Category: Russian Federation

MIL-OSI: Monolithic Power Systems Earnings Commentary for the Quarter Ended March 31, 2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

KIRKLAND, Wash., May 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MPS will report its results after the market closes on May 1, 2025 and host a question-and-answer webinar at 2:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. ET. The live event will be held via a Zoom webcast, which can be accessed at https://mpsic.zoom.us/j/92570889542.

Q1 2025 Financial Summary	(Unaudited)
	GAAP
	Q1’25	Q4’24	Q1’24	QoQ Change	YoY Change
Revenue ($k)	$ 637,554	$ 621,665	457,885	Up 2.6%	Up 39.2%
Gross Margin	55.4%	55.4%	55.1%	Flat	Up 0.3 pts
Opex ($k)	$ 184,471	$ 181,101	156,954	Up 1.9%	Up 17.5%
Operating Margin	26.5%	26.3%	20.9%	Up 0.2 pts	Up 5.6 pts
Net income ($k)	$ 133,791	$ 1,449,363	92,541	Down 90.8%	Up 44.6%
Diluted EPS	$ 2.79	$ 29.88	1.89	Down 90.7%	Up 47.6%

	Non-GAAP
	Q1’25	Q4’24	Q1’24	QoQ Change	YoY Change
Revenue ($k)	$ 637,554	$ 621,665	$ 457,885	Up 2.6%	Up 39.2%
Gross Margin	55.7%	55.8%	55.7%	Down 0.1 pts	Flat
Opex ($k)	$ 133,526	$ 126,117	$ 103,426	Up 5.9%	Up 29.1%
Operating Margin	34.7%	35.5%	33.1%	Down 0.8 pts	Up 1.6 pts
Net income ($k)	$ 193,813	$ 198,401	$ 137,492	Down 2.3%	Up 41.0%
Diluted EPS	$ 4.04	$ 4.09	$ 2.81	Down 1.2%	Up 43.8%
Tax Rate	15.0%	12.5%	12.5%	Up 2.5 pts	Up 2.5 pts

Revenue by End Market

	Revenue		YoY Change				% of Revenue
End Market ($M)	Q1’25	Q1’24	$		%		Q1’25		Q1’24
Storage & Computing	$ 188.5	$ 106.1	$ 82.4		77.7%		29.6	%	23.2	%
Automotive	144.9	87.1	57.8		66.4%		22.7		19.0
Enterprise Data	132.9	149.7	(16.8	)	(11.2%	)	20.8		32.7
Communications	71.8	46.7	25.1		53.7%		11.3		10.2
Consumer	56.9	38.1	18.8		49.3%		8.9		8.3
Industrial	42.6	30.2	12.4		41.1%		6.7		6.6
Total	$ 637.6	$ 457.9	$ 179.7		39.2%		100	%	100	%

Ongoing Business Conditions

In Q1 2025, MPS achieved record quarterly revenue of $637.6 million, slightly higher than revenue in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 39.2% higher than revenue in the first quarter of 2024.

Our performance during the quarter reflected the continued strength of our diversified market strategy and a continued trend of the ordering patterns we saw at the end of 2024.

Q1 2025 highlights include:

At our March 20th investor day, we showcased MPS innovation across a range of areas including new opportunities in Robotics, Automotive, Data Center, Building Automation, Medical, and Audio.
In Q1, Storage and Computing segment revenue increased 38% quarter-over-quarter on strong demand for both memory and notebook solutions.
We continue to win designs across all major Enterprise Data customers with revenue ramps expected in the second half of this year.
Finally, Q1 ’25 Automotive revenue increased 13% from Q4’24, the third consecutive quarter of sequential double-digit growth.

MPS continues to focus on innovation, solving our customers’ most challenging problems, and maintaining the highest level of quality. We continue to invest in new technology, expand into new markets, and to diversify our end-market applications and global supply chain. This will allow us to capture future growth opportunities, maintain supply stability, and swiftly adapt to market changes as they occur.

“Our proven, long-term growth strategy remains intact as we continue our transformation from being a chip-only, semiconductor supplier to a full service, silicon-based solutions provider,” said Michael Hsing, CEO and founder of MPS.

Q1’25 Revenue Results

MPS reported first quarter revenue of $637.6 million, slightly higher than the fourth quarter of 2024 and 39.2% higher than the first quarter of 2024. Compared with the fourth quarter of 2024, sales in Storage & Computing, Automotive, Communication and Industrial improved sequentially.

First quarter 2025 Storage and Computing revenue of $188.5 million increased 38.1% from the fourth quarter of 2024. The sequential increase was primarily driven by higher sales of power solutions for storage and notebooks. First quarter 2025 Storage and Computing revenue was up 77.7% year over year. Storage and Computing revenue represented 29.6% of MPS’s first quarter 2025 revenue compared with 22.0% in the fourth quarter of 2024.

First quarter Automotive revenue of $144.9 million increased 12.9% from the fourth quarter of 2024 primarily from higher sales in ADAS, body electronics, and infotainment power solutions. First quarter 2025 Automotive revenue was up 66.4% year over year. Automotive revenue represented 22.7% of MPS’s first quarter 2025 revenue compared with 20.6% in the fourth quarter of 2024.

First quarter 2025 Communications revenue of $71.8 million was up 12.3% from the fourth quarter of 2025 primarily on higher sales into networking and optical solutions. First quarter 2025 Communications revenue was up 53.7% year over year. Communications sales represented 11.3% of our total first quarter 2025 revenue compared with 10.3% in the fourth quarter of 2024.

First quarter 2025 Industrial revenue of $42.6 million increased 4.3% from the fourth quarter of 2024 primarily due to higher sales for industrial meters. First quarter 2025 Industrial revenue was up 41.1% year over year. Industrial revenue represented 6.7% of our total first quarter 2025 revenue compared with 6.6% in the fourth quarter of 2024.

First quarter Consumer revenue of $56.9 million decreased 0.6% from the fourth quarter of 2024 primarily from lower sales in gaming partially offset by higher sales for TV solutions. First quarter 2025 Consumer revenue was up 49.3% year over year. Consumer revenue represented 8.9% of MPS’s first quarter 2025 revenue compared with 9.2% in the fourth quarter of 2024.

In our Enterprise Data market, first quarter 2025 revenue of $132.9 million decreased 31.8% from the fourth quarter of 2024. First quarter 2025 Enterprise Data revenue was down 11.2% year over year. Enterprise Data revenue represented 20.8% of MPS’s first quarter 2025 revenue compared with 31.3% in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Q1’25 Gross Margin & Operating Income

GAAP gross margin was 55.4%, flat to the fourth quarter of 2024. Our GAAP operating income was $168.8 million compared to $163.3 million reported in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Non-GAAP gross margin for the first quarter of 2025 was 55.7%, down 0.1 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of 2024. Our non-GAAP operating income was $221.5 million compared to $220.7 million reported in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Q1’25 Operating Expenses

Our GAAP operating expenses were $184.5 million in the first quarter of 2025 compared with $181.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Our Non-GAAP operating expenses were $133.5 million, up from $126.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The differences between non-GAAP operating expenses and GAAP operating expenses for the quarters discussed here are primarily stock-based compensation and related expenses and deferred compensation plan income.

Total stock-based compensation and related expenses, including approximately $1.7 million charged to cost of goods sold, was $53.8 million compared with $56.3 million recorded in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The Bottom Line

First quarter 2025 GAAP net income was $133.8 million or $2.79 per fully diluted share, compared with $1.4 billion or $29.88 per share in the fourth quarter of 2024. Fourth quarter 2024 GAAP net income and EPS included the recognition of a tax benefit granted to a foreign subsidiary.

First quarter 2025 non-GAAP net income was $193.8 million or $4.04 per fully diluted share, compared with $198.4 million or $4.09 per fully diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The first quarter 2025 non-GAAP tax rate increased to 15% from 12.5% in the fourth quarter of 2024.

There were 48.0 million fully diluted shares outstanding at the end of the first quarter of 2025.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $1,026.7 million at the end of the first quarter of 2025 compared to $862.9 million at the end of the fourth quarter of 2024. For the first quarter of 2025, MPS generated operating cash flow of $256.4 million compared with the fourth quarter of 2024 operating cash flow of $167.7 million.

Accounts receivable at the end of the first quarter of 2025 were $214.9 million, representing 31 days of sales outstanding, which was 6 days higher than the 25 days reported at the end of the fourth quarter of 2024.

Our internal inventories at the end of the first quarter of 2025 were $454.8 million, up from $419.6 million at the end of the fourth quarter of 2024. Days of inventory of 146 days at the end of the first quarter of 2025 was 8 days higher than at the end of the fourth quarter of 2024.

We have carefully managed our internal inventories throughout the year, balancing the uncertainty in the market with being prepared to capture market upturns when they occur. Comparing current inventory levels using next quarter’s projected revenue, days of inventory at the end of the first quarter of 143 days was 9 days higher than at the end of the fourth quarter of 2024.

Selected Balance Sheet and Inventory Data				(Unaudited)

	Q1’25	Q4’24	Q1’24
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Short-Term Investments	$ 1,026.7 M	$ 862.9 M	$ 1,286.4 M
Operating Cash Flow	$ 256.4 M	$ 167.7 M	$ 248.0 M
Accounts Receivable	$ 214.9 M	$ 172.5 M	$ 194.4 M
Days of Sales Outstanding	31 Days	25 Days	39 Days
Internal Inventories	$ 454.8 M	$ 419.6 M	$ 396.0 M
Days of Inventory (current quarter revenue)	146 Days	138 Days	175 Days
Days of Inventory (next quarter revenue)	143 Days	134 Days	159 Days

Q2’25 Business Outlook

For the second quarter of 2025 ending June 30, we are forecasting:

Revenue in the range of $640 million to $660 million.
GAAP gross margin in the range of 54.9% to 55.5%.
Non-GAAP gross margin in the range of 55.2% to 55.8%, which excludes the impact from stock-based compensation and related expenses as well as the impact from amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets.
Total stock-based compensation and related expenses in the range of $58.3 million to $60.3 million including approximately $1.9 million that would be charged to cost of goods sold.
GAAP operating expenses between $189 million and $195 million.
Non-GAAP operating expenses in the range of $132.6 million to $136.6 million. This estimate excludes stock-based compensation and related expenses in the range of $56.4 million to $58.4 million.
Interest and other income in the range from $6.2 million to $6.6 million before foreign exchange gains or losses.
Non-GAAP tax rate of 15% for 2025.
Fully diluted shares outstanding in the range of 47.9 to 48.3 million shares.

For further information, contact:

Bernie Blegen
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.
408-826-0777
MPSInvestor.Relations@monolithicpower.com

Safe Harbor Statement

This earnings commentary contains, and statements that will be made during the accompanying webinar will contain, forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including under the “Q2’25 Business Outlook” section herein, our statement regarding our business focus, our statement regarding the expansion and diversification of our global supply chain and the quote from our CEO and founder, including, among other things, (i) projected revenue, GAAP and non-GAAP gross margin, GAAP and non-GAAP operating expenses, stock-based compensation and related expenses, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, other income before foreign exchange gains or losses, and fully diluted shares outstanding, (ii) our outlook for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025 and the near-term, medium-term and long-term prospects of MPS, including our ability to adapt to changing market conditions, performance against our business plan, our ability to grow despite the various challenges facing our business, our industry and the global economic environment, revenue growth in certain of our market segments, potential new business segments, our continued investment in research and development (“R&D”), expected revenue growth, customers’ acceptance of our new product offerings, the prospects of our new product development, our expectations regarding market and industry segment trends and prospects, and our projected expansion of capacity and the impact it may have on our business, (iii) our ability to penetrate new markets and expand our market share, (iv) the seasonality of our business, (v) our ability to reduce our expenses, and (vi) statements regarding the assumptions underlying or relating to any statement described in (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), or (v). These forward-looking statements are not historical facts or guarantees of future performance or events, are based on current expectations, estimates, beliefs, assumptions, goals, and objectives, and involve significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from the results expressed by these statements. Readers of this earnings commentary and listeners to the accompanying conference call are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, continued uncertainties in the global economy, including due to the Russia-Ukraine and Middle East conflicts, global tariffs and retaliatory measures, inflation, consumer sentiment and other factors; adverse events arising from orders or regulations of governmental entities, including such orders or regulations that impact our customers or suppliers, and adoption of new or amended accounting standards; adverse changes in laws and government regulations such as tariffs on imports of foreign goods, export regulations and export classifications, and tax laws or the interpretation of same, including in foreign countries where MPS has offices or operations; the effect of export controls, trade and economic sanctions regulations and other regulatory or contractual limitations on our ability to sell or develop our products in certain foreign markets, particularly in China; our ability to obtain governmental licenses and approvals for international trading activities or technology transfers, including export licenses; acceptance of, or demand for, our products, in particular the new products launched recently, being different than expected; our ability to increase market share in our targeted markets; difficulty in predicting or budgeting for future customer demand and channel inventories, expenses and financial contingencies (including as a result of any continuing impact from the Russia-Ukraine and Middle East conflicts); our ability to efficiently and effectively develop new products and receive a return on our R&D expense investment; our ability to attract new customers and retain existing customers; our ability to meet customer demand for our products due to constraints on our third-party suppliers’ ability to manufacture sufficient quantities of our products or otherwise; our ability to expand manufacturing capacity to support future growth; adverse changes in production and testing efficiency of our products; any political, cultural, military, regulatory, economic, foreign exchange and operational changes in China, where a significant portion of our manufacturing capacity comes from; any market disruptions or interruptions in our schedule of new product development releases; our ability to manage our inventory levels; adequate supply of our products from our third-party manufacturing partners; adverse changes or developments in the semiconductor industry generally, which is cyclical in nature, and our ability to adjust our operations to address such changes or developments; the ongoing consolidation of companies in the semiconductor industry; competition generally and the increasingly competitive nature of our industry; our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of companies and products that MPS acquires, and our ability to effectively and efficiently integrate these acquired companies and products into our operations; the risks, uncertainties and costs of litigation in which MPS is involved; the outcome of any upcoming trials, hearings, motions and appeals; the adverse impact on our financial performance if its tax and litigation provisions are inadequate; our ability to effectively manage our growth and attract and retain qualified personnel; the effect of epidemics and pandemics on the global economy and on our business; the risks associated with the financial market, economy, global tariffs and retaliatory measures, and geopolitical uncertainties, including the Russia-Ukraine and Middle East conflicts; and other important risk factors identified under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filings, including, but not limited to, our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 3, 2025. MPS assumes no obligation to update the information in this earnings commentary or in the accompanying webinar.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This CFO Commentary contains references to certain non-GAAP financial measures. Non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per share, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses, non-GAAP other income, net, non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP income before income taxes differ from net income, net income per share, gross margin, operating expenses, other income, net, operating income and income before income taxes determined in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”). Non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per share exclude the effect of stock-based compensation and related expenses, which include stock-based compensation expense and employer payroll taxes in relation to the stock-based compensation, net deferred compensation plan expense (income), amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and related tax effects. Non-GAAP gross margin excludes the effect of stock-based compensation and related expenses, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and deferred compensation plan expense (income). Non-GAAP operating expenses exclude the effect of stock-based compensation and related expenses, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and deferred compensation plan income (expense). Non-GAAP operating income excludes the effect of stock-based compensation and related expenses, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and deferred compensation plan expense (income). Non-GAAP other income, net excludes the effect of deferred compensation plan expense (income). Non-GAAP income before income taxes excludes the effect of stock-based compensation and related expenses, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and net deferred compensation plan expense (income). Projected non-GAAP gross margin excludes the effect of stock-based compensation and related expenses, and amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets. Projected non-GAAP operating expenses exclude the effect of stock-based compensation and related expenses. These non-GAAP financial measures are not prepared in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. A schedule reconciling non-GAAP financial measures is included at the end of this press release. MPS utilizes both GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures to assess what it believes to be its core operating performance and to evaluate and manage its internal business and assist in making financial operating decisions. MPS believes that the inclusion of non-GAAP financial measures, together with GAAP measures, provides investors with an alternative presentation useful to investors’ understanding of MPS’s core operating results and trends. Additionally, MPS believes that the inclusion of non-GAAP measures, together with GAAP measures, provides investors with an additional dimension of comparability to similar companies. However, investors should be aware that non-GAAP financial measures utilized by other companies are not likely to be comparable in most cases to the non-GAAP financial measures used by MPS. See the GAAP to Non-GAAP reconciliations in the tables set forth below.

RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO NON-GAAP NET INCOME
(Unaudited, in thousands, except per share amounts)

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024
Net income	$	133,791		$	92,541

Adjustments to reconcile net income to non-GAAP net income:
Stock-based compensation and related expenses		53,811			51,769
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets		320			291
Deferred compensation plan expense (income), net		(6	)		47
Tax effect		5,897			(7,156	)
Non-GAAP net income	$	193,813		$	137,492

Non-GAAP net income per share:
Basic	$	4.05		$	2.83
Diluted	$	4.04		$	2.81

Shares used in the calculation of non-GAAP net income per share:
Basic		47,851			48,635
Diluted		48,006			48,928

RECONCILIATION OF GROSS MARGIN TO NON-GAAP GROSS MARGIN
(Unaudited, in thousands)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024
Gross profit	$	353,230		$	252,441
Gross margin		55.4	%		55.1	%

Adjustments to reconcile gross profit to non-GAAP gross profit:
Stock-based compensation and related expenses		1,706			1,900
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets		287			258
Deferred compensation plan expense (income)		(163	)		440
Non-GAAP gross profit	$	355,060		$	255,039
Non-GAAP gross margin		55.7	%		55.7	%

RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING EXPENSES TO NON-GAAP OPERATING EXPENSES
(Unaudited, in thousands)

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024
Total operating expenses	$	184,471		$	156,954

Adjustments to reconcile total operating expenses to non-GAAP total operating expenses:
Stock-based compensation and related expenses		(52,105	)		(49,869	)
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets		(33	)		(33	)
Deferred compensation plan income (expense)		1,193			(3,626	)
Non-GAAP operating expenses	$	133,526		$	103,426

RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING INCOME TO NON-GAAP OPERATING INCOME
(Unaudited, in thousands)

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024
Total operating income	$	168,759		$	95,487

Adjustments to reconcile total operating income to non-GAAP total operating income:
Stock-based compensation and related expenses		53,811			51,769
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets		320			291
Deferred compensation plan expense (income)		(1,356	)		4,066
Non-GAAP operating income	$	221,534		$	151,613

RECONCILIATION OF OTHER INCOME, NET, TO NON-GAAP OTHER INCOME, NET
(Unaudited, in thousands)

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025		2024
Total other income, net	$	5,131	$	9,540

Adjustments to reconcile other income, net to non-GAAP other income, net:
Deferred compensation plan expense (income)		1,350		(4,019	)
Non-GAAP other income, net	$	6,481	$	5,521

RECONCILIATION OF INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES TO NON-GAAP INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES
(Unaudited, in thousands)

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024
Total income before income taxes	$	173,890		$	105,027

Adjustments to reconcile income before income taxes to non-GAAP income before income taxes:
Stock-based compensation and related expenses		53,811			51,769
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets		320			291
Deferred compensation plan expense (income), net		(6	)		47
Non-GAAP income before income taxes	$	228,015		$	157,134

2025 SECOND QUARTER OUTLOOK
RECONCILIATION OF GROSS MARGIN TO NON-GAAP GROSS MARGIN
(Unaudited)
	Three Months Ending March 31, 2025

	Low			High
Gross margin		54.9	%		55.5	%
Adjustment to reconcile gross margin to non-GAAP gross margin:
Stock-based compensation and other expenses		0.3	%		0.3	%
Non-GAAP gross margin		55.2	%		55.8	%

RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING EXPENSES TO NON-GAAP OPERATING EXPENSES
(Unaudited, in thousands)
	Three Months Ending March 31, 2025

	Low			High
Operating expenses	$	189,000		$	195,000
Adjustments to reconcile operating expenses to non-GAAP operating expenses:
Stock-based compensation and other expenses		(56,400	)		(58,400	)
Non-GAAP operating expenses	$	132,600		$	136,600

The MIL Network –

May 2, 2025

MIL-OSI: Viper Energy, Inc. Announces Closing of Drop Down Transaction

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MIDLAND, Texas, May 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Viper Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: VNOM) (“Viper” or the “Company”), a subsidiary of Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FANG) (“Diamondback”), today announced that it and its operating subsidiary, Viper Energy Partners LLC (the “Operating Company”), have closed their previously announced acquisition of all of the equity interests in certain mineral and royalty interest-owning subsidiaries of Diamondback (the “Drop Down”). The total consideration for the Drop Down consisted of (i) $1.0 billion in cash and (ii) the issuance (the “Equity Issuance”) of 69,626,640 units representing limited liability company interests in the Operating Company and an equivalent number of shares of Viper’s Class B Common Stock, in each case, subject to transaction costs and certain customary post-closing adjustments.

The mineral and royalty interests acquired by the Operating Company in the Drop Down represent approximately 22,847 net royalty acres in the Permian Basin, approximately 69% of which are currently operated by Diamondback. Viper funded the cash consideration for the Drop Down with (i) proceeds from its previously announced underwritten public offering of shares of its Class A Common Stock, completed on February 3, 2025, and (ii) borrowings under the Operating Company’s revolving credit facility. Immediately following the completion of the Drop Down, Diamondback beneficially owned approximately 53.7% of Viper’s outstanding voting common stock.

The Drop Down was approved by Viper’s audit committee comprised of all independent directors and the full board of directors, in each case, on January 30, 2025, and by the majority of the Company’s stockholders, other than Diamondback and its subsidiaries, at the special meeting of the Company’s stockholders held on May 1, 2025 (the “Special Meeting”). At the Special Meeting, Viper’s stockholders also approved the Equity Issuance, as required under the rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.

About Viper Energy, Inc.

Viper is a corporation formed by Diamondback to own, acquire and exploit oil and natural gas properties in North America, with a focus on owning and acquiring mineral and royalty interests in oil-weighted basins, primarily the Permian Basin. For more information, please visit www.viperenergy.com.

About Diamondback Energy, Inc.

Diamondback is an independent oil and natural gas company headquartered in Midland, Texas focused on the acquisition, development, exploration and exploitation of unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves primarily in the Permian Basin in West Texas. For more information, please visit www.diamondbackenergy.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding Viper’s: future performance; business strategy; future operations; estimates and projections of operating income, losses, costs and expenses, returns, cash flow, and financial position; production levels on properties in which Viper has mineral and royalty interests, developmental activity by other operators; reserve estimates and Viper’s ability to replace or increase reserves; anticipated benefits or other effects of strategic transactions (including the Drop Down and other acquisitions or divestitures); and plans and objectives (including Diamondback’s plans for developing Viper’s acreage and Viper’s cash dividend policy and common stock repurchase program) are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, the words “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “model,” “outlook,” “plan,” “positioned,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions (including the negative of such terms) as they relate to Viper are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Although Viper believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, they involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, in many cases, beyond its control. Accordingly, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of Viper’s future performance and the actual outcomes could differ materially from what Viper expressed in its forward-looking statements.

Factors that could cause the outcomes to differ materially include (but are not limited to) the following: changes in supply and demand levels for oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids, and the resulting impact on the price for those commodities; the impact of public health crises, including epidemic or pandemic diseases, and any related company or government policies or actions; changes in U.S. energy, environmental, monetary and trade policies, including with respect to tariffs or other trade barriers, and any resulting trade tensions; actions taken by the members of OPEC and Russia affecting the production and pricing of oil, as well as other domestic and global political, economic, or diplomatic developments, including any impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war on the global energy markets and geopolitical stability; instability in the financial sector; higher interest rates and their impact on the cost of capital; regional supply and demand factors, including delays, curtailment delays or interruptions of production on Viper’s mineral and royalty acreage, or governmental orders, rules or regulations that impose production limits on such acreage; federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing, including the effect of existing and future laws and governmental regulations; physical and transition risks relating to climate change and the risks and other factors disclosed in Viper’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, which can be obtained free of charge on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s web site at http://www.sec.gov.

In light of these factors, the events anticipated by Viper’s forward-looking statements may not occur at the time anticipated or at all. Moreover, new risks emerge from time to time. Viper cannot predict all risks, nor can it assess the impact of all factors on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by any forward-looking statements it may make. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements made in this news release. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release or, if earlier, as of the date they were made. Viper does not intend to, and disclaims any obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements unless required by applicable law.

Investor Contact:
Chip Seale
+1 432.247.6218
cseale@viperenergy.com

The MIL Network –

May 2, 2025

MIL-OSI: Monolithic Power Systems Announces Results for the First Quarter Ended March 31, 2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

KIRKLAND, Wash., May 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. (“MPS”) (Nasdaq: MPWR), a fabless global company that provides high-performance, semiconductor-based power electronics solutions, today announced financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2025.

The financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 were as follows:

Revenue was $637.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, a 2.6% increase from $621.7 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024 and a 39.2% increase from $457.9 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.
GAAP gross margin was 55.4% for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared with 55.1% for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.
Non-GAAP gross margin (1) was 55.7% for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, excluding the impact of $1.7 million for stock-based compensation and related expenses, $0.3 million for amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and $0.2 million for deferred compensation plan income, compared with 55.7% for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, excluding the impact of $1.9 million for stock-based compensation and related expenses, $0.4 million for deferred compensation plan expense and $0.3 million for amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets.
GAAP operating expenses were $184.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared with $157.0 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.
Non-GAAP operating expenses (1) were $133.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, excluding $52.1 million for stock-based compensation and related expenses and $1.2 million for deferred compensation plan income, compared with $103.4 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, excluding $49.9 million for stock-based compensation and related expenses and $3.6 million for deferred compensation plan expense.
GAAP operating income was $168.8 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared with $95.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.
Non-GAAP operating income (1) was $221.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, excluding $53.8 million for stock-based compensation and related expenses, $1.4 million for deferred compensation plan income and $0.3 million for amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, compared with $151.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, excluding $51.8 million for stock-based compensation and related expenses, $4.1 million for deferred compensation plan expense and $0.3 million for amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets.
GAAP other income, net was $5.1 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared with $9.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.
Non-GAAP other income, net (1) was $6.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, excluding $1.4 million for deferred compensation plan expense, compared with $5.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, excluding $4.0 million for deferred compensation plan income.
GAAP income before income taxes was $173.9 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared with $105.0 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.
Non-GAAP income before income taxes (1) was $228.0 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, excluding $53.8 million for stock-based compensation and related expenses and $0.3 million for amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, compared with $157.1 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, excluding $51.8 million for stock-based compensation and related expenses and $0.3 million for amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets.
GAAP net income was $133.8 million and $2.79 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31, 2025. Comparatively, GAAP net income was $92.5 million and $1.89 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.
Non-GAAP net income (1) was $193.8 million and $4.04 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, excluding $53.8 million for stock-based compensation and related expenses, $0.3 million for amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and $5.9 million for related tax effects, compared with $137.5 million and $2.81 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, excluding $51.8 million for stock-based compensation and related expenses, $0.3 million for amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and $7.2 million for related tax effects.

The following is a summary of revenue by end market (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended March 31,
End Market	2025		2024
Storage and Computing	$	188,511	$	106,121
Automotive		144,904		87,092
Enterprise Data		132,924		149,727
Communications		71,671		46,645
Consumer		56,947		38,074
Industrial		42,597		30,226
Total	$	637,554	$	457,885

Business Outlook

The following are MPS’s financial targets for the second quarter ending June 30, 2025:

Revenue in the range of $640.0 million to $660.0 million.
GAAP gross margin between 54.9% and 55.5%. Non-GAAP gross margin (1) between 55.2% and 55.8%, which excludes the impact from stock-based compensation and related expenses as well as the impact from amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets.
GAAP operating expenses between $189.0 million and $195.0 million. Non-GAAP operating expenses (1) between $132.6 million and $136.6 million, which excludes estimated stock-based compensation and related expenses in the range of $56.4 million to $58.4 million.
Total stock-based compensation and related expenses of $58.3 million to $60.3 million including approximately $1.9 million that would be charged to cost of goods sold.
Interest and other income in the range of $6.2 million to $6.6 million before foreign exchange gains or losses.
Non-GAAP tax rate of 15% for 2025.
Fully diluted shares outstanding between 47.9 million and 48.3 million.

(1) Non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per share, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP other income, net and non-GAAP income before income taxes differ from net income, net income per share, gross margin, operating expenses, operating income, other income, net and income before income taxes determined in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”). Non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per share exclude the effect of stock-based compensation and related expenses, which include stock-based compensation expense and employer payroll taxes in relation to the stock-based compensation, net deferred compensation plan expense (income), amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and related tax effects. Non-GAAP gross margin excludes the effect of stock-based compensation and related expenses, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and deferred compensation plan expense (income). Non-GAAP operating expenses exclude the effect of stock-based compensation and related expenses, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and deferred compensation plan income (expense). Non-GAAP operating income excludes the effect of stock-based compensation and related expenses, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and deferred compensation plan expense (income). Non-GAAP other income, net excludes the effect of deferred compensation plan expense (income). Non-GAAP income before income taxes excludes the effect of stock-based compensation and related expenses, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and net deferred compensation plan expense (income). Projected non-GAAP gross margin excludes the effect of stock-based compensation and related expenses, and amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets. Projected non-GAAP operating expenses exclude the effect of stock-based compensation and related expenses. These non-GAAP financial measures are not prepared in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. A schedule reconciling non-GAAP financial measures is included at the end of this press release. MPS utilizes both GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures to assess what it believes to be its core operating performance and to evaluate and manage its internal business and assist in making financial operating decisions. MPS believes that the inclusion of non-GAAP financial measures, together with GAAP measures, provides investors with an alternative presentation useful to investors’ understanding of MPS’s core operating results and trends. Additionally, MPS believes that the inclusion of non-GAAP measures, together with GAAP measures, provides investors with an additional dimension of comparability to similar companies. However, investors should be aware that non-GAAP financial measures utilized by other companies are not likely to be comparable in most cases to the non-GAAP financial measures used by MPS. See the GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliations in the tables set forth below.

Earnings Commentary
Earnings commentary on the results of operations for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 is available under the Investor Relations page on the MPS website.

Earnings Webinar
MPS plans to host a question-and-answer webinar covering its financial results at 2:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. ET, May 1, 2025. The live event will be held via a Zoom webcast, which can be accessed at: https://mpsic.zoom.us/j/92570889542. The Zoom webcast can also be accessed live over the phone by dialing (669) 444-9171; the webcast ID is 92570889542. A replay of the event will be archived and available for replay for one year under the Investor Relations page on the MPS website.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains, and statements that will be made during the accompanying earnings webinar will contain, forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including under the “Business Outlook” section and the quote from our CEO herein, including, among other things, (i) projected revenue, GAAP and non-GAAP gross margin, GAAP and non-GAAP operating expenses, stock-based compensation and related expenses, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, other income before foreign exchange gains or losses, and fully diluted shares outstanding, (ii) our outlook for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025 and the near-term, medium-term and long-term prospects of MPS, including our ability to adapt to changing market conditions, performance against our business plan, our ability to grow despite the various challenges facing our business, our industry and the global economic environment, revenue growth in certain of our market segments, potential new business segments, our continued investment in research and development (“R&D”), expected revenue growth, customers’ acceptance of our new product offerings, the prospects of our new product development, our expectations regarding market and industry segment trends and prospects, and our projected expansion of capacity and the impact it may have on our business, (iii) our ability to penetrate new markets and expand our market share, (iv) the seasonality of our business, (v) our ability to reduce our expenses, and (vi) statements regarding the assumptions underlying or relating to any statement described in (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), or (v). These forward-looking statements are not historical facts or guarantees of future performance or events, are based on current expectations, estimates, beliefs, assumptions, goals, and objectives, and involve significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from the results expressed by these statements. Readers of this press release and listeners to the accompanying earnings webinar are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, continued uncertainties in the global economy, including due to the Russia-Ukraine and Middle East conflicts, global tariffs and retaliatory measures, inflation, consumer sentiment and other factors; adverse events arising from orders or regulations of governmental entities, including such orders or regulations that impact our customers or suppliers, and adoption of new or amended accounting standards; adverse changes in laws and government regulations such as tariffs on imports of foreign goods, export regulations and export classifications, and tax laws or the interpretation of same, including in foreign countries where MPS has offices or operations; the effect of export controls, trade and economic sanctions regulations and other regulatory or contractual limitations on our ability to sell or develop our products in certain foreign markets, particularly in China; our ability to obtain governmental licenses and approvals for international trading activities or technology transfers, including export licenses; acceptance of, or demand for, our products, in particular the new products launched recently, being different than expected; our ability to increase market share in our targeted markets; difficulty in predicting or budgeting for future customer demand and channel inventories, expenses and financial contingencies (including as a result of any continuing impact from the Russia-Ukraine and Middle East conflicts); our ability to efficiently and effectively develop new products and receive a return on our R&D expense investment; our ability to attract new customers and retain existing customers; our ability to meet customer demand for our products due to constraints on our third-party suppliers’ ability to manufacture sufficient quantities of our products or otherwise; our ability to expand manufacturing capacity to support future growth; adverse changes in production and testing efficiency of our products; any political, cultural, military, regulatory, economic, foreign exchange and operational changes in China, where a significant portion of our manufacturing capacity comes from; any market disruptions or interruptions in our schedule of new product development releases; our ability to manage our inventory levels; adequate supply of our products from our third-party manufacturing partners; adverse changes or developments in the semiconductor industry generally, which is cyclical in nature, and our ability to adjust our operations to address such changes or developments; the ongoing consolidation of companies in the semiconductor industry; competition generally and the increasingly competitive nature of our industry; our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of companies and products that MPS acquires, and our ability to effectively and efficiently integrate these acquired companies and products into our operations; the risks, uncertainties and costs of litigation in which MPS is involved; the outcome of any upcoming trials, hearings, motions and appeals; the adverse impact on our financial performance if its tax and litigation provisions are inadequate; our ability to effectively manage our growth and attract and retain qualified personnel; the effect of epidemics and pandemics on the global economy and on our business; the risks associated with the financial market, economy, global tariffs and retaliatory measures, and geopolitical uncertainties, including the Russia-Ukraine and Middle East conflicts; and other important risk factors identified under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filings, including, but not limited to, our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 3, 2025. MPS assumes no obligation to update the information in this press release or in the accompanying earnings webinar.

About Monolithic Power Systems
Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. (“MPS”) is a fabless global company that provides high-performance, semiconductor-based power electronics solutions. MPS’s mission is to reduce energy and material consumption to improve all aspects of quality of life. Founded in 1997 by our CEO Michael Hsing, MPS has three core strengths: deep system-level knowledge, strong semiconductor expertise, and innovative proprietary technologies in the areas of semiconductor processes, system integration, and packaging. These combined advantages enable MPS to deliver reliable, compact, and monolithic solutions that are highly energy-efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible while providing a consistent return on investment to our stockholders. MPS can be contacted through its website at www.monolithicpower.com or its support offices around the world.

Monolithic Power Systems, MPS, and the MPS logo are registered trademarks of Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. in the U.S. and trademarked in certain other countries.

Contact:
Bernie Blegen
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.
408-826-0777
MPSInvestor.Relations@monolithicpower.com

Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited, in thousands, except par value)
	March 31,			December 31,
	2025			2024
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	637,354		$	691,816
Short-term investments		389,310			171,130
Accounts receivable, net		214,866			172,518
Inventories		454,793			419,611
Other current assets		92,063			109,978
Total current assets		1,788,386			1,565,053
Property and equipment, net		527,348			494,945
Acquisition-related intangible assets, net		9,651			9,938
Goodwill		25,944			25,944
Deferred tax assets, net		1,318,457			1,326,840
Other long-term assets		135,974			194,377
Total assets	$	3,805,760		$	3,617,097

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	127,310		$	102,526
Accrued compensation and related benefits		74,785			63,918
Other accrued liabilities		161,306			128,123
Total current liabilities		363,401			294,567
Income tax liabilities		69,535			65,193
Other long-term liabilities		105,814			111,570
Total liabilities		538,750			471,330
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock and additional paid-in capital: $0.001 par value; shares authorized: 150,000; shares issued and outstanding: 47,877 and 47,823, respectively		764,959			706,817
Retained earnings		2,545,375			2,487,461
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(43,324	)		(48,511	)
Total stockholders’ equity		3,267,010			3,145,767
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	3,805,760		$	3,617,097

Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited, in thousands, except per share amounts)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025		2024
Revenue	$	637,554	$	457,885
Cost of revenue		284,324		205,444
Gross profit		353,230		252,441
Operating expenses:
Research and development		92,227		75,990
Selling, general and administrative		92,244		80,964
Total operating expenses		184,471		156,954
Operating income		168,759		95,487
Other income, net		5,131		9,540
Income before income taxes		173,890		105,027
Income tax expense		40,099		12,486
Net income	$	133,791	$	92,541

Net income per share:
Basic	$	2.80	$	1.90
Diluted	$	2.79	$	1.89
Weighted-average shares outstanding:
Basic		47,851		48,635
Diluted		48,006		48,928

RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO NON-GAAP NET INCOME (Unaudited, in thousands, except per share amounts)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024
Net income	$	133,791		$	92,541

Adjustments to reconcile net income to non-GAAP net income:
Stock-based compensation and related expenses		53,811			51,769
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets		320			291
Deferred compensation plan expense (income), net		(6	)		47
Tax effect		5,897			(7,156	)
Non-GAAP net income	$	193,813		$	137,492

Non-GAAP net income per share:
Basic	$	4.05		$	2.83
Diluted	$	4.04		$	2.81

Shares used in the calculation of non-GAAP net income per share:
Basic		47,851			48,635
Diluted		48,006			48,928

RECONCILIATION OF GROSS MARGIN TO NON-GAAP GROSS MARGIN (Unaudited, in thousands)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024
Gross profit	$	353,230		$	252,441
Gross margin		55.4	%		55.1	%

Adjustments to reconcile gross profit to non-GAAP gross profit:
Stock-based compensation and related expenses		1,706			1,900
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets		287			258
Deferred compensation plan expense (income)		(163	)		440
Non-GAAP gross profit	$	355,060		$	255,039
Non-GAAP gross margin		55.7	%		55.7	%

RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING EXPENSES TO NON-GAAP OPERATING EXPENSES (Unaudited, in thousands)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024
Total operating expenses	$	184,471		$	156,954

Adjustments to reconcile total operating expenses to non-GAAP total operating expenses:
Stock-based compensation and related expenses		(52,105	)		(49,869	)
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets		(33	)		(33	)
Deferred compensation plan income (expense)		1,193			(3,626	)
Non-GAAP operating expenses	$	133,526		$	103,426

RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING INCOME TO NON-GAAP OPERATING INCOME (Unaudited, in thousands)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024
Total operating income	$	168,759		$	95,487

Adjustments to reconcile total operating income to non-GAAP total operating income:
Stock-based compensation and related expenses		53,811			51,769
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets		320			291
Deferred compensation plan expense (income)		(1,356	)		4,066
Non-GAAP operating income	$	221,534		$	151,613

RECONCILIATION OF OTHER INCOME, NET, TO NON-GAAP OTHER INCOME, NET (Unaudited, in thousands)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025		2024
Total other income, net	$	5,131	$	9,540

Adjustments to reconcile other income, net to non-GAAP other income, net:
Deferred compensation plan expense (income)		1,350		(4,019	)
Non-GAAP other income, net	$	6,481	$	5,521

RECONCILIATION OF INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES TO NON-GAAP INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES (Unaudited, in thousands)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024
Total income before income taxes	$	173,890		$	105,027

Adjustments to reconcile income before income taxes to non-GAAP income before income taxes:
Stock-based compensation and related expenses		53,811			51,769
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets		320			291
Deferred compensation plan expense (income), net		(6	)		47
Non-GAAP income before income taxes	$	228,015		$	157,134

2025 SECOND QUARTER OUTLOOK RECONCILIATION OF GROSS MARGIN TO NON-GAAP GROSS MARGIN (Unaudited)
	Three Months Ending
	June 30, 2025
	Low			High
Gross margin		54.9	%		55.5	%
Adjustment to reconcile gross margin to non-GAAP gross margin:
Stock-based compensation and other expenses		0.3	%		0.3	%
Non-GAAP gross margin		55.2	%		55.8	%

RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING EXPENSES TO NON-GAAP OPERATING EXPENSES (Unaudited, in thousands)
	Three Months Ending
	June 30, 2025
	Low			High
Operating expenses	$	189,000		$	195,000
Adjustments to reconcile operating expenses to non-GAAP operating expenses:
Stock-based compensation and other expenses		(56,400	)		(58,400	)
Non-GAAP operating expenses	$	132,600		$	136,600

The MIL Network –

May 2, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: UK, Japan and Russia to Join Global Media Dialogue Along with Delegates from Over 60 Countries at WAVES 2025

Source: Government of India

UK, Japan and Russia to Join Global Media Dialogue Along with Delegates from Over 60 Countries at WAVES 2025

WAVES Declaration to be made as part of the Global Media Dialogue

Global Media Dialogue Set to Be Centerpiece of WAVES 2025 with Global Ministerial Participation

Posted On: 01 MAY 2025 7:02PM by PIB Mumbai

Mumbai, 1 May 2025

India is set to host the Global Media Dialogue (GMD) for the first time as part of WAVES tomorrow in Mumbai, marking a significant milestone in the country’s engagement with the global media and entertainment landscape. The Dialogue is being organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, with support from the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

Over 60 countries are expected to participate in the event, with delegations from across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Nations such as Russia, Japan, UK, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and several others will be represented at the ministerial and senior official levels. The Dialogue aims to encourage international collaboration, promote best practices, and explore avenues for policy alignment, talent exchange, and capacity building in the global media space.

The outcome of the Dialogue is expected to be a ‘WAVES Declaration’ by participating countries reaffirming the importance of international cooperation in the media and entertainment sector and laying the groundwork for future engagements and partnerships. India, with its vibrant media ecosystem and rapidly growing entertainment industry, is uniquely positioned to host such a dialogue. The GMD marks a pivotal moment in placing India at the center of global conversations on media’s role in shaping the world.

The Global Media Dialogue will bring together key stakeholders from around the world to discuss the evolving role of media and entertainment in shaping societies, economies, and international cooperation. The Dialogue will offer a platform for open conversations on the evolving landscape of the media and entertainment sector. With rapid technological changes, shifting content trends, and growing global interconnectedness, the Dialogue aims to encourage the exchange of ideas, experiences, and perspectives on the role of media in shaping societies, fostering innovation, and promoting international cooperation.

On the sidelines of WAVES, India is also holding bilateral meetings with more than 10 countries, including the United Kingdom, Russia, Indonesia, Kenya, Bhutan, and Egypt, as well as international organizations like the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). These engagements reflect India’s commitment to strengthening global cooperation and fostering partnerships across key areas of mutual interest.

The event will be graced by senior Indian leadership, including the Hon’ble Minister of External Affairs Dr. S Jaishankar, the Hon’ble Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Minister of State for I&B and Parliamentary Affairs Dr. L Murugan. The presence of high level dignitaries will underscore India’s commitment to fostering a robust, inclusive, and forward-looking global media environment.

* * *

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MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

May 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Commerce Committee Unanimously Passes Sullivan-Whitehouse FISH Act to Combat Illegal Foreign Seafood Harvest
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan

05.01.25

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) thanked their colleagues on the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee for unanimously passing their Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Act yesterday. The FISH Act would combat foreign illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by blacklisting offending vessels from U.S. ports and waters, bolstering the U.S. Coast Guard’s enforcement capabilities and partnerships, and advancing international and bilateral negotiations to achieve enforceable agreements and treaties. The legislation is cosponsored by Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

[embedded content]

“The geopolitics of the North Pacific and the Arctic are changing dramatically, with Russia and China increasing their aggression and ruinous activities near Alaska’s waters,” said Sen. Sullivan. “One particularly insidious threat is Chinese and Russian fishing fleets that ignore basic seafood harvest rules and best practices, and ravage fish stocks without regard for any other users or future generations. These grey fleets, which literally utilize slave labor in many cases, are a cancer on fisheries throughout the world and undercut our fishermen, who fish sustainably. I want to thank my Commerce Committee colleagues for unanimously passing our FISH Act and fighting back against IUU fishing on behalf of our fishermen and coastal communities.”

“I thank Senator Sullivan, my longtime partner on oceans issues, for his leadership in shepherding the bipartisan FISH Act through the Commerce Committee. Our bill cracks down on illegal pirate fishing operations to level the playing field for Rhode Island fishermen and processors who play by the rules, and will help nurture the fisheries that keep our oceans and coastal communities so healthy and vibrant,” said Sen. Whitehouse, co-founder of the Senate Oceans Caucus.

The FISH Act builds on prior landmark legislation against IUU fishing, including the Maritime SAFE Act, authored by Senators Wicker and Chris Coons (D-Del.) and signed into law in December 2019 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Key provisions of the FISH Act:
- Direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a blacklist of foreign vessels and owners that have engaged in IUU fishing.
- Direct the administration to address IUU fishing in any relevant international agreement.
- Direct the U.S. Coast Guard to increase its work with partner countries and increase at-sea inspection of foreign vessels suspected of IUU fishing.
- Direct the administration to report to Congress on how new technologies can aid in the fight against IUU fishing, the complexities of the seafood trade relationship between Russia and China, and the economic costs of IUU fishing to the U.S.
On April 17, President Trump signed an executive order, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,” directing the Secretary of Commerce, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), and Interagency Seafood Trade Task Force to assess seafood competitiveness issues and collectively develop a comprehensive seafood trade strategy. Among these strategies, the USTR will examine the relevant trade practices of major seafood-producing nations, including IUU fishing and the use of forced labor in the seafood supply chain.

Senators Sullivan and Whitehouse have worked together extensively on ocean sustainability issues, most notably on the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, the most comprehensive legislation ever to address the global marine debris crisis, which became law in 2020.
MIL OSI USA News –
May 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Cotton, Gallego Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen America’s Water Infrastructure Against Cyber Attacks
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Arkansas Tom Cotton

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Caroline Tabler or Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353
May 1, 2025

Cotton, Gallego Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen America’s Water Infrastructure Against Cyber Attacks
In recent years, municipalities across the U.S. have faced cyber-attacks, including from foreign adversaries like Russia, China, and Iran

Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) today introduced the Water Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, bipartisan legislation to help public water systems protect against and respond to cyberattacks, which have become increasingly frequent in recent years.

“Cyberattacks on public infrastructure are a growing threat, and our water systems are no exception. This bipartisan bill will strengthen our ability to protect essential services and support local water utilities in building stronger cyber defenses,” said Senator Cotton.

“In Arizona, we know better than most the importance of safe and secure access to water. But adversaries also understand the importance and are increasingly trying to undermine our water security,” said Senator Gallego. “It is critical that we ensure our public water systems have the resources they need to prevent and respond to cyberattacks. That’s exactly what this bipartisan, commonsense bill does.”

Full text of the legislation may be found here.

The Water Cybersecurity Enhancement Act would:
- Extend and expand the Drinking Water Infrastructure Risk and Resilience Program.
- Provide technical assistance and grants to community water systems for training and guidance regarding protecting from and responding to cyberattacks.
MIL OSI USA News –
May 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s Ukraine mineral deal finally lands as US economy shivers

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rachael Jolley, International Affairs Editor

Donald Trump promised he could sort out a peace deal for the Ukraine war in 24 hours. It still hasn’t happened. Instead the US administration has taken 100 days just to sign a mineral deal with Ukraine.

This agreement will give the US access to revenue from Ukrainian natural resources, including 100 major deposits of critical minerals. It also has huge symbolism. Ukrainians see it as a sign that the US is committed to staying involved in their country, and also as a warming of the relationship between Ukraine’s president and Trump. It will also be a signal to Russia that what hurts Ukraine could also hurt the US economy.

Of course, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt calls the deal “historic” and puts its brilliance down to Trump’s amazing negotiation skills.

However, in the week that Trump celebrated 100 days in office, others would argue that Trump’s deal-making skills are nowhere near as astute as he thinks they are. That he gave Russia way too much room to manoeuvre in the early months of 2025 by leaning so clearly in Putin’s direction, allowing the Russian leader to think he could pretty much do anything he fancied and win as much of Ukraine as he desired.

US and Ukraine sign a mineral deal.

But US national security advisor Michael Waltz, who has announced he is standing down, has signalled that the balance may now be shifting, when he said the minerals deal was “a momentous step” and: “Russia needs to come to the table.”

As Bridget Storrie from UCL’s Institute for Global Prosperity has pointed out, this deal was all about what the global super power was going to get as justification for its support in the war, rather than about how it could increase prosperity in a war-torn country.

Read more:
Ukraine minerals deal: the idea that natural resource extraction can build peace has been around for decades

Andrew Gawthorpe, a lecturer in history and international studies at Leiden University, has looked at the details and believes Kyiv is getting more than many expected, and more than was on offer earlier in the year, when Trump fell out so publicly with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, at a White House press conference. As part of the deal Ukraine will retain ownership of its natural resources. All profits are to be invested in Ukraine for ten years after the agreement comes into force. It also looks like Washington will contribute new military aid.

Read more:
US-Ukraine minerals deal looks better for Kyiv than expected – but Trump is an unpredictable partner

Presidential power

Trump’s first 100 days have been tumultuous, not just for the US, but for most of the world. His “liberation day” tariffs on international goods have turned existing economic balances and expectations upside down.

Countries that have long seen themselves as confident allies of the US – Canada, Denmark and Germany, for instance – now see the landscape somewhat differently, given the high US tariffs that have landed on their doorsteps. No longer convinced of the strength of their relationship with the world’s superpower, many are rethinking both their economic plans and their alliances.

Meanwhile, China, the main focus of Trump’s tariffs, can see opportunities opening up to forge stronger relationships with, and sales to, other countries also looking for new markets. China has not crumbled yet under the weight of 145% US tariffs. And China’s president, Xi Jinping, is showing no sign of blinking first and heading to Washington to negotiate as Trump was clearly expecting.

Trump now swings daily from claiming he is negotiating with China and that their tariffs can come down, to stating that Beijing will cave. All that sound and fury sounds a good deal like wavering. And with US supermarket bosses warning of empty shelves around the corner, and US ports expecting traffic from China to significantly slow this month, as Nottingham University’s Chee Meng Tan sets out, there is every reason to expect Trump will cave and open negotiations before Xi Jinping does.

Read more:
China has identified how to fight back against Trump’s tariffs, and is not ready to back down

Many nations now see the US as a far less trustworthy partner now than in the past. The most obvious of these is Canada, which just elected the leader of a party that was 20 percentage points behind in the polls in January and expected to be beaten badly not long ago. But when Trump decided that he wanted Canada as the 51st state, normality went out the window over its northern border.

This week, newly elected Canadian prime minister Mark Carney said he would seek meetings with Trump with the “full knowledge that we have many, many other options than the United States”, promising to strengthen relations with “reliable partners” in Europe, Asia and elsewhere.

“We are over the shock of America’s betrayal,” he said. He is ready to write a new foreign policy. He’s not the only one.

Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

Two of the US’s firm friends for decades, South Korea and Taiwan, are now not so sure that they see Washington as a dependable ally, according to a report from research organisation the Brookings Institution. It saw a significant jump in the numbers of people who saw the US as untrustworthy from July 2024, to March 2025.

This matters, as Steve Dunne, a political scientist at the University of Warwick points out, because without trust people and nations are likely not to honour their commitments. After the second world war, the western allies decided to create a series of international bodies to avert such a disaster happening again, and to encourage nations to follow a set of rules that would encourage democracy and trust in each other.

In his first 100 days, says Dunne, Trump broke the compact of trust with countries that had a long alliance with the US, and that could have a deep impact on the trust that has existed for decades between western nations.

Read more:
Donald Trump’s first 100 days have badly damaged trust in America both economically and as an ally

Global power reducing?

Declining trust in the US could well reduce other forms of its global power. As well as financially and politically, in the post-war decades the US has influenced the world, by exporting its culture, its films, its television programmes and its ideas, as well as importing tourists to visit its national treasures, from Yosemite national park to New York City.

In the past 100 days, international tourists are reported to be cancelling their bookings, partly worried about the welcome, or the lack of it, they may encounter at the border. Summer airline bookings from Canada (21%), Germany (17%) and the Netherlands (12%) to the US have fallen significantly for this year, although other countries such as UK show only a minor fall.

Admittedly, Trump told voters that he wanted to put “America first”. However, at his inauguration, the president declared he wanted to make America the “most respected nation on earth”. That achievement is looking quite far off at the moment. In fact, in many countries it is going the other way.

That international respect took a significant hit at one of the most remarkable moments of the past 100 days, when Trump proceeded to take Zelensky to task publicly for a range of offences including not being grateful enough for US support and not wearing a suit.

So what has Trump achieved domestically in his first 100 days and how does that match up against the promises he made? Let’s look at some of the plans he set out in his inauguration speech.

Trump said he wanted to increase US wealth. But current economic indicators are more than a bit shaky, with US stock markets falling and rising on a regular basis as they follow Trump’s on-and-off-again announcements on tariff negotiations with various countries. On April 30, the day after Trump’s big 100 days rally, stocks fell after data was released showing a contraction in the GDP of the US in the first quarter.

But Trump has told his supporters that, in the long term, tariffs will work and manufacturing jobs will benefit. So far, Republican voters still believe in Trump’s policies on jobs and the economy, with 82% approving, according to a recent Economist/YouGov poll. Only 8% of Democrats and 32% of independent voters do though.

Many of the big decisions we have seen playing out in the first 100 days – including the Elon Musk-led dismantling of some parts of government and Trump’s swing at driving down immigration – were detailed in the Project 2025 document, published the conservative think-tank the Heritage Foundation before the election, says Dafydd Townley of the University of Portsmouth. But it also hints at what may come next, including more legislation restricting American women’s access to abortion further.

Read more:
How Project 2025 became the blueprint for Donald Trump’s second term

On January 20 Trump thought that Americans stood “on the verge of the four greatest years in American history”. For many Americans worried about their pensions, savings and the cost of groceries, the future is not looking so great right now. But for those who were sharp focused on cutting immigration, Trump may have made the great start they were hoping for.

– ref. Trump’s Ukraine mineral deal finally lands as US economy shivers – https://theconversation.com/trumps-ukraine-mineral-deal-finally-lands-as-us-economy-shivers-255747

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: What resources will US gain access to under Ukraine mineral deal? Expert Q&A

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gavin D. J. Harper, Research Fellow, Birmingham Centre for Strategic Elements & Critical Materials, University of Birmingham

Ukraine and the US have signed a much-anticipated deal on natural resources. The deal would open up some of the war-torn country’s mineral and energy resources to the United States.

The Conversation spoke to Dr Gavin Harper a Critical Materials Research Fellow at the Birmingham Centre for Strategic Elements and Critical Materials about the deal and what it means for both Washington and Kyiv.

What mineral resources exist in Ukraine?

The agreement between Ukraine and the US provides a list of 57 mineral resources which it applies to. Ukraine has reserves of lithium and rare earth metals valued in the trillions of dollars. Rare earth metals are a group of 17 elements, including scandium and yttrium, that are used in technology and important industrial processes.

Ukraine is also a producer of manganese, a key material in metallurgy and some of the widely used lithium-ion batteries, as well as graphite which is also used in lithium ion batteries. Ukraine also holds major deposits of zirconium silicate, which is indispensable in the ceramics industry. Ukraine’s extraction of graphite is limited, and lithium deposits have gone untouched due to the ongoing war and the need for new mining technology and investment.

The regions of Ukraine that are currently occupied by Russia are known to possess considerable reserves of critical minerals, which are vital for modern technologies. These critical minerals include lithium, titanium, graphite, and rare earth elements.

There are, however, significant challenges. Many geologists have contended that some of the critical materials Ukraine possesses are not particularly desirable to extract from an economic point of view. Some in the mining industry believe that other aspects of the deal, such as oil and gas, and access to mining infrastructure, may in the near term be the more desirable components of the deal.

While the agreement considers the primary, mined resources from the ground, Ukraine is also a large importer of new and used electric vehicles. When the components in these vehicles reach the end of life, there is an enormous opportunity to harvest and recycle these critical materials “above the ground”. There may be ways to processing these materials in tandem with the new industries that will be developed to take advantage of Ukraine’s mineral wealth.

Why is the US so interested in Ukraine’s mineral resources?

Elements and materials that are economically important, but at risk of short supply are known as critical materials. There are various reasons why these might be in short supply.

Sometimes one or a small number of countries have a monopoly on the supply of a material and can leverage that position for geopolitical influence. For some materials, it is not about the accessibility of material in the ground, but the ability to process and refine it. This is known as “mid-stream processing”.

The US realises that critical materials are key to the technologies that will power the economies of the future, and seeks to secure their supply. This allows them to capitalise on the economic opportunity.

Many of these materials are essential to building the technologies that will aid decarbonisation. Given that China currently controls around 60% of global critical materials supply chains and 85% of processing capacity, it is clear why the US sees a strategic interest in developing other supply chains.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has already caused significant challenges around the supply of certain materials, and the ongoing war presents significant challenges to being able to take advantage of and develop the mineral resources Ukraine possesses.

What applications are these minerals used in?

Graphite and lithium are key to electric vehicle batteries and are considered important critical materials due to their essential roles in the booming lithium-ion battery industry, powering everything from smartphones to electric vehicles and grid storage.

Beryllium, valued for its exceptional lightness, stiffness, and thermal conductivity, is crucial for demanding specialised applications in aerospace, defence and electronics. Manganese is vital in steel production, because it significantly enhances steel’s strength and resistance to wear. It’s also an increasingly important component of some batteries.

Uranium’s most well-known application is as the fuel source in nuclear reactors, and it also has niche uses in medicine and industry.

An excavator at a manganese ore mine in Ukraine.
Romeo Rum / Shutterstock

How will these resources be extracted?

The implementation of the US-Ukraine minerals deal will be challenging because of Russia’s war. A primary concern revolves around the significant geographical overlap between Ukraine’s critical mineral deposits and the active war zones in the eastern and southern regions of the country.

The significant damage to Ukrainian infrastructure presents a challenge to the development of new industries and the movement of extracted goods to onward markets.

The economic case for developing critical material deposits rests on a clear and accurate understanding of the mineral wealth that exists, and for some of the resources, it is unclear how accurate that data is.

For some of the types of deposit that are in Ukraine, extractive technologies have not been currently developed to a level where they can be commercialised. It takes a long time to develop new mines and the industries associated with them. So the timescales of developing Ukraine’s mineral wealth will be longer than those of political administrations.

Read more:
US-Ukraine minerals deal looks better for Kyiv than expected – but Trump is an unpredictable partner

It has taken some time for the parties to negotiate the deal, which at times has been contentious. The deal has evolved significantly from the initial proposals, and Ukraine has now agreed to the revised terms.

One thing to note is that the US was one of the signatories, alongside the UK and Russia, of the Budapest Memorandum in 1994. The memorandum’s signatories agreed “to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine” and to refrain from threat and use of force and economic coercion against Ukraine. Given the distressed situation Ukraine finds itself in, the at times challenging negotiations sometimes felt at odds with the wording of this document.

Gavin D. J. Harper 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. What resources will US gain access to under Ukraine mineral deal? Expert Q&A – https://theconversation.com/what-resources-will-us-gain-access-to-under-ukraine-mineral-deal-expert-qanda-255734

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Speaker Johnson Outlines Roadmap for America’s Industrial Comeback

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — Today, Speaker Johnson delivered closing remarks at the Hill and Valley Forum that detailed how President Trump and Republicans in Congress are laying the groundwork for America’s industrial renewal.

Click here to watch the full speech

Read Speaker Johnson’s remarks below:

I want to talk to you about an important issue that I know is top of mind for all of you and that’s about some long-held assumptions. There’s a long-held assumption out there that government and innovation must be at odds. We don’t believe that. You don’t believe that.

But I think today’s thoughtful and insightful conversations – and most of American history for that matter – actually tell a different story. Many of our most consequential innovations have emerged from a healthy interplay between private ingenuity and public engagement.

Today, America is eager to get back to the days of making and building things again. And rightly so. For the better part of this century, we’ve actually been moving in the opposite direction. From the steel towns of Pennsylvania to the textile mills of the Carolinas, American communities watched as their factories shut down and main streets emptied out. We were told that we could simply innovate here and build elsewhere. The result was a gradual erosion of our industrial strength, which was part of the great strength of America.

In recent years, we’ve seen the consequences of allowing the industrial backbone of our economy to atrophy, whether it’s strategic vulnerabilities in semiconductors, rare earths, and pharmaceuticals, or the regulations that smother businesses and jobs far too often.

Our economy is coming back. We are doing the right things right now. We are making the right decisions to get this going. And that’s after the very damaging effects of Bidenomics the last four years, but we also see warning signs below the surface.

I think we owe it to ourselves to be frank about this because we’re the ones that have to figure this out. Company profits are up, but the productivity of key American industries of course is down. Unemployment is low, but the number of Americans in job market still stagnates still below pre-pandemic levels. And our industrial capacity – the real engine of a resilient economy – has barely begun to recover from decades of neglect.

What we are slowly learning is that our technological and our industrial strength is inextricably linked to our national prosperity and security. People in this room understand that, but others are taking notice.

This situation didn’t happen by accident, it didn’t happen overnight. Decades worth of policymakers made it too easy to offshore entire industries, while providing few incentives to reinvest here in the USA. And it happened because government forgot that its role is not to control the markets, but to cultivate the conditions in which innovation can not only survive, but thrive.

We saw this failure play out in real time under the last administration. I mean this is just objective fact, I don’t want to give you a partisan speech, but we need to look at reality. President Biden put the full weight of government behind clean energy, EVs, and broadband as a way to implement his green new economy. What we got instead was billions in spending with very little to show for it, if anything at all.

The EV charger program has to be one of the worst boondoggles ever. There were fewer than 10 functioning stations built in the first three years. Billions went into these failed programs, while burdensome permitting processes and red tape worked against the very innovation the Administration hoped to spur.

And while Joe Biden paused America’s LNG exports, his Administration enriched adversaries like Russia, who were all too willing to fill this void in the market. Our European allies quite literally had to go get their natural gas and get their energy needs met by Vladimir Putin. It fueled his war machine and caused so much of the chaos we’re still dealing with.

These policies don’t just handicap America and American technology; they fundamentally misunderstood the role of government in our system of free enterprise.

Republicans, and especially President Trump, see things very differently. We believe government’s job is not to pick winners and losers. It’s to set the rules of the road, clear the obstacles, and get out of the way so American capital and ingenuity can get to work.

We have to allow the job creators, and the risk takers, and the entrepreneurs, and the economy to do what they do. government can’t have a boot on the neck of those people and expect them to perform today.

We’ve got an opportunity to reckon with all these failures, to recalibrate appropriately and get America back to being an industrial powerhouse once again. Our survival as a nation, I think, depends upon this. So what role should government actually play? Let me just outline three quick, broad policies that Republicans in Congress are pursuing right now to accomplish all this in concert with the White House, because this is a – we’re trying to operate as a seamless team. You’ll see that we’re working day to day, hand in hand with the administration, and that Republicans who control now both chambers of Congress, because we have unified government, you’ll see the Senate and House Republicans working together in tandem. That’s very deliberate, I think, very, very important.

But three broad policies that we’re pursuing: number one, unleashing abundant American energy. I don’t have to tell the people in this auditorium why that’s so important. Artificial intelligence and data centers are consuming enormous amounts of energy, and this demand is growing exponentially. They come in and show us the charts where the demand goes like this on a chart, and we’re behind the eight ball already, as we know, if we’re to support these innovations and build the jobs and factories of tomorrow, we need reliable, affordable, abundant energy. And that means that unleashing the full potential of American energy and cutting red tape and tapping into every energy source, like commercial nuclear and liquefied natural gas, is just critically important.

Our second priority that we’re trying to pursue here is keeping taxes low and keeping competition in the marketplace. The 2017 Trump tax cuts sparked a real resurgence in American industry. The year after they passed, business investment jumped by roughly 10% real wages grew and companies began to reinvest in US manufacturing again. I mean, quite literally, all boats were rising. We say in these big forums as going around the country to a campaign and say, look, President Trump is a known entity. The first Trump Administration, look at what he did and what he was able to do prior to COVID, we had the greatest economy in the history of the world since we cut taxes and cut regulations. It’s not rocket science. We aspire to get back to that at that time, every boat was rising. I mean literally, every demographic in the country and every region in the country was doing better because these policies were implemented.

Right now, we’re working to make these tax cuts, the tax cuts of the first administration, permanent, not just for families, but also to ensure that American innovators have the confidence to take risks and to reinvest boldly in expanding our industrial base.

The third big priority I wanted to mention today is reducing the size and scope of government. We get two important levers to do that. One is reining in wasteful spending. Number two, it’s cutting back regulations again. Under President Biden, we cross the dangerous threshold of $35 trillion in national debt. This is a dire situation. I know the people in this room understand it. A lot of people back home don’t have a full scope of the threat that this is. When we bring in leaders in the Pentagon or the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the last several years, I served on the House Armed Services Committee, among other assignments. We would ask them, “what is the greatest national threat to our country? What is our top national security concern?” And you would expect them to say, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea. They don’t. They say the debt. And it’s true that our interest payments alone are on track to outpace our entire defense fund. It’s not a sustainable situation, and everybody knows that. Our adversaries know it as well.

So we’re working right now on the one big, beautiful bill is the reconciliation process, and we’re going through that. We’re taking an honest look at every corner of the budget, including programs along considered to be “untouchable.” We know that when we work to root out wasteful and abuse, just like any smart business, we make our system and these vital programs more effective and efficient the people who really need and deserve them. And we’ve got all hands on deck to do this at the same time. We need to cut harmful regulations that smother innovation.

All of you run into this, I’m sure at some point or another, may be dealing with it today, but I hope to tell you, in good faith that help is on the way. America’s industrial comeback can’t wait on government bureaucracy. We need to clear the runway for capital to move swiftly into new factories and robotics and advanced automation. Just before COVID, Tesla built its giga factory in Shanghai. They did it in under one year. If you did that same thing here, it would take just as long to pull together the darn permits just to get started building. We can and we must do better. We cannot allow other countries to exceed our performance in that way.

Nowhere is it more necessary for Congress to move with caution than AI. If we over regulate here, which you know, Washington tends to do, we don’t just risk regulating American AI out of existence. We would cede critical grounded China and this fateful race to dominate this new technology, and it’s a race that we cannot afford to lose.

Our priority with AI and technology more broadly, is create an environment that’s competitive and open to new and emerging players, and not just one that benefits the big guys, right?

Let me talk about tariffs briefly, and I know I’m the last speaker today, so I don’t want to give you a long policy speech, but I think some of this is important, and I’m sure it’s timely for you, and it’s probably one of the questions you would ask if we opened it up.

President Trump is taking a serious look at our trade relationships, and it’s something I think that we should applaud. We have been mistreated. We have unfair trade partners around the globe, and this has been going on for quite some time. We’re living in the relic of really, what happened after World War II. Think about it, the historical terms I mean, we emerged as a great superpower, and Europe largely had to be rebuilt. So all these trade agreements were made with America as the new great nation, and the emerging superpower, and they sort of rationalized, “well, Americans can afford it, and we need a break.”

Well, I mean, we’re a long time past World War II. President Trump’s right to point it out. He said, reciprocal trade means it’s got to be fair. He said, every time I talk to him “Mr. President, we’re free traders, free market guys.” He goes “yeah, free and fair trade.” Well, that’s a good point. So tariffs are one tool among many that he’s using to try to do a rebalancing there. He’s trying to rebalance trade and restore a level playing field for American workers and businesses. We’re in uncharted waters on this. This hasn’t been done, so there’s bound to be some market disruption. That’s what we’ve all kind of lived through the last several weeks.

But I trust the President’s instincts here, and I know that American business leaders are tired of tactics from China. They just constantly undercut and outmaneuver American firms. They’ve stolen our IP, everybody here knows it. People are tired of competing with Chinese firms that are propped up by state subsidies and use actual slave labor to produce their products and they steal our intellectual property.

But tariffs are just one part of the equation securing our long-term security and the competitive edge that will depend that we’ll need all that’s going to depend on leaning into innovations like AI and advanced robotics and automation. I really empathize with Americans who feel uneasy about the rapid pace of technology advancement. I get that, but history gives us reason to be optimistic about this. From the automobile to the aircraft to the internet, each new breakthrough has unlocked entirely new industries and professions and forms of prosperity that have worked in our favor. They’ve transformed the way we live. We should always invite and celebrate those advances, because we know the better technology makes our workers more productive, and when our workers are more productive, they earn more, they build more and we see more human flourishing.

At the end of the day, that is our objective. We are trying to bring about human flourishing. That’s the goal of all this. It should be the goal of all of our public policy. Not everybody thinks about it that way, but we’re trying to, we’re trying to change things that they do. We should invite new ideas to reinvigorate our industrial base, not just to decouple from China, although that’s critical, but to give the American people a renewed sense of pride in what we make and what we build and what we export to the world, I have to say I’m incredibly bullish on America, not just because of the talent and ingenuity in this room and across the country, but because of what I’ve seen with my own eyes around the country.

I’ll just leave you with this quick anecdote. Two weeks ago, I was down in south Texas. I visited Saronic. You’ll probably know some of you guys know company. Y’all heard about it earlier on the stage, I think, but its headquarters sit in an unassuming lot right outside downtown Austin. I drove up and I was like, we’re here, but what I saw inside this building was truly extraordinary. What they’re doing is incredible work to bring back American shipbuilding, essentially from the ashes. We’re blessed where I’m from because Saronic is soon expanding manufacturing operation in my home state, Louisiana, and we’re going to welcome them with open arms, because it’s really exciting stuff.

I’m telling this story because that is what American renewal looks like. It’s not just about Silicon Valley or Washington or bringing back the smokestacks of the 50’s. This is about expanding the pool of opportunity for every American in every community, in every corner of this great country. It’s about pioneering innovation. It’s about taking risks and betting big on America. Once again, it can happen anywhere in the country, and we want to bring about the conditions to allow that to happen. And that’s why I’m more confident than ever that our best days still lie ahead of us.

Last thought, because I know you want to go. In July of next year, we’ll celebrate our 250th anniversary as a nation. This grand experiment in self-governance has lasted two and a half centuries. We have already exceeded the expiration date, the lifespan of a nation like ours, a republic, and we’ve done something totally different that no one had ever done before. America was truly revolutionary. The very concept was and we’re built upon these very firm foundations, these ideas, some of the things I’ve articulated today are made us who we are.

Sometimes in this job, I take the opportunity to go and speak to university and college students, and I’m often alarmed my friends, because I will ask at the beginning, I’ll get on a stage like this, and I’ll say, “would you raise your hand if you agree that you live in the greatest nation in the history of the world?” And sadly, sometimes you get 10-15% of the hands raised in an auditorium like this, I’ll say, “gee, well, you don’t believe in the live in the greatest nation? Would you at least concede you live in a great nation?” Get a few more hands, and then I spend the rest of time explaining to them. I’m a constitutional law attorney. I can put on my case. I need several hours, but I try to convince it, and in 20 minutes or so I say “look, you live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. It’s not even close by any objective measure.” We’re the most successful, most powerful, most free, most benevolent nation that has ever been on the earth.

But there’s a reason that we are, and it’s incumbent upon us as stewards of this great Republic if we are going to keep this grand experiment in self-governance, it is incumbent upon us to understand what those foundations are and to nurture them, to get back to those foundations, because we can’t allow them to be destroyed.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater Welcomes Antitrust Division Leadership Team

Source: United States Department of Justice

Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division welcomes a new member of the division’s leadership team. AAG Slater appointed Dina Kallay to serve as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for International, Policy and Appellate. Kallay joins the division’s leadership team including Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, four Deputy Assistant Attorneys General and Chief of Staff.

“The DOJ Antitrust Division is truly fortunate to have in place a deep bench of experts so early in the Trump 47 Administration. Each team member brings broad experience to their government service, and I am truly grateful to them for stepping into their roles as we take over several landmark cases,” said Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater. “I look forward to working with this talented team as well as the dedicated staff of the Antitrust Division as we work together to enforce the nation’s antitrust laws.”

The leadership team includes:

Roger Alford serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General. Mr. Alford previously served in the first Trump Administration as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Antitrust Division. He is a tenured Professor of Law on leave from Notre Dame Law School, where he has taught since 2012. During that time, he also consulted on antitrust matters, including as an expert witness in the landmark 2023 real estate $1.8 billion litigation against the National Association of Realtors, and since 2019 consulting for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in Texas v. Google. He served as a law clerk to Judge James Buckley of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Richard Allison of the Iran- United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands. He also practiced law with Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C. and was a Senior Legal Advisor to the Claims Resolution Tribunal for Dormant Activities in Zurich, Switzerland.

He earned his B.A. with Honors from Baylor University in 1985, his M.Div. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, his J.D. with Honors from New York University, and his LL.M., first in class, from Edinburgh University.

Omeed Assefi serves as Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General with a focus on criminal enforcement. At the beginning of the second Trump Administration, Mr. Assefi served as the division’s Acting Assistant Attorney General. Prior to that position, he litigated criminal prosecutions and led complex investigations against major companies and individuals for antitrust violations as a member of the division’s Washington Criminal Section. Previously, Mr. Assefi served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia. There, he prosecuted violent crime in U.S. District Court as well as Superior Court.

Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Assefi served in the Trump Administration as a Deputy Associate Attorney General in the Office of the Associate Attorney General. There, he helped supervise the Civil, Antitrust, and Civil Rights Divisions. Mr. Assefi also served as Chief of Staff of the Civil Rights Division. Mr. Assefi began his service in the Trump Administration as an Assistant Special Counsel in the White House Counsel’s Office, where he represented the Office of the President in the Department of Justice Special Counsel’s Investigation into allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. Mr. Assefi earned a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law, a M.P.P. from George Mason University’s Schar School of Public Policy, and a B.A. from Trinity College.

Mark Hamer serves as Deputy Assistant Attorney General with a focus on civil litigation and enforcement. He has over 30 years of litigation experience in both public service and private practice. Before returning to the Division, Mr. Hamer was a partner at a global law firm where he served as Global Chair of its Antitrust & Competition Practice Group, leading a team of over 250 competition lawyers in 43 countries. In private practice, he focused on antitrust litigation and antitrust conduct and merger investigations around the world. Mr. Hamer previously served as a trial attorney in the Antitrust Division handling both merger and non-merger litigation. Mr. Hamer received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, and a B.A. in History with High Distinction from the University of Virginia.

Dina Kallay serves as Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Policy & International Affairs. Before joining the Antitrust Division, she was global Head of Competition Law at Ericsson. From 2006-2013, Dina served as Counsel for Intellectual Property & International Antitrust at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Office of International Affairs. Earlier in her career she practiced law at several law firms, most recently with Howrey LLP in Washington D.C., and worked at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition (DG COMP) in Brussels, Belgium

Dina received her LL.B. magna cum laude and B.A. in economics from Tel Aviv University (1996), and her LL.M. (Int’l Economic Law) (1998) and S.J.D. (2003) from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she was a student of former Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, Professor Tom Kauper. She has taught antitrust and intellectual property at the Hebrew, Bar Ilan and Georgetown Universities, and is a frequent writer and speaker on international antitrust and antitrust-intellectual property topics.

William “Bill” Rinner serves as Deputy Assistant Attorney General with a focus on civil enforcement and mergers. Prior to his return to the division, Mr. Rinner was Senior Regulatory Counsel at Apollo Global Management Inc. There, he was responsible for overseeing antitrust and various other regulatory matters. From 2017-2020, Mr. Rinner served at the Antitrust Division first as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General, and subsequently as Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel. Earlier in his career, he practiced antitrust law at two major national firms. After law school, he clerked for Hon. Richard Posner of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He received a J.D. from Yale Law School, and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Notre Dame.

Dr. Chetan Sangvhi serves as Deputy Assistant Attorney General focused on Economics. Dr. Sanghvi has deep experience conducting economic research and analyses in the context of antitrust policy. In his tours of duty at the FTC and in private practice, he has evaluated the competitive impacts of hundreds of proposed mergers and other antitrust concerns. He has been recognized by the FTC for his “outstanding intellectual and analytical contributions to a broad range of complex economic issues arising in the FTC’s competition mission” and by professional reference publications. Dr. Sanghvi has taught at New York University, Johns Hopkins University, Rutgers University, and Trinity College and holds a PhD in economics from Rutgers University and a BA in economics from Northwestern University.

Sara Matar serves as the Chief of Staff. Prior to this role, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington D.C. Sara was previously a senior advisor to Congressman Lee Zeldin on foreign policy and judiciary matters. She also served as a staff member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee where she worked on oversight and Middle East policy. Sara received her J.D from George Washington University Law School and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Emerson College. She served as law clerk to the Honorable Judge Lynn Hughes in the Southern District of Texas.

MIL Security OSI –

May 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater Welcomes Antitrust Division Leadership Team

Source: US State of North Dakota

Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division welcomes a new member of the division’s leadership team. AAG Slater appointed Dina Kallay to serve as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for International, Policy and Appellate. Kallay joins the division’s leadership team including Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, four Deputy Assistant Attorneys General and Chief of Staff.

“The DOJ Antitrust Division is truly fortunate to have in place a deep bench of experts so early in the Trump 47 Administration. Each team member brings broad experience to their government service, and I am truly grateful to them for stepping into their roles as we take over several landmark cases,” said Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater. “I look forward to working with this talented team as well as the dedicated staff of the Antitrust Division as we work together to enforce the nation’s antitrust laws.”

The leadership team includes:

Roger Alford serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General. Mr. Alford previously served in the first Trump Administration as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Antitrust Division. He is a tenured Professor of Law on leave from Notre Dame Law School, where he has taught since 2012. During that time, he also consulted on antitrust matters, including as an expert witness in the landmark 2023 real estate $1.8 billion litigation against the National Association of Realtors, and since 2019 consulting for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in Texas v. Google. He served as a law clerk to Judge James Buckley of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Richard Allison of the Iran- United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands. He also practiced law with Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C. and was a Senior Legal Advisor to the Claims Resolution Tribunal for Dormant Activities in Zurich, Switzerland.

He earned his B.A. with Honors from Baylor University in 1985, his M.Div. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, his J.D. with Honors from New York University, and his LL.M., first in class, from Edinburgh University.

Omeed Assefi serves as Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General with a focus on criminal enforcement. At the beginning of the second Trump Administration, Mr. Assefi served as the division’s Acting Assistant Attorney General. Prior to that position, he litigated criminal prosecutions and led complex investigations against major companies and individuals for antitrust violations as a member of the division’s Washington Criminal Section. Previously, Mr. Assefi served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia. There, he prosecuted violent crime in U.S. District Court as well as Superior Court.

Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Assefi served in the Trump Administration as a Deputy Associate Attorney General in the Office of the Associate Attorney General. There, he helped supervise the Civil, Antitrust, and Civil Rights Divisions. Mr. Assefi also served as Chief of Staff of the Civil Rights Division. Mr. Assefi began his service in the Trump Administration as an Assistant Special Counsel in the White House Counsel’s Office, where he represented the Office of the President in the Department of Justice Special Counsel’s Investigation into allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. Mr. Assefi earned a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law, a M.P.P. from George Mason University’s Schar School of Public Policy, and a B.A. from Trinity College.

Mark Hamer serves as Deputy Assistant Attorney General with a focus on civil litigation and enforcement. He has over 30 years of litigation experience in both public service and private practice. Before returning to the Division, Mr. Hamer was a partner at a global law firm where he served as Global Chair of its Antitrust & Competition Practice Group, leading a team of over 250 competition lawyers in 43 countries. In private practice, he focused on antitrust litigation and antitrust conduct and merger investigations around the world. Mr. Hamer previously served as a trial attorney in the Antitrust Division handling both merger and non-merger litigation. Mr. Hamer received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, and a B.A. in History with High Distinction from the University of Virginia.

Dina Kallay serves as Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Policy & International Affairs. Before joining the Antitrust Division, she was global Head of Competition Law at Ericsson. From 2006-2013, Dina served as Counsel for Intellectual Property & International Antitrust at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Office of International Affairs. Earlier in her career she practiced law at several law firms, most recently with Howrey LLP in Washington D.C., and worked at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition (DG COMP) in Brussels, Belgium

Dina received her LL.B. magna cum laude and B.A. in economics from Tel Aviv University (1996), and her LL.M. (Int’l Economic Law) (1998) and S.J.D. (2003) from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she was a student of former Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, Professor Tom Kauper. She has taught antitrust and intellectual property at the Hebrew, Bar Ilan and Georgetown Universities, and is a frequent writer and speaker on international antitrust and antitrust-intellectual property topics.

William “Bill” Rinner serves as Deputy Assistant Attorney General with a focus on civil enforcement and mergers. Prior to his return to the division, Mr. Rinner was Senior Regulatory Counsel at Apollo Global Management Inc. There, he was responsible for overseeing antitrust and various other regulatory matters. From 2017-2020, Mr. Rinner served at the Antitrust Division first as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General, and subsequently as Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel. Earlier in his career, he practiced antitrust law at two major national firms. After law school, he clerked for Hon. Richard Posner of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He received a J.D. from Yale Law School, and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Notre Dame.

Dr. Chetan Sangvhi serves as Deputy Assistant Attorney General focused on Economics. Dr. Sanghvi has deep experience conducting economic research and analyses in the context of antitrust policy. In his tours of duty at the FTC and in private practice, he has evaluated the competitive impacts of hundreds of proposed mergers and other antitrust concerns. He has been recognized by the FTC for his “outstanding intellectual and analytical contributions to a broad range of complex economic issues arising in the FTC’s competition mission” and by professional reference publications. Dr. Sanghvi has taught at New York University, Johns Hopkins University, Rutgers University, and Trinity College and holds a PhD in economics from Rutgers University and a BA in economics from Northwestern University.

Sara Matar serves as the Chief of Staff. Prior to this role, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington D.C. Sara was previously a senior advisor to Congressman Lee Zeldin on foreign policy and judiciary matters. She also served as a staff member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee where she worked on oversight and Middle East policy. Sara received her J.D from George Washington University Law School and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Emerson College. She served as law clerk to the Honorable Judge Lynn Hughes in the Southern District of Texas.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Why Donald Trump’s trade tariffs are a threat to global food security

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lotanna Emediegwu, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Manchester Metropolitan University

Billion Photos/Shutterstock

Donald Trump’s tariffs will make many things more expensive for his fellow US citizens. The price of imported cars, building materials and some tech will go up – and so will the cost of the food on American dining tables.

The US currently imports around 16% of its food supply, with a large proportion of its fruit and vegetables coming from countries now hit by tariffs.

Mexico stands out. It supplies over half the fresh fruit and nearly 70% of the fresh vegetables consumed in the US.

And even when it comes to home grown produce, the US still depends on imported fertiliser for its crops, with Canada providing up to 85% of its neighbour’s supply.

So grocery bills for American families, especially for fresh produce (and processed foods dependent on foreign ingredients) will get higher. But there will also be a noticeable effect on food prices outside the US.

The consequences could be particularly serious for developing economies that rely on stable international prices to secure affordable food imports. The prices of many global staples including maize, wheat and soybeans are benchmarked against US markets so when disruptions occur, they reverberate globally.

Research I conducted with a colleague found that when international prices are disturbed, local food prices, especially in developing countries, go up.

Take global maize prices, which this year rose by 7% between April 2 (Trump’s “liberation day”) and April 11. Our study suggests this will immediately lead to a similar increase in local maize prices in places like sub-Saharan Africa.

This is where many of the world’s poorest people live, with hundreds of millions in households earning below the World Bank’s poverty line of US$2.15 (£1.61) per day. When much of that income is spent on food, a 7% increase in the price of maize could be devastating.

Growth market

According to another study, tariffs on agricultural products such as fertiliser will increase global production costs, potentially lowering crop yields and worsening food insecurity.

While the US has reduced tariffs on Canadian potash from 25% to 10%, other fertiliser producers face steeper levels (up to 28% for another major exporter, Tunisia, before Trump’s reciprocal tariffs were paused).

This is especially worrying for agriculture in countries like Brazil, India and Nigeria, which are still reeling from fertiliser shortages caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine. As with food costs, US tariffs are likely to drive up prices in the global fertiliser market, making it more expensive for everyone, everywhere.

And when the cost of farming rises, crop production can suffer. This could significantly weaken food production in developing countries that are already battling climate change and volatile markets.

Another study I conducted found that countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia – already struggling with food insecurity – are among the most vulnerable to local food price shocks. These economies depend heavily on food imports and face high exposure to currency fluctuations and transport costs.

A banana field in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
giulio napolitano/Shutterstock

If the trade war escalates, farmers in these regions may be forced to abandon staple crops for cash commodities such as cocoa or coffee, deepening their reliance on volatile global markets and reducing their food self-sufficiency. Global inequality will worsen unless things change.

One option would be to protect essential agricultural imports, especially fertilizers and staple foods, from punitive tariffs. This would stabilise prices and protect vulnerable economies. The recently announced 90-day pause for negotiations offers a glimmer of hope, but it must be used wisely to build a more equitable trading system.

In the long term, developing countries need to bolster the resilience of their food systems. My research recommends investing heavily in mechanised agriculture which is resilient to climate change, incentivising farmers with government support, and strengthening regional trade.

The global food system is heavily interconnected. Decisions made in Washington can quickly affect food prices in Lagos, Cairo and New Delhi. And if tariffs go unchecked, they may unleash a silent and subtle crisis – one measured not in GDP, but in millions of empty stomachs.

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

– ref. Why Donald Trump’s trade tariffs are a threat to global food security – https://theconversation.com/why-donald-trumps-trade-tariffs-are-a-threat-to-global-food-security-255064

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 2, 2025

MIL-OSI: Lloyds Bank PLC: 2025 Q1 Interim Management Statement

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LONDON, May 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

Lloyds Bank plc
Q1 2025 Interim Management Statement
1 May 2025

Member of the Lloyds Banking Group

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This document contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and section 27A of the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended, with respect to the business, strategy, plans and/or results of Lloyds Bank plc together with its subsidiaries (the Lloyds Bank Group) and its current goals and expectations. Statements that are not historical or current facts, including statements about the Lloyds Bank Group’s or its directors’ and/or management’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Words such as, without limitation, ‘believes’, ‘achieves’, ‘anticipates’, ‘estimates’, ‘expects’, ‘targets’, ‘should’, ‘intends’, ‘aims’, ‘projects’, ‘plans’, ‘potential’, ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘could’, ‘considered’, ‘likely’, ‘may’, ‘seek’, ‘estimate’, ‘probability’, ‘goal’, ‘objective’, ‘deliver’, ‘endeavour’, ‘prospects’, ‘optimistic’ and similar expressions or variations on these expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements concern or may affect future matters, including but not limited to: projections or expectations of the Lloyds Bank Group’s future financial position, including profit attributable to shareholders, provisions, economic profit, dividends, capital structure, portfolios, net interest margin, capital ratios, liquidity, risk-weighted assets (RWAs), expenditures or any other financial items or ratios; litigation, regulatory and governmental investigations; the Lloyds Bank Group’s future financial performance; the level and extent of future impairments and write-downs; the Lloyds Bank Group’s ESG targets and/or commitments; statements of plans, objectives or goals of the Lloyds Bank Group or its management and other statements that are not historical fact and statements of assumptions underlying such statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend upon circumstances that will or may occur in the future. Factors that could cause actual business, strategy, targets, plans and/or results (including but not limited to the payment of dividends) to differ materially from forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: general economic and business conditions in the UK and internationally (including in relation to tariffs); imposed and threatened tariffs and changes to global trade policies; acts of hostility or terrorism and responses to those acts, or other such events; geopolitical unpredictability; the war between Russia and Ukraine; the conflicts in the Middle East; the tensions between China and Taiwan; political instability including as a result of any UK general election; market related risks, trends and developments; changes in client and consumer behaviour and demand; exposure to counterparty risk; the ability to access sufficient sources of capital, liquidity and funding when required; changes to the Lloyds Bank Group’s or Lloyds Banking Group plc’s credit ratings; fluctuations in interest rates, inflation, exchange rates, stock markets and currencies; volatility in credit markets; volatility in the price of the Lloyds Bank Group’s securities; natural pandemic and other disasters; risks concerning borrower and counterparty credit quality; risks affecting defined benefit pension schemes; changes in laws, regulations, practices and accounting standards or taxation; changes to regulatory capital or liquidity requirements and similar contingencies; the policies and actions of governmental or regulatory authorities or courts together with any resulting impact on the future structure of the Lloyds Bank Group; risks associated with the Lloyds Bank Group’s compliance with a wide range of laws and regulations; assessment related to resolution planning requirements; risks related to regulatory actions which may be taken in the event of a bank or Lloyds Bank Group or Lloyds Banking Group failure; exposure to legal, regulatory or competition proceedings, investigations or complaints; failure to comply with anti-money laundering, counter terrorist financing, anti-bribery and sanctions regulations; failure to prevent or detect any illegal or improper activities; operational risks including risks as a result of the failure of third party suppliers; conduct risk; technological changes and risks to the security of IT and operational infrastructure, systems, data and information resulting from increased threat of cyber and other attacks; technological failure; inadequate or failed internal or external processes or systems; risks relating to ESG matters, such as climate change (and achieving climate change ambitions) and decarbonisation, including the Lloyds Bank Group’s or the Lloyds Banking Group’s ability along with the government and other stakeholders to measure, manage and mitigate the impacts of climate change effectively, and human rights issues; the impact of competitive conditions; failure to attract, retain and develop high calibre talent; the ability to achieve strategic objectives; the ability to derive cost savings and other benefits including, but without limitation, as a result of any acquisitions, disposals and other strategic transactions; inability to capture accurately the expected value from acquisitions; and assumptions and estimates that form the basis of the Lloyds Bank Group’s financial statements. A number of these influences and factors are beyond the Lloyds Bank Group’s control. Please refer to the latest Annual Report on Form 20-F filed by Lloyds Bank plc with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), which is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, for a discussion of certain factors and risks. Lloyds Bank plc may also make or disclose written and/or oral forward-looking statements in other written materials and in oral statements made by the directors, officers or employees of Lloyds Bank plc to third parties, including financial analysts. Except as required by any applicable law or regulation, the forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as of today’s date, and the Lloyds Bank Group expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The information, statements and opinions contained in this document do not constitute a public offer under any applicable law or an offer to sell any securities or financial instruments or any advice or recommendation with respect to such securities or financial instruments.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Income statement

The Group’s profit before tax for the first three months of 2025 was £1,177 million, 26% lower than the same period in 2024. This was driven by higher operating expenses and a higher impairment charge. Profit after tax was £881 million (three months to 31 March 2024: £1,159 million).

Total income for the first three months of 2025 was £4,371 million, broadly in line with the same period in 2024 (three months to 31 March 2024: £4,385 million). Net interest income of £3,244 million was up 4% on the prior year (three months to 31 March 2024: £3,127 million), driven by a higher margin and higher average interest-earning assets. Other income decreased by 10% to £1,127 million (three months to 31 March 2024: £1,258 million). The decrease in other income reflected improved performance in UK Motor Finance, with fleet growth and higher average vehicle rental values, which was more than offset by negative market volatility and a reduction in income from fellow Lloyds Banking Group undertakings.

Total operating expenses of £2,884 million were 6% higher than in the prior year. This reflects higher costs, combining inflationary pressures, timing of strategic investment including planned higher severance front-loaded into the first quarter of 2025 and business growth costs, partly offset by cost savings and continued cost discipline. This is alongside higher operating lease depreciation, as a result of fleet growth, the depreciation of higher value vehicles and declines in used electric car prices over 2024.

No net remediation charge was recognised by the Group in the first three months of 2025 (three months to 31 March 2024: £25 million). There have been no further charges relating to motor finance commission arrangements. The Supreme Court heard the appeal of the Wrench, Johnson and Hopcraft decision in early April and has stated that it is likely to produce its judgment in July. The FCA has indicated that the decision will inform its next steps in the discretionary commission arrangements (DCA) review and that it will confirm within six weeks of the decision if it is proposing a redress scheme and if so, how it will take that forward. The FCA has also noted that its next steps on non-DCA complaints will be informed by the decision.

The impairment charge was £310 million, up from £70 million in the three months to 31 March 2024. Asset quality remained resilient in the quarter. The charge included strong portfolio performance in Retail, more than offset by a higher charge in Commercial Banking, partly due to the non-recurrence of a release from loss rates used in the model in 2024. The charge also included a £100 million central adjustment to address downside risks to the base case related to the potential impact from US tariff policies announced at the start of April. These were becoming apparent around the balance sheet date and were determined to not be fully captured within the modelled divisional ECL allowances. This is partially offset by benefits to the MES from small increases to house price and wage growth expectations.

FINANCIAL REVIEW (continued)

Balance sheet

Total assets were £5,143 million, or 1%, higher at £616,356 million at 31 March 2025 (31 December 2024: £611,213 million).

Financial assets at amortised cost were £3,135 million higher at £508,032 million (31 December 2024: £504,897 million) with increases in loans and advances to customers. This included growth of £4,807 million in UK mortgages and growth across UK Retail unsecured loans, credit cards, UK Motor Finance and the European retail business. Lending balances reduced in Commercial Banking as a result of repayments of government-backed lending. The growth in loans and advances to customers was partly offset by a £908 million reduction in reverse repurchase agreements, a £302 million reduction in loans and advances to banks and a £1,474 million reduction in debt securities.

Cash and balances at central banks decreased 1% to £42,000 million. Financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss increased by £733 million, due to increased reverse repurchase agreements. Derivative financial assets were £520 million lower at £3,715 million (31 December 2024: £4,235 million), driven by interest rate and currency movements in the period. Financial assets at fair value through other comprehensive income were stable in the period at £30,682 million. Other assets were £1,853 million higher, primarily reflecting increased settlement balances.

Total liabilities were £3,230 million higher at £574,696 million (31 December 2024: £571,466 million). Customer deposits of £456,574 million increased in the period by £4,780 million. Retail deposits increased by £2,637 million in the period, driven by net inflows to limited withdrawal and fixed term deposits alongside higher current account balances. Commercial Banking deposits were up in the quarter, aided by short term balances.

Other liabilities increased by £1,034 million reflecting increased settlement balances, while debt securities in issue decreased by £2,789 million, with higher levels of maturities in the period.

Total equity increased to £41,660 million at 31 March 2025 (31 December 2024: £39,747 million). The increase primarily reflected profit attributable to ordinary shareholders alongside unwind of the cash flow hedge reserve and issuance of an AT1 capital instrument in February 2025 to Lloyds Banking Group plc.

Capital

The Group’s common equity tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio reduced to 13.6% at 31 March 2025 from 13.7% at 31 December 2024. Profit for the first three months of the year was offset by the accrual for foreseeable ordinary dividends and an increase in risk-weighted assets.

The Group’s total capital ratio at 31 March 2025 remained at 19.9% (31 December 2024: 19.9%). The increase in CET1 capital and the issuance of a new AT1 capital instrument were offset by the increase in risk-weighted assets and a reduction in tier 2 capital reflecting an instrument call and other movements.

Risk-weighted assets increased by £3,955 million to £190,951 million at 31 March 2025 from £186,996 million at 31 December 2024. This reflects the impact of lending growth, but also includes a temporary c.£2.5 billion increase primarily due to hedging activity that is expected to reverse by the third quarter. The growth in risk-weighted assets was partly offset by continued optimisation activity and other movements.

The Group’s UK leverage ratio increased to 5.5% at 31 March 2025 from 5.4% at 31 December 2024, reflecting an increase in the total tier 1 capital position, partially offset by an increase in the leverage exposure measure. The latter reflects increases across loans and advances and other assets, due in part to lending growth, partially offset by a reduction in the measure for securities financing transactions.


CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT (UNAUDITED)

	Three months ended 31 Mar 2025 £m		Three months ended 31 Mar 2024 £m

Net interest income	3,244		3,127
Other income	1,127		1,258
Total income	4,371		4,385
Operating expenses	(2,884	)	(2,728	)
Impairment	(310	)	(70	)
Profit before tax	1,177		1,587
Tax expense	(296	)	(428	)
Profit after tax	881		1,159

Profit attributable to ordinary shareholders	774		1,069
Profit attributable to other equity holders	98		86
Profit attributable to equity holders	872		1,155
Profit attributable to non-controlling interests	9		4
Profit after tax	881		1,159


CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET (UNAUDITED)

	At 31 Mar 2025 £m	At 31 Dec 2024 £m

Assets
Cash and balances at central banks	42,000	42,396
Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss	3,054	2,321
Derivative financial instruments	3,715	4,235
Financial assets at amortised cost	508,032	504,897
Financial assets at fair value through other comprehensive income	30,682	30,344
Other assets	28,873	27,020
Total assets	616,356	611,213
Liabilities
Deposits from banks	3,899	3,144
Customer deposits	456,574	451,794
Repurchase agreements	38,474	37,760
Due to fellow Lloyds Banking Group undertakings	3,981	4,049
Financial liabilities at fair value through profit or loss	4,538	4,630
Derivative financial instruments	5,327	5,787
Debt securities in issue at amortised cost	42,492	45,281
Other liabilities	12,844	11,810
Subordinated liabilities	6,567	7,211
Total liabilities	574,696	571,466
Total equity	41,660	39,747
Total equity and liabilities	616,356	611,213

ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION

1. Basis of presentation

This release covers the results of Lloyds Bank plc together with its subsidiaries (the Group) for the three months ended 31 March 2025.

The Group’s Q1 2025 Interim Pillar 3 Disclosures can be found at: www.lloydsbankinggroup.com/investors/financial-downloads.html.

Accounting policies

The accounting policies are consistent with those applied by the Group in its 2024 Annual Report and Accounts.

2. Loans and advances to customers and expected credit loss allowance

At 31 March 2025	Stage 1 £m		Stage 2 £m	Stage 3 £m	POCI £m	Total £m		Stage 2 as % of total	Stage 3 as % of total
Loans and advances to customers
UK mortgages	275,816		31,912	4,137	6,016	317,881		10.0	1.3
Credit cards	13,875		2,327	261	–	16,463		14.1	1.6
UK unsecured loans and overdrafts	9,660		1,325	171	–	11,156		11.9	1.5
UK Motor Finance	14,197		2,491	131	–	16,819		14.8	0.8
Other	18,462		471	151	–	19,084		2.5	0.8
Retail	332,010		38,526	4,851	6,016	381,403		10.1	1.3
Business and Commercial Banking	25,778		2,946	1,160	–	29,884		9.9	3.9
Corporate and Institutional Banking	36,705		2,528	1,007	–	40,240		6.3	2.5
Commercial Banking	62,483		5,474	2,167	–	70,124		7.8	3.1
Other¹	(414	)	–	–	–	(414	)
Total gross lending	394,079		44,000	7,018	6,016	451,113		9.8	1.6

Customer related ECL allowance (drawn and undrawn)
UK mortgages	52		245	322	179	798
Credit cards	199		308	130	–	637
UK unsecured loans and overdrafts	167		240	114	–	521
UK Motor Finance²	170		118	75	–	363
Other	14		14	38	–	66
Retail	602		925	679	179	2,385
Business and Commercial Banking	133		183	172	–	488
Corporate and Institutional Banking	108		149	323	–	580
Commercial Banking	241		332	495	–	1,068
Other³	50		50	–	–	100
Total	893		1,307	1,174	179	3,553

Customer related ECL allowance (drawn and undrawn) as a percentage of loans and advances to customers
	Stage 1 %		Stage 2 %	Stage 3 %	POCI %	Total %
UK mortgages	–		0.8	7.8	3.0	0.3
Credit cards	1.4		13.2	49.8	–	3.9
UK unsecured loans and overdrafts	1.7		18.1	66.7	–	4.7
UK Motor Finance	1.2		4.7	57.3	–	2.2
Other	0.1		3.0	25.2	–	0.3
Retail	0.2		2.4	14.0	3.0	0.6
Business and Commercial Banking	0.5		6.2	14.8	–	1.6
Corporate and Institutional Banking	0.3		5.9	32.1	–	1.4
Commercial Banking	0.4		6.1	22.8	–	1.5
Other				–	–
Total	0.2		3.0	16.7	3.0	0.8

¹ Contains central fair value hedge accounting adjustments.
² UK Motor Finance includes £178 million relating to provisions against residual values of vehicles subject to finance leases.
³ Other includes a £100 million central adjustment that has not been allocated to specific portfolios.

ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION (continued)

3. UK economic assumptions

Base case and MES economic assumptions

The Group’s base case scenario is for a slow expansion in gross domestic product (GDP) and a modest rise in the unemployment rate alongside small gains in residential and commercial property prices. Inflationary pressures remain persistent, but gradual cuts in UK Bank Rate are expected to continue during 2025. Risks around this base case economic view lie in both directions and are largely captured by the generation of alternative economic scenarios.

The Group has taken into account the latest available information at the reporting date in defining its base case scenario and generating alternative economic scenarios. The scenarios include forecasts for key variables as of the first quarter of 2025. Actuals for this period, or restatements of past data, may have since emerged prior to publication and have not been included. The Group’s approach to generating alternative economic scenarios is set out in detail in note 19 to the financial statements of the Group’s 2024 annual report and accounts.

The Group had included assumptions for expected tariffs and potential responses in its quarter-end base case conditioning assumptions prior to announcements at the start of April. Initial non-UK tariffs announced in the first few days of April and the immediate market response were larger than expected. Accordingly, the Group has adopted a £100 million central adjustment to reflect the potential ECL impact, informed by high level sensitivity to key UK economic metrics based on tariff scenarios. Subsequent developments through April were judged to relate to conditions after the balance sheet date and will be reflected in the second quarter reporting period.

UK economic assumptions – base case scenario by quarter

Key quarterly assumptions made by the Group in the base case scenario are shown below. GDP growth is presented quarter-on-quarter. House price growth, commercial real estate price growth and CPI inflation are presented year-on-year, i.e. from the equivalent quarter in the previous year. Unemployment rate and UK Bank Rate are presented as at the end of each quarter.

At 31 March 2025	First quarter 2025 %	Second quarter 2025 %	Third quarter 2025 %	Fourth quarter 2025 %	First quarter 2026 %	Second quarter 2026 %	Third quarter 2026 %	Fourth quarter 2026 %

Gross domestic product growth	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4
Unemployment rate	4.6	4.7	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.8
House price growth	3.8	3.8	2.4	1.7	1.3	1.7	1.9	1.8
Commercial real estate price growth	2.6	2.8	2.7	1.3	0.9	0.7	0.8	1.1
UK Bank Rate	4.50	4.25	4.00	4.00	3.75	3.75	3.50	3.50
CPI inflation	2.8	3.6	3.6	3.5	3.0	2.8	2.6	2.7

ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION (continued)

3. UK economic assumptions (continued)

UK economic assumptions – scenarios by year

Key annual assumptions made by the Group are shown below. GDP growth and CPI inflation are presented as an annual change, house price growth and commercial real estate price growth are presented as the growth in the respective indices within the period. Unemployment rate and UK Bank Rate are averages for the period.

At 31 March 2025	2025 %		2026 %		2027 %		2028 %		2029 %		2025-2029 average %

Upside
Gross domestic product growth	1.3		2.2		1.6		1.5		1.4		1.6
Unemployment rate	4.1		3.2		3.1		3.1		3.2		3.3
House price growth	2.9		5.9		6.8		5.4		4.3		5.1
Commercial real estate price growth	6.1		5.7		2.6		1.0		0.4		3.2
UK Bank Rate	4.43		4.72		4.86		5.06		5.20		4.85
CPI inflation	3.3		2.8		2.8		3.1		3.0		3.0

Base case
Gross domestic product growth	0.8		1.4		1.6		1.6		1.5		1.3
Unemployment rate	4.7		4.8		4.6		4.5		4.5		4.6
House price growth	1.7		1.8		1.9		2.5		2.9		2.1
Commercial real estate price growth	1.3		1.1		1.2		0.6		0.3		0.9
UK Bank Rate	4.19		3.63		3.50		3.50		3.50		3.66
CPI inflation	3.4		2.8		2.5		2.5		2.4		2.7

Downside
Gross domestic product growth	(0.2	)	(0.9	)	0.9		1.5		1.5		0.6
Unemployment rate	5.6		7.4		7.6		7.3		7.0		7.0
House price growth	0.5		(3.4	)	(6.7	)	(4.2	)	(1.1	)	(3.0	)
Commercial real estate price growth	(4.7	)	(5.7	)	(1.7	)	(2.2	)	(2.3	)	(3.4	)
UK Bank Rate	3.83		1.67		0.96		0.65		0.42		1.51
CPI inflation	3.4		2.8		2.0		1.5		1.0		2.1

Severe downside
Gross domestic product growth	(1.1	)	(2.3	)	0.7		1.4		1.5		0.0
Unemployment rate	6.8		10.0		10.2		9.7		9.3		9.2
House price growth	(0.6	)	(8.4	)	(13.8	)	(9.6	)	(5.0	)	(7.6	)
Commercial real estate price growth	(12.5	)	(13.3	)	(7.1	)	(5.7	)	(4.9	)	(8.8	)
UK Bank Rate – modelled	3.38		0.39		0.09		0.03		0.01		0.78
UK Bank Rate – adjusted¹	4.25		2.94		2.80		2.76		2.75		3.10
CPI inflation – modelled	3.4		2.5		1.3		0.4		(0.2	)	1.5
CPI inflation – adjusted¹	3.8		3.8		3.2		2.7		2.4		3.2

Probability-weighted
Gross domestic product growth	0.5		0.6		1.3		1.5		1.5		1.1
Unemployment rate	5.0		5.6		5.6		5.4		5.4		5.4
House price growth	1.4		0.5		(0.8	)	0.1		1.3		0.5
Commercial real estate price growth	(0.4	)	(1.0	)	(0.1	)	(0.7	)	(1.0	)	(0.6	)
UK Bank Rate – modelled	4.07		3.04		2.81		2.76		2.74		3.08
UK Bank Rate – adjusted¹	4.16		3.30		3.08		3.04		3.01		3.32
CPI inflation – modelled	3.4		2.7		2.3		2.1		1.9		2.5
CPI inflation – adjusted¹	3.4		2.9		2.5		2.4		2.2		2.7

¹ The adjustment to UK Bank Rate and CPI inflation in the severe downside is considered to better reflect the risks to the Group’s base case view in an economic environment where the risks of supply and demand shocks are seen as more balanced.

CONTACTS

For further information please contact:

INVESTORS AND ANALYSTS
Douglas Radcliffe
Group Investor Relations Director
020 7356 1571
douglas.radcliffe@lloydsbanking.com

Rohith Chandra-Rajan
Director of Investor Relations
07786 988936
rohith.chandra-rajan@lloydsbanking.com

Nora Thoden
Director of Investor Relations – ESG
020 7356 2334
nora.thoden@lloydsbanking.com

Tom Grantham
Investor Relations Senior Manager
07851 440 091
thomas.grantham@lloydsbanking.com

Sarah Robson
Investor Relations Senior Manager
07494 513 983
sarah.robson2@lloydsbanking.com

CORPORATE AFFAIRS
Matt Smith
Head of Media Relations
07788 352 487
matt.smith@lloydsbanking.com

Emma Fairhurst
Media Relations Senior Manager
07814 395 855
emma.fairhurst@lloydsbanking.com

Copies of this Interim Management Statement may be obtained from:
Investor Relations, Lloyds Banking Group plc, 33 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1HZ
The statement can also be found on the Group’s website – www.lloydsbankinggroup.com

Registered office: Lloyds Bank plc, 25 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7HN
Registered in England No. 2065

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

The MIL Network –

May 2, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Secures Agreement to Establish United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund

US Senate News:

Source: The White House
A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND HISTORIC PARTNERSHIP: Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, the US and Ukraine entered into a historic agreement on April 30, launching a first-of-its-kind partnership for the reconstruction and long-term economic success of Ukraine.
From start to finish, this agreement is a fully collaborative partnership between our nations, that both the United States and Ukraine will benefit from.
This partnership represents the United States taking an economic stake in securing a free, peaceful, and sovereign future for Ukraine.
This agreement will also strengthen the strategic partnership between the United States and Ukraine for long-term reconstruction and modernization, in response to the large-scale destruction caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The Treasury Department and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) will work together with the Government of Ukraine to finalize governance and advance this important partnership.
The United States’ DFC will work together with Ukraine’s State Organization Agency on Support Public-Private Partnership, both of which are backed by the full faith and credit of their respective nations.

LONG TERM RETURNS FOR BOTH COUNTRIES: President Trump envisioned this partnership between the Americans and the Ukrainians to show both sides’ commitment to lasting peace and prosperity in Ukraine
This partnership between the United States and Ukraine establishes a fund that will receive 50% of royalties, license fees, and other similar payments from natural resource projects in Ukraine.
That money will be invested in new projects in Ukraine, which will generate long term returns for both the American and Ukrainian peoples.
As new projects are identified, resources in the fund can be quickly allocated towards economic growth, job creation, and other key Ukrainian development priorities.
Indirect benefits will include a stronger private sector and more robust, lasting infrastructure for Ukraine’s long-term success.

The partnership will be controlled by a company with equal representation of three Ukrainian and three American board members, who will work together through a collaborative process to make decisions for allocation of fund resources, such as investment and distributions.
The partnership will also bring the highest levels of transparency and accountability to ensure that the people of Ukraine and the United States are able to enjoy the benefits of Ukraine’s reconstruction.

Natural resource projects will include minerals, hydrocarbons, and related infrastructure development.
If the United States decides to acquire these resources for ourselves, we will given first choice to either acquire them or designate the purchaser of our choice.
Economic security is national security, and this important safeguard prevents critical resources from falling into the wrong hands.

Importantly, this partnership sends a strong message to Russia – the United States has skin in the game and is committed to Ukraine’s long-term success.
No state, company, or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine, including participation in projects supported by fund resources.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: US-Ukraine minerals deal looks better for Kyiv than expected – but Trump is an unpredictable partner

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Andrew Gawthorpe, Lecturer in History and International Studies, Leiden University

The United States and Ukraine have finally signed a long-awaited agreement on Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction – and, at first reading, the details appear more favourable for Kyiv than many observers expected.

At the core of the “economic partnership agreement” is the exploitation of Ukraine’s mineral wealth. Ukraine will get access to US investment and technology, and the US will eventually get a share of the profits. The rest will finance the war-torn nation’s recovery if and when a peace agreement is signed with Russia.

Several aspects of this deal stand out as positive for Ukraine. Unlike in previous drafts, the country retains ownership of its natural resources. All profits are to be invested in Ukraine for ten years after the agreement comes into force.

Washington can also make its contribution in the form of new military aid, although it will be down to the US president to decide whether or not to do that.

Earlier in the negotiations, a major sticking point was the demand from the US president, Donald Trump, that the agreement include compensation for past US aid to Ukraine, which he insisted amounted to US$350 billion (£260 billion). Many analysts estimate the figure is closer to US$120 billion.

Before the deal was signed, Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said the deal would “not include assistance provided before its signing”. And the Ukrainian government announcement stated that the new agreement “focuses on further, not past US military assistance”. But when the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, spoke to journalists, he described the deal as “compensation” for “the funding and the weapons”.

Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

Whether Bessent’s statement represents political spin, or whether there is still distance between Washington and Kyiv on this critical point, remains to be seen. The formal text has not been released, and many details remain to be ironed out. Trump can be an erratic negotiator who is prone to sudden changes of direction.

Indeed, the signing of this agreement is just the latest twist in a broader effort to bring the war in Ukraine to an end – one which probably still has many surprises ahead. Trump appears to be losing patience with what he views as Russia’s refusal to engage with the peace process. Signing the deal may have been intended as a warning to Moscow to get serious about ending the conflict.

The new agreement reportedly states that the US and Ukraine share a “long-term strategic alignment”. That’s a far cry from Trump’s rhetoric only a few months ago, when he called Ukraine’s president, Vlodomyr Zelensky, a “dictator”“ and blamed Kyiv for starting the war with Russia. But given Trump’s changes of mood, this agreement is unlikely to be the final word on how he views the conflict.

Despite talk of a long-term strategic alignment, one thing the deal doesn’t contain is any explicit security guarantees for Ukraine. But the White House argues – and other observers hope – that US investment in Ukraine will give the US an implicit stake in the country’s security. That might deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again, out of fear the US would act to protect its investment.

However, once we move from the realm of politics and security to economics, several glaring flaws in this logic become apparent. They all come down to whether the mineral wealth at the heart of this agreement can be profitably exploited – and, indeed, whether it even exists.

Is this a game-changing deal?

The American humorist Mark Twain is said to have once defined a mine as “a hole in the ground owned by a liar”. Assessing the precise scale of underground mineral deposits is notoriously difficult – and not every deposit can be extracted in a profitable fashion.

In Ukraine, the exploratory work has simply not been done. Even the supposed size of the deposits, which are based on old Soviet surveys conducted in a superficial fashion, is not certain.

Many of the minerals that supposedly lie under Ukraine’s surface are so called “rare earths”, which are critical to hi-tech supply chains. But they are also expensive and time-consuming to exploit, requiring a massive upfront investment which may eventually be lost. Even in successful cases, it generally takes over a decade to get production onstream.

Today, there are few rare-earth projects under development anywhere in the world outside China – even in countries that are not current (and possibly future) war zones. Most of Ukraine’s supposed deposits lie in the east of the country in areas vulnerable to Russian attack, making investment risky.

All of this makes economic partnership agreement of doubtful long-term significance for the broader peace process. The potential gains from it are too hypothetical to make much difference within a meaningful timescale. The deal is unlikely to generate much real economic incentive for the US to defend Ukraine, and so is unlikely to become a new source of military assistance for Kyiv.

For the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, the deal doesn’t change a lot. While it might indeed be a signal that Trump is running out of patience with Russia, it does little to change the underlying realities of the conflict.

We can’t rule out the possibility that Trump, as unpredictable as ever, might make a more meaningful commitment to Ukraine in the future, one that changes the course of the war. But – at first glance, certainly – this minerals deal is not it.

Andrew Gawthorpe 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. US-Ukraine minerals deal looks better for Kyiv than expected – but Trump is an unpredictable partner – https://theconversation.com/us-ukraine-minerals-deal-looks-better-for-kyiv-than-expected-but-trump-is-an-unpredictable-partner-255723

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Ms. Sujata Chaturvedi Assumes Charge as Member, Union Public Service Commission

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 01 MAY 2025 3:06PM by PIB Delhi

Ms. Sujata Chaturvedi, Former Secretary, Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports took the Oath of Office and Secrecy as Member, Union Public Service Commission today. The Oath was administered by Lt. Gen. Raj Shukla (Retd.), seniormost Member of the Commission.

Ms. Sujata Chaturvedi did her Graduation in English and Post Graduation in History from Nagpur University. She also has an M.Phil in Public Administration and Diploma in the Russian Language.

Ms. Chaturvedi belongs to the 1989 batch of the Indian Administrative Service and was allotted Bihar Cadre. She has vast administrative experience of more than three decades in the cadre, as well as in the Government of India. In the State, she served as Principal Secretary, D/o Finance, Commercial Tax Commissioner, Secretary, D/o Finance, Vice Chairman, D/o Urban Development. At the Centre, she held the post of Secretary, Youth Affairs and Sports, Additional Secretary, DOPT and Regional Deputy Director General in Unique Identification Authority of India. Ms. Chaturvedi, during her tenure as the Secretary, Dept of Sports, contributed significantly to many initiatives for the overall development of sports in the country. To name a few, some of her initiatives are hosting the annual Khelo India Games, the FIDE Chess Olympiad, FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, implementation of a National Sports Repository System, country-wide mapping of standard sports facilities and the enactment of the Anti-Doping bill to strengthen the nation’s fight against doping.

Ms. Chaturvedi hails from the state of Maharashtra. She is conversant

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

May 1, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: 100 Days of Fighting Fake News

Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

Headline: 100 Days of Fighting Fake News

lass=”text-align-center”> From Stories on Criminals to Statistics, DHS has been Holding the Media Accountable for Spreading Disinformation to the American people
WASHINGTON— During President Trump’s 100 days in office, the Department of Homeland Security published a non exhaustive list of facts, to help set the record straight on numerous false and misleading stories that have spread around news coverage and social media

The list can be found below:
The Facts on Noteworthy Individuals Deported or Prevented from Entering the U

S

The Deportation Of American Citizens

The media has FALSELY claimed that ICE is deporting US citizen children of illegal aliens

This is false

In both cases the mother made the determination to take her children with her back to Honduras

DHS takes our responsibility to protect children seriously and will continue to work with federal law enforcement to ensure that children are safe and protected

The Trump Administration is giving parents in this country illegally the opportunity to self-deport and take control of their departure process with the potential ability to return the legal, right way and come back to live the American dream

The CBP Home app is a free and easy way to self deport

Kilmar Abrego Garcia – The “Maryland Man”

Garcia is NOT an American citizen

He is a citizen of El Salvador who had been living in the country illegally

In 2019, two courts – an immigration court and an appellate immigration court – ruled that he was not only a member of MS-13, but that he was in our country illegally

There was a deportation order for him dating back to 2019

Further details about Garcia’s history prove that he is far from innocent

In 2020, his wife filed a petition for protection citing three separate instances of violence
In 2021, his wife filed for a restraining order against him due to domestic violence

In 2022, Garcia was pulled over by Tennessee Highway Patrol with 8 people crammed into one car

Despite telling the officers that they were going on a trip from Houston, Texas to Temple Hills, Maryland, there was no sign of luggage in the car

It was later revealed that the vehicle Garcia was driving during this stop was registered to another illegal alien who had been convicted of human trafficking, Jose Roman Hernandez Reyes

The media further claimed that the Supreme Court ordered the Trump Administration to return Garcia to the United States

This is another falsehood

The Supreme Court unanimously overturned that judge’s ruling but instead said that the United States should “facilitate” Garcia’s return

This would only be possible if the government of El Salvador decided to return him, in which case the United States would have to provide transportation

It’s up to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and the government of El Salvador if they want to return him

But as President Bukele said during his Oval Office visit with President Trump, he has no intention of releasing a terrorist and sending him back to the United States

When President Trump declared MS-13 a foreign terrorist organization, Abrego Garcia became no longer eligible for any form of immigration relief in the United States

He had a valid deportation order

Furthermore, the Supreme Court also held that EVEN IF El Salvador returned this MS-13 member to the United States, we could deport him a second time

NO version of this legally ends with him ever living in the U

S

, because he is a citizen of El Salvador

The foreign policy of the United States is conducted by the President – not by a court – and no court in the United States has the power to conduct the foreign policy of the United States

Dr

Rasha Alawieh – “The Brown University Assistant Professor”

Dr

Rasha Alawieh was an assistant professor at Brown University

She was in the United States with an H-1B visa

She was deported back to her home country of Lebanon after she admitted to attending the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, a brutal terrorist who led Hezbollah and was responsible for killing hundreds of Americans

The media tried to portray Alawieh’s case as an example of a “lawful immigrant” being deported

But they completely ignored her direct and alarming ties to radical Islamic terrorism, including her veneration of a dead terrorist leader

Alfredo “Alex” Orellana – “The Caregiver”

Alfredo “Alex” Orellana has multiple charges on his record from 2012 to 2019, including: distributing drugs, drug possession, assault and battery, failure to appear to court (twice), theft at the second degree, and larceny

He has since been arrested and faces deportation

The New York Times wrote a lengthy article on Orellana’s case

Their article painted a picture of a loving 31-year-old caregiver who was the “best friend” of a 28-year-old autistic man

They also pointed to the fact that Orellana had a green card

The press tried to paint him as a victim who was a caretaker, despite violent charges on his record

Jerce Reyes Barrios – “The Venezuelan Soccer Player”

Jerce Reyes Barrios was in the United States illegally

He was a member of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang, and he was deported to El Salvador

He has tattoos that are consistent with those indicating membership in the vicious Tren de Aragua gang

His own social media indicates that he is a Tren de Aragua member

That hasn’t stopped the media, however

They tried to whip up a frenzy over this deported criminal gang member, publishing wild claims that he was deported because of a tattoo of a soccer team on his arm

The facts are the facts

Our intelligence assessments go beyond just social media and tattoos

We are confident in our findings

Nascimento Blair – “The Ex-Con”

Blair was an illegal alien living in the United States who was tried and convicted for kidnapping and sentenced to 15 years in prison

The New York Times published a fawning profile about this criminal illegal alien

In 2008, he was ordered removed out of the country

However, because of the Biden administration’s open border policies, this criminal illegal alien was released onto the streets of New York

The Trump administration is putting the American people first by getting this criminal illegal alien off the streets and out of our country

“The French Scientist Denied Entry Over His Political Views”

In March, a French scientist was denied entry into the United States

The researcher in question was in possession of confidential information on his electronic device from Los Alamos National Laboratory

This was in clear violation of a non-disclosure agreement – something he admitted to taking without permission and attempted to conceal to authorities

The mainstream media ran with the baseless narrative that this individual was blocked from entering the U

S

because of social media posts that were critical of President Trump

This lie was even echoed by France’s Minister for Higher Education, Philippe Baptiste

His political beliefs were not considered at all in his removal

Marie Lepère and Charlotte Pohl – “German Tourists Turned Away on Vacation”

Two German tourists were denied entry after attempting to enter the U

S

under false pretenses

Both claimed they were touring California but later admitted that they intended to work

One used a Visitor visa, while the other used the Visa Waiver Program

Under U

S

immigration laws, work is prohibited for these visas

The media version of events depicted two young women who tried to go on a five-week backpacking trip through the United States

The media claimed that the two – aged 18 and 19 – were “deported” because they simply wanted to go on a fun, loosely-planned trip

These travelers weren’t deported—they were denied entry

And the reason for their removal was visa fraud, not because of the planning nature of their so-called “vacation

”

Jose Hermosillo – “The American Citizen Detained by Border Patrol”

Hermosillo turned himself in to immigration authorities on April 8

He approached Border Patrol in Tucson, Arizona and declared that he had entered the U

S

illegally

He completed a sworn statement identifying as a Mexican citizen who had entered unlawfully

He was processed and appeared in court on April 11

Afterwards, he was held by the U

S

Marshals in Florence, Arizona

A few days later, his family presented documents showing U

S

citizenship

The charges were dismissed, and he was released to his family

The media, instead of reporting the facts, created a false and baseless story that an American citizen was illegally detained

Hermosillio’s arrest was the direct action of his own actions and statements

When his citizenship was confirmed, he was promptly released back to his family

Kseniia Petrova – “The Russian Scientist Trying to Cure Cancer”

Kseniia Petrova, a Russian researcher working for Harvard University, was lawfully detained after lying to federal officers about carrying substances into the country

A subsequent K9 inspection uncovered undeclared petri dishes, containers of unknown substances, and loose vials of embryonic frog cells, all without proper permits

Messages found on her phone revealed she planned to smuggle the materials through customs without declaring them

She knowingly broke the law and took deliberate steps to evade it

But upon her detainment, the media rushed to defend her by claiming that her research could help to cure cancer

The facts of the matter are simple: Petrova broke the law and actively planned to do so

Her research does not make her exempt from the laws of our country

Renato Subotic – “The MMA Coach”

Subotic is an MMA coach who entered the United States under a visa waiver program that prohibits compensation – only travel reimbursements are allowed

When Subotic was detained under American law, the media claimed that he was thrown in prison and deported for no real reason

Here are the facts: Subotic couldn’t meet the requirement to prove he wasn’t being compensated for participating at a high-dollar, multi-day event

The law is clear: the burden of proof is on the traveler

Since he couldn’t provide detailed answers or the necessary documentation for compensation related to the work event, he was held until the next available flight out the following day

Ricardo Jesus Prada Vasquez – The “Disappearing” Delivery Driver

Yet again, the media has manufactured a fake controversy on behalf of a terrorist gang member and criminal illegal alien

Ricardo Jesus Prada Vasquez is a Venezuelan national and confirmed member of Tren De Aragua

He entered the United States illegally on November 29, 2024 at the Brownsville, Texas Port of Entry via the CBP One App

The Biden administration, like it did with so many other dangerous criminals, released Prada Vasquez back into the United States

On January 15th, Prada was encountered trying to enter the U

S

from Canada

He was detained, investigated, and confirmed as a member of TDA and a public safety threat

On February 27, a judge ordered him removed from the U

S

He was then removed to El Salvador

The media, however, has falsely claimed that Prada Vasquez was an innocent delivery driver who was “disappeared” by the government

Prada Vasquez was living and working in the U

S

illegally, he was a member of a criminal gang designated as a terrorist organization, and was deported with full compliance with American law

Jeanette Vizguerra – “The Activist Who Needed Sanctuary”

Jeanette Vizguerra is a convicted criminal alien from Mexico who has a final order of deportation issued by a federal immigration judge

She illegally entered the United States near El Paso, Texas, on Dec

24, 1997, and has received legal due process in U

S

immigration court

The media, however, has tried to turn her into a martyr

They claim she was an “activist” who needed “sanctuary

” In reality, she getting famous and making money for breaking the law

Under President Trump, this is a nation of laws

We will find, arrest, and deport illegal aliens, no matter how famous the media thinks they are

Vizguerra was in the United States illegally

She was convicted of breaking the law

She was deported

If you come to our country illegally, we will deport you, and you will never return

The safest option for illegal aliens is to self-deport, so they still have the opportunity to return and live the American dream

The Facts on Those Who Have Abused The Privilege of a Student Visa

Yunseo Chung – “The Columbia Student”

Yunseo Chung, who was born in South Korea, is a Columbia University student who engaged in concerning conduct on-campus

This includes her being arrested by NYPD during a pro-Hamas protest at Barnard College

Mahmoud Khalil – “The Activist Leader at Columbia”

Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student from Syria, is one of the ringleaders of the vicious, anti-American, anti-Semitic protests at Columbia University

His activities are aligned with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization

On March 9, 2025, in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism, and in coordination with the Department of State, U

S

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Khalil

But upon his arrest, radical student protesters at Columbia and across the country have attempted to turn him into a martyr, waving signs and banners bearing his likeness

Taking over private buildings, inciting violence, harassing Jewish students, defacing buildings, and passing out terrorist propaganda do not constitute free speech

A judge ruled that Khalil’s deportation can move forward

He will be removed from our country

Mohsen Mahdawi – “The Palestinian at Columbia University”

Mahdawi is a Palestinian who has been living in the United States on a visa while he was studying at Columbia University

Like many other anti-Israel student protesters, supporters in the media tried to claim that Mahdawi was a victim of political persecution

But his rhetoric on the war in Israel proves his terrorist sympathies

In the wake of October 7, Mahdawi said he could empathize with Hamas’s attack on Israel

He appeared on “60 Minutes” justifying the massacre

He organized and led pro-Hamas protests on Columbia University’s campus, harassed Jewish students, and openly displayed his support for a terrorist organization

Leqaa Kordia – “The Palestinian at Columbia University”

Leqaa Kordia was another Columbia Student who actively participated in anti-American, pro-terrorist activities on campus

However, her arrest had nothing to do with her radical activities

Kordia was arrested for immigration violations due to having overstayed her F-1 student visa, which had been terminated on January 26, 2022 for lack of attendance

Dogukan Gunaydin – “The University of Minnesota Student”

Dogukan Gunaydin, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota,was arrested after a visa revocation by the State Dept

related to a prior criminal history for a DUI

Contrary to the mainstream media’s quick speculation that he was arrested due to his involvement in student protests, his protest activity had nothing to do with his detainment

Badar Khan Suri – “The Georgetown Foreign Exchange Student”

Suri was a foreign exchange student at Georgetown University actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media

The media calls him a “scholar” who was innocent of any wrongdoing, even though he was married to the daughter of a senior advisor for to Hamas terrorist group

Momodou Taal – “The Cornell University Student”

Taal was unapologetic in his pro-terrorist views

Taal, a foreign student studying at Cornell University, participated in pro-Hamas protests on campus

He has a pinned post on his X profile that talks about a so-called “Zionist genocide,” and also states “Long live the student intifada!”

Other Fake News Narratives Corrected

The Biden Administration’s inflated deportation numbers

DHS uncovered what should be a massive scandal: the Biden administration was cooking the books on ICE arrest data

They were purposefully misleading the American public by categorizing individuals processed and released into the interior of the United States as ICE arrests

Of course, the media ignored this fact

Instead, they falsely claimed that the Biden administration had carried out more arrests than the Trump administration

Tens of thousands of cases recorded as “arrests” were, in fact, instances where illegal aliens were simply processed and released into American communities

Many of these were violent criminals and gang members

The previous administration counted these as arrests even though no immigration enforcement action was taken

During fiscal year 2024, ICE made 113,431 arrests but the vast majority of those were what we call “pass-through” arrests

They are called pass-through arrests because ICE didn’t take enforcement actions against these aliens

They just passed through ICE before they were released in the U

S

interior and told to report to an ICE office

None of the arrests made by ICE since January 20th are pass-through arrests

The difference between recent arrests and those from Biden’s last year is that, now we’re taking enforcement actions against each and every illegal alien arrested

ICE Boston Militia rumors:

The media eagerly fed and spread a false social media rumor that an ICE agent who conducted arrests of criminal illegal aliens in New England was a “militia leader” from Arizona

The reality? He is a federal law enforcement office who has worked with ICE to help keep New England communities safe for years

This claim was not only false, but also inflammatory and places the safety of federal officers in jeopardy

Our ICE officers are facing 300% increase in assaults while carrying out enforcement operations

Due process and treatment rumors in CECOT:

These aliens HAVE had due process – we have a stringent law enforcement assessment in place that abides by due process under the U

S

Constitution

The reality is that prison isn’t supposed to be fun

It’s a necessary measure to protect society and punish bad guys

It is not meant to be comfortable

What’s more: prison can be avoided by self-deportation

CBP Home makes it simple and easy

If you are a criminal alien and we have to deport you, you could end up in Guantanamo Bay or CECOT

Leave now

DOGE and ICE allegedly collecting sensitive data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

The Biden administration flooded the U

S

with tens of millions of illegal immigrants, many of which are exploiting the American taxpayer by illegally getting Medicare and other benefits meant for law-abiding Americans

President Trump consistently promised to protect Medicare for eligible beneficiaries

To keep that promise, DOGE, CMS, and DHS are exploring an initiative to ensure that illegal aliens are not receiving these benefits not meant for them

The media claimed that ICE is working with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access sensitive personal information in order to identify illegal aliens

These claims are meant to frighten the American people, when in reality this process is working to keep them and their benefits safe from exploitation by illegal aliens

ICE HSI presence at schools

ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) works relentlessly to protect Americans, especially children, who are put in danger by illegal alien activity

This includes investigations into potential child sex trafficking

But the media has tried to spin their investigative work into the idea that they are going to elementary schools to arrest children

HD Cooke Elementary School, Washington D

C

At the HD Cooke Elementary School in Washington D

C

, ICE did not conduct any enforcement action at the school

HSI agents were present at the school unrelated to any kind of enforcement action

Russel Elementary and Lillian Elementary in Los Angeles:

At two different elementary schools in Los Angeles, California, HSI officers were conducting wellness checks on children who arrived unaccompanied at the border

It had nothing to do with immigration enforcement

DHS is leading efforts to conduct welfare checks on these children to ensure that they are safe and not being exploited, abused, and sex trafficked

Unlike the previous administration, President Trump and Secretary Noem take the responsibility to protect children seriously and will continue to work with federal law enforcement to reunite children with their families

In less than 70 days, Secretary Noem and Secretary Kennedy have already reunited nearly 5,000 unaccompanied children with a relative or safe guardian

Immigrant children detained at Old McDonald Farm in New York

In early April, a raid was carried out on a dairy farm in New York after the execution of a federal criminal warrant for an illegal alien in possession of + distributing child sexual abuse materials

Upon the execution of the search warrant at Old McDonalds Farm in Sackets Harbor, New York, authorities encountered seven additional illegal aliens on the premises, including a mother and her three children

We immediately began conducting an investigation to ensure these children are not being sexually exploited

But rather than address the very real evidence of child sexual abuse, the media chose to focus on the fact that a woman and her three children were taken into custody

DHS takes its responsibility to protect children seriously and our ICE officers are working every day to remove pedophiles from American communities

TDA members being identified via tattoos

Some have claimed that DHS’ assessments of TDA and other gang memberships are based solely on the tattoos that certain illegal aliens have

DHS intelligence assessments go well beyond just gang affiliate tattoos and social media

Tren De Aragua is one of the most violent and ruthless terrorist gangs on planet earth

They rape, maim, and murder for sport

President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow criminal gangs to terrorize American citizens

We are confident in our law enforcement’s intelligence, and we aren’t going to share intelligence reports and undermine national security every time a gang member denies he is one

That would be insane

MIL OSI USA News –

May 1, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NASA Soars to New Heights in First 100 Days of Trump Administration

Source: NASA

Today is the 100th day of the Trump-Vance Administration after being inaugurated on Jan. 20. In his inaugural address, President Trump laid out a bold and ambitious vision for NASA’s future throughout his second term, saying, “We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.” NASA has spent the first 100 days in relentless pursuit of this goal, continually exploring, innovating, and inspiring for the benefit of humanity.
“In just 100 days, under the bold leadership of President Trump and acting Administrator Janet Petro, NASA has continued to further American innovation in space,” said Bethany Stevens, NASA press secretary. “From expediting the return of American astronauts home after an extended stay aboard the state-of-the-art International Space Station, to bringing two new nations on as signatories of the Artemis Accords, to the historic SPHEREx mission launch that takes us one step closer to mapping the secrets of the universe, NASA continues to lead on the world stage. Here at NASA, we’re putting the America First agenda into play amongst the stars, ensuring the United States wins the space race at this critical juncture in time.”
A litany of victories in the first 100 days set the stage for groundbreaking success throughout the remainder of the term. Read more about NASA’s cutting-edge work in this short, yet dynamic, period of time below:
Bringing Astronauts Home Safely, Space Station Milestones

America brought Crew-9 safely home. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, and Nick Hague, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, returned to Earth after a successful mission aboard the International Space Station, splashing down in the Gulf of America. Their safe return reflects America’s unwavering commitment to the agency’s astronauts and mission success.
A new, American-led mission launched to space. The agency’s Crew-10 mission is currently aboard the space station, with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, joined by international partners from Japan and Russia. NASA continues to demonstrate American leadership and the power of space diplomacy as we maintain a continuous human presence in orbit.
The agency welcomed home NASA astronaut Don Pettit, concluding a seven-month science mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. Pettit landed at 6:20 a.m. Kazakhstan time, April 20 on his 70th birthday, making him NASA’s oldest active astronaut and the third oldest person to reach orbit.
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim launched and arrived safely at the International Space Station, marking the start of his first space mission. Over eight months, he’ll lead groundbreaking research that advances science and improves life on Earth, proving once again that Americans are built to lead in space.
The four members of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-11, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov were named by NASA. Launching no earlier than July 2025, this mission continues America’s leadership in long-duration human spaceflight while strengthening critical global partnerships.
NASA announced Chris Williams will launch in November 2025 for his first spaceflight. His upcoming mission underscores the pipeline of American talent ready to explore space and expand our presence beyond Earth.
NASA is inviting U.S. industry to propose two new private astronaut missions to the space station in 2026 and 2027 – building toward a future where American companies sustain a continuous human presence in space and advance our national space economy.
NASA and SpaceX launched the 32nd Commercial Resupply Services mission, delivering 6,700 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station. These investments in science and technology continue to strengthen America’s leadership in low Earth orbit. The payload supports cutting-edge research, including:

New maneuvers for free-flying robots

An advanced air quality monitoring system

Two atomic clocks to explore relativity and ultra-precise timekeeping

Sending Humans to Moon, Mars

Teams began hot fire testing the first of three 12-kW Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) thrusters. These high-efficiency thrusters are a cornerstone of next-generation spaceflight, as they offer greater fuel economy and mission flexibility than traditional chemical propulsion, making them an asset for long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. For Mars in particular, SEP enables three key elements required for success:

Sustained cargo transport

Orbital maneuvering

Transit operations

NASA completed the fourth Entry Descent and Landing technology test in three months, accelerating innovation to achieve precision landings on Mars’ thin atmosphere and rugged terrain.
NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment aboard Psyche broke new ground, enabling the high-bandwidth connections vital for communications with crewed missions to Mars.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission One successfully delivered 10 NASA payloads to the Moon, advancing landing, autonomy, and data collection skills for Mars missions.
Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission achieved the southernmost lunar landing, collecting critical data from challenging terrain to inform Mars exploration strategies.
NASA cameras aboard Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander captured unprecedented footage of engine plume-surface interactions, offering vital data for designing safer landings on the Moon and Mars.
The agency’s Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS) 1.1 aboard Blue Ghost collected more than 9,000 images of lunar descent, providing insights on lander impacts and terrain interaction to guide future spacecraft design.
New SCALPSS hardware delivered for Blue Origin’s Blue Mark 1 mission also is enhancing lunar landing models, helping build precision landing systems for the Moon and Mars. The LuGRE (Lunar Global Navigation Satellite System Receiver Experiment) on Blue Ghost acquired Earth navigation signals from the Moon, advancing autonomous positioning systems crucial for lunar and Mars operations.
The Electrodynamic Dust Shield successfully cleared lunar dust, demonstrating a critical technology for protecting equipment on the Moon and Mars.
Astronauts aboard the space station conducted studies to advance understanding of how to keep crews healthy on long-duration Mars missions.
NASA’s Moon to Mars Architecture Workshop gathered industry, academic, and international partners to refine exploration plans and identify collaboration opportunities.

Artemis Milestones

NASA completed stacking the twin solid rocket boosters for Artemis II, the mission that will send American astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. This is a powerful step toward returning our nation to deep space.
At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, teams joined the core stage with the solid rocket boosters inside the Vehicle Assembly Building.
Engineers lifted the launch vehicle stage adapter atop the SLS (Space Launch System) core stage, connecting key systems that will soon power NASA’s return to the Moon.
Teams received the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage and moved the SLS core stage into the transfer aisle, clearing another milestone as the agency prepares to fully integrate America’s most powerful rocket.
NASA attached the solar array wings that will help power the Orion spacecraft on its journey around the Moon, laying the groundwork for humanity’s next giant leap.
Technicians installed the protective fairings on Orion’s service module to shield the spacecraft during its intense launch and ascent phase, as NASA prepares to send astronauts farther than any have gone in more than half a century.
The agency’s next-generation mobile launcher continues to take shape, with the sixth of 10 massive modules being installed. This structure will carry future Artemis rockets to the launch pad.
NASA and the Department of Defense teamed up aboard the USS Somerset for Artemis II recovery training, ensuring the agency and its partners are ready to safely retrieve Artemis astronauts after their historic mission around the Moon.
NASA unveiled the Artemis II mission patch. The patch designates the mission as “AII,” signifying not only the second major flight of the Artemis campaign but also an endeavor of discovery that seeks to explore for all and by all.

America First in Space

NASA announced the first major science results from asteroid Bennu, revealing ingredients essential for life, a discovery made possible by U.S. leadership in planetary science through the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) mission. The team found salty brines, 14 of the 20 amino acids used to make proteins, and all five DNA nucleobases, suggesting that the conditions and ingredients for life were widespread in our early solar system. And this is just the beginning – these results were from analysis of only 0.06% of the sample.
NASA was named one of TIME’s Best Companies for Future Leaders, underscoring the agency’s role in cultivating the next generation of American innovators.
NASA awarded contracts to U.S. industry supporting Earth science missions, furthering our understanding of the planet while strengthening America’s industrial base.
As part of the Air Traffic Management-Exploration project, NASA supported Boeing’s test of digital and autonomous taxiing with a Cessna Caravan at Moffett Federal Airfield. The test used real-time simulations from the agency’s Future Flight Central to gather data that will help Boeing refine its systems and safely integrate advanced technologies into national airspace, demonstrating American aviation leadership.
NASA successfully completed its automated space traffic coordination objectives between the agency’s four Starling spacecraft and SpaceX’s Starlink constellation. Teams demonstrated four risk mitigation maneuvers, autonomously resolving close approaches between two spacecraft with different owner/operators.  
In collaboration with the National Institute of Aeronautics, NASA selected eight finalists in a university competition aimed at designing innovative aviation solutions that can help the agriculture industry. NASA’s Gateways to Blue Skies seeks ways to apply American aircraft and aviation technology to enhance the productivity, efficiency, and resiliency of American farms. 
In Houston, United Airlines pilots successfully conducted operational tests of NASA-developed technologies designed to reduce flight delays. Using technologies from the Air Traffic Management Exploration project, pilots flew efficient re-routes, avoiding airspace with bad weather upon departure. United plans to expand the use of these capabilities, another example of how NASA innovations benefit all humanity. 
On March 11, NASA’s newest astrophysics observatory, SPHEREx, launched on its journey to answer fundamental questions about our universe, thanks to the dedication and expertise of the agency’s team. Riding aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, SPHEREx will scan the entire sky to study how galaxies formed, search for the building blocks of life, and look back to the universe’s earliest moments. After launch, SPHEREx turned on its detectors, and everything is performing as expected.

Also onboard were four small satellites for NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, which will help scientists understand how the Sun’s outer atmosphere becomes solar wind. These missions reflect the best of the agency – pushing the boundaries of discovery and expanding our understanding of the cosmos.

On March 14, NASA’s EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) mission launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base. This trio of small satellites will study auroral electrojets, or intense electric currents flowing high above Earth’s poles, helping the agency better understand space weather and its effects on our planet. The mission has taken its first measurements, demonstrating that the spacecraft and onboard instrument are working as expected.
The X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft cleared another hurdle on its way to first flight. The team successfully completed an engine speed hold test, confirming the “cruise control” system functions as designed. 
NASA researchers successfully tested a prototype that could help responders fight and monitor wildfires, even in low-visibility conditions. The Portable Airspace Management System, developed by NASA’s Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations project, safely coordinated simulated operations involving drones and other aircraft, tackling a major challenge for those on the front lines. This is just one example of how NASA’s innovation is making a difference where it’s needed most. 
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe completed its 23rd close approach to the Sun, coming within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface while traveling at 430,000 miles per hour – matching its own records for distance and speed. That same day, Parker Solar Probe was awarded the prestigious Collier Trophy, a well-earned recognition for its groundbreaking contributions to heliophysics. 
In response to severe weather that impacted more than 10 states earlier this month, the NASA Disasters Response Coordination System activated to support national partners. NASA worked closely with the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency serving the central and southeastern U.S. to provide satellite data and expertise that help communities better prepare, respond, and recover. 
As an example of how NASA’s research today is shaping the transportation of tomorrow, the agency’s aeronautics engineers began a flight test campaign focused on safely integrating air taxis into the national airspace. Using a Joby Aviation demonstrator aircraft, engineers are helping standardize flight test maneuvers, improving tools to assist with collision avoidance and landing operations, and ensuring safe and efficient air taxis operations in various weather conditions.
NASA premiered “Planetary Defenders,” a new documentary that follows the dedicated team behind asteroid detection and planetary defense. The film debuted at an event at the agency’s headquarters with digital creators, interagency and international partners, and now is streaming on NASA+, YouTube, and X. In its first 24 hours, it saw 25,000 views on YouTube – 75% above average – and reached 4 million impressions on X. 
Finland became the 53rd nation to sign the Artemis Accords, reaffirming its commitment to the peaceful, transparent, and responsible exploration of space. This milestone underscores the growing global coalition led by the United States to establish a sustainable and cooperative presence beyond Earth.
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, NASA welcomed a new signatory to the Artemis Accords. Bangladesh became the 54th nation to commit to the peaceful, safe, and responsible exploration of space. It’s a milestone that reflects our shared values and growing global momentum, reaffirming the United States’ leadership in building a global coalition for peaceful space exploration. 
At NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, engineers conducted calibration flights for a new shock-sensing probe that will support future flight tests of the X-59 quiet supersonic demonstrator. Mounted on a research F-15D that will follow the X-59 closely in flight, the probe will gather data on the shock waves the X-59 generates, providing important data about its ability to fly faster than sound, but produce only a quiet thump.
In its second asteroid encounter, Lucy flew by the asteroid Donaldjohanson and gave NASA a close look at a uniquely shaped fragment dating back 150 million years – an impressive performance ahead of its main mission target in 2027.
A celebration of decades of discovery, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its 35th anniversary with new observations ranging from nearby solar system objects to distant galaxies – proof that Hubble continues to inspire wonder and advance our understanding of the universe.
The SPHEREx team rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange, spotlighting NASA’s newest space telescope and its bold mission to explore the origins of the universe.
NASA received six Webby Awards and six People’s Voice Awards across platforms – recognition of America’s excellence in digital engagement and public communication.
The NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed and Advanced Air Transport Technology project concluded testing of a 2.5-megawatt Wright Electric motor designed to eventually serve large aircraft. The testing used the project’s capabilities to simulate altitude conditions of up to 40,000 feet while the electric motor, the most powerful tested so far at the facility, ran at both full voltage and partial power. NASA partnered with the Department of Energy on the tests.
U.S. entities can now request the Glenn Icing Computational Environment (GlennICE) tool from the NASA Software Catalog and discover solutions to icing challenges for novel engine and aircraft designs. A 3D computational tool, GlennICE allows engineers to integrate icing-related considerations earlier in the aircraft design process and enable safer, more efficient designs while saving costs in the design process.

For more about NASA’s mission, visit:

Home Page

-end-
Bethany StevensHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1600bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov

MIL OSI USA News –

May 1, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Grattan on Friday: Key markers on the bumpy road to this election

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

When we look back, we can see the road to election day has had a multitude of signposts, flashing red lights, twists, turns and potholes. Some came before the formal campaign; others in the final countdown days; some have been major, others symbolic.

The importance of certain markers has been obvious in the moment; the significance of others became clear in retrospect. Here is a recap of a few of those that have shaped this campaign and its battle for votes.

1. Anthony Albanese’s January 6 $7.2 billion announcement to upgrade the Bruce Highway

Why start here? Because this was the prime minister jumping out of the blocks at the start of January, with multiple announcements over the summer. Albanese laid down policy groundwork in these weeks, giving voters time to absorb the initiatives.

In contrast, Peter Dutton, although he had a “soft” launch on January 12, was running slowly, believing voters weren’t yet paying attention.

2. Donald Trump’s inauguration

January 21 unleashed a tsunami; its waves would wash over the coming months, and profoundly affect the election. At first, the Coalition thought – wrongly – that the election of Trump would favour it, but Labor became the beneficiary. Many Australians (including Dutton) were appalled at the way Trump and Vice President JD Vance treated Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. Later, Trump’s tariffs hit Australia (although not as hard as many countries).

Dutton argued he’d be better able than Albanese to handle the capricious president, but it became a spurious debate. Labor painted Dutton as Trump-lite and some of his decisions played into its hands, notably appointing in late January Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to a Musk-like role to pursue efficiencies in government. She later made the comparison even more obvious by saying the Coalition would “make Australia great again”.

But the central factor was this: suddenly, the world had become more uncertain and many voters would think it wasn’t the time to change.

3. The Reserve Bank’s cut in interest rates on February 18

The amount was modest, 25 basis points, but the psychology was the thing. The cut reinforced Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ argument that the worst was over and the outlook was positive. In the campaign’s final week, just at the right time for the government, inflation figures pointed to another expected cut in May.

4. Cyclone Alfred’s March 7 election delay

Albanese appeared set to call an April 12 poll, when the approaching winds blew the plan off course. The prime minister was able to put himself at the middle of the response to the cyclone, projecting himself as a national leader as distinct from a partisan one; he appeared with Queensland LNP Premier David Crisafulli, and at the Canberra National Situation Room.

The election delay meant Labor had to bring down the March 25 budget. Many in the government had wanted to avoid a budget, because of its deficits into the distance. But the budget became a useful frame for the start of the formal campaign, with Albanese going to Government House at the end of budget week.

5. Dutton’s budget reply

The opposition leader’s reply contained his proposal to cut petrol excise but did not include tax cuts. The opposition had already voted against the government’s budget tax cut package, and committed to repealing it.

The excise move was popular – Dutton would visit countless service stations over coming weeks – but the government was able to say a Coalition government would raise taxes.

At his campaign launch subsequently, Dutton promised a $1,200 tax offset, despite earlier flagging he would not be able to announce any income tax relief during the campaign. The tax offset was an attempt to rectify what had been the mistake of thinking that the Coalition – traditionally committed to lower taxes – could go to the election on the wrong side of the tax argument.

6. Dutton’s April 7 backtrack on working from home

The opposition policy to get public servants back into the office all week was a disaster-in-the-making from the start. Workers in the private sector would, rightly, see it as sending a signal to non-government employers.

Women hated the policy, and it would further alienate the female vote. Dutton had to ditch the idea and apologise. Finance spokeswoman Jane Hume didn’t help the retreat by saying it was a good policy that hadn’t found its appropriate time.

7. News on April 15 that the Russians wanted to base planes in Papua

The story appeared on the respected military site Janes, and Dutton rushed to pick it up, but went off half-cocked, declaring wrongly that the Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto had announced the Russian request. It was symptomatic of Dutton being under-prepared. He had to make another apology.

8. Neo-Nazis heckle during the Welcome to Country at the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance Anzac Day Dawn Service

This led to Dutton launching into “culture wars” in the final days of the campaign. In criticising the disruption, he at first said, “We have a proud Indigenous heritage in this country and we should be proud to celebrate it as part of today”.

Subsequently he said most veterans didn’t want the Welcome to Country as part of the Anzac Day ceremonies, although it was a matter for the organisers. In general, he believed Welcome to Country ceremonies were used too frequently.

Dutton segued the controversy back to criticism of the Voice, and seized on confusing remarks by Foreign Minister Penny Wong to claim Labor was still committed to bringing in a Voice, something Albanese flatly denied.

9. The price of eggs

In the last of the four debates neither leader could specify the cost of a dozen eggs. Dutton was way out ($4.20); Albanese rather closer (“$7, if you can find them.”. It was a small moment but sent the message that even in a cost-of-living election, the leaders do live in bubbles.

10. Dutton comments on Thursday

Almost at the road’s end, the opposition leader appealed to voters to overlook a flawed campaign. “This election really is a referendum not about the election campaign but about the last three years.”

Asked if there was anything he could have done differently, he said “we should have called out Labor’s lies earlier on”.

It was as though he was speaking to a postmortem, while praying for a miracle.

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. Grattan on Friday: Key markers on the bumpy road to this election – https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-key-markers-on-the-bumpy-road-to-this-election-255613

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

May 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – The need to update Europe’s policy on the Ukrainian conflict given recent diplomatic trends and the changing international landscape – E-000683/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament
The President of the Commission welcomed the proposal for a ceasefire which came out of the US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah on 11 March 2025, as a positive development that can be a step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine. She declared that the EU is ready to take its full part in the upcoming peace negotiations[1].

Similarly, the High Representative/Vice-President, in the statement on behalf of the EU, welcomed the ceasefire proposal, as well as humanitarian efforts and the resumption of the United States’ intelligence sharing and security assistance.

She reiterated that the EU’s objective is to support Ukraine to reach a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, based on the principles of the United Nations’ Charter and international law.

She declared that the EU is ready to play its full part in supporting the upcoming steps, together with Ukraine, the United States, and other partners. She underlined that it is now for Russia to show its willingness to achieve peace[2].

[1] https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/1899538326438261074

[2] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2025/03/11/ukraine-statement-by-the-high-representative-on-behalf-of-the-european-union-following-the-ukraine-us-meeting-in-saudi-arabia/
Last updated: 30 April 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
May 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Closure of mines and lignite-fired power stations in Western Macedonia: a great cause of suffering for the people – E-001603/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001603/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos (NI)

Heightened competition between the EU and Russia and competitive planning by the US are paving the way for further increases in the cost of energy and basic commodities. The implementation of the EU’s green strategy is also marked by the closure, by the Greek Government and Public Power Corporation, of the Meliti and Megalopoli coal-fired power stations and the planned closure of the one in Agios Dimitrios and of the mines that supply them. Power plants harnessing a local fuel, lignite, are being replaced by plants running on imported natural gas. This is depriving the people of access to cheap electricity, while fostering unemployment in Western Macedonia and jeopardising national energy security.

The Commission’s action plan for ‘cheaper natural gas imports’ increases dependence on LNG from the US, which is more expensive, while guaranteeing lower relative energy prices for large industrial groups.

Can the Commission say:

1.How does it view the fact that the ‘green’ energy strategy pursued by the EU and national governments is determined by the requirements and interests of business groups?

2.What view does it take of the fact that ending dependence on Russian gas, abandoning cheap domestic lignite and shifting towards more expensive LNG from the US and the measures to increase the share of renewable energy sources under the conditions of the ‘liberalised market’ only result in further increases in costs for ordinary households, exploitative labour conditions for workers in the sector and a blight on the people of Western Macedonia?

Submitted: 22.4.2025
Last updated: 30 April 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
May 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – PFAS chemicals dumped in Ukraine – E-000767/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament
The Commission has not received any evidence related to the claims of illegal dumping, which could substantiate possible intervention. Nonetheless, the EU is working on addressing the issue of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through a comprehensive set of actions.

Certain PFAS are already regulated under the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Regulation[1] and the regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)[2].

The export of fire-fighting foams containing perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is banned according to the Stockholm Convention[3] and the export ban is implemented in EU legislation as per Article 15(2) and Annex V Part 1 of Regulation (EU) No 649/2012[4].

A proposal to restrict PFAS in all firefighting foams has been published for discussion with Member States[5] and adoption is expected by the end of 2025[6].

The Commission is committed to providing long-term support to Ukraine in its efforts to align with EU environmental and health standards, including the management of chemicals.

This includes assistance in approximating Ukraine’s chemicals legislation to the EU’s Regulation for the Classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures[7] and to REACH, which introduce modern approaches to chemical safety and management.

Ukraine has access to funding and assistance through the Ukraine Facility[8] and other mechanisms, which target post-war reconstruction needs[9], including bilateral cooperation with EU Member States[10].

This support aims to help Ukraine react to the environmental and health incurred damage, particularly in the context of the ongoing Russian military aggression.

[1] Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on persistent organic pollutants (recast), OJ L 169, 25.6.2019, p. 45-77.

[2] Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67/EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC, OJ L 396, 30.12.2006.

[3] Article 3 and Annex A.

[4] Regulation (EU) No 649/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 concerning the export and import of hazardous chemicals (recast), OJ L 201, 27.7.2012, p. 60-106.

[5] in November 2024.

[6] https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/comitology-register/screen/documents/102503/1/consult?lang=en

[7] Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, amending and repealing Directives 67/548/EEC and 1999/45/EC, and amending Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, OJ L 353, 31.12.2008, p. 1-1355.

[8] https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/funding-and-technical-assistance/ukraine-facility_en

[9] Including hazardous waste management, capacity building, and other aspects of safe chemical management.

[10] For example, a cooperation between the Swedish Chemicals Agency and Ukraine on EU chemicals legislation, on reduction of negative effects of chemicals on health and the environment and conditions for the free movement of goods.
Last updated: 29 April 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
May 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: Radware Lands Largest Cloud Security Services Agreement to Date

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MAHWAH, N.J., May 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Radware^® (NASDAQ: RDWR), a global leader in application security and delivery solutions for multi-cloud environments, today announced it recorded a major customer win, securing its largest cloud security services agreement to date. The multi-year, multimillion dollar agreement is part of a renewal and expanded relationship with a global, Fortune 500 financial services and payments company and top 10 U.S. merchant acquirer. To manage business growth and increasing cyber threats, the customer plans to scale its security operations across Radware’s full suite of AI-powered Cloud DDoS Protection and Application Protection Services, safeguarding thousands of applications and billions of digital transactions.

The company selected Radware for its ability to deliver a fully integrated, high-capacity application and network protection solution that seamlessly scales usage while minimizing the burden of operational overhead. The agreement spans Radware’s Cloud DDoS Protection Service and Cloud Application Protection Service, which also includes its Cloud Web Application Firewall Service, bot manager, and Web DDoS Protection.

“Our customer’s rapid growth trajectory required an end-to-end cloud security platform that could keep pace with evolving cyber threats without burdening operational resources,” said Neal Quinn, head of North American cloud security services at Radware. “This landmark agreement reinforces Radware’s enormous potential in cloud security and is a testament to our continued investment in the U.S. market. It showcases the trusted partnerships we have built with some of the most demanding digital businesses in the world.”

Radware’s cybersecurity suite includes application and network security solutions infused with EPIC-AI, state-of-the-art AI and generative AI algorithms which are built to block modern attacks while delivering consistent real-time protections across cloud, on-prem, and hybrid environments. Designed to automatically adapt to changes in the threat landscape, applications and infrastructure, Radware’s EPIC-AI approach to security helps organizations significantly improve attack detection and mitigation, reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR), and meet compliance challenges.

Radware has received numerous awards for its application and network security solutions. Industry analysts such as Aite-Novarica Group, Forrester, Gartner, GigaOm, IDC, KuppingerCole, and QKS Group continue to recognize Radware as a market leader in cybersecurity.

About Radware
Radware^® (NASDAQ: RDWR) is a global leader in application security and delivery solutions for multi-cloud environments. The company’s cloud application, infrastructure, and API security solutions use AI-driven algorithms for precise, hands-free, real-time protection from the most sophisticated web, application, and DDoS attacks, API abuse, and bad bots. Enterprises and carriers worldwide rely on Radware’s solutions to address evolving cybersecurity challenges and protect their brands and business operations while reducing costs. For more information, please visit the Radware website.

Radware encourages you to join our community and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Radware Blog, X, and YouTube.

©2025 Radware Ltd. All rights reserved. Any Radware products and solutions mentioned in this press release are protected by trademarks, patents, and pending patent applications of Radware in the U.S. and other countries. For more details, please see: https://www.radware.com/LegalNotice/. All other trademarks and names are property of their respective owners.

Radware believes the information in this document is accurate in all material respects as of its publication date. However, the information is provided without any express, statutory, or implied warranties and is subject to change without notice.

The contents of any website or hyperlinks mentioned in this press release are for informational purposes and the contents thereof are not part of this press release.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements made herein that are not statements of historical fact, including statements about Radware’s plans, outlook, beliefs, or opinions, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “estimates,” “plans,” and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “should,” “would,” “may,” and “could.” For example, when we say in this press release that this landmark agreement reinforces our enormous potential in cloud security, we are using forward-looking statements. Because such statements deal with future events, they are subject to various risks and uncertainties, and actual results, expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, could differ materially from Radware’s current forecasts and estimates. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the impact of global economic conditions, including as a result of the state of war declared in Israel in October 2023 and instability in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, tensions between China and Taiwan, financial and credit market fluctuations (including elevated interest rates), impacts from tariffs or other trade restrictions, inflation, and the potential for regional or global recessions; our dependence on independent distributors to sell our products; our ability to manage our anticipated growth effectively; our business may be affected by sanctions, export controls, and similar measures, targeting Russia and other countries and territories, as well as other responses to Russia’s military conflict in Ukraine, including indefinite suspension of operations in Russia and dealings with Russian entities by many multi-national businesses across a variety of industries; the ability of vendors to provide our hardware platforms and components for the manufacture of our products; our ability to attract, train, and retain highly qualified personnel; intense competition in the market for cybersecurity and application delivery solutions and in our industry in general, and changes in the competitive landscape; our ability to develop new solutions and enhance existing solutions; the impact to our reputation and business in the event of real or perceived shortcomings, defects, or vulnerabilities in our solutions, if our end-users experience security breaches, or if our information technology systems and data, or those of our service providers and other contractors, are compromised by cyber-attackers or other malicious actors or by a critical system failure; our use of AI technologies that present regulatory, litigation, and reputational risks; risks related to the fact that our products must interoperate with operating systems, software applications and hardware that are developed by others; outages, interruptions, or delays in hosting services; the risks associated with our global operations, such as difficulties and costs of staffing and managing foreign operations, compliance costs arising from host country laws or regulations, partial or total expropriation, export duties and quotas, local tax exposure, economic or political instability, including as a result of insurrection, war, natural disasters, and major environmental, climate, or public health concerns; our net losses in the past and the possibility that we may incur losses in the future; a slowdown in the growth of the cybersecurity and application delivery solutions market or in the development of the market for our cloud-based solutions; long sales cycles for our solutions; risks and uncertainties relating to acquisitions or other investments; risks associated with doing business in countries with a history of corruption or with foreign governments; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; risks associated with undetected defects or errors in our products; our ability to protect our proprietary technology; intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties; laws, regulations, and industry standards affecting our business; compliance with open source and third-party licenses; complications with the design or implementation of our new enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system; our reliance on information technology systems; our ESG disclosures and initiatives; and other factors and risks over which we may have little or no control. This list is intended to identify only certain of the principal factors that could cause actual results to differ. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting Radware, refer to Radware’s Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the other risk factors discussed from time to time by Radware in reports filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and, except as required by applicable law, Radware undertakes no commitment to revise or update any forward-looking statement in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date any such statement is made. Radware’s public filings are available from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or may be obtained on Radware’s website at www.radware.com.

Media Contacts:
Gerri Dyrek
Radware
Gerri.Dyrek@radware.com

The MIL Network –

May 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Impact of Greece’s golden visa scheme on the housing market – E-000613/2025(ASW)
Source: European Parliament

Since the adoption of the European Parliament resolution[1] on investor residence schemes[2], the Commission has taken action to address the risks related to security, money-laundering, tax evasion and corruption.

In its 2022 Recommendation[3], the Commission called on Member States to take measures to prevent such risks and take specific actions regarding investor residence permit granted to nationals of Russia and Belarus.

The new Anti-Money Laundering package[4] also introduces strict obligations on involved actors and requires Member States running these schemes to assess and monitor risks, and to put in place mitigating measures.

In addition, the proposed recast of the Long-Term Residents Directive[5] includes rules to prevent third-country investors from abusively acquiring EU long-term resident status.

With regards to the social impact of “golden visa” schemes, the Commission notes that in respect of the subsidiarity and proportionality principles, primary responsibility for housing is within the remit of Member States, and regional and local authorities. However, the Commission is already providing support to Member States through a variety of funding and programmes[6].

In addition, the Commission appointed the first-ever Commissioner responsible for housing and established a Task Force for Housing. The Commission will put forward a European Affordable Housing Plan to help national, regional and local authorities address structural drivers of the housing crisis.

The Commission will foster investments in affordable housing through a pan-European investment platform[7], by allowing Member States to double cohesion policy investments in this area and by reviewing state aid rules to enable housing support measures.
- [1] European Parliament resolution of 9 March 2022 with proposals to the Commission on citizenship and residence by investment schemes (2021/2026(INL)) proposed to phase out CBI (Citizenship by investment Schemes) by 2025, and proposed other measures to address the risks posed by RBI (Residence by investment schemes) which are commonly named as ‘golden visas (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2022-0065_EN.pdf).
- [2] Commonly known as “golden visa” schemes.
- [3] C(2022) 2028 final, Commission Recommendation on immediate steps in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in relation to investor citizenship and investor residence schemes .
- [4] In particular: Directive (EU) 2024/1640 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2024 on the mechanisms to be put in place by Member States for the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing, amending Directive(EU) 2019/1937, and amending and repealing Directive (EU) 2015/849; Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2024 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing.
- [5] COM(2022) 650 final.
- [6] Including the Recovery and Resilience Plans, the European Regional Development Fund , the Cohesion Fund and Just Transition Fund, as well as the InvestEU programme’s Social Investments and skills window and sustainable infrastructure window and the European Social Fund+ .
- [7] To be established in cooperation with the European Investment Bank and other financial institutions.
MIL OSI Europe News –
May 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurates WAVES 2025

Source: Government of India

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurates WAVES 2025

WAVES highlights India’s creative strengths on a global platform: PM

World Audio Visual And Entertainment Summit, WAVES, is not just an acronym, It is a wave of culture, creativity and universal connectivity: PM

India, with a billion-plus population, is also a land of a billion-plus stories: PM

This is the right time to Create In India, Create For The World: PM

Today when the world is looking for new ways of storytelling, India has a treasure of its stories dating back thousands of years, this treasure is timeless, thought-provoking and truly global: PM

This is the time of dawn of Orange Economy in India, Content, Creativity and Culture – these are the three pillars of Orange Economy: PM

Screen size may be getting smaller, but the scope is becoming infinite, Screen is getting micro but the message is becoming mega: PM

Today, India is emerging as a global hub for film production, digital content, gaming, fashion, music and live concerts: PM

To the creators of the world — dream big and tell your story, To investors — invest not just in platforms, but in people, To Indian youth — tell your one billion untold stories to the world: PM

Posted On: 01 MAY 2025 1:42PM by PIB Delhi

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the WAVES 2025, India’s first-of-its-kind World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit at the Jio World Centre, Mumbai today. Addressing the gathering on the occasion, he greeted everyone on the occasion of Maharashtra day and Gujarat Statehood day being celebrated today. Acknowledging the presence of all international dignitaries, ambassadors, and leaders from the creative industry, the Prime Minister highlighted the significance of the gathering, emphasizing that over 100 countries’ artists, innovators, investors, and policymakers have come together to lay the foundation for a global ecosystem of talent and creativity. “WAVES is not merely an acronym but a wave representing culture, creativity, and universal connectivity”, he remarked, further underlining that the summit showcases the expansive world of films, music, gaming, animation, and storytelling, offering a global platform for artists and creators to connect and collaborate. The Prime Minister congratulated all participants on this historic occasion and extended his warm welcome to the distinguished guests from India and abroad.

Reflecting on India’s rich cinematic history at the WAVES Summit, Shri Modi noted that on May 3, 1913, India’s first feature film, Raja Harishchandra, was released, directed by the pioneering filmmaker Dadasaheb Phalke. He recalled that Phalke’s birth anniversary was celebrated just a day earlier. He underscored the impact of Indian cinema over the past century, stating that it has successfully taken India’s cultural essence to every corner of the world. He highlighted the popularity of Raj Kapoor in Russia, the global recognition of Satyajit Ray at Cannes, and the Oscar-winning success of RRR, emphasizing how Indian filmmakers continue to shape global narratives. He also acknowledged the cinematic poetry of Guru Dutt, the social reflections of Ritwik Ghatak, the musical genius of A.R. Rahman, and the epic storytelling of S.S. Rajamouli, stating that each of these artists has brought Indian culture to life for millions worldwide. Shri Modi also remarked that Indian cinema legends were honored through commemorative postage stamps, paying tribute to their contributions to the industry.

Emphasising the importance of India’s creative capability and global collaboration, the Prime Minister remarked that over the years, he has engaged with professionals from gaming, music, filmmaking, and acting, discussing ideas and insights that deepened his understanding of the creative industries. He highlighted a unique initiative undertaken during Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary, where singers from 150 countries came together to perform ‘Vaishnav Jan To’, a hymn written by Narsinh Mehta nearly 500-600 years ago. He stated that this global artistic effort created a significant impact, bringing the world together in harmony. He further noted that several individuals present at the summit had contributed to the Gandhi One Fifty initiative by creating short video messages, advancing Gandhi’s philosophies. He remarked that the collective strength of India’s creative world, combined with international collaboration, has already demonstrated its potential, and that vision has now materialized as WAVES.

Shri Modi praised the resounding success of the first edition of the WAVES Summit, stating that from its very first moment, the event has captured global attention and is “roaring with purpose.” He acknowledged the dedication and efforts of the summit’s Advisory Board, emphasizing their role in making WAVES a landmark event in the creative industry. He highlighted the large-scale Creators Challenge and Creatosphere initiative, which saw participation from approximately 100,000 creative professionals across 60 countries. He remarked that out of 32 challenges, 800 finalists have been selected, recognizing their talent and congratulating them on their achievement. He encouraged the finalists, stating that they now have the opportunity to make their mark on the global creative stage.

The Prime Minister expressed enthusiasm for the creative developments showcased at the Bharat Pavilion during the WAVES Summit. He remarked that significant innovation has been achieved, and he looked forward to witnessing these creations firsthand. The Prime Minister highlighted the WAVES Bazaar initiative, noting its potential to encourage new creators and connect them with emerging markets. He praised the concept of linking buyers and sellers in the art industry, stating that such initiatives strengthen the creative economy and provide fresh opportunities for artists.

Reflecting on the deep-rooted connection between creativity and human experience, stating that a child’s journey begins with the lullaby of a mother, their first introduction to sound and music, Shri Modi remarked that just as a mother weaves dreams for her child, creative professionals shape the dreams of an era. He underscored that the essence of WAVES lies in bringing together such visionary individuals who inspire and influence generations through their art.

Reaffirming his belief in collective efforts, stating that the dedication of artists, creators, and industry leaders will elevate WAVES to new heights in the coming years, Shri Modi urged his industry counterparts to continue the same level of support and handholding that made the first edition of the summit a success. He remarked that many exciting waves are yet to come and announced that WAVES Awards will be launched in the future, establishing themselves as the most prestigious honors in the world of art and creativity. He emphasized the need for sustained commitment, stating that the goal is to win the hearts of people across the world and inspire generations through creativity.

Highlighting India’s rapid economic progress, stating that the nation is on its way to becoming the world’s third-largest economy, the Prime Minister remarked that India holds the number one position in global fintech adoption, is the second-largest mobile manufacturer, and has the third-largest startup ecosystem worldwide. He emphasized that India’s journey toward becoming a developed nation has only begun and has much more to offer. “India is not only home to a billion-plus population but also a billion-plus stories”, he added. Referencing the country’s rich artistic history, he recalled that two thousand years ago, Bharata Muni’s Natya Shastra emphasized the power of art in shaping emotions and human experiences. He noted that centuries ago, Kalidasa’s Abhijnana-Shakuntalam introduced a new direction in classical drama. Prime Minister underscored the deep cultural roots of India, stating that every street has a story, every mountain carries a song, and every river hums a tune. He remarked that India’s six lakh villages each have their own folk traditions and unique storytelling styles, with communities preserving their histories through folklore. He highlighted the spiritual significance of Indian music, noting that whether it is bhajans, ghazals, classical compositions, or contemporary tunes, every melody carries a story, and every rhythm holds a soul.

Shri Modi underscored India’s deep-rooted artistic and spiritual heritage at the WAVES Summit, highlighting the concept of Naad Brahma, the divine sound. He remarked that Indian mythology has always expressed divinity through music and dance, citing Lord Shiva’s Damru as the first cosmic sound, Goddess Saraswati’s Veena as the rhythm of wisdom, Lord Krishna’s Flute as an eternal message of love, and Lord Vishnu’s Shankha as a call for positive energy. He emphasized that the mesmerizing cultural presentation at the summit also reflected this rich heritage. Declaring that “this is the right time,” Shri Modi reiterated India’s vision of Create in India, Create for the World, asserting that the country’s storytelling tradition offers an invaluable treasure spanning thousands of years. He highlighted that India’s stories are Timeless, Thought-Provoking, and Truly Global, encompassing not just cultural themes but also science, sports, courage, and bravery. He remarked that India’s storytelling landscape blends science with fiction, and heroism with innovation, forming a vast and diverse creative ecosystem. He called upon the WAVES platform to take on the responsibility of sharing India’s extraordinary stories with the world, bringing them to future generations through new and engaging formats.

Drawing parallels between the People’s Padma awards and the vision behind the WAVES Summit, stating that both initiatives aim to recognize and uplift talent from every corner of India, the Prime Minister remarked that while Padma Awards started a few years after independence, they truly transformed when India embraced the People’s Padma, recognizing individuals serving the nation from remote areas. This shift, he emphasized, turned the awards from a ceremony into a national celebration. Similarly, the Prime Minister stated that WAVES will serve as a global platform for India’s immense creative talent across films, music, animation, and gaming, ensuring that artists from every part of the country find recognition on an international stage.

Underscoring India’s tradition of embracing diverse ideas and cultures, referencing a Sanskrit phrase, Shri Modi emphasized that India’s civilizational openness has welcomed communities like Parsis and Jews, who have thrived in the country and become an integral part of its cultural fabric. He acknowledged the presence of ministers and representatives from various countries, noting that every nation has its own successes and contributions. He remarked that India’s strength lies in respecting and celebrating global artistic achievements, reinforcing the country’s commitment to creative collaboration. He emphasized that by creating content that reflects the accomplishments of different cultures and nations, WAVES can strengthen the vision of global connectivity and artistic exchange.

The Prime Minister extended an invitation to the global creative community, assuring them that engaging with India’s stories would reveal narratives deeply resonant with their own cultures. He emphasized that India’s rich storytelling tradition carries themes and emotions that transcend borders, creating a natural and meaningful connection. He remarked that international artists and creators who explore India’s stories will experience an organic bond with the nation’s heritage. He stated that this cultural synergy will make India’s vision of Create in India even more compelling and accessible to the world.

“This is the time of dawn of Orange Economy in India, Content, Creativity and Culture – the three pillars of Orange Economy”, exclaimed Shri Modi, remarking that Indian films have now reached audiences in over 100 countries, with global viewers increasingly seeking to understand Indian cinema beyond surface-level appreciation. He highlighted the growing trend of international audiences watching Indian content with subtitles, signaling deeper engagement with India’s stories. Shri Modi also noted that India’s OTT industry has witnessed tenfold growth in recent years, stating that while screen sizes may be shrinking, the scope of content is infinite, with micro screens delivering mega messages. He observed that Indian cuisine is becoming a global favorite and expressed confidence that Indian music will soon gain similar worldwide recognition.

Emphasizing the immense potential of India’s creative economy, stating that in the coming years, its contribution to the country’s GDP is set to increase significantly, the Prime Minister remarked, “India is emerging as a global hub for film production, digital content, gaming, fashion, and music”. He noted the promising growth opportunities in the live concert industry and the vast potential in the global animation market, which currently stands at over $430 billion and is projected to double in the next decade. The Prime Minister highlighted that this presents a significant opportunity for India’s animation and graphics industry, urging stakeholders to leverage this expansion for greater international reach.

Calling upon India’s young creators to drive the nation’s Orange Economy forward, acknowledging that their passion and hard work are shaping a new wave of creativity, Shri Modi emphasized that whether they are musicians from Guwahati, podcasters from Kochi, game designers in Bengaluru, or filmmakers in Punjab, their contributions are fueling India’s growing creative sector. He assured that the government stands firmly behind creative professionals, supporting them through initiatives like Skill India, Startup Support, policies for the AVGC Industry, and global platforms like WAVES. He remarked that every effort is being made to build an environment where innovation and imagination are valued, fostering new dreams and empowering individuals to bring those dreams to life. Shri Modi highlighted that WAVES will serve as a major platform where Creativity meets Coding, Software blends with Storytelling, and Art merges with Augmented Reality. He urged young creators to make the most of this opportunity, dream big, and dedicate their efforts to realizing their visions.

The Prime Minister expressed his unwavering confidence in India’s content creators, highlighting that their free-flowing creativity is redefining the global creative landscape. He emphasized that the youthful spirit of India’s creators knows no barriers, boundaries, or hesitation, allowing innovation to thrive. He remarked that through his personal interactions with young creators, gamers, and digital artists, he has witnessed firsthand the energy and talent emerging from India’s creative ecosystem. He acknowledged that India’s massive young population is driving new creative dimensions, from reels, podcasts, and games to animation, stand-up, and AR-VR formats. The Prime Minister asserted that WAVES is a platform designed specifically for this generation—one that enables young minds to reimagine and redefine the creative revolution with their energy and efficiency.

Underscoring the importance of Creative Responsibility in a technology-driven 21st century, Shri Modi emphasised that as technology increasingly influences human lives, extra efforts are needed to preserve emotional sensitivity and cultural richness. He remarked that the creative world holds the power to foster human compassion and deepen societal consciousness. He asserted that the goal is not to create robots but to nurture individuals with heightened sensitivity, emotional depth, and intellectual richness—qualities that cannot stem from information overload or technological speed alone. Shri Modi stressed on the importance of art, music, dance, and storytelling, noting that these forms have kept human sensibilities alive for thousands of years. He urged creatives to reinforce these traditions and build a more compassionate future. He also highlighted the need to protect young generations from divisive and harmful ideologies, stating that WAVES can serve as a vital platform to uphold cultural integrity and instill positive values. He warned that neglecting this responsibility could have grave consequences for future generations.

Emphasising the transformative impact of technology on the creative world, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of global coordination to harness its full potential. He remarked that WAVES will serve as a bridge connecting Indian creators with global storytellers, animators with global visionaries, and transform gamers to global champions. He invited international investors and creators to embrace India as their content playground and explore the country’s vast creative ecosystem. Addressing global creators, the Prime Minister urged them to dream big and tell their story. He encouraged investors to invest not just in platforms, but in people, and called on Indian youth to share their one billion untold stories with the world. He concluded by extending his best wishes to all participants of the inaugural WAVES Summit.

The Governor of Maharashtra Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Union Ministers, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Dr. L. Murugan were present among other dignitaries at the event.

Background

WAVES 2025 is a four-day summit with tagline “Connecting Creators, Connecting Countries” is poised to position India as a global hub for media, entertainment, and digital innovation by bringing together creators, startups, industry leaders, and policymakers from across the world.

In line with Prime Minister’s vision of leveraging creativity, technology, and talent to shape a brighter future, WAVES will integrate films, OTT, gaming, comics, digital media, AI, AVGC-XR, broadcasting, and emerging tech, making it a comprehensive showcase of India’s media and entertainment prowess. WAVES aims to unlock a $50 billion market by 2029, expanding India’s footprint in the global entertainment economy.

At WAVES 2025, India is also hosting the Global Media Dialogue (GMD) for the first time, with ministerial participation from 25 countries, marking a milestone in the country’s engagement with the global media and entertainment landscape. The Summit will also feature the WAVES Bazaar, a global e-marketplace with over 6,100 buyers, 5,200 sellers, and 2,100 projects. It aims to connect buyers and sellers locally and globally, ensuring wide-reaching networking and business opportunities.

Prime Minister visited the Creatosphere and interacted with creators, selected from the 32 Create in India Challenges launched nearly a year ago, which garnered over one lakh registrations. He will also visit the Bharat Pavilion.

WAVES 2025 will witness participation from over 90 countries, with more than 10,000 delegates, 1,000 creators, 300+ companies, and 350+ startups. The summit will feature 42 plenary sessions, 39 breakout sessions, and 32 masterclasses spanning diverse sectors including broadcasting, infotainment, AVGC-XR, films, and digital media.

Today, India is emerging as a global hub for film production, digital content, gaming, fashion, music and live concerts. pic.twitter.com/ubo3q8tx7S

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) May 1, 2025

To the creators of the world — dream big and tell your story.

To investors — invest not just in platforms, but in people.

To Indian youth — tell your one billion untold stories to the world: PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/g7rwE4urf8

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) May 1, 2025

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MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

May 1, 2025
MIL-OSI: Political risk tops companies’ ERM risk registers, according to latest Willis Political Risk Survey
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LONDON, May 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Political risks rank among the top five risks on the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) risk register for 75% of global companies, with 11% identifying it as the number one risk. Highly exposed industries, such as contracting, transport and mining are disproportionately affected, according to the eighth annual Political Risk Survey and Report by Willis, a WTW business, (NASDAQ:WTW).

The survey revealed that 58% of respondents anticipated a negative financial impact on their organization due to the imposition of tariffs by the US. This figure is nearly as high as the 60% who reported financial setbacks from the Russia – Ukraine conflict in 2023 and significantly exceeds the 28% who cited negative effects from Western tensions with China and the Middle East conflict.

Other key findings were:
- Over the past eight years since the survey began, 2023 saw the highest political risk losses, driven by expropriation, political violence and currency convertibility issues. Notably, 18% of respondents faced losses significant enough to require corporate earnings restatements.
- Companies were most likely to rely on direct negotiations with host governments and political risk insurance to recover such prior losses. In 2025, the most common risk mitigation strategies against potential future losses were diversification and a “three lines of defense” approach
- Top political risk concerns for 2025 included U.S. policy uncertainty (especially tariffs) and tensions between the U.S. and its allies.
- Other major risks included restricted access to key markets due to geopolitical tensions and the threat of state-backed cyber and disinformation attacks.
The research includes a survey of 66 companies and in-depth, anonymized interviews with 15 companies.

“In the eight years since we began this research, companies’ political risk concerns have changed almost unrecognizably,” said Sam Wilkin, Director of Political Risk Analytics at Willis. “In 2018, political risk was mostly a worry for highly exposed sectors investing in risky countries like Venezuela. Today, political risk concerns apply across sectors, involve a much higher level of potential loss, and are focused on United States policy.”

The complete report can be downloaded here.

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The MIL Network –
May 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: On April 27, as part of the “Interweek”, the exhibition “© – Symbol” from the NSU Art Club opened under the dome of NSU

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University – The exhibition is dedicated to the modern interpretation of symbolism in art. The organizers set themselves the goal of making complex artistic images accessible for understanding, revealing the meanings embedded by the artists and helping viewers avoid misinterpretations. The main criterion for selecting works was the presence of a specific symbol – artists were asked not only to create a work, but also to accompany it with an author’s explanation in order to immerse the viewer deeper into their concept.

The exhibition opening began with a performance by Anastasia Pomenchuk, who played a composition on a Chinese drum. Then Nina Leonidovna Panina, associate professor of the Department of History, Culture and Arts of the Humanitarian Institute of NSU, gave a lecture on the symbolism of the 20th century. The program was supplemented by a modern dance by Alexandra Shcherbakova and a painting competition, and Roman Li concluded the evening with a musical performance. Inspired by Paganini, he gradually removed the strings from the violin, continuing to play on the remaining ones – this number became a bright final point of the event.

The event attracted a total of 110 guests. The exhibition featured paintings created using a variety of techniques and materials, from small cardboard canvases to large canvases on a stretcher.

— I really like the atmosphere, and I am incredibly happy that the exhibition took place here at this time, because the light space below and the dark space above are a great way to break out of the routine of life. And I really like the level of the works that are presented here. Among them, there are those that you have to understand and look behind which you can see a whole mechanism, — Roman Li shared his impressions.

Another guest was inspired by the exhibition to undertake a creative experiment: “I wanted to go through all the exhibited paintings and paint each piece of paper in accordance with the associations it evoked, and also add an emotionally charged signature – inside each piece of the letters of the word ‘N O R M’ there would be different elements, and the outline of the letter itself could be, for example, broken (anxiety), pale (detachment, emptiness), wavy (lightness, pliability),” said Nikita Butin.

Couldn’t make it to the opening? No problem! The exhibition will continue to run for a month on the 2nd floor of Block 2 of NSU. You still have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of art and discover new facets of the creativity of NSU artists.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

May 1, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: Ukraine: attacks against civilians and diplomatic efforts – UN Security Council briefing | UN

Source: United Nations (Video News)

UN chief of political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo condemned “all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur,” reiterating that “direct attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure is prohibited under international humanitarian law and must cease immediately.”

The Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs told the Council that today’s meeting is taking place at a potential inflection point in the three-year war in Ukraine.

She noted the intensified efforts to bring the parties to negotiations, which offer a glimmer of hope for progress towards a ceasefire and an eventual peaceful settlement. But at the same time, the world continues to witness relentless attacks on Ukrainian cities and towns.
As of 24 April, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) had verified 151 civilians killed and 697 injured in April. With verification ongoing, this figure is expected to surpass the March figures, which were already 50 percent higher than in February, DiCarlo told the Council.

Since February 2022, OHCHR has verified 13,015 civilians, including 699 children, killed, and 31,628 more civilians, including 2,016 children, injured, in Ukraine. She also noted recent media reports quoting local Russian authorities that indicate civilian casualties in the Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod regions of the Russian Federation.

The UN top political affairs official echoed the Secretary-General’s repeated calls for de-escalation and a durable ceasefire in Ukraine, and is encouraged by the diplomatic efforts underway.

DiCarlo reiterated, “The UN remains engaged, particularly on the safety of navigation in the Black Sea to support global food security and maintain vital supply chains strained by the war.”

She continued, “The continued exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, including the largest to date on 20 April involving 500 prisoners, shows that with political will, diplomacy can yield tangible results even in the most difficult circumstances.”

As the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War approaches, the UN official reminded the Council – with even greater urgency – of the centrality of the Charter of the United Nations and international law in safeguarding peace and security.

She said, “The Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine stands as an egregious challenge to these fundamental principles, jeopardizing stability in Europe and threatening the broader international order.”

“The war in Ukraine is a war of choice,” DiCarlo stressed, adding that “what is needed now is a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire as a critical first step towards ending the violence and creating the conditions for a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace.”

For her part, senior OCHA official Joyce Msuya said that as the war continues, millions of lives are impacted daily, essential services are disrupted and humanitarian needs deepened.

She highlighted, “Attacks on healthcare services and health facilities are crippling access to maternal care,” highlighting that pregnant women are now giving birth amid blackouts, medicine shortages and under attack, with a 12 per cent rise in birth complications reported by health workers.

“For many expectant mothers, basic, life-saving care is simply no longer available,” Msuya said.

The Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator emphasized once again, “Under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian objects must be protected.”

“This means that indiscriminate attacks are strictly prohibited. It also means that parties must take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm, whether they are launching attacks or defending against them,” Msuya stressed.

The Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator also noted that underfunding is forcing critical programmes to scale down, even as the operational environment becomes more complex and dangerous.

“Additional resources are needed now to save lives and sustain assistance,” she concluded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1y84hIEvo4

MIL OSI Video –

May 1, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen U.S. Telecommunications Against Foreign Adversaries Advances Out of Committee

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, in the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) helped advance legislation she introduced with Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) to strengthen American telecommunications against foreign adversaries. The bipartisan Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency (FACT) Act would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to publicly identify entities that hold FCC licenses, authorizations, or other grants of authority that are owned, wholly or partially, by foreign, adversarial governments. It now awaits consideration on the Senate floor.
“We must protect our nation in every way we can from global adversaries who are trying to hack our systems and access our information,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m glad to see that our bipartisan bill to help protect our telecommunications systems from adversarial nations, including China, Russia, and Iran, passed out of committee today. I’ll keep pushing to secure our networks and strengthen our national security.”
“We cannot let authoritarian and adversarial regimes like China and Russia continue to have silent footholds in our tech and telecommunications markets,” said Senator Fischer. “My bill will direct the FCC to evaluate the communications risks foreign ownership ties pose to America’s national security and ensure that we can respond to these threats. I’m grateful a bipartisan group of my colleagues voted yes on this legislation, and I look forward to its passage on the Senate Floor.”
Senator Rosen has been pushing to reduce the influence of our adversaries and strengthen our national security. Earlier this month, her bipartisan bill to direct the U.S. Department of State and other federal agencies to assess and counter Hezbollah’s influence in Latin America advanced in committee. Rosen also helped introduce the bipartisan No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act to prevent any person who participated in Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attacks from entering the United States. Additionally, Senator Rosen introduced bipartisan legislation to prohibit the use of DeepSeek — a new artificial intelligence (AI) platform with direct ties to the Chinese Communist Party — on all government devices and networks.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 1, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: In Senate Floor Speech, Senator Murray Calls Out Trump’s Staggeringly Lawless and Inhumane Immigration Policy

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

60 Minutes: U.S. sent 238 migrants to Salvadoran mega-prison; documents indicate most have no apparent criminal records

***WATCH: Senator Murray’s remarks on the Senate Floor***

Washington, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, took to the Senate floor to deliver a speech on President Trump’s lawless immigration policy. Senator Murray highlighted the absence of any semblance of due process for—in many cases—legal residents with no criminal record being detained and deported—and even sent to a prison in El Salvador with no outside contact and no end date. She also discussed how Trump’s crackdown has caused confusion for international students, fear among farmworkers, and led to U.S. citizens being detained, having their homes raided, and even to some U.S. citizens who are children being deported with their parents.

Emphasizing the complete lack of transparency from the Trump administration on why the people sent to El Salvador are being detained and what is being done to bring them home, Senator Murray demanded more information from the Trump administration about its recent actions—from the full details of the secret agreement with El Salvador, to the names of all the individuals sent to El Salvador, their current status, what sort of evidence and process has been afforded them, and what sort of contact they can make with lawyers and family. She also pressed for a good faith effort to follow Supreme Court orders, to return everyone wrongly sent to El Salvador, and to establish lines of communication for individuals to speak with their lawyers and families.

“I heard from one of my Republican colleagues say last week ‘I don’t see any pattern here.’ Well, I ask him now—I ask everyone now—to pay attention to the full picture. Because of course you won’t see the pattern if you just look at one case and you ignore the many, many others,” said Senator Murray. “There is the case of Andry Hernandez Romero, he’s a barber who came here legally, he has no criminal record. There is the case of Arturo Suárez Trejo, he’s a musician, he came here legally, he has no criminal record. There is the case of Merwil Gutiérrez, who—you guessed it—came here legally, no criminal record. In fact, he was apparently grabbed by mistake. One officer reportedly said ‘No, he’s not the one,’ and another said, ‘Take him anyway.’ Trump sent them all to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador—with no trial. Disappeared. They have no contact with their lawyer. No contact with family. We do not know if they are alive, and they don’t know if anyone is even advocating for them. How hopeless that must feel. How dark. So, is that enough of a pattern for my Republican colleagues? Do you still need more?”

Senator Murray has championed comprehensive and humane immigration reform throughout her Senate career, repeatedly pushing for legislative solutions that would offer a fair pathway to citizenship for the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants living in America, including Dreamers, farmworkers, and those with Temporary Protected Status. During Trump’s first administration, Senator Murray helped lead the charge in pushing back against Trump’s appalling treatment of migrant children and families at the southern border— cosponsoring the Fair Day in Court for Kids Act, which would require unaccompanied children and vulnerable individuals to be provided with legal assistance during immigration court proceedings, the Stop Cruelty to Migrant Children Act to end family separations at the border, and legislation to prevent the separation of families at sensitive locations such as schools, religious institutions, and hospitals, among many other efforts.

Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below, and video is HERE:

“Thank you, M. President.

“Over the past month we have seen a wave of righteous outrage across the country in response to President Trump’s completely lawless move to disappear hundreds of people to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador, without even the barest semblance of due process.

“And as I join my colleagues in calling for the Trump Administration to abide by the Supreme Court ruling, and facilitate the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia—a man they said, in court, was sent to El Salvador by mistake—I have to emphasize, his case is one of many where Trump has completely shredded our norms and laws. In addition to Garcia, Trump sent off some two hundred people—including innocent people who were in our country legally—to a foreign prison without any due process whatsoever.

“And they did it all on the basis of some arrangement negotiated in secret and paid for with millions of taxpayer dollars. What we do know, is that many of these people were sent there without any criminal conviction—the Administration actually admitted that! In their own court filing the Trump Administration acknowledged that many of these people have no criminal records in the U.S. And yet, all of these people have now been imprisoned in a foreign country with no end date in sight—unconstitutional doesn’t even begin to cover that.

“There are so many questions, basic questions, about this that we all should be demanding answers to. At the barest, smallest, slimmest minimum, and I mean as a starting point, the Administration must release more details about this secret agreement where it is paying El Salvador with our taxpayer dollars to imprison people without a trial. Details like: who all is being imprisoned, how long is El Salvador holding these people with Trump’s orders, how many people is El Salvador going to imprison under this agreement, what outside contact is possible for those people, and how do we learn their status and condition—are they alive, are they healthy? What are those details?

“Most of these details we do have are from reporting—and news reports say the deal was only for El Salvador to take convicted criminals—so why did Trump send people with no criminal record? And importantly: where in the world is this money coming from? Does anyone here remember voting to pass a single dollar in appropriations to fund a torture prison in El Salvador? Because I sure don’t! And last I checked Congress has the power of the purse.

“You know what else we don’t know? We still don’t know the names of everyone they did this to. Think about that. We don’t even have their names! That information should be released immediately. Today. Because there are families who still have no confirmation where their loved ones are, and the only list we have right now was not even released by the Administration! It was reported by the press.

“Some families only learned their son was gone, their husband was gone, their father was gone, through photos of them being marched into a torture prison. This is the first, last, and only update we have on just about all of those people. We don’t know if they are alive. We don’t know if they are being treated decently. We don’t even know if they have been moved. Even their lawyers can’t reach them.

“Here’s what we do know: there are many names on the El Salvador list of people who were here legally, who had no criminal record. That seems to be getting lost in the debate for some of my Republican colleagues. This is not about any one case, or any one person, it is about a lawless system for the President to deny due process. And when you cut out due process, you put innocent people in harm’s way.

“I heard from one of my Republican colleagues say last week ‘I don’t see any pattern here.’ Well, I ask him now—I ask everyone now—to pay attention to the full picture. Because of course you won’t see the pattern if you just look at one case and you ignore the many, many others.

“There is the case of Andry Hernandez Romero, he’s a barber who came here legally, he has no criminal record.

“There is the case of Arturo Suárez Trejo, he’s a musician, he came here legally, he has no criminal record.

“There is the case of Merwil Gutiérrez, who—you guessed it—came here legally, no criminal record. In fact, he was apparently grabbed by mistake. One officer reportedly said ‘No, he’s not the one,’ and another said, ‘Take him anyway.’

“Trump sent them all to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador—with no trial. Disappeared. They have no contact with their lawyer. No contact with family. We do not know if they are alive, and they don’t know if anyone is even advocating for them. How hopeless that must feel. How dark.

“So, is that enough of a pattern for my Republican colleagues? Do you still need more?

“Because there’s also Jerce Reyes Barrios, he’s a soccer player, he came here legally. Again—no criminal record.

“There’s Gustavo Aguilera, a food delivery driver. Legally here. No criminal record.

“Or Anyelo Sarabia. Here legally. No criminal record.

“I mean, how many more before my colleagues can actually admit this is a pattern? How many people have to be disappeared with no due process before it becomes a problem? Because for me—one is too many. And the pattern isn’t even over yet. Trump was reportedly ready to disappear even more people to El Salvador—before the Supreme Court put its foot down. In this latest round, the Trump Administration was preparing to disappear a man who came here legally, had no record, except traffic violations!

“Another was a young man accused of being a gang member because of a photo with a toy water gun. That is the level of so-called ‘evidence’ that gets you locked away in a foreign torture prison under President Trump. And I will keep saying it Mr. President, most of the people they disappeared have no criminal records, and many were even here legally. They came here for a better life, and Trump disappeared them based on nothing more than tattoos that say ‘mom’ and ‘dad,’ or that they celebrate soccer teams, or a daughter’s birth, or autism awareness.

“And Mr. President, I realize, I keep hammering home that—many of these people are not criminals—and many of these people came here legally. But I do want to remind my colleagues, this question is not whether someone who was vanished to El Salvador without a trace is good or bad, the question is whether everyone in this country—including American citizens—have the rights they were promised in our Constitution.

“At the end of the day, this is not about who these people are, it is about who we are—whether we are a country of due process, or not. A country of laws, or not.

“Trump has said where he stands. He literally said ‘We don’t have time’ to give them due process. If the Trump Administration think’s someone is a criminal, if they are really bad and dangerous, prove it in court. Prove it! Just simply prove it! It shouldn’t be hard. That is how this works. Everyone in this country understands that.

“You can’t just say ‘criminals don’t get due process’—when due process is how you determine who is a criminal in the first place! I mean, in the case of one person they sent to El Salvador, not only did the government’s file against him show no criminal record, it also got his name wrong several times, and used two different identification numbers! Those are pretty major errors to make when you are locking someone away. The kind of errors that due process helps to avoid.

“That’s not some theory—we are seeing that happen in another case right now. There is a couple that Trump is saying are part of a gang, but instead of just disappearing them with no trial to speak of, the Administration was forced to prove it, to prove it in court. And you know what happened? The government failed. The judge found the government’s claims, ‘completely and wholly unsubstantiated’ and ordered the couple to be released.

“That just goes to show, if we ignore our laws, if we tear down the guardrails that saved that couple, it’s not criminals who pay the price, it is innocent people. Because due process protects them too! Due process allows us to confirm whether people are lawfully present. Due process lets us confirm whether Trump is about to send them to a foreign prison. Due process lets us confirm whether people are guilty—instead of going off how they look, or what tattoo they have.

“And at the end of the day, due process means they get an actual determination of guilt or innocence, instead of getting disappeared with a question mark. But no one here was told they are facing ‘X’ years in a foreign prison.

“There is no end date in El Salvador! Because there was no sentence! Because there was no trial! There was just Trump, ignoring our laws, ignoring our courts, and sending people to gulags to rot, to die, to never be heard from again. How can anyone ignore that outrageous breach of our laws—of our values!

“And M. President—as a co-equal branch of this government, I want to impress upon my colleagues: It is not just due process that is getting trampled here, it is basic checks and balances. Trump is imprisoning these people under the Alien Enemies Act. He is using a war power. We are not at war! Everyone here should know that. After all, Congress, we, have to vote to declare war. I remember every war vote we have taken in my time here in Congress—and I can tell you—there has never been a vote on this so-called war Trump declared all on his own.

“As if that weren’t enough, earlier this month the National Intelligence Council, the National Intelligence Council, determined that Venezuela is not directing an ‘invasion’ by gangs. That directly undercuts what Trump claimed when he announced his illegal end run around Congress. Here’s a simple question for everyone, there is no invasion, there is no war, so why is Trump invoking a wartime authority?

“But add on top of that—that Trump has reached some secret, multi-million-dollar deal to pay El Salvador to imprison these people without a trial. I’m Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee—I can tell you, we did not include a single cent—not one penny!—for running torture prisons in El Salvador in our last funding bill.

“Congress has the power of the purse, but Trump is picking our pockets to fund his own personal gulag. And by the way, while we talk about checks and balances, let’s not forget how the Trump Administration is arresting judges, his allies and advisors are attacking judges publicly and calling to impeach those who disagree with him, and of course, Trump is blatantly ignoring the courts. And worse than that, the White House is in open defiance of the Supreme Court.

“The Supreme Court wrote the Administration must facilitate Mr. Garcia’s release. The White House wrote that he is never coming back.

“The Supreme Court wrote people being targeted under the Alien Enemies Act must have a reasonable opportunity to file for habeas corpus. The Trump Administration said, ‘no—we will give them 12 hours.’

“Foreign policy is not an end run around the courts or the constitution. The President cannot just be given unilateral authority to cut completely unethical deals with foreign nations. What happens when a President negotiates in secret to have his political rivals detained abroad? Is that allowed? Can he argue the courts can’t require him to call such a deal off? Or maybe he just denies it and says any agreements are state secrets? Does that work?

“If President Trump said he would pay El Salvador $6 million to assassinate his rivals—I think we would all agree that is blatantly unconstitutional. And if the court said he had to facilitate a reversal of that deal, and he said ‘well.. it’s a sovereign nation… I can’t stop them from assassinating anyone,’—I think we all would have a huge problem with that. So, do we want to say that is wrong now—or are we going to have to wait until he tries it?

“What are we waiting for? We cannot just all stand by silent as the President pries open a pandora’s box that is all together unprecedented—and that poses a direct threat to our Republic. And let’s cut through this BS where Trump and El Salvador are both trying to pretend there is no way to facilitate the return of people sent there wrongly.

“Cause here’s the thing: El Salvador has already sent back people that Trump tried to disappear. El Salvador immediately sent back a Nicaraguan individual. And they sent back women—yeah, Trump tried to disappear women to their all-male torture prison in El Salvador. If anyone wants to try and pretend this was some careful vetting process, pleaseexplain that to me. So it’s not like El Salvador can’t send people back—they have already done that.

“The Administration should be making clear—one: that these people were wrongly sent, and two: that, as with others wrongly sent, they need to be returned. Though, I want to keep in mind of course, that ‘wrongly sent’ is still an enormous understatement. The reality is these people were completely denied due process. The reality is President Trump is not just disappearing these people to El Salvador, he is disappearing our most basic constitutional rights, and he is doing it in plain sight.

“Not just in El Salvador either! Right here, in America, his immigration crackdown is upturning lives, and overturning some of our most basic values, like freedom of speech. We have people who are here legally—who are being detained and threatened with deportation. Not for any crime, not for any violence, but for speech, for protest, for things as simple and fundamental as writing an op-ed the Administration disagreed with.

“In America, the land of the free and the land of free speech, is dissent the bar for deportation now? Is that what this country has come to? What next? How far does Trump’s new standard apply? Can you get deported for saying we shouldn’t invade Canada? Can you get detained for an op-ed saying Greenland is not going to be a state? Are you going to have legal status revoked for admitting Biden won the 2020 election?

“Because that may seem outrageous—but it also seems perfectly in line with Trump’s new policy which amounts to—disagree with the President and your rights are gone. That is fundamentally un-American.

“And beyond people who are being targeted for protest, there are thousands of students in this country, that Trump is trying to push out over minor issues; fishing citations, jay walking, speeding tickets, even charges that were dismissed. So far, some 1,800 foreign students are having their visa revoked with little to no explanation, to say nothing of due process.

“That includes students in Washington state, my homes state, at the UW, at Gonzaga, at Shoreline Community College—where I once worked—my alma mater WSU, and more! It’s not clear whether these students have done anything wrong, and it’s not clear in some cases—what exactly they are supposed to do next. Because when the Administration can’t revoke visas—it has been trying to remove students’ records—something courts have already ruled against.

“One of the judges really put it best. And I want to read this and quote it to you. This is a judge. ‘I’ve got two experienced immigration lawyers on behalf of a client who is months away from graduation, who has done nothing wrong, who has been terminated from a system that you all keep telling me has no effect on his immigration status, although that clearly is BS. And now, his two very experienced lawyers can’t even tell him whether or not he’s here legally, because the court can’t tell him whether or not he’s here legally, because the government’s counsel can’t tell him if he’s here legally.’

“M. President, the point seems to be, if we can’t deport you, we can scare and confuse you. And to add even more confusion, DOJ announced they were reversing course on some of this, only to then say they are still working on a plan to push out all these students. And by the way, we are only still scratching the surface of just how inhumane Trump’s immigration crackdown has become.

“Trump is slashing funds to ensure 26,000 migrant kids have legal assistance—meaning more four-year-olds are being marched in front of immigration judges, expected to make their own legal case with a plushy toy. Trump is also trying to mass cancel protected status for people who came here who were fleeing harsh conditions and dictators. Trump is sending Christian refugees and women back to live under the Taliban—where they will face near certain persecution. Trump is sending ICE officials to elementary schools, where they have tried to gain access by lying about having permission from parents to speak with their kids.

“ICE officials are arresting people with maximum violence and lawlessness—showing up without a judicial warrant, since the Trump Administration says it is fine to storm into someone’s house without one, showing up in masks, grabbing people off the streets without any badge or identification to distinguish them from a kidnapper, whisking people away in unmarked cars, and even smashing in windshields.

“M. President, back in my home state of Washington—I have heard from folks who saw that firsthand. Last month, ICE aggressively detained Lelo, a farmworker in my state—and it appears he may have even been targeted because of his advocacy for better working conditions for his fellow farmworkers. They are still denying him bond—despite no criminal charges. I spoke with his wife last week—who watched in horror as they arrested her husband shortly after he dropped her off at work. She told me through tears about how officers broke his window and pushed him against the car. And how, Lelo wants to be free so he can take care of his brothers and sisters and work so they can study. He wants to continue doing his work in the community and with the union. And they are working right now to try and get bond—something I strongly support. This is not someone M. President, with a dangerous record—it is someone with a record of hard work, and of trying to make his community better.

“Skagit County is known for its agricultural industry—and that industry doesn’t survive without the immigrant farmworkers who help power that local economy. Period.

“More than that, we are talking about many families who have been here for decades. They are part of our community—they’re not just the people who feed this country. These people work hard, they follow the law. They should not be terrorized as if they were violent criminals. Last week, I met with farmworkers there who told me there have been days they have been afraid to go to work, because an unmarked vehicle was seen in their neighborhood. They are absolutely terrified of being grabbed off the street by ICE and locked up with no semblance of due process, regardless of their legal status.

“And this situation is not unique to Skagit County or even to my state. It’s happening across the country. Let’s not forget, Trump is trying to deport a cancer researcher to Russia where she fears retaliation for protesting the war in Ukraine. Sending her away would both put her in danger and completely upend groundbreaking cancer research—her colleagues say her role is irreplaceable.

“But it’s not just cancer research, Trump also deported a little girl, a U.S. citizen, who was on her way to get cancer treatment! She was with her mother, an undocumented immigrant—who was forced to choose between being separated from her 10-year-old daughter or being sent away together. What an unthinkable choice to force on a mother. What an unthinkable thing to do to a child, a citizen, a citizen who is fighting cancer.

“And Trump has done that twice. That’s right twice, he has deported a mother—along with a kid who is fighting cancer—a kid who is an American citizen. And he is doing that without giving these parents any meaningful time to talk to a lawyer, or a spouse, to figure out what is best for their child. We know that because Trump deported another U.S. citizen last week—that’s right another one. Trump deported a two-year-old, an American citizen. They refused to tell this kids’ father where his wife and kid were being held. They refused to let him talk to his wife for more than a minute. They even forced him to hang up the phone when he tried to give his wife their lawyer’s number. And then, as the judge put it, they seem to have ‘deported a U.S. citizen with no meaningful process.’

“And now we are hearing about a family in Oklahoma—U.S. citizens who recently moved in who had their home raided by ICE. A mom and her daughters—forced out of their house, in the rain, in underwear. ICE agents seized phones, laptops, even their full life savings—and didn’t leave so much as a number they could call to get their stuff back. That happened to U.S. citizens, who did nothing but move into a new house.

“These horror stories underscore something important—Trump’s cruel war on immigrants is hurting American citizens too. U.S. citizens are having their spouses ripped away, even servicemembers are seeing their families targeted. They are having their parents ripped away. They are having their lives turned upside down.

“And—let’s not forget—U.S. citizens are even being detained by this administration. We have several instances now—where American citizens have been caught up in Trump’s immigration crackdown. American citizens have been detained and wrongly locked up—even after someone showed them their birth certificates. Even for days! And let’s keep in mind—if you are a citizen who is mistakenly detained, and you are being denied due process, and you can’t reach someone to show your birth certificate, how are you supposed to get released? What if you are put on the next plane to El Salvador before you get the chance to set the record straight? And let’s not pretend that’s far-fetched.

“Not when citizens havealready been mistakenly detained. Not when the government hasalready admitted it sent some people to El Salvador by mistake. Now when Trump has already disappeared some people who were here legally, and many people who had no criminal record—with no due process. And not when Trump hasalreadysaid he wants to send U.S. citizens to El Salvador prisons. He was caught on mic telling the President of El Salvador he needs to build more jails, telling him the ‘homegrowns’ are next. What happens when you get sent there, and you can’t contact a lawyer? These are serious questions—what happens? Because if there is nothing we can do for the people there now, what precedent does that set for the people that are sent there next?

“M. President—I’ve been speaking for a while now and I’ve posed a lot of questions, and I hope my colleagues think about this carefully. So, I am going to wrap it up, but I will end now with just one more.

“Where will Republicans draw the line? Because we are well past the bounds of law—and we are well past the bounds of basic humanity. So, I hope more of my colleagues will join me in saying enough is enough. And in demanding transparency, accountability, and justice from the Trump Administration. That starts with some very basic things.

“First—accurate, up-to-date information on the names of people who are being detained in, and deported from, ICE facilities across the country—including by the way, the Northwest ICE Detention Center in Tacoma, so that their loved ones and community members can at least know where they are!

“And we need a clear list of every person who was disappeared to El Salvador, along with what evidence—if any—the government has. As well as the full terms of whatever agreement the Trump administration has negotiated with El Salvador’s dictator.

“But it doesn’t stop there. We need to see clear, good faith efforts to abide by court orders, and to bring back everyone wrongfully, unjustly sent to a foreign prison. We need to have lines of communication so these people can talk to their lawyers, or talk to their loved ones, and let us know if they are okay.

“And we need due process—with evidence, with judges, and a meaningful opportunity for people to present a defense. Let’s be clear we are not saying everyone is innocent. We are saying no more than what the constitution says, no more than what the courts have said time and again: Everyone, in the United States of America, gets due process.

“Thank you.”

MIL OSI USA News –

May 1, 2025

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