Category: Politics

MIL-OSI USA: As Trump Racks Up Corrupt Deals, Kaine & Colleagues File Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to Block $3.5 Billion in Arms Sales to Qatar and the UAE

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Brian Schatz (D-HI), all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) filed four joint resolutions of disapproval (JRD) to block a $1.9 billion arms sale to Qatar and three arms sales—totaling $1.6 billion—to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as President Donald Trump racks up corrupt deals with those countries. The Senate is required to vote on JRDs.
The introductions come after Qatar offered to gift President Trump a $400 million luxury Boeing 747 jumbo jet; an investment firm backed by the Emiratis announced that it would use a stablecoin issued by a crypto company directly backed by the Trump family to facilitate a $2 billion investment in the Binance cryptocurrency exchange; and after the Trump Organization signed a $5.5 billion golf course and real estate deal with Dar Global and Qatari Diar, a firm established by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.
“Everywhere I go in Virginia, I hear about how worried folks are about price hikes because of President Trump’s tariffs and the massive cuts he’s trying to implement on basic government services, including Medicaid. Meanwhile, he’s hatching secret plans with corrupt foreign governments to enrich himself with crypto deals, golf courses, and a luxury plane?” said Kaine. “I’m glad to be working with my colleagues to force votes on legislation challenging arms sales to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to make it clear that bribing an American president is one of the fastest ways to poison your relationship with the United States. Countries around the world should take notice.”
The JRDs would block the following sales:
A $1.9 billion arm sale to Qatar, which would include:
Eight MQ-9B Armed Drones and associated equipment, including 200 JDAM tail kits, 300 500-lb bombs, and 110 Hellfire II missiles.

Three separate arms sales totaling $1.6 billion to the UAE, which would include the sales of:
Six CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopters and associated equipment, valued at $1.32 billion;
F-16 aircraft components, accessories, and defense services, valued at $130 million;
Spare and repair parts to support the UAE’s fleet of AH-64 Apache, UH-60 Black Hawk, and CH-47 Chinook aircraft, and other logistics and program support, valued at $150 million.

Full text of the Qatar JRD is available here.
Full text of the UAE JRDs are available here (Chinook helicopters), here (aircraft equipment), and here (helicopter equipment).

MIL OSI USA News –

May 17, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Warner & Kaine Announce Over $15.2 Million to Address Coastal Resilience in Virginia Beach and on Tangier Island

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $15,250,000 in federal funding to address sea level rise and expand flood resiliency in Virginia Beach and on Tangier Island.
“Coastal Virginia has long been identified as one of the most vulnerable regions of the country to flooding, but thanks to smart federal investments, we’re not just worrying about it anymore—we’re doing something about it,” said the senators. “We’re proud to announce this funding to advance a citywide plan for flood resilient infrastructure in Virginia Beach and to take a significant step forward in slowing erosion of Tangier Island and restoring it to its historical dimensions to preserve this unique part of Virginia. We will keep working to improve resiliency and combat climate change throughout the Commonwealth.”
The funding is broken down as follows:
$10,300,000 for Tangier Island for maintenance dredging and shoal removal within navigation channels in the Chesapeake Bay. The dredged material will be used to address persistent erosion and will be part of a plan to eventually restore the island.
$4,950,000 for the Virginia Beach and Vicinity Coastal Storm Risk Management Study. The Coastal Storm Risk Management Study will develop and engineer large-scale flood resilience projects to reduce flood vulnerability for the City of Virginia Beach.
Warner and Kaine have long worked to secure significant federal funding to increase resiliency and protect Virginia’s coastal communities from the impacts of sea level rise. The senators previously secured $1.9 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Fiscal Year 2024 government funding bill for the Virginia Beach and Vicinity Coastal Storm Risk Management Study. Warner and Kaine secured $800,000 in the Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024 government funding bills for studying and permitting the use of dredged material to be used to help Tangier address sea level rise and recurrent coastal flooding and storms. The senators have also secured nearly $399 million for the Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management project and $3 million for the Peninsula Regional Flood Risk Management feasibility study for the City of Hampton and the surrounding region.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 17, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Kaine Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Counter China’s Strategic Placement of Military Bases Around the World

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, joined U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) in introducing the bipartisan Combating PRC Overseas and Unlawful Networked Threats through Enhanced Resilience (COUNTER) Act to combat the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) attempts to strengthen its global reach by expanding its overseas basing efforts.
“China is rapidly expanding its global footprint, and we need to do more to address the threat this poses to our national security and the security of our allies,” said Senator Kaine. “This bipartisan legislation would help ensure that the U.S. government has a comprehensive strategy to counter China’s establishment of new military bases around the world.”
In recent years, the PRC has significantly increased its efforts to establish an overseas network of military and transportation bases, which would allow the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to project and expand its military power. The COUNTER Act would help to mitigate the threat this poses to the United States and our allies by requiring a comprehensive intelligence assessment of the PRC’s global basing activities, as well as a strategy from the State Department and the Department of Defense to address them. The legislation would also create an interagency task force to implement the strategy and identify proactive measures to counteract both current and future Chinese attempts to add military bases in strategic countries.
Specifically, the COUNTER Act would:
Require an assessment from the Director of National Intelligence analyzing the risk of PRC global basing to U.S and allied power projection and freedom of movement.
Require a strategy from the State Department and the Department of Defense identifying current or future PRC basing locations, including:

a comprehensive list of U.S. government activity aimed at addressing PRC global basing in each location;
an identification of resource or personnel constraints limiting the U.S. response; and
an identification of the most effective practices to persuade foreign governments to terminate plans for hosting a PRC base in their territory.

Establish an interagency task force to counter the PRC’s global basing expansion and prevent new locations.
Require a report every four years on updates to PRC basing intentions and subsequent updates to U.S. strategy.
Kaine has long supported efforts to counter aggression by the People’s Republic of China, including through the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) partnership, in which the U.S. will sell Australia Virginia-class submarines, a significant portion of which are built in Hampton Roads. Kaine has previously introduced legislation that aims to expand the U.S.’ toolkit to respond to China’s use of its maritime militia to exert excessive territorial claims, harass U.S. ships and those of our partners in the South China Sea. In April of last year, Kaine helped pass the national security supplemental funding package, which included military assistance funding and resources to replenish stocks given to Taiwan. He has also led the introduction of bipartisan legislation to safeguard internet freedom in Hong Kong from the PRC and to strengthen and modernize the U.S.-Philippines security partnership to counter Chinese military pressure in the South China Sea.
The COUNTER Act is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).
A one-pager on the bill is available here.
The bill text is available here.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 17, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Colleagues Urge Social Security Administration to Reverse Decision to Maliciously & Illegally List Immigrants as “Dead”

US Senate News:

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

Padilla, Colleagues Urge Social Security Administration to Reverse Decision to Maliciously & Illegally List Immigrants as “Dead”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined 15 of his Democratic Senate colleagues in condemning and demanding the reversal of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) recent decision to list certain immigrants as “dead” in the master files.
The Senators highlighted the departure from previous uses of SSA master files, noting that they normally share the files with federal agencies, banks, credit bureaus, or other financial institutions to prevent them from mistakenly paying deceased individuals or fraudsters trying to impersonate them. These files prevent over $50 million in improper payments per month. The death master files are now being weaponized against noncitizens, however, in a malicious attempt to keep them from participating in the U.S. economy.
“These arbitrary actions—intended to weaponize Social Security in the Administration’s attack on immigrants—are disgraceful and will erode the integrity of and trust in Social Security,” wrote the Senators.
“These noncitizens were lawfully present and granted work authorization by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), making them eligible for Social Security numbers (SSNs) to work and contribute to our nation. SSNs allow noncitizens to participate in the economy by obtaining housing, bank accounts, and insurance. Their work helps to boost the United States’ Gross Domestic Product by trillions of dollars,” continued the Senators. “But now, these noncitizens will no longer have access to their own financial resources because SSA has taken the unprecedented action of declaring them ‘dead’ in a cruel and Orwellian attempt to force them to leave the United States.”
The Senators continued by highlighting incorrect designations of living, legal immigrants as “dead” without a chance to appeal, calling out the Department of Homeland Security for labeling these noncitizens as “criminals” or “suspected criminals” without sufficient investigations, as demonstrated by the erroneous deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Most of the more than 6,000 noncitizens who were declared “dead” had lawfully received their SSNs and had lawful authorization to be in the country. The Senators further emphasized that SSA lacks the authority to make these false categorizations for living noncitizens.
“Such use of the death master files raises the question of whether SSA may list other living legal immigrants—or even American citizens—as ‘dead’ in the death master files without justification,” added the Senators. “It should frighten every American that SSA could make the unilateral decision to ruin their financial lives without even a chance to appeal.”
The Senators concluded by denouncing misinformation spread by President Trump regarding Social Security, criticizing his baseless claim that people over 300 years old were receiving Social Security benefits. They urged SSA to immediately reverse their cruel, fraudulent mislabeling scheme.
The letter was led by Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). In addition to Senator Padilla, the letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
Senator Padilla has fought against the Trump Administration’s weaponization of migrants’ personal information and files. Senator Padilla, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Wyden, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Senator Warren recently urged the acting Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to investigate several reports that the Trump Administration is potentially violating strict taxpayer privacy laws by providing highly sensitive and legally protected taxpayer data to DHS and personnel affiliated with Elon Musk across various federal agencies. Padilla, Cortez Masto, and Wyden previously condemned the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) plan to provide sensitive taxpayer information to DHS to locate suspected undocumented immigrants and led a letter to IRS and DHS leadership raising the alarm on reports that DHS and the Department of Government Efficiency had illegally requested this information.
Full text of the letter to SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano is available here and below:
Dear Commissioner Bisignano: We write to strongly object to the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) apparent decision to list living noncitizens as “dead” in the agency’s master files. These arbitrary actions—intended to weaponize Social Security in the Administration’s attack on immigrants—are disgraceful and will erode the integrity of and trust in Social Security.
SSA collects death records from families, financial institutions, and government agencies and compiles them into death master files, which the agency then shares with certain federal agencies, banks, credit bureaus, and other financial institutions to prevent improper payments to people who have died or those fraudulently seeking to impersonate someone who is deceased. In fact, the death master files help to prevent more than $50 million in improper payments each month. However, it appears that SSA is now using the death master files for another purpose: a weapon against living noncitizens.
In April, the New York Times reported SSA maliciously has listed living noncitizens as “dead” in its death master files. These noncitizens were lawfully present and granted work authorization by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), making them eligible for Social Security numbers (SSNs) to work and contribute to our nation. SSNs allow noncitizens to participate in the economy by obtaining housing, bank accounts, and insurance. Their work helps to boost the United States’ Gross Domestic Product by trillions of dollars. But now, these noncitizens will no longer have access to their own financial resources because SSA has taken the unprecedented action of declaring them “dead” in a cruel and Orwellian attempt to force them to leave the United States.
According to an internal memo, DHS claims that these noncitizens are “criminals” and “suspected terrorists.” But the proper procedure if a noncitizen is a criminal or a suspected terrorist is to initiate proceedings against them in immigration court, not for the SSA to arbitrarily declare them “dead” without any proof. In addition, DHS, not the SSA, makes determinations as to whether or not a noncitizen is eligible to work and whether to terminate or revoke work authorization. Finally, SSA has procedures the agency follows when it is determined that an individual no longer has work authorization or has lost status, and they do not involve declaring an individual dead. For example, a noncitizen’s Social Security card may state “Valid for work only with DHS authorization” or “Not valid for employment.”
Yet, according to press reports, most of the more than 6,000 noncitizens declared “dead” were lawfully authorized by DHS to be in the United States and lawfully obtained SSNs. They were thoroughly vetted and underwent mandatory security checks before receiving authorization to travel to United States airports, where they then were individually screened by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers before being cleared to enter. The New York Times report indicated SSA has listed several minors, including a 13-year-old, as “dead” in the death master files, while the Washington Post reported that SSA workers “found no evidence of crimes or law enforcement interactions” for others. Further, SSA has no authority to erroneously categorize living noncitizens as “dead” in its death master files. Such use of the death master files raises the question of whether SSA may list other living legal immigrants—or even American citizens—as “dead” in the death master files without justification. It should frighten every American that SSA could make the unilateral decision to ruin their financial lives without even a chance to appeal.
In his Joint Address to Congress in March, President Trump claimed there were people over the age of 300 receiving Social Security benefits, simply because some of the death master files lacked a recorded death date. His assertion was not true, and SSA’s actions now are turning this tool to prevent fraud into one that instead facilitates it. We urge SSA not to use the death master files in this manner and to remove noncitizens falsely listed as “dead” from the files.
Sincerely,

MIL OSI USA News –

May 17, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: H.R. 1815, VA Home Loan Program Reform Act

Source: US Congressional Budget Office

Bill Summary

H.R. 1815 would temporarily increase the amounts authorized for the Grant and Per Diem Program through which The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) awards funding to organizations to provide transitional housing for veterans. The bill also would establish a Partial Claim Program through which VA would pay lenders amounts to prevent foreclosure on guaranteed loans that are delinquent or in default.

Estimated Federal Cost

The estimated budgetary effects of H.R. 1815 are shown in Table 1. The bill would decrease net direct spending by $147 million and increase spending subject to appropriation by $146 million over the 2025-2035 period. The costs of the legislation fall within budget function 700 (veterans benefits and services).

Table 1. Estimated Budgetary Effects of H.R. 1815
	By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars
	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032	2033	2034	2035	2025-2030	2025-2035
	Increases or Decreases (-) in Direct Spending
Estimated Budget Authority	11	-13	-34	-39	-41	-30	0	0	0	0	0	-146	-146
Estimated Outlays	10	-14	-33	-39	-41	-30	0	0	0	0	0	-147	-147
	Increases in Spending Subject to Appropriation
Authorization	75	73	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	148	148
Estimated Outlays	66	71	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	146	146

Basis of Estimate

For this estimate, CBO assumes that H.R. 1815 will be enacted in fiscal year 2025 and that provisions will take effect upon or soon after enactment. CBO also estimates that outlays will follow historical spending patterns for affected programs.

Provisions That Affect Spending Subject to Appropriation and Direct Spending

Section 5 would temporarily increase the amounts authorized for the Grant and Per Diem Program through which VA pays a daily rate to public and nonprofit entities that provide housing and supportive services to homeless veterans.

Current law limits the total amount that VA can award for those grants to $258 million each year; section 5 would raise that limit to $344 million for 2025 and 2026. Using information on past grant payments and historical spending patterns, CBO estimates that the amounts paid for grants would increase by a total of $169 million over the 2025-2035 period.

Some of the homeless veterans who would obtain services under section 5 would be veterans who have been exposed to environmental hazards; thus, CBO expects that some of the costs of implementing the bill would be paid from the Toxic Exposures Fund (TEF) established by Public Law 117-168, the Honoring our PACT Act. The TEF is a mandatory appropriation that VA uses to pay for health care, disability claims processing, medical research, and information technology modernization that benefit veterans who were exposed to environmental hazards. Additional spending from the TEF occurs if legislation increases the costs of similar activities that benefit veterans with such exposure. Thus, in addition to increasing spending subject to appropriation, enacting section 5 would increase amounts paid from the TEF, which are classified as direct spending.

CBO projects that the proportion of costs paid by the TEF will grow over time based on the amount of formerly discretionary appropriations that CBO expects will be provided through the mandatory appropriation as specified in the Honoring our PACT Act. CBO estimates that over the 2025-2035 period, implementing section 5 would increase outlays for spending subject to appropriation by $146 million and direct spending by $23 million.

Direct Spending

The discussion above in “Provisions That Affect Spending Subject to Appropriation and Direct Spending” describes the increased authorizations for the Grant and Per Diem Program that would increase direct spending from the TEF under section 5. Section 3 of the bill would establish a Partial Claim Program described below, which would decrease direct spending. In total, the bill would decrease net direct spending outlays by $147 million over the 2025‑2035 period (see Table 2).

Partial Claim Program.VA provides loan guarantees to lenders that allow eligible borrowers to obtain better loan terms—such as lower interest rates or smaller down payments—to purchase, construct, improve, or refinance a home. VA typically pays lenders up to 25 percent of the outstanding mortgage balance if a borrower’s home is foreclosed upon. Those payments, net of fees paid by borrowers and recoveries by lenders, constitute the subsidy cost for the loan guarantees.

Spending Subject to Appropriation

Table 3. Estimated Increases in Spending Subject to Appropriation Under H.R. 1815
	By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars
	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031	2032	2033	2034	2035	2025-2030	2025-2035
Grant & Per Diem
Authorization	75	73	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	148	148
Estimated Outlays	66	71	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	146	146

Pay-As-You-Go Considerations

The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 establishes budget-reporting and enforcement procedures for legislation affecting direct spending or revenues. The net changes in outlays that are subject to those pay-as-you-go procedures are shown in Table 2.

Increase in Long-Term Net Direct Spending and Deficits

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1815 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2036.

Mandates

H.R. 1815 contains an intergovernmental and private-sector mandate, as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). By not allowing judicial review of the Department of Veterans Affairs decision to obtain secured interest in a veteran’s defaulted home loan, the bill would eliminate an existing right of action for any public or private entity that would otherwise be able to seek judicial review. There is no cost associated with this mandate because judicial review does not result in monetary damages; the cost is therefore well below the thresholds established in UMRA for intergovernmental and private-sector mandates ($103 million and $206 million in 2025, respectively, adjusted annually for inflation).

Federal Costs: Paul B.A. Holland

Mandates: Grace Watson

Estimate Reviewed By

David Newman
Chief, Defense, International Affairs, and Veterans’ Affairs Cost Estimates Unit

Kathleen FitzGerald
Chief, Public and Private Mandates Unit

Christina Hawley Anthony
Deputy Director of Budget Analysis

Phillip L. Swagel

Director, Congressional Budget Office

MIL-OSI USA: Mexican National and Alleged Alien Smuggler Indicted on First Material Support of Terrorism Charges Against CJNG Member

Source: US State of North Dakota

An indictment unsealed today in the Western District of Texas is the first in the nation to charge a Mexican national with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization based on her involvement with the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), including providing the cartel with grenades and engaging in alien smuggling, firearms trafficking, bulk cash smuggling, and narcotics trafficking on its behalf.

“Cartels like CJNG are terrorist groups that wreak havoc in American communities and are responsible for countless lives lost in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere.” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This announcement demonstrates the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to securing our borders and protecting Americans through effective prosecution.”

According to court documents, Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, 39, of Mexico, conspired with others to provide and did attempt to provide grenades to CJNG, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Additionally, Navarro-Sanchez, is charged with conspiracy to smuggle and transport aliens in the United States, straw purchasing and trafficking in firearms, bulk cash smuggling conspiracy, and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Co-defendant Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez, 27, of Mexico, is charged with conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens into and transport aliens in the United States, straw purchasing and firearms trafficking. Co-defendant Gustavo Castro-Medina, 28, of Mexico, is charged with straw purchasing and firearms trafficking, conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

On Feb. 20, the U.S. Department of State announced the designation of eight international cartels, including CJNG, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and specially designated global terrorists. This designation makes available much stronger criminal charges in the fight to secure our nation’s borders. CJNG is a transnational criminal organization that controls a significant portion of the narcotics trafficking trade and has a presence in nearly every part of Mexico and dozens of other countries, including the United States. In addition to trafficking fentanyl, CJNG engages in money laundering, bribery, extortion of migrants, taxing of migrant smugglers, and other criminal activities, including acts of violence and intimidation. According to the State Department, CJNG has conducted attacks on Mexican military and police with military grade weaponry, the use of drones to drop explosives on Mexican law enforcement, and assassinations or attempted assassinations of Mexican officials.

On Jan. 20, President Trump directed the Justice Department and other agencies to pursue total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations because they pose extremely serious threats to the United States, including by jeopardizing a stable and secure border. These and other criminal organizations commit brutal and intolerable violent crimes related to narcotics and firearms trafficking, money laundering, extortion, and other criminal acts. They also are responsible for huge flows of illegal immigration into the United States. They organize and facilitate all manners of illicit travel and immigration into the United States through the southern and northern borders and rely on co-conspirators and organization members operating in various countries throughout North and South America. This situation is untenable and threatens our national security. The Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners are committed to protecting the United States against invasion, working urgently toward the goal of total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, aggressively enforcing our immigration laws, and maximizing the impact and effectiveness of all available law enforcement tools.

“We will never allow criminal gangs and cartels to terrorize American communities,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. “The days of unchecked gang and cartel violence are over.”

“As alleged, the defendant engaged in multiple of the most insidious kinds of criminal activity: firearms trafficking, narcotics trafficking, human and bulk cash smuggling, and even providing grenades to CJNG,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s announcement demonstrates the Criminal Division’s hard work and commitment to eliminate cartels and foreign terrorist organizations like CJNG.”

“The slew of federal charges we have brought against Navarro-Sanchez sends a monumental message through the ranks of cartels like CJNG—now designated as a terrorist organization—along with those who support them in various capacities, that U.S. law enforcement is turning up the pressure to crack down on unlawful immigration practices and to dismantle the smuggling of illicit drugs and firearms,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “These crimes, all included as allegations in the indictment, do nothing but place human lives on both sides of the border in grave danger, while loading the pockets of criminals who profit off of them.”

“The arrest of Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez should send a clear message to people who wish to align themselves with terrorist groups that they will be sought out and held to the highest extent of the law,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “I’m extremely proud of the dedicated men and women of the FBI and its law enforcement partners who work tirelessly every day to protect Americans and keep our communities safe.”

“The brutality and destruction inflicted by cartels and terrorist organizations is devastating communities across the United States and around the world,” said Bureau of Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Acting Director Dan Driscoll. “The capture and arrest of Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez demonstrates what international law enforcement cooperation can achieve when united against the threat posed by these violent networks. ATF and our partners will use every tool at our disposal to relentlessly hunt down, dismantle, and bring to justice every trafficker, every cartel operative, and every individual who dares to threaten the safety and sovereignty of our communities.”

“This case lays bare the true nature of the threat we face,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Robert Murphy. “A cartel associate providing support to a designated foreign terrorist organization is not just a criminal threat—it is a national security threat. DEA will use every tool of law enforcement to dismantle CJNG and its network that floods our streets with poison, traffics in human lives, and wages violence against law and order. We are not just keeping our communities safe from dangerous, illegal drugs—we are fighting a national security crisis.”

“Supplying grenades to a designated terrorist organization—while trafficking firearms, narcotics, and human beings—is not just criminal; it’s a direct assault on the security of the United States,” said Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd M. Lyons. “Sanchez acted as a key enabler of violence who empowered cartels and terrorist organizations. Her crimes extended beyond smuggling; she was involved in firearms trafficking, bulk cash smuggling conspiracy, and a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Her actions endangered countless lives and undermined our efforts to protect the nation’s borders and communities. Confronting this level of criminality demands more than resolve—it requires a unified, all-of-government response, and that’s exactly what we demonstrated today: a coordinated effort to identify, disrupt, and bring to justice those who profit from violence and human suffering.”

Photo of 20 AK-47 type firearms and two .50 caliber rifles seized on August 21, 2023, in the Western District of Texas.

Photo of man-made tunnel used to smuggle aliens from Mexico to the United States.

Photo of three packages of meth and multiple packages of blue fentanyl pills seized in March 2023.

AM-15, multi-caliber AR-15 variant aka “El Dorado” recovered from Navarro-Sanchez’s possession during her arrest in Mexico on May 4, 2025.

Since its establishment, Joint Task Force Alpha’s (JTFA) work has resulted in increased coordination and collaboration between both domestic and foreign law enforcement; precedent setting indictments, extraditions and prosecutions; more than 365 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of these crimes; more than 334 U.S. convictions; more than 281 defendants sentenced, including significant jail sentences imposed; and substantial seizures and forfeitures of assets and contraband including millions of dollars in cash, real property, vehicles, firearms and ammunition, and drugs.

The FBI, ATF, DEA, and Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso, assisted by the U.S. Border Patrol, investigated the case. ATF Legal Attachés in Mexico City and the Mexico Attorney General’s Office also known as Fiscalía General de la República (FGR) Firearms Trafficking Unit provided substantial assistance. The CBP’s National Targeting Center, and ICE HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. also provided assistance with the investigation.

The case announced today is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Myers and JTFA Associate Director Ian Hanna of the Western District of Texas, and Trial Attorney Marie Zisa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Judicial Attachés in Mexico provided substantial assistance. The Justice Department thanks its Mexican law enforcement partners, who arrested Navarro-Sanchez on May 4, during an enforcement operation.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The OCDETF El Paso / Las Cruces Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from CBP, HSI, DEA, FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, ATF, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO), and the El Paso Police Department (EPPD).

The charges contained in an indictment are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National and Alleged Alien Smuggler Indicted on First Material Support of Terrorism Charges Against CJNG Member

Source: United States Attorneys General 13

“We will never allow criminal gangs and cartels to terrorize American communities,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. “The days of unchecked gang and cartel violence are over.”

Photo of 20 AK-47 type firearms and two .50 caliber rifles seized on August 21, 2023, in the Western District of Texas.

Photo of man-made tunnel used to smuggle aliens from Mexico to the United States.

Photo of three packages of meth and multiple packages of blue fentanyl pills seized in March 2023.

AM-15, multi-caliber AR-15 variant aka “El Dorado” recovered from Navarro-Sanchez’s possession during her arrest in Mexico on May 4, 2025.

The charges contained in an indictment are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MIL Security OSI –

MIL-OSI Global: Marvellous Moomins, the downfall of Dahl and David Attenborough’s Ocean – what to see, watch and read this week

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jane Wright, Commissioning Editor, Arts & Culture, The Conversation UK

This article was first published in our newsletter Something Good. If you’d like to receive fortnightly recommendations from experts on the best films, TV, books, plays and exhibitions, sign up to get Something Good delivered direct to your inbox.

Just under a week to go till our much-anticipated Moomin event in Bradford, celebrating 80 years of Tove Jansson’s magical creatures that inspire so much affection and nostalgia in generations of readers who have found solace and delight in her Moominvalley tales.

On Friday May 23, we are hosting a film event in conjunction with Cine Spotlights at Bradford’s National Museum of Science and Media. We’ll celebrate this special anniversary with a screening of Moomins on the Riviera, followed by a Q&A with our very own panel of Conversation Moominologists.

Jansson’s first book, The Moomins and the Great Flood, was published in 1945, telling the story of a family of “Moomintrolls” who become refugees after a flood washes away their home. Written at the end of the second world war when millions of people were displaced, it reflects the struggles of rebuilding lives after disaster. After the screening, we will be discussing the theme of refugee experiences in Jansson’s work with four Conversation authors.

This is a particularly apt discussion to be having in Bradford, designated a City of Sanctuary and also the site of one of four Moomin art installations around the country. Basel Zaraa’s work is an immersive, multi-sensory installation that creates a lush world within a refugee tent, inviting audiences to imagine life beyond occupation and exile.

We’d love to see you there, so come along and join in the discussion.

The fall of a giant

First, there was the furore surrounding the revision of the language in his children’s books. Now, a play examining the extent of Roald Dahl’s anti-semitism has transferred to London’s West End. It explores the fallout from Dahl’s 1983 review of God Cried, a photographic book about Israel’s siege of West Beirut.

In the play’s blend of fact and fiction, the very real controversy arises from an interview Dahl gave to The New Statesman shortly afterwards. Many Jewish (and non-Jewish) people objected to it as strongly anti-semitic, while others saw it as justified criticism of Israel’s actions. In the play, this is meshed with a fictitious situation where Jewish staff from Dahl’s publishers visit him at home to help counteract the backlash.

But there is so much more to this fascinating play, which features an extraordinary performance from American actor John Lithgow. It engages with issues around language – how it is interpreted and how meaning is formed – as well as misogyny, racism, and the idea of genius being excused its sins. And it returns to the ever-open wound of cancel culture, and the way children’s literature has become a political hot potato.

Giant is at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre until August 2 2025.

With echoes of the theme of refugee experience in our Moomin event, Madeleine Thien’s new novel is an astonishingly original and deeply philosophical work that blends historical and speculative fiction.

Exploring issues of migration, the refugee crisis and cultural conflict, The Book of Records centres around the tale of a young girl called Lina and her ill father who flee to a strange otherworldly enclave called The Sea, where Lina feels the pain of separation from her mother and brother. She endures here for years, finding succour in three books from The Great Voyagers encyclopedia series, each of which represents a famous (real) philosopher through which she learns about exile and survival.

As our reviewer Manjeet Ridon explains, The Book of Records is “a sobering meditation on the human condition in times of crises”. A book to savour and reflect upon in a world that is distressed by the rising tide of refugees, but seems unable or unwilling to do anything about it.

Climate fact and fiction

For 70 years, David Attenborough has shaped how we see the natural world through his memorable nature documentaries. From the BBC’s groundbreaking Zoo Quest in 1954 to Life on Earth in the late 1970s and the spectacular Blue Planet in the 2000s, Attenborough, with his quietly compelling voice, has brought viewers the glory and wonder of the natural world. In doing so, he pioneered a nature documentary style that is accessible, educational and entertaining.

But now, at the age of 99, Attenborough’s latest film, Ocean, brings a change of tone: one of serious urgency as the world seemingly fails to get to grips with the climate change crisis.

As our reviewers Neil Gostling and Sam Illingworth explain, after a lifetime of gentle narration, Attenborough now speaks unflinchingly of the scale of the crisis and the need to act, combining stunning imagery with a stark assessment of the health of our oceans. From the horrific destruction wreaked by bottom trawling to plastic consumption and pollution, Attenborough doesn’t pull his punches on the moral and existential imperative to restore the balance of our oceans. As the great man puts it: “If we save the sea, we save our world.”

Ocean is on at select cinemas now

This week saw the announcement of the inaugural Climate Fiction Prize, which has been won by the Nigerian writer Abi Daré’s And So I Roar.

A poignant follow-up to her debut novel, The Girl with the Louding Voice, Daré follows the stories of Tia, an environmental activist, and Adunni, the Nigerian teenager from her debut, who has escaped child marriage and domestic abuse for shelter under Tia’s care in Lagos.

Daré masterfully explores how environmental crises collide with domestic pressures and abuse, revealing how women who exist in poverty disproportionately shoulder the burden of climate change. But it also celebrates solidarity across class, ethnicity and generational divides, standing as a powerful testament to female courage and resilience.

– ref. Marvellous Moomins, the downfall of Dahl and David Attenborough’s Ocean – what to see, watch and read this week – https://theconversation.com/marvellous-moomins-the-downfall-of-dahl-and-david-attenboroughs-ocean-what-to-see-watch-and-read-this-week-256849

MIL-OSI USA: Booker Requests Answers on Termination of CDC Workers Overseeing Essential Programs for People with Blood Disorders

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) wrote a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., inquiring about reports indicating that nearly all of the Division of Blood Disorders and Public Health Genomics staff were put on administrative leave. The letter is cosigned by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
“This division oversees essential programs relied on by individuals living with blood disorders, like sickle cell disease, and could have severe consequences if eliminated. The Division of Blood Disorders and Public Health Genomics oversees the Sickle Cell Data Collection Program (SCDC), the only national public health surveillance initiative solely focused on individuals living with SCD,” the Senators wrote.
In light of these significant changes, the Senators requested answers to the following questions:
On Tuesday, April 1, as part of the HHS-wide staffing reductions all but two members of the CDC’s Division of Blood Disorders and Public Health Genomics were put on administrative leave. Will HHS maintain the grants for the SCD Data Collection program?
What was the rationale behind the decision to terminate CDC personnel working at the Division of Blood Disorders and Public Health Genomics?
Is there a staffing or funding plan in development to ensure that the work of the Sickle Cell Data Collection Program (SCDC) continues?
How will the consolidation of several agencies into the new Administration for a Healthy America impact the Health Resources and Services Administration and programs like the Sickle Cell Disease Treatment and Demonstration Program and the Sickle Cell Disease Newborn Screening Follow-up Program? Can you confirm that these two programs will be maintained?
“The loss of these programs would undermine more than a decade of progress in building a national infrastructure for SCD surveillance, best practices and trained personnel. We ask that the administration take a careful and considerate approach to sickle cell disease programs at HHS and ensure the continuity of the government’s investment in SCD. Thank you again for your attention to this critical issue,” the Senators concluded.
To read the full text of the letter, click here.

MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Wyden, Gillibrand Press Social Security Head on Plans to Strip Employees of Civil Service Protections, Pave Way for Mass Firings

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
May 16, 2025
Lawmakers sound alarm on plans to recategorize thousands of SSA workers as Schedule F “policy-making” employees — making it easier to replace them with DOGE lackeys
“Converting these SSA employees’ status is a deliberate maneuver to make it easier to get rid of critical SSA staff, endangering the program and the benefits earned by millions of Americans.”
Text of Letter (PDF)
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member on the Senate Aging Committee, pressed new Commissioner of the Social Security Administration Frank Bisignano on reported plans to recategorize thousands of workers as Schedule F “policy-making” employees.
The move, which is set to impact frontline employees who work directly with Americans to provide services, will endanger the agency by stripping employees of their civil service protections, making it easier for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to replace nonpolitical federal workers with political lackeys and to accelerate its mass layoff across the administration.
“Converting these SSA employees’ status is a deliberate maneuver to make it easier to get rid of critical SSA staff, endangering the program and the benefits earned by millions of Americans,” wrote the lawmakers.
Last month, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposed “Schedule F” as a new category of government employee that have “important policy-determining, policy-making, policy-advocating, or confidential duties.” Schedule F workers are employed at-will, meaning they can be fired at any point, and do not have the same rights that protect federal government employees from termination absent “misconduct, neglect of duty, (and) malfeasance.” Additionally, it is not clear that Schedule F employees are included in collective bargaining units or eligible for union representation.
SSA leadership has interpreted the “important policy-determining” language in President Trump’s executive order to apply to a large swath of SSA employees. SSA has reclassified tens of thousands of employees — including those who ensure recipients get their monthly benefits — as high-level decision-making “Schedule F” employees. In practice, this reclassification enables the Trump administration to replace anyone who refuses DOGE’s potentially illegal orders — making senior Social Security staffers rank-and-file employees at will and ultimately politicizing Social Security.
“SSA’s broad reclassification of employees under seemingly false pretenses appears to be a deliberate effort to allow DOGE to purge SSA of the employees who work dutifully to make sure Americans receive their earned benefits. Since President Trump’s inauguration, the administration, led by Elon Musk, has been hellbent on dismantling SSA — which he has called a ‘Ponzi scheme,’” wrote the lawmakers.
The reclassification does not just apply to senior leadership and policy-makers. The former Acting Commissioner for the SSA, Leland Dudek — who has remained at the agency as a senior advisor — announced that SSA would reclassify broad swaths of the workforce as Schedule F, including frontline workers making as little as $40,000 and handling the day-to-day responsibilities of servicing Americans directly.
“This means that — in addition to replacing long-serving employees with your DOGE acolytes — you can cut large swaths of the SSA workforce to effectuate DOGE’s goal of slashing the agency,” wrote the lawmakers. “This broad reclassification will enable you — at DOGE’s behest — to slash the SSA workforce while stripping protections that typically apply to federal workers.”
This is the latest in DOGE’s efforts to cut Social Security and SSI benefits or prevent seniors and people with disabilities from obtaining their earned benefits. Under the Trump administration, Americans have struggled to access their Social Security benefits, faced hours-long lines at SSA offices, endured extended wait times on phone lines, and dealt with repeated SSA.gov website crashes. Some Americans have even been wrongly cut off from benefits, threatening their ability to pay their bills.
“Converting SSA employees to Schedule F will enable President Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE to stack the SSA with lackeys willing to implement policies aimed at restricting Americans’ access to their benefits, while firing the hardworking frontline workers who make sure recipients get their monthly check. In other words, this will enable DOGE and the Trump administration to continue its crusade to cut Social Security benefits,” concluded the lawmakers.
Senators Warren and Wyden recently led the launch of Senate Dems’ Social Security War Room, a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.

MIL-OSI Global: TikTok influencer’s killing on camera highlights the femicide crisis in Latin America

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Amalendu Misra, Professor of International Politics, Lancaster University

Mexican beauty influencer Valeria Marquez was shot dead during a TikTok livestream. @V___marquez / Instagram

Valeria Marquez, a beauty influencer, was shot dead by a man on May 14 while live streaming on TikTok at her beauty salon in the Mexican city of Guadalajara. The authorities are investigating the case as a suspected femicide, where women or girls are killed on account of their gender.

The killing of Marquez is part of a gender-based violence epidemic that has gripped Latin America for decades. The threat of such violence there is so severe that in 2020, as the world battled COVID, the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, called it a “shadow pandemic”.

The situation in Mexico is especially alarming. A 2021 report by Amnesty International found that at least ten women or girls are murdered in the country every day. The report added that the authorities have largely proved unwilling to take action to stop the killing.

On the surface, Mexico has made significant strides in improving gender equality. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo became the first woman to be elected as Mexico’s president in 2024. There are also several female governors heading powerful Mexican provinces, and female political leadership can be found in great numbers in regional and municipal bodies.

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But despite the visible presence of women in public life, parts of Mexican society remain deeply sexist. Researchers see the prevalence of machismo, a culture that encourages an extreme sense of masculine pride, as having facilitated male dominance over women.

Femicide in Mexico became particularly rife in the 1990s. The introduction of the North American free trade agreement saw many factories producing goods for export set up near Mexico’s border with the US. These factories are known as maquiladoras.

The emergence of maquiladoras created low-skilled job opportunities. And a generation of women sought economic freedom by working in the factories. By 2006, more than half of the workers at maquiladoras were women, largely the result of their comparatively low wage demands.

While this culture shift allowed women greater economic autonomy, it also created deep resentment from some men. A spate of murders were carried out in the Mexican border city Ciudad Juárez in the 1990s, which claimed the lives of roughly 400 women.

Research has established a connection between female employment in the maquiladoras and the consequent rise in femicide in Mexican border towns. Many of the women killed in Ciudad Juárez worked in the maquiladoras.

Some people also point to the fact that the culture of male chauvinism in Mexico – and throughout Latin America more broadly – is pervasive.

When the Mexican government in 2020 established a hotline to report issues of domestic abuse and violence against women in the country, it was flooded by tens of thousands of reports. But when journalists asked the then president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, about this figure he brushed it aside: “90% of those calls that you’re referring to are fake.”

Culture of impunity

Gender-based violence in Mexico and in large parts of Latin America does not exist solely because of the culture of extreme masculinity. It also thrives because of institutional failure to bring the perpetrators to justice.

There are robust laws and regulations to protect women against abuse in Latin America. The inter-American convention on the prevention, punishment and eradication of violence against women, signed in the Brazilian city of Belém in 1994, is a good example.

It was adopted by all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, formalising violence against women as a violation of their human rights. However, despite the presence of this legal framework, there has not been a corresponding decline in rates of femicide.

Criminal impunity is one of the greatest hindrances to addressing the issue of femicide throughout the region. In Mexico, for example, more than 90% of all crimes go unsolved. And in Brazil, many cases of violence against women go unreported.

When they are reported, the victims and their families often face obstacles in the judicial system. Despite a 39% increase in the number of femicide cases in Brazil from 2019 to 2020, the sentencing for this crime only increased by 24%.

According to a World Bank report from 2023, there is an institutional complicity in perpetrating violence against women in Honduras. The report alleges that the country’s national police force “turn a blind eye to the soaring number of femicides”.

Similarly, according to Diana Portal, of the ombudsman’s office in Peru, femicide in the country is spiralling out of control because the negligent state machinery is incapable of addressing the issue. Consequently, criminals feel they can “rape, disappear or kill a woman without consequence”.

Latin America and the Caribbean has never had a dearth of female public figures. The region has had more than a dozen female leaders as of 2025. Argentina, Brazil and Chile have recently had female heads of state, while Peru, Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico currently have female presidents. Mexico’s patron saint, Virgen de Guadalupe, is also a woman.

However, the presence of these high-profile figures in public life has not deterred sections of society from targeting women with violence.

Incensed by the culture of impunity and male chauvinism that perpetuates femicide in Latin America, the late Pope Francis denounced the practice. In a visit to Peru in 2018, he said violence against women cannot be treated as “normal”. “It is not right for us to look the other way and let the dignity of so many women, especially young women, be trampled upon.”

Unfortunately, despite the moral homily contained in his message, Latin America has been utterly incapable of addressing this subculture of gender violence.

Amalendu Misra is a recipient of Nuffield Foundation and British Academy fellowships.

– ref. TikTok influencer’s killing on camera highlights the femicide crisis in Latin America – https://theconversation.com/tiktok-influencers-killing-on-camera-highlights-the-femicide-crisis-in-latin-america-256821

MIL-OSI Global: Why your migraine might be making you crave a large Coke and fries

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Amanda Ellison, Professor of Neuroscience, Durham University

A viral social media post suggested a large fries and large coke was an effective migraine treatment Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock

Whether it’s one or two coffees to get us going in the morning or a bar of chocolate after a stressful day, many of us self-medicate when we’re tired, stressed or sad. But when we have a headache, most of us head straight for the painkillers.

Lately, though, a viral hack has been making the rounds: that a large Coca-Cola and fries can stop a migraine in its tracks.

And oddly enough, it’s not total nonsense.

The caffeine in Coca-Cola acts as a vasoconstrictor, meaning it narrows blood vessels. This helps counteract the dilation of blood vessels that occurs during a migraine – a key trigger for pain.

When vessels widen, they can press on and activate nearby pain-sensitive nerves, especially those of the trigeminal system, which carries sensory information about touch, pain and temperature from the head and face to the brain, leading to that familiar throbbing headache. That’s why caffeine is often included in over-the-counter headache medications.

Meanwhile, the sugar and salt in Coke and fries may help restore balance to blood sugar and electrolytes, both of which can be disrupted during a migraine attack.

But to really understand why this combo might work, we need to unpack what’s actually happening during a migraine.

The four stages of migraine

Migraines can be sparked by a wide range of factors: hormonal shifts, stress, skipped meals, certain foods, even changes in the weather or visual overstimulation. But, once one begins, it follows a specific pathway that makes it distinct from other types of headaches.

A migraine is no ordinary headache. It’s a full-body experience with four distinct stages – two of which occur before the pain even hits. That means there’s a window in which to stop the episode in its tracks, and many migraineurs (people who suffer from migraines) already self-medicate by doing just that.

Prodrome

Prodrome is the first stage, which can begin hours or even days before the headache. You might feel tired, irritable, or unusually low in mood. Most people who get migraines are surprisingly bad at spotting this phase, even though it’s the best time to intervene.

During prodrome, people often crave certain things. Many migraineurs report yawning more, which helps regulate dopamine, or seeking out hugs and affection, which boost serotonin. Others might drink ice water to calm their autonomic nervous system. Others still might reach for the large Coke and fries.

These responses aren’t random. All of these are unconscious attempts to rebalance the neurological systems that go haywire during a migraine. Irregular serotonin, dopamine and nervous system function are all known contributors to migraines.

And that brings us to arguably the ultimate migraine hack: chocolate. While it’s sometimes blamed as a trigger, chocolate is rich in compounds that help raise serotonin levels.

Because low serotonin is a known factor in migraine onset, a craving for chocolate might be your brain’s way of correcting a chemical imbalance. For some people, a bit of chocolate in the early stages may help ward off an attack.

Aura

Aura comes after the prodrome phase, and it’s when some people experience visual disturbances like flashing lights, or odd sensations like pins and needles. About 80% of migraine sufferers don’t experience the aura phase, but the same wave-like changes happen inside their brains.

These symptoms come from a burst of electrical activity in the brain that is subsequently suppressed, which alters blood flow and causes the constriction of blood vessels. Whether a person notices these effects depends on the structure and sensitivity of their cerebral cortex.

The brain relies on a stable supply of blood for nutrients and oxygen — but direct contact with blood is toxic to brain tissue. That’s why we have the blood-brain barrier, a filter that protects brain cells.

Pain

The pain comes next. The body takes vascular changes in the brain seriously and headache pain is one way it warns us that something could be wrong. Any disruption to blood flow – too little or too much – is potentially dangerous. A blocked vessel can lead to ischemic stroke, while a ruptured vessel causes hemorrhagic stroke.

The pain phase begins when earlier blood vessel constriction gives way to a rebound dilation. This sudden widening of vessels activates pain receptors — and voilà: the familiar, throbbing pain of migraine – and it can be debilitating.

For many people who suffer from migraines, once the pain hits, food is the last thing on their mind. That’s why many turn to triptan medications instead of fast food, which rebalance serotonin and histamine (another regulator of blood flow) once the migraine is underway.

Postdrome

Postdrome kicks in after the worst of the head pain subsides. This migraine hangover is more than just feeling worn out, though – it’s a distinct phase of a migraine attack. Known medically as the postdrome phase, it follows up to 80% of migraine attacks and can bring symptoms strikingly similar to a traditional hangover: nausea, fatigue, dehydration, body aches and mental fog.

For many people, this lingering phase can be just as disruptive as the migraine itself, making recovery a drawn-out and exhausting process. It can take days or even weeks to transition through all four phases of a migraine.

Knowledge is prevention

Still, prevention is better than cure and recognising the early signs of a migraine, then responding in ways that support the brain’s neurobiology, can make a huge difference.

Migraines are complex, personal and frustratingly unpredictable. But knowledge is power. And while no single solution works for everyone, recognising the prodrome phase and supporting your nervous system before pain sets in may be your best shot at heading off an attack.

Whether it’s recognising the craving for chocolate as a biological warning sign, sipping iced water, getting a hug, or yes – even reaching for a Coke and fries – these small interventions have roots in brain science. They reflect our body’s efforts to protect itself. Developing your personal treatments based on how your brain responds can help you stay one step ahead of the pain.

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

– ref. Why your migraine might be making you crave a large Coke and fries – https://theconversation.com/why-your-migraine-might-be-making-you-crave-a-large-coke-and-fries-256309

MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Ogles Urges Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees to Investigate Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell for Obstructing ICE Operations

Source:

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Andy Ogles (TN-05) sent a letter to Chairmen Jim Jordan (OH-40) and Mark Green (TN-7) urging them to investigate the conduct of Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, who has issued an executive order directing city agencies to track and report all interactions with federal immigration authorities.

“Instead of applauding the heroic efforts of law enforcement for removing violent criminals, drug traffickers, and even a convicted child sex predator from our streets, Nashville’s mayor chose to grandstand—penning an executive order directing city agencies to track and potentially undermine cooperation with ICE,” Congressman Ogles said.

“I want to remind Freddie that complying with federal immigration law is not optional. It is appalling that the mayor is using his office to obstruct lawful enforcement and shield criminals—not just putting neighborhoods at risk, but eroding the rule of law.

Let me be crystal clear: if any city agency in Nashville obstructs federal operations or impedes ICE, I will pursue every tool available in Congress—oversight hearings, funding restrictions, and legislative remedies—to hold them accountable.

Democrats want so badly to turn our growing metro area into a liberal hellscape reminiscent of the West Coast, but I refuse to let them. If they want to California our Tennessee by making it a sanctuary for gangs, predators, and traffickers, I think they should be investigated.

I commend ICE and the Tennessee Highway Patrol for their bravery and professionalism in the face of childish political hostility. I will not stop until every illegal alien is sent home, and Tennessee leaders follow the law,” said Congressman Ogles.

Letter Text

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MIL-OSI Canada: Saskatchewan Heads to Poland on Nuclear Energy Mission

Source: Government of Canada regional news

Released on May 16, 2025

Minister of Crown Investments Corporation (CIC) and Minister Responsible for SaskPower Jeremy Harrison will be leading a delegation to Poland to attend the World Nuclear Supply Chain Conference. The mission will deepen Saskatchewan’s ties with international nuclear industry stakeholders and showcase the province’s advantages in enhancing energy security around the world.

“This world-class conference is an incredible opportunity for Saskatchewan to collaborate with international governments, industries and suppliers, particularly those involved in nuclear reactor development,” Harrison said. “As a greenfield jurisdiction, our province needs to engage with experienced partners to learn about best practices, so we can improve efficiencies and lower costs in our nuclear journey.”

While in Poland, the Minister will speak at the conference to highlight the significant role Saskatchewan will play in the expanding global outlook for nuclear energy. The delegation will also meet with government officials, utility companies, energy suppliers, manufacturers and new industry entrants, to explore potential opportunities for collaboration and profile Saskatchewan’s strengths.

“With the world’s highest grade uranium deposits, a robust mining sector, world-class research institutions and suppliers, Saskatchewan has what the world needs to fuel a growing global nuclear reactor fleet today and for decades to come,” Harrison said. “We need to promote our Saskatchewan advantages on the global stage to gain partnerships and attract future value-added investment. Saskatchewan will play an essential role in delivering on the global declaration to triple nuclear energy worldwide by 2050.”

Northern Saskatchewan is home to the world’s largest high-grade uranium deposits. The province produces 100 per cent of Canada’s uranium and is the second largest uranium producer in the world. In 2024, Saskatchewan hit record production and export sales of uranium, valued at $2.6 billion.

Cameco, Saskatchewan’s largest uranium producer, is recognized as a leading Indigenous employer in Canada, reinforcing the industry’s inclusive approach and boosting confidence in the long-term potential of Saskatchewan’s nuclear sector. Cameco’s acquisition of Westinghouse puts the province among major players supporting global growth for nuclear power.

The Government of Saskatchewan continues to invest in building a nuclear workforce, suppliers and research capacities. It is working closely with the Saskatchewan Industrial and Mining Suppliers Association on a supply chain readiness project to prepare local suppliers and identify targeted opportunities to participate in nuclear supply chain development at home and around the world.

In 2022, SaskPower announced the selection of the GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 reactor as the preferred technology for potential deployment in Saskatchewan. Since then, SaskPower has identified two high-potential hosting sites in the province, and is working through its newly established subsidiary, SaskNuclear, on licensing to deploy the SMR in Saskatchewan.

The mission will run from May 18 to 22, 2025.

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For more information, contact:

MIL OSI Canada News –

Kittirat Roekburi/Shutterstock

MIL-OSI Global: Britain’s net zero construction workforce is already at risk of burnt out

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Simon Addyman, Associate Professor in Project Management, UCL

The pressure of decarbonising industrial sectors is weighing on workers.

The UK’s Labour government seeks a low-carbon and homegrown energy supply by 2030. The scale and pace of this transformation is unprecedented in the country’s power sector, and will involve building twice as much transmission infrastructure (pylons, cables, substations) in the next five years as was built over the last decade.

Much of the workforce will be drawn from the construction sector, which employs 2.3 million people. Construction forms the dominant supply chain to the 17 major infrastructure projects involved in an overhaul of the electricity grid that will connect new wind farms in the North Sea and northern Scotland to homes and businesses across Great Britain.

The workers “on the tools” who will carry out much of this transformation are struggling. The latest analysis from the Office for National Statistics suggests that the suicide risk of construction workers is three times higher than the male national average. Scholars of construction project management have identified a toxic workplace culture in the industry, citing aggressive market competition and demanding performance metrics.

This is a problem that is largely being ignored. When planners at the National Energy System Operator assessed the UK’s capacity to build a clean power sector by 2030, they considered the absolute number of workers needed, the skills required and how employment is changing in the sector.

Their assessment failed to consider the broader implications for workforce mental health and wellbeing of such a quick and comprehensive upgrade – but it is people who are going through a rapid transition, not just infrastructure.

Expect more of these in years to come.
J R Patterson/Shutterstock

Going green, feeling blue

Construction workers already endure long hours and stress due to tight deadlines. A rapid transition to green power will substantially increase their workload, unless managed carefully.

Our report, published July 2024, looked into wellbeing and suicide in the construction industry. We concluded that the UK government, major infrastructure owners such as National Grid and their supply chain partners who provide specialist design and construction services, must work together to solve this problem.

Major infrastructure owners offer mental health services, such as confidential counselling, legal advice and financial guidance, to help their own employees manage personal or work-related issues. But most workers on the tools are not directly employed by these owners. Most are self-employed, or hired by construction firms, of which 99% are small- and medium-sized enterprises.

More than 96% of construction firms have fewer than 15 employees. Smaller suppliers of specialist trade skills, like electrical and mechanical installation, have fewer employment protections and more compressed schedules, and are even less likely to have the capacity to provide these services.

Some infrastructure owners and big construction companies extend their health and wellbeing services to these smaller suppliers. However, in an industry that is dominated by competitive tendering, which favours suppliers that keep costs low, it is no surprise that uptake has been low.

Owners of infrastructure assets like electricity pylons and substations can drive workplace improvements by adopting procurement models that prioritise suppliers that are offering measures to improve worker wellbeing.

Research from one of us (Jing Xu) and fellow project management expert Yanga Wu, has shown that the top-down prescriptive approach traditionally applied to health and safety in construction does not work for wellbeing. This requires a bottom-up approach, that makes it easy for workers to tell managers what they are struggling with and what they think would help.

The construction sector also faces a shortage of workers and skills required for the green transition. The industry training board forecasts that the industry must attract the equivalent of 50,300 extra workers a year to meet expected levels of work over the next five years.

The UK is not training enough workers to achieve net zero.
Paya Mona/Shutterstock

In the power sector, however, there is the additional complication of an ageing workforce, as well as differences in employment conditions between permanent and contract staff. Key expertise is at risk of being lost with retirements. Older workers often face additional pressure, not only to meet performance targets but also to compensate for gaps in expertise, and all within a fast-paced environment.

To improve mental health and wellbeing among a diverse workforce requires engaging with workers directly and ensuring their voices are heard. This involves more than upgrading technical skills. Research to better understand how organisations can care for their workforce in the context of increasing pressures due to achieving net zero is also vital.

Further research and collaboration with infrastructure owners and major construction contractors could help manage the risks and provide valuable insights for other sectors that will need to follow suit, such as heating, transport and agriculture.

It is imperative to consider what a transition means: the technical transition of replacing outmoded technology, as well as the social transition, which prioritises not only skills but workplace mental health. Without a focus on both policy and people, clean power will not be delivered.

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Simon Addyman receives funding from University College London.

Jing Xu receives funding from University College London.

– ref. Britain’s net zero construction workforce is already at risk of burnt out – https://theconversation.com/britains-net-zero-construction-workforce-is-already-at-risk-of-burnt-out-249328

MIL-OSI Global: Horrific, bizarre, lonely: how women going through the menopause describe their experiences

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jessica Piasecki, Associate Professor in Exercise Physiology, Sport Science Department, Nottingham Trent University

New Africa/Shutterstock

Oestrogen and progesterone are the primary sex hormones in females, playing powerful roles throughout life – from puberty and periods to pregnancy and eventually menopause.

During adolescence, these hormones surge, kick-starting the menstrual cycle. In adulthood, they fluctuate month to month, driving ovulation and menstruation. But between the ages of 45 and 55, their levels start to decline.

This signals the beginning of perimenopause – the transitional phase leading to menopause, which is officially marked when a woman has gone 12 consecutive months without a period. After that, hormone levels settle at a lower, steady baseline, ushering in the postmenopausal stage.

However, this hormonal journey is far from one-size-fits-all. Each woman’s hormonal profile is as individual as her fingerprint: pregnancy, breastfeeding, contraceptive use and lifestyle choices can all influence hormone levels in unique ways.

Oestrogen and progesterone don’t just affect the reproductive system, they also act directly on the brain. Both hormones can cross the blood-brain barrier and influence neural function. Oestrogen tends to excite brain activity, enhancing alertness and mood, while progesterone is more calming and balancing.

When these hormone levels begin to fluctuate during perimenopause, they can disrupt many of the systems they regulate, especially in the brain. Common symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats, memory problems, mood swings, poor sleep and even depression are not just nuisances. They’re signs that the central nervous system is being affected.

These neurological symptoms can have a domino effect on physical and mental health. In fact, research shows that women are more likely than men to experience frailty and cognitive decline in later life – a trend that may be linked to the hormonal shifts around menopause.

That’s why it’s so important to approach menopause as a whole-body, whole-brain experience and not just a reproductive event.

Experiences of menopause

Along with colleagues from Nottingham Trent and Northumbria universities, I conducted research that explored how women describe their personal experiences of menopause. The findings were eye opening.

When asked to sum up menopause in one word, participants offered responses like:
“Anxiety.” “Horrific.” “Bizarre.” “Depression.” Many expressed frustration at the lack of clear, trustworthy information and a feeling of isolation. One woman said: “I don’t know what my body is capable of doing from one minute to the next … the pain, it’s just horrible.”

Another described overwhelming fatigue: “I haven’t got the energy I had when I was young.” While others reported profound mental health struggles: “I had this thing where I hated myself”, “I would have a rage within me, which wasn’t me normally”, “I had depressive episodes and was very poorly.” One participant reported that she was “feeling overwhelmed and panicked about doing anything, even leaving the house”.

These stories reveal the reality behind the statistics – menopause can be deeply destabilising, and for some women, life altering.

The more symptoms women experience, the more their quality of life can be affected. But there is hope. Research shows that higher levels of physical activity are linked to fewer and less severe menopausal symptoms.

That’s why our research team has taken our findings beyond the lab. Through public events and workshops, we’re helping women learn about how nutrition, brain health, and exercise can support them through the menopausal transition. And the impact goes beyond biology: gaining knowledge has been shown to boost self-confidence and help women feel more in control and less alone.

There’s still much to learn about the full impact of menopause on the brain and body, but one thing is clear: supporting women through this major life stage is not optional – it’s essential.

By continuing to share knowledge, break taboos and support one another, we can change the story of menopause from one of confusion and isolation to one of empowerment, understanding and resilience.

Jessica Piasecki receives funding from The Royal Society and MyAge. She is affiliated with Power Group — National Institute of Women’s Health and Performance and Relative Energy .Deficiency-Sport (RED-S) interest group

– ref. Horrific, bizarre, lonely: how women going through the menopause describe their experiences – https://theconversation.com/horrific-bizarre-lonely-how-women-going-through-the-menopause-describe-their-experiences-255996

MIL-OSI Global: From M&S to Duolingo: banter between brands on social media gets people buying – but there’s a catch

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Zoe Lee, Reader (Associate Professor) in Marketing, Cardiff University

The owl that came back from the dead. daily_creativity/Shutterstock

The line between entertainment and advertising is increasingly blurred thanks to social media. People no longer just consume content, they experience it – laughing, sharing and commenting. And brands have caught on.

The days when people sat through a 30-second TV ad because they had no choice are long gone. Now they can quickly swipe past anything that feels too much like selling.

What tends to grab attention are things that feel spontaneous, real or funny. That’s where brand-to-brand banter comes in.

Instead of posting directly to consumers, brands increasingly engage with each other. They crack jokes, offer praise and even poke fun at competitors. Brands are becoming more human in their interactions – especially with each other.

Brand “banter” doesn’t feel like an ad (even though it has a commercial purpose). It can feel unscripted, human and weirdly fun, cutting through in a way traditional advertising can’t.

Our research shows that consumers are more likely to notice and engage with these interactions. The content feels less like marketing and more like shared digital culture. It can feel unexpected and entertaining, and invites audiences into a “moment”.

Humour, especially online, is a powerful emotional hook. It invites people to share the content – great news if you have a product to sell. In a noisy digital world where brands compete for eyeballs, humour helps to get people’s attention.

But it also fosters emotional connection, and can make brands feel human-like to consumers. When we see brands behaving playfully or being especially complimentary towards each other, our research shows they are more like to engage and remember them. It turns passive scrolling into active participation.

A good example is the Duolingo Death meme. The brand’s chaotic cartoon owl faked its death on Instagram and the result was viral engagement.

The post was liked by more than 2.1 million people. Other brands such as Walmart, FedEx, Kellogg’s and Five Guys joined in. Even pop star Dua Lipa paid tribute on X. What felt like spontaneous chaos was actually a smart, strategic move that tapped into meme culture, humour and community trends.

The same can be said for the caterpillar cake battle between supermarket Aldi and Marks & Spencer. This public brand-to-brand feud over their respective cakes exploded into a public spectacle and legal action from M&S. Despite being locked in a trademark row, Aldi and M&S ribbed each other with witty social media posts.

But rather than harming either brand, the playful roasting humanised them, drawing attention and affection from consumers.

In on the joke

Our research also found that when brands talk to each other, (rather than just talking at consumers), it can be an effective marketing device. These exchanges are more engaging than traditional brand-to-consumer posts because they feel unexpected and unscripted.

We found that people don’t just enjoy the interactions. They walk away with more positive feelings towards the brand and are more likely to buy from them. These interactions break the “fourth wall” of advertising and let consumers feel like they’ve been let in on a joke.

Humour often works by violating expectations. But whether consumers find something funny or awkward depends on how we interpret that violation. And there’s a catch: it needs to feel benign rather than malign.

American fast food chain Wendy’s is renowned for its sharp-witted social media presence, often engaging in playful jabs at competitors like McDonald’s. But one post, in response to McDonald’s promise to use fresh beef in all of its quarter pounders, apparently went too far.

Wendy’s posted: “So you’ll still use frozen beef in MOST of your burgers in ALL of your restaurants? Asking for a friend.” While many customers found the remark humorous, others viewed it as mean-spirited and unprofessional.

So banter – when it verges on being aggressive – can risk alienating consumers who prefer respectful brand interactions.

Of course, the line between clever and cringe-worthy is thin. When brands try too hard to be funny or provocative, they risk being perceived as inauthentic, self-serving or out-of-touch. Worse, they can alienate audiences or trivialise serious issues. The performative nature of online branding means that missteps are both public and memorable.

And brands must be self-aware. It’s crucial that they understand their brand purpose and identity, their “cool” factor, and who their real customers are.

As brands seek their place in a saturated landscape, characterised by constant content overload and fleeting consumer attention, these moments of humour and light-hearted engagement can serve as relief valves. But they’re also strategic tools. Brands are using playfulness to build emotional connection, cultural relevance and visibility in an overcrowded digital space.

So the next time a brand makes you laugh, pause and consider: Was it just a joke, or was it also a very clever move?

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

– ref. From M&S to Duolingo: banter between brands on social media gets people buying – but there’s a catch – https://theconversation.com/from-mands-to-duolingo-banter-between-brands-on-social-media-gets-people-buying-but-theres-a-catch-256521