NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Question Time Response – Universal Service Obligation expansion

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    Question – Federal Member for Mayo – Rebecca Sharkie MP

    My Question is to the Minister for Communications. 90 per cent of Australians have a smart phone. Will the Government expand the Universal Service Obligation to the mobile phone network in the regions, and, if not, why not?

    Answer – Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland MP

    Thank you, Mr Speaker. And I thank the Member for her question and I appreciate the advocacy she has provided for her constituents in her constructive engagement with me on a variety of communications matters across a portfolio. 

    Universal Service Obligation; Telstra is designated as the universal service provider. 

    Basically, this is a requirement that has not changed under the current regime since it was put in place. It basically applies to landline services and a pretty basic data service. The intention of the National Broadband Network, when it was conceived by Labor, was to ensure not only that we had broadband capacity across Australia, but that we had a wholesale-only access network vertically integrated that would provide competition into the regions, and this is where it matters. 

    The Member is very right that there is a complete lack of flexibility when it comes to the Universal Service Obligation and that is why, in 2023, I announced that this Government would undertake a full consultation into how reform could be undertaken here, and how it could best benefit, in particular, those living in regional Australia.

    And I also pay credit to the Member for Kennedy – he was been a staunch advocate for reform in this area. Clearly, that needs to be changed. This has been strongly endorsed by every stakeholder in the area, be it from the National Farmers’ Federation, to ACCAN, to the industry themselves. So it is encouraging.

    This is an area of long-overdue reform and no reform happened under the previous government for a decade, but, despite that, we have not only undertaken that consultation but considered how it should be funded, and there is a variety of ways it could happen. Telstra has the contract as a universal service provider under those arrangements which happen when the NBN was conceived. They are due to expire – not in the immediate term – but in future years, not a long way away. So, we need to determine out what that is going to look like. The Government has been working diligently in this area and we will have more to say very soon. 

    But I will make three points: firstly, this is an area where reform was absolutely left lacking under the previous government. Secondly, this is an area where regional Australia has missed out because of that lack of reform. And, thirdly, that lack of reform flies in the face of the fact that Australians are early-adopters and want the best technology and connectivity.

    What I can assure the Member is that Labor will be reforming that area, and I look forward to engaging with the Member.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: This is Australia’s only icebreaker. Here’s why experts say we need another

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Younger, Lecturer in Southern Ocean Vertebrate Ecology, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania

    Australia’s Antarctic territory represents the largest sliver of the ice continent. For decades, Australian scientists have headed to one of our three bases – Mawson, Davis and Casey – as well as the base on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, to research everything from ecology to climate science.

    But despite our role as leaders in Antarctic science, Australian funding and logistics for Antarctic research hasn’t kept pace. Our single icebreaking vessel spends most of its time on resupply missions, restricting its use for actual science. And funding is often piecemeal, which makes it hard to plan the complex, multi-year efforts it takes to do research down on the ice.

    This week, we saw a welcome change. The federal parliamentary committee on Australia’s external territories delivered a report calling for a second icebreaking vessel and more reliable funding. It also urged the government to progress work on marine protected areas in east Antarctica as well as resume fishing patrols, due to concern over illegal or exploitative fishing.

    These measures are long overdue. For those of us who work and study on the ice continent, logistics and funding have long been a challenge. Illegal fishing in Antarctica must be stamped out, and a second vessel would support our ambitious, world-leading science.

    Why is Antarctic science so important?

    Antarctica is often out of sight, out of mind for many Australians. But what happens on the ice doesn’t stay there.

    For climate science, Antarctica matters a great deal. For decades, much of the concern about melting ice focused on the Arctic and Greenland, while Antarctica stayed relatively stable. But this is now changing. Sea ice is melting more quickly than in the past. Glacial ice is retreating. Increased melting will affect sea level rise and ocean currents.

    I study diseases such as the lethal strain of bird flu which has devastated bird and some mammals populations around the world. It recently reached Antarctica, where it killed large numbers of penguins, skuas, crabeater seals and more. I saw the devastation myself on my recent journey there.

    If this strain makes it to Australia – the last continent free of it – it could come from the south and devastate both Australian wildlife and poultry.

    To study these large and important changes, we need to be down there on the ice. It’s not an easy task. Keeping our bases functional means we need regular resupply missions. Repairs and extensions require tradies. Scientists and other workers need to be brought home.

    Antarctic science has long relied on just one vessel, now the RSV Nuniya, which the Australian Antarctic Division describes as the “main lifeline to Australia’s Antarctic and sub-Antarctic research stations and the central platform of our Antarctic and Southern Ocean scientific research”.

    The problem is, resupply can trump science. After all, no one wants bases running short of food or fuel. This is, in fact, what the Nuniya is largely doing.

    Australia’s role is key

    The Australian Antarctic Territory represents about 40% of the ice continent – the largest territory by far.

    Territory, here, doesn’t mean exclusive rights. In 1959, 12 nations with a scientific interest in the ice continent signed the Antarctic Treaty. This treaty was an agreement that Antarctica – the only landmass with no indigenous human presence – would be reserved for peaceful, scientific purposes.

    But in recent years, this treaty has come under pressure. Nations such as Norway and China have expanded fishing operations for krill. Illegal and unregulated fishing from various nations continues.

    The report recommends the Australian government continue efforts to establish a marine protected area off East Antarctica – where fishing would be restricted – as well as reopening fishing patrols. China – which recently opened its fifth Antarctic base – is opposed to the idea of fishing-free zones and is pushing to expand fishing in the Southern Ocean.

    Under Antarctica’s ice lie many resources. Mining is banned in Antarctica until 2048. What happens after that is uncertain. The race to tap critical minerals in Greenland signals what may lie ahead for Antarctica.

    This is why Australia’s leadership in Antarctic science matters. Australia was an original signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, and has a long history of exploration and science. Hobart has long been the home of Australia’s Antarctic vessels.

    As Antarctica changes, Australian scientists must be there to analyse, understand and report back. To do that, improvements are needed, including new vessels and longer-term funding. This report is the first step.

    The government is yet to formally respond to the report’s recommendations. Let’s hope it takes heed of the findings.

    Jane Younger receives funding from the Australian Research Council, WIRES Australia, the Geoffrey Evans Trust and the National Geographic Society.

    – ref. This is Australia’s only icebreaker. Here’s why experts say we need another – https://theconversation.com/this-is-australias-only-icebreaker-heres-why-experts-say-we-need-another-249714

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Short-term politics keeps stalling long-term fixes. This bill offers a way forward

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Harris Rimmer, Professor, Griffith Law School, Griffith University

    Two federal politicians from opposing camps reached across the aisle this week to promote a valuable cause – the wellbeing of future Australian generations.

    Independent MP Sophie Scamps tabled the Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill 2025, which was seconded by Liberal backbencher Bridget Archer.

    In an election year no less, this was a highly unusual moment of bipartisan collaboration.

    It is extremely rare for private members bills to be passed into law. But the ideas in the Scamps bill have merit – especially its central recommendation that all decision makers properly consider the needs of young people when drafting government policy.

    The bill was a direct response to a diverse civil society campaign in Australia and overseas to prioritise long term solutions to deliver a fairer, more sustainable future.

    We support those efforts through our involvement in the youth-driven non-profit Foundations for Tomorrow, which worked closely with Scamps on her bill.

    What is in the bill?

    The bill would introduce a range of measures to try and apply a future focus to decision making across the policy spectrum. This includes housing, environment, climate change, mental health and job security, all of which are pressing issues for young people.

    An independent Commissioner for Future Generations would be appointed to advocate for better policies and sustainable practices, while the government would have a public duty to always consider the best interests of future generations.

    Importantly, a national conversation would be launched to engage Australians in a public consultation to help shape the nation’s vision for the future.

    What is future governance?

    Globally, we are in a state of polycrisis.

    We are confronting cascading climate disasters, intense regional conflicts and geo-strategic competition. In response to this, a growing international movement representing the interests of future generations has emerged.

    The concept incorporates an approach to decision making that overcomes the trappings of short-term, inadequate solutions. Instead, the emphasis is on planning for the future, not just the here and now.

    Here in Australia, it aspires to future-proof the country by managing extreme, long-term risks that are damaging current and future prosperity.

    Growing inequality is showing up in many policy areas, none more so than in the housing wealth gap between people in their 30s and 50s, which has widened to an extraordinary 234%.

    By improving governance, it is hoped that intergenerational justice will be achieved. This ethical lens is compatible with the Australian Public Service value of good stewardship.

    A global movement

    Many countries, including Scotland, Finland, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore, are exploring ways to reorient their policy making towards a better understanding of long-term impacts of decisions taken now. It has also been taken up by the United Nations and the European Union.

    The Australian bill is based on the experience in Wales, where similar legislation was introduced in 2015.

    The Welsh model has delivered significant practical benefits by including community involvement in planning, and protecting essential services from election cycles. For instance, environmental protection has been given higher status in decision making about transport.

    The Australian landscape

    Australia has undertaken other efforts to think long term. The Intergenerational Report was launched by former treasurer Peter Costello in 2002 to build consensus around the big issues facing Australia over the next 40 years.

    The most recent report, in 2023, identified five major areas needing future generations policy. These were population and ageing, technological and digital transformation, climate change and the net zero transformation, rising demand for care and support services, and geopolitical risk and fragmentation.

    The ideas in the Wellbeing of Future Generations bill could help guide policy in these critical areas. It would be an improvement on our current approach of recognising issues, but constantly kicking the can down the road.

    There have been other excellent future generations measures at all levels of government. One of these is the Albanese government’s commitment to the Measuring What Matters framework.

    And there is merit in independent Senator David Pocock’s Duty of Care Bill and the establishment of the Parliamentary Group for Future Generations at the Commonwealth level.

    An increasing number of leaders and policy makers are recognising the power and potential of expanding our definitions of policy success.

    Young voters and the 2025 election

    However, much more needs to be done to overcome intergenerational inequities. Policy-making continues to be driven by short-term political objectives, which is eroding trust and optimism in Australia’s future.

    In a 2021 survey for Foundations for Tomorrow, 71% of young Australians said said that they “do not feel secure”. Young people are also drifting away from supporting the major parties, especially the Coalition.

    Tabling her bill, Scamps correctly pointed out that today’s young Australians are the first generation in modern history to be worse off than their parents.

    Australians want politicians to start thinking beyond their own re-election prospects. They want long term solutions, they want vision, they want hope. We owe them that much.

    A recent survey by EveryGen (a network convened by Griffith University’s Policy Innovation Hub) found that 81% of Australians feel that politicians focus too much on short-term priorities. An overwhelming 97% of people believe that current policies must consider the interests of future generations.

    Genuine futures thinking is not always easy. But it does add an important ethical dimension to decision making, that of real attention to political legacy.

    Susan Harris Rimmer receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is affiliated with Foundations for Tomorrow as a board member who are running the For the Future campaign, and is founder of the EveryGen network. EveryGen is a member of the Intergenerational Fairness Coalition.

    Elise Stephenson receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is a founding member of the EveryGen network and supporter of Foundations for Tomorrow. EveryGen is a member of the Intergenerational Fairness Coalition.

    – ref. Short-term politics keeps stalling long-term fixes. This bill offers a way forward – https://theconversation.com/short-term-politics-keeps-stalling-long-term-fixes-this-bill-offers-a-way-forward-249598

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall Releases Statement After Kansas Governor Laura Kelly Vetoes Bill Protecting Minors

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. issued the following statement after Kansas Governor Laura Kelly vetoed Senate Bill 63 (SB 63), which if signed into law would have protected Kansas children from genital mutilation and irreversible hormone replacement treatments.
    “Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill that would have protected Kansas children from mutilation and irreversible hormone replacement treatments is disgraceful,” said Senator Marshall. “Yet again, Governor Kelly is putting her radical liberal ideology above the safety of Kansas kids. Child mutilation is not a parental right and on the contrary, should be criminal. I look forward to the legislature overriding this insane veto.”
    BACKGROUND
    Last December, Senator Marshall introduced the Safeguarding the Overall Protection of Minors Act, a bill that would protect our children from transgender procedures and irreversible hormone replacement treatments.
    Along with this legislation, Senator Marshall also recently led the Defining Male and Female Act to ensure the legal definition of sex is based on facts, not feelings, which would protect exclusive spaces for women like bathrooms and locker rooms. 
    In November 2024, Senator Marshall brought together a coalition to sound the alarm on the extreme gender ideology war being waged against America’s children and to talk about solutions, including the Safeguarding the Overall Protection of Minors Act.
    Senator Marshall is a medical doctor with more than 25 years of experience. He has also delivered over 5,000 babies.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Kiwi businesses to face reduced AML burden

    Source: New Zealand Government

    The Government is moving to reduce the regulatory burden on New Zealand businesses by improving the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act 2009, Associate Justice Minister Hon Nicole McKee says.
    The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which had its first reading in Parliament today includes a range of amendments to reduce the compliance burden for businesses.
    “This Bill will make 26 changes to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and consistency of the AML/CFT regime by relaxing requirements on low-risk activities and entities, such as family trusts,” Mrs McKee says.
    “These amendments are the first of the Government’s programme to reform the AML/CFT regime and will benefit New Zealanders by empowering businesses to make the call about the level of checks they need to do on their customers.”
    “The changes address key difficulties for many low-risk businesses who are currently required to undertake onerous checks even when there is clearly very little risk. These are part of the Government’s plan to make the AML/CFT system work better with less overly prescriptive requirements by allowing businesses to take measures in line with the actual risks that they face.”
    The amendments also include the government’s first measures to reduce duplication in the AML/CFT system by:

    clarifying the definition of a ‘trust and company service provider’ to resolve confusion and unnecessary duplication of obligations for some businesses currently captured by two definitions; and
    removing unnecessary duplication of border cash reporting when someone physically brings cash with them when moving into New Zealand.

    “This is just one part of a wider package of reforms to improve the regime and deliver regulatory relief, to support tackling organised crime and to improve New Zealand’s compliance with international standards.
    “Other changes currently being progressed by the Ministry of Justice will build on these amendments and further improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the AML/CFT regime for businesses, agencies, and ordinary New Zealanders. These changes include a new supervisor model, the introduction of a levy, and a wider regulatory package of reforms.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Heads vs tails? A simple coin flip can be enough to change how we treat others

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eliane Deschrijver, Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Sydney

    Circles in a Circle (1923) Wassily Kandinsky / Philadelphia Museum of Art / The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950

    Imagine you are asked to give a small amount of money to a stranger. It’s not your money, so it doesn’t cost you anything. You’re just deciding how much they get.

    But first, a pair of coins is flipped – one for you and one for the stranger – and you are told the results.

    Would the coin flip change how much money you give? Specifically, would you give them a larger amount if you both got heads or tails than if you got different results?

    As we discovered in a series of experiments with more than 1,400 participants, the coin flip – or other seemingly insignificant points of similarity or difference – might well affect your behaviour.

    In a new paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, we show how understanding why even a coin flip can influence behaviour might help us understand what makes people discriminate against others.

    ‘Us’ versus ‘them’

    Historically, many psychological theories that aim to explain discrimination have focused on group processes, rather than on how we respond to individual people.

    This focus on group processes followed, in part, from the discovery that people benefit their own group over another group even if the division into groups had happened based on seemingly irrelevant features.

    The use of such features has been crucial for explaining the core psychology of discrimination, stripped from any wider societal elements such as race, gender, values or attitudes.

    In the seminal “minimal group” experiment, people were assigned to one of two groups based on seemingly irrelevant differences. Some groups were split by a preference for the paintings of Paul Klee versus those of Wassily Kandinsky, others by whether they had over- or underestimated the number of dots in an image. Some were even allocated to groups by a random event like a coin flip.

    The so-called ‘minimal group’ experiment showed that separating people into groups was enough to make them favour members of their own group.
    Andrii Yalanski/Shutterstock

    The result? Klee fans tended to give financial benefits to other Klee fans ahead of Kandinsky enthusiasts. Likewise, people in the “heads” group favoured their own group over those in the “tails” group.

    The results could not be explained easily by existing research at the time. Some theories had emphasised that people show favour towards an individual after agreeing on more meaningful topics than painting preferences or dots estimations. The meaningful topics were things like one’s belief system, values or political or religious views.

    Small studies had also found that a coin flip – which didn’t lead to explicitly dividing people into groups – was not enough to make people show discriminatory tendencies.

    An influential theory called social identity theory thus concluded that social categorisation – thinking in terms of “us” versus “them” – could lead to people discriminating. This was tied to an idea that people elevate their self-image or improve their self-esteem by benefiting their own group over others.

    New research emphasises a role for even random similarity versus difference

    In our recent research, we set out to reassess whether group division is crucial to understand discriminatory tendencies.

    We carried out seven experiments with over 1,400 participants in total (all based in the United Kingdom).

    The study analysed data from participants who were asked to either repeatedly choose their preferred painting from two, estimate the number of dots presented in a “cloud”, or take part in a coin toss.

    After each choice or coin flip, participants had to assign money to another person (the same person each time).

    The result of a coin flip was enough to change how study participants treated another person.
    Motortion Films/Shutterstock

    The only information participants were given about the other individual was their outcome in the same situation. Neither participants nor the other person were assigned to groups. Someone asked to pick between two paintings, for instance, was only told which painting the person they were allocating money to preferred in that instance.

    Participants allocated on average 43.1% more money to another person who demonstrated the same judgement – or chance outcome – to their own.

    Our research demonstrates that some of our discriminatory tendencies may be driven by individual difference versus sameness even when that difference or sameness is based on random chance, like a coin flip.

    The findings raise the possibility that more basic neural processes than thinking about groups may have contributed to these outcomes.

    Detecting a difference often comes with a conflict signal in the brain, and may come with negative emotions. Sameness with another person may hence lead to a more favourable treatment. However, this potential explanation will require further research.

    Why does this matter?

    The findings can help understand our own tendencies for favouring another person.

    Previous research had suggested that “incidental similarity” with somebody, such as sharing a birthday or a name, can influence pro-social behaviour or liking because we associate the person with the way we see ourselves.

    Our research surprisingly suggests that something similar can happen on the basis of an even less-relevant chance event such as a coin flip.

    This may affect how we think about discrimination. We usually understand discrimination as making unfair distinctions between people based on groups or other social categories.

    Our research suggests future perspectives on discrimination may incorporate a role for individual-level difference, too.

    Does this new understanding suggest ways we can lessen discrimination? At this stage, they would only be speculative.

    However, earlier scientific efforts to find ways to reduce prejudice and discrimination have largely been informed by group-based theories of discrimination. For example, some interventions have aimed to influence people’s perceptions of other groups.

    In the same way, our new findings may inspire future research into interventions based on individual-level drivers of discrimination.

    Eliane Deschrijver receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

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

    – ref. Heads vs tails? A simple coin flip can be enough to change how we treat others – https://theconversation.com/heads-vs-tails-a-simple-coin-flip-can-be-enough-to-change-how-we-treat-others-249611

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: “He’s a Danger,” King Warns in Floor Speech Against RFK Jr. Nomination

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) tonight took to the floor of the Senate to share his concern over President Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to serve as the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). In the speech, Senator King began his remarks by outlining the roles of Congress and the Presidency as America’s Founders envisioned: to make laws and to execute laws, respectively.  He then turned to the HHS candidate, speaking to Kennedy’s lack of experience and qualifications needed to run a large-scale health organization, and pointed out Kennedy’s long held public opinions as hostile toward the mission of the agency. He also warned of Kennedy’s dangerous skepticism toward proven, life-saving vaccines, sharing a childhood memory of a classmate who had polio.

    “Mr. President, I’d like to begin my remarks this afternoon by talking a little bit about the Constitution. I spent some time last week talking about the Constitution and our failure to observe that the Constitutional, fundamental structure of the division of power between the Congress and the Executive is being violated and the Congress is allowing it to happen. Another provision of the Constitution is the provision in Article I about advise and consent. It’s a fundamental check and balance built into the Constitution by the framers for a reason. It wasn’t a throw-away line or a few sentences that were put in because they wanted to fill the paragraph out. Again, it’s part of the structure that was designed to protect us from tyranny. And the structure involved the division of power, the separation of power because the framers knew that if all power was concentrated in a single individual or single institution, that institution or that individual would inevitably abuse our people. That’s human nature. That’s 1,000 years of human nature. All power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. So, the advise and consent provision was in the Constitution for a reason. It was in there for a reason, in order to provide a check on the executive and the people who were going to be put in charge of running the administration. 

    “By the way, I want to stop for a minute and focus on the word administration and the word executive, because it really goes to the discussion we’re having in this country right now about how our government is supposed to work. The executive comes from the word execute, and the word execute means put into action. It doesn’t mean initiate the action. It means put it into action. The same for the term administration. There’s a reason we call it the administration. They are to administer the laws. In fact, the obligation on the president in Article II is to see that the laws are faithfully executed. And it does not give the president the power to ignore laws or to decide which laws he or she thinks are okay, to ignore the responsibility and constitutional authority of the congress to define spending. It does not give the president that power. Although, the fellow we approved for Office of Management and Budget last week thinks he has that power. Or this President or any president has that power. That’s absolutely antithetical to the Constitution, as established by the framers. So, administration means administer the laws, executive means execute the laws, not make them. We make the laws here and the administration is to faithfully execute those laws. 

    “Now, let’s talk about advise and consent. Advise and consent means we have a responsibility — a Constitutional responsibility to consider each of the president’s nominees for these important jobs. This isn’t something that we may do or occasionally do. This is a fundamental part of our job. We take an oath when we come here to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I think it’s interesting — they knew in 1787 that there was a potential for domestic enemies to the Constitution. So we have an obligation to take advise and consent seriously. 

    “Now, I’m a former governor, as is the presiding officer. And as a former executive, I believe the executive should have the ability to choose the team that they want, to choose their advisors. To choose the people they will work with, with some limitations. In other words, I start with the premise of the person elected should perhaps get the benefit of the doubt is a little too strong, but I start with the premise that they were elected and they should be able to choose the team that they are going to be working with. However, I think there are two qualifications. This has been my stated position on this since I entered the Senate. Benefit of the doubt to the executive, however, the nominee must be manifestly qualified and not hostile to the mission of the agency to which they’ve had been appointed. Two criteria that for me give life to the idea of advise and consent. 

    “Okay, let’s talk about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He, unfortunately, checks both of the boxes as to being disqualified. Number one, he’s not remotely qualified to run an organization. He has no experience running anything remotely like the scope and scale of the Department of Health and Human Services. No executive experience in that sense. So that’s number one. Is he qualified? No. He’s grossly unqualified. But the second box is he hostile to the mission of the agency? And if the mission of the agency, HHS, is to protect the health of the American people, I would argue he is manifestly hostile to that mission. There’s been a lot of discussion here today and I think it’s interesting. I haven’t heard too many people come up on the floor and support this nominee and tell us why he should be approved because, you know what, Mr. President? If this were a secret ballot, this man wouldn’t get 20 votes. Everybody in this body knows he’s not qualified. Everybody in this body knows he has no business anywhere near this position. But here we are. We’re going to take a vote. Unfortunately, it will probably be on a party-line basis. 

    “But let me focus on just one little piece. On January 29, barely a week ago, before the Senate Finance Committee, here’s what Mr. Kennedy said. Quote, “news reports have claimed that I’m antivaccine or anti-industry. I am neither. I am pro-safety. All of my kids are vaccinated.” I bet that came as news to all of the folks he’s been leading astray over the last 25-30 years. I believe vaccines have a critical role in health care. I am reminded of Saul on the road to Damascus. A miraculous conversion. A bright light was shown and suddenly the scales fell from his eyes in his confirmation hearing. Okay, let’s go back a little over a year, July 6, 2023, this is a quote, a direct quote, “there is no vaccine that is safe and effective.” He later said, on the same podcast, ‘vaccines are inherently unsafe.’ Mr. President, this man shouldn’t be confirmed because he told the committee and the Senate something diametrically opposed to the position he’s taken the last 30 years, all of his adult life. 

    “Maya Angelou said, “If somebody tells you who they are, you should believe them.” And he’s told us repeatedly. And he has acted on his vaccine skepticism. This wasn’t something that was rumbling around in his head. He’s traveled the world. He’s written articles, gone on podcasts, gone on TV and he’s discouraged people from being vaccinated. And now he has this miraculous conversion 10 days ago. ‘All my kids are vaccinated. I believe vaccines have a critical role in health care.’ The same thing during COVID. He said, ‘it is criminal medical malpractice to give a child one of these vaccines.’ Wow, criminal malpractice. And of course it’s been discussed. He said I do believe that autism does come from vaccines. July of 2023 there was one study in England — I think it was in 1998 — that showed that — purported to show a tenuous convection between vaccines and — connection between vaccines and autism. I’m reasonably confident that one of the authors recanted. It was withdrawn and it’s been debunked over and over and over again, but this man has been peddling this lie for 20 years, and who knows how many parents have fallen for that on the one hand who knows how many children have paid the price. Just to talk about vaccines, at one point during the pandemic, there was a survey — July of 2021 — remember, that was the height of it — they surveyed 50 hospitals in 17 states. 94% of the patients hospitalized in July of 2021 were unvaccinated. What does that tell you? Vaccinations worked. And people who were unvaccinated were at enormously higher risk. 94% of the people were unvaccinated.

    “In addition to the vaccination issue, this guy — this man doesn’t respect the FDA, the agency that was put in place to protect our health, to regulate us, to be sure that we’re getting safe medications, to deal with some of the awful problems of the potential of harmful medications literally getting into America’s bloodstream. In December of 2024, barely a couple months ago, he said he would fire officials at the FDA. And in October 2024 he said on X, ‘FDA’s war on public health is about to end. If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt work, two messages for you: prepare your records and pack your bags.’ He didn’t say a certain office in the FDA or a certain part of the FDA or maybe there was one provision, a part that he didn’t think was helpful. He said, if you work for the FDA, that’s everybody, preserve your records and pack your bags. 

    “This man is not only unqualified, he’s anti-qualified. He’s a danger. We have physicians in the Senate — I believe that the Hippocratic oath, do no harm, should apply to Senate votes. You should not be voting for somebody who you know is going to do harm to the public health. So this is really a kind of surreal debate because everybody in this chamber knows this man should not be Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

    “Now, I want to end with a personal story. One of the few advantages of being older is that you have a long memory. And in 1952 I was entering the third grade at Macarthur School in Alexander, Virginia. In my class was a kid named Butch. And he was horribly twisted into a wheelchair. I don’t think I’d ever seen a wheelchair when I was going into the third grade. He was there, and I’m not even going to say how many years later, but I can close my eyes and see Butch in that chair. Polio was what he had. He was in pain daily. He could barely make himself understood. His arms were crossed. His legs were bent grotesquely in the wheelchair. And three years later the Salk Vaccine began what turned out to be the elimination of Polio. Where would we be as a country if this man had been the head at that time it was HEW and somehow put a stop to this vaccine, which I believe he has said even the Polio vaccine should be rescinded, which has saved millions of lives around the world. Where would we be? I can’t escape the memory of that boy in that wheelchair. I can’t forget the memory of my parents not letting me go to the public swimming pool because of the fear of Polio. Not being able to go out in the summer and play because of the fear of Polio that stalked the land. The former Republican leader was a victim of Polio. Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt was a victim of Polio. It was the vaccine. And, Mr. President, I hope this place comes to its senses and rejects this surreal nomination. It would be probably be hard to find somebody less qualified to serve in this position. I believe that it will lead to damage to our country, to our health, to our children, and I urge my colleagues to vote no. If you vote yes, you’ll regret it. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.”

    Senator King has been continuously sounding the alarm on President Donald Trump’s existential threat to the Constitution: he declared that the proposal to halt all federal grant and loan disbursement was illegal and a direct assault on the Constitution. More recently, he joined 36 Senators in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sharing the detrimental effects of  the Trump Administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He also joined fellow Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) colleagues in writing a letter to the White House about the risks to national security by allowing unvetted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staff and representatives to access classified and sensitive government materials. Last week, he spoke on the Senate floor to share his growing concerns over the Trump Administration’s largely unconstitutional and unprecedented overreach; in the speech he cited the Founding Fathers to add historical perspective to the decision facing the Senate, including the importance of the separation of powers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Sally Sara, ABC Radio National

    Source: Minister for Trade

    Sally Sara: Well, Australian industry is on tenterhooks, awaiting indications on whether there’ll be an Australian exemption from US tariffs on steel and aluminium. The Trade Minister, Don Farrell, has his bags all but packed, ready to fly to the US to meet his US counterpart, Howard Lutnick, as soon as Mr Lutnick is confirmed in the role. But before that, Mr Farrell is at the centre of electoral forms. He has negotiated with the Coalition in what integrity experts have called an affront to our democracy.

    Don Farrell is with me in the studio. Don Farrell, welcome to Radio National Breakfast.

    Minister for Trade: Nice to be with you, Sally.

    Sara: You’ve got quite a bit on in your portfolios at the moment. Let’s start with the question of tariffs. Has Australia been killing the American aluminium market as Donald Trump’s senior trade adviser, Peter Navarro has accused Australia of doing?

    Minister for Trade: I don’t believe we have, Sally. We make a terrific product here in aluminium. It’s a high-quality product. Australian companies do really well in the export market, and we sell our product to willing purchasers in the United States. I think we the reason we’re making those sales, of course, is the high quality and the high value of the product we sell. And I don’t believe we have done at any stage anything that has not been agreed to by the American Government.

    Sara: Has DFAT been reporting the sales of Australian steel and aluminium to the US Commerce Department?

    Minister for Trade: Well, I can’t say I know exactly how that information is collected by the Americans. I’m sure they have accurate figures on what we export into the United States. I think it’s important to remember, Sally, that in the relationship between Australia and the United States, it’s overwhelmingly in the United States’ favour. We have trade worth about $100 billion. $30 billion of that is what we sell for the United States, but 70 billion is what the Americans sell to us.

    Sara: Minister, I’ll bring you back to the question, though. Have we been – has Australia been reporting the volumes of steel and aluminium exports to the US Commerce Department?

    Minister for Trade: I’m sure that we comply with all of the obligations that America imposes on those companies that are supplying into the United States. And it wouldn’t matter whether it was beef or lamb or grain or steel or aluminium, I would be absolutely certain Australian companies comply with all of their obligations in terms of reporting into the United States. But just getting back to my other point —

    Sara: But has DFAT been passing on those figures to the US Department of Commerce?

    Minister for Trade: I don’t know who is responsible for reporting to the United States, but whoever it would be, would be complying with all of the obligations.

    Sara: So, you you’re not sure?

    Minister for Trade: Well, I don’t know exactly – I don’t get down into those precise details, but I’m certain that we comply with all of our obligations to report to the United States Government in terms of whatever exports that we might be passing on into the United States.

    Sara: There’s a bit of a tangle of words here on the previous exemption what’s your understanding? Did the Coalition Government give a verbal agreement about limiting Australian aluminium being exported into the United States, which it then didn’t abide by?

    Minister for Trade: You’d have to ask Mr. Morrison or —

    Sara: What’s your understanding?

    Minister for Trade: Well, look, they are matters for Mr Morrison or Mr Birmingham, who was the Trade Minister at the time. What I’m aware of is what we’ve been doing over the last three years, and I think we have been complying with all of the arrangements that were in place and the appropriate arrangements that were in place to ensure that we continued to supply high-quality Australian-made aluminium into the American market.

    Sara: Has DFAT been in contact with Australian aluminium exporters urging them to contain the amount of aluminium – Australian aluminium – that’s going into the US, has that occurred?

    Minister for Trade: I would say DFAT is very commonly in contact with all of the Australian companies that sell product into the American market. Where there are arrangements in place we would ensure that the companies that export to the United States are fully aware of their obligations.

    Sara: How can you comply with a deal when you’re not sure what that deal was?

    Minister for Trade: Well, I’m not sure quite what you’re referring to —

    Sara: In terms of containing what the previous promise was.

    Minister for Trade: I would expect, and I understand that Australian companies that export to the United States are exporting on the basis of what they understand to be the rules.

    Sara: What do you understand the rules to be?

    Minister for Trade: Well, we were given an exemption by the former, well, President Trump when he was formally president for the first time, and we have supplied aluminium in accordance with that arrangement. I might say the total amount of aluminium that we supply to the United States is a relatively small amount in the scheme of things and –

    Sara: What’s your understanding of the deal when it comes to the amount that we are allowed to send?

    Minister for Trade: Well, I understand that there’s a ceiling to how much we export to the United States. Of course, in the middle of all of this you had the Russia-Ukraine war. And I understand that because of difficulties in arrangements between getting Russian aluminium into the United States, we increased the amount of aluminium that we supplied into the American market. But all of that was done with the full knowledge of the American Government. We haven’t done, at any stage, anything that the American Government has not been comfortable with.

    Sara: Minister, I need to ask you about electoral reforms. After the deal was announced yesterday, the Centre for Public Integrity issued a statement saying they’ve been advocating for political donations reform and transparency for a long time. But in terms of this agreement, they’ve described it as an affront to our democratic process and the legislation went through without proper process and scrutiny. What’s your response to those comments?

    Minister for Trade: Well, Sally, I say this. From the time that I became the Special Minister of State three years ago, we have worked on reforming the Australian electoral system. We want to make it easier for ordinary Australians to participate in the electoral process. And you shouldn’t have to be beholden to billionaires in order to successfully run for politics in Australia. I want to see the ideas of Australia being the issue that determines whether or not they are or are not elected, not their wealth. And what we did last night was, as you say, dramatically increase the transparency of the Australian political system. For the first time, when you walk into the ballot place in the election after next, so, it doesn’t apply to this election because we’re so close to the election, for the first time, you’ll know exactly who else is donating to the candidate that you’re contemplating supporting. These are significant reforms. We’re capping the amount of money that you can spend on elections. Instead of the cost of elections blowing out, we are capping those costs.

    Sara: Do you understand the criticism of the independents? Because they will be capped with this per candidate cap. But if a candidate is a member of a major party, they’ll have the money under that per candidate cap and then another pot of money that is capped with the party. In other words, they have access to two pots of money.

    Minister for Trade: Can I say that they are completely wrong about that assessment. At the moment, there is no cap at all on how much candidates or parties can spend. The major parties, the Labor Party, the Liberal Party, have voluntarily capped the amount of money that they can spend on an election. So, that, in fact, it’s the opposite of the criticism that is being made about this legislation. We’re actually reducing the amount of money that the major political parties can spend on an election and that is to the benefit of all candidates. And can I say this, Sally? We’ve kept the amount of money you can spend on a single electorate at $800,000. If you can’t get your message out to the Australian people with a spend of $800,000, then there’s something wrong with your campaigning.

    Sara: Minister, we’ll need to leave it there. You’ve got a lot on your plate at the moment. Thank you so much.

    Minister for Trade: Thanks, Sally.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: New play Housework is a future Australian classic – a Don’s Party for our time

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Campbell, Lecturer, Performing Arts, UniSA Creative, University of South Australia

    Matt Byrne/STCSA

    Housework, a new play by Emily Steel, lifts the rock off politics to expose its crawling, ruthless, yet undeniably comic underside. The result is masterful, hilarious and deeply incisive.

    Housework opens with the day-to-day demands of a local MP electorate office and then sweeps to the halls of power in Canberra.

    Chief of staff Anna Cooper (Emily Taheny), media advisor Ben (Benn Welford) and junior staffer Kelly (Franca Lafosse) try to perform damage control for their headstrong, cherry-picked, first-term MP Ruth Mandour (Susie Youssef).

    In Canberra, Ruth is preparing for her first private member’s bill, calling for health care reform; Anna has a sick child back home; and Ben is absent with COVID. Add in a star-struck young female staffer, a predatory older male MP (Paul, played by Renato Musolino), and a photo of them leaving a bar together and we strap in for a rollicking ride through media manipulation, personal and political sacrifice, and the fleeting moments of power.

    It is absolutely compelling and all too recognisable.

    This is everything you’ve always wanted to know about Australian politics but were too afraid to have your worst fears confirmed. Steel’s play is laugh-out-loud funny in its satire and send-ups. But it is also deeply affecting in her bleak but loving depiction of the chasm between personal dreams and the reality of politics.

    Uproarious comedy

    Steel has based her script on interviews with politicians and staffers (confidential, of course) and media stories. She centres the experiences of women in politics, personal lives, gender roles, sexism, fighting the patriarchal socio-political systems. This sits within the story of a new MP butting up against potential scandal and the power plays of Parliament, and the relentless 24-hour news cycle.

    It is a timely reminder of the barriers that continue to obstruct social equality.

    The cleaning woman eventually gets one of the best skewering zingers of the play.
    Matt Byrne/STCSA

    Steel’s script is bookended with a woman cleaning (who eventually gets one of the best skewering zingers of the play). The constant references to rubbish disposal are a highlight, from the hilarious opening scene (“we don’t do bins”) to the frantic scramble to weaponise a “scandal” and who is sacrificed to save who.

    Steel’s writing revels in the roller coaster of political life, balancing the high comedy with deep insight into the human cost.

    This is the kind of play you want to see again to delight in Steel’s use of language, the uproarious comedy and the undercurrents of bloodthirsty power.

    A brilliant cast

    Director Shannon Rush has expertly paced this excellent cast to bring out every laugh, back stab and all-too-familiar power jostle. They don’t miss a beat or drop a spark of energy. The sense of building political pressure and personal conflict is relentless and exciting; the depiction of the sense of place and power is spot on.

    Every one of Steel’s political animals is instantly recognisable. We watch them with morbid fascination as they spar, jostle, align and detonate, revealing more of themselves as the stakes rise.

    Every one of Steel’s political animals is instantly recognisable.
    Matt Byrne/STCSA

    Taheny effortlessly makes the whip-smart staffer Anna multifaceted, with internal conflict alongside high-energy pragmatism and expertly timed comedy. Youssef’s Ruth is blunt, no-nonsense and idealistic, with comically few diplomatic skills and no idea how the machinations of government work – but an unflinching desire to make a change for good.

    Lafosse brings depth, subtlety and excellent comic foil timing to the young idealist. Musolino revels in the role of the leader-in-waiting Paul, giving us a joyously morally bankrupt character. Every moment of his scenes is a delight and his repulsively predatory-yet-attractive older white male politician was all-too recognisable. The scenes between Paul and Taheny’s Anna spark and hum with energy and presence.

    Welford is wonderful as Ben the media officer and Duncan the party apparatchik, bringing out the offhanded ruthless grabs for power and casual decimations between laughs.

    Youssef’s Ruth is blunt, no-nonsense and idealistic, with comically few diplomatic skills.
    Matt Byrne/STCSA

    The ensemble cast all play smaller roles, filling out the world of parliament with the faceless “schemers and plotters” in the back rooms and corridors, ABC news journalists, and continual stream of environmental protesters.

    Sunitra Martinelli plays both the ever-present (and mostly voiceless) cleaner, and the prime minister. This pairing is a genius move, played with presence and deft contrast. The cleaning woman, constantly fixing the mess others make, bookends the play as a constant reminder of the mopping-up required for the people in power. Politics is literally a dirty business.

    A future classic

    Ailsa Paterson’s stylish set references the stark white outside of Parliament House in Canberra. The repetitive doorways and hallways, entries and frames for the machinations of the people of government. A rotating long timber table divides the scenes and the sides of parliament.

    Sound design by Andrew Howard punctuates scene changes and mood swings with pounding relentless pace, the tick-tock of time passing, and rich sonic textures to create the insistent, driving tempo of government.

    The stylish set references the stark white outside of Parliament House in Canberra.
    Matt Byrne/STCSA

    Nigel Leavings’ lighting is superb, creating menace, blinding office fluros, and shadows in this mad-rush-to-the-top climb over the bodies of everyone to get to the top.

    Housework is firmly in the now-familiar worlds of Total Control (2019–24), Rake (2010–18) and The Thick Of It (2005–12). It is a deft capturing of a socio-political moment in time, undeniably Australian and gloriously uncompromising.

    Dare I say it, this a future Australian classic: a Don’s Party for our time, but with fewer blokes and WAGs – and a female PM.

    Housework is at the State Theatre Company South Australia until February 22.

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

    – ref. New play Housework is a future Australian classic – a Don’s Party for our time – https://theconversation.com/new-play-housework-is-a-future-australian-classic-a-dons-party-for-our-time-249019

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Menopause hormone patches are in short supply. What are they? And how do they compare with other therapies?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Bushell, Clinical Associate Professor in Pharmacy, University of Canberra

    DimaBerlin/Shutterstock

    The federal government yesterday released its response to the Senate inquiry into issues related to menopause. The inquiry recommended the government examine options to make menopause hormone therapy (MHT, or sometimes called hormone replacement therapy) more affordable and accessible, and address drug shortages.

    In response, three MHT products will be added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS): Estrogel and Estrogel Pro (gels) and Prometrium (a tablet). From March 1, this will bring the cost down to A$31.60 a month ($7.70 concession).

    Some MHT skin patches are already subsidised on the PBS, but they’re in short supply globally. This is due to a combination of factors including manufacturing issues, unexpected increases in demand and the discontinuation of the Climara brand of patch.

    When patients can’t access their MHT patches, they may be prescribed alternative brands that aren’t listed on the PBS, potentially costing more. Others will switch to different formulations, combinations and or strengths to try to get the same effect.

    So what are MHT patches? And how do they compare with gels, tablets and other formulations?

    First a quick recap of menopause

    During the transition to menopause, the ovaries gradually produce less oestrogen until they stop altogether.

    This hormonal change can lead to a range of symptoms, including hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, mood swings, memory problems and vaginal dryness.

    Over time, the reduction in oestrogen also increases the risk of health problems such as osteoporosis.

    To help reduce the sometimes-debilitating symptoms, some women may be prescribed hormone therapy. This typically includes an oestrogen hormone (such as oestradiol or conjugated oestrogens) and, for women with an intact uterus, a progestogen. Therapy with both hormones is known as combination therapy.

    If taken alone, oestrogen stimulates endometrial growth, increasing the risk of endometrial hyperplasia (irregular thickening of the uterine lining) and cancer. Progestogens counteract this by promoting regular shedding.

    Women without a uterus (after a hysterectomy, for example) do not require progestogens as there is no endometrium to protect.

    What are the different MHT formulations?

    Early MHT, used in the 1940s, used oestrogens extracted from the urine of pregnant mares. Oral formulations derived from this source, such as conjugated equine oestrogens (such as Premarin, short for PREgnant MARes’ urINe), are still available.

    These days, MHT can be broken down into two types of formulations:

    1. ‘Systemic’ treatments such as tablets, patches or gels

    Tablets and capsules are swallowed, while patches and gels are applied to the skin.

    These treatments affect the whole body and are usually best for the vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, as well as to prevent bone loss.

    2. ‘Localised’ treatments, such as creams and pessaries

    These are inserted into the vagina, and act on the vagina and surrounding tissues. They are absorbed in very small amounts into the bloodstream, much lower than systemic treatments, and are unlikely to have significant effects on the rest of the body.

    Creams and pessaries contain oestrogen alone, and are the best option for treating dryness and discomfort in the vagina.

    They can also help prevent frequent urinary tract infections and improve some bladder problems, such as urinary urgency and urge incontinence.

    It is possible for women to use different forms of oestrogen and progestogen in their hormone therapy regimen. They might use an oestradiol patch to deliver oestrogen, for example, and take oral progesterone to provide the necessary progestogen component.

    Potential MHT side effects include oestrogen-related, headaches, breast tenderness or pain, nausea, leg cramps, mood changes, vaginal bleeding or spotting, bloating, swelling of the hands or feet, indigestion, and skin irritation with patches.

    Patches vs tablets and gels

    MHT patches, which have been available since the 1990s, are now more widely used and often preferred.

    Patches deliver a consistent dose of hormones directly into the bloodstream through the skin, bypassing the liver. This mimics the natural release by the ovaries and provides steady hormone levels into the bloodstream.

    Gels, like patches, bypass the liver. They are associated with less skin irritation than patches, making them a preferable option for people sensitive to adhesives or prone to skin irritation.

    In contrast, oral formulations must be absorbed by the gut and then pass through the liver, where the drug gets processed. Some will be broken down, some will be converted to active metabolites, before entering the bloodstream. This can result in fluctuating oestrogen levels and more side effects than the more consistent delivery provided by patches.

    When oral oestrogen goes through the liver, there is also an increase in the production of clotting factors. For this and other reasons, oestrogen patches have a lower risk of blood clots compared to oral tablets and capsules. Women with an elevated risk of blood clots – including those who are obese, smoke, or have a history of clotting disorders – often prefer patches.

    Patches, which are applied once or twice weekly, are designed to make it easier to stick to than tablets and gels MHT, which requires daily dosing.

    What if you need to switch?

    Currently, both oestrogen and combination skin patches are in short supply in Australia.

    The differences in absorption and metabolism between formulations mean that switching directly from one dosage form to another might not maintain the same level of symptom control or could cause new side effects.

    MHT guidelines provide prescribers with information on dose equivalence between formulations – for example, switching from an oestrogen-containing patch to a gel or tablet – ensuring women have a range of options available and for treatment to be tailored to their individual needs.

    To address the shortages, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has enabled pharmacists to dispense alternative brands or strengths of estradiol patches without requiring a new prescription. This might mean, for example, two lesser strengths that add up to the strength prescribed.

    The TGA also temporarily approved the supply of MHT patches from the United States in June, and listed them on the PBS, but these are now also in short supply.

    What if you’re new to MHT?

    The TGA is advising prescribers to consider current shortages when initiating patients on MHT.

    First-time MHT patients may be prescribed readily available formulations to avoid therapy changes and to preserve stock for those already using patches.

    The TGA expects some patches to be out of stock until December 2025 and provides regular updates about the estimated dates the patches will be available again.

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

    – ref. Menopause hormone patches are in short supply. What are they? And how do they compare with other therapies? – https://theconversation.com/menopause-hormone-patches-are-in-short-supply-what-are-they-and-how-do-they-compare-with-other-therapies-245166

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: February 12th, 2025 Heinrich Delivers Floor Speech Opposing the Nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Health Secretary

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    VIDEO

    WASHINGTON — This afternoon, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor amplifying the voices of New Mexicans opposing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to be the U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services.

    “I hope all of my colleagues take seriously what it would mean to confirm this anti-vaccine, anti-science snake oil salesman as our next Secretary of Health and Human Services,” said Heinrich.

    VIDEO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivers remarks on the Senator floor opposing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Health Secretary, February 12, 2025.

    Heinrich began his remarks by recounting how Mr. Kennedy’s 2019 trip to the Pacific island of Samoa intensified vaccine skepticism and contributed to a deadly measles outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children under five. Heinrich said: “As someone with a background in science, but more importantly, as a father of two, I am horrified by this story. Thanks to incredible scientific research and medical advances, we now have a vaccine that has proven to be safe and effective at protecting our kids and largely eradicated the measles outbreaks that used to result in the devastating loss of babies and young children. That is until anti-vaccine crusaders like Mr. Kennedy started promoting phony science and conspiracy theories in places like Samoa.”

    Heinrich condemned Mr. Kennedy’s long track record of spreading fear, peddling misinformation, and promoting conspiracy theories: “Mr. Kennedy has repeatedly and falsely alleged that safe and effective vaccines for tetanus, the flu, COVID, and HPV are dangerous to human health. Mr. Kennedy has promoted the completely discredited conspiracy theory that vaccines lead to autism. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that led to more than one million deaths in the United States alone, Mr. Kennedy campaigned to end the nationwide vaccination effort that helped us save millions more lives. Mr. Kennedy has — again without any sound evidence — also pushed conspiracy theories claiming that antidepressant medications cause mass shootings and chemicals in our water make children gay. If those claims sound ludicrous, it’s because they are.”

    Heinrich warned that, if he is confirmed to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Mr. Kennedy has committed to following President Trump’s orders to further roll back women’s reproductive rights: “During his confirmation process, Mr. Kennedy also reportedly made commitments to my Republican colleagues to support restrictions on mifepristone, a medication abortion and miscarriage management drug. Mr. Kennedy has also signaled to Republican senators that he will go along with whatever President Trump wants to further roll back women’s reproductive rights.”

    Heinrich also cautioned that Mr. Kennedy would help to enact President Trump and Elon Musk’s dangerous agenda to drastically cut federal funding for everything from New Mexicans’ Medicaid health coverage to medical research at the University of New Mexico. Heinrich warned: “The Department of Health and Human Services oversees health coverage programs that serve half of all Americans, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act. HHS also supports the medical research that helps us develop the next vaccines, prevent the next pandemic, and find cures to cancer and chronic diseases like diabetes. We have also already seen President Trump, Elon Musk, and his DOGE minions target scientific and medical research at agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Just last week, we saw them announce an estimated $4 billion cut for NIH health research at universities all across our country—including an estimated $17 million impact at the University of New Mexico alone.”

    Heinrich finished his remarks by amplifying the concerns of New Mexicans who have written or called into his office expressing concern over Mr. Kennedy’s nomination. Watch a video of Heinrich uplifting New Mexicans’ voices here.

    “I agree with these New Mexicans that Mr. Kennedy is unprepared, unqualified, and dangerously unfit to be confirmed as our next Health Secretary,” Heinrich concluded. “To protect our kids’ health from debunked conspiracy theories, to defend women’s reproductive rights, to safeguard the future of Medicare and Medicaid, and to continue lifesaving medical research and medical care in my state and across the country, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting NO on confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”

    Heinrich has been amplifying the voices of New Mexicans who have written or called into his office expressing concern over President Trump’s harmful actions and unqualified nominees.

    Last night on the Senate floor, Heinrich uplifted New Mexicans’ concerns over Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for the Director of National Intelligence. In his remarks, Heinrich emphasized the risk Gabbard’s nomination poses to our national security and discussed Ms. Gabbard’s lack of qualifications and judgment, particularly relating to her 2017 trip to Bashar al-Assad’s Syria. Heinrich zeroed in on Ms. Gabbard’s false denial during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee about meeting with Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, Syria’s most senior Sunni Muslim cleric during the Assad regime who made threats to conduct suicide bomb attacks in the United States.

    Last week, Heinrich delivered remarks on the Senate floor amplifying the voices of New Mexicans opposing the nomination of Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Mr. Vought is the lead architect of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, the policy blueprint for Donald Trump’s harmful agenda to throw the government into chaos and harm working families.

    Last month, Heinrich delivered the longest speech of his career, where he slammed President Trump’s unlawful unilateral blockade of all federal grant funding. In his remarks, Heinrich uplifted stories from New Mexicans on how Trump’s federal funding freeze endangered New Mexicans and threatened communities across the state. Find the video of Heinrich sharing letters from New Mexicans on the Senate floor here.

    Heinrich is leading Senate Democrats in sounding the alarm on Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s destructive actions that are wreaking havoc on Americans, weakening our economy, and threatening the livelihoods of New Mexicans.

    Last week, in an interview with Jim Sciutto on CNN’s The Situation Room, Heinrich vocalized the concerns of his constituents who continue to write-in and call his office opposing Trump’s harmful actions, which are impacting New Mexico families and their financial security. Watch the full video of that interview here.

    Since Trump took office in 2025, Heinrich:

    • Introduced a resolution condemning Trump’s pardons of people found guilty of assaulting police officers on January 6.
    • Led Senate Democrats in sounding the alarm on Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s destructive actions that are wreaking havoc on Americans, weakening our economy, and threatening the livelihoods of New Mexicans.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Greenpeace Statement – ECAN fails to provide free drinking water testing for communities impacted by nitrate contamination

    Source: Greenpeace

    Greenpeace Aotearoa is shocked by the decision by Environment Canterbury to not provide free water testing for rural communities impacted by nitrate contamination.
    ECan voted in favour of running region wide awareness communication campaigns for private well owners on water quality risks, and commissioning a pilot study to test a number of private drinking water bores for nitrate and E. coli in high risk areas.
    However, they stopped short of running region wide water testing events for private well owners, claiming this would be too costly – a claim Greenpeace disputes.
    Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe says “It is disgraceful to see that Environment Canterbury will not be providing free water testing to rural communities. Instead, it is leaving them to pay the price of ECan’s failure to regulate the intensive dairy industry, Canterbury’s primary source of water pollution at the source.”
    “Safe, healthy drinking water is a fundamental human right, yet Canterbury is the hotspot for drinking water contamination in Aotearoa.
    “While it’s good to see ECan paying more attention to the issue of drinking water quality, a communications campaign and pilot study is simply not good enough. People across Canterbury are already experiencing high levels of nitrate in their drinking water, and they deserve to know whether the water coming out of their kitchen tap is safe to drink.”
    The maximum acceptable value for nitrate in New Zealand drinking water is 11.3 mg/L, set in the 1950s in response to Blue Baby Syndrome. However, a growing field of research shows potential health risks at much lower levels of nitrate in drinking water.
    A Danish study found that at over 1 mg/L of nitrate in drinking water, risks of bowel cancer increase, while a US evaluation found health risks increased with every additional milligram. A Californian study in 2021 found that when pregnant people consumed water that was over 5 mg/L of nitrate, the risk of preterm birth increased by 47%.
    “ECan has a responsibility to protect water at the source, and for decades they have failed to do so. Now, the consequences are becoming clear, and they’re desperately trying to avoid the costs associated with that. But that is not good enough,” says Appelbe.
    “Ultimately, unless ECan enforces a phase out of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and acts to regulate the intensive dairy industry, nitrate pollution will worsen and so will the health impacts associated with long-term exposure to nitrate. But the bare minimum they should be doing is providing free water testing.
    “The costs associated with running free water testing events, as outlined in the proposal presented to councillors today, represent a mere 0.05% of ECan’s 2023-2024 budget.
    “There is no justification for choosing to run a communications campaign instead of actively helping the communities impacted by nitrate. We’re calling on ECan to protect local residents and ensure everyone, no matter where they live, knows whether the water coming out of their tap is safe to drink.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: MOEA Minister Confers Medal on Japan’s Former Vice Minister for International Affairs at METI

    Source: Republic Of China Taiwan 2

    On January 17, 2025, Minister Kuo conferred the Medal of Economic Contribution upon Mr. Hirohide Hirai, the former Vice Minister for International Affairs at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The honor was in recognition of his pivotal role in strengthening semiconductor cooperation and industrial investment between Taiwan and Japan.

    During Mr. Hirai’s tenure at METI, he played a crucial role in facilitating TSMC’s investment in Japan, particularly in garnering government backing for TSMC’s Kumamoto fab, and thus establishing a landmark in Taiwan-Japan economic collaboration. Minister Kuo noted that this investment has catalyzed increasing demand for and cooperation on semiconductors, AI, and digital transformation, and further strengthened bilateral industrial ties.

    Mr. Hirai, currently serving as an executive director at Hitachi, Ltd., shared his endeavors between 2020 and 2021 in securing Japanese government subsidies and support to attract TSMC’s investment. He also expressed support for Minister Kuo’s proposal to strengthen bilateral cooperation on semiconductor supply chain in Kyushu.

    The award acknowledges Mr. Hirai’s contributions to strengthening industrial partnerships between Taiwan and Japan, thereby paving the way for deeper cooperation in next-generation technologies and global supply chain resilience.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: The National Credit Guarantee Mechanism Invigorates Offshore Wind Power Financing Mechanisms and Strengthens Market

    Source: Republic Of China Taiwan 2

    According to Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), domestic enterprises have a large and competitive demand for green electricity (such as RE100) to enhance international competitiveness, and advanced manufacturing processes require higher proportions of green electricity. Thus, increasing the share of green electricity in products made in Taiwan by 2030 has become an urgent priority. The National Credit Guarantee Mechanism aims to encourage investments from banks and insurance funds to support offshore wind farms and accelerate offshore wind power construction, thus ensuring sufficient green electricity for domestic high-tech industry to enhance export competitiveness and achieve the 2050 net-zero target.

    Amid public skepticism over the National Credit Guarantee Mechanism, the Energy Administration (EA) of the MOEA explained that the development of offshore wind power has progressed to the Zonal Development phase, with an estimated financing demand of NT$1.08 trillion between 2026 and 2031. The National Development Council (NDC), the Ministry of Finance, and the MOEA have jointly launched initiatives involving the National Development Fund and eight major state-owned banks to provide financing guarantees, with a total capacity of NT$90 billion. This mechanism assists offshore wind farms in obtaining financing and also offers guarantees to eliminate barriers for general enterprises seeking to purchase green electricity. The government remains committed to fostering a benign investment environment for offshore wind power development.

    The EA further stated that the MOEA and the NDC have recently collaborated to raise the national credit guarantee ratio from 60% to 80% for green energy construction projects by project financing developers, enhancing the full credit guarantees for banks to participate in wind farm projects, incentivizing state-owned banks and other financial institutions to finance offshore wind farms, and supports the sustainable development of offshore wind power market in Taiwan.

    Furthermore, the EA noted that offshore wind power financing operations require the long-term and stable financial capacity for electricity procurement. Therefore, the National Credit Guarantee Mechanism can provide any single general business up to 80% of credit guarantees for procurement of green electricity, which provides additional credit protection for domestic electricity-purchasing enterprises without long-term international credit ratings, and, at the same time, boosts the banks’ confidence when reviewing Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPA), improving the financial structure of wind farms.

    Spokesperson for Energy Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs:
    Deputy Director General, Chun-Li Lee
    Phone: 02-2775-7700, 0936-250-838
    Email: chunlee@moeaea.gov.tw

    Business Contact: Director, Chung-Hsien Chen
    Phone: 02-2775-7770, 0919-998-339
    Email: ctchen2@moeaea.gov.tw

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Delaying RFK Jr. Confirmation Vote on Senate Floor, Warren Highlights Kennedy’s Egregious Conflicts of Interest, “Long History of Promoting Anti-Science Conspiracy Theories”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    February 12, 2025

    Warren, Democrats hold Senate floor for 30 hours to oppose “dangerous” RFK Jr. confirmation 

    “Kennedy’s actions speak louder than his latest words, and time and time again, Kennedy has shown us who he is: An anti-science conspiracy peddler who is willing to gamble with American lives. We know who he is, we need to pay attention.”

    “(W)hile you and your family are forced to deal with the grave consequences of Kennedy’s conspiracy-driven health care decisions, Kennedy could set himself up to make millions of dollars off his anti-vaccine crusade – just like he’s been doing for decades. ” 

    Video of Remarks (YouTube)

    Washington, D.C. – On the floor of the United States Senate, Senator Elizabeth Warren, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined Democrats in delaying a final vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Senator Warren warned that American families and children would pay the price for Mr. Kennedy’s “conspiracy-driven health care decisions,” while his serious ethics conflicts remain unresolved. 

    Senator Warren called on her colleagues to oppose his nomination. The Senate is scheduled to vote on Mr. Kennedy’s confirmation on the morning of February 13, 2025. 

    Transcript: Floor Speech Opposing the Confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services
    U.S. Senate Floor
    February 12, 2025 
    As Delivered

    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. President. And I want to say thanks to the Senator from Minnesota for her leadership on this point. I know that the great research institutions in Minnesota that count on her support are out there fighting thanks to Donald Trump, as they are in Massachusetts. And the people all around this country that rely on those research institutions, who are looking for those cures, for those better treatments, for those opportunities in their lives that right now Donald Trump and his co-president, Elon Musk, seem to want to cut off. So we will stay in this fight. We will indeed. 

    I am here today because Americans didn’t vote to bring back measles.

    Americans didn’t vote to bring back polio.

    Americans didn’t vote to bring back dangerous diseases that we thought we had wiped out decades ago. 

    Americans didn’t vote to get rid of critical vaccines that we know — based on science — we know save lives.

    But that is what Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vision would mean for Americans. That is the vision Donald Trump will empower him to carry out.

    Kennedy not only worked to undercut vaccines at home and abroad, he’s made a lot of money doing it. In fact, Kennedy has made millions off of peddling harmful conspiracy theories that hurt real people. He opposed the life-saving Covid vaccine just six months into the pandemic. And he’s set himself up so that he and his family could make millions more from putting Americans’ health at risk.

    One thing is very clear: We cannot trust Robert Kennedy to make health care decisions that will affect every person in this country.

    Right now, millions of Americans are sitting down for dinner with their kids. And I hope we just think for a minute about what RFK Jr.’s plans would mean for them.

    Will their teeth decay because Kennedy took fluoride out of our water based on some conspiracy theory? 

    Will they have to worry about getting measles at school because Kennedy is spreading anti-vax conspiracies on government letterhead? 

    Will parents have to risk their kids getting polio—and maybe dying—by sending them to daycare because Kennedy used HHS rules to open the door to a flood of bogus lawsuits that forced manufacturers to pull the vaccines?

    Look, here’s the thing: Robert Kennedy has spent years on an anti-vaccine crusade, spreading baseless conspiracy theories under the guise of protecting children, so we don’t need to guess the level of harm he will cause; his past already tells us everything we need to know.   

    In July 2018, two children died immediately after receiving a measles vaccine that nurses had incorrectly mixed with a muscle relaxant. Within weeks, the Samoan Health Ministry publicly confirmed the nursing error and charged the nurses with manslaughter. Nevertheless, leading anti-vaccine groups, including Kennedy’s own organization, Children’s Health Defense, exploited public fears to question the reports and spread baseless claims.

    On August 5th, 2018, Kennedy’s organization, Children’s Health Defense, posted on Facebook, and I will quote the post. “Were these once-healthy children the only two to receive MMR that day? If not, why were they the only ones to die? Research needs to determine susceptibility so that no child is ever injured.” Del Bigtree, Kennedy’s partner and former campaign manager, also released a video linking the tragedy to false claims about measles, and telling his followers to “share it with everyone you know. This is how we are changing the world.” 

    Now, amidst public distrust and a paused vaccine program in Samoa, the vaccination rates plummeted. About 10 months later, once the Samoan government had finally stood up against the disinformation and resumed the vaccine program, Kennedy visited the island to meet with the Prime Minister.

    Later, recognizing the blowback that comes with how much went wrong when a conspiracy theory cost people their lives, Kennedy has since denied that his visit had anything to do with vaccines and said that anything suggesting otherwise was an “industry propaganda trope.” In other words, totally false. “Industry propaganda trope.” 

    Kennedy lied. A blog post that Kennedy himself wrote in 2021 admits he went to Samoa to meet with the Prime Minister, who wanted to discuss the possibility of “measur(ing) health outcomes following the ‘natural experiment’ created by the nation’s respite from vaccines.” 

    Think about what that means. Another way to say it is that Kennedy was interested in taking advantage of how the vaccination rate had plummeted, caused by misinformation, so that they could conduct uncontrolled trials on whether unvaccinated kids were healthier than vaccinated kids, a conspiracy theory he has spread widely. You see, at the time, one of his traveling partners was working on a similar study with two anti-vaccine activists, which was ultimately retracted following an investigation that “raised several methodological issues and confirmed that the conclusions were not supported by strong scientific data.” 

    Now, there’s no surprise here. The Prime Minister declined Kennedy’s outrageous proposal – he didn’t want his country to be Kennedy’s guinea pig. He didn’t want unvaccinated children to be studied to see what happened to them when measles or other diseases broke out. But that didn’t stop him from spreading his message. On this trip to Samoa, he met with various anti-vaccine influencers, one of whom said the meeting was “profoundly monumental for (the) movement.” A few months after Kennedy left, in October 2019, the vaccination rate in Samoa hit an historic low of 31%, down from 74% the prior year – and no surprise, a massive measles outbreak erupted. So here is Kennedy telling us now he had nothing, nothing to do with this, his trip to Samoa had nothing to do with the measles vaccine and calling any claim “industry propaganda trope.” And yet, he himself posted a blog about meeting with the Prime Minister and talking about a study to measure health outcomes following a natural experiment of studying children–some with no vaccination and some that were vaccinated. And the anti-vax groups that he met with talked about how profoundly important it is, then Mr. Kennedy leaves, vaccination rates drop down to 31%.

    The measles outbreak was truly tragic. In total, more than 70 children died, right up until a door-to-door vaccination campaign brought the disaster to an end.

    As HHS Secretary, Kennedy would be responsible for whether we keep our children vaccinated or subject them to, in his words, the same “natural experiment” he was interested in testing in Samoa.

    Is that what we want for our kids? Is that what we want for our elderly parents? That is a living nightmare — and it could truly be our reality with Kennedy heading up the Department of Health and Human Services. And all the while that this is going on, while Kennedy is promoting this anti-vax theory, he and his family are profiting off of the plan.

    Now, I’ve been sounding the alarm about Kennedy since the minute Donald Trump announced that he would nominate him for HHS Secretary. It’s not just that he’s unqualified — his long history of promoting anti-science conspiracy theories make him disqualified.

    This is a man who claimed “there is no vaccine that is safe and effective.” “No vaccine.” 

    He said that the polio vaccine “killed many, many more people” than polio ever did. Now, Kennedy came to our committee and said don’t worry, he swears anti-vaccine. But he’s spent his entire career on an anti-vaccine crusade, spreading baseless conspiracy theories under the guise of protecting children and making millions in the process.

    And when, in Senate hearings, he was confronted with his own words, he simply denied saying them.  Denied saying them— despite the videotapes, the transcripts, the blog posts, and the people who heard them. Kennedy thinks he knows what he needs to say to try to get the job that will put him in charge of our vaccine program, so he says he didn’t say exactly what he said.

    Kennedy’s actions speak louder than his latest words, and time and time again, Kennedy has shown us who he is: An anti-science conspiracy peddler who is willing to gamble with American lives. We know who he is, we need to pay attention.

    Let’s do a quick count of some of the ways that, as HHS Secretary, Kennedy could make the anti-vaccine lawsuits — and his own payouts — even bigger. What could Kennedy do? Well, as Secretary of HHS: 

    • He could publish his anti-vaccine conspiracies, but this time on U.S. government letterhead — something that might impress a jury in a subsequent trial. 
    • He could appoint people to the CDC vaccine panel who share his anti-vax views and let them do his dirty work.
    • He could tell the CDC vaccine panel to remove a particular vaccine from the vaccination schedule. 
    • He could remove vaccines from a special compensation program, which would “open up manufacturers to mass torts (lawsuits).” 
    • He could “make more injuries eligible for compensation even if there’s no causal evidence.” 
    • He could change vaccine court processes to make it easier to bring junk lawsuits that could get vaccines pulled from the market.
    • He could turn over FDA (data) to his friends at the law firm, and they could use it however benefits their lawsuits. 

    In short, as HHS Secretary, Kennedy would have the power to make health care decisions that would affect millions of Americans — for working Americans, kids, seniors — on everything from vaccines to abortion to life-saving drugs. Kennedy would have the capacity, as head of HHS, to make it easier to sue vaccine manufacturers. And in an area where the profit margins on vaccines are quite modest, if those lawsuits mount up, vaccines could simply disappear from the market altogether. Manufacturers could decide, “you know, it’s just not worth the lawsuits. We’ll go produce other drugs.” 

    Those kinds of decisions are critically important, and the consequences are grave. For many Americans, they may be the difference between life and death. And they can change lives forever.

    So, while you and your family are forced to deal with the grave consequences of Kennedy’s conspiracy-driven health care decisions, Kennedy could set himself up to make millions of dollars off his anti-vaccine crusade – just like he’s been doing for decades. 

    Remember, the very first ethics agreement that Kennedy submitted to us on the Senate Finance Committee, he said that even while serving as HHS Secretary, he planned to keep his financial stake in ongoing litigation — including vaccine-related litigation. That means that from the jump, Kennedy’s plan was to keep making money off the backs of lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers, some of which directly related to the very products he would have the power to regulate as Secretary of HHS. So, there he is. He has the power to regulate these drugs. He has the power to make life a little better or a little worse for the vaccine manufacturers. He has the power to make it more likely that lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers would succeed. And his initial plan was even while he sat there as Secretary of HHS, he was going to keep on making money from that. 

    This was a damning conflict of interest, so we called it out. Kennedy told us okay, okay, he would submit an updated ethics agreement. Sounds good? What was his update?

    Well, he said instead of personally keeping the millions he’d make off these ongoing lawsuits… he would hand that money directly to his son. Later, he confirmed that the son he’s handing his interests off to is the one who works at Wisner Baum—the same law firm that Kennedy has maintained his very lucrative arrangement with over years, so far netting him a reported $2.5 million just in the last few years. And Kennedy has made clear that he can use his tools as HHS Secretary to open up the door for more anti-vax litigation, and once he’s through as Secretary of HHS, go right back to Wisner Baum and cash in on the new flood of cases that Kennedy himself has unleashed.

    So that is Kennedy’s idea of “fixing” an ethics issue.

    And beyond that, Kennedy has flip-flopped countless times in his answers to the Finance Committee. He is untrustworthy. He has made so many contradictory statements that it’s come to the point it is hard to believe anything he says is true.

    For example, Kennedy originally said he was not an attorney of record in any of these vaccine-related lawsuits. But we did a little homework and we found at least five cases related to the vaccine litigation that hadn’t been disclosed where Kennedy seems to be an attorney of record. That is important because what it means is that Kennedy is a lot closer to these cases than he’s revealing — cases that he and his family will be able to make bank off even as he serves as HHS Secretary. 

    The importance of this litigation can’t be overstated. Just 20 years ago, we watched vaccine makers pull their products off the market because they didn’t have protection from these kinds of lawsuits. The consequence of Kennedy’s ability to make those lawsuits easier is also the ability to shut down access and manufacturing for vaccines for every one of us. And I think that is a terrible mistake.

    Kennedy claims that he is taking on Big Pharma, but that is the lie he is peddling to hide his conflicts. I pressed him on real ways to take on the industry, including using marching-in on Big Pharma’s patents when they use taxpayer funds to bring drugs to market and then turn around and jack up prices on hardworking Americans, and by having the government negotiate prices directly with Big Pharma on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries. But Kennedy, after talking a big game about taking on Big Pharma, said no, he doesn’t support march-in rights and no, he didn’t want to commit to defending Medicare price negotiations, two proven methods to take on the drug industry and put money back into Americans’ pockets. So whose side is he on? 

    Well, one thing is for sure: RKF Jr. is on the side of his own bottom line. He has also refused to share a list of cases that he stands to benefit from. Now, I told you. He said nope, he was not attorney of record on any cases. We dug around and we found five. How many more are there? Well, here’s what Kennedy said when we said, just give us a list of the cases that you’re participating in so we can take a look at the possible conflicts. His answer? The list is so long and the conflicts so clear that, evidently, it would be more damning than what we already know. 

    Kennedy’s list of ethics issues and financial issues are a mile long—and there’s still too much that he refuses to reveal. Think about this. He’s already told us enough about his conflicts, about how he plans to keep making money, even while he was Secretary of HHS. He revealed all that right upfront. He said “Yep, I’m going to make money while I’m Secretary of HHS.” 

    And yet on basic questions like can you just give us a list of the cases that you participated in? He says, “No, I can’t do that,” which really makes you ask what on Earth is he hiding? He is dodging questions from the Senate, he is contradicting himself, and he keeps changing his answers in order to muddy the waters and really make it hard to understand what’s going on.

    Look, no one is fooled about what is happening here. Kennedy has said he’ll, “slam shut the revolving door,” between government agencies and the companies they regulate. But what he won’t agree to is cut off his own family’s steady stream of money flowing in from lawsuits that he personally can directly affect while he is Secretary of HHS. 

    Kennedy knows that these conflicts are serious. And that’s why he scrambled to update his ethics agreement and hand off his interests to his son in a desperate attempt to “fix” things.

    Video of Senator Warren’s full remarks can be found here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Speech – Address at Parliament House

    Source: Australian Executive Government Ministers

    The Albanese government is committed to putting Australian consumers at the heart of the telecommunications industry.

    We want to ensure that all Australians have access to reliable, high-quality and affordable telecommunications services, supported by a strong regulatory and consumer safeguards framework.

    That is why this government has been actively reviewing the telecommunications consumer protection framework and making appropriate changes. 

    This includes implementing new rules to better support consumers who are experiencing financial hardship and, more recently, directing the Australian Communications and Media Authority, or ACMA, to make new rules to support people who are experiencing domestic, sexual and family violence.

    The Albanese government understands how critical telco services are for everyone, including those facing vulnerable circumstances, people living in our regions, First Nations Australians and those who rely upon connectivity to support their families and provide services to their communities.

    Accordingly, we want to ensure that the telco industry is working for Australians, that they have the best consumer safeguards in place to protect their interests, and that there is a strong, clear recourse if telcos do the wrong thing.

    Nobody wants an industry that sees penalties as the ‘cost of doing business’.

    We’ve listened to wideranging feedback from industry, regulators, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman and consumer advocates to develop these reforms.

    The Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill will improve compliance and enforcement of telecommunications consumer safeguards and constitute a comprehensive package of reforms to those arrangements. 

    They will help to ensure that the ACMA is an empowered and effective regulator and that appropriate incentive structures are in place to drive better behaviour by telcos.

    The bill improves compliance and enforcement of consumer safeguards in several important ways. 

    Schedule 1 will establish a carriage service provider registration scheme. 

    The scheme will increase visibility of carriage service providers and enable the ACMA to stop providers who pose unacceptable risk to consumers or cause significant consumer harm from operating in the market. 

    Increased visibility of the market will provide improved pathways for the ACMA (and other government agencies) to educate carriage service providers on their regulatory obligations, streamline complaints and compliance processes and create better overall market accountability. 

    Empowering the ACMA to stop providers operating in the market will provide a deterrent for significant noncompliance and increase trust by consumers in registered providers—including new or smaller ones. 

    Schedule 2 of the bill will make industry codes directly enforceable. 

    This allows the ACMA to take immediate and appropriate action to address consumer harm and will incentivise industry compliance.

    Currently, the ACMA cannot take direct enforcement action against breaches of industry codes, no matter how significant, without first issuing a direction to comply, and the ACMA can only take further action if noncompliance continues.

    The proposed changes remove this two-step enforcement process so that the ACMA can act quickly and appropriately to address consumer harm arising from code breaches and hold telcos to account.

    Schedule 3 will increase the maximum general civil penalty for breaches of industry codes and industry standards from $250,000 to 30,300 penalty units, which is currently $9.9 million. 

    This aligns with penalties currently available for breaches of service provider determinations, meaning the penalty amount for these three types of regulatory instruments will be aligned. 

    The schedule will also modernise the penalty framework for these instruments to allow penalties based on the value of the benefit obtained from the conduct or the turnover of the relevant telco—allowing for greater penalties in certain circumstances. 

    Overall, this penalty framework better aligns with those in other relevant sectors like energy and banking, and under the Australian consumer law.

    Schedule 4 of the bill expands and clarifies the authority of the Minister for Communications to increase any infringement notice penalty the ACMA can issue for breaches of telecommunications rules. 

    Taken together, the reforms in the bill strengthen consumer protections and enhance compliance and enforcement of telecommunications consumer safeguards, for the benefit of the whole community.

    They reflect the Albanese government’s commitment to making sure Australians are appropriately protected and supported in their interactions with telecommunications service providers.

    Importantly, these reforms have received strong support from stakeholders, including the:

    • Australian Communication Consumer Action Network;

    • Consumer Action Law Centre;

    • Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman;

    • Australian Communications and Media Authority; and

    • Communications Alliance.

    This comprehensive support, from consumer groups, regulators and industry alike, demonstrates the importance of these commonsense reforms and is representative of close engagement with these key stakeholders over the past year in particular.

    I thank them for their ongoing engagement and support and acknowledge the important work they do.

    Noting this level of strong support for these reforms, and the important outcomes they enable for Australian telco consumers, I encourage all representatives in this place to give it their support as well.

    I commend the bill to the House. 

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath Concludes Tenure as Chief Law Enforcement Officer in Southern District of California

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California announced that U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath’s tenure as the chief federal law enforcement official for San Diego and Imperial counties ended today, February 12, 2025.

    As a Presidential appointee, Ms. McGrath was informed of her termination in a communication from the White House, at the direction of the President of the United States. The White House also thanked Ms. McGrath for her service to the nation.

    “It has been an honor to serve as U.S. Attorney, working alongside an exceptional team in this office and forging strong partnerships with our law enforcement agencies and communities in pursuit of justice,” Ms. McGrath said. “As I step down from a decades-long career in public service, I remain inspired by dedicated public servants across this district and am proud of all we achieved together.”

    Ms. McGrath was confirmed by the U.S. Senate after nomination by President Biden. She was sworn in as the district’s top federal law enforcement official on October 5, 2023. She oversaw one of the nation’s busiest United States Attorney’s Offices, which has a staff of about 300 and serves approximately 3.5 million residents in San Diego and Imperial counties.

    During her tenure, Ms. McGrath prioritized protecting the community from the deadly scourge of fentanyl; investigating and prosecuting scammers targeting vulnerable populations; getting firearms out of the hands of felons and violent offenders; bringing cases to root out corruption and enforce civil rights; and using the legal tools available to safeguard the environment. The office also successfully prosecuted cases involving Mexican drug cartels and drug trafficking — leading the nation in the number of drug trafficking cases prosecuted — as well as firearms trafficking and violent crime; complex financial frauds; national security and cybersecurity; and human smuggling and trafficking.

    Some key accomplishments of the U.S. Attorney’s Office under Ms. McGrath’s leadership:

    • Became first in the nation to charge defendants for smuggling potent greenhouse gases across the U.S.-Mexico border, in violation of U.S. environmental laws.
    • Secured sentences of six consecutive life terms and 45 years, respectively, for brothers convicted of murdering their American half-sister, her three children, and her partner in Tijuana.
    • Reinforced the region’s Elder Justice Task Force in partnership with the FBI and San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, recovering approximately $4.5 million stolen from elderly victims through sophisticated scams.
    • Charged 40 individuals with stealing public-assistance benefits from low-income families, as part of an ongoing effort targeting thieves who exploit the government’s electronic payment system.
    • Negotiated a $130,131,645 forfeiture settlement with Wynn Las Vegas for criminal conspiracy involving unlicensed money transmitting businesses worldwide. Achieved what is believed to be the largest forfeiture by a casino based on admissions of criminal wrongdoing.
    • Secured conviction at trial against a defendant on 25 counts of securities fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering in connection with a $35 million investment and COVID-relief fraud scheme. Highlighted victim impact during the trial, including the defendant’s immigrant uncle who’d been swindled out of $4.5 million and many other victims who collectively lost millions of dollars.
    • Facilitated the extradition of Michael Pratt, the alleged mastermind behind the GirlsDoPorn commercial sex trafficking ring, following his arrest in Spain after more than three years as an international fugitive.

    Ms. McGrath also oversaw key civil cases, including successful defensive litigation on behalf of the United States, and led efforts to recover millions of dollars from individuals and companies involved in fraud and civil rights violations.

    Since Ms. McGrath took the helm, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has obtained settlements and recoveries in excess of $41 million. This includes cases brought under the False Claims Act across a broad spectrum of program areas including health care, defense procurement, and the Paycheck Protection Program enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These substantial recoveries also involved matters investigated under the Controlled Substances Act in response to the opioid epidemic, including those against a large-scale pharmacy and other DEA registrants for failing to meet their obligations to properly handle and dispense opioids and other dangerous controlled substances.   

    Pursuant to the Vacancies Reform Act, career prosecutor and current First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Andrew R. Haden, has taken over as the Acting United States Attorney, effective today.

    For more information about Ms. McGrath, please see Tara McGrath Sworn In

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Parliament passes world-leading scams prevention framework

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    The Albanese Government has legislated the world’s toughest anti-scam laws to make Australia the hardest target for scammers. 

    Australians will be safer online and their money more secure as a result of the new laws. 

    The laws establish the Scams Prevention Framework, focused on stopping scams from reaching Australians. 

    The Framework requires designated entities to prevent, detect, disrupt, respond and report scams and attempted scams. 

    Initially, the Government will designate banks, telcos, and social media companies under the Framework. These businesses will be subject to comprehensive and enforceable sector-specific rules for what they must do to protect Australians.

    For example, the rules may include:

    • Social media companies being required to verify advertisers on their platforms – a critical step to ridding their pages of fake scam ads
    • Banks being required to confirm the identity of payees – so people know exactly where their money is going  
    • Telecommunications companies being required to detect and disrupt scam numbers sending texts and calls to innocent Australians.

    Businesses will have substantial incentive to have ironclad scams defences, with fines of up to $50 million applied on those who fail to meet their obligations. 

    Victims will have clear pathways to compensation if the business fails to meet robust standards.

    The Government has invested over $180 million to fight scams including establishing the National Anti-Scams Centre and funding ASIC to bust fake investment websites that promote scams. 

    Australians should never have to fight criminal scammers on their own. Labor made fighting scams an issue for government, as well as businesses. 

    This is landmark legislation that will set Australia up for a stronger and safer future where people’s money is safer online. 

    Quotes attributable to the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, the Hon Stephen Jones MP: 

    “Our laws give Australia the strongest defences against scammers and put us ahead of the world in scams prevention and protection.

    “This is a promise we made ahead of the 2022 election and will make a genuine difference in the lives of every Australian.

    “These new laws will keep Australia one step ahead of criminal scammers.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP:

    “Cracking down on criminals trying to rip off hardworking Australians is a priority for this Government.

    “The Scams Prevention Framework will help further strengthen scam defences, and I encourage the telecommunications sector and social media platforms to work with the regulators to develop the enforceable industry codes that will provide Australian consumers the best protection from the scourge of scams.

    “We will continue to protect hard-working Australians from increasingly sophisticated and organised scammers.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Growing the economy means shrinking the Government

    Source: ACT Party

    “The Government’s Going for Growth agenda shows New Zealand has turned the corner. Governments ignored economic growth, taking wealth for granted and wasting billions until we started feeling poor,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

    “This Government’s focus on growth is team effort. ACT’s impact can be seen in a number of priority areas.

    “To develop talent, we’ve implemented the attendance action plan, opened the first charter schools, and changed the Accredited Employer Work Visa. We’re removing red tape in Early Childhood Education and continuing reforms to get job seekers into work.

    “For competitive business settings, we’ve repealed so-called ‘Fair Pay Agreements’, extended 90-Day Trials to all businesses, and revoked difficult requirements for accessing credit. We’re leading an inquiry into rural banking practices, reforming health and safety laws, reforming the Holidays Act and Employment Relations Act, conducting sector reviews for regulation of Agricultural and Horticultural Products, and Hairdressing and Barbering, improving Government Procurement Rules, and progressing the Regulatory Standards Bill.

    “To promote global trade and investment, we’re reforming the Overseas Investment Act and have launched a new Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List.

    “For innovation, technology and science, we’re liberalising genetic engineering laws.

    “To deliver infrastructure for growth, we’re reforming and replacing the Resource Management Act and have established National Infrastructure Funding and Financing Limited. We’re developing the 30-year National Infrastructure Plan, and finalising the first Regional Deal between central and local government.

    The big challenge

    “The big challenge for growth is shrinking the Government part of the economy. There are only two halves to any economy, the public and the private sector, and it’s the private sector that provides the growth.

    “Every dollar taxed to fund the public sector is a dollar a consumer can’t spend, or a business can’t reinvest in new jobs. Business is about taking risk, every percentage point taken in tax makes it less rewarding when the risks work out. Rational people invest less when taxes are higher.

    “In that sense, the Government still has a big hill to climb, and it’s the mountain of waste left by the last Government. Pre-COVID, government spending amounted to 28 per cent of the economy, now it is 34. The Government must be relentless in reducing its spending.

    “It is not only taxing and spending that holds people back, but regulating. Every compliance fee, every delay waiting for Government permission is a cost put on business. Like taxes, regulations drain the energy from business.

    “That’s why it’s essential that the Government cuts red tape at every opportunity. We must run the ruler over rules that don’t make sense, then delete them. The commitment to passing the Regulatory Standards Bill is a landmark shift in the battle against red tape in favour of wealth and innovation.

    “I’m proud of ACT’s contributions to this Government, especially the many contributions in this plan. For the first time in decades, we have a Government where it’s understood that Government activity and private activity compete for time and money. To grow the economy, we must shrink the Government.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Wanted: Young tradie to take ACT MP’s seat in Youth Parliament

    Source: ACT Party

    ACT MP Cameron Luxton – Parliament’s only LBP builder – is on a mission to find a young tradie to take his seat in this year’s Youth Parliament.

    “Tradies and practical people are underrepresented in politics, and that includes Youth Parliament,” says Mr Luxton.

    “If you’re on the path to university, good luck, but you’re not what I’m looking for. We’ve got enough academics and lawyers in politics already.

    “I’m looking for a young person who’s already in work, paying tax and offering practical skills to the world in exchange for an honest wage.

    “Whether you’ve left school early to take up an apprenticeship, or you’re working at a building site on the weekend, I hope you’ll send me a letter of introduction at [email protected].”

    Youth Parliament is held every three years and is an opportunity for young New Zealanders to learn about democracy and have their voices heard.

    Young people aged 16 to 18 years (as at Friday 28 February 2025) are eligible to apply.

    The programme will run from 28 April to 29 August, with the two-day event taking place on 1 and 2 July at Parliament in Wellington.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: NZ banks should follow Macquarie’s lead, ditch the climate cabal

    Source: ACT Party

    ACT Rural Communities spokesperson Mark Cameron is renewing calls for Kiwi banks to leave the Net Zero Banking Alliance in the wake of the withdrawal of Australia’s Macquarie Group.

    “First it was the big American banks, then Canada’s banks, and now Macquarie Group is the first of the big Australian banks to pull out of the alliance, with pressure mounting on other Aussie banks to do the same.

    “The Net Zero Banking Alliance was set up to change lending practices for the sake of climate goals. But there’s been a political sea change and the appetite for woke banking has disappeared. If the banks think punishing farmers and miners is necessary to satisfy a political agenda, they’re mistaken, and it’s time that message got through.

    “If there was previously a commercial advantage for banks to join the alliance, that advantage is fading fast as one bank after another gets out. The longer New Zealand’s banks and their parent companies remain in the UN’s cabal of banking wokery, the more out of touch they look.

    “As part of the inquiry into banking practices I’m leading alongside Cameron Brewer, we’ve called the four biggest banks back to answer more questions. The inquiry has unearthed deep concerns, especially from rural communities, over the debanking of legitimate sectors and a perceived unequal playing field between town and country.

    “I will be asking what is driving banks to act in this way. It would be concerning if the actions of the government through international agreements or through the way we regulate at home is encouraging banks to move beyond commercial incentives and punish rural communities.

    “ACT continues to question the role of regulation in anti-farmer, anti-miner banking practices. The Financial Markets Authority imposes emissions reporting requirements on banks. We warned in 2021 that these rules would impact loans on farmers, and we still have that concern.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: SH2 Waioweka Gorge daily closures extended

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    The closure of State Highway 2 (SH2) through the Waioweka Gorge will be extended as additional days are required next week to complete the maintenance work.

    Work is well underway repairing SH2 and laying a new asphalt, providing a good quality surface, improving resilience and safety through the area.  

    The work is taking longer than anticipated and to achieve the quality finish required, the contractor will be using the contingency days next week to complete the work.  

    This means, SH2 Waioweka Gorge will be closed Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 February, between 10am and 6pm (with soft closure times being 9.40am and 5.40pm). If works cannot be carried out due to weather, the road will be open. 

    Please note, with the predicted weather looking unfavourable, Wednesday 19 February may also be needed. 

    People are encouraged to check the NZTA Journey Planner(external link) on the day of travel for up-to-date information about the closures.  

    Date 

    Road status 

    Thursday 13 February 

    Closed between 10am – 6pm 

    Friday 14 February 

    Closed between 10am – 6pm 

    Saturday 15 February 

    OPEN 

    Sunday 16 February 

    OPEN 

    Monday 17 February 

    Closed between 10am – 6pm 

    Tuesday 18 February 

    Closed between 10am – 6pm 

    Wednesday 19 February 

    Contingency day. If needed, closed between 10am – 6pm 

    Closure points and details

    Soft Closures: The soft closure points are Kerei Street, Matawai and Warrington Road, Ōpōtiki.  
    Access for businesses and residents will be maintained at both ends of the affected area, up to the hard closure points.   

    The soft closure times are 9.40am and 5.40pm – enabling people to get through the site before the hard closure starts at 10am and reach the site before it reopens at 6pm.  

    Hard Closures: 2 hard closure points will be in the Gorge, closer to the actual road works. There will be no access through the site between 10am and 6pm each workday.  

    Otoko Hill tree removal, drainage and culvert work deferred

    Late-Feb to mid-April: Drainage upgrades and tree felling work planned to take place on Otoko Hill this week, (between Hihiroroa Road and Fitzgerald Road) has been deferred to late-Feb. Once work is underway, crews will be on-site 8am to 5pm. Stop/go will be in place to safely do this work and delays of up to 15 minutes are expected however this wait time could be longer if a tree is being felled. We encourage you to plan your journey and travel outside of these work hours if possible. Tree removal and trimming is required to further the Otoko Hill works, clear fallen debris and remove the risk they present in weather events. This work will continue through until mid-April. 

    The SH2 Waioweka Gorge work forms part of the government’s $2.07 billion investment into road and drainage renewal and maintenance across 2024-27 via the State Highway Pothole Prevention fund.  

    NZTA thanks everyone for their patience and understanding as we undertake these important works. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Civicus Monitor criticises PNG use of cybercrime law to curb free speech

    Pacific Media Watch

    Papua New Guinea’s civic space has been rated as “obstructed” by the Civicus Monitor and the country has been criticised for pushing forward with a controversial media law in spite of strong opposition.

    Among concerns previously documented by the civil rights watchdog are harassment and threats against human rights defenders, particularly those working on land and environmental rights, use of the cybercrime law to criminalise online expression, intimidation and restrictions against journalists, and excessive force during protests.

    In recent months, the authorities have used the cybercrime law to target a human rights defender for raising questions online on forest enforcement, while a journalist and gender-based violence survivor is also facing charges under the law, said the Civicus Monitor in its latest report.

    The court halted a logging company’s lawsuit against a civil society group while the government is pushing forward with the controversial National Media Development law.

    Human rights defender charged under cybercrime law
    On 9 December 2024, human rights defender and ACT NOW! campaign manager Eddie Tanago was arrested and charged by police under section 21(2) of the Cybercrime Act 2016 for allegedly publishing defamatory remarks on social media about the managing director of the PNG Forest Authority.

    Tanago was taken to the Boroko Police Station Holding cell and released on bail the same afternoon. If convicted he could face a maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment.

    ACT NOW is a prominent human rights organisation seeking to halt illegal logging and related human rights violations in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

    According to reports, ACT NOW had reshared a Facebook post from a radio station advertising an interview with PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA) staff members, which included a photo of the managing director.

    The repost included a comment raising questions about PNGFA forest enforcement.

    Following Tanago’s arrest, ACT NOW said: “it believes that the arrest and charging of Tanago is a massive overreach and is a blatant and unwarranted attempt to intimidate and silence public debate on a critical issue of national and international importance.”

    It added that “there was nothing defamatory in the social media post it shared and there is nothing remotely criminal in republishing a poster which includes the image of a public figure which can be found all over the internet.”

    On 24 January 2025, when Tanago appeared at the Waigani Committal Court, he was instead charged under section 15, subparagraph (b) of the Cybercrime Act for “identity theft”. The next hearing has been scheduled for February 25.

    The 2016 Cybercrime Act has been used to silence criticism and creates a chilling effect, said Civicus Monitor.

    The law has been criticised by the opposition, journalists and activists for its impact on freedom of expression and political discourse.

    Journalist and gender activist charged with defamation
     Journalist and gender activist Hennah Joku was detained and charged under the Cybercrime Act on 23 November 2024, following defamation complaints filed by her former partner Robert Agen.

    Joku was charged with two counts of breaching the Cybercrimes Act 2016 and detained in Boroko Prison. She was freed on the same day after bail was posted.

    Joku, a survivor of a 2018 assault by Agen, had documented and shared her six-year journey through the PNG justice system, which had resulted in his conviction and jailing in 2023.

    On 2 September 2024, the PNG Supreme Court overturned two of three criminal convictions, and Agen was released from prison.

    On 4 and 15 September 2024, Joku shared her reactions with more than 9000 followers on her Meta social media account. Those two posts, one of which featured the injuries suffered from her 2018 assault, now form the basis for the current defamation charges against her.

    Section 21(2) of the Cybercrimes Act 2016, which has an electronic defamation clause, carries a maximum penalty of up to 25 years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to one million kina (NZ$442,000).

    The Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) expressed “grave concerns” over the charges, saying: “We encourage the government and judiciary to review the use of defamation legislation to silence and gag the universal right to freedom of speech.

    “Citizens must be informed. They must be protected.”

    Court stays logging company lawsuit against civil society group
     In January 2025, an injunction issued against community advocacy group ACT NOW! to prevent publication of reports on illegal logging has been stayed by the National Court.

    In July 2024, two Malaysian owned logging companies obtained an order from the District Court in Vanimo preventing ACT NOW! from issuing publications about their activities and from contacting their clients and service providers.

    That order has now been effectively lifted after the National Court agreed to stay the whole District court proceedings while it considers an application from ACT NOW! to have the case permanently stayed and transferred to the National Court.

    ACT NOW! said the action by Global Elite Limited and Wewak Agriculture Development Limited, which are part of the Giant Kingdom group, is an example of Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP).

    “SLAPPs are illegitimate and abusive lawsuits designed to intimidate, harass and silence legitimate criticism and close down public scrutiny of the logging industry,” said Civicus Monitor.

    SLAPP lawsuits have been outlawed in many countries and lawyers involved in supporting them can be sanctioned, but those protections do not yet exist in PNG.

    The District Court action is not the first time the Malaysian-owned Giant Kingdom group has tried to use the legal system in an attempt to silence ACT NOW!

    In March 2024, the court rejected a similar SLAPP style application by the Global Elite for an injunction against ACT NOW! As a result, the company discontinued its legal action and the court ordered it to pay ACT NOW!’s legal costs.

    Government pushes forward with controversial media legislation
     The government is reportedly ready to pass legislation to regulate its media, which journalism advocates have said could have serious implications for democracy and freedom of speech in the country.

    National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) of PNG reported in January 2025 that the policy has received the “green light” from cabinet to be presented in Parliament.

    The state broadcaster reported that Communications Minister Timothy Masiu said: “This policy will address the ongoing concerns about sensationalism, ethical standards, and the portrayal of violence in the media.”

    In July 2024, it was reported that the proposed media policy was now in its fifth draft but it is unclear if this version has been updated.

    As previously documented, journalists have raised concerns that the media development policy could lead to more government control over the country’s relatively free media.

    The bill includes sections that give the government the “power to investigate complaints against media outlets, issue guidelines for ethical reporting, and enforce sanctions or penalties for violations of professional standards”.

    There are also concerns that the law will punish journalists who create content that is against the country’s development objectives.

    Organisations such as Transparency International PNG, Media Council of PNG, Pacific Freedom Forum, and Pacific Media Watch/Asia Pacific Media Network among others, have asked for the policy to be dropped.

    The press freedom ranking for PNG dropped from 59th place to 91st in the most recent index published by Reporters without Borders (RSF) in May 2024.

    Civicus Monitor.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Markey, Rep. Beyer Highlight Concerns Over DOGE Access to Nuclear Security Information

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Letter Text (PDF)  

    Washington (February 12, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Don Beyer (VA-08), Senate and House members of the congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, wrote to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright regarding their concerns that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been granted access to DOE, which oversees the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the nation’s most sensitive nuclear weapons secrets.

    In the letter the lawmakers wrote, “According to media reports, a 23-year-old former SpaceX intern, who does not have the appropriate security clearances needed to access DOE’s IT system, received access over the objections of members of its general counsel and chief information officers. This incursion into some of the nation’s most sensitive files is the latest in a series of Trump administration moves to plant unqualified Musk and DOGE staffers throughout the federal government, some of whom have records of leaking sensitive information and potentially wreaking havoc with vital information systems.”

    The lawmakers continued, “We are deeply concerned by this disregard of DOE security protocols and the potential impacts on our nuclear security.”

    The lawmakers request that the DOE answer the following questions by February 14, 2025:

    • What is the process for granting, reviewing, and revoking security clearances for DOGE staffers at DOE?
    • Have any DOGE staffers been given access to NNSA classified nuclear weapons information, specifically Restricted Data, Formerly Restricted Data, or Critical Nuclear Weapon Design Information? If so, please provide the names of DOGE staffers, their security clearance levels, the dates their clearances were granted, and the programs or types of data these staffers accessed.
    • Under what authority and justification was each instance of classified access granted to DOGE staffers? 
    • Are DOGE staffers required to undergo training on the handling of classified information?
    • What security measures are in place to ensure DOGE staffers do not improperly access or inappropriately share sensitive nuclear secrets?
    • Have any DOGE staffers with access to classified information had significant outside financial interests, foreign contacts, or other affiliations that could pose security concerns?
    • Are NNSA employees included in the Administration’s buy-out offer for federal employees? If so, and if senior NNSA employees leave the organization, how do you plan to maintain security and secrecy of nuclear weapons and related information?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey, Warren, Schumer Demand: Hands Off Medicare and Medicaid

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Letter Text (PDF)

    Washington (February 12, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today wrote to President Donald Trump demanding the Trump administration, Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) make no cuts to Medicare and Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. This follows reports of Elon Musk and DOGE officials gained access to key payment and contracting systems at the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS). CMS administers Medicare and Medicaid. In 2024, 68 million seniors and people with disabilities seniors relied on Medicare coverage for essential health care, including hospital visits, screenings for cancer, diabetes, and depression, and prescription drugs. Nearly 80 million Americans relied on Medicaid, making it the largest public health insurance program in the United States.

    In the letter the lawmakers wrote, “We write to say no to Elon Musk and DOGE, and demand hands off Medicare or Medicaid. We strongly oppose any efforts by Musk – or anyone else in your administration – cutting or damaging these vital programs. Medicare and Medicaid must not be raided to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Every cut risks Americans paying more, waiting longer, and wading through more insurance red tape for care. Every cut risks hospitals and community health centers struggling harder to keep their doors open and forcing health providers and workers out of their jobs. 

    The lawmakers continued, “We continue to fight for a health care system that works better for all Americans, so they experience lower costs, shorter wait times, and receive better care. But your Administration, Elon Musk, and DOGE have already made that harder. Your Administration is already responsible for the shut-down of Medicaid portals across all 50 states, disruptions to vital health care communication, closures of community health centers, and significant delays in funding for life-saving health research. Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid will only serve to deepen the harm.”

    The lawmakers urged, “It is dangerously unacceptable that an unelected Musk and his unqualified acolytes have access to sensitive CMS systems and are ready to bypass Congress to make life and death decisions affecting millions of Americans. No one asked for this lawless approach to our critical government health care systems. We urge you to stop this threat to Americans’ health care, now.”

    The letter is signed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Barrasso Bill Ends Electric Vehicle Tax Credits

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming John Barrasso

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, introduced legislation to end the federal electric vehicle and charging stations tax credit. This legislation stops taxpayer money from subsidizing luxury electric vehicle for high-income individuals and corporations.

    The Eliminating Lavish Incentives to Electric (ELITE) Vehicles Act (S. 541) specifically repeals the $7,500 tax credit for new electric vehicles (EVs), eliminates the tax credit for purchasing used EVs, wipes out the federal investment tax credit for electric vehicle charging stations, and closes the “leasing loophole” that has allowed certain taxpayers and foreign entities to evade restrictions on EV incentives. It also stops China from exploiting loopholes and circumventing guardrails to access U.S. tax credits associated with electric vehicles.

    “The hard-earned money of taxpaying Americans should not cover the cost for the luxuries of the nation’s elite. Nor should we be allowing China to infiltrate our markets and undermine our supply chain,” said Senator Barrasso. “Repealing these reckless tax credits from the Biden administration once and for all will stop Washington from giving handouts to our adversaries and high-income individuals. Wyoming families should not foot the bill for expensive electric cars they don’t want and can’t afford.”

    “American taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for the Biden administration’s sweeping windfall for electric vehicles,” said Leader Thune. “I’m proud to join Sen. Barrasso in this effort to end the exorbitant tax burden that was placed on American households to fuel a reckless and unrealistic environmental agenda.”

    Co-sponsors of this legislation include Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), U.S. Senators James Lankford (R-Okla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Roger Marshall (R-Kans.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.).

    This legislation is supported by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, Americans for Prosperity, National Taxpayers Union, and Heritage Action.

    “The EV tax credit was always supposed to sunset, so Senator Barrasso is absolutely right to say, ‘enough is enough’ for taxpayers. After more than a decade of subsidies worth billions of dollars, it’s time for EVs to compete on a level playing field.” – Chet Thompson, President and CEO, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM)

    “Americans are hurting after four years of failed energy policy under former President Joe Biden. The last thing American families and small businesses should be subsidizing is electric vehicles that few can afford. Now is the time for electric vehicles to compete in the open marketplace, responsive to the needs and desires of the consumer. Forcing electric vehicles on the American people has failed and costs domestic auto manufacturers billions, resulting in fewer affordable vehicle options and economic distortion. We applaud Senator Barrasso for reintroducing the Eliminate Lavish Incentives to Electric (ELITE) Vehicles Act to rid the marketplace of government cronyism and favoritism and we look forward to this legislation moving to the Floor.” – Brent Gardner, Chief Government Affairs Officer, Americans for Prosperity

    Full text of the legislation can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ACCC welcomes passage of world-first scams prevention laws

    Source: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

    The ACCC welcomes the passage of the Scams Prevention Framework Bill in Parliament today.

    This world-first legislation enhances protections across the economy by setting out consistent and enforceable obligations for businesses in key sectors where scammers operate.

    “The financial crime type, scams, present an unacceptable threat to the Australian community and have had a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of Australians,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.

    “This Bill is a critical step in the fight against scams – creating overarching principles that all members of designated sectors must comply with.  We know scammers will exploit weak links in the system – so these principles are key to a consistent approach.”

    Under the new legislation, the ACCC will closely monitor regulated entities’ compliance with principles to prevent, detect, disrupt, respond to and report scams.

    The Scams Prevention Framework empowers the ACCC to investigate potential breaches and take enforcement action where entities do not take reasonable steps to fulfill their obligations under these principles.

    Businesses that do not meet their obligations under the Framework can face fines up to $50 million.

    “Individuals have been bearing the brunt of the responsibility to combat scammers for too long,” Ms Lowe said.

    “While the steps taken by some organisations over the last few years are welcomed, the Framework provides the opportunity for joint effort across government and industry to develop solutions to scam challenges and for consumers to access meaningful redress.”

    “Importantly, the Framework enables consumers to seek redress from regulated businesses when those businesses have not met their obligations,” Ms Lowe said.

    Banks, certain digital platforms, including social media, and telecommunications providers will be the first sectors required to comply with the legislation.

    The ACCC is a strong supporter of mandatory industry scams codes and, through the National Anti-Scam Centre, has already begun preparing incrementally for the Framework.

    “In reaching this important milestone, we acknowledge that there is considerable work ahead to implement the Framework, including the formal designation of sectors, development of sector codes, consumer and industry guidance,” Ms Lowe said.

    “We will continue to work closely with government, fellow regulators, industry and community agencies to make sure these elements of the Framework work for all stakeholders, most especially consumers.”

    Background

    The ACCC runs the National Anti-Scam Centre, which commenced on 1 July 2023, and Scamwatch service. The National Anti-Scam Centre is a virtual centre that sits within the ACCC and brings together experts from government, law enforcement and the private sector, to disrupt scams before they reach consumers.

    The National Anti-Scam Centre analyses and acts on trends from shared data and raises consumer awareness about how to spot and avoid scams.

    The ACCC, through the National Anti-Scam Centre, has already been partnering with stakeholders across the scams ecosystem to share intelligence and information to detect and disrupt scams on a voluntary basis. The Framework will significantly boost the contributions from industry and require designated businesses to share scam intelligence with the ACCC. 

    The new Scams Prevention Framework will be critical to cutting off scammers before they can reach Australians.

    Under the Framework, the ACCC will also enforce the digital platforms sector scams code and will take enforcement action where digital platforms breach their obligations under this code.

    The Australian Securities and Investments Commission will be the regulator for the banking sector code and the Australian Communications and Media Authority will be the regulator for the telecommunications sector code. Regulators have in place processes to work together to help ensure the right action by the right regulator at the right time.

    The ACCC supports the establishment of a single external dispute resolution body under the new Framework and looks forward to working with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).

    The ACCC’s submissions to the Treasury Exposure Draft, which includes further analysis of the reform can be found online.

    How to spot and avoid scams

    STOP – Don’t give money or personal information to anyone if you’re unsure. Scammers will create a sense of urgency. Don’t rush to act. Say no, hang up, delete.

    CHECK – Ask yourself could the call or text be fake? Scammers pretend to be from organisations you know and trust. Contact the organisation using information you source independently, so that you can verify if the call is real or not.

    PROTECT – Act quickly if something feels wrong. Contact your bank immediately if you lose money. If you have provided personal information call IDCARE on 1800 595 160. The more we talk the less power they have. Report scams to the National Anti-Scam Centre’s Scamwatch service at scamwatch.gov.au when you see them.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Indigenous knowledge merges with science to protect people from fish poisoning in Vanuatu

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meg Parsons, Associate Professor in Historical Geography, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    Wikimedia/Louisa Cass/AusAID, CC BY-SA

    Ciguatera fish poisoning is the world’s most frequently reported seafood-borne illness.

    It poses a serious health risk to tropical coastal communities, with some of the highest rates reported in Vanuatu. But now, Indigenous knowledge provides crucial insights for predicting fish poisoning outbreaks.

    Our study documents a collaboration between scientists and Indigenous knowledge holders on Vanuatu’s Ambae island. It offers a powerful new model designed to protect people’s health in vulnerable regions.

    Ecological indicators and fish poisoning risk

    Ciguatera poisoning occurs when people eat fish contaminated with ciguatoxins produced by marine algae that accumulate in reef-feeding fish. Symptoms can range from nausea and muscle pain to severe neurological effects. In some cases, the poisoning can lead to serious illness or even death.

    For millennia, Ambae islanders have relied on their knowledge of the local environment to manage their lands and seas in a sustainable manner. They have observed ecological indicators, including environmental changes that precede ciguatera fish poisoning events, to monitor and respond to risks.

    For instance, they note how heavy rains wash volcanic sediments into the ocean, triggering algal blooms that produce ciguatoxins. Likewise, jellyfish blooms and shifts in coral growth signal imbalances in the marine ecosystem, often preceding toxic fish contamination.

    These ecological indicators, passed down through oral traditions, have guided community decisions about fishing practices and food consumption.

    The islanders’ traditional observations are now being woven together with scientific data to create an early-warning system known as the Gigila Framework, named after a local term meaning “risk onset”, to aid public health responses.

    Our research documents 14 key environmental indicators used by Ambae island communities. We cross-referenced these indicators with climate, geological and marine data to confirm their accuracy. By comparing Ambae islanders’ observations with scientific data, we identify which Indigenous indicators can be used to assess when and where ciguatera fish poisoning outbreaks take place.

    Ambae islanders use ecological observations guide decisions about fishing practices and food consumption.
    Allan Rarai, CC BY-SA

    Lessons for other regions

    The Gigila framework is a community-driven early-warning system designed to reduce the risk of people eating contaminated fish. It uses visual markers, such as dials, to indicate risk levels.

    Village elders appoint local people to act as observers to track environmental changes. They then share their observations (such as jellyfish blooms) with government agencies.

    The Gigila model helps local community members make informed decisions about if and where they go fishing. It also strengthens collaborations between Indigenous knowledge holders, scientists and medical professionals.

    The approach makes health risk information more accessible and practical. Instead of replacing Indigenous knowledge, it seeks to empower and enhance it. It also helps to ensure that younger generations learn about it.

    Challenges of working with different knowledge systems

    The weaving together of Indigenous knowledge with scientific knowledge is not without hurdles.

    Indigenous knowledge practices are deeply rooted in local culture, passed on through oral traditions and combined with lived experiences. Scientific research, in contrast, relies on standardised testing, numerical data and universal theories.

    Unsurprisingly, miscommunication between scientists and Indigenous knowledge holders abounds. Scientists sometimes misinterpret and misunderstand Indigenous knowledge and treat it like data to be extracted and exploited. In doing so, Indigenous peoples’ sacred knowledge systems, cultural identities and ways of life are disrespected and marginalised.

    However, the success of the Gigila framework shows that respectful collaborations between scientists and Indigenous knowledge holders are possible. At the heart of this collaboration is respect for Indigenous knowledge holders’ expertise.

    Another vital component is that Indigenous communities are active participants in helping to create and maintain the early-warning system designed to protect their health. This approach highlights the strengths of combining different knowledge systems to address local environmental issues, which can be adapted to fit different problems and risks.

    Local and global applications

    The Gigila framework holds potential beyond Vanuatu. Many small island nations face similar challenges from fish poisoning. Climate change is making these risks worse by creating the environmental conditions that toxic algae favour.

    Warmer sea temperatures, ocean acidification, more intense and frequent extreme weather events and changes in the distribution of fish species are all contributing to more frequent fish poisoning outbreaks worldwide, including in areas with no history of it.

    This highlights the need for enhanced monitoring and management strategies to reduce the impacts on human health and communities that depend on fisheries.

    Other communities could develop their own early-warning systems drawing on the Gigila framework. Globally, Indigenous peoples manage vast ecosystems. Their knowledge and environmental guardianship practices are critical for sustainability and environmental health, but are often sidelined in science and policy.

    The Gigila framework highlights the continued relevance and importance of Indigenous knowledge and the need for Indigenous knowledge holders and scientists to work together in a respectful and equitable manner.

    As climate change accelerates, partnerships between communities and researchers will be crucial. Governments should support locally led initiatives that promote the deployment of Indigenous knowledge with scientific expertise to produce solutions that are both effective and culturally grounded.

    The Gigila framework offers a compelling example of what’s possible when different ways of knowing are woven together. By embracing these approaches, we can build stronger, more resilient and adaptable communities in the face of an uncertain future.

    Allan Rarai receives funding from the Association of the Commonwealth Universities through the Ocean Country Partnership Programme research grant.

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

    – ref. Indigenous knowledge merges with science to protect people from fish poisoning in Vanuatu – https://theconversation.com/indigenous-knowledge-merges-with-science-to-protect-people-from-fish-poisoning-in-vanuatu-249469

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Antarctic research has long been hamstrung by reliance on one icebreaker and sporadic funding. That might be about to change

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Younger, Lecturer in Southern Ocean Vertebrate Ecology, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania

    Australia’s Antarctic territory represents the largest sliver of the ice continent. For decades, Australian scientists have headed to one of our three bases – Mawson, Davis and Casey – as well as the base on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, to research everything from ecology to climate science.

    But despite our role as leaders in Antarctic science, Australian funding and logistics for Antarctic research hasn’t kept pace. Our single icebreaking vessel spends most of its time on resupply missions, restricting its use for actual science. And funding is often piecemeal, which makes it hard to plan the complex, multi-year efforts it takes to do research down on the ice.

    This week, we saw a welcome change. The federal parliamentary committee on Australia’s external territories delivered a report calling for a second icebreaking vessel and more reliable funding. It also urged the government to progress work on marine protected areas in east Antarctica as well as resume fishing patrols, due to concern over illegal or exploitative fishing.

    These measures are long overdue. For those of us who work and study on the ice continent, logistics and funding have long been a challenge. Illegal fishing in Antarctica must be stamped out, and a second vessel would support our ambitious, world-leading science.

    Why is Antarctic science so important?

    Antarctica is often out of sight, out of mind for many Australians. But what happens on the ice doesn’t stay there.

    For climate science, Antarctica matters a great deal. For decades, much of the concern about melting ice focused on the Arctic and Greenland, while Antarctica stayed relatively stable. But this is now changing. Sea ice is melting more quickly than in the past. Glacial ice is retreating. Increased melting will affect sea level rise and ocean currents.

    I study diseases such as the lethal strain of bird flu which has devastated bird and some mammals populations around the world. It recently reached Antarctica, where it killed large numbers of penguins, skuas, crabeater seals and more. I saw the devastation myself on my recent journey there.

    If this strain makes it to Australia – the last continent free of it – it could come from the south and devastate both Australian wildlife and poultry.

    To study these large and important changes, we need to be down there on the ice. It’s not an easy task. Keeping our bases functional means we need regular resupply missions. Repairs and extensions require tradies. Scientists and other workers need to be brought home.

    Antarctic science has long relied on just one vessel, now the RSV Nuniya, which the Australian Antarctic Division describes as the “main lifeline to Australia’s Antarctic and sub-Antarctic research stations and the central platform of our Antarctic and Southern Ocean scientific research”.

    The problem is, resupply can trump science. After all, no one wants bases running short of food or fuel. This is, in fact, what the Nuniya is largely doing.

    Australia’s role is key

    The Australian Antarctic Territory represents about 40% of the ice continent – the largest territory by far.

    Territory, here, doesn’t mean exclusive rights. In 1959, 12 nations with a scientific interest in the ice continent signed the Antarctic Treaty. This treaty was an agreement that Antarctica – the only landmass with no indigenous human presence – would be reserved for peaceful, scientific purposes.

    But in recent years, this treaty has come under pressure. Nations such as Norway and China have expanded fishing operations for krill. Illegal and unregulated fishing from various nations continues.

    The report recommends the Australian government continue efforts to establish a marine protected area off East Antarctica – where fishing would be restricted – as well as reopening fishing patrols. China – which recently opened its fifth Antarctic base – is opposed to the idea of fishing-free zones and is pushing to expand fishing in the Southern Ocean.

    Under Antarctica’s ice lie many resources. Mining is banned in Antarctica until 2048. What happens after that is uncertain. The race to tap critical minerals in Greenland signals what may lie ahead for Antarctica.

    This is why Australia’s leadership in Antarctic science matters. Australia was an original signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, and has a long history of exploration and science. Hobart has long been the home of Australia’s Antarctic vessels.

    As Antarctica changes, Australian scientists must be there to analyse, understand and report back. To do that, improvements are needed, including new vessels and longer-term funding. This report is the first step.

    The government is yet to formally respond to the report’s recommendations. Let’s hope it takes heed of the findings.

    Jane Younger receives funding from the Australian Research Council, WIRES Australia, the Geoffrey Evans Trust and the National Geographic Society.

    – ref. Antarctic research has long been hamstrung by reliance on one icebreaker and sporadic funding. That might be about to change – https://theconversation.com/antarctic-research-has-long-been-hamstrung-by-reliance-on-one-icebreaker-and-sporadic-funding-that-might-be-about-to-change-249714

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Tuberville in Yellowhammer: President Trump’s tariffs are Making America Great Again

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

    “President Trump is keeping his promises to strengthen and revitalize our nation’s economy”

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) penned an op-ed in Yellowhammer praising President Donald Trump’s recent implementation of reciprocal tariffs to ensure fairness and bolster our national security.

    Read excerpts from the piece below or here. 

    “The media is in full meltdown mode after President Trump imposed duties and retaliatory tariffs this week on countries who have been ripping us off for decades. Apparently, globalists and Democrats are just fine with other countries imposing tariffs on U.S. exports. But, when it comes to President Trump trying to establish a level playing field for domestic producers, well, that’s a bridge too far.

    No one should be remotely surprised by President Trump’s actions. He campaigned on this platform three times and has been crystal clear on his intentions – now he is following through on his promises. He views tariffs both as a negotiating tool to get other countries to bend to his will and as a way to boost American manufacturing and put America First. 

    President Trump has his work cut out for him after the disastrous past four years under President Biden. The Biden administration made it clear to our friends and foes alike that the globalist agenda would take precedent over the safety and wellbeing of the American people. 

    Thankfully, those days are over. The American people gave President Donald J. Trump a clear mandate to restore our country’s superpower status and put America First. That starts with securing our borders. That’s why President Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada last week unless they start working with the U.S. to secure our borders and stop the flow of fentanyl into our nation. 

    Over the past four years, the Mexican government turned a blind eye while caravans of illegal aliens flowed through Mexico into the United States. Thousands of women and children were trafficked and raped along the way. Drug cartels were uninhibited from smuggling illicit drugs across the border. That is, until President Trump re-entered the White House on January 20. 

    President Trump correctly understands that Mexico’s economy is heavily dependent on its trade relationship with the U.S. In fact, more than 80 percent of Mexico’s exports come to the United States. Mexico’s economy would almost instantly feel the effects of a 25 percent tariff, leaving Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum no choice but to come to the negotiating table with master dealmaker Donald Trump. As a result, within hours of President Trump’s announcement, Mexico caved by agreeing to start helping the United States secure the border and crack down on the cartel issue.

    Our neighbor to the North also caved to President Trump after a 25 percent tariff was threatened on Canadian imports. Not only are illicit drugs like fentanyl coming into our country from Mexico, but there has also been a 2,050 percent increase from FY 2023 in drugs coming across our Northern Border. In the last fiscal year alone, enough fentanyl was seized at our Northern Border to kill 9.8 million Americans. This is a serious problem.

    Thanks to President Trump, our North American neighbors to the North and South are making changes that will protect American citizens from deadly drugs, criminals, and human traffickers.

    In addition to using tariffs as a negotiating tool, President Trump also views tariffs as a way to right the wrongs of past, ineffective trade deals. That’s why this week he is imposing a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum. Contrary to what the media would tell you, this isn’t unprecedented. […]

    The tariffs being imposed this week are an important step in President Trump’s plan to restore fairness to trade, boost domestic manufacturing and put American consumers and producers first. America has some of the best and brightest manufacturers, producers, farmers, and businesses. We shouldn’t be going to other countries for products we can make right here at home.

    Three weeks into his presidency, President Trump is keeping his promises to strengthen and revitalize our nation’s economy, stem the flow of illicit drugs and illegal immigration, and make sure our trade deals are fair for taxpayers and the American worker. President Trump is utilizing every tool at his disposal, including tariffs, to usher in the Golden Age of America.”

    MORE:
    Tuberville Speaks On Importance Of Boosting U.S. Economy To Help Struggling Seniors
    Tuberville Praises President Trump For Making Tariffs Great Again
    ICYMI: Tuberville Joins “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business
    Tuberville Calls for Increase in Agricultural Exports
    Tuberville Introduces Bill to End Reliance on Russia, Boost Alabama Businesses and Workers
    Tuberville Cosponsors Legislation to Protect American Manufacturing
    Tuberville Continues Advocating for Alabama’s Ag Interests in Farm Bill Hearing

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –