NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI China: US candidates neck-and-neck a week before elections

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    The race for the White House is neck and neck just a week before Americans cast their ballots for the next president.

    Republican candidate Donald Trump leads Democratic candidate Kamala Harris by an average of 0.4 percentage points in national polls as of Tuesday, according to the U.S. election information website Real Clear Politics.

    Trump leads by just a hair in many swing states, including Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and North Carolina, while Harris leads by half a point in Michigan.

    The swing states are likely to determine the election outcome, and both candidates have been actively campaigning there, attending rallies to present their case to voters.

    “The presidential race remains tight, but Harris has been outspending Trump by a 2 or 3 to 1 margin in advertising,” Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

    Inflation and the economy are among the main issues. While President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris have overseen an economy with low unemployment, many voters are outraged over the high prices that have taken hold during the current administration.

    Besides, Trump’s campaign has been accusing the Biden-Harris administration of leading to a major increase in crime in urban areas.

    Stores are now locking up their merchandise, as shoplifters brazenly fill up garbage bags full of goods and simply walk out of the store without paying. Drug addicts shoot up heroin and other hard drugs in broad daylight in many cities. They harass and physically assault passersby, and urinate and defecate on sidewalks in downtown areas.

    At the same time, Trump has ruffled several feathers, as he is known to do, with what critics call incendiary rhetoric.

    Critics also blasted Trump for his plan to launch the mass deportation operation of millions of immigrants who illegally poured over the border since the current administration took office. Trump’s critics fear this could lead to problems including breaking up families and giving law enforcement too much power.

    It remains unknown what undecided voters will do.

    “Many undecided voters will not vote at all,” Clay Ramsay, a researcher at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, told Xinhua, adding that the people who are unlikely to vote, based on past elections, accounts for a large percentage of adults. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Russia says U.S. actions against Russian reporters violate freedom of information

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Washington’s recent actions against Russian journalists violate the right to access information and media pluralism, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday.

    A film crew from Russia’s Izvestia newspaper, who arrived in Washington to cover the upcoming presidential election, was detained and subjected to hours of interrogation on Tuesday night, resulting in one member being expelled from the country, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

    Zakharova noted that the Russian journalists had notified U.S. authorities of their intentions and received permission before their arrival, adding that this reflects the United States’ readiness to use repressive measures against inconvenient information.

    “The arbitrariness of the American authorities will not remain without a proper reaction on our part,” Zakharova said. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Iraq announces final results of Kurdistan’s parliamentary elections

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced Wednesday the final results of the parliamentary elections of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leading with 39 seats.

    IHEC’s Chairman Judge Omar Ahmed said at a press conference that the final results showed that the KDP led with 39 seats in the regional 100-seat parliament, while the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan followed with 23 seats and the New Generation Movement with 15 seats.

    Ahmed said that the political parties have the right to appeal the results within three days.

    Iraq’s Kurdistan regional parliamentary elections kicked off on October 20 to elect 100 lawmakers out of 1,091 candidates.

    The elections were originally scheduled for 2022 but have been continuously delayed due to political differences. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed appointed chair of CHM for another four years as three commissioners reappointed

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The appointment will involve a time commitment of 33 days per year. Remuneration for the role will be at a rate of £500 per attendance and preparation for meetings.

    Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed has been appointed chair of the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) for another four years, from 12 February, 2025.

    The CHM is an advisory non-departmental public body which is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

    The CHM advises ministers on the safety, efficacy and quality of medicines.

    Three commissioners have been reappointed:

    • Professor Marc Turner and Professor Christopher Weir have been reappointed to for a further four years from 5 July, 2024.

    • Professor Poulam Patel has been reappointed for a further two years from 5 July 2024. 

    The appointments will involve a time commitment of approximately 22 days per year, including 11 meetings. Remuneration for the roles will be at a rate of £325 per meeting.

    All appointments are made in accordance with the Cabinet Office Code of Governance for Public Appointments.

    The regulation of public appointments against the requirements of this code is carried out by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

    The appointments are made on merit and political activity played no part in the decision process. However, in accordance with the code, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) to be made public.

    None of the appointees have declared any political activity.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI China: UN human rights council to open office in Bangladesh

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has decided to set up an office in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka to strengthen its activities in the South Asian country.

    Bangladeshi interim government’s Social Welfare Advisor Sharmeen S. Murshid said following a meeting with U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk in Dhaka Tuesday.

    “It is a very important decision. The interim government agreed over establishment of the U.N. human rights office in Dhaka,” the advisor said.

    She said that the office’s presence here will strengthen the country’s position on human rights. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: 51 killed by flash floods in eastern Spain: report

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    At least 51 people have died in flash floods in the Spanish province of Valencia as torrential rains continue to ravage the country’s eastern and southern coasts, state broadcaster TVE reported on Wednesday.

    Since the authorities declared a red alert for torrential rains on Tuesday, several people have been missing in heavy flooding that has swept away vehicles and disrupted rail services.

    Six people were reported missing in the town of Letur, close to Valencia in Albacete. In Valencia, two Civil Guard police officers and a truck driver are still being searched for.

    The Spanish government set up a crisis committee on Wednesday to assess the damage caused as rescuers continue to search for victims.

    At the opening of the Spanish Congress on Wednesday morning, Francina Armengol, the parliament speaker, called for a minute’s silence for the victims. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Endless U.S. plotting pushes Panama to seek more global cooperation, says expert

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Decades of the U.S. plotting to make profits at the price of Panama’s interests has pushed the Central American country to seek more global cooperation, a Panama-based international relations expert has said.

    Julio Yao, former foreign policy advisor to the late Panamanian leader General Omar Torrijos, recalled the history of nonstop U.S. intervention in Panama since the turn of the 20th century in a recent interview with Xinhua.

    Panama gained its independence from Spain in 1821 and from Colombia in 1903, though the latter was in essence “a deception” devised by the United States to gain control of the strategic Panama Canal, Yao said.

    “From that moment on, the United States took over the so-called Canal Zone,” starting a long string of unfortunate events for Panama, he said.

    On top of the list was the attempt to establish the failed Kellogg-Alfaro treaty in the 1920s, which was rejected because it aimed to legalize the presence of U.S. troops on Panamanian soil.

    “That treaty completely turned Panama into a U.S. military base, that is, a military springboard for the rest of Latin America,” the expert said.

    Nevertheless, unilateral interventions by the United States persisted in Panama, he said.

    For much of the 1970s, the U.S. government was “permanently” pressuring Panama to grant it protection and defense rights over the canal in perpetuity, Yao recalled.

    At the time, the career diplomat was advising Torrijos and then Foreign Minister Juan Antonio Tack in drafting treaties, such as the 1974 Tack-Kissinger Declaration, which made a point of setting a deadline on the U.S. occupation of the canal.

    “Why did we have to emphasize the fixed deadline? Because the Americans always deceived Panama with a later date and never left Panama,” Yao said.

    In September 1977, the Torrijos-Carter Treaties were signed by Torrijos and then U.S. President Jimmy Carter, establishing that the Panama Canal would be turned over to Panamanian control on Dec. 31, 1999.

    Prior to that, the U.S. “obsession” with controlling the Panama Canal occasionally turned “explosive,” Yao said.

    On Dec. 20, 1989, a date now known as the Day of National Mourning, U.S. troops invaded Panama to capture Panamanian General Manuel Noriega, later convicting him of drug trafficking and money laundering.

    To break with the past, Yao said he believes that Panama should look to more “humanist,” multilateral mechanisms such as BRICS.

    Such mechanisms have created a counterweight to hegemonic power in several aspects, said the expert.

    “The United States is really in a very ruinous position,” Yao said, noting that at such a juncture, concepts such as the Global South are relevant today since they shelve religious or political differences in favor of promoting joint development.

    The Global South is “a good concept” because it addresses many similar situations in Africa, Latin America and even the Middle East, Yao said.

    People want to emerge from underdevelopment or the lack of development, and to that end, BRICS countries have taken “the right path” towards global development, through measures that go beyond resolving local or regional issues, he said.

    “I firmly believe in BRICS and I believe very firmly in the Global South,” Yao said.

    “If you look at the new foreign policy of some African countries, they are on the right track. That is a great awakening for a region that has been very impoverished, very dominated, very interfered with, very manipulated, so I think there is reason to feel optimistic,” he said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Nearly half of voters question American democracy: survey

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Nearly half of U.S. voters doubt the government’s ability to serve the common good, with 45 percent saying it fails to represent them, according to a survey released by The New York Times on Sunday.

    The survey, conducted nationwide from Oct. 20 to 23 among 2,516 likely voters, found that 62 percent believe the government primarily serves its own interests and elites.

    Such frustrations, compounded by economic challenges, partisan divides, and unresolved social issues, have weakened confidence in the nearly 250-year-old democratic system, said the report.

    The survey also highlighted a stark partisan divide, with 60 percent of voters blaming former President Donald Trump for worsening it, while 37 percent pointed to Vice President Kamala Harris.

    “It’s not just Democrat or Republican, it’s the Washington elite,” retired farmer Randal Parr was quoted as saying in the report. “The Washington elite control everything, and the will of the people has been ignored.”

    Some voters expressed frustration over government inaction on pressing issues. “It’s always a school shooting,” said temporary worker Sarah Washington. “Nothing still being done about it. They talk about it, and then another one happens.”

    Roughly one-third of respondents worry that America’s problems are so severe that it could fail as a nation, while 58 percent say the nation’s financial and political systems require significant reforms or a complete overhaul, the survey showed. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: AI Company Brand Engagement Network Announces Agreement to Acquire German Media Technology Leader Cataneo Gmbh

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    JACKSON, Wyo., Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Brand Engagement Network, Inc.(BEN) (NASDAQ: BNAI), a global leader in secure and reliable conversational AI solutions for businesses and consumers, today announced it has agreed to acquire 100% of Cataneo Gmbh (Cataneo), a privately-owned media technology company based in Munich, Germany, in a cash and stock transaction.

    Cataneo, a leader in media technology, offers an all-in-one solution for ad sales, inventory management, and campaign optimization. The company has been profitable throughout the years, with its platform helping broadcast and entertainment companies streamline operations, increase revenue, and enhance audience engagement. By integrating BEN’s advanced Generative AI, Cataneo is poised to strengthen its offerings and deliver even greater value to its brands and customers.

    Cataneo’s Mydas platform is a rapidly growing, highly sophisticated air-time sales management and ad traffic system managing over 5 billion euros in annual media spending. Supporting over 5,000 users and more than 1,000 media brands across four continents, the Mydas platform operates on a robust recurring revenue model. It offers a fully integrated, 100% SaaS cloud solution consolidating all advertising inventories into a common currency on a single platform.

    Combined Synergies Enhance Conversational Gen-AI for Global Media Brands

    “We believe the combination of BEN’s safe, intelligent, and scalable Generative AI platform, with Cataneo’s Mydas tools, can transformhow brands engage with their customers,” said Paul Chang, Chief Executive Officer of BEN. “This acquisition marks a significant step towards the future of interactive advertising, where consumers are not just marketed to, but actively engaged with, leading to more meaningful and enhanced online experiences.”

    Cataneo’s Chief Executive Officer, Renato Rocha Pinto, expressed his excitement about the partnership. He stated, “We believe combining our technologies will significantly enhance consumer engagement and substantially benefit our global clients. BEN’s AI has the capability to generate deep insights and explore innovative consumer engagement opportunities across various media outlets, extending beyond traditional platforms.”

    The acquisition underscores BEN’s commitment to strategic growth through mergers and acquisitions, enabling BEN to expand the reach of its core AI platform to over 1,000 media brands. This positions BEN to lead the next generation of conversational Gen-AI engagement, providing consumers with real-time, accurate, and helpful information across various channels, including while on the move and driving.

    While Cataneo will continue to serve its existing clients independently, the company plans to collaborate closely with BEN to integrate AI into its internal processes and provide enhanced customer tools. The combined strength of BEN’s Generative AI and Cataneo’s platform is expected to expand Cataneo’s global presence significantly.

    Transaction Details
    The total purchase price for the acquisition is $19.5 million, comprised of $9.0 million in cash and 4.2 million shares of BEN common stock at an agreed-upon value of $2.50 per share. Depending on certain conditions before closing, a portion of the shares may be converted into the right to receive up to $3.0 million in cash.   Upon closing, Cataneo will become a wholly owned subsidiary of BEN, with plans to expand operations in the U.S. and Latin America. This acquisition positions both companies for significant growth in the broadcast and agency premium advertising workflow management solutions market, a $2.0 billion segment within the broader $45 billion global media technology market. Renato Rocha Pinto will continue as Cataneo’s Chief Executive Officer after the acquisition.

    The transaction is subject to securing financing on mutually agreeable terms and obtaining customary regulatory approvals and guarantees by certain BEN shareholders. It is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024.

    For more information about BEN’s safe, intelligent, scalable AI, please visit  www.beninc.ai. For details about Cataneo, please visit www.cataneo.tv.

    About BEN
    Brand Engagement Network is a global leader providing secure and reliable conversational AI solutions for businesses and consumers. With offices in Jackson, Wyoming, and Seoul, South Korea, BEN offers a powerful and flexible platform that enhances customer experiences, boosts productivity, and delivers business value. At the heart of BEN’s offerings are AI-powered digital assistants and lifelike avatars, providing more personal and engaging experiences through browsers, mobile applications, and even life-size kiosks. These safe, intelligent, and inherently scalable AI solutions empower businesses to efficiently serve customers using validated data delivered through SaaS, Private Cloud, and On-Premises technology. BEN’s commitment to data sovereignty ensures that consumer and business data remain private, protected, and wholly owned by the respective parties. BEN’s mission is to make AI friendly and helpful for all, ensuring more people benefit from the AI-enhanced world.

    About Cataneo
    Cataneo is a global provider of comprehensive media management solutions for linear, non-linear, and digital media, headquartered in Munich, Germany. Cataneo’s platform is highly customizable and scalable and offers end-to-end solutions for advertising sales, traffic management, and campaign optimization across multiple media channels. With over two decades of experience, Cataneo supports over 1,000 media brands across 200+ channels in 4 continents, providing cutting-edge tools for inventory management, yield optimization, and programmatic ad sales. The company’s flagship platform, MYDAS, empowers media businesses to optimize revenues and streamline operations with advanced data analytics, CRM integration, and real-time reporting. Cataneo’s mission is to bridge the gap between media buyers, sellers, and platforms, offering a unified ecosystem for seamless media transactions and enhanced audience engagement.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    Certain statements in this communication are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of federal securities laws. They are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect, among other things, BEN’s current expectations, assumptions, plans, strategies, and anticipated results, including the closing and anticipated benefits of the acquisition of Cataneo (the “Cataneo Acquisition”). Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements, which are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance.

    There are a number of risks, uncertainties and conditions that may cause BEN’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: (i) uncertainties as to the timing of the Cataneo Acquisition; (ii) the risk that the Cataneo Acquisition may not be completed on the anticipated terms in a timely manner or at all; (iii) the failure to satisfy any of the conditions to the consummation of the Cataneo Acquisition, including the ability to obtain financing to fund the Cataneo Acquisition on terms that are agreeable to the parties or at all; (iv) the possibility that any or all of the various conditions to the consummation of the Cataneo Acquisition may not be satisfied or waived, including the failure to receive any required regulatory approvals from any applicable governmental entities (or any conditions, limitations or restrictions placed on such approvals) or required major shareholder guarantees; (v) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the purchase agreement; (vi) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the transactions contemplated by the purchase agreement on BEN’s ability to retain and hire key personnel, its ability to maintain relationships with its customers, suppliers and others with whom it does business, or its operating results and business generally; (vii) risks related to diverting management’s attention from BEN’s ongoing business operations; (viii) uncertainty as to the timing of completion of the Cataneo Acquisition; (ix) risks that the benefits of the Cataneo Acquisition are not realized when and as expected; and (x) (A) the risk factors described in Part I, Item 1A of Risk Factors in BEN’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and (B) the other risk factors identified from time to time in the BEN’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Filings with the SEC are available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

    Many of these circumstances are beyond BEN’s ability to control or predict. These forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions on BEN’s part. These forward-looking statements may include words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “should,” “may,” “will,” “might,” “could,” “would,” or similar expressions. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on BEN’s behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements that appear throughout this communication. Furthermore, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, which are based on the information currently available to the Company and speak only as of the date they are made. BEN disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements.

    Media Contact 
    Amy Rouyer
    BEN – Safe, Intelligent, Scalable AI
    E: amy@beninc.ai
    P: 503-367-7596

    Investor Relations
    Christine Marchuska
    E: ir@beninc.ai
    P: 917-232-0852

    Source: Brand Engagement Network, Inc. (BEN)

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Red River Bancshares, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ALEXANDRIA, La., Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Red River Bancshares, Inc. (the “Company”) (Nasdaq: RRBI), the holding company for Red River Bank (the “Bank”), announced today its unaudited financial results for the third quarter of 2024.

    Net income for the third quarter of 2024 was $8.8 million, or $1.27 per diluted common share (“EPS”), an increase of $767,000, or 9.6%, compared to $8.0 million, or $1.16 EPS, for the second quarter of 2024, and an increase of $733,000, or 9.1%, compared to $8.0 million, or $1.12 EPS, for the third quarter of 2023. For the third quarter of 2024, the quarterly return on assets was 1.13%, and the quarterly return on equity was 11.11%.

    Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, was $24.9 million, or $3.59 EPS, a decrease of $1.7 million, or 6.2%, compared to $26.6 million, or $3.70 EPS, for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the return on assets was 1.08%, and the return on equity was 10.86%.

    Third Quarter 2024 Performance and Operational Highlights

    In the third quarter of 2024, the Company reported higher earnings, an improved net interest margin, and fairly consistent loans and deposits. We deployed excess funds into the securities portfolio and completed a significant stock repurchase. In mid-September, the target range of the federal funds rate was reduced by 50 basis points (“bps”).

    • Net income for the third quarter of 2024 was $8.8 million compared to $8.0 million for the prior quarter. Net income for the third quarter benefited from higher net interest income and an improved net interest margin fully tax equivalent (“FTE”), along with higher noninterest income.
    • Net interest income and net interest margin FTE increased for the third quarter of 2024 compared to the prior quarter. Net interest income for the third quarter of 2024 was $22.5 million compared to $21.8 million for the prior quarter. Net interest margin FTE for the third quarter of 2024 was 2.98% compared to 2.92% for the prior quarter. These increases were due to improved yields on securities and loans outpacing higher deposit rates.
    • Noninterest income totaled $5.4 million for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $321,000, or 6.3%, compared to $5.1 million for the previous quarter. Noninterest income benefited from the receipt of a $151,000 nonrecurring loan fee.
    • As of September 30, 2024, assets were $3.10 billion, which was $53.2 million, or 1.7%, higher than June 30, 2024. The increase was mainly due to a $30.5 million increase in deposits.
    • Deposits totaled $2.75 billion as of September 30, 2024, an increase of $30.5 million, or 1.1%, compared to $2.72 billion as of June 30, 2024. In the third quarter of 2024, customer deposit balances remained consistent, with normal activity.
    • As of September 30, 2024, loans held for investment (“HFI”) were $2.06 billion, slightly higher than $2.05 billion as of June 30, 2024. In the third quarter of 2024, we closed on a high level of loan commitments, which should fund over time.
    • As of September 30, 2024, total securities were $697.7 million, which was $31.1 million, or 4.7%, higher than June 30, 2024. In the third quarter of 2024, we redeployed cash flows from lower yielding securities into higher yielding securities, as well as deployed other liquid assets into the securities portfolio.
    • As of September 30, 2024, liquid assets, which are cash and cash equivalents, were $232.6 million, and the liquid assets to assets ratio was 7.50%. We do not have any borrowings, brokered deposits, or internet-sourced deposits.
    • In the third quarter of 2024, the provision for credit losses totaled $300,000. This included $200,000 for loans and $100,000 for unfunded loan commitments.
    • As of September 30, 2024, nonperforming assets (“NPA(s)”) were $3.1 million, or 0.10% of assets, and the allowance for credit losses (“ACL”) was $21.8 million, or 1.06% of loans HFI.
    • We paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.09 per common share in the third quarter of 2024.
    • The 2024 stock repurchase program authorizes us to purchase up to $5.0 million of our outstanding shares of common stock from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024. In the third quarter of 2024, we entered into a privately negotiated stock repurchase agreement for the repurchase of 60,000 shares at an aggregate cost of $3.0 million. In connection with this repurchase, we reduced the availability under the 2024 repurchase program by $3.0 million. We also repurchased 233 shares at an aggregate cost of $11,000 from the open market. As of September 30, 2024, the 2024 stock repurchase program had $1.2 million remaining.
    • As of September 30, 2024, capital levels were strong with a stockholders’ equity to assets ratio of 10.46%, a leverage ratio of 11.90%, and a total risk-based capital ratio of 18.07%.
    • The book value per share of common stock was $47.51 as of September 30, 2024, compared to $44.58 as of June 30, 2024. This improvement was primarily due to the decrease in the accumulated other comprehensive loss related to securities and net income added to stockholders’ equity, partially offset by stock repurchases.

    Blake Chatelain, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are pleased with the financial results for the third quarter of 2024. We managed continued improvement to the net interest margin FTE, higher earnings, solid asset quality, steady loan activity, and continued strong liquidity and capital.

    “Throughout the majority of the third quarter, until the Federal Reserve reduced the federal funds rate, we continued to reprice assets at a quicker pace than liabilities, which benefited net interest margin FTE and net interest income. Loan demand continued to be steady in the third quarter, despite some companies possibly placing investment decisions on hold due to the pending presidential election. We did, however, close on a significant amount of construction loan commitments, which should fund over the next year.

    “On September 18, 2024, the Federal Reserve reduced the federal funds rate by 50 bps. This marks the conclusion of one of the most aggressive interest rate tightening cycles in many years. The rapid increase in interest rates has been challenging for banks and their customers. A lower interest rate environment should spur loan demand and mortgage loan activity, as well as help moderate accumulated other comprehensive loss in stockholders’ equity related to securities. Overall, the Louisiana economy seems to be faring well, and our customers’ balance sheets and earnings appear solid.

    “Our company is well-positioned for the future, with robust capital and liquidity levels combined with a great team of community bankers. As we gain more clarity regarding future interest rates and the presidential election concludes, we remain committed to providing steady financial results for the company.”

    Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin FTE

    Net interest income and net interest margin FTE increased in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the prior quarter. These increases were due to improved yields on securities and loans outpacing higher deposit rates. After keeping the federal funds rate consistent since the third quarter of 2023, the Federal Open Market Committee (“FOMC”) decreased the federal funds rate by 50 bps in September of 2024.

    Net interest income for the third quarter of 2024 was $22.5 million, which was $670,000, or 3.1%, higher than the second quarter of 2024, due to a $1.2 million increase in interest and dividend income, partially offset by a $550,000 increase in interest expense. The increase in interest and dividend income was due to higher interest income on loans and securities. Loan income increased $1.0 million primarily due to higher rates on new and renewed loans compared to the existing portfolio. The average rate on new and renewed loans was 7.89% for the third quarter of 2024 and 7.98% for the prior quarter. Securities income increased $266,000 due to reinvesting lower yielding securities cash flows into higher yielding securities. The increase in interest expense was primarily due to higher rates on interest-bearing transaction deposits and time deposits.

    The net interest margin FTE increased six bps to 2.98% for the third quarter of 2024, compared to 2.92% for the prior quarter. This increase was due to improved yields on securities and loans, partially offset by higher deposit costs. The yield on securities increased 15 bps due to reinvesting lower yielding securities cash flows into higher yielding securities. The yield on loans increased 11 bps due to higher rates on new and renewed loans compared to the existing portfolio. The cost of deposits increased six bps to 1.81% for the third quarter of 2024, compared to 1.75% for the previous quarter, primarily due to a nine bp increase in the rate on interest-bearing deposits during the third quarter, partially offset by our adjustment to certain transaction deposit rates late in the third quarter.

    Late in the third quarter of 2024, the target range of the federal funds rate was reduced 50 bps to 4.75%-5.00%. At that time, we adjusted rates on transaction and time deposits, and we expect to continue lowering these rates in conjunction with future federal funds rate decreases. The market’s expectation is that the FOMC will continue lowering the target federal funds rate in the fourth quarter of 2024. During the twelve months ending September 30, 2025, we anticipate receiving approximately $134.0 million in securities cash flows with an average yield of 2.86%, and we project approximately $194.2 million of fixed rate loans will mature with an average yield of 5.95%. We expect to redeploy these balances into higher yielding assets. Additionally, during the twelve months ending September 30, 2025, we expect $558.5 million of time deposits to mature with an average rate of 4.47%, which we anticipate repricing into lower cost deposits. As of September 30, 2024, floating rate loans were 14.9% of loans HFI, and floating rate transaction deposits were 7.2% of interest-bearing transaction deposits. Depending on balance sheet activity and the movement in interest rates, we expect the net interest income and net interest margin FTE to improve slightly in the fourth quarter of 2024.

    Provision for Credit Losses

    The provision for credit losses for the third quarter of 2024 totaled $300,000, which included $200,000 for loans and $100,000 for unfunded loan commitments. The provision for credit losses in the second quarter was $300,000 for loans. The provision in the second and third quarters was due to potential economic challenges resulting from the recent inflationary environment, changing monetary policy, and loan growth. In the third quarter of 2024, we had an increase in unfunded loan commitments. We will continue to evaluate future provision needs in relation to current economic situations, loan growth, trends in asset quality, forecasted information, and other conditions influencing loss expectations.

    Noninterest Income

    Noninterest income totaled $5.4 million for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $321,000, or 6.3%, compared to $5.1 million for the previous quarter. The increase was mainly due to a gain on equity securities and increases in service charges on deposit accounts, loan and deposit income, and brokerage income, partially offset by a decrease in Small Business Investment Company (“SBIC”) income.

    Equity securities are an investment in a Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) mutual fund consisting primarily of bonds. The gain or loss on equity securities is a fair value adjustment primarily driven by changes in the interest rate environment. Due to the fluctuations in market rates between quarters, equity securities had a gain of $107,000 in the third quarter of 2024, compared to a loss of $13,000 for the previous quarter.

    Service charges on deposit accounts totaled $1.5 million for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $119,000, or 8.7%, compared to $1.4 million for the previous quarter. This increase was mainly due to a larger number of non-sufficient fund transactions and related fee income in the third quarter of 2024.

    Loan and deposit income totaled $588,000 for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $96,000, or 19.5%, compared to $492,000 for the previous quarter. The third quarter of 2024 benefited from the receipt of a $151,000 nonrecurring loan fee.

    Brokerage income was $987,000 for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $94,000, or 10.5%, compared to $893,000 for the previous quarter. The higher income in the third quarter of 2024 was mainly due to increased investing activity by clients. Assets under management were $1.13 billion as of September 30, 2024.

    SBIC income for the third quarter of 2024 was $301,000, a decrease of $153,000, or 33.7%, compared to $454,000 for the previous quarter. This decrease was primarily due to lower normal income received from these partnerships in the third quarter. We expect SBIC income to be slightly higher in the fourth quarter of 2024 when compared to the third quarter.

    Operating Expenses

    Operating expenses totaled $16.8 million for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $63,000, or 0.4%, compared to $16.7 million for the previous quarter. This increase was mainly due to higher technology expenses and other tax expenses.

    Technology expenses totaled $865,000 for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $141,000, or 19.5%, compared to $724,000 for the previous quarter. This increase was primarily due to continued upgrades to our core banking systems and other software technology enhancements.

    Other taxes totaled $622,000 for the third quarter of 2024, an increase of $122,000, or 24.4%, compared to $500,000 for the previous quarter. The second quarter benefited from the reversal of $145,000 of stock repurchase tax expense due to finalized guidelines.

    Asset Overview

    As of September 30, 2024, assets were $3.10 billion, compared to assets of $3.05 billion as of June 30, 2024, an increase of $53.2 million, or 1.7%. In the third quarter, assets were mainly impacted by a $30.5 million, or 1.1%, increase in deposits. In the third quarter of 2024, liquid assets increased $19.6 million, or 9.2%, to $232.6 million and averaged $224.0 million for the third quarter. As of September 30, 2024, we had sufficient liquid assets available and $1.69 billion accessible from other liquidity sources. The liquid assets to assets ratio was 7.50% as of September 30, 2024. Total securities increased $31.1 million, or 4.7%, to $697.7 million in the third quarter and were 22.5% of assets as of September 30, 2024. During the third quarter, loans HFI increased $8.2 million, or 0.4%, to $2.06 billion. The loans HFI to deposits ratio was 74.84% as of September 30, 2024, compared to 75.38% as of June 30, 2024.

    Securities

    Total securities as of September 30, 2024, were $697.7 million, an increase of $31.1 million, or 4.7%, from June 30, 2024. Securities increased primarily due to $52.9 million in purchases combined with a $14.9 million reduction in net unrealized loss on securities AFS. This was partially offset by maturities and principal repayments.

    The estimated fair value of securities available for sale (“AFS”) totaled $560.6 million, net of $49.5 million of unrealized loss, as of September 30, 2024, compared to $526.9 million, net of $64.4 million of unrealized loss, as of June 30, 2024. As of September 30, 2024, the amortized cost of securities held-to-maturity (“HTM”) totaled $134.1 million compared to $136.8 million as of June 30, 2024. As of September 30, 2024, securities HTM had an unrealized loss of $17.3 million compared to $22.8 million as of June 30, 2024.

    As of September 30, 2024, equity securities, which is an investment in a CRA mutual fund consisting primarily of bonds, totaled $3.0 million compared to $2.9 million as of June 30, 2024.

    Loans

    Loans HFI as of September 30, 2024, were $2.06 billion, slightly higher than $2.05 billion as of June 30, 2024. In the third quarter of 2024, we closed on a high level of loan commitments, which, depending on customer activity, should fund over time. Unfunded loan commitments that originated in the third quarter of 2024 totaled $76.4 million.

    Loans HFI by Category
      September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024   Change from
    June 30, 2024 to
    September 30, 2024
    (dollars in thousands) Amount   Percent   Amount   Percent   $ Change   % Change
    Real estate:                      
    Commercial real estate $ 875,590   42.6%     $ 865,645   42.3%     $ 9,945     1.1%  
    One-to-four family residential   616,467   30.0%       611,904   29.9%       4,563     0.7%  
    Construction and development   141,525   6.9%       129,197   6.3%       12,328     9.5%  
    Commercial and industrial   327,069   15.9%       344,071   16.8%       (17,002)     (4.9%)  
    Tax-exempt   66,436   3.2%       67,941   3.3%       (1,505)     (2.2%)  
    Consumer   28,961   1.4%       29,132   1.4%       (171)     (0.6%)  
    Total loans HFI $ 2,056,048   100.0%     $ 2,047,890   100.0%     $ 8,158     0.4%  

    Commercial real estate (“CRE”) loans are collateralized by owner occupied and non-owner occupied properties mainly in Louisiana. Non-owner occupied office loans were $57.2 million, or 2.8% of loans HFI, as of September 30, 2024, and are primarily centered in low-rise suburban areas. The average CRE loan size was $947,000 as of September 30, 2024.

    Health care loans are our largest industry concentration and are made up of a diversified portfolio of health care providers. As of September 30, 2024, total health care loans were 8.0% of loans HFI. Within the health care sector, loans to nursing and residential care facilities were 4.4% of loans HFI, and loans to physician and dental practices were 3.4% of loans HFI. The average health care loan size was $399,000 as of September 30, 2024.

    Asset Quality and Allowance for Credit Losses

    NPAs totaled $3.1 million as of September 30, 2024, a decrease of $103,000, or 3.2%, from June 30, 2024, primarily due to changes to nonaccrual loans. The ratio of NPAs to assets was 0.10% as of September 30, 2024, and 0.11% as of June 30, 2024.

    As of September 30, 2024, the ACL was $21.8 million. The ratio of ACL to loans HFI was 1.06% as of September 30, 2024 and June 30, 2024. The net charge-offs to average loans ratio was 0.00% for the third quarter of 2024 and 0.01% for the second quarter of 2024.

    Deposits

    As of September 30, 2024, deposits were $2.75 billion, an increase of $30.5 million, or 1.1%, compared to June 30, 2024. Average deposits for the third quarter of 2024 were $2.73 billion, a decrease of $5.6 million, or 0.2%, from the prior quarter. The following tables provide details on our deposit portfolio:

    Deposits by Account Type
      September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024   Change from
    June 30, 2024 to
    September 30, 2024
    (dollars in thousands) Balance   % of Total   Balance   % of Total   $ Change   % Change
    Noninterest-bearing demand deposits $ 882,394   32.1%     $ 892,942   32.9%     $ (10,548)     (1.2%)  
    Interest-bearing deposits:                      
    Interest-bearing demand deposits   163,787   6.0%       135,543   5.0%       28,244     20.8%  
    NOW accounts   379,566   13.8%       377,385   13.9%       2,181     0.6%  
    Money market accounts   551,229   20.0%       547,715   20.1%       3,514     0.6%  
    Savings accounts   166,723   6.1%       170,050   6.3%       (3,327)     (2.0%)  
    Time deposits less than or equal to $250,000   411,361   15.0%       399,981   14.7%       11,380     2.8%  
    Time deposits greater than $250,000   192,065   7.0%       193,030   7.1%       (965)     (0.5%)  
    Total interest-bearing deposits   1,864,731   67.9%       1,823,704   67.1%       41,027     2.2%  
    Total deposits $ 2,747,125   100.0%     $ 2,716,646   100.0%     $ 30,479     1.1%  
    Deposits by Customer Type
      September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024   Change from
    June 30, 2024 to
    September 30, 2024
    (dollars in thousands) Balance   % of Total   Balance   % of Total   $ Change   % Change
    Consumer $ 1,348,281   49.1%     $ 1,351,709   49.8%     $ (3,428)     (0.3%)  
    Commercial   1,191,625   43.4%       1,149,023   42.3%       42,602     3.7%  
    Public   207,219   7.5%       215,914   7.9%       (8,695)     (4.0%)  
    Total deposits $ 2,747,125   100.0%     $ 2,716,646   100.0%     $ 30,479     1.1%  
     

    In the third quarter of 2024, customer deposit balances remained consistent, with normal activity.

    The Bank has a granular, diverse deposit portfolio with customers in a variety of industries throughout Louisiana. As of September 30, 2024, the average deposit account size was approximately $27,000.

    As of September 30, 2024, our estimated uninsured deposits, which are the portion of deposit accounts that exceed the FDIC insurance limit (currently $250,000), were approximately $832.2 million, or 30.3% of total deposits. This amount was estimated based on the same methodologies and assumptions used for regulatory reporting purposes. Also, as of September 30, 2024, our estimated uninsured deposits, excluding collateralized public entity deposits, were approximately $674.8 million, or 24.6% of total deposits. Our cash and cash equivalents of $232.6 million, combined with our available borrowing capacity of $1.69 billion, equaled 231.3% of our estimated uninsured deposits and 285.2% of our estimated uninsured deposits, excluding collateralized public entity deposits.

    Stockholders’ Equity

    Total stockholders’ equity as of September 30, 2024, was $324.3 million compared to $307.0 million as of June 30, 2024. The $17.3 million, or 5.6%, increase in stockholders’ equity during the third quarter of 2024 was attributable to a $12.1 million, net of tax, market adjustment to accumulated other comprehensive loss related to securities, $8.8 million of net income, and $92,000 of stock compensation, partially offset by the repurchase of 60,233 shares of common stock for $3.0 million and $615,000 in cash dividends. We paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.09 per share on September 19, 2024.

    Non-GAAP Disclosure

    Our accounting and reporting policies conform to United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and the prevailing practices in the banking industry. Certain financial measures used by management to evaluate our operating performance are discussed as supplemental non-GAAP performance measures. In accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) rules, we classify a financial measure as being a non-GAAP financial measure if that financial measure excludes or includes amounts, or is subject to adjustments that have the effect of excluding or including amounts, that are included or excluded, as the case may be, in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP as in effect from time to time in the U.S.

    Management and the board of directors review tangible book value per share, tangible common equity to tangible assets, and realized book value per share as part of managing operating performance. However, these non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the most directly comparable or other financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Moreover, the manner in which we calculate the non-GAAP financial measures that are discussed may differ from that of other companies’ reporting measures with similar names. It is important to understand how such other banking organizations calculate and name their financial measures similar to the non-GAAP financial measures discussed by us when comparing such non-GAAP financial measures.

    A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP financial measures is included within the following financial statement tables.

    About Red River Bancshares, Inc.

    Red River Bancshares, Inc. is the bank holding company for Red River Bank, a Louisiana state-chartered bank established in 1999 that provides a fully integrated suite of banking products and services tailored to the needs of commercial and retail customers. Red River Bank operates from a network of 28 banking centers throughout Louisiana and one combined loan and deposit production office in New Orleans, Louisiana. Banking centers are located in the following Louisiana markets: Central, which includes the Alexandria metropolitan statistical area (“MSA”); Northwest, which includes the Shreveport-Bossier City MSA; Capital, which includes the Baton Rouge MSA; Southwest, which includes the Lake Charles MSA; the Northshore, which includes Covington; Acadiana, which includes the Lafayette MSA; and New Orleans.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Statements in this news release regarding our expectations and beliefs about our future financial performance and financial condition, as well as trends in our business and markets, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements often include words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “project,” “outlook,” or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” or “may.” The forward-looking statements in this news release are based on current information and on assumptions that we make about future events and circumstances that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that are often difficult to predict and beyond our control. As a result of those risks and uncertainties, our actual financial results in the future could differ, possibly materially, from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and could cause us to make changes to our future plans. Additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties to which our business and future financial performance are subject is contained in the section titled “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and in other documents that we file with the SEC from time to time. In addition, our actual financial results in the future may differ from those currently expected due to additional risks and uncertainties of which we are not currently aware or which we do not currently view as, but in the future may become, material to our business or operating results. Due to these and other possible uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this news release or to make predictions based solely on historical financial performance. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law. All forward-looking statements, express or implied, included in this news release are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

    Contact:
    Isabel V. Carriere, CPA, CGMA
    Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Assistant Corporate Secretary
    318-561-4023
    icarriere@redriverbank.net

    FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED)
     
        As of and for the
    Three Months Ended    		   As of and for the
    Nine Months Ended
    (dollars in thousands, except per share data)   September 30,
    2024    		   June 30,
    2024    		   September 30,
    2023    		   September 30,
    2024    		   September 30,
    2023
    Net Income   $ 8,754     $ 7,987     $ 8,021     $ 24,929     $ 26,587  
                         
    Per Common Share Data:                    
    Earnings per share, basic   $ 1.28     $ 1.16     $ 1.12     $ 3.60     $ 3.70  
    Earnings per share, diluted   $ 1.27     $ 1.16     $ 1.12     $ 3.59     $ 3.70  
    Book value per share   $ 47.51     $ 44.58     $ 39.43     $ 47.51     $ 39.43  
    Tangible book value per share (1)   $ 47.28     $ 44.35     $ 39.21     $ 47.28     $ 39.21  
    Realized book value per share (1)   $ 54.78     $ 53.54     $ 50.27     $ 54.78     $ 50.27  
    Cash dividends per share   $ 0.09     $ 0.09     $ 0.08     $ 0.27     $ 0.24  
    Shares outstanding     6,826,120       6,886,928       7,150,685       6,826,120       7,150,685  
    Weighted average shares outstanding, basic     6,851,223       6,896,030       7,168,413       6,932,137       7,176,219  
    Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted     6,867,474       6,914,140       7,180,084       6,949,196       7,188,371  
                         
    Summary Performance Ratios:                    
    Return on average assets     1.13%       1.05%       1.05%       1.08%       1.18%  
    Return on average equity     11.11%       10.69%       11.15%       10.86%       12.71%  
    Net interest margin     2.93%       2.87%       2.74%       2.87%       2.91%  
    Net interest margin FTE     2.98%       2.92%       2.78%       2.92%       2.94%  
    Efficiency ratio     60.09%       62.07%       61.70%       60.84%       59.02%  
    Loans HFI to deposits ratio     74.84%       75.38%       70.60%       74.84%       70.60%  
    Noninterest-bearing deposits to deposits ratio     32.12%       32.87%       35.22%       32.12%       35.22%  
    Noninterest income to average assets     0.70%       0.67%       0.73%       0.67%       0.71%  
    Operating expense to average assets     2.17%       2.19%       2.13%       2.14%       2.12%  
                         
    Summary Credit Quality Ratios:                    
    NPAs to assets     0.10%       0.11%       0.07%       0.10%       0.07%  
    Nonperforming loans to loans HFI     0.15%       0.16%       0.10%       0.15%       0.10%  
    ACL to loans HFI     1.06%       1.06%       1.09%       1.06%       1.09%  
    Net charge-offs to average loans     0.00%       0.01%       0.00%       0.02%       0.01%  
                         
    Capital Ratios:                    
    Stockholders’ equity to assets     10.46%       10.07%       9.20%       10.46%       9.20%  
    Tangible common equity to tangible assets(1)     10.41%       10.02%       9.15%       10.41%       9.15%  
    Total risk-based capital to risk-weighted assets     18.07%       18.01%       18.35%       18.07%       18.35%  
    Tier 1 risk-based capital to risk-weighted assets     17.05%       16.99%       17.31%       17.05%       17.31%  
    Common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets     17.05%       16.99%       17.31%       17.05%       17.31%  
    Tier 1 risk-based capital to average assets     11.90%       11.74%       11.56%       11.90%       11.56%  

    (1)  Non-GAAP financial measure. Calculations of this measure and reconciliations to GAAP are included in the schedules accompanying this release.

    RED RIVER BANCSHARES, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)
     
    (in thousands) September 30,
    2024    		   June 30,
    2024    		   March 31,
    2024    		   December 31,
    2023    		   September 30,
    2023
    ASSETS                  
    Cash and due from banks $ 39,664     $ 35,035     $ 19,401     $ 53,062     $ 42,413  
    Interest-bearing deposits in other banks   192,983       178,038       210,404       252,364       279,786  
    Securities available-for-sale, at fair value   560,555       526,890       545,967       570,092       529,046  
    Securities held-to-maturity, at amortized cost   134,145       136,824       139,328       141,236       143,420  
    Equity securities, at fair value   3,028       2,921       2,934       2,965       2,833  
    Nonmarketable equity securities   2,305       2,283       2,261       2,239       2,190  
    Loans held for sale   1,805       3,878       1,653       1,306       2,348  
    Loans held for investment   2,056,048       2,047,890       2,038,072       1,992,858       1,948,606  
    Allowance for credit losses   (21,757)       (21,627)       (21,564)       (21,336)       (21,183)  
    Premises and equipment, net   57,661       57,910       57,539       57,088       56,466  
    Accrued interest receivable   9,465       9,570       9,995       9,945       8,778  
    Bank-owned life insurance   30,164       29,947       29,731       29,529       29,332  
    Intangible assets   1,546       1,546       1,546       1,546       1,546  
    Right-of-use assets   2,853       2,973       3,091       3,629       3,757  
    Other assets   31,285       34,450       32,940       32,287       36,815  
    Total Assets $ 3,101,750     $ 3,048,528     $ 3,073,298     $ 3,128,810     $ 3,066,153  
                       
    LIABILITIES                  
    Noninterest-bearing deposits $ 882,394     $ 892,942     $ 895,439     $ 916,456     $ 972,155  
    Interest-bearing deposits   1,864,731       1,823,704       1,850,452       1,885,432       1,787,738  
    Total Deposits   2,747,125       2,716,646       2,745,891       2,801,888       2,759,893  
    Accrued interest payable   11,751       8,747       8,959       8,000       6,800  
    Lease liabilities   2,982       3,100       3,215       3,767       3,892  
    Accrued expenses and other liabilities   15,574       13,045       15,919       11,304       13,617  
    Total Liabilities   2,777,432       2,741,538       2,773,984       2,824,959       2,784,202  
    COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES   —       —       —       —       —  
    STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY                  
    Preferred stock, no par value   —       —       —       —       —  
    Common stock, no par value   41,402       44,413       45,177       55,136       58,031  
    Additional paid-in capital   2,682       2,590       2,485       2,407       2,327  
    Retained earnings   329,858       321,719       314,352       306,802       299,079  
    Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)   (49,624)       (61,732)       (62,700)       (60,494)       (77,486)  
    Total Stockholders’ Equity   324,318       306,990       299,314       303,851       281,951  
    Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity $ 3,101,750     $ 3,048,528     $ 3,073,298     $ 3,128,810     $ 3,066,153  
    RED RIVER BANCSHARES, INC.
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED)
                         
        For the Three Months Ended   For the Nine
    Months Ended
    (in thousands)   September 30,
    2024    		   June 30,
    2024    		   September 30,
    2023    		   September 30,
    2024    		   September 30,
    2023
    INTEREST AND DIVIDEND INCOME                                    
    Interest and fees on loans   $ 27,909   $ 26,882     $ 23,925     $ 80,684   $ 68,541  
    Interest on securities     4,334     4,068       3,404       12,465     10,635  
    Interest on federal funds sold     —     —       —       —     886  
    Interest on deposits in other banks     2,630     2,709       2,950       8,378     6,359  
    Dividends on stock     28     22       45       73     106  
    Total Interest and Dividend Income     34,901     33,681       30,324       101,600     86,527  
    INTEREST EXPENSE                    
    Interest on deposits     12,444     11,894       9,562       35,993     21,319  
    Interest on other borrowed funds     —     —       37       —     64  
    Total Interest Expense     12,444     11,894       9,599       35,993     21,383  
    Net Interest Income     22,457     21,787       20,725       65,607     65,144  
    Provision for credit losses     300     300       185       900     485  
    Net Interest Income After Provision for Credit Losses     22,157     21,487       20,540       64,707     64,659  
    NONINTEREST INCOME                    
    Service charges on deposit accounts     1,486     1,367       1,489       4,223     4,317  
    Debit card income, net     905     949       830       2,875     2,687  
    Mortgage loan income     732     650       604       1,838     1,524  
    Brokerage income     987     893       1,029       2,867     2,759  
    Loan and deposit income     588     492       571       1,572     1,566  
    Bank-owned life insurance income     217     216       191       635     557  
    Gain (Loss) on equity securities     107     (13)       (113)       63     (145)  
    SBIC income     301     454       920       1,107     2,479  
    Other income (loss)     96     90       60       266     184  
    Total Noninterest Income     5,419     5,098       5,581       15,446     15,928  
    OPERATING EXPENSES                    
    Personnel expenses     9,700     9,603       9,461       28,854     28,008  
    Occupancy and equipment expenses     1,661     1,698       1,663       4,975     4,933  
    Technology expenses     865     724       675       2,298     2,066  
    Advertising     317     408       331       1,061     955  
    Other business development expenses     521     593       522       1,589     1,451  
    Data processing expense     652     651       651       1,650     1,689  
    Other taxes     622     500       664       1,859     2,042  
    Loan and deposit expenses     294     309       238       561     728  
    Legal and professional expenses     653     729       616       2,000     1,714  
    Regulatory assessment expenses     421     401       419       1,226     1,223  
    Other operating expenses     1,046     1,073       990       3,241     3,041  
    Total Operating Expenses     16,752     16,689       16,230       49,314     47,850  
    Income Before Income Tax Expense     10,824     9,896       9,891       30,839     32,737  
    Income tax expense     2,070     1,909       1,870       5,910     6,150  
    Net Income   $ 8,754   $ 7,987     $ 8,021     $ 24,929   $ 26,587  
    RED RIVER BANCSHARES, INC.
    NET INTEREST INCOME AND NET INTEREST MARGIN (UNAUDITED)
     
      For the Three Months Ended
      September 30, 2024   June 30, 2024
    (dollars in thousands) Average Balance Outstanding   Interest
    Income/
    Expense    		   Average
    Yield/
    Rate    		   Average Balance Outstanding   Interest
    Income/
    Expense    		   Average
    Yield/
    Rate
    Assets                      
    Interest-earning assets:                      
    Loans(1,2) $ 2,054,451     $ 27,909   5.32%     $ 2,042,602     $ 26,882   5.21%  
    Securities – taxable   545,171       3,344   2.45%       546,466       3,069   2.25%  
    Securities – tax-exempt   191,285       990   2.07%       193,954       999   2.06%  
    Interest-bearing deposits in other banks   194,229       2,630   5.36%       199,668       2,709   5.43%  
    Nonmarketable equity securities   2,284       28   4.85%       2,262       22   3.96%  
    Total interest-earning assets   2,987,420     $ 34,901   4.59%       2,984,952     $ 33,681   4.48%  
    Allowance for credit losses   (21,702)               (21,653)          
    Noninterest-earning assets   104,599               96,631          
    Total assets $ 3,070,317             $ 3,059,930          
    Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity                      
    Interest-bearing liabilities:                      
    Interest-bearing transaction deposits $ 1,230,487     $ 6,042   1.95%     $ 1,230,474     $ 5,701   1.86%  
    Time deposits   597,286       6,402   4.26%       595,120       6,193   4.19%  
    Total interest-bearing deposits   1,827,773       12,444   2.71%       1,825,594       11,894   2.62%  
    Other borrowings   —       —   —%       1       —   5.78%  
    Total interest-bearing liabilities   1,827,773     $ 12,444   2.71%       1,825,595     $ 11,894   2.62%  
    Noninterest-bearing liabilities:                      
    Noninterest-bearing deposits   901,192               908,930          
    Accrued interest and other liabilities   28,006               24,868          
    Total noninterest-bearing liabilities   929,198               933,798          
    Stockholders’ equity   313,346               300,537          
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 3,070,317             $ 3,059,930          
    Net interest income     $ 22,457           $ 21,787    
    Net interest spread         1.88%             1.86%  
    Net interest margin         2.93%             2.87%  
    Net interest margin FTE(3)         2.98%             2.92%  
    Cost of deposits         1.81%             1.75%  
    Cost of funds         1.66%             1.60%  

    (1)  Includes average outstanding balances of loans held for sale of $3.0 million and $3.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and June 30, 2024, respectively.
    (2)  Nonaccrual loans are included as loans carrying a zero yield.
    (3)  Net interest margin FTE includes an FTE adjustment using a 21.0% federal income tax rate on tax-exempt securities and tax-exempt loans.

    RED RIVER BANCSHARES, INC.
    NET INTEREST INCOME AND NET INTEREST MARGIN (UNAUDITED)
     
      For the Nine Months Ended
      September 30, 2024   September 30, 2023
    (dollars in thousands) Average Balance Outstanding   Interest
    Income/
    Expense    		   Average
    Yield/
    Rate    		   Average Balance Outstanding   Interest
    Income/
    Expense    		   Average
    Yield/
    Rate
    Assets                      
    Interest-earning assets:                      
    Loans(1,2) $ 2,037,435     $ 80,684   5.21%     $ 1,933,226     $ 68,541   4.68%  
    Securities – taxable   553,714       9,461   2.28%       618,345       7,535   1.63%  
    Securities – tax-exempt   194,341       3,004   2.06%       203,748       3,100   2.03%  
    Federal funds sold   —       —   —%       24,861       886   4.70%  
    Interest-bearing deposits in other banks   206,023       8,378   5.40%       167,210       6,359   5.05%  
    Nonmarketable equity securities   2,262       73   4.27%       3,744       106   3.76%  
    Total interest-earning assets   2,993,775     $ 101,600   4.47%       2,951,134     $ 86,527   3.88%  
    Allowance for credit losses   (21,586)               (20,920)          
    Noninterest-earning assets   100,586               88,527          
    Total assets $ 3,072,775             $ 3,018,741          
    Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity                      
    Interest-bearing liabilities:                      
    Interest-bearing transaction deposits $ 1,240,737     $ 17,424   1.88%     $ 1,259,198     $ 12,126   1.29%  
    Time deposits   591,771       18,569   4.19%       441,442       9,193   2.78%  
    Total interest-bearing deposits   1,832,508       35,993   2.62%       1,700,640       21,319   1.68%  
    Other borrowings   —       —   —%       1,539       64   5.49%  
    Total interest-bearing liabilities   1,832,508     $ 35,993   2.62%       1,702,179     $ 21,383   1.68%  
    Noninterest-bearing liabilities:                      
    Noninterest-bearing deposits   907,722               1,016,034          
    Accrued interest and other liabilities   25,983               20,951          
    Total noninterest-bearing liabilities   933,705               1,036,985          
    Stockholders’ equity   306,562               279,577          
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 3,072,775             $ 3,018,741          
    Net interest income     $ 65,607           $ 65,144    
    Net interest spread         1.85%             2.20%  
    Net interest margin         2.87%             2.91%  
    Net interest margin FTE(3)         2.92%             2.94%  
    Cost of deposits         1.75%             1.05%  
    Cost of funds         1.61%             0.97%  

    (1)  Includes average outstanding balances of loans held for sale of $2.7 million and $2.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
    (2)  Nonaccrual loans are included as loans carrying a zero yield.
    (3)  Net interest margin FTE includes an FTE adjustment using a 21.0% federal income tax rate on tax-exempt securities and tax-exempt loans.

    RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (UNAUDITED)
     
    (dollars in thousands, except per share data) September 30,
    2024    		   June 30,
    2024    		   September 30,
    2023
    Tangible common equity          
    Total stockholders’ equity $ 324,318     $ 306,990     $ 281,951  
    Adjustments:          
    Intangible assets   (1,546)       (1,546)       (1,546)  
    Total tangible common equity (non-GAAP) $ 322,772     $ 305,444     $ 280,405  
    Realized common equity          
    Total stockholders’ equity $ 324,318     $ 306,990     $ 281,951  
    Adjustments:          
    Accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss   49,624       61,732       77,486  
    Total realized common equity (non-GAAP) $ 373,942     $ 368,722     $ 359,437  
    Common shares outstanding   6,826,120       6,886,928       7,150,685  
    Book value per share $ 47.51     $ 44.58     $ 39.43  
    Tangible book value per share (non-GAAP) $ 47.28     $ 44.35     $ 39.21  
    Realized book value per share (non-GAAP) $ 54.78     $ 53.54     $ 50.27  
               
    Tangible assets          
    Total assets $ 3,101,750     $ 3,048,528     $ 3,066,153  
    Adjustments:          
    Intangible assets   (1,546)       (1,546)       (1,546)  
    Total tangible assets (non-GAAP) $ 3,100,204     $ 3,046,982     $ 3,064,607  
    Total stockholders’ equity to assets   10.46%       10.07%       9.20%  
    Tangible common equity to tangible assets (non-GAAP)   10.41%       10.02%       9.15%  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: Pakistan condemns Israeli ban on UNRWA operations

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Pakistan strongly condemned the latest Israeli attempt to dismantle the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday evening.

    The ministry said that the latest step is yet another violation of international law and the UN Charter by Israel.

    “Preventing UNRWA from carrying out its vital tasks is a manifestation of Israel’s systematic campaign to deny the much-needed humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people,” added the ministry.

    According to the ministry, Pakistan urged the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council, to hold Israel accountable and to protect UNRWA’s work under UN General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV) of 1949.

    The statement emphasized that Israel’s actions represent a calculated effort to deny essential aid to the Palestinian population, especially those in Gaza.

    In light of the humanitarian crisis, Pakistan also reiterated its call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and for uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to relieve the suffering of people.

    Earlier on Monday, the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, passed a law prohibiting the UNRWA from operating in Israel.

    Israel’s state-owned Kan TV News reported that the new law, which received support from 92 out of 120 parliament members, passed despite opposition from the United States and several European countries.

    The law stipulates that the UNRWA will not operate any representation, provide services, or conduct any activities, directly or indirectly, within Israeli territory. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Postal voting begins for Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Postal voting for Sri Lanka’s upcoming parliamentary election on Nov. 14 began Wednesday across polling centers nationwide.

    The Election Commission announced that postal voting would be held at designated government institutions, including police stations, district secretariats and district election offices.

    The Election Commission added that postal voting would continue on Nov. 1 and Nov. 4.

    Sri Lanka only allows postal voting for government employees. According to Election Commission Chairman Ratnayake, the commission received 759,210 applications for postal voting, with 20,551 applications rejected. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Tatyana Golikova: More than 30 thousand primary healthcare facilities will be modernized in 2025–2030

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Tatyana Golikova at the plenary session “From N.A. Semashko to the present day”

    October 30, 2024

    Tatyana Golikova at the plenary session “From N.A. Semashko to the present day”

    October 30, 2024

    Tatyana Golikova at the plenary session “From N.A. Semashko to the present day”

    October 30, 2024

    Tatyana Golikova at the plenary session “From N.A. Semashko to the present day”

    October 30, 2024

    Tatyana Golikova at the plenary session “From N.A. Semashko to the present day”

    October 30, 2024

    Russian President Vladimir Putin opened the plenary session of the 3rd National Congress with International Participation “National Healthcare”

    October 30, 2024

    At the end of the plenary session, the winners of the All-Russian competition of young leaders – healthcare organizers were awarded

    October 30, 2024

    Previous news Next news

    Tatyana Golikova at the plenary session “From N.A. Semashko to the present day”

    The central event of the third national congress with international participation “National Healthcare” took place in the Great Hall of the State Kremlin Palace – the plenary session “From N.A. Semashko to the Present Day”, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding scientist and physician.

    The plenary session of the third national congress with international participation “National Healthcare” was opened by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

    The moderator of the plenary session was Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova. The event was attended by Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov, Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova, Governor of the Orenburg Region Denis Pasler, and TV presenter of the Russia 24 TV channel Alexandra Suvorova.

    The plenary session included a discussion of key areas of development and achievements of the Russian healthcare system through the prism of the merits of the outstanding Soviet healthcare organizer N.A. Semashko: development of human health; accessibility of medical care regardless of place of residence; unity of prevention and treatment; public involvement in the implementation of state policy in the field of healthcare; ensuring sanitary well-being; healthcare management from a scientific point of view; provision of affordable healthy food for everyone and modern affordable medical products.

    “The peculiarity of this congress was its dedication to one of the significant organizers, the first People’s Commissar of Health Nikolai Aleksandrovich Semashko, who laid the foundations of the world’s first state health care system and formed a hierarchical state centralized model with a district principle of providing primary health care, which was subsequently implemented in many countries of the world – Great Britain, Norway, France, Sweden, Denmark, Italy and others. We carried the main principles of Semashko’s system through the years and laid them at the foundation of our Russian health care system,” emphasized Tatyana Golikova.

    The state character of the Russian healthcare system, its free nature and accessibility for citizens, has been preserved.

    “Every year, the state’s expenses on paying for medical care alone increase and by the end of 2023 amounted to 4 trillion rubles. Over the past five years, compared to 2018, expenses on paying for medical care have increased by 1.5 trillion rubles. And by the end of 2024, such expenses are preliminarily estimated at 4.5 trillion rubles,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

    Currently, medical care is provided by 7 thousand state and municipal medical organizations, including more than 300 federal ones.

    The federal law “On the Fundamentals of Health Protection of Citizens in the Russian Federation” establishes an approach to the formation of human health from birth and throughout the entire period of his life.

    The entire population of our country is attached to medical organizations. And at least 118 million people use their capabilities annually, including almost 31 million children. Medical organizations annually perform more than 1 billion cases of medical care.

    As Tatyana Golikova noted, in order to implement the main principle of Soviet medicine – disease prevention and prophylaxis – since 2024, the volume of medical care provided in outpatient settings has been increased, and dispensary observation at the workplace has been introduced. “But so far only 36 regions of our country have taken advantage of this opportunity. I ask all regions to more actively implement this approach to dispensary observation,” the Deputy Prime Minister said. She emphasized that the principle of accessibility of medical care at the place of residence, work or study is the main one in Russian legislation.

    Accessibility of medical care and its provision itself are impossible without medical personnel. “Until 2023, we noted a decrease in the number of doctors. Therefore, a whole range of measures was implemented at the federal level, which allowed us, by the end of 2023, for the first time in the last five years, to stop this decline and increase the number of doctors by 7.5 thousand people without taking into account new regions,” Tatyana Golikova emphasized.

    Developing and continuing the foundations laid by Nikolai Aleksandrovich Semashko, the primary health care system is being actively modernized, which in 1978 was recognized by the World Health Organization as the best in the world, which was recorded in a specially adopted declaration. Therefore, the federal project for the modernization of the primary health care system is the most resource-intensive project of the new national project “Long and Active Life”.

    “Over the past three years, we have already modernized over 18,000 healthcare facilities, which affected over 24 million of our citizens. By the end of 2025, within the framework of current regional programs, we will modernize almost 2,000 more facilities. The plans for 2025-2030 include over 30,000 more facilities, where over 80 million residents of the country receive medical care, including those living in rural areas, urban-type settlements and small towns,” noted Tatyana Golikova.

    The priority of prevention in health protection has been established by law, the unity of prevention and treatment has been regulated. Almost 5 thousand medical prevention departments and health centers have been opened in its development. 35.5 million people have applied to these departments for training in the principles of a healthy lifestyle. Another 9 million people have been trained in so-called schools.

    The population is provided with medical examinations and preventive check-ups.

    Since 2024, as part of the Year of the Family, a medical examination to assess reproductive health has been introduced for the first time. Over 3 million men and women of reproductive age have already been examined. In 11% of cases, diseases that negatively affect reproductive function were detected. Additional examination and treatment of such patients is being carried out.

    “We have preserved and strengthened the state system of ensuring sanitary well-being and social hygiene, the foundations of which were laid by Nikolai Aleksandrovich. We have launched a new federal project, “Sanitary Shield of the Country”. We have formed a single centralized system for responding to possible infectious threats. As a result, we have ensured a multiple reduction in infectious diseases. Last year alone, such a reduction was 30%. More than 17 million cases of infectious pathology were prevented,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.

    Since 2019, a separate project aimed at promoting healthy eating has been implemented within the framework of the national project “Demography”. The project’s activities have already covered more than 40 million people.

    Research for the development of medical science is conducted by over 400 scientific, medical and educational organizations. These organizations perform almost 5.5 thousand studies for medicine. 120 billion rubles have been allocated from various sources for these purposes.

    “We have created conditions for the development of the medical and pharmaceutical industries. In 2023 alone, Russian medical products worth over 1 trillion rubles were produced,” said Tatyana Golikova.

    The participants of the discussion presented information in the format of “was – became – will be” on each thematic area of the session: since the time of N.A. Semashko, achievements of the present time and what will be implemented in the future, in focus on the advantages of the Soviet and Russian health care system and the replication of the Soviet experience of building a health care system in other countries.

    The final plenary session included an award ceremony for the winners of the All-Russian Competition of Young Leaders – Healthcare Organizers. The competition was held by the Central Research Institute of Healthcare and Informatics with the support of the Ministry of Healthcare. The award ceremony was held by Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova and Minister of Healthcare Mikhail Murashko.

    The plenary session ended with an opera ball featuring artists from the Helikon Opera musical theatre.

    The third national congress with international participation “National Healthcare” was held with the support of the Russian Government. The event was organized by the Ministry of Healthcare and the Roscongress Foundation. The organizational partner of the event was the Central Research Institute for Healthcare Organization and Informatization of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Time to freak out? How the existential terror of hurricanes can fuel climate change denial

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jamie Goldenberg, Professor of Psychology and Area Director, Cognitive, Neuroscience and Social Psychology, University of South Florida

    Hurricane Milton flooded parts of the Tampa Bay region just days after Hurricane Helene made landfall nearby. Bryan R. Smithy/AFP via Getty Images

    As TVs across Florida broadcast the all-too-familiar images of a powerful hurricane headed for the coast in early October 2024, people whose homes had been damaged less than two weeks earlier by Hurricane Helene watched anxiously. Hurricane Milton was rapidly intensifying into a dangerous storm, fueled by the Gulf of Mexico’s record-breaking temperatures.

    Many residents scrambled to evacuate, clogging roads away from the region. Officials urged those near the coast who ignored evacuation warnings to scrawl their names on their arms with indelible ink so their corpses could be identified.

    The two hurricanes were among the most destructive in recent memory. They are also stark reminders of the increasingly extreme weather events that scientists have long warned would be the consequence of human-driven climate change.

    Still, many people deny that climate change is a worsening threat, or that it exists at all. As its impacts grow more visible and destructive, how is this possible?

    Views of Hurricane Milton’s damage across Florida.

    One answer lies in a unique facet of human psychology – specifically, in how people manage the fear aroused by existential threats. For many people, denying the existence of a climate crisis is not only convenient, but may feel psychologically necessary.

    Terror management theory

    The Pulitzer Prize-winning anthropologist Ernest Becker put it this way: “The idea of death, the fear of it, haunts the human animal like nothing else … to overcome it by denying it in some way is the final destiny for man.”

    In plain terms, he was saying that most people struggle to accept their mortality and take pains to distort their perception of reality to avoid confronting it.

    In the 1980s, social psychologists developed “terror management theory,” showing the lengths people go to deny death. Hundreds of experiments have tested its implications. In a common method, participants reflect on their own death, while control groups consider less threatening topics, like dental pain. The key question: What does death awareness do to people?

    After writing about death, people tend to quickly move on, pushing thoughts of it from consciousness with distractions, rationalizations and other tactics. Health care professionals see this every day. For example, people often dodge screenings and diagnostic tests to avoid the frightening possibility of discovering cancer.

    Skidmore College psychologist Sheldon Solomon discusses Ernest Becker’s ‘The Denial of Death’ and terror management theory in the context of humanity’s history of brutal behavior.

    But here’s the rub: Terror management theory suggests that when people are not thinking about death, it nevertheless holds influence. The unconscious mind lingers on the problem even after people have used strategies to quiet the fear by pushing it from awareness.

    Social psychology experiments show that people often cope with the specter of death by attaching themselves to cultural ideologies, such as religious, political or even sports fandom. These worldviews imbue life with meaning, values and purpose. And that can ease the terror of mortality by connecting people to an enduring and comforting web of ideas and beliefs that transcend one’s own existence.

    When people are made aware of death, those systems of meaning become even more critical to their psychological functioning. Existential threats make us cling even tighter to the meaning systems that sustain us.

    Climate denial as a defense mechanism

    Much like a terror management lab experiment – or the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic – natural disasters like hurricanes Helene and Milton trigger death anxiety.

    Rising sea levels, warming oceans and intensifying storms – all tied to global warming fueled by human actions – represent an existential threat.

    From our perspective, it is not surprising that climate-related disasters disappear from the public consciousness almost as soon as they have passed. Google Trends data exemplifies this: Incoming storms instigated an uptick in searches for “climate change” and “global warming” in the days before Hurricane Helene made landfall on Sept. 25, 2024, and Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9, 2024. Then those searches quickly declined as people shifted their focus away from the threat.

    Unfortunately, climate change isn’t going away, no matter how hard anyone tries to deny it.

    While climate denial allows people to protect themselves from feelings of distress, terror management theory suggests that denying death is just the tip of the iceberg. For some people, accepting the reality of climate change would necessitate reevaluating their ideologies.

    Terror management theory predicts that individuals whose ideologies conflict with environmental concerns may ironically double down on those beliefs to psychologically manage the existential threat posed by climate-related disasters. It’s similar to how mortality reminders can lead people to engage in risky behavior, such as smoking or tanning. Hurricanes may reinforce denial and commitment to a worldview that rejects climate change.

    A path forward: Building new worldviews

    Although denial may be a natural psychological response to existential threats, the U.S. may be getting to a point where even deniers can’t ignore the existential threat associated with climate change.

    Again and again, Americans are gobsmacked by the devastation – from hurricanes to severe flooding, wildfires and more.

    A terror management analysis suggests that overcoming this crisis requires weaving a solutions-focused narrative into the ideologies that people rely on for comfort. As psychologists who work on terror management, we believe the fight against climate change should be framed not as an apocalyptic battle that humanity is destined to lose, but as a moral and practical challenge that humanity can collectively overcome.

    Tampa, Florida, meteorologist Denis Phillips had the right idea as the two hurricanes headed for his community: His fact-based social media updates eschew partisan critique, encourage neighbors to support one another and emphasize preparedness and resilience in the face of incoming storms.

    As Milton approached, Phillips told residents to remember his Rule #7: Don’t freak out. That doesn’t mean do nothing – it means evaluate risks without letting emotion interfere, and take action.

    Shifting the narrative from helplessness to collective empowerment and action can help people confront climate change without triggering the existential anxieties that lead to denial – offering a vision for a future that is both secure and personally meaningful.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Time to freak out? How the existential terror of hurricanes can fuel climate change denial – https://theconversation.com/time-to-freak-out-how-the-existential-terror-of-hurricanes-can-fuel-climate-change-denial-242390

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Banks Lose – someone gains: Households’ unequal exposure to financial distress

    Source: European Central Bank (video statements)

    ECB Research Bulletin by Caterina Mendicino, Lukas Nord and Marcel Peruffo

    Read more: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/research-publications/resbull/2024/html/ecb.rb241030~0d7d61fdc8.en.html

    The Research Bulletin features a selection of recent work on policy-relevant topics by ECB economists. Published on a monthly basis, the articles in the Research Bulletin are intended for a general audience.

    The views expressed in each article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the European Central Bank and the Eurosystem.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krkgbvswRJU

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Assistant Secretary of the Navy Emphasizes National Call to Maritime Service and Education During Visit to California

    Source: United States Navy

    Each institution is essential to promoting the National Call to Maritime Service by building the Department of the Navy’s civilian maritime workforce and enhancing the Navy’s warfighting capability by equipping service members through education opportunities.

    “Our Navy is committed to building a diverse warfighting team of not only Sailors and Marines, but also talented civilians to bolster warfighting capabilities across the Department of the Navy that operates around the globe,” said Parker. “This begins by seeking motivated students who take interest in maritime service, in or out of uniform.”

    Mr. Parker began the trip by visiting Cal State Maritime Academy and highlighting the opportunity for maritime service at a pivotal point in their education. The school offers a unique pathway to maritime service and underscores the importance of U.S. Maritime Heritage, Military Sealift Command and Military to Mariner transition.

    The visit comes at a fundamental time as the Department of the Navy seeks to encourage civilian commitment to the maritime service. The Navy aims to educate Americans on the careers available to them across a broad range of industries and government agencies that directly support the United States global standing as a maritime nation.

    Mr. Parker also visited the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) highlighting the school’s recent successes and progress implementing the Secretary of the Navy’s Naval Education Strategy, such as the efforts modernizing education programs, and enhancing partnerships. One example of the Department taking action to implement the Secretary of the Navy’s guidance is the Department’s Naval Innovation Center at NPS, which is a collaborative academic facility, applied research, and innovation capability that will bring industry, academia, and the Department together to develop technological talent throughout the total Naval Force and accelerate the creation of relevant defense solutions at speed and scale. The Naval Innovation Center at NPS will provide a venue for NPS

    students and faculty to further hone innovative research and an intellectual edge that will permeate the fleet.

    The trip culminated with a visit to the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University. In a partnership with the Office of Naval Research, the center features a network of national security professionals, all dedicated to mentoring and nurturing the future generation of leaders.

    Education is a critical warfighter enabler and the Department of the Navy is committed to providing a range of learning opportunities for service members and the Department’s civilian workforce across the fleet.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s message to the 2024 Global Education Meeting

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    As you gather for the 2024 Global Education Meeting, you confront a critical global challenge.

    Education is the key to unlocking opportunities, equality, prosperity and peace.

    But for millions of people around the world, that door remains shut tight.

    Seventy per cent of 10-year-olds are unable to understand a basic text, while 250 million children and young people are out of school altogether. This is worsened by a huge financing gap of $97 billion annually for education in low and middle income countries.  

    We don’t have a moment to lose. At the Transforming Education Summit in 2022, governments committed to ending the learning crisis, and boosting investment in quality education systems that can reach every learner, throughout their lives.

    Your meeting is an opportunity to measure how governments are — and are not — living up to this commitment.

    In particular, I welcome your focus on closing the financing gap for education through more effective resource mobilization and innovative financing initiatives. I call on governments to arrive at next year’s Conference on Financing for Development and the World Social Summit with concrete solutions that can deliver the education systems all people need and deserve. 

    Through the recently adopted Pact for the Future, governments committed to investing in accessible, safe, inclusive and equitable quality education for all.

    The United Nations is proud to stand with you in this essential global effort.

    ***
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s big-data center system for new materials to be completed by 2035

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

    BEIJING, Oct. 30 — China released a plan on Wednesday for the establishment of a big-data center system for new materials, with a projected date of 2035 for completion and steady operation.

    The country aims to build a system consisting of one major platform and multiple data-resource nodes by 2027, according to the plan jointly released by three government authorities including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

    The new-material big-data center is a new type of research and development infrastructure to promote the innovation and development of the new-materials industry.

    The plan details tasks for constructing the center, which include establishing the data circulation application system and optimizing the application ecology of new-material big-data technology.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Civil servants get the chance to learn more about Parliament

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Government Skills announces programme of events to mark Parliament Week.

    Daniel Wood, Parliamentary Capability lead

    First Parliamentary Counsel Jessica de Mounteney will kick off a programme of events open to all civil servants to mark Parliament Week later this month.

    The programme has been devised by Government Skills’ Parliamentary Capability Team and is designed to promote the work that takes place in Parliament and its relevance to civil servants’ day-to-day roles.

    At the inaugural event, Jessica will discuss her work leading the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, a group of government lawyers specialising in drafting legislation and working with departments to turn policy ideas into clear and readable laws.

    Other events include archivist Dr Mari Takayanagi from the UK Parliament’s Archives telling the untold history of women in Parliament, and the leader of the House of Commons, Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP, and the Leader of the House of Lords, Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Basildon discussing their roles in government and Parliament, and the importance of Parliament to civil servants.

    Join us on Wednesday 20 November between 9.30am and 11.00am, as we are joined by

    “Whatever your role, your work as a civil servant is directly affected by what goes on in Parliament,” said Parliamentary Capability lead, Daniel Wood (pictured).

    “That’s why we run a raft of parliamentary courses to help civil servants get the knowledge and insight they need about different aspects of Parliament to do their jobs.

    “The programme we’ve put together for Parliament Week will have something for everyone who wants to join with us, get involved and mark this special event.”

    Parliament Week gets underway on Monday, 18 November, and anyone with a gov.uk email address can book events here.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Witchcraft and a Haunted Case of Torture in Joost de Damhouder’s Praxis Rerum Criminalium (1555)

    Source: US Global Legal Monitor

    One of the perplexing aspects of the surge in witch trials that took place in Europe between the 15th and the 18th centuries is the question of how much the personal experiences of that era’s legal personnel influenced the practice of criminal justice throughout the period. In a previous post on this blog, we saw that the political philosopher and witchcraft theorist Jean Bodin cited the existence of a (mostly) invisible guiding spirit that helped to steel his resolve against demonic foes. In this post, we will take a look at Joost de Damhouder, the author of an important 16th century handbook on criminal law, who described an anomalous experience involving an amulet that shaped his views on the use of torture, a story that seems actually to have taken place.

    In the first half of the 16th century, the legal field underwent a process of professionalization throughout much of Western Europe. This was driven in part by the expansion of the use of the printing press, which gave legal practitioners access to a much wider body of legal texts and information than was possible before the age of printing. That change also triggered new demand for small-format general practice guides that could put immediate and practical knowledge in the hands of the lawyers, magistrates and lower officials that managed the daily business of the law in Renaissance Europe.

    Within a couple decades, the market for subject-specific practice books and treatises began to expand as well. On the subject of criminal procedure, two important examples of this literature appeared in Venice, Italy to solid commercial success, Practica causarum criminalis of Hippolytus de Marsiliis [Venice, 1529] and Practica Nova Causarum Criminalium of Lodovico Carerio (Venice, 1546). These were joined by others in short order. For example, Joost de Damhouder (1507-1581), a lawyer from Bruges who had worked in criminal law and who was a member of the fiscal council of the Netherlands in Brussels (which is now in Belgium), seized the opportunity to capitalize on this trend. He published in 1554 a work that captured the current state of criminal practice law in his home region of Flanders. (Dauchy et. al., ch. , 3sect. 26.) That work was Praxis rerum criminalium (Criminal Matters Practice).

    Damhouder’s book contains images of various categories of crime, one of which, depicted here in this full-page woodcut illustration from Damhouder’s 1554 Enchiridion rerum criminalium, is the crime of parricide. Photo by Nathan Dorn.

    Damhouder first published Praxis rerum criminalium under the title Enchiridion rerum criminalium (Guidebook of Criminal Matters) in Leuven in 1554 and changed the title in subsequent editions. It went on to be printed many times and became over a handful of years perhaps the most influential short handbook on the subject of criminal law in Europe. (Dauchy et al., ch. 3, sect. 26.) In some respects, this was because of the qualities of the text, which presented succinct and clear statements on a number of areas within the subject of criminal law, including rules governing accusation, investigation of crime, torture, incarceration, and various categories of criminal activity. Some of these categories are very familiar: theft, fraud, assault and battery, murder, rape, arson, and more. Others sound antiquated: throwing waste out of a window, adultery, banditry, and grave robbery, for instance. (Dauchy et al., ch. 3, sect. 26.) Some belong to a world that is distinctly alien to most of the audience of this post: blasphemy, sacrilege, treason against God, and witchcraft. Categories along these lines sufficed, apparently, to make the book widely useful.

    A large measure of its success, however, must also be due to the 57 wood engravings that Damhouder commissioned for the book’s publication. Unlike many books of that format and price point, Praxis rerum ciminialium was more-or-less festooned with images. These depicted crimes, tribunals, and penalties suffered by the convicted. Illustrations of this or any quality were more typically found in books that sold at luxury prices. This title, however, was both offered in a less expensive format and illustrated with fascinating images of the world of crime and punishment. (Dauchy et. al., ch. 3, sect. 26.)

    This image from Damhouder’s 1554 Enchiridion rerum criminalium depicts the crime of harming passersby through carelessly hurling waste out of the windows of city houses. Photo by Nathan Dorn.

    An interesting point about Damhouder’s book is that it is, almost in its entirety, a Latin translation of a pre-existing manuscript that was written by another author. The original that stands behind Praxis rerum criminalium, was a Flemish work by Philips Wielant (1441 or 1442-1520), a magistrate who served on the Council of Flanders. That book was called Corte instructie in materie criminele. (Dauchy et al., ch. 3, sect. 26.) Wielant prepared a first version of the text in 1510 and a second, augmented version, in 1515. A French version dating to 1519 also exists. (Monballyu, p. 293.) Wielant, who was a couple generations older than Damhouder, never had the book printed, and it did not appear in print until an edition of Wielant’s works was made from existing manuscripts in 1872. That publication led to the discovery that Damhouder’s book cannibalized Wielant’s text. (Dauchy et al., ch. 3, sect. 26.)

    The originality of Damhouder’s work has to do first with its publication in the Latin language, which made it far more accessible to the overall European community than the Dutch original, and secondly with the images that he added, which had something like the same effect. But we do see a flash of independence in another area, in a place in which Damhouder deviates from Wielant’s text. That is regarding the crime of witchcraft. (Monballyu, p. 299 and following.)

    Damhouder places witchcraft in the category of lèse-majesté divine, treason against God. This image from Damhouder’s 1554 Enchiridion rerum criminalium depicts blasphemous acts. Photo by Nathan Dorn.

    Where Damhouder provides a bit of original material is in his chapters on torture. (Monballyu, p. 293.) Of interest to him is that people who practice magic sometimes use magical means to avoid suffering the pain of torture. And if the torture victim suffers no pain from the ordeal, then she will not be compelled to answer the investigator’s questions. This renders the magistrates helpless to produce a confession. If this is allowed to take place, many accused will escape punishment. To avoid this, Damhouder makes a particular plea that investigators should never neglect to shave the entire body of a person accused of witchcraft. The purpose of this surprising measure is simple: one must expose to sight any place on the body of the accused where she might hide a talisman or a charm, since magical objects were often used to nullify the pain that the investigators were trying to inflict. Damhouder is especially insistent that shame and embarrassment should not prevent investigators from shaving the accused entirely. (Monballyu, p. 293.) In the French version of the book, Pratique judiciaire des causes criminelles, published in Anvers in 1564, Damhouder relates an experience he claims to have had that convinced him of the need for this precaution. The story appears in chapter 37 of the 1564 work, from paragraph 19 onward (ff. 38v.-41r.).

    This image from Damhouder’s 1554 Enchiridion rerum criminalium depicts a tribunal attempting to extract a confession from the accused by torture. Photo by Nathan Dorn.

    The story he tells took place when Damhouder resided in Bruges, a period between 1537 and 1550, during which time he was a city alderman. There was an old woman living in town who was said to be able to effect miraculous cures for people who had injuries or illnesses. In general, she was highly regarded by the public, which valued her healing skills and tended to think of her as a quite devout, even saintly, Christian, “an apostle of Christ,” in Damhouder’s telling. This reputation did not impress certain aldermen of Bruges who sought to have her investigated on grounds she might be using illicit magic to work her cures. In consequence of this, she was apprehended in the middle of the night and incarcerated with a view to questioning her. The interrogation was, at first, entirely useless, despite the investigators’ use of torture. The old woman insisted throughout that she was doing nothing at all out of line and that she was a devout Christian. In a strange episode, the mayor of Bruges, who was present, gasped several times on account of suffering a severe case of arthritis. When the woman commented on it, he offered her payment to cure him. She agreed, and when one of the men present asked what means she would use, she assured the mayor that he needed to do nothing but believe that she could heal him. These were fateful words. Upon hearing them, the men who were present warned the mayor that her answer revealed that she was not relying on God, but on some other power to effect her cures and that he should have nothing to do with it. Apostles of Christ, they said, always mention God’s name.

    What followed was a series of fruitless interrogations assisted by torture. In the third session, Damhouder tells us, she mocked her captors and even fell asleep during the questioning. At length, it was noticed that while her hair was shaved in preparation for the fourth round of questioning, that the interrogators had neglected to shave all of her body hair before continuing. When they finally did so, they discovered, hidden on her person, a small parchment on which was written strange writing and the symbol of the cross. Once it was removed from her body, she was returned to be tortured again. During that session, she confessed to relying on the aid of the devil to perform her cures. In view of her age and gender, the authorities agreed to subject her to a brief public humiliation and then to banish her from the city rather than to execute her. In time, she was arrested again, this time by magistrates in Middlebourg, a town in

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/JAPAN – Archbishop Kikuchi: “Abolition of nuclear weapons for a lasting peace”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Wednesday, 30 October 2024

    Tokyo (Agenzia Fides) – The government of Japan, whatever it may be, “should be the first to approve the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”, says the Archbishop of Tokyo, Isao Kikuchi (SVD), recently appointed Cardinal by Pope Francis, while his country is going through a period of political uncertainty.In the elections held in Japan on Sunday 27 October, the coalition that had previously ruled, made up of the Liberal Democratic Party and the small Buddhist Komeito Party, lost its majority in Parliament, which it had held continuously since 2012. According to analysts, a period of uncertainty is now beginning for Japanese politics, normally characterized by great stability. The Archbishop points out some points that, in his opinion, should guide the policy of the Japanese government, regardless of which party or politician is in power now or in the future: “We hope that the Japanese government will continue the discussion on how to build trust among nations to abolish nuclear weapons, drawing inspiration from the recent award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Nihon Hidankyo organization, which brings together the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and advocates for a world free of nuclear weapons. “As a Catholic Church, we actively call for the abolition of nuclear weapons, especially during the annual Ten Days of Prayer for Peace in August. The Ten Days of Prayer begin with the commemoration of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, August 5, and continue until August 15, the commemoration of the end of the war in the Pacific in 1945,” stresses the Archbishop.This prayer goes hand in hand with a commitment to peace. The Archbishop of Tokyo notes: “Pope John Paul II made a historic visit to Hiroshima in 1981, which sent a strong message of peace. The Japanese bishops were encouraged by this message from the Pope and therefore launched the Ten Days of Prayer for Peace”. Pope Francis’ visit in 2019 confirmed and renewed this approach: the Pope called for “never again war, never again the noise of weapons, never again so much suffering” and reiterated during his trip to Hiroshima and Nagasaki: “The use of nuclear energy for war purposes is immoral, just as the possession of nuclear weapons is immoral”. “Today”, continued the Archbishop of Tokyo, “the Diocese of Hiroshima and the Diocese of Nagasaki, and with them the entire Catholic community of Japan, call together for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the establishment of peace, also involving the Bishops of the United States in a step of great symbolic value”. He concludes: “The Church in Japan will continue to work with all men and women of good will who seek peace, to call on world leaders to abolish nuclear weapons and thus create lasting peace.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 30/10/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/TANZANIA – On the eve of the local elections and before the parliamentary elections, the future of the country remains uncertain

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Wednesday, 30 October 2024

    Dar es Salaam (Agenzia Fides) – “They will not silence us, Tanzania belongs to all of us and we will fight for our right to be heard,” said opposition politician John Mnyika, referring to the current government led by Samia Suluhu Hassan, the country’s first female head of government.Tanzania is at a dangerous crossroads on the eve of the 2025 parliamentary elections. The electoral campaign is marked by political unrest. According to local press reports, last year’s political violence raised fears that the country could fall back into authoritarianism. Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took over the presidency after the death of John Magufuli (2015 March 2021) and once presented herself as a reformer, is now facing accusations of using the same repressive methods as her predecessor.With her appointment, the country had begun to raise hopes of a rebirth. Suluhu had, among other things, promised a new era of democratic reforms and in the meantime lifted the ban on political demonstrations and allowed the media to reopen, demonstrating her commitment to freedom of expression. For a brief moment, it seemed as if Tanzania was emerging from the shadow of autocracy. Opposition parties, long suppressed under Magufuli, were allowed to hold demonstrations again. Political debate resumed, and for the first time in years, the country seemed to be moving toward genuine democracy. But now, as local elections in November 2024 approach, those hopes are beginning to fade. Promises of government reforms have given way to a resurgence of authoritarian tactics. The optimism that had accompanied Samias Suluhu’s rise to power has gradually been replaced by fear and uncertainty. Political violence is on the rise, opposition leaders have been silenced, and dissent is once again brutally repressed.For many Tanzanians, the future looks bleak, local media report. The escalation of political violence has created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. And as the nation awaits the upcoming elections, one thing is clear: the stakes have never been higher. For opposition leaders like John Mnyika and Tundu Lissu, the fight for democracy has never been more dangerous. But despite the risks, they remain determined. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 30/10/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/PHILIPPINES – Protection of indigenous peoples: the work of the Catholic Church in the face of exploitation and expropriation

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Manila (Agenzia Fides) – In October, the month dedicated to the protection of indigenous peoples in the Philippines, the Catholic Church organized various events, meetings and local celebrations aimed at calling institutions to address the problems faced by these peoples in continuing their lives on their ancestral lands, a life threatened above all by mining exploitation.The Philippines has emerged on the international scene as a major supplier of raw materials for the global energy transition, with reserves of minerals such as nickel, a key material for electric car batteries. However, this boom and the mining concessions granted by the government in Manila to multinational companies are leading to displacement and habitat destruction among indigenous peoples, who are being deprived of their ancestral lands and their livelihoods. According to the 2023 State of Indigenous Peoples Address report published by the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Centre (LRC), land and environmental conflicts have increased by 6% in one year, with more than 70,000 additional hectares of land affected. Resource conflicts, especially those related to mining, “have a direct impact on the lives of indigenous peoples themselves. Their lives are truly at stake,” the LRC notes, explaining that between 2022 and 2023, over 45,000 indigenous people were victims of land theft in areas such as the islands of Palawan or Mindoro. Another example concerns the mountainous Cordillera region (north of Luzon island), where the Philippine government has approved 99 hydroelectric projects that are part of a broader plan to develop renewable energy sources. The projects have divided rural communities into those who believe that the dams will bring jobs and money and those who fear damage to water sources and cultural sites.The Philippines is estimated to be home to between 14 and 17 million indigenous people belonging to 110 ethnic-linguistic groups. In the various regions where they are located – such as the Cordillera (in Luzon, in the North), the Visayas (in the center of the archipelago), the Bagsamoro region (in Mindanao, in the South) – these peoples are subject to social discrimination, economic marginalization and political deprivation, phenomena that are exacerbated by mining, which deprives them of their land rights. Over the last hundred years, the Philippine government has increasingly taken away land from indigenous peoples precisely because it is rich in natural resources. The country has begun to promote the dignity and rights of these peoples, thanks in part to the educational work carried out by the Catholic Church and missionaries. Under the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA), passed in 1997, indigenous peoples have ownership rights to their ancestral lands if they receive a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title. The holder of this certificate has the power to approve or reject projects that affect the land, such as in the mining sector. However, obtaining the certificate involves a lengthy bureaucratic process that requires legal representation, and is a process that many indigenous groups have not even begun. In 2003, the government declared October as “Indigenous Peoples’ Month,” establishing a Day of Recognition for Indigenous Peoples, set for October 29, to renew the commitment to ensure fair treatment of these peoples. The Catholic Church in the Philippines, through the Episcopal Commission for Indigenous Peoples, Diocesan Groups and Religious Institutes, has undertaken to “listen to our indigenous brothers and sisters who are members of the family of God, to respond to their aspirations as members of our society” and to protect their lives. An example of this commitment is the award of the National Prize named after Saint Theresa of Calcutta to Sister Minerva Caampued for her work in favor of the indigenous peoples in the province of Cagayan, after thirty years of tireless work for the indigenous Agta community in the areas of environmental protection, health care, nutrition and educational programs. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 30/10/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Global: Nationalism is not patriotism: 3 insights from Orwell about Trump and the 2024 election

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Mark Satta, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Law, Wayne State University

    Donald Trump hugs an American flag as he arrives at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 24, 2024, in Baltimore. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    Shortly after Donald Trump was inaugurated as president of the United States in January 2017, George Orwell’s 1949 novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four” shot to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list. Apparently, lots of people thought Orwell had something relevant to say in that political moment.

    Nearly eight years later, the United States once again faces the prospect of a Trump presidency.

    In 2016, many Americans were caught off guard by Trump’s win, leading them to grapple with the potential consequences of a Trump presidency only after he was elected. But this time, more people seem to be thinking about the ramifications of such an outcome in advance.

    In my work as a professor of philosophy and law, I’ve spent a lot of time studying Orwell’s writing. I think people were correct eight years ago to conclude that Orwell could provide insight into a Trump presidency.

    Here are three such insights that I think are useful for Americans to keep in mind as they prepare to vote for their next president.

    Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they try to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
    Brent Stirton/Getty Images

    Nationalism is not patriotism

    In his 1945 essay “Notes on Nationalism,” Orwell distinguishes between the terms nationalism and patriotism.

    For Orwell, nationalism was “the habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or other unit, placing it beyond good and evil and recognizing no other duty than that of advancing its interests.”

    He was quick to point out that this was distinct from the concept of patriotism, which he defined as “devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force on other people.”

    To understand Orwell’s conception of patriotism, I find it useful to consider an analogy. Many parents think that their kids are the best kids in the world. This doesn’t mean that they think there are objective metrics that could be used to rank children. Most parents recognize that there is no such thing, and they don’t go around saying other children aren’t as good as theirs. Yet there is still a real sense in which they see their own kids as the very best.

    There is something similar in the attitude of Orwell’s patriot. They may think that their country or their way of life is the best, but – and this may be the most important part – they have no wish to force their views or way of life on others.

    Not so with the nationalist. Orwell claims, “Patriotism is of its nature defensive, both militarily and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power.” The nationalist is like a parent who goes around tearing other people’s kids down in order to lift theirs up.

    Mere love of country is not inherently dangerous. Making advancement of one’s nation or culture one’s top priority is extremely dangerous. Patriotism sticks to the former. Nationalism goes in for the latter.

    Orwell insightfully recognizes that when the nationalist makes advancement of their way of life their top priority, they inevitably end up placing that goal “beyond good and evil.” This makes the nationalist susceptible to endorsing unethical means for advancing their own way of life.

    A prime example of such a nationalist mentality was Trump’s response to losing the 2020 presidential election. He sought to subvert the election results by lying and by encouraging insurrection.

    Similarly, Trump’s supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 were embracing a nationalist mentality. They engaged in an unethical means of trying to advance their own political agenda.

    Donald Trump does exactly what Orwell predicts the nationalist will do. He conceptualizes everything, as Orwell put it, “in terms of competitive prestige” and “his thoughts always turn on victories, defeats, triumphs and humiliations.”

    Fixation on competitive prestige is not patriotic. It’s unadulterated nationalism.

    An autocrat is easy to underestimate

    In a 1942 essay written during the middle of World War II and reflecting on his experiences as a volunteer soldier in the Spanish Civil War, Orwell wrote that “our traditions and our past security have given us a sentimental belief that it all comes right in the end and the thing you most fear never really happens,” and that “we believe half-instinctively that evil always defeats itself in the long run.”

    Orwell was worried by these optimistic instincts because he thought they ran counter to the evidence. The evidence, on the contrary, suggested that things typically don’t turn out right on their own. Rather, social improvements normally require concerted effort and vigilance against backsliding.

    In another essay from the same year, Orwell criticized various intellectuals who treated Hitler as “a figure out of comic opera, not worth taking seriously.” And he criticized many English-speaking countries for being places where it was “fashionable to believe, right up to the outbreak of war, that Hitler was an unimportant lunatic and the German tanks made of cardboard.”

    As numerous commentators and news outlets have noted, Trump routinely speaks like an autocrat.

    Yet many Americans excuse such talk, failing to treat it as the evidence of a threat to democracy that it is. This seems to me to be driven in part by the tendency Orwell identified to think that truly bad things won’t happen – at least not in one’s own country.

    Orwell thought it was worth taking the possibility of bad outcomes seriously. This is one way to understand what he was up to in his most famous books, “Animal Farm” and “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” Americans would benefit from taking potential threats to U.S. democracy seriously, too.

    George Orwell, whose writings from the middle of the 20th century have relevance in 2024.
    Ullstein Bild/Getty Images

    Nationalism can attack within

    You can read “Nineteen Eighty-Four” as Orwell’s attempt to think about what a ruling political party completely captured by nationalism might look like.

    In “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” orthodox party members in the fictional nation of Oceania are obsessed with “competitive prestige” and “the desire for power.” Activities such as the Two Minutes Hate, where party members were encouraged to scream and jeer at a video of a political opponent, prompt party members to focus their thoughts on “victories, defeats, triumphs and humiliations.”

    A notable feature of the party is how often it turns on its own members through kidnapping, torture and murder. The occurrence was so frequent in Oceania that it had a name: being “vaporized.” Nationalists are a threat not only to those outside the nation but also to those inside the nation who don’t fully support the nationalist’s pursuit of power at any cost.

    From this perspective, Trump’s threats against those whom he views as “the enemy from within” reveal his own nationalistic desire to turn on Americans who threaten his pursuit of power.

    Orwell’s writing suggests that voters should take such threats seriously.

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

    – ref. Nationalism is not patriotism: 3 insights from Orwell about Trump and the 2024 election – https://theconversation.com/nationalism-is-not-patriotism-3-insights-from-orwell-about-trump-and-the-2024-election-241883

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: People with blindness and low vision are squeezed by high costs of living − new research

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Zachary Morris, Associate Professor of Social Welfare, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York)

    A young blind man prepares to board a Denver RTD light rail train in 2019. Robert Alexander/GettyImages

    Colin Wong, a blind Ph.D. student, can’t forget having to pay US$100 for an Uber when he needed to take a standardized test. There was no testing center in San Francisco, where he lived, that could accommodate his disability.

    That kind of expensive hassle isn’t unusual. It costs nearly $7,000 more per year to live in the U.S. with his disability, according to research I, a social work scholar, conducted with four experts at the American Foundation for the Blind – a nonprofit dedicated to promoting equality and inclusion for people with blindness or low vision.

    For our research, we looked at survey data from a representative sample of Americans, focusing on how people with visual impairments answered. We considered anyone who said they live with a vision disability – or said that they have a lot of trouble seeing or can’t see at all, even with glasses – as a person with low vision or blindness.

    We calculated that people with blindness or low vision spend, on average, 27% of their household income on expenses related to their disability – about $7,000 per year.

    Low-income Americans with disabilities are shouldering an even bigger burden. The people who took this survey and were earning less than $25,000 per year said they spent about 40% of their income on costs related to their disability, on average, compared with 16% for those with higher incomes.

    That leaves them with less money for other essentials such as food and housing. About 1 in 4 of the people we surveyed said they spent less on food to cover their expenses associated with their disability.

    And about 2 in 3 of the people we surveyed said they frequently go without goods and services they need, including medical care, assistive technologies and transportation to get to school or go to work.

    Why it matters

    Cost-of-living issues rank at the top of all Americans’ concerns, according to a recent Gallup survey. And people with disabilities, including those with physical or mental health conditions, tend to have more trouble making ends meet than the average person.

    That includes the roughly 7 million Americans with blindness or vision loss who are among the more than 1 in 4 people in this country with a disability.

    One reason for the higher costs of living is that people with disabilities tend to incur many other extra expenses, such as spending more on transportation, prepared foods and grocery delivery services. Others struggle to afford the prescription and over-the-counter drugs and supplements they need.

    Politicians and policymakers appear to be paying more attention to this problem, which my research team calls the “disability squeeze.” Vice President Kamala Harris, for example, announced in October 2024 a proposal to expand Medicare to cover the long-term care needs for older adults and people with disabilities.

    Denise Chamberlin and her guide dog, Ridley, emerge from a Toronto subway station.
    AP Photo/Business Wire

    What still isn’t known

    Our survey included 288 people with blindness or low vision. Studies with larger numbers of participants could greatly expand upon what’s known about this problem and what can be done about it.

    Expanding accessible public transit, making assistive technologies more affordable and increasing disability benefits might be enough for some people with disabilities to have an opportunity to thrive, but not for others.

    Future research could shed a brighter light on the cracks in the U.S. health and social welfare systems. For example, researchers could look into why people with health insurance from Medicaid or Medicare told us they had more unmet needs rather than fewer than those with coverage through private insurers. Other studies could examine how the disability squeeze affects the health and employment of people with disabilities over the long term.

    The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

    Zachary Morris’ research presented here is funded from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents of this survey do not necessarily represent the policy of the federal government or any government agency.

    – ref. People with blindness and low vision are squeezed by high costs of living − new research – https://theconversation.com/people-with-blindness-and-low-vision-are-squeezed-by-high-costs-of-living-new-research-241752

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What the presidential candidates have done − and where they stand − on education

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Robert Shand, Assistant Professor of Education, American University

    Donald Trump and Kamala Harris present dueling platforms for U.S. education. Getty Images

    When it comes to education policy, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris not only have mostly distinct visions but also distinct track records.

    Harris is calling for a wider role for the federal government and larger investment to improve educational opportunities. Trump is focused on reducing the federal role in education and relying upon states, localities and parents to make educational decisions and investments.

    At the same time, there are some commonalities, including the growing importance of career and technical education. What follows is a review of what the two candidates have done in the world of education while in office.

    On higher education

    The candidates share a concern about the high cost of higher education. But they have different visions for how to address those costs. As California’s attorney general, Harris secured a US$1.1 billion judgment against Corinthian Colleges for false advertising. The judgment provides refunds for students who were misled by claims about job placement rates, program offerings and military affiliations.

    Whereas Harris has pursued for-profit colleges for fraud, Trump has focused on promoting innovation by reducing regulation and expanding alternatives to traditional higher education. This includes making it easier for online, faith-based and for-profit institutions to be accredited.

    As part of the Biden administration, Harris has pursued student loan debt forgiveness. She has also strongly signaled her support for expanding access to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. This follows her having co-sponsored legislation for debt-free college as a United States senator.

    The administration has faced challenges to the constitutionality of the loan forgiveness initiative on the grounds that the president does not have the authority under present law to unilaterally cancel debt. Opponents have also said any debt forgiveness would have to be authorized by Congress. Critics say further that loan forgiveness does not address the root causes of rising costs of higher education. Loan forgiveness could cause further price increases if institutions thought that students would care less about the cost of college in anticipation of having their debt forgiven.

    Trump created two entities to advise the federal government on workforce development and training needs: a council of federal officials and an advisory board of business leaders.

    In 2019, Trump signed a bipartisan bill to make permanent $250 million in annual federal funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs, that was previously subject to annual renewal.

    Harris has called for reducing degree requirements for federal jobs. She also promoted job training programs as an alternative to incarceration in her Back on Track initiative as attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017.

    As attorney general and then a U.S. senator from California, she called for greater oversight of advertising by for-profit colleges and debt forgiveness for former students of for-profit colleges. She also supported expanding federal aid to public and nonprofit colleges, including free community colleges and large grants to HBCUs.

    On K-12 education

    The 2024 Trump campaign platform calls for sweeping changes to K-12 education policy. This includes universal school choice and more parental control over schools, which would entail allowing parents across the country to use educational funds to pay for private school through vouchers or tax credits if they chose. It also features a drastically reduced federal role in education. In fact, Trump wants to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. Many of these plans, such as direct election of school principals by parents, are unlikely to come to fruition due to the fact that schools in the United States are mainly under state and local control.

    Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Trump expanded college savings 529 plans to allow parents to save up to $10,000 per year tax-free for K-12 private school tuition.

    While president, Trump made several other proposals that could foreshadow his future plans. These proposals include creating a $5 billion federal tax credit for private school tuition, cutting the budget for the U.S. Department of Education in annual budget requests and turning the Title I allocation for supplemental services for students in poverty, such as smaller classes or tutoring, into a block grant to states.

    The Biden administration has sought to expand federal funding for full-service community schools.
    Full-service community schools are public schools that receive additional funding and staffing to help address the academic needs of students as well as factors outside of school, such as access to health care and healthy food, that affect learning.

    The Biden administration also expanded Title IX gender discrimination protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

    As a candidate for the presidential nomination in 2019, Vice President Harris also called for federal funding to provide teachers with an average of a $13,500 raise, though she has not made a similar call in this campaign.

    As California attorney general, Harris made reducing chronic absenteeism a signature issue when she led the In School and On Track anti-truancy initiative. This initiative included additional funding to districts and schools to use data to better understand and monitor absenteeism and to communicate with parents about the importance of school attendance.

    The data and communication-focused approach was an evolution from her initial approach as San Francisco district attorney, which placed more emphasis on prosecuting parents for truancy.

    On early childhood learning

    Neither Trump nor Harris has a significant record of tangible actions when it comes to early childhood education. Project 2025, which Trump has disavowed but was written by close allies of the former president, calls for eliminating Head Start, a federally funded, locally run, early childhood learning program to support low-income families.

    Although Trump made several similar proposals to cut funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant by about 5%, they were not passed into law by Congress.

    Harris has made calls for free, universal prekindergarten for all 4-year-olds, but the Biden administration was not able to get its early childhood proposals through Congress.

    More recent studies of some universal pre-K programs have raised questions about how long the academic gains from early childhood programs persist. On net, however, the evidence from the highest-quality studies for high-quality early childhood programs in general, and the Head Start program in particular, suggests that they improve cognitive skills among children.

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

    – ref. What the presidential candidates have done − and where they stand − on education – https://theconversation.com/what-the-presidential-candidates-have-done-and-where-they-stand-on-education-239555

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Scholar’s new rap album seeks to turn the tables on the ‘masters’ from the Old South

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By A.D. Carson, Associate Professor of Hip-Hop, University of Virginia

    Could the path to the Ph.D. run through the recording studio? Ratchapon Supprasert via iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Usually when a rap artist comes out with a new album, it’s released by a record label as part of their career as an entertainer. For Dr. A.D. Carson, a professor of hip-hop at the University of Virginia, his latest album – “Owning My Masters (Mastered): The Rhetorics of Rhymes & Revolutions” – represents a capstone in his academic career.

    Published and released in October 2024 by University of Michigan Press, the album and digital archive features two volumes of hip-hop music, an annotated timeline, several videos and a digital book. The album – originally submitted to Clemson University in South Carolina as Carson’s doctoral dissertation – has been mastered. In the following interview with The Conversation U.S., Carson explains the significance of the project and what it means for hip-hop in the world of academe.

    ‘Owning My Masters’ seems like a deep play on words. Is it?

    Yes. The Latin word “magister” was used to describe a master or teacher in ancient Rome. I earned a master’s degree before enrolling in my doctoral program, so I own that. People probably know that the final step in the process of composing an album is called mastering. In that process, a master version of the recording is created. This is what gets duplicated and released on streaming services, vinyl or whatever way you receive music.

    It’s not always guaranteed that an artist owns the rights to those recordings, but I own all of my music.

    Also, the album was written in South Carolina at Clemson University, which is located on a former plantation owned by the slaveholding U.S. politician John C. Calhoun. Buildings there are named for people who had owned, enslaved and trafficked people; fought in the Civil War to preserve the right to traffic people; and lynched Black people. Earning a terminal degree from a place with that kind of reprehensible history seemed like a way to figuratively own those so-called slave masters and so-called masters and teachers.

    Who is your audience for this album?

    I’m always thinking about multiple audiences. For lovers of hip-hop, the album demonstrates the power and promise I feel listening to albums that have influenced me. For academics, I believe it is the future of research. Academic credentials have been used by folks to perpetuate the idea that expertise looks and sounds a certain way, and this project infiltrates that system to disprove that idea.

    If you’re interested in learning about hip-hop, academia and how arguments are made, the album can be instructive, challenging, entertaining and educational.

    The album had to pass through a doctoral dissertation defense committee and then academic peer review. But before then, I posted drafts on SoundCloud to get feedback from regular folks who use that site to listen to new music.

    What kind of themes does the album address?

    My Ph.D. is in rhetorics, communication and information designs, so it’s also about rap rhetorics – including emphasis on the local and how hip-hop can preserve information like histories and counter-histories.

    Since I had moved to Clemson, and was feeling anxiety about leaving home in Illinois, I wrote “Dissertation (Part 1: The Introduction)” early on in the process. And because I lived in that South Carolina college town, “See the Stripes” is a song about Clemson’s history and its present. The song and its video moved through Clemson’s communities, but then, as protests were happening on campuses across the world, it found national and global audiences with whom the subject matter resonates. When students were finally able to get Calhoun’s name removed from the honors college in 2020, they acknowledged their work was continuing efforts since “See the Stripes.”

    More generally, the album is about form and content. With its form, it demonstrates knowledge production using hip-hop creative and compositional practice. The contents interrogate ideas of home, history, historical imagination, citizenship, political contradictions, race and humanness.

    The album is presented in chronological order from the time I arrived on campus in 2013 until I finished my coursework and submitted the 34-song project to my dissertation committee.

    Owning My Masters (Mastered) Vol. One by A.D. Carson

    Owning My Masters (Mastered) Vol. Two by A.D. Carson

    How would you measure its success?

    I would say earning a Ph.D., earning tenure and having the album count as my academic work qualify as success. Those are things that sound kind of selfish, but I think are incredibly significant for hip-hop and for the ways we think about expertise and success in the culture.

    To me, success is being able to make a living creating challenging and thought-provoking music that doesn’t have to abide by traditional notions of success like sales charts or commercial music awards. I also measure success by the inquiries and applications of students who want to do similar kinds of critical thinking and making. When those people are able to launch and sustain careers, that’s a measure of success in my eyes as well.

    Why haven’t we seen more albums in academia?

    Change in academia comes at a glacial pace, it seems.

    Audiences associate expertise, especially regarding subjects that are considered academic, with how people have demonstrated their understanding of the matters in writing, like traditional theses, dissertations, books and essays. I believe this is connected to the histories in the U.S. that link credibility with formal education and literacy. This is difficult to separate from the history of Black folks being legally prohibited from learning to read.

    While music has long been one of the ways information is recorded and passed from one generation to the next, in my experience, music itself is still not taken as seriously as a form of scholarship as writing books or essays about music.

    These previously excluded forms of scholarship can change the ways people regard academia. In my mind, music sits alongside other scholarly forms that emphasize academic prose. I believe universities should make space and resources available for students to explore it the same way. More generally, I think citing more albums as scholarship – the same way journal articles and academic monographs are cited – would also be transformative.

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

    – ref. Scholar’s new rap album seeks to turn the tables on the ‘masters’ from the Old South – https://theconversation.com/scholars-new-rap-album-seeks-to-turn-the-tables-on-the-masters-from-the-old-south-241895

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The ‘Courage Tour’ is attempting to get Christians to vote for Trump − and focused on defeating ‘demons’

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Michael E. Heyes, Associate Professor and Chair of Religion, Lycoming College

    Evangelist Lance Wallnau addresses people at the ‘Courage Tour’ rally. Michael E. Heyes, CC BY

    As a scholar of religion, I attended the “Courage Tour,” a series of religious-political rallies, when it made a stop in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, from Sept. 27-28, 2024.

    From what I observed, the various speakers on the tour used conservative talking points – such as the threat of communism and LGBTQ+ “ideologies” taking over education – and gave them a demonic twist. They told people that diabolical forces had overtaken America, and they needed to expel them by ensuring Donald Trump was elected.

    The tour is attempting to get those Christians to vote for Trump. The tour has moved through several battleground states such as Arizona, Michigan and Georgia, drawing several thousand people at every site.

    The tour is not only focused on defeating Democrats but also on defeating demons. The idea that demons exert a hold over the material world is a key feature of the New Apostolic Reformation, or NAR, worldview. The NAR is a loose group of like-minded charismatic Christian churches and religious leaders – sometimes termed “prophets” – who want to see Christians dominate all walks of life.

    As someone who recently finished a book on the intersection of demons and politics, “Demons in the USA: From the Anti-Spiritualists to QAnon,” I was eager to see this combination for myself. I believe it would be a mistake to think that the New Apostolic Reformation is a fringe group with no real influence.

    The influence and reach

    The group has an associated nonprofit organization known as Ziklag – named for a town in the Hebrew Bible that is an important site associated with David’s kingship – with deep pockets for the movement’s goals. A ProPublica investigation found that the group had already spent US$12 million “to mobilize Republican-leaning voters and purge more than a million people from the rolls in key swing states, aiming to tilt the 2024 election in favor of former President Donald Trump.”

    The Southern Poverty Law Center calls the New Apostolic Reformation “the greatest threat to U.S. democracy that you have never heard of.”

    The diffuse nature of NAR membership and its rapid growth make it difficult to gauge followers: Estimates have placed the number of NAR adherents between 3 million and 33 million, but individuals who may not label themselves as part of the NAR might nevertheless agree with the group’s theology.

    Moreover, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance’s presence at the meeting I attended is also a tacit and significant endorsement for this group.

    The ‘Seven Mountain Mandate’

    According to NAR’s theology, there are “seven mountains” that govern areas of worldly influence, and Christians are destined to occupy all of them. These mountains are religion, government, family, education, media, entertainment and business.

    Known as the “Seven Mountain Mandate,” this “prophecy” first rose to prominence in 2013 with the publication of “Invading Babylon: The 7 Mountain Mandate,” written by Bill Johnson, lead pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California, and member of the NAR, and Lance Wallnau, NAR prophet and one of the founders of the Courage Tour. In the book, the Seven Mountain Mandate is trumpeted as a message received directly from God.

    The NAR perceives the majority of these mountains as currently occupied by diabolical spiritual forces. To counter these forces, the NAR engages in “spiritual warfare,” which are acts of Christian prayer that are used to defeat or drive out demons.

    As religion scholar Sean McCloud writes, these prayers can be taken from “handbooks, workshops and hands-on participation in deliverance sessions.” Deliverance sessions involve diagnosing and expelling demons from an individual.

    Alternatively, it is not uncommon for pastors to incorporate spiritual warfare into church services. For example, in a much-reported sermon, Paula White-Cain, the former spiritual adviser to Trump, commanded all “satanic pregnancies to miscarry.” In the sermon’s context, satanic pregnancies were not literal pregnancies. Instead, White-Cain was praying for the failure of satanic plots “conceived” by the devil.

    In NAR theology, all Christians are embattled by demons, and spiritual warfare is a necessary part of life. As scholar of religion André Gagné writes, the NAR sees spiritual warfare as happening on three “levels.”

    The ground level occurs in a case of individual exorcism or deliverance, a kind of “one-on-one” battle with demons. The second level is the occult level, in which believers seek to counter what they believe to be demonic movements such as shamanism and New Age thought. Finally, there is the strategic level in which the movement does battle with powerful spirits whom they believe control geographic areas at the behest of Satan.

    Friday night on the Courage Tour.

    The Courage Tour

    The Courage Tour is part of a strategic-level act of spiritual warfare: Stumping for Trump is really about exerting Christian influence over the “government mountain” that followers of the NAR believe to be occupied by the devil.

    According to the speakers on the tour, America is in trouble: It is currently being run by “the Left,” or Democrats, a group that is slowly pushing the U.S. toward communism, a system of government in which private property ceases to exist and the means of production are communally owned.

    It claims that the Left wants to see this shift occur because it is populated by “cultural Marxists.” This is part of a far-right conspiracy theory that suggests all progressive political movements are indebted to the ideas of Karl Marx, whose Communist Manifesto is most closely associated with communism.

    In more extreme forms of communism, nation-states disappear – an idea reflected in speakers’ frequent criticism of “globalism,” which was generally defined as a single, worldwide governmental structure. The group rejects globalism on the grounds that God instituted nation-states as a divinely ordained form of government.

    Wallnau described globalism as a sign of the beast and the end of days, and claimed that “the intent of that Marxist element in our country is to collapse our borders.”

    Promotional sign on the Courage Tour for My Faith Votes, an organization that encourages voters to vote biblically.
    Michael E. Heyes, CC BY

    Demonizing queerness

    The speakers further claimed that this demonic Marxism was perverting the educational system in the United States. For example, numerous speakers criticized schools for supposedly indoctrinating or “evangelizing” children with “LGBTQ ideologies.”

    Wallnau even suggested that the “trans movement” began “in the days of Noah” when the fallen angels of Genesis 6 married human women and had hybrid children. This echoes a discussion Wallnau and Rick Renner had on the “Lance Wallnau Show,” linking such “ideologies” to fallen angels and the Apocalypse.

    This negative view of nontraditional gender and sexual orientations is a long-lived feature of the group. John Weaver, a scholar of religion, notes in his book “The New Apostolic Reformation” that the group’s ideas are indebted to conservative theologian Rousas John Rushdoony, who supported the death penalty for homosexuals.

    Likewise, religion scholar Damon T. Berry writes that members of the movement believe that “demonic spirits” are “acting to subvert the will of God through aspects of culture like the toleration of homosexuality, abortion, addiction, poverty and political correctness.”

    Wallnau encouraged the audience on the Courage Tour to “fight for your families because I don’t want to leave behind a demonic train wreck for my children.”

    As hard as it is to believe, one of the most important questions of the election might well be – how many Americans believe in demons?

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

    – ref. The ‘Courage Tour’ is attempting to get Christians to vote for Trump − and focused on defeating ‘demons’ – https://theconversation.com/the-courage-tour-is-attempting-to-get-christians-to-vote-for-trump-and-focused-on-defeating-demons-241335

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why vote for Harris or Trump? A cheat sheet on the candidates’ records, why their supporters like them and why picking one or the other makes sense

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Amy Lieberman, Politics + Society Editor, The Conversation

    Voters cast their ballots in Dearborn, Mich., on Oct. 29, 2024. Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

    If you are still undecided and mulling your pick for president, there are clear differences between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris that are important to understand.

    The Conversation has published stories from more than a dozen scholars looking at the records of the two candidates.

    We had an anthropologist provide our readers with a window into why both Trump and Harris supporters favor their presidential pick.

    And we have also looked at why, even if you don’t like either candidate, it still doesn’t make sense to sit out the election.

    Here is a roundup of stories to help you evaluate the candidates:

    Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz campaign in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Oct. 28, 2024.
    Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

    Harris’ and Trump’s records

    It’s no surprise that Harris and Trump have contrasting records on policy issues like LGBTQ+ rights and gun violence. The differences don’t stop there.

    While Harris has consistently supported protecting and expanding abortion rights, Trump took actions while president that made it harder for people to get an abortion, explains legal scholar Rachel Rebouché.

    And while Harris has consistently opposed the death penalty, Trump has supported it, explains political science scholar Austin Sarat.

    In other cases, their differences are not as clear-cut. Both candidates have supported restricting immigration to the U.S., writes immigration scholar William McCorkle. And both of them tried to lower drug prices, writes pharmacy practice scholar C. Michael White.

    Here are some stories to explain the candidates’ records on other issues: education, space policy, the Ukraine war, artificial intelligence, science research funding, clean energy, drug prices, health care, oil and gas production, foreign policy and labor.

    Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance appear at a 9/11 memorial event in New York City on Sept. 11, 2024.
    Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    Why people like Trump and Harris

    Alex Hinton, an anthropologist who researches both the far right and political polarization in the U.S., helped answer why, after all of the controversies and alleged wrongdoing, people still support Trump.

    “Many people have thoughtful reasons for voting for Trump, even if their reasoning – as is also true for those on the left – is often inflamed by populist polarizers and media platforms,” Hinton writes.

    There are a few central factors that keep Trump’s supporters loyal. These include the fact that some people recall – whether accurately or not – having more money when Trump was president, and that the economy seemed better. They are upset about immigration. And some supporters like his outlandish persona.

    And then there’s the other side to understand: Why people are voting for Harris. Hinton explained that many people deeply dislike and distrust Trump, as well as the extreme direction they think he can take the country.

    “In contrast, they contend that Harris combines steady leadership with a message of change, calm, honesty and hope for a better future,” he writes.

    Harris’ support of abortion rights and health care, as well as her commitment to international alliances and bipartisan governing, are other reasons people want her as their president.

    “Some voters also support Harris because they see her as a candidate of change,” Hinton writes. After Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee, “voters across a range of demographics were immediately galvanized by her relative youth, biracial identity, articulateness and positive message of change and possibility, as opposed to fear.”

    A woman drops off her ballot in Norwalk, Calif., on Oct. 28, 2024.
    Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

    Why it still makes sense to vote

    It’s possible that none of this information resonates with undecided voters and that they are considering backing a third-party candidate instead, or not voting at all.

    But the logic that an individual vote won’t matter anyway is not accurate, according to behavioral economics scholar Daniel F. Stone.

    Every single vote matters, especially in an election like this one that is incredibly close in all of the important swing states, Stone says. This matters if the difference between Harris and Trump is just 5,000 votes in a state like Pennsylvania, for example.

    “So, if the 10,000 unhappy voters do vote for one of the two major-party candidates, they can swing the election,” Stone writes.

    Even if someone boycotts an election and doesn’t support either of the two viable candidates, “One of them is going to win whether you like it or not,” Stone writes.

    .

    – ref. Why vote for Harris or Trump? A cheat sheet on the candidates’ records, why their supporters like them and why picking one or the other makes sense – https://theconversation.com/why-vote-for-harris-or-trump-a-cheat-sheet-on-the-candidates-records-why-their-supporters-like-them-and-why-picking-one-or-the-other-makes-sense-242437

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Union Mobilizes Across Wisconsin to Drive Voter Turnout, Safeguard Democracy

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    The IAM continues to ramp up efforts across Wisconsin in collaboration with the state AFL-CIO and other affiliates to mobilize union households ahead of the upcoming elections. The initiative focuses on encouraging voters to support candidates who prioritize infrastructure development, good jobs, and the protection of union rights, ultimately aiming to build a stronger economy for all.

    IAM members from across the state, including Milwaukee, La Crosse, and Green Bay have actively engaged in grassroots efforts, canvassing neighborhoods and making phone calls to amplify the voice of union voters. Through these direct outreach efforts, the union is committed to informing and energizing the community around pro-labor candidates who align with their values and goals.

    “As Election Day approaches, the IAM remains dedicated to ensuring that union voices are heard loud and clear: Every vote matters,” said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Sam Cicinelli. “It’s about more than just this election; it’s about shaping a future where working families can thrive.” 

    https://x.com/MachinistsUnion/status/1846967457128333531

    The IAM District 66 office in La Crosse is serving as a key organizing hub, where members gather to strategize and prepare for conversations with union voters. 

    https://x.com/MachinistsUnion/status/1849925211401093358

    “We believe it’s crucial for our members and their families to understand the importance of their vote,” said IAM Midwest Territory Grand Lodge Representative Brian Simmons. “Supporting candidates who back working families and union rights is vital for safeguarding our democracy and advancing our collective interests.”

     

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