eliminating extra steps between viewing and printing documents.

    Native access to remote sessions in Windows App on web

    You can now utilize the Windows App on web to access Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop remote sessions natively. By simply selecting the “Connect in desktop app” option from the dropdown menu, you can open the desktop version of the Windows App.

    Users can also access their desktops and apps using direct launch URLs in Windows App on web. Learn more.

    Resilience starts with the right tools so organizations can stay agile, secured and ready

    Organizational resilience isn’t just convenient; it’s an essential approach to remain functional, flexible, prepared and competitive. With the latest enhancements to Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop, Microsoft is enabling organizations to safeguard business continuity, navigate disruptions with confidence and maintain control. Now is the time to explore how these innovations can help strengthen your resilience strategy.

    Get 20% off Windows 365 today

    Microsoft is currently offering a 20% discount on all Windows 365 plans for the first 12 months for new customers, making it an even more compelling option for those looking to transition smoothly. Visit Windows 365 today to take advantage of the 20% promotional offer.*

    * Notice: Microsoft reserves the right to discontinue this promotion, and to modify these policies and the promotion’s terms and conditions at any time.

    This offer runs from May 1 to Oct. 31, 2025, and is for customers not currently subscribing to Windows 365. Transactions must be processed through Microsoft’s operations center before 11:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Oct. 31, 2025. This offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offer or discount on Windows 365. This offer is available only once per customer. The discount price will be in effect for the duration of the purchase commitment. Purchases made prior to the effective date of the offer are not eligible. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient.

    1. Source: Study Highlights Prevalence of Device Theft and the Impacts on Businesses in U.S. and Europe. April 22, 2025;  Methodology: study conducted by market research firm, Vanson Bourne on behalf of Kensington Computer Products Group; Survey size: 1,000 IT decision-makers.
    2. Microsoft 365 subscription is required.
    3. macOS and iPadOS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. IOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries and is used under license.
    4. Android is a trademark of Google LLC.

    MIL OSI Economics –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Emanuel Jones Appointed to Senate Study Committee on Making Georgia the No. 1 State for Tourism

    Source: US State of Georgia

    ATLANTA (June 18, 2025) — Recently, Lt. Governor Burt Jones appointed Sen. Emanuel Jones (D–Decatur) to the Senate Study Committee on Making Georgia the No. 1 State for Tourism.

    “I’m grateful to Lt. Governor Burt Jones for appointing me to this important study committee,” said Sen. Jones. “We have an opportunity to bring inclusive growth and investments to communities across Georgia by showcasing the best attributes of our state. From neighborhood revitalization to job creation, a strong tourism strategy can uplift families and support small businesses. I look forward to working with my colleagues to help Georgia reach its full potential as a premier destination—one that truly reflects the richness and diversity of our state.”

    The Senate Study Committee on Making Georgia the No. 1 State for Tourism is tasked with discovering opportunities to promote and develop tourism in all regions of the state. Sen. Drew Echols (R-Gainesville) will serve as Chairman of the committee. Additional Senate members appointed to the committee include Sen. Frank Ginn (R–Danielsville), Sen. Russ Goodman (R–Cogdell) and Sen. Sonya Halpern (D–Atlanta).

    More information about Senate Study Committees can be found here.

    # # # #

    Sen. Emanuel Jones represents the 10th Senate District, which includes a portion of DeKalb County.  He may be reached at 404.656.0502 or via email at emanuel.jones@senate.ga.gov.

    For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Larry Walker III Named Republican Nominee for President Pro Tempore Ahead of 2026 Session

    Source: US State of Georgia

    ATLANTA (June 18, 2025) — Yesterday, the Georgia Senate Republican Caucus announced that Sen. Larry Walker III (R–Perry) has been selected as its nominee for President Pro Tempore of the Georgia State Senate, following today’s internal caucus vote. Walker, who has served the 20th Senate District since 2015, will stand for formal election by the full Senate body at the start of the new legislative session in January 2026.

    “I’m honored by the support and confidence of my Republican colleagues,” said Sen. Walker. “This nomination reflects our shared vision for a Senate that remains fair, efficient and stands in service to the people of Georgia. While January’s full Senate vote is still to come, I’m prepared to bring forward my experience and commitment to this important role.”

    In the position of President Pro Tempore, Walker would preside over Senate sessions in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor and collaborate closely with Senate leadership to streamline legislative procedure and enhance transparency.

    # # # #

    Sen. Larry Walker III serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes Bleckley, Dodge, Dooly, Laurens, Treutlen, Pulaski and Wilcox counties, as well as portions of Houston County.  He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-0095 or by email at Larry.Walker@senate.ga.gov.

    For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Texas Man Charged Federally for Receipt and Transport of Explosives Intended for Use Against Law Enforcement

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    A Texas man is facing federal charges after allegedly purchasing powerful explosives in New Mexico and expressing plans to use them to harm law enforcement officers and government officials during riots in California.

    According to court documents, on June 12, 2025, Grzegorz Vandenberg, 48, visited a travel center in Lordsburg, New Mexico, to purchase fireworks. During the transaction, Vandenberg requested assistance in selecting fireworks that could be thrown directly at people to cause harm. He told store employees that he was prior special forces military and claimed he could make pipe bombs. Vandenberg further stated that he was traveling to Los Angeles, California, for the riots, with the intent to kill law enforcement officers or government officials.

    “This man allegedly intended to use the chaotic riots in Los Angeles as an opportunity to commit deadly violence against law enforcement officers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Threats like these strike at the heart of law and order — we will not hesitate to bring federal charges against anyone who seeks to harm law enforcement or endanger the safety of our communities.”

    “Our message is clear: If you come after law enforcement officers, the FBI will spare no effort to find you and bring you to justice,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This defendant allegedly intended to use explosives to attack police officers currently conducting law enforcement operations in Los Angeles and – with the help of a store cashier who took down his license plate information – we were able to put a stop to that plan. Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to serve the American people and the FBI will always do our part to protect them.”

    “Targeting law enforcement with violence is not protest – it’s a crime,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico. “Anyone who attempts to harm officers or undermine public safety will be held accountable. Protecting the safety of our communities and upholding the integrity of lawful demonstrations are priorities, and those who cross the line into violence will be prosecuted swiftly and to the fullest extent of the law.”

    Store staff reported that Vandenberg asked for the largest explosives available and invited an employee to join him and his platoon in California. He also claimed to have mortar explosives in his possession and reiterated his plan to use them at the riots to kill officers. Vandenberg purchased six mortars, each containing 60 grams of gunpowder, and 36 large fireworks before leaving the store in a vehicle with Montana license plates, heading west on Interstate 10.

    Vandenberg is charged with transporting explosives in interstate commerce with the knowledge and intent that they would be used to kill, injure, or intimidate individuals. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Vandenberg faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

    The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Tucson Resident Agency of the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office, Tucson Police Department, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joni Stahl and Grant Gardner for the District of New Mexico are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Patrick Cashman of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

    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 –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Armstrong helps break ground on Altru behavioral health expansion, highlights state investment

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    Gov. Kelly Armstrong today helped break ground on an expansion project that will double the number of inpatient beds at Altru Behavioral Health Center in Grand Forks, highlighting the state’s significant investments to address behavioral health needs across North Dakota.

    Armstrong recently signed legislation providing a $12.96 million grant to expand the number of inpatient behavioral health beds at the Altru facility from 24 to 48 beds. The grant was included in the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) budget, House Bill 1012, and requires Altru to provide matching funds of $3.24 million.

    “This is a game-changer for behavioral health services in Grand Forks and the surrounding region, because when it comes to meeting the mental health needs of our citizens in their most vulnerable moments, every single bed counts,” Armstrong said.

    He noted the Legislature also approved $16 million for 30 behavioral health beds in Bismarck with a focus on youth and $3.4 million for 10 behavioral health beds in Williston. In addition, lawmakers approved $300 million for construction of a new State Hospital in Jamestown, which will provide 140 treatment beds to serve those most in need of acute mental health services.

    Armstrong thanked state Rep. Emily O’Brien of Grand Forks, Rep. Jon Nelson of Rugby and other lawmakers for their support for the Altru project and broader work on expanding behavioral health services, as well as Altru President Dr. Josh Deere and CEO Todd Forkel, Universal Health Services’ Behavioral Health Division President Matt Peterson, Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Bochenski and the DHHS Behavioral Health Division including Executive Director Pam Sagness for their commitment to North Dakotans’ mental health.

    The Altru Behavioral Health Center expansion is expected to be completed by fall 2026.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Xtract One Closes $8M Bought Deal Public Offering

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Over-Allotment Option Exercised in Full

    THIS NEWS RELEASE IS INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

    TORONTO, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Xtract One Technologies Inc. (TSX: XTRA) (OTCQX: XTRAF) (FRA: 0PL) (“Xtract One” or the “Company”) announces that it has closed its previously announced “bought deal” public offering (the “Offering”) conducted by Ventum Capital Markets (the “Underwriter”).

    Pursuant to the Offering, the Company issued an aggregate of 20,700,000 units (the “Units”) at a price of $0.39 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $8,073,000, which includes the full exercise of the over-allotment option granted to the Underwriter. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (each, a “Common Share”) and one common share purchase warrant (each, a “Warrant”). Each Warrant is exercisable into one Common Share until June 18, 2028 at an exercise price of $0.49, subject to adjustment in certain events.

    In connection with the Offering, the Underwriter received a cash fee of $565,110 and 1,449,000 common share purchase warrants (each, an “Underwriter’s Warrant”). Each Underwriter’s Warrant is exercisable into one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.39 until June 18, 2028.

    Xtract One intends to use the proceeds of the Offering for working capital and general corporate purposes.

    No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the securities, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act, and applicable state securities laws.

    About Xtract One

    Xtract One Technologies is a leading technology-driven provider of threat detection and security solutions leveraging AI to deliver seamless and secure experiences. The Company makes unobtrusive weapons and threat detection systems that are designed to assist facility operators in prioritizing- and delivering improved “Walk-right-In” experiences while enhancing safety. Xtract One’s innovative portfolio of AI-powered Gateway solutions excels at allowing facilities to discreetly screen and identify weapons and other threats at points of entry and exit without disrupting the flow of traffic. With solutions built to serve the unique market needs for schools, hospitals, arenas, stadiums, manufacturing, distribution, and other customers, Xtract One is recognized as a market leader delivering the highest security in combination with the best individual experience. For more information, visit www.xtractone.com or connect on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

    About Threat Detection Systems

    Xtract One solutions, when properly configured, deployed, and utilized, are designed to help enhance safety and reduce threats. Given the wide range of potential threats in today’s world, no threat detection system is 100% effective. Xtract One solutions should be utilized as one element in a multilayered approach to physical security.

    Forward Looking Statements

    This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including, without limitation, statements regarding the intended use of proceeds from the Offering, future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, are “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “estimates”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, events or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the Company’s limited operating history and lack of historical profits; risks related to the Company’s business and financial position; fluctuations in the market price of the Company’s Common Shares; that the Company may not be able to accurately predict its rate of growth and profitability; the failure of the Company to use any of the proceeds received from the Offering in a manner consistent with current expectations; reliance on management; the Company’s requirements for additional financing, and the effect of capital market conditions and other factors on capital availability; competition, including from more established or better financed competitors; and the need to secure and maintain corporate alliances and partnerships, including with research and development institutions, clients and suppliers. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other risk factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. The Company has no intention to update any forward-looking statement, even if new information becomes available as a result of future events, new information or for any other reason, except as required by law.

    For further information, please contact:

    Xtract One Inquiries: info@xtractone.com, www.xtractone.com
    Media Contact: Kristen Aikey, JMG Public Relations, kristen@jmgpr.com, 347-394-8807
    Investor Relations: Chris Witty, Darrow Associates, cwitty@darrowir.com, 646-438-9385

    The MIL Network –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Jun 18, 2025 1300 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    SPC AC 181254

    Day 1 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    0754 AM CDT Wed Jun 18 2025

    Valid 181300Z – 191200Z

    …THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF
    SOUTHEAST MISSOURI INTO SOUTHERN/EASTERN ILLINOIS…WESTERN
    KENTUCKY…INDIANA…WESTERN OHIO…AND SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN…

    …SUMMARY…
    Severe thunderstorms are expected today from parts of southern
    Missouri northeastward to the southern Great Lakes. Scattered to
    numerous damaging winds, isolated large hail, and a few tornadoes
    all appear possible. Strong to severe thunderstorms may also develop
    across parts of the southern Plains, northern Plains/Upper Midwest,
    and Mid-Atlantic.

    …Mid Mississippi/Ohio Valleys to the Southern Great Lakes…
    Embedded within large-scale upper troughing, a well-defined MCV
    evident on radar and visible satellite imagery over MO this morning
    will quickly advance northeastward today across the mid MS Valley
    into the Midwest, and eventually the southern Great Lakes this
    evening. This feature will likely aid robust thunderstorm
    development across parts of eastern IL into IN and vicinity by late
    morning/early afternoon. Sufficient low-level and deep-layer shear
    will exist across the Midwest for updraft organization, including
    supercells. However, convection may quickly become linear; so, it
    remains unclear how long a supercell hail/tornado threat will exist.
    Regardless, filtered daytime heating of a rather moist low-level
    airmass will aid the development of at least moderate instability
    downstream of any convection that develops.

    With 40-50 kt of low/mid-level southwesterly flow forecast across
    parts of the mid MS Valley into the OH Valley/Midwest and steepening
    low-level lapse rates through the day, scattered to perhaps numerous
    damaging winds appear likely with organized clusters/bows spreading
    east-northeastward across these regions through the afternoon and
    early evening. The severe wind threat should extend as far north as
    parts of southern Lower MI, along/near a surface front. Some risk
    for line-embedded tornadoes may also exist. By mid to late evening,
    these clusters should gradually weaken as they continue eastward
    into a less unstable environment across the OH Valley. But, they may
    still pose some threat for damaging winds for as long as they can
    remain surface based.

    …Southern Plains to the Mid-South…
    Ongoing convection across central OK may continue to pose an
    isolated hail/wind threat in the short term this morning, before
    eventually weakening as the nocturnal low-level jet aiding this
    activity slowly subsides. In the wake of these early-day
    thunderstorms, ample daytime heating of a seasonably moist airmass
    is anticipated along/south of a convectively reinforced cold front,
    with moderate to strong instability expected. The southern Plains
    will be on the southern periphery of upper troughing across the
    mid/upper MS Valley today, but enhanced mid-level winds should still
    be present from parts of OK eastward into AR and the Mid-South.

    Multiple bands/clusters should form this afternoon along/south of
    the front in a favorable thermodynamic environment given the
    continued presence of steep mid-level lapse rates, especially across
    OK/TX. While deep-layer shear is not forecast to be overly strong,
    it should still be sufficient for updraft organization, including
    the potential for a few supercells. Initial development this
    afternoon may pose more of a severe hail threat, before clustering
    occurs and the risk for severe/damaging winds increases with
    eastward/southward extent later in the afternoon and continuing into
    the evening.

    …Northern Plains/Upper Midwest…
    Behind upper troughing over the mid/upper MS Valley, northwesterly
    mid-level flow around 25-40 kt should be present today over portions
    of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Low-level moisture is
    expected to remain fairly limited, with surface dewpoints mostly in
    the 50s. Even so, steepened low/mid-level lapse rates are
    anticipated through the afternoon, along with weak to moderate
    instability. While large-scale ascent should remain weak, widely
    scattered thunderstorms may still form and spread
    east-southeastward, with some threat for isolated severe wind gusts
    and marginally severe hail this afternoon and early evening. Modest
    deep-layer shear should keep the overall severe threat fairly
    isolated/marginal.

    …Mid-Atlantic…
    Within modestly enhanced mid-level southwesterly flow, an embedded
    weak perturbation is forecast move northeastward today from the
    southern/central Appalachians across the southern Mid-Atlantic. A
    moist low-level airmass in place across this region, with surface
    dewpoints generally in the upper 60s to low 70s. Ample daytime
    heating will likely foster moderate to locally strong instability
    along/east of the Blue Ridge Mountains by mid afternoon. Current
    expectations are for thunderstorms to develop initially over the
    higher terrain and move eastward in a modest deep-layer shear
    environment. Some thunderstorm organization should occur, with
    multicells as the main convective mode. This activity may pose some
    threat for damaging winds this afternoon and evening until it moves
    off the Atlantic Coast or weakens with the loss of daytime heating.

    ..Gleason/Kerr.. 06/18/2025

    CLICK TO GET WUUS01 PTSDY1 PRODUCT

    NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 1 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 1630Z

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC – No MDs are in effect as of Wed Jun 18 15:00:10 UTC 2025

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Current Mesoscale DiscussionsUpdated:  Wed Jun 18 15:09:02 UTC 2025 No Mesoscale Discussions are currently in effect.

    Notice:  The responsibility for Heavy Rain Mesoscale Discussions has been transferred to the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) on April 9, 2013. Click here for the Service Change Notice.
    Archived Convective ProductsTo view convective products for a previous day, type in the date you wish to retrieve (e.g. 20040529 for May 29, 2004). Data available since January 1, 2004.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Tornado Watch 432 Status Reports

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Search by city or zip code. Press enter or select the go button to submit request
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    Watch 432 Status Reports

    Watch 432 Status Message has not been issued yet.

    Top/Watch Issuance Text for Watch 432/All Current Watches/Forecast Products/Home

    Weather Topics:Watches, Mesoscale Discussions, Outlooks, Fire Weather, All Products, Contact Us

    NOAA / National Weather ServiceNational Centers for Environmental PredictionStorm Prediction Center120 David L. Boren Blvd.Norman, OK 73072 U.S.A.spc.feedback@noaa.govPage last modified: June 18, 2025
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    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Tornado Watch 432

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Note:  The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports.
    SEL2

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Tornado Watch Number 432
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    945 AM CDT Wed Jun 18 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Tornado Watch for portions of
    Central and Southern Illinois
    Eastern Missouri

    * Effective this Wednesday morning and afternoon from 945 AM
    until 400 PM CDT.

    * Primary threats include…
    A couple tornadoes possible
    Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely
    Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2
    inches in diameter possible

    SUMMARY…Thunderstorms are expected to rapidly develop over eastern
    Missouri and western Illinois this morning, tracking northeastward
    across the watch area. Large hail and damaging winds are possible,
    along with an increasing risk of a few tornadoes with time.

    The tornado watch area is approximately along and 80 statute miles
    east and west of a line from 50 miles north northeast of Peoria IL
    to 30 miles south of Carbondale IL. For a complete depiction of the
    watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU2).

    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

    REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
    tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
    area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
    threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
    and possible warnings.

    &&

    AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
    surface and aloft to 2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
    gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean
    storm motion vector 24035.

    …Hart

    SEL2

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Tornado Watch Number 432
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    945 AM CDT Wed Jun 18 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Tornado Watch for portions of
    Central and Southern Illinois
    Eastern Missouri

    * Effective this Wednesday morning and afternoon from 945 AM
    until 400 PM CDT.

    * Primary threats include…
    A couple tornadoes possible
    Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely
    Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2
    inches in diameter possible

    SUMMARY…Thunderstorms are expected to rapidly develop over eastern
    Missouri and western Illinois this morning, tracking northeastward
    across the watch area. Large hail and damaging winds are possible,
    along with an increasing risk of a few tornadoes with time.

    The tornado watch area is approximately along and 80 statute miles
    east and west of a line from 50 miles north northeast of Peoria IL
    to 30 miles south of Carbondale IL. For a complete depiction of the
    watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU2).

    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

    REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
    tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
    area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
    threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
    and possible warnings.

    &&

    AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
    surface and aloft to 2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
    gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean
    storm motion vector 24035.

    …Hart

    Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas.
    SAW2
    WW 432 TORNADO IL MO 181445Z – 182100Z
    AXIS..80 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE..
    50NNE PIA/PEORIA IL/ – 30S MDH/CARBONDALE IL/
    ..AVIATION COORDS.. 70NM E/W /17NE BDF – 51ESE FAM/
    HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..2 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..60 KNOTS.
    MAX TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.

    LAT…LON 41338777 37348779 37349071 41339085

    THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A
    COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS
    FOR WOU2.

    Watch 432 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.

    Note:  Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes

    Probability of 2 or more tornadoes

    Mod (40%)

    Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes

    Low (20%)

    Wind

    Probability of 10 or more severe wind events

    Mod (60%)

    Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots

    Low (20%)

    Hail

    Probability of 10 or more severe hail events

    Mod (40%)

    Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches

    Mod (30%)

    Combined Severe Hail/Wind

    Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events

    High (90%)

    For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Solar Panels Give Edge to Tomatoes Grown Underneath

    Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

    Science Sometimes Ends With a Taste Test

    Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory wanted to find out whether tomatoes would grow better using a specifically designed light filter that leverages a rapidly emerging photovoltaic cell technology that’s more flexible, lightweight, and inexpensive. Image by Wayne Hicks, NREL

    Experiments lead to a greater understanding, deeper insights, and sometimes they even bear fruit. That was certainly the case last summer at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), where researchers nurtured a dozen tomato plants.

    Tucked into a corner on the second floor of the Field Test Laboratory Building, the plants were housed in two custom greenhouses. Six were exposed to the full solar spectrum, serving as a control to the six plants grown under less light. The reduced sunlight reaching the other plants was filtered through purplish panels so that only the spectrum most beneficial to the tomatoes would reach them.

    The experiment was meant to prove the effectiveness of what is called a BioMatch, which enables the exact spectrum of light that best suits the physiological needs of the plant to pass through organic semiconducting materials found in solar cells. Now in the second year of the multi-disciplinary project known as “No Photon Left Behind,” the researchers determined limiting the spectrum made the tomatoes grow faster and bigger than those under direct sunlight.

    “When light comes into contact with a plant, there are a lot of things that can happen. Different physiological pathways are triggered based on the type and amount of light. Those physiological pathways often determine productivity of the plant,” said Bryon Larson, an NREL chemist with expertise in organic photovoltaics (OPV) and principal investigator on the project. “We are studying what happens to plants when sunlight is filtered into only the spectrum and dose the plant needs, which is the plant light requirement, and we can produce that through the concept of BioMatched spectral harvesting, while using the light plants don’t need to make electricity with transparent OPV modules.”

    Earlier Efforts Focused on Algae

    Researchers grew the tomatoes adjacent to a lab space devoted to algae. In fact, the initial experiments on this project involved algae. They covered bottles containing the single-cell organism with a BioMatched photovoltaic filter intended to stimulate optimal growth. Rather than the months it takes to grow tomatoes, the work on algae proved fruitful over a single weekend.

    Lieve Laurens, a plant biologist who heads NREL’s algae research, serves as the co-PI on the project. “We demonstrated that the cells grew faster, yielding more biomass, even though a large part of the spectrum was removed and the algae received fewer photons overall,” she said. “We found that photosynthetic algae had a much higher rate of converting photons to electrons to biomass, so it was great. So naturally we asked the question if the same effects would translate to plants and crops, where you could get the same yield with only the light spectrum the crop needs, without needing to bounce back the light it doesn’t need as wasted photons.”

    Those findings showed the science was sound, provided preliminary data, and gave the researchers confidence to make their pitch for funding from the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program. A dedicated greenhouse would have been ideal, but the scientists had to make do with the available space.

    NREL researchers Bryon Larson and Lieve Larens pose in the Field Test Laboratory Building where a variety of plants are grown, including tomatoes. Photo by Gregory Cooper, NREL

    Photovoltaics capture sunlight and convert it to electricity. The OPV filters for the algae and the tomatoes do not generate electricity, but the eventual goal would be to incorporate BioMatched materials into semitransparent solar panels that supply power to a greenhouse while letting plant light shine through.

    “When full spectrum light shines on a plant, the light contains both productive and damaging photons, and plants have to deal with un-needed light by expending energy to protect itself,” Larson said. “Algae have to do that. Regular plants have to do that. If you were to take the useful vs non-useful wavelengths of light that you need to separate out, collect the non-useful part for electricity and send the other bit through for plant growth, you’ve now designed a system that’s overall more efficiently using solar energy because it’s spectrally binning it into different functions—plant growth through photosynthesis versus electricity generation through photovoltaics. This is a unique element of our work, hence, No Photon Left Behind.”

    The makeshift greenhouses each stand about eight feet tall, four feet wide. The sunlight coming into the room appears from a wall of windows behind the plants and skylights above them. Three evaporative coolers on the roof keep moist air circulating. A refrigerator sits on the other side of the room, filled with ripe beefsteak tomatoes. Many are the size of a baseball. The tomatoes won’t win any prizes for looks; they were plucked on a schedule, which gave the skin on some of the fast-growing fruit time to split.

    Seth Steichen, a biologist who works with Laurens, has kept a close watch on the tomatoes, assisted by Kelly Groves. They have seen the plants grown under the OPV BioMatched Light stretch higher than the neighboring plants treated to full sun exposure. Even though the control plants receive 30% more light, the OPV plants are selectively bathed in the slice of the solar spectrum they crave.

    “For laboratory experiments, these particularly bright tomatoes are pretty much unheard of,” Steichen said. “Basically, no one does lab experiments on these. Because of their size, their relatively long lifecycle, those are the reasons why they’re not commonly used for lab experiments. These are the most commonly grown variety of tomato in greenhouses in the U.S., so that is the reason why these are growing here right now, to make the most real-world connection possible.”

    The regularly conducted tests considered such factors as size, weight, and photosynthetic yield, which measures how well the plants convert light into biomass. The tomatoes grown under BioMatched filters came out ahead.

    “By and large, these are slightly more efficient in terms of photosynthetic yield than the control plants,” Steichen said, gesturing toward the plants under the filtered light. “The overall concept here is that you can still remove some of the light and convert it to electrons while still maintaining the same amount of fruit yield. This is just a test of whether or not that works with this given light-filtering chemistry, basically.”

    Researcher Seth Steichen inspects tomato plants in NREL’s Field Test Laboratory Building. Photo by Gregory Cooper, NREL

    Plants Absorb Light To Fuel Growth

    The most widely used solar cells are inorganic and made from a singular material, specifically silicon. But NREL researchers have been pioneering work in solar cells based on organic semiconductors, which are made using synthetic chemistry. These organic photovoltaic devices have shown promise and potential to produce highly efficient cells that are also flexible, lightweight, and inexpensive.

    Larson has accumulated a database of organic semiconductor properties during his more than 15 years at NREL, which allows him to select—or BioMatch—compounds that will produce the right spectrum for a particular plant. Plants convert light to chemical energy needed for growth. After calculating the amount of light a plant needs, the team uses a software program they created to generate BioMatch compositions based on a given plant light requirement. The team then scales up thin-film deposition processes to produce appropriate filters to allow only the desired spectrum to reach the plants. To show the reverse is also true, they have shown the anti-BioMatch filters will quickly starve a plant of light.

    “I was worried when summer arrived nine months into the project, ideal conditions for tomato experiments,” Larson said about the shift from experimenting with algae. “What if we’re taking too big of a jump going from these single-cell organisms to far more complicated multicellular plants?”

    But being able to put the BioMatch concept to test against growing tomatoes, he said, “is a bit of a dream come true. I mean, the fact that we got to grow tomatoes in the first year was way ahead of what the project was originally drawn up to do.” The confidence gained from experimenting with model algae strains convinced the researchers to take advantage of the summer growing season right then rather than wait until the second year of the project.

    “When you’re doing experiments that rely on the weather, you don’t have much of a choice but to ‘make hay when the sun is shining’ as they say,” Larson said. “It was a choice to pull forward the experiment. Not wait for it. It panned out.”

    The research could play an important role in the emerging field of agrivoltaics, in which various plants are grown near and beneath rows of solar panels, or help design next-generation energy-efficient greenhouses. The panels can be tailored to BioMatch the ideal light spectrum a plant needs, regardless of what species, or where on the planet you want to grow it, within reason.

    But How Do They Taste?

    With the experiment concluded that revealed the tomatoes grown beneath the OPV had accelerated growth, one final test had to be conducted.

    “We’ve been all just licking our lips, waiting for the taste test,” said Larson, adding that he would be “personally very sad” if the tomatoes turned out to be tasteless given how promising the plants appeared by eye. The light reaching the tomatoes activates different functions, such as making sugar to sweeten the fruits and proteins to change the texture. “The taste test will be the final hurrah.”

    Unlike most experiments conducted at NREL, this project ended with a taste test. Photo by Gregory Cooper, NREL

    Science demands variables, so Larson purchased organically grown industry reference greenhouse tomatoes as part of the test. He chopped up the various tomatoes, put them on plates, and mixed them up so even he could not tell which were which. Only the labels on the bottom of the plates held the answer. The researchers tried the tomatoes by themselves, with some salt, with some pepper, with some crackers, and then ranked each in order of preference.

    The store-bought tomatoes came in last place. The consensus was split between whether the tomatoes grown under the OPV were a favorite, or the control tomatoes grown under regular sunlight. Larson said he took those results as a win for Steichen and the biology team, who were responsible for caring for the tomatoes six days a week for nearly five months.

    With the initial experiment completed, and tasty at that, the researchers are on their way to a greater understanding of the interplay between light and plant growth.

    Learn more about NREL’s research in the areas of bioenergy and bioeconomy, organic photovoltaic solar cells, and agrivoltaics.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Texas Man Charged Federally for Receipt and Transport of Explosives Intended for Use Against Law Enforcement

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    A Texas man is facing federal charges after allegedly purchasing powerful explosives in New Mexico and expressing plans to use them to harm law enforcement officers and government officials during riots in California.

    According to court documents, on June 12, 2025, Grzegorz Vandenberg, 48, visited a travel center in Lordsburg, New Mexico, to purchase fireworks. During the transaction, Vandenberg requested assistance in selecting fireworks that could be thrown directly at people to cause harm. He told store employees that he was prior special forces military and claimed he could make pipe bombs. Vandenberg further stated that he was traveling to Los Angeles, California, for the riots, with the intent to kill law enforcement officers or government officials.

    “This man allegedly intended to use the chaotic riots in Los Angeles as an opportunity to commit deadly violence against law enforcement officers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Threats like these strike at the heart of law and order — we will not hesitate to bring federal charges against anyone who seeks to harm law enforcement or endanger the safety of our communities.”

    “Our message is clear: If you come after law enforcement officers, the FBI will spare no effort to find you and bring you to justice,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This defendant allegedly intended to use explosives to attack police officers currently conducting law enforcement operations in Los Angeles and – with the help of a store cashier who took down his license plate information – we were able to put a stop to that plan. Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to serve the American people and the FBI will always do our part to protect them.”

    “Targeting law enforcement with violence is not protest – it’s a crime,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico. “Anyone who attempts to harm officers or undermine public safety will be held accountable. Protecting the safety of our communities and upholding the integrity of lawful demonstrations are priorities, and those who cross the line into violence will be prosecuted swiftly and to the fullest extent of the law.”

    Store staff reported that Vandenberg asked for the largest explosives available and invited an employee to join him and his platoon in California. He also claimed to have mortar explosives in his possession and reiterated his plan to use them at the riots to kill officers. Vandenberg purchased six mortars, each containing 60 grams of gunpowder, and 36 large fireworks before leaving the store in a vehicle with Montana license plates, heading west on Interstate 10.

    Vandenberg is charged with transporting explosives in interstate commerce with the knowledge and intent that they would be used to kill, injure, or intimidate individuals. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Vandenberg faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

    The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Tucson Resident Agency of the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office, Tucson Police Department, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joni Stahl and Grant Gardner for the District of New Mexico are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Patrick Cashman of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

    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 Security OSI –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: 50 years after ‘Jaws,’ researchers have retired the man-eater myth and revealed more about sharks’ amazing biology

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Gareth J. Fraser, Associate Professor of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, University of Florida

    The shark in ‘Jaws’ became a terrifying icon. Universal Pictures via Getty Images

    The summer of 1975 was the summer of “Jaws.”

    The movie was adapted from a novel by Peter Benchley.
    Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    The first blockbuster movie sent waves of panic and awe through audiences. “Jaws” – the tale of a killer great white shark that terrorizes a coastal tourist town – captured people’s imaginations and simultaneously created a widespread fear of the water.

    To call Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece a creature feature is trite. Because the shark isn’t shown for most of the movie – mechanical difficulties meant production didn’t have one ready to use until later in the filming process – suspense and fear build. The movie unlocked in viewers an innate fear of the unknown, encouraging the idea that monsters lurk beneath the ocean’s surface, even in the shallows.

    And because in 1975 marine scientists knew far less than we do now about sharks and their world, it was easy for the myth of the rogue shark as a murderous eating machine to take hold, along with the assumption that all sharks must be bloodthirsty, mindless killers.

    People lined up to get scared by the murderous shark at the center of the ‘Jaws’ movie.
    Bettmann Archive via Getty Images

    But in addition to scaring many moviegoers that “it’s not safe to go in the water,” “Jaws” has over the years inspired generations of researchers, including me. The scientific curiosity sparked by this horror fish flick has helped reveal so much more about what lies beneath the waves than was known 50 years ago. My own research focuses on the secret lives of sharks, their evolution and development, and how people can benefit from the study of these enigmatic animals.

    The business end of sharks: Their jaws and teeth

    My own work has focused on perhaps the most terrifying aspect of these apex predators, the jaws and teeth. I study the development of shark teeth in embryos.

    Small-spotted catshark embryo (Scyliorhinus canicula), still attached to the yolk sac. This is the stage when the teeth begin developing.
    Ella Nicklin, Fraser Lab, University of Florida

    Sharks continue to make an unlimited supply of tooth replacements throughout life – it’s how they keep their bite constantly sharp.

    Hard-shelled prey, such as mollusks and crustaceans, from sandy substrates can be more abrasive for teeth, requiring quicker replacement. Depending on the water temperature, the conveyor belt-like renewal of an entire row of teeth can take between nine and 70 days, for example, in nurse sharks, or much longer in larger sharks. In the great white, a full-row replacement can take an estimated 250 days. That’s still an advantage over humans – we never regrow damaged or worn-out adult teeth.

    Magnified microscope image of a zebra shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) jaw. They have 20 to 30 rows of teeth in each jaw, each a new generation ready to move into position like on a conveyor belt. Humans have only two sets!
    Gareth Fraser, University of Florida

    Interestingly, shark teeth are much like our own, developing from equivalent cells, patterned by the same genes, creating the same hard tissues, enamel and dentin. Sharks could potentially teach researchers how to master the process of tooth renewal. It would be huge for dentistry if scientists could use sharks to figure out how to engineer a new generation of teeth for human patients.

    Extraordinary fish with extraordinary biology

    As a group, sharks and their cartilaginous fish relatives – including skates, rays and chimaeras – are evolutionary relics that have inhabited the Earth’s oceans for over 400 million years. They’ve been around since long before human beings and most of the other animals on our planet today hit the scene, even before dinosaurs emerged.

    Sharks have a vast array of super powers that scientists have only recently discovered.

    Their electroreceptive pores, located around the head and jaws, have amazing sensory capabilities, allowing sharks to detect weak electrical fields emitted from hidden prey.

    CT scan of the head of a small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) as it hatches. Skin denticles cover the surface, and colored rows of teeth are present on the jaws.
    Ella Nicklin, Fraser Lab, University of Florida

    Their skin is protected with an armor of tiny teeth, called dermal denticles, composed of sensitive dentin, that also allows for better drag-reducing hydrodynamics. Biologists and engineers are also using this “shark skin technology” to design hydrodynamic and aerodynamic solutions for future fuel-efficient vehicles.

    Fluorescent skin of the chain catshark (Scyliorhinus retifer).
    Gareth Fraser, University of Florida

    Some sharks are biofluorescent, meaning they emit light in different wavelengths after absorbing natural blue light. This emitted fluorescent color pattern suggests visual communication and recognition among members of the same species is possible in the dark depths.

    Sharks can migrate across huge global distances. For example, a silky shark was recorded traveling 17,000 miles (over 27,000 kilometers) over a year and a half. Hammerhead sharks can even home in on the Earth’s magnetic field to help them navigate.

    Greenland sharks exhibit a lengthy aging process and live for hundreds of years. Scientists estimated that one individual was 392 years old, give or take 120 years.

    Still much about sharks remains mysterious. We know little about their breeding habits and locations of their nursery grounds. Conservation efforts are beginning to target the identification of shark nurseries as a way to manage and protect fragile populations.

    Tagging programs and their “follow the shark” apps allow researchers to learn more about these animals’ lives and where they roam – highlighting the benefit of international collaboration and public engagement for conserving threatened shark populations.

    Sharks under attack

    Sharks are an incredible evolutionary success story. But they’re also vulnerable in the modern age of human-ocean interactions.

    Sharks are an afterthought for the commercial fishing industry, but overfishing of other species can cause dramatic crashes in shark populations. Their late age of sexual maturity – as old as 15 to 20 years or more in larger species or potentially 150 years in Greenland sharks – along with slow growth, long gestation periods and complex social structures make shark populations fragile and less capable of quick recoveries.

    Take the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), for example – Jaws’ own species. Trophy hunting, trade in their body parts and commercial fishery impacts caused their numbers to dwindle. As a result, they received essential protections at the international level. In turn, their numbers have rebounded, especially around the United States, leading to a shift from critically endangered to vulnerable status worldwide. However, they remain critically endangered in Europe and the Mediterranean.

    Protections and conservation measures have helped white sharks make a comeback.
    Dave Fleetham/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    “Jaws” was filmed on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, in Massachusetts. After careful management and the designation of white sharks as a prohibited species in federal waters in 1997 and in Massachusetts in 2005, their populations have recovered well over recent years in response to more seals in the area and recovering fish stocks.

    You might assume more sharks would mean more attacks, but that is not what we observe. Shark attacks have always been few and far between in Massachusetts and elsewhere, and they remain rare. It’s only a “Jaws”-perpetuated myth that sharks have a taste for humans. Sure, they might mistake a person for prey; for instance, surfers and swimmers can mimic the appearance of seals at the surface. Sharks in murky water might opportunistically take a test bite of what seem to be prey.

    But these attacks are rare enough that people can shed their “Jaws”-driven irrational fears of sharks. Almost all sharks are timid, and the likelihood of an interaction – let alone a negative one – is incredibly rare. Importantly, there more than 500 species of sharks in the world’s oceans, each one a unique member of a particular ecosystem with a vital role. Sharks come in all shapes and sizes, and inhabit every ocean, both the shallow and deep-end ecosystems.

    Most recorded human-shark interactions are awe-inspiring and not terrifying. Sharks don’t really care about people – at most they may be curious, but not hungry for human flesh. Whether or not “Jaws” fans have grown beyond the fear of movie monster sharks, we’re gonna need a bigger conservation effort to continue to protect these important ocean guardians.

    Gareth J. Fraser receives funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

    – ref. 50 years after ‘Jaws,’ researchers have retired the man-eater myth and revealed more about sharks’ amazing biology – https://theconversation.com/50-years-after-jaws-researchers-have-retired-the-man-eater-myth-and-revealed-more-about-sharks-amazing-biology-258151

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: 50 years after ‘Jaws,’ researchers have retired the man-eater myth and revealed more about sharks’ amazing biology

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Gareth J. Fraser, Associate Professor of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, University of Florida

    The shark in ‘Jaws’ became a terrifying icon. Universal Pictures via Getty Images

    The summer of 1975 was the summer of “Jaws.”

    The movie was adapted from a novel by Peter Benchley.
    Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    The first blockbuster movie sent waves of panic and awe through audiences. “Jaws” – the tale of a killer great white shark that terrorizes a coastal tourist town – captured people’s imaginations and simultaneously created a widespread fear of the water.

    To call Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece a creature feature is trite. Because the shark isn’t shown for most of the movie – mechanical difficulties meant production didn’t have one ready to use until later in the filming process – suspense and fear build. The movie unlocked in viewers an innate fear of the unknown, encouraging the idea that monsters lurk beneath the ocean’s surface, even in the shallows.

    And because in 1975 marine scientists knew far less than we do now about sharks and their world, it was easy for the myth of the rogue shark as a murderous eating machine to take hold, along with the assumption that all sharks must be bloodthirsty, mindless killers.

    People lined up to get scared by the murderous shark at the center of the ‘Jaws’ movie.
    Bettmann Archive via Getty Images

    But in addition to scaring many moviegoers that “it’s not safe to go in the water,” “Jaws” has over the years inspired generations of researchers, including me. The scientific curiosity sparked by this horror fish flick has helped reveal so much more about what lies beneath the waves than was known 50 years ago. My own research focuses on the secret lives of sharks, their evolution and development, and how people can benefit from the study of these enigmatic animals.

    The business end of sharks: Their jaws and teeth

    My own work has focused on perhaps the most terrifying aspect of these apex predators, the jaws and teeth. I study the development of shark teeth in embryos.

    Small-spotted catshark embryo (Scyliorhinus canicula), still attached to the yolk sac. This is the stage when the teeth begin developing.
    Ella Nicklin, Fraser Lab, University of Florida

    Sharks continue to make an unlimited supply of tooth replacements throughout life – it’s how they keep their bite constantly sharp.

    Hard-shelled prey, such as mollusks and crustaceans, from sandy substrates can be more abrasive for teeth, requiring quicker replacement. Depending on the water temperature, the conveyor belt-like renewal of an entire row of teeth can take between nine and 70 days, for example, in nurse sharks, or much longer in larger sharks. In the great white, a full-row replacement can take an estimated 250 days. That’s still an advantage over humans – we never regrow damaged or worn-out adult teeth.

    Magnified microscope image of a zebra shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) jaw. They have 20 to 30 rows of teeth in each jaw, each a new generation ready to move into position like on a conveyor belt. Humans have only two sets!
    Gareth Fraser, University of Florida

    Interestingly, shark teeth are much like our own, developing from equivalent cells, patterned by the same genes, creating the same hard tissues, enamel and dentin. Sharks could potentially teach researchers how to master the process of tooth renewal. It would be huge for dentistry if scientists could use sharks to figure out how to engineer a new generation of teeth for human patients.

    Extraordinary fish with extraordinary biology

    As a group, sharks and their cartilaginous fish relatives – including skates, rays and chimaeras – are evolutionary relics that have inhabited the Earth’s oceans for over 400 million years. They’ve been around since long before human beings and most of the other animals on our planet today hit the scene, even before dinosaurs emerged.

    Sharks have a vast array of super powers that scientists have only recently discovered.

    Their electroreceptive pores, located around the head and jaws, have amazing sensory capabilities, allowing sharks to detect weak electrical fields emitted from hidden prey.

    CT scan of the head of a small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) as it hatches. Skin denticles cover the surface, and colored rows of teeth are present on the jaws.
    Ella Nicklin, Fraser Lab, University of Florida

    Their skin is protected with an armor of tiny teeth, called dermal denticles, composed of sensitive dentin, that also allows for better drag-reducing hydrodynamics. Biologists and engineers are also using this “shark skin technology” to design hydrodynamic and aerodynamic solutions for future fuel-efficient vehicles.

    Fluorescent skin of the chain catshark (Scyliorhinus retifer).
    Gareth Fraser, University of Florida

    Some sharks are biofluorescent, meaning they emit light in different wavelengths after absorbing natural blue light. This emitted fluorescent color pattern suggests visual communication and recognition among members of the same species is possible in the dark depths.

    Sharks can migrate across huge global distances. For example, a silky shark was recorded traveling 17,000 miles (over 27,000 kilometers) over a year and a half. Hammerhead sharks can even home in on the Earth’s magnetic field to help them navigate.

    Greenland sharks exhibit a lengthy aging process and live for hundreds of years. Scientists estimated that one individual was 392 years old, give or take 120 years.

    Still much about sharks remains mysterious. We know little about their breeding habits and locations of their nursery grounds. Conservation efforts are beginning to target the identification of shark nurseries as a way to manage and protect fragile populations.

    Tagging programs and their “follow the shark” apps allow researchers to learn more about these animals’ lives and where they roam – highlighting the benefit of international collaboration and public engagement for conserving threatened shark populations.

    Sharks under attack

    Sharks are an incredible evolutionary success story. But they’re also vulnerable in the modern age of human-ocean interactions.

    Sharks are an afterthought for the commercial fishing industry, but overfishing of other species can cause dramatic crashes in shark populations. Their late age of sexual maturity – as old as 15 to 20 years or more in larger species or potentially 150 years in Greenland sharks – along with slow growth, long gestation periods and complex social structures make shark populations fragile and less capable of quick recoveries.

    Take the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), for example – Jaws’ own species. Trophy hunting, trade in their body parts and commercial fishery impacts caused their numbers to dwindle. As a result, they received essential protections at the international level. In turn, their numbers have rebounded, especially around the United States, leading to a shift from critically endangered to vulnerable status worldwide. However, they remain critically endangered in Europe and the Mediterranean.

    Protections and conservation measures have helped white sharks make a comeback.
    Dave Fleetham/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    “Jaws” was filmed on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, in Massachusetts. After careful management and the designation of white sharks as a prohibited species in federal waters in 1997 and in Massachusetts in 2005, their populations have recovered well over recent years in response to more seals in the area and recovering fish stocks.

    You might assume more sharks would mean more attacks, but that is not what we observe. Shark attacks have always been few and far between in Massachusetts and elsewhere, and they remain rare. It’s only a “Jaws”-perpetuated myth that sharks have a taste for humans. Sure, they might mistake a person for prey; for instance, surfers and swimmers can mimic the appearance of seals at the surface. Sharks in murky water might opportunistically take a test bite of what seem to be prey.

    But these attacks are rare enough that people can shed their “Jaws”-driven irrational fears of sharks. Almost all sharks are timid, and the likelihood of an interaction – let alone a negative one – is incredibly rare. Importantly, there more than 500 species of sharks in the world’s oceans, each one a unique member of a particular ecosystem with a vital role. Sharks come in all shapes and sizes, and inhabit every ocean, both the shallow and deep-end ecosystems.

    Most recorded human-shark interactions are awe-inspiring and not terrifying. Sharks don’t really care about people – at most they may be curious, but not hungry for human flesh. Whether or not “Jaws” fans have grown beyond the fear of movie monster sharks, we’re gonna need a bigger conservation effort to continue to protect these important ocean guardians.

    Gareth J. Fraser receives funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

    – ref. 50 years after ‘Jaws,’ researchers have retired the man-eater myth and revealed more about sharks’ amazing biology – https://theconversation.com/50-years-after-jaws-researchers-have-retired-the-man-eater-myth-and-revealed-more-about-sharks-amazing-biology-258151

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ezell, Miller-Meeks Introduce the Unleash America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Ezell (Mississippi 4th District)

    Representatives Mike Ezell (MS-04) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) introduced H.R. 4018, the Unleash America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources Act, legislation that codifies President Trump’s Executive Order 14285 to support and expand domestic seabed mineral development.

    The bill strengthens America’s economic and national security by accelerating the responsible development of critical mineral resources found on the ocean floor. These minerals are essential for producing advanced technologies, renewable energy infrastructure, and defense systems — yet the U.S. remains dangerously reliant on foreign supply chains.

    “President Trump was right to prioritize seabed minerals, and I’m proud to carry that effort forward in Congress,” Ezell said. “My Unleash America’s Offshore Critical Minerals Act will help secure our mineral supply chains, create American jobs, and keep our nation competitive in the global economy. Mississippi’s Gulf Coast understands the importance of energy, infrastructure, and national defense, and this bill supports all three. It’s about putting America first, reducing our dependence on adversaries like China, and making sure our innovation and security are never held hostage by foreign supply chains. We have vast resources right off our shores — it’s time we take full advantage of them, and do it responsibly.”

    “The United States cannot afford to remain dependent on adversarial nations for the critical minerals that power our economy, energy systems, and national defense,” Miller-Meeks said. “By codifying President Trump’s executive order, the Unleash America’s Offshore Critical Minerals Act takes an important step toward strengthening our supply chains and securing access to essential resources found right off our coasts. This legislation will help protect American jobs, enhance our economic security, and ensure the United States remains competitive on the global stage — all while maintaining strong environmental safeguards. I’m proud to join Rep. Ezell in introducing this commonsense, strategic bill.”

    “Tapping into America’s rich critical mineral resources is vital to support our national security and eliminate our dependence on foreign adversaries for vital resources,” House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman said. “Representatives Ezell and Miller-Meeks’ Unleash America’s Offshore Critical Minerals Act will codify President Trumps executive order on this issue and ensure the United States can lead the world in offshore mineral development.”

    “We applaud Congressman Ezell’s leadership in championing the Unleash America’s Offshore Critical Minerals Act,” Oliver Gunasekara, CEO of Impossible Metals said. “The global race for critical minerals is on, and the United States can’t afford to sit on the sidelines. This bill recognizes the urgent need to unlock our own seabed resources and lead the world with responsible, American innovation.”

    By codifying the President’s Executive Order, the bill provides regulatory certainty for developers while ensuring environmental protections and U.S. strategic interests remain a priority. It also directs key federal agencies to streamline permitting, identify high-potential seabed areas, and collaborate with private industry to safely unlock these resources.

    The legislation is expected to receive strong support from industry leaders, energy advocates, and national security experts.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ezell, Miller-Meeks Introduce the Unleash America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Ezell (Mississippi 4th District)

    Representatives Mike Ezell (MS-04) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) introduced H.R. 4018, the Unleash America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources Act, legislation that codifies President Trump’s Executive Order 14285 to support and expand domestic seabed mineral development.

    The bill strengthens America’s economic and national security by accelerating the responsible development of critical mineral resources found on the ocean floor. These minerals are essential for producing advanced technologies, renewable energy infrastructure, and defense systems — yet the U.S. remains dangerously reliant on foreign supply chains.

    “President Trump was right to prioritize seabed minerals, and I’m proud to carry that effort forward in Congress,” Ezell said. “My Unleash America’s Offshore Critical Minerals Act will help secure our mineral supply chains, create American jobs, and keep our nation competitive in the global economy. Mississippi’s Gulf Coast understands the importance of energy, infrastructure, and national defense, and this bill supports all three. It’s about putting America first, reducing our dependence on adversaries like China, and making sure our innovation and security are never held hostage by foreign supply chains. We have vast resources right off our shores — it’s time we take full advantage of them, and do it responsibly.”

    “The United States cannot afford to remain dependent on adversarial nations for the critical minerals that power our economy, energy systems, and national defense,” Miller-Meeks said. “By codifying President Trump’s executive order, the Unleash America’s Offshore Critical Minerals Act takes an important step toward strengthening our supply chains and securing access to essential resources found right off our coasts. This legislation will help protect American jobs, enhance our economic security, and ensure the United States remains competitive on the global stage — all while maintaining strong environmental safeguards. I’m proud to join Rep. Ezell in introducing this commonsense, strategic bill.”

    “Tapping into America’s rich critical mineral resources is vital to support our national security and eliminate our dependence on foreign adversaries for vital resources,” House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman said. “Representatives Ezell and Miller-Meeks’ Unleash America’s Offshore Critical Minerals Act will codify President Trumps executive order on this issue and ensure the United States can lead the world in offshore mineral development.”

    “We applaud Congressman Ezell’s leadership in championing the Unleash America’s Offshore Critical Minerals Act,” Oliver Gunasekara, CEO of Impossible Metals said. “The global race for critical minerals is on, and the United States can’t afford to sit on the sidelines. This bill recognizes the urgent need to unlock our own seabed resources and lead the world with responsible, American innovation.”

    By codifying the President’s Executive Order, the bill provides regulatory certainty for developers while ensuring environmental protections and U.S. strategic interests remain a priority. It also directs key federal agencies to streamline permitting, identify high-potential seabed areas, and collaborate with private industry to safely unlock these resources.

    The legislation is expected to receive strong support from industry leaders, energy advocates, and national security experts.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Report on Indonesia’s Civic Space Legal Framework Published

    Source: US Global Legal Monitor

    Earlier this year, in March 2025, public protests broke out in several cities in Indonesia. The focus of the protests was changes to the law that governs the country’s military. Last year, in August, the were mass protests over proposals to amend the local election laws, which were subsequently scrapped. Other government actions have also seen people take to the streets over the past few months. Civil society groups have been involved in supporting and organizing different protests, with the bulk of protesters being university students. Academics have also raised concerns about government transparency and approaches to dissent.

    Indonesia is a country that has experienced significant upheavals in the form and structures of its government over the past century, including colonial governance under Dutch rule, Japanese occupation during World War II, a successful fight for independence following the war, a failed coup and subsequent mass killings in the mid-1960s, a military dictatorship that lasted from 1967 to 1998, a period of major reforms starting in the late 1990s and early 2000s as part of a shift to democracy (reformasi period), and concerns in more recent years about changes to laws and structures that some feel impinge on democratic values.

    A recently published report on the Law Library’s website, Indonesia: Civil Space Legal Framework, provides information on the rights and freedoms protected in the 1945 Constitution of Indonesia following its amendment during the reformasi period and on protections in several other laws enacted during that period, including laws on human rights, the press and broadcasting, expressing opinions in public, and trade or labor unions. It also provides information on the 1946 Criminal Code and the new 2023 Criminal Code, as well as provisions in the 2008 Law on Electronic Information and Transactions, that can be used to restrict certain rights, such as the freedom of expression. Various court challenges to these and other laws are also noted in the report. In addition, the report provides an overview of the laws that regulate civil society organizations.

    Read the report here. 

    The report on the civic space legal framework in Indonesia is part of a series of Law Library reports covering the frameworks in several other countries, including Peru, Finland, Romania, Thailand, Spain, and Morocco. These reports are contained in the Law Library’s Legal Reports (Publications of the Law Library of Congress) collection, which includes over 4,000 historical and contemporary legal reports covering a variety of jurisdictions, researched and written by foreign law specialists with expertise in each area. To receive alerts when new reports are published, you can subscribe to email updates and the RSS feed for Law Library Reports (click the “subscribe” button on the Law Library’s website). The Law Library also publishes articles related to Indonesia[add link to search results] in the Global Legal Monitor.

    Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Is Mark Carney turning his back on climate action?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Deborah de Lange, Associate Professor, Global Management Studies, Toronto Metropolitan University

    The G7 summit in Alberta, hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney, has ended with only passing mention of fighting climate change, including a statement on wildfires that is silent on the pressing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

    This is puzzling. Canadians didn’t opt for Conservative Pierre Poilievre, considered by some to be an oil and gas industry mouthpiece, in the last federal election. Instead, voters gave Carney’s Liberals a minority government.

    Carney was the United Nations Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance and was behind the UN-backed Net-Zero Banking Alliance, so some Canadians might have assumed he’d prioritize climate action if he won the election. Instead, Carney has described developing fossil fuel infrastructure as “pragmatic.”

    But it’s unclear how a country grappling with abysmal air quality due to wildfires fuelled by global warming will benefit from further global fossil fuel development and its related emissions.



    Read more:
    Wildfire smoke can harm your brain, not just your lungs

    Warming rapidly

    Canada is warming faster than most of the globe. Its leaders should be laser-focused on mitigating climate change by reducing fossil fuel use to the greatest extent possible, as soon as possible.

    This decades-long understanding of how to approach climate action has been repeatedly explained by experts and is well known to governments globally. Canada’s prime minister was once one of those experts.

    Carney now has a tremendous opportunity to lead by steering Canada in a clean direction.

    Canada is at the forefront of clean technology, with numerous business opportunities emerging, particularly in areas like circular economy international trade. These opportunities not only support Canada’s commitment to meeting its Paris Agreement targets but also help expand and diversify its global trade.

    Eco-industrial parks

    Canada already has exemplar eco-industrial parks — co-operative businesses located on a common property that focus on reducing environmental impact through resource efficiency, waste reduction and sharing resources. Such industrial communities are in Halifax and in Delta, B.C. They represent significant investment opportunities.

    Vacant urban land could be revitalized and existing industrial parks could boost their economic output and circular trade by building stronger partnerships to share resources, reduce waste and cut emissions.



    Read more:
    A sustainable, circular economy could counter Trump’s tariffs while strengthening international trade

    Canada would benefit economically and environmentally by building on existing expertise and expanding successful sustainability strategies to achieve economic, environmental and social goals.

    But by continuing to invest in fossil fuels, Canada misses out on opportunities to diversify trade and boost economic competitiveness.

    The secret to China’s success

    Real diversification makes Canada less vulnerable to economic shocks, like the ones caused by the tariffs imposed by United States President Donald Trump.

    Fossil fuel reliance increases exposure to global economic risks, but shifting to cleaner products and services reduces climate risks and expands Canada’s global trade options. China’s economic rise is partly a result of this strategy.

    That’s seemingly why Trump is so fixated on China. China today is a serious competitor to the U.S. after making smart trade and economic decisions and forging its own path, disregarding American pressure to remain a mere follower.

    Investing in its huge Belt and Road Initiative, China also aligned itself with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It’s building diplomatic bridges with many Belt and Road countries in southeast Asia as Trump’s America alienates its partners, pulling out of the Paris Agreement and cutting foreign aid.

    As another one of the America’s mistreated partners, Canada was poised to forge its own path under Carney. Instead, Carney is supporting American oil and gas by encouraging Canadian pipeline projects.

    Clean innovation is the path forward

    Canadian oil and gas is a concentrated industry controlled by a wealthy few, primarily Americans. More pipelines would therefore mean more sales of fossil fuels to other countries, with the beneficiaries mostly American.

    Fossil fuel investments reduce Canada’s diversification because the resources used to further these projects could go elsewhere — toward clean diversification. With almost unlimited clean economy options across many sectors, clean diversification would broaden Canada’s economic and trade portfolios and reduce American control.



    Read more:
    Why Canada’s Strong Borders Act is as troublesome as Donald Trump’s travel bans

    This is International Business 101, and would make the Canadian economy more competitive through innovation, while reducing the country’s climate risk.

    California, often targeted by Trump for its policies, has been a leader in clean innovation, making its economy the envy of the world.



    Read more:
    California is planning floating wind farms offshore to boost its power supply – here’s how they work

    My recent research shows that clear, decisive choices like those made in California will be key to Canada’s future success. Canada must make choices aligned with goals — a core principle of strategic management.

    My research also suggests Canada must restructure its energy industry to focus on renewable energy innovation while reducing fossil fuel reliance. Increased renewable energy innovation, as seen in patent numbers, leads to higher GDP.

    Contrary to common beliefs, pollution taxes boost the economy in combination with clean innovation. But when the government supports both the fossil fuel industry and clean industries, it hinders Canada’s transition to a cleaner future.

    Trapped by the fossil fuel industry?

    Do Canadian taxpayers truly want to keep funding an outdated, polluting industry that benefits a wealthy few, or invest in clean industries that boost Canada’s economy, create better jobs and protect the environment? To differentiate Canada from the United States, it would make sense to choose the latter.

    Carney should consider refraining from pushing for the fast-tracking of polluting projects. If he doesn’t, Canada will become more uncompetitive and vulnerable, trapped by the fossil fuel industry.



    Read more:
    Mark Carney wants to make Canada an energy superpower — but what will be sacrificed for that goal?

    Carney’s support for pipelines may have stemmed from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s implicit support for Alberta sovereignty. She made veiled threats to Canada at a critical juncture, when Trump was making repeated assertions about annexing Canada.

    Alberta didn’t vote for Carney. But Canadians who care about mitigating climate change did.

    Banks that felt pressure to at least recognize sustainable finance during the Joe Biden administration joined Carney’s Net-Zero Banking Alliance.

    But as soon as Trump came to power a second time and walked away from the Paris Agreement, many American banks abandoned the alliance. Canadian banks followed suit, and Carney remarkably missed another moment to show Canadian leadership by stopping their exit.

    In fact, Carney seems to have abandoned his own organization to appease Trump as the president made multiple 51st state threats. The prime minister had the chance to differentiate Canada and demonstrate his own leadership. Instead, he seems to have easily turned his back on his principles under pressure from Trump.

    Deborah de Lange receives funding from SSHRC and ESRC. She is affiliated with The Liberal Party of Canada and The Writers’ Union of Canada.

    – ref. Is Mark Carney turning his back on climate action? – https://theconversation.com/is-mark-carney-turning-his-back-on-climate-action-258737

    MIL OSI Analysis –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Joins Democratic Colleagues in Urging Rubio to Preserve the State Department’s Human Rights Bureau 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined U.S. Senator Jeanee Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and eight Democratic colleagues in urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to preserve the staff and programs administered by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) amid the Department’s proposed reorganization.   
    “The proposed reorganization of DRL raises serious concerns about the Department’s prioritization of democracy and human rights and the role of DRL in advancing U.S. national security priorities—concerns that were the basis for Congress’s bipartisan codification in statute an Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor and the directive ‘to promote the increased observance of internationally recognized human rights by all countries’ as a principal goal of U.S. foreign policy,” wrote the Senators. “The proposed reorganization would result in a structural and substantive demotion of human rights promotion that runs counter to the spirit of the law and your personal legacy working on these issues.”  
    “Over 80% of DRL’s programs support human rights defenders working in closed, anti-democratic societies, including Cuba, China, Nicaragua, North Korea, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and others which the Trump Administration has identified as adversaries of the U.S.,” continued the Senators.  
    The Senators concluded: “As you stated in the subcommittee hearing previously mentioned, ‘millions of people around the world who live in societies dominated by fear and oppression look to the United States of America to champion their cause to fully exercise their God-given rights. There are no greater champions more capable of advancing this noble cause than the dedicated staff in DRL. We need these champions in the Department.”  
    In addition to Senators Welch and Shaheen, the letter is cosigned by Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.). 
    Read and download the full text of the letter. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Hochul is a Guest on “The Briefing With Jen Psaki”

    Source: US State of New York

    ast night, Governor Hochul was a guest on MSNBC’s “The Briefing with Jen Psaki.”

    AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

    A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

    (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

    Governor Hochul:  Do you want to know what I really think?

    Rebecca Lewis, City & State: Please.

    Governor Hochul: It’s bullshit. How dare they—

    (END VIDEO CLIP)

    Jen Psaki, MSNBC: Couldn’t have said it better myself. That was New York Governor Kathy Hochul, today, reacting to the arrest of New York City Comptroller and Mayoral candidate Brad Lander. And Governor Kathy Hochul joins me. Now, Governor, thank you so much for being here with me tonight.

    You rushed down to the courthouse today after Brad Lander was arrested to demand his release. We heard a little bit from him earlier. Can you just walk us through what happened today, including your interaction with officers at the building?

    Governor Hochul: Yes, and thank you for your coverage of this deeply troubling story that seems to be unfolding all across our country, Jen. I literally was in a part of Brooklyn, known as Little Haiti. I was walking the streets talking to people who were so frightened — living in the shadows of a once vibrant street was now almost a ghost town because people are terrified. And then while I’m out there trying to meet these people, let them know we’re, we see them, we’re gonna support them.

    Then I get the word that one of our elected officials for the City of New York has been arrested. And I know Brad Lander. I went right down there. And I wanted to see him. I went up to the ninth floor. And they wouldn’t let me come in. But I had a chance to talk to ICE officers and the people in charge, and my Head of Homeland Security came down and Head of my Counterintelligence and all the professionals that I work with. We all stood there and I said, “I’m not leaving until you let him out. I want him released. Because what are the charges? What are you possibly saying? We all saw the video.”

    And after about an hour of me waiting and talking to a lot of people, they said they’d release him without charges, but Brad Lander has all the attorneys and attention on this he needs. I mean, he can take care of himself. I’m confident of that, but what I cannot get out of my mind are all the people that are so terrified right now are the ones who go into those courtrooms following the law and the procedure — told, show up this date for your court appearance. And then they’re sitting ducks while they’re in the courtroom. They withdraw their legal status and they walk out and they’re captured.

    This is beyond the pale, and we have to stand up and call it out for what it is and say we are a better country than this. And the voices that we heard during the marches over the last weekend, the people who stood up there, the elected officials who are doing their part — we have to stand up and say no more. And I’ll tell you this, as I said, under eight hours of questioning in Congress just a few days ago — I will work with the Trump administration to remove the people he said he was going after. I will help you get the criminals out of here, the ones who are violent criminals who are hurting other people, the human traffickers, the people who are dealing in drugs, people with guns — I want them gone.

    I’ll help you but don’t take care of the home healthcare aides, the 160 who are gonna lose their jobs that I’ve met today and talked to. They’ll lose their jobs and they lose their status. And you know what? That means there’s 160 vulnerable New Yorkers who are gonna lose their caregivers and the people who work in the restaurants and hospitality, let them get jobs, pay their taxes, be part of our communities – like my grandpa was a migrant farm worker. Everybody comes and starts out and struggles. But you know what? Over time it works. It’s the American dream, and that dream is dissipating by the moment here in this country, and we cannot let it go.

    Jen Psaki, MSNBC: No question about it. And I know, and I just mentioned that you had announced today the State is dedicating $50 million for legal assistance for immigrants. And I want to ask you about that in one moment.

    I think one of the things that was so striking about today, many things was that, you know, Brad Lander was released without charges. You said earlier today that to your knowledge, the charges have been dropped and that he walks out of there free man.

    But the US Attorney’s Office said that it is investigating his action still and would decide later whether to charge him with a crime. This is all on video, which we played the full video. Are you confident there won’t be charges? And I raise this because he’s just escorting immigrants to the courthouses who are trying to abide by their court hearings.

    Governor Hochul: That’s all he is doing, and he did it without any fanfare over a number of times. Just a lot of people are volunteering. These people are terrified. I mean, these are our neighbors. These are people who’ve lived among us for many, many years sometimes. And people are just doing the right thing. They’re showing their humanity. He showed up and just escorting someone and speaking to him and just trying to let him know it’s going to be okay. The best we can. And then you have them ripped apart and terrorized the way they were and go after elected officials. I mean, no, no. It’s wrong. It’s wrong.

    And again, we will help the Trump administration — we have been doing this for years — get rid of the true criminals. But coming here to seek asylum as they have for the last few years, or coming with temporary protected status like 300,000 Venezuelans did. And people from Haiti. They had legal status when they came. So when you take it away, once they’re here, it’s just like a cruel joke on them.

    So, they’re not the criminals. Let’s find them a legal pathway. Let’s give them work authorization. I know the Trump administration is capable of doing this. They can do this, and there’ll be a lot of employers, including the people in my State, New York — I have 400,000 open jobs as we speak. They’re not taking someone’s job. They’ll be doing an important service to us.

    Let’s have a conversation. Let’s ask Congress. Why you won’t do something as simple as passing common sense, bipartisan legislation to reform our immigration laws, find legal pathways. Yes, we have to secure our borders. No one doubts that, but the people who are here and already contributing, come on. We’re a nation of immigrants. That’s why we’re so great.

    Jen Psaki, MSNBC: I mentioned a couple times that you announced the $50 million for legal assistance, which is very powerful and as Brad Lander mentioned, a lot of these people don’t have legal representation.

    Governor Hochul: That’s right.

    Jen Psaki, MSNBC: This tactic though, which I called dirty earlier because I think it’s dirty of these agents showing up at courthouses and kind of stalking people who don’t have criminal records are not trying to, are just trying to abide by what they’re supposed to be doing. Is there anything you can do as Governor to stop those tactics or other Governors can ban together and do?

    Governor Hochul: No, they’re not allowed in New York state courts. You know, and, and let’s think about this, when this was passed a few years ago, law enforcement supported this because people who’ve been victims of the crimes are witnesses of crimes, if they think that if they go in to be involved in the criminal justice system to maybe to solve a crime, that they could be removed instantaneously. We want to make sure that we are working to protect our community. People are safer when people feel they can come forward, but apparently in federal courthouses, here in New York City and all across America, they’re basically staking out people who walk in the front door to keep an appointment they were given. They’re told to go before this judge on this date or check in.

    I mean, a heartbreaking story just a couple weeks ago. A mom takes her two boys, 19 and 20-year-old down to make sure they’re legally checking in as they’re told to do. Guess what? She walks out without them. Because they took them away from her. And she doesn’t know where they are. We’re all human beings.

    Jen Psaki, MSNBC: Yeah.

    Governor Hochul: If we can’t find some compassion in our hearts at this moment and do what’s right, history will judge us very poorly. That’s why we’re urging the administration — go after the really bad ones like you said you would. That’s my plea. Go after the bad ones. We’ll help you. Every state will help you. But can we just leave these law abiding people alone? Can we just do that?

    Jen Psaki, MSNBC: There are so many stories, like the ones you mentioned and the ones we saw play out today. Governor Kathy Hochul, I know you’ve had a day, so thank you so much for being here with us, helping explain all of the video footage we’ve just showed everybody watching. Really appreciate you being here.

    Governor Hochul: Alright, thank you, Jen.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    June 19, 2025
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