NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lummis Applauds Trump Administration for Bringing Transparency to FDIC

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis

    February 5, 2025

    Washington, D.C.—  Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) released the following statement in response to a Trump-led Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) releasing 790 pages of previously hidden documents relating to the FDIC’s conduct in Operation Chokepoint 2.0.

    “The days of an administration that operates in the dark are over,” said Lummis. “I appreciate the Trump administration for ensuring the federal government is transparent and beholden to the American people it serves. I look forward to working with Acting Chairman Hill to restore the FDIC’s mission to serving American businesses, not shielding unelected bureaucrats.”

    In January, Senator Lummis sent a letter to FDIC Chair Marty Gruenberg after her office was contacted by whistleblowers alleging the FDIC was destroying materials with respect to the digital asset activities of the agency and threatening retaliation against staff for speaking out.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of Hearing, Warren Pushes Trump Trade Representative on Tariff Policy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    February 05, 2025

    Warren Questions Greer on Trade Agenda, Tariff Exemptions for Trump’s Allies and Special Interests

    “Tariffs are an important strategic economic tool, but Donald Trump’s desire to start and stop random trade wars will not protect jobs, keep Americans safe, or bring down costs for families.”

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (BHUA) and member of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to Jamieson Greer, nominee to be U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), ahead of his February 6, 2025 confirmation hearing, probing his views on trade. Senator Warren asked Mr. Greer to address her concerns with the administration’s tariff strategy, corporate influence over trade agreements, corporations offshoring of jobs, and other trade-related concerns. 

    The USTR is responsible for developing and promoting the U.S. trade agenda and leading trade negotiations on behalf of the U.S., playing a critical role in the economy. This week, the Trump administration announced new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. During the last Trump administration, corporations and their lobbyists abused tariff exclusion loopholes to receive secretive exemptions from President Trump and his trade team. The Commerce Department’s Inspector General found that the process for receiving an exemption was “neither transparent nor objective.”

    “(T)he President does not appear to have a strategic plan in place to ensure that his proposed tariffs are implemented in a way that secures wins for hardworking Americans and precludes carveouts for special interests,” wrote Senator Warren. “Instead, he has threatened, and withdrawn tariff threats in a chaotic and haphazard manner that has only resulted in uncertainty for American consumers, workers, and manufacturers, as well as our allies.”

    Large multinational companies have also gained outsized influence in trade negotiations and trade disputes. For decades, membership of the trade advisory committee has leaned heavily in favor of billionaire corporations and their industry associations, and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions have allowed corporations to sue governments—including the United States—for pursuing public policies they may disagree with. Senator Warren encouraged Mr. Greer to pursue the removal of ISDS provisions from trade agreements with U.S. allies. 

    Senator Warren also wrote that she believes large corporations have too many incentives to move jobs and manufacturing abroad. “In order to reverse the negative effects offshoring has had on the American economy, the Administration must invest in domestic industry and eliminate incentives for corporations to hide their profits abroad,” the senator wrote. 

    Senator Warren also expressed support for the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program to help American workers whose jobs are displaced by trade. “Renewing TAA is a no-brainer, and I hope you will support it to make sure that workers at home get a fair deal,” said Senator Warren.

    In order to better understand Mr. Greer’s approach to trade, Senator Warren asked him to prepare to answer questions on his vision for the Trump administration’s trade agenda on February 6, 2025, the date of his confirmation hearing. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Akron, Ohio, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    Charles Woods, 67, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand.

    In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that investigators identified Woods as a methamphetamine supplier for a drug trafficking operation between Akron, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Investigators searched Woods’ residence and obtained approximately 294 grams of methamphetamine. During his hearing, Woods admitted that he conspired to distribute and distributed between 500 grams and 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine over a five-month period.

    Judge Wiegand scheduled sentencing for June 12, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

    Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

    Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Woods.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Serious concerns’: national assessment reveals rivers flowing into the Great Barrier Reef are getting more polluted

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Lintern, Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering, specialising in water quality, Monash University

    Polluted runoff is still smothering the Great Barrier Reef, our first national assessment of water quality trends in Australian rivers has revealed. The problem on the reef is getting worse, not better, despite efforts to improve farming practices and billions of dollars committed by governments to water-quality improvements.

    But in good news, there are signs of improvement in the Murray-Darling Basin, where less salt, sediment and phosphorous were detected in the water.

    Our latest research quantifies, for the first time, how water quality in Australian rivers has changed over the past two decades. Around half our 287 monitoring sites experienced significant changes in water quality between 2000 and 2019 on every measure we analysed. But the results for the reef and the basin stood out.

    In particular, freshwater flows into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon contained increasing levels of sediment and phosphorous. If the trend continues, we have serious concerns for the health of the Great Barrier Reef and the tourist industry it supports.

    Understanding river water quality

    We studied water quality monitoring data from 287 river sites across Australia. The relevant agency in each state and territory collects this information and makes it available online. The data covers the following:

    • salinity: too much makes water unsuitable for drinking or irrigation
    • dissolved oxygen: when the level is too low it can kill aquatic life
    • nitrogen and phosphorous: high levels of either can cause excessive algae growth and consumes oxygen
    • sediment: too much reduces light penetration and disrupts ecosystems

    We focused on sites with records of all five water quality indicators from 2000 to 2019.

    River flows can vary enormously from year to year and this affects water quality. So we used statistics to account for this and identify underlying long-term trends.

    In the catchments that exhibited significant changes between 2000 and 2019, about half showed improvements in dissolved oxygen, salinity and phosphorus, while the other half deteriorated. Sediment levels mostly improved (86% of catchments) over time. The story was not so good when it came to nitrogen levels, which went up in 60% of catchments.

    Two regions experienced the greatest large-scale changes in water quality over that time: the North East Coast basin and the Murray-Darling Basin.

    The research analysed two decades of water quality monitoring data from 287 sites dotted across Australia.
    Danlu Guo, CC BY-ND

    More polluted water flowing to the reef

    In the North East Coast basin, many rivers capture water from inland areas, including farming regions, and carry it to the ocean near the Great Barrier Reef. So, any pollution in these rivers are carried to the reef.

    Suspended sediments make the water cloudy or “turbid”. This can reduce the growth of seagrass and disrupt the growth and reproductive cycles of coral and some fish.

    Phosphorous and nitrogen are essential minerals or nutrients, which is why they are used on farms as fertiliser. But too much of either can lower coral diversity, and reduce resilience of coral to bleaching and disease.

    We found water quality in rivers flowing to the reef – one of the world’s seven natural wonders – had declined over the past two decades. In particular, levels of phosphorus and sediments had increased at around 5% per year on average across catchments.

    This may be a hangover from intensifying land use and clearing in the 1960s and ‘70s. Land clearing can lead to more erosion of sediment and phosphorus attached to soils. Similarly, intensive agriculture can lead to increased phosphorus in rivers, due to fertiliser use.

    Substantial investment has been made to improve water quality over many years. This includes almost A$1.8 billion committed by the federal and Queensland governments between 2014 and 2030. But it appears greater effort is needed to turn things around.

    It can take a long time for management strategies to start having an effect on water quality. So efforts to date may not yet be showing up. Or perhaps the scale of these changes has not been enough to shift the long-term trend in water quality.

    Regardless, declining water quality over the past two decades has direct implications for the future of the world heritage listed site.

    Cleaning up the basin

    In contrast, we found water quality in the Murray-Darling Basin was improving. Salinity levels declined, along with phosphorus and suspended sediment.

    Managing salinity in the basin is a long-term issue. Much of the basin’s groundwater is naturally saline to begin with. Land clearing and agricultural activities since European colonisation have further exacerbated the problem.

    But our results suggest salinity levels in the Murray-Darling Basin rivers are improving. This may be due to large-scale management actions such as improving irrigation efficiency, reducing drainage, installing salt interception, and drainage diversion schemes to divert saline groundwater away from entering the Murray River.

    These changes in water quality could also be due to declines in rainfall during the Millennium drought period over the late 1990s and early 2000s. The dry conditions might have altered processes controlling flushing of salt, sediments and phosphorus into waterways. As such, the drought has likely had more complicated and long-lasting impacts on water quality than the year-to-year variation in river flow.

    While our research shows water quality in the Murray-Darling Basin has improved, this does not mean funding in this area should reduce or cease. Scientists and policymakers must continue monitoring and working towards a healthy basin for future generations.

    Salt interception schemes divert about 400,000 tonnes of salt away from the river every year.
    Photo by Zac Edmonds on Unsplash, CC BY

    Keeping watch over water quality

    Unfortunately, insufficient long-term water quality monitoring limits our understanding of water quality trends across large parts of the country.

    This includes a large proportion of the western, northern and central parts of Australia. Filling these data gaps will require new and ongoing investment into water quality monitoring.

    Australian water authorities need to keep checking the health of our rivers.

    A national program to harness this data from states and territories, to monitor and track river water quality, is needed to continue similar Australia-wide assessments of water quality.

    Such assessments are vital for providing an evidence base for federal policy and identifying future needs in river water quality protection.

    Anna Lintern has previously received funding from the Australian Research Council and the Victorian State Government. She is an unpaid volunteer for her federal Independent MP’s office.

    Danlu Guo 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. ‘Serious concerns’: national assessment reveals rivers flowing into the Great Barrier Reef are getting more polluted – https://theconversation.com/serious-concerns-national-assessment-reveals-rivers-flowing-into-the-great-barrier-reef-are-getting-more-polluted-248903

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Elections mean more misinformation. Here’s what we know about how it spreads in migrant communities

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fan Yang, Research fellow at Melbourne Law School, the University of Melbourne and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society., The University of Melbourne

    Shutterstock

    Migrants in Australia often encounter disinformation targeting their communities. However, disinformation circulated in non-English languages and within private chat groups often falls beyond the reach of Australian public agencies, national media and platform algorithms.

    This regulatory gap means migrant communities are disproportionately targeted during crises, elections and referendums when misinformation and disinformation are amplified.

    With a federal election just around the corner, we wanted to understand how migrants come across disinformation, how they respond to it, and importantly, what can be done to help.



    Read more:
    Misinformation, disinformation and hoaxes: What’s the difference?

    Our research

    Our research finds political disinformation circulates both online and in person among friends and family.

    Between 2023 and 2024, we carried out a survey with 192 respondents. We then conducted seven focus groups with 14 participants who identify as having Chinese or South Asian cultural heritage.

    We wanted to understand their experiences of political engagement and media consumption in Australia.

    An important challenge faced by research participants is online disinformation. This issue was already long-standing and inadequately addressed by Australian public agencies and technology companies, even before Meta ended its fact-checking program.

    Lack of diversity in news

    Our study finds participants read news and information from a diverse array of traditional and digital media services with heightened sense of caution.

    They encounter disinformation in two ways.

    The first is information misrepresenting their identity, culture, and countries of origin, particularly found in English-language Australian national media.

    The second is targeted disinformation distributed across non-English social media services, including in private social media channels.

    Misinformation is often spread on Chinese social media platforms to target their users.
    Shutterstock

    From zero (no trust) to five (most trusted), we asked our survey participants to rank their trust towards Australian national media sources. This included the ABC, SBS, The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 News and the 7 Network.

    Participants reported a medium level of trust (three).

    Our focus groups explained the mistrust participants have towards both traditional and social media news sources. Their thoughts echoed other research with migrants. For instance, a second-generation South Asian migrant said:

    it feels like a lot of marketing with traditional media […] they use marketing language to persuade people in a certain way.

    Several participants of Chinese and South Asian cultural backgrounds reported that Australian national media misrepresent their culture and identity due to a lack of genuine diversity within news organisations. One said:

    the moment you’re a person of colour, everyone thinks that you’re Chinese. And we do get painted with the same paintbrush. It is very frustrating […]

    Another added:

    Sri Lanka usually gets in the media for cricket mainly, travel and tourism. So apart from that, there’s not a lot of deep insight.

    For migrants, the lack of genuine engagement with their communities and countries of origin distorts public understanding, reducing migrants to a one-dimensional, often stereotypical, portrayal. This oversimplification undermines migrants’ trust in Australian national media.

    Participants also expressed minimal trust in news and information on social media. They often avoid clicking on headline links, including those shared by Australian national media outlets. According to a politically active male participant of Chinese-Malaysian origin:

    I don’t really like reading Chinese social media even though I’m very active on WeChat and subscribe to some news just to see what’s going on. I don’t rely on them because I usually don’t trust them and can often spot mistakes and opinionated editorials rather than actual news.

    Consuming news from multiple sources to understand a range of political leanings is a strategy many participants employed to counteract biased or partial news coverage. This was particularly the case on issues of personal interest, such as human rights and climate change.



    Read more:
    About half the Asian migrants we surveyed said they didn’t fully understand how our voting systems work. It’s bad for our democracy

    What can be done?

    Currently, Australia lacks effective mechanisms to combat online disinformation targeting migrant communities, especially those whose first language is not English.

    Generalised counter-disinformation approaches (such as awareness camapaigns) fail to be effective even when translated into multiple languages.

    This is because the disinformation circulating in these communities is often highly targeted and tailored. Scaremongering around geopolitical, economic and immigration policies is a common theme. These narratives are too specific for a population-level approach to work.

    Our focus groups revealed that the burden of addressing disinformation often falls on family members or close friends. This responsibility is particularly carried by community-minded individuals with higher levels of media and digital knowledge. Women and younger family members play a key role.

    Women and younger family members play a key role in debunking misinformation in migrant families.
    Shutterstock

    Focus group members told us how they explained Australian political events to their families in terms they were more familiar with.

    During the Voice to Parliament referendum, one participant referenced China’s history of resistance against Japanese Imperialism to help a Chinese-Australian friend better understand the consequences of colonialism and its impacts on Australia’s First Nations communities.

    Younger women participants shared that combating online disinformation is an emotionally taxing process. This is especially so when it occurs within the family, often leading to conflicts. One said:

    I’m so tired of intervening to be honest, and mostly it’s family […] my parents and close friends and alike. There is so much misinformation passed around on WhatsApp or socials. When I do see someone take a very strong stand, usually my father or my mother, I step in.

    Intervening in an informal way doesn’t always work. Family dynamics, gender hierarchies and generational differences can impede these efforts.

    Countering disinformation requires us to confront deeper societal issues related to race, ethnicity, gender, power and the environment.

    International research suggests community-based approaches work better for combating misinformation in specific cohorts, like migrants. This sort of work could take place in settings people trust, be that community centres or public libraries.

    This means not relying exclusively on changes in the law or the practices of online platforms.

    Instead, the evidence suggests developing community-based interventions that are culturally resonant and attuned to historical disadvantage would help.

    Our recently-released toolkit makes a suite of recommendations for Australian public services and institutions, including the national media, to avoid alienating and inadvertently misinforming Asian-Australians as we approach a crucial election campaign.

    Sukhmani Khorana receives funding from the Australia Research Council and has previously conducted commissioned research for migrant and refugee-focused organisations.

    Fan Yang 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. Elections mean more misinformation. Here’s what we know about how it spreads in migrant communities – https://theconversation.com/elections-mean-more-misinformation-heres-what-we-know-about-how-it-spreads-in-migrant-communities-247685

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s reversal of climate policies risks undermining U.S. manufacturing — and could cost people jobs

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Thomas Stuart, Lecturer in Communications, Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria

    United States President Donald Trump’s early executive actions have set American manufacturing on a collision course with his administration’s fossil-fuel-driven agenda. It’s clear that climate change policies run counter to his vision of American primacy.

    Trump wasted no time reversing the green initiatives of his predecessor, former president Joe Biden. He withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement for a second time, rolled back environmental regulations and froze green energy funding.



    Read more:
    The impact of Donald Trump’s anti-climate measures on our heating planet

    However, these reversals have exposed complications in Trump’s economic platform. For all his promises to revive American industry and reduce reliance on foreign production, Trump’s opposition to clean energy threatens green technology investments and other incentives that drive U.S. manufacturing development.

    Trump’s Strategic National Manufacturing Initiative promised to “stop outsourcing” and turn the U.S. into a “manufacturing superpower.” Yet his plans to cancel the electric vehicle mandate and reduce regulations promoting clean energy undermine the manufacturing sector’s shift toward green technology.

    In the long run, Trump’s own actions may undermine his vision of an American manufacturing renaissance by cutting crucial investments, putting the U.S. at odds with a global economy increasingly focused on clean technologies.

    The green manufacturing boom

    Republican congressman John James recently applauded Trump’s reversal of green policies during a congressional hearing. Yet, in the same breath, James called for the administration to continue “onshoring the future of automotive jobs and manufacturing,” a policy he linked to Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

    Other Republican representatives from Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina increasingly find themselves walking along the same rhetorical tight-rope.

    While Biden’s IRA has been widely criticized by the Trump administration, the act has brought Republican districts significant green investments and manufacturing jobs.

    As James acknowledged:

    “While the bulk of the IRA is damaging policy, we must not neglect the sector-wide energy tax provisions that manufacturers and job creators rely on in my district and around the country.”

    The green manufacturing boom is not an abstract concept, but a tangible economic engine, particularly in districts with established fossil fuel industries like Chatham County, N.C. Here, manufacturer Wolfspeed’s new US$5 billion dollar semiconductor plant sits in the heart of traditional coal country.

    Since 2022, the private sector has invested US$133 billion in clean energy and electric vehicle (EV) technology. Manufacturing investments alone have jumped by three times over the previous two years, totalling US$89 billion.

    The impact of the IRA on ‘red states’

    Biden-era policy has largely driven the America’s green energy economic development. The IRA provided a staggering US$312 billion in planned investments in EV and battery manufacturing.

    Eighty-five per cent of this funding flows into Republican-voting districts — areas that have historically voted against climate-focused legislation like the IRA. Yet the rewards of these green tech policies have been a boon for local economies.

    Georgia, for instance, has become a model for the American green energy transformation. In the first two years of the IRA, about US$15 billion dollars flowed into the state. Since then, Georgia has added a projected 43,000 new green jobs.

    Meanwhile, North Carolina’s Randolph County has seen the largest investment in green technology in U.S. history. Under the previous administration, it received about US$14 billion in funding, allowing Toyota to build a manufacturing megasite.

    By 2030, the site is expected to create 5,000 jobs in the area, with wages averaging 80 per cent more than the county median salary. Once fully operational, the site will manufacture enough batteries annually to power and maintain up to 500,000 EVs.

    What comes next?

    As Trump continues to roll back environmental protections and withdraw from climate agreements, whether he can still deliver the manufacturing revival he promised remains to be seen.

    In one respect, his policies may lead to a consolidation in the green technology sector. Despite his administration’s retreat from broader green energy policies, Trump says he will continue securing the U.S. supply of critical minerals for EV batteries.

    This could reflect the influence of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is serving under Trump as a “special government employee.” Tesla, which relies on these critical minerals for its EV production, would benefit from a stable supply.

    Musk resents regulatory interventions, particularly those that encourage competition. On a call with investors, Musk said Tesla might feel a slight impact from lost subsidies. However, he suggested the real damage would be to competitors who are scrambling to catch up in an industry where raw materials are king. Musk predicted that “long term, it probably actually helps Tesla.”

    In another respect, Trump’s policy reversal could also weaken Republican unity. Republican politicians like Georgia’s Buddy Carter, Tennessee’s Chuck Fleischmann and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp have highlighted the short-sighted nature of Trump’s economic plan.

    Trump’s decision to turn his back on climate change policy is more than a blow to environmentalists; it’s a direct challenge to his own economic agenda. He risks not just the environment, but also the green investments essential to American industry’s competitive revival.

    Thomas Stuart 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. Trump’s reversal of climate policies risks undermining U.S. manufacturing — and could cost people jobs – https://theconversation.com/trumps-reversal-of-climate-policies-risks-undermining-u-s-manufacturing-and-could-cost-people-jobs-248399

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lankford Applauds POTUS’ Push to Hold FEMA Accountable, Advocates for Reform

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford

    WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump to applaud his recent Executive Order to hold the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) accountable for their failed responses to disasters and to advocate for robust reforms.

    “I write to commend your recent Executive Order establishing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council. The current federal framework for responding to disasters is insufficient, and major reforms are necessary to ensure Americans are best supported in times of need,” Lankford wrote in the letter.

    Lankford also introduced four bills to continue to build on President Trump’s work to address FEMA’s failures and inadequacies. The Expediting Hazard Mitigation Assistance Projects Act gives the FEMA Administrator the authority to cut red tape on unnecessary environmental and historic preservation review requirements. The Direct Property Acquisitions Act creates a pilot program for communities to avoid lengthy delays by applying directly for property acquisitions. The Investing in Community Resilience Act with Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) incentivizes communities to create readiness and resilience measures before a disaster. The Stopping Political Discrimination in Disaster Assistance Act will prohibit discrimination based on political affiliation in federal disaster relief. This bill is cosponsored by Senators Roger Marshall, MD (R-KS), Rick Scott (R-FL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).

    View the letter here or below. 

    Dear President Trump:

    I write to commend your recent Executive Order establishing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council. The current federal framework for responding to disasters is insufficient, and major reforms are necessary to ensure Americans are best supported in times of need. As the Council engages with leaders to discuss potential reforms, I respectfully request that the Council consider the following:

    1. Reforming FEMA’s responsibilities and/or consolidating the federal disaster framework more generally. FEMA has two core responsibilities: managing security grants and serving as the leading agency for federal disaster relief. While both roles can be vested in a single agency, I am concerned that FEMA’s dual responsibilities are hampering its emergency response capabilities. At the same time, the current federal disaster framework involves too many agencies with a variety of other, non-emergency response duties, including the US Department of Commerce, US Department of Housing and Urban Development, US Department of Health and Human Services, US Department of Agriculture, the Small Business Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency, among several others. I ask that your Council consider whether more federal emergency response capabilities should be consolidated under FEMA, which would reduce the number of agencies constituents need to work through when seeking federal disaster assistance, and whether other, current responsibilities should be placed elsewhere.
    1. Reassessing the federal government’s role in disasters. Under current law, the default federal assistance for major disasters is 75%, with opportunities to increase the federal cost share. The federal cost share is often increased to 100%. It is paramount that all levels of government involved in emergency response and recovery have skin in the game. I urge the Council to consider the benefits and drawbacks of a sliding cost share that begins at a lower percentage for federal support but can be increased based on the needs and capacity of the community in question. I also urge the Council to consider recommending how to limit ad hoc federal cost share increases and eliminate the possibility of a 100% federal cost share as it relates to FEMA’s disaster aid.
    1. Conducting an in-depth review of all federally funded disaster activities conducted by FEMA. The federal government’s labyrinthine disaster response and recovery programs have not been subject to the scrutiny needed to assess whether it is achieving its goals or whether its funding would be better spent with limited strings attached at the state and local levels. I ask that the Council provide a comprehensive analysis of these programs and make a formal, performance-based recommendation on how the funding for these programs should be spent.
    1. Exploring ways to speed up FEMA-led disaster projects. Federal funding for disaster relief comes with countless conditions, many of which unnecessarily prolong the duration of projects. I urge the Council to assess whether conditions on federal disaster aid, including conditions such as Environmental and Historic Preservation (EHP) reviews, harm the disaster recovery process for communities. 

    Lastly, it is essential that the Council solicit feedback from leaders with substantial knowledge of disaster recovery efforts. Oklahoma is no stranger to natural disasters, and we are often forced to grapple with the ensuing wreckage and trauma. Despite these challenges, Oklahomans have consistently risen above the fray to help one another in recovery. Given our experience with natural disasters, I respectfully request that the Council solicit feedback from emergency management leaders in Oklahoma.

    In God We Trust,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Clock ticking on South Sudan’s transition, Security Council hears

    Source: United Nations 4

    By Vibhu Mishra

    Peace and Security

    As South Sudan enters a so-called “extended transitional period” this month, the UN’s top envoy to the country has warned that the clock is ticking to accomplish the commitments under a key 2018 peace accord, ahead of a new deadline set for February 2027.

    Signed in 2018 to end years of conflict, the Revitalized Peace Agreement, initially set a three-year timeline for elections and the formation of a democratic government. The transition has been extended four times, with key political, security, and governance benchmarks remaining unfulfilled.

    Under the latest extension, announced by the authorities in September last year, general elections are scheduled to take place in December 2026.

    Waiting for progress

    Briefing ambassadors at the Security Council on Wednesday, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan Nicolas Haysom stressed that while the country’s citizens have been patient, they expect progress.

    “There is a strong desire for the leaders to focus on the benchmarks set out in the peace agreement – without further delay.”

    With progress stalling in several critical areas, Mr. Haysom urged South Sudan’s leaders to accelerate security sector reform, electoral preparations, and reform of the constitution and judicial processes.

    “The clock is already ticking on the extended transitional period. Decision-makers need to tackle several issues simultaneously and immediately,” he emphasised.

    Significant gaps remain

    Despite some achievements, major gaps persist – especially oncerning elections scheduled for December 2026.

    While a framework for security sector management and a national community violence reduction strategy have been adopted, critical conditions remain unmet – including the full deployment of unified security forces, voter education, and a code of conduct between political parties and other stakeholders.

    “We have not yet seen the previously promised harmonized workplan with an operational timetable for elections,” Mr. Haysom said, adding that delays in government funding and decision-making are further impeding progress.

    Escalating security concerns

    Communal violence remains a major driver of insecurity, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, including women and children.

    Recent clashes between armed groups in Western Equatoria, along with widespread reports of illegal checkpoints, highlight the fragility of the security environment, Mr. Haysom noted.

    At the same time, the war between rival militaries in in neighbouring Sudan is having spillover effects in South Sudan, including violent unrest in Juba following reports of South Sudanese nationals being executed in Sudan’s Wad Madani region.

    UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

    Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General briefing the Security Council on the situation in South Sudan.

    Humanitarian crisis

    More than one million Sudanese refugees have fled into South Sudan during the reporting period, joining an already staggering 9.3 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.

    The country’s economic crisis is also worsening, with inflation soaring to 107 percent and food prices doubling, while government employees have not been paid for 10 months.

    Health conditions are also deteriorating, with over 23,000 reported cholera cases exacerbated by last year’s floods. The disease continues to spread, particularly in remote areas with limited healthcare access.

    The 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan aims to reach 5.4 million people with life-saving assistance and protection, but funding remains a critical challenge. The UN is appealing for $1.7 billion to meet urgent needs this year.

    UNMISS operational constraints

    Mr. Haysom, who also leads the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, UNMISS, briefed on logistical challenges faced after the Government requested the mission vacate part of its headquarters within 45 days.

    He described the demand as imposing “significant costs” and logistical hurdles that UNMISS is not currently equipped to manage.

    Restrictions on peacekeeper movement in some areas also continue to limit the mission’s ability to provide security and humanitarian support.

    Steadfast support

    Concluding his briefing, Mr. Haysom reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to standing “shoulder-to-shoulder” with the people of South Sudan on their path to stabilisation and democratisation.

    Special Representative Haysom briefing the Security Council on the situation in South Sudan.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Governor Newsom cuts red tape to help Los Angeles quickly recover and rebuild

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Feb 5, 2025

    What you need to know: Governor Newsom has taken unprecedented action to cut red tape and remove regulatory barriers to help Los Angeles recover and rebuild quickly – including by suspending CEQA and Coastal Act permitting requirements.

    LOS ANGELES — In response to the unprecedented disaster caused by the recent firestorms in Los Angeles, Governor Newsom has taken significant executive action to remove red tape and suspend regulatory barriers, from suspending permitting requirements to fast-tracking cleanup efforts.

    “We will not let red tape block people from rebuilding and getting back into their homes. The state is here to assist the Los Angeles community recover, not to hinder their efforts.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Recovery and rebuilding, faster than ever

    Governor Newsom has launched historic recovery and rebuilding efforts, cutting red tape and suspending regulations to help make the recovery process faster than ever before. Moving proactively to remove barriers that would prevent a quick recovery, Governor Newsom began issuing orders and suspending regulations related to rebuilding in the days immediately after the firestorms began.

    ✂️ Suspending permitting requirements. Governor Newsom waived permitting requirements based on the California Coastal Act and the California Environmental Quality Act on January 12.

    🏠 Creating more temporary housing, faster. To help provide necessary shelter for those immediately impacted by the firestorms, the Governor issued an executive order on January 16 to streamline the construction and occupancy of accessory dwelling units, increase availability of trailers and other temporary housing, and suspend fees for mobile home parks. 

    ⚠️Fast-tracking clean-up and recovery. With an eye toward recovery, On January 12, the Governor directed fast action on debris removal work and mitigating the potential for mudslides and flooding in areas burned. Three days later, he signed an executive order to allow expert federal hazmat crews to start cleaning up properties as a key step in getting people back to their properties safely.
     
    📝 Tax and mortgage relief for disaster victims and businesses. On January 11, California postponed the individual tax filing deadline to October 15 for Los Angeles County taxpayers. Additionally, the state extended the January 31, 2025, sales and use tax filing deadline for Los Angeles County taxpayers until April 30 — providing critical tax relief for businesses. Governor Newsom suspended penalties and interest on late property tax payments for a year, effectively extending the state property tax deadline. The Governor also worked with state– and federally-chartered banks that have committed to providing mortgage relief for survivors in certain zip codes.

    ✔️ Waiving licensing fees for small businesses. The Governor issued an executive order on January 29 to support small businesses and workers, by providing relief to help businesses recover quickly by deferring annual licensing fees and waiving other requirements that may impose barriers to recovery.

    ❤️ Making it easier for survivors to quickly get help. The Governor fast-tracked more relief for survivors on January 27 by waiving or suspending regulations that could make it more difficult for survivors to access important services, such as child care, education, rental housing, health care, and tax relief.

    View all the actions Governor Newsom has taken in response to Los Angeles firestorms

    Get help today

    For those Californians impacted by the firestorms in Los Angeles, there are resources available.Californians can go to CA.gov/LAfires – a hub for information and resources from state, local and federal government.  

    Individuals and business owners who sustained losses from wildfires in Los Angeles County can apply for disaster assistance:

    If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service.

    Recent news

    Feb 4, 2025

    News What you need to know: People impacted by the recent fires in Los Angeles may be eligible for new food benefits. A family of four with a monthly income up to $3,529 per month may be eligible to receive $975. Los Angeles, California – As part of California’s…

    Feb 4, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Mark Tollefson, of Rancho Cordova, has been appointed Chief Deputy Director at the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Tollefson has been Undersecretary of the California State…

    Feb 4, 2025

    News What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom today issued an executive order removing bureaucratic barriers, extending deadlines, and providing critical regulatory relief to help LA fire survivors rebuild, access essential services, and recover more quickly. LOS…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Philadelphia Store Owner Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Defrauding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Jenny Espinal Tejada, 34, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Joshua D. Wolson to 18 months in prison, $1,841,402 in restitution, and forfeiture of the proceeds of her offenses, for defrauding the U.S. government.

    The defendant was charged in July of last year by superseding indictment and pleaded guilty in October to one count of wire fraud and one count of defrauding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”).

    Espinal Tejada admitted that she used her small corner grocery store in Philadelphia to redeem SNAP benefits, even though she knew the store had not been approved to participate in SNAP as a merchant. She gained access to the program by misappropriating merchant identification numbers that had been assigned to stores that participated in the program legitimately. By using the misappropriated numbers, she was able to work around the rules of SNAP, and she further abused the program by trading benefits for cash in her store.

    “Espinal Tejada sought to profit illicitly from the SNAP program, diverting nearly $2 million of the USDA’s money,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “On behalf of the folks who rely on these resources every day — and the taxpayers who fund the programs — we and our partners will continue to prosecute abuses like this and ensure that those who commit them are held appropriately accountable.”

    “SNAP was created to provide food and nutrition to those who truly need this assistance,” said Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG). “This joint investigation identified those who sought to profit from SNAP through illegal schemes. We are thankful to our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners and will continue to dedicate investigative resources in order to protect the integrity of these programs and bring those who commit fraud to justice.”

    The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Abrams. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo: Scott Turner Committed to Lifting Up Stories of Forgotten Americans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
    Published: February 05, 2025

    Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) issued the following statement after the Senate confirmed, by a vote of 55-44, E. Scott Turner to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):
    “Scott Turner has the business and personal acumen to serve him well as head of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  He overcame early childhood adversity to become a successful professional football player, state legislator, businessman and politician.  He has the pedigree of someone who knows what it takes to achieve the American Dream.  Mr. Turner has committed to lift up the stories of forgotten Americans, ensuring every citizen, regardless of creed or background, will have the same access to strong communities and quality, affordable housing.  He has promised to focus on maximizing resources, putting successful policies at the forefront, not simply spending more to achieve less.  I congratulate Scott Turner on his confirmation.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Reminds Hospitals and Clinics of Anti-Discrimination Laws Amid Executive Order on Gender Affirming Care

    Source: US State of California

    Warns Children’s Hospital Los Angeles of potential violations of state anti-discrimination laws 

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today reminded California hospitals and federally-funded healthcare providers of their ongoing obligation under California anti-discrimination law to provide gender affirming care amid confusion resulting from President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directive on freezing or pausing federal funding and his executive order on gender affirming care. Attorney General Bonta also issued a letter putting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles on notice of its obligations under state anti-discrimination law, following reports that the hospital is pausing the initiation of hormonal therapies for all gender affirming care patients under the age of 19 and gender-affirming surgeries on minors. 

    “California supports the rights of transgender youth to live their lives as their authentic selves,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We will not let the President turn back the clock or deter us from upholding California values. I understand that the President’s executive order on gender affirming care has created some confusion. Let me be clear: California law has not changed, and hospitals and clinics have a legal obligation to provide equal access to healthcare services.”

    The California Department of Justice is aware of concerns about gender-affirming care being impacted by recent federal government actions attempting to restrict federal funds to recipients of federal grants, including the availability of federal financial assistance regarding the provision of gender affirming care to minors.

    On January 28, 2025, Attorney General Bonta, along with 22 other state attorneys general, filed suit in federal district court to halt the federal government’s illegal efforts to freeze such federal funding. The court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on January 31, 2025, prohibiting federal agencies from taking any action that would “pause, freeze, block, cancel or terminate” such funding. As a result of the TRO won by Attorney General Bonta and 22 other state attorneys general, federal agencies must continue to comply with existing grants, awards, and obligations, except as authorized by law.

    In a notice sent to federal agencies and filed with the court on Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) indicated its intent to comply with the court order and affirmed that the TRO blocking the illegal funding freeze applied to all federal funding awards or obligations, including those made to recipients such as hospitals, and federally funded healthcare providers. The U.S. DOJ stated that federal agencies “cannot pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate any awards or obligations on the basis of the OMB memo, or on the basis of the President’s recently issued Executive Orders.” As such, the recent executive order pertaining to gender-affirming care for minors does not provide federal agencies with any basis to threaten or revoke federal funding from hospitals and federally funded healthcare providers. 

    Furthermore, California law, including the Unruh Civil Rights Act, Civil Code section 51 and Government Code section 11135, prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Electing to refuse services to a class of individuals based on their protected status, such as withholding services from transgender individuals based on their gender identity or their diagnosis of gender dysphoria, while offering such services to cisgender individuals, is discrimination. California families seeking gender-affirming care, and the doctors and staff who provide it, are protected under state laws.  

    RESOURCES 

    California has a number of resources for transgender youth and the broader LGBTQ+ community: 

    If you believe your rights are being violated as part of the enforcement of the President’s executive order, you can file a complaint with the California Attorney General’s Office here or with the California Civil Rights Department here. 

    A copy of the letter to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Top Appropriators: Trump Administration’s “Deferred Resignation” Scheme is Deceptive, Legally Questionable, & Puts Vital Taxpayer Services At Risk

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, in an effort to protect taxpayers and federal workers and uphold the law, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member, along with U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and U.S. Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the Ranking Members of both the Senate and House Financial Services and General Government Subcommittees, sent a letter to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) pointing out that the Trump Administration’s so-called buyout program is “deceptive,” “legally dubious,” would “undermine” a host of vital government services people rely on, and “should be rescinded immediately.”

    “Federal workers take an oath to defend the Constitution and to work on behalf of the American people. OPM’s legally dubious and intentionally misleading offer is a disservice to these dedicated men and women, and it should be retracted immediately,” the four lawmakers wrote to the acting head of OPM.

    The Trump Administration’s proposal, which gave federal workers just a few days to consider the offer before a February 6 deadline to accept the terms alleging to pay them through September of 2025, incurs a multi-billion dollar cost on behalf of the federal government that has not been authorized or appropriated by Congress. If implemented, it would negatively impact taxpayers, who would be paying workers not to provide the public with critical services.

    “If federal workers are enticed or coerced to accept this ‘offer,’ the services that average Americans rely on will be undermined,”the lawmakers wrote.“Federal employees inspect nursing homes to give families and caregivers peace of mind. They stem the supply of fentanyl and illegal contraband at our nation’s ports of entry. They approve patent applications to bolster American innovation. They ensure that seniors can access Social Security benefits that they have worked their entire lives to earn, and they work to provide health care service to our nation’s veterans.”

    The appropriators asked a series of specific questions about OPM’s compliance with the Privacy Act, OPM’s legal authority to extend this offer, and whether paying people not to work through September 30 violates the Anti-Deficiency Act, a law that prevents the federal government from promising or spending money in excess of what Congress has made available. Congress has funded the government only through mid-March, not through the end of the fiscal year, which runs through September.

    Specifically, the letter asks OPM:

    1. Please provide documentation detailing OPM’s compliance with the Privacy Act, section 552a of title 5, United States Code, section 522.224 of title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and the E-Government Act of 2002.  In addition, please provide a copy of all contract agreements associated with the development of this distribution list.
    2. Please provide a reference for the specific statutory authorities OPM is relying upon to make its deferred resignation offer, given that this widespread communication seems to violate 5 U.S.C. 301-302, which places authority for excusing employees from duty with pay under each individual agency.
    3. Please explain how the deferred resignation offer complies with the Administrative Leave Act of 2016 (P.L.114-315), which places clear limits on the number of days that an employee may be placed on administrative leave to protect taxpayer dollars.
    4.  OPM’s FAQ document regarding deferred resignation explicitly encourages employees to “find a job in the private sector as soon as you would like to do so.” However, federal employees are prohibited by law (5 CFR Part 2635) from engaging in outside employment or activities that conflict with official Government duties and responsibilities. Further, federal employees are required to notify their supervisor of any additional employment in order to further protect from conflicts of interest or ethical violations. Please explain how OPM intends to uphold the law to prevent widespread conflicts of interest and ethical violations.
    5. The Anti-Deficiency Act (31 U.S.C. 1341 and FAR 32.702) prohibits federal agencies from creating or authorizing funds in advance or in excess of a Congressionally-provided appropriation. OPM has, in writing, suggested to employees that they will receive pay and benefits after the end of the current continuing resolution, which expires on March 14, 2025. Please explain how this complies with the Anti-Deficiency Act.

    Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:

    February 5, 2025

    Mr. Charles Ezell

    Acting Director

    U.S. Office of Personnel Management

    1900 E St NW

    Washington, DC 20415

    Dear Mr. Ezell,

    On January 28, 2025, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent a so-called “Fork in the Road” email to more than two million federal employees offering the opportunity to take “deferred resignation” by February 6, 2025.[1]  Additional documents published by the agency, including a “Frequently Asked Questions” webpage that is updated on an almost daily basis, as well as further communications regarding collective bargaining agreements, have caused confusion and concern among the federal workforce.  There is at best, questionable legal authority for the Administration to offer this type of program to federal workers, and it is not contemplated in appropriations law.  It should be rescinded immediately.

    OPM’s deceptive “offer” has been orchestrated by Elon Musk, a billionaire with significant business interests with the federal government who has used his influence to force out federal officials – including the former FAA Administrator – who have worked to ensure that his companies follow the law.   

    If federal workers are enticed or coerced to accept this “offer”, the services that average Americans rely on will be undermined.  Federal employees inspect nursing homes to give families and caregivers peace of mind.  They stem the supply of fentanyl and illegal contraband at our nation’s ports of entry.  They approve patent applications to bolster American innovation.  They ensure that seniors can access Social Security benefits that they have worked their entire lives to earn, and they work to provide health care service to our nation’s veterans.

    All of these services and more are at risk.  In light of OPM’s recent communications to federal employees, we write to request answers no later than February 7th to the following questions:

    1. Please provide documentation detailing OPM’s compliance with the Privacy Act, section 552a of title 5, United States Code, section 522.224 of title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and the E-Government Act of 2002.  In addition, please provide a copy of all contract agreements associated with the development of this distribution list.
    2. Please provide a reference for the specific statutory authorities OPM is relying upon to make its deferred resignation offer, given that this widespread communication seems to violate 5 U.S.C. 301-302, which places authority for excusing employees from duty with pay under each individual agency.
    3. Please explain how the deferred resignation offer complies with the Administrative Leave Act of 2016 (P.L.114-315), which places clear limits on the number of days that an employee may be placed on administrative leave to protect taxpayer dollars.
    4. OPM’s FAQ document regarding deferred resignation explicitly encourages employees to “find a job in the private sector as soon as you would like to do so.” However, federal employees are prohibited by law (5 CFR Part 2635) from engaging in outside employment or activities that conflict with official Government duties and responsibilities. Further, federal employees are required to notify their supervisor of any additional employment in order to further protect from conflicts of interest or ethical violations. Please explain how OPM intends to uphold the law to prevent widespread conflicts of interest and ethical violations.
    5. The Anti-Deficiency Act (31 U.S.C. 1341 and FAR 32.702) prohibits federal agencies from creating or authorizing funds in advance or in excess of a Congressionally-provided appropriation. OPM has, in writing, suggested to employees that they will receive pay and benefits after the end of the current continuing resolution, which expires on March 14, 2025. Please explain how this complies with the Anti-Deficiency Act.
    6.  How will OPM implement the Executive Order “Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service”?
      1. How does the federal hiring plan outlined in Sec. 2 interact with existing government hiring preferences, including for veterans? Is the Administration aware of the existing hiring preferences for veterans?
      2. How will you be assessing an individual’s commitment to “improving the efficiency of the Federal Government, passion for the ideals of the American republic, and commitment to the Constitution”? Please provide any relevant questionnaires for federal employees, beyond any existing competencies or job assessments that agencies already require.  
    7. How will OPM implement the EO “Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions within the Federal Workforce”?
      1. Please clarify your intended timeline for formal rulemaking under Sec. 4. As of February 3, 2025, no documents have been published in the Federal Register. 
      2. Approximately how many employees per agency do you anticipate will be rescheduled based on the guidance shared on January 27, 2025?

    Federal workers take an oath to defend the Constitution and to work on behalf of the American people. OPM’s legally dubious and intentionally misleading offer is a disservice to these dedicated men and women, and it should be retracted immediately. Pending that, we ask for a response to these questions by Friday, February 7, 2025.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray, Ecology Director Sixkiller, Councilmember Zahilay, WA Head Start Association Director Call Out How Trump’s Ongoing Illegal Funding Freeze is Hurting WA State, Putting Critical Projects and Jobs at Risk

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, led a virtual press conference highlighting how President Trump’s ongoing, illegal funding freeze is hurting people and organizations across Washington state—forcing them to make impossible choices, costing jobs, and putting critical projects and hundreds of millions of dollars for everything from infrastructure improvements to culvert removal at risk. Joining Senator Murray for the press call were King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, Washington State Department of Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller, and Joel Ryan, Executive Director of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP.

    “People need to understand the Trump administration is still holding up billions of dollars, under Trump’s illegal Day One Executive Orders. We’re talking about funding Congress passed into law—funding that is owed to communities in Washington state and across the country,” Senator Murray said on this morning’s press call, outlining some of the ways President Trump’s ongoing illegal funding freeze from his Day One Executive Orders is putting critical projects and jobs in Washington state at risk:

    • “The Washington State Department of Transportation has told me Trump is blocking money to repair electric chargers, to install heavy duty chargers for trucks, to make critical repairs to bridges in order to protect the safety of millions of drivers, and to install new chargers along major roads like I-90, US-97, US-2, US-195, and US-395.
    • “Trump is holding up road projects to make streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers—a safe streets project in Richland, critical safety barriers in Spokane are just a few of the examples.
    • “Trump’s illegal freeze is, as we speak, blocking wildlife preservation work all over our state, and critical culvert replacement projects to help save our salmon.
    • “There are port projects right now on hold across Washington state, including for electrical infrastructure, and shore power for vessels. Absolutely essential electric transmission and distribution projects are on hold and in jeopardy.
    • “World class organizations in Washington state have told me they may have to lay people off this week—hundreds of people—because of Trump’s illegal funding freezes.

    “Make no mistake: the chaos is not over. There are still billions of dollars being illegally held up—and so many jobs in Washington state that are on the line I am going to continue fighting this and pressing the administration every way I can to get them to end these illegal funding freezes,” Murray concluded. “I’m going to continue doing everything I can as Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee to stand up and hold this administration to account, so we can get the money Congress passed into law flowing again to folks back home in Washington state.”

    “This is money that should be flowing into our communities, creating jobs, protecting public health, and improving the environment. Instead, it is being delayed at the expense of the people who need it most,” said Casey Sixkiller, director of the Washington State Department of Ecology.

    “King County is already grappling with a $150 million budget shortfall, putting essential services at risk. A freeze in federal funding would make this crisis even worse, threatening vital programs like healthcare, housing support, transportation, and services for veterans and seniors. For the people who depend on these services every day, these cuts aren’t just numbers—they’re lifelines that keep our community safe, healthy, and connected. Without immediate action and support, many of our most vulnerable neighbors will face even greater hardship,” said King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay.

    “This past week and half have been chaotic and disruptive roller coaster ride for Head Start programs here in Washington State. The half day shutdown caused by the Trump Administration caused confusion and nearly led to thousands of children and families losing access to childcare. Yesterday we continued to receive reports that Head Start programs were struggling to access their federal grant dollars with one program as of today still unable to gain access. Across the country there remains over 40+ Head Start programs impacting more than 20,000 children dealing with this ‘rolling blackout’ putting very low income children and families at risk of losing services,” said Joel Ryan, Executive Director of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP.

    TIMELINE OF EVENTS

    January 20th: Within his first hours in office, President Trump signed a number of executive orders that illegally block funding that was signed into law to rebuild America’s infrastructure, lower families’ energy costs, create new, good-paying jobs, strengthen our national security, and more.

    January 27th: Trump expanded his funding freeze dramatically when the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a sweeping, illegal memo directing a near-blanket freeze on virtually all federal funding, with carveouts for Social Security, Medicare, and “assistance provided directly to individuals.” Senator Murray immediately wrote a letter to OMB alongside House Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) raising alarms about the sweeping directive and calling the acting director to restore funding, as the law requires.

    January 28th: Senator Murray joined millions of Americans in decrying the chaos and pain President Trump’s freeze caused—as reports poured in from across the country about how it risked shuttering Head Start programs, cutting off disaster relief, jeopardizing cancer research, and much more. The White House, in trying to clarify the scope of the memo, instead created more chaos, confusion, and headaches for the American people.

    January 29th: Senator Murray again slammed Trump’s devastating freeze cutting off funding families count on—noting that even programs the administration said were back online were, in fact, still shuttered, and she called on Trump to stop withholding funding. Then, facing nationwide backlash, President Trump had his OMB revoke its memo. But President Trump vowed to keep his freeze of hundreds of billions of dollars in funding tied up by his executive orders in place—and his aides continued their vows to block more funding signed into law.

    RIGHT NOW: President Trump continues to hold up vast swaths of funding implicated by his illegal executive orders—and chaos and confusion pervade over whether funding implicated by his now-rescinded OMB memo has been fully restored.

    His executive orders direct agencies to, among other things, halt disbursement of funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, foreign development assistance, and virtually any funding his administration deems “woke.”

    President Trump’s ongoing freeze is holding up funding Congress delivered—often on a bipartisan basis—to:

    • Rebuild America’s roads and bridges.
    • Connect families to high-speed internet access.
    • Upgrade transit and transportation infrastructure.
    • Lower Americans’ energy costs.
    • Create new, good-paying clean energy jobs.
    • Strengthen America’s national security.
    • Much more.

    President Trump must rescind his executive orders—and stop blocking funding the American people are counting on. His failure to do so will:

    • Kill good-paying American jobs.
    • Delay—or altogether scrap—infrastructure projects all across the county.
    • Raise American families’ energy costs.
    • Create more chaos, confusion, and uncertainty that hurt families, businesses, small businesses, and local organizations and governments.
    • Gut efforts to tackle the climate crisis and ensure every American has clean air and water.
    • Halt work cleaning up Superfund sites contaminated with hazardous waste and substances.
    • Undermine our national security and credibility on the world stage.
    • Much more.

    A fact sheet on the issue of impoundment—Trump’s unconstitutional scheme to withhold federal funding headed to communities across America—is HERE.

    Senator Murray’s full remarks, as delivered on today’s press call, are below and video is HERE:

    “Thank you everyone for joining us today. Last week, we saw a level of chaos and recklessness from the Trump administration that’s truly unlike anything I have seen in my lifetime, when the administration moved to brazenly and illegally freeze federal grants across government and across the country. 

    “The panic and the confusion were widespread. Because there was a long, long, list of programs President Trump tried to put on the chopping block.

    “Then, less than 48 hours later, in the face of intense public backlash and outrage from people all over the country—they admitted they were disastrously wrong and revoked the OMB memo.

    “But it’s really important that this fight is far from over. Not only is there still significant confusion—funding that was supposed to be turned back ‘on’ that is still not, it’s still locked up—but, just as importantly, people need to understand the Trump administration is still holding up billions of dollars, under Trump’s illegal Day One Executive Orders.

    “We’re talking about funding that Congress passed into law—funding that is owed to communities in Washington state and across the country.

    “Now, the harm they are causing with these funding freezes is hard to overstate, because this has never been done before. 

    “And we’ve been working around the clock to figure out exactly what all of this means, and who is affected—because they have been far from clear.

    “But today I want to give you all a sense of what folks across our state have told me about what Trump’s ongoing, illegal funding freezes have meant for them.

    “The Washington State Department of Transportation has told me that Trump is blocking money to repair electric chargers, to install heavy duty chargers for trucks, to make critical repairs to bridges in order to protect the safety of millions of drivers, and to install new chargers along major roads like I-90, US-97, US-2, US-195, and US-395.

    “Trump is still holding up road projects that make streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers—a safe streets project in Richland, critical safety barriers in Spokane are just a few of the examples.

    “Trump’s illegal freeze is, as we speak, blocking wildlife preservation work all over our state, and critical culvert replacement projects to help save our salmon. 

    “There are port projects right now on hold across Washington state, including for electrical infrastructure, and shore power for vessels. Absolutely essential electric transmission and distribution projects are on hold and in jeopardy.

    “And there are many other projects, organizations, and people—who are being harmed right now by the President’s reckless funding freeze.

    “Medical researchers in Washington state who are worried that their work will somehow be considered ‘woke,’ when in reality, it’s actually pretty darn important we understand the roots of health disparities—things like why the maternal death rate is so much higher for Black and Native American women.

    “Trump’s executive orders also froze lifesaving foreign assistance for people all around the globe.

    “And world class organizations in our state, in Washington state, have told me they may have to lay people off this week—hundreds of people—because of Trump’s illegal funding freezes.

    “It is just completely unclear when, or if these projects are going to get the funds they are counting on, and owed, from the bills Congress passed into law long before Trump came into office. 

    “So, make no mistake: the chaos is not over. There are still billions of dollars being illegally held up—and many jobs in Washington state are now on the line.

    “I am going to continue fighting this and pressing the administration every way I can to make them end these illegal funding freezes.

    “Democrats will speak out, we will challenge Trump’s illegal actions in the courts, we will demand accountability, and we will put the pressure on the administration and on our Republican colleagues. 

    “But we also need our Republican colleagues to say ‘enough.’ We need them to join us. 

    “Now, we learned something extremely important last week: that when the American people–all across our state, all across the country–speak out with one voice, and when regular people stand up, it makes a difference. 

    “So this fight is far from over—and I’m going to continue doing everything I can as Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee to stand up and hold this administration to account, so we can get the money Congress—by both parties, Republicans and Democrats–passed into law flowing again to folks back home in Washington state.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former NYC Fraud Investigator Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Homeless Victims’ Identities to Apply for Unemployment Benefits

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NYC Fraud Investigator Stole Victim Information from Department of Homeless Services Database and Conspired to Fraudulently Apply for Unemployment Insurance Benefits in Victims’ Names

    Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, defendant Olabanji Otufale, a former New York City Department of Homeless Services fraud investigator, was sentenced by United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto to 27 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.  Otufale and co-conspirator Marc Lazarre pleaded guilty in July 2024. 

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Jocelyn Strauber, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) announced the sentence.

    “The defendant abused his position of trust as a fraud investigator to access and steal vulnerable homeless victims’ personal identifying information for his personal benefit,” stated United States Attorney John J. Durham.  “Otufale betrayed the public trust and conspired to use his access for illicit financial gain.  Today’s sentence should serve as a lesson to this defendant and all public employees that exploiting positions of power for personal financial gain will be punished.”

    “Olabanji Otufale exploited his position within the Department of Homeless Services to steal the identities of homeless individuals and furtively reaped their allocated social services benefits. These abhorrent actions violate the trust and expected privacy placed in local agencies responsible for storing sensitive information. The FBI will never tolerate public service employees who prey upon our city’s vulnerable populations for fiscal profits,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy.

    DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said, “The defendant, a City fraud investigator with the Department of Homeless Services, had a duty to protect DHS and the vulnerable New Yorkers it serves from fraud.  Instead, he used his access and position to steal personal information of applicants for social services, in a scheme to illegally obtain unemployment benefits. The sentence imposed today makes clear that we and our law enforcement partners will hold accountable those who misuse their City positions for personal profit.  I thank the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the FBI for their continued partnership in the effort to protect critical public funds.”

    In the fall of 2020, Otufale conspired with others to steal the personal identifying information of more than ten homeless individuals and use that stolen information to fraudulently apply for unemployment insurance benefits in the names of those homeless individuals without their knowledge or consent.

    At the time of the scheme, Otufale was a fraud investigator with the New York City Department of Homeless Services (the Department).  In that role, Otufale was responsible for ensuring individuals who applied for homeless services—such as housing in homeless shelters—were qualified to receive services from the Department.

    Otufale, however, used his access to a database maintained by the Department to commit fraud himself, stealing the personal identifying information—names, social security numbers, dates of birth—of vulnerable victims who had given that personal information to the Department when they applied for services.  Otufale then texted this victim information to a co-conspirator, Marc Lazarre, who applied online for unemployment benefits in the names of the homeless victims. Otufale and Lazarre conspired to split the fraudulent benefits they received.  Lazarre is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2025.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Sara K. Winik, Laura Zuckerwise and Katherine P. Onyshko are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Nadya Osman.

    The Defendants:

    Olabanji Otufale
    Age: 41
    Brooklyn, NY

    Marc Lazarre
    Age: 39
    Secaucus, NJ

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-170 (KAM)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why there’s an ethnic pension gap in the UK – and how the government could close it

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Athina Vlachantoni, Professor of Gerontology and Social Policy, University of Southampton

    Opting out of workplace pension schemes is more common among some minority communities than the white British population. Pranithan Chorruangsak/Shutterstock

    There’s an ethnic pension gap in the UK that leaves people from particular minority ethnic communities worse off in retirement than their white British counterparts. The gap can be measured in several ways – for example, by comparing the pension amount between ethnic communities or measuring the proportion of working-age people from different ethnic groups who are signed up to a workplace pension scheme.

    But whichever indicator you use, the evidence shows that people from minority ethnic communities, whether they were born in the UK or not, fare worse than white British people.

    Unfortunately, that’s not all. Within the minority ethnic population, it is the Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities who are faring worse than people from other minority ethnic communities. And women are struggling more than men.

    The government’s most recent analysis based on the Family Resources Survey shows that Asian pensioner families (that is, either a single pensioner or a couple that includes at least one pensioner) had the lowest gross income at £500 a week). This compared with £731 a week among pensioner families from the “white other” ethnic group.

    Unpicking the causes

    But why is there an ethnic pension gap? To understand why it persists, it’s helpful to take a few steps back and examine the accumulation of disadvantage. Our research in the Centre for Research on Ageing and the ESRC Centre for Population Change has done just that – unravelling the factors that lead to the gap.

    We found that working-age people from Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities were less likely than their white British counterparts to be in paid work. And once in paid work, they were less likely to work as employees and more likely to be self-employed.

    This is important because, over the last 15 years, the UK government has introduced auto-enrolment in workplace pensions, which means that all workers aged 22 or above and earning at least £10,000 per year are automatically enrolled in their workplace scheme.

    Even among employees, we found that workers from Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities were less likely to be members of their workplace pension scheme. That is, they were more likely to opt out. Among pensioners, we found that those from Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities were less likely to be receiving a state or workplace pension, and more likely to be receiving pension credit (a means-tested benefit for those on low incomes).

    Differences between minority ethnic communities in their employment trends then lead to ethnic gaps in pension protection. There are a number of factors at play, including cultural reasons that might affect employment choices and opportunities (particularly among women) and structural reasons affecting the types of jobs and earnings where people from Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities find work.



    Read more:
    How the gender pay gap evolves into a gender pension gap

    Religious reasons can also affect people’s choices about the kinds of investments they make. Under Islamic finance guidelines, investing in profit-making ventures – commonly part of workplace pensions – is not permitted.

    Recent research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies showed that 16% of Pakistani and 24% of eligible Bangladeshi employees opt out of a workplace pension, compared to 10% of eligible white employees.

    All these reasons are important factors in understanding the ethnic pension gap and are vital issues for the government to address.

    The ethnic pension gap leaves some communities more than £200 worse off per week on average than their white British peers.
    Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

    So where does this leave government policies to close the gap? Encouraging younger people from Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities to enter (and crucially, to stay) in the labour market can be the first step.

    According to the most recent government data, on average 75% of people aged 16-64 are employed. But this breaks down to 76% for white people, and 57% for Pakistani and 63% for Bangladeshi people.

    Meanwhile, another useful step the government could take would be reducing the £10,000 eligibility threshold for auto-enrolment. This would allow more low earners to start saving for retirement.

    But if more people from minority ethnic communities are going to stick with their workplace pension (or rather if fewer people are going to opt out), the government needs to consider the design and promotion of more sharia-compliant investments. These make workplace pension plans acceptable to Muslim communities. This could be a crucial step in closing the pension gap for future cohorts, and a feasible way forward. These products already exist, after all.

    Closing the ethnic pension gap (and the gender gap within it) is vital because the UK’s population is both ageing and becoming more ethnically diverse. About 18% of the population of England and Wales are from a non-white background (in Scotland it’s 4% and in Northern Ireland 3.4%).

    Addressing the ethnic pension gap is vital. It could take the UK a step closer to a society where people from all ethnic communities have the opportunity to reach later life with greater financial security and dignity.

    Athina Vlachantoni receives funding from the UKRI.

    Jane Falkingham receives funding from UKRI (Economic & Social Research Council)

    Maria Evandrou receives funding from UKRI.

    – ref. Why there’s an ethnic pension gap in the UK – and how the government could close it – https://theconversation.com/why-theres-an-ethnic-pension-gap-in-the-uk-and-how-the-government-could-close-it-248822

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Belarus election: how ‘Europe’s last dictator’ held onto power as his opponents were jailed or exiled

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stephen Hall, Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Russian and Post-Soviet Politics, University of Bath

    The acclamation of Alexander Lukashenko as Belarus president for a seventh straight term was confirmed on January 26. The electoral authorities announced that the man known as “Europe’s last dictator” – the only president the country has had since it held its first “democratic” election in 1994 – had won 87% of the vote.

    Most western leaders have dismissed the result as a “sham”. Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, posted on X that “the people of Belarus had no choice”, while the Polish foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, commented that he was surprised “only” 87.6% of the electorate had voted for Lukashenko: “Will the rest fit inside the prisons?” he asked.

    But the result was never really in doubt. Sikorski’s barb about jailing opponent figures is right on the money. Many of Belarus’s main opposition figures are already behind bars and the rest are in exile. And, just to make sure of things, well before the campaign started – in January 2024 – Lukashenko changed the law so that only those people who were had lived permanently in Belarus for 20 years could stand for the presidency. This meant that the most prominent opposition leader not now in prison in Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, was ineligible.

    Tsikhanouskaya fled after the election to avoid the fate of her husband, Sergei Tsikhanouski, who was arrested in 2020, two days after declaring his candidacy for the election. He has since been jailed for 18 years on charges of “preparation of mass disorder” and “incitement to hatred”. Tsikhanouskaya was herself tried in absentia and sentenced to 15 years for high treason, inciting social hatred, attempts to seize power, forming an “extremist” group and harming national security.

    So with no real opposition allowed to stand, Lukashenko’s reelection was pretty much a foregone conclusion. A survey conducted by the think tank Chatham House at the end of 2024 found that about one-third of Belarusians said they supported Lukashenko – and most of these people also commented they thought the country was going in the right direction.

    Keeping Belarus out of the war was a major factor for these voters. A further 41% professed to be neutral. When it came to electoral integrity, 36% agreed or somewhat agreed that the result was predetermined. Among pro-democracy voters that number rose to 77%.

    Government in exile

    Tsikhanouskaya leads a government in exile from Lithuania, heading what her team has called a “united transitional cabinet”, tasked with “ensuring the transition of power from dictatorship to democracy, and promoting fair and free elections”. The cabinet is supported by a national coordinating council of 70 members which is elected on a two-yearly basis and who main function is to establish the ground rules for a “ democratic and rule-of-law-based state”.

    Tsikhanouskaya’s efforts have been supported by a range of countries, including the US which, in August 2020, urged the Lukashanko regime to “actively engage Belarusian society, including through the newly established National Coordination Council, in a way that reflects what the Belarusian people are demanding, for the sake of Belarus’ future, and for a successful Belarus”.

    But being a leader in exile means it is difficult to bridge the barrier to Belarusians at home.

    Political prisoners

    Other opposition figures are mainly still in prison. Sergei Tsikhanouski was recently was charged with violating prison rules, which will increase his existing 18-year sentence.

    His fellow opposition leader, Viktar Babaryka – who was also arrested in the run-up to the 2020 election – was given 14 years on trumped-up up charges. His assistant Maria Kolesnikova, who took over from him as a protest leader, was jailed after publicly destroying her passport so she could not be forcibly exiled by the authorities.

    Although not part of the political opposition another prominent figure, Ales Bialiatski, a human rights activist who won the Nobel peace prize in 2022 was sentenced to ten years in jail in 2023 for smuggling and allegedly financing the 2020 protests.

    Overtures to the west

    Since the summer of 2024, 200 political prisoners have been released, a possible sign that Lukashenko wants to reset relations with the west. He did something similar in 2015, the year after Russia annexed Crimea.

    At the time his release of six opposition activists was seen as a possible sign the Belarus leader was concerned his country could be at risk from Russian aggression and he was looking to keep with the EU and the US.

    Kolesnikova was recently allowed a prison visit from her father for the first time in nearly two years. Meanwhile a journalist was given access to Babaryka in jail and allowed to record a video of the jailed dissident for his daughter.

    If the release of prisoners and reappearance of the two jailed dissidents are indeed an attempt to reset relations with the west, the fact he still has more than 1,000 political prisoners behind bars will give Lukashenko plenty of diplomatic leeway.

    But given Lukashenko’s close alignment with Russian president Vladimir Putin and the fact that he allowed Belarus to be used as a launch pad for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is unlikely that many western countries will be won over.

    Lukashenko has shown himself to be an irritant many times over the years. In 2021, the year before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Belarus leader was roundly criticised for trying to spark a migrant crisis in neighbouring Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Belarus was reportedly flying Iraqi and Afghan migrants from the Middle East and bussing them to the border where Belarusian troops were trying to push them across.

    As far as armed resistance to Lukashenko is concerned, the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment, a group of Belarusian volunteers has been fighting as part of Ukraine’s armed forces since March 2022. The regiment’s stated aim is to help Ukraine fight off Russia and become part of the EU and Nato and to strive for Belarus to do the same.

    The next election is due to be held in 2030. Alexander Lukashenko will be 75.

    Stephen Hall 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. Belarus election: how ‘Europe’s last dictator’ held onto power as his opponents were jailed or exiled – https://theconversation.com/belarus-election-how-europes-last-dictator-held-onto-power-as-his-opponents-were-jailed-or-exiled-248962

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Companion review: this sleek but violent film asks interesting ethical questions about our relationship with AI

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sarah Artt, Lecturer in English and Film, Edinburgh Napier University

    Science fiction film and television has long been fascinated by robots. But stories that show us uncannily human cyborgs have often tended to veer towards either comedy or horror. Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) both imagine a world where beautiful female cyborgs threaten to overstep their original programming. Rarer are stories that suggest it might be possible to love a cyborg, such as Susan Seidelman’s underseen romantic comedy, Making Mr. Right (1987).

    Companion picks up where Alex Garland’s Ex Machina (2014) leaves off. Ex Machina was about a young man tasked with testing the artificial intelligence (AI) of a female robot. Companion, however, posits a world where synthetic humans have become common.

    Companion’s plot also owes much to the themes of rivalry and revenge present in Karyn Kusama’s horror films Jennifer’s Body (2009) and The Invitation (2022), as well as the TV show Battlestar Galactica’s (2004 to 2009) imagining of full cyborg autonomy.

    Companion is a particularly post-Black Mirror (2011) example of science fiction. With its glossy aesthetics, and ubiquitously friction-less technology, it’s a vision of a future where AI and advanced robotics have made our lives easier. But, in typical Black Mirror fashion, this parable offers a warning.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    We meet Iris (Sophie Thatcher) and Josh (Jack Quaid) as they head to a chic, modern lake house for a weekend with friends. At this point, our only real indication that this is science fiction is the fact that the GPS in Josh’s car is a bit better than usual.

    At first, Iris seems like yet another incarnation of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl – quirky and kittenish, but too bland to really be a protagonist. It is only Thatcher’s subtle physical performance that lets us question whether Iris is entirely human. Besotted with Josh and anxious to please, Iris seems like just another girl who has wished for her prince to come and been rewarded with a supermarket meet cute.

    What makes Companion unsettling is not so much its depiction of cyborgs but rather its portrayal of misogyny.

    Survivors of intimate partner violence will recognise Josh. Particularly his ironclad belief that he is a “a nice guy” who is entitled to an attractive partner who places his needs above all else.

    For some audiences, Companion may not feel firmly rooted enough in either science fiction or horror. But then, it’s really only a horror film if you too are kept awake at night by the thought that some people really want a sex robot with customisable intelligence levels (Josh keeps Iris’s at 40%).

    Thatcher’s performance as Iris is fascinatingly glitchy. There is something about her walk – a precision that isn’t quite human. She stands with a stillness that reminds us she is more object than woman. There is a grimace she makes that conveys how she finds it troubling to process veiled commands from a man who isn’t her partner. It represents a feeling female viewers may have had before, when the social programming that tells women to be nice smacks up against their fight or flight response.

    Iris is a sex robot designed with charming slightly buck teeth – a flaw to offset her pore-less skin. The goal is to prevent her from falling into to the uncanny valley (that discomfited feeling when you encounter an object that is a little too life-like) and make her seem more real.

    Some people argue that you should only have sex with a robot if you think that robot would want to have sex with you. But most science fiction doesn’t really go that way – from Bride of Frankenstein (1935) to Black Mirror, most cyborg figures are programmed to consent without question.

    Companion shows us Iris’s point of view as Josh looms over her during sex. Afterwards, her romance-trope laden chatter is shut down by his command that she go to sleep.

    Companion contains aspects of both comedy and horror. But like the best science fiction, it’s central warning is against those who believe that technology can offer them absolute control.

    Sarah Artt 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. Companion review: this sleek but violent film asks interesting ethical questions about our relationship with AI – https://theconversation.com/companion-review-this-sleek-but-violent-film-asks-interesting-ethical-questions-about-our-relationship-with-ai-249062

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: 360-degree videos are making social issues and educational content more engaging for Canadians

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Victoria (Vicky) McArthur, Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University

    Immersive film using virtual reality (VR) or 360-degree video is being used increasingly as a tool for eliciting empathy and emotional identification in fact-based stories. Unlike traditional flat film, immersive films allow viewers to look in any direction while watching the video.

    This immersive quality is what makes these films such an intriguing medium. Nearly a decade ago, American filmmaker Chris Milk described VR as the “ultimate empathy machine” because it can fully immerse viewers in another person’s environment and perspective.

    This sentiment has been echoed by VR journalism pioneer Nonny de la Peña, whose early work explored the unique storytelling characteristics of the medium. Her first VR film, Hunger in Los Angeles, was the first VR documentary to be showcased at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012.

    The film depicts a diabetic man collapsing outside a food bank due to low blood sugar. Viewers reported feeling a great deal of empathy for the man, with some reaching out to try and help him.

    In March 2015, YouTube launched support for publishing and viewing 360-degree videos. Today, anyone can film and share 360-degree video content using commercially available cameras, expanding the possibilities for storytelling and audience engagement.

    Rise of 360-degree video content

    Countless content creators, filmmakers and journalists have produced immersive content using these cameras. In 2016, for instance, CBC produced Highway of Tears, a short 360-degree video about 16-year-old Ramona Wilson, a young Indigenous woman from the Gitxsan Nation who disappeared along Highway 16 near Prince George, B.C., in 1994.

    CBC has produced other 360-degree videos to highlight real-world challenges and experiences, including Ice Rescue from the Victim’s Perspective and Accessibility Advocate Shows What It’s Like to Use a Wheelchair in Winter.

    ‘Highway of Tears: 360 Video’ from CBC.

    Canadian researchers have also been using immersive technologies like virtual reality and 360-degree video as tools for education and empathy-building.

    A group of Canadian researchers conducted an experiment with VR to see if they could foster empathy for the impact of climate change on oceans. Using a VR simulation, they showed participants optimistic and pessimistic future impacts of climate change on oceans. After experiencing the simulation, participants expressed increased empathy and concern for the issue.

    Similarly, at Toronto Metropolitan University, researchers used 360-degree videos to deepen empathy and understanding for people taking care of individuals with dementia. Participants watched 360-degree videos filmed from the perspective of two fictional characters living with dementia. They reported strong emotional responses to the videos and a deeper understanding of living with dementia.

    As immersive technology becomes more accessible, its potential to foster empathy and understanding across a range of social issues continues to grow.

    Is VR truly the ‘ultimate empathy machine’?

    Is immersive technology truly the “ultimate empathy machine?” Presently, there’s no agreement among experts. Some question the scientific rigour used to support such claims. Past research has suffered from small sample sizes, a lack of diversity among research participants and a lack of longitudinal studies investigating the effects of empathy.

    Other researchers suggest that, while empathetic gains have been demonstrated, these effects tend to fade after a short time. One study found that while VR increased emotional empathy for refugees, those feelings were mostly gone after just 10 days. More importantly, these empathic responses didn’t translate into actions like charitable donations.

    Some researchers have taken a more nuanced approach by distinguishing between emotional and cognitive empathy. Cognitive empathy involves knowing how other people think and feel, while emotional empathy involves feeling another person’s emotions. The findings from one research study indicate that VR can improve emotional empathy, but not cognitive empathy.

    This distinction is crucial in assessing VR’s potential as an empathy-building tool. While immersive experiences may create strong emotional responses, their long-term influence and ability to drive meaningful action remain uncertain.

    Knowledge mobilization

    Other research suggests VR and 360-degree video have the potential to be knowledge-transfer tools. Canadian researchers are encouraged to engage the Canadian public through knowledge mobilization — the process of sharing research findings with organizations, people and government.

    Several Canadian research institutions have started using 360-degree video as a knowledge-mobilization tool. For example, researchers at the National Research Council Canada’s (NRC) Hydrogen Laboratory in British Columbia produced a 360-degree video allowing audiences to see the lab and learn more about the research conducted there.

    360-degree video of the Hydrogen Laboratory in Vancouver.

    The NRC has produced other 360-degree video explainers, including one about the Aerial Robotics Laboratory in Montréal and another about the Climatic Testing Facility located in Ottawa.

    At a time when Canadians are inundated with information, immersive video explainers offer a unique way to learn about science and society. While it remains unclear whether VR is truly the “ultimate empathy machine,” its ability to place audiences at the centre of stories and events has been shown to have positive effects on learning, information retention and the transfer of knowledge.

    Immersive film may not be a guaranteed empathy-builder, but it’s far from being an apathy machine. Ultimately, it offers unique perspectives to Canadians wishing to learn more about the world we live in.

    Victoria (Vicky) McArthur receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. 360-degree videos are making social issues and educational content more engaging for Canadians – https://theconversation.com/360-degree-videos-are-making-social-issues-and-educational-content-more-engaging-for-canadians-248398

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Three pop beefs that were more cutting than Matty Healy and Taylor Swift’s

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Glenn Fosbraey, Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Winchester

    There has been a sharp intake of breath among Taylor Swift fans following reports that 1975 frontman and songwriter Matty Healy is soon to release a song addressing their public romance from 2023.

    The song in question, God Has Entered My Body, is reportedly the title track of an upcoming 1975 album. According to a report in the Sun, the song includes the lyric “Keep your head up princess, your tiara is falling”. It is reported to be Healy’s response to Swift’s 2024 song The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, which many fans believe was about their relationship.

    The 1975 frontman has responded to the rumours in typical Healy style, commenting “huge if true” under a post about the story on social media site Reddit.

    This lyrical back and forth is just the latest entry in a rich history of public beefs between pop stars that have been committed to record. Here are some of the most notable examples.

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    1. Lennon v McCartney (1971)

    The first mainstream pop “diss track” exchange took place long before the term was even coined. It occurred in 1971 through Paul and Linda McCartney’s Too Many People and John Lennon’s How Do You Sleep?

    Lennon was incensed by the McCartney lyrics “too many people going underground” and “too many people preaching practices”, which he took as attacks on his and Yoko Ono’s avant garde albums and bed-in escapades. In response, he launched a stinging tirade that accused (Paul) McCartney of creating “Muzak”, being only a “pretty face”, and hanging around with sycophants who fed his ego.

    How Do You Sleep? by John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band.

    The on-record beef ended there, perhaps because McCartney was too busy to focus on his new band Wings, or simply because he didn’t want to risk another lashing from Lennon’s famously sharp tongue.

    Either way, to the relief of Beatles fans everywhere, the two made amends before Lennon’s death in 1980, and Paul finally concluded their lyrical back and forth two years later with the touching Here Today.

    2. Buckingham v Nicks (1977)

    Recorded amid a backdrop of romantic tension and heavy drug use, it’s a wonder that Fleetwood Mac were even able to complete their 12th studio album Rumours, let alone create something that would go on to sell 40 million copies and spend more than a 1,000 weeks in the UK album charts.

    It’d be unfair to say the massive success of the album is due to the lyrical exchanges between the by then estranged couple Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, but it certainly didn’t hurt.

    Dreams by Fleetwood Mac.

    Buckingham lit the fuse with Go Your Own Way, which accused Nicks of “packing up and shacking up” with different men. It caused Nicks to write Dreams, where she encouraged him to “listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness, like a heartbeat, drives you mad, in the stillness of remembering what you had”.

    Decades later, one of the bitterest feuds in pop music continues to rumble on, with Buckingham currently sidelined from the group after being fired in 2018. It won’t come as a surprise that their version of events differs, with Buckingham claiming Nicks was behind his sacking, and Nicks accusing him of revisionism. No Lennon and McCartney thawing of the ice here, then. Yet.

    3. Perry v Swift (2014-18)

    Swift was involved in another public spat back in the 2010s. If reports are to be believed, the two pop icons Katy Perry and Swift became close friends in 2009, but by 2013, things seemed to have soured.

    A rift over some backup dancers, some thinly veiled interview comments and a mutual ex-boyfriend have all been the subject of fan theories about the shift in mood.

    Bad Blood by Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar.

    In terms of diss tracks, Swift struck first, and relatively mildly, with Bad Blood in 2014, stating in an interview shortly after its release that it was about “a female musical artist”. Although she refused to name names, internet sleuths soon believed they’d figured out it was Perry.

    A Twitter spat between Swift and rapper Nicki Minaj then broke out. Minaj complained that her song Anaconda wasn’t nominated for the video-of-the-year award when Swift’s Bad Blood was (stay with me – this will become relevant soon).

    If the near-journalistic speed of those Lennon and McCartney tracks were indicative of the music industry in the early 1970s, Perry’s delayed response to Swift’s (perceived) barb is indicative of modern times, where her releases were kept to a strict three- or four-year cycle.

    Three years on, then, comes Swish Swish, which included lyrics like “you’re a joke / And I’m a court-side killer queen” and “Your game is tired / You should retire”. It featured Nicki Minaj in the music video to further fan the flames (told you it’d become relevant).

    Swish Swish by Katy Perry ft. Nicki Minaj.

    The only problem was that, in the years between their falling out, Swift had transitioned from mere pop musician to word-dominating superstar, so Perry’s insults carried little weight.

    When it comes to diss tracks, then, the old adage of striking while the iron is hot is definitely applicable. The pair have since made up, with Perry sending Swift an actual olive branch in 2018.

    The pair are pictured embracing during the closing scene of Swift’s 2019 music video for You Need To Calm down. Even the Bad Blood controversy seems to be water under the proverbial bridge now, with Perry videoed singing along to the track by fans earlier this year during one of Swift’s Eras tour concerts.

    Glenn Fosbraey 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. Three pop beefs that were more cutting than Matty Healy and Taylor Swift’s – https://theconversation.com/three-pop-beefs-that-were-more-cutting-than-matty-healy-and-taylor-swifts-248076

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The UK calls on the transitional South Sudan government to ensure credible elections in 2026: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on South Sudan.

    Let me start by expressing concern regarding the attacks on civilians, including South Sudanese, in Wad Madani in Sudan between 11 and 15 January and the subsequent unrest in South Sudan on 16-17 January.

    Second, as we’ve heard today, the humanitarian situation in South Sudan is desperate. 

    Over one million displaced people have now arrived from Sudan into South Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict.

    The United Kingdom recognises the significant impact of the Sudan crisis on the region and welcomes South Sudan’s commitment to welcoming and supporting those fleeing the conflict.

    We commend UNMISS’s facilitation of humanitarian efforts, noting that significant challenges lie ahead in 2025. 

    The UK will continue to support South Sudan and we have increased our humanitarian support to Sudan’s neighbours.

    Third, President, as we have heard today, the political situation in South Sudan remains precarious.

    The United Kingdom is concerned by continued restrictions to political and civic space in the country and by the lack of progress towards unification of the security forces.

    Progress on this is critical to create the conditions for sustainable peace and elections.

    The Transitional Government of South Sudan has not yet produced their promised work plan to deliver elections in 2026. 

    Without renewed efforts, progress towards peaceful, inclusive and credible elections risks falling further behind schedule.

    We welcome UNMISS’s work to build capacity and capability for South Sudan’s electoral institutions. 

    And we repeat our call on the Transitional Government to match these efforts to provide adequate funding for elections and to pay the salaries of public servants including the security forces.

    In conclusion, President, we call on the Transitional Government of South Sudan to publish a credible elections preparations work plan and then take the necessary steps towards holding peaceful, inclusive and credible elections in line with the new 2026 timeline.

    Updates to this page

    Published 5 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Assembly Member Bassam Mahfouz welcomes completion of West Drayton station forecourt works

    Source: Mayor of London

    Bassam Mahfouz, Assembly Member for Ealing and Hillingdon, is celebrating a win for local residents as the long-anticipated works to the forecourt at West Drayton station officially concluded on Friday.

    The works were addressing the collapsed sewer and bus access issues on Station Approach, and their completion marks a significant milestone in improving access and connectivity for local residents, businesses, and commuters.

    The project, which Assembly Member Mahfouz has closely monitored and championed since his election in May, included extensive road resurfacing, drainage repairs, and safety upgrades to enhance pedestrian access. Mahfouz has raised the importance of this project with the Mayor of London, TfL, and Network Rail, asking questions about its timeline and funding to ensure accountability.

    The completed works include:

    • Full resurfacing of Station Approach with improved drainage systems.
    • Enhanced access for pedestrians and vehicles, ensuring the station is more  welcoming and functional.

    The forecourt improvements address long-standing concerns raised by residents and local businesses.

    Assembly Member Mahfouz has consistently pushed for the project to remain on schedule and ensure minimal disruption.

    Bassam Mahfouz, London Assembly Member for Ealing and Hillingdon said:

    “After months of disruption and hard work, residents can now benefit from a safer, more accessible station forecourt. I have been pressing Network Rail to ensure these improvements were delivered, and I’m thrilled to see this project finally completed, having seen the TfL works completed months ago.”

    “These latest improvements from Network Rail will have a lasting impact on how people travel to and from West Drayton Station, and I will now continue to push TfL for the reinstatement of bus services to the station forecourt, which will significantly improve accessibility and connectivity for commuters,” Mahfouz added.

    ENDS

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Prime Minister to travel to Paris and Brussels to strengthen transatlantic co-operation and advance global progress on AI

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that he will travel to Paris, France, and to Brussels, Belgium, from February 8 to 12, 2025, to strengthen transatlantic co-operation and advance global progress on artificial intelligence (AI).

    In Paris, the Prime Minister will participate in the AI Action Summit hosted by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. He will engage with leaders across business and public policy about how we can power the next generation of AI to unlock good-paying jobs and opportunities. Canada is at the centre of this shift, accelerating the innovation and economic potential of AI, while being thoughtful about navigating trust and safety. Seizing this moment is important for the future of Canadian innovation, economic productivity, and our economic security. At the Summit, the Prime Minister will deliver a keynote speech underscoring Canada’s role as a global leader in AI and highlight the importance of working in partnership to develop these technologies responsibly and safely.

    As this year’s G7 President, Canada is committed to working alongside international partners in the face of geopolitical instability and threats against the rules-based international order – challenges that have been accelerated by technology, disinformation, and climate change. On the margins of the Summit, Prime Minister Trudeau will meet with other world leaders to tackle these challenges and renew progress on shared priorities, including international trade, peace and security, and global economic stability.

    Prime Minister Trudeau will then travel to Brussels for a Canada-European Union (EU) Leaders’ Meeting, where he will join his EU counterparts to help secure a strong, prosperous future for people on both sides of the Atlantic. The leaders will discuss ways to advance our collective efforts to strengthen transatlantic security, protect the rules-based international order, continue supporting Ukraine, and create opportunities for our peoples, building on the success of the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). While in Brussels, the Prime Minister will also meet with the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Mark Rutte, and reaffirm Canada’s commitment to working with the Alliance to uphold democracy, peace, and security.

    Throughout the trip, Prime Minister Trudeau will strengthen and deepen transatlantic co-operation, advance efforts to solve the world’s most pressing challenges, and deliver on the priorities of Canadians.

    Quote

    “Transatlantic collaboration – in defence and security, in innovation and energy, in business and trade – are essential to Canada’s success. In Paris and Brussels, we will strengthen Canada’s alliances and partnerships, and put Canadians at the forefront of every opportunity, including artificial intelligence.”

    Quick Facts

    • This will be Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 11th official visit to France.
    • France is a key ally for Canada on the international stage. France is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the G7, and the G20, as well as a permanent member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, a founding member of the European Union (EU), and a leading partner in La Francophonie.
    • In 2023, France was Canada’s third-largest merchandise export market in the EU and its 12th-largest trading partner globally, with two-way merchandise trade totalling $12.9 billion.
    • The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit in Paris is the third global summit of its kind. It follows the AI Seoul Summit, which Prime Minister Trudeau attended virtually last year, and the AI Safety Summit that was hosted by the UK in 2023.
    • Representatives from Canada’s federal research granting agencies will be participating in the AI Action Summit.
    • In Budget 2024, the Government of Canada announced a $2.4 billion package of measures to secure Canada’s AI advantage. These investments will accelerate job growth in Canada’s AI sector and beyond, boost productivity by helping researchers and businesses develop and adopt AI, and ensure this is done responsibly.
    • This will be Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s sixth official visit to Belgium.
    • Canada and the EU share a strong partnership and a long history of close people-to-people ties, commercial relations, and institutional co-operation. We work together on trade, international peace and security, digital innovation, the fight against climate change, and migration, among other priorities.
    • With its 27 Member States, the EU as a group is Canada’s second-largest destination for goods and services exports, after the United States of America. In 2023, trade between Canada and the EU reached a total of $157.3 billion in combined goods and services.
    • The Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was signed in 2016 and has been provisionally applied since 2017. Since then, bilateral merchandise trade between Canada and the EU has grown by more than 60 per cent.
    • Canada is a founding member of NATO. The Alliance is a cornerstone of Canadian security and defence policy and an important platform for Canada’s contributions to international peace and security.

    Associated Links

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Seasonal Respiratory Illnesses Surge In North Carolina

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Seasonal Respiratory Illnesses Surge In North Carolina

    Seasonal Respiratory Illnesses Surge In North Carolina
    hejones1

    The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today updated its weekly Respiratory Virus Summary Dashboard, which shows an increase in flu activity and flu-related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths this season to 117.

    “While fewer flu-related deaths have been reported so far this season compared to last season, we are at the height of seasonal respiratory illnesses and this is a reminder that influenza can be very serious,” said State Epidemiologist Zack Moore, M.D., MPH. “Taking preventative measures against flu and other respiratory illnesses like getting vaccinated, regularly washing hands, covering your cough and staying home when sick are important to help protect you and your family.”

    Influenza is spreading widely throughout the state and is likely to peak in the coming weeks. Fifty-one new flu deaths were added to the statewide dashboard on Wednesday, but the newly added deaths occurred over the last few weeks as there are often delays in reporting. COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are also continuing to spread, although RSV levels have been decreasing in recent weeks.

    Early testing and treatment with an antiviral drug can help prevent respiratory infections from becoming more serious. Treatments work best if started soon after symptoms begin. If you begin to feel sick, contact your doctor right away to see if you need treatment with a prescription antiviral drug. Treatment for flu and COVID-19 is especially important for people with severe illness and those who are at high risk of serious complications based on their age or medical conditions.

    It is not too late to get your flu and COVID-19 vaccinations as vaccinations are the best way to prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death from these infections. Vaccinations are especially important for those at higher risk of severe viral respiratory disease, including people 65 years and older, children younger than 5, pregnant women, those with a weakened immune system and those with certain medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Vaccines and treatments to protect against RSV are also available for older adults, pregnant women, and infants.

    In addition to vaccination, the following precautions should be taken to protect against the spread of respiratory viruses:

    • Regularly wash your hands with soap and water. Alcohol-based cleaner or sanitizer can help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses to others but does not work for some other common viruses like norovirus.
    • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
    • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects that may be contaminated
    • Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and then discard the tissue promptly
    • Stay home when sick, except to seek medical care or testing, and take steps to avoid spreading infection to others in your home, including:
      • Staying in a separate room from other household members, if possible
      • Using a separate bathroom, if possible
      • Avoiding contact with other members of the household and pets
      • Not sharing personal household items, like cups, towels and utensils
      • Wearing a mask when around other people

    For more information on respiratory viruses, including how to access vaccines, testing and treatment in your community, visit www.vaccines.gov/en, flu.ncdhhs.gov or covid19.ncdhhs.gov.

    A respiratory virus surveillance summary that includes information on flu, COVID-19 and RSV-related activity across North Carolina is updated weekly at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard.

    El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte actualizó hoy su  tablero de resumen del virus respiratorio semanal, que muestra un aumento en la actividad de la influenza (gripe) y las muertes relacionadas con la misma, lo que eleva el número total de muertes esta temporada a 117.

    “Aunque se han reportado menos muertes relacionadas con la influeza (gripe) en lo que va esta temporada en comparación con la temporada pasada, nos encontramos en el punto más alto de las enfermedades respiratorias estacionales y esto es un recordatorio de que la gripe puede ser muy grave”, dijo el epidemiólogo estatal Zack Moore, MD, MPH. “Tomar medidas preventivas contra la gripe y otras enfermedades respiratorias, como vacunarse, lavarse las manos con regularidad, cubrirse la tos y quedarse en casa cuando está enfermo, es importante para ayudar a protegerlo a usted y a su familia”.

    La influenza se está extendiendo por todo el estado y es probable que alcance su punto máximo en las próximas semanas. El miércoles se añadieron al tablero de control de todo el estado cincuenta y uno nuevas muertes debido a la influenza, pero las muertes recién añadidas ocurrieron en las últimas semanas, ya que a menudo hay retrasos en la presentación de informes. El COVID-19 y el virus respiratorio sincitial (VSR) también continúan propagándose, aunque los niveles de VSR han ido disminuyendo en las últimas semanas.

    Las pruebas y el tratamiento temprano con un medicamento antiviral pueden ayudar a prevenir que las infecciones respiratorias se vuelvan más graves. Los tratamientos funcionan mejor si se inician poco después de que comiencen los síntomas. Si comienza a sentirse enfermo, comuníquese con su médico de inmediato para ver si necesita tratamiento con un medicamento antiviral recetado. El tratamiento para la influenza y el COVID-19 es especialmente importante para las personas con enfermedades graves y aquellas que tienen un alto riesgo de complicaciones graves en función de su edad o afecciones médicas.

    No es demasiado tarde para vacunarse contra la influenza y el COVID-19, ya que las vacunas son la mejor manera de prevenir enfermedades graves, hospitalizaciones y muertes por estas infecciones. Las vacunas son especialmente importantes para las personas con mayor riesgo de enfermedad respiratoria viral grave, incluidas las personas de 65 años o más, los niños menores de 5 años, las mujeres embarazadas, las personas con un sistema inmunitario debilitado y las personas con ciertas afecciones médicas como el asma, la diabetes, las enfermedades cardíacas y la obesidad. Las vacunas y los tratamientos para protegerse contra el VSR también están disponibles para adultos mayores, mujeres embarazadas y bebés.

    Además de la vacunación, se deben tomar las siguientes precauciones para protegerse contra la propagación de virus respiratorios:

    • Lávese las manos con agua y jabón; el limpiador o desinfectante a base de alcohol puede ayudar a prevenir la propagación de virus respiratorios a otros, pero no funciona para algunos otros virus comunes como el norovirus.
    • Evite tocarse los ojos, la nariz y la boca
    • Limpie y desinfecte las superficies y los objetos que podrían estar contaminados
    • Cubra la tos y los estornudos con un pañuelo de papel y luego deseche el pañuelo de papel rápidamente
    • Quédese en casa cuando esté enfermo, excepto para buscar atención médica o pruebas, y tome medidas para evitar transmitir la infección a otras personas en su hogar, como:
      • Alojarse en una habitación separada de otros miembros del hogar, si es posible
      • Usar un baño separado, si es posible
      • Evitar el contacto con otros miembros del hogar y mascotas
      • No compartir artículos personales de uso doméstico, como tazas, toallas y utensilios
      • Usar una mascarilla cuando esté cerca de otras personas

    Para obtener más información sobre los virus respiratorios, incluido cómo acceder a las vacunas, las pruebas y el tratamiento en su comunidad, visite  www.vaccines.gov/en, flu.ncdhhs.gov o covid19.ncdhhs.gov.

    Un resumen de la vigilancia del virus respiratorio que incluye información sobre la gripe, el COVID-19 y la actividad relacionada con el VSR en Carolina del Norte se actualiza semanalmente en  covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard.

    Feb 5, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What Trump’s proposal to ‘take over’ Gaza could mean for Arab-Israeli relations

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Simon Mabon, Professor of International Relations, Lancaster University

    US president Donald Trump has made the extraordinary suggestion that the US should seize control of the Gaza Strip and permanently remove its Palestinian inhabitants. Speaking to the press at the White House alongside the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the US would “own [Gaza] and be responsible”.

    When pushed on the practicalities of such a move, Trump replied that the US would “do what is necessary” and develop the land into the “riviera of the Middle East”. “It’ll be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of,” he said.

    The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, later wrote in a post on X: “The United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people.”

    Trump’s declaration has been celebrated by many on the Israeli right, who have long supported the removal of Palestinian residents from Gaza. But it has also been met with anger across the Arab world and beyond.

    Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, called Trump’s proposal “incitement to commit forced displacement”. Some politicians have described his comments as an endorsement of ethnic cleansing.

    Trump first uttered his desire to “clean out” Gaza a week before this announcement. This prompted foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt to sign a statement affirming their rejection of efforts to “compromise Palestinians’ unalienable rights, whether through settlement activities, or evictions or annex of land or through vacating the land from its owners”.

    The statement, made by a group of states not generally known for operating in a unified manner, ended by congratulating Rubio on his appointment. But the message to the Trump administration was clear: the two-state solution is the only viable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    Trump’s latest proclamations will deepen schisms across the region between Israel and its Arab neighbours, and prompt questions about the future role of the US in the Middle East.

    Egypt and Jordan’s response

    Any attempt by Washington to seize control of Gaza, which would almost certainly involve military force, would evoke parallels with 1948 and what is known in Arabic as the nakba, or “the catastrophe”.

    At that time, many Palestinians had to flee their land in what is now Israel, setting in motion decades of conflict between Israel and neighbouring Arab states. Acts of terrorism in the intervening years have cost thousands of lives on all sides.

    Trump’s call for Arab states to take in Palestinians from Gaza – who he says have no alternative but to abandon the coastal strip – ignores the strength of feeling across the world about the Palestinian issue.

    Egypt, for example, has long rejected the idea of housing Gaza’s population, amid growing socio-economic pressures and longstanding fears of Islamist violence. And Jordan has been steadfast in its desire not to host more Palestinians, having already provided refuge for people fleeing Palestine in 1948 and 1967. It has, more recently, also become the main destination for refugees from Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.

    On February 5, Egypt’s foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, met with the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, Mohammed Mustafa, in Cairo. According to an Egyptian foreign ministry statement, the pair jointly rejected Trump’s proposal for a US takeover of Gaza.

    Egypt and Jordan have both signed peace deals with Israel. But relations have not always been cordial, and the destruction of Gaza has exacerbated these tensions. Trump’s latest comments, as well as those from the Israeli right, will only worsen the situation.

    Relations with Saudi Arabia

    During Trump’s first term, his administration secured a significant diplomatic victory by brokering the Abraham accords. The accords, all of which were signed in the latter half of 2020, normalised relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and later Morocco.

    The signatories to the Abraham accords have been conspicuously quiet about Israel’s actions in Gaza. And it remains to be seen what effect Trump’s proposed Gaza takeover could have on relations between these states. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco have, at the time of writing, not yet announced their response.

    Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, has remained the jewel in the diplomatic crown seemingly out of reach both for the Trump administration and that of his successor, Joe Biden. The kingdom occupies a prominent place within the Arab and Muslim world by virtue of its custodianship of the two holy mosques of Mecca and Medina.

    Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, has taken an increasingly hard line on normalisation with Israel in recent months, suggesting that such a deal would not be possible without the establishment of a Palestinian state.

    In a statement released on February 5, the Saudi foreign ministry said it rejected “any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land”. And bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom’s position that it would not establish ties with Israel without a Palestinian state.

    During his press conference, Trump suggested that Saudi Arabia was not demanding a Palestinian homeland. But statements from Saudi officials since then contradict this narrative and point to increasingly divergent views on Gaza – and indeed, the future of Palestine – between Riyadh and Washington.

    Fundamentally, Trump’s remarks are the latest in a long line of bombastic diplomatic flourishes that appear designed to provoke as much as to enact policy. But in this case, even rhetorical provocations will have consequences for already strained relations between Israel and the wider Arab world.

    Simon Mabon receives funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

    – ref. What Trump’s proposal to ‘take over’ Gaza could mean for Arab-Israeli relations – https://theconversation.com/what-trumps-proposal-to-take-over-gaza-could-mean-for-arab-israeli-relations-249184

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: England plans to make academies follow the national curriculum – but it’s been getting more prescriptive for years

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dominic Wyse, Professor of Early Childhood and Primary Education, UCL

    Juice Flair/Shutterstock

    A national curriculum sets out what state school pupils should be taught during their time at school. But in England, the national curriculum currently applies to only around 44% of children – those in schools run by their local authority.

    The remaining children, including 81.7% of secondary school pupils, are at academies. These schools, the result of a policy to address disadvantage in education, are free to set their own curriculum. Independent, fee-paying schools have never had to follow the national curriculum.

    The government’s children’s wellbeing and schools bill proposes that academy schools would, for the first time, be required to follow the national curriculum.

    This proposal, along with others set to reduce the autonomy of academies, has raised some debate. Academies and their associated freedoms were a flagship policy of the previous Conservative government. Laura Trott, shadow education secretary, has said: “The Bill seeks to turn its back on Labour’s history and take back those academy freedoms on curriculum, on pay and on behaviour. You name it, they are reversing it — all the things that have done so much to improve our education system … And who will suffer? The poorest pupils in society.”

    As well as considering whether all pupils should be taught the national curriculum, England is currently in the middle of a review of the content of the curriculum itself. This is an excellent opportunity to consider how England’s national curriculum can best serve pupils and improve their education. Much evidence suggests the current curriculum is too prescriptive.

    One advantage of not having to follow the national curriculum is that schools can develop a programme of teaching, and how they go about teaching it, that is more closely aligned with the particular context of their school community and pupils.

    Teachers value having autonomy over what they teach.
    LightField Studios/Shutterstock

    Also, for many teachers, the power to control their curriculum is an appealing prospect that links with their professional identity (although evidence has shown that in some multi-academy trusts – groups of academy schools run together – teachers actually have less autonomy).

    Evidence from my forthcoming book with colleague Yana Manyukhina on how children experience the national curriculum shows that some schools who do not have to follow the national curriculum make use of it anyway. However, the academy school in our research project was also able and confident to innovate with their school curriculum by giving children more choices over their learning – in ways that the children we interviewed said highly motivated them.

    Government control

    A national curriculum was first established in England in 1988. Since then, there have been multiple significant revisions. Sometimes these revisions have been quite radical, overturning the ideas and details of previous national curricula.

    The current national curriculum was instituted in 2014. It was developed under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government and during Michael Gove’s time as secretary of state for education.

    One of the claims in favour of a country or region having a national curriculum is that this ensures that all pupils in a country have an entitlement to learn the same knowledge, skills and other aspects, such as values. The idea is that this will support educational standards by ensuring that all pupils have access to a baseline of knowledge.

    But national curricula often give power to governments to control what happens in lessons in schools. This limits what teachers can make professional decisions about, and provides less scope for teachers to build their teaching on the interests of the pupils that they teach.

    Before 1988, primary school teachers had full control over the curriculum and the teaching methods that they used. England’s first national curricula specified the knowledge to be taught but did not stray into the methods that teachers should use in order to teach.

    For more than two decades, my colleagues and I have tracked the intensification of control, by successive governments in England, over not only the content of the subject of English in primary schools but also the way it is taught. For instance, from 2021 guidance was added to the national curriculum prescribing that the teaching of reading must be taught through the one approach of “synthetic phonics”.

    Government actions are often to some degree based on political ideology. If they have the power to control the curriculum, their ideology can sometimes result in programmes of study that are not sufficiently based on what research shows is likely to be effective.

    For instance, my research shows that the heavy emphasis on the teaching of formal grammatical terms in the current curriculum is not based on evidence as to its value in teaching writing, suggesting that it is rather the result of ideological commitment.

    Irrespective of whether ultimately all schools are required to follow the national curriculum, the new curriculum should be much more evidence-based than the current one.

    A national curriculum can be a useful framework for schools. But it should not restrict subjects and teaching methods that may be of great benefit to children. I would argue that all schools should be given more freedom over the curriculum, and particularly over teaching methods. The government should publish a recommended curriculum that, crucially, schools are not bound in law to follow.

    Dominic Wyse receives funding for the research centre The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy (HHCP) from The Helen Hamlyn Trust. The Children’s Agency and the National Curriculum research project was funded by The Leverhulme Trust. He is currently advising on the primary curriculum for the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment in Ireland. He is advising the Welsh Government as part of his membership of the expert group on literacy.

    – ref. England plans to make academies follow the national curriculum – but it’s been getting more prescriptive for years – https://theconversation.com/england-plans-to-make-academies-follow-the-national-curriculum-but-its-been-getting-more-prescriptive-for-years-248508

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Psychotherapy may change memories of childhood – here’s why practitioners should warn clients

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lawrence Patihis, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of Portsmouth

    Yuri A/Shutterstock

    One of the unfortunate legacies that my generation, gen X, has passed on to the millennials and gen Z, is the idea that therapy has no side effects. However, just like many other medical treatments, there can be negative effects. For example, in some cases psychotherapy can be linked with a worsening of psychiatric symptoms, increased anxiety and false memories.

    My team’s recent paper investigated the effect of evaluating a parent on the basis of their emotions and memories of those emotions in childhood. Our findings, which show these kinds of reappraisals can distort memories, may have implications for talking therapies that explore clients’ childhoods.

    Previous research has shown that as people’s thoughts change, their memory of emotions seems to do so too. In 1997 psychology professor Linda Levine found that people misremembered how they had felt when Ross Perot withdrew from the 1992 US presidential race, when they were asked to recall their emotions after the election. Psychologist Martin Safer found in his 2010 study that some people misremembered how much grief they felt when their spouse died, and this bias was related to their current evaluation of the death.

    In my team’s study, published in Psychological Reports, we found that writing out recent examples of participants’ mothers’ behaviour could lead them to reappraise their mother. It also seemed to change the participants’ current emotions towards their mother. And most surprisingly, it seemed to subtly affect the participants’ memories of emotions from childhood.

    Our participants were split into four groups and given different writing prompts. The first group were asked to give recent examples of their mother showing a positive attribute. For example: “Please write three to four sentences giving the most recent examples of when your mother showed competence (effectiveness) in her life.”

    The second group were asked to give examples of their mother showing a lack of those same attributes. A third group were asked to give examples of a former teacher showing a lack of positive attributes and the last group were given no writing tasks.

    The participants were then given questionnaires asking them to evaluate their mothers and about their memories of their emotions toward their mothers.

    We found that these reappraisals affected participants’ current happiness and interest towards their mother. Reappraisal also affected their memories of happiness from childhood.

    Counselling isn’t free of risks.
    Prostock-studio/Shutterstock

    In these experiments, we slightly nudged people’s appraisals of their mothers. But this may happen in a bigger way in the real world. Talking to a therapist for years in a way that reconstructs a client’s childhood, and then linking this to their problems, could cause more significant reappraisals of their parents. What therapy clients may not realise, nor perhaps even their therapist, is that these reevaluations could be changing their memories of childhood.

    Warning signs

    I believe that clients should be aware of the side effects of therapy, and there should be a line or two on the malleability of memory on the forms people sign before therapy begins.

    It would also help if all therapists were taught in their training about the ways memory can be distorted. Indeed, research on infantile and childhood amnesia suggests that humans seem to remember little of early childhood, leaving us all vulnerable to reappraising that period.

    We might debate whether therapists should be making negative comments about parents. Perhaps in cases of abuse, some might argue it could help. But in many other types of clients, therapists making negative comments could have a powerful effect that far exceeds our experimental nudges. For example: “Wow, your mother sounds like a controlling type,” if repeated enough by therapists, might cause reappraisals and family rifts over time.

    In some cases, reevaluating your parents in a positive direction can lead to better relationships over time. This may result in the real joy of childhood being better remembered and appreciated. Positive reevaluations may actually be fair and moving towards accuracy. For example in cases where previous negative reappraisals in adolescence and early adulthood were unfair and forgetful of the sacrifice and love the parents had given in early childhood.

    Nevertheless, there is a potential negative side effect if parents are positively reappraised too much. If your parents had set up conditions to illicit a lot of negative emotions in childhood, glossing over that might increase the risk of repeating the same mistakes as you raise your own children.

    I am a strong believer in living an examined life. People should be free to practice psychotherapy, and clients should be welcome to seek out therapies that dig deep into parental and childhood themes. In the same way that people who need X-rays should get them despite the small risks, people who need therapy should take it.

    Better to be as accurate as you can be, as we live fully examined and rich lives.

    Lawrence Patihis 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. Psychotherapy may change memories of childhood – here’s why practitioners should warn clients – https://theconversation.com/psychotherapy-may-change-memories-of-childhood-heres-why-practitioners-should-warn-clients-243060

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why personal climate action matters – according to experts

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jack Marley, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition

    EL_Images/Shutterstock

    Do you feel powerless?

    You probably aren’t responsible for the investment decisions of an energy company, nor do you have a hand in government policy. But still, you are reading about climate change – a problem that can easily seem intractable to most people.

    The Veganuary campaign reported record participation this year: 25.8 million people worldwide tried a lighter lifestyle without meat and dairy in January, knowing that enormous emission sources sit beyond their immediate control. If such resolve to fix our planet exists, how can people exercise it?

    This roundup of The Conversation’s climate coverage comes from our award-winning weekly climate action newsletter. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed.

    You might be used to thinking of climate change in terms of your carbon footprint. That’s no accident, says science communicator Sam Illingworth (Edinburgh Napier). A public relations firm, hired by oil giant BP, invented the concept in 2004 as part of a deliberate effort to shift attention from corporate culpability, he says.

    “In my research into climate communication, I see how stories of guilt resonate with communities already facing misplaced blame,” Illingworth adds.

    You’re not alone

    “Net zero heroes” are set up to fail, Illingworth says. But realising this only makes collective action more important, and shows the futility of trying to bear the weight of the problem on your own.



    Read more:
    You don’t have to be a net zero hero – how focus on personal climate action can distract from systemic problems

    Your choices do not exist in a vacuum. Earth is an interconnected community of living and non-living things says ethicist Patrick Effiong Ben of the University of Manchester. African philosophers like Jonathan Chimakonam and Aïda Terblanché-Greeff have a helpful concept for thinking through the weightiness of your decisions: complementarity.

    Life on Earth is connected in often subtle and unpredictable ways.
    Lois GoBe/Shutterstock

    “Complementarity holds that the relationships that unite individual things can extend to prove the value of every contribution, no matter its size,” Ben says.



    Read more:
    Think your efforts to help the climate don’t matter? African philosophers disagree

    You can test this notion by choosing to eat a plant-based diet or forgo flying and observing your influence on others. If you’re sceptical, just think how many of your habits or turns of phrase are borrowed from loved ones. Steve Westlake, a behavioural psychologist at Cardiff University, says that your pro-environment choices can ultimately alter what other people consider “normal”.

    “In a survey I conducted, half of the respondents who knew someone who has given up flying because of climate change said they fly less because of this example. That alone seemed pretty impressive to me,” he says.



    Read more:
    Climate change: yes, your individual action does make a difference

    “They explained that the bold and unusual position to give up flying had: conveyed the seriousness of climate change and flying’s contribution to it; crystallised the link between values and actions; and even reduced feelings of isolation that flying less was a valid and sensible response to climate change.”

    What’s stopping us?

    Often, is is not apathy that holds us back, but a seeming lack of options. In the UK, where I live, a train is by far the better travel choice emissions-wise but it is usually much more expensive than a flight that covers the same distance.

    Environmental psychologists Christina Demski (University of Bath) and Stuart Capstick (Cardiff University) criticise the laissez-faire approach of successive governments that have “[gone] with the grain of consumer choice” while failing to recognise that many people would gladly choose the green option if they could afford or access it.



    Read more:
    To address climate change, lifestyles must change – but the government’s reluctance to help is holding us back

    This desire to do something meaningful is continually frustrated, they say, but it will not vanish as the crisis worsens. Everyone alive and yet to live needs a liveable climate. Securing it is within our technical and material means.

    The human species has no home but this one.
    Canities/Shutterstock

    Just listen to this from sustainability researcher Joel Millward-Hopkins (Université de Lausanne, previously University of Leeds):

    “Fortunately, in new research we found that using 60% less energy than today, decent living standards could be provided to a global population of 10 billion by 2050. That’s 75% less energy than the world is currently forecast to consume by 2050 on our present trajectory – or as much energy as the world used in the 1960s.”



    Read more:
    How 10 billion people could live well by 2050 – using as much energy as we did 60 years ago

    Instead of seeing your new vegan diet as a personal choice, think of it as a political act taken in solidarity with people and other species bearing the brunt of climate change say political philosophers Alasdair Cochrane (University of Sheffield) and Mara-Daria Cojocaru (Munich School of Philosophy).



    Read more:
    Veganism: why we should see it as a political movement rather than a dietary choice

    And remember that it isn’t all sacrifice. The joy that is possible with more expensive and more energy-hungry lifestyles is fleeting says Capstick, but contentment, he argues, is low-carbon.



    Read more:
    Climate change: greener lifestyles linked to greater happiness – in both rich and poor countries

    – ref. Why personal climate action matters – according to experts – https://theconversation.com/why-personal-climate-action-matters-according-to-experts-248960

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cramer Reintroduces Fair Access to Banking Act to Protect Legal Industries from Debanking

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

    ***Click here for audio.***

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – In recent years, prominent American banks have engaged in a discriminatory practice, referred to as debanking. Banks and financial institutions use their economic standing to categorically exclude law-abiding, legal industries by refusing to lend or provide services to them. This includes industries such as firearms, ammunition, crypto, federal prison contractors, as well as energy producers. 

    U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, reintroduced his Fair Access to Banking Act, which protects fair access to financial services and ensures banks operate in a safe and sound manner. The legislation requires that lending and services decisions must be based on impartial, risk-based analysis, not political or reputational favoritism. U.S. Representative Andy Barr (R-KY-6) introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives. 

    “When progressives failed at banning these entire industries, what they did instead is they turned to weaponizing banks as sort of a backdoor to carry out their activist goals,” said Cramer. “Financial institutions are backed by taxpayers, for crying out loud! They should be obligated to provide services in an unbiased, risk-based manner. The Fair Access to Banking Act ensures that banks provide fair access to services and enacts strict penalties for categorically discriminating against legal industries and individuals.”

    Specifically, this legislation penalizes banks and credit unions with over $10 billion in total consolidated assets, or their subsidiaries, if they refuse to do business with any legally compliant, credit-worthy person. It also prevents payment card networks from discriminating against any qualified person because of political or reputational considerations. The bill requires qualified banks to provide written justification for why they are denying a person financial services. Further, the Fair Access to Banking Act would penalize providers who fail to comply with the law by disqualifying institutions from using discount window lending programs, terminating status as an insured depository institution or credit union, or imposing a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation. 

    The bill is based on President Trump’s Fair Access Rule, which was introduced during his first administration and required financial institutions to make individual risk assessments rather than broad decisions regarding entire industries or categories of customers. Cramer helped craft the rule, and his legislation codifies these protections. The Biden administration paused the rule’s implementation in early 2021.

    Cramer’s legislation is a response to United States banks and financial institutions increasingly using their economic standing to categorically discriminate against legal industries and conservatives. For example, Citigroup instituted a policy in 2018 to withhold project-related financing for coal plants, and in 2020, five of the country’s largest banks announced they would not provide loans or credit to support oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, despite explicit congressional authorization. Such exclusionary practices also extend to industries protected by the Second Amendment, with Capital One, among other banks, previously including “ammunitions, firearms, or firearm parts” in the prohibited payments section of its corporate policy manual, and payment services like Apple Pay and PayPal denying their services for transactions involving firearms or ammunition. First Lady Melania Trump and technology companies alike allege banks have debanked them or refused to do business. During his address to the World Economic Forum in January, President Trump highlighted big banks and their discriminatory practices of targeting conservatives.  

    In the years since Cramer first introduced the Fair Access to Banking Act, support has grown every Congress. At the state level, Florida and Tennessee passed Fair Access laws and similar legislation was introduced in Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, and South Dakota. Banks have dropped membership in discriminatory groups which were aimed at starving specific industries.

    The Fair Access to Banking Act is endorsed by several organizations, including the National Shooting Sports Foundation, National Rifle Association, North Dakota Petroleum Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, The Digital Chamber, Blockchain Association, Independent Petroleum Association of America, Online Lenders Alliance, Day 1 Alliance, GEO Group, Lignite Energy Council, National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, and National Mining Association.

    The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Jim Banks (R-IN), John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Curtis (R-UT), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jim Justice (R-WV), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jim Risch (R-ID), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

    Click here for bill text. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Takes to Senate Floor to Oppose Trump’s Trade Philosophy: No to Tariffs, Yes to Innovation, Collaboration & Growth

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    02.05.25

    Cantwell Takes to Senate Floor to Oppose Trump’s Trade Philosophy: No to Tariffs, Yes to Innovation, Collaboration & Growth

    In speech on Senate floor, Cantwell advocates for new U.S. trade agreements with Southeast Asia, the Middle East, & the Americas to strengthen ties with allies & grow the economy at home; Cantwell slams proposed Trump tariffs: “The payers in this dispute are never the government leaders … it’s the workers who lose their job.”

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling for the United States to establish new trade agreements with Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America – and to repudiate the trade philosophy of President Donald Trump, whose proposed tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China would spark a trade war, drive up costs for American consumers, harm domestic businesses across hundreds of industries, and compromise the United States’ global leadership in the free trade ecosystem.

    “It’s better to have a job than be attracted to join a terrorist organization. It’s better to create economic stability than fueling poverty and migration […] Last week, I spoke about additional investments the United States needs to make in Panama, Latin America, and others, to link and modernize bilateral agreements that help us counter China,” Sen. Cantwell said. “Free trade agreements are a way for us — not tariffs — to gain the leverage we want. South Asia could play an important role in this coalition building, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. But I want us to go further. I want us to understand that U.S.-led negotiations in a Middle East free trade agreement to build on the momentum of a ceasefire in Gaza could further stabilize that region.”

    In her speech, Sen. Cantwell railed against President Donald Trump’s tariff’s proposal, likening his isolationist trade policies to an attempt to make time stand still – a futile goal at any point, but especially during the modern information age, when countries are more interconnected than ever and the United States is locked in an innovation race in artificial intelligence and quantum technology. She also called on the United States to invest in its workforce, research & development, science, and capital investment to modernize its manufacturing and stay competitive.

    “To outcompete our adversaries, we need coalitions, not go-it-alone strategies. Why do we fear this if we think our principles are correct? But somehow the current administration thinks that we’ve been hurt more than we’ve been helped in this global equation, and they want us to believe that somehow there is a win-win situation on tariffs that they can deliver on,” Sen. Cantwell said.

    “Tariffs are a distortion of markets. Tariffs mean we disagree. It very rarely means the disagreement will be resolved quickly. It usually means people will retaliate, and the escalation of that retaliation will hurt consumers so much so that eventually someone will blink,” she continued. “The payers in this dispute, though, are never the government leaders. No, it’s the workers who lose their job. It’s the family that pays higher cost. It’s the community that loses their economic activity and tax revenue.”

    In Washington state: Two out of every five jobs are tied to trade and related industries. In 2023, the state imported $19.9 billion of goods from Canada – primarily oil, gas, lumber, and electrical power — making our northern neighbors Washington state’s largest trade partner. Also in 2023, the state imported $1.7 billion in goods from Mexico, including motor vehicles, vehicle parts, and household appliances. More information about how President Trump’s proposed tariffs will impact businesses and consumers in the State of Washington is HERE.

    Sen. Cantwell has remained a steadfast supporter of free trade to grow the economy in the State of Washington and nationwide. Sen. Cantwell was the leading voice in negotiations to end India’s 20% retaliatory tariff on American apples, which devastated Washington state’s apple exports.  India had once been the second-largest export market for American apples, but after then-President Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum in his first term, India imposed retaliatory tariffs in response and U.S. apple exports plummeted.  The impact on Washington apple growers was severe:  apple exports from the state dropped from $120 million in 2017 to less than $1 million by 2023.  In September 2023, India ended its retaliatory tariffs on apples and pulse crops following several years of Sen. Cantwell’s advocacy, which was welcome news to the state’s more than 1,400 apple growers and the 68,000-plus workers they support.

    In May 2023, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter urging the Biden Administration to help U.S. potato growers finally get approval to sell fresh potatoes in Japan. In June 2023, Sen. Cantwell hosted U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), then-chair of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, in Washington state for a forum with 30 local agricultural leaders in Wenatchee to discuss the Farm Bill.

    In 2022, Sen. Cantwell spearheaded passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, a law to crack down on skyrocketing international ocean shipping costs and ease supply chain backlogs that raise prices for consumers and make it harder for U.S. farmers and exporters to get their goods to the global market.

    In August 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter to then-Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue requesting aid funds be distributed to wheat growers. In December 2018, Sen. Cantwell celebrated the passage of the Farm Bill, which included $500 million of assistance for farmers, including those who grow wheat.

    In 2019, Sen. Cantwell helped secure a provision in the $16 billion USDA relief package, ensuring sweet cherry growers could access emergency funding to offset the impacts of tariffs and other market disruptions.

    Video of today’s speech is available HERE; and a transcript of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –