Category: Natural Disasters

MIL-OSI Security: Blackfalds — Blackfalds RCMP execute search warrant seizing drugs and guns
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

In September of 2024, the Blackfalds RCMP General Investigation Section (GIS) with assistance from Sylvan Lake GIS entered into an investigation involving an individual believed to be trafficking drugs in the community. As a result of the investigation, on Oct. 2, 2024, Blackfalds RCMP with assistance from Innisfail RCMP GIS and Red Deer RCMP Police Dog Service executed a search warrant at a home in Blackfalds.

As a result of the search RCMP seized:
- 253 grams of Cocaine
- Canadian currency
- 6 firearms
RCMP have arrested and charged a 25-year-old individual, a resident of Blackfalds, with:
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking;
- Possession of stolen property under $5000;
- Weapons offences (x8).
The individual was taken before a justice of the peace and remanded into custody with a next court date set for Oct. 3, 2024, at the Alberta Court of Justice in Red Deer.

“This investigation saw the effective coordination of different RCMP detachments and sections to quickly and safely remove these drugs and guns from our community,” says Staff Sergeant Andrew Allan.

If you have any information about this investigation or about drug trafficking in the Blackfalds area please contact Blackfalds RCMP at 403-885-3333 or submit an anonymous report through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store. To report crime online, or for access to RCMP news and information, download the Alberta RCMP app through Apple or Google Play.

MIL Security OSI –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Why Europe should consider putting boots on the ground in Ukraine

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Viktoriia Lapa, Lecturer, Institute for European Policymaking, Bocconi University

The mantra “as long as it takes” has become the European Union’s rallying cry in support of Ukraine’s resistance against Russia. Initially, some experts predicted that Ukraine would fall within three days – yet nearly three years have passed, and Ukraine is still standing. This prolonged struggle has come at an immense human cost.

It’s clear that the decision to resist was made by the Ukrainian population, and they are grateful to the EU for its support. However, hopes that Ukraine can repel the invaders are fading, and there is no clear end in sight. “As long as it takes” for the EU translates, for Ukrainian ears, to “as many of your lives as we can afford to sacrifice”. Ukrainians are weary, even as they hold the front line, but the west has not communicated a commitment to fully engage in stopping Russian aggression and deterring future threats. Instead, it seems focused on a policy of “de-escalation management”. This only emboldens Russia and its allies.

What is even more concerning is the absence of a coherent strategy for managing Russia. What would the EU do in the event that the war were to magically end tomorrow? Is there a plan in place, or will EU leaders simply offer Russia a reset?

The EU has excelled in rhetoric when it comes to Ukraine but has fallen short in delivering military support. It remains reluctant to draw firm red lines for Russia as a response to attacks on European soil or to adopt a more assertive stance.

The supply of shells to Ukraine is a case in point. The EU pledged to supply 1 million rounds of ammunition by March 2024, but by January, Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, admitted that the bloc would only deliver half of that on time while committing to send 1.1 million shells by the year’s end. To address this shortfall, Czech president Petr Pavel proposed an initiative at the Munich Security Conference in February, aiming to provide 800,000 shells to Ukraine by the year’s end, sourcing ammunition globally instead of solely from EU manufacturers. By August 2024, the EU had sent Ukraine only 650,000 shells out of the promised 1 million.

Various news outlets have reported that the result is a grim picture on the front line, where for every shell fired by Ukraine, Russian forces are firing ten or more.

Additionally, the EU has been reluctant to take decisive action, even in response to Russian attacks on its territory. Recent incidents, such as a narrowly avoided plane crash in Germany attributed to suspected sabotage, reflect a troubling increase in aggressive behaviour from Russian saboteurs. The only response so far has been a relatively weak sanctions framework to be used on those involved in such attacks.

A strategy for the future

The EU must adopt a proactive approach to securing peace in Ukraine, recognising that Russia is currently unwilling to negotiate – but would also never negotiate from a position of weakness.

A clear strategy – including security guarantees for Ukraine, preferably through a pathway to Nato membership – could help put pressure on Russia and facilitate negotiations. It’s clear that bringing Ukraine into Nato might take years, but in the meantime, European countries should consider deploying troops to Ukraine as a security guarantee for this interim period.

As the Lithuanian minister of foreign affairs, Gabrielius Landsbergis, rightly said: “At the beginning of the year, Emmanuel Macron hinted at putting boots on the ground. At the end of the year, North Korea had actually done so. We are still on the back foot, reacting to escalation instead of reversing it. Macron’s ideas should now be revisited – better late than never.”

Security agreements do of course exist between Ukraine and its EU and G7 partners, but not a single country has hinted at a possibility of providing, as a guarantee for peace, such a security guarantee as “troops on the ground”. EU countries must consider this seriously.

And with a view to what happens after the Russian aggression in Ukraine, the EU needs at least the beginnings of an idea about what its terms would be for re-engaging with Russia. Otherwise it risks enabling Russia to set its own terms.

The situation on the ground is dire. While the west boasts economic strength, it lacks visionary leadership and political will. It should not allow Russia to take the lead and must adopt a clear strategy for Ukraine’s victory. Otherwise, we are heading toward the scenario described by Timothy Garton Ash in his Financial Times article advocating for Ukraine’s accession to Nato:

Consider the alternative. A defeated, divided, demoralized, depopulated Ukraine, pulsating with anger against the West and – as Zelenskyy hinted last week – probably seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. Moscow triumphant. The rest of the world concluding that the West is a paper tiger. Xi Jinping encouraged to have a go at Taiwan. Biden and Harris going down in history as the leaders who ‘lost Ukraine’.

One could add: the EU faces disintegration, regressing to its pre-union state. Ursula von der Leyen is remembered as the leader whose “as long as it takes” policy resulted in an epic failure to secure a safer future for Europe and Ukraine. Does the west want to see itself in this way?

Viktoriia Lapa is an Affiliated Scholar at the Center for Constitutional Studies and Democratic Development, a research partnership between the School of Law of the University of Bologna and the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Bologna, Italy (SAIS Europe).

– ref. Why Europe should consider putting boots on the ground in Ukraine – https://theconversation.com/why-europe-should-consider-putting-boots-on-the-ground-in-ukraine-242279

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Rebuilding after the wildfire: Updates to Parks Canada policies will ensure community of Jasper is better prepared for future challenges while maintaining the unique character of the town
Source: Government of Canada News

Rebuilding after the wildfire: Updates to Parks Canada policies will ensure community of Jasper is better prepared for future challenges while maintaining the unique character of the town.
In preparing for the rebuild, planners from Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper completed a review of Parks Canada’s existing local development policies for how development can take place in the Town of Jasper. The Jasper Superintendent, in coordination with the Municipality of Jasper administration, approved these updated local policies with the following goals in mind:

1.      Simplify the development review and approval process to make rebuilding easier for lessees.

2.      Rebuild with fire in mind, using the latest FireSmart research to ensure Jasper’s resilience to wildfire.

3.      Increase housing options for Jasperites, to ensure our actions now assist with housing supply in the long term.

4.      Rebuild with climate resilience in mind, supporting our efforts to be a community at the forefront of sustainability efforts.

5.      Enhance Jasper’s built-form character, to ensure the unique qualities of Jasper are maintained.

The aim of the updates is to identify simple changes that could make rebuilding easier. Bigger changes will be left for community discussion and exploration as part of a future community planning process.

All changes have been catalogued and the redlined versions of the updated policies are available on request by contacting jasperrealtymunicipalservices@pc.gc.ca.

Key changes to improve fire resilience

By reducing the susceptibility of a home to catching on fire, the chances of a home – and all the neighbouring homes – surviving a wildfire are greatly increased. After review and engagement with Natural Resources Canada on FireSmart guidelines, several key changes were made to Jasper’s development policies to improve Jasper’s future resilience to wildfire:

1.      Prohibiting new wood siding or shingles.

2.      Requiring that there be a 1.5 m buffer zone of non-flammable materials around a home.

3.      Requiring that landscaping plans align with FireSmart recommendations.

Key changes to increase housing

Housing has been a concern in Jasper for many years. Since 2007, the residential vacancy rate for Jasper has been between 0 and 0.4%. Over the last few decades, community consultations have consistently identified additional housing as a priority for the Jasper community. To create potential for additional housing in Jasper, the following changes were made to Jasper’s development policies:
1. Leaseholders with lots formerly zoned for single-detached dwellings can now build either one or two primary dwelling units on the lot.
2. Parking requirements are reduced.
3. There are more options for accessory dwelling units, including garden suites.
4. Subdivision made easier, including options to build a duplex, divide the lot in two, and sell the other half of the duplex.
More details are available in the Rebuilding Guide:

https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/gestion-management/serviceimmobilier-realty/reconstruction-rebuilding/guide

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MIL OSI Canada News –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NASA, NOAA Rank 2024 Ozone Hole as 7th-Smallest Since Recovery Began

Source: NASA

Healing continues in the atmosphere over the Antarctic: a hole that opens annually in the ozone layer over Earth’s southern pole was relatively small in 2024 compared to other years. Scientists with NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) project the ozone layer could fully recover by 2066.

During the peak of ozone depletion season from Sept. 7 through Oct. 13, the 2024 area of the ozone hole ranked the seventh smallest since recovery began in 1992, when the Montreal Protocol, a landmark international agreement to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals, began to take effect.
At almost 8 million square miles (20 million square kilometers), the monthly average ozone-depleted region in the Antarctic this year was nearly three times the size of the contiguous U.S. The hole reached its greatest one-day extent for the year on Sept. 28 at 8.5 million square miles (22.4 million square kilometers).
The improvement is due to a combination of continuing declines in harmful chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) chemicals, along with an unexpected infusion of ozone carried by air currents from north of the Antarctic, scientists said.

[embedded content]
The ozone hole over Antarctica reached its annual maximum extent on Sept. 28, 2024, with an area of 8.5 million square miles (22.4 million square kilometers).Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/ Kathleen Gaeta

In previous years, NASA and NOAA have reported the ozone hole ranking using a time frame dating back to 1979, when scientists began tracking Antarctic ozone levels with satellite data. Using that longer record, this year’s hole ranked 20th smallest in area across the 45 years of observations.
“The 2024 Antarctic hole is smaller than ozone holes seen in the early 2000s,” said Paul Newman, leader of NASA’s ozone research team and chief scientist for Earth sciences at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “The gradual improvement we’ve seen in the past two decades shows that international efforts that curbed ozone-destroying chemicals are working.”
The ozone-rich layer high in the atmosphere acts as a planetary sunscreen that helps shield us from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun. Areas with depleted ozone allow more UV radiation, resulting in increased cases of skin cancer and cataracts. Excessive exposure to UV light can also reduce agricultural yields as well as damage aquatic plants and animals in vital ecosystems.
Scientists were alarmed in the 1970s at the prospect that CFCs could eat away at atmospheric ozone. By the mid-1980s, the ozone layer had been depleted so much that a broad swath of the Antarctic stratosphere was essentially devoid of ozone by early October each year. Sources of damaging CFCs included coolants in refrigerators and air conditioners, as well as aerosols in hairspray, antiperspirant, and spray paint. Harmful chemicals were also released in the manufacture of insulating foams and as components of industrial fire suppression systems.
The Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987 to phase out CFC-based products and processes. Countries worldwide agreed to replace the chemicals with more environmentally friendly alternatives by 2010. The release of CFC compounds has dramatically decreased following the Montreal Protocol. But CFCs already in the air will take many decades to break down. As existing CFC levels gradually decline, ozone in the upper atmosphere will rebound globally, and ozone holes will shrink.

[embedded content]
Ozone 101 is the first in a series of explainer videos outlining the fundamentals of popular Earth science topics. Let’s back up to the basics and understand what caused the Ozone Hole, its effects on the planet, and what scientists predict will happen in future decades.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/ Kathleen Gaeta

“For 2024, we can see that the ozone hole’s severity is below average compared to other years in the past three decades, but the ozone layer is still far from being fully healed,” said Stephen Montzka, senior scientist of the NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory.
Researchers rely on a combination of systems to monitor the ozone layer. They include instruments on NASA’s Aura satellite, the NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 satellites, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite, jointly operated by NASA and NOAA.
NOAA scientists also release instrumented weather balloons from the South Pole Baseline Atmospheric Observatory to observe ozone concentrations directly overhead in a measurement called Dobson Units. The 2024 concentration reached its lowest value of 109 Dobson Units on October 5. The lowest value ever recorded over the South Pole was 92 Dobson Units in October 2006.
NASA and NOAA satellite observations of ozone concentrations cover the entire ozone hole, which can produce a slightly smaller value for the lowest Dobson Unit measurement.
“That is well below the 225 Dobson Units that was typical of the ozone cover above the Antarctic in 1979,” said NOAA research chemist Bryan Johnson. “So, there’s still a long way to go before atmospheric ozone is back to the levels before the advent of widespread CFC pollution.”
View the latest status of the ozone layer over the Antarctic with NASA’s ozone watch.
By James RiordonNASA’s Earth Science News Team
Media Contact:Jacob RichmondNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.jacob.richmond@nasa.gov

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Are Carbon-Free Energy Systems Possible? NREL Has a Way To Find Out
Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Live Power Experiments Using NREL’S ARIES Platform Solve Future Energy Challenges in the Present

Aerial view of NREL’s Flatirons Campus, where researchers demonstrate clean energy solutions for large-scale systems using the ARIES platform. Photo by Josh Bauer and Taylor Mankle, NREL

Renewable energy generation has risen for years, now supplying 22% of U.S. electricity. But the next gains will not come easy. Looming obstacles include a lack of energy storage, increasing cybersecurity threats and outages, possible electrical instabilities, and sectors that are hard to electrify.

It’s a heavy list, but those exact obstacles are well known within NREL’s Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) platform. In fact, researchers replicate these obstacles in both physical and virtual environments every day to vet large-scale energy solutions in action.

Like constellations that once guided explorers, ARIES helps users to orient their clean energy decisions. Following recent expansions in grid control, hydrogen, and cyber resilience, the platform can help researchers explore the greatest challenges to achieving a clean energy transformation.

Fine Control Over Experimental Power

One challenge for clean energy is the integration of diverse technologies. Power systems are becoming hybrid, distributed mixtures of solar, wind, storage, and many other energy resources. Electrically, they are nothing like we’ve had in the past, especially at the sub-second timescales.

To develop solutions with enough detail, engineers need the real deal for experiments: electricity like it exists in homes, between cities, and during disasters. They need to customize electricity to recreate the big research questions.

ARIES has that customizability, thanks to the controllable grid interface (CGI), which acts as an envelope on incoming power, shaping it according to scenarios, such as an oil-fired generator failing on an island full of renewables or faults affecting a wind-powered microgrid.

Past uses include:
- Validating next-generation transformers that add transmission flexibility in the U.S. Department of Energy project Grid Application Development, Testbed, and Analysis for MV SiC (GADTAMS)
- Piloting a grid-forming wind turbine with an industry partner
- Exploring hybrid power plants that mix water, wind, storage, and solar in the multi-laboratory project FlexPower.
In 2024, the CGI quadrupled in power, and it is better able to answer the many unknowns of clean energy deployed at scale.

With ARIES, researchers construct fully realistic energy systems to explore solutions for clean energy integrations, both near term and long term. This photo shows a photovoltaic array at right, and just above the array is the CGI, which customizes power flow throughout the research platform. The trailers and boxes in the center are batteries, hydrogen tanks, electrolyzers, fuel cells, direct current devices, and more. Photo by Josh Bauer and Taylor Mankle, NREL

Clean Energy Demonstrations Get Larger and More Integrated

With the CGI upgrade, the interface can run two custom scenarios in parallel at 7 megavolt-amperes and 20 megavolt-amperes, and the researchers are taking advantage.

“It’s bigger, a little faster, and it gives us bandwidth,” said Przemyslaw Koralewicz, an architect of the interface. Prior to CGI2’s completion, projects were bottlenecked by the interface’s availability. Now researchers can switch between two different machines when experiments stack up, or they can even use both in the same experiment.

“In one interesting experiment as part of the SuperFACTS project, we placed a battery on one interface and a photovoltaic array on the other. Artificially, they were made to act as if they were 1,000 miles away, individually contributing to stability on the same electric grid,” Koralewicz described.

Przemek Koralewicz, third from left, and colleagues present the latest additions to the CGI. The CGI is housed in a trailer full of power electronic switches that allow researchers to customize real energy system scenarios. Photo by Josh Bauer, NREL

A top research goal of ARIES is to successfully integrate diverse technologies. The CGI is designed for this purpose, making it possible to catch problems of instability or unreliability within uncommon energy combinations. One example is direct current (DC) microgrids.

“It’s becoming popular to explore DC microgrids. I’m pretty excited about the possibility,” Koralewicz said. “DC microgrids could avoid transformers and inject power directly into the grid bus. The CGI uniquely allows us to try this.”

The DC bus could charge heavy-duty vehicles directly from solar or wind resources, and it could power electrolyzers directly to produce hydrogen, possibilities that ARIES researchers are eager to study for their simpler architectures and unique pathways.

Although a DC bus is not yet available, other pathways are ready for research at ARIES. Thanks to additional infrastructure, hydrogen energy integration research is underway in a big way.

From Clean Electricity to Gas and Back

Hydrogen could singly abate several challenges in future energy systems. It’s a solution for energy storage, a force for grid flexibility, and an energy-dense fuel to rival carbon compounds. It’s a resource with real potential to integrate clean power, but it is lacking in experimental run time. That’s why the ARIES integrated hydrogen capabilities have expanded.

NREL research technicians Tavis Hanna and Daniel Leighton tighten flanges on a pump for integrated cooling systems. This hardware helps make ARIES a hub for large-scale hydrogen-grid research. Photo by Werner Slocum, NREL

From storage tanks to fuel cells, and from water deionizers to electrolyzers, ARIES features a full circle of clean hydrogen assets. These capabilities are set apart by their close integration with other renewable assets. At a megawatt capacity, ARIES is also the proper size to pilot hydrogen pathways before going to the full grid scale, the target of the U.S. Department of Energy’s H2@Scale initiative.

This capability appeals to mining companies and downstream ore processing facilities that want to decarbonize their operations, as well as to automotive companies that are curious about stationary power from fuel cells as an opportunity to enlarge their customer base.

“We commissioned and built this new equipment, and now we want to answer questions about electrolysis at the relevant scale,” Daniel Leighton, NREL technical lead, said in a public presentation.

Leighton and colleagues added the new assets so that researchers can explore the options around renewably produced hydrogen.

“We’ll have a pipeline that will connect to future underground storage, and we are currently validating a metal hydride storage system for low-pressure hydrogen. To validate electrolysis technologies and how they support other areas, we’re building out a full balance of plant at 6 megawatts for partners to do drop-in validation,” Leighton said.

Of course, none of this—neither the hybrid power plants nor the underground hydrogen caverns—means anything if integrated energy systems are not secure. It might not be as visible as pipelines, but as another core aim of ARIES, cybersecurity is increasingly everywhere and for good reason.

Sharper Cybersecurity: Attacking a Wind Turbine, Cloud Security, and Microgrid Communications

Modern organizations face a daily barrage of cyberattacks and scams, and the situation is similarly problematic for energy systems.

“We’re seeing hacking software become very cheap and nation states facilitating attacks. At the same time, we see our energy systems becoming much more complex—for example, an increase in the quantity of devices operating as part of the grid,” said Dane Christensen, manager of the Cyber System Assessment group at NREL.

“A loss of exclusive utility ownership over grid-interactive devices. Less tractable supply chains. A mix of legacy and modern hardware,” Christensen explained. “How do we retain the benefits of all this connectivity and achieve mutual cybersecurity?”

It’s a question that Christensen and colleagues are answering using the ARIES Cyber Range, which virtualizes, cosimulates, and visualizes energy system experiments.

An early demonstration of the ARIES Cyber Range was, logically, to attack a wind turbine on NREL’s Flatirons Campus.

NREL researchers staged a self-cyberattack on a research wind turbine to show a confluence of ARIES capabilities, including cyber-physical emulation, real-time interactivity, power hardware-in-the-loop, and visualization. Photo by NREL

In front of a live industry audience, NREL researchers established a facsimile of a distribution utility, transmission utility, and independent wind power producer, which the researchers disabled by accessing the wind power plant’s control center through vulnerabilities.

Using ARIES, they launched an attack to shut down one full-scale turbine at NREL’s Flatirons Campus and an emulated wind power plant. This triggered automated safeties to impact the surrounding transmission system.

In seconds, NREL’s mock attackers reduced the plant production to zero, cutting power to thousands of (simulated) people, showcasing what consequences could occur if vulnerabilities are left unpatched in energy systems and showing the usefulness of ARIES tools in addressing those vulnerabilities.

“We leverage the cyber range to employ much more realistic systems and to be able to scale our research,” Christensen said. “We couple the physical and virtual in real time and track it visually. In this way, we can help mitigate the risk inherent in both newly adopted technologies and in the trusted relationships that exist across the energy sector.”

The cyber-physical union at ARIES has redefined clean energy research. This is evident in a 5G microgrid platform, where utilities can assess wireless operations, and in CloudZero, where they can assess the cloud management of complex energy systems.

Like all challenges ahead for clean energy systems, cybersecurity becomes surmountable when researchers can have the real systems right in front of them, using ARIES.

Stay Tuned, Reach Out, Learn More

New opportunities continually appear for clean energy, which suits the underlying build of ARIES: Its hardware is reconfigurable and with digital simulators, scalable. ARIES researchers have a versatile electric grid at their fingertips, and they are just breaking the surface of what is possible on this research platform.

Variability in the physical size of new energy technologies being added to the system

Securely controlling (millions to tens of millions of) interconnected devices

Integrating multiple diverse technologies that have not previously worked together

Three key technical challenges guide ARIES research. Partners facing these same challenges can use the ARIES capabilities to evaluate and explore their options.

Nearing five years of being online, ARIES is equipped for another generation of experiments, and it continues to grow. If you are interested in partnering with NREL, contact ARIES@nrel.gov. These partnering examples are open now:

Visit nrel.gov/aries to learn more.

The ARIES platform is supported by the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

MIL OSI USA News –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Two Members of Transnational Money Laundering Organization Plead Guilty to Laundering Millions of Dollars in Drug Proceeds

Source: US State of California

A Georgia man pleaded guilty today to his involvement in a conspiracy to launder tens of millions of dollars in drug proceeds on behalf of foreign drug trafficking organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (the Jalisco Cartel). Earlier this year, on Aug. 5, a foreign national residing in Illinois pleaded guilty for his role in the same money laundering scheme.

According to court documents, Li Pei Tan, 46, of Buford, and Chaojie Chen, 41, a Chinese national residing in Chicago, worked for an organization that laundered millions of dollars in proceeds related to the importation of illegal drugs into the United States, primarily through Mexico, and the unlawful distribution of these drugs. Tan, Chen, and their co-conspirators traveled throughout the United States to collect proceeds derived from trafficking in fentanyl, cocaine, and other drugs. They communicated and coordinated with co-conspirators in China and other foreign countries to arrange for the laundering of these proceeds through financial transactions that were designed to conceal the illicit source of the drug proceeds, including through a sophisticated trade-based money laundering scheme involving the purchasing of bulk electronics in the United States and the shipping of these electronics to co-conspirators in China.

On multiple occasions prior to Chen’s May arrest, law enforcement seized hundreds of thousands of dollars in bulk cash drug proceeds from Chen at locations across the United States. Additionally, Tan was intercepted by law enforcement in South Carolina while attempting to transport over $197,000 in drug proceeds.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s National Drug Threat Assessment, the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are at the heart of the fentanyl crisis in the United States.

Tan and Chen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. As part of their pleas, Tan and Chen agreed to forfeit numerous assets to the government, including a residence, a firearm, body armor, and more than $270,000 in seized currency. Additionally, they agreed to the imposition of money judgments totaling over $23 million. Chen is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 14 and Tan is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 7, 2025. Chen and Tan each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia; and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram made the announcement.

The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit is investigating the case, with assistance from the DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit; DEA offices in Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina; and the Anderson County, South Carolina, Sheriff’s Office.

Trial Attorney Mary K. Daly of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Remarks by President Trump During Hurricane Helene Briefing

US Senate News:

Source: The White House
For Immediate Release                       January 24, 2025
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMPDURING HURRICANE HELENE BRIEFING Airport Fire and Rescue FacilityFletcher, North Carolina
   11:34 A.M. EST
     THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. It’s a little cold outside, but you’re getting used to the cold.
And one of the things that are very important to me and one of the reasons I’m happy that we won so convincingly is to help North Carolina get fixed up. They supported us in record numbers, and I’m supporting them in record numbers too.
And they had me set — I wanted to go to Los Angeles and see what was going on with California, why they aren’t releasing the water. Millions and millions of gallons of water, they’re sending it out to the Pacific. Someday, somebody’s going — going to explain that one. In the meantime, they have no water in Los Angeles, where they had the problems. But — so, we’re going there. But I said, “Well, what about North Carolina?” “Well, you could do that la-” — “no, I can’t.” I said, “We’re stopping in North Carolina first, and then we’re going to Los Angeles.” And we just appreciate the outpouring of love that we’ve had here.  Lara was, as you know, very instrumental in the campaign, and she lived here and is loved, and we appreciate it.  And Michael Whatley has been incredible — wherever Michael is — hello, Michael. Michael Whatley has been great.  And your congressmen have been great.  And what we thought we’d do is take a quick look around. First, we wanted to do this.  I — I want to say that we’re very disappointed in FEMA. Your new governor, it’s not his fault. He’s brand-new to the whole situation. But we’re going to work together with the governor. We’re going to work together with the — your senators, but, really, we’re going to work a lot with your congressman, especially the three that are in the area, and Michael Whatley. And I’d like to put Michael in charge of making sure everything goes well.  And Franklin Graham has been unbelievable. We’ve made a big contribution to Franklin, and we’ll continue to do so. But I — I’ve been hearing nothing but praise for the job that Samaritan’s Purse has done with Franklin, and we appreciate it.  Where is Franklin? He’s around here someplace. (Laughter.) And — that good-looking guy. He’s always been a good-looking guy.  His father was a good-looking guy, too, I’ll tell you. We loved his father, right? I saw his father in the latter years, and I said, “Well, he — he doesn’t have long to go.” He was having a hard time, and he lived about three, four years after that, right?  REVEREND GRAHAM: That’s right. THE PRESIDENT: He — he was — they call — they say he was “good stock.” He had the ultimate good stock.  But I want to thank you, Franklin. You were — you’ve been fantastic here. And everywhere he goes, he — he’s always — he’s always the first one I see.  Does — people don’t realize it, how — how good it is. A lot of people, they go, “Well, maybe it’s for the people that he’s got.” And you guys know, because you’re here, but the people that he’s got have done amazing work.  So, I just want to thank everybody. We’re going to get over and take a look. We’ll say a few words. I want to just — I do want to introduce some of the people that we have.  And our first lady — we’ll start with our first lady. She wanted to be here because of North Carolina. And then I said, “Well, you can do that, but you’re going to have to come to California too.” (Laughter.)  THE FIRST LADY: That’s okay. THE PRESIDENT: And she said, “That’s okay.” (Laughter.) And we got to fix that one up too. That’s — who — do you ever see anything like that one? It’s — who would have — who would have thought that could have happened.  So, Governor Josh Stein, thank you very much. We appreciate it. And we’re going to have a — a very long and good relationship.  Representatives — maybe stand up, if you would, so we — the press can see. Representatives Chuck Edwards — Chuck, thank you. Thank you, Chuck. Tim Moore. Virginia. You know Virginia Foxx, a legend — she is such a powerful woman. Pat Harrigan. Pat, thank you very much.  Your agriculture commissioner, who I hear is excellent, Steve Troxler — Steve, thank you very much. Good job, Steve. You’ve got plenty to do, right? MR. TROXLER: (Inaudible.) THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) More than you ever thought.  North Carolina Speaker Destin Hall. Thank you, Destin. Thanks, Destin. Very good.  House Majority Leader Brenden Jones. Brenden, thank you very much. We’re making progress, Brenden.  State Representatives Dudley Greene, Karl Gillespie, thank you very much, fellas. Good, good. Thank you very much.  State Senators Kevin Corbin, Warren Daniel, thank you. Thank you very much, Kevin, Warren.  And County Commissioner Jennifer Best, thank you. Jennifer, thank you. So, Hurricane Helene was one of the worst natural disasters in American history. It was far worse than it was even billed. I have never seen such water damage. It was largely water damage — wind damage, but water damage nobody has ever seen.  I’ve been here, as you know, numerous times, but now I’m here in a position where we can do something, meaning I’ve been in — in office for four days. And I wanted to come sooner, but actually, they had a little problem with getting, logistically, in here, but I would have been ev- — here even sooner. One oh four — a hundred and four North Carolinians have — at least — have lost their lives. Is that now a fairly firm number, or are they still finding people? You know? Is — what do you think? They’re still finding people? Pretty much, okay? It’s a lot of people.  A hundred and four people lost their lives. Seventy-three thousand homes were severely damaged or destroyed.  And I’ll tell you, I’ve been to a lot of them, and this was a — this was like lots of hurricanes in one. I’ve never seen such damage done by water. And the — the water came, it was violent, and it left, and there was, like, nothing left. It’s really pretty amazing.  At one point, half of the emergency calls to FEMA went unanswered. That’s real bad. FEMA was not doing their job. The city of Asheville went without running water for two months.  A whistleblower testified that some FEMA employees refused to help people who displayed Trump signs on their properties. I think that’s true, isn’t it? I read that. That’s not nice. That’s not too nice, is it? But whoever those property people were, thank you very much.  Michael, is that true? MR. WHATLEY: (Inaudible.) THE PRESIDENT: That’s not good — huh? — about the property owners. You put a Trump sign on it, they wouldn’t help — FEMA.  Earlier this year, FEMA kicked 2,000 North Carolinians out of their temporary housing into below-freezing temperatures. What was that all about? Is that — do you know about that? What happened? Tell me. STATE SPEAKER HALL: We had an incompetent administration under Biden. And we had a disaster, and then we call it “the disaster after the disaster” — that was the FEMA response. THE PRESIDENT: You had nothing but disaster since then. I — it doesn’t matter at this point. Biden did a bad job.  Some residents still don’t have hot water, drinking water, or anything else. And m- — many of them don’t have quarters. They don’t have anything. They got a stipend for what they lost, and we’re going to take care of it.  This is totally unacceptable, and I’ll be taking strong action to get North Carolina the support that you need to quickly recover and rebuild. We’re working on it very hard. And I think if Michael Whatley does half as good a job for North Carolina as he did for my campaign, we’ll be very happy. (Laughter.) Him and Lara were a very powerful team.  So, you think you can handle it, Michael? I don’t know. I’m not sure, Michael. (Laughter.) I think this is maybe, in many ways, easier. Okay? Maybe easier. But you’re going to lead the team.  Do you want to say who the — who the congressmen are that you want to appoint? Do you want to introduce them? MR. WHATLEY: So, we — we have Virginia Foxx and Chuck Edwards and Tim Moore — THE PRESIDENT: And — MR. WHATLEY: — whose districts encompass the area (inaudible) — THE PRESIDENT: And they are the districts that were most severely impacted, right? You were — you were affected, then, Virginia? REPRESENTATIVE FOXX: Yes, sir. Lost my own property. THE PRESIDENT: Really?  Well, I’ll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA or maybe getting rid of FEMA. I think, frankly, FEMA is not good.  I think when you have a problem like this, I think you want to go and — whether it’s a Democrat or a Republican governor, you want to use your state to fix it and not waste time calling FEMA. And then FEMA gets here, and they don’t know the area, they’ve never been to the area, and they want to give you rules that you’ve never heard about, they want to bring people that aren’t as good as the people you already have.  And FEMA has turned out to be a — a disaster. And you could go back a long way. You could go back to Louisiana. You could go back to some of the things that took place in Texas. It — it turns out to be the state that ends up doing the work. It just complicates it.  I think we’re going to recommend that FEMA go away and we pay directly — we pay a percentage to the state. But the state should fix this. If the state did this from the beginning, it would have been a lot better situation.  I think you guys agree with that, right? So, I just want to tell that Ash- — say that Asheville — I know it well. It’s a great place, and we’re going to have it be a great place again. That was the one that was most severely affected. But North Carolina is going to come back bigger, better, stronger than ever before, and you’re going to be very thankful.  And you’ve already seen — I know that it really began four days ago, but you’ve already seen more action than you have in the last three months. And we’re going to get it together.  We’re informing the Army Corps of Engineers to get going, because you have a lot of river breaks and a lot of areas that you’re going to need some pretty big work. And they’re on their way. They’re going to be working very — much harder than they’ve been working in the past. And we’re going to take care of it.  Any questions from the press of any of the congressmen, governor, anybody? Q    Sir, are you going to sign an executive order on FEMA — getting rid of it? Can you explain more about signing the executive order to get rid of FEMA, please? THE PRESIDENT: FEMA has been a very big disappointment. They cost a tremendous amount of money. It’s very bureaucratic, and it’s very slow.  Other than that, we’re very happy with them. Okay? (Laughter.) And I think it’s — I think when there’s a — when there’s a problem with the state, I think that that problem should be taken care of by the state. That’s what we have states for; they take care of problems. And a governor can handle something very quickly. You know, one of the things I’ve noticed, because I’ve been doing this for a while, and we had a pretty good FEMA. But I also noticed that when they come, they end up in arguments of — they’re fighting all the time over who does what. It’s a — just a — it’s just not a good system. This system is so beautifully designed over 250 years, approximately, you know, and we’ll soon be celebrating the 250th year. It’s going to be a very big celebration. But it’s been designed very well, and we’re going to leave it that way. When North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, when — everybody knows the governor of Tennessee, I think — everybody. Do you — do you know everybody here, pretty much? He’s o- — GOVERNOR LEE: I — I’ve introduced myself.   THE PRESIDENT: I never thought of it, but you’re right over the ridge, right? GOVERNOR LEE: Right over the hi- — right over the hillside. THE PRESIDENT: So — so, you’re here to help. That’s great. GOVERNOR LEE: These here, thi- — the people in this region, including Tennessee — the people of Appalachia are grateful that you are here and that you haven’t forgotten them.  THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. GOVERNOR LEE: And that there are other disasters, but this one was enormous for both North Carolina and Tennessee. So, thank you. THE PRESIDENT: You know, I’ve seen a lot of disasters, and this — when I came — I came here right after, the day after. And when I came here, I couldn’t believe it, actually. I couldn’t believe the damage. I — and I’ve seen a lot of them. This was — this was more like a tornado than it was — what we witnessed.  So, we’re going to get it very much — very much taken care of. Good job. That’s nice that you came. GOVERNOR LEE: Thank you, sir. THE PRESIDENT: And so, you call it right — you’re right over the ridge, right? Tennessee. GOVERNOR LEE: Right over the ridge, yes, sir. THE PRESIDENT: I like Tennessee, too. Let’s see. Where did I get more votes — Tennessee or North Carolina? I hate — (laughter) — I hate to tell you, North Carolina, it was Tennessee.  GOVERNOR LEE: There’s one of the counties in this disaster that had 88 percent for you. So (inaudible) — THE PRESIDENT: Eighty-eight percent, yeah? That’s — the people are just incredible people. GOVERNOR LEE: Yeah. THE PRESIDENT: So, do you have any questions, press? Q    Yes, Mr. President, you talked about conditions being placed on aid to California — voter ID and the like. Are there any conditions that you’re going to put on aid to North Carolina? THE PRESIDENT: Oh, we’re going to do a lot for North Carolina. You know, they’ve been very slow. I don’t know why it’s been so bad. This has been one of the worst I’ve seen.  Katrina, of course, you know, was somebo- — something that — obviously, that was a long time ago — that was not good. But this has been very slow. I don’t know if that was for political reasons because they lost the state. You know, Biden lost the state. Maybe he felt — he doesn’t care. Maybe there were other reasons. I don’t know. But this has been very slow. By any standard, this has been very slow. And we’re going to — we’re going to make up for lost time. Q    But no conditions you’re going to push for aid, just full stop? THE PRESIDENT: Well, in California, I have a condition. In California, we want them to have voter ID so the people have a voice, because right now, the people don’t have a voice because you don’t know who’s voting and it’s very corrupt.  And we also want them to release the water. If they release the water, they wouldn’t have had a problem. If they released the water when I told them to — because I told them to do it seven years ago — if they would have done it, you wouldn’t have had the problem that you had. You might have — you might not have even had a fire. So — but here, I don’t have that. It’s a different thing. You got hit by a storm. The people are incredible. They worked really well. Franklin was fantastic, and other groups — by the way, other groups came in that were also fantastic. And other states came in; Tennessee and a couple of others came in, and they really helped. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. No, this is a different kind of a thing. Q    Mr. President, have you decided how much funding you would allocate for disaster relief in North Carolina? THE PRESIDENT: About what? Q    Have you decided how much funding you would allocate for disaster relief? THE PRESIDENT: I haven’t de- — I have to see what it is. Q    Mr. President — Q    Are — are — are you disappointed that Senator Schiff hasn’t joined you on this trip? It’s reported that you invited Senator Schiff to join you on this trip, and he was too busy. Are you disappointed by that? THE PRESIDENT: I don’t know, I — I was told that Schiff was going to travel with us to California. I wasn’t thrilled, to be honest with you. (Laughter.)  And I saw him last night on television. It looks like he got hit with a baseball bat or something. What happened to him? Something happened to him. Q    Are you still — THE PRESIDENT: It was a little — it looked like he got hit. It looked like he got beat around, but — Q    So, did — did you invite him or — THE PRESIDENT: But I’ll ask Karoline to find out what happened to him.  No, if he wanted to come out, I would have done that. But I don’t know. I — somebody said that he wanted to come on the plane, but I think he’s staying back for the votes. There’s some pretty good votes going on. Yeah. Q    Mr. President, what is your timeline for getting rid of FEMA? THE PRESIDENT: I — I woul- — for the — for this one? For this one? Well — Q    For — you just talked about possibly getting rid of FEMA. What timeline are you looking at, and how would you do that? THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’re looking here — here, you’re talking about. To start — we’re going to start immediately — timeline.   And to finish, it’s going to be a period of time.  You know, people are also rebuilding their houses. How long does it take to build a house, right? It takes a time. And I want them to build houses bigger, better, nicer than they had before, so they can have — at least they get something out of this disaster. This was a real disaster. No, timeline will be fast. In terms of infrastructure, I think very fast.  I want to thank Elon, because Elon was able to get us communication systems, as you know — Starlink. We had no communication. The first day I got here, I was asked by one of the people, one of the really great representatives, professionals that — “Is there any way you could get Starlink here,” because they had no communication whatsoever. And I called up Elon Musk, and he had, you know, hundreds of units brought here — like, brought immediately. And it’s hard to get; they couldn’t get them before. And that made a lot of difference. I think it saved a lot of lives, actually. Yeah.  Infrastructure-wise, we’ll do it quickly. Q    Sir, can you just talk about how long you might — do you think it might take to get rid of FEMA? What’s the timeline on that if you’re going to roll it back? THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. I would say, look, as far as I’m concerned, I’m not really thinking about FEMA right now here. I’m thinking about Michael Whatley, and I’m thinking about the three congresspeople that you just heard from and also the other people in Congress. And they’ll be working with the governor. They’ll be working with the governor. So, that’s what I see. Q    Change of subject real quickly. The Laken Riley Act was signed by Mike — Speaker Johnson yesterday. When do you — THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Q    — when do you anticipate to put — to sign that in the Oval Office?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’re honored by that. Laken Riley — I was there at the time, and we had a big meeting with the parents right after that horrible thing took place.  And we have a — an act. You all know what that act represents. And it was a bipartisan bill. Many Democrats signed — signed on to it. That’s something that is a tribute to Laken, a beautiful young lady who was killed viciously by an illegal alien. And we passed a very powerful bill, and it was just approved. And we’ll have a ceremony sometime very shortly. I’ll be signing it. In other words, if you’re asking, I will definitely be signing it. Okay? Yeah. Q    Mr. President, the security detail for Anthony Fauci was terminated last night, and I’m wondering if you have any comment on that? THE PRESIDENT: About what? Q    The security detail for Anthony Fauci was terminated last night, sir. Do you have a comment? THE PRESIDENT: No, I think, you know, when you work for govern- — government, at some point, your security detail comes off. And, you know, you can’t have them forever. So, I think it’s very standard. If it would be for somebody else, you wouldn’t be asking the question.  The question is very fair, but, you know, you work for government — we took some off other people too — but you can’t have a security detail for the rest of your life because you worked for government. Q    Did you ask for it to be taken off, sir? THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’ll see what happens. Q    Would you feel partially responsible if something were to happen to, say, Dr. Fauci — THE PRESIDENT: No. Q    — or John Bolton? THE PRESIDENT: No.  You know, they all made a lot of money. They can hire their own security too. All the people you’re talking about, they can go out — I can give them some good numbers of very good security people. They can hire their own security. They all made a lot of money. Fauci made a lot of money. They all did.  So, if they, you know, felt that strongly, I — I think that — certainly, I would not take responsibility. Q    North Carolina is a state that relies on trade and manufacturing. Are you going to have an announcement on new tariffs coming soon? Is there a timeline now? THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, the tariffs are going to make our country rich. We’re going to be a rich, rich country very soon. Tariffs are going to make it rich. And competence — we have common sense, competence, and tariffs.  The word “tariff” is one of the most beautiful words in the dictionary.  Q    Jonathan Reynolds, the — the business secretary of the United Kingdom, said that there’s an even trade between the U.S. and — and the UK, so they shouldn’t have tariffs. Does trade imbalances or a balanced trade affect tariffs and your decisions? THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, ba- — unbalance and balance, and also deficits, like with Canada. We lose $200 billion a year with Canada. That’s because we allow them to make cars. We allow them to take lumber. We don’t need their cars. We don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their food products because we make the same products right on the other side of the border. It’s sort of crazy. So, we’ve just allowed that — you know, bad management has allowed it, over the last four years, in particular, to become very imbalanced.  And I said to — I call him “Governor Trudeau,” but he’s Prime Minister Trudeau — when he was prime minister, I asked him, “Why would we do that? Why?” And he was unable to give me an answer. He said, “I don’t know.” And I said, “Do you think it’s fair that we’re paying $200 billion to keep Canada going?” “And what would happen” — I said — I asked him, “What would happen if we didn’t do that, if we didn’t subsidize Canada?” He said, “We’d be a failed nation.” And I said, “Then you should be a state,” because why are we paying all of that money to Canada when, you know, we — we could use it ourselves, right? So, we take care of their military. You know, we ordered — we’re going to order about 40 Coast Guard big icebreakers. Big ones. And all of a sudden, Canada wants a piece of the deal. I say, “Why are we doing that?” I mean, I like doing that if they’re a state, but I don’t like doing that if they’re a nation. Also, they’ve been very nasty to us on trade. Historically, Canada has been very, very bad to us, very unfair to us on trade. So, we’ll see how it all works out. Q    So, the United Kingdom — THE PRESIDENT: I would — Q    — might be in a better spot? THE PRESIDENT: I would love to see Canada be the 51st state. The Canadian citizens, if that happened, would get a very big tax cut — tremendous tax cut — because they’re very high- — highly taxed. And you wouldn’t have to worry about military. You wouldn’t have to worry about many of the things. You’d have better health coverage. You’d have much better health coverage.  So, I think the people of Canada would like it, you know, if it’s explained.   But I — just to start off, they’d have a very — they’d have a massive tax cut, and they’d have a lot more business, because then we’d let business go to Canada routinely. And there’d be no tariffs. You know, if we did that, there’d be no tariffs. Q    So, the United Kingdom might be in a better spot, then? Q    Can you talk about Samaritan’s Purse? Reverend Franklin Graham has been a great asset to this state. Talk a little bit about the way the Samaritan Purse has helped North Carolinians. THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, say it once again. The first — Q    Reverend Franklin Graham has been a big part of Samaritan Purse and their aid to North Carolina. I just want to get your thoughts on that.
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Well, Franklin Graham has been a big asset to the state. His father was a big asset to the state, to the country — both of them. I just think this: I think Franklin and — and other people that are doing what Franklin have done — but I — you know, I’ve known Franklin so long. He was at the inauguration. He made a speech, beautiful speech; beautiful prayer. He just — he does a great job.  And we gave — we made a big donation, and it was — it was money well spent. Sometimes you make donations, it’s not well spent. He’s done a great job here. He’s done a really great job. So, I want to thank you. We’re going to the site now, and — one of the sites — and we’ll — I think you’ll — for those that haven’t seen it, you won’t even believe it, but not enough work was done. We’ll get it done fast.  And I can speak for the Republican congressmen, we’re going to knock it out, right? We’re going to knock it out. And I think we take it very personally, because it was — North Carolina was very unfairly treated — very, very unfairly treated. And it was obvious. It was too obvious. And we’re going to make up for lost time.  So, thank you to the people of North Carolina.
Thank you, everybody.
END                11:57 A.M. EST

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Remarks by President Trump at Executive Order Signing

US Senate News:

Source: The White House
For Immediate Release                            January 24, 2025
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
AT EXECUTIVE ORDER SIGNING
Oval Office
(January 23, 2025)
3:10 P.M. EST
     THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody.
     Q    Hello, sir.
     THE PRESIDENT: You all set? Okay. Very good.
     I’m going to sign some executive orders. They were very important in just about every case. And we’ll go through the first one, please.
     MR. SCHARF: Sure. Do you want to —
     MR. SACKS: Yeah. Mr. President, this is an executive order on crypto. We’re going to be —
     MR. SCHARF: That’s AI. Sorry.
     MR. SACKS: Oh, sorry. We’re doing AI first. Sorry.
     MR. SCHARF: Yeah, AI.
     MR. SACKS: Sir, this is an executive order on AI. We’re forming — we’re — we’re basically announcing the administration’s policy to make America the — the world capital in artificial intelligence and to dominate and to lead the world in AI.
     THE PRESIDENT: Do you want to say your name — your full name and serial number?
     MR. SACKS: Yeah, David Sacks, AI and crypto czar.
     THE PRESIDENT: David is one of the greatest in the world at AI — most respected, probably, there is.
     (The executive order is signed.)
     So, that should take us to the forefront, right?
     MR. SACKS: Absolutely. We got to win.
     THE PRESIDENT: Okay.
     Thank you.
     MR. SCHARF: Thank you, sir.
     THE PRESIDENT: And this, David, is?
     MR. SCHARF: Crypto.
     MR. SACKS: Yeah, this is the crypto EO. We’re going to be forming a internal working group to make crypto — to make America the world capital on crypto under your leadership.
     THE PRESIDENT: Which is really going up, right?
     MR. SACKS: Absolutely.
     (The executive order is signed.)
     THE PRESIDENT: All right, David. That’s for you. (The president gives Mr. Sacks the signing pen.) Thanks.
     MR. SACKS: Thank you, sir.
     THE PRESIDENT: You find them exciting? They might not be exciting, but we’re going to make a lot of money for the country. Okay?
     MR. SACKS: Thank you, sir.
     THE PRESIDENT: And so is David. You have to check him out. There is nobody like this guy. They said, “How did you get David Sacks? How did you do that?” And he’s — he’s doing it for the country more than anything else. So, we appreciate it, David. Thank you very much.
     MR. SACKS: Thank you, sir.
     MR. SCHARF: This is an executive order establishing a presidential commission — an advisory commission on science and technology.
     THE PRESIDENT: Good.
     (The executive order is signed.)
     Do you want to explain that a little bit?
     MR. SCHARF: The basic idea is to get together top people from government to private-sector technology industry, as well as educational institutions, to make sure that America maintains its leadership position with respect to science and technology development in the years ahead.
     THE PRESIDENT: Good. That’s great.
     MR. SCHARF: Next, sir, we have a presidential memorandum encouraging departments and agencies in your government, including the Department of the Interior, to promote federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribe of —
     THE PRESIDENT: Ohh.
     MR. SCHARF: — North Carolina.
     THE PRESIDENT: I love the Lumbee Tribe. So, this is their first big step, right?
     MR. SCHARF: This would be a huge step for them, sir.
     THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. They were with me all the way. They were great — North Carolina Lumbee Tribe.
     (The presidential memorandum is signed.)
     And we’ll send — you’ll send them a copy of that?
     MR. SCHARF: Yes, sir.
     THE PRESIDENT: They were great.
     Okay?
     MR. SCHARF: And, if you’d like, I could get them that pen, sir, as well.
     THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, let’s do that. (The president gives Mr. Scharf the signing pen.)
     MR. SCHARF: Next, we have a set of pardons for peaceful pro-life protestors who were prosecuted by the Biden administration for exercising their First Amendment rights.
     THE PRESIDENT: Do you know how many?
     MR. SCHARF: I believe it’s 23, sir.
     THE PRESIDENT: Twenty-three people that were prosecuted. They should not have been prosecuted. Man- of — many of them are — are elderly people. They should not have been prosecuted. This is a great honor to sign this.
     (The proclamation is signed.)
     They’ll be very happy.
     MR. SCHARF: Thank you, sir.
     THE PRESIDENT: So, they’re all in prison now?
     MR. SCHARF: Some are. Some are — are out of custody.
     THE PRESIDENT: It’s ridiculous.
     Okay?
     MR. SCHARF: Lastly, sir, we have an executive order ordering the declassification of files relating to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
     THE PRESIDENT: That’s a big one, huh? A lot of people are waiting for this for a long — for years —
     MR. SCHARF: Yes, sir.
     THE PRESIDENT: — for decades. And everything will be revealed.
     (The executive order is signed.)
     Okay. Give that to RFK, Jr. (The president gives Mr. Scharf the signing pen.)
     MR. SCHARF: Yes, sir.
     THE PRESIDENT: Okay.
     Okay. Thank you very much.
     (Cross-talk.)
     Q    Mr. President — Mr. President, a U.S. judge temporarily blocked the birthright citizenship order. Do you have any reaction to —
THE PRESIDENT: No. Obviously, we’ll appeal it. They put it before a certain judge — in Seattle, I guess, right? And
there’s no surprises with that judge.
Q    Mr. President, Senators Collins and Murkowski have now said they will vote against Pete Hegseth. Are you worried about his confirmation, and your reaction?
THE PRESIDENT: No. And no surprises there. It’s too bad. You know, it’s the way — the way it is. Too bad.
Q    And when would you adjourn Congress to make recess appointments, Mr. President?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’d take a look at that. I’d listen to John Thune. He’s doing a fantastic job. We’re moving along. The Democrats are trying to delay government, as they always do. They can’t help themselves. Even John Ratcliffe, who’s very, very strong, very popular and liked by the Democrats — I guess, he gets a lot of Democrat votes — that’s taking a long time, and it shouldn’t be taking a long time.
They — they’re maxing everything out so they can delay everything as much as possible.
Q    Does Senator Thune support an effort to use recess appointments if you choose to do that?
THE PRESIDENT: I’d be willing to use recess appointments. It’s up to John. We’ll see. John Thune is a great guy, great senator, knows his stuff inside out and backwards. But I would use recess appointments if he wants to do that. Absolutely.
     (Cross-talk.)
The Democrats are just delaying. They always delay.
Q    Mr. President, you spoke with the Saudi crown prince yesterday.
THE PRESIDENT: Who?
Q    The Saudi crown prince.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q    How was the — the call?
THE PRESIDENT: Great. It was great.
Q    And they said $600 million — billion dollar they can invest?
THE PRESIDENT: Six hundred. I’ll ask them for a trillion.
Q    You said you’re going to ask them for a trillion. Will Saudi Arabia be the first foreign country you will visit, since they’re investing that much money?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, if they do that, I would, yeah.
Q    You would?
THE PRESIDENT: I would be glad to do that. I did it, as you know, four years ago. We did $450 billion — meaning the money all goes to American companies — and they purchased jets and they purchased computers and everything else. And we did $450 billion, and I guess we’re at $600, $650.
(Cross-talk.)
And I’ll see if I can talk them into a trillion.
Q    And on the Middle East again. You showed great confidence in Steve Witkoff. Why you said that you doubt that the ceasefire in Gaza will — will hold since you appraised his efforts?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, no, I think he’s great. But it’s a very tricky place. It’s very tricky. And we’ll see. And if it — if something does happen, they will not be happy.
Q    Sir, follow-up on that one. In terms of Steve Witkoff, are you going to put him in charge of — of Iran strategy? And do you want him talking directly with the Iranians?
THE PRESIDENT: No, but he — he certainly is somebody I would use. He’s done a fantastic job. He’s a great negotiator. He’s a very good person, great — a very popular person. Gets along with people. I have great negotiators. They — they have no personality whatsoever, and then I have some that do.
Steve has a wonderful way about him and people like him. And even in this case, both sides like him, and he was able to make a deal. That deal would have never been made without Steve.
The Biden people couldn’t make the deal. They were working on it for a year and a half. They couldn’t make a deal. We got it done prior to the inauguration. We said it has to be before the inauguration.
I mean, the deal should hold, but if it doesn’t hold, there’ll be a lot of problems.
(Cross-talk.)
Q    Related to your AI EO. Just hours after you made that big Stargate announcement, Elon Musk tweeted that they don’t actually have the money. Is that true?
THE PRESIDENT: I don’t know if they do, but, you know, they’re putting up the money. The government is not putting up anything. They’re putting up money. They’re very rich people, so I hope they do.
And, I mean, Elon doesn’t like one of those people. So, (inaudible).
(Cross-talk.)
Q    Are you worried that AI is going to replace many American jobs?
THE PRESIDENT: No.
Q    Does that worry you?
THE PRESIDENT: No, no. It’s going to create tremendous numbers of jobs. It’s going to also create a lot of benefits, medically, for cancer research and other things. It’s going to have a huge positive impact.
And, you know, we want to be ahead of China. We’re, right now, way ahead of China.
David Sacks is one of the all-time experts. You know, that — people are amazed that he — you just met him. I don’t know if he’s still here.
MR. SACKS: (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: There he is.
But — but one of the most respected people in that world. It’s a world. That’s a whole different world.
And we’re ahead of China now because of what I’m doing, and I think it’s going to be very successful.
(Cross-talk.)
Q    On NATO spending, please. You just asked the Davos forum again that NATO countries should spend 5 percent of GDP on defense.
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah.
Q    The United States don’t spend 5 percent.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I — I don’t think so, no.
Q    Do you think it should also apply to the United States?
THE PRESIDENT: We’re protecting them, you know? They’re not protecting us. We’re protecting them. So, I don’t think we should be spending — I’m not sure we should be spending anything, but we should certainly be helping them. But they should — they should up their 2 percent to 5 percent, yeah.
Q    Mr. President — Mr. President, you said earlier during your speech at Davos that you would like to see interest rates come down.
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah.
Q    How much would you like to see them come down?
THE PRESIDENT: A lot.
Q    And will you talk with Powell?
THE PRESIDENT: I’d like to see them come down a lot, and oil prices will come down. And when oil prices come down, everything is going to be cheaper for the American people — and actually for the world — but for the American people. So, I’d like to see oil prices come down.
And when the energy comes down, that’s going to knock out a lot of the inflation. That’s going to automatically bring the interest rates down.
Q    Are you worried that it’s too much going on at once if you’re —
Q    Mr. President, you said that you would demand —
Q    Are you worried that there’s too much going on at once if you’re trying to bring interest rates down and —
THE PRESIDENT: No, no.
Q    — get the economy back going?
THE PRESIDENT: No. It just works that way. I mean, it just economically works that way. When the oil comes down, it’ll bring down prices, then you won’t have inflation, and then the interest rates will come down. (Inaudible.)
(Cross-talk.)
Q    You said that you would demand that the interest rates come down.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I would put in —
Q    Do you expect —
THE PRESIDENT: I would put in a strong statement.
Q    Do you expect the Fed to listen to you?
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah.
Q    Are you going to talk to Powell about this and — bringing the rates down?
THE PRESIDENT: At — at the right time, I would.
Q    Sir, do you plan to meet with any of the people you pardoned that were — participated in the January 6th, 2021, attack — do you plan to meet with any of them or meet with them at the White House?
THE PRESIDENT: I don’t know. I’m sure that they probably would like to. I did — I did them something important. But what they did is they were protesting a crooked election. And, you know, I mean, people understand that also. And they were treated very badly. Nobody’s been treated like that.
So, I’d be open to it, certainly. I — I don’t know of anything like that, but I think they — they’re going to — meeting some of the congresspeople — congressmen, -women —
Q    Have you spoken to them?
THE PRESIDENT: — who want to — want to meet. But I’d certainly be open to it.
Q    Have you spoken to them since you issued the pardons?
THE PRESIDENT: I haven’t spoken to any of them yet, but I know they’re very happy.
(Cross-talk.)
I gave them — I gave them their life back. Their life was taken away from them unnecessarily and unfairly. I gave them their life back. So, I can imagine they probably would like to.
Q    What did you mean when you said that Biden took bad advice in not pardoning himself yesterday?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, he did. I think he did, because he — he pardoned all these people that are crooked as hell. Look, the congressmen, they’re crooked. What they did is they destroyed evidence. When you destroy evidence, especially criminally like that — they did it criminally.
And the reason they destroyed the evidence is because it proved that I was right. They didn’t destroy evidence for no reason. They destroyed it because they found many documents saying that I offered 10,000 soldiers. If they had 500 soldiers or National Guard, there would have been no problem. If they had 200, that would have been — I offered 10,000, if they needed them — there would have been no problem.
That’s been now totally disproven. And it’s also been disproven by Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, who has her on tape saying it was her fault, that she has full responsibility for this.
But — and they have all that stuff. They destroyed everything, and they go through a year and a half, two years of nonsense, they come up with tremendous evidence, and they destroyed evidence.
And Schiff knew about it. That’s why he’s on there. He knew all about the destruction of evidence. A lot of people said he’s the one that got them to do it. And he’s a crooked guy — you know? — totally crooked politician. And so, he’s pardoned, and some other people are pardoned.
And these are crooked politicians, every one of them. Bennie Johnson [Thompson], what he did is incredible. I mean, he was the leader of the committee, and he did it. Cheney, Crying Adam Kinzinger, all of them — they destroyed evidence and deleted everything.
There’s nothing with — there’s no evidence now. They’re crooked politicians, and they should be punished. You know, that’s — even in a civil trial, you go to jail for a thing like that. They destroyed every document, from what I understand — every document — because it proved that I was totally innocent.
Q    Do you plan to send up to 10,000 troops to the southern border, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Oh, southern border?
Q    Yes, the border.
THE PRESIDENT: When you say “southern border” — when I said “10,000 troops,” I was referring to the Capitol.
Q    Oh, I see. A- — and when does that —
THE PRESIDENT: No, no, you got it wrong. I was referring —
Q    When do you plan —
THE PRESIDENT: — to the Cap- —
Q    When do you plan to do that?
THE PRESIDENT: I offered 10,000 troops to the Capitol before January 6th.
Q    And as for the 1,500 at the southern border, sir, to clarify, what exactly do you want them to be doing right now?
THE PRESIDENT: Making sure that the border is safe and secure and that criminals don’t come into our country.
Q    Mr. President, do you think that sanctions on Russia will force President Putin to negotiate?
THE PRESIDENT: I don’t know, but I think he should make a deal.
Q    Mr. President, does it bother you that Elon Musk criticized a deal that you made publicly, that he said — that he tweeted that?
THE PRESIDENT: No, it doesn’t. He hates one of the people in the deal. So —
Q    Have you spoken to him since then?
THE PRESIDENT: No, no. I’ve — well, I’ve spoken Elon but —
Q    Not about that?
THE PRESIDENT: I’ve spoken to all of them, actually.
No, no. The people in the deal are very, very smart people. But Elon, one of the people he happens to hate. But I have certain hatreds of people too —
Q    Sir —
THE PRESIDENT: — you know?
Q    Sir, on China. What do you think Xi Jinping can do on the Ukraine-Russia war?
THE PRESIDENT: Which one?
Q    Ukraine-Rus- — -Russia war. What can Xi Jinping do about that?
THE PRESIDENT: China?
Q    Yeah.
THE PRESIDENT: They have a lot of power over Russia. They supply energy to Russia, and Russia supplies energy to them. They supply other things to — you know, it — it’s really a very big trade. It’s a very big trading partner. But Russia supplies a lot of energy to China, China pays them a lot of money for that, and I think they have a lot of power over Russia. So, I think Russia should want to make a deal.
Maybe they want to make a deal. I think, from what I hear, Putin would like to see me, and we’ll meet as soon as we can. I’d — I’d meet immediately. Every day we don’t meet, soldiers are being killed in a battlefield, and that battl- — battlefield is like no battlefield since World War II. That’s a —
Q    You said that U- — Ukraine wants to —
THE PRESIDENT: And I have — I have pictures that you don’t want to see. Soldiers are being killed on a daily basis at numbers that we haven’t seen in decades. And it would be nice to end that war. It’s a ridiculous war.
Q    You said that Ukraine is ready to make a deal. Did President Zelenskyy tell you that at — personally?
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, sure. He’s ready to negotiate a deal. He’d like to stop. He’s a — he’s somebody that lost a lot of soldiers, and so did Russia — lost a lot. I mean, Russia lost more soldiers. They lost 800,000 soldiers. Would you say that’s a lot? I’d say it’s a lot.
(Cross-talk.)
Q    Mr. President, you said that you wanted to make Dr. King’s dream a reality. What’s your response to his children and civil rights leaders who say that your DEI orders are a contradiction of his dream and could further drive racial disparities?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I haven’t heard that.
Q    Mr. President, you put the Houthis back on the terror list. How do you see the war in Yemen end now?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’ll see what happens, but they can’t shoot down our ships — the Houthis.
Q    Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: And that — you can’t shoot down our ships or any ships, and that’s what they’ve been doing. So, they’re on the terror list, and —
Q    Mr. President —
THE PRESIDENT: — that’s not good for them.
Q    Mr. President —
Q    Sir, why did you revoke security protections for former Secretary of State Mi- — Mike Pompeo and — and Brian Hook?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, the same reason I do — when you, you know, have protection, you can’t have it for the rest of your life. Do you want to have a large detail of people guarding people for the rest of their lives? I mean, there’s risks to everything.
Q    Do you think a former presidents should (inaudible) —
Q    Sir, would you support striking Iran’s nuclear facilities?
THE PRESIDENT: Say it?
Q    Would you support Israel, for example, striking Iran’s nuclear facilities? Or do you —
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’m not going to answer that.
Q    — believe in diplomacy?
THE PRESIDENT: Obviously, I’m not going to answer that question. We’ll have to see. I — I’m going to be meeting with various people over the next couple of days, and we’ll see. But hopefully that can be worked out without having to worry about it. It would be nice — it would really be nice if that could be worked out without having to go that further step.
Q    And who are you going to meet with, if I — if I may ask?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’d rather not say that, but very high-level people. But hopefully that could be worked out.
You know, look, Iran, hopefully, will be — make a deal. And if they don’t make a deal, I guess that’s okay too.
Q    And, Mr. President, just to follow up, you said you think the Fed should listen to you. Can you elaborate on why you think it should?
THE PRESIDENT: With regard to interest rates?
Q    Correct, yes.
THE PRESIDENT: Because I think I know interest rates much better than they do, and I think I know it certainly much better than the one who’s primarily in charge of making that decision.
But, no, I’m guided by them very much, but if I disagree, I will let it be known.
Q    Mr. President —
Q    Sir, your tariffs planned for China and Mexico are much tougher — or the ones for Canada and Mexico are much tougher than the one for China. Why is it softer for China?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, China is already paying a lot of tariffs because of me, and when you add them up, I would say, you know, they’re paying a lot. They paid hundreds of billions of dollars. They never paid 10 cents until I came along. When I came along, they pay hundreds of — they’ve paid hundreds of billions of dollars. Never paid anything. And so, they’ve already started at a higher base.
Q    Is February 1st —
Q    Sir, about the border —
Q    — the date for Chinese tariffs as well, sir? February 1? Or was that just Mexico and Canada?
THE PRESIDENT: It’s Mexico and Canada. But we’ll — we’re talking about China too. Look, China is sending us tremendous amounts of bad drugs: fentanyl — really bad stuff. Most of it comes through Mexico. And we’re losing, I s- — I think, 300,000 lives a year because of that. People say 150, 100, 120. I think 300,000 lives a year. Those are old numbers. The other — the lower number is a low number. And we can’t have that. They’ve got to stop sending it.
I had a deal with President Xi, but it was a deal that wasn’t followed up by Biden, of course, where they were going to issue the death penalty to people that make fentanyl, and that would have stopped it. But we’ll have to stop it with tariffs.
Okay? Thank you very much, everybody.
Q    So, is China (inaudible) —
(Cross-talk.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
Q    Thank you, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
                         END                    3:30 P.M. EST

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Gloucester County Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Drug Conspiracy and Firearms Offenses

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

NEWARK, N.J. – A Gloucester County, New Jersey, man was sentenced to 72 months in prison for narcotics trafficking and firearms offenses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Javier Osorio, 44, of Deptford, New Jersey, was convicted on July 19, 2023, of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute heroin and cocaine, possession with the intent to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon following a trial before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti, who imposed the sentence on Oct. 29, 2024, in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Osorio conspired with others to distribute cocaine and over one kilogram of heroin, which was recovered from his apartment. Osorio was arrested while driving with his conspirators from New Jersey to Brooklyn to sell an additional quantity of heroin, which was recovered from the vehicle. In addition to the drugs recovered from his apartment, law enforcement also recovered a loaded stolen firearm from under Osorio’s mattress.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Osorio to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger credited special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz, with the investigation leading to the conviction. He also thanked the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney George L. Brandley of the Office’s Health Care Fraud Unit in Newark, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kendall Randolph of the Office’s Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark.

This case 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.

MIL Security OSI –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: East Helena man sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

GREAT FALLS — An East Helena man who trafficked thousands of fentanyl pills and pounds of methamphetamine while also possessing firearms was sentenced on Oct. 29 to 11 years and four months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

The defendant, Thomas Anthony Conley, 37, pleaded guilty in June to possession with intent to distribute meth and fentanyl.

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

“Thousands of fentanyl pills, pounds and pounds of meth, and multiple guns. A majority of the cases we prosecute include those elements, and I’m pleased to say virtually all of our cases result in federal prison sentences. This case is no different, and we will continue to aggressively prosecute dangerous drug traffickers with the goal that they have the same fate as Conley,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

In court documents, the government alleged that Conley possessed multiple firearms and was responsible for importing more than 20,000 fentanyl pills and dozens of pounds of meth into the state. In March and April 2023, law enforcement learned from sources that Conley was supplying meth and fentanyl in the Helena area. The investigation led to search warrants for Conley’s home and vehicles. Officers located several firearms and ammunition in one of his vehicles along with more than 17,000 fentanyl pills. Conley admitted he had worked with others to traffic large quantities of fentanyl pills and several dozen pounds of meth into Montana in the preceding months.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Missouri River Drug Task Force, Southwest Drug Task Force, Montana Highway Patrol and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation.

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

XXX

MIL Security OSI –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Hartford Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Federal Prison for Gun Possession Offense

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

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced ANTHONY SANTOS, also known as “A-1,” 36, of Hartford, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 63 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing firearms.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 17, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and Hartford Police Department conducted a court-authorized search of Santos’ apartment on Park Street in Hartford. When investigators entered the apartment, Santos ran to the window and threw a loaded Draco 7.62x39mm assault-style firearm with a high-capacity magazine containing 30 rounds of ammunition. The firearm landed on a rooftop below and was recovered. Inside the apartment, investigators seized, three firearm magazines, ammunition, a small amount of fentanyl, large bags containing bulk quantities of marijuana, thousands of bags of marijuana in pre-packaged sleeves, drug processing and packaging materials, jewelry, and approximately $4,070 in cash.

A search of two vehicles associated with Santos that were parked near the apartment revealed a loaded Smith &Wesson .357 revolver and a loaded Glock .40 caliber pistol, both of which had been reported as stolen. The Glock was fitted with an illegal “switch” that converted the pistol to a fully automatic weapon. One of the vehicles contained a backpack with numerous bags of marijuana and approximately $3,290 in cash.

Santos’ criminal history includes state convictions for narcotics distribution offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

Santos has been detained since October 17, 2023. On August 6, 2024, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of firearms by a felon.

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has assisted the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reed Durham and Geoffrey Stone.

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

MIL Security OSI –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Red Deer — Red Deer RCMP Crime Reduction Team arrest male and search residence
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

On July 19, 2024, the Red Deer RCMP Crime Reduction Team (CRT) arrested and charged one individual following an investigation into a stolen vehicle.

On July 19, 2024, Red Deer RCMP CRT were conducting patrols in the city when they located a motorcycle known to police to be stolen. CRT observed the driver of the stolen motorbike remove their helmet, at which time police were able to identify the individual as they are known to police. The individual ran away, dropping a backpack and cellphone. After a brief foot chase, police arrested the individual and seized the dropped items. As a result of the investigation, CRT obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s residence.

At approximately 1:30 a.m., on July 20, 2024, Red Deer RCMP CRT, with the assistance of Red Deer RCMP General Investigation Section (GIS), Traffic Services, and Police Dog Services (PDS) executed a search warrant at a residence in the Waskasoo neighbourhood. As a result of the search, police seized two rifles, ammunition, multiple ID cards in various names, credit cards and fake ID cards.

A 34-year-old individual, a resident of Red Deer, has been charged with 16 offences, including the following:
- 6 various criminal weapons offences (possession of weapon contrary to order, unsafe storage of firearm, possession of firearm knowing unauthorized, possession of restricted firearm without licence)
- Illegal possession or trafficking in government documents
- Possession of property obtained by crime x4
- Possess break-in instruments
- Operation of a motor vehicle while impaired
- Drive carelessly
- Drive uninsured motor vehicle on highway
Following a judicial interim release hearing, the individual was remanded in custody to appear in court at the Alberta Court of Justice in Red Deer with a next scheduled appearance was on Sept. 25, 2024.

Red Deer RCMP Crime Reduction Team is committed to public safety and reducing crime in Red Deer through intelligence-led policing and proactive enforcement.

If you have information regarding this event or any other suspicious or illegal activity within the City of Red Deer, please contact Red Deer RCMP at 403-406-2200. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store. To report crime online, or for access to RCMP news and information, download the Alberta RCMP app through Apple or Google Play.

MIL Security OSI –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Red Deer — Red Deer RCMP successfully arrest suspects after daylight shooting
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

On Sept. 19, 2024, at 10:45 a.m., Red Deer RCMP received a report of a shooting at the Safe Harbor Shelter in Red Deer. Police located a 42-year-old male victim with apparent gunshot injuries. The victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police quickly obtained CCTV footage of the incident and the suspects involved. Red Deer RCMP, with support from various RCMP units, including General Investigations Section, Police Dog Section and Crime Reduction Team, flooded the area and located two individuals entering a cab. Both individuals were arrested without incident, and a handgun was seized.

As a result of the investigation, RCMP have charged a 35-year-old individual, of no fixed address, with:
- Aggravated assault;
- Weapons offences (x4);
- Fail to comply with release conditions;
- Possession of a firearm contrary to order;
- Discharge a firearm with intent.
The 35-year-old individual was taken before a justice of the peace and remanded into custody with a next court date set for Sept. 23, 2024, at the Alberta Court of Justice in Red Deer.

Police have charged a 31-year-old individual, of no fixed address, with:
- Weapons offences (x3);
- Possession of a firearm contrary to order;
- Fail to comply with probation order.
The 31-year-old individual was taken before a justice of the peace and remanded into custody with a next court date set for Sept. 23, 2024, at the Alberta Court of Justice in Red Deer.

“Our officers were able quickly respond to this incident and obtain footage of the suspects which was then sent to all responding officers”, says Inspector Heidi Ravenhill of the Red Deer RCMP.” “This quick action allowed us to quickly locate and safely arrest these armed individuals ensuring the safety of Red Deer residents.”

MIL Security OSI –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Smoky Lake — Smoky Lake RCMP arrest and charge a male after break and enter and theft
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

n Sept. 20, 2024, at 9 a.m., Smoky Lake RCMP was dispatched to a break and enter in progress on Township Road 600, in Smoky Lake County. It was reported that multiple individuals were smashing in the door to a residence and stealing property.

An officer attended the location and witnessed the suspects leaving the property in two vehicles. Both vehicles tried to evade the officer by turning in different directions. The officer followed one vehicle and continued until it was ditched in a back trail near Township Road 620 and Highway 36. All three individuals from that vehicle attempted to flee on foot. The officer arrested two of the suspects while the third fled on foot into the bush.

Resources were called in to assist, and with the help of Lac La Biche RCMP, St. Paul RCMP, RCMP Police Dog Services, Crime Reduction Unit and the police airplane, the third suspect was taken into custody. As well, a search of the vehicle resulted in a firearm being located under the seat.

A 27-year-old individual, a resident of Janvier, Alta., was charged with:
- Break and Enter
- Flight from Police
- Operation of a motor vehicle while prohibited
- Resist peace officer
- Possession of stolen property over $5000
- Unauthorized possession firearm
- Possession of a firearm knowing it was unauthorized
- Possession of firearm in motor vehicle
- Fail to comply with order
After a judicial interim release hearing, the 27-year-old individual remanded into custody.

A 21-year-old individual, a resident of Janvier, had multiple warrants from Wood Buffalo, Alta., and Edmonton and was released for a future court date.

The third suspect was released without charges. The investigation continues into the identity of the occupants of the second suspect vehicle.

MIL Security OSI –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Rebuilding after the wildfire: Parks Canada changes the Town of Jasper Land Use Policy

Source: Government of Canada News (2)

In collaboration with the Municipality of Jasper, Parks Canada updates the Town of Jasper Land Use Policy to guide the recovery of the community..

In collaboration with the Municipality of Jasper, Parks Canada updates the Town of Jasper Land Use Policy to guide the recovery of the community.

October 30, 2024 Jasper, Alberta Parks Canada

Hundreds of Jasper homeowners are navigating the choices for rebuilding their homes after the Jasper Wildfire ignited structures in the town of Jasper in July 2024. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting residents as they rebuild, working side-by-side with the Municipality of Jasper.

Today, Ministerial Lead for Jasper Recovery, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages and Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, released updates to local land use policy in the town of Jasper. The changes simplify the process of rebuilding for anyone who lost structures within the townsite. This builds on the momentum of Bill C-76, passed unanimously in Parliament to enable the transfer of some development authorities from Parks Canada to the Municipality of Jasper.

The Government of Canada, through Parks Canada, with the Municipality of Jasper, have been working closely together through the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre. Together, they outlined a 5-phase approach to rebuilding Jasper. Today’s launch of the Rebuilding Guide marks the completion of Phase 1. This guide summarizes updates to the Town of Jasper Land Use Policy and Architectural Motif Guidelines to simplify the rebuilding process.

The land use policy changes focus on making rebuilding easier for Jasperites, rebuilding with wildfire in mind, increasing housing options, climate resilience and sustainability. Individual changes are increasing community resilience to wildfire by requiring the use of noncombustible materials on the exterior of new buildings being rebuilt, and that the 1.5 m area around them are noncombustible. Key changes to support housing include allowing leaseholders with lots formerly zoned for single-detached dwellings to build either one or two primary dwelling units on a lot, reduced parking requirements, making subdivision easier and more options for accessory dwellings. Newly established minimum standards and guidance for those who wish to go beyond the minimum standard encourage a balance between safety and increased housing. This approach will provide the flexibility for innovation by homeowners while promoting essential safety and resilience while maintaining the unique character of the national park community.

-30-

“Rebuilding Jasper is about more than about restoring lost structures; it’s an opportunity to reimagine our future with a focus on sustainability and resilience. By collaborating with Parks Canada, we can ensure that Jasper rebuilds in a sustainable way, integrating innovative practices that better protect our homes, our businesses and the environment, enhancing our community for residents and for our essential visitor economy. Together, we can create a more vibrant community that thrives on resilience, innovation, and unity, forging a path forward toward a brighter future for all.”

Richard Ireland
Mayor, Municipality of Jasper

Oliver Anderson
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
819-962-0686
oIiver.anderson@ec.gc.ca

MIL OSI Canada News –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Whitecourt — White Court RCMP traffic stop leads to significant drug seizure
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

On Oct. 3, 2024 at around 3 p.m., Whitecourt RCMP Traffic Services entered into an investigation of a flight from police after an attempted traffic stop for speeding on Highway 43. The vehicle had been captured on radar in excess of speeds of 200 km/hr.

Whitecourt RCMP soon located the vehicle and the driver at a local gas station. The lone male occupant, was arrested and a subsequent investigation conducted on scene. Through the collaboration of the White Court RCMP, Traffic Services and GIS, a significant quantity of dangerous drugs were seized at the scene and prevented from infiltrating the community.

As a result of the investigation an estimated $100,000 worth of items were seized:
- A loaded 9mm hand gun & ammunition;
- Handcuffs;
- Various bags suspected to contain methamphetamine, cocaine & psilocybin’s;
- Numerous unstamped tobacco products.
A 36-year-old individual, a resident of Edmonton. Has been charged with:
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking;
- Dangerous driving;
- Unlawful possession of tobacco products;
- Possession of a prohibited weapon & several other firearms related offences.
The individual was taken before a justice of the peace and subsequently remanded with a next court appearance set Oct. 8, 2024, at the Alberta Court of Justice in Whitecourt.

Your Alberta RCMP is committed to fighting the importation and creation of drugs within the province and do so through various units and duties. If anyone has information about illegal activity regarding illicit drugs, please contact your local police. If you wish to remain anonymous you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3TIPS.com or by using the “P3 Tips” available through Apple App or Google Play Store.

MIL Security OSI –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Sherwood Park — Strathcona County RCMP Crime Reduction Unit proactive patrol leads to two arrests
Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

On Oct. 5, 2024, at approximately 12:47 a.m., members of the Strathcona County RCMP Crime Reduction Unit were conducting proactive patrols in the area of Pembina Road when they engaged in a traffic stop with a suspicious vehicle.

During the police interaction with the occupants of the vehicle, officers observed the driver hiding a small bag in the vehicle. Both occupants were arrested.

Subsequently, the vehicle was searched, and police located and seized several imitation firearms, prohibited weapons and a small quantity of drugs.

A 48-year-old individual Leigh-Anne Grace McKay (48), a resident of Edmonton, has been charged with the following offences:
- Possession of a controlled substance – Methamphetamine
- Unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon
- Unauthorized possession in a motor vehicle
- Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
A 61-year-old individual a resident of Tofield, Alta., has been charged with the following offences:
- Possession of a controlled substance – Methamphetamine
- Unauthorized possession of a weapon (x2)
- Unauthorized possession in a motor vehicle (x2)
- Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose (x2)
Both individuals were taken before a justice of the peace and were released from custody. They are scheduled to appear on Oct. 23. 2024, at the Alberta Court of Justice in Sherwood park, Alta.

Your Strathcona County RCMP is committed to keeping our community safe. If you have information regarding any illegal activity within the Strathcona County detachment area, please contact Strathcona County RCMP at 780-467-7741. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store. To report crime online, or for access to RCMP news and information, download the Alberta RCMP app through Apple or Google Play.

MIL Security OSI –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s press encounter at the end of his visit in Colombia [bilingual, scroll down for Q+A]

Source: United Nations secretary general

Ladies and gentlemen of the media.

I thank President Petro for hosting the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Cali.

I congratulate Colombia on the excellent organization of this COP.

I also thank the people of Colombia for their warm welcome, we all felt very much at home.

The world has come to Cali to make peace with nature.

Let me be clear: we are facing an existential crisis.

Temperatures are climbing higher and higher.

We are losing more and more species – forever.

We are poisoning our waters.

And treating nature as a disposable asset.

Human activities have already altered three-quarters of Earth’s land surface and two-thirds of its waters.

And no country, rich or poor, is immune to this devastation.

To survive, humanity must make peace with nature.

We must transform our economic models – shifting our production and consumption to nature-positive practices.

Renewable energy, sustainable supply chains and zero-waste policies are not optional.

They must become the default option for both governments and businesses.

Dear friends,

The good news is that we have a plan:
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted two years ago.

But nature cannot wait for its implementation any longer.

This is what this COP is about:

Turning promises into action.

We have seen good progress, and I want to thank everyone for their efforts.

But with less than two days of negotiations left to go, we need to accelerate.

I want to highlight three priorities.

First – Cali must spark a new era for ambitious national biodiversity plans.

As of today, a majority of countries have national targets that align with the Global Biodiversity Framework.

I urge every Member State to follow suit and align these national plans with their adaptation plans and updated climate Nationally Determined Contributions – due early next year.

We must also reach an agreement on a strengthened monitoring and transparency framework to ensure accountability and move forward together.

Second – we must leave Cali with concrete plans to unlock new funding and share the benefits from the use of genetic resources.

This means capitalizing the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund.

I thank the countries and regions that pledged an additional 163 million US dollars this week.

But if we are to deliver the Global Biodiversity Framework in full, we need much more.

We must make sure we are able to mobilize 200 billion dollars annually by 2030 from all sources – domestic, international, public and private.

Developed countries must lead the way and provide at least 20 billion dollars per year – by next year – to support developing countries, in particular the Least Developed Countries and Small Island States, in their conservation and restoration efforts.

Businesses profiting from nature must also contribute to its protection and restoration.
This includes operationalizing a mechanism for sharing the benefits from the use of the Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources – in a clear, fair and efficient way.

Third – we must recognize, involve, and protect those who guard our natural heritage.

Indigenous Peoples and local communities possess vital knowledge of biodiversity conservation.

And in this region, People of African descent are key custodians of natural resources.

They must all be at the center of our decisions, not on the sidelines.

In Cali, we must agree on the proposal to establish a new permanent body for Indigenous peoples and local communities within the Convention on Biological Diversity – ensuring their voices are heard at every step across the work of the Convention.

The clock is ticking.

The survival of our planet’s biodiversity – and our own survival – are on the line.

We don’t have a moment to lose.

Señoras y señores de la prensa,

Mientras el mundo se reúne en este hermoso país para comprometerse a hacer la paz con la naturaleza, aprovecho la oportunidad para reafirmar nuestro compromiso con la paz en Colombia.

Me complace estar de nuevo en Colombia en este momento propicio para cerrar los dolorosos capítulos de guerra y consolidar este ejemplo de paz ante el país y el mundo.

Saludo los esfuerzos renovados del Presidente Petro y su gobierno para acelerar la implementación del Acuerdo Final de Paz – incluso mediante el Plan de Choque que se enfoca en aspectos concretos para mejorar la calidad de vida en los territorios priorizados.

Asimismo, reconozco el compromiso firme de la otra parte firmante – los que fueron combatientes de las FARC-EP.

Estos antiguos adversarios trabajan hoy como socios en la construcción de la paz.

Llegando con avances y desafíos a su octavo aniversario, este histórico Acuerdo debe de mantenerse en el centro de los esfuerzos de consolidación de la paz.

El Acuerdo sigue siendo la hoja de ruta principal para romper con los ciclos de violencia en Colombia.

Y también para enfrentar las causas estructurales de esta violencia mediante el compromiso de llevar la presencia integral del Estado a las regiones históricamente olvidadas.

Una presencia que conlleva seguridad, oportunidades de desarrollo y gobernanza inclusiva.

No debe haber más demora para que los dividendos de paz lleguen a todos los territorios. A todos aquellos pueblos que todavía esperan que se concrete la promesa de paz.

Asegurar la justicia para las víctimas también es impostergable.

Reconozco la noble y valiente labor del sistema pionero de justicia transicional creado por el Acuerdo. Y animo a que avance.

La Paz Total impulsada por el gobierno nacional es un objetivo loable.

Las iniciativas de diálogo, a pesar de los desafíos, buscan ampliar la paz en el país de manera complementaria al Acuerdo de Paz.

Aconsejo no dejarse desviar del camino del diálogo.

Estos diálogos son oportunidades para acabar con la violencia que sigue azotando a las poblaciones de regiones que también son claves para la implementación del Acuerdo de Paz.

Especialmente a las comunidades Indígenas y Afrocolombianas, a los desplazados y confinados por los grupos armados, a las mujeres víctimas de la violencia sexual y a los niños y niñas reclutados en la guerra.

Hoy, mi llamado al pueblo colombiano es de perseverar.

Que trabajen juntos para que sea un esfuerzo nacional, compartido.

Les quiero recordar que Colombia nunca estará sola en sus esfuerzos por la paz.

Será un honor seguir acompañando a Colombia en su camino hacia la paz, a través de la Misión de Verificación de la ONU y las agencias y programas del equipo de país.

Cuenten siempre con mi apoyo y mi solidaridad con Colombia, así como con mi profunda gratitud por la confianza que han otorgado a las Naciones Unidas.

Estaremos siempre al lado de Colombia.

Question: Muchas gracias Secretario. Quiero trasladarle una pregunta de muchas delegaciones acá y es ¿Cómo vio usted la presencia en la COP16 del Canciller venezolano Yván Gil, lo cuestionan muchas delegaciones -más de la mitad- incluso usted, que le ha exigido que publique las actas de las elecciones y esto no cayó nada bien aquí su presencia. Lo vimos incluso a usted distante del Canciller Gil. Si bien la diversidad y la protección de la naturaleza debe abarcar la mayor cantidad de actores posibles, ¿Cómo vio usted la presencia de Venezuela aquí en la COP16?

Answer: Hay dos aspectos distintos. En primer lugar, la opinión que formamos sobre la forma como se transcurrieron las elecciones, la ausencia de una transparencia adecuada y el hecho que hay muchos gobiernos que aún no han reconocido el gobierno de Venezuela. La otra parte es el mecanismo del funcionamiento de las organizaciones multilaterales y en particular de las COPs. Y en las COPs hay una acreditación en que los que están, participan desde que la misión del país los acredite. Esta es una práctica que no podemos cambiar porque es la práctica establecida estatutariamente, pero eso no invalida la opinión que podemos tener sobre lo que pasó en Venezuela.

Question: [Inaudible] – AFP. There are five years left to achieve the coming Montreal Objective Framework – to have them reversed by biodiversity laws by 2030. Here the focus is mainly on resource mobilization. Is that the correct approach? Is it really the fight over finance that will determine the success of the [Global Biodiversity Framework Fund] GBF. Is it the fight over finance that is key to determine the success of GBF? Or is it something else?

Answer: I think the most important thing in it – and that is the reason my presence in this COP – is to change what has been the permanent neglect of biodiversity, namely when compared with our efforts in relations to climate change.

We need, first of all, to accept the concept that we are facing three existential crises: climate change, biodiversity and pollution, namely plastics.

But they are all interlinked and indivisible. So, the central question is to make sure that we are able to put biodiversity as the center of our concerns in all aspects of policy and strategy and financing as we are putting climate change.

Obviously, finance is essential, but finance is not enough. What we need is a political priority at government levels. Political priorities at multilateral institution levels, and the clear commitment of the Private Sector to be involved in order to make sure that we understand that without defeating the biodiversity crisis, we will not defeat the climate crisis, we will not defeat the pollution crisis, and we will condemn our world to a situation of extreme poverty in the natural environments and this is totally unacceptable.

So, we must bring the attention of the people of the government, the institutions, and the Private Sector to the centrality of biodiversity in the context of our environmental processes.

Question: Sir, this is Stella Paul from IPS news (Inter Press Service News). Our overarching theme here is making peace with nature, but at the time, when we are seeing increasing impact of war and conflict on biodiversity across the world, starting from Ukraine to all the way to Palestine and we are not seeing enough discussion of that in a formal way, even at the COP, how do you think that we can make peace with nature? Thank you.

Answer: Well, we need peace with nature, and we need peace among ourselves. That is the reason I’ve been asking for in line with the Charter, in line with international law, and in line with the General Assembly resolutions. That is why we have been asking for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, releasing all hostages and massive humanitarian aid to Gaza. That is why we have been asking for peace in Lebanon and peace that respects Lebanese sovereignty and Lebanese territorial integrity and paves the way for a political solution. That is why we have been asking for peace in Sudan, where an enormous tragedy exists. And, obviously, we need to make peace in nature, but we need to make peace among ourselves because wars have one of the most devastating impacts – wars have some of the most devastating impacts on biodiversity on climate and on pollution.

Thank you so much. At the back there, Le Monde. Thank you.

Question: Hi [inaudible] for Le Monde. Many issues of the negotiations are still unresolved, and many Ministers are leaving tonight. Are you worried this COP could fail or at least not be as successful as is should?

Secretary-General: I have to say that I met with the five groups. And I heard a large number of ministers talk. And I felt that there was a huge will to find a successful result and a huge will to compromise on the pending issues. So, I’m quite optimistic that it will be possible to reach a consensus and not a consensus on the consensus, but the consensus that paves the way for progress after the COP in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Framework

Question: Secretario, Silvia Patiño de W Radio Colombia. Usted estuvo ayer reunido con el Presidente Gustavo Petro y el presidente le planteó la posibilidad de cambiar el mecanismo a través del cual la ONU mide la cantidad de hectáreas de cultivos de coca en Colombia. ¿La ONU está dispuesta a eso? Porque el Presiente además planteó hace algunas semanas la posibilidad de comprar los cultivos de coca a los campesinos para tratar de enfrentar el tema de narcotráfico. A la ONU ¿le suena, le gusta, le parece esta idea en torno al tráfico de drogas?

Answer: Hay convenciones sobre drogas y la ONU está vinculada a esas convenciones. Pero creo que es importante abrir la puerta a una reflexión muy seria en un mundo donde vemos que desafortunadamente el tráfico de drogas es simultáneo con el tráfico de armas, de muchos otras formas incluso de tráfico de mujeres, hombres y niños. Y que ese tráfico está minando en muchos países la estructura del Estado, por la corrupción generada.

Entonces creo que el apelo del Presidente Petro a una reflexión sobre los mecanismos que hoy tenemos en relación con el combate al narcotráfico y en relación con la droga, creo que el apelo que es hecho a una reflexión sobre la eficacia sobre los mecanismos que tenemos es un apelo que debe ser escuchado. Yo no conozco en detalle el proyecto, pero si la compra es hecha para después ser utilizada de una forma positiva, ¿puede impedir el tráfico no?

Si eso puede garantizar que haya una neutralización de esa producción y que esa producción no alimente al tráfico. Pero naturalmente el objetivo nuestro tiene que ser un objetivo de preservar la salud de la gente de todo el mundo. Muchas gracias.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: 2024 road construction season wraps up, improving safety across PEI
Source: Government of Canada News (2)

News release

Repairs and upgrades to roads and bridges in Prince Edward Island were made possible after a combined investment of over $7 million from the federal and provincial governments through the Canada Community-Building Fund and the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, October 30, 2024 — Repairs and upgrades to roads and bridges in Prince Edward Island were made possible after a combined investment of over $7 million from the federal and provincial governments through the Canada Community-Building Fund and the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

Today’s announcement highlights upgrades to roads and bridges that improve safety across the province and support housing development. These projects, including upgrades to intersections, roads and bridges, new traffic lights and storm sewers, will be completed by the end of 2024.

The Canada Community-Building Fund is a permanent source of funding that reaches communities across Canada, supports local infrastructure priorities and helps to build complete, inclusive and sustainable communities with affordable and accessible housing. From roads and bridges, to public transit and water treatment systems, reliable and modern infrastructure provides communities with opportunities to grow and develop today so that communities are resilient and strong.

The Rural and Northern Communities Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program helps communities provide more efficient and reliable energy sources, improve roads and community infrastructure, and improve internet connectivity.

Today’s announcement builds on the $14.2 million announced in February 2024 for other road improvements aimed at increasing safety across the Island.

Quotes

“These repairs and upgrades to roads and bridges across the Island are essential to keeping them safe for the folks who depend on them. We will continue to work with all orders of government and local partners to strengthen our infrastructure and build stronger and more resilient communities.”

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

“Investments in transportation infrastructure and a balanced plan for road work has made this a very productive highway construction season across the province. In collaboration with our construction contractors, Islanders and PEI’s economy benefits from safer and improved roads.”

The Honourable Ernie Hudson, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Prince Edward Island

Quick facts
- The Canada Community-Building Fund (CCBF) is a permanent, indexed source of funding provided up front, twice a year, to provinces and territories, who, in turn, flow this funding to local governments and other entities to support local infrastructure priorities.
- In 2024-25, the CCBF is delivering over $2.4 billion to more than 3,600 communities across the country.
- Canada and Prince Edward Island are committed to working together and with communities to address Canada’s housing supply challenges. As such, annual reporting will demonstrate how the CCBF is supporting housing outcomes in Prince Edward Island.
- The CCBF has 19 project eligibility categories, including capacity building, water and wastewater, highways and roads, and public transit.
- The federal government is investing $1,397,696 through the Rural and Northern Communities Infrastructure stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program and the Government of Prince Edward Island is investing $1,397,696.
- This stream supports projects that increase access to more efficient and reliable energy sources, improve community infrastructure, and improve internet connectivity for rural and northern communities.
- Including today’s announcement, 23 infrastructure projects under the Rural and Northern Communities Infrastructure stream have been announced in Prince Edward Island, with a total federal contribution of more than $78.8 million and a total provincial/territorial contribution of more than $49 million.
- The funding announced today builds on the federal government’s work through the Atlantic Growth Strategy to create well-paying jobs and strengthen local economies.
Related products

Associated links

Contacts

For more information (media only), please contact:

Sofia Ouslis
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
Sofia.ouslis@infc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
Email: media-medias@infc.gc.ca
Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
Web: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada

Stacey Miller
Department of Transportation and Infrastructure
Prince Edward Island
902-218-2103
samiller@gov.pe.ca

MIL OSI Canada News –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: WhiteBIT Surpasses 5 Million Users, Strengthening Its Leadership in Europe’s Crypto Market

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VILNIUS, Lithuania, Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As WhiteBIT approaches its 6th anniversary in November, the exchange continues to reinforce its role as a prominent player in Europe’s cryptocurrency sector, driven by a focus on user experience, security, and strategic partnerships.

WhiteBIT, one of Europe’s largest centralized crypto exchanges, is proud to announce it has reached a major milestone, exceeding 5 million users. In the past year, WhiteBIT added over 1 million new users, more than doubling its user base since 2022. The platform’s trading volume exceeded $1 trillion across spot and futures markets, and its B2B services now support over 1,000 business clients. This growth reflects the increasing trust in WhiteBIT as a secure platform for digital asset trading among investors.

“Our mission from the start has been to make cryptocurrency accessible, secure, and trusted across Europe and beyond. Hitting 5 million users is more than just a number—it’s a validation of our efforts. We keep focusing on continuous innovation and fostering trust in the digital economy,” comments Volodymyr Nosov, CEO of WhiteBIT.

Growth Fueled by Strategic Partnerships

Partnerships have been a cornerstone of WhiteBIT’s growth strategy. Collaborations with major football clubs and organizations, such as FC Barcelona, FC Trabzonspor, and the Ukrainian national football team, as well as FACEIT in e-sports have bolstered its brand presence. Moreover, WhiteBIT has established an alliance with Georgia’s Hash Bank.

For its institutional clients, WhiteBIT has partnered with Fireblocks, a leader in digital asset management, which strengthens its services for businesses looking to expand in the crypto space.

Expanding Ecosystem and Technological Advancements

WhiteBIT has also made strategic advancements in blockchain technology, unveiling its rebranded blockchain, Whitechain, which has already processed 50 million transactions and facilitated 25,000 NFTs. Additionally, WhitePool, the exchange’s Bitcoin mining pool, has ranked among the top 15 mining pools worldwide and is now one of the largest mining pool backed by a centralized exchange.

Global Expansion and Commitment to Security

WhiteBIT has been rapidly expanding its presence beyond Europe, establishing offices in Australia, Georgia, the UK, and Turkey. With a team of over 1,100 professionals globally, WhiteBIT is steadily growing its international footprint while staying rooted in its Ukrainian origins.

In its growth, security remains a top priority for WhiteBIT. According to cer.live, the exchange consistently ranks among the top five most secure platforms. Its robust security protocols, including WAF firewalls, strict AML policies, and mandatory KYC procedures, recently earned WhiteBIT the Hacken Security Award 2024 at TOKEN2049 in Singapore.

WhiteBIT continues to lead in blockchain innovation, fostering technological progress and championing the global cryptocurrency community. As the exchange grows, WhiteBIT empowers users and businesses to embrace digital assets while bridging the gap between traditional finance and the evolving world of cryptocurrency.

About WhiteBIT

WhiteBIT, established in 2018, is one of the largest centralized crypto exchanges in Europe. It offers over 600+ trading pairs, 300+ digital assets, and supports 9 national currencies. WhiteBIT is an official partner of the Ukrainian national football team, FC Barcelona, FC Trabzonspor, and FACEIT. The exchange is dedicated to advancing blockchain technology and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards in all jurisdictions where it operates.

Users can visit:

Twitter | FaceBook | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | Telegram | Discord | Medium

Contact

WhiteBit

pr@whitebit.com

The MIL Network –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: A Budget to fix the foundations and deliver change for Wales
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Chancellor takes long-term decisions to restore stability, rebuild Britain and protect working people across Wales.
HM Treasury

Chancellor takes long-term decisions to restore stability, rebuild Britain and protect working people across Wales.

No change to working people’s payslips as employee national insurance and VAT stay the same, but businesses and the wealthiest asked to pay their fair share.

Record £21 billion for the Welsh Government in 2025/26 includes £1.7 billion through the Barnett formula.

Funding for freeports, City and Growth Deals and coal tips to fire up growth and deliver good jobs across Wales.

The Chancellor has delivered a Budget to fix the foundations to deliver on the promise of change after a decade and a half of stagnation. She set out plans to rebuild Britain, while ensuring working people across Wales don’t face higher taxes in their payslips. The UK Government was handed a challenging inheritance; £22 billion of unfunded in-year spending pressures, debt at its highest since the 1960s, an unrealistic forecast for departmental spending, and stagnating living standards.

This Budget takes difficult decisions to restore economic and fiscal stability, so that the UK Government can invest in the economic future of Wales and lay the foundations for growth across the UK as its number one mission.

The Chancellor announced that the Welsh Government will be provided with a £21 billion settlement in 2025/26 – the largest in real terms in the history of devolution. This includes a £1.7 billion top-up through the Barnett formula, with £1.5 billion for day-to-day spending and £250 million for capital investment.

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:

This Budget has delivered for Wales for the first time in a generation.

The biggest settlement since devolution will provide a record boost to spending for the Welsh Government to support public services like the NHS while thousands of working people across Wales will benefit from today’s increases to their wages.

Little more than a week after the anniversary of Aberfan disaster it is fitting that we have committed £25m to make coal tips safe. It is testament to the new relationship between the UK and Welsh government, based on cooperation, respect and delivery.

We will also drive economic growth and support our world-leading Welsh industries with Investment Zones, Freeports and funding for communities across Wales.

We have prioritised money to support our steel communities, with nearly £100m to support workers and businesses.

This Budget delivers on what’s important to the people of Wales, and shows the difference we can make when two governments work together for the benefit of all.

Protecting working people and living standards

While fixing the inheritance requires tough decisions, the Chancellor has committed to protecting the living standards of working people. The decisions taken by the Chancellor to rebuild public finances enable the UK Government to deliver on its pledge to not increase National Insurance or VAT on working people in Wales, meaning they will not see higher taxes in their payslip.

The National Living Wage will increase from £11.44 to £12.21 an hour from April 2025. The 6.7% increase – worth £1,400 a year for a full-time worker – is a significant move towards delivering a genuine living wage.

The National Minimum Wage for 18 to 20-year-olds will also see a record rise from £8.60 to £10 an hour.

Working people will benefit from these increases, with there estimated to be over 70,000 minimum wage workers in Wales in 2023.

The Chancellor has made the decision to protect working people in Wales from being dragged into higher tax brackets by confirming that National Insurance Contributions thresholds will be unfrozen from 2028-29 onwards.

The Chancellor is also protecting motorists by freezing fuel duty for one year – a tax cut worth £3 billion, with the temporary 5p cut extended to 22 March 2026. This will benefit an estimated 2.1 million people in Wales, saving the average car driver £59, vans £126 and Heavy Goods Vehicles £1,079 next year.

To support Welsh pubs and smaller brewers in Wales, the UK Government is cutting duty on qualifying draught products by 1p, which represent approximately 3 in 5 alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This measure reduces duty bills by over £70 million a year, cutting duty on an average strength pint in a pub by a penny. The relief available to small producers will be updated to help smaller brewers and cidermakers.

Over 600,000 Welsh pensioners will benefit from a 4.1% increase to their new or basic State Pension in April 2025. This is an additional £470 a year for those on the new State Pension and an additional £360 a year for those on the basic State Pension.

Households eligible for Pension Credit will get £465 a year more for single pensioners and up to £710 a year more for couples due to a 4.1% increase in the Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee, benefitting 80,000 pensioners in Wales.

Around 1.1 million families in in Wales will see their working-age benefits uprated in line with inflation – a £150 gain on average in 2025-26.

Reducing the maximum level of debt repayments that can be deducted from a household’s Universal Credit payment each month from 25% to 15% will benefit a Welsh family by over £420 a year on average.

The weekly earnings limit for Carer’s Allowance will be increased by £45 a week from April next year, expanding support to more carers in Wales and helping them balance work and caring responsibilities. This is the largest ever increase to the earnings limit and provides certainty for carers with a commitment that the earnings limit will increase with the National Living Wage in the future.

Rebuilding Britain

This UK Government will not make a return to austerity and will instead boost investment to rebuild Britain and lay the foundations for growth in Wales. This includes £160 million of targeted funding for the Welsh Government, of which £150 million is in capital investment.

The UK Government will deliver £88 million for City and Growth Deals, unlocking growth and investment across Wales.

The government also confirms £80 million funding for the Port Talbot / Tata Steel Transition Board, with work already underway to support workers and businesses affected by decarbonisation at Tata Steel.

£29 million of funding will be provided to the Welsh Government for the necessary build costs of border facilities in Holyhead and Pembrokeshire.

Essential work being undertaken by the Welsh Government to keep disused coal tips maintained and safe will be supported by £25 million of funding in 2025/26.

The Budget gives certainty to local leaders and investors, confirming funding for the Investment Zones and Freeports programmes across the UK – including the Celtic Freeport where tax sites will be operational from next month.

The Chancellor committed the UK Government to working closely with the Welsh Government on the Industrial Strategy, 10-year infrastructure strategy and the National Wealth Fund – to ensure the benefits of these are felt UK-wide and as part of the relationship reset between governments. These will mobilise billions of pounds of investment in the UK’s world-leading clean energy and growth industries.

Under-served parts of Wales will benefit from the rollout of digital infrastructure enabled by over £500 million of UK-wide investment in Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network.

A corporate tax roadmap will provide businesses with the stability and certainty they need to make long-term investment decisions and support our growth mission. It confirms our competitive offer, with the lowest Corporate Tax rate in the G7 and generous support for investment and innovation.

The UK Government will also proceed with implementing the 45%/40% rates of the theatre, orchestra, museum and galleries tax relief from 1 April 2025 to provide certainty to businesses in Wales’ thriving cultural sector.

Repairing public finances

The Chancellor has made clear that, whilst protecting working people with measures to reduce the cost of living, there would be difficult decisions required. The Budget will ask businesses and the wealthiest to pay their fair share while making taxes fairer. This will go directly towards fixing the foundations of the UK economy.

The rate of Employers’ National Insurance will increase by 1.2 percentage points, to 15%. The Secondary Threshold – the level at which employers start paying national insurance on each employee’s salary – will reduce from £9,100 per year to £5,000 per year.

The smallest businesses will be protected as the Employment Allowance will increase to £10,500 from £5,000, allowing Welsh firms to employ four National Living Wage workers full time without paying employer national insurance on their wages.

Capital Gains Tax will increase from 10% to 18% for those paying the lower rate, and 20% to 24% for those paying the higher rate.

To encourage entrepreneurs to invest in their businesses Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR) will remain at 10% this year, before rising to 14% on 6 April 2025 and 18% from 6 April 2026-27.

The lifetime limit of BADR will be maintained at £1 million. The lifetime limit of Investors’ Relief will be reduced from £10 million to £1 million.

The OBR say changes to CGT will raise over £2.5 billion a year and the UK will continue to have the lowest CGT rate of any European G7 country.

Inheritance Tax thresholds will be fixed at their current levels for a further two years until April 2030. More than 90% of estates each year will be outside of its scope. From April 2027 inherited pensions will be subject to Inheritance Tax. This removes a distortion which has led to pensions being used as a tax planning vehicle to transfer wealth rather than their original purpose to fund retirement.

From April 2026, agricultural property relief and business property relief will be reformed. The highest rate of relief will continue at 100% for the first £1 million of combined business and agricultural assets, fully protecting the majority of businesses and farms. It will reduce to 50% after the first £1 million. Reforms will affect the wealthiest 2,000 estates each year. Inheritance Tax reforms in total are predicted by the OBR to raise £2 billion to support stability.

From 2026-27 Air Passenger Duty (APD) for short and long-haul flights will increase by 13% to the nearest pound, a partial adjustment to account for previous high inflation. For economy passengers, this means a maximum £2 extra per short haul flight and tickets for children under the age of 16 remain exempt from APD. APD for larger private jets will be increased by a further 50%.

The Budget also announced a package of measures that disincentivise activities that cause ill health, by:

Renewing the tobacco duty escalator which increases all tobacco duty rates by RPI+2% plus an above escalator increase to hand rolling tobacco (totalling RPI+12%). 

Introducing a new vaping duty at a flat rate of 22p/ml from October 2026, accompanied by a further one-off increase in tobacco duty to maintain financial incentive to choose vaping over smoking.

To help tackle obesity and other harms caused by high sugar intake, the Soft Drinks Industry Levy will increase to account for inflation since it was last updated in 2018, and the duty will rise in line with inflation every year going forward.

The UK Government will also uprate alcohol duty in line with RPI on 1 February 2025, except for most drinks in pubs.

The UK Government has set out the next steps to deliver its tax manifesto commitments in the July Statement. Having consulted on the final policy details where appropriate, this Budget delivers the UK Government’s manifesto commitments to raise revenue to pay for First Steps, with reforms that are underpinned by fairness, and tackle tax avoidance by:

A new residence-based regime will replace the current non-dom regime from April 2025 and will be designed to attract investment and talent to the UK.

Offshore trusts will no longer be able to be used to shelter assets from Inheritance Tax, and there will be transitional arrangement in place for people who have made plans based on current rules.

The planned 50% reduction for foreign income in the first year of the new regime will be removed.

Reforms to the non-dom regime will raise a total of £12.7 billion according to the OBR.

The tax treatment of carried interest will be reformed by first increasing the Capital Gains Tax rates on carried interest to 32% and then, from April 2026, moving to a revised regime – with bespoke rules to reflect the characteristics of the reward.

The UK Government will also introduce 20% VAT on education and boarding services provided for a charge by private schools from 1 January 2025.

The Chancellor also doubled down on fiscal responsibility through two new fiscal rules that put the public finances on a sustainable path and prioritise investment to support long-term growth, and new principles of stability. Spending Reviews will be held every two years, setting plans for at least three years to ensure public services are always planned and improve value for money.

One major fiscal event per year will give families and businesses stability and certainty on tax and spending changes, while giving the Welsh Government greater clarity for in its own budget-setting. A Fiscal Lock will also ensure no future government can sideline the OBR again.

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Published 30 October 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI Canada: Backgrounder: 2024 road construction season wraps up, improving safety across PEI

Source: Government of Canada News

Backgrounder

The federal government has invested more than $7 million through the Canada Community-Building Fund and the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to support 12 roads and bridges projects across Prince Edward Island.

Project Information:

Canada Community-Building Fund
Location	Project Name	Project Details	Federal Funding	Provincial Funding
Alberton	Church St/Albion St/Weeks Dr	Replacing asphalt to improve road conditions for motorists	$423,000	$27,000
Bonshaw	Route 1	Repaving the bridge to improve safety, road conditions	$223,720	$14,280
Charlottetown	Route 2 – Country View	Installing traffic lights to improve safety for a new housing development	$188,000	$12,000
Charlottetown	Route 2 & Melody Lane	Adding traffic signals to improve safety and traffic flow at an intersection for housing development	$188,000	$12,000
Montrose	Route –152	Raising the road bed at the intersection to improve sight distance for safety	$517,000	$33,000
Mount Stewart	Storm sewer	Replacing a storm sewer to keep water from flooding the road	$188,000	$12,000
Newtown	Route 1 – Lower Newtown	Replacing asphalt to improve road conditions for motorists	$831,900	$53,100
Nine Mile Creek	Route 19	Replacing asphalt to improve road conditions for motorists	$653,300	$41,700
Hazelbrook	Route 1	Replacing asphalt to improve road conditions for motorists	$1,057,500	$67,500

ICIP – Rural and Northern Communities Infrastructure Stream
Location	Project Name	Project Details	Federal Funding	Provincial Funding
Basin Head, Kingsboro, Little Harbour, New London, Red Point	Collector Road Safety Improvements	Widening and paving roads to improve road safety; raising the road to improve sight distance in New London	$1,397,696	$1,397,696

MIL OSI Canada News –

January 25, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: Kustoff Helps Introduce Bipartisan Farmer Assistance and Revenue Mitigation Act

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative David Kustoff (TN-08)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman David Kustoff (R-TN) joined Congressman Trent Kelly (R-MS) to introduce the bipartisan Farmer Assistance and Revenue Mitigation Act of 2024 (FARM Act) in the House of Representatives. This legislation will provide emergency assistance to farmers of eligible commodities for which the expected revenue in crop year 2024 is below the projected per-acre cost of production.

As Congress continues to debate an updated Farm Bill, this legislation will provide immediate relief by helping farmers pay down debt relative to the 2024 crop and help obtain financing for the 2025 crop year.

“Our farmers produce the food, fuel, and fiber used around the world,” said Congressman Kustoff. “Recently, our farmers have been forced to grapple with many circumstances out of their control, such as natural disasters, high inflation, and drought. That is why I am pleased to join Congressman Kelly to introduce this vital legislation that will provide our farmers with the assistance they need to keep up production. Farmers are the backbone of our economy, and I am working to ensure they have the resources they need from Washington.”

This legislation has been supported by the American Farm Bureau Federation, Tennessee Farm Bureau, Mississippi Farm Bureau, American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Barley Growers Association, National Cotton Council, National Sorghum Producers, National Sunflower Association, U.S. Canola Association, U.S. Peanut Federation, USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council, USA Rice, and the Western Peanut Growers Association.

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MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI: ATPC Cyber Forum to Focus on Next Generation Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence Issues
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

ATLANTA, Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — White House National Cyber Director, CEOs, Key Financial Services Companies, Congressional and Executive Branch Experts will discuss industry priorities for 2025 and beyond

The American Transaction Processors Coalition (ATPC) Cyber Council will convene “The Tie that Binds: A 21st Century Cybersecurity Dialogue,” on October 31, 2024, at the Bank of America Financial Center Tower’s Convention Hall in Atlanta. This event will feature leading cyber experts from the financial services sector, Federal agencies, the White House, and Congress to focus on pressing cybersecurity issues and ways the financial services sector is addressing these issues. It will include discussions on evolving technologies that will influence the path forward, the role of AI, supply chain security needs, and more.

“Cybersecurity is the backbone of the payment processing industry,” said H. West Richards, ATPC executive director. “The work of the ATPC Cyber Council is a testament to our commitment to safeguarding our financial ecosystem and fostering a collaborative approach to tackling the cybersecurity challenges of tomorrow.”

Key Speakers and Highlights:
- The Honorable Harry Coker, Jr., White House National Cyber Director, will deliver the luncheon keynote.
- The Honorable Rich McCormick (R-GA-06) will deliver a keynote address.
- Moira Bergin, Subcommittee on Cybersecurity Staff Director, House Committee on Homeland Security, will discuss legislative priorities and global cybersecurity risks.
- The Honorable Andre Dickens, Mayor of Atlanta, will provide a video address.
- Barry McCarthy, CEO of Deluxe and Chair of the ATPC Board of Directors, will also deliver a keynote.
- Bridgette Walsh, Executive Director of the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council, and Josh Magri, Founder & CEO of Cyber Risk Institute, will participate in a fireside discussion on private sector best practices.
- A panel on AI in financial services will feature Clarissa Banks (Deluxe), David Excell (Featurespace), David King (Mastercard), and Donna Teevens (ACI Worldwide), moderated by Rick Van Luvender.
- A panel on cyber education will include Dr. Tony Coulson (CSUSB), Dr. Albena Asenova-Belal (Gwinnett Technical College), Dr. Humayun Zafar (Kennesaw State University), and Dr. Michael Nowatkowski (Augusta University).
- H. West Richards, ATPC Executive Director, will open the event with a welcome address.
- Rick Van Luvender, ATPC Cyber Council Chair & SVP, Head of Cybersecurity Client Trust & International Cybersecurity Service at Fiserv, will deliver the opening remarks.
- Norma Krayem, ATPC Cyber Council Director & Vice President, Chair of the Cybersecurity, Privacy & Digital Innovation Practice Group at Van Scoyoc Associates, will provide insights on future cybersecurity trends.
The forum will conclude with a fireside chat focused on “A Look to the Future: 2025: Top Cybersecurity and Critical Technology Priorities for the ATPC Cyber Council,” featuring Rick Van Luvender from Fiserv and Norma Krayem, the ATPC Cyber Council director, focusing on future cybersecurity and critical technology priorities.

Conference details are available at https://atpcoalition.com/atpc-cyber-forum/.

ATPC is a leading voice for America’s payments processors, consisting of the world’s largest, global payment processors, banks, credit card companies and financial services companies. ATPC member companies are uniquely positioned to ensure global payments move seamlessly across the world, while empowering broader and more diverse participation within the financial services system. In the race for a better tomorrow, technology solutions can advance faster than companies can keep up with cybersecurity risks. As a result, the ATPC is one of the few coalitions that created a standalone Cybersecurity Council to prioritize these key cybersecurity issues across its member companies. The ATPC Cyber Council is a unique group made up of only CISOs, CSOs, CIOs and CTOs who are on the front lines every day dealing with the operational impacts of cybersecurity. These U.S. based companies serve hundreds of millions of customer businesses across the globe daily and process hundreds of billions of transactions per year.

About the ATPC

The ATPC is a leading voice for America’s payments processors, driving awareness of the industry and its value to consumers, businesses, and the economy with legislators and regulators at federal, state, and international levels. The ATPC is rooted in Georgia’s Transaction Alley where electronic payments and the fintech industry began. Yet, our members enable payments in states across the nation and in every corner of the globe. The ATPC has a rich history of economic development, thought leadership, and engagement on legislative and regulatory topics like cybersecurity, privacy, financial inclusion, fraud, as well as emerging themes like open banking, AI, and stable coins.

About the ATPC Cyber Council

The American Transaction Processors Coalition (ATPC) established a dedicated Cyber Council to galvanize the efforts of the ATPC member companies in addressing cybersecurity risks. The Cyber Council’s mission is to identify best practices and areas of shared risk to help ATPC members address the evolving cyber threat across America’s payments processing system to strengthen industry’s ability to identify, protect, detect, respond to and recover from cyberattacks.

Contact

Alison Watson

Golin

awatson@golin.com

The MIL Network –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Felon in Possession Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison Following Shooting at the Palm Beach Gardens Mall

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

MIAMI – A felon in possession of a firearm was sentenced to 144 months in prison, following a shooting at the Palm Beach Gardens Mall (The Gardens Mall) on Valentine’s Day.

Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon imposed an upward variance in sentencing Devon Jamal Graham, 29, to 144 months in prison. Graham previously pled guilty to possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance containing fentanyl and cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Kamarcio Mitchell, 29, a second man who was arrested following the shooting at The Gardens Mall, is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 21 at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Cannon in Fort Pierce, Fla. Mitchell previously pled guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

On Feb. 14, both Mitchell and Graham were at The Gardens Mall, both separately in possession of a firearm. Mitchell was on the second level of The Gardens Mall near a retail store. Mitchell followed Graham onto the escalator and was manipulating an object under his shirt. Mitchell was then fired upon by Graham and shot. Mitchell fled the mall to the parking lot, leaving a trail of blood. A loaded firearm that had been disassembled was found in the parking lot by police, near the blood trail. Mitchell was later treated for his injury at a local hospital. Upon his later arrest on a federal warrant, authorities discovered Mitchell in possession of a distribution quantity of fentanyl after he unsuccessfully tried to toss the drugs.

Two firearms were recovered from the vehicle Graham used to travel to the mall, along with a bag containing 35 capsules with a mixture containing fentanyl and a pill bottle with approximately 16 grams of cocaine.

The recovered firearms had previously travelled in interstate commerce.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, U.S. Marshal Gadyaces S. Serralta of the U.S. Marshals Service, Chief Dominick Pape of the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department, and Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office announced the sentencing.

The Office of State Attorney Dave Aronberg for the 15^th Judicial Circuit – Palm Beach County provided invaluable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John McMillan and Shannon O’Shea Darsch are prosecuting the case.

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

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-80022.

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MIL Security OSI –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Forever chemicals are in our drinking water – here’s how to reduce them

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stuart Harrad, Professor of Environmental Chemistry, University of Birmingham

fast-stock/Shutterstock

News reports of so-called forever chemicals in drinking water have left people worried about the safety of tap and bottled water. But recent research has shown there are ways to significantly reduce the levels of these harmful chemicals in our water.

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a wide range of synthetic chemicals that are used in many everyday products such as cosmetics, fabrics and food packaging (where they are used to make products resistant to water and grease), as well as in fire-fighting foams.

Unusually in the chemical universe, the structures of PFAS include groups of atoms within the same molecule that imbue them with both water-hating and water-loving properties. They are also resistant to degradation.

While this latter characteristic can improve the quality of the products we buy, it also means it is nearly impossible to break these chemicals down once they escape into the environment. Some PFAS chemicals are are also toxic. For example, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been classified as carcinogenic to humans, and has been found to lower immune response to common childhood vaccines.

PFAS can penetrate human skin and have been found in our drinking water, air, food, and even in human milk.

Concerns about their safety has led numerous jurisdictions to set limits on levels of some PFAS in drinking water. Nevertheless, many news stories have reported on research finding dangerous levels of PFAS chemicals in drinking water sources in England.

Read more:
PFAS forever chemicals found in English drinking water – why are they everywhere and what are the risks?

With this in mind, my colleagues and I measured concentrations of ten key PFAS in 41 samples of tap water from the West Midlands of the UK and 14 samples from Shenzhen, China. We also measured the same PFAS in 112 samples of bottled water.

We sampled 87 different brands from 15 countries that we bought either from shops or online in the UK and China. The PFAS we tested included many of those regulated in drinking water as well as some others we have found previously in indoor air and dust.

Forever chemicals are in our drinking water.
Shining symbols/Shutterstock

We compared concentrations of PFAS in plastic and glass bottled water, as well as in sparkling versus still water. In neither case did we find significant differences in concentrations of PFAS. In contrast however, in China we found significantly higher concentrations of PFAS in natural mineral water than in bottled purified water.

Crucially, while we found PFAS in every sample analysed, the maximum concentration limits set recently by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for some PFAS were only exceeded for PFOA in some samples of tap water from Shenzhen.

Concentrations of PFAS were lower in bottled water than in tap water from the same locality. This finding is in line with studies conducted in other countries like Spain.

It may be reassuring to some extent but our study only examined a relatively small number of tap water samples from two municipalities and cannot be taken as representative of the UK or China overall. There is no room for complacency as the USEPA’s target concentration limits for two of the PFAS we measured are zero.

So, taking note of the lower concentrations we saw in bottled purified water, we examined the effectiveness of boiling and filtration using activated carbon jug filters.

Boiling in a regular kettle reduced concentrations of all ten of the PFAS we tested. The level of reduction varied between different PFAS though. For PFOA and the three other PFAS that we measured for which there are USEPA concentration limits, concentrations reduced by 11%−14% but were much greater (61%-86%) for the more volatile and non-regulated PFAS we examined that are more easily evaporated.

Reductions were greater for all the PFAS we tested (81%−96%) when we passed the water through an activated carbon jug filter. Boiling the water after activated carbon filtration, as sometimes happens in China, reduced concentrations a little further to between 81 and 99.6%.

These results suggest that using a jug water filter can substantially reduce concentrations of some regulated PFAS in our tap water. Boiling water before drinking also reduces PFAS concentrations but is less effective.

Our findings add to those of a 2024 study in Montreal, which suggested that using a filter fitted to the kitchen tap reduced concentrations of 75 PFAS in tap water.

Our findings are a small first step towards reducing our exposure to PFAS. But we should not lose sight of the need to reduce and eliminate such forever chemicals. There’s still a lot we don’t understand about these chemicals but what we’ve learned so far shows that some of them present an urgent threat to the health of both humans and wildlife.

Stuart Harrad has received funding from the Environmental Protection Agency of Ireland and the European Union.

– ref. Forever chemicals are in our drinking water – here’s how to reduce them – https://theconversation.com/forever-chemicals-are-in-our-drinking-water-heres-how-to-reduce-them-241645

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Colonialism, starvation and resistance: How food is weaponized, from Gaza to Canada

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Charles Z. Levkoe, Canada Research Chair in Equitable and Sustainable Food Systems, Lakehead University

For more than a year, the Israeli state has been engaged in a massive incursion into Gaza following the October 2023 Hamas attack against Israel.

In March 2024, Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, announced: “There are reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission of the crime of genocide…has been met.”

A core element of this apparent genocide includes food militarization and weaponization, a tactic that has also been used by Canada to exterminate, dispossess and control Indigenous populations.

We have come together as a group of critical food systems scholars to examine the parallels between the weaponization of food in Gaza and Canada to bring about the systematic destruction of Indigenous Peoples. But we’ve also observed that food has been a powerful tool of resistance and resurgence.

Read more:
Israeli siege has placed Gazans at risk of starvation − prewar policies made them vulnerable in the first place

Food as a weapon

Throughout modern history, food has been deployed as a weapon by colonial regimes to control and displace Indigenous populations. The current crisis in Gaza has brought this into sharp focus as the Israeli state has engaged in the systematic destruction of Palestinian food systems, with devastating consequences.

Israel’s blockade of Gaza, in place since 2007, has cut off access to essential agricultural areas and restricted fishing activities. Gaza farmers are often unable to access their land, while fishers are constantly barred from accessing the coast, harassed, intimidated and even killed by Israeli forces.

This blockade, combined with military operations that destroy farmland, trees and infrastructure, has resulted in more than 95 per cent of people in Gaza facing severe food insecurity and a famine declared by the United Nations experts in the summer of 2024.

Read more:
Starvation is a weapon of war: Gazans are paying the price

Canada’s use of food weaponization

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the Canadian government employed similar tactics to restrict Indigenous Peoples’ access to land, food and water. Colonial policies like the Indian Act, the Homesteading Act and the Pass System confined Indigenous Peoples to reserves, prohibited hunting and fishing and forced reliance on inadequate government food rations.

This led to malnutrition and starvation, particularly in response to Indigenous resistance to settler expansion. The use of food as a weapon was part of a broader project to eliminate or otherwise undermine Indigenous identity and self-determination, a process that continues today.

From ongoing boil-water advisories to environmental degradation caused by mining, oil and gas extraction, forestry, agriculture and chemical production, settler governments and industries continue to dispossess Indigenous Peoples from their lands and undermine their livelihood.

These practices have severely and disproportionately impacted Indigenous health and well-being, as well as their food systems.

Read more:
Colonialists used starvation as a tool of oppression

The Scream, by Kent Monkman (2016), was part of a travelling exhibition in 2017 on colonized Canada entitled ‘Shame And Prejudice: A Story Of Resilience.’
(Courtesy of Kent Monkman)

Israel targets food infrastructure

In the occupied Palestinian territories, Israeli control over land and resources reflects a similar colonial dynamic. Laws like the Absentee Property Law of 1950 facilitated the expropriation of Palestinian land.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has systematically targeted Gaza’s food infrastructure and used starvation as a weapon of war, according to Human Rights Watch. Satellite imagery shows that 70 per cent of Gaza’s tree cover has been eliminated or damaged, and about one-third of greenhouses have been demolished.

Tanks and trucks have decimated orchards, field crops and olive groves.

An estimated 800,000 tonnes of asbestos among the debris of destroyed buildings will result in asbestos-related diseases for generations to come. Under the Geneva Conventions, destruction of civilians’ means of survival and starvation as a tool of warfare is strictly prohibited.

Food as resistance

Food has also long been mobilized as a powerful tool of resistance. Among Palestinians, struggles for food sovereignty have played a critical role in self-determination.

Palestinians continue to cultivate their land under the rubble, grow olive trees despite ongoing violence and maintain food practices that connect them to their lands and their cultural heritage.

Similarly, Indigenous nations and communities across Canada have used food as a form of resurgence. Alongside land back movements, efforts to revitalize Indigenous food systems — such as hunting, fishing, growing and gathering — are central to movements for Indigenous sovereignty.

Learning about and enacting traditional food practices are important acts of resistance, as these practices sustain communities, strengthen connections to land and assert rights over the unceded territories Indigenous Peoples are fighting to reclaim. By reclaiming and rebuilding their land and food systems on their own terms, they continue to challenge colonial structures.

Food, colonialism and resistance

The destruction of food systems in Gaza and Canada is part of a larger effort of land dispossession and capitalist accumulation. By severing Indigenous Peoples’ connection to their food systems, settlers and colonial regimes have sought to control not only the land but also the people who depend on it.

Yet, through food sovereignty movements, these same populations are reclaiming their right to self-determination and building global networks of solidarity.

Read more:
Indigenous food sovereignty requires better and more accurate data collection

The struggle for food sovereignty is inseparable from broader struggles for land, justice and self-determination.

Connecting the dots between the Palestinian territories and Canada provides powerful examples of global colonial relations and struggles for justice and self-determination. It challenges us to critically examine the role of food in these struggles and demand government accountability.

We wish to acknowledge Mustafa Koç, professor emeritus at Toronto Metropolitan University, as a co-author and to thank Max Ajl, Yafa Al Masri and Justin Podur for contributions to this article.

Charles Z. Levkoe receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the the Government of Ontario.

Sarah Rotz receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Tammara Soma receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

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

– ref. Colonialism, starvation and resistance: How food is weaponized, from Gaza to Canada – https://theconversation.com/colonialism-starvation-and-resistance-how-food-is-weaponized-from-gaza-to-canada-241525

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Replacing Lead Pipes and Protecting Drinking Water
Source: US State of New York

October 30, 2024

Albany, NY
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a $12 million state grant to help the City of Poughkeepsie identify and replace lead service lines, improving drinking water safety, protecting public health, and enhancing residents’ quality of life. This funding is part of a $340 million statewide initiative, combining state resources with federal support through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to remove lead pipes from water systems across New York. Additionally, as highlighted by U.S. Representative Pat Ryan at today’s announcement, Poughkeepsie is eligible for an extra $3.2 million federal grant to further ensure clean, safe drinking water for its residents.

“When it comes to New York’s water infrastructure, we’re getting the lead out,” Governor Hochul said. “We’re continuing to give municipalities the resources and support they need to replace lead water pipes and protect public drinking water.”

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Today’s announcement builds upon the Governor’s greater investment now totaling $100 million in state grants for lead service line inventory and replacement projects. Poughkeepsie is one of 12 municipalities to receive the state grant as well as federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) grants and interest-free financing for lead service line replacement. The state grant will reimburse costs that were not fully covered by BIL grants, so the communities won’t have to pay back the financing for the associated projects.

To date, New York State has received $240 million for lead service line replacement through the BIL. Additional funding is expected over the next two years. Coupling state grants with federal funding takes the fiscal pressure off communities, allowing them to replace more lead service lines without incurring additional costs. The State’s comprehensive approach continues to provide communities with the resources they need to improve their water infrastructure without overburdening local ratepayers.

Representative Pat Ryan said, “Freedom means every American has the right to breathe clean air and drink clean water, and that’s why I’m pushing relentlessly to remove every last toxic lead pipe from the Hudson Valley. Today’s funding is a huge step towards ensuring that parents in Poughkeepsie never have to worry if the water coming out of the faucet is safe for their kids. I’m proud to work alongside Governor Hochul and Mayor Flowers in this fight – we will not rest until our communities are free from toxic lead pipes for good.”

We’re continuing to give municipalities the resources and support they need to replace lead water pipes and protect public drinking water.”

Governor Kathy Hochul
Including Poughkeepsie and previously announced awards, the full list of communities receiving nearly $100 million in state grants are:

New York City (Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens): $28,000,000

City of Rochester: $28,000,000

City of Syracuse: $12,756,047

City of Poughkeepsie: $11,869,472

Village of Herkimer: $3,962,616

City of Albany: $3,859,328

City of Troy: $3,846,900

Gloversville Water Works: $2,310,445

Village of Ilion: $1,221,477

Village of Ogdensburg: $688,300

Village of Bath: $468,300

Village of Catskill: $106,545

This funding is specifically targeted for historically disadvantaged communities. The awards prioritize communities that meet one or more of the following criteria:

The community’s median household income is less than 80 percent of the regionally adjusted statewide median household income.

The community’s local poverty rate is higher than the statewide poverty rate.

At least 50 percent of the community’s lead service line project serves an environmental justice community.

Lead is harmful to human health and can enter drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets, and fixtures. In homes with lead pipes that connect the home to the water main, also known as lead services lines, these pipes are typically the most significant source of lead in the water. Lead pipes are more likely to be found in older cities and homes built before 1986.

State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “Under the leadership of Governor Kathy Hochul, New York State has made historic investments to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water which we know threatens public health. Most recently New York State provided communities across New York State with roughly $100 million that will help support projects like the ones announced today in Poughkeepsie and replace lead service lines in historically underserved neighborhoods. We look forward to working with our federal, state and local partners to protect the health of our communities, promote health equity, and ensure that clean drinking water is available for all New Yorkers now and for generations to come.”

State Environmental Facilities Corporation President and CEO Maureen A. Coleman said, “Governor Hochul’s unprecedented investment in clean water is empowering communities to get the lead out of drinking water and reduce risks to public health. In administering these grant dollars, EFC and our partner agencies are providing crucial financial and technical assistance to get critical projects underway and help communities like Poughkeepsie advance the goal of delivering lead-free and safe drinking water.”

Assemblymember Jonathan Jacobson said, “There is no acceptable level of lead in drinking water. We know lead contamination is a serious health hazard that causes developmental disorders in children, as well as cardiovascular and fertility issues in adults. That’s why I have long advocated for increased funding to replace lead service lines and helped facilitate Poughkeepsie’s application for this funding. We cannot fail another generation of children in Poughkeepsie or any other city.”
New York’s Commitment to Water Quality
New York State continues to increase its nation-leading investments in water infrastructure, including more than $2.2 billion in financial assistance from EFC for local water infrastructure projects in State Fiscal Year 2024 alone. With $500 million allocated for clean water infrastructure in the FY25 Enacted Budget announced by Governor Hochul, New York will have invested a total of $5.5 billion in water infrastructure between 2017 and this year. Governor Hochul’s State of the State initiatives are ensuring ongoing coordination with local governments and helping communities to leverage these investments. The Governor increased WIIA grants for wastewater projects from 25 to 50 percent of net eligible project costs for smaller, disadvantaged communities. The Governor also expanded EFC’s Community Assistance Teams to help small, rural and disadvantaged communities leverage this funding and address their clean water infrastructure needs. Any community needing assistance with water infrastructure projects is encouraged to contact EFC.

The funding, in addition to other substantial water quality investments, includes the voter-approved $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 which is advancing historic levels of funding to update aging water infrastructure and protect water quality, strengthen communities’ ability to withstand severe storms and flooding, reduce air pollution and lower climate-altering emissions, restore habitats; and preserve outdoor spaces and local farms. The first round of funding under the Environmental Bond Act was awarded through the WIIA/IMG programs in December, when Governor Hochul announced $479 million in grants to 156 projects across New York State, including $309 million made available to disadvantaged communities. Disadvantaged Communities will receive at least 35 percent of the benefits of Bond Act funding, with a goal of 40 percent.

About the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Lead Service Line Replacement Funding
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests a historic $15 billion nationwide to identify and replace lead service lines. The law mandates that 49 percent of DWSRF LSLR funds must be provided as grants or loan forgiveness to disadvantaged communities, a crucial investment for communities that have been underinvested in for far too long. EPA projects a national total of 9 million lead service lines across the country, based on data collected from the updated Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment. The funding will be provided specifically for lead service line identification and replacement and will help New York fund projects to remove lead pipes and reduce exposure to lead from drinking water. To ensure that funding is used for lead service line related activities in the states with the most need, LSLR allotments are based on need – meaning that states with more projected lead service lines receive proportionally more LSLR funding.
MIL OSI USA News –
January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Spooky and Safe: Emergency Preparedness Tips for Kids on Halloween

Source: US State of Oregon

span>Halloween is a night filled with costumes, candy, and a whole lot of fun. But it’s also important to keep safety in mind to ensure everyone has a hauntingly good time without any real scares. Here are some essential tips for emergency preparedness and safety for kids on Halloween:

Costume Safety
Make sure costumes are flame-resistant and fit well to avoid tripping. Brightly colored costumes or reflective tape can help kids be seen in the dark.

Also, focus on comfort over style. Ensure costumes are comfortable and not too tight. Avoid masks that obstruct vision—opt for non-toxic face paint instead.

Dress warmly if it’s cold outside. Consider layering costumes to keep warm.

Trick-or-Treating Tips
Young children should always trick-or-treat with a trusted adult. Older kids should go in groups and stick to a familiar route. Everyone should stay in neighborhoods that are well-lit and avoid dark, unfamiliar areas. Give the kids flashlights or glow sticks to improve visibility.

Talk to your kids about why it’s important to always use crosswalks and follow traffic signals. Remind kids to look both ways before crossing the street.

Establish a trick-or-treating route and set a curfew. Make sure kids know to check in periodically and never enter a stranger’s house.

Candy Check
Check all candy and treats for signs of tampering before allowing kids to eat them. Discard any unwrapped or suspicious items.

Be mindful of food allergies. Know if any children in your trick-or-treating party have allergies. Inspect ingredients if necessary and trade or discard treats that could cause allergic reactions. If your kids don’t have allergies, make sure they aren’t trading allergens to a kid who does.

Encourage kids to enjoy their treats in moderation. A fun idea is to have the kids keep 5-10 pieces of their favorite candies, then leave the rest out for the Switch Witch overnight. The Switch Witch then takes the remaining candy and leaves a toy in trade.

Home Safety
Ensure your walkway and front yard is clear of obstacles that could cause people to trip and fall. Use battery-operated candles in pumpkins instead of open flames to reduce the risk of fire.

Keep your pets indoors and away from the front door to prevent them from getting spooked or accidentally running outside or biting an unsuspecting trick-or-treater.

Avoid decorations that could pose a hazard, like hanging objects or loose wires that could cause people to trip, or scratch skin.

Emergency Preparedness
Discuss what to do in case of an emergency. Kids should know how to call 911 and what to do if they get separated from the group.

Make sure kids have a phone number to reach you. For younger kids, consider writing it on a piece of paper to carry with them, the bottom of their treat bag/pale or on their arm with grease make-up.

Carry water bottles to stay hydrated while trick-or-treating, especially if costumes are warm or restrictive.

Driving Safety
When out driving on Halloween, be mindful of the extra foot-traffic and that excited children are less aware of their surroundings. Be extra cautious and drive slowly in residential areas. Watch for children who may dart out into the street.

Keep your headlights on, even during daylight, to increase visibility for trick-or-treaters. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has more tips for driving afely on Halloween on their website.

Halloween is a night of magic and mystery, and with a little preparation, it can also be safe and fun for everyone. Following these tips can help ensure your kids have a spooky, safe adventure this Halloween.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Schneider Statement Regarding Israel Attack on Iran

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL)

LINCOLNSHIRE, IL – Rep. Schneider, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and co-founder and co-chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Abraham Accords Caucus, released the following statement regarding reports of an attack on Iran by Israel:

“America stands with Israel as it exercises its right, and responsibility, to defend its citizens and protect its borders.

Israel is now targeting military sites in Iran in direct response to Iran’s massive attack involving approximately 200 ballistic missiles fired at Israel earlier this month.

I’m proud of the U.S. troops throughout the CENTCOM region who are bravely working to help defend Israel at this critical moment. Iran and its proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen have ceaselessly attacked the people of Israel virtually every day since last year’s barbaric October 7 attack by Hamas. Over the past year, Hamas and Hezbollah have launched more than 25,000 rockets into Israel.

In two separate attacks from Iranian territory, Iran has launched 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles and more than 320 ballistic missiles towards Israel.

Meanwhile, the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have targeted global shipping through the Red Sea, as well as fired missiles and drones and Israel. And Iranian-backed militia in Syria and Iraq have targeted both Israel civilian populations and U.S. troops and interests in the region.

I am monitoring the situation closely. I pray Israel’s operation is successful and the Iranian regime will at last understand it will not be allowed to continue to sponsor terror and threaten Israel or the broader region without severe consequence. My thoughts are with our troops in the region and their continued safety and success. I hope today’s actions will, in time, help move the region forward in a constructive direction.”

MIL OSI USA News –

January 25, 2025

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