NewzIntel.com

Category: Natural Disasters

  • MIL-OSI Economics: The IMF at Eighty

    Source: International Monetary Fund

    Keynote Speech by Deputy Managing Director Nigel Clarke
    at a Symposium on the Future of International Cooperation on the 80th Anniversary of the End of World War II
    Tokyo, Japan, March 6, 2025 

    March 5, 2025

    (As Prepared for Delivery)

    A very good morning to you all. Kudo-san: thank you so much for those kind words. It is a great pleasure to be here in Japan.

    Dear colleagues, let me begin by relaying Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva’s regret for not being able to be with us today. She was very much looking forward to her trip to Tokyo, and has asked me to share with you her best wishes.

    I would like to start with a deep note of appreciation for our host country: a pillar of regional and global stability, a tireless advocate of trade, a technology leader and innovator, and a nation proudly on the move. For the IMF, Japan is a true partner, always generous in its support for our work. To the people of Japan the IMF says: arigatō goza‑i‑mas—thank you.

    As this conference reflects on the state of the world 80 years after the end of World War Two, let me also salute the post-war rebirth of Japan. Who in 1945 could have imagined the economic miracle that would come—and the transformation of former foes into friends and allies? Living proof that prosperity and friendship can triumph.

    So much of the global progress of the post-war decades was the result of a grand experiment in economic cooperation whose roots traced back to a conference of forty nations at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire in July 1944. The core idea at Bretton Woods was both bold and simple: a system where interests would be secured not only by geopolitical heft, but by mutually beneficial cooperation. This is the core principle behind the creation of the IMF. It is the principle we still serve today.

    After the war, reconstruction progressed rapidly, giving rise to new structures, new jobs, new trade, and new members. In 1952, Japan and West Germany were welcomed into the IMF’s family of nations.

    The Fund played its designated part not so much by financing global reconstruction and development—that was the World Bank’s job—but by supporting financial stability. A system of regular peer review of national economic prospects and policies was transformed from the black ink of Article IV of our founding Treaty to a familiar and appreciated reality.

    And thus were established the three core functions of the IMF:

    • First, our macroeconomic surveillance, which would bring in many newly independent nations starting in the late 1950s, followed by the Russian Federation and all the nations of the former Soviet bloc in the 1990s, such that today it spans almost all countries—a global perspective unique to the Fund.
    • Second, our support for macroeconomic programs to restore economic and financial stability to countries rich and poor alike when in distress, combining agreed policy actions to remedy underlying economic weaknesses with IMF lending and reserve creation—the latter again being a unique capacity bestowed upon the Fund.
    • And third, our support for capacity development, most generously financed from the start by Japan, alongside others.

    Through the many post-war episodes of mistrust and confrontation, the IMF has always remained a place where governance works; where information and knowledge are freely exchanged; where policy lessons from one country are shared for the benefit of many others; where efficiency meets effectiveness; and where members at odds with each other sit at one table and discuss matters calmly. This is the tangible, everyday reality of the Fund.

    Over the years we have, of course, had both successes and failures, but I would argue that the former outnumber the latter. I think for instance of our programs with the UK in 1977, India in 1991, or Brazil in 2002, and indeed of the examples being set today by the former program countries of East Asia and the euro area. Successes, yet each difficult in its own way when crisis raged.

    As finance minister of Jamaica during difficult times, I had the opportunity to see the Fund in action from the other side of the table. It was obvious to me then—as it is now—that the IMF teams had the knowledge, the experience, and the systems. They knew what they were doing.

    At the Fund, one foundational reality is well understood: countries are not companies, and in hard times the hardships of the people must always be addressed. It is the IMF that provides the closest thing sovereign states have to a framework to secure a fresh start. It is a unique and vital function for the world.

    And rarely does the IMF see a quiet moment. Today, as we confront a world of low growth, high prices, and high debt, we are warning countries that there is no room for complacency on inflation; advising them on how best to rebuild their macroeconomic buffers for the new shocks that will inevitably come; and getting more granular in our engagement on policies to lift productivity and create better jobs.

    Colleagues, we are at a new time of great flux for the world economy, with many countries reassessing their approaches, including in the face of structural transformations related to technology, demographics, and energy. Across the globe, voters have voiced anger at high prices and, in some cases, mistrust for an internationalist system they perceive as elitist and exclusionary. A chasm has opened between aspiration and reality—and that, in part, is fueling a challenge to the old system, with all the attendant uncertainty.

    So let me conclude by sharing a few forward-looking thoughts on how, as the world navigates these choppy waters, the Fund can help steady the ship.

    Four points:

    • First, in a tightly interconnected world, stability matters to everybody. Our mandate to promote international monetary cooperation sits at the heart of what we do, and has never mattered more than now, after 80 years of ever-closer integration. Like a fireman who douses a fire in one house and thus saves the neighborhood, when the IMF helps stabilize one country, it helps all others—we know how easily something small can become something big. The Fund is a seasoned repository of knowledge on how to do this, and so we shall remain. Whether it be crisis prevention through surveillance, crisis management through policy advice and lending, or resilience through capacity development, stability will remain our core mission. This means helping countries to design well phased and well communicated plans for budget consolidation; to maintain effective monetary policies to contain inflation; to safeguard external stability; to ensure financial systems are robust; and much more. This is our bread and butter.
    • Second, growth requires stability and stability requires growth. Ultimately, the way to ensure that economies can create jobs for their people and shoulder debt is through robust trend growth. And here I mean growth built on productivity gains and efficient resource allocation, not temporary stimulus. At the IMF, helped by our new Advisory Council on Entrepreneurship and Growth, we intend to identify positive lessons wheresoever they may be, and share them across our membership—while also helping countries harness technological advancement, notably in AI. Smaller government footprints will help in some cases, as will smarter tax regimes, more efficient public spending and better infrastructure, stronger bankruptcy frameworks, simpler and better regulations, more flexible labor markets with strong social safety nets, and deeper, more liquid capital markets, including venture capital. It is a broad and ambitious agenda.
    • Third, stability requires global macroeconomic balance. The IMF’s purposes include not only facilitating the expansion of international trade to contribute to the promotion and maintenance of high levels of employment and real income, but helping ensure that trade growth is balanced. Yet we live in an imbalanced world, with excessive external surpluses for some countries and excessive deficits for others, potentially sowing the seeds of future instability. At the Fund we understand that external imbalances reflect domestic imbalances, with some countries consuming or investing too much and others too little: a challenge calling out for the concerted deployment of the full macroeconomic policy toolkit. These are deep-seated problems, reflecting policy-induced distortions, exchange rates, institutional depth, reserve currencies, demographics, wealth and income levels, technology, culture, history, and more. We will continue to work with our members to lessen the degree of disequilibrium in their international balances of payments.
    • Fourth and last, as the global system reconfigures, agility will be key. Already in recent years, as geoeconomic fragmentation set in, many countries coalesced into groupings of common interest. Now, the trend continues, with an increasing emphasis on regional trade and regional financing arrangements. In a variable-geometry world, the IMF will respond as needed, flexibly, including to serve regional needs and explore ways to strengthen the global financial safety net for the good of all. For 80 years, from the gold standard to flexible exchange rates, from engaging with advanced economies to rescuing emerging markets to supporting low-income countries, the Fund has responded to changing circumstances and evolved with the times. We will preserve this tradition.

    In these four points I am offering a vision of an IMF that will remain faithful to, and be guided by, its core purposes as laid out in our 191‑nation Articles of Agreement—yet will be nimble, responding to the changing environment as necessary so that we can continue to serve our membership to good effect. So without further ado, let me leave you to reflect, perhaps, on my four themes—stability, growth, balance, and agility—and how they can fit together to shape a Fund for our changing times.

    I look forward to hearing your discussions today—and will be particularly interested in hearing your thoughts on Japan’s role in this new world as a champion of regional and global economic cooperation.

    Thank you

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER:

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The IMF at Eighty

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    Keynote Speech by Deputy Managing Director Nigel Clarke
    at a Symposium on the Future of International Cooperation on the 80th Anniversary of the End of World War II
    Tokyo, Japan, March 6, 2025 

    March 5, 2025

    (As Prepared for Delivery)

    A very good morning to you all. Kudo-san: thank you so much for those kind words. It is a great pleasure to be here in Japan.

    Dear colleagues, let me begin by relaying Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva’s regret for not being able to be with us today. She was very much looking forward to her trip to Tokyo, and has asked me to share with you her best wishes.

    I would like to start with a deep note of appreciation for our host country: a pillar of regional and global stability, a tireless advocate of trade, a technology leader and innovator, and a nation proudly on the move. For the IMF, Japan is a true partner, always generous in its support for our work. To the people of Japan the IMF says: arigatō goza‑i‑mas—thank you.

    As this conference reflects on the state of the world 80 years after the end of World War Two, let me also salute the post-war rebirth of Japan. Who in 1945 could have imagined the economic miracle that would come—and the transformation of former foes into friends and allies? Living proof that prosperity and friendship can triumph.

    So much of the global progress of the post-war decades was the result of a grand experiment in economic cooperation whose roots traced back to a conference of forty nations at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire in July 1944. The core idea at Bretton Woods was both bold and simple: a system where interests would be secured not only by geopolitical heft, but by mutually beneficial cooperation. This is the core principle behind the creation of the IMF. It is the principle we still serve today.

    After the war, reconstruction progressed rapidly, giving rise to new structures, new jobs, new trade, and new members. In 1952, Japan and West Germany were welcomed into the IMF’s family of nations.

    The Fund played its designated part not so much by financing global reconstruction and development—that was the World Bank’s job—but by supporting financial stability. A system of regular peer review of national economic prospects and policies was transformed from the black ink of Article IV of our founding Treaty to a familiar and appreciated reality.

    And thus were established the three core functions of the IMF:

    • First, our macroeconomic surveillance, which would bring in many newly independent nations starting in the late 1950s, followed by the Russian Federation and all the nations of the former Soviet bloc in the 1990s, such that today it spans almost all countries—a global perspective unique to the Fund.
    • Second, our support for macroeconomic programs to restore economic and financial stability to countries rich and poor alike when in distress, combining agreed policy actions to remedy underlying economic weaknesses with IMF lending and reserve creation—the latter again being a unique capacity bestowed upon the Fund.
    • And third, our support for capacity development, most generously financed from the start by Japan, alongside others.

    Through the many post-war episodes of mistrust and confrontation, the IMF has always remained a place where governance works; where information and knowledge are freely exchanged; where policy lessons from one country are shared for the benefit of many others; where efficiency meets effectiveness; and where members at odds with each other sit at one table and discuss matters calmly. This is the tangible, everyday reality of the Fund.

    Over the years we have, of course, had both successes and failures, but I would argue that the former outnumber the latter. I think for instance of our programs with the UK in 1977, India in 1991, or Brazil in 2002, and indeed of the examples being set today by the former program countries of East Asia and the euro area. Successes, yet each difficult in its own way when crisis raged.

    As finance minister of Jamaica during difficult times, I had the opportunity to see the Fund in action from the other side of the table. It was obvious to me then—as it is now—that the IMF teams had the knowledge, the experience, and the systems. They knew what they were doing.

    At the Fund, one foundational reality is well understood: countries are not companies, and in hard times the hardships of the people must always be addressed. It is the IMF that provides the closest thing sovereign states have to a framework to secure a fresh start. It is a unique and vital function for the world.

    And rarely does the IMF see a quiet moment. Today, as we confront a world of low growth, high prices, and high debt, we are warning countries that there is no room for complacency on inflation; advising them on how best to rebuild their macroeconomic buffers for the new shocks that will inevitably come; and getting more granular in our engagement on policies to lift productivity and create better jobs.

    Colleagues, we are at a new time of great flux for the world economy, with many countries reassessing their approaches, including in the face of structural transformations related to technology, demographics, and energy. Across the globe, voters have voiced anger at high prices and, in some cases, mistrust for an internationalist system they perceive as elitist and exclusionary. A chasm has opened between aspiration and reality—and that, in part, is fueling a challenge to the old system, with all the attendant uncertainty.

    So let me conclude by sharing a few forward-looking thoughts on how, as the world navigates these choppy waters, the Fund can help steady the ship.

    Four points:

    • First, in a tightly interconnected world, stability matters to everybody. Our mandate to promote international monetary cooperation sits at the heart of what we do, and has never mattered more than now, after 80 years of ever-closer integration. Like a fireman who douses a fire in one house and thus saves the neighborhood, when the IMF helps stabilize one country, it helps all others—we know how easily something small can become something big. The Fund is a seasoned repository of knowledge on how to do this, and so we shall remain. Whether it be crisis prevention through surveillance, crisis management through policy advice and lending, or resilience through capacity development, stability will remain our core mission. This means helping countries to design well phased and well communicated plans for budget consolidation; to maintain effective monetary policies to contain inflation; to safeguard external stability; to ensure financial systems are robust; and much more. This is our bread and butter.
    • Second, growth requires stability and stability requires growth. Ultimately, the way to ensure that economies can create jobs for their people and shoulder debt is through robust trend growth. And here I mean growth built on productivity gains and efficient resource allocation, not temporary stimulus. At the IMF, helped by our new Advisory Council on Entrepreneurship and Growth, we intend to identify positive lessons wheresoever they may be, and share them across our membership—while also helping countries harness technological advancement, notably in AI. Smaller government footprints will help in some cases, as will smarter tax regimes, more efficient public spending and better infrastructure, stronger bankruptcy frameworks, simpler and better regulations, more flexible labor markets with strong social safety nets, and deeper, more liquid capital markets, including venture capital. It is a broad and ambitious agenda.
    • Third, stability requires global macroeconomic balance. The IMF’s purposes include not only facilitating the expansion of international trade to contribute to the promotion and maintenance of high levels of employment and real income, but helping ensure that trade growth is balanced. Yet we live in an imbalanced world, with excessive external surpluses for some countries and excessive deficits for others, potentially sowing the seeds of future instability. At the Fund we understand that external imbalances reflect domestic imbalances, with some countries consuming or investing too much and others too little: a challenge calling out for the concerted deployment of the full macroeconomic policy toolkit. These are deep-seated problems, reflecting policy-induced distortions, exchange rates, institutional depth, reserve currencies, demographics, wealth and income levels, technology, culture, history, and more. We will continue to work with our members to lessen the degree of disequilibrium in their international balances of payments.
    • Fourth and last, as the global system reconfigures, agility will be key. Already in recent years, as geoeconomic fragmentation set in, many countries coalesced into groupings of common interest. Now, the trend continues, with an increasing emphasis on regional trade and regional financing arrangements. In a variable-geometry world, the IMF will respond as needed, flexibly, including to serve regional needs and explore ways to strengthen the global financial safety net for the good of all. For 80 years, from the gold standard to flexible exchange rates, from engaging with advanced economies to rescuing emerging markets to supporting low-income countries, the Fund has responded to changing circumstances and evolved with the times. We will preserve this tradition.

    In these four points I am offering a vision of an IMF that will remain faithful to, and be guided by, its core purposes as laid out in our 191‑nation Articles of Agreement—yet will be nimble, responding to the changing environment as necessary so that we can continue to serve our membership to good effect. So without further ado, let me leave you to reflect, perhaps, on my four themes—stability, growth, balance, and agility—and how they can fit together to shape a Fund for our changing times.

    I look forward to hearing your discussions today—and will be particularly interested in hearing your thoughts on Japan’s role in this new world as a champion of regional and global economic cooperation.

    Thank you

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER:

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/03/05/sp030625-dmd-imfat80

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lawmakers Raise Questions about Proposed Trump Administration Selloff of Federal Properties in Oregon

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

    March 05, 2025

    Oregon senators and representatives ask why the rush to dispose of federal properties in Baker City, Eugene, Medford, Portland & Troutdale

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Janelle Bynum and Maxine Dexter today asked why the Trump administration proposed earlier this week to dispose of federal properties paid for by taxpayers in Baker City, Eugene, Medford, Portland and Troutdale.

    “Given Donald Trump’s checkered legacy in the private sector of multiple bankruptcies and real estate deals gone awry, forgive me if I’m more than a little skeptical when that dubious record gets applied to the public sector,” Wyden said. “I’m nowhere near convinced this fire sale of federal assets throughout Oregon is in the best interest of U.S. taxpayers who paid for these facilities or for all Oregonians who depend on them for a reliable power grid, a functional court system, constituent services and more.”

    “For a man who spent his whole life treating everything as one big real estate transaction, it’s no surprise Trump doesn’t grasp that federal buildings in our communities provide a central place for folks to access government agencies and the everyday essential services they provide, like keeping our electric grid functioning and providing help with the IRS and Social Security,” said Merkley. “The Department of Government Inefficiency has struck again, and I’ll be pushing to keep this short-sighted deal for Oregonians from closing.”

    “There are many ways to make the government more efficient, but a rushed sale of federal buildings that house agencies and services important to Oregonians will not accomplish that goal,” said Bonamici. “ I will continue to stand against Elon Musk and his team of DOGE bros as they work to undermine government and purge critical federal workers.”

    “It does not make any sense to demand all federal workers to return to in-person work and then turn around and push the sale of the buildings they work in,” said Hoyle. “This is random and reflects the ongoing chaos of this administration.” 

    “From help with filing Social Security claims to accessing veterans’ benefits, federal buildings house a number of important services for Oregonians,” said Salinas. “It is troubling that the Trump Administration would move to sell federal facilities across Oregon without offering a clear reason to the taxpayers who pay for these spaces. To me, it seems like President Trump and Elon Musk are trying to take away critical services from working families. I’m not buying what they’re selling, and I join my colleagues in demanding answers.”

    “This doesn’t do anything to help Oregonians,” said Bynum. “I’m still waiting for this administration to spend their time on lowering costs, creating jobs, and improving our quality of life. That’s my focus.”

    “DOGE wants to sell off the building, our district office, that everyone from Hood River to East Portland depends on for constituent services to the highest bidder,” Dexter said. “This is more of the same from Trump: cruelty in the name of ‘efficiency.’ I will work from a folding table if I have to, but you better believe that I’m going to keep serving our community even if Trump cancels our lease.”

    The list of federal properties in Oregon on the national list of federal properties slated for disposal earlier this week by the General Services Administration include the following:

    • David J. Wheeler Federal Building, Baker City
    • Eugene Federal Building, Eugene
    • James A. Redden U.S. Courthouse, Medford
    • USGS Building, Medford
    • USGS Warehouse, Medford
    • Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building, Portland
    • 911 Federal Building, Portland
    • BPA Building, Portland
    • Troutdale Metal Shed, Troutdale
    • Troutdale Warehouse, Troutdale

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Shanxi’s millennium-old porcelain gets modern makeover

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    A millennium-old porcelain craft in north China’s Shanxi Province has been pulled back from the brink of extinction and is now poised for a modern renaissance.

    The techniques for making Honglyucai (Red and Green Color) Porcelain of the Bayi kiln, one of China’s earliest producers of the distinctive porcelain, was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2021. The kiln is located in Bayi township, Shangdang district, Changzhi city of Shanxi.

    Archaeological excavations reveal that during the Song Dynasty (960–1279) over 1,000 years ago, the kiln was the largest porcelain production hub in southeastern Shanxi. Porcelain from the kiln became the gold standard of Honglyucai porcelain in China.

    Today, visitors to Honglyucai village, 2 kilometers from the Bayi kiln, can explore a Honglyucai porcelain museum housing over 600 ancient porcelain treasures from the kiln and over 10,000 modern pieces of Honglyucai porcelain.

    Honglyucai porcelain features a signature white base and is adorned with vibrant red, green, and yellow designs depicting auspicious flowers, birds, and figures, according to Li Yamin, a municipal-level representative inheritor of the techniques for making Honglyucai porcelain of the Bayi kiln.

    Li Yamin said more than 100 ancient kiln sites were unearthed in Shangdang district, which is nestled in the Taihang Mountains and characterized by rolling ridges and deep ravines, confirming that Bayi township was a thriving commercial hub as early as the Song Dynasty. The region boasts abundant high-quality kaolin, coal, and water resources essential for porcelain production.

    “Red is one of the most iconic colors in Chinese culture, yet achieving a vibrant red glaze on porcelain was a significant challenge. It wasn’t until the Song Dynasty when the Bayi kiln pioneered the use of iron-red pigment that Honglyucai porcelain products were successfully produced,” Li Yamin noted.

    But the road to revival wasn’t exactly a cakewalk. The Honglyucai porcelain industry was in decline over the past decades due to high production costs and complex craftsmanship.

    Li Yamin’s father Li Jianping grew up hearing stories about Honglyucai porcelain. His grandfather was a kiln worker at the Bayi kiln, and from a young age, Li Jianping learned pottery and painting techniques. After high school, he worked as a farmer and miner, but always dreamed of reviving Bayi kiln porcelain.

    In 2012, as part of an industrial transformation initiative, the local government launched a cultural heritage project for the Bayi kiln. Seeing an opportunity, Li Jianping decided to reignite the kiln fires and restore Honglyucai porcelain production.

    To make a Honglyucai porcelain item, 72 procedures must be followed, including a twice-firing technique.

    The procedures are so complicated that the techniques were lost for decades. Many people told Li Jianping not to waste his time, but he couldn’t bear to see this ancient craft disappear.

    Li Jianping collaborated with Honglyucai village to establish a company and construct a cultural expo center, the Honglyucai porcelain museum, and a production base of Honglyucai porcelain. Meanwhile, he visited local elderly artisans and technical experts to rebuild lost knowledge.

    After years of trial and error, the techniques for making Honglyucai porcelain were recovered by Li Jianping, who became a provincial-level representative inheritor of the craft.

    The father-son duo have adopted a strategy of integrating tradition with innovation to promote the development of Honglyucai porcelain. In recent years, they’ve inked partnerships with prestigious institutions like the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the Academy of Arts & Design under Tsinghua University to tackle everything from material research and color matching to painting skills and product design.

    After years of dedicated efforts, the issues of rough bodies and dull colors of Honglyucai porcelain items were overcome. As a result, these items have gained greater popularity in the market.

    “Thanks to our independently developed new materials that withstand temperatures above 1,300 degrees Celsius without warping, our everyday-use porcelain items are thinner, lighter and more lustrous than traditional ones and are easy to clean,” said Li Yamin.

    In recent years, local rural tourism has thrived thanks to measures including the establishment of organizations aiming at passing on the intangible cultural heritage. The Honglyucai porcelain museum receives over 10,000 tourist visits annually.

    So far, the company has developed over 300 kinds of Honglyucai porcelain products, which have caught the eye of porcelain enthusiasts both at home and abroad, Li Yamin said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Reacts to Trump’s Plan to Fire More Than 80,000 VA Employees Which Would Further Jeopardize Veterans’ Access to Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    March 05, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC)—issued the following statement in response to reporting on an internal memo from senior Trump Administration officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) detailing their plans to fire more than 80,000 VA employees this year, after the VA already fired over 2,400 VA employees last month:

    “Since the bipartisan PACT Act overhauled our VA to better care for our nation’s heroes, the VA has approved over one million claims from Veterans suffering from toxic-exposure—helping more Veterans than ever receive the care they’ve earned. And yet, by planning to fire more than 80,000 VA employees, Donald Trump is dooming not only our VA’s ability to handle the influx of claims, but also brave Veterans who will wait even longer to get the quality care they need. Let’s call this what it is: Republicans’ plan to dismantle the VA so they can justify privatizing the Department.

    “Trump’s all-out assault on the VA is a complete betrayal of our Veterans and has absolutely nothing to do with making our government more efficient. No, Trump and Elon Musk are kicking tens of thousands of devoted public servants to the curb—many of whom are Veterans themselves—in order to carve out tax cuts for billionaires. And it is our Veterans who will pay the price.”

    In the wake of Trump and Elon Musk’s mass federal layoffs, Duckworth has repeatedly expressed her outrage that many Veterans have been left jobless. After the first VA purge laid off workers with the Veterans Crisis Line—including several Veterans—Duckworth successfully pushed the Trump Administration to reinstate these devoted public servants that work to support our Veterans in their darkest moments.

    Additionally, at an emergency national town hall hosted by VoteVets, Duckworth called out Trump and Musk for inflicting needless pain and chaos on our nation’s Veterans. During the town hall, Veterans who have been fired by Musk’s DOGE bravely came forward to share how Trump’s cuts and layoffs have uprooted their lives.

    Additionally, Duckworth joined U.S. Senator and SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and a group of 34 Democratic Senators calling on VA Secretary Collins to immediately reinstate the more than 1,000 VA employees terminated last month who serve Veterans and their families nationwide.

    If you are a VA employee or Veteran impacted by Trump and Musk’s mass layoffs, please reach out to the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee by filling out this form.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Government backs Mangawhai tornado clean-up

    Source: New Zealand Government

    The Government has confirmed a $435,000 contribution from the Ministry for the Environment to support emergency waste clean-up after a recent tornado, say Environment Minister, Penny Simmonds and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister, Mark Mitchell.
    “The Government recognises the significant challenge councils face in managing emergency waste from severe weather events and is committed to providing the necessary support,” says Ms Simmonds.
    “This funding will assist the Kaipara District Council in managing the clean-up of emergency waste in Mangawhai and provide some relief to the community as they recover.” 
    On Sunday 26 January 2025, a tornado struck the coastal township of Mangawhai in Northland resulting in serious injuries to several people, extensive damage to properties, power outages, and roads blocked by storm debris.
    Following the event, Ministry for the Environment officials met with officials from both Kaipara District Council and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to identify, quantify and assess the costs associated with the tornado event.
    “Recovery is an ongoing process, and we recognise the Kaipara District Council is working hard to strengthen resilience and support recovery in their community,” says Mr Mitchell. 
    Ms Simmonds says Kaipara District Council acted quickly after the event to manage emergency waste responsibly.
    “This funding will substantially cover the council’s costs from the tornado’s immediate aftermath, as well as helping with the ongoing clean up. The council will provide a final report within three months of project completion to outline how the funding was used.”
    For further information visit: Recovering from recent severe weather events | Ministry for the Environment

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Disaster support for fifteen Northern NSW LGAs ahead of TC Alfred

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 6 March 2025

    Released by: Minister for Emergency Services

    The Albanese and Minns Governments have activated disaster assistance to communities in 15 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Northern NSW in anticipation of the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

    The NSW Government’s Natural Disaster Declaration applies to the LGAs of: Ballina, Bellingen, Byron, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Dungog, Kempsey, Kyogle, Lismore, Lord Howe Island, MidCoast, Nambucca Valley, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Richmond Valley and Tweed.

    Support has been made available under the joint Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

    Assistance measures that may be provided to communities include:

    • Assistance for eligible residents to help meet immediate needs like emergency accommodation and essential items generally provided from evacuation or recovery centres.
    • Grants for eligible low-income residents to replace lost essential household items to maintain basic standard of living.
    • Grants for eligible low-income residents to undertake essential structural repairs to restore their homes to a basic, safe and habitable condition.
    • Support for affected local councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets.
    • Concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers, and non-profit organisations and grants to sporting and recreation clubs to repair or replace damaged or destroyed property.
    • Freight subsidies for primary producers to help transport livestock and fodder.
    • Financial support towards counter disaster activity undertaken by emergency service organisations to keep communities safe

    Federal Minister for Emergency Management Jenny McAllister said it’s a challenging time as communities are already experiencing the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

    “We are activating a range of support to assist flood impacted residents begin their recovery as soon as possible,” Minister McAllister said.

    “As we understand the full extent of damage from this event, we will move quickly to activate appropriate support for these communities.”

    “We are working closely with Premier Minns and his government as we prepare and respond to this event.”

    “Our message to community is clear. Know your local risk, have a plan and prepare your home now.”

    NSW Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said natural disaster declarations are a vital step in unlocking joint assistance so communities can begin the clean-up, rebuilding and recovery process.

    “We are rolling out support measures for communities we know are likely to be impacted by Tropical Cyclone Alfred. As the event unfolds and impacts are known, further measures will be considered in response to community need,” Minister Dib said.

    “The NSW State Emergency Service and other emergency services along with the NSW Reconstruction Authority are on the ground in Northern NSW, preparing for the impact of the cyclone and working to keep the community safe.

    “For a region already in recovery from the devastating 2022 floods, we understand this latest disaster will be difficult for many people, and we are committed to continuing to support this resilient community through these challenges.

    “We are thankful for the dedication of our emergency services – including the incredible volunteers from the local area and across the state – who are already working around the clock to support communities in Northern NSW.”

    More information on disaster assistance can be found at NSW Government and Disaster Assist websites.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: NSW Women of the Year 2025 award recipients honoured

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: NSW Women of the Year 2025 award recipients honoured

    The NSW Women of the Year Awards are the centrepiece of NSW Women’s Week, which runs from Sunday 2 March and concludes on International Women’s Day on Saturday 8 March.

    The five 2025 Award recipients are:

    Dr Jessica Luyue Teoh (Hornsby), NSW Young Woman of the Year

    Dr Jessica Luyue Teoh is a domestic violence advocate and 2023 Churchill Fellow – one of only two women under 30 in Australia to receive this honour.

    Sandy Rogers (Tweed), NSW Community Hero

    Sandy Rogers has dedicated 40 years to improving the lives of children with intellectual and physical disability and their families.

    Dr Vanessa Pirotta (Canada Bay), Premier’s NSW Woman of Excellence

    Dr Vanessa Pirotta is a wildlife scientist renowned for her impact on marine conservation and science communication.

    Kirsty Evans (Orange), NSW Regional Woman of the Year

    Kirsty Evans has led efforts to provide pro bono legal advice to the community of Molong, affected by severe flooding in 2022.

    Marjorie Anderson (Georges River), NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year

    Marjorie Anderson is a dedicated leader who has been pivotal in the success of 13YARN – the first national crisis support service for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people in crisis, since its inception.

    The Ones to Watch (girls aged 7-15 years)

    • Aish Khurram (The Hills Shire)
    • Ashleen Khela (The Hills Shire)
    • Aurora Iler (Campbelltown)
    • Chloe Croker (Goulburn Mulwaree)
    • Emilia Trustum (Richmond Valley)
    • Hayley Paterson (Hornsby)
    • Jiayi Fang (Ku-ring-gai)
    • Kat Mulcair (Yass Valley)
    • Lydia Tofaeono (Strathfield)
    • Waniya Syed (Camden)

    This year, a special In Memoriam was added to the Awards ceremony for Maddy Suy, a vibrant girl whose love for life inspired many. Diagnosed with a brain tumour at age six, Maddy faced the challenge with bravery and positivity. Maddy advocated for those who could not. She wanted to leave a legacy and to inspire others to contribute through the Maddy & Co hubs.

    Local Woman of the Year 2025 recipients, who were nominated by their local MP also attended the Awards ceremony today and received certificates for exemplary service to their communities. The Local Woman Honour Roll will be published on the Women of the Year Awards webpage.

    The NSW Women of the Year Awards have been running since 2012, recognising and celebrating the New South Wales’s revolutionary thinkers, everyday heroes, social advocates and innovative role models.

    More details about the NSW Women of the Year Awards program and recorded livestream of 2025 ceremony are available on the Women of the Year Awards webpage.

    Premier Chris Minns said:

    “I’m delighted to congratulate NSW’s most remarkable women and girls, for breaking barriers and achieving the highest success in their respective fields.”

    “You are the future of NSW, inspiring everyone right across the state with your dedication, passion and lasting impacts in the community.”

    Minister for Women Jodie Harrison said:

    “Congratulations to the recipients of the NSW Women of the Year Awards. You are truly deserving of the recognition you received today. The New South Wales Government is proud to celebrate your incredible success and highlight your role in inspiring other women and girls across the state.

    “You can’t be what you can’t see, and you all are paving the way forward for women and girls with your strength, resilience and achievements.

    “The program also recognises women at the core of communities and families, with our Local Women of the Year recognition.

    “I also look forward to following the journeys of our incredible young recipients. You are all already hitting goals and making waves in your communities, so I’m sure you have bright futures ahead.”

    NSW Young Woman of the Year 2025 recipient Jessica Teoh said:

    “To stand alongside such a diverse and passionate group of women, each making impactful contributions to their communities and fields, is truly inspiring. This recognition highlights the collective strength of women driving change, and I am grateful to be part of this incredible journey.”

    NSW Community Hero 2025 recipient Sandy Rogers said:

    “I have been fortunate enough to be given great opportunities to help many in our community. Being able to support those needing a ‘little helping hand’ when times and money are tough, make me feel good and I know it means a lot to those we support.”

    Premier’s NSW Woman of Excellence 2025 recipient Dr Vanessa Pirotta said:

    “This recognition is so powerful and means a lot to me as an early career researcher in science and as a mum. So much of my work is intergenerational and community based, which enables me to ask questions to help equip future generations with important information now about our marine environment. This recognition will help make waves – pardon the pun – across the state to encourage communities to connect with the sea, regardless of whether they live in Bondi, Forbes or where I grew up in Murrumbateman.”

    NSW Regional Woman of the Year 2025 recipient Kirsty Evans said:

    “It’s a privilege to be acknowledged among such inspiring women who are making a meaningful impact across our state. This recognition is not just a personal milestone but also a reflection of the incredible support I’ve received from my community, my colleagues and family.”

    NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year 2025 recipient, Marjorie Anderson said:

    “I am passionate about having healthy, sustainable and safe Aboriginal communities. This award reflects my important work in the community and delivery of a world first national crisis line for Indigenous people. Women need to be recognised for the outstanding work they do and supported to continue to achieve greatness.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray Presses NIH Nominee on Mass Firings, Trump Attempts to Cut Billions from Biomedical Research, Unprecedented Halt on NIH Advisory Council Meetings

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Senator Murray Statement on Meeting with NIH Nominee Jay Bhattacharya

    ICYMI: Republicans Block Murray Amendment to Reverse Devastating and Illegal Cuts to NIH Research

    *** VIDEO of Senator Murray’s FULL questioning HERE***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chairof the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, questioned Dr. Jayanta “Jay” Bhattacharya, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at a HELP committee hearing on his nomination. Murray pressed Dr. Bhattacharya on the state of crisis at NIH, with Trump and Elon Musk’s wide-ranging attacks on biomedical research and NIH’s mission—from the unprecedented grant freezes, to the halting of advisory committee meetings and clinical trials, and the indiscriminate and senseless mass firings being carried out by Musk’s “DOGE.” Murray also pressed Dr. Bhattacharya on the Trump administration’s recent attempt to illegally cap indirect cost rates at 15 percent—a move Senator Murray immediately and forcefully condemned, led the entire Senate Democratic caucus in a letter decrying the proposed change, and introduced amendments to Senate Republicans’ budget resolution to reverse it, which Republicans blocked. Senator Murray met with Dr. Bhattacharya last month.

    Murray began by pressing Dr. Bhattacharya on Elon Musk’s unprecedented influence on NIH and the massive, indiscriminate firings of skilled scientists and researchers—over 1,100 employees at NIH have already been fired, many of whom held critical research positions. “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that right now, President Trump and Elon Musk are really putting a lot of lifesaving research at risk,” Senator Murray said. “We’ve had grant freezes, pauses on  advisory meetings, pauses on clinical trials, mass firings being carried out by the so-called DOGE, and it is really threatening our ability to treat childhood cancers, to mitigate the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, and to better understand and treat women’s health issues.”

    “Do you support the recent researcher firings and grant freezes that have been implemented by Trump and DOGE?,” Murray asked.

    Dr. Bhattacharya said he was not involved in those decisions and that, if confirmed, he would “fully commit to making sure that all the scientists at the NIH and the scientists that the NIH supports have the resources they need to meet the mission of the NIH.”

    “Do you support further cuts at NIH funding, or staff?,” Murray pressed.

    “I don’t have any intention to cut anyone at the NIH,” Bhattacharya responded.

    “How about all the grant freezes and the pauses on the all the advisory committee meetings, all the pauses that are now in effect on clinical trials that are happening there right now?” asked Murray.

    Bhattacharya responded that he had only read the press accounts of it and had “not interacted with people in the agency.”  

    “Well if you’re confirmed, Day One, what will you do about that?” Murray pressed. Bhattacharya said he would assess it and “understand what resources the whole NIH needs and make sure that the scientists that are working at the NIH have the resources to do the lifesaving work that they do… the personnel decisions are hard to talk about unless I’m actually confirmed.”

    “Well I’ll just tell you right now, I am deeply concerned about the funding there, the research that’s been stopped, and all that’s going on. And I want a very strong assurance that you will get that moving again, Day One,” Murray replied.

    “Absolutely, I’m going to be looking very carefully at the personnel decisions; I want the NIH to be staffed absolutely appropriately to match the mission of the NIH,” Bhattacharya replied.

    Next, Murray asked about the Trump administration’s illegal plan to cap indirect cost rates at 15 percent, which Senator Murray has forcefully decried. “It amounts to a massive funding cut for research institutions, large and small, red and blue states, everyone,” Murray explained. “And it brings a lot of lifesaving research to a screeching halt—sick kids wouldn’t get treatment, and clinical trials shut down.”

    Murray asked Dr. Bhattacharya about the effect a drastic 15 percent cap on indirect costs would have on critical research at Stanford—his own institution—and what he would say to his former colleagues, researchers in Washington state, and other scientists about the Trump administration’s attempt to illegally impose a 15 percent cap on indirect costs. In his response, Dr. Bhattacharya referred to indirect costs as “a tip” and claimed: “I don’t know where that goes, I think a lot of it likely goes to things that are worthwhile… But there’s a lot of distrust about where the money goes because the trust in the public health establishment has collapsed… I think transparency regarding indirect costs is absolutely worthwhile.”

    Finally, Murray pressed Dr. Bhattacharya on whether he would “get the research committees going again, the Advisory Councils immediately on Day One.” Bhattacharya replied: “yes, if I’m confirmed I want those Advisory Councils, I want all that to go.”

    “Well I think we should all recognize that NIH is the largest medical researcher in the world, they’re a global leader, we should be extremely proud of what they do. Nearly a third of all the Nobel Prizes to date have been awarded to scientists at NIH and supported by NIH funds,” Murray concluded. “I’m extremely concerned by the dramatic cuts and firings and stopping of the research that’s going on at NIH right now.”

    As a longtime appropriator and former Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, Murray has long fought to boost biomedical research, strengthen public health infrastructure, and make health care more affordable and accessible. Previously, over her years as Chair of the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Murray secured billions of dollars in increases for biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health, and during her time as Chair of the HELP Committee she established the new ARPA-H research agency as part of her PREVENT Pandemics Act to advance some of the most cutting-edge research in the field. Senator Murray was also the lead Democratic negotiator of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which delivered a major federal investment to boost NIH research, among many other investments. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Colleagues Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Workers’ Right to Organize, Blast Trump and Musk for Attacks on Workers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Murray helped author and introduce the PRO Act in the 116th Congress
    Murray: “Reintroducing the PRO Act is more important now than ever. This is about making sure we are not just pushing back—but also pushing forward, charting a positive vision for workers, and daring Republicans to make their actions match their words.”
    ***VIDEO HERE***
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers to reintroduce the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, comprehensive legislation to protect workers’ right to come together and bargain for fairer wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces. Joining Senator Murray at the press conference for the bill reintroduction today were Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D, NY-08), House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), HELP Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT), House Education Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D, VA-03), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R, PA-01), and union worker Kieran Cuadras.
    Large corporations and the wealthy continue to capture the rewards of a growing economy while working families and middle-class Americans are left behind. From 1979 to 2023, annual wages for the bottom 90 percent of households increased just 44 percent, while average incomes for the wealthiest one percent increased more than 180 percent. Unions are critical to increasing wages and creating a strong economy that rewards hardworking people. Through the power of bargaining, the typical union worker earns 16 percent more than the typical non-union worker. According to a 2024 Gallup poll, 70 percent of Americans approve of labor unions—near record highs. But despite growing support for unions, billionaire- and special interest-funded attacks on workers’ unions and labor laws have eroded union density and made it harder for workers to organize. The share of American workers who are union members has fallen from roughly one in three workers in 1956 to a new low of 9.9 percent in 2024. The PRO Act restores fairness to the economy by strengthening the federal law that protects workers’ right to join a union and bargain for higher pay, better benefits, and safer workplaces.
    “Right now, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are attacking workers, including mass firing people by the tens of thousands, left and right, regardless of how important that work is,” said Senator Murray. “Reintroducing the PRO Act is more important now than ever. This is about making sure we are not just pushing back—but also pushing forward: charting a positive vision for workers, and daring Republicans to make their actions match their words. Who do you stand with—the billionaires like Elon Musk and Donald Trump—whose favorite two words are ‘you’re fired?’ Or, do you stand with hard working American women and men. People who just want fair pay, decent treatment, and a government that works to make their lives better, not worse? That should not be too much to ask! I’m going to keep fighting, come hell or high water, to make it easier for workers to join together and fight for the better pay and working conditions they deserve.”
    The PRO Act protects the basic right to join a union and:
    Holds employers accountable for violating workers’ rights by authorizing meaningful penalties, facilitating initial collective bargaining agreements, and closing loopholes that allow employers to misclassify their employees as supervisors and independent contractors.
    Empowers workers to exercise their right to organize by strengthening support for workers who suffer retaliation for exercising their rights, protecting workers’ right to support secondary boycotts, ensuring workers’ unions can collect “fair share” fees, and authorizing a private right of action for violation of workers’ rights.
    Secures free, fair, and safe union elections by preventing employers from interfering in union elections, prohibiting captive audience meetings, and requiring employers to be transparent with their workers.
    The PRO Act is supported by: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Musicians (AFM), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Communications Workers of America (CWA), Department of Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC), International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA), National Nurses United (NNU), National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Transport Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO (TWU), United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), and United Steelworkers (USW).
    Throughout her career, Senator Murray has championed workers’ rights and fought to protect their right to join and form a union in order to stand together and demand better pay, benefits, and working conditions. Senator Murray first introduced the PRO Act in the 116th Congress and she also leads the Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act, comprehensive legislation to put hard-earned wages back in workers’ pockets and crack down on employers who unfairly withhold wages from their employees. Murray also introduced the CHILD Labor Act last Congress, new legislation to protect children from exploitative child labor practices and hold the companies and individuals who take advantage of them accountable. Among many other pieces of pro-worker legislation, Murray also leads the Paycheck Fairness Act to combat wage discrimination and help close the wage gap, and has helped lead the fight for paid family and medical leave since she first joined Congress.
    The full text of the PRO Act is HERE.
    A fact sheet on the PRO Act is HERE.
    A section-by-section summary of the PRO Act is HERE.
    Senator Murray’s full remarks, as delivered at today’s press conference, are below and video is HERE:
    “The difference in values between Democrats and Republicans, the difference in who we are fighting for, could not be more clear, or more stark.
    “Right now, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are attacking workers—including mass firing people by tens of thousands, left and right—regardless of how important their work is or the skill and pride with which they are doing it.
    “In fact, he fired NLRB Member Gwynne Wilcox—leaving workers in limbo simply due to President Trump’s unprecedented and illegal firing!
    “Meanwhile, I want you to know, Democrats are fighting for workers—we’re fighting to protect those who are being attacked by Trump and Musk and fighting to empower workers across our country to better advocate for themselves and wield their rights at this pivotal moment.
    “That is why reintroducing the PRO Act is more important now than ever. This is about making sure that we are not just pushing back—but also pushing forward, charting a positive vision for workers, and daring Republicans to make their actions match their words.
    “Who do you stand with—the billionaires like Elon Musk and Donald Trump—whose favorite two words are ‘You’re fired?’
    “Or do you stand with hard working American women and men—people who just want fair pay, decent treatment, and a government that actually works to make their lives better, not worse? That should not be too much to ask!
    “I’m very proud to be a leader of this bill, and I want you to know, I will keep fighting—come hell or high water—to make it easier for workers to join together and fight for the better pay and working conditions they deserve. Thank you.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray Statement on Trump & Elon Plans to Decimate the VA, Firing 80,000 Employees and Putting Veterans’ Care in Grave Danger

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on the Trump administration’s plans to fire 80,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), seriously risking the medical care and benefits that veterans have earned and deserve.More than 25 percent of VA’s workforce are veterans themselves.

    “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are escalating their full-scale, no-holds-barred assault on veterans–and putting the health care and benefits they have earned in grave danger. It’s infuriating that two billionaires think they can fire tens of thousands of people responsible for administering the services and care that over nine million veterans across the country count on. It’s flat-out immoral and a breach of the sacred commitment we make to our veterans to take care of them when they return home.

    “Just yesterday, I spoke with a disabled veteran who worked at the Seattle VA helping homeless veterans. He told me how devastating it was when, without warning, without cause, and without explanation, he was suddenly terminated from a role that meant everything to him and was cast aside by the very system he had fought in combat to defend. Now, there will be thousands more stories like his and millions more veterans who will pay the price. Trump’s own attorney has said that this administration thinks veterans they laid off for NO REASON may not be ‘fit to have a job at this moment’ —it’s an astounding level of contempt for our veterans that’s reflected throughout this administration’s thoughtless mass firings.

    “These arbitrary mass layoffs, at the very least, are going to mean longer processing times for disability or education claims veterans are desperately waiting on, and longer wait times for veterans to see a doctor–to say nothing of the serious threat to patient safety or the threat of VA medical centers closing. Make no mistake: this will only empower Elon to privatize VA by breaking it first. The consequences of Trump and Elon’s sheer recklessness will reverberate for generations—in more veterans sick and unable to get their benefits, more veterans out of a job, and fewer men and women willing to sign up to serve a nation that shows it will not keep their promises to them.”

    ENDANGERING VETERANS’ ACCESS TO BENEFITS AND CARE—AND PATIENT SAFETY

    Firing VA employees will–among much else–likely force veterans to wait longer:

    • To see health care providers;
    • To have their disability claims adjudicated;
    • To have someone to pick up their calls at the Veterans Crisis Line;
    • To have burial and funeral expense reimbursement requests processed;
    • And much more.

    A number of staff supporting the Veterans Crisis Line–which provides 24/7, confidential crisis support for veterans and their loved ones–were among those fired by Trump and Musk.

    In 2022, Congress also passed the PACT Act, the largest expansion of veterans’ benefits in two decades, which requires a significant influx of resources and staff to deliver the benefits and care under the law. Trump and Musk’s firings–and hiring freeze–badly undercut VA’s ability to process claims under the law. The mass firings and the ongoing hiring freeze, which prohibits new disability claims raters from coming on board, will force the backlog of unprocessed claims to grow above 254,000.

    Firing long-time VA researchers also puts clinical trials that veterans are enrolled in at risk and jeopardizes research that could yield critical breakthroughs for veterans.

    • Ongoing VA research is examining treatment options for PTSD and opioid addiction, as well as for cancer that was caused by veterans’ exposure to toxic chemicals, among much else.
    • According to VA, in fiscal year 2024, there were 102 active research sites nationwide, with 3,685 active principal investigators who led 7,278 active funded research projects involving teams of researchers. In addition, VA investigators authored or coauthored 11,732 published research articles.

    Recent dangerous directives from VA last week, which they have already begun to walk back, cause more harmful chaos and confusion and also have detrimental impacts on the ability of veterans to receive their care and benefits.

    • VA issued a blanket cancellation last Tuesday of nearly 900 contracts–supporting patient safety efforts like chemical waste disposal and monitoring of hospital air quality, systems providing secure storage of veterans’ private records, clinical recruitment efforts, and more.
    • VA also implemented a decision to reduce purchase card limits to $1–curbing VA medical centers’ ability to purchase supplies and equipment they need to serve veterans or to provide lodging for transplant patients. 

    While the Trump administration tries to rehire clinical staff they have already fired and may ultimately walk back the purchase card limits and contract cancellations, it is clear that they are acting before thinking–and the people paying the price are veterans.

    BETRAYING VETERANS WITH ZERO JUSTIFICATION

    Beyond indiscriminately firing workers who help get veterans the benefits and care they have earned, Trump and Musk have also already indiscriminately fired thousands of veterans who have served our country in uniform. In firing probationary and other federal workers across government, Trump and Musk have fired scores of veterans.

    • Veterans make up 30% of the federal workforce, and the federal government is the largest single employer of veterans in the country.
    • Trump and Musk have already fired nearly 6,000 veterans, by one recent estimate.
    • Federal agencies uniquely work to hire and accommodate veterans with service-related disabilities. Longstanding law requires, for example, that veterans who are disabled or who serve on active duty in the Armed Forces in military campaigns are entitled to preference over others in hiring from a list of eligible, competitive applicants. In 2021, there were 337,000 disabled Veterans serving in the federal government, making up 16% of the federal workforce.

    As veterans working at VA in Washington state who were recently laid off through no fault of their own have told Senator Murray:

    “I swore an oath to serve our country—first in the U.S. Army and then at the VA—only to be abruptly terminated by the very institution that promised to care for those who have served. My termination isn’t just a personal tragedy; it’s a stark reminder that our federal government is dismantling essential support systems for veterans and vulnerable communities. When cost-cutting means sacrificing dedicated, disabled service members and committed federal employees, it isn’t about efficiency—it’s about eroding the trust and dignity that our nation owes to those who answer the call to serve.” — Raphael Garcia, former Management Analyst for VA, Seattle

    “Working at the VA gave me purpose. I understood the struggles veterans faced, whether physical, mental, or emotional. I took pride in being part of something bigger than myself, in continuing to serve even after taking off the uniform… The next chapter in my service led me to working with unhoused Veterans. Limiting roles like mine, means other VA employees will have to take on more and cutting into valuable clinical time directly serving veterans. That’s why it was so devastating when, without warning, without cause, I was terminated. No explanation, no justification just a cold dismissal from a role that meant everything to me. It felt like a betrayal, not just of my dedication but of the values I thought the VA stood for. I had fought through war, through cancer, and through every challenge life had thrown at me only to be cast aside by the very system I had believed in.” — Scott Olson, former Program Support for VA’s Community Housing Program, Seattle

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Weather News – Cold mornings, showers, and sunshine – MetService

    Source: MetService

    Covering period of Thursday 6th – Monday 10th March – Autumn is in full swing, and it is starting to feel like it. MetService is forecasting a chilly night for the North Island tonight (Thursday), followed by a weekend that brings a mix of sunshine and cloudier periods, with a lingering crispness in the air. While showers are expected late Friday into Saturday across many parts of the country, there will still be plenty of opportunities to take advantage of clearer weather.

    Parts of the South Island woke up to their coldest temperatures of the year so far this morning, with inland Canterbury dipping below zero and the Canterbury Plains and Christchurch recording lows around 3°C . The cooling trend continues overnight into Friday morning for the North Island, where single-digit temperatures are expected, and even frosts possible for parts of Waikato and the Central Plateau.

    MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane says, “Friday morning is shaping up to be one of the chilliest starts the North Island has seen in a while, so an extra layer may come in handy!”

    Despite the cool mornings, Friday and the weekend will feature periods of sunshine, with temperatures in Auckland rebounding to the mid-20s after a chilly spell. However, a southwesterly to southeasterly wind will keep a slight nip in the air for many across Aotearoa New Zealand.

    Showers are also in the mix for parts of the South Island on Friday and Saturday, with the North Island seeing some wet weather on Saturday, particularly in the lower and eastern regions. Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti/Gisborne could even see a few thunderstorms on Saturday. By Sunday and Monday, settled weather returns to most of the South Island under a ridge of high pressure, while the eastern and lower North Island continues to see a few showers. Elsewhere in the North Island, conditions are expected to remain dry.

    “It will be a mixed bag at times, so it’s worth making the most of the clear spells when they come,” Makgabutlane advises.

    Meanwhile, many of us will be thinking about our friends and whānau across the ditch as Tropical Cyclone Alfred continues its westward track, bringing severe weather to Brisbane and the Queensland coast. MetService is closely monitoring the system, but at this stage, it is not expected to have a direct impact on Aotearoa New Zealand’s weather. Updates on Alfred’s progress can be found on the Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s website.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Mar 5, 2025 2000 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    SPC AC 051950

    Day 1 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    0150 PM CST Wed Mar 05 2025

    Valid 052000Z – 061200Z

    …THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SOUTHEAST
    VIRGINIA AND THE EASTERN CAROLINAS…

    …SUMMARY…
    Severe thunderstorms capable of producing scattered damaging-wind
    gusts and a few tornadoes are possible today across parts of the
    eastern Carolinas into southeast Virginia. Other strong to severe
    storms may occur from the Allegheny Plateau into the Mid Atlantic.

    …20z Update…
    The previous forecast remains on track with no substantial changes
    required beyond clearing probabilities behind a broken squall line
    currently traversing the Carolinas and Virginia. Damaging gusts
    continue to be observed with portions of the line, and transient
    embedded circulations have been noted within the line per KAKQ
    velocity imagery. Within the past 30 minutes, GOES IR imagery shows
    cooling cloud top temperatures across southern NC, indicative of a
    gradual strengthening trend that is likely the result of peak
    daytime heating within the narrow warm sector ahead of the line.
    Recent forecast guidance has captured this trend well and suggests
    that the intensifying convection across southern NC will spread
    northeast into northeastern NC/southeast VA through early evening.
    Given these trends, the Enhanced risk has been maintained, though
    convection will likely begin moving off the Mid-Atlantic coast
    between 23-01z. See MCD #152 for additional short-term details
    regarding the severe threat across the Mid-Atlantic, and MCD #153
    for forecast concerns regarding the upper OH River Valley.

    ..Moore.. 03/05/2025

    .PREV DISCUSSION… /ISSUED 1028 AM CST Wed Mar 05 2025/

    …VA and the Carolinas…
    A strongly forced convective line continues to push eastward across
    the central Carolinas and south-central VA. Thus far, updraft depth
    has been limited by modest buoyancy, as evidenced by the lack of
    lightning within the line. However, the downstream airmass is
    expected to undergo modification as low 60s dewpoints advect
    northward just ahead of the line. This increased moisture should
    lead to greater buoyancy, and the potential for deeper, more
    persistent updrafts within the line. As storms deepen, the very
    strong low to deep-layer shear (i.e. 0-1 km bulk shear over 50 kt
    and 0-6 km bulk shear over 70 kt) in place over the region will
    support storm organization mainly in the form of bowing
    structures/mesovortices. An attendant threat for tornadoes will
    probably develop with the more persistent/long-lived embedded
    circulations in addition to wind damage focused near inflections and
    bowing segments of the convective line.

    Additional details for this region can be found in recently issued
    MCD #0149.

    …Upper OH Valley/PA vicinity…
    Recent surface analysis places a deep, occluded low (i.e. 980 mb)
    over southern Lake Michigan. An occluded front extends
    east-southeastward from this low to a triple point in the western WV
    Panhandle/northern VA vicinity. A cold front also extends
    south-southeastward from this low across western IN before arcing
    more southerly across the TN Valley. Visible satellite indicates
    that a mid-level dry-slot has contributed to some clearing over OH,
    in the vicinity of the occluded front. This should allow for some
    modest daytime heating, with the resultant steepening of the
    low-level lapse rates. This will occur beneath cold mid-level
    temperatures, contributing to fairly steep lapse rates profile
    throughout much of the troposphere. Some low to mid-level moistening
    is also possible as large-scale forcing for ascent attendant to the
    approaching upper low persists, resulting in modest buoyancy (i.e.
    MLCAPE less than 500 J/kg) across the region ahead of the cold
    front. Thunderstorm development appears possible as the front
    interacts with this airmass, and vertically veering wind profiles
    with effective shear values near 40 kt will support the potential
    isolated low-topped transient supercells and perhaps bowing linear
    segments.

    CLICK TO GET WUUS01 PTSDY1 PRODUCT

    NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 1 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 0100Z

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jamestown man pleads guilty to drug and gun charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Richard Pearson, 47, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that on June 25, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at a Newland Avenue residence in Jamestown, seizing cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, suboxone strips, $200 in cash, a digital scale, and a firearm. Pearson was present during the search. He was previously convicted of felony charges in 2018 and 2009 in Chautauqua County Court, and in 2006 in Federal Court. As a result, Pearson is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

    This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    The plea is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, New York Field Division.

    Sentencing is scheduled for July 11, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Vilardo. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Economy – Tariffs are an act of economic war – The global fallout begins – deVere Group

    Source: deVere Group

    March 5 2025 – Tariffs are “an act of economic war,” and the latest US tariffs are a direct assault on the global economy, warns the CEO of one of the world’s largest independent financial and asset management organizations.

    The comments from deVere Group’s Nigel Green comes as President Donald Trump’s joint congressional address made it clear: his administration is deploying tariffs as a weapon, not just a policy.

    The sweeping 25% duties on Canada and Mexico, an additional 10% on Chinese imports, and threats against the European Union mark an economic confrontation that will redefine global markets.

    Beijing wasted no time in firing back, saying they are prepared for a tariff war or “any other type of war,” signaling that the world’s second-largest economy is ready to retaliate with full force.

    Investors are now bracing for a prolonged and destabilizing economic war, with market volatility and financial uncertainty taking center stage.

    Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group, warns: “Tariffs are an act of economic war.

    “This aggressive escalation could cause the most severe economic disruption since the global financial crisis, barring the pandemic.

    “The fallout will extend far beyond tariffs themselves, with ripple effects threatening corporate profits, inflation levels, and supply chains.

    “Trade barriers of this scale are not a pathway to strength. They’re self-inflicted wounds that create higher costs for businesses, dampen consumer spending, and erode economic resilience.

    “Tariffs are not a show of power; they are a tax on prosperity.”

    Despite Trump’s insistence that tariffs will restore America’s economic dominance, reality is painting a different picture.

    Increased costs on imports mean businesses will either absorb the financial hit or pass it along to consumers, leading to inflationary pressures that weaken household purchasing power. The result? A slowing economy disguised as a policy win.

    “From manufacturing to tech, industries are now forced to face a storm of rising costs and shrinking global competitiveness,” says Nigel Green.

    “This is not a win, it’s reckless brinkmanship with high stakes for the US and global economy.”

    Trump’s vow to roll out even more trade penalties by April 2 is triggering concern through global markets.

    Washington’s latest trade war salvos are setting off countermeasures from Beijing, Brussels, and beyond.

    China’s retaliatory tariffs are expected to hit US exports where it hurts—targeting agriculture, technology, and other key industries with strategic precision. The European Union is weighing its response, while Mexico and Canada have already signaled their intent to push back.

    “Trade conflicts don’t happen in isolation. They trigger chain reactions—capital flight, fractured supply chains, and heightened uncertainty for investors,” explains the deVere CEO.

    The notion that tariffs will fortify the US economy is fundamentally flawed.

    “The cost of this economic war will be borne by households, businesses, and investors worldwide. And unless there’s a change in course, the worst may still be ahead.”

    deVere Group is one of the world’s largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients.  It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Hickenlooper Defends American Consumers on Senate Floor as Trump Admin Guts CFPB

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
    Hickenlooper: “If the Trump administration gets its way, it’s clear who the winners will be: loan sharks, shady mortgage companies, junk fee merchants. And the losers will be the rest of America”
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper spoke on the Senate floor against the Trump administration’s effort to gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the federal agency responsible for protecting American consumers from financial abuse. Hickenlooper spoke before a Senate vote on a Republican-led resolution to strip the CFPB’s power to supervise popular digital payment apps like Venmo and PayPal in order to prevent harms to consumers.

    “Today’s Republican-led resolution weakens the CFPB’s ability to protect consumers. And it’s part of a broader effort by the administration to shut down consumer protections entirely,” said Hickenlooper. “Bottom line: More money in the pocket of fraudsters, scammers, and the unscrupulous. Less for the little guy to save.”
    At the beginning of February, the Trump administration shut down the CFPB headquarters and ordered all employees to immediately stop all of the agency’s work. On Monday, a federal judge extended an order pausing mass firings at the CFPB.
    Since its founding, the CFPB has recovered $20 billion for Americans who have been taken advantage of by scams, junk fees, and high-cost loans. In Colorado, nearly 67,000 people have sought the help from CFPB, including more than 6,200 service members. Thousands of those complaints led to relief for consumers.
    To download a full video of Hickenlooper’s remarks, click HERE. A full transcript of his remarks is available below:
    “Mr. President,
    “The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is, at its core, a law enforcement agency.
    “Congress established the CFPB 15 years ago to protect Americans from fraud, from getting ripped off by banks, and credit card companies, financial institutions.
    “Today’s Republican-led resolution weakens the CFPB’s ability to protect consumers. And it’s part of a broader effort by the administration to shut down consumer protections entirely.
    “Let’s take a minute to go back in time to the time before the CFPB existed – right before the 2008 financial meltdown.
    “Back then, abusive fees and misleading disclosures meant that Coloradans paid more for mortgages. More for credit cards. More for student loans.
    “Fly-by-night lenders made massive profits by targeting vulnerable families with excessively high-cost loans – turning credit from a tool for opportunity into a tool for scams.
    “Financial scammers could all too easily slip through the cracks in oversight. There just wasn’t enough oversight. In some case, there was no oversight.
    “Our neighbors were getting hit with hidden fees and frauds when they took out a mortgage, when they used a credit card, or if they were just paying for school.
    “There was no cop on the beat. The result?
    “By 2008, years of this shady, abusive practice helped spark a devastating global financial crisis.
    “Six million households lost their homes to foreclosure. A quarter of our families lost 75% of their wealth.
    “Americans lost faith in our financial system.
    “In 2010, Congress created the CFPB to help make sure that this could never happen again.
    “Congress gave it a simple job: to protect Americans from getting ripped off.
    “The Bureau cleaned up mortgage markets, debt collection, student loans, and much, much more. It worked to protect veterans and other service members.
    “Fast forward to today and the CFPB’s results really speak for themselves. The Bureau has delivered 20 billion dollars – that’s billion dollars with a B –  back to Americans through its enforcement actions.
    “It’s brought relief to 200 million Americans and small businesses facing scams or abusive practices.
    “In Colorado, nearly 67,000 people have sought the help from CFPB, including more than 6,200 service members. Thousands of those complaints led to relief for consumers.
    “It really is a remarkable track record.
    “That is, until it’s been decided by Republicans that they wanted to eliminate many of these protections – if not all of them.
    “This vote today would unwind protections designed for the modern financial system – for the everyday payment apps we all use, like Venmo or PayPal. It would allow some of the largest financial firms in a consumer’s life to stay in the shadows, to operate outside of any oversight.
    “That’s exactly the approach to consumer protection we had 20 years ago, before the CFPB, before the 2008 financial crisis.
    “This is but the latest attempt to leave consumers vulnerable to scams. In fact, the Trump administration is trying, I think many people believe illegally, to abolish the CFPB entirely.
    “They fired dedicated staff who protect consumers. They cancelled the lease on the CFPB’s office. And they literally ordered a total shutdown of the agency – an unprecedented effort to defy Congress.
    “The administration believes that CFPB doesn’t deserve to exist. And maybe they think that scammers and fraudsters have finally hung it up and have gone to find honest work.
    “But I think the American people know better.
    “The administration wants to take our economy back to the time before the financial crisis of [2008] – with weaker protections and no one looking out for consumers.
    “If the Trump administration gets its way, it’s clear who the winners will be: loan sharks, shady mortgage companies, junk fee merchants.
    “And the losers will be the rest of America – any Coloradan that wants a fair deal on a credit card or a mortgage.
    “Bottom line: More money in the pocket of fraudsters, scammers, and the unscrupulous. Less for the little guy to save.
    “I urge my colleagues to stand up for American consumers and vote no on this resolution.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Capitol Hill Highlights Key Pillars of President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress in Op-Ed Blitz

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    America Is Back. President’s Joint Address Will Celebrate ItU.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL)
    The last four years were a dumpster fire—a total disaster. “Sleepy Joe” was worn slap out as soon as he got up in the morning. Thinking back on it now, I really don’t know how our country survived. It’s a miracle that we made it through those dark days. One thing is for sure: President Trump’s address will be nothing like the clown show we endured the last four years.
    But today, America is ready to usher in its golden age under President Donald J. Trump. We’re only a month and a half in, and President Trump is well on his way to renewing the American dream by reversing some of the Democrats’ most destructive policies. Most importantly, President Trump is keeping his promises to the 77 million Americans who voted for him and his “America First” agenda. A recent poll showed 70 percent of Americans believe President Trump is doing what he said he would do.
    Read full op-ed here.
    It’s Time To Take Trump’s Win On Women’s Sports To The Next LevelU.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS)
    Democrat politicians and extreme woke ideologues have shrugged their shoulders at the humiliation and disenfranchisement of millions of young women and girls, even though 80% of Americans agree with President Trump’s view that biological boys should not compete in girls’ sports.
    I believe America’s women and girls deserve to know that someone is fighting to protect the integrity and fairness of their competitive sports and standing up for their right to safe and protected spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms.
    Thankfully, President Trump has taken up the mantle. Last month, he signed an executive order protecting women’s and girls’ sports.
    Read full op-ed here.
    Renewing the American Dream for the American WorkerU.S. Senator Jim Banks (R-IN)
    President Trump is renewing the hope of the American Dream from the ashes of an historic low point. Our nation has emerged stronger with a leader and an administration whose defining feature is their commitment to working families.
    Despite the downturn in prosperity and security America faced over the last four years, the American Dream is not an outdated ambition.
    Under President Trump, the possibility of achieving the American Dream is back and within the grasp of every hard-working American.
    Already, President Trump has made good on a range of his promises, reinvigorating American society across the board—an achievement that’s unheard of for a president only 44 days into his term.
    Read full op-ed here.
    President Donald Trump is keeping his promise to Jewish studentsHouse Committee on Education and Workforce Chairman, U.S. Congressman Tim Walberg (MI-05)
    Columbia [University] leaders have made public and private promises to Jewish students, faculty, and Members of Congress that the university would take the steps necessary to combat the rampant antisemitism on its campus. Columbia has failed to uphold its commitments. But that is coming to an end. Now, the Committee and Jewish students and faculty have a strong ally in the White House. During the campaign Trump promised his administration would combat antisemitism on American campuses.
    On day one, the Trump administration signed an executive order to combat antisemitism. As part of the executive order, the Department of Education has launched investigations into five universities for tolerating “widespread antisemitic harassment” in violation of Title VI.
    The disease of antisemitism must be rooted out before it spreads to the next generation. President Trump’s firm hand on this issue is the remedy we need. We owe it to our youth to ensure they never face harassment, threats, or violence because of their faith. This is a promise we should always honor because it goes hand in hand with the promise of the American Dream. Thankfully, President Trump is delivering on this promise.
    Read full op-ed here.
    America is backU.S. Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-09)Since his inauguration on Jan. 20, President Donald J. Trump has worked tirelessly to restore border security, enforce our nation’s laws and make clear that your constitutional rights shall not be infringed. Following four years of chaos, Trump has sent a clear message: America is back, and he’s just getting started.
    After just one month back in office, Trump reestablished the successful “Remain in Mexico” policy, restarted construction of the border wall, ramped up deportation flights of criminal illegals, and ended the dangerous Biden-era “catch-and-release” policy. These are just a few of the actions Trump has taken to regain control of our border and crack down on illegal immigration.
    Trump’s efforts to secure the border have been nothing less than historic, including sharply reducing illegal border crossings in just his first 11 days back in office. This is the “Trump Effect” in action, and it’s only just the beginning.
    Read full op-ed here.
    Under President Trump, America’s Borders Are Secure AgainU.S. Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05)
    In a few weeks, Donald Trump has done what his prevaricating predecessor declared to be impossible: he has brought the border under control.
    The policies of Joe Biden and Alejandro Mayorkas will forever be a stain on America. The border is now almost completely controlled by America, not Mexican drug and human trafficking cartels. That only has happened because President Trump has the will and leadership skills to allow our law enforcement to actually enforce the law. Trump said he would do it. He is doing it.
    America is safer now. Our borders are better now. Trump is delivering on one of his signature campaign promises. While the Left in America is face-melting, the majority of us recognize the success on the border of President Trump.
    Read full op-ed here.
    Trump Gives America A Much-Needed Shot Of OptimismU.S. Congressman Ralph Norman (SC-05)
    We’re now 44 days into President Donald Trump’s second term, and a renewed sense of optimism is sweeping across America, reminiscent of the enduring promise of the American Dream. Central to this resurgence is the administration’s policies aimed at reigniting prosperity for small businesses, particularly evident in South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District.
    President Trump has been keen on drawing back the red tape in the federal bureaucracy and reminding everyone in the swamp that our government is supposed to serve the American worker, not the other way around.
    Last night the president made it clear: ‘We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in 4 years…and we are just getting started!’
    Read full op-ed here.
    Trump is Reviving the American Dream and Common SenseU.S. Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger (TN-01)
    Tuesday night, President Donald Trump did what he does best — he told it like it is. He reviewed his administration’s impressive accomplishments, laid out his action plan to put our economy back on track, urged Congress to deliver additional funding for the United States Border Patrol, and shared his bold vision to bring peace and stability around the world.
    Only weeks ago, the president signed an executive order keeping men out of women’s sports. I attended the signing, and it was a sight to see — the president with dozens of female athletes and young women who would now have a level playing field because of Republicans’ commitment to this cause — Trump’s commitment to this cause.
    The president reiterated this commitment Tuesday night when he spoke on this issue, highlighting the story of Payton McNabb, saying, “When her girls’ volleyball match was invaded by a male, he smashed the ball so hard in Payton’s face, causing traumatic brain injury … ending her athletic career.
    This story has become all too common. When Trump told Payton’s story, not a single Democrat stood in solidarity.
    Read full op-ed here.
    Ending Biden’s disgraceful erosion of American deterrence U.S. Congressman August Pfluger (TX-01) andU.S. Congressman Zach Nunn (IA-03)
    With Trump back in the White House, alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and national security adviser Mike Waltz, we’re setting a clear path forward for the U.S.: rebuild the military, restore our warrior ethos, and reestablish American deterrence.
    Unlike his predecessors, who viewed the military through the lens of social experimentation, Hegseth recognizes that the Department of Defense has one primary mission: to produce the most lethal fighting force on Earth. Under his leadership, we’re already seeing a renewed focus on combat training, eliminating wasteful programs, and stripping away ideological distractions.
    Read full op-ed here.
    Congress Must Act to Solidify Trump’s Border WinsU.S. Congressman Mark Harris (NC-08)
    For the past four years, the most powerful nation in the history of the world has been under attack. Deadly cartels, gangs, human smugglers, and other criminal aliens flooded American communities and harmed our citizens. This chaos was an orchestrated attack led by the last administration not only on our nation, but on the American dream.
    But on January 20th, a new era of leadership began. After being sworn into office, President Trump wasted no time taking action to take back our country and set our nation back on course.
    Last night, President Trump said, “The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation to secure the border. But it turned out that all we really needed was a new president.” And he is exactly right.
    President Trump’s decisive action and bold leadership has drastically changed the state of our border for the better.
    Read full op-ed here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Nassau County Police Detective Convicted of Lying to the FBI to Cover Up His Work for the Bonanno Crime Family

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    The Bonanno Crime Family Paid Hector Rosario to Protect Their Illegal Gambling Parlors and Shut Down Rival Locations on Long Island Operated by Other Crime Families

    Hector Rosario, a former detective with the Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), was found guilty today by a federal jury in Brooklyn of making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents about his work for the Bonanno crime family.  The verdict followed a seven-day trial before United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano.  Rosario was fired by the NCPD after he was indicted in August 2022.  When sentenced, Rosario faces up to five years in prison.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Leslie R. Backschies, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) and Anne T. Donnelly, District Attorney, Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, announced the verdict.

    “This corrupt detective chose to prove his loyalty to an organized crime family over the public he was sworn to protect,” stated United States Attorney Durham. “When police officers exploit their positions for personal gain, it erodes public trust in law enforcement. My Office has zero tolerance for corruption by any public officials, and will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that it is punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

    “Hector Rosario, a former Nassau County detective, allowed himself to be bought by the mob to blatantly lie during a federal investigation into the Bonanno family’s illegal gambling operations,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Backschies. “Rosario’s lies not only protected an organized criminal enterprise, but also eroded the public’s trust in law enforcement and is a disservice to all who wear the badge honoring their oath to protect and serve. The FBI remains committed to disrupting any corrupt officer who prioritizes personal wealth over integrity to the shield.”

    “Hector Rosario cared more about lining his pockets with Bonanno family money and protecting his own interests than his fidelity to the law,” stated Nassau County District Attorney Donnelly.  “He disgracefully compromised the investigative work of his fellow detectives by tipping off a target and lied to federal agents as the walls were closing in on him. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will uncover and vigorously prosecute corruption in our law enforcement ranks in Nassau County, because no one is above the law.”

    As proven at trial, Rosario was paid by the Bonanno crime family to protect its illegal gambling operations. For over a decade, the Bonanno crime family operated illegal gambling businesses inside various coffee shops and sports clubs throughout Queens and on Long Island.  During the same period, the Genovese organized crime family operated illegal gambling businesses out of their own locations in Queens and Long Island, including Sal’s Shoe Repair in Merrick, New York, and the Centro Calcio Italiano Club in West Babylon, New York.

    The Bonanno organized crime family paid Rosario to attempt to shut down rival gambling parlors, including by conducting a fake police “raid” on the Genovese-run gambling spot located inside Sal’s Shoe Repair.  Rosario also provided a tip about a rival gambling spot to another detective in an attempt to get the location shut down.  He warned a Bonanno crime family associate that he was under investigation and not to speak on the phone because law enforcement might be listening, and Rosario also looked up the home address of a possible witness Rosario believed was cooperating against the Bonanno crime family.

    In January 2020, during the course of a federal grand jury investigation into the racketeering activities of the Bonanno and Genovese organized crime families, Rosario was interviewed by FBI agents. Rosario falsely stated that he had no information about the Mafia or illegal gambling spots.  He denied knowing the identity of the crime family associate he had warned, and he further falsely stated that he was not familiar with the gambling business inside Sal’s Shoe Repair.

    Rosario was acquitted by the jury of obstruction of justice.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Anna L. Karamigios, Sophia M. Suarez and Sean M. Sherman are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Eleanor Jaffe-Pachuilo.

    The Defendant:

    HECTOR ROSARIO
    Age:  51
    Mineola, Long Island

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-355 (ENV) 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Breakfast with Steve Martin, ABC Radio Ballarat and South West Victoria

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    STEVE MARTIN [HOST]: And in our news this morning has been a story about a major funding announcement for the Western Freeway, Western Highway as well. The sections towards Melbourne that will be upgraded, there are bridges in the west which will be subject of some of this. And the area of the Western Highway around Warrenheip is also being talked about. Catherine King is the federal member for Ballarat, but also the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. And Catherine King is our guest this morning. Minister, good morning.

    CATHERINE KING [MINISTER, MEMBER FOR BALLARAT]: Good morning, Steve. How are you?

    STEVE MARTIN: Very well. $1.1 billion you’re announcing this morning for the Western Freeway and the Western Highway. Can you just explain what the money goes towards?

    CATHERINE KING: Yeah, I can. So the first thing is that the Victorian Government and the Federal Labor Government have undertaken a business case along the Western Highway. In particular, the areas that we’ve been concerned about is around where there’s been significant housing development between Melton and Caroline Springs. And you see that really significant bottleneck that’s occurring there. The West Gate Tunnel will help alleviate some of that, but the road really is not in a condition to deal with the volume of traffic there. And we of course know there continue to be problems along the whole corridor. So we’re announcing today $1.1 billion to go into the Western Highway. A billion of that is focused on the Melton and Caroline Springs area to try and alleviate that congestion, 100 million to go towards trying to find a solution for Brewery Tap Road, that Warrenheip area where we know there’s a very dangerous intersection. We’ve had multiple complaints about that, multiple near-misses, and know that needs to be resolved. We continue to do the work. There’s already a billion dollars committed to the west, and so there’s projects right the way along the corridor. But we’re adding in an additional project today around fixing some couple of the bridges around the west, which again, are proving to be bottlenecks. And they are around the Dimboola Bridge, over the Melbourne Adelaide railway line and the Dadswell Bridge over Mount William Creek floodplain. So both of those bridges getting money for upgrades as well.

    STEVE MARTIN: Okay, can I just ask, is this money that is allocated and locked in, or is this dependent on an election outcome?

    CATHERINE KING: No, we are making this as a decision of government. So we are not in an election campaign yet. We are governing, and so this is a decision of government. So that will appear in the pre-election financial outlook, which is how the- what the state of the books are before the election. So that will appear there. Of course, there are risks that if there is a change of government, that a new government makes a different decision and is obviously- when we’re seeing that they’re looking for cuts, that these sorts of things can get cut. But these are in the budget. They are a decision of government.

    STEVE MARTIN: Okay. When you mentioned it could be cut, in a similar manner to what you had to do around November 2023, where you had to cut back- I think it was about $80 billion worth of promises, including ones on the Western Freeway at that stage for- I think it was the M80 Ring Road to Ferris Road.

    CATHERINE KING: Yeah. Well, what I had to do is that what we’d seen is a really, to be blunt, pretty appalling management of the infrastructure investment pipeline. What they’ve done is used it, frankly, to stand up and make election announcements without having any idea about how much the cost of projects were going to be, and not doing the planning work alongside the Victorian state government, and really using it to- you know, to pork barrel, to be frank. And so what we’ve had to do is really look at the pipeline, do planning work first, do business cases, get a good understanding of what is needed and also what the costs of projects are. So we didn’t cut $80 billion because that’s in fact almost the entire infrastructure investment program. We cut projects that had no hope of proceeding because they were woefully underfunded and also just hadn’t been done in conjunction with Victorian state government.

    So I think there was $50 million that was allocated there, 50 million to the quarter. But no, it had- it sat there on the books for years not having any work done on it. So what we’ve done here is we’ve done the planning work, done the business case, got a fairly good understanding of what’s needed and are now working with the Victorian government, you know, hand-in-glove really to make sure we can actually deliver these projects along the highway.

    STEVE MARTIN: When would we see works commence? Because I believe the bridge is different in the far west to some of the other work. And you did mention that for Warrenheip and Brewery Tap Road, that’s a planning process. So when will people start to see works happening, do you think?

    CATHERINE KING: Well, there’s some safety works that can happen pretty quickly and they can be around shoulder widening and certainly making sure that we’ve got the- you know, mostly the highways covered by barriers. But, you know, some of the shoulder widening that may be needed, some of the resealing work that can happen fairly quickly. But obviously when you’re talking about things like overpasses or new interchanges, they are significant pieces of work, and they do require some planning to make sure that they can be delivered. So, you know, our view is the money is available, we’ll make the money available the minute the project is ready to go. But again, you have to do these things properly. And we’re in the hands of the Victorian Government when it comes to the delivery.

    STEVE MARTIN: I did have a question that came in specifically from our team in western Victoria, just wanting to know a bit more about the bridges in the west. The Dimboola Bridge upgrades, they’re asking specifically when that might be rolled out. But as you just said, there is still some work to be done before this begins. Is that right, Catherine King?

    CATHERINE KING: Well, in terms of those two projects. So the total cost of those, it’s a 50/50 project with the state government. So it’s a $12.2 million project. They will match that project. That’s expected to commence in 2025 with an estimated completion date of ‘26. So it’s meant to actually be starting this year in relation to those two projects. They were – have already been in planning for a while, so we know what we want to do there. So those projects should come on train fairly quickly.

    STEVE MARTIN: Rightio Catherine King, thanks for your time this morning.

    CATHERINE KING: Terrific to be with you, Steve.

    STEVE MARTIN: Catherine King is the Federal Member for Ballarat, but also, of course, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Baldwin Presses Trump Nominee for NIH on Stalled Cancer, Alzheimer’s Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) questioned President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, on this Administration’s continued efforts to stop funding for research into cures for cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. The halt on funding for this research comes as the NIH continues to cancel necessary meetings to approve funding, cut grant specialists, and fire doctors, scientists, and nurses who support clinical trials for patients.

    “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are slashing research for Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and cancer so billionaires don’t have to pay their fair share,” said Senator Baldwin. “The NIH does truly lifesaving work, and the world’s premier biomedical research agency needs a leader who will help keep people healthy and find the cures for diseases – not one who will take away families’ hopes and dreams of having a cure for diseases that take their loved ones too soon.”

    On Monday, Senator Baldwin called out the Trump Administration for stopping $65 million in funding for Alzheimer’s disease research at 14 research institutions across the country. 14 of the 35 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) have had their funding halted by the NIH because the Trump Administration continues to cancel NIH Advisory Council meetings, which are the final required step in the grant approval process. She also slammed the Trump Administration for halting all grant funding through NIH for ten days last month, despite two court orders directing the Trump Administration to end its unlawful efforts to freeze all federal grants.

    In addition to frozen funding for critical research, Senator Baldwin also has raised alarms on staffing cuts to 1,200 research scientists, nurses, pharmacists, ethics specialists, police officers, data scientists, budget analysts, and patient care technicians at the agency, including critical patient care specialists at the NIH Clinical Center. The NIH Clinical Center is the nation’s largest hospital devoted entirely to clinical research, treating about 10,000 patients with rare and severe diseases every year. Mass firings of Clinical Center staff threaten patient safety and may shut down ongoing clinical trials, cutting off access to treatments and cures for patients who have nowhere else to go.

    These impacts are being directly felt in Wisconsin, where research institutions and patients are dealing with the fallout from this administration arbitrarily capping indirect cost rates at 15%, which will slash funding that helps research institutions, like the University of Wisconsin, conduct research, operate their facilities and labs, pay staff, and buy equipment needed for groundbreaking work to find cures for diseases and treatments for patients.

    A full recording of Senator Baldwin’s questions is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein Provides Updates on Severe Weather Impacting North Carolina & Issues Safety Guidance

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein Provides Updates on Severe Weather Impacting North Carolina & Issues Safety Guidance

    Governor Stein Provides Updates on Severe Weather Impacting North Carolina & Issues Safety Guidance
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today, Governor Stein and emergency officials provided updates on severe weather impacting the state and are urging all North Carolinians to prepare for severe thunderstorms, heavy downpours, isolated tornadoes, and damaging wind gusts. As the storm continues to move eastward throughout the day, North Carolinians should stay tuned to emergency alerts and have a plan to take cover if necessary.

    “Our State Emergency Response Team is in contact with its partners across the state and ready to respond with any tool at its disposal to keep North Carolinians safe through this severe weather,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Please listen to your local weather forecast for updates, enable emergency alerts on your cell phone, and have a plan to take immediate cover if a severe weather warning for tornadoes is issued for your area.”

    Preparedness Tips:

    • During periods of severe weather, it is important to go inside a sturdy structure and to the middle of the building, away from windows.
    • You should secure all outdoor items at your house that could become airborne in gusty winds.
    • Make sure your cell phone is charged and that you have enabled emergency alerts so you can be informed by local emergency management and by the National Weather Service.
    • Have a plan to take cover if a severe weather warning is issued for your area.
    • As a reminder, a watch is a reminder that weather conditions may support severe weather conditions. A warning means that hazardous weather conditions are expected and imminent.
    • Visit www.readync.gov for more information on how you and your family can be prepared.  

    A tornado watch has been issued for 24 counties across the Triangle and surrounding counties to the coastal plain until 1:00 pm. Counties impacted by warnings and watches will be updated here. Structural damages from winds have been reported in Union County and state emergency management officials remain in contact with local emergency management to assist as needed. 

    A Wind Advisory is now in effect for much of North Carolina through Wednesday evening. The Wind Advisory across much of the Outer Banks remains in effect through 10:00 p.m. Wednesday. A High Wind Warning remains in effect for higher elevations across portions of the mountains through early Wednesday afternoon where wind gusts up to 70mph are expected.

    The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has expanded the Enhanced Risk (level 3 of 5) for severe storms slightly westward to include western portions of central North Carolina and remains in place for the eastern half of the state with a Slight Risk (level 2 of 5) in place across the foothills. The primary impacts will be damaging wind gusts (up to 75mph) and tornadoes where some tornadoes may become strong, especially across eastern North Carolina. While severe storms are possible across much of North Carolina today, the strongest severe storms are most likely along and east of the US-1 corridor Wednesday afternoon and evening. While any additional development is not expected to become as severe, storms may redevelop late Wednesday afternoon into Wednesday evening across portions of the Piedmont. Risk levels vary across the state; North Carolinians should pay attention to local forecasts and make plans that are appropriate for the risk level in their area.

    A Coastal Flood Advisory is now in effect through 1:00 a.m. Thursday for Ocracoke & Hatteras Islands as well as the northern Outer Banks where minor soundside coastal flooding near shorelines and tidal waterways is expected. Minor ocean overwash is also possible along portions of the North Carolina coast, especially areas vulnerable to southerly winds. 

    Mar 5, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Innovative technology installed in Menindee to restore native fish passages

    Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

    Published: 6 March 2025

    Released by: Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Water

    The Minns Labor Government is trialling Fishheart; a state-of-the-art temporary fish passage technology in the Lower Darling-Baaka River near Menindee, western NSW.

    The goal of this initiative is to test options to connect the Northern and Southern Basin and reduce the accumulation of fish, as part of the Government’s response to the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer (OCSE) independent review into the March 2023 mass fish kill.

    The NSW Government continues to make good progress in addressing the recommendations identified in the OSCE report, with 10 of the 26 actions we’ve committed to now complete and the remaining 16 underway funded under the $25 million Restoring the Darling-Baaka River Program.

    One of the key actions the NSW Government has committed to is a $6.52 million trial of new temporary fish passage technology at Menindee.

    Australian native fish need to migrate to feed, breed and seek new habitat but due to the introduction of barriers to fish passage, like dams and weirs, fish migration pathways have been impacted.

    Currently in the Lower Darling-Baaka, fish can only migrate upstream as far as Lake Wetherell and Menindee Main Weir. The Fishheart unit is a floating hydraulic fishway system designed to assist fish moving over existing barriers. Construction commenced to install the Fishheart unit to the Lake Wetherell outlet regulator in December 2024.

    Work continued over the summer, with the technology being lowered into the Lower Darling-Baaka River in late January 2025. Calibration and testing of the Fishheart is currently underway. 

    The Fishheart unit works by attracting fish into the fishway and then using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect and collect fish in the chambers, counting fish, gathering data before moving fish up and over barriers like the Lake Wetherell outlet regulator.

    This is the first time that this innovative technology will be trialled at this scale on Australian inland freshwater fish and builds on Fishheart’s work in Europe and the USA that has shown plenty of promise.

    The aim of the project is to test options to connect sections of the river, thereby helping move some fish out of the Menindee town weir pool to complete their life cycle and reducing the biomass and associated risks for water quality and fish kills.

    Fisheries Scientists from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) Fisheries will conduct the monitoring program, using underwater sonar and video capture technology, plus trapping activities under appropriate permits.

    For more information about the project visit the Menindee Lower Darling-Baaka Temporary Tube Fishway Trial webpage.

    To read the NSW Government’s six-month Darling-Baaka progress report, visit the Restoring the Darling-Baaka program webpage.

    Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:

    “This is the first time that this fishway technology will be trialled under Australian conditions at this scale and on native inland freshwater fish and it demonstrates the commitment of the Minns Labor Government to address environmental issues using innovative approaches, especially in western NSW.

    “While there is no one size fits all solution to restore fish passage in the Lower Darling-Baaka River or the Menindee Lakes system, this project aims to use innovative science, data and infrastructure as we promised to do.

    “Construction has been progressing through very hot days out at Menindee and we are grateful to all the personnel for their efforts in ensuring the fishway can get operational as soon as possible.

    “The Fishheart will be trialled for three breeding seasons, to measure its effectiveness in Menindee. But overseas experiences provide strong indicators for success, for moving fish through the fishway safely and hopefully reduce the risks of future fish kills in the Lower Darling-Baaka.”

    Minister for Water Rose Jackson said:

    “It’s fantastic to see the fish passage being trialled in Menindee which is one of the innovative infrastructure solutions proposed to prevent future fish deaths.

    “We pledged to take decisive action on water quality in the Darling-Baaka to improve fish health and we are delivering on this promise, with a six-month progress report now available to show the community where we are up to.

    “So far, we have developed new water quality triggers, overhauled our emergency response plans, continued to upgrade monitoring and added additional resources while also exploring state-of-the-art infrastructure solutions such as the tube fishway and microbubble technology.

    “I’m encouraged by the progress in a short space of time, which the Chief Scientist himself has acknowledged publicly, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

    “The reality is this is an incredibly complex river system with significant challenges that won’t go away overnight, but we are in a much stronger position to respond to changing conditions than ever before, and we are undoubtedly moving in the right direction.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Precautionary school closures in Northern NSW as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: Precautionary school closures in Northern NSW as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches

    Published: 5 March 2025

    Released by: Minister for Education and Early Learning, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education

    Schools across the North Coast of NSW will be non-operational for the next two days to safeguard students and staff as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches.

    Due to potential impacts of the cyclone, including a heightened risk of flooding, more than 230 public schools, 29 Catholic schools, five independent schools and 16 TAFE campuses, along with two additional TAFE campuses being used as evacuation centres, are closed. The closures are expected to impact schools from Wednesday 5 March, through to Friday 7 March 2025.

    Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to cross the coastline north of Brisbane as a Category 2 cyclone late on Thursday or early Friday.

    Substantial flooding is expected with up to a metre of rain forecast to fall in southern Queensland and north-eastern NSW over several days.

    Because of these risks, families have been asked to not send children to school for the next two days.

    At this stage schools are expected to resume operations on Monday 10 March 2025.

    The department has a stock of essential products ready to be dispatched to support our school communities, including gloves, paper towels, pump soap, tissues, toilet paper, bottled water and personal insect repellents. Additional blow-drying units and air purifiers are also available.

    The Department of Education also requires all early childhood education and care (ECEC) services to operate safely, including during extreme weather events, and is contacting services in affected regions.

    The Department urges services to assess the risk of severe weather in their community and if necessary, activate their emergency plans and procedures. We encourage services to follow the advice of local authorities and the SES.

    The SES has asked families to prepare their homes for strong winds, by putting away loose items around their home, trimming trees away from properties and not parking vehicles under trees or powerlines. 

    Never drive, walk, ride through, play or swim in flood water, and any avoid unnecessary travel. Download the Hazards Near Me App to stay across the latest warnings and information.

    Call the NSW SES on 132 500 if you need emergency assistance in floods and storms. In a life-threatening emergency, call Triple Zero (000) or visit www.ses.nsw.gov.au

    Visit the Department of Education website for up-to-date list on information on schools that are non-operational. A list of TAFE NSW campuses that are non-operation is available on the TAFE NSW website.

    Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:

    “As our communities prioritise their safety and prepare for the arrival of Cyclone Alfred, we are ensuring teachers, students and school staff are not unnecessary placed in harm’s way by attending school.

    “Keeping our students and families safe must always be our top priority.

    “While we usually do not advocate for the closure of schools and places of learning, in these circumstances, an abundance of caution can be what keeps our community safe.”

    Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:

    “It is important that at this critical time we plan ahead, and we are asking the community to keep their children home from school.

    “Please follow the advice of emergency services and continue to check the NSW State Emergency Service website for the latest information and, if you haven’t already, download the Hazards Near Me App which includes the latest warnings and information.

    “The NSW Government is doing all we can to prepare ahead of Tropical Cyclone Alfred crossing the coast later this week and we are asking the community to take steps now to ensure that they are prepared.”

    Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said:

    “Our number one priority is the safety and wellbeing of our staff, students and their families.

    “We are incredibly grateful to our team of dedicated TAFE NSW staff who have a wonderful track record of supporting their communities by ensuring campuses can be turned into evacuation centres during natural disaster events.”

    Deputy Secretary of Public Schools Deborah Summerhayes said:

    “The department is taking a safety-first approach. We know a lot of our North Coast communities have been through difficult periods in recent years –  with the 2022 floods still fresh in their memories.

    “That’s why we are planning for the worst and hoping for the best.

    “We want to do everything we can to ensure our school communities are well supported and our staff and students are safe.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Weakening currents in the Atlantic may mean a wetter northern Australia and drier New Zealand

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Himadri Saini, Research Associate at Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney

    Deborah Wallace Tasmanian/Shutterstock

    Europe is warmed by heat from ocean currents, which move water from the warm tropics to the colder North Atlantic. Once the warm, salty water from the tropics reach the polar region, they cool enough to sink to the depths and flow back towards the Southern Ocean.

    This enormous system of currents is known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Climate scientists are increasingly worried about the AMOC, which appears to be slowing down.

    While there’s still debate over whether the AMOC has weakened over the last decades, climate models consistently show the AMOC will significantly weaken over the coming century due to the increase in heat-trapping atmospheric greenhouse gases. As more heat stays in the system, the ocean heats up and ice melts, adding fresh water to polar oceans. The overall effect is to slow these currents. The AMOC could weaken 30% by 2060.

    A weaker AMOC would mean big changes in Europe, which benefits directly from the warmer waters it brings. But it would also change the climate in the Southern Hemisphere. Our new research shows a weakening of the AMOC would lead to a large change in rainfall patterns, leading to wetter summers in northern Australia and a drier New Zealand year-round. Indonesia and northern Papua New Guinea would also become drier.

    Running AMOC?

    In the Earth’s long history, the AMOC has gone through many periods of weakening. These were most common during ice ages, when glaciers expanded, but they also occurred during periods as warm as today.

    To reconstruct past climates, researchers use data from ice cores, marine sediment cores and speleothems (mineral deposits in caves such as flowstone and stalagmites), as well as simulations performed with climate models. These data show a weaker AMOC strongly affected the climate in the Northern Hemisphere. When flows of warmer water faltered, sea ice expanded in the North Atlantic, while Europe endured colder, drier conditions and the northern tropics became drier.

    If the AMOC weakens significantly, it will mean major change for Northern Hemisphere nations. Average temperatures could actually drop 3°C in Western Europe.

    At present, the AMOC’s flows of warmer water give European nations more pleasant climates and keeps ports ice free, while the Canadian side of the North Atlantic has a much more severe climate.

    What does it mean for the Southern Hemisphere?

    Data from ice cores and marine sediment cores also showed Antarctica and the Southern Ocean became warmer during these past AMOC weakening events. Until now, we haven’t understood what an AMOC weakening would mean for rainfall in the Australasian region.

    To find out, we ran climate model simulations with the Australian Earth system model, ACCESS-ESM1.5. Our modelling reveals a complex and regionally varied response, primarily shaped by large-scale atmospheric changes.

    As the AMOC weakens, it sets off a chain reaction in the oceans and atmosphere which alter rainfall and temperatures across Australasia.

    A weaker AMOC would affect ocean temperatures, cooling surface waters in the northern hemisphere and warming waters in the southern hemisphere. This would push the Intertropical Convergence Zone – a belt of heavy rain near the equator – further south.

    This means areas such as northern Papua New Guinea and Indonesia will get less rain, while northern Australia will cop wetter summers.

    Next, a warmer south equatorial Atlantic triggers atmospheric waves – large-scale movements of air that travel across the globe. These waves lower air pressure over northern Australia, pulling in more moisture and making summer rainfall even heavier.

    At the same time, a weaker AMOC disrupts the usual tropical Pacific and Indian Ocean dynamics, altering wind patterns and pressure systems in the Southern Hemisphere. High pressure systems shift southward, affecting storm tracks. The overall effect is fewer storms reaching southern Australia and New Zealand, leading to drier winters.

    Last, as the Atlantic currents peter out, heat builds up in Southern Hemisphere oceans rather than being carried to the poles. This results in hotter summers, particularly in southern Australia and New Zealand.

    Deluges and droughts

    It’s likely we will see these important currents weaken this century, bringing major change to both hemispheres.

    Those in Australia and New Zealand are likely to see a magnification of some existing climate shifts, such as a drier south and wetter north.

    Policymakers and resource managers need to prepare for a future where water becomes an increasingly uncertain resource.

    In the north, more rain over summer could mean a greater reliance on water storage and flood mitigation. In the south, drier conditions may force increased water use efficiency and drought planning.

    In New Zealand, a year-round drying trend could challenge farm productivity and hydropower generation. Long-term water management will be critical.

    What happens in the North Atlantic doesn’t stay there. It ripples through the atmosphere and oceans, with far-reaching consequences.

    Himadri Saini receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Laurie Menviel receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Weakening currents in the Atlantic may mean a wetter northern Australia and drier New Zealand – https://theconversation.com/weakening-currents-in-the-atlantic-may-mean-a-wetter-northern-australia-and-drier-new-zealand-248679

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján Presses Budget Office Nominee on Firing FBI Victim Specialist, Attacks on Social Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
    Luján Helped Lead Opposition to Project 2025 Chief Architect to Serve as OMB Director

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of Senate Committee on the Budget, pressed Dan Bishop, the nominee to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), on firing career civil servants and Elon Musk’s attacks on Social Security following President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress.  
    Senator Luján shared the story on behalf of a New Mexican who was fired as an FBI victim specialist, saying, “I am not waste, fraud, and abuse. I am not the enemy. I’m not expendable. For more than 22 years, it has been my greatest honor to be with people in their darkest hour, to bring light into the darkness at the cost of my own well-being. I do not deserve to be forced out under fear or duress or discarded.”
    “When Elon Musk is calling the shots, firing people across the country, cutting budgets, cutting programs, putting people on the chopping block using chainsaw as a tool who says Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, I think that requires us to take notice,” Senator Luján said, in part, in the hearing. “Elon Musk was described by President Trump last night at the address to the American people as being in charge. There’s been a lot of questions over the last eight weeks if he is in charge or not, but Elon Musk is calling the shots right now.”
    “I’m not sitting this one out. I’m going to stand up and fight for my constituents,” concluded Senator Luján.
    Video of Senator Luján’s exchange with Dan Bishop is available HERE.
    An excerpt of Senator Luján’s questioning is available below:
    Sen. Luján: I’m going to accept the challenge of my colleague. I’m going to read you a note, Representative Bishop, from a constituent that was fired:
    “I am an FBI victim specialist, civil servant, a career government employee. I am there when your loved one is killed by an actual shooter, when your child is sexually exploited online, when your family member is kidnapped and held for ransom, when your mother, sister, daughter is the victim of interstate domestic violence or stalking. When the federal agent is injured or killed in the line of duty. When your elderly parent is defrauded of their life savings, when your child is kidnapped by the other parent. When you or someone you love is victimized in so many ways. I am not waste, fraud, and abuse. I am not the enemy. I’m not expendable. For more than 22 years, it has been my greatest honor to be with people in their darkest hour, to bring light into the darkness at the cost of my own well-being. I do not deserve to be forced out under fear or duress or discarded. For if I am, you and those you love will have to walk in that darkness alone. There are so many of us throughout the United States with stories just like this, examples of how they responded to crime victims.”
    I agree. Let’s root out waste, fraud, and abuse. But we should both agree, when there is a victim of a sexual crime or someone from across the border that is going to kill someone or do something to them, they don’t deserve to be fired. That is the nonsense going on here.
    I accept this responsibility, but I’m not sitting this one out. Not on behalf of my constituents. There’s a better way for us to do these things.
    As Deputy [Director] of the Office of Management and Budget, Representative, it seems like you will be working in lockstep with Elon Musk and DOGE. I appreciate the conversations we have had on both sides of the aisle, speaking about what Elon Musk and others are doing here.
    Over the weekend, Elon Musk said something. He said, “Social Security is the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.” Do you believe that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme?
    Mr. Bishop: It really isn’t my place. What I’m doing is sitting to be the Deputy Director of OMB, to implement President Trump’s policies. I’m not in a position to comment on every comment that Elon Musk makes. But I know President Trump has said he is not touching Social Security or Medicare, he will ensure those benefits. That is the policy I’m going to be seeking to work with Director Vought to implement.
    Sen. Luján: Elon Musk was described by President Trump last night at the address to the American people as being in charge. There’s been a lot of questions over the last eight weeks if he is in charge or not, but Elon Musk is calling the shots right now. President Trump is going to Daytona, and golfing. I believe in finding balance. But I believe the president is able to do those things because the other president [Elon Musk] is calling the shots.
    When Elon Musk is passing things down to Director Vought and others, some of which were documented, and these ideas came from Director Vought which are part of Project 2025, and you have someone who is calling the shots, firing people across the country, cutting budgets, cutting programs, putting people on the chopping block using chainsaw as a tool who says Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, I think that requires us to take notice. Your responsibility, sir, is going to be making decisions with Director Vought to the president about these budgets. You said you want to get to a balanced budget. That will require cuts. This notion that Medicaid and Medicare are not on the chopping block–
    I would ask voters, Democrats and Republicans, look at the votes cast last week. Read the document. Go back and read the document that Speaker Paul Ryan put together when he was Speaker of the House that described going after this program. Go back when Paul Ryan was the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and went after that program. Look in 2017 when Republicans were trying to eliminate all aspects of Medicaid, eliminating the Affordable Care Act, and took John McCain coming to the floor — may he rest in peace, the great hero that he is — and said no. Fighting brain cancer. This is not new. It is not some secret. These are the facts. Look them up.
    Representative Bishop, We did not vote the same a lot, but I appreciate you being here and stepping up, and I pray for you and the president because we have got to do better for the American people.
    And I’ll close the way I started: I’m not sitting this one out. I’m going to stand up and fight for my constituents.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen, Cortez Masto Urge Interior Department to End Funding Freeze for Colorado River Water Savings Projects

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
    Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Alex Padilla (D-CA.), Adam Schiff (D-CA.), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ.), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ.) urged the Department of the Interior to immediately cease its freeze of Inflation Reduction Act funding for the Lower Colorado River System Conservation and Efficiency Program. The Senators, representing the three Lower Colorado River Basin states, criticized the Trump Administration’s day-one executive order halting all Inflation Reduction Act disbursements, including pausing the $4 billion Senator Cortez Masto helped secure for water management and conservation efforts in the Colorado River Basin and other Western areas experiencing drought.
    The Colorado River Basin, which supports 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of agricultural land across seven states, depends on a stable and reliable water supply from Lake Mead. The Lower Colorado River System Conservation and Efficiency Program being threatened by the Trump Administration directly adds water to the lake, contributing 1.2 million acre-feet of water in the past two years and raising the lake’s elevation by 15 feet. Projects planned for this year were set to conserve 734,000 more acre-feet and add another nine feet to the lake’s elevation.
    These savings were pivotal in securing the historic seven-state consensus agreement last year for interim operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead through 2026, in which the Lower Basin States committed to conserving 3 million acre-feet of water to stabilize the Colorado River System. The Trump Administration’s funding freeze jeopardizes these critical conservation goals while undermining similar multistate agreements in the future.
    “This Program, funded with an initial allocation through the Inflation Reduction Act and managed through the Bureau of Reclamation, has been instrumental in increasing water conservation, improving efficiency, and preventing the Colorado River system’s reservoirs from reaching dangerously low levels that threaten water deliveries and power production,” wrote the Senators.
    “The need for this water is more urgent than ever. This year’s water outlook is dry, with forecasts predicting below-average supply. Project recipients need certainty that the federal funding they were promised — whether formally under contract or not — will be available so they can plan accordingly,” they continued. “Without continued support from Interior, efforts to conserve water and sustain the communities, economies, and ecosystems that rely on the Colorado River are in serious jeopardy.”
    In light of the Office of Personnel Management’s memo last week calling for significant further reductions to the federal workforce, the Senators also pushed the Department of the Interior to make sure that any cuts do not further impact the Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the Lower Colorado River System Conservation and Efficiency Program. Reclamation staff are essential to Western water management, where water systems are extremely complex and are closely coordinated with state, tribal, and local authorities.
    The full letter is available HERE.
    Senators Rosen and Cortez Masto have been leaders working to support conservation efforts and combat drought. The Senators passed critical legislation to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which protects public lands in Nevada and across the U.S. They recently announced $10 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to enhance the safety and functionality of the Marlette Lake Dam. The Senators also secured $60 million for water conservation in Southern Nevada and $30 million from the Bureau of Reclamation for the Truckee Meadow Water Authority to make Northern Nevada’s water supply more drought-resilient.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Helps Introduce Legislation to Ban High-Capacity Gun Magazines

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) helped introduce legislation to reinstate a nationwide ban on the sale, transfer, possession, import, or manufacture of high-capacity gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds. The Keep Americans Safe Act would also authorize a high-capacity magazine buyback program and authorize law enforcement to seize and destroy high-capacity magazines possessed illegally.
    “High-capacity magazines like those used on 1 October in Las Vegas allow those who commit mass shootings to kill more innocent people faster,” said Senator Rosen. “This commonsense legislation will help decrease gun violence, prevent future tragedies, and keep our communities safe.”
    Senator Rosen has been a leader in the fight against gun violence. Following last year’s Supreme Court decision to reverse the bump stock ban implemented during President Trump’s first term, Senator Rosen joined bipartisan legislation to permanently ban bump stocks. She helped introduce the Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act to provide all victims of gun violence and their loved ones with the resources to help meet medical, legal, financial, and other needs. She also helped pass the historic Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to enhance background checks on firearm purchases for individuals under 21, fund the implementation of red flag laws, combat firearms trafficking, and invest in school safety and mental health programs. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: First Responders – Papakura fire update #4 reissued

    Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

    Firefighters have worked through the night at the scene of a fire at a metal recycling plant in Papakura and are making good progress.
    Crews have been rotated at the fireground, with seven fire appliances including three aerials still in action.
    Fire and Emergency Assistant Commander Katie Pocock says that “firefighters have worked diligently on the deep-seated burning” in piles of metal waste up to 10 metres high. The piles are being pulled apart by heavy machinery.
    She says that due to the amount of water firefighters are using, there is “more steam than smoke” coming from the site now. The warning for people to stay inside and avoid exposure to smoke is no longer in force.
    Hunua Road remains partially closed.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Montgomery Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison Following Federal Drug and Gun Convictions

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                Montgomery, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced the sentencing of a Montgomery, Alabama man following his convictions on federal drug and gun charges. On March 4, 2025, 23-year-old Arthur Varcea Colvin, received a sentence of 96 months in prison. Following his prison sentence, Colvin will serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. 

              According to his indictment and other court records, on February 1, 2023, officers with the Montgomery Police Department observed the driver of a vehicle commit a traffic violation and conducted a traffic stop. Occupants of the vehicle included Colvin in the front passenger’s seat, 28-year-old Le’Anthony Washington in the driver’s seat, and another passenger in the rear seat. Officers developed a suspicion that the vehicle contained illegal narcotics and requested the three occupants exit the vehicle. During a search, law enforcement found three firearms, including a .40 caliber handgun under the driver’s seat, an AR-15 pistol under the front passenger’s seat, and a 9mm handgun on the back floorboard. Investigators also found over 400 grams of marijuana in the trunk. In addition, officers found a handgun and a small amount of marijuana on Colvin’s person.

               On October 28, 2024, Colvin pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Washington has a previous felony conviction and is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. In October of last year, Washington pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Washington received a sentence of 35 months in federal prison on January 31, 2025. 

              The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Montgomery Police Department investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorney Michelle R. Turner prosecuted.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: FUGITIVE FIREARMS TRAFFICKER CAPTURED IN MEXICO AS PART OF OPERATION RIPSAW

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced the arrest of fugitive Roland Munoz (age: 44), who was wanted for trafficking firearms from the United States to a Mexican cartel. 

    On September 21, 2021, along with five other defendants, Munoz was charged in a 12-count indictment with violations of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371 (conspiracy to violate the laws of the United States), 554 (smuggling goods from the United States), 922(a)(6), and 924(a)(2) (straw purchasing firearms), and 22 U.S.C. §§ 2778(b)(2) and 2778(c) and 22 C.F.R. §§ 121.1 and 127.1 (violation of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations). In turn, the indictment was the result of a yearslong investigation called “Operation Ripsaw”and led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

    The indictment charges a complex conspiracy to smuggle high-powered firearms from the United States to Mexico. According to court filings, Munoz led this conspiracy by recruiting straw purchasers of firearms in Wisconsin and other states, organizing couriers to transport those firearms and money across the nation, and arranging for smugglers to take the firearms across the border in Texas and provide them to a cartel in Mexico. The conspirators purchased and attempted to smuggle over 25 firearms. According to court records, many of those firearms were later recovered in Mexico, including a .50 caliber rifle which was recovered on December 12, 2020, after Mexican law enforcement authorities engaged a group of armed members of Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a Mexican transnational criminal organization. 

    Munoz’s arrest was made in coordination with officials in Mexico and is the result of collaboration between the United States Marshals Service, ATF, and HSI.    

    If convicted of these offenses, Munoz faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

    As noted above, ATF and HSI investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Philip T. Kovoor and Christopher Ladwig will prosecute the case in the United States District Court in Green Bay.    

    An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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    For further information contact:

    Public Information Officer

    Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

    (414) 297-1700

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