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  • MIL-OSI China: China, Cambodia vow to forge all-weather community with shared future in new era

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded his state visit to Cambodia on Friday, with both nations agreeing on jointly building an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era.

    On Thursday, Xi met with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, Cambodian People’s Party President and Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, respectively.

    The two sides exchanged more than 30 bilateral cooperation documents covering such fields as production and supply chain cooperation, artificial intelligence, development assistance, customs inspection and quarantine, as well as health and media.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

    ALL-WEATHER COMMUNITY WITH SHARED FUTURE

    “We must work together to promote the steady and sustained progress in building the China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era,” Xi wrote in his signed article published on Thursday in Cambodian media outlets.

    During their talks, Xi and the Cambodian prime minister agreed to build an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

    Xi called on both sides to build on the momentum, strengthen unity and cooperation, and speed up the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.

    During his meeting with the Cambodian King, Xi expressed confidence in writing a splendid chapter of building an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era.

    China and Cambodia have always been at the forefront of building a community with a shared future for mankind, said Xi.

    For his part, King Sihamoni said that with the joint efforts of both sides, cooperation in various fields has become increasingly close and the building of a community with a shared future has been continuously deepened.

    While meeting with the Cambodian People’s Party president and Senate president, Xi said that building a China-Cambodia community with a shared future is a choice of history and the people.

    He said that the two sides should keep in mind the well-being of their people and the progress of humanity, strive to set an example for building a community with a shared future for mankind in the course of advancing their respective modernization endeavors, and join hands to become forces for peace, stability and progress in a world undergoing profound transformations unseen in a century.

    UNBREAKABLE IRONCLAD FRIENDSHIP

    Friendship is a term frequently emphasized by Xi during his trip to the country.

    In the signed article, Xi said this visit “feels like going to the home of a good friend.”

    He fondly recalled the historic legacy of the good-neighborly relations between the two nations and the friendly exchange that spans two millennia of their shared history.

    “The great Chinese and Khmer civilizations have flourished together, inspiring each other through centuries,” he wrote.

    Xi also highlighted the two countries’ mutual commitment to friendship and righteousness, emphasizing that the friendship was forged by Cambodia’s King Father Norodom Sihanouk and Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai, among the elder generations of Chinese leaders.

    In 2020, Xi presented Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk with the Friendship Medal of the People’s Republic of China. This medal, Xi said, embodies “the profound friendship of the Chinese people toward the people of Cambodia.”

    Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Cambodian People’s Party President and Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

    In his meeting with Hun Sen, the Chinese president said the two sides should deepen practical cooperation across various fields, advance the construction of Cambodia’s Industrial and Technological Corridor and Fish and Rice Corridor, and strengthen collaboration in energy, transportation and other key sectors.

    In view of the headwinds on the international landscape, Xi said unilateralism and hegemonism receive no support of the people, adding that history has shown the unstoppable trend toward a multipolar world, economic globalization, and cultural diversity.

    When meeting with the Queen Mother on Thursday at the Royal Palace, Xi said she is a witness and promoter of the China-Cambodia friendship and has special friendly feelings towards the Chinese people, while Cambodia’s King Father Norodom Sihanouk was a banner of this friendship.

    Under the new circumstances, China and Cambodia should cherish and carry forward this ironclad friendship, endow the China-Cambodia community with a shared future with new connotations of the time, serve the development of their respective countries and the well-being of their people, and make greater contributions to building a community with a shared future with neighboring countries and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi said when meeting with King Norodom Sihamoni on Thursday.

    King Norodom Sihamoni presented Xi with the National Order of Independence – Grand Collar.

    Xi said that this medal fully demonstrates Cambodia’s high regard for developing China-Cambodia relations and carries the deep friendship of the Cambodian people towards the Chinese people.

    This honor, he said, belongs not only to him personally, but also to all the friendly people who have cultivated and contributed to the friendship between China and Cambodia.

    Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin has said in a written interview with Xinhua that as history and reality have both proven, China and Cambodia are good neighbors, good brothers, good friends and good partners who share weal and woe and stand together through thick and thin.

    The friendship between the two countries is not a transactional relationship, nor a stopgap measure, still less a bloc confrontation. It is rooted in the practical needs of the respective national development and rejuvenation, serves the common interests of both nations and peoples, and aligns with the historical trend of solidarity, self-strengthening and shared development among Global South countries, Wang said.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping and Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni walk at the Royal Palace after their meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. Xi met with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh on Thursday. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

    STRIVE TOGETHER, THRIVE TOGETHER

    In his signed article, Xi said that as important members of the big Asian family, China and Cambodia must ride the tide of history and heed the two peoples’ aspirations, and must strive together and thrive together.

    Noting that this is his second visit to Cambodia in nine years, Xi expressed hope that the visit will spearhead progress in building a China-Cambodia community with a shared future.

    For many years, China has been Cambodia’s largest trading partner and top source of investment, and industrial and supply chain cooperation between the two countries has continued to deepen. The entry into force of both the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the China-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement has further strengthened the foundation for bilateral trade and investment.

    Thanks to such free trade agreements, premium agricultural products from Cambodia, including banana, mango and longan, are finding their way into Chinese households.

    “China is a trustworthy partner for Cambodia,” said the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce’s Secretary of State and Spokesperson Penn Sovicheat. “Looking forward, our two-way trade volume will continue to rise, undoubtedly.”

    During talks with Hun Manet, Xi urged the two sides to expand mutually beneficial cooperation of higher quality and voiced China’s readiness to share opportunities and seek common development with Cambodia.

    He called on both sides to vigorously promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and continuously enrich the “Diamond Hexagon” cooperation framework, so as to inject new impetus into their respective modernization efforts.

    China encourages more Chinese enterprises to invest in Cambodia, Xi said, adding that it will open its mega-market to Cambodia and import more high-quality agricultural products from the country.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Cambodian People’s Party President and Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

    In his meeting with Hun Sen, the Chinese president said the two sides should deepen practical cooperation across various fields, advance the construction of Cambodia’s Industrial and Technological Corridor and Fish and Rice Corridor, and strengthen collaboration in energy, transportation and other key sectors.

    In view of the headwinds on the international landscape, Xi said unilateralism and hegemonism receive no support of the people, adding that history has shown the unstoppable trend toward a multipolar world, economic globalization, and cultural diversity.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoyer Joins Alsobrooks, Maryland Democratic Delegation in Pushing Sec. Kennedy for Answers on Disastrous Mass Layoffs

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) joined a letter led by U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) with the Maryland Democratic Delegation – U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Representatives Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), April McClain Delaney (MD-06), and Johnny Olszewski (MD-02) to express outrage and demand answers regarding the mass terminations of civil servants at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Congressman Hoyer and his colleagues questioned the extent of the devastation and consequential impacts these mass layoffs will have on the state and country. 

    “This reckless reduction in force and Department reorganization comes at a time when measles is spreading in communities across the country, avian flu is proliferating throughout our livestock populations, families are experiencing a childcare availability and affordability crisis, and cities across the country are still reeling from opioid and fentanyl overdoses. Instead of showing leadership on these concurrent emergencies and fulfilling the Department’s mission, this Administration has crippled the very teams and entire divisions that combat public health challenges, prevent disparities, and ensure that our families and children are safe,” the lawmakers wrote.

    “Maryland has already been hard hit by attacks to NIH research…This medical research funds new life-saving cures for Maryland patients – from our newborns to our seniors, from children battling rare cancers to our servicemembers injured in battle. It funds thousands of Maryland jobs, and to arbitrarily cut it threatens Maryland’s health, safety, and economy. Slashing research funding will ultimately harm patients and even cost lives,” continued the lawmakers. 

    The lawmakers are requesting Secretary Kennedy meet with them to answer these questions by May 1, 2025.

    You can read the full letter to Secretary Kennedy here or below:

    Dear Secretary Kennedy: 

    We write with shared concerns regarding the plan you announced on March 27, 2025, to begin yet another extensive round of mass terminations of civil servants at the Department of Health and Human Services (Department or HHS), along with an irrational and dangerous reorganization of the staff and operating divisions of the Department. In the weeks since that announcement, thousands of HHS employees have been summarily fired, wreaking havoc and chaos on our public health system. These actions are having a devastating and disproportionate impact on our state of Maryland. We demand a full and comprehensive analysis on what these cuts will mean for access to care, critical services, and lifesaving research in the state. We also demand an in-person meeting with you to discuss these concerns and the impact of the Department’s actions on our constituents. According to the announcement, cuts would include at least 3,500 full-time employees at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 2,400 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1,200 employees at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and 300 employees at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). 

    According to the Maryland Department of Labor, preliminary data shows at least 2,755 jobs were cut in 11 federal offices located across the state, with an impact rippling across multiple counties.

    This reckless reduction in force and Department reorganization comes at a time when measles is spreading in communities across the country, avian flu is proliferating throughout our livestock populations, families are experiencing a childcare availability and affordability crisis, and cities across the country are still reeling from opioid and fentanyl overdoses. Instead of showing leadership on these concurrent emergencies and fulfilling the Department’s mission, this Administration has crippled the very teams and entire divisions that combat public health challenges, prevent disparities, and ensure that our families and children are safe. 

    The latest reductions are part of a multipronged attack on our state, as the Department has abruptly terminated billions in critical public health grants, including $200 million to Maryland that would go towards vaccination programs, disease surveillance, and alleviating health disparities. The critical services the Department is responsible for were already threatened from the Administration’s initial haphazard firings of probationary employees by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk’s Fork in the Road policy, which forced thousands of Department staff to resign or retire early. Now, the Administration is further decimating the teams of civil servants that work to make Americans healthy and safe every day.

    As you well know, the FDA, NIH, CMS, and multiple other HHS agencies are headquartered in Maryland, and these cuts pose a direct threat to our constituents, Maryland’s economy, and all Americans.

    At the FDA, headquartered in White Oak, the Administration has annihilated the Center for Devices and Radiological Health and the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research – which the Maryland medical device and pharmaceutical industries rely on for the safe and timely approval of their products or therapeutics for patients. The Administration has also attacked the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products – which plays a critical role in prevention and harm reduction for Maryland youth. The FDA communications team that writes alerts about contaminated drugs and warnings to emergency room doctors about emerging threats was also terminated — which will have dire consequences for patient care. Across the FDA, thousands of Maryland based staffers that help to keep our food and health systems safe have been summarily dismissed, by an Administration only purporting to want to “Make America Healthy Again.” 

    At the NIH, based in Bethesda, this Administration has compounded its efforts to undermine the excellence of our crown jewel of scientific and medical research, with yet another round of terminations. This Administration has decimated NIH Institutes by firing leadership and critical staff to the point of non-functionality, including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. 

    Maryland has already been hard hit by attacks to NIH research. In February, the NIH unveiled a new indirect cost rate guidance that would cap indirect cost rates that Maryland researchers rely on to sustain their groundbreaking, life-saving research, studies, and patient clinical trials. It also arbitrarily froze or terminated research grants in the state and has delayed the review of NIH grant applications. This medical research funds new life-saving cures for Maryland patients – from our newborns to our seniors, from children battling rare cancers to our servicemembers injured in battle. It funds thousands of Maryland jobs, and to arbitrarily cut it threatens Maryland’s health, safety, and economy. Slashing research funding will ultimately harm patients and even cost lives. 

    Attacks to the NIH are only the beginning of cuts to our health research infrastructure. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), based in Rockville, is critical for tracking data on healthcare outcomes and conducting research to improve the safety of patient care has been taken apart by DOGE. The Administration plans to merge AHRQ with another operating division at the Department and gut its budget, all while firing half of its employees. 

    The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), based in Rockville, has already faced hundreds of layoffs. The Department dismissed 10 percent of SAMHSA’s workforce during the first rounds of firings, and the Administration plans to further reduce the agency by up to 50 percent. While Maryland has made significant progress in preventing and reducing opioid overdose-related deaths, Baltimore City still has a death rate nearly double that of any other large city in the country. Now, the Administration is pulling the rug from underneath our state and the dozens of community-based organizations on the ground that rely on SAMHSA for training, resources, and technical assistance that helps with opioid use disorder prevention and treatment services.

    CMS, based in Woodlawn, faced hundreds of cuts to staff, including the elimination of the Office for Minority Health and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights, which respectively helps address health disparities across the country and resolves discrimination complaints. Employees at CMS’ Innovation Center (CMMI) were fired and a third of the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination office, which helps serve the over 160,000 Marylanders that are dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid were let go. CMS is responsible for overseeing coverage for over 160 million Americans through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace. This includes 1.6 million Marylanders who rely on Medicaid and CHIP for lifesaving health coverage. Any attack on CMS represents a threat to Marylanders’ and the nation’s access to care.

    At the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), headquartered in Rockville, 500- 600 civil servants were fired, compromising HRSA’s mission to improve care for vulnerable and low-income communities. The Maternal and Child Health Bureau was wiped out by staffing cuts, crippling efforts to combat the maternal mortality crisis. Maryland women’s health disparities, including maternal morbidity, remain higher than national averages, and will only be exacerbated by this action. DOGE has also reportedly fired 40 percent of the Bureau of Primary Health Care, which oversees the Health Center Program that provides high quality, accessible primary and preventive medical, behavioral and dental services to all people, regardless of income or insurance status. Maryland’s sixteen Federally Qualified Health Centers deliver comprehensive primary healthcare to more than 360,000 patients across Maryland. That access to care in our state are at risk without civil servants to effectively run the program. 

    The Indian Health Service (IHS), which is also headquartered in Rockville, was not mentioned in initial reporting regarding the HHS reorganization or reduction in force. In fact, longtime civil servants in the Senior Executive Service (SES) have reported that their duty stations have been reassigned to remote IHS locations ranging from Alaska to South Dakota. While these locations suffer from high vacancy rates, the Department is pushing staff that do not have the qualifications or background for available IHS roles into an ultimatum: relocate your family across the country for a job that does not actually exist, or leave the Department. 

    Additionally, the Department fired approximately 500 staffers at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the April 1 wave of terminations, paralyzing the Department’s ability to effectively operate its human services programs. As you know, most program and support staff were eliminated in five regional offices around the country. While ACF’s Region 3 Office – which serves Maryland – remains open for now, staff in Region 3 will likely have to absorb the work and caseload of now shuttered Regions 1, 2,5, 9 and 10. This will put an untenable strain on their ability to support states like Maryland in operating child support, family assistance and child welfare programs, and providers operating Head Start and child care programs.

    This is in addition to the nearly two hundred probationary ACF employees who have been on administrative leave since mid-February, and because of this Administration, are still unable to 3 provide states like Maryland with the technical assistance needed to operate critical programs, increasing the financial burden on already-struggling households. Head Start serves seven thousand children in Maryland. Thousands more families rely on the availability of affordable, quality childcare in the state – availability which is endangered when the civil servants that help providers adapt to workforce challenges or monitor for abuse and neglect in our state’s facilities are shamefully fired or prevented from doing their jobs.

    Also at ACF, the Department terminated the entire Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) staff, threatening the timely disbursement of millions of dollars to states like Maryland, to help thousands of our constituents stay safe in the coming summer months. More than 18% of Maryland households are energy burdened; the Maryland Office of Home Energy Programs received a record number of energy assistance applications last year. Likewise, the Department eliminated the Office of Family Assistance – undermining the ability for the nearly 28,000 Maryland families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to receive critical support without interruption.

    Both the dismantling of the Administration for Community Living and the slashing of reportedly half of the staff that work on federal aging and disability programs at the Department will cause real harm to programs in Maryland that support some of our state’s most vulnerable communities – seniors and individuals with disabilities. This includes programs that prevent elder abuse, connect seniors with nutritious meals, and provide supports to caregivers – like the Maryland Caregiver Navigation Grant.

    Perhaps most galling, is that you have admitted that many of these firings at the Department are in error, telling reporters “We’re going to do 80% cuts, but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstated, because we’ll make mistakes.” Further reporting found that HHS has no intention of actually reinstating a significant number of the staffers that have been fired or rectifying the mistakes it has made – calling into question your control of the situation and understanding of the Department’s reorganization. As the Secretary, you are ultimately responsible for answering for both these “mistakes” and any harm that comes from your destruction of our public health workforce and infrastructure. 

    As such, we request an in-person meeting with you no later than May 1, 2025, to discuss these concerns. We also request comprehensive answers to the following questions, including details on the reductions at the Department to date, and your plans for additional workforce reductions and reorganization. 

    1. For each of the below agencies, please specify since January 20, how many Maryland residents: received a RIF notice or were terminated on the basis of their probationary status? Please also specify how many more Maryland residents the agency intends to respectively terminate:

    • SAMHSA 
    • FDA  
    • NIH 
    • CDC 
    • CMS 
    • IHS
    • HRSA  ‘
    • ACF 
    • ACL
    • AHRQ

    2. For each of the below agencies, please specify since January 20, how many Maryland residents are currently on administrative leave pending termination:
     

    • SAMHSA 
    • FDA
    • NIH 
    • CDC 
    • CMS 
    • IHS
    • HRSA 
    • ACF 
    • ACL 
    • AHRQ 

    3. For each of the below agencies, please specify the number of Maryland residents who participated in the Deferred Resignation Program:

    • SAMHSA 
    • FDA 
    • NIH
    • CDC 
    • CMS 
    • IHS 
    • HRSA 
    • ACF 
    • ACL 
    • AHRQ

    4. Please describe the reduction in force plans at the IHS headquarters and at IHS locations across the country.

    5. Please provide a detailed description of impact analysis performed to determine the impact on cancer research as a result of NIH Reductions in Force. 

    6. Please provide a detailed description of impact analysis performed to determine the impact on vaccine development and research as a result of FDA Reductions in Force. 

    7. Please provide a detailed description of the impact analysis performed regarding reductions in staffing to ACF services and programs, including technical assistance to states and childcare providers, childcare costs and child safety, supports for survivors of violence, and the effectiveness of the TANF and LIHEAP programs. 

              a. Please provide a detailed description of the analysis performed by the Department describing how LIHEAP staffing reductions will not lead to higher energy costs for Marylanders.

              b. Please provide a detailed plan for how the Department plans to ensure that there is no delay due to case backlogs experienced by the state of Maryland or Maryland human services providers due to staff reductions at ACF? 

    8. Please provide a detailed description of the analysis performed by the Department describing how the staffing reductions to HRSA will not impact Maryland FQHCs, or access to affordable care in Maryland communities.

    9. Please provide a detailed description of the analysis performed by the Department describing how the staffing reductions to CMS will not impede Marylander’s access to Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and the ACA Marketplace.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoyer Statement on Tax Day

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today on Tax Day to highlight the continued attacks on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by the Trump Administration:

    “Today is the last day for most Americans to file their tax returns. The vast majority of them do so dutifully not only because the law requires it of them but also because they recognize it as an integral part of healthy civic life in our country.

    “The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress have made it harder for working Americans to file their taxes and easier for the wealthiest tax cheats to get out of paying their fair share. Today, the Internal Revenue Service is an agency in turmoil. By cutting IRS funding and purging staff at the height of tax season, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought have deleted the people throughout our nation who provide customer service to taxpayers, hear tax disputes, crack down on tax fraud, and ensure Americans get their tax refunds on time.

    “Trump and Musk’s DOGE henchmen have also accessed taxpayers’ private data, including their Social Security numbers, addresses, financial history, and much more. Furthermore, they intend to breach longstanding legal firewalls, sharing rather than protecting sensitive taxpayer data. Every American who cares about their personal privacy ought to be outraged by these unprecedented breaches.

    “Meanwhile, Republicans continue their assault on the IRS’s enforcement budget. Even though studies indicate $1 invested in examining tax returns for millionaires yields $12 in federal revenue, the agency has been desperately understaffed and underfunded for decades. Further cuts and fewer employees will only make it harder for the IRS to enforce our existing tax laws – especially among the wealthiest individuals and corporations who know how to cover their tracks.

    “Hardworking American taxpayers shouldn’t have to bear additional costs just so the wealthy can get out of paying what they legally owe.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoyer, Meeks to Introduce Major Russian Sanctions, Ukraine Assistance Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), former Majority Leader, and Representative Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee introduced a comprehensive bill to support Ukraine and thwart Russia’s ability to wage its illegal war there. Like the Senate bill introduced earlier this month by Senator Lindsey Graham, this legislative package imposes numerous sanctions and other economic measures against Russia should it fail to cease its war of aggression against Ukraine. But this legislation also includes further vital provisions to sustain security assistance to Ukraine for its defense, generate resources for post-war reconstruction, and override presidential actions to terminate existing sanctions without cause. The bill also imposes new sanctions and export control authorities to place additional pressure on Russia, including to curb tankers carrying Russian oil above the international price cap and to ensure dual-use controls on semiconductors and other technologies that could be used to support Russia’s weapons capabilities.

    A section by section of the legislation can be found here. A PDF of the bill can be found here.

    Additional cosponsors of the bill include Representatives William Keating (MA-09), Ranking Member of the Europe Subcommittee; Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Ranking Member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Lloyd Doggett (TX-37). 

    “The US-led international response to Russia’s illegal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine has isolated Moscow as a global pariah, devastated the Kremlin’s capacity to fund this war, and provided essential support to the Ukrainians fighting for freedom. Now is not the time to ease up on this successful approach nor put pressure solely on the victim, Ukraine. The U.S. must remain committed to shoring up Ukraine’s ability to negotiate a just, acceptable end to this war and to holding Russia – and those supporting its illegal invasion – accountable for as long as Putin’s war of choice continues. This weekend’s missile attack in Sumy that claimed dozens of civilian lives, including children, further demonstrates the barbarity Russia has used to sow terror throughout this war, and the need to impose serious consequences for its atrocities. Make no mistake – Vladimir Putin started this war. He is a bully with no respect for peace, Ukrainian sovereignty, or international norms, and he will only end this illegal war when the world compels him to,” said Ranking Member Meeks.

    “Our allies in Ukraine are on the front lines of freedom – fighting not only for their nations’ sovereignty but also against authoritarianism worldwide. I am glad to join my colleagues in introducing urgently needed legislation that will support our allies in Ukraine and invest in their recovery through tougher sanctions on Russian oil exports, security and military assistance, and dual use export provisions. Importantly, this legislation also includes provisions that will allow the Congress, a coequal branch of government, to advance resolutions of disapproval if the President waves his authority – and assert with our own voice that Ukraine has bipartisan support in the United States,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer. “I thank Ranking Member Greg Meeks for his work to put together comprehensive legislation that reflects our values, strengthens our democracy, and ensures the United States remains on the right side of history. We must not give aid and comfort to our enemy, Russia, and we must remain steadfast in the battle for democracy.”

    “I am co-sponsoring this legislation because it reaffirms the American people’s unwavering commitment to a sovereign, democratic Ukraine,” said Ranking Member Keating. “As Ukraine continues to defend itself against Russia’s brutal full-scale invasion, it is critical that the United States stands firmly by its side—not just militarily, but economically and diplomatically. This legislation includes key provisions from my own bills that aim to support Ukraine across multiple fronts. It provides war risk insurance to ensure the continued flow of international commerce with Ukraine, blocks illegal U.S. technology exports to Iran where they are used to manufacture drones deployed by Russia, and promotes the diversification of Ukraine’s energy supply. Ukraine’s victory requires more than military support – it demands a comprehensive strategy to help rebuild its economy, secure its infrastructure, and restore its independence.”

    “Our friends in Ukraine are fighting for the democratic ideals we share against a war criminal, Vladimir Putin, and the rising threat of authoritarianism globally,” said Ranking Member Connolly. “The American commitment to Ukraine, its sovereignty, and its recovery must be lasting and ironclad. We must stand firmly behind the Ukrainian people by countering Russian disinformation, advocating for multilateral support for Ukraine’s reconstruction, providing additional U.S. security assistance, and implementing crippling sanctions on Russia and its enablers to force Putin to the negotiating table. That’s why this bill includes provisions from my bipartisan legislation to expand sanctions on North Korea for its material support for Russia’s illegal invasion. The war in Ukraine is a battle between dictatorship and democracy. Between freedom and oppression. The United States must remain on the right side of history. Slava Ukraini.” 

    “Pleased to join Rep. Meek’s comprehensive bill, including provisions I authored to stop laundered Russian oil imports and to use frozen Russian assets for compensation to Ukrainians. We support Ukraine and reaffirm our recognition of Putin as a war criminal with sole responsibility for the war. We reject appeasement by Trump and his Republican enablers of Putin, who should bear the ever-mounting costs of his ongoing destruction. The world is watching whether America will remain a beacon of hope, standing with our democratic allies, or drift itself into Russian-style authoritarianism,” said Rep. Doggett.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Prosecutors File Federal Criminal Charges Against 34 Defendants Who Allegedly Re-entered the U.S. Following Removal

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    LOS ANGELES – Federal prosecutors this week filed criminal charges against 34 defendants who are alleged to have been found in the United States following removal, the Justice Department announced today.

    Many of the defendants charged previously were convicted of felony offenses prior to their removal from the United States, including domestic violence, unlawful sex with a minor, and assault with a deadly weapon.

    The crime of being found in the United States following removal carries a base sentence of up to two years in federal prison. Defendants who were removed after being convicted of a felony face a maximum 10-year prison sentence and defendants removed after being convicted of an aggravated felony face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.

    Some of the recently filed cases are summarized below:

    • Maximo Medrano, 59, of Mexico, was charged via a federal criminal complaint with being an illegal alien found in the United States after removal. Medrano, who was removed from the U.S. in 1998 and 2023, has a criminal history that includes a felony conviction in 1997 in Monterey County Superior Court for transportation of a controlled substance, for which he was sentenced to two years in California state prison. Medrano also was convicted in Orange County Superior Court in 2023 of inflicting corporal injury upon a spouse/cohabitant and four counts of disorderly conduct, video/photo of bedroom/bathroom/etc., for which he was required to register as a sex offender. Medrano is scheduled to make his initial appearance this afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. Assistant United States Attorney MiRi Song of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
    • Adrian Chopin-Sánchez, 32, of Mexico, was charged via a federal criminal complaint with being an illegal alien found in the United States after removal.  Chopin-Sánchez, who was removed from the U.S. in 2017, has a criminal history that includes a felony conviction in Orange County Superior Court in 2013 for unlawful sex with a minor, for which he was sentenced to one year in California state prison. Assistant United States Attorney Gregory Scally of the Orange County Office is prosecuting this case.
    • Daniel Giovanni Rivera-Peralta, 32, of Mexico, was charged via a federal criminal complaint with being an illegal alien found in the United States after removal. Rivera-Peralta, who was removed from the U.S. in 2021, has a felony conviction in Orange County Superior Court in 2020 for assault with a deadly weapon, for which he was sentenced to four years in California state prison. Assistant United States Attorney Gregory Scally of the Orange County Office is prosecuting this case.

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating these matters.

    Federal prosecutors today also filed a criminal complaint against four illegal aliens who allegedly stole $10,000 in cash from a victim on Wednesday at a gasoline station in the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles. The defendants allegedly loitered outside bank branches in Los Angeles, including in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, before following a victim who appeared to leave with a large sum of money. After stealing the money, law enforcement who surveilled the defendants then pursued them at a high rate of speed. After law enforcement eventually pulled them over, two defendants fled on foot before being arrested. The $10,000 in cash was recovered inside one defendant’s underwear. While searching the defendants’ residence in the Mid-City neighborhood of Los Angeles, law enforcement found several fake passports. 

    The defendants in this matter are charged with conspiracy to transport, transmit or transfer at least $5,000 of stolen money in interstate or foreign commerce:

    • Javier Jesús Cordoza Araújo, 41, of Venezuela;
    • Ingrid Carolina Medina, 40, of Colombia;
    • Gladys Gruz Navarro, 62, of Venezuela; and
    • Guadalupe Delcristo Martínez, 46, of Mexico.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Orange County Violent Crimes Task Force is investigating this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Jena A. MacCabe and Kevin J. Butler of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case.

    Criminal complaints contain allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).      

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Photo & Video Chronology — April 18, 2025 — New Kīlauea summit interferogram and UAS mission photos

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Photo & Video Chronology — April 18, 2025 — New Kīlauea summit interferogram and UAS mission photos

    A new interferogram shows deformation at Kīlauea volcano during the pause between episodes 17 and 18 of the ongoing summit eruption. 

    This map shows deformation at Kīlauea volcano associated with the ongoing summit eruption that started on December 23, 2024. The image covers the timespan from April 9–17, 2025, using data recorded by the Italian Space Agency’s (ASI) COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellite constellation. Colored fringes denote areas of ground deformation, with more fringes indicating more deformation. Each color cycle represents 1.5 centimeters (0.6 inches) of range change. The symbol in the upper left indicates the satellite’s orbit direction (arrow) and look direction (bar). The round fringes within and around Kaluapele (Kīlauea summit caldera) indicate ground surface inflation over this time period (during the pause between episodes 17 and 18) as magma accumulates in the Halemaʻumaʻu magma chamber at a depth of approximately 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) below the ground surface. The vents for the ongoing eruption are located near the southwestern corner of the active lava flow field (pink area). For information about interpreting interferograms, see this “Volcano Watch” article: It’s all about perspective: How to interpret an interferogram.
    During UAS (uncrewed aircraft systems) overflights on April 18, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists flew their aircraft directly above the south vent within Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea for a close-up view into its depths. Here, a small lava pond can be seen several tens of meters (yards) down within the vent, throwing spatter into the conduit but not all the way to the surface through the vent opening, which they estimated to measure about 5–10 meters (16–33 feet) wide. These UAS flights were conducted with the permission of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, owing to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s mission to monitor active volcanoes in Hawaii, assess their hazards, issue warnings, and advance scientific understanding to reduce the impacts of eruptions. Unauthorized launching, landing, or operating of a UAS from or on lands and waters administered by the National Park Service is prohibited under 36 CFR Closures & Public Use. USGS photo by M. Zoeller. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Motorists urged to comply with the law

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The City of Johannesburg’s Department of Public Safety has warned motorists to comply with the rules of the road or face the might of the law.

    This as the department kicked off its build-up campaign to the 2025 Easter Road Safety operations.

    “Every holiday, we bury more loved ones due to preventable road crashes. We cannot afford to treat this as routine anymore. This is a matter of life and death.

    “Our message is simple. If you don’t comply with the law, expect to be stopped, expect to be fined, expect to be arrested. We are done watching lives lost to drunk driving, unlicensed drivers, bribes, and unroadworthy taxis. Enough is enough,” the department said in a statement.

    A public education campaign is also underway aimed at changing public behaviour on the roads.

    “Targeted road safety messaging is being rolled out in schools, churches, and public spaces. Community members are encouraged to report reckless driving, corruption, and illegal vehicles.

    “This is about building a culture of accountability, not fear. We want everyone to get home safely. We want dignity on our roads. Bribery will not be tolerated, and any officer caught accepting a bribe will face immediate action,” the department warned.
    At the launch, Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) Spokesperson Xolani Fihla, reminded motorists of their responsibility.

    “For your safety, when you are hitting the road, ensure that you do have the proper documentation that allows you to be driving that vehicle. Also ensure that your vehicle is in a roadworthy condition.

    “The cause of these major accidents is due to driver behaviour. So, the driver…please don’t drive under the influence of alcohol, avoid excessive speeding and avoid reckless and negligent driving,” Fihla said.

    He also had a word of warning for pedestrians.

    “What we’ve also noticed and seen is a greater number of our pedestrians dying on the roads. This is due to them not adhering to the rules of the road. So, our message for our pedestrians as well, is to please stay safe. 

    “If you are going to be walking, don’t walk directly on a public road. Use the sidewalk or a verge. If you are walking at night or in the early morning, make sure that you are wearing bright or reflective clothing so that you are seen. Most importantly, don’t walk on our roads while intoxicated,” he said.

    Acting Chief of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Clement Masinge, urged those visiting Gauteng to also adhere to the rules of the road and to prioritise safety.

    “We want to encourage motorists when they’re on holidays through our city to take enough rest and ensure that they stick to the rules of the road. We are not going to tolerate…speeding, overloading in the taxis and buses.

    “We will go all out in numbers to ensure that our motorists in the City of Johannesburg remain safe throughout this month,” Masinge added. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Health Department calls for vigilance against malaria

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Department of Health urges all travellers and communities to stay vigilant as the country is experiencing a slight increase in malaria cases, particularly in provinces where the disease is endemic, including Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal.

    According to the department, outbreaks of malaria have been reported in several neighbouring countries within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, specifically in Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

    This situation is said to raise the risk of potential cross-border transmission of this preventable disease, especially as people travel throughout the region for religious and cultural events during the Easter holidays.

    “The department will remain on high alert in case of a sudden peak in local malaria transmission, “ the statement read. 

    The disease is primarily transmitted through a bite from infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. 

    Common symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, nausea, loss of appetite and vomiting.

    Citizens travelling to malaria-endemic areas are urged to take the following precautions:

    • Take malaria prevention medication (prophylaxis) as advised by a healthcare provider. Doxycycline is available freely in all public health facilities.
    • Use insect repellent containing at least 10% DEET.
    • Sleep under bed-nets, use fans or air-conditioning.
    • Wear long-sleeved clothing, especially at night.
    • Seek immediate medical attention if any of the symptoms appear and always mention recent travel history.

    Meanwhile, the department stated that healthcare providers in both endemic and non-endemic provinces have been alerted to maintain a high index of suspicion for malaria in patients with flu-like symptoms and report confirmed cases immediately to support malaria surveillance and response.

    “They were also reminded to always inquire about travel history, particularly from high-risk regions and conduct prompt malaria testing and repeat the tests if symptoms persist despite negative results.

    “Early diagnosis and treatment are critical to saving lives and preventing further transmission of the disease,” said the department. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Religious leaders urged to raise awareness on road safety

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has called on religious leaders to encourage road safety amongst church congregants. 

    These holidays are characterised by high road traffic volumes with many road users travelling to various religious and holiday destinations on the major corridors, which are expected to reach peak levels.

    “In the light of anticipated Easter holiday pilgrimage by congregants across the country and Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, many people will be traveling either using private vehicles or hired public transport.

    “Previously many congregants perished while going or returning from the Easter pilgrimages. It is in this context that religious leaders are called upon to spread road safety messages during these Easter holidays,” the RTMC said.

    The 2025 Easter weekend spans from Good Friday (18 April) to Easter Monday ( 21 April), with Easter Sunday falling on 20 April 2025.

    All pastors have been encouraged to deliberately incorporate these messages in their sermons. 

    “Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. It cannot be left in government’s hands alone. Organisers of these trips must also plan their trips thoroughly to ensure that their drivers rest sufficiently along the way.

    “Public transport operators must also ensure that the vehicles they are transporting churchgoers with are roadworthy and not overloaded. It is possible to have a crash-free Easter long weekend if all drivers play their part by obeying the rules of the road,” it said.

    While traffic law enforcement officers and security will be highly visible on various roads working closely with all role players, motorists have been urged to come to the party by respecting the rules of the road.

    Last month, Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy launched of the 2025 Easter Season Road Safety Arrive Alive campaign, which started on 20 March and will run until 2 May 2025.

    The objective of the campaign is not only to ensure smooth flows of traffic but also prevent negligent and reckless driving which could result in road crashes, injuries and fatalities.

    The campaign is being held under the theme: “It begins with Me.”

    “We chose this theme because driver and pedestrian behaviour is responsible for 87% of road accidents and fatalities in our country. And so, reducing road fatalities and accidents is the responsibility of each one of us,” Creecy said at the launch.

    Road users have been encouraged to follow these tips:

    Before any journey ensure you:

    • Check your vehicle and make sure it is roadworthy.
    • Carry a valid driver’s license.
    • Make sure your public driving permit is in order if you need one.

    If you are a pedestrian this festive season, make smart choices and:

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: BMA monitors movements at ports of entry

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Friday, April 18, 2025

    With the Easter long weekend underway, the Border Management Authority (BMA) Commissioner, Dr Michael Masiapato, is monitoring movements at the country’s ports of entry.

    Commissioner Masiapato is on the ground monitoring the accelerated security control measures at the Lebombo port of entry.

    As the third law enforcement service in the Republic, the BMA has also deployed drones and body worn cameras for additional technological support in addition to adjusting service hours for the holidays. 

    Four advanced unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones and 40 body-worn cameras have been deployed for the first time at the country’s ports of entry this Easter weekend. 

    READ | Technology to aid SA’s border management efforts  

    The drones are equipped with some of the most advanced night vision cameras in the world, including thermal detection technology.
    Powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), the devices are able to recognise and lock onto heat sources, moving people, or vehicles. They can also travel at speeds up to 43 kilometres per hour and are capable of operating in remote rural areas without access to GPS and even underground.

    The Commissioner will also monitor deployments and traveller movements. 

    When travellers return from the Easter holidays, the BMA Commissioner will be at the Beitbridge port of entry from 20 to 22 April 2025.  – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Visits With Yakama Nation Members, Observes Dipnet Fishing on the Klickitat River

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Senator Murray has been raising the alarm on Trump administration’s plans to slash critical funding for salmon recovery efforts

    ***PHOTOS, B-ROLL HERE**

    Lyle, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, visited Klickitat Falls to observe Yakama Nation members dipnet fishing on the Klickitat River and meet with Tribal leaders and members. Senator Murray spoke with Chairman Gerald Lewis others about the importance of salmon recovery efforts in the Columbia and Snake Rivers, as well as forestry management and other issues. Forest management and wildfire prevention in particular have become a major cause for concern for the Yakama Nation in recent weeks, as the Trump administration’s federal funding cuts and freezes directly affect their ability to manage their lands or respond to fires on adjoining federal lands.

    Senator Murray has also been raising the alarm and demanding answers on the Trump administration’s plans to shutter the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) office in Toppenish, which the Yakama Nation relies on for everything from timber sales to Indian Child Welfare Act cases.

    “It was a real honor to visit with the Yakama Nation today and observe dipnet fishing, a practice handed down over generations,” said Senator Murray. “The Yakama Nation have been stewards of this land since time immemorial, and I’m proud to be their partner at the federal level in fighting to save our salmon, manage our forests responsibly, and make progress on so many other issues. Over the past few years, we’ve made historic investments in salmon recovery through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act—but now the Trump administration’s reckless cuts and illegal funding freezes are putting that progress at risk.”

    “I’ve spoken with many Tribes, including the Yakama Nation, who are already seeing the consequences of the Trump administration’s mass firings and hiring freezes at important federal agencies they rely on—and that were already painfully understaffed. There’s no way around it—Trump’s gutting of the federal workforce and deep funding cuts will seriously hamper the administration of programs and services that Tribes rely on, and that the federal government has trust and treaty obligations to provide,” Murray continued. “I take seriously my responsibility to be a voice for our Tribes in the U.S. Senate—and I’ll continue using every tool at my disposal in Congress to fight back and hold this administration accountable.”

    As a voice in the U.S. Senate for Washington state’s Tribal governments and communities, Senator Murray has long worked to make sure our nation lives up to its promises to support Tribal infrastructure, health care, education, housing, natural resources management, and more. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Senator Murray was instrumental in passing as then-Assistant Majority Leader provided more than $13 billion to directly support Tribal communities and makes Tribes eligible to apply for or request billions in discretionary, formula, and other funding to deploy record investments to provide affordable high-speed internet, safer roads and bridges, modern wastewater and sanitation systems, clean drinking water, reliable and affordable electricity, and good paying jobs in every Tribal community. In total, this funding represents the single largest investment in Tribal infrastructure ever.

    Senator Murray has also been a champion for protecting and strengthening critical salmon and fish populations throughout her time in the Senate. Senator Murray secured a historic $2.85 billion investment in salmon and ecosystem restoration programs—including $400 million for a new community-based restoration program focused on removing fish passage barriers in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—and in the Inflation Reduction Act, Murray secured hundreds of millions for Washington state priorities including $15 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, $3 million to support facilities at the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, $27 million for Pacific salmon research, and more. Last Congress, as then-Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Murray protected critical funding for salmon recovery and fishery projects in the Fiscal Year 2024 government spending bills she negotiated and passed into law, including securing: $50 million in the construction of the Howard Hanson Dam Fish Passage facility; $75 million for the Pacific Salmon account at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), $65 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, $54 million for the EPA’s Puget Sound Geographic Program, and more.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Introduces Bills to Establish Smithsonian Museums Recognizing Accomplishments of Women and Latinos

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Senator Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, helped introduce bipartisan legislation to build two new Smithsonian museums on the National Mall that recognize the accomplishments of women and Latinos.

    “Women and Latinos have done so much for our nation, and those contributions – our story, the American story – deserve to be told and honored,” said Cortez Masto. “I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to ensure the accomplishments of the Latinos and women who have truly made America great can be showcased in their very own Smithsonian museums.”

    Senators Cortez Masto, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif) are leading the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Act. Senators Cortez Masto, Padilla, Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) are leading the National Museum of the American Latino Act.

    The first and only Latina elected to the U.S. Senate, Senator Cortez Masto has been a strong advocate for women and the Latino community. She passed into law her bipartisan legislation to authorize a series of U.S. quarters to honoring women’s history and suffrage, which featured Queen of Salsa Celia Cruz, among other prominent women. She has pushed legislation to promote women and underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and careers. And she regularly supports legislation to advance women and Latinas’ professional opportunities, such as federal funding for Minority-Serving Institutions, including the four Hispanic-Serving Institutions in Nevada.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Barrasso, Lummis, Hageman Celebrate Cutting Edge  C-130J Housing in Wyoming 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and U.S. Representative Harriet Hageman (R-WY) applauded the announcement by the Trump administration that the Wyoming Air National Guard Base has been selected as the preferred and final location for the Air National Guard’s C-130J Main Operating Base (MOB) 11. This critical investment will allow for the complete recapitalization of one squadron, replacing eight aging C-130H aircraft with the modern C-130J Super Hercules fleet. 

    “The Trump administration rightfully selected the Wyoming National Guard base in Cheyenne to be the new home of the C-130J aircraft,” said Barrasso. “The C-130J air tanker is one of the best tools we have to quickly and efficiently suppress wildfires at home and support airlift operations around the globe. With the ongoing threat of wildfires across the Rocky Mountain West, having access to these planes in Wyoming is more critical than ever.” 

    “This is a transformative moment for Wyoming’s military presence and our state’s contribution to our national security,” said Lummis. “The arrival of these cutting-edge aircrafts will significantly enhance our Air National Guard’s capabilities while securing high-skilled jobs and economic activity in our community for decades to come. I am grateful to the Trump administration for recognizing Wyoming’s strategic importance and the exceptional readiness of our Guard members to operate this advanced fleet.” 

    “This is a major win for Wyoming,” said Hageman. “Housing the C-130J fleet in Cheyenne reinforces Wyoming’s role as a strategic hub for military readiness and strengthens our firefighting capabilities. I’m grateful to President Trump for securing this investment in our state’s future, our service members, and our ability to respond to both foreign threats and domestic emergencies.”

    The Wyoming Air National Guard Base in Cheyenne was selected from among four candidate locations that were previously considered but not selected in earlier rounds of C-130J basing decisions. Other candidates included New Castle Air National Guard Base in Delaware, Nevada Air National Guard Base at Reno-Tahoe, and Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in Missouri.

    The C-130J Super Hercules represents a significant technological advancement over the legacy C-130H model, with improved performance, fuel efficiency, cargo capacity, and avionics. The aircraft will enhance the Wyoming Air National Guard’s ability to support both military operations and domestic emergency response missions like aerial firefighting.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand Demands Answers From HHS On Mass Firings At HRSA That Imperil Primary Care and Maternal Health

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

    New York Has Over 4,300 HRSA Health Care And Service Delivery Sites

    So Far In FY2025, HRSA Has Awarded Over $256 Million In Funding To Health Programs And Facilities In New York

    Firings Include Workers Who Oversee The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, Which Gillibrand Helped Establish in 2022

    U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) led nine of their colleagues in sending a letter demanding answers from Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on the abrupt and unprecedented mass firing of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) employees. HRSA is the primary federal agency tasked with improving access to health care for vulnerable populations, including uninsured and underinsured children and families and individuals living in rural communities.

    New York has over 4,300 HRSA Health Care and Service Delivery Sites, which are facilities that are funded by or participate in HRSA programs. So far in FY2025, HRSA has awarded over $256 million in funding to these facilities and other health programs across New York State. These grants help fund health care facilities in rural areas; support programs that help patients living with HIV/AIDS, substance use disorder, maternal health complications, and cancer; and bolster health care workforce training programs across the state. Firing HRSA employees imperils their ability to provide care to New Yorkers and potentially puts this funding in jeopardy.

    These firings also include layoffs of HRSA workers who run the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, which provides free, 24/7 support to pregnant and postpartum women facing mental health challenges. Senator Gillibrand helped establish the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline in 2022. Since its launch, the hotline has received more than 54,000 calls and texts — a large part of which have been from postpartum moms reporting depression, anxiety, or feeling overwhelmed. Maternal mental health issues are the leading cause of pregnancy-related death in the United States. By firing the individuals who keep the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline operational, HHS is jeopardizing the lives of American moms.

    “HRSA employees help struggling mothers, vulnerable children, uninsured patients, and individuals who live in rural areas access critical health care,” said Senator Gillibrand. “By indiscriminately firing these employees, the Trump administration is jeopardizing access to these vital services and threatening programs that help keep New Yorkers healthy. This is unacceptable, particularly at a time when our country is facing a health care workforce crisis. I am proud to work with my fellow senators to demand answers about these egregious firings at HHS, and I will not rest until our concerns are remedied.”

    In addition to Sens. Gillibrand and Blunt Rochester, the letter was also signed by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

    The full letter can be found here and below:

    Dear Secretary Kennedy:

    We write concerning the abrupt and unprecedented mass firing of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) employees who serve vulnerable populations including children, seniors, uninsured Americans, and rural communities. Reportedly, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) used spreadsheets to slash entire divisions without fully understanding the critical functions that many of the former employees performed. Therefore, we request detailed information about who was fired, their specific job functions, and the measures you will implement to ensure that at-risk Americans do not suffer due to your Reduction in Force (RIF).

    HRSA is the primary agency tasked with improving access to health care for vulnerable populations, including the un- and underinsured, children, and families. On March 27, 2025, HHS announced a rushed and ill-conceived RIF in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order 14210, “Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative.” This is on top of the firing of seven percent of HRSA staff that occurred on February 14, 2025. These egregious staffing cuts have particularly decimated the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), which not only runs counter to the administration’s goal of elevating preventative care and reducing the prevalence of chronic disease but comes at a time when the United States ranks last in maternal health outcomes relative to other high-income countries.

    The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has reportedly fired 40 percent of the Bureau of Primary Health Care, which oversees the Health Center Program. This program effectively closes health care access gaps by providing high quality, affordable primary medical, dental, mental health care, and low-cost prescription drugs. Health centers provide care to over 32.5 million patients at 15,000 clinics across every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Basin. Health centers typically provide a wider array of lifesaving health care services for diverse populations impacted by barriers to care, serving one in five rural residents, one in three living in poverty, and over 400,000 veterans. Of the 32.5 million patients served by health centers, almost one-third are children, and 11 percent are seniors. A strong health center network is integral to increasing primary care access for people at every stage of life.  

    Through the Health Center Program, HRSA not only finances critical health care services, but safeguards patients from low-quality, inaccessible care. HRSA ensures that health centers comply with the highest health care standards to support improved clinical outcomes, improved access to services, and proper financial management. As a result of HHS’s actions, the ability of health centers to carry-out their critical mission of providing safe and accessible care is now in jeopardy, particularly at a time when the U.S. is facing a primary care workforce crisis.

    Combined with the Health Center Program, HRSA administered health workforce programs through the Bureau of Health Workforce are our largest defense against nationwide workforce shortages that are driving preventable deaths. HRSA is critical to adequately staffing health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) with physicians, nurses, dentists, and mental health providers. As an increasing number of rural hospitals close- leaving many Americans without reasonable access to emergency, obstetric, primary, or specialty care- the country cannot afford to lose any investment in the health care workforce.

    HHS has also terminated 20% of the employees at the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. This bureau oversees important programs that support children and pregnant women, such as the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant and the Healthy Start Program. These initiatives help reduce infant deaths, provide wrap-around services not covered by Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and reach families before, during, and after pregnancy. In 2023, the Title V MCH Services Block Grant helped provide services to an estimated 59 million people. This included 94% of all pregnant women, 98% of infants, and 59% of children nationwide, including children with special health care needs. Although your administration claims to support families, mothers, and children, you are actively undermining the health and wellbeing of these vulnerable groups.

    At your direction, HHS has reportedly fired workers who oversee the Maternal Mental Health Hotline, which offers free and confidential support to the very large proportion of expectant and new mothers experiencing postpartum depression and anxiety, and mothers who simply need a listening ear during some of the most challenging moments of their lives. From October to December 2024, the hotline received 7,500 calls and texts— a majority of which were from postpartum parents, reporting depression, anxiety, or feeling overwhelmed. Maternal mental health issues are the leading cause of maternal death in the United States. These firings could disrupt an essential support pathway for saving the lives of American moms. 

    We remain concerned that these indiscriminate firings have destabilized HRSA and reduced the ability of the agency to provide critical, quality services to the vulnerable populations at the core of its mission. We request a full account of the status of HRSA’s workforce and the impact these firings will have on the American people. Please respond to the following questions and requests for information by no later than Monday, April 21st at 5 p.m.: 

    1. Please provide the total number of people terminated or put on administrative leave for all of HRSA, and specifically from each of the following offices as a result of EO 14210. Please provide a complete breakdown of position, GS level, and veteran status, and clearly state the justification for termination. This accounting should include employees who have since been reinstated or placed on administrative leave, noting that change in status.
      1. Maternal and Child Health Bureau
      2. Bureau of Primary Health Care
      3. Bureau of Health Workforce
      4. HIV/AIDS Bureau
      5. Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
      6. Provider Relief Bureau
    2. Please provide the total number of people terminated or put on administrative leave, who accepted the deferred resignation program offer, or accepted the VERA/VSIP offer between January 18, 2025 and April 1, 2025 for all of HRSA and specifically from each of the following divisions. Please provide a complete breakdown of position, GS level, and veteran status, and clearly state the justification for termination. This accounting should include employees who have since been reinstated or placed on administrative leave, noting that change in status.
    1. Maternal and Child Health Bureau
    2. Bureau of Primary Health Care
    3. Bureau of Health Workforce
    4. HIV/AIDS Bureau
    5. Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
    6. Office of Women’s Health
    1. How many people who were terminated or put on administrative leave were the primary or secondary contact for grantees?
    2. What methods and frequency of communication are being used to inform grant recipients about their new points of contact? Have you confirmed that each grantee received notice of the change?
    3. How many people involved with operations or compliance with the following grants or contracts were terminated or put on administrative leave?
      1. Section 330 grants
      2. Early childhood development grants
      3. Cancer screenings grants
      4. School-based health center grants
      5. Maternal health hotline
      6. Home visiting program
      7. Title V Maternal Health Block Grant
      8. Healthy Start
    4. Have grantees been able to draw down funding at the same rate they were able to at this time last year? Please describe the cause of any delays in funding reimbursements experienced by grantees.
    5. Have HRSA project officers or related personnel been instructed to withhold information from grant recipients regarding the continued availability of previously awarded support under EO 14210?
    6. What instructions or communication have been provided to HRSA employees internally regarding program termination and staff reductions related to EO 14210?
    7. What instructions have been given to remaining staff about how to absorb workloads of terminated employees?
    8. What safeguards are in place to ensure that essential functions of HRSA are not harmed as a result of the RIF and proposed restructure of HHS??
    9. How does terminating grants under EO 14210 align with HRSA’s mission to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable populations and all Americans?
    10. Will you commit that, despite these terminations, HRSA will make all funding opportunity announcements for congressionally appropriated funding for Fiscal Year 2025 available immediately to allow communities the time necessary to develop robust proposals and that HRSA will award all congressionally appropriated funding by September 30th?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar, Blackburn Introduce Bill to Prevent Human Trafficking

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)

    The Combatting Trafficking in Transportation Act would support public awareness campaign on the risk and signs of trafficking along the Interstate Highway System

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Combating Trafficking in Transportation Act, which would provide federal funding to states post human trafficking awareness signage at rest stops and welcome centers along the Interstate System, helping educate the public and better support survivors of human trafficking.

    “We must do everything in our power to stop human trafficking, and public awareness campaigns are a proven, effective tool to combat this issue,” said Klobuchar. “That is why we are introducing bipartisan legislation to provide more information about signs of trafficking and how to help victims. This bill will give law enforcement crucial information to take on criminals and get more victims to safety.”

    “As human traffickers move their victims across the country, they travel on the same highways and visit the same rest stops and gas stations as everyone else, which creates multiple opportunities to identify these victims,” said Blackburn. “This bipartisan legislation would give all states the flexibility to take advantage of signage campaigns that have been proven effective to rescue more men, women, and children from this heinous crime.”

    In 2023 alone, there were nearly 17,000 trafficking victims in the United States. By making information about human trafficking available at these locations, we can increase reporting of suspicious behavior and direct victims to resources like the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

    The Combating Trafficking in Transportation Act would: 

    • Amend the list of eligible projects under the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program and the RAISE Discretionary Grant Program to include the procurement and installation of human trafficking awareness signage at rest stops and welcome centers along the Interstate System; and 

    • Add a 16th seat to the Department of Transportation Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking specifically for a representative from state departments of transportation. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hirono, Omar Lead Colleagues in Condemning Trump’s Illegal Invocation of Alien Enemies Act, Demanding Answers About Deportees

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN)

    Lawmakers: “The government should not be able to falsely accuse individuals in the United States, including U.S. citizens, of gang membership and send them to foreign prisons without any judicial review or remedy.”

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN)  and U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led 13 of their colleagues in a letter to President Trump condemning his unlawful invocation of the Alien Enemies Actof 1798. The letter follows the Supreme Court’s recent decision to only allow Trump to continue rapid deportations under the statute if individuals are given notice and an opportunity to challenge the deportation. Senator Hirono and Representative Omar also lead the introduction of the Neighbors Not Enemies Act, legislation that would repeal the antiquated Alien Enemies Act. 

    “We write regarding your unlawful invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, resulting in noncitizens being deported without any due process, not to mention violating the requirement that the statute be invoked only in response to an act of war, predatory incursion, or invasion by a foreign government,” begin the lawmakers. “Our immigration laws can already hold gang members accountable and provide for their deportation. The government should not be able to falsely accuse individuals in the United States, including U.S. citizens, of gang membership and send them to foreign prisons without any judicial review or remedy.”

    In 1798, President John Adams signed the “Alien and Sedition Acts” which was comprised of four bills: The Naturalization Act; the Alien Friends Act; the Sedition Act; and the Alien Enemies Act. Today, the Aliens Enemies Act (AEA) is the only one that remains in effect. The AEA allows the president to target foreign nationals of a specific country to be “apprehended, restrained, secured and removed” without due process during wartime. 

    The Act has only been invoked three times in American history: the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II. In their letter, the lawmakers assert that Tren de Aragua—a Venezuelan gang—does not qualify as an arm of the Venezuelan government.

    “By claiming a foreign ‘invasion’ or ‘incursion,’ you are clearly attempting to suspend due process for noncitizens and speed up your mass deportation campaign,” the lawmakers continued. “Circumventing immigration law, and its requirement of verifiable evidence, will result in people with no gang affiliation being incorrectly targeted and deported.”

    The lawmakers also emphasized that the Trump Administration’s choice of deportation sites will likely subject people to human rights abuses as El Salvador’s prisons are notorious for their inhumane conditions, including denial of medical care, lack of food, and outright torture. 

    “Over 260 people have died in those prisons in the last two and a half years, including some with signs of serious physical abuse,” wrote the lawmakers. “We should not subject individuals to mistreatment and more, much less individuals who have had no due process and have not been found guilty of any crimes.”

    In their letter, the lawmakers also demand that the Trump Administration provide regular updates about the people who have already been deported, as well as information about deportees including their names, nationalities, ages, the number of individuals under the age of 18, and what evidence was used to determine whether an individual was a member of Tren de Aragua. 

    “Invoking the Alien Enemies Act does not make Americans safer,” concluded the lawmakers. “It endangers all of us, by removing due process protections and ignoring the plain text of the statute.” 

    In the Senate, this letter was also signed by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Peter Welch (D-VT). 

    In the House, this letter was also signed by Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Greg Casar (D-TX).  

    The full text of the letter is available here and below.

    Dear President Trump:

    We write regarding your unlawful invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, resulting in noncitizens being deported without any due process, not to mention violating the requirement that the statute be invoked only in response to an act of war, predatory incursion, or invasion by a foreign government. Our immigration laws can already hold gang members accountable and provide for their deportation. The government should not be able to falsely accuse individuals in the United States, including U.S. citizens, of gang membership and send them to foreign prisons without any judicial review or remedy. The Supreme Court, when confronted with the manner in which you conducted the removals, unanimously rejected the implementation and its corresponding lack of notice and opportunity to challenge individuals’ removals. Moreover, deporting these individuals to Salvadorian prisons will also subject them to inhumane conditions, further exacerbating the legal issues in invoking the Alien Enemies Act.

    The Alien Enemies Act was passed as part of the infamous Alien and Sedition Acts, and it was used during World War II to detain tens of thousands of innocent Japanese, German, and Italian individuals based on nothing but their ethnicity. This wartime use of the Alien Enemies Act served as a precursor to Executive Order 9066, resulting in the incarceration of 111,000 Japanese Americans. Those who were caught up in that xenophobic panic, as well as organizations like the Japanese American National Museum, have condemned your recent invocation of the act.

    We reiterate that the plain language of the law limits the president’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to two enumerated situations: times of declared war, and times of invasion or “predatory incursion” by a foreign nation or government. The Act has only been invoked three times in American history: the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II. A Venezuelan gang does not qualify as an arm of the Venezuelan government.

    By claiming a foreign “invasion” or “incursion,” you are clearly attempting to suspend due process for noncitizens and speed up your mass deportation campaign. Circumventing immigration law, and its requirement of verifiable evidence, will result in people with no gang affiliation being incorrectly targeted and deported. Multiple individuals who were subjected to the Alien Enemies Act had ongoing cases arguing that they were not members of Tren de Aragua. An attorney for one individual says that her client was mislabeled as a member of the gang due to a tattoo supporting the Spanish soccer team Real Madrid and for flashing the popular hand symbol for “rock and roll.” Another individual is a tattoo artist. A third individual was a make-up artist who was seeking asylum due to his sexual orientation.

    Aside from these foregoing concerns, your choice of deportation sites will likely subject people to human rights abuses. El Salvador’s prisons are notorious for their inhumane conditions, including denial of medical care, lack of food, and outright torture. Over 260 people have died in those prisons in the last two and a half years, including some with signs of serious physical abuse. An Amnesty International UK report accused the Salvadorian authorities of a “systematic policy of torture towards all those detained.” The specific prison that will house the deported individuals, the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT), has been described as a place “to dispose of people without formally applying the death penalty.” According to a Times reporter who watched the individuals be transferred to CECOT, the “intake began with slaps.” When detainees fell due to how quickly they were being moved, they were kicked, slapped, and shoved. One person asked for his mom and cried. He was slapped again. We should not subject individuals to mistreatment and more, much less individuals who have had no due process and have not been found guilty of any crimes.

    At this point, we request that you provide us with information and regular updates on the following:

    1. The names, nationalities, and ages of the people sent to El Salvador to be imprisoned in CECOT, including the number of individuals under the age of 18;
    2. What evidence was used to determine that each individual was a member of Tren de Aragua;
    3. The overall estimated costs and sources of funding associated with detaining and deporting these individuals; and
    4. The procedures for individuals to challenge your administration’s determination that they are a member of Tren de Aragua, either here in the United States or in El Salvador, including how much time you provide to individuals to mount a legal challenge.

    In closing, invoking the Alien Enemies Act does not make Americans safer. It endangers all of us, by removing due process protections and ignoring the plain text of the statute. We urge you to abandon this decision.

     

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi’s Southeast Asia tour promotes good-neighborliness, mutually beneficial cooperation: Chinese FM

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Xi’s Southeast Asia tour promotes good-neighborliness, mutually beneficial cooperation: Chinese FM

    BEIJING, April 18 — Chinese President Xi Jinping’s just-concluded Southeast Asia tour focused on good-neighborly relations and promoted mutually beneficial cooperation, and achieved a complete success, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

    Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said during a press briefing that Xi’s trip to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia from Monday to Friday was the first overseas tour of the Chinese head of state this year.

    The tour sent a strong signal that China firmly defends multilateralism and international trade rules, Wang said.

    On Xi’s visit to Vietnam, Wang said that the strategic guidance of the top leaders of the two parties and countries is the biggest advantage of and the most important political guarantee for the development of China-Vietnam relations.

    The leaders of the two parties and countries unanimously confirmed that in accordance with the overarching goals characterized by “six mores,” the two sides will advance the development of their comprehensive strategic cooperation with higher quality and on deeper levels, and accelerate the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, he said.

    During Xi’s visit to Vietnam, bilateral railway cooperation has been expanded and upgraded, which particularly demonstrated the determination of the two countries to seek common development, Wang said.

    On Xi’s visit to Malaysia, Wang said its most significant outcome was that the leaders of the two countries elevated China-Malaysia relations to a new height and announced the building of a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future.

    This marks another leap in the positioning of the bilateral relationship after China and Malaysia announced the joint building of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future in 2023, Wang noted.

    A highlight of this visit is that the two sides agreed to become a pacesetter for regional cooperation on new quality productive forces, focusing on cutting-edge fields such as digital economy, green economy and artificial intelligence, he added.

    Speaking of Xi’s visit to Cambodia, Wang noted that the highlight was the joint announcement by Xi and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on elevating the China-Cambodia relationship to an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era, which marks the first time that China has elevated its bilateral relationship with a Southeast Asian country to an all-weather level.

    Wang said that during Xi’s Southeast Asia tour, the Chinese president pointed out that economic globalization benefits all countries and no country can retreat into isolation.

    Trade wars will undermine the international trading system, the stability of the global economic order and the legitimate interests of all countries in the world, especially developing countries, Xi noted.

    As key members of the Global South, China and neighboring countries should strengthen coordination and cooperation, stand together to combat the undercurrent of camp-based confrontation, jointly oppose unilateralism and counter the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak with the Asian values of peace, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, so as to safeguard the bright prospects of our Asian family, Xi said.

    Xi underscored that despite the headwind of mounting protectionism, China will pursue high-quality development, expand high-standard opening up and share development opportunities with neighboring countries.

    China’s mega market is always open to neighboring countries, and China welcomes more high-quality products from ASEAN members, he added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: CFA smashes $40 million milestone for Good Friday Appeal

    Source:

    Victorians have dug deep this year in support of the Good Friday Appeal, helping CFA reach a historic milestone and raising our grand total of contributions to $41 million.

    CFA has been a major fundraiser of the Good Friday Appeal for the past 74 years and this year, with the help of generous local community members, our volunteers were able to raise $1,888,912. 

    CFA volunteers were seen in trucks and at traffic lights across the state yesterday, fundraising in their local areas for The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Good Friday Appeal.  

    CFA Chief Fire Officer Jason Heffernan said this year’s Good Friday Appeal was particularly special.  

    “Being able to exceed the $40 million milestone in the same year CFA celebrate their 80th anniversary is quite fitting and is a touching nod to our shared community spirit,” Jason said.  

    “Not only that, but this year the face of the Good Friday Appeal is part of our CFA family.”  

    Jack was the face of this year’s Appeal, and his dad Rohan Stevens is a 30-year volunteer firefighter for Epping Fire Brigade.  

    Rohan said it was an honour to handover the cheque this year to the Royal Children’s Hospital.  

    “As the parent of a child whose life has been saved at the Royal Children’s Hospital, I’m incredibly proud to assist in presenting this cheque to the Appeal which will help other kids just like Jack,” Rohan said.  

    “This cheque represents the collective efforts of CFA members and their families who have collectively spent many hours fundraising for the Good Friday Appeal.  

    “This donation will assist in funding the next generation of technology, research and treatment to support kids just like Jack.” 

    Rohan presented the cheque to the hospital last night alongside fellow Epping brigade members, CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan and the Good Friday Appeal Area Manager Andrew Dalla Via. 

    CO Jason Heffernan congratulates and thanks all participating brigades across Victoria for their incredible contributions this year and throughout many decades.   

    “Our members give up their time to serve their communities in times of need and it’s no surprise that their selflessness extends to worthy causes such as supporting The Royal Children’s Hospital,” Jason said.  

    “All members and their communities should be extremely proud of what they’ve achieved for this year’s Appeal, and we thank you for your time and generosity to help save many young lives.”  

    The money raised for The Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal will be used to ensure kids are provided with the best possible treatment and care.  

    Submitted by CFA Media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Search for overdue bushwalker in state’s south-west

    Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

    Search for overdue bushwalker in state’s south-west

    Saturday, 19 April 2025 – 10:11 am.

    A search including the Westpac Rescue Helicopter has been commenced in the Farmhouse Creek area in the State’s south-west for an overdue bushwalker.Police were notified about 8am this morning that a 28-year-old man had separated from his bushwalking colleague.The man was last seen about 9am yesterday on the Eastern Arthur Range Traverse near the Lake Sydney Track junction.The man is believed to be an experienced bushwalker but was not carrying a personal locator beacon.Anyone with information should call Police on 131444 and quote ESCAD reference 000072-19042025.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff Demand Answers on Trump DHS Attempt to Enter Los Angeles Elementary Schools

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Schiff Demand Answers on Trump DHS Attempt to Enter Los Angeles Elementary Schools

    After meeting with Homeland Security Investigations last week, Senators express serious concerns about fear caused by HSI’s school visit, push for no further visits without a warrant
    LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) demanded additional answers from the Trump Administration regarding last week’s attempt by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents to enter two Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) elementary schools to question students. Their letter follows a meeting with HSI leadership and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials last week that raised additional questions on how and why these visits to LAUSD elementary schools were conducted. The Senators expressed serious concern about the erosion of public trust in the local community and called for assurances that ICE agents do not attempt to visit or enter schools without a warrant.
    In the Senators’ meeting last week with HSI and ICE officials, HSI claimed that they went to LAUSD schools to conduct a “welfare check” on formerly unaccompanied children. Padilla and Schiff questioned why HSI did not coordinate with the California Department of Social Services or the schools if they believed these children were at risk, and pressed HSI leadership not to undertake any further “welfare checks” without a warrant.
    “We are deeply concerned that HSI officers attempted to question several children, between first and sixth grade, during the school day apparently without contacting or coordinating in advance with the schools, parents or guardians, or state or local child welfare agencies,” wrote the Senators. “Though the agents were purportedly there to conduct a ‘welfare check’ on the children, their actions instead terrorized hundreds of thousands of students across Los Angeles and undermine public trust. We urge you to ensure that HSI does not conduct any additional ‘welfare checks’ on school premises and that ICE agents do not attempt to visit or enter schools without a warrant.”
    “These types of ‘welfare checks’ scare children and their family members, rather than promote their safety,” continued the Senators. “If ICE and HSI want to ensure unaccompanied children’s welfare, these agencies should urge the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the Department of Health and Human Services and the White House to restore legal and social services for these children, rather than terrorizing them and their classmates at school.”
    While trying to enter these schools, HSI agents reportedly falsely told staff that they had gotten prior permission from the students’ families to talk to them. The Senators asked for a review of the agents’ alleged conduct, including why they reportedly felt compelled to deceitfully claim they had permission to speak with students.
    Additionally, the Senators demanded a full briefing on the nature, scale, and purpose of these “welfare checks,” the policies and protocols involved, and whether steps were taken to consult with victim services, experts, and children’s attorneys before these visits. They also asked for information on whether ICE has conducted subsequent immigration enforcement in California or across the country during these “welfare checks.”
    In a joint statement last week, Padilla and Schiff expressed their outrage at HSI agents’ attempts to enter LAUSD elementary schools.
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Acting Executive Associate Director Hammer,
    Thank you for taking the time to speak with us last week. We write to express our continued outrage with the conduct of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents who attempted to enter two Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) elementary schools earlier this month. We are deeply concerned that HSI officers attempted to question several children, between first and sixth grade, during the school day apparently without contacting or coordinating in advance with the schools, parents or guardians, or state or local child welfare agencies. Though the agents were purportedly there to conduct a “welfare check” on the children, their actions instead terrorized hundreds of thousands of students across Los Angeles and undermine public trust. We urge you to ensure that HSI does not conduct any additional “welfare checks” on school premises and that ICE agents do not attempt to visit or enter schools without a warrant.
    We understand from our conversation with you that the stated purpose of HSI agents at the school was not to conduct immigration enforcement, but instead to undertake a “welfare check” on formerly unaccompanied children. We do not understand why, if you obtained evidence that led you to believe that these children were in danger, your agency has not made a referral to the California Department of Social Services and did not coordinate with the school in advance of the “welfare check” regarding potential child welfare or trafficking concerns.
    When we spoke, we informed you that reports indicated that, while attempting to enter the schools, HSI officers falsely told school staff that they received permission from the families to speak with their children. You informed us that you were unfamiliar with those details and would look into the matter. We would like to understand what steps you are taking to review and address your agents’ conduct, including determining why they said they received permission to speak with children from their families when that was not the case.
    We also request that you provide us with a full briefing on the nature, scale, and objectives of, and policies and protocols surrounding these “welfare checks,” including whether there was any officer training, coordination with victim services, or consultation with experts about conducting these visits with a victim-centered approach, as well as whether ICE is contacting children’s attorneys of record prior to conducting “welfare checks” of represented children. We further request information on what, if any, enforcement actions against formerly unaccompanied children and/or their sponsors ICE has performed in connection with the “welfare checks” both in California and nationally, including any initiation of removal proceedings, detentions, or removals.
    These types of “welfare checks” scare children and their family members, rather than promote their safety. If ICE and HSI want to ensure unaccompanied children’s welfare, these agencies should urge the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the Department of Health and Human Services and the White House to restore legal and social services for these children, rather than terrorizing them and their classmates at school.
    We ask that you respond to our questions by May 2, 2025. We urge you to end any efforts to conduct “welfare checks” on school premises and to ensure that ICE agents do not attempt to visit or enter schools without a warrant.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Trump introduces Dr. Oz during his swearing in as the Administrator of CMS

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    “As CMS Administrator, Dr. Oz will work tirelessly to strengthen and protect Medicare for our nation’s seniors & Medicaid… there will be NO CUTS.” – President Trump

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cW91j2DSNU

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Desperate situation for people fleeing Zamzam camp in Sudan

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    Following the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) large-scale ground offensive on Zamzam camp that started on 11 April, hundreds of thousands of people have joined the communities already besieged and deprived of lifesaving aid in El Fasher, the neighbouring capital city of North Darfur, Sudan. 25,000 more people reached Tawila, further west, where overwhelmed Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are currently expanding activities to cope with the most pressing medical needs.

    We are making an urgent appeal to put an end to the siege and the atrocities, to deliver humanitarian aid, including by airdropping food and medicines to El Fasher if necessary, and to allow those who wish to flee to do so safely.

    The RSF and their allied armed groups stormed Zamzam, Sudan’s largest displacement camp, which used to host at least 500,000 people near El Fasher, after months of an increasingly tight siege on the area. By 16 April, the camp, by then largely destroyed, was reportedly under RSF control. The majority of people living in Zamzam are believed to have fled to El Fasher, where they remain trapped, out of reach of humanitarian aid and exposed to ongoing attacks and further mass violence. 

    While MSF teams in Tawila saw over 25,000 people arriving from Zamzam and nearby areas between 12 and 15 April, displaced people are now arriving more sporadically and at great risk for their lives along the way. Our teams set up a health post at the entrance of Tawila to provide the new arrivals with water and immediate nutritional and medical support. We refer critical cases to the local hospital where we have been working since last October. About 1,600 patients so far have required emergency outpatient services, mainly because of severe dehydration.

    “We are treating children who were literally dying of thirst on their journeys. We have received so far over 170 people with gunshot and blast injuries and 40 per cent of them are women and girls,” says Marion Ramstein, MSF project coordinator in Tawila. “People tell us that many injured and vulnerable people could not make the trip to Tawila and were left behind. Almost everyone we talk to said they lost at least one family member during the attack.”

    Horrific reports emerge from Zamzam camp, where hundreds of people are estimated to have been killed. Fighters were said to be going door-to-door, shooting people hiding in their homes and burning large parts of the camp. Casualties include eleven staff from the humanitarian organisation Relief International, which was running the only remaining clinic in the camp after MSF suspended all its activities in Zamzam in February due to escalating violence and blockades. 

    We urge the RSF and all armed groups in the area to spare and protect civilians and ensure that those who want to flee can do so without further harm. States and diplomatic actors must use their leverage to translate hollow statements into concrete actions. There have been repeated warnings from the UN and many observers about the risks of mass killings and ethnic violence in El Fasher and the surroundings displacement camps, mostly inhabited by people from the non-Arab Zaghawa and Fur ethnic groups, while most of the RSF fighters and their allies originate from Arab tribes.

    After two years of a catastrophic war on people met by neglectful indifference, it remains inconceivable to simply resign ourselves to the current collective failure to provide vital assistance where it’s most needed.

    “A massive humanitarian response is needed, now more urgently than ever. If the roads to El Fasher are blocked, then air operations must be launched to bring food and medicines to the estimated one million people trapped there and being starved,” Rasmane Kabore, MSF head of mission in Sudan. “A scaled-up response is also needed in Tawila, where some of the survivors are being received and local capacities are overwhelmed.”

    MSF and several other actors are launching emergency interventions in Tawila, but much more is needed in terms of water, food, medical care and shelter. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Inside the hack-for-hire scandal: ongoing saga to uncover potential Exxon-linked cyberattacks intended to derail climate accountability

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Reports of a major hack-for-hire scheme began to appear after the 2019 indictment of an Israeli private investigator, Aviram Azari, and the groundbreaking 2020 research by Citizen Lab into hacking-for-hire groups. Both Azari’s indictment and Citizen Lab’s report found that individuals and groups had been targeted by hackers, allegedly under the direction of private investigators that were working with powerful clients. 

    These clients appear to include DCI Group (DCI), a public relations and lobbying firm based in Washington D.C. One of DCI’s clients at the time the hacking allegedly occurred was ExxonMobil Corporation (Exxon), according to multiple news outlets’ analysis of court documents revealed this January and a source contacted by Reuters. During the same period that hacking occurred, the victims of the hacking appear to have been involved with the #ExxonKnew campaign and associated climate accountability litigation. The hack targets indicate a potential motive to derail momentum behind these lawsuits and #ExxonKnew campaigns, which accused ExxonMobil of knowing about and deliberately hiding or miscommunicating about climate change and the impacts of the industry. 

    Since the investigation of Azari, another private investigator, Amit Forlit, has recently been indicted and appears to be connected to the same hacking scheme involving Exxon based on court documents for both investigators and their business connections with each other at the time hacking occurred. To what extent Azari and Forlit worked together is not yet known, but court documents have suggested they are business associates. The news of Forlit’s involvement became public when the U.S. Department of Justice filed a request for Forlit to be extradited from the U.K. in 2024. DCI and Exxon were not named in the U.S. request to extradite Forlit for alleged hacking involvement, but Forlit’s lawyer mentioned both companies in his defense.

    A Greenpeace banner flies over the skyline of Dallas towed by an airplane. The banner reads “Exxon: Time to pay for climate lies” and “Prosecute Exxon.” ExxonMobil is currently under investigation by the New York Attorney General to determine if the company lied about the risks of climate change. ExxonMobil’s corporate headquarters is in nearby Irving. © Ron Heflin / Greenpeace

    The source contacted by Reuters provides the most detailed account of what allegedly occurred. According to that account, the hacking scheme began in late 2015, with DCI arranging targets, providing them to Forlit, who then worked with third-party contractors to conduct hacking. Reuters determined that “In an effort to push a narrative that Exxon was the target of a political vendetta aimed at destroying its business, some of the stolen material was subsequently leaked to the media by DCI.” Moreover, the source alleges that the National Association of Manufacturers, an industry group that received funding from Exxon, used hacked material to pressure the U.S. Supreme Court to drop a lawsuit against Exxon, Energy Transfer subsidiary Sunoco, and other oil and gas companies. The lawsuit was filed by the city and county of Honolulu and charges the companies for climate damages.

    Both DCI and Exxon have publicly stated that they were not involved in any illegal activity, including hacking. An Exxon spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal in 2023 that the company “has no knowledge of Azari, had no involvement in any hacking activities and has not been accused of any wrongdoing. To be clear, ExxonMobil has done nothing wrong”. A spokesperson stated that “if there was any hacking involved, we condemn it in the strongest possible terms” to NPR two years later. 

    DCI partner Craig Stevens denied the firm’s involvement in a statement to NPR, saying “Allegations of DCI’s involvement with hacking supposedly occurring nearly a decade ago are false and unsubstantiated… Meanwhile, radical anti-oil activists and their donors are peddling conspiracy theories to distract from their own anti-U.S. energy activities”.

    Neither company has been charged with any wrongdoing, though environmental groups and a few U.S. senators have called for a formal investigation. Initial investigations around Azari involved additional clients that have not been named; Forlit also had other clients though extradition orders focus on his involvement with DCI and Exxon. According to an anonymous source to the Wall Street Journal, DCI partner Justin Peterson commissioned the hacking and was a key connection to Forlit.

    Citizen Lab’s research, as well as court documents against Azari, indicate that there is a large hack-for-hire industry whose clients may include a range of organizations from large oil and gas companies like Exxon, to financial firms, industry groups, and so on. Targets of these hacking schemes include climate groups like Greenpeace, but have also included public defenders, government officials, politicians, financial companies, banks, and others.Citizen Lab did not identify Azari, Forlit, or other individuals working as private investigators who sought hacking services. The investigation of Azari and Forlit came from FBI probes into hacking operations. 

    Despite the sentencing of Azari in 2023, the clients who ordered or benefited from hacking were never named. The Southern District of New York identified that Exxon publicly used hacked material, suggesting they may be a client of the hack-for-hire operations. Many victims of hacking were notified by Citizen Lab during their investigations, however the full extent of the hacking scheme is still unknown.

    The lack of any real investigation by Exxon is another example of the oil and gas industry avoiding accountability. Compounded with their efforts to seek legal immunity using tactics employed by the gun industry, filing SLAPP and other predatory lawsuits against journalists and activists, financially backing anti-protest legislation at the state and federal level, and a decades-long disinformation campaign, the industry may stop at nothing to ensure its dominance. 

    Despite evidence to the contrary, Exxon has continued to deny any involvement in the hack-for-hire scheme being investigated and the full extent of the hack is still unclear. 

    As a result, we are calling on:

    • The U.S. Department of Justice to fully investigate the hack-for-hire scheme.
    • Exxon’s board to commission an independent, internal investigation to determine how Exxon became connected to the hacking scheme, and to identify who may have been involved.
    • Congress to resist all attempts by the fossil fuel industry to secure a “liability waiver” which would grant “immunity” from any effort to hold the industry accountable for climate damages. 

    The details of the hack-for-hire scheme have been revealed over the last six years with research by Citizen Lab and the federal investigation of two private investigators. Clients and benefactors of the hacking have yet to be formally investigated.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Trump Executive Orders roll back ocean protections

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    WASHINGTON, DC (April 18, 2025) – Yesterday, the Trump administration issued a new Executive Order that opens vast swaths of protected ocean to commercial exploitation, including areas within the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. It allows commercial fishing in areas long considered off-limits due to their ecological significance—despite overwhelming scientific consensus that marine sanctuaries are essential for rebuilding fish stocks and maintaining ocean health. These actions threaten some of the most sensitive and pristine marine ecosystems in the world. In response to the announcement, Arlo Hemphill, Greenpeace USA project lead on ocean sanctuaries, said:

    “Opening the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument to commercial fishing puts one of the most pristine ocean ecosystems on the planet at risk. Almost 90 percent of global marine fish stocks are fully exploited or overfished. The few places in the world ocean set aside as large, fully protected ocean sanctuaries serve as ‘fish banks’, allowing fish populations to recover, while protecting the habitats in which they thrive. President Bush and President Obama had the foresight to protect the natural resources of the Pacific for future generations, and Greenpeace USA condemns the actions of President Trump today to reverse that progress.”

    A second Executive Order calls for deregulation of America’s fisheries under the guise of boosting seafood production. 

    John Hocevar, Oceans Campaign Director at Greenpeace USA, said: 

    “If President Trump wants to increase U.S. fisheries production and stabilize seafood markets, deregulation will have the opposite effect. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has already slashed jobs at NOAA and is threatening to dismantle the agency responsible for providing the science that makes management of U.S. fisheries possible. Trump’s executive order on fishing could set us back by decades, undoing all the progress that has been made to end overfishing and rebuild fish stocks and America’s fisheries. While there is far too little attention to bycatch and habitat destruction, NOAA’s record of fisheries management has made the U.S. a world leader. Trump seems ready to throw that out the window with all the care of a toddler tossing his toys out of the crib.”

    The executive orders, announced on April 17, 2025, are detailed here:
    Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness
    Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Unleashes American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific

    ###

    Contact: Gujari Singh, Greenpeace USA Campaign Communication Manager, [email protected], 631-404-9977

    Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Scientists found a potential sign of life on a distant planet – an astronomer explains why many are still skeptical

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniel Apai, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona

    An illustration of the exoplanet K2-18b, which some research suggests may be covered by deep oceans. NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)

    A team of astronomers announced on April 16, 2025, that in the process of studying a planet around another star, they had found evidence for an unexpected atmospheric gas. On Earth, that gas – called dimethyl sulfide – is mostly produced by living organisms.

    In April 2024, the James Webb Space Telescope stared at the host star of the planet K2-18b for nearly six hours. During that time, the orbiting planet passed in front of the star. Starlight filtered through its atmosphere, carrying the fingerprints of atmospheric molecules to the telescope.

    JWST’s cameras can detect molecules in the atmosphere of a planet by looking at light that passed through that atmosphere.
    European Space Agency

    By comparing those fingerprints to 20 different molecules that they would potentially expect to observe in the atmosphere, the astronomers concluded that the most probable match was a gas that, on Earth, is a good indicator of life.

    I am an astronomer and astrobiologist who studies planets around other stars and their atmospheres. In my work, I try to understand which nearby planets may be suitable for life.

    K2-18b, a mysterious world

    To understand what this discovery means, let’s start with the bizarre world it was found in. The planet’s name is K2-18b, meaning it is the first planet in the 18th planetary system found by the extended NASA Kepler mission, K2. Astronomers assign the “b” label to the first planet in the system, not “a,” to avoid possible confusion with the star.

    K2-18b is a little over 120 light-years from Earth – on a galactic scale, this world is practically in our backyard.

    Although astronomers know very little about K2-18b, we do know that it is very unlike Earth. To start, it is about eight times more massive than Earth, and it has a volume that’s about 18 times larger. This means that it’s only about half as dense as Earth. In other words, it must have a lot of water, which isn’t very dense, or a very big atmosphere, which is even less dense.

    Astronomers think that this world could either be a smaller version of our solar system’s ice giant Neptune, called a mini-Neptune, or perhaps a rocky planet with no water but a massive hydrogen atmosphere, called a gas dwarf.

    Another option, as University of Cambridge astronomer Nikku Madhusudhan recently proposed, is that the planet is a “hycean world”.

    That term means hydrogen-over-ocean, since astronomers predict that hycean worlds are planets with global oceans many times deeper than Earth’s oceans, and without any continents. These oceans are covered by massive hydrogen atmospheres that are thousands of miles high.

    Astronomers do not know yet for certain that hycean worlds exist, but models for what those would look like match the limited data JWST and other telescopes have collected on K2-18b.

    This is where the story becomes exciting. Mini-Neptunes and gas dwarfs are unlikely to be hospitable for life, because they probably don’t have liquid water, and their interior surfaces have enormous pressures. But a hycean planet would have a large and likely temperate ocean. So could the oceans of hycean worlds be habitable – or even inhabited?

    Detecting DMS

    In 2023, Madhusudhan and his colleagues used the James Webb Space Telescope’s short-wavelength infrared camera to inspect starlight that filtered through K2-18b’s atmosphere for the first time.

    They found evidence for the presence of two simple carbon-bearing molecules – carbon monoxide and methane – and showed that the planet’s upper atmosphere lacked water vapor. This atmospheric composition supported, but did not prove, the idea that K2-18b could be a hycean world. In a hycean world, water would be trapped in the deeper and warmer atmosphere, closer to the oceans than the upper atmosphere probed by JWST observations.

    Intriguingly, the data also showed an additional, very weak signal. The team found that this weak signal matched a gas called dimethyl sulfide, or DMS. On Earth, DMS is produced in large quantities by marine algae. It has very few, if any, nonbiological sources.

    This signal made the initial detection exciting: on a planet that may have a massive ocean, there is likely a gas that is, on Earth, emitted by biological organisms.

    K2-18b could have a deep ocean spanning the planet, and a hydrogen atmosphere.
    Amanda Smith, Nikku Madhusudhan (University of Cambridge), CC BY-SA

    Scientists had a mixed response to this initial announcement. While the findings were exciting, some astronomers pointed out that the DMS signal seen was weak and that the hycean nature of K2-18b is very uncertain.

    To address these concerns, Mashusudhan’s team turned JWST back to K2-18b a year later. This time, they used another camera on JWST that looks for another range of wavelengths of light. The new results – announced on April 16, 2025 – supported their initial findings.

    These new data show a stronger – but still relatively weak – signal that the team attributes to DMS or a very similar molecule. The fact that the DMS signal showed up on another camera during another set of observations made the interpretation of DMS in the atmosphere stronger.

    Madhusudhan’s team also presented a very detailed analysis of the uncertainties in the data and interpretation. In real-life measurements, there are always some uncertainties. They found that these uncertainties are unlikely to account for the signal in the data, further supporting the DMS interpretation. As an astronomer, I find that analysis exciting.

    Is life out there?

    Does this mean that scientists have found life on another world? Perhaps – but we still cannot be sure.

    First, does K2-18b really have an ocean deep beneath its thick atmosphere? Astronomers should test this.

    Second, is the signal seen in two cameras two years apart really from dimethyl sulfide? Scientists will need more sensitive measurements and more observations of the planet’s atmosphere to be sure.

    Third, if it is indeed DMS, does this mean that there is life? This may be the most difficult question to answer. Life itself is not detectable with existing technology. Astronomers will need to evaluate and exclude all other potential options to build their confidence in this possibility.

    The new measurements may lead researchers toward a historic discovery. However, important uncertainties remain. Astrobiologists will need a much deeper understanding of K2-18b and similar worlds before they can be confident in the presence of DMS and its interpretation as a signature of life.

    Scientists around the world are already scrutinizing the published study and will work on new tests of the findings, since independent verification is at the heart of science.

    Moving forward, K2-18b is going to be an important target for JWST, the world’s most sensitive telescope. JWST may soon observe other potential hycean worlds to see if the signal appears in the atmospheres of those planets, too.

    With more data, these tentative conclusions may not stand the test of time. But for now, just the prospect that astronomers may have detected gasses emitted by an alien ecosystem that bubbled up in a dark, blue-hued alien ocean is an incredibly fascinating possibility.

    Regardless of the true nature of K2-18b, the new results show how using the JWST to survey other worlds for clues of alien life will guarantee that the next years will be thrilling for astrobiologists.

    Daniel Apai receives funding for astrobiology research from NASA, the Heising-Simons Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

    – ref. Scientists found a potential sign of life on a distant planet – an astronomer explains why many are still skeptical – https://theconversation.com/scientists-found-a-potential-sign-of-life-on-a-distant-planet-an-astronomer-explains-why-many-are-still-skeptical-254900

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Road closed, Mill Road, Haumoana

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    Mill Road in Haumoana is closed following a serious crash this morning.

    Emergency services were called to a crash between a car and a cyclist at around 10.35am.

    Initial indications suggest there are serious injuries.

    The road is closed and diversions are in place.

    Motorists are advised to avoid the area and expect delays.

    ENDS

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Charges 329 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct in Arizona this Week

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from April 12, 2025, through April 18, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 329 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 130 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 179 aliens for illegally entering the United States.  In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 16 cases against 18 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. The United States also charged one individual with failing to register, as required by law. 

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

    Recent matters of interest include:

    United States v. Manuel Ivan Rodriguez-Loya: On April 13, 2025, Manuel Ivan Rodriguez-Loya was arrested for Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit. Border Patrol agents from the Lordsburg, New Mexico Station attempted to stop Rodriguez-Loya’s vehicle, but he failed to yield, leading agents on a high-speed chase into Arizona. Agents from the Willcox, Arizona Station then positioned themselves to intercept the vehicle and eventually caught Rodriguez-Loya. He was found to be transporting eight illegal aliens at the time, including citizens of Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador. [Case Number: MJ-25-00365-TUC-BGM]

    United States v. Emilio Escobar-Escalante: On April 15, 2025, Emilio Escobar-Escalante was sentenced to 37 months in prison for Reentry of Removed Alien. Border Patrol agents discovered Escobar-Escalante in the desert near Vamori, Arizona on January 10, 2024. He initially gave a false name but was ultimately identified as Escobar-Escalante. His identity revealed that he is a documented member of the Latin Kings and MS-13 criminal gangs. Immigration records showed that Escobar-Escalante has been removed from the United States seven times. Escobar-Escalante has previous convictions for illegal reentry, as well as racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. [Case Number: CR-24-00541-TUC-CKJ]

    United States v. Antonio Terrell Gaither: On April 15, 2025, Antonio Terrell Gaither was indicted for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens and Bringing an Illegal Alien to the United States for Profit. According to the criminal complaint, Gaither admitted to using Telegram and burner phones to recruit others to travel to the southern border to pick up illegal aliens before transporting them to Phoenix, Arizona. [Case Number: CR-25-00566-PHX-KLM]

    United States v. Felipe Alonso-Cabada: On April 17, 2025, Felipe Alonso-Cabada, aka Oscar Sanchez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was charged for Reentry of Removed Alien. According to the criminal complaint, after being arrested on local charges in Phoenix, Arizona, it was determined that Alonso-Cabada had been previously deported after a conviction for trafficking heroin. [Case number: MJ-25-5220-PHX-DMF]

    United States v. Eduardo Prado Flores: On April 17, 2025, Eduardo Prado Flores, an alien illegally present in the United States was charged with Failure to Register as an Alien under 8 U.S.C. § 1306(a). Flores, who was removed to Mexico on five occasions, has been living in the United States unlawfully since 2022. On April 16, 2025, Flores was turned over to the Department of Homeland Security after being arrested for Driving Under the Influence. While he was living in the United States from 2022 to 2025, Flores failed to file any immigration paperwork or register as required by law. [Case Number: MJ-25-5225-PHX]

    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.

    These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).                                                                                       

    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-060_April 18 Immigration Enforcement

    # # #

    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 X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: California Man Sentenced to 38 Months in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DENVER – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Juan Demetrio Villalpando Dominguez, 65, of California, was sentenced to 38 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

    According to the plea agreement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) conducted long-term, overlapping investigations of Villalpando Dominguez’s son, Juan Demetrio Villalpando, Jr. a/k/a “Junior,” and others.  Two confidential sources made controlled purchases of narcotics in furtherance of the investigations.  These controlled purchases were often negotiated with Mexico-based sources of supply and carried out by the suppliers’ associates in the Denver metropolitan area.

    Drug proceeds collected from Juan Demetrio Villalpando Jr.’s customers by one confidential informant were aggregated and then sent in packages addressed to an uncharged person.  The true recipient of the money, however, was Villalpando Dominguez.  Villalpando Dominguez would then arrange for his son, Juan Demetrio Villalpando Jr., to receive the money in Mexico.

    “Money laundering is a serious offense that enables drug traffickers to peddle their deadly wares,” said Acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell. “We will hold offenders accountable.”

    “Facilitating drug trafficking by funneling illegal proceeds back to Mexico perpetuates the scourge of the drug epidemic in our communities,” said Amanda Prestegard, IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge, Denver Field Office. “Removing these money launderers from the streets and putting them in prison is a result of the hard work of CI special agents, who proudly provide financial expertise as we work alongside our law enforcement partners to bring criminals to justice and keep our communities safe.”

    “Dismantling cartels requires more than seizing drugs – it includes cutting off the flow of illicit money that fuels their operations. That’s why targeting the money laundering component of these networks is a key priority,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek. “With our partners at IRS-CI and ICE, the FBI continues to take a strategic, coordinated approach to bring these complex criminal enterprises to justice and safeguard all Americans from the devastating impact of illegal drugs.”

    United States District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney presided over the sentencing.

    The FBI, IRS-CI, and DHS conducted the investigation in this case.  The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander Duncan and Michael Houlihan, as well as by former Assistant United States Attorney Cyrus Y. Chung.

    This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    Case No.:  23-cr-00106-CNS

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Q&A: Boosting Biofuels Boosts Farm Economy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    Q: Why is the Renewable Volume Obligation important for Iowa farmers?
    A: Biomass-based fuels convert feedstocks, including corn and soybeans, for use in the nation’s fuel supply, from passenger vehicles to commercial trucks, marine shipping, rail and aviation. Biodiesel and ethanol expand domestic markets for grain farmers, which is particularly vital when there’s uncertainty with overseas trading partners. Iowa farmers and biofuel producers stand ready to meet demand that provides reliable, affordable, cleaner fuel for consumers.
    Two decades ago, I helped steer through Congress two federal laws that unleashed America’s renewable fuels era in the 21st century. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 built upon the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that established the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). President George W. Bush signed both pieces of legislation that accelerated use of renewable fuels in the transportation sector, primed the pump for the biofuel industry in rural America, produced cleaner burning fuel and fostered U.S. energy independence. The RFS set annual targets with the Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO), a requirement that specifies volumes for refiners and importers to blend into the nation’s fuel supply. Congress authorized the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the RFS program. It sets annual RVO’s divided among four buckets: conventional biofuel; advanced biofuel; cellulosic biofuel; and biomass-based diesel. As a lifelong family farmer and lawmaker on the Senate Agriculture Committee, I make my voice loud and clear under both Republican and Democrat administrations to champion homegrown biofuel, including speaking out against unfair policies for used cooking oil and imported ethanol. The EPA needs to follow the law as Congress intended. Bureaucratic lollygagging brings uncertainty to the marketplace and unfairness to farmers and biofuel producers who have the capacity to meet demand. During the Biden administration, I invited the White House Climate Czar to visit Iowa to see how renewable fuels are where the rubber meets the road for a more sustainable energy policy, cleaner environment and stronger economy in rural America.
    Q: What are you pressing the Trump administration to do on this issue?
    A: In April, I led a bipartisan letter with Sen. Amy Klobuchar pressing the EPA to keep its commitment to American energy production and affirm renewable fuels are an important component of that all-the-above energy strategy. We urged the administration to increase RVO levels that take into account biofuels production capacity and the productivity of the American farmer. Specifically, the EPA should set volume levels for biomass-based diesel at 5.25 billion gallons in 2026. What’s more, the EPA ought to provide multi-year RVO standards to provide certainty and growth for the biofuel industry. This would send a strong message to boost investment in biofuels that are an important piece of the economic pie in rural communities. We’ve seen what happens when RVO levels are low-balled, biofuel facilities are forced to reduce their workforce, idle production or shut down their facilities. That’s a big blow to economic vitality on Main Street and a big market loss for local farmers. I’ll be keeping close tabs on the EPA as it works to determine RVO standards.
    In addition to trade and energy policies, the federal tax code holds significant sway over investment and profitability in rural America. As former chairman and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, I’ve secured important energy tax incentives that ensured public policy kept pace with advancing technologies in alternative energy. As Congress takes up tax policy in the coming months, I’ll be at the table advocating for the family farmer and biofuel producers. Along those lines, in January I pressed Trump’s cabinet nominees about the importance of providing clarity about new biofuel incentives in the federal tax code. Specifically, I explained the urgency to clean up after the Biden administration’s failure to deliver certainty for farmers and biofuel producers by failing to issue guidance for the clean fuel production tax credit, called 45Z. I’m working as hard as ever on behalf of Iowa biofuel producers and family farmers who are putting in the work, taking on the risk and deploying new technologies to power America’s energy needs.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Guatemalan Man Unlawfully Residing in the United States and Convicted of Sexual Battery Indicted for Fraudulently Obtaining Custody of an Unaccompanied Alien Child in the United States

    Source: US State of California

    On Thursday, a federal grand jury indicted a man for his alleged role in smuggling an unaccompanied alien child (UAC) to the United States and for allegedly submitting a sponsorship application with false statements to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to gain custody of the minor after she entered the United States.

    “The prior administration’s border policies created an environment that enabled human trafficking and allowed bad actors to take advantage of at-risk children,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We are committed to protecting children from the scourge of human trafficking and will not rest until we deliver justice for those who suffered during the border crisis.”

    According to the indictment, Juan Tiul Xi, 26, a Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in Cleveland, illegally entered the United States in 2023. Thereafter, Tiul Xi allegedly encouraged and induced a 14-year-old Guatemalan girl to illegally enter the United States and to use the identity of Tiul Xi’s sister as her alias. As a UAC, the Guatemalan girl was placed in the care and custody of ORR. As alleged, Tiul Xi then falsely stated on documents submitted to ORR when he applied to sponsor and obtain custody of the girl that he was the UAC’s brother and that her alias was her actual name. ORR relied on Tiul Xi’s alleged false statements when, on or about Sept. 5, 2023, ORR released the UAC to Tiul Xi’s care.

    Tiul Xi is charged with one count of encouraging or inducing illegal entry for financial gain, one count of making a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement, and one count of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the illegal entry count, a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the false statement count, and a mandatory consecutive penalty of two years in prison on the aggravated identity theft count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    “This case is a testament to ICE’s commitment to hold predators accountable for the harm they inflict on children,” said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons. “We are making every effort to ensure the safety of children released to sponsors across the United States. This is vital work and through their victim centered approach, ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents are perfectly positioned to uncover any similar crimes by predatory sponsors.”

    “The Office of Refugee Resettlement is committed to continuing vital policy changes that promote the safety and welfare of unaccompanied alien children related into the Unites States,” said ORR Acting Director Angie M. Salazar. “We have significantly increased sponsor vetting with the wellbeing of the child at the core of our process. We hope that our commitment is evident by our collaboration with law enforcement to right previous wrongs and help bring these crimes to light.”

    The indictment is the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, has been elevated and expanded by the Attorney General with a mandate to target cartels and other transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by HRSP and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Office of Enforcement Operations, and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 360 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 325 U.S. convictions; more than 270 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

    The ICE HSI and FBI Cleveland field offices are jointly investigating with assistance from HSI’s Attaché team in Guatemala. Additionally, HSI’s Center for Countering Human Trafficking in Washington, D.C. and ORR have provided valuable assistance.

    Senior Trial Attorney Christian Levesque of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP), Joint Task Force Alpha detailee/Trial Attorney Spencer M. Perry of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, and Acting U.S. Attorney Carol Skutnik and Criminal Division Chief Michael L. Collyer for the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case, with assistance from HRSP Analyst/Latin America Specialist Joanna Crandall.

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

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

    MIL OSI USA News –