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Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI Global: Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s wrongful deportation case is more about individual rights than the Trump administration’s foreign policy

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Chimene Keitner, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Law, University of California, Davis

    U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, right, meets with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in San Salvador, El Salvador, on April 17, 2025. Photo by Sen. Van Hollen’s office via Getty Images

    Trump administration officials have repeatedly claimed that judges who order the administration to take action to bring deported Venezuelans back from the El Salvador prison where the U.S. sent them are meddling in the conduct of foreign policy.

    “The foreign policy of the United States is conducted by President Donald J. Trump − not by a court − and no court in the United States has a right to conduct the foreign policy of the United States,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on April 14.

    His comments refer to cases including that of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran man who was deported to El Salvador on March 15, 2025, without any due process. The Trump administration says it will not bring him back to the U.S., despite a Supreme Court order to facilitate his return.

    A reporter on April 30 asked Rubio about whether he has been in touch with El Salvador regarding Abrego Garcia’s potential release from a maximum security prison there.

    “Well I would never tell you that and you know who else I would never tell? A judge. Because the conduct of our foreign policy belongs to the president,” Rubio said.

    Rubio made a similar point on April 14, posting on X, “No court in the United States has a right to conduct the foreign policy of the United States. It’s that simple. End of story.”

    The legal cases of Abrego Garcia and other noncitizens deported to El Salvador are far from simple. Chimène Keitner, a scholar of international law and civil litigation, answers a few key questions about the power that U.S. judges actually have in these wrongful deportation cases.

    The Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., on April 28, 2025, with construction scaffolding on the facade.
    Brendan Śmiałowski/AFP via Getty Images

    Are these cases really about foreign policy or something else?

    These wrongful deportation cases aren’t primarily about foreign policy, despite what Trump officials have said − they’re about the protection of individual rights, including the right to due process.

    The Trump administration is arguing that courts cannot grant relief to individuals challenging their deportation and detention if those individuals are sent to another country and imprisoned there. Under that argument, even a wrongfully detained and deported U.S. citizen would be out of luck. That can’t, in my understanding, be right.

    In Reid v. Covert, a foundational case from 1957, the Supreme Court made clear that the government cannot deprive U.S. citizens of due process by entering into an agreement with a foreign country.

    Now, noncitizens are being detained in El Salvador under arrangements concluded between Rubio and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele in February 2025.

    So far, the relevant agreements have not been disclosed to Congress, arguably in violation of U.S. law. They also have not been disclosed to courts that have sought answers about relevant details.

    Following an April trip to El Salvador, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, said that the U.S. will pay El Salvador $15 million to imprison the deported noncitizens − and that El Salvador is imprisoning these men only because the U.S. is paying for it.

    What are other important elements to understand about these cases?

    The Trump administration is arguing that a judge or the Supreme Court cannot order it to return noncitizens to the U.S., because detention operations in El Salvador, a sovereign country, are beyond the reach of U.S. courts.

    However, the U.S. decisions to arrest, detain and deport noncitizens to El Salvador, and to pay for their incarceration there with U.S. taxpayer dollars, are not foreign policy decisions that cannot be reviewed by any judge.

    They are, I would argue, governmental deprivations of the individual right to due process.

    A U.S. court does not have power over the government of El Salvador. However, it can order the U.S. government to request an individual’s return. The Supreme Court has ordered the government to “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia.

    The government has argued that “facilitate” in this context simply requires removing domestic U.S. legal obstacles. However, given that Abrego Garcia is being detained in El Salvador, any effective remedy would require the U.S. government to request his return under the detention agreement between the two countries.

    Another federal judge made this clear in an April order requiring the government to make a “good faith request” to El Salvador to release a different wrongfully deported 20-year-old.

    Meanwhile, Trump has stated that his administration is exploring the idea of extending the El Salvador detention agreement to encompass U.S. citizens. Judges have already expressed concern that U.S. citizens, including children, are being removed from the country “with no meaningful process.”

    These actions cannot be shielded from judicial review on the grounds that they involve foreign policy.

    President Donald Trump shakes hands with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele at the White House on April 14, 2025.
    Win McNamee/Getty Images

    Could the Trump administration legitimately claim that judges cannot rule on its foreign policy decisions?

    The Constitution gives foreign affairs powers to both the executive and legislative branches. Judges can’t conduct foreign policy. They can, however, decide cases that may affect foreign policy, especially when individual rights are at stake.

    Another country’s involvement in a case doesn’t prevent U.S. courts from protecting individual rights.

    Can these court orders to bring back wrongfully deported individuals be enforced?

    The Trump administration is currently trying to portray judges as spreading “lawlessness” with these court orders, in the words of Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. But I would argue that the opposite is true. If the White House disagrees with an order by a district court or court of appeals, it can seek review by the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, it is obliged to obey lower court orders absent a stay, or pause, of their implementation.

    Courts can do their part to reject claims that the executive branch is entitled to act without regard for legislative or judicial limits by issuing strongly worded orders and even holding officials in contempt. At the end of the day, however, only Congress is empowered to remove a president who refuses to comply with the law.

    Chimene Keitner 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. Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s wrongful deportation case is more about individual rights than the Trump administration’s foreign policy – https://theconversation.com/kilmar-abrego-garcias-wrongful-deportation-case-is-more-about-individual-rights-than-the-trump-administrations-foreign-policy-255067

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    May 4, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Albanese increases majority and Dutton loses seat in stunning election landslide

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    The Albanese government has been re-elected with a substantially increased majority, and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has lost his seat, in a crushing defeat of the Coalition.

    As of late Saturday night, there was a two-party swing to Labor of about 3.4%, with two-party vote of 55.5%-44.5%

    It was sitting on about 86 seats (up from 78), and in the hunt for more. The Coalition, which went into the election with 57 seats, has won 41, and may pick up one or two more.

    The Labor primary vote was 34.7%, up 2.1%; the Coalition primary vote was 31.1%, down 4.6%.

    Among the Liberal losses is frontbencher Michael Sukkar in his Victorian seat of Deakin. Shadow foreign minister David Coleman is likely to lose his Sydney seat of Banks. Outspoken Liberal backbencher Bridget Archer has lost her Tasmanian seat of Bass.

    It was all over by 8.30PM, as it became increasingly clear a big swing to Labor was underway.

    A trumphant and emotional Anthony Albanese told a jubilant Labor crowd: “Australians have chosen a majority Labor government”.

    “Today the Australian people have voted for Australian values. For fairness, aspiration and opportunity for all. For the strength to show courage in adversity and kindness to those in need.

    “And Australians have voted for a future that holds true to these values, a future built on everything that brings us together as Australians and everything that sets our nation apart from the world.

    “Australians have chosen to face global challenges the Australian way, looking after each other while building for the future.

    “I make this solemn pledge. We will not forget that we will never take it for granted, repaying your trust will drive a government each and every day of the next three years.”

    Albanese, who has used a Medicare card as a prop through the campaign, produced it once again. “We will be a government that helps every Australian who relies on Medicare.”

    According to the ABC, seats changing hands from the Liberals to Labor are Banks and Hughes in NSW; Forde, Bonner, Dickson, Petrie, Leichhardt in Queensland; Deakin in Victoria; Braddon and Bass in Tasmania; Sturt in South Australia, and Moore in Western Australia.

    It was a bad night for the Greens. They are likely to lose two of their three Queensland seats, Griffith, held by high profile MP Max Chandler-Mather, and Brisbane held by Stephen Bates.

    The Greens’ expected losses occurred despite roughly holding its primary vote, which is 12.5%, up 0.2%. Their leader Adam Bandt is in trouble in his seat of Melbourne.

    Dutton said in his concession speech he had called Albanese and congratulated him. “I said to the prime minister that his mum would be incredibly proud of his achievement tonight, and he should be very proud of what he’s achieved.”

    Dutton said he had also spoken to Ali France, the Labor candidate who has beaten him in Dickson. “She lost her son Henry, which is a tragic circumstance that no parent should ever go through. And equally I said to Ali that her son Henry would be incredibly proud of her tonight and that she’ll do a good Local member for Dixon.”

    He expressed his sorrow for the Liberal MPs and candidates who had lost.

    All the teals have held their seats. The teal candidate in Bradfield, Nicolette Boele, is ahead of her Liberal opponent. The teal Jessie Price is also ahead in the ACT Labor seat of Bean.

    Queensland LNP Senator James McGrath said it was a brutal night for Peter Dutton and the Coalition. “We have got to make sure we take stock of why we lost this election and have a serious review into those reasons.”

    As the Liberals prepare to review their disastrous loss and choose a new leader, their Senate leader Michaelia Cash is backing fellow West Australian Andrew Hastie. “I think Andrew Hastie is an outstanding member … I’m a very good friend of his. Andrew’s always been seen as leadership material.”

    Michelle Grattan 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. Albanese increases majority and Dutton loses seat in stunning election landslide – https://theconversation.com/albanese-increases-majority-and-dutton-loses-seat-in-stunning-election-landslide-255616

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Labor routs the Coalition as voters reject Dutton’s undercooked offering

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    In a dramatic parallel, what happened in Canada at the beginning of this week has now been replicated in Australia at the end of the week.

    An opposition that a few months ago had looked just possibly on track to dislodge the government, or at least run it close, has bombed spectacularly. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has lost his Queensland seat of Dickson, as did the Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in Canada.

    Far from being forced into minority government, as most observers had been expecting, Labor has increased its majority, with a substantial swing towards it.

    Its strong victory reflects not just the the voters’ judgement that the Coalition was not ready to govern. It was worse than that. People just didn’t rate the Coalition or its offerings.

    Multiple factors played into this debacle for the Coalition.

    A first-term government historically gets a chance of a second term.

    The Trump factor overshadowed this election. It made people feel it was best to stick with the status quo. People also were very suspicious of Dutton, whom they saw (despite disclaimers) as being too like the hardline US president.

    After the last election, Dutton was declared by many to be unelectable, and that proved absolutely to be the case, despite what turned out to be a misleading impression when the polls were so bad for Labor.

    Even if they’d had a very good campaign, the Coalition would probably not have had a serious chance of winning this election.

    But its campaign was woeful. The nuclear policy was a drag and a distraction. Holding back policy until late was a bad call. When the policies came, they were often thin and badly prepared. The ambitious defence policy had no detail. The gas reservation scheme had belated modelling.

    The forced backflip on working from home, and the late decision to offer a tax offset, were other examples of disaster in the campaign.

    Dutton must wear the main share of the blame. He kept strategy and tactics close to his chest.

    But the performance of the opposition frontbench, with a few exceptions, has been woeful. Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor and finance spokeswoman Jane Hume have been no match for their Labor counterparts Jim Chalmers and Katy Gallagher.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Labor ran a very disciplined campaign. Albanese himself performed much better than he did in 2022.

    Labor was helped by an interest rate cut in February and the prospect of another to come later this month.

    Albanese transformed himself, or was transformed, from last year to this year.

    The cost of living presented a huge hurdle for Labor, but the government was able to point to relief it had given on energy bills, tax and much else. The Coalition had opposed several of Labor’s measures and was left trying to play catch-up at the end.

    The Liberal Party now has an enormous task to rebuild. The “target the suburbs” strategy has failed. At the same time, the old inner-city Liberal heartland is deeply teal territory.

    Hume said, in an unfortunately colourful comment, on Friday, “You do not read the entrails until you have gutted the chicken”.

    The chicken has now been gutted. There will be a much more bitter post mortem than in 2022. The leadership choices are less than optimal for the party: Angus Taylor? Andrew Hastie? Sussan Ley?

    An interesting thought: if Josh Frydenberg had held his seat in 2022, and led the Liberal party to this election, would be result have been better? One thing is clear: Frydenberg took the right decision in not recontesting Kooyong, which teal Monique Ryan has held.

    Anyway, who would want to lead the Liberals at this moment?

    Michelle Grattan 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. Labor routs the Coalition as voters reject Dutton’s undercooked offering – https://theconversation.com/labor-routs-the-coalition-as-voters-reject-duttons-undercooked-offering-255617

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    May 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement by Prime Minister Carney on World Press Freedom Day

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, issued the following statement on World Press Freedom Day:

    “In this time of crisis, we must protect what it means to be Canadian. A strong, independent, and free press both defines and defends our values. My new government will protect reliable Canadian public forums, so we can tell our own stories in our own languages.

    “Central to this work is strengthening our public broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada, which has stitched this nation together, reporting from Corner Brook to Trois-Rivières to Whitehorse to Comox, bringing Canadians together at critical moments. My new government will also protect and fund more local news, including those with Indigenous perspectives.

    “In a sea of foreign media and disinformation, we need Canadian voices more than ever.”

    MIL OSI Canada News –

    May 4, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Palestine protesters march on TVNZ, accuse broadcaster of bias on Gaza

    Asia Pacific Report

    About 1000 pro-Palestinian protesters marked World Press Freedom Day — May 3 — today by marching on the public broadcaster Television New Zealand in Auckland, accusing it of 18 months of “biased coverage” on the genocidal Israeli war against Gaza.

    They delivered a letter to the management board of TVNZ from Palestine Solidarity Network (PSNA) co-chair John Minto declaring: “The damage [done] to human rights, justice and freedom in the Middle East by Western media such as TVNZ is incalculable.”

    The protesters marched on the television headquarters near Sky Tower about 4pm after an hour-long rally in the heart of the city at a precinct dubbed “Palestine Square” in the Britomart transport hub’s Te Komititanga Square.

    Several opposition politicians spoke at the rally, calling for a ceasefire in the brutal war on Gaza that has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians with no sign of a let-up.

    Labour Party’s disarmament and arms control spokesperson Phil Twyford was among the speakers that included Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson and Ricardo Menéndez March.

    All three spoke strongly in support of Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

    Davidson said the opposition parties were united behind the bill and all they needed were six MPs in the coalition government to “follow their conscience” to support it.

    Appeals for pressure
    They appealed to the protesters to put pressure on their local MPs to support the humanitarian initiative.

    Protesters outside the Television New Zealand headquarters in Auckland today. Image: Asia Pacific Report

    In The Hague this week, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) heard evidence from more than 40 countries and global organisations condemning Israel over its actions in deliberately starving the more than 2 million Palestinians by blockading the besieged enclave for more than the past two months.

    Only the United States and Hungary spoke in support of Israel.

    A senior diplomat from Qatar, a leading mediator country in the war, told the ICJ that Israel was conducting a “genocidal war against the Palestinian people” and weaponising humanitarian aid.

    Mutlaq al-Qahtani, Qatari Ambassador to The Netherlands, also said there were “new trails of tears in the West Bank mirroring Gaza’s fate”.


    Israel executing ‘genocidal war’ against Gaza, Qatar tells ICJ.    Video: Al Jazeera

    Among the speakers in the Auckland rally, one of about 30 similar protests for Palestine across New Zealand this weekend, was coordinator Roger Fowler of the Auckland-based Kia Ora Gaza humanitarian aid organisation, who denounced the overnight drone attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla aid ship Conscience in international waters after leaving Malta.

    The ship was crippled by the suspected Israel attack, endangering the lives of some 30 human rights activists on board. Fowler said: “That’s 2000 km away from Israel, that’s how desperate they are now to stop the Freedom Flotilla.”

    A protester placard declaring “TVNZ, you’re biased reporting is shameful. Where is your integrity?” Image: Asia Pacific Report

    He reminded protesters that Marama Davidson and retired trade unionist Mike Treen had been on previous aid protest voyages in past years trying to break the Israeli blockade, but there was no New Zealander on board in the current mission.

    Media ‘credibility challenge’
    Journalist and Pacific Media Watch convenor Dr David Robie spoke about World Media Freedom Day. He paid a tribute to the sacrifices of 211 Palestinian journalists killed by Israel — many of them targeted — saying Israel’s war on Gaza had become the “greatest credibility challenge for journalists and media of our times”.

    Many protesters carried placards declaring slogans such as “TVNZ your biased reporting is shameful. Where is your integrity?”, “Journalists are not targets” and “Caring for the children of Palestine is what it’s about.”

    After marching about 1km between Te Komititanga Square and the TVNZ headquarters, the protesters gathered outside the entrance chanting for fairness and balance in the reporting.

    “TVNZ lies. For the past 18 months they have been nothing but complicit,” said one Palestinian speaker to a chorus of: “Shame!”

    He said: “Every time TVNZ lies, a little boy in Gaza dies.”

    Another Palestinian speaker, Nadine, said: “Every time the media lies, a little girl in Gaza dies.”

    The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) letter to Television New Zealand’s board. Image: Asia Pacific Report

    Deputation delivers TVNZ letter
    A deputation from the protesters delivered the letter from PSNA’s John Minto addressed to the TVNZ board chair Alastair Carruthers but found the main foyer main entrance closed so the message was left.

    Minto’s two-page letter calling for an independent review of TVNZ’s reporting on Palestine and Israel said in part:

    “Over the past 18 months of industrial scale killing of Palestinians by the Israeli military in Gaza we have been regularly appalled at the blatantly-biased reporting on the Middle East by Television New Zealand.

    “TVNZ’s reporting has been relentlessly and virulently pro-Israel. TVNZ has centred Israeli narratives, Israeli explanations, Israeli justifications and Israeli propaganda points on a daily basis while Palestinian viewpoints are all but absent.

    “When they are presented they are given rudimentary coverage at best. More often than not Palestinians are presented as the incoherent victims of Israeli brutality rather than as an occupied people fighting for liberation in a situation described by the International Court of Justice as a “plausible genocide”.

    “This pattern of systemic bias and unbalanced reporting is not revealed by TVNZ’s complaints system which focuses on individual stories rather than ingrained patterns of pro-Israel bias.

    “Every complaint we have made to TVNZ has, with one minor exception, been rejected by your corporation with the typical refrain that it’s not possible to cover every aspect of an issue in a single story but that over time the balance is made up.

    “Our issue is that the bias continues throughout TVNZ’s reporting on a story-by-story, day-by-day basis — the balance is never achieved. The reporting goes ahead just the way the pro-Israel lobby is happy with.”

    The rest of the letter detailed many examples of the alleged systematic bias, such as failing to describe Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem and as “Occupied” territory as they are designated under international law, and failing to state the illegality of Israel’s military occupation.

    Minto concluded by stating: “It is prolonging Israel’s illegal occupation, its apartheid policies, its ethnic cleansing and theft of Palestinian land. TVNZ is part of the problem – a key part of the problem.”

    The letter called for an independent investigation.

    Palestinian protesters at TVNZ headquarters while demonstrating against the public broadcaster’s coverage of the Israeli war against Gaza on World Press Freedom Day. Image: Asia Pacific Report

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 4, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Albanese’s government might not thrill, but it has shown unity and competence – and that’s no mean feat

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Bongiorno, Professor of History, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University

    The Coalition’s election campaign of 2025 has a strong claim to be considered among the worst since federation. I know of none more shambolic. Barely a day passed without some new misstep or about-face, some embarrassing revelation about a candidate, some new policy condemned by experts as half-baked, uncosted or worse. Three years of waiting for Labor and Anthony Albanese to fall over instead of doing serious policy work came home to roost, and the chicken concerned was very ugly.

    The campaign more generally was nothing to write home about. From the preoccupations of the major players, if you didn’t already know, you’d hardly have guessed that the wider world was in the midst of its greatest convulsions since the second world war, as the United States retreated from its longstanding global role into protectionism and isolationism, abandoning and bullying old friends and allies, helping rivals and enemies, upending international trade, and dismantling democracy and the rule of law.

    The government assured voters it had everything in hand, adopting a small-target re-election strategy, to pair with its similar 2022 approach. Albanese invariably looked solid and prime ministerial. There was no fumbling the figures on the level of unemployment or the Reserve Bank cash rate this time.

    Like the Coalition, Labor threw itself enthusiastically into a spendathon. It did not take major policy reform into the campaign. We live in the shadow of the two elections that saw parties with policy ambition suffer humiliating defeat: the Coalition in 1993 and Labor in 2019. That made the Coalition’s policy of building nuclear power plants foolhardy rather than brave.

    Trump’s shadow followed Peter Dutton everywhere, making a small-target strategy unviable for the Coalition. On Trump, Dutton sometimes sounded a bit like Saint Peter thrice denying he knew Jesus Christ, but he reverted to type as the campaign wore on by playing up favoured culture war topics of the moment, such as winding back Indigenous Welcomes to Country.

    But the Liberals’ biggest mistake – the one on which all others would be built – occurred three years ago, on May 30 2022.

    Dutton, unopposed as the Liberal Party’s new leader, told his first press conference that his policies would be aimed at the “forgotten people” of the suburbs. It was a pitch so hackneyed as to be barely worth attention. But it was also a strange thing to say given the reality of the situation his party then faced – and still faces today.

    Hackneyed, because Dutton’s promise recalled the Liberal Party’s talismanic foundational document, Robert Menzies’ “The Forgotten People”, broadcast 80 years before to the very month. But strange because the Coalition had been in office for nine years. If there were indeed “forgotten people” in the nation’s suburbs, the Coalition had surely enjoyed ample opportunity to remember them.

    It was strange for another reason, too: the Liberal Party had just been devastated by the loss of its traditional urban heartland, Menzies’ old seat of Kooyong among the casualties. The residents of these electorates – most of them not far from city centres – may well have felt “forgotten”, but not in the sense Dutton imagined. They felt their values and interests were not reflected in the modern Liberal Party.

    It is worth revisiting what Dutton said on that occasion, because it seems to have guided his whole pitch as opposition leader ever since:

    I’m not giving up on any seat, but I do want to send a very clear message to those in the suburbs, particularly those in seats where there has been a swing against the Labor Party on their primary vote, in many parts of the country.

    The emphasis here was not really on winning back teal seats. They received just a grudging nod of acknowledgement. For Dutton, it was all about going out into the suburbs and winning seats held by Labor. And true to form, teal seats received very little of his campaign attention during the 2025 campaign.

    This was a foolish strategy of avoidance for which Dutton and the Liberal Party have now paid a heavy price. The Coalition’s journey took it into support for nuclear power, blaming housing shortages on immigration, and opposing a First Nations Voice to Parliament – the latter an issue the Coalition even desperately sought to revive against Labor during the campaign.

    The Voice referendum nurtured the illusion that the six in ten “no” voters were ripe for Coalition picking. Wiser heads might have noticed Labor continued to rule for eight years after the Hawke government was humiliated at a 1988 referendum, and Menzies was prime minister for 15 years following his Communist Party referendum defeat.

    Wiser heads might also have noticed that the Coalition’s only path back to power demanded it address its losses in the more affluent metropolitan seats won by Independents, Labor and the Greens. Short of huge and unlikely advances in the outer suburbs and regional cities and towns, the Liberals need to win metropolitan seats with high proportions of well-off, well-educated, socially progressive and younger voters to be competitive for majority government.

    Still, that was a hard ask in three years. It nonetheless left a chance of minority Coalition government, which many pundits believed a distinct possibility for much of 2024 and early 2025.

    But where were the Coalition’s votes on the floor of the House going to come from, if not from teal and teal-like independents? The Greens? Hardly. It would have made a great deal of sense to pitch policies that might help to win over community independents and their supporters.

    Instead, the Coalition alienated them, such as by joining with Labor to produce an ineffectual National Anti-Corruption Commission and new electoral finance laws opposed by the teals.

    The Liberals and Nationals made little effort to attract women voters – indeed, policies such as opposing working from home alienated them – and they wandered off on their nuclear frolic. Dutton flirted with Trumpish policies on reducing immigration and public service cuts, before retreating on the latter but in such a confused manner as to leave voters without a clue what his intentions actually were.



    Read more:
    When ‘equal’ does not mean ‘the same’: Liberals still do not understand their women problem

    And as the Liberals’ election campaign unravelled, its friends in the right-wing media continued to campaign relentlessly against the teals. There was no method to this madness, unless it was shoring up the Coalition against possible depredations on its dwindling voting base from parties further to the right.

    It is not that Labor was invincible. Its majority was the narrowest of any first-term government since 1913. It was under pressure in normally friendly Victoria. It lost momentum through the Voice referendum. Interest rates intensified mortgage stress. People complained they could afford a visit to neither the supermarket nor the doctor’s surgery. There was growing unease about immigration levels, and continuing frustration at the lack of housing.

    The contest for government, however, is still largely a two-horse race and each of the major party leaders is the main bearer of their side’s colours. Dutton and the Liberals failed to do the hard yakka on policy, ideology, image or strategy.

    Dutton himself continued to worry many voters as a risky proposition or worse. The few weeks of the election campaign itself seemed more consequential than most in living memory because it so amply demonstrated his lack of fitness for prime ministerial leadership.

    For Labor, the Rudd and Gillard years remain the central reference in modern political history, formative of their understanding of what not to do in government if you want to be treated respectfully by voters.

    In contrast, in the past three years, Labor established an image of unity and competence. We should not underestimate this achievement. It amounted to a significant rebuilding of the Labor brand.

    “You campaign in poetry, you govern in prose,” New York governor Mario Cuomo was fond of saying. Labor has defied him: it campaigns and governs in prose.

    But perhaps that’s what those fabled punters want: not a Trump-inspired disruptor, nor a radical visionary, but the kind of bloke you’d trust with your tax return.

    The times ahead will call for more.

    Frank Bongiorno 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. Albanese’s government might not thrill, but it has shown unity and competence – and that’s no mean feat – https://theconversation.com/albaneses-government-might-not-thrill-but-it-has-shown-unity-and-competence-and-thats-no-mean-feat-254570

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 4, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Labor wins with a superior campaign and weak opposition – now it’s time to make the second term really matter

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra

    Superior campaigning by the Labor machine, a lift in the personal performance of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and a woeful campaign by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have seen Labor re-elected for a second term.

    Albanese will go down as one of the luckiest Labor leaders in Australian political history. He faced two deeply unpopular and somewhat odd Coalition leaders – Scott Morrison in 2022 and Dutton in 2025 – and edged out both to first win, and now retain, power. Dutton even lost his seat.

    Albanese was lucky, too, that the distress and dysfunction evident in the United States in the first 100 days of the Trump administration made voters reluctant to risk a version of that under the Trumpesque Dutton in Australia.

    His luck was compounded by the Liberal team’s shocking underperformance, along with that of Dutton personally. Policy reversals, ineffective advertising and an overall lack of focus blighted their campaign from the outset.

    In contrast, Labor National Secretary Paul Erickson and key party figures combined to ensure the government got the jump on the Coalition before the election was imminent. This included getting Albanese onto the hustings early in the new year, making policy announcements that demonstrated a commitment to build Australia’s future.

    Albanese himself shook off the torpor evident since the failed Voice referendum campaign and presented a more energetic and congenial face to Australians than the awkward and floundering Dutton.

    For the first time in many elections, Labor produced memorable, cut-through advertising with its “He cuts. You pay.” ad, designed to persuade voters they would be worse off under the Coalition.

    The swing to Labor was a big turnaround in the fortunes of a party that only months ago looked at risk of struggling to achieve even minority government. As in last month’s Canadian election, the long shadow of Donald Trump helped secure victory for an incumbent government against a Trumpesque opposition.

    Dutton flip-flopped under pressure between masking his usual right-wing approach and reverting to type with hardline positions of limited appeal to swinging voters. The more Australians saw of him during the campaign, the worse his net approval rating became.

    The Coalition’s election postmortem is likely to hinge on the mystery of why, given the scores of interest rate rises since the previous election and misery experienced by so many Australians as a result, it did not simply hammer the cost of living as its return ticket to power.

    It should also dwell on the lesson that a leader and policies that please local oligarchs and right-wing media echo chambers make winning the centre ground needed for election victory in Australia hard.

    That one-third of Australians gave an independent or minor party candidate their first preference vote should be the focus of serious contemplation by the major parties, even by Labor in victory.

    The crossbench will remain sizeable in the 150-member House of Representatives, though without the balance of power eagerly sought by the teal and orange independents. The Senate will continue to be a challenge for the government to get its bills through.

    One clear message is that voters aren’t impressed by the leaders the major parties are offering.

    Albanese campaigned well, and got better as the election went on. However, like Dutton, he remained in net negative approval territory. In the final Newspoll of the campaign, published on election day, Albanese and Dutton had –10% and –27% net approval ratings, respectively. Both leaders were a drag on their party’s vote.

    Labor’s low primary, but emphatic two party-preferred vote signals Australians want it in office but expect more than tinkering around the edges. The Albanese government will be expected to come up with structural solutions that meet contemporary Australians’ real needs in this second term.

    With his re-election as prime minister, Albanese can be confident and secure in his governing style, giving talented frontbenchers more scope to develop the deeper policy solutions Australians seek.

    That increased security will also enable him to drop the petty persecution of rivals that gives voters an insight into the lesser side of the sunny personality he publicly presents.

    Whether he does either of those things will remain to be seen.

    Labor MPs will also have to play their role properly in this term of government.

    Slavish quiescence to an all-powerful prime minister produces paltry results. Caucus needs to get elbows up with the re-elected Albanese and make sure he doesn’t clock off between elections like he appeared to at times last time around.

    Chris Wallace has received funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Labor wins with a superior campaign and weak opposition – now it’s time to make the second term really matter – https://theconversation.com/labor-wins-with-a-superior-campaign-and-weak-opposition-now-its-time-to-make-the-second-term-really-matter-255516

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 4, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Dutton and the Coalition did not do the work, and misread the Australian mood

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University

    The former federal director of the Liberal Party, Brian Loughnane, used to tell media companies that their practice of commissioning expensive opinion polls right through a parliamentary term was a waste of money.

    Election 2025 seemed to vindicate his charge. For example, polls conducted within sight of the election – since about February this year – returned markedly different results from those that had been breathlessly reported through 2024.

    A rigorous strategist, Loughnane had reasoned that the central polling task of establishing “who you would vote for were an election held this Saturday” prompts a meaningful answer only when an election is actually about to occur. Midway through a term, voters simply see the question as a hypothetical exercise limited to assessing the incumbent government’s performance.

    Come the campaign, though, considerations shift to stereo. Inexorably, voters’ attention expands to include the would-be government: the opposition. What are its solutions? Is it really ready for office? And perhaps most crucially, who is its leader, this person insisting on becoming prime minister?

    This electoral reckoning – a turning point from the abstract to the applied – is where Peter Dutton’s three-year strategy started to come unstitched.

    The conservative Queenslander had risen in the polls through 2024, buoyed by his surprisingly effective dismantling of the Voice in the 2023. He had been lifted further by the Albanese government’s handling the cost-of-living crisis. Dutton’s team was uncommonly unified, his focus laser-like on Labor’s shortcomings.

    As 2025 approached, Dutton looked to be in a strong position, drawing encouragement from the success of populist right-wing parties across the democratic world. These victories suggested Dutton had a winning formula – a pitch consistent with the populist-nationalist zeitgeist.

    The biggest of these international success stories, the barnstorming election of US President Donald Trump in November 2024, lifted right-wing spirits into the stratosphere.

    Trump’s defiant return was a frontal repudiation of liberal elites and their priorities around climate change, procedural governance, feminism and other identity-based politics.

    To Dutton, this new, brash and disruptive electoral mood felt propitious. He faced a uncharismatic opponent, widely perceived as weak, during a cost-of-living crunch. Voters were angry at the government. The opposition leader had the wind at his back. He told his colleagues he would win. Albanese was “weak, woke, and sending you broke”.

    More explicitly, he praised Trump as “shrewd” and a “big thinker”, and when tariffs were placed on Australian imports to the US, Dutton hinted he would have secured exemptions because of his ideological like-mindedness with the president.

    Actions followed.

    Within days of Trump’s headline-grabbing appointment of Elon Musk to lead a department of government efficiency, Dutton followed suit, promoting the Indigenous hero of the anti-Voice campaign, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa-Price, to his shadow cabinet in charge of government efficiency.

    He would go on to announce a consciously Trumpian-sounding plan to slash Australia’s public service jobs by 41,000, and another policy to end work-from-home arrangements. The latter proved so disastrous he was forced into an embarrassing backdown on it.

    Fuelling his growing ebullience, Dutton unwisely favoured soft-ball interviews with conservative backers on Sky News and talkback radio. Where orthodox media interviews might have sharpened his communication skills and also alerted him to holes or excesses in his suite of policies, Dutton received pats on the back and encouragement to go harder.

    This meant he came away even more convinced that the times were suiting him, and that the prize of unseating a first-term government for the first time since the Great Depression was within reach.

    By the time the pace lifted and the scrutiny intensified as the election campaign neared, the weaknesses in Dutton’s campaign were structural and impossible to hide.

    Trump had trashed the global trading system. He insulted America’s closest and most dutiful friends, Australia included.

    Polls showed that Australians saw Trump as a threat. Dutton had backed the wrong horse.

    A preoccupation with attacking the Albanese government rather than undertaking the detailed policy development work needed for government – replete with potentially difficult internal disputes both within the Liberal Party and within the Coalition – had left Dutton with a thin offering to voters.

    And an unwillingness to brook these searching introspections also left Dutton with an overly compliant and unimpressive frontbench.

    In policy terms, this thinness led to election commitments that had not been adequately stress-tested. Some would draw fire and be abandoned while others would be announced and then de-emphasised, effectively back-officed for the campaign.

    On personnel, most shadow ministers were kept out of the national campaign spotlight. This was either because they were consumed with their own electoral survival, were considered by Dutton’s office to be incompetent, or simply because there was insufficient policy meat to defend within their allotted area of responsibility.

    This meant an ever-greater “presidential” focus on Dutton, even as he became a net drag on the Coalition vote. The Liberal Party’s polling must have identified his low standing, yet still the campaign remained unusually focused around him as leader. A stark measure of how crazy-brave this was came on election night when Dutton lost his seat (Dickson). Albanese had made a point of going straight to Dickson as his first move on day one of the campaign, and returned there at the end.

    When policy promises were announced, they tended to be late in the campaign, swamped by other events, or lost in public holiday periods (Easter and Anzac Day).

    The late-to-very-late release of policy fuelled criticism that Team Dutton was not confident of its own programs and wanted to attract as little attention as possible.

    Thus a major $21 billion increase in defence spending came with scant detail in the penultimate week, sandwiched between public holidays and after early voting had already begun. It attracted little sustained attention.

    An otherwise attention-grabbing proposal to legalise the sale of vaping products outside of pharmacies to better regulate its harm and derive billions in revenue, lobbed on Thursday afternoon of the final week. Millions of Australians had already voted. It suggested even Dutton was sheepish about its virtues.

    While a public service work-from-home ban was abandoned mid-campaign amid a backlash, public service job cuts, a policy that initially had been regarded as a positive was softened to apply only to Canberra, to exempt front-line service jobs, and to be achieved only through attrition rather than sackings. Its cost savings were thrown into doubt.

    It became such a liability that even the Liberals’ ACT Senate candidate campaigned against it, putting him in the invidious position of effectively saying, “vote Liberal to give Canberrans better protection from the Liberals”.

    Dutton’s formal campaign was untidy and inept, but it was led by a man intent on bending the electorate to his will rather than building a broader constituency for his party’s worldview.

    In the end, the campaign asked to do too much after a wasted three years in which hard policy development was shirked, and tough decisions to strengthen an underperforming frontbench were avoided.

    Mark Kenny 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. Dutton and the Coalition did not do the work, and misread the Australian mood – https://theconversation.com/dutton-and-the-coalition-did-not-do-the-work-and-misread-the-australian-mood-255515

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 4, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Labor routs the Coalition as voters reject Dutton’s undercooked offering

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    In a dramatic parallel, what happened in Canada at the beginning of this week has now been replicated in Australia at the end of the week.

    An opposition that a few months ago had looked just possibly on track to dislodge the government, or at least run it close, has bombed spectacularly. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has lost his Queensland seat of Dickson, as did the Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in Canada.

    Far from being forced into minority government, as most observers had been expecting, Labor has increased its majority, with a substantial swing towards it.

    Its strong victory reflects not just the the voters’ judgement that the Coalition was not ready to govern. It was worse than that. People just didn’t rate the Coalition or its offerings.

    Multiple factors played into this debacle for the Coalition.

    A first-term government historically gets a chance of a second term.

    The Trump factor overshadowed this election. It made people feel it was best to stick with the status quo. People also were very suspicious of Dutton, whom they saw (despite disclaimers) as being too like the hardline US president.

    After the last election, Dutton was declared by many to be unelectable, and that proved absolutely to be the case, despite what turned out to be a misleading impression when the polls were so bad for Labor.

    Even if they’d had a very good campaign, the Coalition would probably not have had a serious chance of winning this election.

    But its campaign was woeful. The nuclear policy was a drag and a distraction. Holding back policy until late was a bad call. When the policies came, they were often thin and badly prepared. The ambitious defence policy had no detail. The gas reservation scheme had belated modelling.

    The forced backflip on working from home, and the late decision to offer a tax offset, were other examples of disaster in the campaign.

    Dutton must wear the main share of the blame. He kept strategy and tactics close to his chest.

    But the performance of the opposition frontbench, with a few exceptions, has been woeful. Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor and finance spokeswoman Jane Hume have been no match for their Labor counterparts Jim Chalmers and Katy Gallagher.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Labor ran a very disciplined campaign. Albanese himself performed much better than he did in 2022.

    Labor was helped by an interest rate cut in February and the prospect of another to come later this month.

    Albanese transformed himself, or was transformed, from last year to this year.

    The cost of living presented a huge hurdle for Labor, but the government was able to point to relief it had given on energy bills, tax and much else. The Coalition had opposed several of Labor’s measures and was left trying to play catch-up at the end.

    The Liberal Party now has an enormous task to rebuild. The “target the suburbs” strategy has failed. At the same time, the old inner-city Liberal heartland is deeply teal territory.

    Hume said, in an unfortunately colourful comment, on Friday, “You do not read the entrails until you have gutted the chicken”.

    The chicken has now been gutted. There will be a much more bitter post mortem than in 2022. The leadership choices are less than optimal for the party: Angus Taylor? Andrew Hastie? Sussan Ley?

    An interesting thought: if Josh Frydenberg had held his seat in 2022, and led the Liberal party to this election, would be result have been better? One thing is clear: Frydenberg took the right decision in not recontesting Kooyong, which teal Monique Ryan has held.

    Anyway, who would want to lead the Liberals at this moment?

    Michelle Grattan 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. Labor routs the Coalition as voters reject Dutton’s undercooked offering – https://theconversation.com/labor-routs-the-coalition-as-voters-reject-duttons-undercooked-offering-255617

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 4, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Labor wins surprise landslide, returned with a thumping majority

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    With 52% of enrolled voters counted, The Poll Bludger has Labor ahead in 92 of the 150 House of Representatives seats, the Coalition in 43, the Greens in two, independents in 11 and others in two. In called seats, Labor is on 76 (already a majority), the Coalition 32, independents six and others two.

    Labor has gained ten seats and the Coalition has lost ten, including Peter Dutton’s Dickson to Labor. It’s amazing that Labor has held the Victorian seat of Aston, which they had gained from the Coalition during Labor’s honeymoon period.

    The Poll Bludger gives Labor a projected national two-party preferred vote of 54.5–45.5, a 2.4% swing to Labor since the 2022 election. Current primary votes are 34.7% Labor (up 2.3%), 30.5% Coalition (down 3.9%), 12.8% Greens (up 0.3%), 6.2% One Nation (up 1.3%), 2.0% Trumpet of Patriots (new), 8.1% independents (up 4.5%) and 5.8% others (up 0.6%).

    I believe this election result was mostly because Dutton became too close to One Nation and Donald Trump for the Australian people to tolerate. Dutton would have done better to have stuck to the cost-of-living issue and avoided culture wars.

    With the addition of the YouGov poll below, Albanese finished the campaign at a net -4.2 using an average of five polls in the final week that asked for leaders’ ratings. Dutton finished at -20.8.

    The Canadian election on Monday and now Australia’s election demonstrate the left’s ability to win elections. Many thought Trump’s election would herald an era of right-wing dominance, but both Canada’s Conservatives and Australia’s Coalition lost what had looked like wins two months ago. Both leaders also lost their seats.

    Before the 2022 Australian election, I wrote that Australia and Canada could be strong for the left owing to big cities that make up a large share of the population in both countries. The right’s gains in the last decade have been biggest in regional areas.

    The polls understated Labor at this election, with none of the ten polls by different pollsters conducted in the final week putting Labor’s two party share above 53%. The Morgan poll that was conducted April 14–20 gave Labor a 55.5–44.5 lead, but Morgan’s final two polls retreated back to a 53–47 Labor lead.

    The Ipsos poll below that gave Labor just a 51–49 lead and the Freshwater poll that gave Labor a 51.5–48.5 lead were particularly poor. I will give a full assessment of the polling when the results are nearly complete.

    This is the poll graph I’ve been publishing with the provisional Labor two-party win by 54.5–45.5 marked.

    More final polls

    The polls below were not released in time for Friday night’s final poll wrap.

    The final national YouGov non-MRP poll, conducted April 24 to May 1 from a sample of 3,000, gave Labor a 52.2–47.8 lead, a 1.3-point gain for the Coalition since the April 17–22 YouGov poll.

    Primary votes were 31.4% Coalition (up 0.4), 31.1% Labor (down 2.4), 14.6% Greens (up 0.6), 8.5% One Nation (down two), 2.5% Trumpet of Patriots (up 0.5), 6.7% independents (up 1.7) and 5.2% others (up 1.2). By 2022 election flows, Labor would lead by 54.2–45.8.

    Anthony Albanese’s net approval was up one point to -6, with 49% dissatisfied and 43% satisfied. Peter Dutton’s net approval slumped six points to a record low in YouGov of -24. Albanese led Dutton as better PM by 51–34 (50–35 previously).

    A national Ipsos poll for The Daily Mail was released Friday without fieldwork dates provided, but the sample was 2,574. Labor led by 51–49 from primary votes of 33% Coalition, 28% Labor, 12% Greens, 8% One Nation, 2% Trumpet of Patriots, 12% for all Others and 5% undecided.

    Ipsos has conducted Australian polling before, but this was its only voting intentions poll this term. Its previous two polls for The Daily Mail had only asked about the leaders’ ratings.

    The final wave of the tracking poll of 20 marginal seats by Redbridge and Accent Research for the News Corp tabloids gave Labor a 53–47 lead across these seats, a 1.5-point gain for the Coalition since the previous week.

    Primary votes were 34% Coalition (steady), 33% Labor (down two), 12% Greens (down two), 6% One Nation (down one) and 15% for all Others (up five). These seats voted for Labor by 51–49 at the 2022 election, so this poll has a 2% swing to Labor across these seats.

    Labor won nationally in 2022 by 52.1–47.9, so this poll implies about a 54–46 Labor national margin.

    Adrian Beaumont 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. Labor wins surprise landslide, returned with a thumping majority – https://theconversation.com/labor-wins-surprise-landslide-returned-with-a-thumping-majority-255518

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 4, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Labor wins election in landslide: full results

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Digital Storytelling Team, The Conversation

    The Conversation, CC BY-SA

    Digital Storytelling Team 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. Labor wins election in landslide: full results – https://theconversation.com/labor-wins-election-in-landslide-full-results-251905

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Applications open for Work Experience and Support Program

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Former WESP participant Zhenjun and Infrastructure Canberra’s Rebekka Bjarnadottir, who hosted Zhenjun’s work placement in 2024.

    In brief:

    • The ACT Government offers the Work Experience and Support Program (WESP) program.
    • It is for Canberrans from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds who do not have meaningful employment.
    • WESP includes office skills training and ACT Government work placement.
    • Program applications close on Sunday, 16 February 2025.

    Have you heard of the ACT Government’s Work Experience and Support Program (WESP)?

    The program is to support multicultural Canberrans who have been out of meaningful employment.

    While WESP is highly competitive, many people don’t know it’s available, particularly those new to the ACT.

    It runs for 12 weeks, and you still have time to apply for a place.

    How could WESP help me?

    Through WESP, you will receive free office skills training.

    You will also complete a work placement in the ACT Government.

    This gives you a chance to:

    • build your skills and knowledge
    • experience an Australian workplace
    • improve your job-seeking confidence
    • build a network of contacts in the ACT public service.

    Former participant Zhenjun says he found the program useful.

    “As a new immigrant to Canberra, I found job searching extremely challenging. It was difficult to compete without understanding Australian workplace culture and expectations.”

    “WESP has greatly enhanced my employment prospects. It has been a turning point in my career journey in Australia,” he said.

    About the program

    The program runs full-time over 12 weeks. It includes:

    • 4 weeks of free office skills training at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT)
    • 8 weeks of work experience in an ACT Government agency. This is not paid work experience.

    Once you finish the program, you will get a Certificate II in Workplace Skills from CIT.

    While you will build great contacts, there is no guarantee of a job during or after the program.

    Am I eligible?

    To apply you must:

    • come from a culturally and linguistically diverse background
    • be an ACT resident
    • be able to commit to the program full-time over the 12 weeks.
    • have been unemployed, or not in meaningful employment.

    If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you must also have a visa that allows you to:

    Check your visa eligibility at the Visas for study at CIT page.

    Priority is given to applicants who are:

    • on a Temporary Protection visa or Safe Haven Enterprise visa
    • holders of an ACT Services Access card, and
    • able to speak and write English well.

    Applications close on Sunday, 16 February 2025.

    How do I apply?

    To apply, simply complete the form online.

    Remember to submit your application by Sunday 16 February 2025.

    What happens after I apply?

    A panel will assess all applications.

    If yours is shortlisted, you will be invited to an interview.

    If you are successful at interview, you will be notified.

    Unsuccessful applicants will be contacted once the process is complete.

    Key dates

    Following application, the program will follow the key dates below.

    Before you apply, please make sure you can attend the program in a full-time capacity.

    Application assessment

    Start: 17 February 2025

    End: 7 March 2025

    CIT course

    Start: 17 March 2025

    End: 11 April 2025

    Program break

    Start: 14 April 2025

    End: 21 April 2025

    Work placement

    Start: 22 April 2025

    End: 13 June 2025

    Where can I find more information?

    Find the WESP application form.

    Find full details of the program

    Contact Multicultural ACT via email: ma@act.gov.au.

    Phone the Multicultural ACT Work Experience Support Program: 6207 0150.

    If you are not eligible for this program, you can get help to find employment from the Multicultural Employment Service.

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

    May 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: UK local elections delivered record-breaking fragmentation of the vote

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Hannah Bunting, Senior Lecturer in Quantitative British Politics and Co-director of The Elections Centre, University of Exeter

    If there were such a thing as landslide victories for local elections, Reform could easily claim to have won one in 2025. Out of the 1,641 seats available, Nigel Farage’s party came away with 677 – that’s more than 41%. The Liberal Democrats came second with 370 (a net gain of 163). Overall, only a quarter of seats went to the two main parties combined – the Conservatives on 319 (down 677) and Labour 98 (down 189).

    Looking at the ward-level results shows that the voting patterns in 2025 were very different to those seen at any other local election. It’s clear that this election broke records for the extent of fragmentation – a significant movement away from the dominance of the two parties that have dominated British politics for the past century.

    There are several ways to measure this. One method is by looking at the two-party vote share, this is because fragmentation occurs when voters have a greater number of parties to choose from and opt for parties other than Conservative and Labour when casting their ballots. Analysis of 1,282 wards in the 2025 local election shows the average two-party vote share was just 36.8%. That’s the lowest it’s ever been since Labour established itself as a main party. In fact, it’s never before been lower than 50% – and the 2025 figure is a full 20 points below the previous record of 56.9%, set in 2013 when UKIP did well.

    Conservative + Labour vote share across 80 years of local elections

    How the combined vote share of the Conservatives and Labour has fluctuated across 80 years.
    The Elections Centre, CC BY-SA

    Another method is by looking at the vote share that the winning party received in each ward. If that’s high, it means most people rallied around a single party with their votes, whereas a low winner’s vote share means a person was elected with low levels of support from the electorate. Remember, the first-past-the-post electoral system only requires a plurality of votes, and not a majority.

    Winning vote shares across 80 years of local elections

    The vote share taken by the winning party in local elections across 80 years.
    The Elections Centre, CC BY-ND

    Again, 2025 is the lowest in comparable history. The average winner’s vote share was just 40.7%, meaning three in five people did not vote for the party who won. The most similar years were during the height of UKIP’s popularity, in 2013 and 2014, before the announcement that the Brexit referendum would take place if the Conservatives won the 2015 general election. Whereas for the locals it was Reform who won most of the seats, at the 2024 general election it was Labour. However, in July 2024, it was the first time that the average winning party’s vote share fell below 40% in 30 years of general elections.

    Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.

    Sign up for our weekly politics newsletter, delivered every Friday.

    We can also observe fragmentation using the majorities secured by winning parties – if they are decisive victories, there’ll be a greater majority. The average winning majority was just 11.6% at the 2025 local election. It breaks another record, being the lowest since 1914, with 2005 and 2013 being the closest comparable years.

    Majority size across 80 years of local elections

    Majorities secured by the winning party across 80 years of local elections.
    The Elections Centre, CC BY-ND

    A final method considers the “effective number of electoral parties” (ENEP) at the ward level. This measure calculates how many political parties made an impact on a result, meaning that a high figure shows multiple parties received significant vote share, and a low figure denotes most people voting for a single party.

    It’s no surprise that 2025 saw the highest ever average ENEP at a local election, coming in at 3.35. Only twice has this figure been above three, as in 2013 it was 3.02.

    Effective number of parties across 80 years of local elections

    The number of parties making an electoral impact in local elections across 80 years.
    The Elections Centre, CC BY-ND

    Long-term trends

    I’ve been talking about the fragmentation of British electoral politics for a long time. It was the topic of my PhD thesis, which I started writing (at least in earnest) seven years ago. It’s not a new phenomenon. Its shape, however, along with its impact, has morphed over the years. We know it’s driven by a weakened attachment to political parties and that it’s exacerbated by electoral shocks. We know that it makes elections more competitive but that it decreases turnout.



    Read more:
    Low turnout in the 2024 election may have been due to undecided voters being overwhelmed by choice

    The British electoral system is meant to produce decisive governments – at any level – and this tends to be centred around two main parties. This meant that for a long time the Conservatives and Labour received the overwhelming majority of all votes cast, subsequently also winning almost every seat. Those days appear to be over. First came the fragmented general election, and now it’s at the local level too.

    Hannah Bunting receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

    – ref. UK local elections delivered record-breaking fragmentation of the vote – https://theconversation.com/uk-local-elections-delivered-record-breaking-fragmentation-of-the-vote-255841

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    May 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Holy See Press Office Communiqué: Audience with the Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe

    Source: The Holy See

    Holy See Press Office Communiqué: Audience with the Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, 03.05.2025

    Today, Saturday 3 May 2025, His Excellency General Constantino Guveya Dominic Nyikadzino Chiwenga, Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, was received at the Secretariat of State by His Excellency Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.
    During the cordial discussions, the good relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Zimbabwe were noted, and some aspects of the political and socio-economic situation in the country were addressed, especially regarding collaboration with the local Church in the areas of education and health.
    The conversation progressed with an exchange of opinions on topics of a regional and international nature, highlighting the importance of promoting dialogue and reconciliation between peoples.
    From the Vatican, 3 May 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK statement on attacks against the Druze community in Syria

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Government response

    UK statement on attacks against the Druze community in Syria

    The UK has issued a statement in response to recent attacks against the Druze community in Syria.

    A UK Government spokesperson said:

    The UK is appalled by recent attacks against the Druze community in Syria. We urge the authorities to take steps to restore calm, shield civilians from violence and hold those responsible to account. 

    We strongly call on all parties to reject violence, to ensure the protection of civilians and to refrain from actions that could risk aggravating tensions between communities in Syria.  We call on Israel to refrain from actions that could risk destabilising Syria – respect for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is paramount.

    There can be no lasting peace or better future for Syrians unless all of Syria’s communities are protected and fully included in Syria’s transition.

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

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    Published 3 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Record high for Green Party after County Council elections 

    Source: Green Party of England and Wales

    3 May 2025/ 3 May 2025 by Green Party

    After this year’s County Council elections in England, the Green Party has made a net gain of 43 seats, taking their tally to 859 seats on 181 councils. The party held 38 seats, gained 48 and lost just 5. 

    The Greens gained from both the Conservatives and Labour and lost no seats to either. 24 seats were gained from the Conservatives, while 17 were gained from Labour. There were also 6 gains from the Lib Dems, with just one loss, and 3 gains from Independents. Only four seats were lost to Reform, compared to hundreds of losses suffered by the Conservatives and Labour.    

    The Green Party has made breakthroughs in Leicestershire, Staffordshire and Cambridgeshire. 

    Commenting on the record-breaking results, Green Party co-Leader Carla Denyer MP said: 

    “The Green Party has broken new records by increasing our number of councillors for the eighth year running. While Labour and the Conservatives have buckled under the Reform insurgency, Greens just keep growing. 

    “We have taken seats off the Tories and Labour and have shown we can be the positive and progressive antidote to Reform, holding their vote back in some places while breaking through onto other councils where Reform dominated.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ringleader of Payment Protection Program Fraud Scheme Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

    MIAMI – Raisha Kelly, 44, of Loxahatchee, FL was sentenced to sixty months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $443,895 in restitution by United States District Court Judge Federico A. Moreno. The sentence follows Kelly’s conviction for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.

    Kelly recruited and conspired with multiple individuals to submit Payment Protection Program (PPP) loan applications that falsely and fraudulently misrepresented that the applicants had sole proprietorship businesses, and the amount of annual revenue received by these purported sole proprietorship businesses. In support of these applications on behalf of each individual, Kelly submitted falsified tax returns. Kelly orchestrated this scheme in return for a 25 percent kickback from the loan applicants. Kelly concealed her involvement in the scheme by creating a series of “dummy” email accounts for herself and each of the applicants—all to entirely disguise her own involvement in the false and fraudulent application. Kelly also applied for her own PPP loans in which she also falsely and fraudulently mispresented the amount of income her own business received. At trial, it was proven that the defendant made approximately $106,649 as a result of orchestrating this conspiracy involving thirteen individuals.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Acting Inspector in Charge Steven L. Hodges of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division; Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Eastern Region; and Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Southeast Region, made the announcement.

    USPIS, SBA-OIG, and DOL-OIG investigated the case.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel Bernstein, Eduardo Gardea Jr., and Gabrielle Charest-Turken prosecuted it.

    In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20079.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Lottery Defeater Software Reviews – Is There a Trick to Winning the Lottery? This Software Thinks So!

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Akron, Ohio, May 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

    Most people wish to strike the lottery, no matter where they are from. The thought that a simple ticket can turn everything around is tempting. But the chances of winning the lottery are against us—approximately one in a million—so most of us don’t win anything. Popular methods such as selecting birthdays or quick picks don’t work. So, what if there is a smarter way to play?

    Here comes the Lottery Defeater, a computer program said to give you an edge. It employs a statistic-based formula to lead your number selection. Rather than blind guessing, you can study historical lottery results and discover patterns associated with success.

    This article will dissect how Lottery Defeater operates, who created it, what is different about it, and whether or not it actually makes you win more. We’ll also examine its features and price, as well as whether or not it’s legit or a scam.

    What Is Lottery Defeater?

    Lottery Defeater is an easy-to-use software application that can assist you in making a win at the lottery using statistics rather than luck. Compared to standard strategies based on superstition or whim, this application employs a large database of historical results over the last 30 years to provide number combinations according to real statistics.

    It utilizes intelligent algorithms to analyze winning numbers from different lotteries from across the globe and applies machine learning to identify patterns that most players overlook. The aim is to give you several selections that have worked in the past, increasing your odds of winning.

    The app also excludes 90% of numbers lost repeatedly, so you can concentrate on the good options. This way, you invest your money judiciously in numbers with a chance.

    This app is easy to use, and you do not have to be a mathematics genius. The interface is quite straightforward and, hence, very suitable for everyone, both experts and newcomers. Whether playing Powerball, Mega Millions, or local lottery, it customizes to meet your requirements.

    >>>> Unlock Your Winning Potential — Get Lottery Defeater Now! <<<<

    Who Developed Lottery Defeater and Why?

    Kenneth Leffer founded Lottery Defeater because he loves numbers and lottery. Irritated at others throwing money away on tickets with thin winning probabilities, he explored a more intelligent method with numbers.

    He analyzed 126 combinations of lottery numbers and found 27 patterns that regular winners use frequently. With pattern detection, he was able to guess which numbers would reappear. It took him a year of work to create Lottery Defeater software, which is simple to operate and provides useful insights. Today, thousands of people are making educated lottery decisions rather than relying on chance.

    How Does the Lottery Defeater Software Work To Increase Chances of Winning?

    Through an analysis of international and local lottery winning numbers throughout decades, the software detects statistical patterns that the old methods mostly miss.

    Step 1: Once the Lottery Defeater system is logged in, one chooses the desired targeted lottery game—whether it’s Powerball, Mega Millions, or other domestic or overseas lotteries.

    Step 2: The software accesses its enormous, constantly updated database and starts analyzing previous winning combinations. It checks more than 12,400 mathematical factors in the process, covering all possible winning trends thoroughly.

    Step 3: It then eliminates 90% of duplicate or losing number combinations, significantly reducing the number to only those with high potential for success.

    Step 4: From the filtered data, the system then employs its own algorithm to create a group of “smart picks”—statistically more likely-to-win number combinations.

    The process is ongoing 24/7, so users get the latest and most accurate sets of numbers. The amount of analytical rigor applied here is comparable to having a data scientist manually prepare your picks but in much less time.

    The filtering system is particularly important. Numerous players unwittingly repeat number combinations that have failed over and over again. Lottery Defeater removes this flaw by only allowing the most statistically viable options to pass through.

    Through the use of automated advanced calculations and the application of proven lottery techniques, the software dramatically enhances your winning prospects.

     >>>> 100% Verified Software — Download Lottery Defeater Safely! <<<<

    Key Features of Lottery Defeater

    1. Advanced Algorithm Analysis

    The foundation of Lottery Defeater is its own algorithm. Crafted with 30+ years of international lottery history, this engine picks up on repeated patterns and weeds out historically losing combinations.

    2. Multi-Lottery Compatibility

    Lottery Defeater is compatible with a vast selection of lottery games, such as Powerball, Mega Millions, EuroMillions, and many state lotteries. Its compatibility enables users worldwide to gain an advantage.

    3. Personalization Features

    The users have the ability to personalize their experience through preferences that include ticket form, number range, and game type. This degree of personalization makes it a customized strategy tool.

    4. Immediate Data Refresh

    The software automatically refreshes its internal databases and algorithms. The users always operate with the latest data, a critical aspect of being ahead in number choice.

    5. Mobile & Desktop Accessibility

    Whether you’re on a desktop at home or using a smartphone on the go, Lottery Defeater maintains full functionality across all devices.

    6. User-Friendly Interface

    You don’t need a background in math or tech to use this software. The interface is intuitive, guiding users from start to finish effortlessly.

    7. Step-by-Step Tutorials

    The software also provides step-by-step tutorials to explain every function and feature. This way, each user can use the maximum facility of the tool, regardless of experience.

    With powerful technology merged with convenience, Lottery Defeater covers the gap between analytics and accessibility.

    Benefits of Using Lottery Defeater

    1. Higher Winning Potential

    Through data-driven selection and trend analysis, the software enhances the quality of your number combinations. This statistically increases your chance of winning.

    2. Saves Time and Effort

    No more pouring over past results or creating spreadsheets. Lottery Defeater automates the entire process, delivering results in minutes.

    3. Financial Efficiency

    By filtering out unproductive number sets, the software helps users avoid wasteful ticket purchases, ultimately saving money.

    4. Confidence in Selections

    Users gain peace of mind knowing their picks are backed by decades of data and cutting-edge algorithmic analysis.

    5. Global Lottery Adaptability

    Whether you’re playing in New York, London, or Tokyo, the software supports your game format and adapts accordingly.

    6. Beginner-Friendly

    Thanks to its tutorials and intuitive layout, Lottery Defeater is suitable for users of all skill levels.

    With these benefits, the software is a useful friend for both casual players and lottery fans alike.

     >>>> Safe, Secure & Guaranteed — Try Lottery Defeater Risk-Free! <<<<

    How to Use Lottery Defeater for Winning A Lottery Jackpot

    To maximize the benefits of Lottery Defeater, please follow these steps:

    Step 1: Access the Software

    Log in to the official Lottery Defeater website and choose your local or desired lottery game.

    Step 2: Personalize Preferences

    Add filters such as number of picks and favorite digits, or omit known patterns if preferred.

    Step 3: Make Smart Picks

    Click on “Smart Pick.” The software will run an analysis and produce a list of number combinations with high winning rates.

    Step 4: Play the Numbers

    Use the numbers produced to buy your tickets either online or at physical locations.

    Step 5: Repeat and Monitor

    Regular use of the software and monitoring of results with time to assess effectiveness.

    Is Lottery Defeater Scam or Genuine Tool?

    The world of lotteries is rife with grandiose claims and dodgy systems, so skepticism towards Lottery Defeater is understandable. But when you examine carefully what it does and what users have to say, you’ll find it has a sound logic behind it instead of hype.

    Here’s the arrangement:

    • There’s a straightforward $197 fee with no extraneous charges whatsoever.
    • There is a 60-day money-back guarantee, so you can test the software risk-free.
    • Customer support is available if you need it.

    As for the reviews, many users have reported better outcomes and more frequent small wins, with some even winning large jackpots. These testimonials indicate that applying data could be a wiser strategy than picking random numbers.

    No tool is going to win every time, but Lottery Defeater appears to be a sound method of playing more intelligently.

    Lottery Defeater vs. Other Lottery Systems

    In comparison to conventional methods or other prediction aids, Lottery Defeater is superior in the following ways:

    • Data-Driven Logic: Anecdotal advice is what other aids usually base their information on; Lottery Defeater has a solid statistical basis.
    • Advanced Filtering: It removes 90% of losing combinations—most aids omit this.
    • Real-Time Updates: Most systems utilize stale or static information; Lottery Defeater updates 24/7.
    • Ease of Use: Other competing systems are too complicated; Lottery Defeater is designed for average players.

    These differences set Lottery Defeater as the best choice for serious lottery players.

    Lottery Defeater Software Reviews

    Many users report winning more often since playing Lottery Defeater. They’re consistently hitting 3-4 numbers and even winning local jackpots, enjoying the game plan aspect.

    Web forums and review pages reflect an increasing community where members exchange tips, tweak settings, and report wins. These testimonials provide potential users with some assurance of success in using the software.

    Where to Buy Lottery Defeater? How Much Does it Cost?

    The software can only be obtained through the official website, guaranteeing product authenticity and support.

    Lottery Defeater costs a one-time fee of $197. Users get:

    • Lifetime access to the software
    • Free future updates
    • Access to bonuses and tutorials
    • 60-day risk-free money-back guarantee

    This pricing structure guarantees that customers aren’t stuck in repeat payments or upsell traps. If you’re not satisfied with the software within 60 days, a refund is offered without questions being asked.

    >>>> Safe & Secure — Official Lottery Defeater — Secure Your Winning Edge! <<<<

    Our Final Thoughts

    Lottery Defeater doesn’t guarantee magic. Rather, it provides a logical, analytical strategy for a historically illogical game. You pay $197 for a lifetime tool supported by decades of data, up-to-date algorithms, and an active user community.

    The program won’t win every time—but it will enable you to make more informed choices. Used regularly, it can significantly enhance your chances and turn your lottery experience from a hope to a strategy.

    If you want to change your lottery fortune, Lottery Defeater is a sound investment.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can Lottery Defeater help me win if i’ve never won before?

    Yes. Lottery Defeater is great for those new to winning, as it takes away the guesswork. Its data-based predictions aim to boost your odds, even with no previous wins.

    Is Lottery Defeater good for local or big lotteries?

    It works for both local and national lotteries. Whether it’s a small game or a big draw like Powerball, the software adjusts its strategy.

    Does Lottery Defeater work internationally?

    Yes, it supports international lottery formats. Users worldwide can benefit as long as their lottery has a structured number pattern.

    How much time do I need each week for lottery defeater?

    Just a few minutes. The software runs automatically and gives you number sets quickly after you input your chosen lottery game.

    Is there a limit to using Lottery Defeater?

    No! Once you buy it, you have lifetime access and can use it for multiple entries and game types.

     What if the algorithm updates? Do I need to reinstall it?

    No need to reinstall. Lottery Defeater updates automatically, so you’re always using the latest data.

    What sets Lottery Defeater apart from free tools?

    Free generators usually rely on random picks, while Lottery Defeater uses a special algorithm based on thorough research and successful patterns.

    Does Lottery Defeater work better for certain lotteries?

    Yeah, it works best with number-draw lotteries like Powerball or Mega Millions. The more past data there is, the better it can spot patterns.

    Can multiple people share one Lottery Defeater account?

    The license is meant for one user. Sharing your login info could break the terms of service and might get your access cut off.

    Manufactured under the Technical Guidance of:
    Project name: Lottery Defeater
    Media Contact:
    Company website: lotterydefeater.com
    Email: contact@lotterydefeater.com
    Address : Ste 106 #167
    Akron, OH ,44305 
    United States

    Attachment

    • Lottery Defeater

    The MIL Network –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Best Online Casinos Canada: Expert Picks 7Bit as the Top Casino for Canadian Players

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    EDMONTON, Alberta, May 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — After using several online casinos in our quest for the ultimate gaming platform, we ended up at 7Bit Casino, and its bonuses and rewards were mindblowing. The welcome package, offering up to C$10,800 and 250 free spins, set an incredibly high standard from the start.

    Ongoing promotions, cashback deals, and a rewarding loyalty program kept us engaged, while over 7,000 games and lightning-fast payouts, especially for cryptocurrency users, solidified 7Bit Casino’s place as a top choice among the best online casinos Canada offers.

    SIGN UP AND UNLOCK AMAZING REWARDS AT 7BIT CASINO!

    The Rise Of Online Casinos In Canada

    The online gambling industry in Canada has seen tremendous growth, with players increasingly turning to digital platforms for convenience and variety. According to industry reports, the Canadian online casino market is thriving, driven by advancements in technology and a growing acceptance of cryptocurrencies.

    7Bit Casino has capitalized on these trends, positioning itself as a leader among the best online casinos in Canada by offering a crypto-friendly platform alongside traditional payment methods. Its ability to cater to diverse player preferences has made it a go-to destination for Canadians seeking quality entertainment.

    Canadian’s Unique Gambling Landscape

    The introduction of iGaming has transformed the online gambling scene. The province requires casinos to hold an iGaming license to operate legally. While 7Bit Casino is not licensed by iGaming, it remains accessible to players in the province, though with potentially fewer legal protections compared to licensed operators.

    For those seeking the best online casinos in Canada, it’s crucial to understand these regulatory nuances. Players outside Canada can enjoy 7Bit Casino’s offerings with confidence, knowing it operates under a reputable Curacao eGaming license.

    Pros And Cons Of 7Bit Casino

    Before diving into the specifics, let’s examine the advantages and disadvantages of playing at 7Bit Casino to help you make an informed decision.

    Pros

    Advantage Description
    Extensive Game Library Over 5,000 games, including slots, table games, live dealer options, and exclusive crypto games, cater to all player preferences.
    Generous Welcome Bonus Up to C$10,800 + 250 free spins across the first four deposits, providing a significant bankroll boost.
    Cryptocurrency Support Accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and more, ensuring fast, secure, and private transactions.
    User-Friendly Interface Intuitive website design with mobile optimization for seamless gaming on smartphones and tablets.
    24/7 Customer Support Dedicated support via email and live chat, with a comprehensive FAQ section for quick answers.
    Licensed and Secure Licensed by Curacao eGaming, with 128-bit SSL encryption to protect player data.
    Responsible Gambling Tools Offers deposit limits, loss limits, wagering limits, and self-exclusion to promote safe gaming.


    Cons

    Disadvantage Description
    Restricted Countries Some countries are restricted, but use VPN instead
    Limited Language Options Available only in English, German, French, and Russian.


    Why Choose 7Bit Casino as the Best Online Casino for Canadian Players?

    7Bit Casino’s appeal lies in its ability to combine a vast game selection, robust security, and player-centric features, making it a standout among the best online casinos in Canada.

    Here’s why it’s a top choice:

    • Trusted Licensing and Fairness

    Operating under the Curacao eGaming Control Board, 7Bit Casino ensures a fair and secure gaming environment. All games utilize random number generators (RNG) or provably fair algorithms, guaranteeing unbiased outcomes.

    The Curacao license enforces transparent deposit and withdrawal processes, protecting players from hidden terms. While it lacks eCOGRA certification, regular audits ensure game fairness, providing peace of mind for players.

    • Unmatched Game Variety

    With over 5,000 games from industry giants like NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, Microgaming, and Betsoft, 7Bit Casino offers something for everyone. Whether you’re a fan of classic slots, skill-based table games, or immersive live dealer experiences, the casino’s diverse library ensures endless entertainment. The inclusion of exclusive crypto games further enhances its appeal to digital currency users.

    • Enhanced Security And Privacy

    Player safety is paramount at 7Bit Casino, with 128-bit SSL encryption safeguarding personal and financial data. The support for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum adds an extra layer of privacy, as players can transact without sharing sensitive banking details. This makes 7Bit Casino appealing to those interested in No KYC Casinos Canada, though KYC is required for withdrawals over C$2,000.

    • Commitment To Responsible Gambling

    7Bit Casino takes responsible gambling in Canada seriously, offering tools to help players stay in control:

    • Deposit Limits: Set a maximum deposit amount for a specific period.
    • Loss Limits: Define a loss threshold to prevent excessive spending.
    • Wagering Limits: Control total wagers over a set timeframe.
    • Self-Exclusion: Temporarily or permanently exclude yourself from the platform.

    These features demonstrate 7Bit Casino’s dedication to creating a safe and enjoyable environment, aligning with Canada’s emphasis on responsible gambling practices.

    • Mobile-Friendly Experience

    The casino’s website is fully optimized for mobile devices, allowing players to enjoy their favorite games on the go without needing a dedicated app. The responsive design adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes, ensuring a smooth gaming experience on smartphones and tablets. This flexibility is ideal for busy Canadians who want to play anytime, anywhere.

    • Exceptional Customer Support

    7Bit Casino offers 24/7 customer support via live chat and email (support@7bit.com). The support team is responsive and knowledgeable, ensuring quick resolution of queries. A detailed FAQ section also provides answers to common questions, enhancing the user experience. Players consistently praise the efficiency and friendliness of the support team, making it a reliable resource for any issues.

    • Fast And Flexible Payments

    7Bit Casino’s payment system is designed for convenience, supporting both cryptocurrencies and traditional methods. Cryptocurrency transactions are processed instantly, while e-wallets like Skrill and iDebit offer near-instant withdrawals. This speed and flexibility make 7Bit a top choice for players who value quick access to their winnings.

    Bonuses, Promotions, And Tournaments

    7Bit Casino is renowned for its generous bonuses and exciting promotions, which add significant value to the gaming experience.

    Welcome Bonus Package

    New players are welcomed with a 325% match bonus up to10800 CAD and 250 free spins, distributed across the first four deposits:

    • First Deposit: 100% match up to 800 CAD + 100 free spins on.
    • Second Deposit: 75% match up to 1200 CAD + 100 free spins.
    • Third Deposit: 50% match up to 800 CAD.
    • Fourth Deposit: 100% match up to 8000 CAD + 50 free spins.

    Free spins are credited in batches, with the first batch available immediately and subsequent batches over several days.

    CLAIM YOUR 325% MATCH BONUS UP TO 10800 CAD AND 250 FREE SPINS !!

    Ongoing Promotions

    7Bit Casino keeps players engaged with regular promotions:

    • Monday Offer: 25% up to 1000 CAD.
    • Spring Elite Offer: 100 Free Spins
    • Free Spin Wednesday: Up to 100.
    • Weekly Cashback: Up to 20%.
    • Weekend Offer: 99 Free Spins
    • Telegram Offer: 50 Free Spins
    • Telegram Friday Offer: 111 Free Spins
    • Telegram Sunday Offer: 66 Free Spins

    Tournaments

    For competitive players, 7Bit Casino hosts thrilling slot tournaments:

    • Titans’ Arena: A $8,000 prize pool tournament.
    • 10 Years of Platipus: €100,000 prize pool celebrating Platipus games, offering substantial rewards.
    • Lucky Spin: $1500 + 1500 Free Spins

    These tournaments add excitement and provide opportunities to win extra cash and bonuses. Players can check the promotions page on the 7Bit Casino website for the latest tournament details.

    UNLOCK INCREDIBLE BONUSES – PLAY AT 7BIT CASINO TODAY!

    Payment Options Available at 7Bit Casino

    7Bit Casino offers a diverse range of payment methods, catering to both cryptocurrency enthusiasts and traditional fiat users. While it doesn’t support PayID, it provides plenty of options popular in Canada, making it a convenient choice for players seeking a pay ID casino equivalent.

    Cryptocurrencies

    The casino is crypto-friendly, accepting:

    • Bitcoin (BTC)
    • Ethereum (ETH)
    • Litecoin (LTC)
    • Dogecoin (DOGE)
    • Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
    • Tether (USDT)

    Cryptocurrency transactions are processed instantly or within an hour, offering speed and privacy.

    Fiat Currencies

    Supported fiat currencies include:

    • Canadian Dollar (CAD)
    • Euro (EUR)
    • US Dollar (USD)
    • Australian Dollar (AUD)
    • Norwegian Krone (NOK)
    • Polish Zloty (PLN)
    • New Zealand Dollar (NZD)

    Traditional Payment Methods

    Additional options include:

    • Visa
    • Mastercard
    • Skrill
    • iDebit
    • Payz
    • Bank Transfer
    • Interac

    Deposit And Withdrawal Details

    Payment Method Min. Deposit Withdrawal Time
    Visa C$1 1-3 business days
    Mastercard C$1 1-3 business days
    Skrill C$1 Instant
    iDebit C$1 Instant
    Payz C$10 Instant
    Bank Transfer C$10 1-3 business days
    Bitcoin C$10 Instant
    Dogecoin C$10 Instant
    Litecoin C$10 Instant

    Players should note the C$10 withdrawal fee and check specific limits for their chosen method. Cryptocurrencies and e-wallets like Skrill and iDebit offer the fastest payouts, ideal for players prioritizing speed.

    Best Games At 7Bit Casino

    7Bit Casino’s game library is a major highlight, featuring over 5,000 titles from top providers. Below are some of the best games, along with brief definitions for clarity.

    Slots

    Slots are luck-based games where players spin reels to match symbols for payouts.

    • Starburst: A classic slot with a space theme, known for its re-spins feature and vibrant graphics.
    • Gonzo’s Quest: Follow the conquistador Gonzo on his quest for El Dorado, with an innovative Avalanche feature and free falls.
    • Immortal Romance: A vampire-themed slot with a rich storyline, offering wilds, scatters, and a bonus game with up to 240 free spins.
    • Wolf Gold: A wildlife-themed slot with a Hold and Win feature, where players can win up to 2,500x their bet.
    • 7Bit Hot&Hot Fruits: A classic fruit-themed slot with wilds and scatters for added excitement.
    • 7Bit Bonanza: A high-volatility slot with a mining theme, offering free spins and multipliers.
    • Throne of Camelot Hold and Win: A medieval slot with a Hold and Win feature for big payouts.
    • Mega Moolah: A progressive jackpot slot with massive prize potential, themed around an African safari.
    • Johnny Cash: A country-themed slot with a fun soundtrack and bonus rounds.
    • Elvis Frog in Vegas: A vibrant slot combining Elvis and frog characters in a Vegas setting.
    • Wild Spin: A wild west slot with sticky wilds and free spins.
    • Raging Lion: A lion-themed slot with free spins and a gamble feature.

    Table Games

    Table games involve strategy and skill, offering a different pace from slots.

    • Blackjack: A card game where players target to get a hand value as close to 21 as possible without going over. Variants include Classic, Multihand, and American.
    • Roulette: A game where players bet on where a ball will land on a spinning wheel. Options include American and European.
    • Video Poker: Combines poker and slots, with variants like Jacks or Better, Tens or Better, Deuces Wild, and Aces and Eights.
    • Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker: A poker variant where players compete against the house, with bonus bets for higher payouts.
    • Craps: A dice game with multiple betting options, offering high excitement and potential for big wins.

    PLAY YOUR FAVORITE GAMES – REGISTER NOW AT 7BIT CASINO!

    Live Dealer Games

    Live dealer games stream real dealers to players, creating an authentic casino experience.

    • Live Blackjack: Play against a real dealer in real time.
    • Live Roulette: Bet on a live spinning wheel with a dealer.
    • Live Baccarat: Wager on the player, banker, or tie in a live setting.
    • Live Blackjack Party: A social version of blackjack with player interaction.
    • Live Dream Catcher: A money wheel game with multipliers for a fast-paced experience.
    • Live Monopoly: A live show based on the board game, combining strategy and luck.

    Exclusive Crypto Games

    These games are tailored for cryptocurrency users, offering the same gameplay as crypto betting.

    • BTC Blackjack: Classic blackjack with Bitcoin betting.
    • BTC Baccarat: Fast-paced baccarat with cryptocurrency.
    • Keno: A lottery-style game where players pick numbers for a chance to win.
    • Bitcoin Roulette: Roulette with Bitcoin bets.
    • Plinko: A game of chance where players drop a ball onto a pegged board, with the ball’s path determining the win.
    • Dice: A simple game where players bet on the outcome of a dice roll.
    • Mines: Players reveal tiles to find treasure, avoiding mines for bigger wins.

    These games are powered by leading providers, ensuring high-quality graphics, smooth gameplay, and fair outcomes. The casino regularly updates its library, adding new titles to keep the experience fresh.

    Responsible Gambling In Canada

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    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5d1aa3ae-f1d7-42ef-b49f-cdeb1a780895

    The MIL Network –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Statement by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Occasion of World Press Freedom Day

    Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

    Headline: Statement by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Occasion of World Press Freedom Day

    Sarajevo, 3 May 2025 – A free society depends on a free press.  In recognition of World Press Freedom Day, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) reaffirms its continued commitment to defending the fundamental right to free and independent journalism, as well as the corresponding right of journalists to enjoy the freedom to operate safely and without undue interference.
    Around the world, press freedom is increasingly under threat, and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is no exception. BiH dropped 17 places in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, now ranking 81st out of 180 countries. This significant decline reflects a deepening crisis for media freedom in the country, driven by several factors, including attempts at various levels of governance in BiH to introduce harmful legislation restricting freedom of expression, increased political pressure on journalists and media, frequent verbal and physical attacks against journalists and media workers, and growing efforts to silence independent and investigative reporting. The first months of 2025 have further compounded these challenges as independent media struggle to secure sustainable funding in an increasingly challenging international context.
    Today, the Mission stands in solidarity with the courageous journalists across BiH who continue their critical work under increasingly difficult circumstances. We are also honoured to have actively contributed to the establishment of the network of contact points in prosecutors’ offices and ministries of interior across BiH working on the safety of journalists.  
    In addition, this year we are privileged to support two events marking World Press Freedom Day: the first in Tuzla on 3 May in co-operation with the Association of Journalists of BiH and the second in Zenica on 7 May 2025 with BH Novinari. Later this month in Sarajevo, the Mission will co-host the 10th South East Europe Media Conference, which will focus on supporting media viability for informed, resilience societies, under the leadership of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.
    Finally, the Mission calls on BiH leaders and institutions to take further action to protect journalists and media from intimidation and violence, to refrain from legislative measures that restrict freedom of expression, and create conditions that foster independent and professional journalism. A free press is essential for democratic governance, accountability, the protection of human rights, and is a key component of overall security and stability in the country.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Best Emergency Loan Bad Credit Guaranteed Approval Direct Lenders – IOnline Payday Loans

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SHERIDAN, Wyo., May 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  It can be incredibly stressful when life hits you with an unexpected financial problem— an emergency hospital visit, car repair bill, or emergency travel are good examples, especially if you have bad credit. You may be denied a loan from traditional banks, which can feel like you’re going to have no other options. That’s where emergency loans bad credit guaranteed approval come in. These are short-term, quick-access loans tailored for people with less-than-perfect credit who don’t have time to wait for their next paycheck.

    >> Click Here to Apply for No Credit Check Loans >>

    In this article, we’re going to discuss exactly what emergency loans bad credit guaranteed approval are, how they work, and most importantly, why IOnline Payday Loans is a credible option for guaranteed approval offers. We’ll also look into the kinds of urgent loans you can get as well as how to apply for one and the benefits of going to a lender such as IOnline Payday Loans. Whether it’s a surprise expense or simply for the peace of mind, here’s everything you need to know to make the right decision. So let’s get started!

    >> Click Here to Apply for No Credit Check Loans >>

    Emergency Loans for Bad Credit —What is it?

    When you need money right away, emergency personal loans for bad credit, also known as cash advance loans or paycheck loans, are small, short-term personal loans meant to satisfy unexpected expenses. These can be anything from a medical emergency, a repair that can’t wait, to surprise bills.

    These loans are usually approved and disbursed more quickly than standard loans and are intended to serve as an immediate financial aid. Although emergency loans provide fast access to cash, you should keep in mind that they typically have more expensive borrowing costs and shorter repayment cycles.

    >> Click Here to Apply for No Credit Check Loans >>

    Before assuming one of these loans, borrowers should carefully read the terms and consider their ability to repay. Multiple financial institutions like IOnline Payday Loans, as well as other online lending platforms, offer bad credit loans in different amounts, interest rates, and tenure options.

    How Do Emergency Loans Work?

    An emergency pesonal loan is an immediate source of cash that was specifically designed by Credit to attend to unanticipated events like a medical emergency, urgent home repair, or job loss. These are typically short-term, and in some cases unsecured, loans—meaning they are made without collateral. How Emergency Loans Work:

    1. Application Process: Borrowers start the process by applying, usually online, providing personal and financial information. Lenders use this information to ascertain whether you qualify for a loan.
    2. Approval and Terms: Once a lender approves, they provide the terms of the loan, including the loan amount, interest rate, repayment schedule, and additional fees. These terms are very important to review before accepting.
    3. Funds Transfer: Once agreed, the funds are transferred swiftly, in some cases on the same working day, depending on the lender’s policy.
    4. Repayment: Repayment terms differ. For some loans, the balance is due in a lump sum on the next payday; for others, the loan’s balance may be repaid over a period of months. You will need to repay the loan on time to prevent extra fees or negative marks on your credit.

    Why Choose IOnline PayDay Loans: Emergency Loan Bad Credit Guaranteed Approval

    Here you can see all the amazing reasons that will help you to know more about the IOnline Payday loans:

    • Loan sizes available from $100-$5,000: IOnline Payday Loans matches customers who are looking for some quick cash with finance providers who can potentially help with loans of up to $5,000. This flexibility can help with many situations, from paying small bills to covering large financial setbacks.
    • 24 Months Repayment Allotment period: Borrowers will be able to select repayment plans from 2 months to 24 months, thereby enabling them to determine the pace of repayment of the loan. This flexibility lets users choose repayment terms that are more affordable, leading to less financial stress and a greater likelihood of success.
    • Competitive APRs: APRs range from 5.99% up to 35.99% with our partner lenders, and your eligibility and APR may be dependent on your credit, and the lender’s terms. Borrowers with bad credit can access fair rates not regulated by online payday loans, which have high fees and must be repaid quickly.
    • Fast Online Application: You can apply in under two minutes through IOnline Payday Loans. All clients need to do is complete a standard form and they are spared the time and hassle of going into branches or completing complex forms.
    • Fast Decision Within Minutes: Upon application, users are generally provided lending decisions in a matter of minutes. This real-time feedback is especially important in a financial emergency when every second is crucial. Whether it’s a medical bill, car repair, or utility shutoff you’re facing, getting to know your loan status right now can help with planning out your next steps sooner.
    • No Upfront Fees: IOnline Payday Loans will not ask you to pay any upfront fees for applying or linking you to a lender. This makes it possible for users to shop for loans without any risk or the pressure of money. Price transparency also means you deal only with fees the lender reveals at the time it presents a loan.
    • Support for All Credit Types: IOnline Payday Loans works with lenders who accept people with good credit and even those with bad credit. You could qualify here even if you’ve been rejected elsewhere. This open attitude helps ensure those with pressing needs aren’t left out if they’ve made mistakes in the past or have low credit scores.
    • Same-Day Fund Disbursement: If you’re approved, you can often get your cash the same day, deposited directly in your bank account. Also, if small, amount of emergency spending on real emergencies such as rent, medical costs, or utility shut-off prevention.
    • Extensive Lender Network: IOnline Payday Loans collaborates with a wide network of U.S. lenders, which improves the approval rate of even borrowers that have low credit. Rather than restrict you to a single lender, the platform surveys your opportunities and may help you secure advantageous terms and chances of success.

    How To Apply For Emergency Loans At IOnline Payday Loans— Detailed Guide

    The process to apply for a bad credit personal loans guaranteed approval $5,000 at IOnline Payday Loans is simple in itself, and with their short-term repayment plans, you can be certain that they care about their client’s financial prospects, even with a bad credit rating. It brings together borrowers and a community of trustworthy lenders who benefit from a smooth and efficient loaning process. Here is a comprehensive guide to applying:

    1. Go to The Application Website: Start by heading over to the https://IOnlinepaydayloans.com/. Navigate to the homepage and click the “Apply Now” button. This will take you to the online application, a quick form that can be filled out in a matter of minutes.
    2. Personal and Financial Information: Complete the application form with your valid personal and financial information. You’ll need to provide:
      • Full Name: The name that appears on all official documents.
      • Email: A valid e-mail address for contact purposes.
      • Zip Code: Where you currently live.
      • Loan Details: Like the amount you want to apply for ($100 to $5,000) and the time frame ($2 to 24 months).
    3. Application Submission: Once you finish filling in the form, look over every detail to make sure everything was filled correctly. When it’s all correct, click Send the application. The system will then review the details that you provided, and it will try to connect you with a lender in its network.
    4. Get the Decision on Lending: Your loan application will be decided within a few minutes of submission. If you’re approved, you’ll be served loan offers from matched lenders.
    5. Accept the Loan Offer: After choosing the best loan deal, it’s time to accept it. This usually requires an electronic signature on the loan contract. Read and know all terms, like due dates, interest rates, and costs, before signing.
    6. Receive Funds: Once you have agreed to the loan offer the lender will send the loan to you. Loans are funded directly into your bank account, sometimes as soon as the next business day, and are also available the same day as well, if the lender allows this option.

    Eligibility Criteria & Document Requirements—IOnline Payday Loans

    Before you apply for an emergency loan make sure you are eligible for the loan by fulfilling these requirements:

    Eligibility Criteria

    1. Be at least 18 years old: You must be at least 18 years old to apply for a loan contract.
    2. Earn $1,000 per month: This can be income from a job, working on a 1099, government benefits, retirement benefits, etc. Lenders look at what you can afford to repay in terms of current income and expenses.
    3. Have a permanent address in the U.S.: You need to have a stable residency that proves your identity and location.
    4. Saving Account: Keep an active checking or savings account with direct deposit. It’s how we can transfer funds electronically for the loan and the payments.

    Required Documentation

    1. Government Photo ID: Like a driver’s license, passport, or state ID, to confirm you are who you say you are.
    2. Income Proof: Recent pay stubs, bank statements, tax returns, or records of government benefits to indicate how much money you are making.
    3. Proof of Address: Recent utility bill, lease contract, or any official document with your actual address written on it.

    Different Types of Emergency Loans

    Different types of no credit check installment loans can be the perfect solution when you are confronted with unforeseen financial difficulties. The following are popular emergency loan types each detailed to help you decide:

    1. Personal Loans: Personal loans are unsecured loans provided by banks, credit unions and online lenders. They give you a lump sum you can use when needed for things like medical bills or car repairs. Most loans must be repaid within one to seven years with fixed monthly payments.

    2. Credit Card Cash Advances: With a credit card cash advance, you can take out a cash loan on your credit card up to a certain amount. Even when they are an option, they typically carry higher interest rates and fees, and interest starts accruing right away.

    3. Payday Loans: Payday loans are short-term, high-interest loans designed to cover expenses between paychecks. They’re usually easy to get, even for people with bad credit, but they often have extremely high fees and annual percentage rates that can exceed.

    4. Title Loans: Title loans make you put up your car’s title as collateral. They offer the ability to get cash soon, but they come with the threat of losing your vehicle when you can’t repay. Also, interest rates can be sky high and repayment terms short, making them a gamble.

    5. Paycheck Advances: There will be some employers who will do paycheck advances—allowing people to get a portion of the money that they would have earned before the payday itself. Moreover, this choice may help you afford upfront costs without expensive fees associated with other short-term loans.

    Frequently Asked Questions—Emergency Loan Bad Credit Guaranteed Approval

    1. Is there a loan I can get with bad credit on an emergency basis?

    Yes, you can. IOnline Payday Loans is dedicated to providing loans for people with bad credit ratings. They pair people who need any type of loan with trusted and reputable Australian lenders who can provide them with flexible and convenient lending options.

    2. Is emergency loan approval guaranteed?

    There is no such thing as a guaranteed approval, but you can definitely count on IOnline Payday Loans to take honest chances with applications from borrowers who need Payday Loans despite bad credit scores.

    3. What is the minimum income limit?

    Just note that with most lenders on the IOnline Payday Loans network, you’ll need a monthly income of $1,000 from a steady source such as employment, freelance or government benefits.

    5. Will I have to put up collateral for an emergency loan?

    No, IOnline Payday Loans emergency loans are not secured. In other words, you don’t have to offer an asset like a vehicle or home in order to be eligible.

    6. Am I allowed to pay off my emergency loan early?

    Yes, lenders do let borrowers repay their loans early without penalty. We encourage you to carefully review your matched lender’s terms for their prepayment policies.

    7. Which documents are required with the application?

    You’ll typically need a valid I.D., proof of income (like a recent pay stub or letter of benefits), proof of address and an active bank account for direct deposit and repayment.

    Conclusion

    To sum up, online bad credit emergency loans with guaranteed approval are a quick and realistic option for anyone who need immediate cash. No lender can ever promise approval, but platforms such as IOnline do make it easier for you to apply by connecting you with flexible lenders that would rather see your income than your credit history. With an easy online application, fast approvals and transfers, IOnline Payday Loans is a great way to get on top of your finances when you need them and you won’t even have to leave your home!

    Media Contact:
    Company Name: IOnline Payday Loans
    Registered Office Address: 1095 Sugar View Dr Ste 500 Sheridan, WY 82801
    Company Website: https://ionlinepaydayloans.com/
    Email: mria@ionlinepaydayloans.com
    Phone: 307-777-7311
    Contact person name: Mria

    Disclaimer: This announcement contains general information about Ionline payday loan services and should not be considered financial advice. Ionline Payday Loans does not guarantee loan approval, and loan terms may vary by applicant and lender requirements. Loans are available to U.S. residents only.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1d23b359-7c78-4100-8db3-70db9d3863d4

    The MIL Network –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Neguse Voices Support for NOAA and NIST: “We’ll continue to do our part to defend these laboratories.”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Co 2)

    Lafayette, CO — After addressing concerned constituents outside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) facilities in Boulder, Colorado, Congressman Joe Neguse released the following video. In the recording, Neguse reaffirmed his support for the scientists and civil servants who have dedicated themselves to advancing discoveries in weather forecasting, climate monitoring, emergency preparedness, cybersecurity, and more. He also committed to pushing back against the Trump Administration’s proposed deconstruction of these critical institutions. 

    Watch the video HERE.

    NEGUSE: Hey, everybody. Joe Neguse here. I’m standing outside of the NOAA and NIST headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. 

    Earlier today, we heard a lot of reports from folks in the community who were concerned that personnel from DOGE had arrived here on the NOAA and NIST campus.

    Of course, we know that DOGE has worked to dismantle government agency after government agency. We’ve seen that at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Education, the list goes on and on. So, we were rightfully concerned. And the community is rightfully concerned, about what may be happening at NOAA and at NIST.

    I was here today and had an opportunity to go onto the campus to visit with personnel from both agencies and was told that DOGE’s personnel were not on scene today and have not entered the campus. 

    That being said, we know that NOAA, NIST, and our federal labs remain targets of DOGE and this administration in their efforts to deconstruct the laboratories and the agencies that are serving the American public. And, of course, NIST and NOAA are the crown jewels of the national laboratory system. And, of course, here in Colorado. 

    So, make no mistake, we’re going to continue to stay on it. We’re going to do everything that we can to prevent the disastrous cuts that the Trump administration has proposed. And we’ll continue to do our part to defend these laboratories. 

    Thanks so much—and to be continued. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Luis de Guindos: Interview with Die Presse

    Source: European Central Bank

    Interview with Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the ECB, conducted by Jakob Zirm on 28 April 2025

    3 May 2025

    Die Presse: Since June 2024 the ECB has already cut interest rates seven times. How long will this period of interest rate cuts last?

    Luis de Guindos: This will depend on how inflation develops. But we can be optimistic because our latest forecasts show that, from the end of this year, inflation will be very close to our target of 2%. Moreover, inflation continues to fall thanks to three additional factors. First, the euro has appreciated. Second, energy and commodity prices are declining. And third, the current economic uncertainty about tariffs could lead to greater wage moderation than that already suggested by the latest survey results. All these elements contribute to bringing inflation further down. And this is the decisive factor in whether we continue to lower interest rates.

    Where would you place the neutral interest rate, i.e. the rate which neither stimulates nor restricts economic growth? Is this a target for the ECB?

    The discussion about the neutral rate is very interesting from an academic standpoint. However, it is not very helpful for monetary policy decision-making because the neutral rate cannot be directly observed. Our decisions are based on how inflation develops, our projections and how our monetary policy is transmitted to the real economy. And, as I said, we are optimistic that we will sustainably achieve our inflation target.

    The US Federal Reserve is lowering interest rates much more slowly than the ECB. Is the large interest rate differential between the United States and the euro area a problem?

    The situation in the United States and Europe is different. You should look not only at nominal interest rates, but also at real interest rates. In the United States, inflation and inflation expectations are higher than in Europe, due to a different economic outlook. So the interest rate differential is smaller in real terms. In addition, inflation is more persistent in the United States.

    We have policy space to pursue our own monetary policy, but of course we are monitoring what is happening in the United States.

    In 2022 the euro depreciated massively after the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates half a year sooner. Is there a similar risk again now?

    Not necessarily at the moment. Despite all the uncertainties and contrary to expectations, the euro appreciated after the tariff announcements. Exchange rate developments depend on many factors. We do not have any exchange rate objective, but we monitor the exchange rate closely because it is an important macroeconomic variable in our assessment of the risks for price stability.

    It is important to moderate exchange rate volatility.

    But if the trend reverses and the dollar becomes significantly stronger again, could this fuel inflation in the euro area again?

    We are closely monitoring exchange rate developments. But there are currently no signs of a weakening of the euro. Much will depend on how the current dispute over tariffs develops.

    The average inflation rate in the euro area is currently 2.2%. However, some eastern European countries still have inflation rates of 3% or 4%. Is inflation really under control everywhere in the euro area?

    Differences in inflation developments between countries are normal, it’s the average that is crucial. Our projections show that both headline and core inflation are on track to reach our 2% target. We are paying particular attention to monitoring services inflation, which is strongly influenced by wages. Here, too, we are seeing signs of a slowdown in wage dynamics.

    Let’s talk about growth. In March the ECB predicted GDP growth of 0.9% for the euro area in 2025. Is this still realistic given the tariff debate?

    You are right – this forecast was made before the announcement of US tariffs. Uncertainty we’ve seen since then has weighed on economic activity and is likely to delay investment and consumption. Uncertainty is always bad for the economy. We already pointed to such downside risks in our March projections. The risks are now materialising.

    In Austria, we are in recession for the third year in a row now. Could the entire euro area slide into a recession?

    No, our baseline continues to expect very low but positive growth. It’s well below potential growth, but I don’t think that the euro area is heading into a recession.

    US tariffs are currently suspended. How bad would the damage be if the trade war were to escalate?

    An all-out trade war would have a very serious impact on growth. I really hope it doesn’t come to that. It is also important to take the diversion effects that can occur in trade flows into account, making the consequences difficult to predict.

    US President Donald Trump recently launched a mass attack on the Federal Reserve and its Chair Jerome Powell. What are the consequences of such an attempt to exert political pressure on the work of central banks?

    The independence of central banks is crucial. It is key to their credibility and thus to combating inflation. Even when inflation was extremely high two years ago, inflation expectations in Europe remained anchored because the central bank was considered independent and credible. This credibility is essential to keep inflation expectations under control and, in particular, to avoid wage-price spirals.

    There has been a discussion on whether the euro’s role as a reserve currency could be strengthened if confidence in the US dollar declines. Do you see that as possible?

    The dollar is clearly leading as a reserve currency. The international importance of the euro is a lot less in comparison. Its future development depends on us, however. If Europe builds stronger capital markets and establishes itself as a true single market, the role of the euro at international level could be strengthened. Closer integration and a more pro-European approach are crucial.

    What would be needed to create a true European capital markets union?

    Three central pillars would be needed. First, we need a true single market – barriers and national legislation that impede further integration must be removed. Second, we need to complete the banking union. We already have single supervision and resolution, but we still lack a common deposit guarantee scheme. Third, we need to further develop the capital markets union itself. These three elements are interconnected – progress in one area is difficult without progress in the other two.

    Many support the capital markets union but little progress has been made. Who is blocking it?

    The problem is that without a true single market for goods and services, the capital markets union is also difficult to implement. The banking union is more advanced but there is still a lot to be done. Capital flows follow the real economy, which is why we need integrated goods and services markets.

    In this situation, does it help if national governments block cross-border bank mergers – as is currently the case in Germany, where UniCredit wishes to buy Commerzbank?

    I will not comment on any specific mergers. But in general, we support cross-border mergers because they are necessary to create truly European banks and complete the banking union.

    Is there too much nationalism in the European financial system?

    Sometimes there is too much national focus. But there is a growing awareness that Europe needs to become more independent. And the only way to remain relevant on the world stage is to be more European and a little less nationally focused.

    The European Commission is now also pushing ahead with the simplification of European regulation. This also applies to the financial market of course. Where should economic activity be made easier for businesses?

    The ECB has set up its own high-level task force, which I coordinate. It’s meant to draw up proposals by the end of the year, which will be passed on to the legislator. This may involve, for example, the implementation of Basel III or reporting, which could be streamlined, or the simplification of bank capital structure, to make it clearer and more understandable for investors. However, simplification does not mean de-regulation, it should not jeopardise banks’ solvency.

    When inflation was high, many euro area countries steeply increased their debt and the ECB bought many government bonds, which amounted to some 30% of the outstanding volume in the case of some countries. Is that a problem?

    Those measures were necessary in the context of the pandemic. But now we need to increase defence spending and preserve fiscal sustainability at the same time in order to avoid rising market interest rates and thus lower private investment. That won’t be easy.

    The Austrian central bank has reported annual losses of more than €2 billion in the past two years. This was due to the purchase of low-yield government bonds. Is that the hidden price of expansionary monetary policy?

    Our monetary policy is not determined by the profit and loss accounts of the central banks. Looking back, central banks have made significant gains over the past ten years. The current loss is a consequence of the high liquidity in the market, on which central banks have to pay higher interest rates. However, this liquidity is currently being reduced at a fast pace. The situation will improve in the future.

    Are the high debt levels of euro area countries jeopardising future growth?

    When markets have doubts about debt sustainability, market interest rates rise, which can reduce private investment. That is why a credible and sustainable fiscal policy is crucial.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Gillibrand Statement On President Trump’s Preliminary Budget Request

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand
    Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on President Trump’s fiscal year 2026 preliminary budget request, which proposes slashing critical investments in programs related to education, health, affordable housing, scientific research, environmental protection, and much more. The Trump administration says this proposal will cut domestic funding by $163 billion (-23%); however, the real cut may exceed $200 billion.
    “President Trump’s budget is playing games with American lives. By attempting to defund the programs that help communities stay safe, families pay their bills and keep a roof over their heads, and doctors treat their patients, this administration is abandoning the people who have built our country. Make no mistake — this budget proposal will not ‘make America great again’ — it will set us back decades and make life harder for working families.
    By slashing funding for basic needs like health programs, medical research, and nutrition aid, this proposal will make America sicker. By cutting billions of dollars for the Department of Education, removing investments to prevent violent crime, and divesting from agencies that protect our environment, it will make our country a worse place to live. And by eliminating affordable housing and energy assistance programs, divesting from small businesses, and gutting the funds that help economically distressed communities, it will make it harder for American families to survive.
    This administration has made it clear: they’re willing to cut at least $163 billion in vital investments that benefit everyday Americans just to deliver trillions in tax breaks to billionaires and corporations. That’s not just misguided policy; it’s an insult to every hardworking, tax-paying American.
    I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress to firmly reject this dangerous proposal. We cannot stand idly by while the Trump administration eviscerates the programs that keep our country safe, healthy, and prosperous.”
    Among other things, President Trump’s preliminary FY2026 budget request:
    EDUCATION: Guts funding for the Department of Education by $12 billion (-15%). Eliminates and cuts dozens of elementary and secondary education programs (the vast majority of which are not specified), underscoring that President Trump’s vision for returning education to the states means state and local taxpayers will pay more to support students and educators at their local schools as a result of major cuts in federal funding. Eliminates several higher education programs, including TRIO, GEAR UP, Federal Work Study, Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS), and more, which help Americans pursue a postsecondary education and further their careers.
    HOUSING: Eviscerates the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with a 43.6% cut.
    Slashes HUD rental assistance programs by 42.8% while foisting responsibility over those programs onto state and local governments. Over 10 million Americans rely on HUD rental assistance, the vast majority of whom are seniors, people with disabilities, and children. This will rip the roofs off Americans’ heads and put even more families at risk of homelessness.
    Eliminates or cuts federal programs most targeted to build more affordable housing and address this country’s housing supply shortage, including in Tribal country.
    Eliminates the Community Development Block Grant that cities and towns across the country use to improve the quality of life for their citizens every day.
    HEALTH: Slashes funding for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by $33 billion (-26%).
    Cuts funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $18 billion or more than 40%—decimating funding for lifesaving medical treatments and cures.
    Decimates funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by cutting $3.6 billion—hollowing out the agency’s ability to save lives and protect Americans from health threats.
    Guts funding for substance use prevention and treatment and mental health services by $1 billion (roughly –15%) and eliminates the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration—the agency with expertise in tackling the substance use and mental health crises.
    Slashes funding for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by $674 million. CMS helps ensure over 100 million Americans have access to affordable, high-quality health insurance by overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
    The limited budget materials do not detail President Trump’s proposed funding level for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is essential for protecting the safety of our food and drugs.
    TITLE X: Eliminates the Title X program, which helps nearly 3 million patients get preventative care, birth control, cancer screenings, and more in every state.
    LIHEAP: Eliminates the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps 6 million American households heat and cool their homes.
    PRE-K: Eliminates all funding for Preschool Development Grants, which help states strengthen their early childhood education system and get parents the child care and pre-K they need. The limited budget materials released today don’t mention Head Start or the Child Care and Development Block Grant, but leaked budget documents show Trump wants to eliminate Head Start.
    DEPARTMENT OF LABOR: Slashes funding for DOL by $4.6 billion (-35%). Proposes to “Make America Skilled Again” by cutting workforce training programs that help Americans develop skills and secure good-paying jobs, by roughly a third. Eliminates Job Corps and the Senior Community Service Employment Program.
    DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: Slashes the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) budget by at least $3.7 billion (-10%).
    Guts funding for grants to help keep communities safe by over $1 billion (-26%).
    Cuts funding for FBI salaries and expenses by $545 million (-5%), endangering our Americans’ safety.
    Cuts funding for Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) salaries and expenses by $212 million (-7%), weakening the agency’s capacity to crack down on drug trafficking. Also proposes shuttering major DEA offices in countries around the world, noting that those countries “are equipped to counter drug trafficking on their own.”
    Cuts funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) salaries and expenses by $468 million (-29%) as part of the administration’s ongoing attempt to dismantle the agency in charge of enforcing our country’s gun laws.
    TRIBES: Slashes $911 million (-24%) for core Tribal programs that uphold the federal government’s legally-obligated and court-ordered trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal nations. This cut would decimate core Tribal programs including road maintenance, housing, and programs for children and families. The proposal would nearly eliminate funding for construction of Tribal schools, which are already too often dilapidated, and it cuts Tribal law enforcement funding by 20%.
    SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH: More than halves funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) with a $5.2 billion (-57%) cut. Cuts funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science by $1.148 billion (-14%). These proposed cuts would decimate America’s edge in essential scientific research that will drive future economic growth.
    EPA: Cuts funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by more than half by abandoning state and Tribal programs that build and maintain drinking water and sewer systems, starving states of longstanding federal funding provided to pay for states’ work enforcing federal laws, and decimating funding for cleaning up toxic Superfund sites.  The request would also effectively eliminate research funding used to better understand the impacts on human health from polluted air and water and from toxic chemicals.  
    NATIONAL PARKS: Cuts $900 million (- 30%) from National Park Service operations, abandoning national parks that the administration says should suddenly be transferred to the states, while providing no funding for states to manage massive new obligations that such a dramatic move would entail. This would incentivize states to sell off public lands to the highest bidder, threatening valued open space and areas of natural and historical value to local communities.
    AGRICULTURE: Guts funding for agricultural research, which is critical to ensuring American agriculture is competitive with the rest of the world and provides key resources to help farmers and ranchers prepare and adapt in an uncertain environment. Zeroes out foreign food aid that supports American farmers and is a lifeline for people living in extreme poverty across the world.
    RURAL AMERICA: Slashes investments in core Rural Development programs by $721 million, including investments in safe drinking water, affordable housing, and resources to bolster the rural economy.
    NUTRITION: Eliminates the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides food assistance to low-income individuals 60 years of age and older to supplement diets and addressing potential nutrient deficiencies. The preliminary budget request does not mention any of the other 16 Nutrition Programs, including WIC, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and the National School Lunch Program.
    VETERANS: Without more details, it is unclear whether the President is proposing to shift tens of billions of dollars in funding for veterans’ care to mandatory funding (which Republicans have long vociferously opposed) or to decimate funding for non-medical care.
    FOREST SERVICE: Cuts $1.386 billion (-22%) from the Forest Service, gutting grant funding for state and tribal wildfire risk reduction, volunteer fire departments, and much more. The proposal would cut at least 2,000 National Forest System staff positions, which will severely harm the Administration’s stated goals of improving forest management and increasing domestic timber production.
    ARMY CORPS: Cuts funding for the Army Corps of Engineers by $2 billion (-23%), slashing funding used to maintain our nation’s ports and harbors.
    DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE: Cuts funding for the Department of Commerce by $1.9 billion (-18%). Outright eliminates the Economic Development Administration (EDA), which helps economically distressed communities across America get ahead.
    NOAA: Guts funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) by $1.5 billion, which would eliminate all manner of programs that create good jobs, help local economies, and support ocean research, health, and coastal resilience. Proposes a reckless $209 million cut for NOAA’s weather satellites, which play a critical role in ensuring Americans have accurate weather forecasting and will result in a gap in observations when the current satellites retire early in the next decade.
    ENERGY: Slashes funding for the Department of Energy overall by $4.7 billion (-9.4%). Guts funding for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs by $2.572 billion (-74%) and proposes to rescind $15.25 billion from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law energy programs, which will raise energy costs for American consumers by halting vital innovation and energy projects.
    SMALL BUSINESSES: Slashes funding for SBA’s Entrepreneurial Development Programs by $167 million, proposing the elimination of nearly all programs, including programs that support veterans as they work to start and grow a small business.
    FEMA GRANTS: Cuts funding for FEMA non-disaster grants that help communities prepare for disasters, support efforts to prevent violence and terrorism, prepare emergency responders, and more.
    STATE DEPARTMENT & FOREIGN ASSISTANCE: Guts funding for the State Department and America’s international security, economic, and humanitarian assistance programs by $31.2 billion (-48%).
    The United States already spends less than 0.2% of our GDP on diplomacy and foreign assistance, which is less than a third of the percent we spent under President Reagan’s peace through strength approach, and Trump is proposing to halve these critical investments.
    Cuts funding for lifesaving and other humanitarian assistance by $4.7 billion (-54%), which will lead to preventable deaths and suffering across the globe, and threaten Americans’ safety and well-being by undercutting our efforts to stop disease outbreaks and prevent conflict. A cut of this magnitude will also lead to more migration of people fleeing poverty, conflict, and natural disasters.
    Cuts funding for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement account by $1.3 billion (-91%) which helps prevent human trafficking, stop drug trafficking, and much more, with direct implications for American communities.
    Slashes economic growth and development funding across multiple agencies and accounts by $6 billion (67%) and proposes the final dissolution of USAID.
    Guts funding for global health initiatives by $6.2 billion (-62%).
    Reneges on our treaty dues for the United Nations (UN), U.N. Peacekeeping operations, and a majority of other international organizations.
    COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT: Eliminates all funding ($770 million) for community-based anti-poverty programs that help low income individuals and families access services to alleviate the causes of poverty.
    COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS: Eliminates $291 million in funding for all current CDFI financial assistance awards, which help leverage private capital to support the development of child care centers, housing, health care facilities, and small businesses. Since 2010, CDFIs have financed over 1.3 million businesses and 557,000 affordable homes. 
    AMERICORPS: Eliminates AmeriCorps, which enables over 200,000 Americans to help serve communities across the country, including by responding to natural disasters, supporting veterans, fighting the opioid epidemic, helping older Americans age with dignity, and working in our schools, educating and supporting students.
    CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING: Eliminates funding for CPB, ending support for more than 1,500 local public television and radio stations. 
    INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES: Eliminates funding for IMLS and the support provided to libraries and museums throughout the United States.
    BUREAU OF RECLAMATION: Cuts funding for the Bureau by $600 million (-34%), gutting investments in key restoration projects.
    CULTURAL GRANTS FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES: Completely eliminates the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, which provide funding for every state and every congressional district for cultural economic development and the creative economy.
    NASA: Cuts NASA funding by $6 billion (-24%), the largest single-year cut to NASA in U.S. history, which would mark an incredible retreat for American leadership and ambition in space. Terminates the Artemis Campaign to establish a human presence on the Moon after the Artemis III mission. Slashes funding for the Science Mission Directorate by $3.43 billion (-47%), which would cancel numerous current and planned missions to better understand our universe, solar system, and Earth.
    ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Eliminates funding to 27 states by zeroing out funding for 6 of 7 regional commissions, which provide grants in economically distressed communities for disaster mitigation, opioid crisis support programming, workforce training, and much more. 
    INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE: Likely cuts IRS enforcement by nearly $2.5 billion (-89%). This significant reduction will help billionaire tax cheats game the system while working families continue to pay their fair share.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Decries Trump Attacks on Public Broadcasting

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Boston (May 2, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, released the following statement after President Donald Trump issued an executive order last night attempting to direct the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to cease funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service. The Trump administration also today released its budget for fiscal year 2026, which proposes to eliminate all funding for CPB.
    “President Trump’s executive order is both illegal and a direct threat to the survival of local public media stations across the country,” said Senator Markey. “These stations are a lifeline for rural and urban communities alike, offering everything from educational children’s programming to life-saving emergency alerts. Eliminating funding for public media punishes free expression and jeopardizes trusted sources of news, culture, and emergency information for communities everywhere. Local stations must have the resources and autonomy to serve their audiences without political interference. I will fight to maintain CPB’s funding and protect the integrity of public broadcasting.”
    On April 15, 2025, Senator Markey, along with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton urging the agency to lift its freeze on grants that help improve the resiliency of public broadcasting stations. Less than two weeks later, FEMA lifted the freeze on those funds.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: What is the biggest gaffe, blooper or blunder that a recent president has made? It may depend on what your definition of ‘is’ is

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Chris Lamb, Professor of Journalism, Indiana University

    Lots of presidents have said things they regret. Or most of them have. Carol Yepes/Getty Images

    President Donald Trump was asked during a press conference on April 30, 2025, about the possible impact of his tariff policies and trade war with China.

    Trump answered that American children should prepare to make sacrifices at Christmas.

    “Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know,” he said, “and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally.”

    The New York Times reported that Trump appeared to be telling kids they would have to manage with fewer toys this year for the sake of his economic agenda.

    Jane Mayer, a reporter with The New Yorker, called it “Trump’s Marie Antoinette moment.”

    This was not the first − or last − time Trump said something that left many Americans with mouths open and heads shaking.

    Hours after his Marie Antoinette moment, Trump, whose first 100 days back in office have been characterized as chaotic and damaging to democracy, was asked during a phone interview at a town-hall broadcast on NewsNation what the biggest mistake he’d made thus far in his second presidency.

    “I don’t really believe I’ve made any mistakes,” Trump replied.

    The audience, representing a cross section of Americans, burst out laughing.

    Trump’s gaffes aren’t just part of his presidency; gaffes are part of the storied tradition of the American presidency. Some of those comments have clung to presidents and even affected history.

    Here are examples from each president over the past 50 years or so of statements that at least some of them were embarrassed by or came to regret. Each was made when the president was serving in the White House. The quotes are organized chronologically.

    Donald Trump auditions for Grinch-who-stole-Christmas role.

    Richard Nixon is a law-abiding guy

    On Nov. 17, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, in the midst of the Watergate scandal that would end his presidency, defended himself against charges of corruption.

    “People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook,” Nixon said. “Well, I’m not a crook. I’ve earned everything I’ve got.”

    Instead of quelling the scandal, as Nixon hoped, his words produced the opposite reaction. He resigned from the presidency nine months later in August 1974.

    Gerald Ford forgets the Cold War

    Gerald Ford, Nixon’s vice president who became president after Nixon’s resignation, subsequently ran for election in 1976.

    During one of his televised debates against Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter, Ford inexplicably claimed the Soviet Union did not control Eastern Europe.

    “There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe,” Ford said, “and there never will be under a Ford administration.”

    To which the moderator, New York Times editor May Frankel, said, “I’m sorry, what?”

    Ford’s remark was so outrageously incorrect that it may have contributed to his defeat in the tight presidential election.

    Gerald Ford says it’s really a Warm, not Cold, War.

    Jimmy Carter gets advice from his teen

    Carter defeated Ford and was elected in 1976. He ran for reelection against Republican nominee Ronald Reagan in 1980. During one of their debates, Carter said he sought the advice of his 13-year-old daughter, Amy, on what was the most important issue facing America.

    “She said she thought it was nuclear weaponry,” Carter said, “and the control of nuclear arms.”

    Carter tried to show that arms control was a subject that had great resonance to even 13-year-olds. Instead, it left viewers puzzled why he had inserted his daughter into the debate. A wire service story at the time summarized the response by saying that reporters covering the debate winced and others groaned.

    Jimmy Carter has a smart 13-year-old daughter.

    Ronald Reagan attacks Russia

    Reagan, a former television and movie actor who defeated Carter in the 1980 presidential election, was known as “the Great Communicator” for his eloquence.

    A well-known anti-Communist, Reagan was not always careful about what he said.

    Before a speech on Aug. 11, 1984, Reagan joked during a sound check, “I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.”

    The joke on the open mic, which was not broadcast live but leaked later, resulted in a Soviet red alert − and temporarily moved the U.S. and Soviet Union toward war.

    George H.W. Bush eats word salad

    Reagan’s successor, his vice president, George H.W. Bush, by comparison was no great communicator. His words came out of his mouth and appeared to go in separate ways.

    “I have opinions of my own, strong opinions,” Bush said, “but I don’t always agree with them.”

    Bill Clinton is or isn’t, maybe

    Democrat Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush in the 1992 presidential election.

    Clinton’s presidency was dogged with accusations of unethical behavior and extramarital affairs. Clinton, in testimony before a grand jury investigating his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, was asked whether he was lying when he told aides that “there’s nothing going on” between him and Lewinsky.

    “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is,” Clinton responded. “If the − if he − if ‘is’ means is and never has been, that is not − that is one thing.”

    Slate magazine said that this response may have been the “defining moment” of his presidency and, in doing so, captured his contribution to semantics. As Time magazine pointed out,
    “Until then, America hadn’t been sure there was more than one definition of ‘is.’”

    George W. Bush’s shame

    George W. Bush, the son of George H.W. Bush, succeeded Clinton in the White House. Americans learned that Bush had more in common with his father than just the same last name.

    “There’s an old saying in Tennessee − I know it’s in Texas,” Bush said, “probably in Tennessee, that says, fool me once, shame on − shame on you. Fool me − you can’t get fooled again.”

    Barack Obama strikes out

    Barack Obama, like Reagan, was known for his sense of humor. And like Reagan, Obama learned that not everything was a joking matter.

    While appearing on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno in 2009, Obama said he had improved his bowling by practicing at the White House bowling alley. He told Leno he had bowled a pedestrian score of 129, provoking a sarcastic response from Leno.

    Obama then made the following joke: “It’s like the Special Olympics or something.”

    Obama quickly apologized to the Special Olympics, the athletic competition for people with intellectual disabilities.

    Obama made a bad joke about the Special Olympics during an interview with Jay Leno; he quickly apologized for it.
    Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images

    Joe Biden’s bad day

    Trump was first elected president in 2016 but was defeated by Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Trump and Biden faced each other again in 2024.

    During a television debate on June 27, 2024, CNN anchor Jake Tapper asked Biden why voters should trust him to solve the immigration crisis. Biden said he changed a law that allowed Trump and his administration to separate immigrant families and put children in cages.

    Biden’s train of thought then jumped the tracks.

    “And I’m going to continue to move until we get the total ban on the − the total initiative relative to what we’re going to do with more Border Patrol and more asylum officers,” Biden said.

    “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence,” Trump said, “and I don’t think he did, either.”

    The same could be said for much of what Biden said during the debate.

    Biden withdrew from the presidential race three weeks after his poor debate performance.

    Chris Lamb 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 is the biggest gaffe, blooper or blunder that a recent president has made? It may depend on what your definition of ‘is’ is – https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-biggest-gaffe-blooper-or-blunder-that-a-recent-president-has-made-it-may-depend-on-what-your-definition-of-is-is-255755

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Members Padilla, Morelle Blast Trump Administration for Slashing Critical Funding for Election Security and Administration

    US Senate News:

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

    Ranking Members Padilla, Morelle Blast Trump Administration for Slashing Critical Funding for Election Security and Administration

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and Representative Joe Morelle (N.Y.-25), Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, issued the following joint statement after President Trump released his disastrous budget proposal that guts funding for election security and administration:
    “The President’s budget plan fails to provide the critical funding we need for election infrastructure, security, and administration. Election infrastructure is critical infrastructure and refusing to provide the necessary resources to support our free, fair, and secure elections is nothing short of a dereliction of duty.
    “Every state will feel the cuts, but smaller, rural, and lower-resourced elections offices would be disproportionately hurt. To make matters worse, these cuts are in addition to the Administration’s previous actions to terminate staff and programs to counter election misinformation and disinformation and defend against foreign interference in our elections.
    “Election administrators and volunteers work tirelessly to ensure every eligible American can cast their ballot and make their voice heard. They deserve better. We will continue to support them and fight to protect our American democracy.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for May 3, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on May 3, 2025.

    ‘Super antibodies’ for snake toxins: how a dangerous DIY experiment helped scientists make a new antivenom
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christina N. Zdenek, Associate Researcher, The University of Queensland Scientists in the United States have created a new snake antivenom using the blood of a man who deliberately built up immunity to snakebites by injecting himself with many different kinds of venom more than 800 times over

    Human rights group calls for probe into attack on Freedom Flotilla ship
    Asia Pacific Report A human rights agency has called for an investigation into the drone attacks on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla aid ship Conscience with Israel suspected of being responsible. The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement that the deliberate targeting of a civilian aid ship in international waters was a “flagrant violation”

    RSF condemns Israeli targeting of Gaza journalists – then slandering them in death
    Pacific Media Watch After a year and a half of war, nearly 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed by the Israeli army — including at least 43 slain on the job. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has brought multiple complaints before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and continues to tirelessly support Gazan journalists, working to halt

    Final polls give Labor a clear lead before the election
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne With those who haven’t already cast a pre-poll vote ready to hit the polling places tomorrow, a final batch of polls give Labor a firm lead. The

    Culture wars and costings: election special podcast with Michelle Grattan and Amanda Dunn
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As we roll into the dying hours of the election campaign, the polls are suggesting a Labor win, although it is not yet clear if it will be in minority or majority. Chief Political Correspondent Michelle Grattan and Politics Editor

    Keith Rankin Analysis – The Great World War 1914-1945: Germany, Russia, Ukraine
    Analysis by Keith Rankin. On Anzac Day we remembered World War One and World War Two, or at least the peripheral little bits of those imperial wars that New Zealand was involved in. There was and is little context given to how New Zealand got involved with such far-away wars which need never have become

    What is iNaturalist? The citizen science app playing an unlikely role in Erin Patterson’s mushroom murder trial
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caitlyn Forster, Associate Lecturer, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney Death cap mushrooms (_Amanita phalloides_) Jolanda Aalbers/Shutterstock The world has been gripped by the case of Australian woman Erin Patterson, who was charged with the murder of three people after allegedly serving them a

    Fake news and the election campaign – how worried should voters be?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Carson, 2024 Oxford University visiting research fellow RIJS; Professor of Political Communication., La Trobe University shutterstock JRdes/Shutterstock The spread of electoral misinformation and disinformation is undermining democracies around the world. The World Economic Forum has identified the proliferation of false content as the leading short-term global

    The MMR vaccine doesn’t contain ‘aborted fetus debris’, as RFK Jr has claimed. Here’s the science
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the United States’ top public health official, recently claimed some religious groups avoid the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine because it contains “aborted fetus debris” and “DNA particles”. The US is facing its worst measles

    Scientists surprised to discover mayflies and shrimp making their bodies out of ancient gas
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul McInerney, Senior Research Scientist in Ecosystem Ecology, CSIRO The native shrimp _Paratya australiensis_ was among the species found to incorporate carbon from natural gas into their bodies in the Condamine River. Chris Van Wyk/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND What’s the currency for all life on Earth? Carbon. Every

    Archibald Packing Room Prize goes to Abdul Abdullah for Jason Phu portrait, among broader set of bold and deeply personal works
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanna Mendelssohn, Honorary Senior Fellow, School of Culture and Communication. Editor in Chief, Design and Art of Australia Online, The University of Melbourne Winner Packing Room Prize 2025, Abdul Abdullah ‘No mountain high enough’, oil on linen, 162.4 x 136.7cm © the artist, image © Art Gallery

    New Zealand condemned for failing to make ICJ humanitarian case over Gaza genocide
    Asia Pacific Report The advocacy group Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa has condemned the New Zealand government fpr failing to make a humanitarian submission to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings at The Hague this week into Israel blocking vital supplies entering Gaza. The ICJ’s ongoing investigation into Israeli genocide in the besieged enclave is

    The Liberals’ women problem may seem intractable, but here’s what they could learn from the Teals
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phoebe Hayman, PhD Candidate and Casual Academic in Politics, La Trobe University The impression of the Liberal Party as out of touch with women persists in this year’s election. The party’s “women problem” was brought into sharp focus by the backlash to its now-abandoned policy to stop

    This NZ law aims to give people with criminal convictions a ‘clean slate’. It’s not working
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Plum, Senior Research Fellow, Auckland University of Technology Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock If you own a business, would you be willing to hire a person who has been convicted for a crime? Give them a chance when a background check shows they have a criminal record? The answers matter

    ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for May 2, 2025
    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on May 2, 2025.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: India: Authorities should urgently rehabilitate thousands displaced in two years of ethnic violence in Manipur

    Source: Amnesty International

    The Government of India must prioritize humanitarian aid and immediately implement a clear, inclusive and time-bound plan for the safe and voluntary return of communities displaced by ethnic violence in Manipur, said Amnesty International, ahead of the second anniversary of the outbreak of violence.

    Since violence erupted on 3 May 2023 between the Meitei community and Kuki and other tribal hill communities, more than 50,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) from both communities continue to remain in relief camps across the state, living in inhumane conditions with limited access to healthcare, sanitation, and adequate nutrition.

    “It is unacceptable that the Indian government has failed to address the humanitarian needs and implement a comprehensive rehabilitation policy for displaced communities who remain in relief camps two years since the start of the ethnic violence in Manipur. This inaction has left tens of thousands in limbo, forced to endure life in inhumane conditions with no end in sight,” said Aakar Patel, chair of board, Amnesty International India.

    “Despite the devastating impact of the violence, including the loss of 260 lives, there has been no meaningful progress toward justice and accountability. The rehabilitation policy must also prioritize accountability for the grave human rights violations and abuses committed since May 2023.”

    According to the latest government data as per sources, more than 58,000 people are living in 281 relief camps across the state. Many others have fled to states like Mizoram and Meghalaya. Despite the imposition of President’s rule in Manipur in February 2025 which suspended the state government and extended central government’s rule in the state, the conditions have not improved.

    Fear and insecurity preventing return

    Key stakeholders in Manipur told Amnesty International that while many IDPs are desperate to return home because of the terrible living conditions, fear and insecurity persist. Numerous homes have been destroyed, while others remain occupied by vigilante groups, making return impossible without proper state intervention and guarantees of safety.

    Babloo Loitongbam, a human rights defender and lawyer from Imphal, said: “Thousands are still unable to return home – not by choice, but due to ongoing fear and insecurity.  As delays persist, frustration and resentment continue to grow among those affected… potentially creating a far more volatile and dangerous situation.”

    A community worker told Amnesty International: “If they go back to their homes, how can they sleep peacefully in a house where the roof and the walls are riddled with bullet holes? They need security and protection. And not many can afford to reconstruct their homes without assistance from the authorities.”

    Inhuman conditions in relief camps

    While the Union Home Ministry announced that it has provided INR 21,700,000 (256470 USD) for relief and rehabilitation during the 2024-25 fiscal year, the Home Minister Amit Shah on 3 April said that ‘discussions are ongoing’ regarding a rehabilitation package for the internally displaced people.

    A community worker from a relief camp, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Amnesty International: “The health facilities in these camps are very bad. We regularly see outbreaks of measles, dysentery and fever…There are also people with illnesses like cancer and tuberculosis and many who need dialysis treatment. The only government hospital nearby doesn’t have the capacity to treat these patients and there aren’t many specialist doctors, which is worrying. We are getting some assistance from civil society and philanthropic organizations but nothing much from the state.”

    Another community worker told Amnesty International: “Sanitation is a big problem in these camps. More than 100 families are using two to three makeshift toilets right now. The living conditions are pathetic, cramped and very suffocating. My concern is also that they are provided with two meals a day and the quality of the food is not good.”

    Under international law, IDPs have the right to access to adequate housing, water, sanitation, health and other essential services, without discrimination, as anyone else living in India. The denial of access to these essential rights is a violation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which India ratified in 1979 and the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.

    Failure to ensure accountability

    Since May 2023, homes, businesses, villages, and places of worship have been burned, attacked, looted, and vandalized in the ongoing ethnic violence. Two years on, the authorities have failed to bring the suspected perpetrators of the human rights violations to account, and to provide access to justice and effective remedies for victims, thereby contributing to impunity.

    Benjamin Mate, Chairman of the Kuki Organisation for Human Rights Trust, said: “To ensure true progress in Manipur, the Government of India must appoint an independent commission to thoroughly investigate the role of senior officials, state bureaucrats, police officials, and armed groups during the ethnic violence over the past two years. Accountability is essential, and only through such a transparent and impartial inquiry can justice be delivered to the victims.”

    “The BJP-led administrations at both the state and central levels have not succeeded in bringing an end to the ongoing violence in Manipur. By consistently failing to hold those suspected of serious human rights violations accountable, the government risks signaling that such impunity will persist – ultimately paving the way for further abuses which unfortunately will impede any proposed rehabilitation policy in the coming days,” said Aakar Patel.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

    May 3, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: What are the biggest gaffes, bloopers and blunders that recent presidents have made? It may depend on what your definition of ‘is’ is

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Chris Lamb, Professor of Journalism, Indiana University

    Lots of presidents have said things they regret. Or most of them have. Carol Yepes/Getty Images

    President Donald Trump was asked during a press conference on April 30, 2025, about the possible impact of his tariff policies and trade war with China.

    Trump answered that American children should prepare to make sacrifices at Christmas.

    “Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know,” he said, “and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally.”

    The New York Times reported that Trump appeared to be telling kids they would have to manage with fewer toys this year for the sake of his economic agenda.

    Jane Mayer, a reporter with The New Yorker, called it “Trump’s Marie Antoinette moment.”

    This was not the first − or last − time Trump said something that left many Americans with mouths open and heads shaking.

    Hours after his Marie Antoinette moment, Trump, whose first 100 days back in office have been characterized as chaotic and damaging to democracy, was asked during a phone interview at a town-hall broadcast on NewsNation what the biggest mistake he’d made thus far in his second presidency.

    “I don’t really believe I’ve made any mistakes,” Trump replied.

    The audience, representing a cross section of Americans, burst out laughing.

    Trump’s gaffes aren’t just part of his presidency; gaffes are part of the storied tradition of the American presidency. Some of those comments have clung to presidents and even affected history.

    Here are examples from each president over the past 50 years or so of statements that at least some of them were embarrassed by or came to regret. Each was made when the president was serving in the White House. The quotes are organized chronologically.

    Donald Trump auditions for Grinch-who-stole-Christmas role.

    Richard Nixon is a law-abiding guy

    On Nov. 17, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon, in the midst of the Watergate scandal that would end his presidency, defended himself against charges of corruption.

    “People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook,” Nixon said. “Well, I’m not a crook. I’ve earned everything I’ve got.”

    Instead of quelling the scandal, as Nixon hoped, his words produced the opposite reaction. He resigned from the presidency nine months later in August 1974.

    Gerald Ford forgets the Cold War

    Gerald Ford, Nixon’s vice president who became president after Nixon’s resignation, subsequently ran for election in 1976.

    During one of his televised debates against Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter, Ford inexplicably claimed the Soviet Union did not control Eastern Europe.

    “There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe,” Ford said, “and there never will be under a Ford administration.”

    To which the moderator, New York Times editor May Frankel, said, “I’m sorry, what?”

    Ford’s remark was so outrageously incorrect that it may have contributed to his defeat in the tight presidential election.

    Gerald Ford says it’s really a Warm, not Cold, War.

    Jimmy Carter gets advice from his teen

    Carter defeated Ford and was elected in 1976. He ran for reelection against Republican nominee Ronald Reagan in 1980. During one of their debates, Carter said he sought the advice of his 13-year-old daughter, Amy, on what was the most important issue facing America.

    “She said she thought it was nuclear weaponry,” Carter said, “and the control of nuclear arms.”

    Carter tried to show that arms control was a subject that had great resonance to even 13-year-olds. Instead, it left viewers puzzled why he had inserted his daughter into the debate. A wire service story at the time summarized the response by saying that reporters covering the debate winced and others groaned.

    Jimmy Carter has a smart 13-year-old daughter.

    Ronald Reagan attacks Russia

    Reagan, a former television and movie actor who defeated Carter in the 1980 presidential election, was known as “the Great Communicator” for his eloquence.

    A well-known anti-Communist, Reagan was not always careful about what he said.

    Before a speech on Aug. 11, 1984, Reagan joked during a sound check, “I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.”

    The joke on the open mic, which was not broadcast live but leaked later, resulted in a Soviet red alert − and temporarily moved the U.S. and Soviet Union toward war.

    George H.W. Bush eats word salad

    Reagan’s successor, his vice president, George H.W. Bush, by comparison was no great communicator. His words came out of his mouth and appeared to go in separate ways.

    “I have opinions of my own, strong opinions,” Bush said, “but I don’t always agree with them.”

    Bill Clinton is or isn’t, maybe

    Democrat Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush in the 1992 presidential election.

    Clinton’s presidency was dogged with accusations of unethical behavior and extramarital affairs. Clinton, in testimony before a grand jury investigating his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, was asked whether he was lying when he told aides that “there’s nothing going on” between him and Lewinsky.

    “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is,” Clinton responded. “If the − if he − if ‘is’ means is and never has been, that is not − that is one thing.”

    Slate magazine said that this response may have been the “defining moment” of his presidency and, in doing so, captured his contribution to semantics. As Time magazine pointed out,
    “Until then, America hadn’t been sure there was more than one definition of ‘is.’”

    George W. Bush’s shame

    George W. Bush, the son of George H.W. Bush, succeeded Clinton in the White House. Americans learned that Bush had more in common with his father than just the same last name.

    “There’s an old saying in Tennessee − I know it’s in Texas,” Bush said, “probably in Tennessee, that says, fool me once, shame on − shame on you. Fool me − you can’t get fooled again.”

    Barack Obama strikes out

    Barack Obama, like Reagan, was known for his sense of humor. And like Reagan, Obama learned that not everything was a joking matter.

    While appearing on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno in 2009, Obama said he had improved his bowling by practicing at the White House bowling alley. He told Leno he had bowled a pedestrian score of 129, provoking a sarcastic response from Leno.

    Obama then made the following joke: “It’s like the Special Olympics or something.”

    Obama quickly apologized to the Special Olympics, the athletic competition for people with intellectual disabilities.

    Obama made a bad joke about the Special Olympics during an interview with Jay Leno; he quickly apologized for it.
    Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images

    Joe Biden’s bad day

    Trump was first elected president in 2016 but was defeated by Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Trump and Biden faced each other again in 2024.

    During a television debate on June 27, 2024, CNN anchor Jake Tapper asked Biden why voters should trust him to solve the immigration crisis. Biden said he changed a law that allowed Trump and his administration to separate immigrant families and put children in cages.

    Biden’s train of thought then jumped the tracks.

    “And I’m going to continue to move until we get the total ban on the − the total initiative relative to what we’re going to do with more Border Patrol and more asylum officers,” Biden said.

    “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence,” Trump said, “and I don’t think he did, either.”

    The same could be said for much of what Biden said during the debate.

    Biden withdrew from the presidential race three weeks after his poor debate performance.

    Chris Lamb 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 are the biggest gaffes, bloopers and blunders that recent presidents have made? It may depend on what your definition of ‘is’ is – https://theconversation.com/what-are-the-biggest-gaffes-bloopers-and-blunders-that-recent-presidents-have-made-it-may-depend-on-what-your-definition-of-is-is-255755

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    May 3, 2025
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