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Category: United States of America

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Senator Graham: Russia Sanctions Bill Aims to Change Putin’s Calculus, Protect World Order

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Lindsey Graham

    Russia sanctions bill aims to change Putin’s calculus, protect world order

    By Senator Lindsey Graham

    Fox News

    June 12, 2025

    https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/sen-lindsey-graham-russia-sanctions-bill-aims-change-putins-calculus-protect-world-order

    President Donald Trump is making an earnest and sincere effort to secure a ceasefire and an eventual just and honorable end to the Russia-Ukraine war.

    He and his team have engaged Russia’s Vladimir Putin in order to find that pathway forward, but it is clear the only pathway Putin is interested in is military operations in Ukraine and eventually, beyond.

    As a result, the coming days will be extremely consequential for the Kremlin and those who are propping up Putin’s war machine. Additional action from both Europe and the United States is inevitable.

    The Russia-Ukraine war has garnered global attention, not only because of its barbaric nature but also the consequences to world order.

    We have been working with the White House since day one in drafting this package. We now have over 84 Senate cosponsors and 70 House cosponsors of legislation to enact hard-hitting sanctions and tariffs on Russia and its financial backers.

    It is clear to me and virtually every sponsor of the Russia sanctions bill that the way we deal with Putin will either encourage or deter bad actors.

    The purpose of this legislation is to break the cycle of China — a communist dictatorship — buying oil below market price from Putin’s Russia, which empowers his war machine to kill innocent Ukrainian civilians.

    This bill would end that cycle.

    China is watching the United States’ resolve regarding Putin’s effort to dismember Ukraine and possibly other sovereign nations. It is not my goal to humiliate Russia, but it is my goal to make sure that China sees the outcome of this conflict and feels that its efforts to take Taiwan by force would not be in the People’s Republic’s best interest.

    It is also very important that we let Iran and other aggressive nation states know that the price for disrupting world order, seizing other nation’s land and trying to dominate their neighbors is not worth it.

    I have been incredibly impressed with Europe’s recent resolve, both in toughening sanctions and investing in their military. Europe is answering President Trump’s call to increase defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product.

    As a result of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO is bigger and tougher than ever. However, it is important that we continue to act decisively to end this war not only soon, but in the right way.

    Unfortunately, the more we engage Putin, the more aggressive he gets. It’s time to change the game.

    New European sanctions on Russia’s energy and banking sectors were released this week, and they are more hard-hitting than ever. This package also singles out Chinese business entities for their financial support of the war and recommends lowering the price that Europe pays for Russian oil from $60 to $45 per barrel, in order to drive down Russian revenues that allow Putin’s bloodbath to continue.

    As to the Russia sanctions bill in the U.S. Congress, overwhelming support continues to build. Our goal is to give President Trump more leverage to end this war quickly.

    This bicameral, bipartisan bill is simple – and we’ve made some important changes.

    1. If a country doesn’t do business with Russia, the sanctions and tariffs don’t apply.
    2. If a country does business with Russia, but they also help Ukraine militarily and economically, there’s a 270-day exception on sanctions and tariffs being imposed. There will be additional waivers as well, including a presidential waiver for sanctions and other measures that mirrors language used in the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) signed into law by President Trump in 2017.
    3. If a country buys cheap Russian oil and gas and other products and doesn’t help Ukraine, they are screwed. That is the price for propping up Putin’s war machine.

    The United States and our allies have paid a price in the past to maintain freedom and order, and we shall again.

    Republican Lindsey Graham represents South Carolina in the United States Senate.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer, Luján Announce Bipartisan, Bicameral Universal Service Fund Working Group

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer

    Today, U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE), Chair of the Senate Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee, and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ranking Member, announced the reconstitution of the Universal Service Fund (USF) Working Group.

    In the House, Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Richard Hudson (R-NC9) and Ranking Member Doris Matsui (D-CA7) are spearheading the effort. Senators Moran (R-KS), Klobuchar (D-MN), Capito (R-WV), Peters (D-MI), Sullivan (R-AK), and Rosen (D-NV) have joined as members. 

    “All Nebraskans deserve to have access to critical communication and Internet services, regardless of their zip code. That’s why I’m proud to announce we are reorganizing and utilizing this bipartisan, bicameral working group. Our goal is to evaluate broadband programs and the USF to help support the mission of connecting unserved and underserved communities across the country. I look forward to this important work alongside my colleagues in the Senate and House,”     Fischer said.  

    “The Universal Service Fund has been a lifeline for rural, Tribal, and underserved communities in New Mexico and across the country – connecting schools, hospitals, and families to affordable, reliable internet. For nearly 30 years, the Universal Service Fund has been instrumental in expanding broadband access across the country. I’m glad to once again join bipartisan, bicameral leaders to modernize and strengthen the USF and ensure it remains well-equipped to connect Americans no matter where they live. I’ll keep fighting to protect this vital program for the communities that depend on it,”     Luján said. 

    “Expanding access to broadband is a top priority for me. By launching this bipartisan working group alongside Congresswoman Matsui and Senators Lujan and Fischer, we’ll gain the insights needed to ensure the Universal Service Fund is reaching the Americans who need it most – while also protecting it from waste, fraud, and abuse,” Hudson said.

    “Reliable, high-speed broadband isn’t a luxury—it’s a fundamental pillar of modern life. For decades, the Universal Service Fund has helped connect millions of families, schools, and libraries through critical programs like Lifeline, E-Rate, and rural broadband deployment. But the digital divide still persists, and the stakes for getting this right have never been higher. That’s why we’re relaunching this bipartisan, bicameral working group—to modernize and strengthen the Universal Service Fund, and ensure it continues to meet the evolving connectivity needs of all Americans,”     Matsui said.

    Background    :

    This bipartisan, bicameral working group—originally launched in 2023—was established to evaluate and propose potential reforms to the USF with the goal of developing a forum to guide education, awareness, and policymaking. Today’s reorganization of the USF Working Group highlights the continued commitment to close the digital divide with solutions that support sustained access to universal connectivity while improving interagency coordination and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.

    Note:     In the coming weeks, a USF Working Group request for comment portal will be open on Fischer’s website to allow for the submission of updated comments regarding the future outlook of the USF in the near and long terms.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Markey Lead Delegation in Pressing For Investigation Into ICE’s Excessive Use of Force, Aggressive Arrest Tactics

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    June 12, 2025

    Immigration agents have escalated arrest tactics, including hiding identities, targeting schools and churches, arresting bystanders

    “ICE’s escalating aggression is not making us safer.” 

    “In light of these reports of ICE’s potential violations of agency policy and constitutional rights, we ask that [Homeland Security watchdogs] review these matters.”

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) led Massachusetts’ Congressional delegation in pressing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials on Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) increasingly aggressive and intimidating tactics used during enforcement actions. The lawmakers requested an immediate investigation by DHS’s Office of Inspector General and Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) and necessary corrective action.

    “ICE’s conduct has gone beyond simply enforcing the law against people convicted of violent crimes and has subjected community members who pose no threat, including parents and children, to seemingly needless harm,” wrote the lawmakers. 

    Over the past month, ICE arrested nearly 1,500 Massachusetts residents during a series of large-scale immigration raids. During these raids, ICE agents have used increasingly aggressive tactics, including psychological and physical coercion, hiding agents’ identities and refusing to provide identification, targeting sensitive locations like schools and churches, and arresting people who are not the targets of raids, including U.S. citizens. 

    Officers recently used a sledgehammer to break the window of a parked car in New Bedford, Massachusetts, raining shards of glass on a couple waiting for their attorney. Similarly, in Chelsea, Massachusetts, ICE agents stopped a family leaving church, reportedly held a gun up to the car, then broke the car window and threw the father to the ground to handcuff him. In Worcester, Massachusetts, local law enforcement reportedly forced a teenager to the ground and held her face to the pavement during an ICE arrest. 

    The agency’s tactics have also caused psychological terror. Agents have covered their faces with masks, worn plain clothes, and driven unmarked vehicles — including in the case of the Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk, whose arrest at first appeared to be a kidnapping. Agents have intentionally conveyed false identities, such as a recent case in which agents reportedly posed as utility workers. 

    “This obfuscation not only stokes fear but makes it more difficult for community members to distinguish real agents from impersonators, and kidnappings by civilians posing as ICE officers are on the rise,” wrote the lawmakers. 

    As ICE attempts to ramp up arrest numbers to an unprecedented 3,000 per day, agents have encountered the wrong person and nevertheless proceeded with the arrest. ICE agents recently arrested an 18-year-old high school student, Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, who has been a resident of Milford, Massachusetts since age six. Though ICE intended to arrest his father, agents proceeded to detain the teenager, who had no pending criminal charges — horrifying his town and communities around the country.  

    Almost half of the individuals recently arrested by ICE in Massachusetts have no criminal record whatsoever, according to ICE’s own data. 

    “These seemingly indiscriminate arrests sweep in long-time community members, including young people who have spent almost their entire lives in the United States,” wrote the lawmakers. “Some law enforcement agencies are sounding the alarm that ICE’s tactics actually make their jobs harder by eroding community trust in law enforcement.”

    As a result of these potential violations of agency policy and constitutional rights, the Massachusetts congressional delegation urged the Homeland Security Inspector General and head of CRCL to investigate ICE’s conduct, including its excessive force and rationale for using military gear; the agency’s plan to prevent the use of immigration enforcement as a tool for retaliation against critics, dissenters, or political opponents; and CRCL’s capacity to conduct this oversight given recent reductions to the watchdog office.

    “The human toll of these tactics is immense. Families are being separated, and citizen and noncitizen community members alike are left living in fear,” wrote the lawmakers. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Stansbury Press Trump on Musk’s and DOGE’s Failures, Offer Recommendations to Cut Waste, Lower Costs Without Hurting Middle-Class Americans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    June 12, 2025

    Lawmakers’ recommendations would save U.S. government more than $2 trillion over next decade while making everyday Americans better off; provide stark contrast to Republican bill that would cut health coverage for millions

    “Mr. Musk’s efforts at DOGE were never truly about cutting waste….DOGE pushed reckless policies that gutted essential services and ousted experienced civil servants, all while reducing oversight and increasing profits for Mr. Musk’s companies.”

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee for Delivering on Government Efficiency, wrote to President Donald Trump, pressing him on Elon Musk’s and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)’s failures to cut government waste and lower costs. The lawmakers laid out a set of recommendations that would, in stark contrast to Republican proposals, eliminate $2 trillion in wasteful government spending without slashing critical government programs and causing economic chaos.

    The letter follows a public feud between Trump and Musk, which began shortly after Musk’s departure from the White House. It also comes as Republicans jam through Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which includes multi-trillion-dollar tax cuts for the rich, paid for by massive cuts to Americans’ health care coverage.

    “It is time to eliminate the real waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending, rather than ravaging programs that keep Americans safe, secure, and healthy just to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations,” wrote the lawmakers. “You should learn from Elon Musk and DOGE’s mistakes, end your attacks on critical federal programs, and instead act on these recommendations.”

    The lawmakers highlighted DOGE’s failure to identify and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse — instead, Musk’s approach increased costs and suffering for Americans. DOGE’s “wall of receipts” included significant errors and misinformation. Musk’s efforts to gut up to 10% of the federal workforce were found to have created “exponentially larger waste.” When DOGE did make cuts to the federal budget, they seemingly ran afoul of the law.

    “In a futile search for fraud in the wrong places, and an ill-informed effort to slash the federal workforce, DOGE has imposed more costs on American taxpayers than it has saved, all while helping Elon Musk’s business empire and DOGE employees’ pockets,” wrote the lawmakers.

    As an alternative to DOGE’s failures, the lawmakers offered recommendations to reduce wasteful government spending, eliminate unfair loopholes and giveaways to the wealthiest Americans, make the government more efficient and effective, and save taxpayers at least $2 trillion over the next decade.

    “Although Mr. Musk and DOGE have failed at achieving their purported savings goals, you could choose to end this government waste while avoiding dangerous cuts to important federal programs,” wrote the lawmakers.

    The lawmakers’ recommendations include: cracking down on healthcare profiteering, negotiating better contracts for the Department of Defense, saving on education programs, cutting waste and abuse in the federal tax code, keeping the federal government’s cloud and other IT markets competitive, and reducing waste in unnecessary federal arrests and detention programs.

    “Our recommendations would save the U.S. government more than $2 trillion over the next decade. Meanwhile, your tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy would cost U.S. taxpayers $4 trillion over the same period,” concluded the lawmakers. “It is time to eliminate the real waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending, rather than ravaging programs that keep Americans safe, secure, and healthy just to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations.”

    In April, Senator Warren and Representative Stansbury introduced the SGE Ethics Enforcement & Reform (SEER) Act, a bill to strengthen transparency and ethics requirements for Special Government Employees (SGEs). The bill would have reined in Elon Musk while he was in the SGE role by restricting certain SGEs from officially communicating with agencies and offices that regulate or contract with large companies owned by the SGE.

    To mark 130 days of Elon Musk’s government service as an SGE, Senator Warren recently published a report detailing 130 acts of Musk’s corruption. While serving as an SGE and leading DOGE, Musk maintained extensive financial conflicts of interest through his ownership of or stake in several private and publicly traded companies including Tesla, SpaceX, X and xAI, the Boring Company, and Neuralink.

    Senator Warren first wrote to Musk in January with 30 proposals that would cut at least $2 trillion of wasteful government spending over the next decade. She has identified numerous instances of waste, fraud, and abuse in government during her twelve years in Congress and repeatedly called out unsustainable spending, abusive practices and programs, and government contractors that line their pockets at taxpayers’ expense.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: Sanders, King Introduce Bill to Ban Prescription Drug Ads

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders

    WASHINGTON, June 12 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) today introduced the End Prescription Drug Ads Now Act, legislation that would ban prescription drug advertising on television, radio, print, digital platforms and social media. The bill would also answer Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s repeated calls to end prescription drug advertising, a position he promoted while campaigning for President Trump in 2024. 

    “The American people are sick and tired of greedy pharmaceutical companies spending billions of dollars on absurd TV commercials pushing their outrageously expensive prescription drugs,” Sanders said. “With the exception of New Zealand, the United States is the only country in the world where it is legal for pharmaceutical companies to advertise their drugs on television. It is time for us to end that international embarrassment. The American people don’t want to see misleading and deceptive prescription drug ads on television. They want us to take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry and ban these bogus ads.” 

    “The widespread use of direct-to-consumer advertising by pharmaceutical companies drives up costs and doesn’t necessarily make patients healthier,” King said. “The End Prescription Drug Ads Now Act would prohibit direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceutical drugs to protect people. This bill is a great step to ensure that patients are getting the best information possible and from the right source: their providers and not biased advertisements.” 

    Last year, the 10 largest drug companies made more than $100 billion in profits while the pharmaceutical industry spent over $5 billion on television ads. Prescription drug commercials now account for more than 30% of commercial time on major networks’ evening news programs. In the first three months of this year, Big Pharma spent more than $725 million advertising just 10 drugs. Meanwhile, the American people pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs and one in four Americans cannot afford the costs of the medicine their doctors prescribe. 

    Banning direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising is not a radical idea. In addition to Secretary Kennedy, the American Medical Association endorsed a ban a decade ago. Studies have shown that more than half of prescription drug ads are misleading or false, causing many Americans to underestimate the associated risks. Harvard researchers found that the majority of the most advertised drugs had little to no therapeutic benefit compared to existing prescription drugs. America’s seniors are particularly at risk of being misled as pharmaceutical companies strategically target them by pushing high-priced medications that may cause them harm. 

    For example, in 2010, Eli Lilly spent $205 million on direct-to-consumer ads and made $3.2 billion in sales for the antidepressant drug Cymbalta, despite Food and Drug Administration (FDA) findings that the company’s ads made unsupported and misleading claims of effectiveness and minimized its safety risks. Merck spent $300 million marketing the painkiller Vioxx and made $2.5 billion in sales, despite finding in 2000 that their product raised the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Dr. David Graham, a senior FDA official, testified in 2004 that Merck’s failure to stop selling Vioxx had resulted in as many as 55,000 unnecessary deaths from heart attacks and stroke. 

    Drug companies are also spending huge amounts of money on prescription drugs that cost, in some cases, more than ten times as much in the United States than other countries. In 2023, Novo Nordisk spent $263 million on direct-to-consumer ads for Wegovy and $208 million on ads for Ozempic. Today, Novo Nordisk charges nearly $1,000 a month for Ozempic in the United States, while this same exact drug can be purchased for just $59 in Germany, $71 in France, $122 in Denmark, and $155 in Canada. Novo Nordisk also charges Americans with obesity $1,349 a month for Wegovy while this same exact product can be purchased for just $92 in the United Kingdom, $137 in Germany, $186 in Denmark and $265 in Canada. 

    Joining Sanders and King as cosponsors of the legislation are Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill). 

    Read the bill text here. 

    Read a summary of the bill here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warnock Joins Faith Leaders at Vigil to Decry Cruel Cuts to Working Families in GOP Tax Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Warnock Joins Faith Leaders at Vigil to Decry Cruel Cuts to Working Families in GOP Tax Bill

    Senator Reverend Warnock joined national faith leaders on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to bear witness to the GOP tax bill that would reward the wealthiest Americans with tax cuts while targeting the most vulnerable with cuts to health care
    “Pentecost Witness for A Moral Budget” brought together faith leaders, policymakers, and activists to pray, speak up on behalf of marginalized Georgians and Americans, and advocate for a moral budget
    In his remarks, Senator Warnock recalled how he was arrested in 2017 protesting the last GOP reconciliation bill, only to be back again as a U.S. Senator fighting for working families in this latest legislative fight  

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) spoke out against cruel cuts to working families in the GOP tax bill during a gathering on the steps of the U.S. Capitol with clergy and faith leaders moved by a moral conscience. The gathering, dubbed “Pentecost Witness for A Moral Budget”, was aimed at speaking up for the country’s most vulnerable—the very people the Senator’s faith calls on him to protect. The Senator and faith leaders decried how vulnerable Georgians and Americans are under real and dire threat in a moment that serves as a test to both their faith and our democracy. As the legislation text stands currently, the GOP tax bill being rammed through Congress by Washington Republicans would cut $800 billion from Medicaid, leaving 16 million more Americans uninsured, including an estimated 750,000 Georgians. 

    “I came to the Capitol in 2017 when they were trying to pass a tax cut for the wealthiest of the wealthy. […] I got arrested that day. Here I am, eight years later, having transformed my agitation into legislation, my protest into public policy. But I’m here today because I still know how to agitate. I still know how to protest. I’m not a Senator who used to be a pastor. I’m a pastor in the Senate. And so, here’s what we have come to do today. If this budget were an EKG, it would suggest that many of my colleagues have a heart problem. And we have gathered today to perform moral surgery because our children deserve better. They are talking about waste, fraud, and abuse. There is not enough waste, fraud, and abuse to cut $800 billion from Medicaid. That means some people will not get covered. Seniors, and veterans, and children. $300 billion out of SNAP. That means they are taking food out of the hungry mouths of children in order to give people like Elon Musk a tax cut,” said Senator Warnock at the faith-based rally.

    Faith leaders and policymakers attending the gathering were praying, testifying, storytelling, reading Scripture verses about people experiencing poverty in the Bible and standing for justice, as well as advocating for a moral budget.

    The public witness event was led by Reverend Jim Wallis, the founding Director of the Georgetown University Center on Faith and Justice, as well as Reverend Adam Taylor of Sojourners and Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner with the National African American Clergy Network. Senator Warnock was also joined by Senate colleagues Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). 

    A transcript of Senator Warnock’s remarks can be found below:

    Hello everybody. Thank you all so very much for standing on the Capitol steps in this moral moment in America. And I have to tell you that as I stand here today with my friend Jim Wallace, and with the Reverend Barbara Williams Skinner, and so many others, this feels like deja vu. 

    Because they were trying to pass a reconciliation bill in 2017 during the first Trump administration. And when they were trying to pass that bill, I was not a United States Senator. I came to the Capitol in 2017 when they were trying to pass a tax cut for the wealthiest of the wealthy. I came with clergy, including the Reverend Barbara Williams Skinner. And as I stood there, I said then what I want to say today: that a budget is not just a fiscal document, it’s a moral document. Show me your budget, and I’ll show you who you think matters and who does not. Who you think is dispensable. 

    And we stood there in 2017 making the same point. I was with the Reverend Doctor William Barber, and I said, “Which one of us is getting arrested today? You or me?” I got the short straw. I got arrested that day. And the Capitol police, they were professional, they didn’t mishandle me, and they deserve credit for doing what we asked them to do. But what they didn’t understand that day as they said, “Pastor, if you don’t stop praying, if you don’t stop singing in the rotunda of the Capitol, we’re going to have to arrest you.” What they didn’t understand is that I had already been arrested. My mind and my imagination and my heart had been arrested by the heartbeat of children who should not lose their food and who should not lose their health care in order to give wealthy people a tax cut. 

    And so they arrested me that day in 2017. Here I am, eight years later, having transformed my agitation into legislation, my protest into public policy. But I’m here today because I still know how to agitate. I still know how to protest. I’m not a Senator who used to be a pastor. I’m a pastor in the Senate. And so, here’s what we have come to do today. If this budget were an EKG, it would suggest that many of my colleagues have a heart problem. And we have gathered today to perform moral surgery because our children deserve better. They are talking about waste, fraud, and abuse. There is not enough waste, fraud, and abuse to cut $800 billion from Medicaid. That means some people will not get covered. Seniors, and veterans, and children. $300 billion out of SNAP. That means they are taking food out of the hungry mouths of children in order to give people like Elon Musk a tax cut. And the folks who vote for this will be in someone’s church next Sunday. I have a scripture for them: Away with your noise. Away with your songs. I will not hear them. I hate your festivals. I hate your solemn gatherings. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

    God is not impressed by you quoting scripture. God is not impressed by you showing up to church on Sunday. The acid test of your faith is the depth of your commitment to the least and left out of God’s hungry children. In closing, and nobody believes a Baptist preacher when he says in closing, let me just say this to you: in this dark moment in our country, we know what they are trying to do to Medicaid. We know what they are trying to do to SNAP. We know what they are trying to do to federal workers. We know there are starving people abroad right now—children—through their cuts to USAID. But there is something else they are doing that is even more sinister. They are trying to weaponize despair. They are trying to convince you that they have already won and so you need not fight. This is what you must resist. You must resist the despair that is so deep that you stop fighting. Because when we fight, we win. Are you ready to stand up in this moral moment? Are you ready to stand up for our children? Are you ready to stand up for the elderly? Are you ready to stand up for the seniors and those who are struggling? Are you ready to stand up for the best in the American spirit? So let’s stick together, let’s pray together, let’s work together, let’s fight together. Truth crushed to Earth will rise again.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warnock Successfully Pushes Trump Administration to Rehire Hundreds of Unfairly Fired CDC Workers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Warnock Successfully Pushes Trump Administration to Rehire Hundreds of Unfairly Fired CDC Workers

    Following a months-long pressure campaign from Senator Reverend Warnock, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reportedly reinstating more than 400 people who were unfairly fired
    The news follows previous successful efforts by Senator Warnock to pressure the administration to reinstate CDC probationary staff and fellows who work on public health threats
    Senator Reverend Warnock: “I have been pressuring this administration for months to reinstate unfairly fired workers at the CDC so they can continue doing the critical work of keeping our families and communities safe from infectious diseases and other public health crises. I’m glad they have heard our calls to reverse course”

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) released the following statement regarding his successful efforts to push the Trump Administration to rehire unfairly fired workers at the Georgia-based CDC:

    “The rehiring of hundreds of dedicated health workers, many of whom call Georgia home, is welcome news for those of us who believe that public health is vital to our wellbeing and safety—not a political game. I have been pressuring this administration for months to reinstate unfairly fired workers at the CDC so they can continue doing the critical work of keeping our families and communities safe from infectious diseases and other public health crises. I’m glad they have heard our calls to reverse course and have seen the results of their reckless mistakes and rehired some of these workers. But we must remain vigilant, because this administration is determined to dismantle our public health system, which ensures our food and water are safe, our brave servicemembers stay healthy when serving abroad, and top researchers have the resources they need to combat heart disease, maternal mortality, cancer, and diabetes. I will continue to call for all these unjustly fired workers to be rehired,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.

    Last month during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Senator Warnock demanded answers from the nominee to be the Deputy Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) about the wrongful firings of high-performing public health experts. In April 2025, Senator Warnock rallied in the streets of Atlanta with current and former employees of the CDC to show support for the Georgians who have been callously fired from their life-saving work at the public health institution. In March 2025, Senator Warnock successfully pressured the administration to reinstate CDC probationary staff and fellows who work on public health threats. Last year, the Senator visited the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia for the first time as Senator to learn about the agency’s efforts to protect public health, including work to combat the maternal mortality crisis and how federal funding plays a role in keeping Georgia and the country safe from infectious diseases. During Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s nomination hearing in committee, Senator Warnock spoke at length defending the importance of the CDC which employs over 10,000 hardworking Georgians. Shortly after, the Senator spoke for nearly an hour on the Senate floor, in large part in defense of the CDC’s critical work to defend public health and national security. The Senator continued to pressure HHS Secretary Kennedy to reverse the CDC firings.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Issues Statement Following Air India Plane Crash

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)

    June 12, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), issued the following statement after the Air India plane crash that occurred in Ahmedabad, India:

    “I want to extend my prayers and condolences to the families of the many victims who perished in the Air India plane crash that occurred last night. I hope that Nebraskans will join me in prayer for those who lost their lives and their loved ones. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I also stand ready to support efforts to assist our Indian partners in responding to this tragedy and to ensure the safety of international air travel.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Minister Champagne meets with provincial and territorial Finance Ministers

    Source: Government of Canada News

    June 11, 2025 – Ottawa, ON

    The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, convened a virtual meeting with provincial and territorial Finance Ministers to advance shared priorities and strengthen Canada’s economic resilience.

    The Minister opened the discussion with an update on Canada–U.S. relations, emphasizing the federal government’s determination to remove unjustified U.S. tariffs still in force on many Canadian products. He reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to establishing a renewed economic and security relationship with the United States while strengthening collaboration with reliable trading partners from around the world.

    Minister Champagne highlighted Canada’s leadership on the international stage, notably through its chairing of the recent meeting of G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, which laid the groundwork for next week’s Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta. G7 discussions focused on tackling global economic uncertainty, combatting financial crimes, harnessing the potential of digital transformation, and promoting growth and productivity.

    In line with the federal government’s nation-building agenda, the Minister welcomed the growing momentum among provinces and territories to reduce internal trade barriers and unlock the full potential of the Canadian economy. He reiterated the government’s commitment, reflected in Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, aimed at eliminating federal barriers to trade and labour mobility and accelerating transformative projects of national interest.

    The Minister also provided updates on key legislative initiatives that will deliver real results for Canadians. This includes Bill C-4, which proposes a middle class tax cut for nearly 22 million Canadians and removes the Goods and Services Tax for first-time buyers purchasing new homes up to $1 million, and Bill C-2, which strengthens border security to keep communities safe.

    Canada’s Finance Ministers also agreed to remain in close contact in the weeks ahead and keep driving momentum to build the strongest economy of the G7.

    Related Links

    Associated Links

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Applauds President Trump for Signing Legislation Ending California EV Mandates

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) issued the following statement thanking President Donald J. Trump for signing legislation overturning California’s electric-vehicle mandates:

    “I thank President Trump for signing legislation ending California’s radical EV mandates and restoring consumer choice. This decisive action will lower costs for American families, protect homegrown liquid fuels, support our farmers, and reduce our reliance on China and foreign supply chains. President Trump is keeping his promises to the American people by overturning egregious EV mandates and preventing liberal California policies from spreading nationwide.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Podcast: Measles and Vexing Vaccines (Including COVID)

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    The UConn Health Pulse Podcast brings a variety of expertise on health topics to the general public.

    Given the resurgence of measles in some parts of the U.S. in recent years and mixed messages from Washington in recent months, it’s easy to be confused over what to think about vaccination. We’re seeing more of a divide over what historically has been accepted by many in the medical community as one of the great developments in modern medicine. And we seem to be in a new place when it comes to widespread acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccination after four years.

    I do think there is a lot of misleading information out there right now that I want to caution people to be very wary of.
    &#8212 Dr. Melissa Held

    Dr. Melissa Held, professor of pediatric infectious diseases and senior associate dean of medical student education at the UConn School of Medicine, and Dr. David Banach, associate professor of medicine, infectious diseases physician and UConn Health’s hospital epidemiologist, join the UConn Health Pulse podcast to help distinguish between fact and myth.

    Listen now:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Sues Trump Administration for Unlawfully Stripping New York of Clean Vehicle Protections 

    Source: US State of New York

    EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James and 10 other attorneys general today filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s unprecedented and illegal attempt to dismantle clean vehicle standards. With this lawsuit, Attorney General James and the coalition seek to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) attempt to rescind three key Clean Air Act waivers that New York relies on to enforce its clean vehicle programs. The attorneys general argue the administration is misusing the Congressional Review Act (CRA), a federal law designed to allow Congress to review agency rules, to revoke EPA waivers previously granted to California. New York then adopted these same standards under federal law, which allows states to follow California’s more protective emission rules. Attorney General James is asking the court to protect these critical waivers, which safeguard public health and combat dangerous pollution.

    “Every New Yorker deserves to breathe clean air and live in a healthy environment,” said Attorney General James. “This administration is using a sneaky backdoor to gut clean air standards that have been in place for decades, threatening our ability to fight pollution, protect families from toxic emissions, and build a safer future. We are suing to keep our communities healthy and defend our state’s lifesaving clean air protections.”

    In the lawsuit, Attorney General James and the coalition write that when Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1963, it gave California the unique right to set its own, stricter standards for EPA approval because the state had already been regulating emissions for around a decade. This approval is granted via “preemption waiver,” and once EPA grants California a waiver, New York may adopt California’s standards and does not need a waiver of its own. Since passage of the Clean Air Act, EPA has granted more than 75 of these waivers under both Democratic and Republican administrations. In recent years, EPA granted three waivers allowing standards that are instrumental for New York’s climate goals, including:

    • Advanced Clean Cars II regulations, requiring automakers to sell an increasing number of zero-emission vehicles in New York, as they have been for decades;
    • Advanced Clean Trucks regulations, which aim to accelerate the widespread adoption of zero-emission vehicles for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and are critical for New York’s efforts to address climate change and protect public health; and
    • Omnibus regulations, which require heavy-duty trucks sold in New York to meet strict standards for oxides of nitrogen emissions, which are major contributors to smog. 

    Last month, the administration transmitted these three waivers to Congress as “rules” subject to CRA procedures, even though all three waivers state EPA’s consistent and longstanding position under both Republican and Democratic administrations that waiver decisions are not “rules.” Until now, no administration has ever tried to use the CRA to block state environmental regulations. Both the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the Senate Parliamentarian have confirmed that these types of EPA decisions are not subject to the CRA. Nonetheless, the administration elected to push forward with this effort, and last month, Congress – overriding its own procedural rules – passed resolutions disapproving the waivers. Today, the president signed the resolutions of disapproval into law, officially revoking the waivers.

    Attorney General James and the coalition argue the EPA’s decision to transmit the California, and therefore, New York waivers to Congress for disapproval under the CRA is unprecedented and unlawful. The attorneys general assert waiver decisions are not federal “rules,” they are formal judgment orders granting states permission to enforce their own standards, a distinction recognized for decades by both EPA and Congress’ own legal experts under multiple administrations. Attorney General James and the coalition argue that these actions violate several federal laws, including the Clean Air Act, which grants California, and by extension, states like New York, the authority to adopt stricter emission rules than the federal baseline.

    Joining Attorney General James in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marshals Task Force Arrests Canton Woman for Assault and Man Wanted for Homicide out of Miami

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Canton, OH – Last night, members of the US Marshals led, Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) and the Canton Police Department arrested Floyd Jones, 42 and Angela Parr, 52, in Canton, OH. Jones was wanted for second degree murder out of the Miami Dade Sheriff’s Office and failure to appear on a weapons offense out of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. Parr was wanted by the Canton Police Department for assault.

    Task force members developed information that led them to believe Jones and Parr were staying at a residence together in the 1200 block of Tuscarawas Street E. Last night, task force members knocked and announced their presence at the residence and immediately took Parr into custody. Jones barricaded himself inside the residence, which initiated a call out of the Canton Regional SWAT. The Canton Regional SWAT team was able to safely place Jones under arrest after a brief standoff. Jones was booked into the Stark County Jail where he will await his extradition back to Florida.

    U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott stated, “The strong partnership between the US Marshals Service and the Canton Police Department resulted in a safe arrest of these two violent fugitives last night. When these fugitives barricade and refuse to comply, they jeopardize the safety of the public and our officers.”

    Anyone with information concerning a wanted fugitive can contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED (1-866-492-6833), or you can submit a web tip. Reward money is available, and tipsters may remain anonymous.  Follow the U.S. Marshals on Twitter @USMSCleveland.  

    The NOVFTF Canton Division consists of the following federal, state and local agencies:  United States Marshals Service, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Stark County Sheriff’s Office, Canton Police Department, Carrollton Police Department, Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, North Canton Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Perry Township Police Department, Stark County Park District, and Stark County Probation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trump Administration Proposal Would Risk Air Quality Across the Nation by Unwinding Power Plant Accountability

    Source: US State of Colorado

    DENVER – Today, the Trump Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency proposed to gut air quality standards for power plants across the country, risking the nation’s air quality and slowing progress in the transition to clean energy. Colorado is a national leader in air quality protection through common-sense standards that protect communities and kids, coupled with a strong, free market-driven transition away from polluting fossil fuel power plants to clean, renewable energy. 

    “Coal power is the highest cost form of energy in the grid, and this doesn’t change Colorado’s plan to phase out coal power. Protecting our air quality is critical for the health of our communities and kids. While the Administration’s proposal is disappointing, I am unfortunately not surprised to see the President slash through standards that protect our clean air from reckless polluters and force ratepayers to pay more for high priced legacy coal power. Despite some in Washington, D.C. putting special interests over the health of Americans, Colorado will stay the course and move towards more affordable, resilient, and lower cost energy. We are a leader in air quality protection and investment in the innovative clean energy solutions of the future,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis. 

    “Colorado has worked hard to build strong, science-based protections to ensure clean air and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “Rolling back these federal safeguards threatens both public health and climate progress, undoing one of the most significant national strategies to cut greenhouse gas pollution from power plants. Regardless of what happens in Washington, Colorado will stay the course, with policies that prioritize the health of our residents, protect the air we breathe, and advance our climate goals.” 

    Under Governor Polis’s leadership, Colorado electric utilities are on track to exceed their goal of 80% pollution reduction by 2030, and are making progress toward 100% clean energy by 2040. Each year in office, Governor Polis has signed legislation and implemented effective policy to accelerate clean energy, lead on climate action, and protect Colorado communities from air pollution. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Palm Beach County Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Firearm Possession

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

    MIAMI – Tyreek J. Clermont, 24, of Boynton Beach, was sentenced yesterday to 90 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Clermont pled guilty to charge earlier this year.

    According to the court record, on October 22, 2023, a Martin County Sheriff’s Office Deputy initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by the defendant on South Kanner Highway. The defendant was smoking a marijuana cigarette when the deputy approached the vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun, approximately 31.59 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, and 1.58 grams of dimethylpentylone – a dangerous designer drug.

    At the time he possessed the 9mm, Clermont had prior Florida felony convictions for robbery, gun, and drug crimes. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Gordon Mallory of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division and Sheriff John M. Budensick of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon.

    ATF Miami Field Office and MCSO investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Porter prosecuted it.

    This case stems from Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  In 2017, PSN was reinvigorated as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-14042.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Mrvan Announces Winner of 2025 Congressional Art Competition

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank J. Mrvan (IN)

    Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Frank J. Mrvan announced that Adam Tenbarge II of Chesterton High School is the winner of the 2025 Congressional Art Competition.  Adam used paint and colored pencils to create his winning artwork, “Journey Through Indiana,” which captures the varied landscapes of Northwest Indiana. 

    Congressman Mrvan stated, “Thank you to all of the creative students across Indiana’s First Congressional District who participated in the Congressional Art Competition and showcased their artistic ability.  Congratulations to Adam from Chesterton High School on creating such a moving piece of artwork representing our region.” 

    Adam Tenbarge II stated, “I wanted viewers of this piece to get a feel for Northwest Indiana. I hope people are inspired to visit our region after seeing my artwork.”

    Colin May, Art Department Chair at Chesterton High School, stated, “Adam’s powerful creativity is on full display in this piece!  Adam is known for his outstanding technical skill and I had absolute confidence he could pull off such an ambitious piece.  It has stunning color, strong composition and a knowing homage to our beloved northwestern region.  He captured the beauty, serenity and charm of our great state.  I’m so proud of the perseverance he showed to make this happen.  Well done, Adam!”

    Brent Martinson, Principal of Chesterton High School, stated, “We are incredibly proud of Adam Tenbarge II for being named the winner of the Congressional Art Competition.  His talent and dedication to his craft are inspiring, and it’s an honor to see his work recognized at the national level.”

    Dr. Chip Pettit, Superintendent of Duneland School Corporation, stated, “Adam Tenbarge II’s recognition as the winner of the Congressional Art Competition is a tremendous honor for him, his family, and the entire Duneland community.  His artistic talent reflects the excellence we strive for in our schools, and we’re thrilled to see his work showcased in our nation’s capital.”

    Janet Bloch, Executive Director of the Lubeznik Center for the Arts and Judge of the Congressional Art Competition, stated, “It was a privilege to jury the competition this year. The dunes, Lake Michigan and the steel mills define our surroundings.  This landscape impacts the way people in our region think, what we value, what we do recreationally, and how we define beauty.  The winning submission depicts these various settings under one unified sky.” 

    To learn more about the Congressional Art Competition, click here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Mike Levin Introduces Amendment to Uphold Congress’s Constitutional Authority—House Republicans Stunningly Vote No

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)

    June 11, 2025

    Washington, D.C.— Just after midnight, during a House Appropriations Committee meeting, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) introduced a simple amendment to affirm Congress’s exclusive constitutional authority to control federal spending and act as a co-equal branch of government.

    Stunningly, all 35 House Republicans on the Committee voted against it.

    By rejecting the amendment, Republicans sided with dramatically expanding executive power—undermining the separation of powers laid out in Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution.

    Watch Rep. Levin’s opening and closing remarks here (captioned) and here (clean). 

    Watch the full Committee debate on the amendment here.

    Full text of the amendment is here and below:

    “Sec. ___. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this or any other Act, or provided from any accounts in the Treasury of the United States derived by the collection of fees available to the agencies funded by this Act, shall be obligated or expended to—

    (1) carry out or facilitate activities that restrict or redirect funds in any way that is not outlined in this Act or in statute.”

    Rep. Levin will continue to introduce amendments during the Appropriations process to hold the Trump Administration accountable and ensure that Congress’s constitutional powers are respected.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai Tours Western North Carolina, Touts Hope4NC and Healthy Opportunities Pilots for Supporting Hurricane Helene Recovery

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai Tours Western North Carolina, Touts Hope4NC and Healthy Opportunities Pilots for Supporting Hurricane Helene Recovery

    NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai Tours Western North Carolina, Touts Hope4NC and Healthy Opportunities Pilots for Supporting Hurricane Helene Recovery
    kcano1

    North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai toured western North Carolina this week, where he learned more about two critical support programs for people recovering from the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene.

    First, Secretary Sangvai went to Love and Respect Community for Recovery and Wellness in Henderson County to highlight the work of the Hope4NC program, which is delivering critical mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) support for communities in western North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene. 

    Hope4NC crisis counselors on the ground in western North Carolina have delivered life-saving help to thousands of residents impacted by the storm in the past nine months.

    “There is no right or wrong way to feel during and after a catastrophic disaster like Hurricane Helene,” said Secretary Sangvai. “Programs like Hope4NC have been vital to connect people to the care and resources they need when and where they need them.”

    Between September 2024 and May 2025, Hope4NC has supported western North Carolinians and delivered more than 11,300 individual or group counseling services and supportive contacts, more than 200,000 assessments, referrals and media outreach contacts, and answered more than 7,300 calls to their free, confidential 24/7 helpline.

    Love and Respect Community for Recovery and Wellness is a non-profit community organization founded and run by peer support specialists. It offers a safe and relaxed setting where individuals struggling with SUD and/or mental health hurdles can come to receive varying levels of support, free of charge.

    “Hope4NC has been vital in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene,” said Love and Respect Executive Director Lexie Wilkins. “Our community was in shock and had experienced a traumatic event. We engaged many individuals who may have never utilized our resources otherwise. Partners like Hope4NC came in to stabilize and provided access to resources. Sending North Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialists and counselors that our participants could access alongside our services has been life changing. They have given our community a sense of hope.”

    During his visit in western North Carolina, Secretary Sangvai also toured and met with representatives from Caja Solidaria, a human service organization serving Henderson and Transylvania Counties that provides fresh foods for Medicaid-eligible families through the Healthy Opportunities Pilot (HOP) program.

    HOP began in 2022 as the nation’s first comprehensive program to test and evaluate the impact of providing select evidence-based, non-medical interventions related to housing, food, transportation and interpersonal safety and toxic stress to high-needs Medicaid enrollees.

    As of April 30, 2025, more than 43,000 people were registered in the pilot program and had received more than one million services across 33 counties. Participants in the HOP program visit the emergency room less often, reducing the cost of needed medical care for enrollees by more than a thousand dollars per person, per year.

    “The Healthy Opportunities Pilot program proves the best way to lower health care costs and create healthier communities is to reduce the need for medical care in the first place and has changed the lives of thousands of people,” Secretary Sangvai said. “I know lawmakers in western North Carolina recognize the incredible impact this program is having, and I am hopeful they are continuing to look for ways to support its future.”

    Current versions of the North Carolina House and Senate budgets do not include any funding for HOP. Without continued funding from the General Assembly, no new services will be possible after June 30, 2025, impacting thousands of people in North Carolina. 

    El Secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte, Dev Sangvai, recorrió el oeste de Carolina del Norte esta semana, donde aprendió más sobre dos programas de apoyo críticos para las personas que se recuperan de la devastación dejada por el huracán Helene.

    Primero, el secretario Sangvai fue a Love and Respect Community for Recovery and Wellness en el condado de Henderson para destacar el trabajo del programa Hope4NC, que brinda apoyo crítico para la salud mental y el trastorno por consumo de sustancias (SUD, por sus siglas en inglés) a las comunidades del oeste de Carolina del Norte afectadas por el huracán Helene.

    Los asesores de crisis de Hope4NC en el oeste de Carolina del Norte prestaron ayuda para salvar a miles de habitantes afectados por la tormenta en los últimos nueve meses.

    “No hay una manera correcta o incorrecta de sentirse durante y después de un desastre catastrófico como el huracán Helene”, dijo el secretario Sangvai. “Los programas como Hope4NC han sido muy importantes para conectar a las personas con la atención y los recursos que necesitan cuando y donde los necesitan”.

    Entre septiembre de 2024 y mayo de 2025, Hope4NC ha apoyado a los habitantes del oeste de Carolina del Norte y ha brindado más de 11,300 servicios de asesoramiento individual o grupal y contactos de apoyo, más de 200,000 evaluaciones, referencias y contactos de divulgación en los medios, y ha respondido más de 7,300 llamadas a su línea de ayuda gratuita y confidencial las 24 horas del día, los 7 días de la semana.

    Love and Respect Community for Recovery and Wellness es una organización comunitaria sin fines de lucro fundada y dirigida por especialistas en apoyo entre pares. Ofrece un entorno seguro y relajado donde las personas que batallan con SUD u obstáculos de salud mental pueden llegar a recibir diferentes niveles de apoyo, de forma gratuita.

    “Hope4NC ha sido vital a raiz del huracán Helene”, dijo la Directora Ejecutiva de Love and Respect, Lexie Wilkins. “Nuestra comunidad estaba en estado de shock y había experimentado un evento traumático. Involucramos a muchas personas que tal vez nunca hayan utilizado nuestros recursos de otra manera. Socios como Hope4NC llegaron para estabilizar y proporcionar acceso a los recursos. El envío de especialistas y consejeros certificados de apoyo entre pares de Carolina del Norte para que nuestros participantes pudieran acceder junto con nuestros servicios ha cambiado la vida. Le han dado a nuestra comunidad un sentido de esperanza”.

    Durante su visita al oeste de Carolina del Norte, el Secretario Sangvai también realizó una gira y se reunió con representantes de Caja Solidaria, una organización de servicios humanos que presta servicios a los condados de Henderson y Transylvania proporcionando alimentos frescos a las familias elegibles para Medicaid a través del programa Piloto de Oportunidades Saludables (HOP, por sus siglas en inglés).

    HOP comenzó en 2022 como el primer programa integral de la nación para probar y evaluar el impacto de proporcionar intervenciones selectas no médicas basadas en evidencia relacionadas con la vivienda, la alimentación, el transporte, la seguridad interpersonal y el estrés tóxico a los miembros de Medicaid con altas necesidades.

    Al 30 de abril de 2025, más de 43,000 personas estaban registradas en el programa piloto y habían recibido más de un millón de servicios en 33 condados. Los participantes en el programa HOP visitan la sala de emergencias con menos frecuencia, reduciendo el costo de la atención médica necesaria para los miembros en más de mil dólares por persona, por año.

    “El programa Piloto de Oportunidades Saludables demuestra que la mejor manera de reducir los costos de atención médica y crear comunidades más saludables es reducir la necesidad de atención médica en primer lugar y ha cambiado la vida de miles de personas”, dijo el secretario Sangvai. “Sé que los legisladores en el oeste de Carolina del Norte reconocen el increíble impacto que está teniendo este programa, y espero que continúen buscando formas de apoyar su futuro”.

    Las versiones actuales de los presupuestos de la Cámara de Representantes y el Senado de Carolina del Norte no incluyen ningún financiamiento para HOP. Sin el financiamiento continuo de la Asamblea General, no serán posibles nuevos servicios después del 30 de junio de 2025, lo que afectará a miles de personas en Carolina del Norte.

    Jun 12, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: 21 State Attorneys General File Brief in Support of California’s Lawsuit Challenging Unlawful Federalization of State’s National Guard

    Source: US State of California

    OAKLAND – Yesterday, 21 state attorneys general filed an amicus brief supporting California’s request for a court order blocking the president’s unlawful federalization and deployment of the California National Guard. The amicus brief outlines how President Donald Trump’s actions are wholly inconsistent with our nation’s founding principle that freedom depends on the subordination of the military to civilian authority. 

    “President Trump’s federalization and deployment of California’s National Guard, without the consent of California’s Governor and in clear violation of the statute on which he relies, is unlawful, unconstitutional, and undemocratic. It is also wholly inconsistent with one of our Nation’s founding principle that freedom depends on the subordination of the military to civilian authority.

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

    “Emergency relief is vitally necessary to vindicate state sovereignty and protect the States’ National Guards, which play a vital role in ensuring the security of our states and preparing for and responding to emergencies. States rely on their National Guard units to protect their residents and save lives. National Guard troops fight fires, respond to hurricanes, protect their residents from flooding, and provide much-needed security. 

    “By undermining states’ authority, unlawfully deploying the National Guard troops, and leaving the door wide open to deploy the Guards of every state, the President has made us all less safe. 

    “This Court should enjoin the federal government from continuing down this unlawful and perilous path.” 

    The brief was filed by the state attorneys general of Washington, Delaware, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly also joined the brief. 

    A copy of the brief is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Men Sentenced for Conspiracy to Traffic Counterfeit Adderall on Darknet Marketplace Sites

    Source: US FBI

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Three New York men and a New Jersey man have been sentenced to prison for conspiracy to create a counterfeit substance and distribute methamphetamine.

    According to court documents, Gregory Castillo-Rosario, 32, of Brooklyn, New York; Joseph James Vasquez, 33, of Brooklyn; Joshua William Vasquez, aka Fredrico Sanchez and Luis Santos, 32, of Jackson Township, New Jersey; and Rafael Antonio Roman, 35, of Brooklyn, manufactured and distributed thousands of counterfeit Adderall pills that contained meth. They distributed the pills through three identified darknet marketplace (DM) drug vendor aliases: MrJohnson, NuveoDeluxe, and AllStateRx.

    The conspirators operated the vendor pages, posted listings for controlled substances, processed orders, packaged controlled substances using methods designed to evade law enforcement detection, and shipped the counterfeit pills to customers nationwide via the U.S. Postal Service. Payment from customers typically came in the form of cryptocurrency.

    The counterfeit Adderall were round, orange pills, debossed with “b974” on one side and “30” on the other to appear to be generic Adderall. The pills did not contain the active ingredients of the pharmaceutically manufactured drug, however, and instead contained meth. The conspirators advertised the counterfeit pills as Adderall, and while the NuveoDeluxe vendor page explicitly advertised its pills as containing meth, the AllStateRx and MrJohnson pages did not.

    The conspirators purchased meth over the darknet and used high-speed grinders to grind it into powder form. The conspirators also bought binding materials, mechanical pill presses, and pill press attachments to transform the meth into counterfeit Adderall pills.

    After a series of controlled buys, on Feb. 21, 2024, law enforcement searched a commercial facility used by the conspiracy that was leased and operated by members of Roman’s family as well as the residences of Joshua Vasquez and Roman. At the facility, investigators recovered two pill presses used to make the pills, three high-speed grinders used to grind bulk meth, and approximately 39,996 counterfeit pills. 

    At Joshua Vasquez’s residence, investigators found $298,108 in cash, and Vasquez had $15,726 on his person at the time of his arrest.

    At Roman’s residence, investigators recovered approximately 34,593 counterfeit pills, a handgun, three loaded ammunition magazines, and approximately $34,820.

    Analysis of the vendor pages’ sales showed the three vendor pages were responsible for over 13,000 sales of counterfeit Adderall pills nationwide. When added to the pills seized as part of the investigation, analysis showed the conspiracy was responsible for at least 320 kilograms of counterfeit Adderall pills either manufactured for distribution or distributed across the United States.

    Joshua Vasquez pled guilty on April 24, 2024. On July 25, 2024, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

    Joseph Vasquez pled guilty on April 15, 2024. On Aug. 8, 2024, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

    Roman pled guilty on May 30, 2024. On Nov. 14, 2024, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

    Castillo-Rosario pled guilty on Jan. 3, 2024. He was sentenced yesterday to 12 years in prison.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Emily Odom, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division; Ibrar A. Mian, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; George Scavdis, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Metro Washington Field Office; and Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.

    Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher M. Carter prosecuted the case.

    The investigation was supported by the Justice Department’s Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team’s Operation RapTor, a global initiative to disrupt the sale of illicit narcotics on the darknet.

    The Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, Howell Township Police Department, Marlboro Township Police Department, Asbury Park Police Department, Freehold Borough Police Department, Middletown Police Department, Wall Township Police Department, Jackson Township Police Department, Lakewood Township Police Department, Orlando Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Arlington County Police Department, and New York Police Department provided significant assistance in the investigation.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:24-cr-76 (Joseph Vasquez), 1:24-cr-83 (Joshua Vasquez), 1:24-cr-114 (Roman), and 1:24-cr-276 (Castillo-Rosario).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: 8th Wall Studio Wins Best Developer Tool Award at AWE USA 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LONG BEACH, Calif., June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 8th Wall, the 3D Engine for the AI era, has been awarded Best Developer Tool for 8th Wall Studio at the prestigious Auggie Awards, held during Augmented World Expo (AWE) USA 2025, the world’s largest event dedicated to augmented and virtual reality. The award recognizes excellence in empowering creators and developers to build groundbreaking immersive content, highlighting 8th Wall’s role as a leader in the XR development landscape.

    8th Wall Studio disrupts the legacy game engine model with a streamlined, browser-based platform designed to accelerate 3D and XR development. Developers can now build immersive experiences with AI-powered tools, real-time editing, and one-click deployment across web and native apps for mobile, desktop, and XR headsets.

    This recognition comes just as 8th Wall officially launched the general availability of Studio, a next-generation 3D development platform that marks a significant leap forward for developers. Newly released features include the AI-native Asset Lab, which allows creators to instantly generate images, 3D models, and animated characters using integrated generative AI tools such as OpenAI’s GPT Image 1 and Meshy. Studio’s native app export capability now supports Android, with iOS and other platforms coming soon, giving developers true cross-platform freedom.

    “Studio represents a new era in 3D and XR development, one where AI accelerates creativity, and cross-platform deployment is seamless,” said Erik Murphy-Chutorian, Founder of 8th Wall. “Winning this award at AWE reinforces our belief that the future of immersive content will be built in the browser, powered by AI, and accessible to everyone.”

    8th Wall is also pleased to recognize ARKx, Saatchi & Saatchi Germany, and Form&Fun Studio for winning Best Campaign for the OREO x PAC-MAN: The SuperMarcade AR experience powered by 8th Wall. Also a Webby and Cannes Lions winner, this immersive activation transformed supermarkets into real-life AR PAC-MAN mazes.

    Held annually, AWE USA draws over 5,000 attendees, 250 exhibitors, and 450 speakers across the XR ecosystem. Now in its 16th year, the event is focused on the AI+XR imperative, spotlighting how artificial intelligence is accelerating the adoption and potential of extended reality.

    Developers can start building with 8th Wall for free at www.8thwall.com. For the month of June, new signups get 50 additional bonus credits to do even more with 8th Wall’s new advanced features such as Asset Lab and native app export.

    About 8th Wall
    8th Wall is an award-winning 3D & XR development platform that makes it possible to build interactive, immersive content that can be experienced on any device. 8th Wall supports billions of devices globally and has been used by developers, agencies and creative studios to create 3D/AR activations for brands across industry verticals including retail, food and beverage, travel and tourism, automotive, fashion, sports and entertainment. 8th Wall has powered WebAR experiences for top brands such as Nike, Porsche, Sony Pictures, Burger King, General Mills, British Gas, Heineken, McDonald’s, Swiss Airlines, Toyota, Red Bull, Adidas, COACH and more. 8th Wall, LLC is a subsidiary of Niantic Spatial, Inc. Learn more about 8th Wall at www.8thwall.com.

    Media Contact
    Joel Udwin
    press@8thwall.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Micron Announces Massive Chips Investment, Onshoring Production

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    Today, the Trump Administration announced a $200 billion investment by Micron Technology, the sole U.S.-based manufacturer of advanced memory chips – only the latest large-scale investment secured since President Donald J. Trump took office.
    The investment includes construction of a second chip fabrication facility in Boise, Idaho, and modernizing its Manassas, Virginia, facility — onshoring production of its advanced DRAM technology from Taiwan for the first time and creating 90,000 direct and indirect jobs.
    It’s all part of President Trump’s commitment to revitalizing American manufacturing and establishing the country as the global leader in technology — particularly in artificial intelligence.
    Since President Trump took office, leading technology companies have pledged trillions of dollars in U.S.-based manufacturing and production, including Project Stargate, Apple, NVIDIA, IBM, TSMC, and others.
    It’s another big win for American workers, national security, and leadership in the world — and the best is yet to come.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: There are no specific agreements yet on the possibility of a personal meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States – new Russian ambassador to the United States

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    Moscow, June 12 /Xinhua/ — There are no specific agreements yet on the possibility of a personal meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States, the new Russian ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev said in an interview with TASS on Wednesday.

    “Contacts at the highest and high levels require careful preparation in terms of achieving significant results. In terms of planning, they are assumed, but at this stage, direct dialogue and exchange of signals are supported by intensive telephone communication. As for the possibility of a personal meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States, there are no specific agreements on this matter yet,” A. Darchiev noted.

    According to him, Russia’s interaction with the United States on strategic stability cannot be separated from the overall situation in the military-political sphere. “In conditions where, under the previous administration, Washington became a de facto party to the conflict in Ukraine, and military assistance to the regime in Kyiv continues after the change of power in the White House, we cannot expect any progress in this sensitive area,” the ambassador noted.

    He stressed that a chance could only arise with a sustainable normalization of bilateral relations and US recognition of the fundamental postulates on which strategic stability is based: the indivisibility of security, equal interaction, and a willingness to take into account the inextricable link between strategic offensive and defensive weapons.

    “It should be especially noted that the widely advertised American plans for the accelerated creation of a multi-layered missile defense system, the Golden Dome, which has a clearly expressed and purely destabilizing space component, with the declared intention of intercepting enemy targets before launch, further delay the prospects of restarting the dialogue between Russia and the United States on strategic issues,” A. Darchiev emphasized. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Armed Threat of Insurance Inspector Leads to 21-Month Sentence for Springfield Man Convicted of Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    James Elliott was previously convicted in Kansas of aggravated assault, indecent conduct with a child

    BANGOR, Maine: A Springfield man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor today for unlawfully possessing a firearm.

    U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced James Elliott, 67, to 21 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Elliott pleaded guilty on February 4, 2025.

    According to court records, in February 2024, a deputy from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report that Elliott had threatened an insurance company home inspector with a firearm. During a search of Elliott’s home in March 2024, deputies found six firearms, including a loaded .44 magnum lever-action rifle. Elliott is precluded from possessing firearms due to two prior felony convictions in the state of Kansas.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, the Maine Warden Service, and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

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

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ypsilanti Man Sentenced to Over 15 Years in Federal Prison on Child Exploitation Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DETROIT – Mubasher Riaz, 41, of Ypsilanti, Michigan, was sentenced today to 188 months in prison after having pleaded guilty to charges of coercion and enticement of a minor, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr.

    Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division.

    According to court records, in July 2023, local police in Maumee, Ohio, learned that Riaz was messaging a 13-year-old girl, Minor Victim 1 (MV-1) on Snapchat. Communications between Riaz and MV-1 showed that Riaz had requested and received nude images of the minor and that he attempted to gather information about her home with the intent to meet with her to engage in sexual activity.  FBI agents reviewed Riaz’s Snapchat communications and found that Riaz messaged numerous other individuals on Snapchat who identified themselves as minors, some as young as 11 years old. For example, Riaz communicated with Minor Victim 2 (MV-2), who was 13 years old when Riaz contacted her. Riaz drove to MV-2’s foster home and engaged in sexual activity with her in his parked car. Riaz offered MV-1 and MV-2 tobacco and other items in exchange for sex acts. As part of his sentence, Riaz will be required to pay $150,000 in restitution to his minor victims.

    “This defendant preyed in the most disgusting ways on vulnerable girls as young as 11 years old. Those are the actions of an evil man. And we will do everything in our power to prosecute fiends who prowl around pursuing our children,” U.S. Attorney Gorgon said.

    “The sentencing of Mubasher Riaz sends a powerful and unequivocal message: those who exploit children will be investigated aggressively and held fully accountable under federal law,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “I commend the exceptional efforts of our Ann Arbor Resident Agency and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. Their unwavering dedication to justice was instrumental in securing this conviction. The FBI in Michigan is resolute in its mission to protect children and ensure that anyone who seeks to harm them will face justice.”

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Zurek. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Washington man sentenced to 14 years in prison for possessing meth, fentanyl and heroin

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GREAT FALLS – A Tacoma, Washington man who possessed and distributed drugs that impacted Butte and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 14 years in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Scott Trent Miller, 42, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that on September 11, 2024, law enforcement in Butte was informed by a source that Miller was routinely traveling from Washington to Montana to sell drugs. Law enforcement surveilled Miller at a hotel in Butte. They saw him leave and get into a car with another person. A traffic stop was conducted, and Miller denied a request to search the vehicle. During a pat search of Miller, officers found a marijuana pipe and $1,583 in cash. Drug paraphernalia was also found on the other person in the car.

    An officer with a K9 dog was called to the scene and the K9 alerted to the scent of illegal drugs. A search warrant was issued, and officers seized a trash bag containing a large amount of methamphetamine, fentanyl powder, 100 fentanyl pills, and heroin.

    Law enforcement reviewed Facebook records for Miller’s account, which showed him messaging individuals for the purpose of distributing drugs.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the DEA, State of Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, and Blackfeet Tribes Department of Law and Justice.

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

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: France’s final nuclear tests in the South Pacific, 30 years on

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Roxanne Panchasi, Associate Professor, Department of History, Simon Fraser University

    Former French President Jacques Chirac encounters a protest from members during an official visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg in July 1995.
     (European Parliament)

    In recent months, the viability of France’s nuclear arsenal has been making headlines with talk of a French “nuclear umbrella” that might shield its allies on the European continent. In the face of the Russia-Ukraine war, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statements regarding the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons in that conflict, the question of how to best defend Europe has taken on an urgency not seen since the height of the Cold War.

    Despite its more robust nuclear weapons capabilities, the United States in the Donald Trump era appears less committed to the defence of its NATO allies. Debates about a French nuclear umbrella aside, these discussions — combined with increased military spending worldwide and resurgent fears of nuclear war — make the history of France’s nuclear readiness and weapons testing feel uneasily current.

    In June 1995, French President Jacques Chirac announced that France would resume testing nuclear weapons in the South Pacific. Just weeks after being elected to office, Chirac ended a three-year moratorium on testing that his predecessor, François Mitterrand, had put into effect in April 1992.

    Chirac insisted this additional series of weapons tests was essential to France’s national security and the continued independence of its nuclear deterrent. The eight planned detonations scheduled to take place over the next several months would, he claimed, provide the data needed to move from real-world detonations to computer simulations in the future. He also said it would enable France to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT) banning all nuclear explosions, for military or other purposes, by the fall of 1996.

    France’s history of nuclear tests

    A report on France’s nuclear tests in the South Pacific. (Disclose)

    Chirac’s June 1995 announcement, followed by the first new detonation in September that year, provoked intense opposition from environmental and peace groups, and protests from Paris to Papeete, throughout the Pacific region and across the globe.

    Representatives from the world’s other nuclear-armed states expressed concern that France was choosing to conduct further tests so close to a comprehensive ban. The governments of Australia, New Zealand and Japan also registered their staunch opposition, issuing diplomatic statements, calling for the boycott of French goods and pursuing other measures of rebuke.

    A defensive posture had been a pillar of France’s nuclear weapons policy since the nation first entered the atomic club in 1960 with the detonation of Gerboise Bleue, a 70-kiloton bomb, at Reggane in Algeria. The following three atmospheric and 13 underground Saharan tests resulted in serious long-term health and environmental consequences for the region’s inhabitants.

    In 1966, France’s nuclear testing program relocated to Maō’hui Nui, colonially known as “French Polynesia.”

    The next 26 years saw a further 187 French nuclear and thermonuclear detonations above and beneath the Pacific atolls of Moruroa and Fangataufa. They exposed the local population to dangerous levels of radiation, contaminating food and water supplies, and harming corals and other forms of ocean life.

    These experiments — along with the final six underground detonations the French carried out in 1995 and 1996 — left a toxic legacy for generations to come.

    Inadequate compensation for lingering harm

    When Chirac shared his rationale for France’s latest nuclear test series with a room full of journalists gathered at the Elysée Palace in June 1995, he was adamant that these planned tests, and all of France’s nuclear detonations, had absolutely no ecological consequences.

    Today, we know this claim was more than incorrect. It was a falsehood reliant on data and conclusions that grossly underestimated the harmful impact that France’s nuclear testing program had on the health of French soldiers and non-military personnel onsite, inhabitants in the surrounding areas and the environments where these explosions took place.

    Most recently, during the 2024 Paris Olympics, there was an evident deep contradiction between “French Polynesia” as a tourist paradise and idyllic location for the Games’ surf competitions and a space of continuing injustice for test victims that highlights the history of France’s nuclear imperialism in the region.

    In 2010, the French government passed the Morin law ostensibly aimed at addressing the suffering of those significantly harmed by radiation during France’s nuclear weapons detonations from 1960 through 1996.

    The number of people who have been successful in their applications for recognition and compensation remains inadequate, particularly in Algeria. Out of the 2,846 applications submitted by only a fraction of the thousands of estimated victims, just over 400 people in Maō’hui Nui and only one Algerian have received compensation since 2010.

    In 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that France “owes a debt” to the people of Maō’hui Nui. He has since called for the opening up of key archives pertaining to this history, but there is much more work to be done on all fronts.

    The findings of a recent French parliamentary commission on the effects of testing in the Pacific, scheduled to be released soon, may contribute to greater transparency and justice for victims in the future.

    In Maō’hui Nui, demands for acknowledgement and restitution have been intertwined with the independence movement, while confronting the impact and legacies of the nuclear detonations in Algeria has been fraught with tensions between Algeria and France over the colonial past.

    Future of the test ban treaty

    In January 1996, France conducted its last nuclear test by detonating a 120-kiloton bomb underground in the South Pacific. In September, France added its signature to the CTBT, joining the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, China and 66 other states without nuclear weapons in their commitment not to engage in further nuclear explosions in any context.

    Almost 30 years later, the CTBT has still not come into force. While most signatories have ratified the treaty, China, Egypt, Iran, Israel and the U.S. are among the nine that have not. Meanwhile, Russia withdrew its own ratification in 2023. Key non-signatories include India, North Korea and Pakistan — all nuclear-armed states that have conducted their own tests since 1996.

    Given these crucial exceptions to a test ban, the prospects for something as ambitious as the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which not a single nuclear weapons state has signed to date, remain uncertain, to say the least.

    Roxanne Panchasi has previously received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. France’s final nuclear tests in the South Pacific, 30 years on – https://theconversation.com/frances-final-nuclear-tests-in-the-south-pacific-30-years-on-256439

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Mitigating AI security threats: Why the G7 should embrace ‘federated learning’

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Abbas Yazdinejad, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Artificial Intelligence, University of Toronto

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the world, from diagnosing diseases in hospitals to catching fraud in banking systems. But it’s also raising urgent questions.

    As G7 leaders prepare to meet in Alberta, one issue looms large: how can we build powerful AI systems without sacrificing privacy?

    The G7 summit is a chance to set the tone for how democratic nations manage emerging technologies. While regulations are advancing, they won’t succeed without strong technical solutions.

    In our view, what’s known as federated learning — or FL — is one of the most promising yet overlooked tools, and deserves to be at the centre of the conversation.



    Read more:
    6 ways AI can partner with us in creative inquiry, inspired by media theorist Marshall McLuhan

    As researchers in AI, cybersecurity and public health, we’ve seen the data dilemma firsthand. AI thrives on data, much of it deeply personal — medical histories, financial transactions, critical infrastructure logs. The more centralized the data, the greater the risk of leaks, misuse or cyberattacks.

    The United Kingdom’s National Health Service paused a promising AI initiative over fears about data handling. In Canada, concerns have surfaced about storing personal information — including immigration and health records — in foreign cloud services. Trust in AI systems is fragile. Once it’s broken, innovation grinds to a halt.

    Why is centralized AI a growing liability?

    The dominant approach to training AI is to bring all data into one centralized place. On paper, that’s efficient. In practice, it creates security nightmares.

    Centralized systems are attractive targets for hackers. They’re difficult to regulate, especially when data flows across national or sectoral boundaries. And they concentrate too much power in the hands of a few data-holders or tech giants.

    But instead of bringing data to the algorithm, FL brings the algorithm to the data. Each local institution — whether it’s a hospital, government agency or bank — trains an AI model on its own data. Only model updates — not raw data — are shared with a central system. It’s like students doing homework at home and submitting only their final answers, not their notebooks.

    This approach dramatically lowers the risk of data breaches while preserving the ability to learn from large-scale trends.

    Where is it already working?

    FL could be a game-changer. When paired with techniques like differential privacy, secure multiparty computation or homomorphic encryption, it could dramatically reduce the risk of data leaks.

    In Canada, researchers have already used FL to train cancer detection models across provinces — without ever moving sensitive health records.

    Artificial intelligence has been used to train cancer detectiom models.
    (Shutterstock)

    Projects like those involving the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network have demonstrated how FL can be used to predict chronic diseases such as diabetes, while keeping all patient data securely within provincial boundaries.

    Banks are using it to detect fraud without sharing customer identities.Cybersecurity agencies are exploring how to co-ordinate across jurisdictions without exposing their logs.



    Read more:
    Health-care AI: The potential and pitfalls of diagnosis by app

    Why the G7 needs to act now

    Governments around the world are racing to regulate AI. Canada’s proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act, the European Union’s AI Act, and the Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy AI in the United States are all major steps forward. But without a secure way to collaborate on data-intensive problems — like pandemics, climate change or cyber threats — these efforts may fall short.

    FL allows different jurisdictions to work together on shared challenges without compromising local control or sovereignty. It turns policy into practice by enabling technical collaboration without the usual legal and privacy complications.

    And just as importantly, adopting FL sends a political signal: that democracies can lead not just in innovation, but in ethics and governance.

    Hosting the G7 summit in Alberta isn’t just symbolic. The province is home to a thriving AI ecosystem, institutions like the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute and industries — from agriculture to energy — that generate vast amounts of valuable data.

    Picture a cross-sector task force: farmers using local data to monitor soil health, energy companies analyzing emissions patterns, public agencies modelling wildfire risks — all working together, all protecting their data. That’s not a futuristic fantasy — it’s a pilot program waiting to happen.

    A foundation for trust?

    AI is only as trustworthy as the systems behind it. And too many of today’s systems are based on outdated ideas about centralization and control.

    FL offers a new foundation — one where privacy, transparency and innovation can move together. We don’t need to wait for a crisis to act. The tools already exist. What’s missing is the political will to elevate them from promising prototypes to standard practice.

    If the G7 is serious about building a safer, fairer AI future, it should make FL a central piece of its plan — not a footnote.

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

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

    – ref. Mitigating AI security threats: Why the G7 should embrace ‘federated learning’ – https://theconversation.com/mitigating-ai-security-threats-why-the-g7-should-embrace-federated-learning-258670

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Valadao Reintroduces Legislation to Improve VA Claims Processing Times

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David G. Valadao (California)

    WASHINGTON – Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) reintroduced the Modernizing All Veterans and Survivors Claims Processing Act. This bill would standardize the software the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) uses to process benefit claims and streamline the process to ensure no veterans or survivors are left behind when seeking the benefits they have earned.

    “Our veterans have made great sacrifices fighting for our freedom, and when they return home, they shouldn’t be waiting months to receive their benefits because of outdated technology at the VA,” said Congressman Valadao. “I’m proud to reintroduce this bill which will expand the use of automation tools for processing VA claims to ensure veterans get the benefits they deserve in a more timely and efficient matter.”

    The Modernizing All Veterans and Survivors Claims Act would:

    • Require the VA to develop a plan to provide automation tools for purposes of claims processing, information sharing between federal agencies, and generating correspondence to VA program offices other than Compensation Service.
    • Require the VA to implement a plan to provide an automated letter-drafting tool to program offices that process veterans’ pension claims and survivors’ benefits claims. 
    • Require the VA to implement policies, processes, and technological capabilities to ensure that when a veteran or school-age child is awarded benefits based on a child attending school, VBA’s Compensation Service and Education Service are each automatically updated so that timely action can be taken to decrease overpayments of dependent benefits.
    • Require the VA to develop a plan to ensure that documents in VA’s electronic claims processing system are correctly labeled when they are uploading into that system, including when they are automatically labeled using AI technology.

    Background:

    The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has several offices that handle different types of benefits claims. The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) processes claims, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals reviews denied claims, and the Debt Management Center handles debts caused by VA overpayments. Throughout the claims and appeals process, VA employees gather evidence, send letters to veterans and survivors, and make decisions based on the evidence. To speed up disability claims, the VA has used AI tools to draft letters and gather key documents. However, these tools haven’t been extended to other claims like pensions or survivors’ benefits which leads to long delays—sometimes years—for those decisions. Claims processing is also slowed by mislabeled documents in VA’s electronic system which can cause delays or even missed evidence that could support a veteran’s claim.

    Read the full bill here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Presses FAA Administrator Nominee to Uphold 1,500-Hour Pilot Training Standards, Trump’s Nominee Refuses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    June 11, 2025

    Senator also pushes nominee Bryan Bedford to strengthen, not weaken, FAA’s oversight of Boeing

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Ranking Member of the CST Aviation Subcommittee—pressed Federal Aviation Administrator nominee Bryan Bedford to commit to upholding the strong 1,500-hour certification standard for our nation’s pilots and strengthening the FAA’s oversight of Boeing at his confirmation hearing. In light of Mr. Bedford’s previous comments against the 1,500-hour rule, Duckworth raised concerns that Mr. Bedford would unilaterally attempt to weaken this standard and produce less-prepared pilots in the immediate aftermath of our nation experiencing the first major deadly commercial crash in more than a decade, amid a surge in near-misses with an air traffic controller shortage and aging controller equipment. When Duckworth asked Mr. Bedford for his commitment to not reduce the 1,500-hour rule if confirmed, Mr. Bedford refused to commit. Duckworth’s remarks can be found on the Senator’s YouTube.

    “Now is not the time for less flight training for our pilots,” said Duckworth. “Not only is it deeply disappointing that Mr. Bedford refused to commit to upholding the 1,500-hour rule, it’s also dangerous. Incident after incident, it has been pilots who have made last second decisions to avert disaster. Well-trained pilots are our last line of defense. Without a firmer commitment, I remain deeply skeptical about his nomination.”

    Additionally, Duckworth warned against any future attempt by the FAA to delegate airworthiness inspection authority back to Boeing—an authority that would allow the company to self-inspect its own aircraft for commercial use. Duckworth’s warning comes after the Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General’s issued an October report that found FAA’s oversight of Boeing production was not only “not effective,” but so ineffective that it issued 16 separate recommendations for the FAA to fix its oversight process. To help ensure Boeing’s aircraft designs meet certification safety standards, Duckworth urged Mr. Bedford to refrain from delegating this inspection authority back to Boeing until the FAA completes all 16 recommendations. Mr. Bedford refused to commit.

    “I’ve long been troubled by FAA’s ineffective oversight of Boeing,” said Duckworth. “I believe strongly that FAA must not delegate inspection authority back to Boeing until—at a minimum—FAA fixes its ineffective oversight of Boeing’s production. After Boeing’s CEO refused to rule out accepting this authority when I questioned him back in April, it’s deeply disappointing that Mr. Bedford also wouldn’t rule out offering this authority back to Boeing today. That’s two red flags about the future of FAA and Boeing’s relationship that our nation should not ignore.”

    One of the most shocking findings in the DOT Inspector General’s October report was that that shortly before the Boeing door plug blowout, individuals within FAA wanted to delegate airplane airworthiness inspection authority back to Boeing without any criteria by which to assess whether Boeing could be trusted to properly carry out these inspections. This is particularly concerning because, prior to the 737 MAX crashes and production problems with the 787, the FAA allowed Boeing to self-inspect their aircraft to ensure they conformed with their FAA-approved type design. However, in the wake of the MAX crashes, it was found that Boeing had a pattern of abusing this authority and producing 737 MAX aircraft with nonfunctioning Angle of Attack Disagree alerts.

    Duckworth has long pushed for improved federal oversight of Boeing. Last year, she urged then-FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker to make sure the FAA requires transparency and accountability as it oversees Boeing’s Safety and Quality Plan. Duckworth also implored FAA to scrutinize Boeing’s bad behavior and use its civil enforcement authority more often, when appropriate, and also called on the agency to review Boeing’s disturbing pattern of failing to disclose critical safety information about 737 MAX planes to pilots.

    Last year, Duckworth also called on FAA to reject a petition by Boeing for a safety exemption to allow the 737 MAX 7 to be certified to fly despite having another known safety defect that has not yet been fixed. The Senator subsequently met with then-Boeing CEO David Calhoun and urged him to withdraw the company’s petition, which the company did just days later, crediting Duckworth’s reasoning for the decision.

    For years before the deadly DCA crash, Duckworth was sounding the alarm that we must make these critical aviation safety investments immediately to prevent all-too-often near-misses from becoming catastrophic tragedies. Last Congress, Duckworth chaired two CST Aviation Subcommittee hearings—one last December and the other a year prior—to address our aviation industry’s chilling surge in near-deadly close calls and underscore the urgent need to improve air traffic control systems to protect the flying public.

    Duckworth helped author the landmark bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 that was signed into law last year and included several of her provisions to safeguard the 1,500-hour rule, improve safety, expand the aviation workforce and enhance protections for travelers with disabilities. Duckworth has noted that while it was a tremendous victory for the flying public, more needs to be done to address the recent issues that have come to light with Boeing since a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight mid-flight.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –