NewzIntel.com

Category: United States of America

  • MIL-OSI China: Man United complete £65m signing of Bryan Mbeumo

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

    Manchester United has completed the signing of Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo on a five-year contract for a fee of 65 million pounds (about 88 million U.S. dollars), with the deal contemplating a further six million pounds in incentives.

    Bryan Mbeumo (front) of Cameroon controls the ball during a Group J match between Cameroon and Kenya of CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifiers at Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda on Oct. 14, 2024. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)

    The Cameroon international is United’s third signing of the summer after the arrivals of striker Matheus Cunha and defender Diego Leon, and the winger arrives when it seems as if Marcus Rashford is on the verge of joining FC Barcelona on a season-long loan.

    The transfer ends a saga that has lasted all summer, with Manchester United making its initial offer a month and a half ago.

    “As soon as I knew there was a chance to join Manchester United, I had to take the opportunity to sign for the club of my dreams; the team whose shirt I wore growing up,” said Mbeumo on the club’s official website.

    Mbeumo will now almost certainly form part of United’s pre-season tour to the United States that starts on Thursday.

    Mbeumo scored 70 goals and gave 51 assists in 242 games for Brentford, with 20 of those goals coming last season as the south London club just missed out on a place in Europe.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Survival in the Tropics: Malaysian Army Shares Essential Jungle Training with U.S. and Australian Soldiers

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    PERAK, Malaysia — Deep in the Malaysian jungle, multinational forces from the Malaysian Army, U.S. Army, and Australian Army came together during Exercise Keris Strike 25 to exchange survival knowledge, fieldcraft skills, and cultural practices vital to operating in austere environments.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. & Korean Forces strengthen mission-support readiness during joint training

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea — On July 17, 2025, the 51st Mission Support Group hosted a bilateral logistics and transportation training event with the Korean Service Corps Battalion at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea. The training focused on establishing bed-down locations and executing cargo-handling operations to boost interoperability and contingency readiness.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. & Korean Forces strengthen mission-support readiness during joint training

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea — On July 17, 2025, the 51st Mission Support Group hosted a bilateral logistics and transportation training event with the Korean Service Corps Battalion at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea. The training focused on establishing bed-down locations and executing cargo-handling operations to boost interoperability and contingency readiness.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner & Kaine Statement on Republican Megabill Adding More Than $4 Trillion to the Deficit Over the Next 10 Years

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement regarding the official score from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that President Trump and Republicans’ megabill will add $3.4 trillion to the budget deficit through 2034, before accounting for added interest costs. Including additional interest, the bill will increase borrowing by $4.1 trillion:
    “The official CBO score on President Trump and Republicans’ ‘Big, Ugly Bill,’ which comes weeks after the law’s passage because Republicans fast-tracked it, confirms what we’ve been saying all along: when push comes to shove, Republicans will always do whatever it takes to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. We wish they could bring that same determination to lowering the deficit and helping working- and middle-class families. Today’s news is further proof that the partisan megabill remains a bad deal for Americans—exploding the debt, forcing millions off their health insurance, slashing food assistance programs, and killing jobs. We will keep working to safeguard Virginians from the disastrous impacts this law will have for Virginia and the country.”
    The Republican law, which Warner and Kaine strongly opposed, makes massive cuts to health care, nutrition assistance, and other critical programs that Virginians rely on in order to cut taxes for the ultra-wealthy. While the bill was being considered in the Senate, Warner and Kaine introduced a series of amendments in an attempt to improve the legislation, but Republicans blocked them. Under the Republican bill, hundreds of thousands of Virginians will lose health insurance because of cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, and many rural hospitals will lose federal funding from Medicaid, putting them at risk of closure.
    78,000 Virginians will lose access to some benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Virginia will be required to contribute an estimated $263 million annually in state cost-share for benefits, which have always been fully federally funded. The law jeopardizes clean energy jobs in Virginia by phasing out clean energy and energy efficiency tax credits and incentives that were passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. The law gives the top 0.1% a $250,000 tax cut and makes it harder for students to access student loans. The legislation also includes $85 million to move the Space Shuttle Discovery from the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia to Houston, Texas; the full cost to move the space shuttle is estimated to be $300 million to $400 million.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner & Kaine Statement on Republican Megabill Adding More Than $4 Trillion to the Deficit Over the Next 10 Years

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement regarding the official score from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that President Trump and Republicans’ megabill will add $3.4 trillion to the budget deficit through 2034, before accounting for added interest costs. Including additional interest, the bill will increase borrowing by $4.1 trillion:

    “The official CBO score on President Trump and Republicans’ ‘Big, Ugly Bill,’ which comes weeks after the law’s passage because Republicans fast-tracked it, confirms what we’ve been saying all along: when push comes to shove, Republicans will always do whatever it takes to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. We wish they could bring that same determination to lowering the deficit and helping working- and middle-class families. Today’s news is further proof that the partisan megabill remains a bad deal for Americans—exploding the debt, forcing millions off their health insurance, slashing food assistance programs, and killing jobs. We will keep working to safeguard Virginians from the disastrous impacts this law will have for Virginia and the country.”

    The Republican law, which Warner and Kaine strongly opposed, makes massive cuts to health care, nutrition assistance, and other critical programs that Virginians rely on in order to cut taxes for the ultra-wealthy. While the bill was being considered in the Senate, Warner and Kaine introduced a series of amendments in an attempt to improve the legislation, but Republicans blocked them. Under the Republican bill, hundreds of thousands of Virginians will lose health insurance because of cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, and many rural hospitals will lose federal funding from Medicaid, putting them at risk of closure.

    78,000 Virginians will lose access to some benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Virginia will be required to contribute an estimated $263 million annually in state cost-share for benefits, which have always been fully federally funded. The law jeopardizes clean energy jobs in Virginia by phasing out clean energy and energy efficiency tax credits and incentives that were passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. The law gives the top 0.1% a $250,000 tax cut and makes it harder for students to access student loans. The legislation also includes $85 million to move the Space Shuttle Discovery from the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia to Houston, Texas; the full cost to move the space shuttle is estimated to be $300 million to $400 million.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner & Kaine Statement on Republican Megabill Adding More Than $4 Trillion to the Deficit Over the Next 10 Years

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement regarding the official score from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that President Trump and Republicans’ megabill will add $3.4 trillion to the budget deficit through 2034, before accounting for added interest costs. Including additional interest, the bill will increase borrowing by $4.1 trillion:

    “The official CBO score on President Trump and Republicans’ ‘Big, Ugly Bill,’ which comes weeks after the law’s passage because Republicans fast-tracked it, confirms what we’ve been saying all along: when push comes to shove, Republicans will always do whatever it takes to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. We wish they could bring that same determination to lowering the deficit and helping working- and middle-class families. Today’s news is further proof that the partisan megabill remains a bad deal for Americans—exploding the debt, forcing millions off their health insurance, slashing food assistance programs, and killing jobs. We will keep working to safeguard Virginians from the disastrous impacts this law will have for Virginia and the country.”

    The Republican law, which Warner and Kaine strongly opposed, makes massive cuts to health care, nutrition assistance, and other critical programs that Virginians rely on in order to cut taxes for the ultra-wealthy. While the bill was being considered in the Senate, Warner and Kaine introduced a series of amendments in an attempt to improve the legislation, but Republicans blocked them. Under the Republican bill, hundreds of thousands of Virginians will lose health insurance because of cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, and many rural hospitals will lose federal funding from Medicaid, putting them at risk of closure.

    78,000 Virginians will lose access to some benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Virginia will be required to contribute an estimated $263 million annually in state cost-share for benefits, which have always been fully federally funded. The law jeopardizes clean energy jobs in Virginia by phasing out clean energy and energy efficiency tax credits and incentives that were passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. The law gives the top 0.1% a $250,000 tax cut and makes it harder for students to access student loans. The legislation also includes $85 million to move the Space Shuttle Discovery from the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia to Houston, Texas; the full cost to move the space shuttle is estimated to be $300 million to $400 million.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Deadly floods show need for faster, wider warnings, UN agency says

    Source: United Nations 2

    The UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday that more intense downpours and glacier outburst floods are becoming increasingly frequent, with deadly consequences for communities caught off guard.

    “Flash floods are not new, but their frequency and intensity are increasing in many regions due to rapid urbanization, land-use change and a changing climate,” said Stefan Uhlenbrook, WMO Director of Hydrology, Water and Cryosphere.

    Each additional degree Celsius of warming enables the air to hold about 7 per cent more water vapour.

    “This is increasing the risk of more extreme rainfall events. At the same time, glacier-related flood hazards are increasing due to enhanced ice melting in a warmer climate,” he added.

    Thousands of lives lost every year

    Floods and flash floods claim thousands of lives each year and cause billions of dollars in damage. In 2020, severe flooding across South Asia killed more than 6,500 people and caused $105 billion in economic losses.

    Two years later, catastrophic floods in Pakistan left over 1,700 people dead, 33 million affected and losses exceeding $40 billion, reversing years of development gains.

    This year, the onslaught has continued. In July alone, South Asia, East Asia and the United States have seen a string of deadly events, from monsoon rains to glacial lake bursts and sudden flash floods.

    © WMO/Arya Manggala

    Each year, extreme weather and climate events take a massive toll on lives and economies worldwide.

    Asia reels from monsoon onslaught

    In India and Pakistan, heavy monsoon rains have severed transport links, washed away homes and triggered landslides. Pakistan declared a state of emergency in its worst-hit areas, deploying military helicopters for rescue missions after forecasters warned of exceptional flood risk along the upper Jhelum River.

    The Republic of Korea suffered record-breaking downpours between 16-20 July, with rainfall exceeding 115 mm per hour in some locations. At least 18 people were killed and more than 13,000 were evacuated.

    In southern China, authorities issued flash flood and landslide alerts on 21 July, just a day after Typhoon Wipha battered Hong Kong, underscoring the compound risks of sequential storms.

    Texas flash flood strikes overnight

    Overnight 3 into 4 July, a sudden deluge turned Texas Hill Country into a disaster zone, killing more than 100 people and leaving dozens missing. In a few hours, 10-18 inches (25–46 cm) of rain swamped the Guadalupe River basin, sending the river surging 26 feet (8 metres) in just 45 minutes.

    1-day precipitation totals from NASA’s IMERG multi-satellite precipitation product show heavy rainfall over central Texas on July 4, 2025.

    Many of the victims were young girls at a summer camp, caught unaware as floodwaters tore through sleeping quarters around 4 AM. Although the US National Weather Service issued warnings ahead of time, local sirens were lacking and the final alerts came when most were asleep.

    Glacier outburst floods surge

    Not all floods this month were caused by rain.

    In Nepal’s Rasuwa district, a sudden outburst from a supraglacial lake – formed on a glacier’s surface – swept away hydropower plants, a major bridge and trade routes on 7 July. At least 11 people were killed and more than a dozen are reported missing.

    Scientists at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a WMO partner, say glacial-origin floods in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region are occurring far more often than two decades ago, when one might strike every five to 10 years.

    In May and June 2025 alone, three glacial outburst floods hit Nepal, Afghanistan and Pakistan, with two more in Nepal on 7 July. If warming continues, the risk of such floods could triple by the century’s end.

    Aftermath of a flood that swept through a high-altitude village in Nepal.

    Closing the warning gap

    The WMO is stepping up efforts to improve flood forecasting through its global initiative and real-time guidance platform, now used in over 70 countries.

    The system integrates satellite data, radar and high-resolution weather models to flag threats hours in advance and is being expanded into a country-led, globally interoperable framework.

    A 2022 World Bank study estimated that 1.81 billion people – nearly a quarter of the world’s population – are directly exposed to 1-in-100-year flood events, with 89 per cent living in low- and middle-income countries.

    The UN’s Early Warnings for All initiative aims to ensure that everyone, everywhere, is protected by early warning systems by 2027.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Ministerial statement to the House on the Middle East

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Almost a month ago, on 24 June 2025, we delivered our most recent Ministerial statement on the Middle East to this House.

    At that time, the world was grappling with Israel and Iran bombing each another. New Zealanders were in harm’s way. The spectre of escalation and a wider regional war was very real. Back then, we called for de-escalation, dialogue and ceasefire. Thankfully, the United States was able to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran – and that wider regional war has, for the time being at least, been avoided.

    A month later, though, we continue to be confronted by horrifying scenes playing out in Gaza.

    We have the horror of innocent Israeli families, robbed of their loved ones in October 2023 by Hamas’ heinous and immoral hostage taking, still yearning and demanding for them to be freed.

    And we have the horror of more and more innocent Palestinian civilians starving, being deprived of their basic needs, and being killed every day – because Israel’s military response to the events of October 7 2023 long ago ceased to be proportionate, reasonable or moral; and because Hamas continues to act with complete disregard for civilian life.

    The international community is united in its revulsion to what is happening in Gaza. This horror must end. Too many lives have been lost. Too many people have been traumatised, polarised and embittered – ensuring that yet another generation of Israeli and Palestinian children are born into a situation of insufferable conflict and enmity.

    That is why New Zealand has come together with Foreign Ministers from 27 other countries to state as clearly as we can that enough is enough. That this war must end now. That this suffering is intolerable.

    In that joint statement, we condemned Hamas’ continued detention of Israeli hostages and called for their immediate and unconditional release.

    And we condemned Israel’s policies which are leading to untold and unimaginable suffering and death among Palestinian civilians – and we called for it to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

    The international community is joined by an overwhelming majority of Israelis and Palestinians in wanting an immediate ceasefire. That is understandable because only a negotiated ceasefire offers the best hope of bringing Israeli hostages home and of ending the immense suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

    New Zealand has always accepted that it has limited influence over the course of this generations-long conflict. The Middle East is a long way away from New Zealand. But we can and must still do our part. And New Zealand’s position has, for decades, been consistent: we want dialogue, we want diplomacy, we want negotiation, and we want a two-state solution.

    We call out all actions which undermine the conditions for a two-state solution. This New Zealand government has designated the entirety of Hamas, whose stated objectives include the complete destruction of Israel, as a terrorist organisation. We have also put in place travel bans against Israeli Ministers who have taken concrete steps to undermine the two-state solution by advocating illegal settlements and settler violence.

    As today’s joint statement by 28 Foreign Ministers says: we strongly oppose any steps towards territorial or demographic change in the occupied Palestinian Territories. Such steps seek to undermine the two-state solution, and they must stop.

    The only way forward is an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire. Human suffering is indiscriminate. In this conflict it has been inflicted in vast quantities on Israelis and Palestinians; Jews, Muslims and Christians. Further bloodshed serves absolutely no purpose. It must stop.

    New Zealand, with our partners, reaffirms our complete support for the efforts of the United States, Qatar and Egypt to achieve a ceasefire. We wish them well in this important task.

    And, ultimately, what we must see is a political pathway towards peace for Israelis and Palestinians, living securely side by side. Only then can this long-running cycle of conflict be ended – in the hope that the next generation of Israeli and Palestinian children can know better, brighter days.

    No matter how hopeless the situation seems, that must be the international community’s objective. And New Zealand will continue to do what it can to contribute to those efforts.

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Suffering in Gaza reaches ‘new depths’ – Australia condemns ‘inhumane killing’ of Palestinians

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Amra Lee, PhD candidate in Protection of Civilians, Australian National University

    Australia has joined 28 international partners in calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and a lifting of all restrictions on food and medical supplies.

    Foreign Minister Penny Wong, along with counterparts from countries including the United Kingdom, France and Canada, has signed a joint statement demanding Israel complies with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

    The statement condemns Israel for what it calls “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians” seeking “their most basic need” of water and food, saying:

    The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity […] It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.

    Weapon of war

    Gazans, including malnourished mothers denied baby formula, face impossible choices as Israel intensifies its use of starvation as a weapon of war.

    In Gaza, survival requires negotiating what the United Nations calls aid “death traps”.

    According to the UN, 875 Gazans have been killed – many of them shot – while seeking food since the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operating in late May. Another 4,000 have been injured.

    More than 170 humanitarian groups have called for the food hubs to be shut down.

    Gaza has been described as the “hungriest place on Earth”, with aid trucks being held at the border and the United States destroying around 500 tonnes of emergency food because it was just out of date.

    More than two million people are at critical risk of famine. The World Food Programme estimates 90,000 women and children require urgent treatment for malnutrition.

    Nineteen Palestinians have starved to death in recent days, according to local health authorities.

    We can’t say we didn’t know

    After the breakdown of the January ceasefire, Israel implemented a humanitarian blockade on the Gaza Strip. Following mounting international pressure, limited aid was permitted and the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operations.

    As anticipated, only a fraction of the aid has been distributed.

    About 1,600 trucks entered Gaza between May 19 and July 14, well below the 630 trucks needed every day to feed the population.

    Israeli ministers have publicly called for food and fuel reserves to be bombed to starve the Palestinian people – a clear war crime – to pressure Hamas to release Israeli hostages.

    Famine expert Alex De Waal says Israel’s starvation strategy constitutes a dangerous weakening of international law. It also disrupts norms aimed at preventing hunger being used as a weapon of war:

    operations like the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation are a big crack in these principles [that is] not going to save Gaza from mass starvation.

    Palestinian organisations were the first to raise the alarm over Israel’s plans to impose controls over aid distribution.

    UN Relief Chief Tom Fletcher briefed the UN Security Council in May, warning of the world’s collective failure to call out the scale of violations of international law as they were being committed:

    Israel is deliberately and unashamedly imposing inhumane conditions on civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory.

    Tom Fletcher briefing the United Nations on the ‘atrocity’ being committed in Gaza.

    Since then, clear and unequivocal warnings of the compounding risks of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing have intensified from the UN, member states and international law experts.

    Weaponising aid

    The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation claims it has handed out millions of meals since it began operating in the strip in May. But the UN has called the distribution model “inherently unsafe”.

    Near-daily shootings have occurred since the militarised aid hubs began operating. Malnourished Palestinians risking death to feed their families are trekking long distances to reach the small number of distribution sites.

    While the foundation denies people are being shot, the UN has called the aid delivery mechanism a “deliberate attempt to weaponise aid” that fails to comply with humanitarian principles and risks further war crimes.

    Jewish Physicians for Human Rights has rejected the aid’s “humanitarian” characterisation, stating it “is what systematic harm to human beings looks like”.

    Human rights and legal organisations are calling for all involved to be held accountable for complicity in war crimes that “exposes all those who enable or profit from it to real risk of prosecution”.

    Mounting world action

    Today’s joint statement follows growing anger and frustration in Western countries over the lack of political pressure on Israel to end the suffering in Gaza.

    Polling in May showed more than 80% of Australians opposed Israel’s denial of aid as unjustifiable and wanted to see Australia doing more to support civilians in Gaza.

    Last week’s meeting of the Hague Group of nations shows more collective concrete action is being taken to exert pressure and uphold international law.

    Th 12 member states agreed to a range of diplomatic, legal and economic measures, including a ban on ships transporting arms to Israel.

    The time for humanity is now

    States will continue to face increased international and domestic pressure to take stronger action to influence Israel’s conduct as more Gazans are killed, injured and stripped of their dignity in an engineered famine.

    This moment in Gaza is unprecedented in terms of our knowledge of the scale and gravity of violations being perpetrated and what failing to act means for Palestinians and our shared humanity.

    Now is the time to exert diplomatic, legal and economic pressure on Israel to change course.

    History tells us we need to act now – international law and our collective moral conscience requires it.

    Amra Lee 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. Suffering in Gaza reaches ‘new depths’ – Australia condemns ‘inhumane killing’ of Palestinians – https://theconversation.com/suffering-in-gaza-reaches-new-depths-australia-condemns-inhumane-killing-of-palestinians-261547

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Suffering in Gaza reaches ‘new depths’ – Australia condemns ‘inhumane killing’ of Palestinians

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amra Lee, PhD candidate in Protection of Civilians, Australian National University

    Australia has joined 28 international partners in calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and a lifting of all restrictions on food and medical supplies.

    Foreign Minister Penny Wong, along with counterparts from countries including the United Kingdom, France and Canada, has signed a joint statement demanding Israel complies with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

    The statement condemns Israel for what it calls “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians” seeking “their most basic need” of water and food, saying:

    The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity […] It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.

    Weapon of war

    Gazans, including malnourished mothers denied baby formula, face impossible choices as Israel intensifies its use of starvation as a weapon of war.

    In Gaza, survival requires negotiating what the United Nations calls aid “death traps”.

    According to the UN, 875 Gazans have been killed – many of them shot – while seeking food since the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operating in late May. Another 4,000 have been injured.

    More than 170 humanitarian groups have called for the food hubs to be shut down.

    Gaza has been described as the “hungriest place on Earth”, with aid trucks being held at the border and the United States destroying around 500 tonnes of emergency food because it was just out of date.

    More than two million people are at critical risk of famine. The World Food Programme estimates 90,000 women and children require urgent treatment for malnutrition.

    Nineteen Palestinians have starved to death in recent days, according to local health authorities.

    We can’t say we didn’t know

    After the breakdown of the January ceasefire, Israel implemented a humanitarian blockade on the Gaza Strip. Following mounting international pressure, limited aid was permitted and the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operations.

    As anticipated, only a fraction of the aid has been distributed.

    About 1,600 trucks entered Gaza between May 19 and July 14, well below the 630 trucks needed every day to feed the population.

    Israeli ministers have publicly called for food and fuel reserves to be bombed to starve the Palestinian people – a clear war crime – to pressure Hamas to release Israeli hostages.

    Famine expert Alex De Waal says Israel’s starvation strategy constitutes a dangerous weakening of international law. It also disrupts norms aimed at preventing hunger being used as a weapon of war:

    operations like the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation are a big crack in these principles [that is] not going to save Gaza from mass starvation.

    Palestinian organisations were the first to raise the alarm over Israel’s plans to impose controls over aid distribution.

    UN Relief Chief Tom Fletcher briefed the UN Security Council in May, warning of the world’s collective failure to call out the scale of violations of international law as they were being committed:

    Israel is deliberately and unashamedly imposing inhumane conditions on civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory.

    Tom Fletcher briefing the United Nations on the ‘atrocity’ being committed in Gaza.

    Since then, clear and unequivocal warnings of the compounding risks of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing have intensified from the UN, member states and international law experts.

    Weaponising aid

    The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation claims it has handed out millions of meals since it began operating in the strip in May. But the UN has called the distribution model “inherently unsafe”.

    Near-daily shootings have occurred since the militarised aid hubs began operating. Malnourished Palestinians risking death to feed their families are trekking long distances to reach the small number of distribution sites.

    While the foundation denies people are being shot, the UN has called the aid delivery mechanism a “deliberate attempt to weaponise aid” that fails to comply with humanitarian principles and risks further war crimes.

    Jewish Physicians for Human Rights has rejected the aid’s “humanitarian” characterisation, stating it “is what systematic harm to human beings looks like”.

    Human rights and legal organisations are calling for all involved to be held accountable for complicity in war crimes that “exposes all those who enable or profit from it to real risk of prosecution”.

    Mounting world action

    Today’s joint statement follows growing anger and frustration in Western countries over the lack of political pressure on Israel to end the suffering in Gaza.

    Polling in May showed more than 80% of Australians opposed Israel’s denial of aid as unjustifiable and wanted to see Australia doing more to support civilians in Gaza.

    Last week’s meeting of the Hague Group of nations shows more collective concrete action is being taken to exert pressure and uphold international law.

    Th 12 member states agreed to a range of diplomatic, legal and economic measures, including a ban on ships transporting arms to Israel.

    The time for humanity is now

    States will continue to face increased international and domestic pressure to take stronger action to influence Israel’s conduct as more Gazans are killed, injured and stripped of their dignity in an engineered famine.

    This moment in Gaza is unprecedented in terms of our knowledge of the scale and gravity of violations being perpetrated and what failing to act means for Palestinians and our shared humanity.

    Now is the time to exert diplomatic, legal and economic pressure on Israel to change course.

    History tells us we need to act now – international law and our collective moral conscience requires it.

    Amra Lee 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. Suffering in Gaza reaches ‘new depths’ – Australia condemns ‘inhumane killing’ of Palestinians – https://theconversation.com/suffering-in-gaza-reaches-new-depths-australia-condemns-inhumane-killing-of-palestinians-261547

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray Demands Army Secretary Driscoll Answer for Closure of JBLM Museum

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    The Army recently announced that 29 museums will be closed or consolidated, including the Lewis Army Museum at JBLM

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, demanding answers as to why the Lewis Army Museum at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) will be closed, and shared how important the museum is for celebrating the rich history of military service at JBLM. The Lewis Army Museum is the only certified U.S. Army Museum on the entire West Coast.

    The Army recently announced that 29 museums will be closed or consolidated, in order to direct more resources toward “readiness and lethality,” the list includes the Lewis Army Museum at JBLM. The Army Museum Enterprise provided no explanation when it announced it will shrink from 41 museums at 29 locations, to 12 field museums and four training support facilities at 12 locations.

    Senator Murray began her letter by detailing the storied history of the soldiers the museum honors, “JBLM is named after Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition and was established in 1917 to train the 91st ‘Wild West’ Division before deploying to Germany in World War I. Since then, JBLM soldiers have continued to serve bravely in all military conflicts. JBLM is home to Audie Leon Murphy, who earned fame as the most highly decorated American Soldier of World War II , and General John Shalikashvili, who later became the 13th Chairman on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  JBLM is full of rich history that deserves to be celebrated, not brushed to the side.”

    “Educating our communities on the Army’s history is key to instilling national pride amongst servicemembers and the general public,” Senator Murray continued. “In fact, Secretary Hegseth has been very vocal about preserving our military’s history for the sake of improving morale. In the dedication of his book, Modern Warriors, Hegseth said ‘the legacy of our warriors is worth of elevation – a reflection of what we should really value.’ By closing the Lewis Army Museum, you are doing the exact opposite by not honoring the incredible sacrifice and service the men and women who have been stationed at JBLM have provided. You have said that ‘telling that story [of the Army] will directly lead to a recruiting boom,’ and there seems to be no better way to continue to tell that story than to continue to keep these important museums open to the public.”

    Senator Murray concluded her letter by pushing for answers and emphasizing that JBLM was never consulted or given the opportunity to provide input if this decision was made to cut costs, writing: “According to the U.S. Army Center of Military Housing, the decision was made as a cost-cutting measure so the Army can direct more resources toward ‘readiness and lethality’ and will save $114 million over 10 years. Yet this decision comes at a time when President Trump is requesting a historically high defense budget of $1.01 trillion for fiscal year 2026, a 13.4 percent increase compared to fiscal year 2025.  If this decision was made for cost-saving measures, JBLM was never consulted or given the opportunity for input. Colonel Kent Park, the outgoing garrison commander, said he heard of the closure through the media, and the closure was never discussed with him.”

    Full text of the letter is available HERE, and below:

    The Honorable Daniel Driscoll

    Secretary of the Army

    1600 Army Pentagon

    Washington, DC 20310-1600

    July 21, 2025

    Dear Secretary Driscoll:

    I am writing to express my concern and disappointment regarding the Army’s decision to shut down and consolidate 29 of its 41 military museums across the country, including the Lewis Army Museum, which honors the soldiers of Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) in my home state of Washington. JBLM is named after Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition and was established in 1917 to train the 91st “Wild West” Division before deploying to Germany in World War I.Since then, JBLM soldiers have continued to serve bravely in all military conflicts. JBLM is home to Audie Leon Murphy, who earned fame as the most highly decorated American Soldier of World War II, and General John Shalikashvili, who later became the 13th Chairman on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. JBLM is full of rich history that deserves to be celebrated, not brushed to the side.

    In 1973, JBLM established the Lewis Army Museum to honor its soldiers and educate the public on the value of service. Located in the Red Shield Inn, the building was originally built during World War I by the Salvation Army to accommodate soldiers and their families and it was converted into a museum in 1973. Today, the Lewis Army Museum is the only certified U.S. Army Museum on the entire West Coast. It has an extensive display spanning from decorated artillery shells made in the trenches during World War I to pocket guides given to servicemembers before they deployed to Vietnam. It also showcases military vehicles, vintage uniforms, weapons, art, and other memorabilia donated by local veterans in the Puget Sound area.

    Educating our communities on the Army’s history is key to instilling national pride amongst servicemembers and the general public. In fact, Secretary Hegseth has been very vocal about preserving our military’s history for the sake of improving morale. In the dedication of his book, Modern Warriors, Hegseth said “the legacy of our warriors is worth of elevation – a reflection of what we should really value.” By closing the Lewis Army Museum, you are doing the exact opposite by not honoring the incredible sacrifice and service the men and women who have been stationed at JBLM have provided. You have said that “telling that story [of the Army] will directly lead to a recruiting boom,” and there seems to be no better way to continue to tell that story than to continue to keep these important museums open to the public.

    According to the U.S. Army Center of Military Housing, the decision was made as a cost-cutting measure so the Army can direct more resources toward “readiness and lethality” and will save $114 million over 10 years. Yet this decision comes at a time when President Trump is requesting a historically high defense budget of $1.01 trillion for fiscal year 2026, a 13.4 percent increase compared to fiscal year 2025. If this decision was made for cost-saving measures, JBLM was never consulted or given the opportunity for input. Colonel Kent Park, the outgoing garrison commander, said he heard of the closure through the media, and the closure was never discussed with him.

    JBLM’s community is proud of its history and continued service to our nation and our servicemembers. Without an explanation given for this announcement, I request comprehensive answers to the following questions before August 11, 2025:

    1. What is the annual operating cost of the Lewis Army Museum?
    2. What processes and evaluations did the Army undertake to inform the decision to close the Lewis Army Museum?
    3. What is the plan to provide the Army Veterans located on the West Coast with a museum honoring their service to the nation?
    4. Why was the Lewis Army Museum chosen to close and other military museums allowed to remain open?
    5. What do you plan on doing with the artifacts in the Lewis Army Museum? Will the public still be able to see them somewhere after closure?
    6. Was there a public comment period on the planned museum closure decision? If so, what was the timeline and what feedback did the Army receive from the community?
    7. How is the Army planning to use the additional funds to enhance mission readiness and lethality?
    8. Are there specific programs that will absorb the additional funding? If so, which ones?

    Thank you for your attention to this important matter, and I look forward to your prompt and thorough response.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: July 16th, 2025 Heinrich Statement on Voting Against Intelligence Authorization Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement on voting against the 2026 Intelligence Authorization Act: 

    “The Intelligence Committee has an important obligation to ensure our intelligence agencies operate within the bounds of the law and respect the constitutional rights of Americans. At a time when the Trump Administration is defying the rule of law and undermining the very protections our Constitution guarantees, robust Congressional oversight is more important than ever.

    “While the 2026 Intelligence Authorization Act includes some provisions aimed at accountability, it falls far short. Instead of strengthening independent oversight, it weakens the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, effectively endorsing this Administration’s arbitrary purges of career intelligence professionals. It also fails to address the current DNI’s documented missteps, including the blatant politicization of intelligence under her leadership. And I have deep concerns about matters raised — or ignored — in the classified annex.

    “Our Intelligence Community should never be handed a blank check, especially under an Administration that has shown such disregard for democratic norms and the rule of law.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley, Moore Introduce Resolution Condemning International Persecution of Christians

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Monday, July 21, 2025

    U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), along with Congressman Riley Moore (R-W.Va.), introduced a resolution condemning the persecution of Christians around the world.

    “Our country was founded on religious liberty. We cannot sit on the sidelines as Christians around the world are being persecuted for declaring Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We must condemn these heinous crimes,” Senator Hawley said. “Year after year, the number of Christians murdered by extremists in Nigeria has numbered in the thousands. Millions more have been displaced. We cannot allow this to continue. I urge my colleagues to join me in condemning the persecution of Christians around the world by supporting this resolution.”

    “Around the world, our brothers and sisters in Christ face rampant persecution for simply acknowledging the name of Jesus. That is unacceptable. In Nigeria alone, more than 50,000 Christians have been martyred and more than 5 million have been displaced simply for professing their faith. During a Divine Liturgy in Damascus last month, an islamic jihadist opened fire on worshippers and detonated an explosive device — killing at least 30 and wounding dozens more. These examples illustrate the violence and death Christians face on a daily basis,” said Congressman Moore. “Unfortunately, decades of U.S. foreign policy blunders have exacerbated this crisis, with ethno-religious cleansing accelerating in Iraq after our failure to stabilize the country following the 2003 invasion. We as lawmakers cannot continue to sit idly by. I urge my colleagues to join me in condemning the persecution of Christians across the globe.”

    The bill is endorsed by ADF International, Heritage Action for America, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, In Defense of Christians, Global Christian Relief, CatholicVote, Advancing American Freedom, Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE), Family Policy Alliance, Christians Engaged, and Save the Persecuted Christians.

    Read the full resolution here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Senator Coons cites his faith as a reason to reject Trump’s budget bill and urges his party to talk openly about faith on SiriusXM’s “Mornings with Zerlina”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

    WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined “Mornings with Zerlina” on SiriusXM Progress on Friday as part of her week-long series on faith and politics, where he talked about how his faith motivates his public service, especially in fighting for vulnerable communities impacted by President Trump’s sweeping budget bill and rescissions package which both passed the Senate this month.

    Senator Coons and Zerlina Maxwell discussed the need for Democrats to speak more openly about faith as a source of compassion and how faith plays into issues like climate change, health care, and global affairs. Senator Coons also talks about the rise of Christian nationalism in America right now and how evangelical conservatives have placed themselves at the center of the intersection of faith and politics in the popular imagination.

    A link to the interview and key excerpts are available below.

    LISTEN HERE.

    Republicans push through Trump’s budget reconciliation bill

    Maxwell: As a person of faith, what do you want our listeners at home to know about the damage of this particular law and how it flies in the face of so many faith teachings about how we should take care of people who are vulnerable and hurting?

    Senator Coons: There are lots of us in the Democratic caucus in the Senate who first felt called to public service to help others, to try and strengthen our country, to address the issues of health equity, of hunger, of lack of access to clean air and water, to safe housing through a concern for each other that’s rooted in seeing other Americans of different backgrounds and different states and different needs as children of God – as people fully deserving of the respect and the investment and the support that that entails. This bill – this law now, as you pointed out – is going to do massive damage.

    I recently did an event at the Delaware Food Bank with my colleagues, Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester and Congresswoman Sarah McBride, where we went through in detail the tens of thousands of children, seniors and families who will be hungry as a result of the cuts to the hunger programs of the federal government and the millions of people across the country who will lose access to health care and crowd into emergency rooms sicker with less support, more likely to go bankrupt in ways that will increase their suffering and reduce the health of our country as a whole. The bottom line is that this act, which really was centrally driven by trying to deliver bigger tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, is also going to make us hungrier, sicker, and more divided.

    …

    For a long time in American history, the faith community, broadly understood, was really at the center of social justice movements, whether it was the civil rights movement, or the labor movement, or the environmental movement, and that was motivated by a broadly shared compassion and concern for each other. If you think about the images of who was marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, it included priests and nuns, rabbis and protestant clergy, folks of a wide range of backgrounds. And just two weeks before the final vote on the “Big, Beautiful Bill” – which was anything but beautiful, it was a big, ugly bill – Reverend Jim Wallis and I helped convene literally hundreds of clergy, religious, civic leaders from around the country in a protest on the steps of the Capitol which began by their reading dozens of Scripture passages from Torah, from the Gospels, from other faith traditions that all put a privilege, a focus, a centrality, on caring for the poor, on caring for the needy, for the widow, for the orphan, for the outcast, and then put in sharp contrast how this law does the opposite.

    Democrats needing to open up about their faith

    Maxwell: You mention that more Democrats need to talk about their faith. Why is it that so many Democrats seem uncomfortable or unwilling to lean into their beliefs and to talk about it more openly?

    Senator Coons: I don’t really know what’s the origin of it, other than, you know, look, we have to recognize that organized religion has harmed many people in the United States, there are certainly folks who have become distanced from their faith traditions because of their own experiences. Someone I was quite close to, and remain close to today, in law school confided in me that his initial very negative reaction was frankly because of something horrible that had happened in his parish when he was a child that had driven him away from the Catholic Church. He wasn’t judging me. He was just reflecting on an unpleasant experience. And the more that folks associate public religiosity with aggressive campaigns by Christian nationalists or exclusive focusing on reproductive freedom issues or death penalty issues, the more they think it’s a narrow concern, not something that speaks to broader concerns, but whether it’s about healthcare, the environment, our communities, or economic justice.

    Rise of Christian nationalism

    Maxwell: Does your faith inform the way you talk about the rise in authoritarianism or white Christian nationalism in the country right now? Because I feel like there is a space where we can talk about aligning ourselves with values that have a moral grounding that are not what the folks on the other end of the political spectrum are talking about in a moment like this one.

    Senator Coons: There are passages in the Gospels and the Torah that I think speak clearly to a sense of who is my neighbor. Who are we connected to? In Christ, there is no East or West, nor Greek, nor Jew, for example, and I have always felt that the calling of the United States to be engaged with the rest of the world, to be supportive of development and addressing disasters and crises in the rest of the world, is rooted in that teaching that we are all children of God, regardless of race, religion, background, ethnicity, faith, language. And here at home, similarly, Christian nationalism presumes that we are a country that is uniquely endowed with an historic mission, and at times that has, in my experience, on the Foreign Relations Committee here, that hurts our partnerships around the world, our alliances around the world, but it also fails to reflect a real embrace of the full creation of the world and the full range of humanity, both here in the United States and around the world.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Jewel Osco Stores in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa Voluntarily Recalls Select Items Containing Tuna Salad from Reser’s Fine Foods Due to an Ingredient Recall Linked to Possible Listeria Monocytogenes Contamination

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    Summary

    Company Announcement Date:
    July 17, 2025
    FDA Publish Date:
    July 21, 2025
    Product Type:
    Food & BeveragesFoodborne Illness
    Reason for Announcement:

    Recall Reason Description
    Potential Foodborne Illness – Listeria monocytogenes

    Company Name:
    Jewel Osco
    Brand Name:

    Brand Name(s)
    Jewel Osco

    Product Description:

    Product Description
    Tuna Salad Products

    Company Announcement
    Jewel Osco stores in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa are voluntarily recalling select items containing tuna salad supplied by Reser’s Fine Foods. This action follows a recall initiated by Reser’s Fine Food due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes in breadcrumbs used as an ingredient in their tuna salad.
    Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
    Consumers who have purchased these items are urged not to consume these products and to dispose of them or return the items to their local store for a full refund. The FDA recommends in these cases that anyone who purchased or received any recalled products to use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Listeria monocytogenes can survive in refrigerated temperatures and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces.
    There have been no reports of injuries or adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.
    The items containing tuna salad were available for purchase at Jewel Osco in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa.
    Consumers with questions should contact Albertsons Companies’ Customer Service Center at 1-877-723-3929 Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. PST.
    Product Recall Details:

    Product Name 

    UPC 

    Size 

    Sell Thru Dates (if applicable, Or Lot Code/Est. Number)

    Store Banners 

    States 

    CLUB SANDWICH ES WITH SALAD FS

    29125900000

    EA

    Jul 16 25 Thru Jul 18 25

    Jewel Osco

    IL, IN, IA

    RM DUO TUNA SALAD W/CRACKER S

    27183000000

    EA

    Jul 17 25 Thru Jul 19 25

    Jewel Osco

    IL, IN, IA

    RM QUAD TUNA SALAD

    21500300000

    EA

    Jul 17 25 Thru Jul 19 25

    Jewel Osco

    IL, IN, IA

    RM SALAD TUNA SS /td>

    29486900000

    1 LB

    Jul 17 25 Thru Jul 19 25

    Jewel Osco

    IL, IN, IA

    RM SNDWCH CROISSNT SSTBL TUNA SALAD SS

    21372500000

    EA

    Jul 17 25 Thru Jul 19 25

    Jewel Osco

    IL, IN, IA

    RM SNDWCH TUNA SALAD CROISSANT SS COLD

    21788400000

    EA

    Jul 16 25 Thru Jul 18 25

    Jewel Osco

    IL, IN, IA

    TUNA SALAD

    21680700000

    Variable Weight

    Jul 17 25 Thru Jul 19 25

    Jewel Osco

    IL, IN, IA

    Company Contact Information

    Consumers:
    Albertsons Companies’ Customer Service Center
    1-877-723-3929

    Product Photos

    Content current as of:
    07/21/2025

    Regulated Product(s)

    Topic(s)

    Follow FDA

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Names Small Business of the Week, Sponheim Sales and Services

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    Published: July 21, 2025
    Throughout this Congress, Chair Ernst plans to recognize a small business in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.
    RED OAK, Iowa – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, today announced her Small Business of the Week: Sponheim Sales and Services of Mitchell County. Throughout the 119th Congress, Chair Ernst plans to recognize a small business in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.
    “Fourth-generation farmer Dean Sponheim founded Sponheim Sales and Services in 2015 based on decades of agricultural innovation,” said Chair Ernst. “Today, this family-owned business continues to cultivate success as a one-stop shop for farmers looking to learn about conservation farming practices.”
    Founded in 2015 by Dean Sponheim, a fourth-generation farmer, Sponheim Sales and Services has grown from a local conservation effort into a full-service agricultural operation supporting farmers across Iowa. The small business offers custom seed cleaning, drilling, aerial application, interseeding, and contracts with local oat and rye growers. Dean, alongside his son Josh and longtime colleague Rachel Amundson, has expanded the business to help farmers adopt sustainable practices to reduce their environmental footprint.
    Stay tuned as Chair Ernst recognizes more Iowa small businesses across the state with her Small Business of the Week award.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE arrests Haitian engaged in violence and destabilization of Haiti, in support of Department of State

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    MIAMI — On July 17, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations arrested Pierre Reginald Boulos, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. and citizen of Haiti, for violating the Immigration and Nationality Act contributing to the destabilization of Haiti. This case was investigated jointly with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate.

    The Department of State determined that Boulos’ presence or activities in the United States would have potential serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States, providing a basis for the charge of removability. Specifically, officials determined that he engaged in a campaign of violence and gang support that contributed to Haiti’s destabilization. Additionally, in his application to become a lawful permanent resident, he failed to disclose his involvement in the formation of a political party in Haiti, Mouvement pour la Transformation et la Valorisation d’Haiti, and that he was referred for prosecution by the Haitian government’s Unit for the Fight Against Corruption for misusing loans, supporting an additional ground of removability based on this fraud. He is currently in ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations detention.

    The Department of State has determined that certain individuals with U.S. lawful permanent resident status have supported and collaborated with Haitian gang leaders connected to Viv Ansanm, a Haitian foreign terrorist organization. The United States will not allow individuals to enjoy the benefits of legal status in our country while they are facilitating the actions of violent organizations or supporting criminal terrorist organizations abroad. 

    With this determination, the Department of Homeland Security can pursue the removal of these individuals under section 237(a)(4)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. These new actions demonstrate the Trump administration’s firm commitment to protecting the American people, advancing our national security interests, and promoting regional security and stability.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s “Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit” Act Passes through U.S. House of Representatives

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Lauren Boebert (Colorado, 3)

    WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-04) successfully passed H.R. 131, the “Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit” Act, through the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday evening by voice vote. The bill eliminates interest payments on construction costs endured by non-federal entities and extends the repayment period to 75 years, allowing local communities more flexibility to finish their investments in this critical project. Congressman Jeff Hurd (CO-03) is a cosponsor of the bill, while Colorado Senator Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper have introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.

    Upon completion, the Arkansas Valley Conduit would provide access to clean water to 50,000 residents in Southeast Colorado, including Bent, Crowley, Prowers, Kiowa and Baca Counties. The project was originally started in 1962 and has been delayed by bureaucracy and, most recently, rising construction and labor costs. The “Finish the AVC” Act addresses these issues in an effort to make this long-standing vision a finished product.

    “This is a major victory for Southeast Coloradans with my ‘Finish the AVC Act’ passing through the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Congresswoman Boebert. “Every Coloradan should have reliable access to clean water, which keeps families healthy and allows economic development to move forward. It’s been more than six decades since the Arkansas Valley Conduit was originally approved; Coloradans are done waiting on this project. I’m grateful to my House colleagues for their support and I will fight to make sure this bill now passes through the Senate so President Trump can sign this bill in the near future.”

    “Access to reliable, clean water is fundamental to the health and prosperity of our rural communities, and the Arkansas Valley Conduit has remained an unfinished promise for far too long,” said Congressman Jeff Hurd (CO-03). “I’m proud to cosponsor this legislation with Congresswoman Boebert to remove financial barriers and help get this vital project across the finish line. This will strengthen agriculture, support families, and fuel economic growth across Southeast Colorado — a win for everyone who calls this region home.”

    “Rural water providers in our area often struggle to secure the funding needed to meet the needs of the communities they serve. Completing the Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC), which has been stalled for decades as labor and construction costs continue to rise, would help reduce the financial burden on these providers and enhance their ability to deliver a higher quality and a more reliable water supply,” said Prowers County Commissioners Ty Harmon, Roger Cook, and Roger Stagner. “In addition to supporting households and businesses, a stable water supply is essential for agriculture — the backbone of our community’s economy. Reliable water access ensures that farmers and ranchers can maintain production, adapt to drought conditions, and sustain the long-term viability of their operations. We’re grateful for Congresswoman Boebert’s work on this project and her efforts to support Southeast Colorado.”

    “In the West, it is critical that we have sound water infrastructure to meet communities’ needs,” said House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04). “Rep. Boebert’s legislation will help get the Arkansas Valley Conduit project across the finish line more than 60 years after it was authorized. I thank her for her work to move this important project forward and her leadership on western water issues.”

    The full text of Congresswoman Boebert’s H.R. 131 can be read HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s “Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit” Act Passes through U.S. House of Representatives

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Lauren Boebert (Colorado, 3)

    WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-04) successfully passed H.R. 131, the “Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit” Act, through the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday evening by voice vote. The bill eliminates interest payments on construction costs endured by non-federal entities and extends the repayment period to 75 years, allowing local communities more flexibility to finish their investments in this critical project. Congressman Jeff Hurd (CO-03) is a cosponsor of the bill, while Colorado Senator Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper have introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.

    Upon completion, the Arkansas Valley Conduit would provide access to clean water to 50,000 residents in Southeast Colorado, including Bent, Crowley, Prowers, Kiowa and Baca Counties. The project was originally started in 1962 and has been delayed by bureaucracy and, most recently, rising construction and labor costs. The “Finish the AVC” Act addresses these issues in an effort to make this long-standing vision a finished product.

    “This is a major victory for Southeast Coloradans with my ‘Finish the AVC Act’ passing through the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Congresswoman Boebert. “Every Coloradan should have reliable access to clean water, which keeps families healthy and allows economic development to move forward. It’s been more than six decades since the Arkansas Valley Conduit was originally approved; Coloradans are done waiting on this project. I’m grateful to my House colleagues for their support and I will fight to make sure this bill now passes through the Senate so President Trump can sign this bill in the near future.”

    “Access to reliable, clean water is fundamental to the health and prosperity of our rural communities, and the Arkansas Valley Conduit has remained an unfinished promise for far too long,” said Congressman Jeff Hurd (CO-03). “I’m proud to cosponsor this legislation with Congresswoman Boebert to remove financial barriers and help get this vital project across the finish line. This will strengthen agriculture, support families, and fuel economic growth across Southeast Colorado — a win for everyone who calls this region home.”

    “Rural water providers in our area often struggle to secure the funding needed to meet the needs of the communities they serve. Completing the Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC), which has been stalled for decades as labor and construction costs continue to rise, would help reduce the financial burden on these providers and enhance their ability to deliver a higher quality and a more reliable water supply,” said Prowers County Commissioners Ty Harmon, Roger Cook, and Roger Stagner. “In addition to supporting households and businesses, a stable water supply is essential for agriculture — the backbone of our community’s economy. Reliable water access ensures that farmers and ranchers can maintain production, adapt to drought conditions, and sustain the long-term viability of their operations. We’re grateful for Congresswoman Boebert’s work on this project and her efforts to support Southeast Colorado.”

    “In the West, it is critical that we have sound water infrastructure to meet communities’ needs,” said House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04). “Rep. Boebert’s legislation will help get the Arkansas Valley Conduit project across the finish line more than 60 years after it was authorized. I thank her for her work to move this important project forward and her leadership on western water issues.”

    The full text of Congresswoman Boebert’s H.R. 131 can be read HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed, Whitehouse & Magaziner Announce $275K for RI Shipyard Modernization

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI – U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Seth Magaziner today announced a new $274,596 federal grant for the J. Goodison Co. shipyard at the Quonset Business Park. The federal funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration Small Shipyards Grant program.

    The federal funds will be used by J. Goodison to modernize equipment and purchase 21 new welder units and a 200-ton press brake to enhance fabrication and welding capabilities. Reliable welding equipment will ensure that projects can be completed in the most efficient manner and reduce the need for outsourcing. This project will help increase the company’s capabilities, improve efficiency and productivity, and create opportunities to provide competitive service.

    “This is good news for J. Goodison and Rhode Island’s maritime industry. Ensuring Rhode Island shipyard’s have the best machinery available to meet their needs increases productivity and efficiency and expands capacity at Quonset. Small shipyards like J. Goodison make big contributions to our economy by building and maintaining the vessels that drive our economy. We’ve got to keep them competitive. I will continue working to bring investment to Rhode Island’s ports, shipbuilders, and shipyards,” said Senator Reed, a member of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee. Senator Reed led efforts to restore funding for the Small Shipyard program after it lapsed for several years.

    “I’m glad to join Senator Reed in helping ensure that Ocean State shipyards have everything they need to grow and create jobs,” said Senator Whitehouse. “Congratulations to J. Goodison on winning this competitive grant, which will support even more economic activity at Quonset.”

    “This federal funding will help J. Goodison modernize its operations, boost productivity, and create good-paying jobs right here in Rhode Island,” said Congressman Magaziner. “I will keep fighting to bring home funds that strengthen the state’s shipyards and grow the local maritime economy.”

    “We thank Senators Reed and Whitehouse and the entire Rhode Island Congressional delegation for their leadership in supporting this project,” said Jack Goodison, President and CEO of J. Goodison Co. “Our State and region succeed when we work together to modernize our shipyards with newer equipment that this grant will help fund.”

    Founded in 1999, J. Goodison is a veteran-owned small business specializing in full-service marine maintenance. In 2016, the company opened a waterfront shipyard facility in the Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown. Due to its location and capabilities, the shipyard has become an important asset for marine operators along the Eastern Seaboard. The commercial fishing industry, passenger ferry operators, marine towing operators, and the United States Coast Guard all rely on J. Goodison’s vessel repair services.

    MARAD’s Small Shipyard Grant Program is a competitive grant program designed to support small shipyard projects that make capital and related improvements or provide training for workers in shipbuilding, ship repair, and associated industries.

    In fiscal year 2024, the Small Shipyard Grant Program received 78 grant applications from shipbuilding or repair companies nationwide requesting just under $50 million. The program allocated $8.75 million in available federal funds.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed: Trump Admin. Must Restore Online Public Funding Tracker

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Noting that federal tax dollars belong to the American people – not the President or federal agencies – U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today hailed a federal court ruling that the Trump Administration violated the law by taking down a public disclosure website that shows how taxpayer dollars are apportioned to federal agencies and ordered its reinstatement.

    The Constitution clearly mandates that Congress, not the executive branch, has the ‘power of the purse.’ The President signs funding bills and is statutorily responsible for apportioning funds for executive branch agencies to spend in accordance with Congress’s directive under the law. Historically, the responsibility for apportioning funds has been delegated to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by executive order.

    In an effort to boost government transparency and accountability and ensure the American people know where their tax dollars are going, Senator Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee, helped pass a bipartisan provision in the Fiscal Year 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 117-103), made permanent in 2023, requiring OMB to publicly disclose how federal funding is disbursed to federal agencies and make the information available on a publicly accessible website. Previously, OMB’s apportionment decisions were rarely made public. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended making this information publicly available in 2021.

    The apportionment database was launched in the summer of 2022. But in March of 2025, the Trump Administration took down the website and dubiously attempted to justify its removal by claiming that apportionments contain deliberative and predecisional information and citing national security risks. However, apportionments are issued only after deliberation and are legally binding decisions that govern agency expenditures. Since March 24, 2025, the public website has been down, and OMB Director Russell Vought said OMB will no longer make apportionments available.

    “Americans deserve to know how their government is using their hard-earned resources, that the President is spending their tax dollars in accordance with the law, and is doing so in an effective and responsible manner. This website was like a dashboard to oversee and review executive branch stewardship of U.S. taxpayer funds. The Trump Administration sought to unlawfully conceal this information. Today’s ruling very clearly orders the Trump Administration to stop hiding data from the American people and reinstate this public website. It’s a positive step for taxpayers and the Trump Administration must comply with the law,” said Reed.

    The judge’s ruling stated: “There is nothing unconstitutional about Congress requiring the Executive Branch to inform the public of how it is apportioning the public’s money. Defendants are therefore required to stop violating the law!”

    The judge ordered the Trump Administration to reinstate the database. But at the Justice Department’s request, the judge paused the order until Thursday morning, so the Administration can decide if it will seek emergency relief from an appeals court.

    Bipartisan members of Congress have publicly declared the Trump Administration is required by law to operate the public website and ensure accountability for stewardship of taxpayer funds.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Joins Amicus Brief Urging Federal Appeals Court to Strike Down Trump’s Illegal Cost-Raising Tariffs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined colleagues in filing an amicus brief urging a federal appeals court to strike down Donald Trump’s illegal, cost-raising tariffs. The case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is an appeal of a decision made last month by the U.S. Court of International Trade, which ruled that the Trump Administration lacked authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a statute that no other president has ever used to levy tariffs. The senators and representatives argue in their brief that the lower court correctly ruled Trump’s actions are unlawful and that the President’s actions have caused chaos and uncertainty to businesses nationwide.
    “Nevadans are being squeezed by high costs and rising prices, and President Trump’s tariffs are effectively a new tax for hardworking families,” said Senator Rosen. “The Constitution gives Congress, not the President, the authority to regulate trade, and I’m urging the courts to reaffirm Congress’s authority. I’ll keep doing everything I can to repeal Trump’s sweeping, cost-raising tariffs.”
    The full amicus brief can be found HERE.
    Senator Rosen has helped lead the fight opposing Trump’s reckless tariffs. She signed on to a different amicus brief challenging them in court last month. Senator Rosen also helped introduce the Tariff Transparency Act, which would require the U.S. International Trade Commission to study and publicly report on the economic effects of tariffs on Canada and Mexico– key trading partners for Nevada industries. She also helped pass a bipartisan resolution to strike down Trump’s tariffs on Canada earlier this year, which is awaiting action in the House of Representatives.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI—Hagerty Joins Kudlow on Fox Business to Discuss GENIUS Act Signing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
    WASHINGTON—Last week, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Banking Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, joined Kudlow on Fox Business live from the White House after President Donald Trump signed his GENIUS Act into law.
    *Click the photo above or here to watch*Partial Transcript
    Hagerty on the impact of the GENIUS Act: “What this [the GENIUS Act] does is it takes a payment system that was designed in the 1970s out of business. We go into the blockchain—much more efficient, much more effective. Trades that took five or 10 days to clear now can be done almost instantaneously. If you think about the working capital that comes out of the system, the counterparty risk that goes away, the currency risk if you’re doing a cross-border transaction—all of that is minimized because of the speed of these transactions.”
    Hagerty on increased demand for U.S. Treasuries: “In terms of the impact on the dollar and on Treasuries, I think that’s going to be very significant. The demand for U.S. treasuries is going to go up significantly. In fact, every projection shows that stablecoin issuers will become the largest holders of U.S. Treasuries, because every stablecoin in America has to be backed dollar-for-dollar by a U.S. Treasury or cash. That’s going to stimulate Treasury demand. That’s going to have a great impact on rates, bringing them down. It’ll help the Treasury secretary manage much better. And as we look at the environment we’re in right now, with rates too high and the cost of our debt too high, this is going to be a definite help.”
    Hagerty on global dollar dominance: “This [the GENIUS Act] will cement the U.S. dollar as the reserve currency of the world. People around the world would much rather own a decentralized, U.S. dollar-denominated currency that they know is backed up by U.S. Treasuries than a Chinese yuan or a euro, currencies that are centralized and controlled by their governments. This is going to be a far better product. And I think what this does is it takes us from being on our heels, which is where we were for the last four years, when the Biden administration waged war on the industry, and moves us into the 21st century.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Peters Reintroduces Bill to Help Tackle America’s Housing Crisis, Boost Public Transit Use

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)

    Washington, DC – Today, Representatives Scott Peters (D-CA-50) and Blake Moore (R-UT-01) and Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Jim Banks (R-IN) reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Build More Housing Near Transit Act to encourage the construction of low- and middle-income housing in transit-served, walkable locations. Rep. Peters previously introduced a standalone House version of the legislation in 2019 and a bicameral version in 2021 and 2023.  

    The bill incentivizes the development of more housing near transit stops by tying the competition for federal transit funding to state and local housing plans along transit corridors. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the United States has a shortage of 7.1 million affordable rental homes. In San Diego County alone, there is a shortage of nearly 100,000 homes for extremely low-income renters and that gap is nearly one million homes statewide. It is clear California is not doing enough to keep pace with growing demand – in 2024, the state only permitted 114,069 homes, according to California’s Housing and Community Development Department. Since 2021, San Diego County has permitted only 48,765 homes, just 28.4 percent of the total needed to meet demand according to the Regional Housing Needs Allocation formula.  

    “The cost of housing remains the greatest barrier to prosperity in California, forcing people to move farther and farther from where they work, which means longer commutes and more air pollution,” said Rep. Peters. “Our bill will get more cars off the road by maximizing federal investments in public transportation and will increase affordable housing options for families across the country.  As a Co-Chair of the YIMBY Caucus and founding member of the growth–oriented Build America Caucus in Congress, I look forward to getting this commonsense legislation across the finish line to help relieve the pressure on cost-burdened Americans.” 

    “Housing has consistently been one of the most pressing issues for Utahns since I joined Congress. In some ways, Utah is a victim of its own success. Our incredible quality of life, economic opportunity, and low unemployment rates have put significant strains on our housing market, which has priced out young families from starter homes and presented major challenges to servicemembers at Hill Air Force Base,” said Rep. Moore. “I’m proud to introduce legislation that will condition federal transit grants on whether states are reducing zoning barriers for housing near new bus or rapid transit lines, something that Utah has already been doing for years through the leadership of partners such as UTA along the Wasatch Front and Connect in Cache Valley. The end result will bring more of Utah’s common-sense policies to Washington and help more families find affordable and accessible homes.” 

    “The clearest way out of our national housing shortage is by building more housing,” said Senator Schatz. “Our bipartisan bill incentivizes cities and towns to build housing when they expand or redevelop their public transit systems. This will help put more families in homes, grow local economies, and cut carbon pollution. It’s a win for everyone.” 

    “This bill makes it easier for communities to build homes for working families by cutting red tape and giving them the freedom to create strong, family-friendly neighborhoods near public transit,” said Senator Banks. 

    The Build More Housing Near Transit Act would direct the Department of Transportation to incentivize local governments to promote housing development and regional growth in and around the transit corridors of future New Starts projects. Specifically, this bill will amend U.S. Code Section 5309, which governs the application process for capital investment grants to: 

    • Direct the Secretary of Transportation to boost a transit project’s rating if the project includes pro-housing policies for areas along the project route; 
    • Define pro-housing policies as a state or local action to remove regulatory barriers to constructing or preserving housing, reduce or eliminate parking minimums or minimum lot sizes, establish by-right approval processes for multi-family housing, commit substantial public property to affordable housing development or preservation, and eliminate or raise residential property height limits; and 
    • Engage the Department of Housing and Urban Development to develop a methodology to evaluate the merits of the pro-housing policies documented in a CIG application. 

    A letter of support from more than 100 national, state, and local groups, including Circulate San Diego, is available here. A full list of supporting organizations is available here. 

    “In San Diego we have made a conscious effort to spur housing development along our growing public transit system,” said City of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “The Build More Housing Near Transit Act will provide additional incentives to create affordable housing near transit, helping our region address both our housing affordability and climate crises.” 

    “America is experiencing a severe housing shortage that affects every aspect of American lives and the economy,” said Mike Kingsella, CEO of Up for Growth Action. “The Build More Housing Near Transit Act addresses the critical link between transportation and housing and would create greater access to affordable commutes and abundant housing. We applaud the lead sponsors for introducing this bill, serving as an example of how the federal government can use its leverage to ensure the right types of housing are available in the places people want to live. 

    “The United States needs to build millions of new homes and rental units for low- and middle-income Americans,” said David Dworkin, President and CEO, National Housing Conference (NHC). “The Build More Housing Near Transit Act would help unlock supply and smarter, more efficient development by linking housing and transit planning and development. Transit-oriented development can help reduce costs, grow local economies, increase affordable housing supply, and increase access to opportunities for families. The National Housing Conference is proud to endorse this legislation, and we are grateful to the leadership of Representatives Scott Peters and Blake Moore, and Senators Brian Schatz and Jim Banks.” 

    “For decades, the federal government has funded mass transit projects in cities whose growth control laws do not allow people to live near and ride on transit,” said Alex Armlovich, Senior Housing Policy Analyst, Niskanen Center. “The Build More Housing Near Transit Act finally corrects this. It protects transit riders and the federal taxpayer from spending scarce transit capital on projects doomed by rigid zoning regulations to low housing growth and low future ridership, while uplifting projects in localities that welcome housing & transit ridership growth. This bill is the essential first step in restoring bipartisan confidence in America’s mass transit investments for taxpayers and transit riders alike.” 

    Full text of the legislation here. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: House Passes Rep. Young Kim’s Bipartisan Bill to Support Small Businesses 

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Young Kim (CA-39)

    Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives passed the Improving Access to Small Business Information Act (H.R. 3351), a bipartisan bill led by U.S. Representatives Young Kim (CA-40) and Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), to streamline federal regulations and better support small businesses. 

    This bill specifies that certain actions of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Office Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation (Advocate) —such as conducting field surveys—are not a collection of information under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). This allows the Advocate to prioritize facilitating access to capital without bureaucratic delays. 

    Watch Rep. Kim speak on the floor in support of the bill HERE. 

    “California is home to over 4.2 million small businesses. Burdensome regulations are getting in the way of the federal government collecting basic data on small business challenges, hurting our government’s ability to support entrepreneurs,” said Rep. Young Kim. “The Improving Access to Small Business Information Act cuts through unnecessary red tape so the Office of the Advocate can ask the right questions, collect timely feedback, and do its job — help small businesses access capital and grow.” 

    The Improving Access to Small Business Information Act passed the House with strong bipartisan support and now heads to the Senate for consideration.  

    Read more about the bill HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: House Passes Bill to Secure Unique Zip Code for North Tustin

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Young Kim (CA-39)

    Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3095, a bipartisan bill to direct the United States Postal Service (USPS) to designate single, unique zip codes for certain communities, including North Tustin in California’s 40th District. 

    U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40) joined a bipartisan delegation led by Rep. Lauren Boebert (CO-04) to introduce the bill in May. She also cosponsored the bill in the 118th Congress, which passed the House. 

    Watch Rep. Kim speak in support of the bill on the House floor here. 

    “Our North Tustin community has been a pillar of Orange County, but its status as an unincorporated area causes confusion for taxes and USPS. A unique zip code would provide certainty for residents who have called North Tustin home for decades,” said Congresswoman Kim. “I thank Rep. Boebert for working with my office to include North Tustin in this important initiative and am hopeful we can get this through the finish line for our community.” 

    “I am pleased to see this zip code change moving ahead and thank Congresswoman Kim for working with my office to prioritize this issue facing our shared constituency,” said Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner (Third District). “For far too long, our constituents in North Tustin have been subjected to excess local taxes solely because of their zip code. They never voted for the taxes, raising a constitutional concern of taxation without representation. I appreciate Congresswoman Kim’s persistent work to solve this problem through legislation.”  

    “The residents of North Tustin, CA are very grateful to Congresswoman Young Kim for co-sponsoring a bill that will create a unique ZIP code for North Tustin. Until 1996, North Tustin had a unique ZIP code. Expanding the area of the ZIP code into neighboring communities created many problems and confusion. We really applaud our Congresswoman for supporting our community,” said Richard Nelson, President, Foothill Communities Association.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The One Big Beautiful Bill Cuts Taxes for Workers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo

    Washington, D.C.–The One Big Beautiful Bill Act invests in workers, delivering on President Trump’s promises to end tax on tips and overtime for millions of hardworking Americans. It also lessens the administrative burden on gig workers and small businesses.
    “This legislation enables the tipped and hourly workers who keep our economy running to keep more of each hard-earned paycheck,” said Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).
    Key wins:
    No tax on tips for millions of tipped workers.
    No tax on overtime for millions of America’s hourly workers.
    Repeals the Democrats’ onerous IRS reporting requirements on gig workers.
    Increases the 1099-MISC threshold, reducing the paperwork burden for small businesses and workers.
    What they are saying:
    “We greatly appreciate the Senate’s inclusion of other AICPA priorities in its bill, particularly: repealing the American Rescue Plan Act’s lowered threshold for Form 1099-K to $600 for an unlimited number of transactions; and increasing the filing threshold for Forms 1099-NEC and Forms 1099-MISC from $600 to $2,000, adjusted for inflation.” – AICPA
    “The Coalition for 1099-K Fairness strongly supports the Senate Finance package’s inclusion of language to raise the 1099-K reporting threshold. This commonsense provision would increase the threshold to over $20,000 in total payments and more than 200 transactions per calendar year—effectively stopping the implementation of a burdensome $600 threshold, regardless of transaction count, scheduled to take effect in 2026 under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP).” – Coalition for 1099K Fairness
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo, Risch Reintroduce Bill to Split Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
    Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) have reintroduced the Judicial Reorganization Act that would split the current Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and create a new Twelfth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
    “The nation’s largest and busiest circuit court of appeals has been overburdened for years–covering more than 11,000 cases annually from nine Western states and two U.S. territories,” Crapo said.  “The Ninth Circuit’s significant backlog and inefficiency impedes the administration of justice throughout the region.  The time is now to divide the court to reflect the West’s massive population growth and provide greater access to justice for all.”
    “The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has long reflected the values of California, which dominates its justices and judicial cases,” said Risch.  “The Judicial Reorganization Act would split and modernize the Ninth Circuit, allowing for more manageable caseloads and justice that aligns with the values of Idaho.”
    Currently, western states are subjected to an overly encumbered, inconsistent and slow judiciary.  This stems from having the largest circuit court in the nation in terms of geography, population and workload.  The Ninth Circuit has jurisdiction over 40 percent of the landmass of the United States and one-in-five Americans.  One fifth of all pending federal appeals and 56 percent of all immigration cases in the nation are filed within the Ninth Circuit.  With 29 appellate judges, the court also has more than double the average number of authorized judgeships among the 13 circuits.
    Additionally, the population and geographic expanse the Ninth Circuit covers have experienced explosive growth since the court’s creation in 1891.  Creating a new circuit would solve the inefficiencies associated with the size of the Ninth Circuit and expand many Americans’ access to justice.
    The Judicial Reorganization Act would divide the current Ninth Circuit into two new circuits:
    A new Ninth Circuit covering California, Guam and Hawai’i;
    A Twelfth Circuit with jurisdiction over Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
    The legislation would also increase the total number of judges in the two circuits to 31–adding one appellate judge to each court, as requested by the United States Judicial Conference.  Eighteen appellate judges would serve in the Ninth Circuit and 13 appellate judges in the Twelfth Circuit.
    The legislation would authorize the appropriation of funds needed to provide additional court facilities and implement the change.
    The full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo Applauds CMS Efforts to Root Out Fraud, Saving Taxpayers Billions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo

    Washington, D.C.– Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) praised the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) efforts to protect taxpayer dollars after the Agency announced it has found 2.8 million Americans enrolled in multiple Medicaid or Affordable Care Act Exchange plans, the removal of which is projected to save taxpayers $14 billion annually.

    “This effort builds on our work in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, guarding the integrity of our health care programs and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent on the populations they were designed to serve. These are the commonsense steps all agencies should be taking, and I applaud Administrator Oz for his commitment to cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse,” Crapo said.

    Background:

    • CMS announced that an analysis of 2024 enrollment data identified 2.8 million Americans either enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in multiple states or simultaneously enrolled in both Medicaid/CHIP and a subsidized Affordable Care Act (ACA) Exchange plan.
    • As a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, CMS now has new tools it needs to prevent the federal government from paying twice for the same person’s care.
    • CMS will continue to partner with states by providing the necessary resources and guidance to reduce duplicate enrollment.

     

    MIL OSI USA News –