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Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tony Blair opposes phasing out fossil fuels. These academics disagree

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jack Marley, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition

    Rapidly phasing out fossil fuels and limiting energy consumption to tackle climate change is “a strategy doomed to fail” according to former UK prime minister Tony Blair.

    In the foreword of a new report, Blair urges governments to rethink their approach to reaching net zero emissions.

    Instead of policies that are seen by people as involving “financial sacrifices”, he says world leaders should deploy carbon capture and storage, including technological and nature-based approaches, to meet the rising demand for fossil fuels.

    But speak to many academic experts on climate change and they will tell a very different story: that there is no strategy for addressing climate change that does not involve ending, or at least massively reducing, fossil fuel combustion.

    This roundup of The Conversation’s climate coverage comes from our award-winning weekly climate action newsletter. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed.

    A fossil fuel phase-out is ‘essential’

    “There is a wealth of scientific evidence demonstrating that a fossil fuel phase-out will be essential for reining in the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change,” says Steve Pye, an associate professor of energy at UCL.



    Read more:
    COP28 president is wrong – science clearly shows fossil fuels must go (and fast)

    “I know because I have published some of it.”

    Ed Hawkins, a climate scientist at the University of Reading, agrees.

    “Rapidly reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, and not issuing new licenses to extract oil and gas, is the most effective way of minimising future climate-related disruptions,” he says.



    Read more:
    Science shows the severe climate consequences of new fossil fuel extraction

    “The sooner those with the power to shape our future recognise this, the better.”

    Fossil fuels are responsible for 90% of the carbon dioxide heating the climate. The amount burned annually is still rising, and so is the rate at which the world is getting hotter. Scientists now fear we are approaching irreversible tipping points in the climate system, hence their support for an urgent replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy.



    Read more:
    Climate tipping points are nearer than you think – our new report warns of catastrophic risk

    Blair is confident that an emergency response on this scale can be avoided by absorbing CO₂ immediately after burning fossil fuels, from the smokestacks where the greenhouse gas is concentrated.

    Not all of the emissions responsible for climate change would be prevented. UCL earth system scientist Mark Maslin says that natural gas, which would linger as an energy source thanks to carbon capture, still leaks from pipelines and storage vessels upstream of power plants.



    Read more:
    The UK’s £22 billion bet on carbon capture will lock in fossil fuels for decades

    Commercial applications of the technology also have a poor track record. Just two large-scale coal-fired power plants are operating with CCS worldwide – one in the US and one in Canada.

    “Both have experienced consistent underperformance, recurring technical issues and ballooning costs,” Maslin says.

    CCS is no alternative to turning off the fossil fuel taps.
    Pan Demin/Shutterstock

    Blair might baulk at what he perceives to be the expense of ditching fossil fuels. But economic modelling led by Oxford University’s Andrea Bacilieri suggests his concern is misplaced. A rapid phase-out of fossil fuels could save US$30 trillion (US$1 trillion a year) by 2050 she concludes, compared with allowing power plants and factories to keep burning them with CCS.

    Developing CCS will be necessary to help manage an orderly transition from fossil fuels according to Myles Allen, a professor of geosystem science at Oxford University. But it is not a substitute for undergoing that transition, he says.



    Read more:
    Getting carbon capture right will be hard – but that doesn’t make it optional

    “Above all, we need to make sure the availability of CCS does not encourage yet more CO₂ production.”

    Keeping the public on board

    Is Blair right to fret about a public backlash to lower energy use? Academics suggest multiple reasons to think otherwise if the alternative is prolonging the use of fossil fuels.



    Read more:
    Should you get a heat pump? Here’s how they compare to a gas boiler

    Replacing a gas boiler with a heat pump that runs on electricity, for example, can lower a household’s energy consumption without a deliberate effort. That’s because renewable appliances convert power to heat more efficiently (how much depends on how well insulated the home is).



    Read more:
    Heat pumps without home insulation could raise bills and energy demand – here’s what the government can do

    In fact, it’s dependence on fossil fuel that is preventing many households from making this switch. The high wholesale price of gas determines the cost of electricity for UK consumers.



    Read more:
    How gas keeps the UK’s electricity bills so high – despite lots of cheap wind power

    And surveys repeatedly show that support for net zero policies is broad and deep in the UK – including those that would involve lifestyle changes say Lorraine Whitmarsh (University of Bath), Caroline Verfuerth and Steve Westlake (both Cardiff University), who research public behaviour and climate change.



    Read more:
    Net zero: direct costs of climate policies aren’t a major barrier to public support, research reveals

    “Crucially, the public wants and needs the government to show clear and consistent leadership on climate change,” they say.

    Meanwhile, what can corrode public acceptance of sacrifices is the high-consuming behaviour of a minority (think pop stars in rockets, as Westlake recently argued). And, arguably, the statements of powerful people like Blair.



    Read more:
    Why Katy Perry’s celebrity spaceflight blazed a trail for climate breakdown

    New research even suggests the politics that Blair and many others like him favour might also play a role here. Felix Schulz (Lund University) and Christian Bretter (The University of Queensland) are social scientists who study how ideology affects personal views on climate policy.

    They identified respondents in six countries (the UK, US, Germany, Brazil, South Africa and China) who shared Blair’s neoliberal worldview, which the pair define as a belief that individuals are primarily responsible for their own fortune, and need to take care of themselves – as well as an abiding faith in the free market.



    Read more:
    People with neoliberal views are less likely to support climate-friendly policies – new research

    “We observed a strong link between a neoliberal worldview and lack of support for the climate policies in our study,” they say.

    Schulz and Bretter urge us to consider how someone’s ideology ultimately shapes their understanding of the problem and its solutions as well.

    – ref. Tony Blair opposes phasing out fossil fuels. These academics disagree – https://theconversation.com/tony-blair-opposes-phasing-out-fossil-fuels-these-academics-disagree-254530

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Even mild face blindness can cause serious difficulties in daily life – new study

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Judith Lowes, Lecturer in Psychology, University of Stirling

    Peter JB Hancock, CC BY-ND

    Have you ever been ignored by someone you knew when you bumped into them in the street or at an event? If so, you probably thought they were being rude. But they might have face blindness – a condition officially known as developmental prosopagnosia.

    In a new study my colleagues and I conducted, 29 adults with face blindness revealed the daily challenges they face. Ten of the participants said they could not reliably recognise immediate family members, and 12 couldn’t recognise closest friends in out-of-context or unexpected encounters. Yet many felt it was socially difficult to admit these struggles.

    One of the participants didn’t recognise her husband of 30 years when he unexpectedly came to pick her up from the airport. Another described how “when I am off work for a week and come back it’s really hard to figure out who is who”.

    Although public awareness of face blindness is low, there is a high chance that you already know someone with face recognition difficulties. Around one in 50 people have developmental prosopagnosia, a lifelong condition that causes severe face recognition difficulties despite otherwise normal vision, IQ and memory.

    Researchers usually describe not being able to recognise close friends and family as a “severe” form of prosopagnosia, but our new study – conducted with a colleague at Dartmouth College in the US – shows that even people classified as having “mild” prosopagnosia can have serious difficulties in daily life. This suggests that prosopagnosia diagnosis should consider real-life experiences, not just lab tests.

    Most face-blind participants who took part in the research had tried various strategies to recognise people. However, these methods required huge mental effort and often didn’t work. For example, keeping detailed notes, or even spreadsheets, with descriptions and cues about people they have met. Or mentally trying to associate a name with a personally distinctive feature.

    However, participants admitted their strategies were often “exhausting” and were particularly difficult to use at work when they were busy, concentrating on a task, or because colleagues wore uniforms or similar work clothing.

    Some prosopagnosics said they used unusual ways to recognise others, for example, by smell. Another said that worrying about a face distracted them, so they found it more helpful to look at people from behind to work out who they were.

    Prosopagnosics told researchers how their condition caused them considerable difficulties at school, at work and in everyday social situations. Two-thirds of the prosopagnosics said they could recognise fewer than ten familiar faces. Previous research suggests most adults recognise around 5,000 faces, so this difference is huge.

    A widespread worry among people with face blindness was being misjudged as rude, uncaring, or even “a bit dim” by others who didn’t understand the condition. This concern often led to social anxiety and reduced self-confidence in social situations.

    A common coping strategy was to avoid social gatherings or to deliberately keep social circles small to limit the number of faces people had to try and learn. But these strategies sometimes had a downside.

    Looking back on their lives, some people felt that their face recognition difficulties had left them socially isolated, or with “poorly developed” social skills because they hadn’t mixed much with others while growing up.

    Prosopagnosics were asked what they thought future research into face blindness should focus on. Their top priority was improved awareness and understanding that this condition exists and how it affects people. They thought this was particularly important for employers, schools and medical staff – but also for the general public.

    The research found that many simple things could make life much easier for people with face recognition difficulties. Providing large name badges at events and conferences is a simple but helpful adjustment.

    Participants said they found it a huge relief when meetings started with a round of introductions, the chair always addressed people by name, or they were given seating plans. Hot desking causes problems, so keeping a regular seating plan in a workplace or classroom can help face-blind people learn who usually sits where.

    If you are meeting a face-blind friend, sending a quick message beforehand to let them know what you are wearing and exactly where you are sitting can also help.

    A form of neurodivergence

    My colleagues and I believe that developmental prosopagnosia should be considered a type of neurodivergence. This term describes someone whose brain works differently from what is considered typical. It usually includes people with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia.

    Recognising face blindness as a form of neurodivergence isn’t just about awareness, it’s about dignity, inclusion and making everyday life easier for thousands of people.

    Judith Lowes receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council and the British Psychological Society Cognitive Section.

    – ref. Even mild face blindness can cause serious difficulties in daily life – new study – https://theconversation.com/even-mild-face-blindness-can-cause-serious-difficulties-in-daily-life-new-study-254644

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Medicine’s overgeneralization problem — and how AI might make things worse

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Benjamin Chin-Yee, Hematologist/Assistant Professor, Western University

    In medicine, there’s a well-known maxim: never say more than your data allows. It’s one of the first lessons learned by clinicians and researchers.

    Journal editors expect it. Reviewers demand it. And medical researchers mostly comply. They hedge, qualify and narrow their claims — often at the cost of clarity. Take this conclusion, written to mirror the style of a typical clinical trial report:

    “In a randomized trial of 498 European patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, the treatment increased median progression free survival by 4.6 months, with grade three to four adverse events in 60 per cent of patients and modest improvements in quality-of-life scores, though the findings may not generalize to older or less fit populations.”

    It’s medical writing at its most exacting — and exhausting. Precise, but not exactly easy to take in.

    Unsurprisingly, then, those careful conclusions often get streamlined into something cleaner and more confident. The above example might be simplified into something like: “The treatment improves survival and quality of life.” “The drug has acceptable toxicity.” “Patients with multiple myeloma benefit from the new treatment.” Clear, concise — but often beyond what the data justify.

    Philosophers call these kinds of statements generics — generalizations without explicit quantifiers. Statements like “the treatment is effective” or “the drug is safe” sound authoritative, but they don’t say: For whom? How many? Compared to what? Under what conditions?

    Generalizations in medical research

    In previous work in the ethics of health communication, we highlighted how generics in medical research tend to erase nuance, transforming narrow, population-specific findings into sweeping claims that readers might misapply to all patients.

    In a systematic review of over 500 studies from top medical journals, we found more than half made generalizations beyond the populations studied. More than 80 per cent of those were generics, and fewer than 10 per cent offered any justification for these broad claims.

    Researchers’ tendency to over-generalize may reflect a deeper cognitive bias. Faced with complexity and limited attention, humans naturally gravitate toward simpler, broader claims — even when they stretch beyond what the data support. In fact, the very drive to explain the data, to tell a coherent story, can lead even careful researchers to overgeneralize.

    Artificial intelligence (AI) now threatens to significantly exacerbate this problem. In our latest research, we tested 10 widely used large language models (LLMs) — including ChatGPT, DeepSeek, LLaMA and Claude — on their ability to summarize abstracts and articles from top medical journals.

    Even when prompted for accuracy, most models routinely removed qualifiers, oversimplified findings and repackaged researchers’ carefully contextualized claims as broader statements.

    AI-generated summaries

    Analyzing nearly 5,000 LLM-generated summaries, we found rates of such over-generalizations as high as 73 per cent for some models. Very often, they converted non-generic claims into generics, for example, shifting from “the treatment was effective in this study,” to simply “the treatment is effective,” which misrepresented the study’s true scope.

    Strikingly, when we compared LLM-generated summaries to ones written by human experts, chatbots were nearly five times more likely to produce broad generalizations. But perhaps most concerning was that newer models — including ChatGPT-4o and DeepSeek — tended to generalize more, not less.

    What explains these findings? LLMs trained on overgeneralized scientific texts may inherit human biases from the input. Through reinforcement learning from human feedback, they may also start favouring confident, broad conclusions over careful, contextualized claims, because users often prefer concise, assertive responses.

    The resulting miscommunication risks are high, because researchers, clinicians and students increasingly use LLMs to summarize scientific articles.

    In a recent global survey of nearly 5,000 researchers, almost half reported already using AI in their research — and 58 per cent believed AI currently does a better job summarizing literature than humans. Some claim that LLMs can outperform medical experts in clinical text summarization.

    Our study casts doubt on that optimism. Over-generalizations produced by these tools have the potential to distort scientific understanding on a large scale. This is especially worrisome in high-stakes fields like medicine, where nuances in population, effect size and uncertainty really matter.

    Precision matters

    So what can be done? For human authors, clearer guidelines and editorial policies that address both how data are reported and how findings are described can reduce over-generalizations in medical writing. Also, researchers using LLMs for summarization should favour models like Claude — the most accurate LLM in our study — and remain aware that even well-intentioned accuracy prompts can backfire.

    AI developers, in turn, could build prompts into their LLMs that encourage more cautious language when summarizing research. Lastly, our study’s methodology can help benchmark LLMs’ overgeneralization tendency before deploying them in real-world contexts.

    In medical research, precision matters — not only in how we collect and analyze data, but also in how we communicate it. Our research reveals a shared tendency in both humans and machines to overgeneralize — to say more than what the data allows.

    Tackling this tendency means holding both natural and artificial intelligence to higher standards: scrutinizing not only how researchers communicate results, but how we train the tools increasingly shaping that communication. In medicine, careful language is imperative to ensure the right treatments reach the right patients, backed by evidence that actually applies.

    Benjamin Chin-Yee receives funding from the Gates Cambridge Trust and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    Uwe Peters receives funding from a Volkswagen research grant on meta-science (“The Cultural
    Evolution of Scientific Practice”; WBS GW.001123.2.4).

    – ref. Medicine’s overgeneralization problem — and how AI might make things worse – https://theconversation.com/medicines-overgeneralization-problem-and-how-ai-might-make-things-worse-252486

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Magaziner, Amo Honor Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio on House Floor

    Source: US Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02) and Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-01)  spoke on the House Floor to honor the late Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio of North Providence. Over the course of more than 40 years in the Rhode Island state legislature, Senate President Ruggerio fiercely advocated for the people and places that make Rhode Island unique. On April 21, 2025, he passed away after a long battle with cancer.

    “President Ruggerio dedicated his life to making Rhode Island a better place, devoting forty years of service in the Rhode Island State Senate, culminating in his leadership as Senate President. Through it all, he was a tireless advocate for working people, a skilled legislator, and a kind and gracious presence to everyone he met,” said Representative Magaziner. “When I was state treasurer, I was proud to work with him on the 2018 statewide school construction initiative, where we made a historic investment in repairing or replacing hundreds of Rhode Island public school buildings.”

    “Donny, as he was referred to by those who knew him best, was a force to be reckoned with. A forza, as his Italian loved ones would say. For over 40 years as a state legislator for North Providence — a jewel of the First Congressional District — President Ruggerio served as a champion for all Rhode Islanders,” said Congressman Amo. “Earlier this week, we came together at St. Anthony Church in North Providence to remember this beloved icon in Rhode Island history. Today, I join President Ruggerio’s friends, family, staff, and colleagues who will carry on the torch that he lit and ensure that his legacy shines a light for generations to come.

    WATCH CONGRESSMAN MAGAZINER AND CONGRESSMAN AMO’S REMARKS

    MAGAZINER REMARKS AS DELIVERED

    Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a true Rhode Island public servant, State Senate President Dominick Ruggerio.

    President Ruggerio dedicated his life to making Rhode Island a better place, devoting forty years of service in the Rhode Island State Senate, culminating in his leadership as Senate President.

    Through it all, he was a tireless advocate for working people, a skilled legislator, and a kind and gracious presence to everyone he met.

    President Ruggerio made his career in the labor movement, working with the Laborer’s International Union of North America before retiring where he assumed the office of Senate President.

    During his tenure in the Senate, he championed raising the minimum wage, protecting workers’ pensions, and rebuilding infrastructure among many other causes.

    When I was state treasurer, I was proud to work with him on the 2018 statewide school construction initiative, where we made a historic investment in repairing or replacing hundreds of Rhode Island public school buildings.

    I saw on that occasion and throughout my time in the State House that his commitment to the future of our state was unwavering.

    My thoughts are with Dominick Ruggerio’s family on his passing this past week, particularly with his children Charlie and Amanda, and his four grandchildren, and with all in Rhode Island who had the privilege to know and to work with him.

    I yield back.

    AMO REMARKS AS DELIVERED

    I rise today to honor Rhode Island’s late, great, Senate President, Dominick Ruggerio

    Mr. Speaker, Donny, as he was referred to by those who knew him best, was a force to be reckoned with.

    A forza, as his Italian loved ones would say.

    For over 40 years as a state legislator for North Providence — a jewel of the First Congressional District — President Ruggerio served as a champion for all Rhode Islanders.

    From infrastructure to the environment, labor protections and more, he fought for the places and the people who make the Ocean State great.

    Hardworking people like my mom, who worked for years as an SEIU nurse in Rhode Island nursing homes.

    Every time our paths crossed, he would remind me how, with enough hard work, grit, and determination, that anything is possible — even my own story.

    Donny loved our state and he loved our state house.

    Throughout his tenure, he mentored so many legislators, countless legislators — regardless of which side of the aisle they sat on.

    His passing last week after a lengthy battle with cancer is both a profound loss for our community and for our state.

    Earlier this week, we came together at St. Anthony Church in North Providence to remember this beloved icon in Rhode Island history.

    Today, I join President Ruggerio’s friends, family, staff, and colleagues who will carry on the torch that he lit and ensure that his legacy shines a light for generations to come.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Increased BC Parks licence plate sales support more, better parks programs

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Sales of the BC Parks licence plates continue to grow, helping to protect unique species and ecosystems, and improving visitors’ experiences in provincial parks.

    Between April 2023 and March 2024, more than 84,000 BC Parks licence plates were bought, a 7% increase from the same period a year before.

    “Everyone who has bought BC Parks licence plates is supporting a more sustainable future by contributing to the protection and preservation of unique species and sensitive ecosystems, as well as supporting First Nations to share their cultures and histories,” said Tamara Davidson, Minister of Environment and Parks. “From the mountains to the coast, we’ve worked with First Nations and community partners on a variety of grassroots projects. My recent visit with BC Parks staff has shown me first-hand the work that can be accomplished with these programs that are making an incredible impact on parks.”

    The licence-plate sales generated approximately $11 million in net revenue, supporting more than 250 projects and programs in parks throughout B.C. This includes a wide range of initiatives, such as the Student Ranger Program, wildlife inventories, partnerships with First Nations on educational programs and signs, wildfire-fuel mitigation, invasive-species management, ecosystem restoration, and educational programs for children and families.

    At Helliwell Park on Hornby Island, licence-plate funds help support the recovery of the endangered Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly. In 2015, BC Parks partnered with community members and scientists to begin restoring the park’s coastal-bluff meadows. The goal was to create habitat suitable for the release of hundreds of Taylor’s checkerspot larvae being captively bred at the Greater Vancouver Zoo.

    Historically, the Taylor’s checkerspot was found in several areas of southern Vancouver Island, including Helliwell Park in the early 1990s. The species was thought to be gone from Canada. However, undocumented populations were found on Denman Island in 2006 and on private land in the Courtenay area in 2018.

    Last year was the fourth year that captively bred Taylor’s checkerspot larvae were reintroduced into Helliwell Park. The butterflies are now breeding in the park and adult butterflies have been spotted flying around.

    “Support from the licence-plate program has been crucial to the success of our project,” said Chris Junck, outreach co-ordinator, Taylor’s Checkerspot Recovery Project. “In particular, consistent funding for several years enabled us to expand habitat restoration areas required to re-establish the butterfly population, and conduct surveys to monitor their survival.”

    In Gowlland Tod Park near Victoria, the PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ Foundation used funding from the licence-plate program to assist with ecosystem restoration and the development of a restoration lesson plan for teachers to encourage land-based learning and respect for Indigenous culture.

    More than 500 students and volunteers have helped remove invasive plants, plant and seed native species and remediate contaminated areas in the park. The foundation is also in the process of installing interpretive signs to increase public awareness, understanding and respect for the importance of protecting and nurturing native species.

    The Tod Inlet area of Gowlland Tod Park is also known as SNIDȻEȽ in the SENĆOŦEN language of the W̱SÁNEĆ people and means Place of the Blue Grouse. It is an important area to the W̱SÁNEĆ and abundant with traditional food resources. 

    “The SNIDȻEȽ Resiliency Project is a collaborative initiative actively restoring the important native ecosystems of SNIDȻEȽ, which is the first WŚANEĆ village site,” said Judith Lyn Arney, ecosystems director for the PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ Foundation. “Since 2010, W̱SÁNEĆ children and community members, local schools and organizations, international visitors and programs, and countless individuals passionate about reciprocity to the land have all participated in the healing of this special place. The PEPAKEṈ HÁUTW̱ Foundation is grateful for the support of the licence-plate program in this beautiful project.”

    Funding from the licence-plate program helped buy an adaptive mountain bike in the Kootenays so people with mobility challenges can enjoy outdoor recreation. It has also helped the BC Parks iNaturalist Program reach one million observations within six years.

    The iNaturalist Program is a collaboration between the BC Parks Foundation, BC Parks, University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University, and encourages people to use iNaturalist to instantly identify plants and animals in parks by recording and sharing their observations. More than 13,000 people have contributed to the project, recording nearly 14,000 species in parks and protected areas. Scientists use the data to better understand what species live in parks. They have found endangered and threatened species, as well as discovering new species for B.C. and Canada.

    “Your BC Parks licence plate not only looks great on your car, it shows you are a proud B.C. resident who supports the most beautiful places in this province,” said Andy Day, CEO, BC Parks Foundation. “Funds from your licence plate are used to keep parks beautiful and create more activities and adventures for you to enjoy, many of which you can now find at www.DiscoverParks.ca. Thanks for keeping B.C. beautiful by getting a plate.”

    The BC Parks Licence Plate Program is a partnership between the Province and ICBC. Licence-plate sales have been steadily increasing since 2020. As of March 2025, more than 552,000 licence plates have been sold, generating more than $54 million in net revenue for the program.

    Learn More:

    To learn more about the BC Parks Licence Plate Program and how to purchase a licence plate, visit: https://bcparks.ca/get-involved/buy-licence-plate/

    To view the 2023/2024 licence plate program report, visit: https://bcparks.ca/get-involved/buy-licence-plate/#annual-report

    For more information about BC Parks, visit: https://bcparks.ca/

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Photo & Video Chronology — April 25 & 29, 2025 — Kīlauea eruption pause

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Photo & Video Chronology — April 25 & 29, 2025 — Kīlauea eruption pause

    A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitoring helicopter overflight midday on April 29, 2025, provided views Halema‘uma‘u during a pause in eruptive activity at Kīlauea. 

    This photograph, taken during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitoring helicopter overflight midday on April 29, 2025, shows an overview of Kīlauea Iki (center) and Pu‘u Pua‘i (bottom center to right). Kīlauea Iki erupted in 1959 over a 5-week period with 17 fountaining episodes, similar to the ongoing eruption in Halema‘uma‘u. Pu‘u Pua‘i formed as a result of the Kīlauea Iki lava fountaining activity, during which the highest lava fountains were recorded at Kīlauea, reaching up to 1,900 feet (580 meters) high. The pale line that cuts across Kīlauea Iki is the popular Kīlauea Iki trail. The ongoing eruption at Kīlauea’s summit has now lasted over 4 months with episode 18 ending on April 22. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Kehoe Orders Capitol Dome Lighted Blue in Honor of Fallen Law Enforcement Officers

    Source: US State of Missouri

    APRIL 30, 2025

    Jefferson City — In honor of Missouri’s fallen law enforcement officers, Governor Mike Kehoe ordered the Missouri State Capitol dome and Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial to shine blue beginning at sunset on Friday, May 2, 2025, until sunrise on Sunday, May 4, 2025.

    “The Missouri Capitol dome will shine blue this weekend as we honor and remember the law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Governor Kehoe said. “It takes great courage, strength, and commitment for law enforcement officers to put on their uniform each day knowing that their duty requires them to run toward the dangers that others flee. We have a responsibility to honor the fallen and ensure they are never forgotten.”

    The annual ceremonies honoring fallen Missouri law enforcement officers will be held at the Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial on the north side of the State Capitol. The 2025 Candlelight Vigil will be held on Friday, May 2, and the Memorial Service will take place on Saturday, May 3.

    The names of four law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty during 2024 have been added to the memorial’s Wall of Honor in advance of this year’s ceremonies, as well as two  historical officer deaths for which the line of duty circumstances have recently been confirmed through research. The Wall of Honor now includes 752 fallen officers.

    Line-of-Duty Deaths

    • Cody R. Allen – On Feb. 29, 2024, Independence Police Department Officer Cody Allen was shot and killed while responding to the shooting of Jackson County Civil Process Server Drexel Mack, who had been serving an eviction notice.
    • Stephen A. Singer – Early on the morning of April 8, 2024, Lake Lafayette Police Department Chief Steven Singer died in his home as a result of a heart attack. The evening before, he had pursued several suspects who were trespassing with utility task vehicles (UTV) near the dam at Lake Lafayette.
    • Phylicia Carson – On Aug. 31, 2024, Osage Beach Police Department Officer Phylicia Carson was killed in a vehicle crash while responding to assist another officer involved in a vehicle pursuit.
    • David Lee III – On Sept. 22, 2024, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Officer David Lee III was struck by a vehicle and killed while assisting at the scene of a motor vehicle crash on eastbound I-70. Officer Lee was setting out flares when a speeding drunk driver lost control of his vehicle and struck him.
    • Noah Bowles – On Feb. 8, 1904, Lewistown Marshal Noah Bowles was attempting to arrest a man for public intoxication on a railway platform in Lewistown. The suspect, who had allegedly been harassing passengers on a recently arrived train, fatally shot Marshal Bowles with a revolver.
    • George D. Hooper – On March 17, 1918, Webb City Police Department Chief George Hooper was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire. He had approached a gunman who had been firing a handgun and pursuing a woman on foot near railroad tracks. The gunman shot Chief Hooper, who returned fire. A deputy sheriff shot and killed the gunman.

    The families of the fallen and representatives of law enforcement agencies from across Missouri will participate in the ceremonies.

    Friday May 2, 2025

    Candlelight vigil honoring Missouri law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty

    When: 8:00 p.m.

    Where: Law Enforcement Memorial at the Missouri State Capitol, located on North Capitol Drive

    Media: Open

    Saturday, May 3, 2025

    Governor Kehoe and Attorney General Bailey to deliver remarks at memorial service honoring Missouri law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty

    When: 10:00 a.m.

    Where: Law Enforcement Memorial at the Missouri State Capitol, located on North Capitol Drive

    Media: Open (Saturday’s service will be livestreamed on the Missouri Department of Public Safety Facebook page)

    Photos of the Capitol lighted blue will be available on Governor Kehoe’s Flickr Page.

    ###

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: My weekly column: 100 days of promises kept under President Trump

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    April 30th marked 100 days of promises kept under President Trump. Like he pledged on the campaign trail, he has mobilized every tool at his disposal to make America strong again and reverse the failed policies pushed by the Biden administration. From border security and energy dominance to government efficiency and economic investment, President Trump has delivered real results for the American people and has worked around the clock to put our families, farmers, workers, and small businesses first.

    The clearest example of President Trump’s decisive leadership is his complete and total lockdown of our southern border. Illegal border crossings have plummeted by 95% and illegal immigrant “gotaways” have fallen by 99%. Drug traffickers, criminals, sex traffickers, and violent MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gang members have been quickly removed from our country. After Biden halted construction of the border wall, President Trump immediately restarted this vital national security initiative and reiterated his unwavering support for our border patrol agents who were treated so poorly under the Biden administration. President Trump was absolutely right when he remarked during his joint address to Congress on March 4th that “it turned out that all we really needed was a new President” to secure our border.

    Strengthening his work to close the border, President Trump honored families who have lost loved ones to illegal immigrant crime by signing the Laken Riley Act – the first piece of legislation to become law this year. The Laken Riley Act also included Sarah’s Law, in honor of 21-year-old Iowan Sarah Root, who was senselessly killed by a drunk driving illegal immigrant in 2016. Instead of answering for his crimes, this criminal posted bail, was released from jail, and fled our country never to be seen again. Sarah’s Law – now the law of the land thanks to President Trump – ensures that illegal immigrants who murder or seriously injure American citizens are detained without bail and held accountable for their actions. Fortunately, the illegal immigrant who killed Sarah Root was recently arrested in Honduras and the Trump administration worked quickly with Honduran authorities to extradite this criminal back to the United States to face justice. This is the action that the American people wanted to see, and President Trump is delivering.

    Upon his return to the White House, President Trump also announced that he would do everything in his power to restore American energy dominance – and that he did. He created the National Energy Dominance Council to determine every avenue available to increase energy production, lower gas prices, and make the United States the world’s energy powerhouse. He rescinded countless Biden executive orders that promoted the Green New Deal over affordable gas and electricity prices and cut needless red tape that prevented American energy producers from reaching their full production capacity. He overturned the Biden administration’s ban on liquefied natural gas exports, signed a resolution – that I voted for – to completely repeal Biden’s costly tax on natural gas production, and stopped the Biden administration’s ridiculous electric-vehicle mandates on American families. Under President Trump’s watch, we will use the energy resources abundantly available in our own country and reduce our dependence on our foreign adversaries for our energy needs.

    Government efficiency is another bright spot of President Trump’s America First agenda. The Biden administration exploded our national debt with trillions of dollars of wasteful spending that fueled inflation and made life more expensive for Americans. As promised, the Trump administration uncovered example after example of waste, fraud, and abuse in our federal government. DEI positions in federal agencies have been cut, spending on liberal initiatives has been slashed, and welfare for illegal immigrants has been suspended. Eliminating this type of waste ensures that programs like Medicare and Social Security – intended for American citizens only – can remain solvent now and well into the future. With President Trump in the White House, taxpayer dollars are being treated with the care that they deserve.

    Additionally, because of President Trump’s mission to hold our trading partners accountable to our laws and protect our farmers, workers, manufacturers, and businesses from unfair and unlawful trade practices, business investment is accelerating in our country. More than $5 trillion in new investments in America have been announced, which will create over 451,000 new jobs in American communities. This impressive figure does not even include pledges that other countries have made to bring manufacturing and jobs to the United States, spurring additional economic growth. To complement these investments, my Republican colleagues and I are working hard to extend President Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to deliver tax relief for our families, farmers, workers, and businesses. While Democrats want Americans to see the highest tax hike in U.S. history, President Trump and Republicans are committed to lowering taxes and unleashing U.S. economic prosperity. The American workforce and American industry will no longer be taken advantage of by foreign nations, and American citizens will rightfully keep more of their hard-earned money.

    This is not an exhaustive list of the amazing achievements that President Trump has delivered in just 100 days, but it does prove that he is working harder than ever to serve the American people. I know that President Trump will take this same aggressive and results-oriented approach to his next four years in office.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Loses Final Appeal, Must Restore Health Care to Striking Workers

    Source: Communications Workers of America

    PITTSBURGH – On Tuesday, the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals rejected two attempts by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PG) to evade its obligation to provide editorial workers the health care plan it illegally tore away from members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh (TNG-CWA Local 38061) in 2020.

    Last month the same court ordered the PG to restore that health care to all Guild bargaining unit employees. The order includes workers who crossed the picket line to work for the PG during the journalists’ more-than-two-and-a-half-year strike. The PG appealed this ruling on two fronts. On March 27, the PG asked the court for permission to deny the higher-quality, yet cheaper, health care plan to workers who crossed the picket line and only restore it for strikers. On April 7, the PG asked to have the entire injunction case reheard.

    Both attempts failed on Tuesday. The Third Circuit Court panel had the opportunity to offer an explanation for a response on petitions for rehearing when judges find a party to be asking compelling legal questions. The judges chose not to respond to the PG.

    “The Post-Gazette’s attempts to evade its responsibility have exhausted the courts and exhausted every legal delay tactic, while our strikers’ determination and solidarity have only grown,” said Zack Tanner, president of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh-CWA Local 38061. “The Post-Gazette must immediately restore our health care for every member of our bargaining unit or risk the consequences of being in contempt of court. This ruling is a clear signal that it is time for the Post-Gazette to settle the strike by restoring the terms of our union contract before the courts take further action against the company’s lawless mistreatment of dedicated journalists.”

    The striking newsroom workers are still fighting for their full strike demands: dignified health care and the restoration of their union contract, including paid time off, wages, employees having a guaranteed work week, and the right to question company discipline, among other issues. Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh members have struck since October of 2022 for these demands.

    In 2020, the company illegally and unilaterally tore up the editorial workers’ union contract, claiming they had bargained to an impasse. Both an administrative law judge and the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C., ruled that the company broke federal labor law in this instance, in addition to bargaining in bad faith and illegally surveilling its workers.

    The Board ordered the PG to pay back workers for all the wage and vacation reductions and increased healthcare costs it forced onto workers in 2020, in addition to restoring all the other bargained rights it tore up five years ago. The Third Circuit Court is set to rule on enforcement of that full order.

    While injunctions, particularly from a Circuit Court, are rare, the granting of enforcement orders at that level is comparatively common.

    ###

    About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

    cwa-union.org @cwaunion

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department Declines Prosecution of Company That Self-Disclosed Export Control Offenses Committed by Employee

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    Company’s Prompt Self-Disclosure and Extraordinary Cooperation Led to Employee’s Successful Prosecution for Unlawfully Exporting Software to a Restricted Chinese University

    Note: View the declination letter here.

    The Justice Department today announced that it has declined the prosecution of Universities Space Research Association (USRA) after it self-disclosed to the Department’s National Security Division (NSD) criminal violations of U.S. export control laws committed by its former employee, Jonathan Soong. Soong pleaded guilty to willfully violating the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by exporting U.S. Army-developed aviation software to a university in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that had been placed on the Commerce Department’s Entity List and was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

    “If we stay vigilant, all of us — including our citizens, small businesses, and large corporations — can play a critical role in protecting our country,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “A criminal who compromised our national security was brought to justice because his employer caught him and immediately turned him in. We decline to prosecute his employer and are ready to work together with such responsible corporate actors who are committed to joining us in this fight to protect our country from foreign adversaries.”

    “USRA discovered that one of its employees was funneling sensitive aeronautics software to a Beijing university in violation of export control laws and at risk to our national security,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Robbins for the Northern District of California. “What the company did next made all the difference in the Government’s decision not to prosecute it: the company took swift and proactive measures to disclose the employee’s wrongdoing, provide all known facts, and cooperate – and continue to cooperate – with the government’s investigation.”

    According to court documents, in April 2016, USRA contracted with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to, among other things, license and distribute for a fee aeronautics-related and U.S. Army-owned flight control software. Soong was employed by USRA as a program administrator under the contract and was responsible for performing due diligence on prospective purchasers to ensure that the sale or transfer of software licenses complied with applicable law, including by checking the Entity List. Soong willfully exported software subject to the EAR to Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, also known as Beihang University (Beihang), a university in the PRC, knowing that an export control license was required for the export to Beihang because it was on the Entity List. Beihang was on the Commerce Department’s Entity List due to its involvement in the development of military rocket systems and unmanned air vehicle systems. Soong further used an intermediary to complete the transfer and export of the software to Beihang to avoid detection, and embezzled tens of thousands of dollars in software license sales by directing purchasers to make payment to an account he personally owned and controlled.

    This scheme continued until NASA inquired about the sales of software licenses to PRC-based purchasers and USRA began to investigate. Soong initially lied to USRA and fabricated evidence that he had conducted due diligence on the purchasers and provided it to USRA’s counsel to provide to NASA, but after USRA’s counsel investigated further and confronted Soong with evidence that contradicted his statements, he admitted to knowing that Beihang was on the Entity List when he exported the software to Beihang and that a license had been required for the export.

    Within days of learning that Soong had willfully violated U.S. export control laws, and before USRA had completed its own investigation to understand the scope of the misconduct, USRA self-disclosed the crime to NSD and fully cooperated with the ensuing criminal investigation, which eventually established that Soong had acted alone at USRA. USRA’s cooperation included proactively identifying, collecting, and disclosing relevant evidence to investigators, including foreign language evidence and evidence located overseas, and providing detailed and timely responses to the government’s requests for information and evidence. USRA remediated the root cause of the misconduct by disciplining a supervisory employee who failed appropriately to supervise Soong, and by significantly improving its internal controls and compliance program. USRA also compensated the government both for the funds Soong embezzled, and for the time Soong had spent embezzling funds instead of performing his duties under USRA’s contract with NASA.

    The Justice Department declined USRA’s prosecution after considering the factors set forth in the Department’s Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations and the National Security Division Enforcement Policy for Business Organizations (NSD Enforcement Policy). The NSD Enforcement Policy creates a presumption that companies that (1) voluntarily self-disclose to NSD potentially criminal violations arising out of or relating to the enforcement of export control or sanctions laws, (2) fully cooperate, and (3) timely and appropriately remediate will generally receive a non-prosecution agreement, unless aggravating factors are present.  In appropriate cases, the NSD Enforcement Policy authorizes prosecutors to go further, and exercise discretion to decline a company’s prosecution. This is the second time that NSD has exercised its discretion to decline the prosecution of a company under the NSD Enforcement Policy.

    The case was investigated by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security; the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and the FBI. The NASA Office of Inspector General; U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Army Counterintelligence; and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations provided valuable assistance.

    Trial Attorney Rachel Craft of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Valliere for the Northern District of California prosecuted the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Declines Prosecution of Company That Self-Disclosed Export Control Offenses Committed by Employee

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Company’s Prompt Self-Disclosure and Extraordinary Cooperation Led to Employee’s Successful Prosecution for Unlawfully Exporting Software to a Restricted Chinese University

    Note: View the declination letter here.

    The Justice Department today announced that it has declined the prosecution of Universities Space Research Association (USRA) after it self-disclosed to the Department’s National Security Division (NSD) criminal violations of U.S. export control laws committed by its former employee, Jonathan Soong. Soong pleaded guilty to willfully violating the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by exporting U.S. Army-developed aviation software to a university in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that had been placed on the Commerce Department’s Entity List and was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

    “If we stay vigilant, all of us — including our citizens, small businesses, and large corporations — can play a critical role in protecting our country,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “A criminal who compromised our national security was brought to justice because his employer caught him and immediately turned him in. We decline to prosecute his employer and are ready to work together with such responsible corporate actors who are committed to joining us in this fight to protect our country from foreign adversaries.”

    “USRA discovered that one of its employees was funneling sensitive aeronautics software to a Beijing university in violation of export control laws and at risk to our national security,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Robbins for the Northern District of California. “What the company did next made all the difference in the Government’s decision not to prosecute it: the company took swift and proactive measures to disclose the employee’s wrongdoing, provide all known facts, and cooperate – and continue to cooperate – with the government’s investigation.”

    According to court documents, in April 2016, USRA contracted with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to, among other things, license and distribute for a fee aeronautics-related and U.S. Army-owned flight control software. Soong was employed by USRA as a program administrator under the contract and was responsible for performing due diligence on prospective purchasers to ensure that the sale or transfer of software licenses complied with applicable law, including by checking the Entity List. Soong willfully exported software subject to the EAR to Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, also known as Beihang University (Beihang), a university in the PRC, knowing that an export control license was required for the export to Beihang because it was on the Entity List. Beihang was on the Commerce Department’s Entity List due to its involvement in the development of military rocket systems and unmanned air vehicle systems. Soong further used an intermediary to complete the transfer and export of the software to Beihang to avoid detection, and embezzled tens of thousands of dollars in software license sales by directing purchasers to make payment to an account he personally owned and controlled.

    This scheme continued until NASA inquired about the sales of software licenses to PRC-based purchasers and USRA began to investigate. Soong initially lied to USRA and fabricated evidence that he had conducted due diligence on the purchasers and provided it to USRA’s counsel to provide to NASA, but after USRA’s counsel investigated further and confronted Soong with evidence that contradicted his statements, he admitted to knowing that Beihang was on the Entity List when he exported the software to Beihang and that a license had been required for the export.

    Within days of learning that Soong had willfully violated U.S. export control laws, and before USRA had completed its own investigation to understand the scope of the misconduct, USRA self-disclosed the crime to NSD and fully cooperated with the ensuing criminal investigation, which eventually established that Soong had acted alone at USRA. USRA’s cooperation included proactively identifying, collecting, and disclosing relevant evidence to investigators, including foreign language evidence and evidence located overseas, and providing detailed and timely responses to the government’s requests for information and evidence. USRA remediated the root cause of the misconduct by disciplining a supervisory employee who failed appropriately to supervise Soong, and by significantly improving its internal controls and compliance program. USRA also compensated the government both for the funds Soong embezzled, and for the time Soong had spent embezzling funds instead of performing his duties under USRA’s contract with NASA.

    The Justice Department declined USRA’s prosecution after considering the factors set forth in the Department’s Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations and the National Security Division Enforcement Policy for Business Organizations (NSD Enforcement Policy). The NSD Enforcement Policy creates a presumption that companies that (1) voluntarily self-disclose to NSD potentially criminal violations arising out of or relating to the enforcement of export control or sanctions laws, (2) fully cooperate, and (3) timely and appropriately remediate will generally receive a non-prosecution agreement, unless aggravating factors are present.  In appropriate cases, the NSD Enforcement Policy authorizes prosecutors to go further, and exercise discretion to decline a company’s prosecution. This is the second time that NSD has exercised its discretion to decline the prosecution of a company under the NSD Enforcement Policy.

    The case was investigated by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security; the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and the FBI. The NASA Office of Inspector General; U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Army Counterintelligence; and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations provided valuable assistance.

    Trial Attorney Rachel Craft of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Valliere for the Northern District of California prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney Martin Encourages Staff to Attend May 14 Federal Interagency Holocaust Remembrance Program

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WASHINGTON – President Donald J. Trump’s U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia said he hoped his staff and partners with his office would participate with him at the 32nd Annual Federal Interagency Holocaust Remembrance Program.

    “This year’s theme is ‘Courage Cannot Be Silenced,’ and the keynote speaker is Holocaust survivor Eugene Bergman, whose personal story is a compelling reminder of the horrors of the Shoah.

    “In 1939, Bergman, a native of Poznan, Poland, was moved with his family to Lodz, as part of the Nazi ghetto policies, and there a German soldier struck him with the butt of his rifle as he was in the street with other children,” Martin said.

    “Five days later, Bergman woke up from a coma completely deaf,” he said.

    “For the rest of the war, Bergman was shuttled between ghettos and camps as the Nazis pursued their so-called ‘final solution,” he said.

    After the war, Bergman threw himself into his education, becoming a master of five languages and the first deaf individual to earn a PhD in English.

    “Bergman’s life story is full of sorrow and survival, but always in the context of his own courage that could not be silenced,” Martin said.

    The program will be held Wednesday, May 14, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Robert F. Kennedy Main Building.

    The Federal Interagency Holocaust Remembrance Program started at the U.S. Department of Education in 1994 to commemorate the Congressional Days of Remembrance—an annual, national, and civic commemoration of the Holocaust. This year’s program also coincides with both Jewish American Heritage Month and the 80th anniversary of U.S. troops liberating Nazi concentration camps.

    For more information, please visit the Federal Inter-Agency Holocaust Remembrance Program. Sign-language interpretation will be provided.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dulce Woman Charged with Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Child Abuse

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Dulce woman has been charged with aggravated sexual abuse and abandonment of a child after an FBI investigation revealed allegations that she repeatedly sexually and physically abused minors over several years.

    According to court documents, the investigation began on April 4, 2025, when the Jicarilla Apache Police Department alerted the FBI that a minor disclosed to their father that Lory Muniz-a police officer with the Jicarilla Apache Nation-had sexually assaulted them repeatedly from the age of 7 to 11. Further investigation revealed that Muniz had previously been charged with child abuse in 2023 in Jicarilla Apache Tribal Court and had not been permitted to see the minors since that incident. She returned to duty as a police officer on March 31, 2025.

    On April 14, 2025, a second victim reported during a forensic interview that they suffered physical abuse from Muniz from ages 5 to 16, including a severe incident at age 5 that resulted in a broken arm. A witness corroborated the accounts of abuse against both victims and described additional incidents of physical and sexual abuse.

    Munizis charged with aggravated sexual abuse and abandonment of a child and will remain in third party custody pending trial, which has not been set. If convicted of the current charges, Munizfaces up to life in prison.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Meet Washington state’s 20 new winners of AI for Good Lab awards

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Meet Washington state’s 20 new winners of AI for Good Lab awards

    This month, Microsoft is celebrating our 50th anniversary. To help commemorate fifty years of creating technology that empowers people to achieve more, our AI for Good Lab launched an open call to support innovative AI-based projects here in Washington State.

    Our AI for Good Lab has been using AI to tackle global challenges and improve lives since 2018. We open-source our models, data, and tools so everyone can jump in, working together to make real impact. At a time when nonprofits, NGOs, and academic institutions are tasked with doing more with less, technology like AI offers a way forward.

    Through these awards, we’re investing $5 million over the next two years. This open call allows us to expand our commitments to a number of amazing projects while engaging a wide range of new organizations across the state of Washington. The 20 awardees will receive Microsoft Azure credits and the ability to collaborate with AI for Good Lab scientists.

    We’re thrilled to continue to cultivate relationships with innovative partners in this great state and the world at large. These game-changing organizations and projects are not only helping solve today’s challenges, they’re also paving the way for a brighter tomorrow. We are honored to share the following as our 2025 open call awardees.

       Sustainability

    1. Awardee: Stock-Smart.com – Washington State University Extension
      Project description: Washington State’s federal, state, tribal, and private land managers and livestock grazers are all beginning to use virtual fence systems to fine-tune ecological grazing management. Stock-Smart.com combines predicted livestock terrain use with satellite-based forage production data to inform grazing plans for livestock herds. By using AI-guided interpretation of virtual fence system geolocation data, Stock-Smart.com helps reduce wildfire risk, enhance wildlife habitats, and improve invasive species control.
    2. Awardee: Long Live the Kings
      Project description: In the Puget Sound, the impacts of rapid urbanization are compounded by climate change. Long Live the Kings employs AI and machine learning to automatically calibrate a 3D ecosystem modeling program for Puget Sound. This project will use the emulator to explore how cumulative watershed impacts affect ecosystem services and biodiversity to advance natural resource management in Puget Sound.
    3. Awardee: TealWaters
      Project description: TealWaters works to transform Washington State’s water management capacity by providing tools that inform and guide wetlands planning, protection, and restoration. TealWaters plans to support AI model testing beyond the scope of its existing tools to increase communities’ resilience to climate change and environmental stressors.
    4. Awardee: Washington State University  
      Project description: Climate change puts residents of Washington State at higher risk of dangerous wildfires. This project will develop cutting-edge AI models, fusing satellite imagery, weather data, building information, and wildfire simulation results to assess wildfire vulnerability of residential buildings in Washington State. By producing vulnerability assessments that include confidence scores, this multi-modal approach can help guide effective wildfire mitigation efforts.
    5. Awardee: Cornell University, Circular Construction Lab
      Project description: Reusing materials is the most effective circular economy strategy: it reduces waste and emissions, creates local green jobs, and supports local reuse ecosystems. AR3-Lumber aims to develop and implement AI-powered technology to reuse salvaged lumber through a local partnership with the Seattle Salvaged Lumber Warehouse. This project will enable AR3-Lumber to offer essential technical and methodological support to the circular lumber economy.
    6. Awardee: Woodland Park Zoo
      Project description: The Seattle Urban Carnivore Project aims to increase our understanding of and empathy for urban carnivores such as black bears by studying how these species live and interact with people across the greater Seattle region. This project will include a wildlife camera and bioacoustics monitoring program that collects data from green spaces across central King County and Bainbridge Island, utilizing AI to identify the diversity and density of species in urban corridors in a way that’s efficient and consumes fewer resources.
    7. Awardee: Conservation X Labs
      Project description: Conservation X Labs aims to prevent the sixth mass extinction by creating and democratizing innovative technologies to change what’s possible in conservation. The project will develop and deploy a multi-species management detection algorithm on a smart camera system to create a first –of –its –kind, real-time monitoring system for disease in wildlife that can be utilized by veterinarians, ecologists, and conservationists across Washington State.
    8. Awardee: NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service – Habitat Conservation
       Project description: Current methods of water management and salmon habitat restoration in the Columbia River Basin tend to be either hyper-localized or computationally intensive. This project aims to use remote sensing and machine learning to classify wetlands to better predict how water management decisions and climate change impact salmon populations and support more effective conservation strategies.
    9. Awardee: Information Communication and Technology for Development (ICTD) at the University of Washington
      Project description:       More plant and animal species are threatened with extinction now than at any other time in human history. The Information Communication and Technology for Development department at the University of Washington plans to monitor wildlife using audiovisual channels on tiny compute devices, fostering a better understanding of animal populations intricately linked to food safety, disease spread, and biodiversity.

      Health

    10. Awardee: Information Communication and Technology for Development (ICTD) at the University of Washington
      Project description:       More plant and animal species are threatened with extinction now than at any other time in human history. The Information Communication and Technology for Development department at the University of Washington plans to monitor wildlife using audiovisual channels on tiny compute devices, fostering a better understanding of animal populations intricately linked to food safety, disease spread, and biodiversity.
    11. Awardee: Providence
      Project description: Current methods for identifying patients for clinical trials rely on manual screening processes that miss many patients—especially those from underserved communities—or rely on sick patients and their doctors to do the work of seeking available trials. Providence and Microsoft Health Futures are collaboratively developing Trial Connect, an AI tool that scans population-level medical data across Washington State to identify patients who qualify for clinical trials that could save their lives.
    12. Awardee: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
      Project description: Data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) are used by more than 13,000 researchers around the world. IHME plans to build a global cloud laboratory to examine health locally, using satellite imagery, AI, and spatial demography to predict risks like drought and food insecurity to specific populations. This project aims to put actionable, population-level health data into the hands of decision-makers to improve individuals’ health and wellbeing.
    13. Awardee: University of Washington Radiology
      Project description: To improve public health and support patients in their most challenging moments, the University of Washington created self-improving large language models to translate radiology report findings into patient-friendly language. Patients will receive clear, lay-language explanations of their imaging results while healthcare providers provide feedback that will be used to refine the model, ensuring continuous improvement, reducing misunderstandings, and fostering better communication between patients and medical professionals.  
    14. Awardee: Institute for Protein Design – University of Washington
       Project description: Generative AI has already had a large impact ion protein structure prediction and protein design. This project aims to develop at least three specialized, open-source models, including a next-generation biomolecule design model, a model specialized for antibody/antigen structure and antibody design, and a model specialized for protein/ligand interactions to enable the next generation of therapeutics and biomaterials.
    15. Awardee: Washington State University Department of Chemistry
       Project description: Heavy and radioactive metal contamination in Spokane and Hanford threatens community health. This project will leverage geochemistry and large language models to build a publicly accessible dataset that will aid in designing effective soil decontamination methods for Spokane and Hanford, contributing to a cleaner, healthier environment for Washington residents. 

      Education/Public Good 

    16. Awardee: Washington State University
       Project description: Rural elementary teachers in Washington often struggle to design high-quality science assessments due to limitations around resources, professional development opportunities, and access to technology. This project will develop and deploy an AI-powered multi-agent assessment system to empower rural Washington elementary teachers and enhance accessibility, engagement, and instructional effectiveness.
    17. Awardee: Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington
      Project description: Rising labor and business costs have reduced the ability for Evergreen Goodwill to advance their mission of providing quality, free job training and basic education to people experiencing significant barriers to economic opportunity. The project will use an AI-powered automated donation ingestion and cataloging system to tackle the backlogged volumes of donated goods received by Evergreen Goodwill. By doing so, the project will reduce waste, increase efficiency, and unlock new opportunities for scale and profitability.
    18. Awardee: Washington State University – Group Argumentation Coordinator
      Project description: This project provides science teachers in Washington State with an AI-powered tool called a Group Argumentation Coordinator that will reduce the burden on overwhelmed teachers and improve students’ learning experience in science classrooms across the state. The project promotes real-time support for argumentation-based science learning in diverse classrooms. The two-year plan supported by this award focuses on system development, small-scale classroom pilots, and teacher feedback integration to ensure usability, fairness, and transparency.  
    19. Awardee: Washington State University – WARNS
      Project description: The Washington Assessment of Risk and Needs of Students (WARNS) has effectively assessed the needs critical to healthy social, emotional, and educational development of middle school and high school students across the state. This project will develop an elementary-level version of this assessment, leveraging large language models to reduce absenteeism and prevent dropouts among elementary school students by initiating a dialogue with students about what they need to thrive in the classroom. 
    20. Awardee: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound 
      Project description: The Puget Sound branch of Big Brothers Big Sisters is faced with the challenge of a 100 –day-long waitlist for families looking to participate in their mentorship program. Through a partnership with KPMG and Microsoft, Big Brothers Big Sisters developed an AI tool, AIMRE, to process large datasets on their waitlist and increase both the quality and timeliness of youth/mentor matches. This award will allow Big Brothers Big Sisters to conduct further testing and deploy AIMRE locally, eventually scaling nationally to speed up the matching process for kids across the country.  

    We’re thrilled to support these 20 projects in their efforts to harness the transformative power of AI to solve challenges across Washington State and beyond.

    Tags: AI for Good Lab, Innovation, Innovation Featured, quantum, Technology

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: People with neoliberal views are less likely to support climate-friendly policies – new research

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Felix Schulz, Research Fellow, Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, Lund University

    Sambulov Yevgeniy/Shutterstock

    Donald Trump won the US election on a campaign that included rolling back environmental laws. In the UK, Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch has called the national net zero target “impossible”. And former prime minister Tony Blair has said the current approach of phasing out fossil fuels is “doomed to fail”.

    Meanwhile in Germany, the parties in the most likely incoming coalition government hardly engaged with climate policy during the recent election campaign – and the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which openly denies human-made climate change, received 20% of the vote.

    With political leaders around the world moving away from progressive climate policy, it’s worth asking: is this what the public wants?

    When it comes to the climate, what people think is influenced by where they live and what else they believe in. In recently published research, we sought to find out just how much people’s ideologies affected their views on climate policy.

    We surveyed representative samples of the public in six countries about their attitudes towards different types of climate policy. We asked about support for regulation (for example, building and vehicle standards or product bans), taxes (like carbon taxes), subsidies (to promote low-carbon alternatives), and information-based policies (such as emission disclosure requirements). Our survey covered policies in transport, housing, energy and industry.

    We also asked respondents about their ideologies: cultural worldviews, personal values, free market beliefs and political trust. Our findings reveal how people’s ideologies shape their support for climate policies.

    We included three high-income countries of the global north (the US, UK and Germany) and three upper-middle income countries from the global south (Brazil, South Africa and China). Together, these six countries are responsible for half of global CO₂ emissions.

    Our definition of global south, which includes countries such as China, is based on work by UN Trade and Development and the UN G-77 countries. It includes Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, most of Asia (excluding Israel, Japan and South Korea) and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand). These countries generally have lower per capita income and are considered “developing” compared to global north countries.

    This comparison is important because, as we will explain, political and economic ideologies that originated in the global north can influence how people view climate policies.

    Across all policy types, we found more support for climate policies in the global south countries. In the global north countries, we found only minority support for regulatory policies and climate-related taxes. In Germany, support for regulatory policies and taxes was as little as 18%.

    Subsidies for the four sectors – for example, to support renewable energy projects or the production of green steel – received 35% support in Germany and 48% in the US. In contrast, the majority of the public in the three countries of the global south supported subsidies and regulatory climate policies.

    As with subsidies, we found strong majority support for information-based policies in the three countries of the global south (74-79%), against only minority support in Germany (36%) and the US (49%). In the UK, 53% supported information-based climate policies.

    Personal values play a role in support for the policies. Our findings show people with stronger biospheric values – the importance people place on the environment and the relationship between humans and nature – are more supportive of climate policies. This is true irrespective of the country they live in. People who are more trusting of political institutions and politicians also support these policies more.

    But demographics such as age, gender, education or income have a negligible effect on attitudes towards these policies, when accounting for other factors in our analysis.

    Neoliberalism and the climate

    We observed a strong link between a neoliberal worldview and lack of support for the climate policies in our study. As a political economic project, neoliberalism originated in the global north. But it continues to take root in the global south, particularly in Latin America.

    The belief that individuals need to take care of themselves and are responsible for their own fortune and problems was associated with less support for climate policies. And in every country we studied, we found a strong relationship between support for the free market and lack of support for climate policies.

    People who believe the free market is best at allocating outcomes efficiently and meeting human needs without government interference, and that it is more important than some local environmental concerns, show less support for the climate policies.

    These two sets of beliefs – individualistic worldviews and support for the free market – are the core principles of neoliberal thought.

    In the Global North countries, we found only only minority support for regulatory policies and climate-related taxes.
    Fotogrin/Shutterstock

    The superiority of the market over governments as an efficient and fair allocation machine has been the mantra of neoliberal politicians, thinktanks and institutions for more than half a century.

    Neoliberalism opposes government regulation and spending, and supports the free market. It also fosters an individualistic worldview. Instead of seeing themselves as workers, citizens or members of a collective, people are persuaded to internalise market logic – to see themselves as individuals who are out to maximise their personal profit.

    The cultural shift from more communitarian and egalitarian ideals towards an ideology based on the self-driven individual and the free market has been quite successful. Empirical evidence from 41 countries shows that individualist practices and values around the world have surged significantly over the past 50 years.

    We know from research that what the public thinks (or votes for) does influence what governments do. This is true even when accounting for the influence of powerful interest groups.

    So, those creating and campaigning for urgently needed climate policies need to take this into account. Support for climate policies isn’t just about whether someone believes in human-made climate change or cares about the planet – there are deeply-rooted ideological factors at play too.

    Felix Schulz receives funding from Formas, a Swedish research council for sustainable development and the Hans-Böckler-Foundation.

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

    – ref. People with neoliberal views are less likely to support climate-friendly policies – new research – https://theconversation.com/people-with-neoliberal-views-are-less-likely-to-support-climate-friendly-policies-new-research-253478

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: No criminal charges over death of ice hockey player during game – what this means for sport and the law

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Victoria Silverwood, Lecturer in Criminology, Director of Swansea Centre of Research in Sport & Society (SCORSS), Swansea University

    The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has announced that no criminal charges will be brought against Canadian ice hockey player Matt Petgrave in relation to the death of American player Adam Johnson during a British Elite League match in October 2023.

    Petgrave had been arrested in November 2023 on suspicion of manslaughter after his skate blade struck Johnson’s neck during open play in a game between Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers. Johnson was taken to hospital but later died. Thousands of fans had been watching the match at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.

    Petgrave was released and bailed seven times over the following 17 months while South Yorkshire Police continued their investigation. He had denied the allegations and called the incident a “tragic accident”.

    The decision ends a case that has gripped the ice hockey community. It has also raised difficult legal questions about violence in sport, degrees of responsibility, and how far criminal law should intervene in such incidents.

    Deaths in professional sport are rare, and criminal investigations following them are even rarer. Johnson’s death occurred in an extremely fast and physical game where players wear blades on their feet and routinely engage in full-contact play.

    Although this was a workplace incident, since both men were employees of their respective clubs, it was not handled by the Health and Safety Executive, as many fatal incidents in other professions would be. Instead, the case was investigated by Sheffield Council and South Yorkshire Police.

    The decision to arrest Petgrave surprised many in the sport. It is understood that all parties voluntarily cooperated with the investigation. What is often overlooked is that an arrest can help protect the rights of the person under investigation, ensuring legal representation and placing time limits on police questioning.

    Still, many questioned the length of the process, particularly the 17-month delay and repeated bail extensions. For the families of both Johnson and Petgrave, the uncertainty has been long and painful.

    What does the law saw about violence in sport?

    Sport enjoys a special relationship with the law, as my research has explored. Players are generally considered to have given “implied consent” to physical contact that would otherwise be unlawful – as long as that contact stays within the normal rules of the game.

    Ice hockey, with its high-speed collisions and culture of on-ice fighting, clearly tests the limits of that consent. But where is the line between a legal part of the game and criminal behaviour?

    To bring a criminal charge, the CPS must be satisfied of two things. First, that there is enough evidence to provide a realistic chance of conviction. And second, that a prosecution would be in the public interest. In this case, neither threshold was met.

    Criminal convictions in sport are extremely rare. In one of the few UK cases, a recreational ice hockey player, Macauley Stones, received a suspended jail sentence for grievous bodily harm during an on-ice brawl in 2017. In the trial, the judge criticised the “legal vacuum” that exists in contact sports such as ice hockey.

    This grey area affects the public interest test, as all criminal cases risk complication by the confused nature of consent. So, it is not surprising that investigations into Johnson’s death took such a long time, or that the decision was ultimately made not to charge Petgrave with a crime.

    Safety reforms

    Johnson’s death has already led to some promising changes to ice hockey player safety. Shortly after the incident, the coroner called for neck protection to be compulsory for players.

    Neck guards, which help prevent skate blade injuries, were immediately enforced by governing body England Ice Hockey, and later adopted by the Elite Ice Hockey League in which Petgrave and Johnson played. They have also been adopted by the International Ice Hockey Federation and the American Hockey League.

    This rapid response was perhaps surprising in a sport that has often been slow to bring in new safety measures. Helmets only became compulsory in North America’s National Hockey League in the late 1970s, and face visors even later.



    Read more:
    Hockey’s wake-up call: Neck guards should be mandatory following Adam Johnson’s death

    The tragedy has also united the ice hockey community globally in raising awareness of, and funds to support, player safety. Campaigns like Adam’s Angels have raised money for player safety initiatives, including providing bleed kits to teams across the UK.

    Although the criminal investigation is now closed, the broader legal questions are far from settled. Without charges being brought, the courts will not have the chance to examine the role of implied consent in this case. So, no new legal precedent will be set. That task will probably fall to the sport’s governing bodies.

    Some may assume that because ice hockey is a minority sport in the UK, this case has few wider effects. But legal precedent doesn’t always stay within its original context. A ruling about consent to violence in ice hockey could have had ripple effects across other high-contact and combat sports, from rugby to boxing and beyond.

    Johnson’s death shocked not only ice hockey fans but the wider sporting public. And while no criminal case will be heard, the conversation about safety in high-risk sport is far from over.

    Dr Victoria Silverwood has previously received PhD funding from The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). She is affiliated with Progressive Rugby.

    – ref. No criminal charges over death of ice hockey player during game – what this means for sport and the law – https://theconversation.com/no-criminal-charges-over-death-of-ice-hockey-player-during-game-what-this-means-for-sport-and-the-law-255552

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Hacks season four tackles late-night TV – and is as funny and perceptive as ever

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jacqueline Ristola, Lecturer in Digital Animation, University of Bristol

    The comedy-drama Hacks has returned for a solid fourth season that continues to be both funny and perceptive. The series, about ruthless comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her compassionate writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), explores their developing relationship as they work in the entertainment industry. This season shifts to the backstage drama of late-night television.

    When we last saw them in season three, Deborah and colleagues were on a buzzy press tour, building Deborah’s profile to become the next host of late-night television. Deborah does indeed secure the position, promising Ava to be her head writer. But the immense pressure to succeed gets to Deborah, who rescinds her offer to go with a more established (male) writer.

    Learning of the betrayal, Ava takes a page from Deborah’s playbook, blackmailing her to reinstate her as head writer. Season four picks up from this dramatic upset, with Deborah and Ava quarrelling behind the scenes as they work on Deborah’s new series.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    Hacks has always examined women’s precarious place in the entertainment industry. This season introduces a new setting (late-night television) and a new character (network executive Winnie) to enable the series to subtly observe how women attain power and operate in a male-dominated industry.

    Winnie (a winning Helen Hunt) has subtly assimilated to become a detached decision-maker. In treating her children as inconveniences and telling manager-producer Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) to smile, her actions typify Hollywood’s male-dominated old guard. We see Jimmy’s business partner Kayla (Megan Stalter) developing along similar lines, belittling her staff and telling Jimmy that to establish herself, she needs to show people their place.

    Kayla’s abrupt transformation is an ostentatious example of how the series examines women in the workplace and the double-binds they often face. Be firm and get called frigid, or relent and become exploited.

    But while Ava also attains power in the industry, she resists developing a cruel streak. Ava insists on reasonable working hours for her writers, much to the chagrin of Deborah. Her own anxiety about the quality of her show drives Deborah to be overly demanding of everyone around her. This tension between empathy and ruthlessness aligns with the generational divide between Ava and Deborah. It’s a central tension that the series continues to explore to strong effect.

    The power of good editing

    While Hacks has already been lauded for its excellent performances and writing, which continues in this season, the series also deserves praise for its craft, such as editing.

    Episode four begins with a rapid montage depicting the flurry of activity in the weeks before Deborah’s late-night TV debut. Quickly cutting from her wig getting made, to production teams building the set, to Deborah anxiously weighing herself (pointing to a developing eating disorder), the montage shows both the verve and stress involved in the entire production.

    Its vivacious energy and colour (few pale blue and greys here) are an antidote to the cold pallor of most streaming series. Also, in an era where streaming television run-times are aimlessly bloated, Hacks doesn’t overstay its welcome running between 25 and 35 minutes an episode. It maintains plot and character progression at a neat pace.

    It’s been said that for a show about comedians, Hacks is more a drama than a comedy. This observation perhaps stems in part from Hacks being a comedy-drama rather than an outright sitcom.

    Whereas sitcoms typically rely on character stasis, our dynamic duo has slowly changed – and changed each other – through the series. In this way, Deborah and Ava’s relationship echoes the recent films of Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza, Phantom Thread, The Master), which examine entangled duos that recurrently attract and repel each other.

    It’s worth comparing this season to The Larry Sanders Show (1992 to 1998). The HBO sitcom, set in the office and stage of a late-night talk show, skewered late-night TV and Hollywood more broadly.

    While The Larry Sanders Show has insights about Hollywood as an industry (including women’s systematic exclusion), as a sitcom, its characters remain relatively static. The sitcom format doesn’t allow characters to develop much psychological depth. By contrast, the characters in Hacks change – albeit subtly. In a new twist to her character, normally so self-assured to the point of selfishness, Deborah feels insecure, a previously rare occurrence.

    This anxiety likely comes from her newfound vulnerability. In making her comedy more vulnerable and authentic, Deborah charges Ava with also making her comedy too “niche” as a result.

    As Deborah reminds her new writers, late-night TV works not because of the format, but “because of the person”. As she already receives scrutiny as a comedian, Deborah worries about the public’s acceptance of her new comedic persona.

    From women’s precarious place in the entertainment industry, to generational divides, Hacks explores these complex issues well in its light, compelling mix of comedy and drama.

    Jacqueline Ristola receives funding from ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animation Educators Forum.

    – ref. Hacks season four tackles late-night TV – and is as funny and perceptive as ever – https://theconversation.com/hacks-season-four-tackles-late-night-tv-and-is-as-funny-and-perceptive-as-ever-255555

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Morgan McGarvey Introduces American Sovereign Wealth Fund Exploration Act of 2025

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan McGarvey (Kentucky-03)

    April 30, 2025

    Congressman Morgan McGarvey (KY-03) introduced the American Sovereign Wealth Fund Exploration Act of 2025 today, which would create a 25-member commission to study and report on the “feasibility, considerations, limitations, and implications of creating and operating a sovereign wealth fund of the United States.” To provide independence, the commission would be hosted by the Federal Reserve and be composed of members from the Federal Reserve System, Treasury Department, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commerce Department, U.S. Trade Representative, and academics and experts.

    Last year, Congressman McGarvey introduced a similar bill, which was the first legislation ever introduced in Congress explicitly researching the feasibility of an American sovereign wealth fund.

    “To solve today’s problems, we must be bold. An American sovereign wealth fund, with proper congressional authorization and oversight and political independence, could dramatically improve the lives of working families across our country, including helping fund universal child care, an expanded Child Tax Credit, or even universal health care,” said Congressman McGarvey. “If we are going to do this, we have to do it right – and we have to do it through Congress. We must ensure a sovereign wealth fund is used to help working families and is not just a slush fund for billionaires.”

    BACKGROUND:

    General

    • The American Sovereign Wealth Fund Exploration Act of 2025 is built on the premise that a sovereign wealth fund (SWF) is neither good nor bad, it’s a tool.

    • The bill prioritizes objective analysis, political independence, and strong ethics requirements, including requiring the 25-member commission to consult the Santiago Principles – best practices for open, ethical, and transparent SWFs – when drafting their report.

    • The commission would have two years to develop a report to Congress on their findings and recommendations for legislative action.

    • To provide independence, the bill explicitly requires that the commission is housed within the independent Federal Reserve System.

    The McGarvey Commission

    The bill creates a 25-person commission comprising of:

    • 6 representatives from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or a Federal reserve bank.

    • 3 representatives from the Department of the Treasury.

    • 3 representatives from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    • 2 representatives from the Department of Commerce.

    • 1 representative from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

    • 10 representatives from academia or experts in the fields of economics, monetary policy, fiscal policy, investment policy, industrial policy, or other aspects involving sovereign wealth funds, appointed by the Chair of the Federal Reserve.

    Sovereign Wealth Funds in Other Developed Nations

    According to the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds, over $9 trillion in assets are managed by over 100 SWFs globally, such as: 

    State-Level Funds in the U.S.

    According to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, 14 U.S. states have SWFs:

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Investing to help Albertans get hired

    [. Employment services are critical to helping Albertans find and explore career paths, employment and training options so they can get reconnected to the job market. Through Budget 2025, Alberta’s government is investing $185 million – an increase of almost $89 million – to expand employment supports for Albertans and help employers find, hire and train workers.

    “Our government is committed to creating opportunities for Albertans to find and maintain meaningful employment. That’s why we are making record investments to make it easier for Albertans to find a job, earn a paycheque and build a better future for themselves and their families.”

    Jason Nixon, Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services

    Alberta Career and Employment Information Services (CEIS) connects Albertans across the province with career, employment and training opportunities. Job seekers have access to a wide range of in-person and virtual services, including career counselling, job placements, career and job fairs and work-specific courses to eliminate barriers to employment. Alberta’s government provides more than 250 grants and contracts to employment service providers across the province to connect Albertans with the specialized supports they need to find and maintain employment. Budget 2025’s investments are anticipated to help more than 820,000 Albertans find and maintain jobs this year.

    “Budget 2025 was about meeting the challenge, and that includes in areas where we have labour shortages and helping Albertans find work. These supports will create jobs for Albertans who need it.”

    Nate Horner, Minister of Treasury Board and Finance

    Budget 2025 also doubles the province’s investments to support on-the-job training in collaboration with employers, including more than $20 million in simulated worksites. These sites provide Albertans with paid, hands-on experience and training from local employers from various industries to prepare for stable employment. There are currently five simulated worksites across the province in Calgary, Red Deer, Grande Prairie, Millet and Fort Saskatchewan. Budget 2025’s additional investments will expand these simulated worksites to even more locations, ensuring the province is building the workforce needed to support Alberta’s success.

    “Our goal is to connect our clients with employers offering fair, sustainable wages, and help graduates move into careers that provide real economic security and stability. We’ve helped 175 Albertans overcome barriers to meaningful employment, and our graduates have achieved impressive results with 78 per cent of our clients becoming successfully employed. SkillBit’s success reflects the resilience and ambition of Albertans, and we are proud to continue this important work with renewed funding.”

    Jill Dean, president, Careers in Transition, Lives in Transition, SkillBit

    “Further investments in employment and income support programs show a recognition of the need to address Alberta’s population growth and the potential impacts of proposed U.S. Tariffs. These investments will provide Albertans with opportunities to achieve labour market success and financial independence despite economic uncertainties.”

    Joe MacKay, president and CEO, BGS Career Ventures

    “Thanks to the Alberta Government’s investment in career and employment services, Prospect Human Services supported over 14,000 Albertans and 900 employers last year. More than 80 per cent of our clients successfully moved toward employment, education, or training — strengthening Alberta’s workforce, families, and economy.”

    Kevin McNichol, CEO, Prospect Human Services

    Budget 2025 is meeting the challenge faced by Alberta with continued investments in education and health, lower taxes for families and a focus on the economy.

    Related information

    • Alberta employment supports
    • Training and Employment Services
    • Employment services directory

    Multimedia

    • Watch the news conference

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: SIRT Investigating Death in RCMP Custody on James Smith Cree Nation

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on April 30, 2025

    On Monday April 28, 2025 at approximately 10:18 a.m., the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) received a notification from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) regarding an in-custody death on the James Smith Cree Nation. 

    SIRT’s Civilian Executive Director accepted the notification as within SIRT’s mandate and directed an investigation by SIRT.

    On April 28 at approximately 7:55 a.m., the Melfort RCMP received the first of several calls reporting that a male on the James Smith Cree Nation had discharged bear spray within an occupied residence. Three RCMP members as well as James Smith Cree Nation community peacekeepers responded and located a 29-year-old male within the residence. The RCMP members spoke with the man and attempted de-escalation tactics while the man remained inside the residence. A short time later the man was informed that he would be taken into custody under the Mental Health Services Act and fled from the residence through the rear door. After a short foot pursuit, the man was taken into custody without the use of force and was handcuffed. A conducted energy weapon (CEW) was drawn during the pursuit but was not discharged during the encounter. 

    Shortly after being handcuffed, the male went into medical distress. RCMP members immediately contacted EMS for assistance and commenced first aid. While awaiting the arrival of EMS, RCMP and community peacekeepers from James Smith Cree Nation continued first aid, performing CPR and administering naloxone several times. At approximately 9:43 a.m., EMS arrived at the scene and assumed responsibility for the man’s care. Shortly thereafter, the man was pronounced deceased by EMS.

    Following the notification, a SIRT team consisting of the Civilian Executive Director and six SIRT investigators was deployed to Melfort and the James Smith Cree Nation to begin their investigation. A community liaison was also appointed pursuant to S.91.12 (1) (a) of The Police Act, 1990. SIRT’s investigation will examine the conduct of police during this incident, including the circumstances surrounding the man’s arrest and the cause of his death. The RCMP will maintain responsibility for any investigation into the original incident. No further information will be released at this time. A final report will be issued to the public within 90 days of the investigation ending.

    SIRT’s mandate is to investigate alleged cases of serious injury, death, sexual assault or interpersonal violence arising from the actions or omissions of on and off-duty police officers, or while an individual is in police custody.

    For updates on SIRT investigations, follow SIRT on X, formerly known as Twitter, at https://twitter.com/SIRT_SK. 

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Panetta Introduces Bill to Raise Cost of Living Adjustment for Local Military Personnel and Families

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)

    Monterey, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) authored and introduced legislation that would address the absence of Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA) for military service members and Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees stationed in California’s 19th Congressional District.  California’s 19th Congressional District is home to seventeen military installations and more than 15,000 military and defense personnel, and is among the most expensive areas to live in the nation

    Cost of Living Adjustments are additional compensation for servicemembers and DoD civilians assigned to high-cost areas, intended to offset regional price disparities.  While San Francisco receives one of the highest COLA rates at 5%, neighboring areas within California’s 19th Congressional District, despite similar economic pressures, do not.  A recent report by the Bureau of Economic Analysis found that $100 worth of goods nationwide only buys $87 and $88 in the Salinas-Monterey and Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro areas.  That makes California’s 19th Congressional District one of the ten most expensive regions in the country. 

    “Many servicemembers and DoD civilians stationed in California’s 19th Congressional District are struggling to keep up with the high cost of living in one of the most expensive regions in the country,” said Rep. Panetta.  “My legislation would push the Department of Defense to reassess how COLA is calculated and ensure that our region, and military families who call it home, get a fair evaluation.  Our national security professionals serve us day-in and day-out, the least we can do is ensure that they have the compensation they deserve to continue that steadfast service.”

    The bill would direct the Pentagon to submit a detailed report to Congress assessing how COLA rates are determined, whether current methods accurately reflect economic realities, and if the district should qualify for COLA based on modern cost factors.  It would specifically require the Department of Defense to evaluate housing, groceries, transportation, and healthcare costs in California’s 19th Congressional District, and to compare the treatment of Monterey with nearby Santa Clara County, where COLA is currently granted.  The legislation would also ensure that housing benefits like Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) are not factored into COLA eligibility, as they serve different purposes.

    The legislation would not only provide Congress with transparency of how COLA decisions are made, but it could also prompt the Pentagon to reassess outdated formulas that fail to reflect the real cost of living on California’s Central Coast.

    Installations in California’s 19th Congressional District include:

    • Naval Postgraduate School
    • Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center
    • Naval Support Activity Monterey
    • Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center
    • Naval Research Lab
    • Coast Guard Station Monterey
    • Camp Roberts
    • Defense Manpower Data Center
    • Presidio of Monterey
    • Defense Personnel Security Research Center Operations
    • 514th Signal Company
    • Gourley VA-DOD Outpatient Clinic
    • California Medical Detachment
    • Army Analytics Group
    • Fort Hunter Liggett
    • Governor’s Military Council
    • Monterey Bay Defense Alliance

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Jimmy Panetta’s Statement on President Trump’s First 100 Days

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)

    Washington, DC – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) released the following statement on the Administration’s first 100 days in office:

    “The first 100 days of the Trump Administration have been chaotic, costly, created economic uncertainty, challenged our constitution, and weakened our institutions, alliances, and credibility.  During the campaign, the President promised that on day one that he would reduce inflation, end the war in Ukraine, bring home the hostages from Gaza, and support America’s working families.  Instead, he has failed to fulfill any of those promises, overwhelmed us with a deluge of executive orders, and tried to distract us from his failures by talking about stealing Greenland, annexing Canada, running for a third term, and more.  Although the most successful part of the Administration’s agenda, increasing immigration enforcement, has significantly reduced the flow of crossings at the southern border, his deportation policy has become mired in legal challenges by disregarding due process, administrative carelessness, and defying courts of law.  The President’s self-imposed, short-sighted, and sweeping tariff policies have hurt our economy and are set to raise prices even higher with retaliation from our trading partners.  By giving Elon Musk unbridled power to cut federal programs and jobs, the Administration has jeopardized vital services like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food assistance, and scientific research.  Without a clear strategy in the Administration’s trade and foreign policies, our nation has pushed away our allies and created strategic opportunities for our adversaries.

    “President Trump made his intentions abundantly clear during the campaign. However, his chaotic actions, including instituting massive tariffs, challenging our constitution and courts, continued cozying up to dictators, and pardoning January 6 rioters appear to have no long-term strategy, degraded our credibility, and led to a steady decline in his national polling numbers on all major issues over the past 100 days. 

    “As I said from day one of this Administration, America’s system of checks and balances must flex its muscles. The courts don’t act as fast as the executive branch, but they continue to be the bulwark against the Administration’s overreach and violations of our Constitution.  Although the President has shown little interest in working with Congress to pass any long-term legislation, we will continue to work on bills that constrain the Administration’s destructive actions, investigate any abuses of power, and serve our constituents.  Over the past few decades, Congress has relinquished its authority to the executive branch on trade, commerce, agency oversight, and even warfare.  However, the actions of this Administration must be a wake-up call for Democrats and Republicans to come together and take back our constitutionally mandated power. But ultimately, as we have seen throughout the history of our nation, our democracy isn’t about one person, one court, or one legislative body.  It’s about the collective power of Americans.  The President’s first 100 days will not be anywhere near as important as the remaining 1360 days of his term, and why our system of checks and balances must stay strong, and we the people must stay together in our fight for our shared democratic values.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch on Trump’s 100 Days of Chaos: “100 days of giving a lot of rope and a lot of license to the Executive is 100 days too many. But it’s not too late for us in Congress to stand up…” 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined Democrats in holding the Senate floor last night to slam the first 100 days of Trump’s second term. In his remarks, Senator Welch highlighted the myriad ways this White House has caused chaos, including Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” or DOGE, Trump’s attacks on institutions like USAID and the Administration’s push to freeze colleges’ funding for research and development to cure diseases, and Trump’s tariffs and trade war. He also shared stories from Vermont businesses affected by the tariffs. 
    “It’s 100 days. It is time to assess. And whatever you may say about President Trump and the stated goals, there’s an obligation to act functionally to achieve those goals. Stating you want an outcome is a long way from implementing a plan and executing a plan to achieve it. And there is no plan,” said Senator Welch. “There is absolutely no plan.” 
    “It is time for this Congress to make an assessment of our obligation to the citizens we represent. When is enough, enough? When has the Executive gone too far? When is it that all of us should heed the pleas of the businesses, the enterprises in each of our states about this chaotic and very destructive tariff policy? When is it we will say ‘no more’ to an Executive pushing his weight around with private law firms, private employers, with our universities, and telling them unless they do it his way, they’ll pay an enormous price in lost governmental funding or access to things that they need?” Senator Welch concluded. “In my view, 100 days of giving a lot of rope and a lot of license to the Executive is 100 days too many. But it’s not too late for us in Congress to stand up for the separation of powers, the balance of powers, and the prerogatives of the United States Senate and the United States Congress.” 
    Watch his full remarks:  

    Key quotes from Senator Welch: 
    “Let’s talk first about DOGE. DOGE is about supposedly getting rid of waste, fraud, and abuse. There’s not a single member of this Congress who is in favor of waste, fraud, and abuse. But if you are going to do that, you look at a Department. What’s its goal?  How is it achieving it? Where is it coming up short? You do an assessment, and you do a plan. What DOGE did was essentially get the personnel list and then send out e-mails to every fifth or sixth person saying you’re fired because you did a lousy job. It is not at all on the level.  
    “And, as a result, the real goal becomes revealed. It’s not to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse. It’s to eliminate USAID. It’s to eliminate the Department of Education. It’s to eliminate the Social Security response team. That’s what’s going on. And the challenge for us—and this is bipartisan — is whether we as an independent branch of government want to look at what’s before our very eyes and address it or simply ignore it.” 
    ••• 
    “The tariffs…are going to be seen by historians as the absolute worst economic blunder in the last 100 years. Whether you’re a farmer in Vermont or in Utah or in the Dakotas, these tariffs are hammering you. Most of our farmers in the northern part of the country import fertilizer, import, in many cases, grain to feed our animals, from Canada. This tariff is going to hammer farmers who are already contending with what farmers every year have to contend with—very tight margins, the will of the weather. This is having real impact on them.  
    “In Vermont, we had roundtables to hear ‘how are these tariffs going to affect you?’ Number one, ‘what tariffs?’ ‘What are they today?’ Supposedly they were 25% yesterday, then they’re suspended, then they’re back on. They apply to this part, but not that part. There’s no possibility of anybody making a plan in order to run their business.  
    “By the way, these are folks who came in and are affected by the tariffs. They are not Republicans or Democrats or Independents. They are really folks just trying to make a living….What they’re talking about is the real-world impact of these crackpot tariffs that are on again, off again.  
    “Small business owner Jason Levinthal, founder of J skis said, ‘This is essentially a tax on the consumers.’ Something the administration won’t acknowledge itself.  
    “The president of Mad River Distillers, Mimi Buttenheim said, ‘Tariffs affect our manufacturing arm by raising the price of raw materials.’  
    “Jen Kimmich, co-founder of the Alchemist Brewery: ‘We don’t know how they are going to affect us. We just know they’re going to affect us.’  
    “John Lacy, CEO of Burton Snowboards, ne of the global enterprises founded in Vermont by Jake Burton and Donna carpenter: ‘How can you navigate the playbook when you don’t know what the rules of the road are?’ It’s a fair question. And it’s a question that President Trump feels he has no obligation to answer. This goes on and on.” 
    ••• 
    “Then there’s the next step—the overreach of power. The absolutely lawless abuse of Executive authority. What business is it of Donald Trump what are hiring practices are of an individual private corporation or firm? It is the business to enforce the law. But it’s not his business to be able to tell a law firm he’ll take contracts away. It’s not his business to be able to tell a law firm that [because they] had somebody who represented the government in a case against Trump or some Trump ally that they’re going to punish you…This is a complete overreach and extension by the president. Essentially to impose his own will, not enforce the law but to enforce his will as he arbitrarily wishes.  
    “What sense does it make that because of his vendetta about higher education, that instead of addressing those concerns and having discussions, he literally takes away billions of dollars of research that has gone not just to Harvard, our oldest institution, but the University of Alabama, the University of North Carolina. People, to our benefit, have dedicated their lives to scientific research. The United States government has provided support for research and development, and we’ve had cures for terrible diseases. But if they don’t do what Donald Trump says, he’ll take away grants…destroying research, destroying development.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NREL-Led Research Effort Adds Salt, Boosts Performance of Perovskites

    Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

    Using an ionic salt to replace the fullerene layer in perovskite solar cells boosted their performance, efficiency, and durability, according to a global research effort led by scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

    The performance of the perovskite solar cell improved with the addition of an ionic salt.

    Their findings appear in the journal Science.

    The researchers said their findings point to a promising approach to advancing perovskite photovoltaic technologies toward commercialization. Perovskites refers to a crystalline structure that has proven highly efficient as a semiconductor material for absorbing sunlight. Work continues to improve the long-term stability of perovskite solar cells.

    Kai Zhu, a senior scientist at NREL and an architect of the research effort, said improvements involved changing the chemical composition of the electron transport layer in the perovskite solar cell. This layer is essential as it moves electrons triggered by sunlight through the cell, thereby generating electricity. The fullerene C60 is commonly used for the electron transport layer in inverted perovskite solar cells, but its molecular nature leads to a weak interface and limits the performance of the device. That is especially a problem with long-term stability.

    The researchers experimented with adding acids and chemical compounds that reacted with C60 to form an ionic salt referred to as CPMAC. The change resulted in a three-fold increase in the mechanical strength of the electron transport layer of the cell, which is crucial for long-term stability and durability.

    “That’s really the surprise, but it’s a very good surprise,” Zhu said.

    The inverted architecture of the perovskite solar cell refers to how the layers are deposited on the glass substrate. This construction is known for its high stability and integration into tandem solar cells.

    The research at NREL was supported in part by the Center for Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Semiconductors for Energy (CHOISE), an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences and the Solar Energy Technologies Office. The research reported the initial lab efficiency of the perovskite cells that used the ionic salt was 26.1%, vs. 25.5% for the C60 version.

    Using the CPMAC, the researchers obtained a 26% lab efficiency with about 2% degradation after 2,100 hours of operation at 65 degrees Celsius, and a 25.5% efficiency with about 5% degradation after 1,500 hours of operation at 85 degrees Celsius. For a minimodule made up of four subcells, six square centimeters, the lab efficiency was 23% with less than a 9% degradation after 2,200 hours of operation at 55 degrees Celsius.

    The paper is “C60-based ionic salt electron shuttle for high-performance inverted perovskite solar modules.” Other co-authors from NREL are Shuai You, Yifan Dong, Lei Chen, Matthew Beard, and Joseph Berry. Researchers who contributed to the work hailed from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Saudi Arabia) and Newcastle University (United Kingdom) in addition to CubicPV Inc., the University of Colorado Boulder, Arizona State University, and the University of Toledo.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Charged with Possession of Child Pornography While Attempting to Enter the United States

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – Alan Xavier Cabrera, 27, of Mexico, was arrested on April 25, 2025, and charged by criminal complaint for Possession of Child Pornography.

    According to the complaint, on April 25, 2025, Cabrera applied for entry into the United States at the port of entry in San Luis, Arizona with a B1/B2 travel visa. Based on Cabrera’s behavior, agents examined his cell phone and identified numerous images of child pornography, also known as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). The material included images and videos that appeared to depict minors under the age of ten years old engaged in sexual acts on adult males.

    A conviction for Possession of Child Pornography carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, and a term of supervised release up to life.

    A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    Homeland Security Investigations is conducting the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

    CASE NUMBER:           25-01524MJ
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-066_Cabrera

    # # #

    For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
    Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Security News: Justice Department Declines Prosecution of Company That Self-Disclosed Export Control Offenses Committed by Employee

    Source: United States Department of Justice 2

    Note: View the declination letter here.

    The Justice Department today announced that it has declined the prosecution of Universities Space Research Association (USRA) after it self-disclosed to the Department’s National Security Division (NSD) criminal violations of U.S. export control laws committed by its former employee, Jonathan Soong. Soong pleaded guilty to willfully violating the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by exporting U.S. Army-developed aviation software to a university in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that had been placed on the Commerce Department’s Entity List and was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

    “If we stay vigilant, all of us — including our citizens, small businesses, and large corporations — can play a critical role in protecting our country,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “A criminal who compromised our national security was brought to justice because his employer caught him and immediately turned him in. We decline to prosecute his employer and are ready to work together with such responsible corporate actors who are committed to joining us in this fight to protect our country from foreign adversaries.”

    “USRA discovered that one of its employees was funneling sensitive aeronautics software to a Beijing university in violation of export control laws and at risk to our national security,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Robbins for the Northern District of California. “What the company did next made all the difference in the Government’s decision not to prosecute it: the company took swift and proactive measures to disclose the employee’s wrongdoing, provide all known facts, and cooperate – and continue to cooperate – with the government’s investigation.”

    According to court documents, in April 2016, USRA contracted with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to, among other things, license and distribute for a fee aeronautics-related and U.S. Army-owned flight control software. Soong was employed by USRA as a program administrator under the contract and was responsible for performing due diligence on prospective purchasers to ensure that the sale or transfer of software licenses complied with applicable law, including by checking the Entity List. Soong willfully exported software subject to the EAR to Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, also known as Beihang University (Beihang), a university in the PRC, knowing that an export control license was required for the export to Beihang because it was on the Entity List. Beihang was on the Commerce Department’s Entity List due to its involvement in the development of military rocket systems and unmanned air vehicle systems. Soong further used an intermediary to complete the transfer and export of the software to Beihang to avoid detection, and embezzled tens of thousands of dollars in software license sales by directing purchasers to make payment to an account he personally owned and controlled.

    This scheme continued until NASA inquired about the sales of software licenses to PRC-based purchasers and USRA began to investigate. Soong initially lied to USRA and fabricated evidence that he had conducted due diligence on the purchasers and provided it to USRA’s counsel to provide to NASA, but after USRA’s counsel investigated further and confronted Soong with evidence that contradicted his statements, he admitted to knowing that Beihang was on the Entity List when he exported the software to Beihang and that a license had been required for the export.

    Within days of learning that Soong had willfully violated U.S. export control laws, and before USRA had completed its own investigation to understand the scope of the misconduct, USRA self-disclosed the crime to NSD and fully cooperated with the ensuing criminal investigation, which eventually established that Soong had acted alone at USRA. USRA’s cooperation included proactively identifying, collecting, and disclosing relevant evidence to investigators, including foreign language evidence and evidence located overseas, and providing detailed and timely responses to the government’s requests for information and evidence. USRA remediated the root cause of the misconduct by disciplining a supervisory employee who failed appropriately to supervise Soong, and by significantly improving its internal controls and compliance program. USRA also compensated the government both for the funds Soong embezzled, and for the time Soong had spent embezzling funds instead of performing his duties under USRA’s contract with NASA.

    The Justice Department declined USRA’s prosecution after considering the factors set forth in the Department’s Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations and the National Security Division Enforcement Policy for Business Organizations (NSD Enforcement Policy). The NSD Enforcement Policy creates a presumption that companies that (1) voluntarily self-disclose to NSD potentially criminal violations arising out of or relating to the enforcement of export control or sanctions laws, (2) fully cooperate, and (3) timely and appropriately remediate will generally receive a non-prosecution agreement, unless aggravating factors are present.  In appropriate cases, the NSD Enforcement Policy authorizes prosecutors to go further, and exercise discretion to decline a company’s prosecution. This is the second time that NSD has exercised its discretion to decline the prosecution of a company under the NSD Enforcement Policy.

    The case was investigated by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security; the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and the FBI. The NASA Office of Inspector General; U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Army Counterintelligence; and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations provided valuable assistance.

    Trial Attorney Rachel Craft of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Valliere for the Northern District of California prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Convening of the Annual General Meeting to approve the 2024 financial statements to be held on June 13, 2025 and evolution of the Atos Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press Release

    Convening of the Annual General Meeting to approve the 2024 financial statements to be held on June 13, 2025 and evolution of the Atos Board of Directors

    Paris, France – April 30, 2025

    Convening of the 2025 Annual General Meeting

    The meeting notice (avis de réunion) for the General Meeting scheduled for June 13, 2025, containing the agenda, the draft resolutions, and the participation and voting procedures for this Meeting, will be published in the Official Legal Gazette (Bulletin des Annonces Légales Obligatoires – BALO) on May 5, 2025, and will be available on the Company’s website (https://atos.net/en/investors/annual-general-meeting).

    Evolution of the composition of Atos Board of Directors

    On the recommendation of the Nomination and Governance Committee, chaired by Lead Independent Director Elizabeth Tinkham, Atos’ Board of Directors has endorsed a series of proposed changes to its composition to be submitted for approval at the General Meeting convened for June 13, 2025. The proposed changes reflect the evolving needs identified by the Board and align with the Group’s ongoing transformation.

    It will be proposed to the vote of the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting:

    • to renew the terms of office of Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles and Jean-Jacques Morin as directors, for a duration that will expire at the end of the General Meeting called to approve the financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2027;
    • to appoint Surojit Chatterjee as new independent director, for a duration that will expire at the end of the General Meeting called to approve the financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2027; and
    • to ratify the appointment of Mandy Metten as a censor, for a duration of one year expiring at the end of the General Meeting called to approve the financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025.

    The Board of Directors has also been informed that Elizabeth Tinkham has decided not to seek renewal of her term of office as director, which will expire at the end of the General Meeting of June 13, 2025.

    Subject to approval of the proposed resolutions by the Annual General Meeting, the Board of Directors will comprise eight members (in addition to the director representing employees) and one censor, including 87.5%1independent members (seven out of eight), 50%2women and six nationalities3represented on the Board.

    Philippe Salle, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Atos SE, declared:

    “I am pleased with the upcoming appointment of a highly qualified new director as well as the renewal of terms on our Board of Directors. These developments will support the continued effectiveness of the Board and help to strengthen its overall capabilities. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to Elizabeth Tinkham for her commitment, which has contributed meaningfully to advancing our mission and shared vision”.

    * * *

    About Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles

    Cofounder and President at Auxo, Co‑chair of the National Digital Council (Conseil National du Numérique) and non‑executive Board Director, Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles was first appointed to the Board of Directors of Atos SE on January 2, 2024, and currently chairs the CSR Committee and sits on the Remuneration Committee. Her experience at the intersection of senior public service and the private sector, along with her recognized expertise in digital transformation and sustainability issues, are valuable assets to the work of the Board.

    Biography of Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles

    Françoise Mercadal‑Delasalles began her career in senior public service at the Ministry of the Economy and Finance from 1988 to 1992, then at the Caisse des Dépôts from 2002 to 2008. Appointed Director of Resources and Innovation at Société Générale in 2008, she sat on the Group’s Executive Committee and steered its digital transition project. In 2018, Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles became CEO of Crédit du Nord, where she introduced digital tools to position the Group in new banking services and integrated ecological concerns into the company’s business model. In 2023, she co-founded Auxo, an integrated platform to manage extra-financial data and support companies in their transition to sustainability.

    Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles holds various non-executive positions on boards of directors and supervisory boards, notably that of Eurazeo. She has co-chaired the Conseil National du Numérique since 2021. She is a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor), Officier du Mérite (Officer of the Order of Merit) and Chevalier du Mérite Agricole (Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit).

    Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles holds a degree in literature and law, and is a graduate of the Institut d’Études Politiques (IEP) de Paris, Sciences Po Paris and the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA).

    * * *

    About Jean-Jacques Morin

    Deputy CEO of the Accor Group and CEO of the Premium, Midscale & Economy Division, Jean-Jacques Morin was first appointed to the Atos SE Board of Directors on January 2, 2024, and currently chairs the Audit Committee. His strong financial background and strategic insight are major assets in helping Atos meet its current challenges, and he would continue to bring his valuable expertise and leadership to the Board’s work.

    Biography of Jean-Jacques Morin

    Jean-Jacques Morin began his professional career with Deloitte, where he spent five years in auditing and consulting roles in Paris and Montreal. From 1992 to 2005, he held various international positions, notably in the semiconductor sector with Motorola Semiconductors (USA, Switzerland, and France), ON Semiconductor (USA) and Communicant AG, a start-up in Berlin. In 2005, Jean-Jacques Morin joined Alstom as CFO of the Power sectors in Zurich, then in Transport, before being appointed Group CFO from 2013 to 2015. In 2015, Jean-Jacques Morin joined Accor’s Executive Committee as CFO. He is then appointed Group Deputy CEO in charge of Finance, Strategy, IT, Legal, Purchasing and Communications. In June 2023, in addition to his position as Group Deputy CEO, Jean-Jacques Morin took over the Premium, Midscale & Economy Division under his leadership, as CEO of the Division.

    Jean-Jacques Morin has held various non-executive positions, including with Orbis from 2016 to 2020 as a member of the Supervisory Board and the Audit Committee, and with Vallourec from 2018 to 2021 as a member of the Supervisory Board and Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Adagio since 2022 and a member of the Board of Directors of AccorInvest since 2018. He was appointed Chairman of the Audit Committee of GROUPE REEL in 2024.

    Jean-Jacques Morin is a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace, holds an MBA from Thunderbird (Arizona State University) and a DSCG from the Ordre des Experts Comptables.

    * * *

    About Surojit Chatterjee

    Founder and CEO of Ema Unlimited, a generative AI company, Surojit Chatterjee is a seasoned technology executive with over two decades of experience driving innovation across global companies. His deep expertise in artificial intelligence, combined with extensive product leadership at firms like Google, Coinbase and Flipkart, would bring strategic insight and forward-thinking vision to the Board.

    Biography of Surojit Chatterjee

    Surojit Chatterjee began his career in 1999 as a Software Developer at IBM before joining Oracle Corporation in a technical role. In 2005, he moved into product management at Symantec Corporation. He joined Google in 2007, where he held several leadership roles across payments, mobile products, and advertising. In 2015, he became Senior Vice President and Head of Product at Flipkart, before returning to Google in 2017 as Vice President of Product Management for Google Shopping. He joined Coinbase as Chief Product Officer in 2020 and founded Ema Unlimited, a generative AI startup, in 2023.

    Since 2024, Surojit Chatterjee has served on the Board of Directors of Meesho, a privately-owned Indian e-commerce company.

    Surojit Chatterjee holds a Bachelor in Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, an MS in Computer Science from the University at Buffalo (SUNY), and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

    * * *

    About Mandy Metten

    Head of Group Executives and Strategic Functions in Atos and a long-standing leader within the Group, Mandy Metten was a member of the Board of Directors representing employees until January 31, 2025, when she was appointed censor subject to the General Meeting’s ratification. Her experience across organizational change, diversity initiatives and people development would continue to bring valuable insight to the Board’s work.

    Biography of Mandy Metten

    Mandy Metten began her professional journey within the ATOS Group as an Executive Management Consultant specializing in Digital Transformation, Innovation, and Change from October 2007 to June 2014, during which she demonstrated expertise in critical strategic areas. In June 2014, she assumed the role of Manager of Atos Young Professionals, designing and overseeing a comprehensive 2-year development program for young professionals, providing development with training, mentoring and client exposure. As from November 2018, Mandy Metten served as Global Head of Group Campus Management, defining and implementing the Group campus strategy globally, including diversity and inclusion initiatives. Mandy Metten took additional responsibilities at Eviden in April 2023 and currently serves as Head of Group Executives & Strategic Functions.

    Mandy Metten was Chairman of the works council of Atos from 2010 to 2015. She also served as the Dutch delegate on Atos Societas Europaea Council (SEC) from 2012 to January 2024 and was a member of the Board Participating Committee (2017- January 2024). From August 2023, she became a Commissaris (Member of the Board of Directors) for Atos Nederland, contributing to the company’s governance.

    Mandy Metten holds a master’s degree in social and organizational Psychology. She completed a multi-level curriculum in Strategy, Economy, and Finance at the LeFebvre Institute.

    * * *

    About Atos

    Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with circa 74,000 employees and annual revenue of circa €10 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 68 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea) and listed on Euronext Paris.

    The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space.

    Contacts

    Investor relations:

    David Pierre-Kahn | investors@atos.net | +33 6 28 51 45 96

    Sofiane El Amri | investors@atos.net | +33 6 29 34 85 67

    Individual shareholders: +33 8 05 65 00 75

    Press contact: globalprteam@atos.net

    1         In accordance with article 10.3 of the AFEP-MEDEF Code, the director representing employees is not taken into account in determining the percentage of independent members.
    2           In accordance with the law, the director representing employees is not taken into account in determining the parity ratio on the Board of Directors.
    3         Seven nationalities if the censor is taken into account.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New way of working set to strengthen families in Liverpool

    Source: City of Liverpool

    Today, Liverpool City Council officially introduced its new way of working with children, young people and their families.

    The new model of practice – Our City, Our Children, Together – has been co-produced by staff and young people and will see the council and its partners working in a holistic way that focuses on relationships and long-term wellbeing underpinned by strengths-based support.

    At the heart of Our City, Our Children, Together will be Family Safeguarding. This model of safeguarding is already used by over 20 local authorities in England and brings a whole-family approach that not only ensures the safety of vulnerable children but also works to keep families together and to support long-term safety.

    As well as social workers, Family Safeguarding brings together the right services at the right time to offer families the support they need. The council will be recruiting new colleagues with experience in substance misuse, mental health and domestic abuse who will give support alongside other partner agencies.

    Family Safeguarding, also known as the Hertfordshire Model after the local authority that pioneered the approach in 2015, is widely favoured by social care professionals as it supports families to make sustainable change.

    One of the approach’s cornerstones is a technique called motivational interviewing which means that professionals work on an equal footing with families, identifying their strengths and giving them power to make positive changes.

    The model was launched in Liverpool with an event at St George’s Hall with speakers including Steph Atalla from the Centre for Family Safeguarding, Angela Frazer-Wicks, chair of the Family Rights Group, Isabelle Trowler, Chief Social Worker for England, and Alisdair Cant, a specialist in motivational interviewing.

    Local authorities using Family Safeguarding see significant reductions in the number of children taken into care as well as those needing a Child Protection Plan, sometimes seeing figures halved. In Hertfordshire, the council saved an estimated £220m over the first decade of the model’s implementation.

    Liverpool currently has over 1,400 looked-after children and young people.

    Introducing Family Safeguarding to Liverpool is an important step on the council’s improvement journey in children’s social care and follows the introduction to Liverpool of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court earlier this month.

    Bringing the model to Liverpool will support Pillar 4 of the Council Plan – Healthier lives for children and adults.

    Cllr Liz Parsons, Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for Children’s Social Services, said: “The introduction of the new model of practice marks the end of a huge project for teams across the Children and Young People’s services and the start of a truly transformational way of working for Liverpool’s families

    “Our City, Our Children, Together will mean that more families are kept together so they feel empowered to thrive and overcome challenges.

    “In particular, we know from other local authorities that have introduced Family Safeguarding that it works; it works because social workers and other professionals understand its value and have seen in action the profound effect it has on children, young people and their parents. This is not only good for families but it is good for Liverpool as a whole.”

    Steph Atalla, practice lead, Centre for Family Safeguarding, said: “It’s fantastic that Family Safeguarding is coming to Liverpool. There are some fantastic practitioners and leaders in the city and I know that they really want to focus on reducing the in-care population and the number of children on a Child Protection Plan and this model is proven to do that.

    “Family Safeguarding is now in 24 local authorities and is having a significant impact so I know that it will be just as successful here in Liverpool and I’m really excited to see where it goes – good luck Liverpool!”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Botched Labour pilot unfair on teens

    Source: Party of Wales

    Plaid Cymru Transport spokesperson, Peredur Owen Griffiths has criticised the Labour Government’s ‘botched’ pilot that leaves 11-15 years old paying more for public transport compared to 16-21 year olds.

    The pilot scheme, which will introduce £1 capped bus fares for 16-21 year olds, a proposal welcomed by Plaid Cymru, will mean that 11-15 year olds are being treated unfairly, paying more than their 16-21 year old counterparts.

    In areas such as Cardiff (£1.70), Newport (£1.70), and Swansea (£1.10-£2), 11-15 year olds will be paying more than the new capped fares under the new pilot.

    A series of Written Questions from Mr Owen Griffiths has revealed that the impact of the pilot on 5-15 year olds was not considered before the policy announcement, as negotiations are ‘currently’ taking place with bus operators. It was also revealed that the Labour Welsh Government does not hold any formal data on the amount of journeys made by 11-15 year olds in 2024.

    Peredur Owen Griffiths MS has criticised the implementation of the pilot, accusing the Welsh Government of ‘a botched job’ in order to secure support for their ‘unambitious’ Budget.

    The pilot in question was part of the Budget negotiations between the Labour Welsh Government and the sole Liberal Democrat MS, Jane Dodds.

    Plaid Cymru transport spokesperson, Peredur Owen Griffiths MS, said:

    “Plaid Cymru strongly agrees with the principle behind the Government’s pilot scheme for bus fare caps, but the proposals put forward show all the signs of a botched job, designed in haste to pass this Labour Welsh Governments unambitious Budget, without consideration on the impact on other groups.

    “Not only does this pilot make the fare system unfair for younger teens, it’s a kick in the teeth to learners who have long struggled with the inefficiencies of the learner travel measure for years. Under the new system, learners travelling to schools will be at a disadvantage to 16-21 years old.

    “The Welsh Government’s own review of the learner travel measure 2022 said doing nothing wasn’t an option, yet here we are. Despite promises to act, there’s been no meaningful change to mileage thresholds, no full legislative review, and even minor updates to guidance haven’t reached consultation.

    “The implementation process of this pilot shows not only the lack of consideration to legislation by this Labour Welsh Government, but also shows further disregard to an age group dependent on public transport to access education, hampering their ability to succeed.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How dandelions conquered concrete to bring nature back to cities

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Yannick Woudstra, Postdoctoral Researcher in Asexual Plant Evolution, Stockholm University

    A dandelion in full bloom on the pavement of a busy street in Gothenburg, Sweden. Yannick Woudstra/Stockholm University

    “Nothing is so uncommon as a common dandelion” say Karst Meijer and Erik van den Ham, Dutch botanists who started an international day (April 27) to celebrate this yellow flower in 2020. The pair hoped to showcase the immense diversity and fascinating ecology of dandelions, which are often maligned as noxious weeds.

    Intensive farming and weeding have drastically diminished dandelions in the Dutch countryside. Insects, many of whom feed on the pollen and nectar of these plants, have been the first to suffer. Between 1990 and 2017, Dutch protected areas reported a 75% decline in flying insects which has prompted another precipitous drop in the numbers of plants that rely on insects to pollinate them.

    However, hope comes from unexpected corners and dandelions are thriving in cities.

    A small crack in the pavement is sufficient for a dandelion to grow a long taproot that can access water and nutrients in the soil below the concrete. But don’t be fooled – that dandelion you stepped over is withstanding extreme pressure to thrive in your neighbourhood. There’s pollution, trampling, the heat that radiates from the concrete after a hot day and artificial light from street lamps to contend with.

    Having found ways to resist these pressures, dandelions grow prolifically in unfriendly cities, helping other wild species to survive as well. How do they do it?

    Many people think of plants as nice-looking greens. Essential for clean air, yes, but simple organisms. A step change in research is shaking up the way scientists think about plants: they are far more complex and more like us than you might imagine. This blossoming field of science is too delightful to do it justice in one or two stories.

    This article is part of a series, Plant Curious, exploring scientific studies that challenge the way you view plantlife.

    King of the urban jungle

    Cities are islands of heat. On average, a city like Amsterdam is 2°C warmer than its rural surroundings. On a hot summer day, it could be more than 11°C warmer. You can feel the heat when you walk a city’s streets in summer – how nice and cool does a park with trees and shade feel then?

    This heat is a challenge for plants too. Fortunately for dandelions, evolution has offered a helping hand. I discovered that dandelions evolved to use urban heat to their advantage: urban dandelions grow better and faster than their rural relatives at higher temperatures by making more efficient use of photosynthesis.

    Not only do urban dandelions cope better with summer heat, they can also avoid the problems other plants experience with warming winters caused by climate change.

    Plants are programmed to respond to changes in temperature; when a cold snap yields to milder weather, that’s a cue for plants to start flowering. Timing is crucial, as flowering must correspond with the emergence of pollinators. Milder city winters might weaken this signal and ensure plants miss their cue to flower. I discovered that urban dandelions have finetuned this process and can start flowering even after a very short and mild winter.

    Winter also brings frost. The salt sprayed on roads to keep traffic safe can stress the plants which grow on the roadside verge, but several dandelion species have, fortunately, become experts in dealing with high salt concentrations. The exact mechanisms are yet unknown, but it looks like these dandelions can store the toxic salts and metals that are typical of roadside pollution in their leaves, without being bothered by it.

    Urban dandelions even have a solution for feet and lawnmowers trampling and shredding them: growing low to the ground, so lawnmowers pass right over and feet do not cut the flowers away from the plants.

    Protector of the realm

    City plants cycle from eradication by concrete and asphalt to reconquest in the nooks and cracks that subsequently form. A group of artists from Sweden likened cities to disturbed gardens and said that people and plants alike are gardeners of this dynamic landscape.

    The dandelion is a pioneer of this disturbed garden: the first to arrive with its windborne seeds and the best equipped to conquer the pavement with its long taproots. Once established, dandelions enable others to arrive by providing a buffet for insects in early spring. A survey of urban meadows in Edinburgh, Leeds, Bristol and Reading in the UK revealed that dandelions were providing 90% of the nectar (carbohydrates) and 80% of the pollen (proteins) in the diets of pollinators. As a result, more than 200 species of insects (that we know of) are supported by dandelions. These are the necessary pollinators that allow other plant species to establish, such as clover, mallow, mustard and poppy.

    A survey showed that 20% of insects visiting dandelions were solitary bees, like mining bees. Bumblebees were next most common (17%), then hoverflies (13%) and pollen beetles (6%).
    Yannick Woudstra/Stockholm University

    Because dandelions can grow almost anywhere there is a sliver of soil, they provide essential refreshment stops for urban pollinators on their way between gardens and parks. Not only does the dandelion rule the streets, it also protects and supports its inhabitants. And so, the dandelion can rightly be called king of the urban jungle.

    Next time you see one in your garden, think about what it does for friendly pollinating insects. Without dandelions, your garden plants would struggle to reproduce. And if all this talk about food makes you hungry, try some dandelion leaves in your salad for a tangy bite.

    Don’t hate dandelions. Let them spice up your life, your street and your garden.

    Yannick Woudstra receives funding from The European Commission (Horizon Europe; Marie-Skłodowska Curie Actions), The Sven & Lily Lawski Foundation (Sweden), The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, The Physiographical Society in Lund (Sweden) and the Lars Hiertas Memorial Foundation (Sweden).

    – ref. How dandelions conquered concrete to bring nature back to cities – https://theconversation.com/how-dandelions-conquered-concrete-to-bring-nature-back-to-cities-254849

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –