NewzIntel.com

Category: Trade

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Harris Announces Third Telephone Town Hall

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01)

    Washington, D.C. – Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01), will hold a third telephone town hall on Monday, April 7, 2025. Please see below for key details.  

    Important Details: 

    Date: Monday, April 7, 2025

    Time: 5:30 – 6:30pm 

    Listen In: 833-380-0671

    Stream Live: Live | Congressman Andy Harris

    Questions about the event can be directed to Congressman Harris’ DC office at (202) 225-5311. Constituents who wish to be removed from the call list should contact Congressman Harris’s DC office.

    For media inquiries, please contact Anna Adamian at Anna.A@mail.house.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese children’s books foster cultural exchanges through stories

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The 62nd Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) has once again brought together the global children’s publishing community, attracting more than 1,500 exhibitors from over 90 countries and regions.

    As one of the most influential events in the professional publishing calendar, this year’s fair — held from March 31 to April 3 — is expected to draw over 20,000 industry visitors. Among the key highlights, Chinese children’s books stood out for their cultural richness, creative storytelling, and growing appeal in international markets.

    Led by China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corporation, the Chinese delegation brought together more than 40 prominent publishers, offering a wide selection of titles ranging from picture books and children’s literature to science education. At the center of the exhibition hall, the China Pavilion’s “Premium Chinese Children’s Books” section featured acclaimed original works, including popular properties such as Ne Zha.

    “Children’s books serve as an important window for the world to understand Chinese culture,” said Elena Pasoli, director of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. She noted the increasing global attention Chinese books have received in recent years due to their diverse content, innovative formats, and cultural depth.

    This year, China’s presence at the fair was particularly strong. Many publishers introduced new titles and engaged in rights negotiations aimed at broadening their global footprint. Among the most anticipated projects was Let’s Retrace the Silk Roads, a science-themed picture book co-developed by Beijing Step By Step International Publishing Co. Ltd and UNESCO. Through engaging narratives and vivid illustrations, the series brings to life the cultural exchanges, historical transformations, and folklore of the ancient Silk Road.

    “The Silk Road is more than just an ancient trade route; it symbolizes cultural fusion,” said Mehrdad Shabahang, head of the UNESCO Silk Roads Programme. “We hope these stories will help children worldwide appreciate the diversity of civilizations and the value of mutual respect.”

    Fan Liang, chairman of Step By Step Publishing, said the book series has already been translated into five languages and published in multiple countries. Following its debut at Bologna, four more international publishers have expressed interest in acquiring the rights.

    Beyond book exhibitions, the fair continues to serve as a vital platform for industry dialogue. Key topics this year included the so-called “reading crisis,” the impact of artificial intelligence, and the future of sustainable publishing.

    Children’s book markets around the world are grappling with major challenges. According to the Italian Publishers Association (AIE), sales of children’s and young adult books in Italy totaled 258.2 million euros (286.91 million U.S. dollars) in 2024 — a decline for the first time since 2020. The data also showed that 74 percent of Italian children aged 0-14 read fewer than six printed books per year, while four percent do not read at all. Screen time on digital devices now triples the time spent reading.

    In Britain, The Bookseller magazine reported that teen reading frequency has fallen to its lowest level in two decades, as digital entertainment continues to compete for young readers’ attention. At the same time, artificial intelligence is reshaping the publishing landscape, influencing both illustration and production models.

    In response to these trends, Chinese publishers are actively exploring new approaches — from cross-border collaborations to digital innovation. Phoenix Publishing and Media Group set up an independent booth at the fair, presenting key titles such as The Three-Body Problem graphic novel, Moving Dinosaurs pop-up book, and the Loving Bridge picture book series. The company also launched the “Oriental Doll Original Picture Book Award,” inviting global submissions to foster creative exchange.

    On the evening of March 31, China received further recognition as the Bologna Children’s Book Fair awarded the Bologna Prize for Best Children’s Publishers of the Year to Chinese publisher Everafter Books. The honor marks a significant milestone for China’s growing influence in international publishing.

    “China’s publishing industry still has vast potential in global markets,” said Zhang Mingzhou, former president of the International Board on Books for Young People. “To succeed, we must deepen our understanding of global readers and refine our storytelling approaches.”

    Former Italian Ambassador to China Alberto Bradanini underscored the importance of children’s books in promoting intercultural understanding. “Investing in children’s development is investing in the future,” he told Xinhua, adding that Chinese children’s books are playing an increasingly vital role in global cultural exchange. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: US’ reciprocal tariffs spark global backlash

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of new reciprocal tariffs on imports from all trading partners has drawn backlash from countries around the world, with countermeasures already pledged by some.

    The universal tariffs imposed by the United States — a 10-percent “minimum baseline tariff” to be imposed on all imports — will take effect on April 5, and the “individualized reciprocal higher tariff” on the countries and regions with which the United States “has the largest trade deficits” will take effect on April 9, according to a White House document.

    “Resentment Day”

    On social media platform X, Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Lukas Vlcek called Trump’s new tariffs a “mistake.” Also, Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People’s Party and a member of the European Parliament, called April 2 — the new tariff announcement day dubbed by Trump as “liberation day” for the United States — as “resentment day.”

    “Donald Trump’s tariffs don’t defend fair trade: They attack it out of fear and hurt both sides of the Atlantic,” he said.

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday expressed deep regret over the U.S. move in a statement, calling it “a major blow to the world economy,” and warned against a devastating impact. “The global economy will massively suffer,” she said. “Uncertainty will spiral and trigger the rise of further protectionism. The consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe.”

    Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo on Thursday said the United States’ new tariffs are “unfair and unjustified” in an interview with radio station RNE, adding that the Spanish government will take action to protect companies and consumers from the effects of the tariffs.

    Speaking to local media on Thursday morning, British Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he is “disappointed” by the additional tariffs imposed on Britain, noting the 10-percent tariff is not a “fair reflection of how we currently trade.”

    In Asia, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday expressed “serious concern” about the U.S. decision to impose reciprocal tariffs, saying the new tariffs could have a “big negative impact” on the global economy and the multilateral trade system.

    South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is serving as acting president following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol, told an emergency meeting on economic security in Seoul: “As the global tariff war is coming to a reality, the government should pour out all of its capabilities to overcome a trade crisis.”

    The German Institute for Economic Research in a statement issued on Wednesday ahead of Trump’s new tariffs announcement warned that the United States has made a significant departure from multilateralism in its trade policy. The introduction of new, extensive tariffs poses a serious threat to global supply chains.

    Grave concerns among businesses

    Business leaders in Britain voiced concerns on Wednesday that the new tariffs on their exports, even at 10 percent, could weigh heavily on British industries. Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said: “There are no winners in a trade war. Today’s announcements are deeply troubling for businesses and will have significant ramifications around the world.”

    The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) believed small exporters in the country would be hard hit, as 59 percent of them trade with the United States. “Tariffs will cause untold damage to small businesses trying to trade their way into profit,” said Tina McKenzie, the FSB’s policy chair.

    The Manufacturers Association of Israel (MAI) said in a statement Thursday that the United States imposing a 17-percent tariff on imports from Israel is worrying. “The decision of the U.S. President to apply the tariff policy to Israel could harm Israel’s economic stability, deter foreign investment in the economy, and weaken the competitiveness of Israeli companies in the U.S. market,” it said in a statement.

    On Tuesday, Israel announced the lifting of all tariffs imposed on imports from the United States, but the move failed to avert the new tariffs imposed by the United States.

    Countermeasures pledged

    In Paris, French government spokesperson Sophie Primas said on Thursday the European Union (EU) is ready for a trade war, with retaliatory tariffs to be imposed on all goods and service products from the United States by the end of April.

    The initial levies in retaliation to the U.S. tariffs on EU steel and aluminum products would be put in place around mid-April, and the tariffs targeting all American imports are expected to be ready probably by the end of April, she said when speaking to the broadcaster RTL on Wednesday.

    In response to the U.S. tariffs, Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer told business leaders gathering at 10 Downing Street on Thursday morning that the close ally of the United States is “prepared.” “Decisions we take in the coming days and weeks will be guided only by our national interest. In the interest of our economy,” Starmer said.

    On Wednesday before Trump’s announcement of the new tariffs, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated her call for negotiations to avoid a trade war with the United States, while signaling a shift away from her previous opposition to European retaliatory tariffs.

    “We must work in every way to avert a trade war,” she said during a cultural event. “But this obviously does not rule out considering appropriate responses to defend our industries if necessary.”

    In Brazil, the National Congress passed legislation allowing the South American country to impose reciprocal trade and environmental measures in response to foreign restrictions, on Wednesday just hours after Trump’s announcement of the sweeping tariffs.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Hungary set for economic leap with launch of Chinese megaprojects: FM

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Hungary is poised for a major economic leap in 2025, driven by the start of production at multiple Chinese industrial megaprojects across the country, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said on Thursday.

    “Several world-leading Chinese giants will begin production this year or early next, giving a serious boost to our economy and turning 2025 into a breakthrough year,” he said at a press conference in Budapest, noting that the arrival of tech leaders like BYD and CATL marks a new chapter in Hungary’s economic transformation.

    “These major Chinese investments have made it possible for Hungary to move from being a follower to becoming a global frontrunner in the technological revolution transforming the automotive industry,” Szijjarto said.

    In the past decade, large-scale Chinese business projects have created more than 30,000 direct jobs, he said, reaffirming Hungary’s ambition to attract not only large-scale manufacturing, but also Chinese R&D and service investments in the years ahead. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Japan PM calls U.S. tariffs ‘national crisis’

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday that tariffs imposed on Japanese goods by the U.S. administration are a “national crisis.”

    Speaking in a parliamentary session, Ishiba said the slap of a 24-percent levy on Japanese imports “can be called a national crisis and the government is doing its best with all parties.”

    On Thursday, Ishiba told reporters that U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement to impose the “reciprocal tariffs” is extremely regrettable and disappointing despite calls from Tokyo at various levels not to take the unilateral measure.

    The prime minister argued that his export-oriented country has been the world’s largest investor in the U.S. since 2019, noting Japanese carmakers have made direct investments worth about 418 million U.S. dollars and created 2.3 million jobs in the United States.

    Ishiba said that U.S. tariff hikes will have a significant impact not only on bilateral economic relations, but also on the global economy and the multilateral trade system.

    He said he is seriously concerned about whether the tariff plan is consistent with World Trade Organization rules and the Japan-U.S. trade agreement.

    Ishiba signaled that the government will closely examine how domestic industries will be impacted and provide full-fledged assistance measures. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: US announcement of reciprocal tariffs causes worldwide backlash

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of new reciprocal tariffs on imports from all trading partners has drawn backlash from countries around the world, with countermeasures already pledged by some.

    The universal tariffs imposed by the United States — a 10-percent “minimum baseline tariff” to be imposed on all imports — will take effect on April 5, and the “individualized reciprocal higher tariff” on the countries and regions with which the United States “has the largest trade deficits” will take effect on April 9, according to a White House document.

    “Resentment Day”

    On social media platform X, Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Lukas Vlcek called Trump’s new tariffs a “mistake.” Also, Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People’s Party and a member of the European Parliament, called April 2 — the new tariff announcement day dubbed by Trump as “liberation day” for the United States — as “resentment day.”

    “Donald Trump’s tariffs don’t defend fair trade: They attack it out of fear and hurt both sides of the Atlantic,” he said.

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday expressed deep regret over the U.S. move in a statement, calling it “a major blow to the world economy,” and warned against a devastating impact. “The global economy will massively suffer,” she said. “Uncertainty will spiral and trigger the rise of further protectionism. The consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe.”

    Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo on Thursday said the United States’ new tariffs are “unfair and unjustified” in an interview with radio station RNE, adding that the Spanish government will take action to protect companies and consumers from the effects of the tariffs.

    Speaking to local media on Thursday morning, British Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he is “disappointed” by the additional tariffs imposed on Britain, noting the 10-percent tariff is not a “fair reflection of how we currently trade.”

    In Asia, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday expressed “serious concern” about the U.S. decision to impose reciprocal tariffs, saying the new tariffs could have a “big negative impact” on the global economy and the multilateral trade system.

    South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is serving as acting president following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol, told an emergency meeting on economic security in Seoul: “As the global tariff war is coming to a reality, the government should pour out all of its capabilities to overcome a trade crisis.”

    The German Institute for Economic Research in a statement issued on Wednesday ahead of Trump’s new tariffs announcement warned that the United States has made a significant departure from multilateralism in its trade policy. The introduction of new, extensive tariffs poses a serious threat to global supply chains.

    Grave concerns among businesses

    Business leaders in Britain voiced concerns on Wednesday that the new tariffs on their exports, even at 10 percent, could weigh heavily on British industries. Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said: “There are no winners in a trade war. Today’s announcements are deeply troubling for businesses and will have significant ramifications around the world.”

    The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) believed small exporters in the country would be hard hit, as 59 percent of them trade with the United States. “Tariffs will cause untold damage to small businesses trying to trade their way into profit,” said Tina McKenzie, the FSB’s policy chair.

    The Manufacturers Association of Israel (MAI) said in a statement Thursday that the United States imposing a 17-percent tariff on imports from Israel is worrying. “The decision of the U.S. President to apply the tariff policy to Israel could harm Israel’s economic stability, deter foreign investment in the economy, and weaken the competitiveness of Israeli companies in the U.S. market,” it said in a statement.

    On Tuesday, Israel announced the lifting of all tariffs imposed on imports from the United States, but the move failed to avert the new tariffs imposed by the United States.

    Countermeasures pledged

    In Paris, French government spokesperson Sophie Primas said on Thursday the European Union (EU) is ready for a trade war, with retaliatory tariffs to be imposed on all goods and service products from the United States by the end of April.

    The initial levies in retaliation to the U.S. tariffs on EU steel and aluminum products would be put in place around mid-April, and the tariffs targeting all American imports are expected to be ready probably by the end of April, she said when speaking to the broadcaster RTL on Wednesday.

    In response to the U.S. tariffs, Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer told business leaders gathering at 10 Downing Street on Thursday morning that the close ally of the United States is “prepared.” “Decisions we take in the coming days and weeks will be guided only by our national interest. In the interest of our economy,” Starmer said.

    On Wednesday before Trump’s announcement of the new tariffs, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated her call for negotiations to avoid a trade war with the United States, while signaling a shift away from her previous opposition to European retaliatory tariffs.

    “We must work in every way to avert a trade war,” she said during a cultural event. “But this obviously does not rule out considering appropriate responses to defend our industries if necessary.”

    In Brazil, the National Congress passed legislation allowing the South American country to impose reciprocal trade and environmental measures in response to foreign restrictions, on Wednesday just hours after Trump’s announcement of the sweeping tariffs.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Canada launches counter auto tariffs against US

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    New vehicles are on display at a Ford dealership in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on April 3, 2025. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Thursday Canada will be responding by matching the U.S. approach with 25 percent tariffs on all vehicles imported from the United States that are not compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)

    Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Thursday Canada will be responding by matching the U.S. approach with 25 percent tariffs on all vehicles imported from the United States that are not compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

    The prime minister said his government will also impose the tariff on non-Canadian content of any CUSMA-compliant vehicles from the U.S., adding that Mexico won’t be impacted.

    Carney said that the global economy “is fundamentally different today than it was yesterday.”

    “Yesterday’s actions by the U.S. administration, while not specifically targeting Canada, will rupture the global economy and adversely impact global economic growth,” he said.

    “Our old relationship of steadily deepening integration with the United States is over. The 80-year period when the United States embraced the mantle of global economic leadership is over,” said Carney.

    Carney also said his government has gone to the World Trade Organization to argue the tariffs violate international trade law.

    Canada was spared from the 10 percent baseline tariffs, but a 25 per cent U.S. tariff on imported autos went into effect at midnight. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: April 3rd, 2025 Sen. Heinrich Statement on Senate Vote to Block Select Offensive Weapons Transfers to Israel

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement after voting to block the transfers of 2,000-pound bombs, warheads, Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMS), and Small Diameter bombs to Israel.
    “We need to prioritize de-escalating this conflict now.  To finally end the bloodshed and achieve lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians, the path forward requires the immediate return of a ceasefire, release of hostages and reinstatement of humanitarian aid, and an end to Hamas’ rule in Gaza.
    “While Israel undoubtedly has the right to defend itself, it must follow U.S. and international humanitarian law. Right now, Israel is acting in direct violation of the requirements mandated under the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act.
    “As an ally, we must send Israel’s government a strong message that now is the time to de-escalate this conflict. I encourage, in the strongest possible terms, all involved in the ongoing negotiations to take this seriously before more lives are lost.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Honored by National Foreign Trade Council for Longtime Commitment to Pro-Growth Policies

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, accepted the National Foreign Trade Council Foundation’s (NFTC) International Tax Award for his decades-long commitment to pro-growth tax policies.
    “I’m honored to be recognized for my work to grow our nation’s economy through international tax reform,” Grassley said. “During my time as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and still today as a senior member of the committee, I’ve approached tax writing as a way to bolster American businesses, increase wages and reinvest foreign earnings. I look forward to continuing my work to advance America-first tax policies, first and foremost by extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.”
    “During Senator Grassley’s long career in the Senate, he has always been a champion of tax policies that drive economic growth,” said Anne Gordon, NFTC Vice President for International Tax Policy. “As Chairman of Senate Finance, he led efforts to simplify the tax code, reducing the Foreign Tax Credit baskets and creating a look-thru provision for U.S. subsidiaries, efforts which help streamline compliance and mitigate double taxation.”
    Grassley played a leading role in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and spearheaded the American Jobs Creation Act to simplify Foreign Tax Credits and increase American businesses’ competitiveness overseas. 
    Photos and a transcript of Grassley’s remarks upon accepting the award follow.

    Download photos HERE.
    Prepared Remarks by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa “National Foreign Trade Council Foundation’s International Tax Award” Wednesday, April 2, 2025
    It’s good to join you this evening. I’m honored to accept this award from a group of innovators and entrepreneurs who take risks everyday to grow our economy and prosperity for hard-working Americans.
    Around this time of year, a five-letter word in the English language strikes a chord among all Americans. And that word is TAXES. 
    One reason President Trump won re-election was his promise to renew the 2017 tax cuts. So, you’d think getting a bill to his desk to prevent the largest tax increase in U.S. history would be a no-brainer. 
    Unfortunately, this town is famous for gumming up the works, especially when it comes to taxes. 
    As a former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, this isn’t my first tax rodeo. 
    Two decades ago, I worked with my friend Senator Baucus to enact the American Jobs Creation Act, which included the most significant reforms to our international tax rules in decades. We hammered out provisions to simplify Foreign Tax Credits and increase the competitiveness of American businesses overseas. 
    Corporate inversions were a hot topic at the time and gaining prevalence. Provisions were added to stem the tide. However, I always saw corporate inversions as a symptom of our outdated and uncompetitive corporate tax structure. What we needed was comprehensive tax reform.   
    That finally came with the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. 
    Our corporate tax rate, which had become the highest in the developed world, was lowered to bring it in-line with that of our major trading partners. Moreover, our international tax system was modernized to unlock offshore earnings and allow trillions to be brought back and invested here at home.  
    And you know how many corporate inversions we’ve seen since enactment of these reforms? 
    Zero! 
    So, as Congress buckles down to renew the Trump tax cuts, let’s learn from history. Increasing corporate taxes reduces our international competitiveness, incentivizes profit-shifting and stretches the tax gap. 
    During his first week back in office, I’m glad President Trump put out a fire the Biden administration started by surrendering U.S. taxing rights to global interests. You can be sure I’m working against discriminatory and unfair taxes on U.S. businesses and American workers.
    Now Congress must get to work and renew the 2017 tax cuts. Failure is not an option.  
    Thank you.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Trump to ease rules on arms sales: Reuters

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration plans to announce an executive order to ease rules on military equipment exports, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the issue.

    The executive order could boost sales for major U.S. defense contractors like Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the report said.

    The order is expected to be akin to legislation proposed last year by Michael Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser, during his time as a Republican member of the House of Representatives, said the report.

    Waltz’s bill sought to amend the U.S. Arms Export Control Act to raise the minimum dollar amounts that trigger a congressional review of arms exports to other countries.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China firmly opposes US Section 232 tariffs: spokesperson

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    China firmly opposes the United States’ tariff measures based on the so-called Section 232 investigation, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.

    He Yadong, the spokesperson, said at a regular press conference that the Section 232 tariff measures have long been adjudicated by the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement system as in violation of the rule-based multilateral trading system.

    By imposing tariffs based on the so-called Section 232 auto investigation report from six years ago, the United States has once again used national security as a pretext for trade protectionism. This action has drawn strong dissatisfaction from many trading partners, according to the spokesperson.

    The global automotive industry heavily relies on cross-border production and supply chains, the spokesperson said, adding that artificially severing industrial and supply chain connections between the United States and other regions can neither protect U.S. national security nor benefit its domestic industries. Instead, they only expose the unilateralist, protectionist, and bullyism nature of the U.S. policies. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Rebuke to Trump’s Trade War, Reed Helps Pass Measure to Repeal Trump’s Costly Canadian Tariffs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
    WASHINGTON, DC – Late last night, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 to pass a bipartisan measure (S.J. Res 37) to effectively end President Trump’s steep new tariffs on Canadian goods, which amount to a 25 percent tax on a wide array of goods imported from one of America’s top trading partners and closest allies.  Tariffs are taxes on imports collected when foreign goods cross the U.S. border via Customs and Border Protection.  They are not paid for by a foreign country, but rather by U.S. importers, retailers, and consumers who actually purchase the products.
    The resolution would repeal the emergency declaration that allowed Trump to place tariffs on Canada.  This allowed Democrats to force a floor vote, with action on the joint resolution coming just after President Trump announced he is unilaterally imposing new blanket tariffs on nearly all imports coming into the United States.
    Every Democrat and independent member of the U.S. Senate voted for the resolution, along with Republican Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Rand Paul (R-KY).
    U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), who helped pass the measure, stated: “President Trump’s chaotic, blanket tariffs are a backdoor tax increase on the American people.  They are going to raise consumer prices and lift small businesses’ costs.  The added uncertainty and chaos President Trump is creating is already forcing companies to layoff American workers, and could soon threaten a recession.  President Trump should reverse course and lay out a clear, competent strategy that would lower costs for everyday Americans – something he promised to do while campaigning for President.  But President Trump has made clear over the past two months that helping families afford rent, gas, and groceries isn’t his priority.  What he really wants is to consolidate power for himself, bypass Congress, and force entire industries to come to him and ask for favors or punish companies he doesn’t like.  It’s bad for our economy, bad for American households, and bad for democracy.  Congress needs to reassert its authority as an equal branch of government and this vote was a positive if likely symbolic step in the right direction.  I will continue working on a bipartisan basis to help lower costs, not increase them through higher tariff taxes and costly trade wars.”
    The resolution, which was sponsored by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), was endorsed by a diverse group of economic and labor advocates, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the AFL-CIO, the United Steelworkers (USW), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), the National Retail Federation (NRF), the North America’s Building Trades Unions, the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA), the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Foreign Policy for America (FP4A), National Taxpayers Union, Taxpayers Protection Alliance, and Advancing American Freedom.
    It is unclear if the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the bill.  President Trump has threatened to veto the measure if it comes to his desk.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Dr. Rand Paul Reintroduces Bill to Shield Americans from the High Costs of Tariffs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Rand Paul

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

    April 3rd, 2025

     Contact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343

     

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) reintroduced the No Taxation Without Representation Act, legislation aimed at protecting American families and businesses from the skyrocketing costs of tariffs imposed by executive action. The bill reasserts Congress’s constitutional authority over taxation and serves as a check on presidential overreach that threatens the economic wellbeing of every American.

    “The rallying cry of ‘no taxation without representation’ sparked a revolution—and it’s just as relevant today,” said Dr. Paul. “Unchecked executive actions enacting tariffs tax our citizens, threaten our economy, raise prices for everyday goods, and erode the system of checks and balances that our founders so carefully crafted.”

    About the No Taxation Without Representation Act:

    Dr. Paul’s legislation reins in the executive branch’s abuse of tariff authority by requiring Congressional approval before any new import taxes can be imposed. The bill aims to strengthen our system of checks and balances by requiring Congressional consent for any tariffs that significantly impact American businesses and consumers. By restoring the role of Congress in the taxation process, the bill ensures greater accountability, transparency, and long-term economic stability.

    Key Provisions:

     Congress Must Approve:

     The President may only impose new import taxes (tariffs) if:

    • The President submits a formal justification to Congress; and
    • Congress passes legislation approving the proposed tax.

     Applicable Laws:

    This requirement would apply to tariffs enacted under:

    • The Tariff Act of 1930
    • The Trade Expansion Act of 1962
    • The Trading with the Enemy Act
    • The International Emergency Economic Powers Act
    • Laws enacted to implement trade agreements involving the U. S.
    • Any other U.S. customs and trade laws and trade agreements.

     Embargoes Exempt:

    The No Taxation Without Representation Act doesn’t affect situations where the U.S. embargoes all goods or certain types of goods from a specific country from entering the country.

     No Taxation Without Representation Act is a critical step toward restoring transparency, reining in executive abuse, and shielding Americans from the hidden tax of tariffs.

    You can read the entire bill HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trahan, Cassidy, Ossoff Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Restore Americans’ Control Over Their Own Data

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee, partnered with Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and John Ossoff (D-GA) to reintroduce the Data Elimination and Limiting Extensive Tracking and Exchange (DELETE) Act. The bipartisan, bicameral legislation would establish a system through which individuals could request that all data brokers delete any personal data collected by the company and a prohibition on future collection.
    “Americans should be the ones in control of our own personal data – not shady online middlemen who harvest our most sensitive information and auction it off to the highest bidder,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “The DELETE Act puts power back where it belongs: in the hands of consumers. By giving individuals a simple, effective way to wipe their data from data brokers’ databases and block future collection, this bill takes a critical step toward protecting our privacy and reining in an industry that monetizes our data without our consent.”
    “Privacy should be expected and protected online,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This bill gives Americans a solution to ensure their personal data is not tracked, collected, bought or sold by data brokers.”
    “Data brokers are buying, collecting, and reselling vast amounts of personal information about all of us without our consent. This bipartisan bill is about returning control of our personal data to us, the American people,” said Senator Ossoff.
    The DELETE Act would direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to create an online dashboard for Americans to submit a one-time data deletion request that would be sent to all data brokers registered. Under current law, individuals must request removal from each individual data broker to ensure their privacy is protected. This legislation would also create a ‘do not track list’ to protect taxpayers from future data collection. The DELETE Act is supported by Public Knowledge.
    Since her appointment to the Energy and Commerce Committee, Trahan has spearheaded efforts to protect Americans’ most sensitive data, strengthen privacy rights, and protect consumers from corporate abuses. This March, she announced an effort to reform the Privacy Act of 1974, a 51-year-old law regulating how the federal government collects, maintains, utilizes, and disseminates Americans’ personally identifiable information. Also in March, she reintroduced the bipartisan Terms-of-service Labeling, Design and Readability (TLDR) Act, legislation requiring that online companies make their terms-of-service contracts more accessible, transparent, and understandable for consumers. In Energy and Commerce committee meetings and hearings, Trahan has consistently exposed and condemned exploitative business practices that violate Americans’ online privacy. 
    Supported by a strong track record, Trahan has earned a reputation of challenging the practices of data brokers. In 2022, she first introduced the DELETE Act to rein in data brokers’ shady behaviors. Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, she wrote to top data brokers questioning their handling of women’s health and reproductive data in light of the decision. Trahan blasted the companies after their responses failed to adequately address concerns about how this data could be used to target women seeking reproductive care, including issues raised by Massachusetts leaders.
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Introduces Bill to Combat Illicit International Trade in Foreign Free Trade Zones

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced the Containing and Limiting the Extensive Abuse Noticed in Free Trade Zones Act (CLEAN FTZ) to create a trade rating system based on U.S. and international standards to combat trade-based money laundering and other criminal activities in foreign free trade zones. Currently, no formal rating system for free trade zones exists making it challenging for federal enforcement authorities to address illegal trafficking of illicit narcotics, persons, weapons, tobacco, counterfeits, commodities, wildlife, and more.
    “Why are we trading with countries that don’t fight corruption?” said Dr. Cassidy. “We are combating the flow of illegal drugs, weapons, and more. Seems important.”
    The CLEAN FTZ Act:
    Creates a formal rating system with four tier classifications of countries based on compliance to U.S. and international standards.
    Gives countries an overall rating based on the performance of all free trade zones under their national jurisdiction. 
    Makes the ratings publicly available and is updated annually.
    Allows the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to make recommendation to improve efforts to combat illicit trade to countries rated tier II, III, and IV.
    Creates a hotline for reporting of instances of illicit trading and money laundering activity.
    Provides financial penalty options for foreign persons involved in illicit international trade.
    Cassidy was joined by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in introducing this legislation.
    The CLEAN FTZ Act is supported by the International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE), Advocacy for Transparency International U.S., and the Global Financial Integrity (GFI). 
    “We applaud Senators Cassidy and Whitehouse for their leadership in protecting our national security, American competitiveness, and the health and safety of our citizens by countering illicit trade, organized crime, and money laundering across some of today’s risky free trade zones around the world,” said David M. Luna, Executive Director for ICAIE. “Disrupting the increasing cross-border flows of illicit goods, contraband, and dirty monies and dismantling transnational illicit networks and their enablers from financing other criminalities and threats helps all communities to secure greater peace and security.”
    “The CLEAN FTZ Act takes a crucial step in the fight against corruption by targeting how foreign corrupt officials rely on trade-based money laundering to move and conceal the proceeds of their crimes,” said Scott Greytak, Director of Advocacy for Transparency International U.S. “By enhancing oversight of free trade zones, ensuring that they comply with globally recognized anticorruption and trade transparency frameworks, and holding bad actors accountable, this legislation would help disrupt the financial networks that enable bribery, fraud, and the abuse of public trust, and will help safeguard global markets and protect economies from the destabilizing effects of financial crime.”
    “Global Financial Integrity (GFI) endorses the CLEAN FTZ Act of 2025 and commends Senators Cassidy and Whitehouse for their collaboration on this important piece of legislation. Once in force this legislation will shed light on the operations of free trade zones around the globe, many of which have long been known to facilitate all manner of illegal activity including trafficking, illicit trade, and money laundering. Further, the proposed sanctions against perpetrators of illegal activity through these zones will protect U.S. ports and American consumers from goods that may be harmful. It is also important to note that under this legislation the U.S. government can provide recommendations for improvement to countries where low-performing zones are located,” said Tom Cardamone, President and CEO for GFI.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Reintroduces Bill to Protect Americans’ Online Privacy, Data

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced the Data Elimination and Limiting Extensive Tracking and Exchange (DELETE) Act to protect Americans’ private online data. The DELETE Act would create a system for individuals to request all data brokers—companies that collect personal data for commercial use—delete any personal data the broker may have collected and to not collect it in the future.
    “American should have privacy online,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Let’s give Americans a solution to ensure their personal data is not tracked, collected, bought or sold by data brokers.” 
    The DELETE Act would direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to create an online dashboard for Americans to submit a one-time data deletion request that would be sent to all data brokers registered. Under current law, individuals must request removal from each individual data broker to ensure their privacy is protected. This legislation would also create a ‘do not track list’ to protect taxpayers from future data collection.
    Cassidy was joined by U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) and U.S. Representative Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) in introducing this legislation.  
    Background
    Cassidy has been a consistent champion of online privacy and protecting user data. Earlier this year, he reintroduced the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act 2.0 to protect our children’s privacy.
    In 2023, he also reintroduced the Protecting Military Service Members’ Data Act of 2023 to protect the data of U.S. service members by preventing data brokers from selling lists of military personnel to adversarial nations including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. In 2021, Cassidy demanded transparency from Amazon on their biometric data collection practices. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: San Fernando Valley Man Arrested for Allegedly Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material Tied to Online Violent Network Known as ‘764’

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – A San Fernando Valley man was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint alleging that he targeted children for sexual exploitation online as part of his role in an online violent network that seeks to accelerate social unrest and the downfall of the current world order.

    Jose Henry Ayala Casamiro, 28, was arrested by the FBI on a criminal complaint charging him with possession of child pornography. He made his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. A federal magistrate judge ordered him jailed without bond and an April 22 arraignment date was scheduled in Los Angeles federal court.

    “The facts alleged in this complaint are disturbing,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Criminals lurk in the internet’s dark corners to prey on and do lasting damage to children. Let this arrest serve as notice to all online predators. We will find you and arrest you if you hurt children.”

    According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Ayala caused minors to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM) as well as other video content depicting themselves engaging in self-harm as part of his participation in an online network known broadly as “764”, a network of nihilistic violent extremists who engage in criminal conduct, particularly targeting children for sexual exploitation online, to further the network’s goals of accelerating the downfall of the current world order, including the United States Government. Members of 764 work in concert with one another towards a common purpose of destroying civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, including minors.

    As part of the 764 network, Ayala allegedly was involved with an online group that blackmailed underage girls into creating child pornography videos depicting themselves engaging in degrading sadistic sexual acts, torture sessions, and carving their abusers’ initials or names on their bodies. The group also encouraged the female minors to commit suicide. As one example, the criminal complaint details a March 2020 photo in which an individual had cut the defendant’s name “Henry” into their right forearm. The complaint also outlines four videos that allegedly depict Ayala directing teen girls to engage in specific sexual acts. In February and March 2025, the complaint also alleges that Ayala participated in a new server created as a “grooming pool” targeting underage girls.

    The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the case.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda Elbogen, of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, and David Ryan, Chief of the National Security Division, are prosecuting this case, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and James Donnelly from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Congressman García Criticizes Republicans at Subcommittee Hearing on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Innovation and Competition for Their Complicity in Trump and Musk’s Dangerous Weaponization of AI

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jesús Chuy García (IL-04)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, delivered a powerful statement and line of questioning at a hearing of the Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust. Congressman García’s remarks focused on the alarming ways in which Donald Trump and Elon Musk are exploiting AI to target Americans and their deliberate dismantling of essential AI safeguards. Congressman García criticized Republicans for their unquestioning allegiance to Trump and Musk, warning of the growing risks of the unchecked weaponization of AI. 

    During the hearing, the Congressman asked Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya about the implications of AI and what protections are needed for workers. You can watch Congressman García’s remarks and Commissioner Bedoya’s answer here. 

    Below is a transcript of Congressman Garcia’s remarks at today’s subcommittee hearing. 

    Thank you, Chairman Fitzgerald. 

    As usual, so far in this hearing it looks like my colleagues on the Republican side of this panel is here to champion corporate interests over workers and consumers. Today their obedience is making them argue against even reasonable regulation of the AI industry. 

    While not surprising, it’s still incredible to see them making these claims with a straight face given everything that’s going on. 

    Let’s start with the fact that the Trump Administration, and its billionaire overlord Elon Musk, are weaponizing AI to carry out their lawless and unpopular agenda. They are using AI to arbitrarily surveil students, expand the power of DHS and ICE, and gut federal agencies.

    In the hands of billionaires and authoritarians like Musk and Trump, AI is a loaded gun waiting to be used on immigrants, workers, and consumers. This is exactly why it’s absurd to oppose common-sense regulation of the AI industry. Let’s talk about what that common sense could be.

    It’s also absurd because we know what happens when we don’t enforce antitrust and consumer protection laws against technology companies. As my colleagues have pointed out, the failure to apply these laws to Big Tech companies at the dawn of the social media age has led to the dominance of these companies, which have routinely abused workers, exploited consumers, and deployed their technology to expand surveillance and trample on privacy rights. 

    That is the consequence of inaction. 

    We must learn from our mistakes, and we must prioritize workers and consumers over corporate profits.

    # # #

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Report to the President on the America First Trade Policy Executive Summary

    Source: The White House

    Pursuant to the January 20, 2025 Presidential Memorandum on America First Trade Policy (AFTP), directed to the Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Homeland Security, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, U.S. Trade Representative, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and the Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing, the President instructed the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative to report to the President on April 1, 2025, on the topics set forth therein, consisting of 24 individual chapters containing the reviews, investigations, findings, identifications, and recommendations enumerated in Sections 2(a) through 4(g) of the Presidential Memorandum. The Report also includes the expanded scope of work on non-reciprocal trading practices directed by the February 13, 2025 Presidential Memorandum on Reciprocal Trade and Tariffs. The findings from Sections 3(c), 3(d), and 3(f) of the February 21, 2025 Presidential Memorandum on Defending American Companies and Innovators from Overseas Extortion and Unfair Fines and Penalties are incorporated therein. This unified report is delivered to the President accordingly.

    Introduction

    An America First Trade Policy will unleash investment, jobs, and growth at home; reinforce our industrial and technological advantages; reduce our destructive trade imbalance; strengthen our economic and national security; and deliver substantial benefits for American workers, manufacturers, farmers, ranchers, entrepreneurs, and businesses. The America First Trade Policy Report (the Report) provides a foundation and resource for trade policy actions that will Make America Great Again by putting America First. It presents comprehensive recommendations covering the full scope of trade policies and challenges, from market access and the de minimis duty exemption to export controls and outbound investment restrictions. 

    The need for an America First Trade Policy is self-evident. For decades, the United States has shed jobs, innovation, wealth, and security to foreign countries who have used a myriad of unfair, non-reciprocal, and distortive practices to gain advantage over our domestic producers. There is no better expression of this dangerous state of affairs than America’s large and persistent trade deficit in goods, which soared to $1.2 trillion in 2024. Emerging from a tenuous geopolitical landscape in the previous four years, the United States cannot approach international economic and industrial policy issues with malaise. Our Nation’s future prosperity and national security requires a coordinated, strategic approach that fully utilizes the authorities and expertise of the Federal government to ensure the enduring economic, technological, and military dominance of the United States.

    It was for this reason that President Trump wasted no time in launching the America First Trade Policy mere hours after taking his oath of office. In the weeks that followed, he expanded the scope of work to include non-reciprocal trading practices—a key driver of the trade deficit—and foreign extortion of American firms, especially leading U.S. technology companies. For most administrations, success in any of the 24 separate workstreams discussed in the Report would represent some of the most significant international economic change in the history of the country. Each could easily take decades to resolve. In fact, it is precisely because decades have passed without resolution of these issues that urgent action is required today. The United States does not have decades to continue tinkering around the edges of international economics—the urgency of the situation requires bold action now.

    Today—on April 1—after a mere 71 days on the job, President Trump’s Administration delivered the results of its work. The Report provides the President with recommendations for transformative action. The Report charts a course for his Presidency to reshape U.S. trade relations by prioritizing economic and national security, and restoring the ability to make America, once again, a nation of producers and builders.

    Specifically, the Report includes a chapter for each subsection in the AFTP Memorandum, with an additional chapter for Section 3(f) of Presidential Memorandum on Defending American Companies and Innovators from Overseas Extortion and Unfair Fines and Penalties; reporting pursuant to Sections 3(c) and 3(d) of the latter are included within Chapter 3. Although the full Report delivered to the President is non-public, what follows is a brief public summary of the contents of each chapter.

    Addressing Unfair and Unbalanced Trade

    Chapter 1. Economic and National Security Implications of the Large and Persistent Trade Deficit (Section 2(a) of AFTP)

    The Report opens with a discussion of the magnitude and urgency of the economic and national security threat posed by the large and persistent trade deficit. In particular, the trade deficit demonstrates a fundamental unfairness and lack of reciprocity in how the United States is treated by its trading partners. For decades, while the United States has kept its tariffs low and its economy open, our trading partners have imposed egregious tariff and non-tariff barriers on American goods and services.  These unfair and non-reciprocal trade practices have undermined U.S. competitiveness, leading to business closures, job losses, missed market opportunities for American exporters, loss of industrial capacity, and an atrophying of our defense industrial base and national security posture. The sum total of these various non-reciprocal practices is that American exporters are less competitive abroad and foreign imports are artificially more competitive in the United States. Hence, our large and persistent trade deficit. The Report makes recommendations to the President to reduce the trade deficit, including the imposition of a tariff on certain imports in pursuit of reciprocity and balanced trade.

    Chapter 2. The External Revenue Service (Section 2(b) of AFTP)

    Through a collaboration between the Department of Commerce (DOC), the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the creation of an External Revenue Service (ERS) offers an opportunity to improve tariff collection. Tariffs have historically played a central role in the collection of Federal revenues. One way the United States can maximize its revenue recovery while deterring fraudulent and unfair trade practices is by establishing a centralized system to optimize revenue collection in the form of an ERS. By closing regulatory gaps and modernizing revenue collection mechanisms, the United States can reaffirm its commitment to a strong, fair, and enforceable trade system that benefits American businesses and taxpayers alike.

    Chapter 3. Review of Unfair and Non-Reciprocal Foreign Trade Practices (Section 2(c) of AFTP)

    U.S. trading partners pursue various unfair and non-reciprocal trade practices. In its review, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) identified more than 500 of these practices, and stakeholders reported many more during a public comment process. Many countries impose higher tariffs on U.S. exports than the United States imposes on imports from those countries. The U.S. average applied tariff is 3.3%. But the average tariffs in the European Union (EU) (5%), China (7.5%), Vietnam (9.4%), India (17%), and Brazil (11.2%) are all higher. The disparity is even more evident in specific products. The U.S. most-favored nation (MFN) tariff on passenger vehicles is 2.5%, but the EU, India, and China tariff cars at much higher rates, 10%, 70%, and 15% respectively. The United States has no tariffs on apples, but India has a 50% tariff and Turkey a 60.3% tariff.

    Non-tariff barriers by our trade partners are often an even greater obstacle. The EU only allows imports of shellfish from two states—Massachusetts and Washington—but the United States gives the EU unlimited access to the U.S. shellfish market. The United Kingdom (UK) maintains non-science-based standards that adversely affect U.S. exports of safe, high-quality beef and poultry products. Non-tariff barriers also include domestic economic policies that suppress domestic consumption. While the U.S. share of consumption to gross domestic product (GDP) is 68%, it is much lower in Ireland (24%), China (38%), and Germany (49%). This is because our trading partners pursue intentional policies of consumption-reduction (e.g., wage suppression and labor, environmental, and regulatory arbitrage) to gain unfair trade advantage over the United States. This, in turn, contributes to our large and persistent trade deficit. USTR recommends a number of ways in which current legal authorities might be used to address these unfair practices and trade barriers.

    Chapter 4. Renegotiation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (Section 2(d) of AFTP)

    In his first term, President Trump ended the job-killing North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and replaced it with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). USMCA gained new market access for American exporters and adopted rules to incentivize the reshoring of manufacturing to the United States. It also included an innovative review mechanism to ensure that the agreement is responsive to changing economic circumstances. Under the USMCA Implementation Act, USTR is statutorily required to initiate the review process ahead of the July 2026 deadline. Numerous changes are needed, such as stronger rules of origin to reduce the inflow of non-market economy content into the United States, expanded market access—especially for dairy exports to Canada, and action to address Mexico’s discriminatory practices, such as in the energy sector.

    Chapter 5. Review of Foreign Currency Manipulation (Section 2(e) of AFTP)

    The Secretary of the Treasury is required to assess the policies and practices of major U.S. trading partners with respect to the rate of exchange between their currencies and the United States dollar pursuant to section 4421 of title 19, United States Code, and section 5305 of title 22, United States Code. The Department of the Treasury will strengthen its ongoing currency analysis and address the lack of transparency by foreign governments in currency markets.

    Chapter 6. Review of Existing Trade Agreements (Section 2(f) of AFTP)

    The United States has 14 comprehensive trade agreements in force with 20 countries. There is significant scope to modernize existing U.S. trade agreements so that trade terms are aligned with American interests while addressing underlying causes of imbalances. This includes lowering foreign tariff rates for American exporters, improving transparency and predictability in foreign regulatory regimes, improving market access for U.S. agricultural products, strengthening rules of origin to ensure the benefits of the agreement appropriately flow to the parties, and improving the alignment of our trading partners with U.S. approaches to economic security and non-market policies and practices.

    Chapter 7. Identification of New Agreements to Secure Market Access (Section 2(g) of AFTP)

    The negotiation of new trade agreements with trading partners offers an opportunity for the United States to knock down non-reciprocal barriers to U.S. exports, especially for agricultural products, and reshape the global trading system in ways that promote supply chain resilience, manufacturing reshoring, and economic and national security alignment with partners. The Report identifies countries and sectors which may be ripe for the negotiation of America First Agreements.

    Chapter 8. Review of Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duty Policies (Section 2(h) of AFTP)

    Administered by DOC, anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) are a critical tool to address unfair trade and support domestic manufacturing. Recommendations include considering the addition of new countries to the list of non-market economies, methodologies to better implement AD/CVD laws, and more-active self-initiation of new investigations.

    Chapter 9. Review of the De Minimis Exemption (Section 2(i) of AFTP)

    Packages containing imports valued at $800 or less imported by one person on one day currently enter the United States duty free. The United States should end this duty-free de minimis exemption.  This exception has resulted in approximately $10.8 billion in foregone tariff revenue in 2024 alone.  De minimis shipments also pose serious security risks to the United States. The de minimis exemption is a means by which fentanyl, counterfeit goods, and various deadly and high-risk products enter the United States with little scrutiny. Countless consumer products that don’t meet U.S. health and safety standards, such as flammable children’s pajamas and lead-ridden plumbing fixtures, enter the United States through under the de minimis administrative exemption every year.  This is in part because the government does not collect sufficient data on low-value shipments to allow for enforcement targeting.  The de minimis exemption also allows for importers to evade trade enforcement tariffs; for instance, goods entering through the de minimis exemption do not need to pay duties owed pursuant to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. With nearly four million packages arriving each day through the de minimis exemption, it is imperative that DOC and CBP recover our rightful tariff revenue and defend our national security by ending the exemption.

    Chapter 10. Investigation of Extraterritorial Taxes (Section 2(j) of AFTP)

    The United States must combat efforts by foreign governments to collect illegitimate revenue from U.S. firms by imposing various discriminatory taxes and regulatory regimes aimed to capture the success of America’s most successful companies—not the least of which are our leading technology firms. Digital Services Taxes, for example, are often devised so as to shield most non-U.S. headquartered firms from taxation and UTPRs determine tax based primarily on factors outside the taxing jurisdiction. We need to ensure we have available the tools necessary to defend U.S. interests, including by providing technical assistance in furtherance of new legislative tools and further investigating identified taxes to determine the appropriate action.

    Chapter 11. Review of the Government Procurement Agreement (Section 2(k) of AFTP)

    Buy American is the epitome of common-sense public policy. In recent decades, the United States has weakened domestic procurement preferences by opening up our procurement market pursuant to the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA). Unfortunately, this market access is lopsided. A 2019 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the GPA found that in 2010, the United States reported $837 billion in GPA coverage. This was twice as much as the $381 billion reported by the next five largest GPA parties (the EU, Japan, South Korea, Norway, and Canada), despite the fact that total U.S. procurement was less than that of these five partners combined. Moreover, some GPA partners open their procurement markets to third countries who are not parties, forcing U.S. suppliers to compete for the preferential market access they are entitled to under the agreement. To address this lack of reciprocity and unfair competition, the United States should modify or renegotiate the GPA, and if unsuccessful, withdraw.

    An additional challenge is that, although defense procurement is closed to GPA partners, the Department of Defense still gives countries access to our huge defense procurement market by negotiating Reciprocal Defense Procurement (RDP) agreements. Shockingly, these RDPs not only open our market to foreign suppliers, but also require U.S. firms to move industrial capacity offshore as a condition of access to the markets of partner countries. These RDPs must be reviewed to ensure they put America First.

    Economic and Trade Relations with the People’s Republic of China

    Chapter 12. Review of the Phase One Agreement (Section 3(a) of AFTP)

    A key success of President Trump’s first term was the Phase One Agreement with China. Unfortunately, five years following the entry into force in February 2020, China’s lack of compliance with the Agreement is a serious concern. China has failed to live up to its commitments on agriculture, financial services, and protection of intellectual property (IP) rights. USTR assessed this lack of compliance and recommends potential responses.

    Chapter 13. Assessment of the Section 301 Four-Year Review (Section 3(b) of AFTP)

    The United States imposed tariffs pursuant to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 in 2018. The law requires that Section 301 actions be reviewed every four years by USTR. The first Four-Year Review was completed in May 2024 and resulted in increases of some of the Section 301 tariffs on China. USTR assessed the results of this review to ensure the Section 301 action remains fit for purpose.

    Chapter 14. Identification of New Section 301 Actions (Section 3(c) of AFTP)

    Given the expansiveness of China’s non-market policies and practices, there may be a need for additional Section 301 investigations. USTR looked at various elements of China’s non-market policies and practices to identify additional investigations that may be warranted.

    Chapter 15. Assessment of Permanent Normal Trade Relations (Section 3(d) of AFTP)

    After China was granted Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with the United States in 2000, China took full advantage of the openness of the U.S. economy by leveraging its state-directed capital investments and subsidies, industrial overcapacity, lax labor and environmental standards, forced technology transfer policies, and countless protectionist measures. U.S. goods imports from China increased from $100 billion in 2000 to $463.9 billion in 2024, while the U.S. trade deficit in goods with China ballooned from $83.8 billion in 2000 to $295.4 billion in 2024. More than two decades after being granted PNTR, China still embraces a non-market economic system. USTR carefully reviewed legislative proposals related to PNTR and advised the President accordingly.

    Chapter 16. Assessment of Reciprocity for Intellectual Property (Section 3(e) of AFTP)

    The full extent of China’s abusive tactics and practices with respect to U.S. intellectual property is staggering. The Report catalogues China’s abuses of this system and recommends appropriate responsive actions to address China’s massive imbalance on treatment of intellectual property.

    Additional Economic Security Matters

    Chapter 17. Identification of New Section 232 Actions (Section 4(a) of AFTP)

    In his first term, President Trump used Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to save America’s steel and aluminum industries. Last week, President Trump invoked Section 232 to impose a 25% tariff on foreign automobiles and certain automobile parts to protect our automotive industrial base. Reshoring industrial production in key sectors is critical to national security, and DOC identified additional products and sectors that merit consideration for initiation of new Section 232 investigations, including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and certain critical minerals. 

    Chapter 18. Review of Section 232 Action on Steel and Aluminum (Section 4(b) of AFTP)

    On February 11, President Trump ended all product exclusions and country exemptions for the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum. DOC further explains the basis for this needed action and recommends additional measures for steel and aluminum for that could be taken.

    Chapter 19. Review of U.S. Export Controls (Section 4(c) of AFTP)

    The United States must ensure that its advanced technology does not flow to our adversaries. Export controls should be simpler, stricter, and more effective, while promoting U.S. dominance in AI and asserting global technological leadership.

    Chapter 20. Review of the Office of Information and Communication Technology and Services (Section 4(d) of AFTP)

    Using his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), President Trump created a new Office of Information and Communication Technology and Services (ICTS) at DOC in his first term. In the last administration, however, ICTS was underutilized. DOC reviewed ongoing ICTS work and identified key areas to strengthen and improve in line with ITCS’s original intent, including expanding its scope and remit to encompass advanced technologies controlled by our adversaries.

    Chapter 21. Review of Outbound Investment Restrictions (Section 4(e) of AFTP)

    President Trump’s America First Investment Policy serves as a basis for how the Administration will approach investment policy, including on outbound investment restrictions. Pursuant to the America First Investment Policy, the National Security Council and the Department of the Treasury will evaluate options that allow American business to thrive while ensuring that they, too, put America First and do not undermine U.S. national security interests. Among the things the Administration plans to evaluate is whether the scope of outbound investment restrictions should be expanded to be responsive to developments in technology and the strategies of countries of concern.

    Chapter 22. Assessment of Foreign Subsidies on Federal Procurement (Section 4(f) of AFTP)

    Foreign subsidies can disadvantage domestic products in a country’s government procurement market. The EU has recognized this problem and introduced the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) to address distortions caused by foreign subsidies for public procurement. OMB assessed the value of the FSR and other policies to tilt the playing field in favor U.S. producers by strengthening domestic procurement preferences and closing loopholes.

    Chapter 23. Assessment of Unlawful Migration and Fentanyl Flows from Canada, Mexico, and China (Section 4(g) of AFTP)

    On February 1, President Trump invoked IEEPA to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China to stop the threat posed by the flow of illegal migrants and drugs into the United States. DOC and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) elaborated on the necessity for the strong action already taken by President Trump and identified measures to further stem the flow of illegal migrants and drugs into the United States.

    Chapter 24. E-Commerce Moratorium (Section 3(f) of Presidential Memorandum on Defending American Companies and Innovators from Overseas Extortion and Unfair Fines and Penalties)

    At present, WTO Members have committed to a temporary moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions, known popularly as the e-commerce moratorium. In other words, no tariffs on data flows. However, some countries—such as India, Indonesia, and South Africa—seek to tariff the flow of data, thereby destroying the internet and harming the competitiveness for U.S. companies that are global leaders. USTR assessed the risks posed by data tariffs and made recommendations to ensure that the e-commerce moratorium is made permanent.

    Conclusion

    The Report offers a broad, yet substantive, view of U.S. trade policy as it currently stands, and articulates a roadmap for where it should go. The U.S. trade policy of today does not address long-standing and destructive global imbalances, nor does it reflect the reality that the United States is the most open, innovative, and dynamic economy in the world, which is why we must work to unlock its full potential.  Now is the time to pursue trade and economic policies that put the American economy, the American worker, and our national security first. This Report provides a foundation to do exactly that.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: Harder Announces Bipartisan Action to Support Valley Farmers Amid Rising Tariffs

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

    California almond growers hit with 35% Chinese tariff

    Fertilizer costs soaring

    WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) announced new bipartisan action to support Valley farmers amid rising international tariffs threatening their livelihoods. Alongside Rep. Dusty Johnson (SD-AL) and more than a dozen colleagues, Harder helped introduce a resolution reaffirming Congress’ commitment to expanding market access, enforcing trade agreements, and eliminating trade barriers.

    The stakes are high:

    • More than 80% of U.S. potash fertilizer comes from Canada and is facing a 25% tariff.
    • China has imposed a 35% tariff on U.S. almonds, which are all grown in California.
    • These tariffs are driving up supply costs, limiting exports, and threatening farmers’ bottom lines.
    • Additional reciprocal tariffs are expected as early as April 2.

    “This is about protecting the Valley’s farmers who feed the country,” said Rep. Harder. “We’re the fruit and nut basket of the world, and our farmers shouldn’t be punished with rising costs and shrinking markets. These tariffs are going to hit our economy hard – it’s time for Congress to stand up and fight back.”

    “Agriculture is the backbone of America and an essential part of our economy,” said Rep. Johnson. “South Dakota is no stranger to the agriculture way of life and the importance of ag trade. I’m proud to partner with the Ag Trade Caucus to highlight the value of ag trade for our country and our farming and ranching families and communities.”

    The resolution is backed by a broad coalition of agricultural and food organizations, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council, California League of Food Producers, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and many more.

    Read the full resolution here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Threat actors leverage tax season to deploy tax-themed phishing campaigns

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Threat actors leverage tax season to deploy tax-themed phishing campaigns

    As Tax Day approaches in the United States on April 15, Microsoft has observed several phishing campaigns using tax-related themes for social engineering to steal credentials and deploy malware. These campaigns notably use redirection methods such as URL shorteners and QR codes contained in malicious attachments and abuse legitimate services like file-hosting services and business profile pages to avoid detection. These campaigns lead to phishing pages delivered via the RaccoonO365 phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platform, remote access trojans (RATs) like Remcos, and other malware like Latrodectus, BruteRatel C4 (BRc4), AHKBot, and GuLoader.

    Every year, threat actors use various social engineering techniques during tax season to steal personal and financial information, which can result in identity theft and monetary loss. These threat actors craft campaigns that mislead taxpayers into revealing sensitive information, making payments to fake services, or installing malicious payloads. Although these are well-known, longstanding techniques, they could still be highly effective if users and organizations don’t use advanced anti-phishing solutions and conduct user awareness and training. 

    In this blog, we share details on the different campaigns observed by Microsoft in the past several months leveraging the tax season for social engineering. This also includes additional recommendations to help users and organizations defend against tax-centric threats. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 blocks and identifies the malicious emails and attachments used in the observed campaigns. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint also detects and blocks a variety of threats and malicious activities related but not limited to the tax threat landscape. Additionally, the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media to request personal or financial information.

    BruteRatel C4 and Latrodectus delivered in tax and IRS-themed phishing emails

    On February 6, 2025, Microsoft observed a phishing campaign that involved several thousand emails targeting the United States. The campaign used tax-themed emails that attempted to deliver the red-teaming tool BRc4 and Latrodectus malware. Microsoft attributes this campaign to Storm-0249, an access broker active since 2021 and known for distributing, at minimum, BazaLoader, IcedID, Bumblebee, and Emotet malware. The following lists the details of the phishing emails used in the campaign:

    Example email subjects:

    • Notice: IRS Has Flagged Issues with Your Tax Filing
    • Unusual Activity Detected in Your IRS Filing
    • Important Action Required: IRS Audit

    Example PDF attachment names:

    • lrs_Verification_Form_1773.pdf
    • lrs_Verification_Form_2182.pdf
    • lrs_Verification_Form_222.pdf

    The emails contained a PDF attachment with an embedded DoubleClick URL that redirected users to a Rebrandly URL shortening link. That link in turn redirected the browser to a landing site that displayed a fake DocuSign page hosted on a domain masquerading as DocuSign. When users clicked the Download button on the landing page, the outcome depended on whether their system and IP address were allowed to access the next stage based on filtering rules set up by the threat actor:

    • If access was permitted, the user received a JavaScript file from Firebase, a platform sometimes misused by cybercriminals to host malware. If executed, this JavaScript file downloaded a Microsoft Software Installer (MSI) containing BRc4 malware, which then installed Latrodectus, a malicious tool used for further attacks.
    • If access was restricted, the user received a benign PDF file from royalegroupnyc[.]com. This served as a decoy to evade detection by security systems.
    Figure 1. Sample phishing email that claims to be from the IRS
    Figure 2. PDF attachment masquerading as a DocuSign document

    Latrodectus is a loader primarily used for initial access and payload delivery. It features dynamic command-and-control (C2) configurations, anti-analysis features such as minimum process count and network adapter check, C2 check-in behavior that splits POST data between the Cookie header and POST data. Latrodectus 1.9, the malware’s latest evolution first observed in February 2025, reintroduced scheduled tasks for persistence and added the ability to run Windows commands via the command prompt.

    BRc4 is an advanced adversary simulation and red-teaming framework designed to bypass modern security defenses, but it has also been exploited by threat actors for post-exploitation activities and C2 operations.

    Between February 12 and 28, 2025, tax-themed phishing emails were sent to over 2,300 organizations, mostly in the United States in the engineering, IT, and consulting sectors. The emails had an empty body but contained a PDF attachment with a QR code and subjects indicating that the documents needed to be signed by the recipient. The QR code pointed to a hyperlink associated with a RaccoonO365 domain: shareddocumentso365cloudauthstorage[.]com. The URL included the recipient email as a query string parameter, so the PDF attachments were all unique. RaccoonO365 is a PhaaS platform that provides phishing kits that mimic Microsoft 365 sign-in pages to steal credentials. The URL was likely a phishing page used to collect the targeted user’s credentials.

    The emails were sent with a variety of display names, which are the names that recipients see in their inboxes, to make the emails appear as if they came from an official source. The following display names were observed in these campaigns:

    • EMPLOYEE TAX REFUND REPORT
    • Project Funding Request Budget Allocation
    • Insurance Payment Schedule Invoice Processing
    • Client Contract Negotiation Service Agreement
    • Adjustment Review Employee Compensation
    • Tax Strategy Update Campaign Goals
    • Team Bonus Distribution Performance Review
    • proposal request
    • HR|Employee Handbooks
    Figure 3. Screenshot of the opened PDF with the QR code

    AHKBot delivered in IRS-themed phishing emails

    On February 13, 2025, Microsoft observed a campaign using an IRS-themed email that targeted users in the United States. The email’s subject was IRS Refund Eligibility Notification and the sender was jessicalee@eboxsystems[.]com.

    The email contained a hyperlink that directed users to download a malicious Excel file. The link (hxxps://business.google[.]com/website_shared/launch_bw[.]html?f=hxxps://historyofpia[.]com/Tax_Refund_Eligibility_Document[.]xlsm) abused an open redirector on what appeared to be a legitimate Google Business page. It redirected users to historyofpia[.]com, which was likely compromised to host the malicious Excel file. If the user opened the Excel file, they were prompted to enable macros, and if the user enabled macros, a malicious MSI file was downloaded and run.

    The MSI file contained two files. The first file, AutoNotify.exe, is a legitimate copy of the executable used to run AutoHotKey script files. The second file, AutoNotify.ahk, is an AHKBot Looper script which is a simple infinite loop that receives and runs additional AutoHotKey scripts. The AHKBot Looper was in turn observed downloading the Screenshotter module, which includes code to capture screenshots from the compromised device. Both Looper and Screenshotter used the C2 IP address 181.49.105[.]59 to receive commands and upload screenshots.

    Figure 4. Screenshot of the email showing the link to download a malicious Excel file
    Figure 5. Macro code to install the malicious MSI file from hxxps://acusense[.]ae/umbrella/

    GuLoader and Remcos delivered in tax-themed phishing emails

    On March 3, 2025, Microsoft observed a tax-themed phishing campaign targeting CPAs and accountants in the United States, attempting to deliver GuLoader and Remcos malware. The campaign, which consisted of less than 100 emails, began with a benign rapport-building email from a fake persona asking for tax filing services due to negligence by a previous CPA. If the recipient replied, they would then receive a second email with the malicious PDF. This technique increases the click rates on the malicious payloads due to the established rapport between attacker and recipient.

    The malicious PDF attachment contained an embedded URL. If the attachment was opened and the URL clicked, a ZIP file was downloaded from Dropbox. The ZIP file contained various .lnk files set up to mimic tax documents. If launched by the user, the .lnk file uses PowerShell to download a PDF and a .bat file. The .bat file in turn downloaded the GuLoader executable, which then installed Remcos.

    Figure 6. Sample phishing email shows the original benign request for tax filing services, followed by another email containing a malicious PDF attachment if the target replies.
    Figure 7. The PDF attachment contains a prominent blue “Download” button that links to download of the malicious payload. The button is overlaid over a blurred background mimicking a “W-2” tax form, which further contributes to the illusion of the attachment being a legitimate tax file.

    GuLoader is a highly evasive malware downloader that leverages encrypted shellcode, process injection, and cloud-based hosting services to deliver various payloads, including RATs and infostealers. It employs multiple anti-analysis techniques, such as sandbox detection and API obfuscation, to bypass security defenses and ensure successful payload execution.

    Remcos is a RAT that provides attackers with full control over compromised systems through keylogging, screen capturing, and process manipulation while employing stealth techniques to evade detection.

    Mitigation and protection guidance

    Microsoft recommends the following mitigations to reduce the impact of this threat.

    • Educate users about protecting personal and business information in social media, filtering unsolicited communication, identifying lure links in phishing emails, and reporting reconnaissance attempts and other suspicious activity.
    • Turn on Zero-hour auto purge (ZAP) in Defender for Office 365 to quarantine sent mail in response to newly-acquired threat intelligence and retroactively neutralize malicious phishing, spam, or malware messages that have already been delivered to mailboxes.
    • Pilot and deploy phishing-resistant authentication methods for users.
    • Enforce multifactor authentication (MFA) on all accounts, remove users excluded from MFA, and strictly require MFA from all devices in all locations at all times.
    • Implement Entra ID Conditional Access authentication strength to require phishing-resistant authentication for employees and external users for critical apps.
    • Encourage users to use Microsoft Edge and other web browsers that support Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, which identifies and blocks malicious websites including phishing sites, scam sites, and sites that contain exploits and host malware.
    • Educate users about using the browser URL navigator to validate that upon clicking a link in search results they have arrived at an expected legitimate domain.
    • Enable network protection to prevent applications or users from accessing malicious domains and other malicious content on the internet.
    • Configure Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to recheck links on click. Safe Links provides URL scanning and rewriting of inbound email messages in mail flow and time-of-click verification of URLs and links in email messages, other Microsoft Office applications such as Teams, and other locations such as SharePoint Online. Safe Links scanning occurs in addition to the regular anti-spam and anti-malware protection in inbound email messages in Microsoft Exchange Online Protection (EOP). Safe Links scanning can help protect your organization from malicious links that are used in phishing and other attacks.
    • Turn on cloud-delivered protection in Microsoft Defender Antivirus or the equivalent for your antivirus product to cover rapidly evolving attacker tools and techniques. Cloud-based machine learning protections block a huge majority of new and unknown variants.
    • Enable investigation and remediation in full automated mode to allow Defender for Endpoint to take immediate action on alerts to resolve breaches, significantly reducing alert volume.
    • Run endpoint detection and response (EDR) in block mode, so that Defender for Endpoint can block malicious artifacts, even when your non-Microsoft antivirus doesn’t detect the threat or when Microsoft Defender Antivirus is running in passive mode. EDR in block mode works behind the scenes to remediate malicious artifacts detected post-breach.

    Microsoft Defender XDR detections

    Microsoft Defender XDR customers can refer to the list of applicable detections below. Microsoft Defender XDR coordinates detection, prevention, investigation, and response across endpoints, identities, email, apps to provide integrated protection against attacks like the threat discussed in this blog.

    Customers with provisioned access can also use Microsoft Security Copilot in Microsoft Defender to investigate and respond to incidents, hunt for threats, and protect their organization with relevant threat intelligence.

    Microsoft Defender Antivirus

    Microsoft Defender Antivirus detects threat components used in the campaigns shared in this blog as the following:

    Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

    The following alerts might indicate threat activity associated with this threat. These alerts, however, can be triggered by unrelated threat activity and are not monitored in the status cards provided with this report.

    • Possible Latrodectus activity
    • Brute Ratel toolkit related behavior
    • A file or network connection related to ransomware-linked actor Storm-0249 detected
    • Suspicious phishing activity detected

    Microsoft Defender for Office 365

    Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers enhanced solutions for blocking and identifying malicious emails. These alerts, however, can be triggered by unrelated threat activity.

    • A potentially malicious URL click was detected 
    • Email messages containing malicious URL removed after delivery
    • Email messages removed after delivery
    • A user clicked through to a potentially malicious URL
    • Suspicious email sending patterns detected
    • Email reported by user as malware or phish

    Defender for Office 365 also detects the malicious PDF attachments used in the phishing campaign launched by Storm-0249.

    Microsoft Security Copilot

    Security Copilot customers can use the standalone experience to create their own prompts or run the following pre-built promptbooks to automate incident response or investigation tasks related to this threat:

    • Incident investigation
    • Microsoft User analysis
    • Threat actor profile
    • Threat Intelligence 360 report based on MDTI article
    • Vulnerability impact assessment

    Note that some promptbooks require access to plugins for Microsoft products such as Microsoft Defender XDR or Microsoft Sentinel.

    Threat intelligence reports

    Microsoft customers can use the following reports in Microsoft products to get the most up-to-date information about the threat actor, malicious activity, and techniques discussed in this blog. These reports provide the intelligence, protection information, and recommended actions to prevent, mitigate, or respond to associated threats found in customer environments.

    Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence

    Microsoft Security Copilot customers can also use the Microsoft Security Copilot integration in Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence, either in the Security Copilot standalone portal or in the embedded experience in the Microsoft Defender portal to get more information about this threat actor.

    Hunting queries

    Microsoft Sentinel

    Microsoft Sentinel customers can use the TI Mapping analytics (a series of analytics all prefixed with ‘TI map’) to automatically match the malicious domain indicators mentioned in this blog post with data in their workspace. If the TI Map analytics are not currently deployed, customers can install the Threat Intelligence solution from the Microsoft Sentinel Content Hub to have the analytics rule deployed in their Sentinel workspace.

    Furthermore, listed below are some sample queries utilizing Sentinel ASIM Functions for threat hunting across both Microsoft first-party and third-party data sources.

    Hunt normalized Network Session events using the ASIM unifying parser _Im_NetworkSession for IOCs:

    let lookback = 7d;
let ioc_ip_addr = dynamic(["181.49.105.59 "]); 
_Im_NetworkSession(starttime=todatetime(ago(lookback)), endtime=now())
| where DstIpAddr in (ioc_ip_addr) 
| summarize imNWS_mintime=min(TimeGenerated), imNWS_maxtime=max(TimeGenerated), EventCount=count() by SrcIpAddr, DstIpAddr, DstDomain, Dvc, EventProduct, EventVendor

    Hunt normalized File events using the ASIM unifying parser imFileEvent for IOCs:

    let ioc_sha_hashes=dynamic(["fe0b2e0fe7ce26ae398fe6c36dae551cb635696c927761738f040b581e4ed422","bb3b6262a288610df46f785c57d7f1fa0ebc75178c625eaabf087c7ec3fccb6a","9728b7c73ef25566cba2599cb86d87c360db7cafec003616f09ef70962f0f6fc",
"3c482415979debc041d7e4c41a8f1a35ca0850b9e392fecbdef3d3bc0ac69960","165896fb5761596c6f6d80323e4b5804e4ad448370ceaf9b525db30b2452f7f5","a31ea11c98a398f4709d52e202f3f2d1698569b7b6878572fc891b8de56e1ff7",
"a1b4db93eb72a520878ad338d66313fbaeab3634000fb7c69b1c34c9f3e17727","0b22a0d84afb8bc4426ac3882a5ecd2e93818a2ea62d4d5cbae36d942552a36a","4d5839d70f16e8f4f7980d0ae1758bb5a88b061fd723ea4bf32b4b474c222bec","9bffe9add38808b3f6021e6d07084a06300347dd5d4b7e159d97e949735cff1e"]);  
imFileEvent
  | where SrcFileSHA256 in (ioc_sha_hashes) or TargetFileSHA256 in (ioc_sha_hashes)
  | extend AccountName = tostring(split(User, @'')[1]), AccountNTDomain = tostring(split(User, @'')[0])
  | extend AlgorithmType = "SHA256"

     Hunt normalized Web Session events using the ASIM unifying parser _Im_WebSession for IOCs:

    let lookback = 7d;
let ioc_domains = dynamic(["slgndocline.onlxtg.com ", "cronoze.com ", "muuxxu.com ", "proliforetka.com ", "porelinofigoventa.com ", "shareddocumentso365cloudauthstorage.com", "newsbloger1.duckdns.org"]);
  _Im_WebSession (starttime=ago(lookback), eventresult='Success', url_has_any=ioc_domains)
 | summarize imWS_mintime=min(TimeGenerated), imWS_maxtime=max(TimeGenerated), EventCount=count() by SrcIpAddr, DstIpAddr, Url, Dvc, EventProduct, EventVendor

    In addition to the above, Sentinel users can also leverage the following queries, which may be relevant to the content of this blog.

    Indicators of compromise

    BruteRatel C4 and Lactrodectus infection chain

    Indicator Type Description
    9bffe9add38808b3f6021e6d07084a06300347dd5d4b7e159d97e949735cff1e SHA-256 lrs_Verification_Form_1730.pdf
    0b22a0d84afb8bc4426ac3882a5ecd2e93818a2ea62d4d5cbae36d942552a36a SHA-256 Irs_verif_form_2025_214859.js
    4d5839d70f16e8f4f7980d0ae1758bb5a88b061fd723ea4bf32b4b474c222bec SHA-256 bars.msi
    a1b4db93eb72a520878ad338d66313fbaeab3634000fb7c69b1c34c9f3e17727 SHA-256 BRc4, filename: nvidiamast.dll
    hxxp://rebrand[.]ly/243eaa Domain name URL shortener to load fake DocuSign page
    slgndocline.onlxtg[.]com Domain name Domain used to host fake DocuSign page
    cronoze[.]com Domain name BRc4 C2
    muuxxu[.]com Domain name BRc4 C2
    proliforetka[.]com Domain name Latrodectus C2
    porelinofigoventa[.]com Domain name Latrodectus C2
    hxxp://slgndocline.onlxtg[.]com/87300038978/ URL Fake DocuSign URL
    hxxps://rosenbaum[.]live/bars.php URL JavaScript downloading MSI

    RaccoonO365

    Indicator Type Description
    shareddocumentso365cloudauthstorage[.]com Domain name RaccoonO365 domain

    AHKBot

    Indicator Type Description
    a31ea11c98a398f4709d52e202f3f2d1698569b7b6878572fc891b8de56e1ff7 SHA-256 Tax_Refund_Eligibility_Document.xlsm
    165896fb5761596c6f6d80323e4b5804e4ad448370ceaf9b525db30b2452f7f5 SHA-256 umbrella.msi
    3c482415979debc041d7e4c41a8f1a35ca0850b9e392fecbdef3d3bc0ac69960 SHA-256 AutoNotify.ahk
    9728b7c73ef25566cba2599cb86d87c360db7cafec003616f09ef70962f0f6fc SHA-256 AHKBot Screenshotter module
    hxxps://business.google[.]com/website_shared/launch_bw.html?f=hxxps://historyofpia[.]com/Tax_Refund_Eligibility_Document.xlsm URL URL redirecting to URL hosting malicious Excel file
    hxxps://historyofpia[.]com/Tax_Refund_Eligibility_Document.xlsm URL URL hosting malicious Excel file
    hxxps://acusense[.]ae/umbrella/ URL URL in macro that hosted the malicious MSI file
    181.49.105[.]59 IP address AHKBot C2

    Remcos

    Indicator Type Description
    bb3b6262a288610df46f785c57d7f1fa0ebc75178c625eaabf087c7ec3fccb6a SHA-256 2024 Tax Document_Copy (1).pdf
    fe0b2e0fe7ce26ae398fe6c36dae551cb635696c927761738f040b581e4ed422 SHA-256 2024 Tax Document.zip
    hxxps://www.dropbox[.]com/scl/fi/ox2fv884k4mhzv05lf4g1/2024-Tax-Document.zip?rlkey=fjtynsx5c5ow59l4zc1nsslfi&st=gvfamzw3&dl=1 URL URL in PDF
    newsbloger1.duckdns[.]org Domain name Remcos C2

    References

    Learn more

    For the latest security research from the Microsoft Threat Intelligence community, check out the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Blog: https://aka.ms/threatintelblog.

    To get notified about new publications and to join discussions on social media, follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/microsoft-threat-intelligence, and on X (formerly Twitter) at https://x.com/MsftSecIntel.

    To hear stories and insights from the Microsoft Threat Intelligence community about the ever-evolving threat landscape, listen to the Microsoft Threat Intelligence podcast: https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/microsoft-threat-intelligence.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New York Business Owner Sentenced for Illegally Transporting and Selling Probable Carcinogen

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Baltimore, Maryland – Today, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Idrissa Bagayoko, 59, of New York, New York, to one year of supervised release with three months of home confinement and restitution in the amount of $5,640, for illegally transporting and selling an unregistered toxic pesticide, SNIPER DDVP.

    Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Allison Landsman, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Special Agent in Charge Greg Thompson, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG), Mid-Atlantic Region; and Chief Carolyn Rogers, Elkton Police Department (EPD).

    In November 2024, after a four-day trial, a federal jury found Bagayoko guilty of recklessly transporting a dangerous probable carcinogen, the unregistered pesticide known as SNIPER DDVP, without proper documentation and knowingly selling SNIPER DDVP in Maryland.  Bagayoko was convicted under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Hazardous Material Transportation Act.

    According to evidence presented at trial, on September 29, 2021, Bagayoko drove from New York to Maryland and sold two boxes of the unregistered pesticide SNIPER DDVP to an individual.  He was later stopped by police in Elkton, Maryland, with 18 additional boxes of SNIPER DDVP.  Bagayoko, who owns and operates Maliba Trading LLC, procured a total of 1,920 bottles of SNIPER DDVP and drove from New York to Maryland to sell the illegal pesticide.

    Laboratory testing revealed Bagayoko was transporting SNIPER DDVP containing the chemical dichlorvos, which has been classified by the federal government as a probable human carcinogen.  The defendant transported more than 330 pounds of dichlorvos, without requisite shipping papers, which are required to alert first responders that they are dealing with a toxic chemical compound and probable carcinogen, in the event of an accident.  He subsequently sold two boxes of this unregistered pesticide to a distributor in Takoma Park, Maryland.

    “Illegally transporting and selling an illegal pesticide that is a known probable carcinogen puts public health at serious risk,” Hayes said.  “The District of Maryland is committed to rooting out criminal actors that brazenly violate federal transportation and environmental laws while simultaneously putting Maryland’s first responders and residents in harm’s way.”

    “The defendant illegally distributed, sold and transported a toxic pesticide across state lines and lied to local police, claiming he was only transporting tea,” Landsman said.  “Today’s sentencing reflects the dangerous nature of illegal pesticides being transported and sold in the United States and the serious consequences that flagrant offenders face for this egregious conduct.”

    “Recklessly transporting hazardous materials without proper documentation as required by federal regulations is illegal and poses a danger to the traveling public,” Thompson said. “Together with our federal, state, and local partners, we will continue to pursue individuals and companies that circumvent laws designed to safely move goods and products throughout the United States.”

    U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the EPA, DOT-OIG, and EPD for their help with the investigation.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Phillips and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kertisha Dixon and David Lastra who prosecuted the case.

    For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: In the year of the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Dmitry Chernyshenko honored the memory of Cuba’s national heroes

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    April 3, 2025

    The Russian delegation headed by Dmitry Chernyshenko visited memorable historical sites in the city of Santiago de Cuba as part of a working visit to the Republic of Cuba.

    2025 marks the 65th anniversary of the restoration of bilateral diplomatic relations between Russia and Cuba.

    A Russian delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Co-Chairman of the Intergovernmental Russian-Cuban Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation Dmitry Chernyshenko paid a working visit to the city of Santiago de Cuba.

    As part of it, the delegation visited a number of memorable historical sites. Thus, Dmitry Chernyshenko honored the memory of Cuban national heroes at the Santa Iphigenia cemetery, the Frank Pais Mausoleum of the Second Eastern Front, and the Moncada barracks.

    The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the visit is being carried out on the instructions of President Vladimir Putin, and also noted the symbolism of the beginning of the program in the city of Santiago de Cuba.

    The year 2025 marks the 65th anniversary of the restoration of bilateral diplomatic relations between Russia and Cuba, the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, and the 510th anniversary of the city of Santiago de Cuba, the hero city and cradle of the revolution.

    “It is a great honor to be here and honor the memory of the heroes who gave their lives for the sake of sovereignty and happiness of future generations. It is extremely important to remember this and raise our children in the spirit of respect and gratitude for everything they have done for us. Russia will support Cuba, helping the republic achieve its sovereignty. I wish you economic well-being and prosperity,” the Russian Deputy Prime Minister said.

    The Santa Iphigenia Cemetery is the largest in the city of Santiago de Cuba and the entire eastern part of the island and has the status of a national monument. There, the Deputy Prime Minister and members of the delegation laid flowers at the monument to the leader of the Cuban revolutionary movement, José Martí, national heroes Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and Mariana Grajales, as well as at the burial site of the remains of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz.

    “Russia and Cuba are a long-standing friendship and common values and principles – to defend national interests and strengthen sovereignty. The Republic has gone through many difficulties, in overcoming which Cubans have always shown fortitude and strength of spirit! I am grateful to the leadership of Santiago de Cuba for this opportunity to honor the memory of the heroes and leaders of the nation of the Island of Freedom! Russia, know that it is with you forever!” – wrote Dmitry Chernyshenko in the book of honored guests.

    In addition, during a working visit to the Republic of Cuba, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Chernyshenko held a working meeting with the Governor of the Province of Santiago de Cuba Manuel Falcon Hernandez.

    In the future, the delegation headed by the Russian Deputy Prime Minister will visit the capital of Cuba, Havana, where it will take part in the 22nd meeting of the Intergovernmental Russian-Cuban Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Pillen Comments on Trump Trade Plan

    Source: US State of Nebraska

    . Pillen Comments on Trump Trade Plan

     

    LINCOLN, NE – Governor Jim Pillen released the following statement regarding President Trump’s Liberation Day announcement of his fair-trade plan.

      “Our farmers and ranchers feed the world and produce the best. We lead on trade – and Nebraska is tired of being duped by takers around the world. President Trump is taking bold action to combat decades of cheating and unfair trade practices. In a phone call last night with Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, I told her that Nebraska is in this for the long haul. As a pork producer, I totally understand the short-term economic challenges we’re all feeling. But we’re working hard through this period, and I will do my best to ensure that Nebraska’s interests are heard during this time.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Vice Chairman of Smyth County School Board Pleads Guilty

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ABINGDON, Va. – The former Vice Chairman of the Smyth County School Board pled guilty today to using at least six minor, male victims to produce child pornography.

    Todd  Stewart Williams, 54, of Chilhowie, Virginia, pled guilty today to four counts of persuading, inducing, enticing, and coercing and attempting to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce one or more minors to engage in any sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing any visual depiction of such conduct, in interstate commerce.

    “The Internet has expanded the manner in which young people can be targeted by those looking to exploit them,” Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee said today. “Importantly, this case demonstrates that even those who are entrusted by our communities to oversee the welfare of our children may harbor intentions to exploit them, and for that reason we must be ever vigilant and responsive when our young people report abuse. I am thankful to the FBI both in Virginia and elsewhere for their diligence in bringing this case to justice.”

    “There is no place in our communities for someone who manipulates and abuses children, especially by someone in a position of influence. In addition to committing numerous reprehensible acts against minors, Williams betrayed the trust of parents in Smyth County where he was elected to oversee the education and well-being of students,” said Stanley Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division. “The FBI Richmond team stands with parents and educators to protect our children and ensure justice is served for all who seek to harm them.”

    According to court documents, Williams’s criminal activity came to the attention of law enforcement in September 2022 when a 15-year-old teenager living in Oklahoma reported to the FBI that Williams, using the Snapchat username “todd_w3411” requested nude images and videos of him.

    During an interview with law enforcement, the teen told investigators he met Williams in a Snapchat group intended for gay teenage males. Soon after they began chatting, Williams reached out to the teen and offered to make in-app purchases in an online video game in exchange for nude pictures of the teen.

    The FBI’s investigation uncovered multiple instances of Williams’s exploitation of multiple minors.  In one instance, Williams used Snapchat to communicate with a then 12-year-old minor and offered to purchase items for an online game before eventually offering to buy nude pictures and videos from the boy.

    Between August 2022 and January 2024, Williams sent the young victim nearly $1,000 in exchange for nude images and videos.

    In January 2023, Williams met another teen on Snapchat and paid the teen to take pictures and videos of him sexually abusing his younger stepbrother, who was 10-years-old at the time. As directed by Williams, the teen would approach his stepbrother in his bedroom at night and force his stepbrother to watch pornography and engage in sexual acts.

    Because the teen reached his $600 monthly limit on Cash App transactions, Williams mailed him a debit card hidden inside a pair of shoes to ensure he was able to purchase his videos.

    In a six-month period, Williams paid over $3,500 for nude images and videos of the teen and his stepbrother.

    In yet another interaction with a young teenage boy on Snapchat, Williams paid over $3,000 in exchange for nude images and videos of him and his teenage boyfriend.

    In all, Williams spent more than $10,000 buying nude images from at least six underage male victims.

    At sentencing, Williams faces a mandatory minimum sentence of up to fifteen years in prison and up to thirty years.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit Pierce is prosecuting the case.

    The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PREPARED REMARKS: Sanders Speech on Senate Vote to Block $8.8 Billion Sale of Heavy Bombs to Israel

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders

    WASHINGTON, April 3 – After filing Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) to block the sale of two of the most egregious Trump Administration offensive arms sales to Israel, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today rose to bring the JRDs up for a vote by the full Senate.

    The sales would provide almost $8.8 billion more in heavy bombs and other munitions to Netanyahu, including more than 35,000 massive 2,000-pound bombs.

    • The first resolution, S.J.Res 33, would block a sale of $2.04 billion for 35,329 MK 84 2,000 lb. bombs and 4,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads.
    • The second resolution, S.J.Res.26, would block $6.75 billion for 2,800 500-pound bombs, 2,166 Small Diameter Bombs, and tens of thousands of JDAM guidance kits.

    All of these systems have been linked to dozens of illegal airstrikes, including on designated humanitarian sites, resulting in thousands of civilian casualties. None of these systems are necessary to protect Israel from incoming drone or rocket attacks.

    The JRD is the only formal mechanism available to Congress to prevent an arms sale noticed by the administration from advancing.

    Sanders’ remarks introducing the vote today, as prepared for delivery, are below and can be watched live HERE:

    M. President, let me begin by telling the American people something they already know, and that is, as a result of the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, we now have a corrupt campaign finance system that allows billionaires to buy elections and to influence major pieces of legislation. That, I think, is not a secret to the American people.

    If you’re a Republican and you vote against the Trump administration in one way or another, you have to look over your shoulder and worry that you’re going to get a call from Elon Musk, the wealthiest man in the world. And he will tell you that if you vote against what he wants, he will spend unlimited amounts of money to defeat you in the next election. That’s not a great secret. That’s what Musk has been saying publicly. 

    If you’re a Democrat, you have to worry about the billionaires who fund AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. If you vote against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his horrific war in Gaza, AIPAC will punish you with millions of dollars in advertisements to see that you’re defeated. AIPAC’s PAC and Super PAC spent nearly $127 million combined during the 2023-2024 election cycle, according to the Federal Election Commission.

    And I must confess that AIPAC has been successful. Last year, they defeated two members of the U.S. House who opposed providing military aide to Netanyahu’s extremist government.

    Given all of that, I would hope that Democrats and Republicans who understand that they were elected to protect the interests of their constituents, not billionaire campaign contributors, would support the ending of Citizens United and the movement toward public funding of elections so billionaires could not continue to control the political and legislative process.

    Further, I would hope that both parties would move to end super PAC funding in their primaries. I would hope that would be the case so that we can once again become a government of the people, by the people, for the people – and not a government run by the billionaire class. 

    M. President, I trust that every American – and certainly every member of the Senate – understands that Hamas, a terrorist organization, began this terrible war with its barbaric October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 innocent people and took 250 hostages. The International Criminal Court was correct in indicting the leaders of Hamas as war criminals for those atrocities. Clearly, Israel had the right to defend itself against Hamas.

    But most Americans also understand that, while Israel had a right to wage war against Hamas, it did not and does have the right to wage war against the entire Palestinian population. Tragically, that is exactly what we have seen over the last year and a half.

    Let us be clear: Prime Minister Netanyahu’s racist and extremist government has waged an all-out barbaric war against the Palestinian people and made life unlivable in Gaza. Within Gaza’s population of just 2.2 million people, more than 50,000 people have been killed and more than 113,000 have been injured – 60 percent of whom are women, children, and elderly people. That is 7.4 percent of the population of Gaza killed or wounded. If those same percentages were applied to the United States, it would mean that over 25 million Americans would have been killed or wounded.

    In total, since the war began, 15,000 children in Gaza have been killed, and today there are more than 17,000 orphans. But it’s not just the dead and the wounded. Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment has damaged or destroyed two-thirds of all structures in Gaza, including 92 percent of the housing units.

    Almost no part of Gaza has been left unscathed. Most of the population now is living in tents or other makeshift structures.

    M. President, most of the territory’s hospitals and primary healthcare facilities have been bombed, leaving virtually all Gazans without basic medical care. Think about what that means. I have met repeatedly with American doctors and others who have served in Gaza. And they are treating hundreds of patients a day without electricity, without anesthesia, without clean water, including dozens of children arriving with gunshot wounds to the head. I have seen the photographs and the videos.

    Gaza’s civilian infrastructure has been totally devastated, including almost 90 percent of water and sanitation facilities. Most of the roads in Gaza have been destroyed and made impassable.

    Gaza’s educational system has been obliterated. Children are not going to school. According to the World Bank, more than 2,000 educational facilities, ranging from kindergartens to universities, have been destroyed. Hundreds of schools have been bombed, as has every single one of Gaza’s 12 universities.

    And M. President, there has been no electricity in Gaza for 17 months.

    Put simply, Netanyahu and his extremist government have killed or wounded over 7 percent of Gaza’s population and have turned Gaza into a wasteland unfit for human life.

    That is what has been going on over the last year and a half.

    M. President, in terms of where we are today: the Netanyahu government broke the ceasefire two weeks ago, endangering the well-being of the remaining hostages held by Hamas.

    Further, in the last two weeks, they have intensified their assault against the Palestinian people. According to UNICEF, since Netanyahu broke the ceasefire, more than 1,000 people have been killed, including over 300 children, and more than 600 children have been wounded. UNICEF says that most of these children were killed while sheltering in makeshift tents or damaged homes. Just in the last 24 hours, 97 more people have been killed in Gaza.

    Since Netanyahu broke the ceasefire, even more aid workers have been killed, putting the total over 400 since the war began. Earlier this week, the United Nations announced that they had recovered the bodies of 15 emergency aid workers, who were killed by Israeli forces while wearing their emergency responder uniforms and then dumped in a mass grave in southern Gaza. They were buried alongside their destroyed emergency vehicles – clearly marked ambulances, a fire truck, and a UN car.

    M. President, with the resumption of bombing, hundreds of thousands of Gazans are once again being forcibly displaced by bombing and evacuation orders. This week, Israeli authorities issued displacement orders for most of Rafah, where about 150,000 people were estimated to be sheltering.

    Think about what all of this means in human terms.

    Throughout this war, millions of desperately poor people in Gaza have been repeatedly driven from their homes. They have been forced to pick their way through a demolished landscape, again and again, with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Families have been herded into so-called “safe zones,” only to face continued bombardment.

    The children of Gaza have suffered a level of physical and emotional torture that is almost beyond comprehension and that will clearly stay with each and every one of them for the rest of their lives.

    These children are hungry. They are thirsty. It is hard to get clean water. They have been denied healthcare, and have witnessed the death of their parents, their family members, their homes, and virtually everything around them. And they have been picked up and moved from one place to another, all the while drones are above them shooting or photographing what they are doing.

    M. President, throughout this war, Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid have left hundreds of thousands of people, including tens of thousands of children, facing malnutrition and starvation. Children have literally starved to death while aid sat just miles away, blocked by Israeli forces. The UN, the United States, and every aid organization working in Gaza has been clear throughout this war: Israel’s unreasonable and unnecessary restrictions on humanitarian aid have contributed to massive death and profound suffering.

    But as bad as the last year and a half has been, at least Israel let some aid through – not enough, but some.

    But what is happening now is truly unthinkable.

    Today, it is 31 days and counting with absolutely NO humanitarian aid getting into Gaza. Nothing. No food, no water, no medicine, no fuel for over a month. That is as clear a violation of the Geneva Convention, the Foreign Assistance Act, and basic human decency. It is a war crime.

    You don’t starve children. And it is pushing things toward an even deeper catastrophe.

    Earlier this week, 25 bakeries supported by the World Food Programme were forced to close because they ran out of flour and cooking gas. The UN is still trying to distribute its remaining stocks of food already in Gaza, but says that “the situation remains extremely critical since the cargo closure of the crossings almost a month ago.”

    M. President, all of this is unconscionable. What we are talking about is a mass atrocity.

    And what makes it even worse, why I am here today, and why I have introduced these resolutions that we will soon be voting on, is that we, as Americans, are deeply complicit in what is happening in Gaza.

    This is not some terrible event. This is not an earthquake in Myanmar. It’s not something that we had nothing to do with.  We are deeply complicit in all of this death and suffering.

    Last year alone, the United States provided $18 billion in military aid to Israel and delivered more than 50,000 tons of military equipment. It is American bombs and American military equipment being used to destroy Gaza, kill 50,000 people, and injure over 110,000 people.

    We cannot hide from that reality.

    M. President, if we condone the barbarism that is taking place in Gaza today, we will have no standing in the world to condemn the horrors and war crimes that other countries may commit. You’re not going to be able to look at China or Russia or Saudi Arabia or any other country. We will have no credibility.

    M. President, today is the day to stand up to barbarism in Gaza and to do our best to prevent future barbaric acts all over the world. 

    It is no secret to anyone how these U.S. weapons have been used.

    Israel has bombed indiscriminately, killing civilians, journalists, paramedics, children, and humanitarian workers in record numbers. They have used massive 2,000-pound bombs in densely-populated Gaza, despite the fact studies show that 90 percent of victims of explosive weapons used in a populated area are civilians. These bombs have a blast radius of more than 350 meters, yet Israel has dropped them into crowded apartment buildings, killing hundreds of civilians to take out a handful of Hamas fighters.

    All of that is illegal and immoral and against American law.

    The Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act, what we’re talking about today, are very clear: the United States cannot provide weaponry to countries that violate internationally recognized human rights or block U.S. humanitarian aid.

    According to the UN, much of the international community, and every humanitarian organization on the ground in Gaza, Israel is clearly in violation of these laws. Under these circumstances, it is illegal for the United States government to provide Israel with more offensive weaponry. It is simply against our laws.

    Despite all of that, in the last month the Trump administration has announced its intention to transfer some $12.5 billion more in offensive weapons to Netanyahu’s government, in clear violation of U.S. law.

    M. President, that is why we are here today. Joint Resolutions of Disapproval are Congress’ tool to enforce American law.

    Today, we will vote on two resolutions to block two of the most egregious of these Trump administration offensive arms sales, which would provide almost $8.8 billion more in heavy bombs and other munitions to Netanyahu, including more than 35,000 massive 2,000-pound bombs that have killed so many civilians.

    The first resolution, S.J.Res 33, would block a sale of over $2 billion for 35,000 MK 84 2,000 lb. bombs and 4,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads.

    The second resolution, S.J.Res.26, would block almost $7 billion for 2,800 500-pound bombs, 2,100 Small Diameter Bombs, and tens of thousands of JDAM guidance kits.

    All of these systems have been linked to dozens of illegal airstrikes, including on designated humanitarian sites, resulting in thousands of civilian casualties. These strikes have been painstakingly documented by human rights monitors. There is no debate. And none of these systems are defensive, none of them are necessary to protect Israel from incoming drone or rocket attacks.

    M. President, for those of my colleagues who are ambivalent about these resolutions, let me say a word about how the Trump administration is ignoring the law in advancing these arms sales, in terms of the process. Unlike Biden, whose policies on Gaza I strongly opposed, President Trump is trying to circumvent Congress with these transfers, ignoring the Foreign Assistance Act by issuing a bogus “emergency declaration” to bypass Congressional review.

    There is no emergency to justify cutting Congress out of the process. In fact, some of the systems the Trump administration claims are part of this “emergency” sale have not yet been produced.

    This is also part of a broader Trump administration effort to cut Congress out of the arms sale process.

    M. President, it is no great secret that Congress is way out of touch with where the American people are on issue after issue. Everybody knows, Congress is way out of touch.

    The billions of dollars that we are providing to the Netanyahu extremist government is just one more example of how out of touch we are with the American people. 

    According to a recent Economist/YouGov poll in March, just 15 percent of the American people support increasing military aid to Israel, while 35 percent support decreasing military aid to Israel or stopping it entirely.

    To my Democratic colleagues, I would mention that just eight percent of Democrats support increasing military aid to Israel. 47 percent support decreasing military aid to Israel or stopping it entirely. Among Republicans, nine percent are for decreasing military aid and 15 percent are for stopping all. 

    M. President, I would ask that this poll be entered into the Congressional record. 

    And according to a J Street poll of Jewish voters in November, 62 percent of American Jews support withholding “shipments of offensive weapons like 2,000-pound bombs until Prime Minister Netanyahu agrees to an American proposal for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for a release of Israeli hostages.” And 71 percent of Jewish voters support increasing humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.

    Finally, M. President, as unbelievably horrific as the situation in Gaza is and has been for the last year and a half, there is another development that could make it even worse.

    In recent months, President Trump and Israeli officials have openly talked about forcibly expelling the 2.2 million people who live in Gaza to make way for what Trump calls a “Riviera” – some billionaires’ playground.

    A few years ago, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner said that he felt “Gaza’s waterfront property could be very valuable,” floating the idea of redeveloping it. I think that many people at the time thought that was a weird and terrible joke. But it turns out that his father-in-law Donald Trump took it seriously.

    Here’s what Trump has said, repeatedly, in recent months:

    “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it.”

    “We’re going to take over that piece, we’re going to develop it.”

    “I do see a long-term ownership position… Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land.”

    I guess he didn’t speak to too many Palestinians who live on that land.

    On Truth Social, Trump wrote, “The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting.”

    And what about the Palestinians who have lived in Gaza for their entire lives?

    Trump said, “I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza.” “They live like they’re living in hell. Gaza is not a place for people to be living.”

    Gaza could become “the Riviera of the Middle East … This could be something that could be so valuable, this could be so magnificent.”

    Throw 2.2 million people who have suffered incalculably out of the land in which they live in order to create a billionaire’s playground. 

    M. President, there is a name and a term for forcibly expelling people from where they live. It is called ethnic cleansing. It is illegal. It is a war crime.

    M. President, the United States must not continue to be complicit in the destruction of the Palestinian people in Gaza. History will not forgive us for this.

    The time is long overdue for us to tell the Netanyahu government that we will not provide more weapons of destruction to them. Instead, we must demand an immediate ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of the hostages, and the rebuilding of Gaza for the Palestinian people.

    For all of these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote YES on these two resolutions which would prevent illegal and immoral arms sales to Netanyahu, would uphold Congressional power and the rule of law, and would protect innocent life.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Prime Minister Carney meets with premiers to discuss next steps in Canada’s response to U.S. tariffs

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, met virtually with provincial and territorial premiers to discuss Canada’s co-ordinated response to the United States’ auto and reciprocal tariffs. The Prime Minister was joined by the Minister of International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs and President of the King’s Privy Council, Dominic LeBlanc.

    Canada’s First Ministers condemned the ongoing imposition of tariffs, which put thousands of good-paying jobs in both Canada and the U.S. at risk. While some important elements of the Canada-U.S. relationship have been preserved, Prime Minister Carney noted that the U.S. trade action will cause profound economic damage.

    First Ministers discussed how Canada is responding to the latest U.S. tariffs and defending the Canadian economy. Prime Minister Carney consulted with premiers on a response that maximizes impacts in the U.S., minimizes impacts on Canadians, and avoids escalating a trade crisis that Canada has worked hard to prevent. Canada will ensure that the proceeds of retaliatory tariffs will support workers and businesses affected by the U.S. tariffs. The Prime Minister noted the importance of maintaining resolve and unity as we confront this challenge.

    Prime Minister Carney shared updates with premiers on his recent conversations with U.S. and other international partners, including the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum.

    Prime Minister Carney committed to continuing to meet with the premiers in the weeks ahead.

    Associated Links

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Dems Rebuke Largest Tax Increase in History on American Consumers and Businesses

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

    Today, New Democrat Coalition Chair Brad Schneider (IL-10) and Trade & Tariffs Task Force Chair Don Beyer (VA-08) issued a statement following President Trump’s announcement of 25 percent taxes on all automobile imports and between 10 and 50 percent taxes on virtually every good imported from every U.S. trading partner:

    “President Trump’s latest announcement of a massive tax increase in the form of sweeping tariffs will not ‘liberate’ working people or businesses in America – it will handcuff them to a sinking economy weighed down by the President’s reckless, costly, and destructive trade policy.

    “The President’s premise that imposing the largest tax increase in American history will strengthen our economy and lower prices will undoubtedly prove to be one of the dumbest economic policy blunders in decades. These across-the-board taxes will hit the bank accounts of hardworking families and the bottom lines of small businesses as the price of every goods increases, from consumer goods like gas, groceries, and cars to raw materials like lumber, minerals, and metals.

    “President Trump has no clear strategy to strengthen our economy – his own team didn’t even know his plan – and he sees these taxes on consumers not as a means to an end, but as the end goal itself. This approach simply ignores reality, and it’s why industry leaders, economists, and the stock market have been sounding the alarm for weeks.

    “It’s time Republicans join Democrats in taking urgent action to restrict the President’s ability to impose these taxes unilaterally. That’s why we introduced legislation to enforce Congress’s constitutional duty to oversee trade policy, and we call on our colleagues across the aisle to join us in standing up for the American people by ending President Trump’s harmful campaign.”

    New Dem Members have introduced several bills to counter Trump’s unilateral tariffs and reclaim congressional authority to levy taxes, including the:

    • Repealing Outdated and Unilateral Tariff Authorities Act (H.R.2464), 
    • Prevent Tariff Abuse Act (H.R.407),
    • Congressional Trade Authority Act (H.R.1903), and
    • Reclaim Trade Powers Act (H.R.2459).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Lok Sabha Passes the Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024

    Source: Government of India

    Lok Sabha Passes the Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024

     “Bill Seeks to Unlock the Full Potential of India’s Vast and Strategic Coastline, Providing a Dedicated Legal Framework for Coastal Trade:” Sarbananda Sonowal 

     “Bill aligned with the vision of the National Logistics Policy for a Cost Efficient, Sustainable, Alternative for Logistics Movement:” Sarbananda Sonowal 

     “Under PM Narendra Modi ji’s Visionary Leadership, India’s Coastal Cargo Traffic Surges 119% since 2014, Eyes 230 Million Tonnes by 2030:” Sarbananda Sonowal 

     “Bill provides a legal framework to integrate the National Coastal and Inland Shipping Strategic Plan, promoting regional development of riverine and coastal areas:” Sarbananda Sonowal 

     “Coastal Shipping Bill firmly grounded in the Spirit of Cooperative Federalism”: Sarbananda Sonowal

    Posted On: 03 APR 2025 8:10PM by PIB Delhi

    The Lok Sabha passed the Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024, paving the way for a dedicated legal framework for coastal trade as the maritime sector aims to provide a economical, reliable and sustainable mode of transportation as it decongest road and rail network. “The Bill seeks to unlock the full potential of India’s vast and strategic coastline, providing dedicated legal framework for coastal trade,” asserted Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. 

    The Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024 aims to make coastal trade easier, more competitive, and better integrated with PM Shri Narendra Modi Govt’s overall transport vision — the National Logistics Policy. With its manifold forward looking provisions, the bill provides a future ready legal framework while upgrading the dated provision of earlier legislations like Merchant Shipping Act, 1958. The proposed bill introduces key provisions for licensing and regulating foreign vessels in India’s coasting trade. It mandates the formulation of a National Coastal and Inland Shipping Strategic Plan and establishes a National Database for Coastal Shipping. The bill also regulates foreign vessels chartered by Indian entities and outlines penalties for violations, aligning with the government’s push for decriminalising laws. Additionally, it grants the Director General of Shipping authority to seek information, issue directions, and enforce compliance, while empowering the Central Government to provide exemptions and regulatory oversight, ensuring streamlined and efficient coastal shipping operations in India.

    Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, “The Coastal Shipping Bill aligns local aspirations with national goals, and provides a framework for the next 25 years of coastal economic growth under the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. The overarching goal of the Bill to develop a coastal fleet owned and operated by Indian entities will lead to reduced dependence on foreign vessels for critical areas relevant for our country’s coastal shipping. It will reduce logistics costs, promote green transport, support the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and create thousands of jobs in shipbuilding, port services and manning of vessels. The bill is in line with international best practices for adopting dedicated law for coastal trade but adopted to suit Indian conditions. This Bill provides a dedicated legal framework to boost coastal trade, propelling inland waterways and riverine economies while offering a low-cost, reliable, and sustainable alternative to overloaded road and rail networks.”

    The Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024 aims to reduce logistics costs and promote sustainable transport. Coastal shipping, a cost-efficient and low-emission mode of transport, will play a key role in easing India’s overburdened road and rail networks. Key provisions of the Bill include the removal of the general trading license requirement for Indian ships (Clause 3), reducing compliance burdens and enhancing ease of doing business. Foreign vessels can engage in coastal trade only under a license issued by the Director General of Shipping (Clause 4), with conditions that support Indian shipbuilding and employment for seafarers. The Bill mandates a National Coastal and Inland Shipping Strategic Plan (Clause 8), revised biennially, to improve route planning, forecast traffic, and integrate coastal shipping with inland waterways. This strategic vision ensures long-term growth and sustainability in India’s maritime sector.

    On the bill’s efficacy with present day realities as well as its role as a future ready framework, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, “The new Coastal Shipping Bill modernises and streamlines coastal trade regulations, addressing gaps in the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958. Unlike its predecessor, which focused solely on vessel licensing, this Bill provides a forward-looking, holistic framework aligned with global cabotage practices. It simplifies procedures, promotes growth, & integrates coastal shipping into India’s modern logistics network, ensuring efficiency, sustainability and competitiveness in the maritime sector.”

    The Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024 builds on key reforms, including prioritised berthing, green clearance channels, and GST reduction on bunker fuel. Coastal cargo traffic has surged 119% in the last decade, from 74 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 162 million tonnes in 2023-24, with a target of 230 million tonnes by 2030. The Bill ensures legal clarity, regulatory stability, and investment-friendly policies, strengthening India’s maritime security and advancing the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

    On the possibilities from strategic integration of coastal shipping with inland waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, “The integration of coastal and inland waterways will promote regional development of riverine and coastal areas alike in the country. This Bill will also give impetus to the long-term vision of development of coastal and inland waterways transport in States such as Odisha, Karnataka and Goa among others. The integration of coastal shipping routes with inland waterways — which often traverse multiple states — calls for collective planning and coordinated execution. By recognising the role of States in this regard, this Bill ensures that the growth of coastal shipping is inclusive and participative.”

    The Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024 introduces a National Database of Coastal Shipping to enhance transparency, coordination, and data-driven decision-making. It also expands the category of charterers allowed to hire foreign vessels, including Indian citizens, NRIs, OCIs, and LLPs. Ensuring cooperative federalism, the Bill provides active representation for States and Union Territories in key mechanisms, reinforcing India’s commitment to a streamlined, inclusive, and efficient maritime sector.

    Allaying criticism of the Opposition parties, the Union Minister asserted, “The Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024 upholds cooperative federalism by ensuring active participation of States and Union Territories. Under Clause 8(3), a committee—comprising representatives from major ports, State Maritime Boards, and experts—will draft the National Coastal and Inland Shipping Strategic Plan. This guarantees States a direct role in shaping strategy, routes, and regulations. By integrating coastal shipping with inland waterways, the Bill enables collective planning, fostering inclusive growth aligned with Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.”

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: TARGET OF DOUBLING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 03 APR 2025 5:40PM by PIB Delhi

    The Government has prepared plans across key sectors namely Industry, Buildings (including appliances), Transport and Others/Miscellaneous. By implementing these plans, it is aimed to reduce the energy consumption by 89 Million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) in 2030 as compared to the scenario in which these interventions are not carried out.

    Sustainable cooling acts as a tool to address the growing cooling demand. To balance the growing cooling demand while ensuring the sustainable and energy efficient cooling solutions, two new building codes: the Energy Conservation and Sustainable Building Code (ECSBC) for commercial buildings and the Eco Niwas Samhita (ENS) for residential buildings have been published by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) for adoption by States. The Air-conditioners, Ceiling Fans and Refrigerators have been brought under mandatory compliance of Standard and Labelling programme to ensure that energy efficient devices are deployed for cooling purposes.

    Additionally, with the overarching goal to address the rising cooling demand, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP).

    Bureau of Energy Efficiency, under the aegis of Ministry of Power has taken several initiatives to promote the energy efficiency in industry, transport and domestic sectors which includes;

    1. Perform, Achieve and Trade scheme to improve energy efficiency in energy-intensive industries. It sets sector-specific energy reduction targets, allowing industries to earn Energy Saving Certificates for exceeding targets, which can be traded on power exchanges. This incentivizes cost-effective energy savings while providing flexibility in compliance.
    2. Under the Standards and Labelling programme, the major energy consuming appliances are given star rating from 1 to 5 with 5 star as most efficient appliance. Based on star label, the consumer is encouraged for making informed choice regarding purchase of energy efficient appliances thereby saving electricity consumption.
    3. The Energy Conservation and Sustainable Building Code (ECSBC) for commercial buildings and the Eco Niwas Samhita (ENS) for residential buildings have been published for energy savings in building sector. These codes are to be adopted and implemented by the States / local bodies.
    4. Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency norms for passenger cars for energy savings in transport sector.

    This information was given by the Minister of State for Power, Shri Shripad Naik in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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    SK

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