NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Over 500,000 people demand oil & gas companies pay for climate damages

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Cape Town, February 28, 2024 — Greenpeace Africa delivered on Friday 28th February a global petition on behalf of more than half a million people, calling on governments to force fossil fuel companies to “stop their climate wrecking activities” and “repair and pay for the damage they have caused.” The petition was handed over to a coalition of 17 countries and groups currently reviewing “polluter pays” levies [1] at the sidelines of the meeting of the Finance in Commons Summit in Cape Town.[2] In parallel, Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain National Park is being consumed by wildfires, in the midst of the worst drought in more than 100 years across Southern Africa.[3]

    Sherelee Odayar, Greenpeace Africa’s Oil and Gas Campaigner, said: “It is unfair to expect that ordinary people will face the climate crisis with cents and rands, while the polluters in chief will pocket billions. It is also impractical: Most world governments simply cannot afford to provide climate solutions at the needed scale. Drought, extreme heat, storms, floods and fires are disproportionately affecting Africa and other Global Majority countries. Science and technology can help bring relief, now governments must make polluters pay to deliver justice and raise the necessary funds.”  

    Signatures by people from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia were collected between 2023-24, the two hottest years since records began, replete with extreme weather events fuelled by greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas industry. At the same, five oil and gas corporations alone reported over US$100 billion cumulatively in profit for last year. 

    The collective demand was presented to the secretariat of the Global Solidarity Levies Taskforce, a coalition of 17 countries and groups, co-led by Barbados, France, and Kenya. It contributes to a public process of consultation which started last month concerning a series of proposals being considered by the governments who are members of the Taskforce, including options to apply levies on fossil fuel industry profits and extraction to fund climate action.

    A letter accompanying the petition reminds that oil and gas companies “knowingly lied about climate change and lobbied to slow action” and are failing to pay their fair share. “Super rich individuals and other polluting industries… should also be held to account. Making polluters pay for the damages they have caused is vital to help communities across the world to recover, rebuild and invest in climate solutions.” 

    The petition’s demands are in line with public polling across a range of geographies, including research recently commissioned by Greenpeace International, which has consistently demonstrated the strong popularity of increasing taxes on oil and gas profits. 

    Greenpeace Africa calls for designing tax and penalty mechanisms in a way that is fair and proportionate – including: ensuring a well-managed and just transition out of coal, oil and gas, while imposing more polluter taxes and fines on the industry to help fund the transition; taking steps to prevent knock-on increases in prices and the cost of living, especially for people living in poverty; and ensuring that people most impacted by climate change benefit the most from revenues raised. 

    Notes:

    [1] The Global Solidarity Levies Task Force: For People and the Planet explores feasible, scaleable and sensible options for levies to raise additional resources for climate and development: https://globalsolidaritylevies.org/world-leaders-pledge-action-on-climate-finance-as-coalition-for-solidarity-levies-launched-at-cop29/ 

    [2] The 5th Finance in Common Summit (FiCS), co-hosted by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB): https://www.financeincommonsummit2025.com/ 

    [3] A night of flames: Table Mountain fire lights up the Cape Town skyline https://www.capetownetc.com/news/a-night-of-flames-table-mountain-fire-lights-up-the-ct-skyline/ ; Climate change behind the 2021 Table Mountain fire – study https://mg.co.za/the-green-guardian/2023-03-02-climate-change-behind-the-2021-table-mountain-fire-study/ 

    Photos: Handover of petition by Greenpeace Africa campaigner

    For more information, contact: 

    Greenpeace Africa Press Desk: [email protected] 

    Greenpeace International Press Desk: [email protected], +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours). Follow @greenpeacepress for our latest international press releases.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI China: CPC Party school holds opening ceremony for spring semester

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    The Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (National Academy of Governance) on Saturday held the opening ceremony for its 2025 spring semester.
    Chen Xi, president of the school and the academy, attended the ceremony and delivered a speech.
    In his speech, Chen underlined the significant responsibilities of officials on the new journey of comprehensively advancing Chinese modernization.
    He urged them to enhance their political capabilities to match their duties, and to earnestly fulfill the political responsibilities entrusted to them by the Party and the people.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘This is our land’ – Building Gaza’s future from the wreckage of war

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Peace and Security

    At night he sleeps under a tarpaulin sheet on the ruins of his family home. Like others returning to northern Gaza after months of being displaced by war, Sufian Al-Majdalawi clings to whatever he can find.

    Using small tools and his bare hands, he sifts through mounds of twisted debris and dirt to try and unearth belongings and important paperwork such as property deeds to prove he is the legal owner.

    He dreams of one day being able to rebuild; in the short-term, he hopes that even the rubble might hold some value.

    The war in Gaza has left an unprecedented level of destruction, with an estimated 51 million tons of rubble blanket the landscape where bustling neighborhoods once thrived.  According to a new UN damage and needs assessment report, over 60 per cent of homes – amounting to some 292,000 – and 65 per cent of roads have been destroyed, across the approximately 360 square kilometre enclave.

    UN News

    Debris and rubble lines the streets of Gaza.

    As the international community ponders Gaza’s future and how to rebuild, Al-Majdalawi is sure of one thing: “We will not leave. That will not happen. This is our land.’’

    Moving cautiously through the rubble, Yasser Ahmed says: “I am looking for my papers.” His desperate search is made even more daunting because adjacent structures have collapsed in on each other. “Maybe while I am removing the rubble, I will find a human body, an explosive device,’’ he adds, underlining the huge emotional and physical risks of dislodging debris in a war zone.

    In collaboration with the Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing, the UN Development Programme-led Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People and the UN Environment Programme co-chair a debris management group that brings together more than 20 entities to support the response to this critical issue across the Gaza Strip.

    UN staff are drawing on similar experiences in Mosul, Iraq, and the Syrian cities of Aleppo and Latakia, all decimated by war. 
    UNOPS, a UN agency that provides infrastructure, procurement and project management services around the world, is part of Gaza’s ‘Debris Management Working Group.’

    UN News

    15 months of war in Gaza resulted in more than 50 million tons of debris.

    The agency, which has conducted threat and risk assessments throughout the Territory, has developed advanced GeoAI and remote sensing techniques, including 3D modeling technologies, to enhance explosive hazard evaluation and rubble removal strategies.

    UNOPS Executive Director Jorge Moreira da Silva, following a recent trip to Gaza, says explosive hazard education had been provided to 250,000 Palestinians and some 1,000 humanitarian workers, providing “critical knowledge to stay safe and navigate explosive hazards effectively.”

    UNDP, which helps countries reduce poverty, build resilience and achieve sustainable development, started removing rubble from Gaza in December 2024, weeks before a ceasefire began.

    UNDP’s Sarah Poole says about 28,500 tons of rubble were initially removed, and 290 tons of it used for roadworks to enhance humanitarian operations, restoring access to sites such as a hospital, a bakery and a critical water supply plant.

    Poole describes the issue of land and property ownership in Gaza as “very complex” – particularly when title deeds, inheritance records and other legal documents are lost or destroyed.

    Amjad Al-Shawa, Director of the network of NGOs in the Gaza Strip, says the issue of rubble represents a “major challenge.’’

    “We need a mechanism to dispose of the rubble which will take a long time, and which requires resources that are not available in the Gaza Strip,’’ he says.

    “Today, this rubble also represents the possessions of the residents. Many disputes may arise between families.’’

    Some $7 million has already been made available from various donors to aid the rubble removal – but Poole says an additional $40 million is needed “in this initial phase in order to significantly scale up the work.”

    “The issue of access and the ability to bring in some of the heavy equipment that is needed is also absolutely essential,” he adds.

    The challenge ahead looks daunting: Once-thriving neighborhoods have been leveled – very little remains. In this Territory where people turning 18 have already lived through five massive armed conflicts, the destruction this time is significantly worse.

    The cost of the damage to physical infrastructure has been estimated at some $30 billion, according to the UN. The housing sector was the hardest hit, with losses amounting to $15.8 billion. The costs of recovery and reconstruction are estimated at over $53 billion.

    UN News

    Yasser Ahmed stands in front of his destroyed home in Jabalia, in the north of the Gaza Strip.

    “There is no residential life here. I look around and see nothing but destruction,’’ says Ahmed, standing in front of the wreckage of his house. “The hard work of 59 years – the number of years of my life – was lost, and everything is gone.’’

    “Everything is under the rubble,’’ he says. “I miss my home … a person is only comfortable in his home and his own place.”

    Nearby, Ramadan Katkat sits on the remnants of his home. Living in tents precariously perched atop mounds of rubble, he echoes the despair felt by many: Beneath them could lie a perilous mix of unexploded devices and human remains.

    His wish? “We want to live.’’

    Al-Majdalawi is adamant, though: “We are capable of rebuilding the land.”

    UN News

    Ramadan Kutkut sits on the rubble of his house in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip.

    With a fragile ceasefire holding for now, regional talks are underway to develop a plan for rebuilding Gaza after 16 months of brutal conflict. Next Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will travel to Cairo for a summit with Arab leaders focused on reconstruction. He aims to advocate for sustainable rebuilding efforts and a cohesive, transparent, and principled political resolution.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Judge grants WA’s injunction request blocking Trump’s illegal order targeting trans youth and gender affirming care

    Source: Washington State News

    Judge grants WA’s injunction request blocking Trump’s illegal orders targeting trans youth and gender affirming care

    SEATTLE – A federal judge today granted Washington state’s request for a preliminary injunction blocking President Trump’s illegal orders to deny life-saving medical care to trans youth. 

    The action follows the judge’s previous grant of a temporary restraining order against the president’s action to withhold research and education grants from medical institutions providing gender affirming care to young people and prioritize potential criminal actions against providers.

    Judge Lauren King previously said the order “blatantly discriminated against trans youth” and would not likely “survive judicial scrutiny.” Judge King reaffirmed that ruling today. 

    “The president’s disregard for the Constitution is obvious and intentional,” Attorney General Nick Brown said. “But once again, states and the courts have stepped up to affirm the rule of law and the values that hold us together as a nation.”

    The state is joined in the lawsuit by the attorneys general of Minnesota, Oregon and Colorado. Three individual doctors also joined as plaintiffs in the case, bringing claims on their own behalf and that of the minors for whom they provide care.

    The states argued the order violates the 5th Amendment’s equal protection guarantee by singling out transgender individuals for mistreatment and discrimination.

    Additionally, Congress has already authorized research and education funding for medical institutions in Washington state, and the president cannot unilaterally overrule congressional intent. The president also cannot unilaterally regulate or criminalize medical practices in Washington state, which are protected by the 10th Amendment, states argue.

    In granting Washington’s preliminary injunction motion, the Court agreed that the plaintiffs were likely to show that the challenged executive orders violate equal protection and the separation of powers.

    The Court went on to firmly warn the federal government against baseless and “bad faith” threats to criminalize medically necessary gender-affirming care. The Court explained, “federal prosecutors and law enforcement are legally and ethically obligated to follow the law, and serious consequences could result from advancing a groundless criminal prosecution.” The Court went on to find that the record is “bereft of any evidence,” that any of the thousands of the licensed doctors and clinicians providing gender affirming care in the Plaintiff States could plausibly be accused of violating federal law.

    Work on this litigation is funded by the Attorney General’s Civil Justice Operating Fund, which is funded by recoveries made by the office in civil enforcement actions made on behalf of Washingtonians.

    Read more about the lawsuit here.

     -30-

    Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the State of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

    Media Contact:

    Email: press@atg.wa.gov

    Phone: (360) 753-2727

    General contacts: Click here

    Media Resource Guide & Attorney General’s Office FAQ

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China enhances publicity, enforcement of law on cultural relics protection

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

    BEIJING, March 1 — Chinese authorities have issued a circular aimed at promoting the publicity and enforcement of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics, the National Cultural Heritage Administration said on Saturday.

    A revised version of the law, which takes effect on Saturday, was adopted during a session of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee on Nov. 8, 2024, as part of the country’s efforts to strengthen the protection of its abundant cultural heritage.

    The circular stipulates that local governments should organize educational and promotional activities related to the Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics to comprehensively, accurately and completely understand the purposes and main content of the revisions of the law.

    Local authorities are also asked to carry out campaigns to strengthen awareness of the law, and to promote it in enterprises, schools, communities and rural areas.

    Efforts should be made to encourage all sectors of society to fulfill their obligation to protect cultural relics in accordance with the law, per the document.

    China has been placing increasing emphasis on the protection of its cultural relics. The country is currently conducting a national census of cultural relics, which is set to run through 2026.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Letter to Makary, Sens. Murray, Baldwin, Alsobrooks Raise Alarm over Decision to Cancel Critical FDA Flu Shot Meeting Amid Worst Flu Season in 15 Years

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Senators: “We intend to use your nomination hearing next week to understand whether you support this ill-informed measure to slow critical public health decision making.”
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chairof the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) sent a letter to Dr. Marty Makary, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), expressing extreme concern with the FDA’s unprecedented decision to abruptly cancel the March 13th planned meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), which is the annual opportunity for FDA to hear expert advice and make recommendations on the selection of influenza strains to be included in the flu vaccines this coming fall. The cancellation of the VRBPAC’s meeting to consider flu shot characteristics for the upcoming flu season comes while the U.S. is experiencing the worst flu season in 15 years. As of February 15, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there have been at least 33 million illnesses, 430,000 hospitalizations, and 19,000 deaths from flu so far this season.
    Dr. Makary is set to appear before the HELP Committee on Thursday, March 6th, for a hearing on his nomination to lead FDA. “We intend to use your nomination hearing next week to understand whether you support this ill-informed measure to slow critical public health decision making,” Murray, Baldwin, and Alsobrooks—all members of the HELP Committee—wrote.
    “The cancellation of next week’s VRBPAC meeting is unprecedented. This Committee has met every year for the past 30 years to discuss the influenza virus vaccines for the upcoming flu season and make recommendations to the FDA. It is essential for this meeting to occur, and its expert recommendations to be issued, in a timely, routine manner,” the senators continued. “Any delay in the Committee meeting and issuing recommendations may impact flu vaccine availability and effectiveness, if manufacturers do not have sufficient time to prepare the correct vaccines.”
    “While we acknowledge you are not yet at the agency, we expect you to answer questions about whether you will adopt a position of responsible public health leadership or continue the Trump Administration’s current, troubling trajectory into vaccine skepticism should you be confirmed to lead FDA,” Murray and her colleagues wrote, asking that Dr. Makary be prepared to address the following questions:
    Will you reschedule FDA VRBPAC meeting to consider influenza virus vaccines for the 2025-2026 flu season? If not, why not?
    Are you planning to remove or otherwise change the membership of the FDA VRBPAC?
    Will FDA accept the expert, independent recommendations of the FDA VRBPAC, for influenza virus vaccines and all other vaccine types?
    Do you commit to convening the FDA VRBPAC on its established annual basis to discuss and issue recommendations on flu shot characteristics?
    The full text of the letter is below and HERE:
    Dear Dr. Makary:
    Next week, you are scheduled to appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee for your nomination to serve as the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We write today to express our extreme concern with the decision to abruptly cancel the planned meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), which is the annual opportunity for FDA to hear expert advice and make recommendations on the selection of strains to be included in the influenza virus vaccines for the 2025 to 2026 influenza season. We intend to use your nomination hearing next week to understand whether you support this ill-informed measure to slow critical public health decision making. 
    The cancellation of the VRBPAC’s meeting to consider flu shot characteristics for the upcoming flu season comes while the U.S. is experiencing the worst flu season in 15 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified the United States’ 2024-2025 influenza season as “high severity” overall and for all age groups. As of February 15, 2025, the CDC estimates that there have been at least 33 million illnesses, 430,000 hospitalizations, and 19,000 deaths from flu so far this season. The flu vaccine is one essential tool for prevention of flu illness, complications, hospitalizations, and untimely deaths.
    The VRBPAC is comprised of independent experts and is critical for ensuring that public health decisions, including the development and approval of vaccines, are based on the best available science and expert, independent review. VRBPAC members are experts in vaccines, infectious diseases, and epidemiology, among other relevant areas, and are essential to conducting these independent reviews and evaluating the data concerning the safety, effectiveness, and appropriate use of vaccines. The Committee typically meets in March to make recommendations for which strains should be included in the flu vaccines for the upcoming flu season.
    The cancellation of next week’s VRBPAC meeting is unprecedented. This Committee has met every year for the past 30 years to discuss the influenza virus vaccines for the upcoming flu season and make recommendations to the FDA. It is essential for this meeting to occur, and its expert recommendations to be issued, in a timely, routine manner. This is integral to give vaccine manufacturers this information to start production on flu vaccines for the upcoming flu season. Any delay in the Committee meeting and issuing recommendations may impact flu vaccine availability and effectiveness, if manufacturers do not have sufficient time to prepare the correct vaccines.
    In FDA’s response concerning the cancellation of the March 13 VRBPAC meeting, FDA stated that the agency “will make public its recommendations to manufacturers in time for updated vaccines to be available for the 2025-2026 influenza season.” This suggests FDA plans to forgo any independent expertise from the Committee when making its determinations for flu shot strains, and it remains unclear who will be making this critical public health decision.
    The options are not inspiring. The newly confirmed Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has stated “there is no vaccine that is safe and effective” and called vaccines “sham science.” He refuses to believe the definitive science showing vaccines are not linked to autism. You have promoted natural immunity as “at least as effective as vaccinated immunity, and probably better” and stated, “The greatest perpetrator of misinformation during the pandemic has been the United States government.” President Trump’s nominee to lead CDC has a long history of championing the false connection between vaccines and autism.
    While we acknowledge you are not yet at the agency, we expect you to answer questions about whether you will adopt a position of responsible public health leadership or continue the Trump Administration’s current, troubling trajectory into vaccine skepticism should you be confirmed to lead FDA. Please be prepared to address the following questions:
    Will you reschedule FDA VRBPAC meeting to consider influenza virus vaccines for the 2025-2026 flu season? If not, why not?
    Are you planning to remove or otherwise change the membership of the FDA VRBPAC?
    Will FDA accept the expert, independent recommendations of the FDA VRBPAC, for influenza virus vaccines and all other vaccine types?
    Do you commit to convening the FDA VRBPAC on its established annual basis to discuss and issue recommendations on flu shot characteristics?
    Whether it’s influenza, COVID-19, measles, or other threats facing our nation’s public health, I call on you to recognize the immense responsibility placed on you if confirmed as one of the nation’s public health leaders. It will be incumbent upon you to maintain FDA’s credibility as the nation’s leading agency for ensuring the safety of our vaccines, diagnostics, medicines, foods, and more.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Announces Sparks Elementary School Principal as Guest to Presidential Address to Congress

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Jason Shipman is the Principal at Florence Drake Elementary, the highest-performing Title I school in the region 

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced Jason Shipman, Principal at Florence Drake Elementary School in Sparks, as her guest to President Donald Trump’s 2025 Presidential Address to Congress on March 4, 2025. Under his leadership, Florence Drake Elementary has become one of the highest performing Title I schools in Nevada, receiving the 2024 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Distinguished Schools award. Florence Drake Elementary was also recognized as a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School.

    Following reports that Elon Musk and the “Department of Government Efficiency” plan to eliminate or dramatically cut the Department of Education, students, teachers, and parents at Florence Drake Elementary School and at schools across Nevada face uncertainty. Dissolving the Department of Education would have devastating impacts on public schools, including the potential disruption of the Title I funds that support low-income students. Principal Shipman’s school relies on Title I to pay teachers, keep kids safe, fund classroom equipment, and support special education.

    “I’m the product of Nevada public schools – from kindergarten all the way to my time at UNR – and I know the difference a good education can make in a child’s life,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “As schools across the country face the potential cuts to critical federal funding, I won’t abandon our educators. I’m proud to work with Nevada leaders like Principal Shipman to ensure our students have everything they need to thrive.”

    “I am incredibly proud of the continued success of the students and staff members at Florence Drake Elementary School,” said Jason Shipman, Principal at Florence Drake Elementary School. “We are a Title I school, and the federal funding we receive provides crucial resources and supports to children living in poverty. I can relate to the struggles of our students, as my own family lived in poverty when I was in elementary school. I encountered barriers to my education, as Title I funding had not been established yet, and I saw how those barriers adversely affected many of my friends whose educations and lives were negatively impacted by their lack of access to education. Title I funding is the federal government’s promise to help reduce these barriers so all students have the right to access a free and appropriate education, and I am proud to play a part in helping each of our students find success in our school.”

    Senator Cortez Masto has delivered critical support to students and schools across Nevada. Cortez Masto’s legislation to increase the number of mental health professionals in schools was included in the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law. In addition, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included three of Cortez Masto’s bipartisan bills to boost transportation safety for students, expand internet access for both rural and urban schools, and update old school infrastructure. The Senator has also championed bipartisan Reaching English Learners Act to create a competitive grant program to fund partnerships between institutions of higher education and high-need school districts to provide training for new English-language teachers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Omar, Schakowsky Reintroduce Bill to Address Rising Islamophobia Worldwide

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced the Combating International Islamophobia Act, legislation to address the rise in Islamophobic incidents worldwide. The bill requires the State Department to create a Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Islamophobia and develop a comprehensive strategy for establishing U.S. leadership in confronting anti-Muslim bigotry across the globe. U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09) reintroduced companion legislation in the House last month.

    From the violent atrocities against the Uyghurs in China and the Rohingya in Burma to the crackdowns on Muslim communities in India and Sri Lanka, the scapegoating of Muslim refugees in Hungary and Poland, and the rise of white supremacist violence targeting Muslims in New Zealand and Canada, Islamophobia remains a global crisis. Minority Muslim communities in Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, Bahrain, and Iran, also continue to face systemic oppression and persecution.

    Here in the United States, incidents of Islamophobic hate crimes and discrimination have surged. Mosques have been vandalized, Muslims have been harassed in public spaces, and anti-Muslim rhetoric continues to be normalized in political discourse. The urgent need for federal action to combat this growing threat cannot be overstated.

    “Religious freedom is one of our nation’s most foundational values, and no one should ever have to live in fear of discrimination or violence for practicing their faith,” said Senator Booker. “Islamophobic attacks and rhetoric are on the rise in the United States and around the world, and this legislation would establish a Special Envoy at the State Department to monitor and combat Islamophobia in all its forms. We must dedicate resources to protecting people’s fundamental right to practice their faith and put an end to bigotry.”

    “Islamophobia is not just a problem overseas—it is on the rise here at home. From the desecration of mosques to the violent attacks on Muslim Americans, we are witnessing a dangerous resurgence of anti-Muslim bigotry in our communities,” said Representative Omar. “We cannot turn a blind eye while Muslim communities face targeted violence and systemic discrimination worldwide. That is why I am proud to reintroduce the Combating International Islamophobia Act alongside Senator Booker and Representative Schakowsky. The United States must take a stand and lead in the fight against this global crisis.”

    Anti-Muslim bigotry is on the rise in the U.S., and around the world, and we have a duty to stop it once and for all,” said Representative Schakowsky. “I’m joining my colleagues, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Senator Cory Booker, in reintroducing the Combating International Islamophobia Act. This critical legislation will create a Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Islamophobia and will ensure the United States has the resources necessary to safeguard human rights and religious and cultural freedom around the world. I hope all our colleagues join us in standing together against Islamophobia. We must promote peace and acceptance for all.”

    During the 117th Congress, this bill was successfully passed in the House, marking a historic step forward in the fight against anti-Muslim hate. 

    To read the full text of the bill, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Pacific – On Marshall Islands Remembrance Day, Greenpeace calls for nuclear justice and reparations from the United States

    Source: Greenpeace

    Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands, 1 March 2025 – Seventy-one years since the most powerful nuclear weapons tests ever conducted were unleashed across the Marshall Islands by the United States, Greenpeace is calling for the US government to comply with Marshallese demands for recognition and nuclear justice.
    On 1 March 1954, the Castle Bravo nuclear bomb was detonated on Bikini Atoll – the explosion 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb. On Rongelap Atoll, 150 kilometers away, radioactive fallout rained onto the inhabited island, with children mistaking it as snow.
    Today, communities continue to endure the physical, economic, and cultural fallout of the nuclear tests; compensation from the US has fallen far short of expectations for the Marshallese people who are yet to receive an apology; and the accelerating impacts of the climate crisis threaten further displacement of communities.[1]
    “The Marshall Islands bears the deepest scars of a dark legacy – nuclear contamination, forced displacement, and premeditated human experimentation at the hands of the U.S. government.
    To this day, its people continue to grapple with this injustice, all while standing on the frontlines of the climate crisis – facing yet another wave of displacement and devastation for a catastrophe they did not create,” says Greenpeace spokesperson Shiva Gounden.
    “But the Marshallese people and their government are not just survivors-they are warriors for justice, among the most powerful voices demanding bold action, accountability, and reparations on the global stage. Those who have inflicted unimaginable harm on the Marshallese must be held to account and made to pay for the devastation they caused. Greenpeace stands unwaveringly beside Marshallese communities in their fight for justice. Jimwe im Maron”
    To mark the Marshall Islands’ Remembrance Day, the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior is flying the Marshall Islands flag at half-mast, in solidarity with those who lost their lives and are suffering ongoing trauma as a result of the US government’s nuclear weapons testing.
    The Rainbow Warrior is currently in transit to the Marshall Islands where a mission led by Greenpeace will conduct independent scientific research across the country, the results of which will eventually be given to the National Nuclear Commission to support the Marshallese government’s ongoing legal proceedings with the US and at the UN.[2] The trip also marks 40 years since Greenpeace’s original Rainbow Warrior evacuated the people of Rongelap after toxic nuclear fallout rendered their ancestral lands uninhabitable.
    “The immediate effects of the Bravo bomb on 1 March were harrowing. Hours after exposure, many people fell ill – skin peeling off, burning sensation in their eyes, their stomachs were churning in pain. Mothers watched as their children’s hair fell to the ground and blisters devoured their bodies overnight,” says Ariana Tibon Kilma, Chairperson at Marshall Islands National Nuclear Commission.
    “Without their consent, the United States government enrolled them as ‘test subjects’ in a top secret medical study on the effects of radiation on human beings – a study that continued for 40 years. Today on Remembrance Day the trauma of Bravo continues for the remaining survivors and their descendents – this is a legacy not only of suffering, loss, and frustration, but also of strength, unity, and unwavering commitment to justice, truth and accountability.”
    The new Rainbow Warrior will arrive in the Marshall Islands in early March. Alongside the government of the Marshall Islands, Greenpeace will lead an independent scientific mission into the ongoing impacts of the US weapons testing program. Travelling across the country, Greenpeace will reaffirm its solidarity with the Marshallese people – now facing further harm and displacement from the climate crisis, and the emerging threat of deep sea mining in the Pacific.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Reverend Warnock Statement on Trump Administration’s Closure of Five Social Security Offices in Georgia

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Senator Reverend Warnock Statement on Trump Administration’s Closure of Five Social Security Offices in Georgia

    Social Security Offices (SSA) in BRUNSWICK, COLUMBUS, GAINESVILLE, THOMASVILLE, and VIDALIA will be permanently closed
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s announced closures of five Social Security Administration (SSA) offices throughout Georgia. The SSA offices in the following five Georgia cities will be permanently closed: Brunswick, Columbus, Gainesville, Thomasville, and Vidalia. Georgia has the highest number of SSA offices closed for any state so far.
    “For millions of Georgians, Social Security provides a baseline of support and stability. It ensures our seniors, who’ve spent decades paying into the program, can afford rent, groceries, and medication. Permanently closing five Georgia Social Security offices will make it harder for Georgia seniors, especially in rural areas, to enroll in the program, solve payment issues, report fraud, and more.
    As I have said before, I am all for cutting government waste and abuse, but never at the expense of hardworking Georgians, especially our retired seniors. On the Senate Aging Committee, I’ve worked to protect Georgians from bad actors looking to take advantage of seniors, and this is no different. The closure of these offices will make it significantly harder for Georgians to get access to their benefits or talk through an often confusing bureaucratic system.
    Make no mistake: the money taken away from Georgia seniors will go towards tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. I will use every avenue available to fight back against this reckless action and remain focused on getting our seniors the benefits they paid for and rely on to live safe, healthy lives.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Boost Wildfire Mitigation and Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Boost Wildfire Mitigation and Research

    As wildfires have devastated California and the West, bipartisan bill would create career pathways to tackle growing wildfire threats

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined his colleagues in introducing the bipartisan Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act, legislation that would establish regional research centers at institutions of higher education across the country to boost wildfire mitigation and research. These regional centers would be tasked with developing next-generation fire and vegetation models and technologies to support wildland fire management and address the specific needs of the region in which they are situated. Additionally, this bill would establish a National Center Coordination Board to manage the work of regional centers and establish Regional Advisory Boards from wildfire management agencies, state and tribal governments, and other stakeholders to provide input and assistance.

    According to the U.S. Fire Administration, current wildfire models are failing to adequately predict fire behavior under extreme conditions and in more complex environments, like last month’s Southern California fires, which occurred under severe winds. These models also struggle to reproduce recent catastrophic wildfires, making them more likely to fail at predicting future wildfires or determining when and where it is safe to conduct prescribed burns. That’s why next-generation fire and vegetation models are essential to supporting effective wildland fire management and preparing firefighters against evolving risks.

    Senator Padilla joined Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) in introducing the legislation.

    “Californians are all too familiar with the devastating toll catastrophic wildfires can take on their communities, burning down homes and businesses, and uprooting families’ livelihoods,” said Senator Padilla. “As the climate crisis makes wildfires more dangerous and harder to predict, expanding our wildland fire research would help us better prepare for wildfires and safely conduct prescribed burns ahead of peak fire season. California universities are already the nation’s leading hub for wildfire research and technology, and this bipartisan effort is a critical step forward in expanding next-generation fire mitigation efforts.”

    “Far too many communities in New Mexico and in states across the country know that wildfire season can cost you everything. We must do everything possible to understand the root causes of these wildfires and how local communities can improve wildfire mitigation efforts and save lives and livelihoods,” said Senator Luján. “I’m proud to partner with Senator Sullivan to reintroduce this bipartisan legislation to establish regional research centers tasked with developing next-generation fire and vegetation models and technologies to boost wildfire mitigation. Each of these regional centers will help boost wildland fire management across the country while creating more opportunities for a good-paying job through career training for wildfire research. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill signed into law.”

    “Wildfires burn millions of acres in Alaska every year—sometimes as much or more than the combined acreage burned in the rest of the country,” said Senator Sullivan. “To better protect lives, homes and critical infrastructure, we need to invest in research that will produce more accurate models and empower our wildland firefighters to better predict and extinguish fires before they become full-scale natural disasters. I’m glad to reintroduce legislation with Senator Luján to establish wildland fire research centers at our universities with specialized expertise in this space—like UAF in Interior Alaska—and develop more effective firefighting strategies that respond to the unique circumstances of each of our states.”

    “If we’ve learned anything from recent wildfire tragedies across the country, it’s that the threat of catastrophic wildfires isn’t seasonal, nor is it isolated to one region; it’s a year-round, nationwide threat. I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort with my colleagues to invest in better anticipating wildland fires, streamlining our response, and ensuring we are fighting these fires faster and more effectively to keep communities safe,” said Senator Sheehy.

    Each regional research center would:

    • Conduct research to improve our understanding of wildland fire, including causes and associated risks for fires, rehabilitation of affected ecosystems, mitigation strategies that improve firefighter safety, and more;
    • Develop, maintain, and operate next-generation fire and vegetation models and technologies to support wildland fire management; and
    • Develop a career pathway training program to help carry out wildland fire research.

    The bill is supported by the Federation of American Scientists, Megafire Action, National Association of State Foresters, National Federation of Federal Employees, the Nature Conservancy, the University of New Mexico, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

    “We spend billions on improving our understanding of disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes — that hasn’t happened yet with megafire. The Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act recognizes and invests in our research community to produce region specific scientific research and solutions to catastrophic wildfires, allowing innovators and wildland firefighters to use this information to directly leverage technology to predict, detect, and prevent megafire,” said Matt Weiner, CEO of Megafire Action.

    Senator Padilla has long been a leader in strengthening the federal and state response to wildfires. Earlier this month, Padilla introduced bipartisan legislation to create a national Wildfire Intelligence Center to streamline federal response and create a whole-of-government approach to combat wildfires. He also announced a package of three bipartisan bills to bolster fire resilience and proactive mitigation efforts, including the Wildfire Emergency Act, the Fire-Safe Electrical Corridors Act, and the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act. Last month, Padilla introduced another suite of bipartisan bills to strengthen wildfire recovery and resilience. Additionally, Padilla’s legislation to strengthen FEMA’s wildfire preparedness and response efforts, the FIRE Act, became law in 2022.

    A one-pager on the bill is available here.

    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff, EPW Democrats Slam Zeldin’s Covert Push to Dismantle Climate Safeguards

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Schiff, EPW Democrats Slam Zeldin’s Covert Push to Dismantle Climate Safeguards

    Senators: “Your push to undermine the Endangerment Finding seems based not on sound science or legal reasoning, but rather on an agenda that prioritizes industry profits over public health, environmental protection, and climate safety.”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), along with all other Democratic members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), demanded answers about Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin’s secretive efforts to roll back the longstanding EPA endangerment finding that greenhouse gases are harmful to human health and welfare. The endangerment finding underpins greenhouse gas regulations, and repealing it would ignore scientific consensus while in effect gutting emissions standards for vehicles, power plants, airplanes, and more — which would increase harmful, toxic pollution.  
    During then-nominee Zeldin’s confirmation, he testified that he “strongly believe[s] we have a moral responsibility to be good stewards of our environment for generations to come,” and that he was “someone who believes strongly that we should work with the scientists, leaving the science to the scientists.” But this week, it was revealed that he — behind the scenes and away from public scrutiny — has been urging the Trump Administration to rescind the evidence-based endangerment finding. The fact that greenhouse gases harm public health was scientific fact when the endangerment finding was issued in 2009, and 16 years later, the evidence has only gotten stronger and the looming economic harms more dangerous. Since Administrator Zeldin’s confirmation, he has also announced plans to carry out a politically motivated purge of scientists from EPA and has overseen an illegal funding freeze that is threatening to kill jobs and drive up energy costs nationwide.
    “This key finding underpins EPA’s ability to regulate emissions from motor vehicles, which EPA also found in 2009 to ‘contribute to the greenhouse gas pollution that threatens public health and welfare,’ as well as other pollution-emitting sources. Without the finding, EPA cannot fulfill its core mission and legal obligation of ensuring clean air for the American people,” wrote the Senators.
    “As you surely know, any attempt to rescind the Endangerment Finding flies in the face of established science and EPA’s own findings. EPA has found that its greenhouse gas regulations generate billions of dollars in savings for Americans and huge reductions in premature deaths, emergency room visits, heart disease, cancer, stroke, asthma onset and symptoms, and missed workdays,” continued the Senators.
    “Your recommendation to strike down the Endangerment Finding appears to be part of a broader effort to dismantle environmental protections at the behest of fossil fuel interests. Reporting and previous investigations of the Senate Committee on the Budget indicate that oil industry lobbyists pre-drafted executive orders that would weaken climate regulations in anticipation of a second Trump Administration. In short, the fossil fuel industry is now collecting the return on its investment in the 2024 election,” concluded the Senators. “… [Y]our push to undermine the Endangerment Finding seems based not on sound science or legal reasoning, but rather on an agenda that prioritizes industry profits over public health, environmental protection, and climate safety.”
    Specifically, Zeldin recommended to the Office of Management and Budget that the EPA withdraw its 2009 finding under section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act that “the current and projected concentrations of the six key well-mixed greenhouse gases … in the atmosphere threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations” (the ‘Endangerment Finding’). 
    Over the past 15 years, the scientific consensus supporting the endangerment finding has only strengthened, with successive National Climate Assessments and reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change demonstrating extensive environmental and economic harms caused by climate change, including increased risks from flooding and wildfires. EPA’s endangerment finding is the foundation of subsequent endangerment findings for greenhouse gases emitted from power plants, aircraft engines, and oil and gas sector sources of methane. 
    Padilla and Schiff signed the letter, led by EPW Ranking Member Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), along with Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Administrator Zeldin,
    We write to express grave concern about your recommendation to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdraw its December 7, 2009, finding under section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act that “the current and projected concentrations of the six key well-mixed greenhouse gases . . . in the atmosphere threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations” (the “Endangerment Finding”).  This key finding underpins EPA’s ability to regulate emissions from motor vehicles, which EPA also found in 2009 to “contribute to the greenhouse gas pollution that threatens public health and welfare,” as well as other pollution-emitting sources. Without the finding, EPA cannot fulfill its core mission and legal obligation of ensuring clean air for the American people.
    On February 20, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 3418, directing you, in collaboration with other agency heads, to submit joint recommendations to the OMB Director on the legality and continuing applicability of the Endangerment Finding. On February 26, 2025, the Washington Post reported that you had “privately urged the White House to strike down” the finding. President Trump’s directive and your recommendation, which follow years of legal precedent affirming the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, raise serious concerns about the Administration’s commitment to respecting established science, following the law, and fulfilling EPA’s core mission of protecting clean air—all three of which you promised the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee you would do if confirmed as EPA Administrator.
    In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled in Massachusetts v. EPA that greenhouse gases qualify as pollutants under the Clean Air Act, compelling the EPA to regulate them if they pose a threat to public health and welfare. Following a rigorous review of peer-reviewed scientific evidence and extensive public input, EPA then issued the Endangerment Finding in 2009, requiring it to regulate greenhouse gases. The 2012 D.C. Circuit ruling in Coalition for Responsible Regulation v. EPA reaffirmed that the Endangerment Finding is grounded in substantial scientific evidence. The Supreme Court declined to review that decision and, in 2014, reaffirmed the EPA’s ability to regulate GHG emissions in Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA.  The Supreme Court has continued to decline to hear challenges to the Endangerment Finding, including as recently as December 11, 2023.
    Over the intervening decade and a half, the scientific consensus supporting the Endangerment Finding has only strengthened, with successive National Climate Assessments and reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change outlining in increasing detail the extensive harms caused by climate change.  Multiple other sources echo these warnings, and extend them to coming economic harms, which we see already presenting themselves in a property insurance—and increasingly unpredictable—crisis driven by increased flooding and wildfire risk. This overwhelming evidence underpinned EPA’s promulgation of subsequent endangerment findings for greenhouse gases emitted from power plants, oil and gas sector sources of methane, and aircraft engines.
    As you surely know, any attempt to rescind the Endangerment Finding flies in the face of established science and EPA’s own findings. EPA has found that its greenhouse gas regulations generate billions of dollars in savings for Americans and huge reductions in premature deaths, emergency room visits, heart disease, cancer, stroke, asthma onset and symptoms, and missed workdays.  Any attempt to rescind the Endangerment Finding will face significant legal and procedural hurdles, and will create chaos and uncertainty for industries that are relying on existing regulations.
    Your recommendation to strike down the Endangerment Finding appears to be part of a broader effort to dismantle environmental protections at the behest of fossil fuel interests. Reporting and previous investigations of the Senate Committee on the Budget indicate that oil industry lobbyists pre-drafted executive orders that would weaken climate regulations in anticipation of a second Trump Administration.  In short, the fossil fuel industry is now collecting the return on its investment in the 2024 election. Nevertheless, you promised at your confirmation hearing that you would “work with the scientists, leaving the science to the scientists.”  Despite that pledge, your push to undermine the Endangerment Finding seems based not on sound science or legal reasoning, but rather on an agenda that prioritizes industry profits over public health, environmental protection, and climate safety.
    Accordingly, in order to assist in our understanding of your recommendation concerning the Endangerment Finding, please respond to the following questions and requests for production of documents no later than March 6, 2025:
    1. Provide a copy of your correspondence with OMB and any other executive branch parties recommending that the Endangerment Finding be rescinded;
    2. Identify the author(s) of any such correspondence;
    3. Provide all scientific, legal, and economic analyses used to inform your recommendation to OMB regarding the Endangerment Finding;
    4. Identify all individuals and organizations consulted as part of this review process, including meetings with industry representatives and external stakeholders;
    5. Explain how the EPA intends to reconcile any proposed rescission of the Endangerment Finding with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA and subsequent legal precedent, which remains valid law;
    6. Provide any communications (including but not limited to emails, text messages, and memoranda)—dating from November 1, 2024 to present—between and among the EPA and White House officials, members of the Trump 2024 campaign, members of the Trump-Vance Transition Team, OMB staff, Elon Musk, Russell Vought, Mandy Gunasekara, or Jonathan Brightbill regarding the review and potential withdrawal of the Endangerment Finding; and
    7. Detail any plans the EPA has to conduct a formal rulemaking process to revise or rescind the Endangerment Finding.
    The American people deserve transparency regarding policies that impact public health, the environment, and the stability of our climate. We expect your prompt and thorough response.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Slams Trump for Weaponizing FBI to Target National Climate Bank Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Senator is co-author of the provision that created the National Clean Investment Fund and Clean Communities Investment Accelerator

    Funds for programs have been frozen for past two weeks with no explanation from Citibank or the EPA

    Washington (February 28, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, today released the following statement after revelations that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been questioning the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the National Clean Investment Fund and Clean Communities Investment Accelerator. These programs, which are part of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, leverage private capital to cut energy bills for families and small businesses, improve resiliency against climate change-fueled disasters, and create local economic opportunity while combatting climate change. The affected $20 billion in funding was lawfully passed by Congress, based on Senator Markey’s National Climate Bank Act, and awarded to grantees around the country.

    Earlier this month, the head of the criminal division at the U.S. Attorney’s office in the District of Columbia, Denise Cheung, was pressured to find evidence of a crime as a justification for freezing the release of the congressionally approved federal funds for the National Clean Investment Fund and the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator. When Cheung declined to pursue an unwarranted criminal investigation due to insufficient evidence, she was forced to resign. Trump Justice Department officials then took additional unprecedented steps to formally freeze this funding—steps which were subsequently rejected by a federal judge and refused by other federal prosecutors. Now, the Trump Justice Department has sent in the FBI.

    “The Trump administration is carrying out a literal bank heist right now, and weaponizing the FBI to do so. First freezing funding, then cravenly searching for a non-existent crime, and now utilizing the FBI to target the climate bank is unfounded and is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to dismantle the programs that keep Americans safe, healthy, and create jobs. A freeze on these investments would be, by far, the U.S. government’s largest confirmed financial seizure.

    “This kind of illegal and unethical witch hunt is McCarthyesque and shows the Trump administration to be both un-American and deeply worried about the power of clean energy and climate investments. Grantees are already starting to distribute funding to finance projects that will cut energy bills, improve resiliency, and create local economic opportunity around the country.

    “The FBI must immediately stop following the groundless, politicized directives of Trump and Musk and instead return to the important work of protecting the American people, not serving as Trump’s personal corrupt police force. And Citibank must immediately restart the flow of funds to recipients so they can continue to leverage private dollars for projects that will benefit Americans nationwide.”

    Following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, Senators Markey and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06), the House lead on the climate financing legislation, welcomed the launch of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund in April 2023.

    Since the start of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s unfounded attacks on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund this month, Senator Markey issued a statement urging Citibank not to give into fearmongering, wrote a letter to the Department of Justice Inspector General about revelations that Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Cheung was forced to resign after declining to pursue a criminal investigation, and signed onto a letter with the entire Environment and Public Works Committee Democrats demanding answers from the EPA.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 70 new units in Tweed Shire to help combat homelessness

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: 70 new units in Tweed Shire to help combat homelessness

    Published: 28 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Homelessness, Minister for Housing

    The Minns Labor Government is taking important steps to address homelessness in the Northern Rivers, transforming a vacant retirement village into 70 supported temporary accommodation units.

    In partnership with Homes NSW, community housing provider Social Futures plans to deliver 70 temporary beds at Tweed Heads, with wraparound support to help vulnerable locals get back on their feet.

    The form­er residential village for over 55s was sitting vacant and unused since it was put on the market in 2023. Soon, it will provide a safe place to stay for community members including seniors and people with a disability, with the first stage of the project to deliver 20 new homes in coming weeks.

    The NSW Government is taking decisive action to transform underutilised properties into secure, supported accommodation, run by experienced community housing providers—reducing reliance on costly hotels and motels.

    Temporary accommodation is more than just immediate shelter, it’s a lifeline that helps prevent homelessness, connecting people with essential support services for long-term stability and better outcomes.

    This project was made possible by a $525,800 grant from the first round of the $100 million Homelessness Innovation Fund.

    The grants support new and improved approaches to tackling homelessness and are available to accredited homelessness services, registered Community Housing Providers, Aboriginal Community Housing Providers and those working toward accreditation or registration.

    The first funding round backed 24 projects, distributing nearly $10 million, including $768,862 to Social Futures to convert a disused aged care facility into crisis accommodation in Lismore.

    Round two recipients will be announced soon, with applications open until 30 April 2025.
    To find out more, visit the links below:

    The Homelessness Innovation Fund is a key part of the NSW Government’s $6.6 billion Building Homes for NSW program, which will deliver:

    • 8,400 new public housing homes
    • 21,000 affordable and market homes
    • Upgrades to 30,000 social housing properties

    This investment reflects the NSW Government’s commitment to tackling homelessness, increasing housing supply and delivering better outcomes for regional communities.

    Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson said:

    “Homelessness and housing are impacting people right across the state, but this is being felt particularly hard here in the Northern Rivers region.

    “We know we need smarter solutions to deliver housing, faster – and last year, we created the Homelessness Innovation Fund to do just that.

    “The Fund is about giving trusted community housing and homelessness organisations such as Social Futures a solid foundation to trial new approaches as we work together to tackle the housing crisis.

    “We want to move away from relying on expensive hotels and motels for temporary accommodation. These are not appropriate places for the elderly, people with disabilities or families – particularly women and children fleeing domestic violence.

    “This project will give vulnerable people in the region access to the care and resources they need – not just a roof over their heads.”

    Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery and State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said:

    “I have been deeply engaged with Tweed Shire Council, community housing providers like Social Futures and others to address the long-standing issue of homelessness in the Tweed, made worse by the 2022 floods which impacted parts of Murwillumbah and surrounds particularly hard.

    “This repurposing model, whereby a vacant facility can be easily converted into managed temporary accommodation, will work well here in Tweed Heads, where the need is great.

    “I congratulate Homes NSW and Social Futures on partnering in the Soorley Street project, which importantly, has wraparound support services for people who will live in the units.”

    Federal Member for Richmond Justine Elliot MP said:

    “Our community on the North Coast has one of the highest rates of homelessness across NSW and that’s why this project is vitally important for our region.

    “The Federal and State Labor Governments are working together to address the issues of housing affordability, rental stress, and homelessness.

    “The NSW Labor Government funding of $525,800 towards these 70 new supported temporary accommodation units in Tweed Heads will provide urgent relief for some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

    “Social Futures is a trusted community housing and homelessness organisation that works across the region providing important support and services.”

    Social Futures CEO Tony Davies said:

    “Transforming this vacant property into supported temporary accommodation for people experiencing homelessness provides immediate relief for some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

    “By working collaboratively with government, council, and community partners, we’re not only increasing the availability of temporary accommodation – we’re creating a pathway to lasting, positive change.”

    “With onsite access to wrap-around support services, security and 24/7 onsite management we can deliver safe, supportive temporary accommodation that empowers people to regain stability and independence as they work toward securing long-term housing.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy, Colleagues Introduce Measure to Extend Trade Program with Haiti

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Rick Scott (R-FL), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension (HELP) Act to extend trade benefits for apparel products produced in Haiti from 2025 to 2035. The products that are eligible for these benefits comprise 93% of Haitian exports and are a vital source of dignified employment for thousands of Haitians, who would otherwise turn to violent gangs for employment or seek to enter the United States illegally. 
    “Over the years, Haitian families have been devasted by natural disasters and political unrest,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Extending trade benefits is good for the U.S. and the Haitian people who need resources and jobs.”
    “America is safer and better off when our neighbors are thriving,” said Senator Warnock. “That’s why I was proud to lead this bipartisan effort to strengthen Haiti’s economic future and stability. This bill is a win-win for Georgians and the people of Haiti. It will promote a better future for us all and shows what is possible when we center the people in policymaking.”
    “Originally a lifeline to Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, the Haiti Economic Lift Program has helped the nation economically by stimulating trade between Haiti and the U.S.,” said Senator Durbin. “As Haiti continues to face economic hardship and political unrest, we should extend its provisions by passing the bipartisan HELP Extension Act.”
    In the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Congress passed the HELP Act to broaden the types of goods eligible for duty free status to over 5,000 types of apparel and footwear. The law, which helped rebuild some of Haiti’s domestic industry, is set to expire in 2025.
    Background.
    In December 2021, Cassidy and former U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced legislation to reauthorize the Haitian Hemisphere Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act. In 2021 and 2023, they reintroduced the HELP act.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Peters Calls on Trump Administration to Reinstate Veterans Illegally Fired in Mass Terminations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
    Published: 02.28.2025

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) joined a group of 21 Democratic Senators in calling on President Trump to immediately reinstate veterans who have been illegally fired in his Administration’s mass terminations of federal employees. It’s estimated that the Trump Administration’s actions have already resulted in roughly 6,000 veterans abruptly losing their jobs, including many former servicemembers who had worked in government service for multiple years. In a letter to President Trump, Peters and his colleagues emphasized the harmful and disproportionate impacts that these mass layoffs are having on veterans, which make up approximately 30 percent of the federal workforce – or more than 640,000 employees. The letter also called for the Administration to provide these veterans with full back pay and benefits. 
    “Federal civil service has long been a preferred path for military-affiliated populations, allowing them to continue serving our country while offering competitive wages, benefits, and much-needed stability,” said Peters and his colleagues. “In return, every single agency in our government and every single taxpayer benefits from these experienced, talented, and dedicated employees.” 
    The letter continued, “Your Administration’s actions are damaging the economic security and morale of our military and veteran families, the federal government’s ability to recruit and retain high-quality talent, and ultimately, our national security. We demand that you cease your attacks on our nation’s heroes, who have already given so much in defense of our country, and immediately reinstate those who have been illegally fired with their full back pay and benefits.” 
    To read full text of the letter, click here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Four decades after Rongelap evacuation, Greenpeace makes new plea for nuclear justice by US

    Asia Pacific Report

    In the year marking 40 years since the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior by French secret agents and 71 years since the most powerful nuclear weapons tested by the United States, Greenpeace is calling on Washington to comply with demands by the Marshall Islands for nuclear justice.

    “The Marshall Islands bears the deepest scars of a dark legacy — nuclear contamination, forced displacement, and premeditated human experimentation at the hands of the US government,” said Greenpeace spokesperson Shiva Gounden.

    To mark the Marshall Islands’ Remembrance Day today, the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior is flying the republic’s flag at halfmast in solidarity with those who lost their lives and are suffering ongoing trauma as a result of US nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific.

    On 1 March 1954, the Castle Bravo nuclear bomb was detonated on Bikini Atoll with a blast 1000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb.

    On Rongelap Atoll, 150 km away, radioactive fallout rained onto the inhabited island, with children mistaking it as snow.

    The Rainbow Warrior is sailing to the Marshall Islands where a mission led by Greenpeace will conduct independent scientific research across the country, the results of which will eventually be given to the National Nuclear Commission to support the Marshall Islands government’s ongoing legal proceedings with the US and at the UN.

    The voyage also marks 40 years since Greenpeace’s original Rainbow Warrior evacuated the people of Rongelap after toxic nuclear fallout rendered their ancestral land uninhabitable.

    Still enduring fallout
    Marshall Islands communities still endure the physical, economic, and cultural fallout of the nuclear tests — compensation from the US has fallen far short of expectations of the islanders who are yet to receive an apology.

    And the accelerating impacts of the climate crisis threaten further displacement of communities.


    Former Marshall Islands Foreign Minister Tony deBrum’s “nuclear justice” speech as Right Livelihood Award Winner in 2009. Video: Voices Rising

    “To this day, Marshall Islanders continue to grapple with this injustice while standing on the frontlines of the climate crisis — facing yet another wave of displacement and devastation for a catastrophe they did not create,” Gounden said.

    “But the Marshallese people and their government are not just survivors — they are warriors for justice, among the most powerful voices demanding bold action, accountability, and reparations on the global stage.

    “Those who have inflicted unimaginable harm on the Marshallese must be held to account and made to pay for the devastation they caused.

    “Greenpeace stands unwaveringly beside Marshallese communities in their fight for justice. Jimwe im Maron.”

    Rainbow Warrior crew members holding the Marshall Islands flag . . . remembering the anniversary of the devastating Castle Bravo nuclear test – 1000 times more powerful than Hiroshima – on 1 March 1954. Image: Greenpeace International
    Chair of the Marshall Islands National Nuclear Commission Ariana Tibon-Kilma . . . “the trauma of Bravo continues for the remaining survivors and their descendents.” Image: UN Human Rights Council

    Ariana Tibon Kilma, chair of the Marshall Islands National Nuclear Commission, said that the immediate effects of the Bravo bomb on March 1 were “harrowing”.

    “Hours after exposure, many people fell ill — skin peeling off, burning sensation in their eyes, their stomachs were churning in pain. Mothers watched as their children’s hair fell to the ground and blisters devoured their bodies overnight,” she said.

    “Without their consent, the United States government enrolled them as ‘test subjects’ in a top secret medical study on the effects of radiation on human beings — a study that continued for 40 years.

    “Today on Remembrance Day the trauma of Bravo continues for the remaining survivors and their descendents — this is a legacy not only of suffering, loss, and frustration, but also of strength, unity, and unwavering commitment to justice, truth and accountability.”

    The new Rainbow Warrior will arrive in the Marshall Islands early this month.

    Alongside the government of the Marshall Islands, Greenpeace will lead an independent scientific mission into the ongoing impacts of the US weapons testing programme.

    Travelling across the country, Greenpeace will reaffirm its solidarity with the Marshallese people — now facing further harm and displacement from the climate crisis, and the emerging threat of deep sea mining in the Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Pacific – On Marshall Islands Remembrance Day, Greenpeace calls for nuclear justice and reparations from the United States

    Source: Greenpeace

    Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands, 1 March 2025 – Seventy-one years since the most powerful nuclear weapons tests ever conducted were unleashed across the Marshall Islands by the United States, Greenpeace is calling for the US government to comply with Marshallese demands for recognition and nuclear justice.
    On 1 March 1954, the Castle Bravo nuclear bomb was detonated on Bikini Atoll – the explosion 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb. On Rongelap Atoll, 150 kilometers away, radioactive fallout rained onto the inhabited island, with children mistaking it as snow.
    Today, communities continue to endure the physical, economic, and cultural fallout of the nuclear tests; compensation from the US has fallen far short of expectations for the Marshallese people who are yet to receive an apology; and the accelerating impacts of the climate crisis threaten further displacement of communities.[1]
    “The Marshall Islands bears the deepest scars of a dark legacy – nuclear contamination, forced displacement, and premeditated human experimentation at the hands of the U.S. government.
    To this day, its people continue to grapple with this injustice, all while standing on the frontlines of the climate crisis – facing yet another wave of displacement and devastation for a catastrophe they did not create,” says Greenpeace spokesperson Shiva Gounden.
    “But the Marshallese people and their government are not just survivors-they are warriors for justice, among the most powerful voices demanding bold action, accountability, and reparations on the global stage. Those who have inflicted unimaginable harm on the Marshallese must be held to account and made to pay for the devastation they caused. Greenpeace stands unwaveringly beside Marshallese communities in their fight for justice. Jimwe im Maron”
    To mark the Marshall Islands’ Remembrance Day, the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior is flying the Marshall Islands flag at half-mast, in solidarity with those who lost their lives and are suffering ongoing trauma as a result of the US government’s nuclear weapons testing.
    The Rainbow Warrior is currently in transit to the Marshall Islands where a mission led by Greenpeace will conduct independent scientific research across the country, the results of which will eventually be given to the National Nuclear Commission to support the Marshallese government’s ongoing legal proceedings with the US and at the UN.[2] The trip also marks 40 years since Greenpeace’s original Rainbow Warrior evacuated the people of Rongelap after toxic nuclear fallout rendered their ancestral lands uninhabitable.
    “The immediate effects of the Bravo bomb on 1 March were harrowing. Hours after exposure, many people fell ill – skin peeling off, burning sensation in their eyes, their stomachs were churning in pain. Mothers watched as their children’s hair fell to the ground and blisters devoured their bodies overnight,” says Ariana Tibon Kilma, Chairperson at Marshall Islands National Nuclear Commission.
    “Without their consent, the United States government enrolled them as ‘test subjects’ in a top secret medical study on the effects of radiation on human beings – a study that continued for 40 years. Today on Remembrance Day the trauma of Bravo continues for the remaining survivors and their descendents – this is a legacy not only of suffering, loss, and frustration, but also of strength, unity, and unwavering commitment to justice, truth and accountability.”
    The new Rainbow Warrior will arrive in the Marshall Islands in early March. Alongside the government of the Marshall Islands, Greenpeace will lead an independent scientific mission into the ongoing impacts of the US weapons testing program. Travelling across the country, Greenpeace will reaffirm its solidarity with the Marshallese people – now facing further harm and displacement from the climate crisis, and the emerging threat of deep sea mining in the Pacific.
    Notes

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ‘Let’s move beyond the little things and think big for Wales’

    Source: Party of Wales

    In his message to the people of Wales on St David’s Day, Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Leader of Plaid Cymru has outlined his party’s plans to “move beyond the little things” and “think big for Wales” as we approach the 2026 Senedd election.

    Plaid Cymru leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth said:

    “On St David’s Day, we come together as a nation to celebrate our Patron Saint. Today, we remember what Dewi said – ‘do the little things’ – and as important as that message is, let’s think big for Wales. Let’s aim higher and be ambitious for our future.

    “Plaid Cymru is ready to work with you and your community to offer a new start for Wales. We will always demand fair play for you whilst also setting a much greater ambition for what we can achieve, and for the Wales we want to see.

    “With only a year to go until the next Senedd election, Plaid Cymru will do the little things in order to bring about that big change. From our plans to cut NHS waiting lists, to offering a way forward for creating better jobs and developing a more prosperous economy as we grow in confidence as a country. Plaid Cymru’s message to you is: come with us on that journey.”

    “Dydd Gwyl Dewi hapus i chi gyd.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden Announces Open-to-all Town Hall for Oregonians on March 4

    US Senate News:

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

    February 28, 2025

    Senator Wyden: “Rather than attend the State of the Union, I’m choosing to hear from residents in the best state of the union.”

    Washington, DC –  U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will co-host a live on-line town hall Tuesday night, March 4 with People’s Town Hall to offer all Oregonians the opportunity to ask questions, share their ideas and offer their views during the State of the Union speech.

    “In this unprecedented time in American history, my top priority is making sure Oregonians from every corner of our state can keep weighing in directly with me,” said Wyden, who’s held 1,105 open-to-all town halls throughout Oregon in fulfillment of his promise to hold at least one town hall each year in each of the state’s 36 counties. “Rather than attend the State of the Union, I’m choosing to hear from residents in the best state of the union. That’s been my priority at more than 1,100 town meetings. And there’s no reason to make different choices this Tuesday.”

    The on-line town hall on Tuesday, March 4 will begin at 6 pm PT (7 pm MT) and can be watched here on Facebook Live. Oregonians who want to ask a question during the virtual town hall can submit their questions in advance here.

    “Senator Wyden has long led the way in town hall accessibility,” said Nathan Williams of People’s Town Hall, a town hall series from the founders of Town Hall Project. “At this crucial moment in our democracy, we encourage Oregonians from across the state — and political spectrum — to join this conversation with their senior senator.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Hassan, Shaheen, and Congressman Pappas Hold Press Conference to Discuss Impact of Trump Job Cuts on Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Local Economy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan

    Portsmouth, NH – On Friday, February 28, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Congressman Chris Pappas held a press conference in Portsmouth to discuss the impact the Trump Administration is having on the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. They were joined by the Seacoast Shipyard Association, the Metal Trades Council, and representatives from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard unions to discuss how the uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration’s executive orders and job cuts has led the Shipyard to pause hiring, and other impacts the administration’s actions may have.

    “The shipbuilding workforce at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is critical to maintaining our Navy’s crown jewel—the attack submarines that promote our national security around the globe,” said Senator Shaheen, a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. “We know the Shipyard is already short-staffed so the last thing the Trump Administration should be doing is interfering with their recruitment efforts—these actions don’t make our region stronger nor our nation safer.” 

    “Granite Staters are alarmed and outraged at the Trump Administration’s move to weaken the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard by curtailing the Shipyard’s workforce,” said Senator Hassan. “The Portsmouth Naval shipyard is both a pillar of our national security, helping the United States remain on the cutting edge, and an engine for our economy, providing jobs for Granite Staters who want to do their part to keep our Navy strong.”

    “The men and women of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard do critically important work every day to ensure our nation’s readiness, strengthen New Hampshire’s local economy, and support our military for any battle that lies ahead. These skilled workers are essential for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to meet its critical mission and their job security should not be in question. But the actions we have seen in recent weeks across the federal government and in the Department of Defense, including hiring freezes, layoffs, and the cancelling of contracts, are dangerous and undermine our national security,” said Congressman Pappas. “The Department of Defense must fully exempt the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard from these cuts and layoffs, and I will continue fighting to ensure they provide the clarity the Shipyard needs to meet its mission and ensure our country is strong and prepared for the future.”

    “The incredible women and men who make the vital work of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard possible are essential to keeping our state and country safe. Since I took the oath of office exactly two months ago today, I have met with shipyard employees and heard firsthand about the scope of their mission-critical work and the devastating impact that lawless actions of the Trump Administration have had on their lives,” said Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, a member of the House Armed Services Committee who previously served for more than a decade as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. “I will never stop fighting for the support and resources that our civilian and military workforce needs and deserves.”

    The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard provides maintenance for multiple types of ships, including the older Los Angeles-class submarines and newer Virginia-class submarines. It is one of just four public shipyards nationwide that maintain the US Navy’s submarine fleet. The Shipyard is also the region’s largest employer. In 2023, the latest available data, more than 7,400 civilian employees worked at the base with an economic impact exceeding $1.5 billion, according to the Seacoast Shipyard Association’s 2024 report.

    On Monday, February 24th, the Shipyard implemented a pause on hiring and recruiting in response to the Trump administration’s recent executive orders, job cuts, and the announcement of a Department of Defense (DOD) plan to reduce its workforce by laying off approximately 5,400 employees this week. The pause comes as the Shipyard has been working to hire large numbers of workers to increase capacity amid a $1.87 billion dry dock expansion.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the department’s work on Virginia-class submarines was among many priorities deemed “too important” to be included in the overall downsizing, but a spokesperson for him declined to say whether any jobs at the Shipyard would be exempt from ongoing terminations of probationary workers. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed Condemns Trump-Vance Attack Against Ukraine and Zelenskyy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC—Today, after President Trump and Vice President Vance held a press event with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, during which they ridiculed Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s war of survival against Russia, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement:

    “Today’s spectacle in the Oval Office was a political ambush and a shameful failure of American leadership.

    “President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine are fighting for their very lives and existence. Unlike Donald Trump or JD Vance, I have traveled to Ukraine and seen firsthand the death and destruction wrought by Vladimir Putin against innocent people. To mock Ukraine and our allies is a travesty that only benefits Putin.

    “Furthermore, today’s cruel and callous display does great harm to U.S. standing in the world. Trump and Vance are communicating to the world that the United States is not to be trusted. Adversaries and allies alike will take note.  

    “To my Republican colleagues, where is your voice? We are watching America’s leaders surrender to Russia, forfeit our leadership in the world, and do strategic harm to our country — and for what? This is not who we are, and silence is complicity.

    “I will always stand with Ukraine and place America’s national security interests above theatrics and craven partisanship.”

    Last night, Senator Reed spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate to reject the Trump Administration’s weak, dangerous strategy toward Ukraine and NATO. His full remarks can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Deputy Labor Secretary Nominee Declines to Answer Sen. Murray on Whether Basic Workforce Training Laws are “DEI”; Pressed on Trump Dismantling OFCCP And Enabling Illegal Discrimination

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Senator Murray Statement on Trump Attempt to Dismantle Longstanding Labor Agency Combating Illegal Employment Discrimination 

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

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, questioned Keith Sonderling, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as Deputy Secretary at the Department of Labor (DOL), at a HELP committee hearing on his nomination. Murray pressed Mr. Sonderling on whether the Trump administration thinks foundational workforce training laws like the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act qualify as “DEI.” Murray also questioned Mr. Sonderling about the Trump administration’s unprecedented dismantling of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), which has its origins in a 1965 executive order and plays a unique and vital role in combating unlawful employment discrimination for federal contract workers, who make up about one-fifth of the entire U.S. labor force.

    Murray began by pressing Mr. Sonderling on the consequences of the Trump administration’s dismantling of OFCCP, which Murray forcefully condemned in January. “In 2024, following an OFCCP evaluation, one of the largest global financial services companies agreed to allocate $4.2 million in payments to resolve alleged sex discrimination and undergo an outside pay equity analysis. In his first week in office, President Trump rescinded the Executive Order from 1965 that authorized OFCCP to conduct that investigation. Commissioner Sonderling, do you believe that taxpayer dollars should go to companies that discriminate?”

    Sonderling dodged the question and Murray pressed again: “Do you think that taxpayer dollars should go to companies that discriminate?”

    “That is not a determination that the Deputy Secretary of Labor or the Department of Labor deals with,” Sonderling responded.

    “You don’t want to answer the question,” Murray observed. “I will say, I don’t think the taxpayer dollars should go to companies that discriminate. I can easily say that.”

    Murray continued her line of questioning: “In our meeting, you suggested that the Department of Labor is looking at eliminating OFCCP entirely even though it has recovered now more than $260 million dollars for more than 250,000 employees and job applicants who were discriminated against by federal contractors over the last decade. And OFCCP just, today, announced plans to cut 90 percent of its staff and local offices. So let me ask you this: do you think DOL has any role to play in addressing illegal discrimination?”

    Mr. Sonderling said he was not aware of those reports, and declined to answer the question again.

    Murray asked again: “I’m just asking you from your own philosophical personal position. Do you think that DOL, which you want to go to work for, has any role to play in addressing discrimination in this country?”

    Mr. Sonderling responded that addressing discrimination is under the jurisdiction of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), to which Senator Murray replied: “It’s interesting that you say that, because Trump fired two of the EEOC commissioners—in an unprecedented move, I would add. So, it really has undermined our government’s ability to go after anti-discrimination. So I am, and everyone should, be deeply concerned about that.” Senator Murray vocally condemned Trump’s illegal firing of EEOC Commissioners and NLRB members last month.

    Next, Senator Murray pressed Mr. Sonderling on the Trump administration’s definition of “DEI” and their weaponization of the ill-defined term to target all manner of programs and policies. “We’re hearing a lot about DEI, it’s thrown out there everywhere. So, I’m going to ask about some bipartisan laws passed by Congress that were passed to make sure that underserved Americans can receive workforce training and find good employment opportunities. And I want to know if the policies in these laws that I’m going to present to you amount to DEI,” Murray said.

    “The Office of Disability Employment Policy has been statutorily authorized with, ‘Eliminating barriers to the training and employment of people with disabilities.’ Is that DEI? Yes or no?”

    “It is important to protect all rights of disabled workers… and under my leadership, the Office of Disability Employment will continue to do that,” Sonderling relied, without answering the question directly.

    “So that is not DEI?” Murray pressed.


    “That is a civil rights statute that the department enforces to make sure disabled people can prosper in the workforce,”     Sonderling replied.

    “I know you know what it is, but I’m asking if it’s DEI, because, you know, it’s very confusing,” Murray responded.

    Murray continued: “How about the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, WIOA? It specifically says ‘individuals with a barrier to employment’ and requires grantees to expand training to those individuals. Is that DEI?

    “WIOA is a very important law…,” Sonderling replied. “But do you consider that to be DEI?” Murray pressed.

    “I consider that to be a very important part of the department’s mission to make sure that American workers can get… the training they need,” Sonderling said.

    “The Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 requires federal contractors to take affirmative action to hire, retain, and promote veterans? Is that DEI?” Murray asked.

    Sonderling declined to answer the question, saying instead: “It is important to protect all of our veterans. It’s important to protect everybody in the workplace.”

    “Well—Mr. Chairman, I know you’re pounding your gavel—but I just think it’s pretty clear that there is no standard definition of DEI across our federal government,” Murray concluded.

    Throughout her career, Senator Murray has championed workers’ rights and fought to combat employment discrimination, including as the top Democrat on the Senate labor committee from 2015-2022—among other things, Senator Murray fought back against a proposed DOL rule by the Trump administration that would allow federal contractors and subcontractors to justify discrimination against women, LGBTQ+ people, and members of certain religious groups on ideological grounds. Senator Murray first introduced the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act—comprehensive labor legislation to protect workers’ right to stand together and bargain for fairer wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces—in the 116th Congress. Murray also leads the Paycheck Fairness Act to combat wage discrimination and help close the wage gap, and has helped lead the fight for paid family and medical leave since she first joined Congress.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, DeLauro Statement on Government Funding Talks

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair, and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on government funding talks:

    “It’s incredibly disappointing that Republican leadership is walking away from bipartisan negotiations to fund the government—and raising the risk of a shutdown in so doing.

    “Republican leadership’s plan to pass a full-year continuing resolution with Musk’s devastating ‘DOGE cuts’ would give Trump new flexibility to spend funding as he sees fit. While Elon Musk has been calling for a shutdown, Democrats have been working to pass bills that make sure Congress decides whether our schools or hospitals get funding—not Trump or Musk.

    “Their plan would only help Trump and Musk cut off support for our veterans, cancel lifesaving cancer research, and threaten seniors’ Social Security benefits. As ever, we remain ready to work with our colleagues to pass full year appropriations bills and invest in families and our national security—and we hope Republicans will return to the table to do just that.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: El Salvador National Previously Convicted Of Double Homicide Charged With Illegally Reentering The United States

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. – A citizen of El Salvador who was previously convicted for double homicide and sentenced to 50 years in prison in El Salvador, was charged with illegally reentering the United States, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.

    César Eliseo Sorto-Amaya, 28, was charged today by complaint with illegally reentering the United States and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge José R. Almonte in Newark federal Court.

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

    Since 2015, Sorto-Amaya was deported from and illegally returned to the United States three separate times, including one time where he was deported after being convicted of weapons possession charges in Elizabeth, New Jersey. In April 2024, Sorto-Amaya was convicted in abstentia in El Salvador of double aggravated homicide and sentenced to 50 years in prison.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations, under the direction of Field Office Director John Tsoukaris, and law enforcement authorities in El Salvador, with the investigation.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Stern of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark.

    The charges and allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

                                                   ###

    Defense counsel: Carol Dominguez, Esq.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s ‘two sessions’ to offer clear policy signals for high-quality development

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

    China’s ‘two sessions’ to offer clear policy signals for high-quality development

    A journalist works at a press center for China’s annual “two sessions” in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 27, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    BEIJING, Feb. 28 — China will unveil its annual GDP growth target and policy arrangements for high-quality development at the upcoming national “two sessions” in Beijing.

    Contrary to slowdown forecasts by certain Western naysayers, the Chinese economy is well-positioned to sustain its recovery and maintain steady growth this year.

    During the “two sessions,” the annual meetings of China’s national legislature and top political advisory body, measures to expand domestic demand and promote sci-tech innovation and high-standard opening up are expected to be outlined.

    As a priority, domestic demand will be expanded comprehensively. China has huge potential in consumption and investment. The record highs seen in the domestic Spring Festival holiday box office and the number of trips made during the 40-day festival travel rush attest to the vitality of China’s consumption and economy. More targeted steps are expected to uplift consumption further. Fruitful campaigns such as large-scale equipment upgrade and consumer goods trade-in programs will be expanded. Investment will gain steam in projects to implement major national strategies and build up security capacities in key areas.

    This photo taken on Feb. 13, 2025 shows a poster for the Chinese animated film “Ne Zha 2” at a cinema in Chaoyang District of Beijing, capital of China. [Photo/Xinhua]

    The private sector, in particular, is expected to gain more momentum in its healthy, high-quality development. In February, a symposium on private enterprises in Beijing lent a significant boost to morale in the sector, which contributes more than 60 percent of GDP and 80 percent of urban employment in China. The country plans to promulgate a private sector promotion law this year, which will stimulate the sector’s development momentum and promote high-quality development.

    Fresh efforts are expected to develop new quality productive forces through scientific and technological innovation. Startups DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics, both of which have caught global attention, highlight China’s technological progress. Under the country’s AI Plus initiative and other programs, the integrated development of technology and industry will generate new sources of growth for the Chinese economy. China’s new energy industries and overall green transition, driven by its cutting-edge technologies, will continue to be important growth drivers.

    A humanoid robot is on display in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, Feb. 5, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Amid rising global trade protectionism, China remains committed to expanding its high-standard opening up. An action plan to stabilize foreign investment in 2025 has outlined 20 measures to attract foreign investment, such as those related to upgrading pilot free trade zones and expanding pilot programs in fields such as telecommunication and medical services. China will also work to ensure new progress in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with partner countries.

    This year is important in terms of the further, comprehensive deepening of reform to advance Chinese modernization. Reform measures planned for this year are expected to boost high-quality development by optimizing resource allocation and improving the market environment.

    Last year, the Chinese economy met its annual growth target of around 5 percent, outperforming other major economies and remaining the biggest engine of global economic growth. The 2025 growth target will be a key indicator of the projected operations of the world’s second-largest economy.

    A central economic work conference last December set the tone for a more proactive policy stance, and called for the enrichment of the national policy arsenal this year, as well as improved policy coordination.

    With the pro-growth policies rolled out since last September and a raft of new pragmatic measures for the year ahead at hand, there should be little doubt that China will be capable of navigating challenges at home and abroad, and of securing steady growth while promoting high-quality development. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: San Diego Man Who Ran $35 Million Securities Fraud and COVID-Relief Fraud Scheme Sentenced to Almost 20 Years

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Denny Thakorbhai Bhakta, who was convicted by a federal jury in October 2024 of securities fraud, bank fraud and money laundering in connection with a $35 million swindle that left his own elderly uncle bankrupt, was sentenced in federal court today to 235 months in custody. Bhakta was convicted of all 25 charges after a two-week trial.

    The evidence at trial showed Bhakta solicited investors in his companies Fusion Hotel Management LLC and Fusion Hospitality Corporation (collectively “Fusion”). Between at least 2016 and up to 2021, Bhakta falsely told investors that Fusion routinely acquired discounted blocks of hotel rooms from Hilton, which Fusion then sold to United Airlines at a higher price for a significant profit.

    To support these lies, Bhakta provided fabricated bank statements, fake contracts, and profit and loss statements purporting to show millions in revenue and profit. Instead of buying blocks of hotel rooms with investors’ funds, however, Bhakta used the money he obtained from investors for gambling, to make Ponzi-style payments to other investors, and to pay for Bhakta’s personal expenses, including luxury vehicles.

    According to court documents, Bhakta targeted friends, family members and close acquittances during the multi-year fraud scheme. Among the victims was Bhakta’s uncle, who was swindled out of $4.5 million, and who testified during the trial that he came to the U.S. as an immigrant with a suitcase and $8 in his pocket, and because of the defendant, he “lost everything he had worked for in 57 years in America. Everything.”

    Bhakta’s other victims included a childhood friend who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars; his former boss and his wife; a friend of his family who lost $1.6 million; a high school classmate and her father who together lost more than $800,000; and an 88-year-old investor who lost $50,000.

    During the trial, prosecutors introduced evidence that Bhakta was flown to Las Vegas on the Wynn Las Vegas private jet. And in just one 7.5-hour gambling binge in 2018, Bhakta lost $1 million at the casino. Through a trove of casino records, prosecutors demonstrated how Bhakta repeatedly took investors’ money straight to casinos and gambled (and lost) millions of investor money.

    “I haven’t seen a case quite like this,” said U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino, who found Bhakta’s conduct “could not have been more deliberate [and] could not have been more calculated.”  In pronouncing the 235-month prison sentence, Judge Sammartino noted Bhakta’s only apparent motive was “greed and gambling,” his victims included his own friends and relatives, and he showed “nothing resembling remorse” for his criminal conduct that spanned years.

    “This defendant didn’t just betray investors—he callously swindled his own family and closest friends, leaving his elderly uncle bankrupt,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. “Instead of safeguarding their hard-earned money, he funneled millions straight to casinos, gambling away their futures along with his own. His lies, deceit, and reckless greed have finally caught up to him. Today’s sentence makes clear that those who gamble with other people’s trust and livelihoods will face the consequences.”

    “Denny Bhakta orchestrated an elaborate investment fraud scheme that caused extensive financial harm to unsuspecting victims, including close family and friends, all for his own personal gain,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy.  “Today’s sentence holds him accountable for his greed and deceitful conduct, bringing justice to the victims he exploited.”

    According to the government’s sentencing materials, in 2020, Bhakta doubled down on the fraud. Through the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), Bhakta applied for 18 separate PPP loans totaling $4.4 million. To fraudulently obtain the PPP loans, Bhakta created fake W-2 and other IRS documents and used the names and personally identifying information of his victim-investors to claim them as employees of Fusion and other entities under Bhakta’s control.  Bhakta used the more than $4.4 million he received in PPP loans to keep the Ponzi scheme going and to continue gambling and losing money at casinos.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Mokhtari and Eric Olah.

    DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 21cr3352-JLS                            

    Denny Thakorbhai Bhakta                             Age: 42                                   San Diego, CA

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Securities Fraud—Title 15, U.S.C. §§ 78j(b), 78ff; Title 17, C.F.R. § 240.10b-5

    Maximum penalty:  Twenty years in prison and $5,000,000 fine

    Bank Fraud—Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1344(2)

    Maximum penalty:  Thirty years in prison and $1 million fine

    Money Laundering– Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1957

    Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and fine twice the amount of the criminally derived property involved in the transaction

    INVESTIGATING AGENCY

    Federal Bureau of Investigation

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Labour market forecast lands amid tariff threats, immigration cap

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    VICTORIA – B.C.’s new 2024 Labour Market Outlook (LMO) estimates more than one million job openings in B.C. over the next decade.

    The 2025 LMO will consider the impacts of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods and federal changes to immigration levels.

    The LMO delivers a comprehensive forecast of job-market trends over the coming decade. Its purpose is to help current and future post-secondary students, organizations, workers and employers make informed decisions about careers, skills training, education and hiring.

    The 2024 edition uses data collected until April 2024, before changes in the federal immigration targets. Slower population growth will impact labour supply, the demand for some goods and services, and the demand for workers in certain sectors, all of which have implications for the provincial economy. The 2024 LMO was likewise created prior to the U.S. government’s threats to impose tariffs on Canadian goods.

    The accuracy of any forecast depends on various assumptions about the future, some of which are difficult to anticipate. Due to this, labour market forecasts are updated annually to factor in changing circumstances. Work is underway on the next edition of B.C.’s LMO.

    Compared to the 2023 edition, the 2024 LMO projected 122,000 more job openings for a total of 1.12 million over the next 10 years. Of these job openings, 449,000 are identified as the result of economic growth, with the remainder due to replacing retiring workers. By 2034, employment is projected to reach 3.3 million, up from 2.8 million today for average annual growth of 1.4%.

    As government works with partners to safeguard B.C.’s economy and respond to the threat of tariffs, the Province will continue to make education and training more accessible, affordable and relevant, and will continue to prioritize sectors with labour shortages to ensure B.C. has a skilled workforce.

    Learn More:

    For the 2024 edition of the B.C. Labour Market Outlook, the online dashboard, and other links, visit: https://www.workbc.ca/research-labour-market/bc-labour-market-outlook-2024 (can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com)

    A backgrounder follows.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Iowa Private Nonprofits Affected by May Storms

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Iowa of the March 27, 2025, deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the May 20‑31, 2024, severe storms, tornadoes and flooding.

    The disaster declaration covers the counties of Adair, Adams, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Cedar, Cherokee, Clay, Dallas, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Humboldt, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Kossuth, Marshall, Mitchell, Montgomery, Muscatine, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Shelby, Story, Tama and Wright.

    Under the declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to PNPs providing non-critical services of a governmental nature and suffered financial losses directly related to the disaster. Examples of eligible non-critical PNPs include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools and colleges.

    EIDLs are available for working capital needs cause by the disaster and are available even if the PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    “SBA loans help eligible small businesses cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”

    Interest rates can be as low as 3.25% with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    The SBA encourages applicants to submit their loan applications promptly. Applications will be prioritized in the order they are received, and the SBA remains committed to processing them as efficiently as possible.

    To apply online visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    Submit completed loan applications to the SBA no later than March 27, 2025.

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    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King, Moran Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Research Effects of Low-Level Blast Injuries on Veteran Mental Health

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS) – chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs – and Angus King (I-ME) – member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs – introduced legislation to direct the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other research partners to comprehensively study the impacts of repetitive low-level blast injuries on veterans’ mental health.

    The Precision Brain Health Research Act of 2025 would require VA to work with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to create a ten-year research plan to establish the effects of repetitive low-level blast injuries, where benchmarks must be reported to Congress, in order to develop further legislation for veterans who suffer with the effects of these repetitive blast exposures.

    “Brain injuries are a common, yet misunderstood and often undetectable, injury — and we’re finding they can be caused by exposure to large explosions, as well as consistently being near smaller blasts such as when firing a rifle, so we need to confront this threat from all angles,” said Senator King. “The bottom line is we must expand our understanding of the impact all blasts have on mental health, so that we can take proactive measures and protect the long-term health and well-being of our military community. Here in Maine we know all too well the horrible tragedies that can occur when brain injuries are left untreated. This commonsense bill builds off of previous efforts to deliver on our government’s sacred promise to provide our servicemembers, veterans and their families the very best care and support.”

    “Research has linked low-level blasts, which servicemembers are exposed to during training and in combat, to increased occurrences of brain injuries, mental health conditions and suicides,” said Senator Moran. “The Precision Brain Health Research Act will help us better understand why and how blast injuries are impacting veterans’ mental health and make certain VA is able to quickly incorporate these findings into care for veterans and enable them to receive an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. This legislation is a step towards providing veterans the evidence-based health care and benefits they have earned and deserve, and I look forward to its passage.”

    This legislation builds off the Precision Brain Health initiative in the Commander John Scott Hannon Mental Health Care Improvement Act, which became law in 2020.

    The full text of the bill can be found here.

    “America’s Warrior Partnership is proud to fully endorse the VA Precision Brain Health Act of 2025, led by Chairman Moran and Senator King,” said Jim Lorraine, President & CEO, America’s Warrior Partnership. “As a former member of United States Special Operations Command and an advocate for many I served with, I know firsthand the long-term health impact of repetitive exposure.  For far too long, our service members and veterans have suffered with unexplained symptoms because of undetected brain injuries caused by repetitive low-level blasts during their time in training and in combat. This legislation will ensure these veterans will no longer be left behind.”

    “The Navy Seal Foundation applauds U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Angus King on their work leading the Precision Brain Health Research Act,” said Robin King, CEO, The Navy Seal Foundation. “This bill will begin groundbreaking federal research—with accountability benchmarks built in—to ensure our Seals and others in the Special Operations community will not be left behind with the wounds they have suffered due to repetitive low-level blast injuries.”

    “The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) supports the Precision Brain Health Research Act of 2025 to expand VA research on repetitive low-level blast exposure, dementia, and other brain injuries affecting veterans,” said Joy Craig, Associate Director of Service Member Affairs, Veterans of Foreign Wars. “By strengthening VA-DOD data-sharing, funding large-scale studies, and partnering with the National Academies of Sciences, this bill advances cutting-edge care for those suffering from service-related brain injuries. We urge swift passage to ensure veterans receive the timely, evidence-based treatments they deserve.”

    “Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI, is a complex injury with a spectrum of short- and long-term conditions, and it is a signature wound of post-9/11 military service,” said Brian Dempsey, Director of Government Affairs, Wounded Warrior Project. “Part of keeping our promise to veterans is making sure that the Department of Veterans Affairs is prepared to deliver the best possible care and support to those who suffered brain injuries in service.  The Precision Brain Health Research Act of 2025 would set VA on a course to more effectively treat TBI and better understand the impact of repetitive low-level blast exposure on veterans’ mental and brain health.  Wounded Warrior Project is proud to support this important legislation and thanks Senators Jerry Moran and Angus King for their commitment to improving how we care for veterans with TBIs”

    This legislation is also supported by The American Legion.

    MIL OSI USA News –