NewzIntel.com

Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI USA: As Measles Cases Spread, NYS Encourages Immunization

    Source: US State of New York

    Based on immunization registry data, the current statewide vaccination rate for babies up to two years old, excluding New York City, is 81.4 percent. This is the percent of children who have received at least one dose of the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccines. However, actual vaccination coverage among school-age children is higher, typically around 90 percent.

    Individuals should receive two doses of the MMR vaccine to be protected. Those who aren’t sure about their immunization status should call their local health department or health care provider. Those who were born before 1957 have likely already been exposed to the virus and are immune. Those born between 1957 and 1971 should check with a doctor to ensure they’ve been properly immunized as vaccines administered during that time may not have been reliable.

    Those who travel abroad should make sure they are vaccinated for measles. Babies as young as 6 months can get an MMR if they are traveling abroad. The babies should get their MMRs on schedule and need a total of three MMRs.

    The State Health Department is monitoring the situation very carefully, along with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Local health departments in each county are prepared to investigate cases and distribute vaccines or other protective measures as needed.

    “As measles outbreaks occur at home and around the globe, it’s critical that New Yorkers take the necessary steps to get vaccinated, get educated and stave off the spread of this preventable disease — the safety of our communities depends on it.”

    Governor Hochul

    NYC Health Department Acting Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse said, “To date, the NYC Health department has confirmed three unrelated cases of measles in New York City. Disease surveillance and outbreak response readiness is at the heart of our agency’s operations. Measles is highly contagious and can be deadly. We strongly encourage people who have not been vaccinated to get vaccinated and make sure your children have received the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccines. Vaccination not only protects the person who gets vaccinated, but also contributes to community protections by helping stop the spread of the disease and keeping infants and others who can’t be vaccinated safe.”

    State Senator Gustavo Rivera said, “The four reported cases of measles in New York State this year are not only concerning but also, a stern reminder that we must keep our recommended immunizations up to date. I want to thank Governor Hochul and Commissioner McDonald for launching a portal to provide support to health care providers who are our first line of defense when it comes to public health. Measles could pose serious health risks for those who contract it and are not protected so it is critical that we follow the science and don’t fall behind on immunizations.”

    Assemblymember Amy Paulin said, “The science is clear – the measles vaccine works. I encourage everyone to get vaccinated, and I appreciate Governor Hochul and State Health Commissioner McDonald’s efforts to provide New Yorkers and healthcare providers with the support, education, and resources for this lifesaving immunization.”

    Misinformation around vaccines has in recent years contributed to a rise in vaccine hesitancy, declining vaccination rates and a black market for fraudulent vaccination records. The Department takes an active role in combating vaccination fraud. This includes work by the Department’s Bureau of Investigations identifying, investigating, and seeking impactful enforcement actions against those who falsify vaccine records, as evidenced by several recent cases announced by the Department.

    Combating vaccine fraud is a collective effort that includes various stakeholders responsible for community health and safety. The Department works with schools to help them fulfill their responsibility of reviewing vaccination records for fraud. Additionally, the Department partners with the New York State Education Department, local health departments and school-nurse professional organizations around this critical effort. Moreover, the Department’s Bureau of Investigations, in particular, works to educate, engage and support police and prosecutors statewide regarding vaccination fraud, which under New York law is a felony-level criminal offense.

    Measles is a highly contagious, serious respiratory disease that causes rash and fever. In some cases, measles can reduce the immune system’s ability to fight other infections like pneumonia.

    Serious complications of measles include hospitalization, pneumonia, brain swelling and death. Long-term serious complications can also include  subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a brain disease resulting from an earlier measles infection that can lead to permanent brain damage.

    People who are infected with measles often get “measles immune amnesia,” which causes their immune system to lose memory to fight other infections like pneumonia. In places like Africa, where measles is more common, this is the largest driver of mortality.

    Measles during pregnancy increases the risk of early labor, miscarriage and low birth weight infants.

    Measles is caused by a virus that is spread by coughing or sneezing into the air. Individuals can catch the disease by breathing in the virus or by touching a contaminated surface, then touching the eyes, nose, or mouth. Complications may include pneumonia, encephalitis, miscarriage, preterm birth, hospitalization and death.

    The incubation period for measles is up to 21 days. People who are exposed to measles should quarantine 21 days after exposure and those who test positive should isolate until four days after the rash appears.

    Symptoms for measles can include the following:

    7-14 days, and up to 21 days after a measles infection

    • High fever
    • Cough
    • Runny nose
    • Red, watery eyes

    3-5 days after symptoms begin, a rash occurs

    • The rash usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet.
    • Small, raised bumps may also appear on top of the flat red spots.
    • The spots may become joined together as they spread from the head to the rest of the body.
    • When the rash appears, a person’s fever may spike to more than 104° Fahrenheit.

    A person with measles can pass it to others as soon as four days before a rash appears and as late as four days after the rash appears.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Launches Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced the launch of the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail. Officially opened today, the South Shore Trail runs from Bay Shore to Montauk and is intended to drive business and tourism to locations proudly serving and selling locally raised and wild-caught, sustainably harvested fish and shellfish while promoting Long Island’s seafood industry. The Trail is a part of the State’s Blue Food Transformation initiative, first announced in the Governor’s 2024 State of the State proposal, which was created to reinvigorate New York’s aquaculture and wild-caught seafood industries and strengthen local food systems.

    “Long Island’s aquaculture and seafood industries are vital to New York’s agricultural economy – they create jobs, support a healthy environment, and provide New Yorkers with fresh, nutritious seafood,” Governor Hochul said. “The Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trails highlight the amazing fish and shellfish harvested locally, showcase our outstanding small businesses, and attract more visitors to this incredible region.”

    Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trails

    Today’s announcement was made at a special ribbon cutting ceremony at The Snapper Inn in Oakdale where State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball joined representatives from Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Suffolk County, state and local elected officials, local business owners, and other partners to unveil the first of two planned Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trails. The Snapper Inn is on the western end of the South Shore Trail, which will include 20 official locations and other points of interest to spotlight New York’s seafood industry, and drive visitors to businesses that serve and sell locally wild-caught, sustainably harvested fish and shellfish. The North Shore Trail, which will run from Oyster Bay to Greenport, is under development and slated to launch in the coming months.

    The event also featured a sneak peek of the forthcoming Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail digital app, which will make it even easier for customers to discover Long Island establishments serving seafood-centric dishes. Currently under development, the app will guide customers to Long Island establishments where they can enjoy a fine local seafood meal, pick up a variety of oysters for a local oyster tasting, take-out a quick seafood lunch, or fillets from a local seafood shop to prepare a fish dinner at home. An online version of the app is available on the Long Island Seafood Trail website, and the mobile app is expected to be available on the Apple App Store and Google Play in the coming weeks.

    Visitors are encouraged to follow the trail for locations that are known to appreciate and celebrate the bounty of Long Island’s waters while boosting business and supporting local fishing communities. Regional points of interest and local events are also integrated into the app to support a full tourism experience. Visit the Seafood Trail page on the Local Fish website for more information.

    The Trail was created by CCE of Suffolk County’s Marine Program, in collaboration with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM). AGM additionally worked closely with the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) on the designation of the trails. A list of trail stops is available on the AGM website.

    New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “Long Island’s waters are abundant with fresh, delicious fish and shellfish, and our seafood industry works tirelessly in harvesting and raising these local delicacies. I encourage New Yorkers to visit any number of the many stops on the new Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail to discover some delicious foods and help support our local aquaculture community.”

    Cornell Cooperative Extension Suffolk Executive Director Vanessa Lockel said, “The CCE Suffolk Marine Program plays a key role in preserving Long Island’s waterways through science, restoration, and education. We are proud to have partnered on the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail, a project that aligns with our mission by highlighting the region’s aquaculture and seafood industries—industries that are critical to both our economy and the health of our environment.”

    Seafood Processing Feasibility Study

    Also funded through the Governor’s Blue Food Transformation initiative, CCE of Suffolk County has engaged industry stakeholders and conducted research to define and mitigate challenges necessary to expand capacity for seafood processing on Long Island. The project examines operating models, locations, basic facility design, and capital budget as a baseline for standalone seafood processing facilities. A final draft report will be presented for industry feedback at the Long Island Seafood Summit this month.

    Inter-Agency Task Force

    In addition to the cuisine trails and feasibility study, the Governor also announced that AGM, the Department of Environmental Conservation, Empire State Development, Department of Health, New York Sea Grant, and other agencies involved in the production and marketing of seafood formed the New York State Seafood Interagency Workgroup. The group was tasked with evaluating and coordinating state policies and programs that impact aquaculture licensing, food safety, and economic development measures, and considering pathways for industry growth. The Workgroup’s final report is available online at the AGM website.

    New York State has a diverse sustainable wild-caught seafood industry and growing aquaculture industry that harvest a variety of products including finfish, kelp, and shellfish. Commercial fishermen on Long Island sustainably harvested over 16 million pounds of finfish in 2023, worth over $28 million dollars. Montauk, the state’s largest commercial fishing port, is 51st in the nation for wild-caught seafood based on poundage, and 53rd in the nation based on dollar value.

    From Long Island to the Finger Lakes, both small-scale and commercial-scale aquaculture operations grow fresh, safe, and sustainable seafood, and harvest wild-caught, sustainable fish. According to the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture, the aquaculture industry accounts for over 25 percent of farms on Long Island, with 155 operations in Suffolk County and 15 in Nassau County.​ Combined, the two counties generated over $14.5 million in sales in 2022.

    Department of Environmental Conservation Acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “Thanks to Governor Hochul’s sustained support and protection of the South Shore’s irreplaceable marine habitat and resources, the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trails initiative is gearing up to launch its first segment and celebrate the fantastic seafood associated with Long Island’s vibrant coastal culture and maritime traditions. DEC appreciates the work of our partners at the Department of Agriculture and Markets and their work to support local hatcheries, boosting the Long Island’s shellfish farming economy and complementing the State’s ongoing efforts to ensure the success of New York’s commercial fishing industry while protecting seafood for consumers.”

    New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “Long Island is one of the epicenters of New York’s internationally recognized food and beverage industry, with its world-renowned vineyards, rich farmlands and storied fishing history. The Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail, which New York State DOT proudly supports, will enhance sustainable and healthy aquaculture and is a perfect way for South Shore residents and visitors to take in Long Island’s pristine beaches and native wildlife, while enjoying some of the most nutritious and delicious seafood anywhere in the world. See you on the Trail!”

    Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “The new Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail will showcase the world class culinary offerings available to residents and visitors alike across the South Shore. This will highlight the importance of the region’s aquaculture industry and introduce more people to the unique small businesses that are vital to local economies.”

    Long Island Farm Bureau Director Rob Carpenter said, “Commercial fishing and aquaculture are very important legacy industries on Long Island. Our fishermen, baymen, and oyster growers provide residents with some of the highest quality and most flavorful seafood found anywhere in the world. This seafood trail will help to promote the incredible restaurants, shops, and seafood products available right in our own backyard for residents to experience and enjoy.”

    Long Island Oyster Growers Association President Eric Koepele said, “If Dorothy hailed from Long Island, every oyster shell trail would skip Oz for a seafood paradise like The Snapper Inn—where local oysters are shining gems behind the curtain. I encourage visitors to check out more beautiful locations over the rainbow on the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail to sample the best of Long Island’s delicious, fresh, local oysters.”

    Long Island Commercial Fishing Association Executive Director Bonnie Brady said, “For far too long, consumers and visitors to Long Island had to be “in the know,” to find the local specials of the day from restaurants, seafood shops, and boat-to-table small businesses. Now with the app, anyone can find the freshest Long Island seafood meal, north or south, no matter which Fork they live on or are visiting!”

    Discover Long Island President and CEO Kristen Reynolds said, “Long Island’s rich maritime heritage and world-class seafood industry are key drivers of tourism and economic vitality for our region. As Long Island’s only accredited destination marketing organization with an audience of more than 10 million global viewers, we look forward to sharing this exciting new product, encouraging both locals and visitors to explore and support the small businesses, restaurants, and coastal communities that make our destination truly unique.”

    New York State Restaurant Association President and CEO Melissa Fleischut said, “With its vibrant culinary scene, Long Island is renowned for its outstanding restaurants, and we’re delighted to see Governor Hochul and other state leaders continue their support for local businesses across the state. The summer months are a peak time for tourism, making the launch of the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trails especially timely. We are eager to see the positive impact this initiative will have on the region’s restaurant industry, driving both awareness and visitors to these local establishments.”

    State Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “Cuisine trails are roadmaps to some of the best local food New York has to offer, guiding people to delicious meals and products while supporting the small businesses that serve them. The launch of the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trails adds a new layer to New York’s expanding food trail system and we were proud to move this initiative forward in last year’s budget. It’s exciting to see the trail come to fruition, knowing it will give locals and visitors the chance to try the freshest catches, explore new communities, and discover hidden gems along the way.”

    Assemblymember Donna Lupardo said, “I’m very pleased that the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail is up and running. We included the Blue Food Transformation Initiative in last year’s state budget to support New York’s aquaculture industry and initiatives like this. Cuisine Trails have proven to be very popular as they promote local food and farm businesses through agri-tourism. This new Trail and digital app will shine a spotlight on the locally raised and harvested fish and shellfish that Long Island is known for.”

    Assemblymember Jarett Gandolfo said, “Long Island’s seafood industry isn’t just a key part of our local economy, it’s part of who we are. From family-owned restaurants to hardworking fishermen, so many livelihoods depend on a thriving aquaculture industry. The launch of the Long Island Seafood Cuisine Trail is a great way to highlight and support these businesses while also giving residents and visitors the chance to experience the incredible seafood our waters provide. Investing in our local seafood industry means protecting jobs, strengthening Long Island’s tourism, and preserving a tradition that has been passed down for generations. I’m genuinely excited to see this take off and be able to see the positive impact it will have on our community.”

    Town of Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter said, “Long Island’s waterways are one of our greatest natural resources, and initiatives like the Seafood Cuisine Trail not only celebrate our long-standing maritime heritage but also support the hardworking individuals who sustain our local seafood industry. Through our Town’s Shellfish Hatchery initiative, we are committed to protecting water quality, replenishing shellfish populations, and ensuring that locally harvested seafood remains a cornerstone of our economy and culture. I’m proud to stand alongside so many dedicated partners today as we continue working toward a thriving, sustainable future for Long Island.”

    The Blue Food Transformation Initiative was announced in the Governor’s 2024 State of the State proposal to increase consumer demand for local food and strengthen the local food system. The effort will include $5 million in infrastructure funding to bolster marine agriculture, promote a healthy natural environment, and provide New Yorkers with a nutritious source of locally grown seafood. These investments build on the Governor’s commitment to boost demand for New York agricultural products, bolster New York’s food supply chain, and ensure all New Yorkers can access fresh, local foods. This includes the Governor’s Executive Order 32 directing State agencies to increase the percentage of food sourced from New York farmers and producers to 30 percent of their total purchases within five years.

    New York State continues to prioritize increasing access to food for all New Yorkers and providing new markets for farmers through a number of programs and initiatives, including the enhanced FreshConnect Fresh2You initiative, the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs, the Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grants Programs, and more. The Department also administers the Nourish New York program, which is slated for an additional $5 million investment in the Governor’s proposed Executive Budget this year.

    The NYS 30 percent Initiative for schools, the State’s Farm-to-School program, and child nutrition programs administered by the State Education Department are focused on buying more local products from New York farmers and increasing healthy and nutritious local foods for New York school lunches.

    Additionally, the Governor is dedicating $50 million over five years to support regional cooking facilities that will facilitate the use of fresh New York State farm products in meal preparation for K-12 school children and a $10 million grant program to support the establishment of farm markets, supermarkets, food cooperatives, and other similar retail food stores, along with supporting infrastructure in underserved communities and regions of the State.

    Learn about the AGM’s programs and initiatives focused on providing new markets for farmers, increasing food access to underserved communities, and building healthier communities on the AGM website at the “Healthy Communities” page.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bonanno Crime Family Soldier Sentenced to 37 Months’ Imprisonment for Extortionate Collection of Credit

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant Continued to Demand Payments from Victim While Facing Charges for Illegal Collection of a Debt and Under Court Supervision

    Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, John Ragano, also known as “Bazoo,” a member of the Bonanno organized crime family, was sentenced by United States District Judge Hector Gonzalez to 37 months in prison for extortionate collection of credit in connection with a $150,000 loan.  The sentence imposed today will be served following the completion of Ragano’s 57-month sentence for the conspiracy to commit extortionate collection of credit of the same victim.  Additionally, as part of the sentence, Ragano was ordered to pay the government $3,000 in forfeiture.  Ragano was convicted of the charge in October 2024 following a four-day jury trial.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Leslie R. Backschies, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence.

    “Today’s sentence punishes Ragano’s blatant disregard for the law, even while under court supervision for crimes brazenly carried out within the federal courthouse,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “This prosecution represents my Office’s steadfast commitment to combatting the Mafia in our district.”

    “Despite previous arrests and detention, John Ragano tormented his victim to make weekly exorbitant loan payments and enforced humiliating methods when faced with resistance,” stated Acting FBI Assistant Director in Charge Backschies.  “His actions reflected his apathy to the criminal justice system as he repeatedly attempted to extort his victims in the midst of active legal proceedings. Today’s verdict emphasizes the FBI’s intolerance of the mob’s historical inclination to utilize coercive and threatening tactics to fulfill their greedy demands.

    In early 2021, the defendant Ragano loaned the victim $150,000 in cash and required the victim to make interest payments of approximately $1,800 a week.  These payments did not reduce the principal of the $150,000 loan.  On September 14, 2021, Ragano was arrested in connection with the extortionate loan to the victim, as well as separate schemes to traffic marijuana and commit fraud.  After Ragano was released on bond from the Metropolitan Detention Center in December 2021, he continued to try to collect the $150,000 loan from the victim while under pretrial supervision.  He did so by approaching the victim in-person at status conferences held at the federal courthouse, and by directing another individual (Individual #1) to contact the victim.  On November 28, 2022, Ragano pleaded guilty to conspiring to issue the extortionate loan to the victim.  However, in 2023, despite his previous guilty plea, ongoing court supervision, and sentence to 57 months’ imprisonment in connection with his previous guilty plea as to the 2021 loan, Ragano continued to extort the victim to collect payments on the 2021 loan, which resulted in a subsequent indictment for extortionate collection of credit and harassment of a witness.

    As proven during Ragano’s October 2024 trial, on March 25, 2023, the victim recorded a meeting with Individual #1, who explained that Ragano wanted the entire amount of the loan repaid and that “nobody’s looking for anybody to get hurt.” A week later, on March 31, 2023, Individual #1 told the victim that Ragano was “a little upset” that the loan was outstanding.  On July 5, 2023, the victim went to a used auto parts yard where Ragano worked to discuss the loan.  Unbeknownst to Ragano, the victim recorded the meeting.  The victim told Ragano that he was going to stop repaying the loan. Ragano accused the victim of cooperating with the government and demanded that he remove all his clothes. Ragano stated: “Okay, well then take off your f–king s–t right now my man.  Take off your f–king pants right now, lemme see, I want to see.”  At Ragano’s insistence, the victim complied and took off all his clothing. At that point, two men at the business walked up behind Ragano, one of whom was holding metal tools.  Ragano then demanded the victim pay the money the defendant believed he was owed, telling him, “You owe me my f—king money, let’s see how you’re gonna do when I get out.”  Despite being forced to strip naked, the victim was still able to record the confrontation, including Ragano’s parting words, “I’ll see you when I get out tough guy…Don’t forget I know where you’re at now.”

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Devon Lash and Andrew D. Reich are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Kristina Kim.  Assistant United States Attorney Tanisha Payne of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters.

    The Defendant:

    JOHN RAGANO (also known as “Bazoo”)
    Age:  62
    Franklin Square, Long Island

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-50 (HG)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Previously Deported Sentenced to Six Years for Illegal Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican National illegally residing in Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.

    Mario Alberto Hernandez-Lugo, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to six years in federal prison without parole.

    On August 1, 2024, Hernandez-Lugo pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition.  Hernandez-Lugo admitted he was in possession of a Beretta, 9mm pistol and .45 caliber and 9mm ammunition following his arrest during a traffic stop by Independence, Missouri Police Officers on May 28, 2023.     

    Under federal law it is illegal for any alien knowingly illegally or unlawfully in the United States to possess a firearm or ammunition. Hernandez-Lugo admitted he was in the United States illegally, having been previously deported and removed from the United States.  At sentencing District Judge Greg Kays noted that Hernandez-Lugo had previously been deported or removed from the United States on seven separate occasions. 

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jess Michaelsen. It was investigated by the Kansas City and Independence, Missouri Police Departments, and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    Project Safe Neighborhoods

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Career criminal sentenced in Corpus Christi to 14 years for drug trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 46-year-old Santa Rosa resident has been sentenced for possession with intent to distribute nearly six kilograms of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Jossue Omar Gonzalez pleaded guilty Aug. 6, 2024.

    U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now ordered Gonzalez to serve 168 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard evidence of Gonzalez’s long criminal history that included two prior federal convictions for the same offense. In handing down the sentence, Judge Ramos noted the seriousness and repetitive nature of his criminal conduct.  

    On Oct. 22, 2023, Jonathan Anthony Lopez, 38, of Rio Hondo, approached the Sarita checkpoint driving a red Mitsubishi Mirage when a K-9 alerted. Authorities referred the vehicle to secondary inspection where they discovered 5.99 kg of cocaine hidden behind the rear seat of the vehicle.

    The investigation linked Gonzalez to the cocaine bundles. Authorities also found a video of Gonzalez purchasing the packaging material wrapped around the drugs the day prior to the offense in the same red Mitsubishi.  

    Lopez also pleaded guilty and was previously sentenced to 120 months in prison.

    Gonzalez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Martin prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s defiance of a federal court order fuels a constitutional crisis − a legal scholar unpacks the complicated case

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Cassandra Burke Robertson, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Professional Ethics, Case Western Reserve University

    The Supreme Court is seen on March 17, 2025, one day before Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare rebuke of a president. Win McNamee/Getty Images

    President Donald Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act on March 15, 2025, and deported about 200 Venezuelan immigrants his administration alleged have ties to a Venezuelan gang. U.S. District Court Judge James Bloasberg verbally issued an order that same day telling the government that the planes carrying the deportees must return to the United States.

    The U.S. government, though, allowed the flights to continue and for the Venezuelans to be detained at a facility in El Salvador infamous for its mistreatment of prisoners.

    The subsequent legal back-and-forth, which is still going on, intensified so quickly and dramatically that many legal scholars say the U.S. is past the point of a constitutional crisis, as the Trump administration appears to be defying a federal court order, for which Boasberg may hold the government in contempt. Trump has also called for Bloasberg to be impeached. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts then issued a rare public statement that day rejecting Trump’s statement.

    “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said in a written statement on March 18.

    Amy Lieberman, a politics and society editor at The Conversation U.S., posed a few questions to Cassandra Burke Robertson, a scholar of civil proceedings and legal ethics, to break down some of the dynamics of this complex, evolving case.

    President Donald Trump shakes hands with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.
    Win McNamee/Getty Images

    Is it rare for a Supreme Court justice to weigh in on politicians’ activities or statements?

    It’s uncommon for a Supreme Court justice to publicly contradict a president. Roberts has typically shown great respect for the separation of powers between branches of government. He has also consistently recognized that presidents have broad authority to run the federal government.

    However, this isn’t the first time Roberts has spoken up to protect judicial independence. During Trump’s first term in 2018, the president criticized rulings as coming from “Obama judges.” Roberts responded publicly, and said, “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them.”

    Why is Roberts’ statement of note, and what influence does he have in this situation?

    Roberts leads the U.S. Supreme Court. He also oversees all federal courts across the country.

    Roberts takes this leadership role very seriously. He has been willing to speak up when he believes something threatens judicial operations and independence.

    Since Roberts was confirmed as chief justice in 2005, he has often spoken publicly about why judges need to remain independent from political pressure. He has pointed out four main threats to judges’ independence: “violence, intimidation, disinformation and threats to defy lawfully entered judgments.”

    When Roberts makes a public statement, it carries weight because he speaks as the top judicial officer in the country. His words are a reminder about the importance of keeping courts free from political interference.

    What is most important for people to understand about the Alien Enemies Act case that Judge Boasberg is currently considering?

    First, Trump is using a rarely used wartime law, the Alien Enemies Act. This law allows for deportations during a time of war without the normal legal protections like court hearings. Some legal experts argue that Trump doesn’t have the authority to use this law since the U.S. isn’t officially at war with Venezuela or with the gang the administration has cited, Tren de Aragua. They worry that invoking the Alien Enemies Act inappropriately expands presidential power beyond constitutional limits and could be misused to target other immigrant groups.

    Second, Boasberg ordered a stop to these deportations on March 15. But the Trump administration went ahead with the deportations anyway. It later claimed it did not violate the judge’s order because the planes were over international waters. Under our legal system, the executive branch must obey valid court orders. This case raises concerns about whether the president is respecting the authority of the courts.

    James E. Boasberg, chief judge of the District Court, District of Columbia.
    https://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/content/chief-judge-james-e-boasberg

    Third, Trump has publicly called for Boasberg to be impeached, saying the judge overstepped his authority by ruling against the president’s actions. There’s no evidence that Boasberg acted corruptly or improperly – he simply made a legal ruling the president disagreed with.

    The case touches on fundamental questions about the balance of power between presidents and courts, and what happens when an administration chooses not to follow a judge’s orders. This confrontation between branches represents one of the most direct challenges to judicial authority by a president in American history.

    What would it take for a judge to be impeached, and what is the precedent for doing so, based on disagreements about a case?

    Federal judges can only be impeached by Congress for “high crimes and misdemeanors.” That generally means serious wrongdoing, not just making unpopular decisions.

    The impeachment process for judges works just like it does for presidents.

    First, the House of Representatives votes to impeach, needing just a simple majority. Then, the Senate holds a trial where a two-thirds majority is needed to remove the judge.

    Only 15 federal judges have ever been impeached in the U.S., and of those, only eight were convicted by the Senate.

    The only two judicial impeachments during this century involved very serious misconduct – including a judge who lied about sexually abusing two female employees in 2009.

    Only judges who have serious misconduct have been impeached and removed from office – not those involved in cases of political disagreements about judicial decisions.

    What are the most important legal and ethical questions that this case raises?

    This case raises important questions about the rule of law in the U.S. A key American belief is that no one, not even the president, is above the law. As Thomas Paine famously wrote in 1776, “In America, the law is king.”

    This doesn’t mean every court decision is always right. That’s why the legal system has appellate courts, as Roberts pointed out – so decisions people disagree with can be challenged through an appeal in proper channels. My scholarly research on the right to appeal explores how this process serves as a crucial safeguard in the country’s legal system.

    Twenty years ago, Roberts also stressed how important the rule of law is, saying it “protects the rights and liberties of all Americans.”

    When a government chooses to ignore court orders instead of appealing them through the legal system, it creates a serious threat to this principle. The current situation raises concerns about whether the federal government will continue to respect the boundaries established by the Constitution in the country’s legal system.

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

    – ref. Trump’s defiance of a federal court order fuels a constitutional crisis − a legal scholar unpacks the complicated case – https://theconversation.com/trumps-defiance-of-a-federal-court-order-fuels-a-constitutional-crisis-a-legal-scholar-unpacks-the-complicated-case-252591

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Provincial secondary-suite pilot program update

    Due to uncertain financial times, and with the federal government committing to implement a similar program, the Province’s pilot secondary-suite incentive program will no longer be accepting applications after March 30, 2025.

    Funds allocated from this program will go toward other existing and future BC Housing programs and services aimed at delivering more affordable homes for people, including BC Builds.

    “As we face uncertain economic conditions and an unpredictable tariff situation with the United States, we’re making sure we deliver the best value for people,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs. “With the federal government committing to deliver a national secondary-suite program, we are ensuring that we are not duplicating programs so we can use those funds for other programs that give people more housing options.”

    Announced in 2023, the three-year pilot program was designed to provide assistance in the form of a forgivable loan to eligible homeowners who build a secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on their property.

    In 2024, the federal government announced the intention to launch a similar program, the Canada secondary-suite loan program, enabling homeowners to access low-interest loans of up to $80,000 to add a secondary suite. Homeowners in B.C. who are interested in developing a secondary suite may have the opportunity to apply for loans through the federal program when it is launched.  Applicants who have started the process with the provincial secondary-suite incentive program and who have received all necessary permits and cost estimates will be able to submit their application until March 30, 2025.

    BC Housing will continue to work with approved applicants to process committed funds, register forgivable mortgages and carry out loan forgiveness over the coming years.

    The Province is continuing to focus on creating affordable housing and initiatives that address the housing needs of British Columbians. Since 2017, the Province has nearly 92,000 homes delivered or underway, with actions underway to help deliver thousands more.

    Learn More:

    To learn more about the ending of the secondary suite program, visit: https://www.bchousing.org/housing-assistance/secondary-suite

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Long before debates over ‘wokeness’, Epicurus built a philosophy that welcomed slaves, women and outsiders

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Moran, Lecturer in the Department of English, Creative Writing and Film, University of Adelaide

    German Vizulis/Shutterstock

    If you peruse the philosophy section of your local bookshop, you’ll probably find a number of books on Stoicism – an ancient philosophy enjoying a renaissance today. But where are the Epicureans?

    Both philosophical schools were popular in the ancient world. However, while stoic works such as Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and Seneca’s letters still fill the shelves, alongside contemporary takes such as The Daily Stoic (2016), Epicureanism largely remains a historical curiosity.

    Today, the Greek thinker Epicurus (341–270 BCE) is mostly remembered as the originator of the term “epicurean”, which describes someone devoted to sensual enjoyment, particularly of fine food and drink.

    And while it’s true Epicurus argued pleasure is the highest human good, there’s a lot more to Epicureanism than merely savouring a glass of Shiraz with haute cuisine.

    Philosophers in the garden

    Epicurus was born on the island of Samos to Athenian parents. He studied philosophy in Athens before travelling to the island of Lesbos to establish a philosophical academy.

    Epicurus was born on the island Samos, a birthplace he shares with the famous polymath Pythagoras.
    Wikimedia

    Upon returning to Athens in 306 BCE, he bought a tract of land and began a philosophical community known as the Garden.

    The Garden was radically different from other philosophical communities at the time. While Plato’s Academy generally trained the children of the Athenian elite, and Aristotle tutored nobles such as Alexander the Great, Epicurus’ Garden was far more inclusive. Women and slaves were welcome to join the dialogue.

    The community led a frugal life and practised total equality between men and women, which was uncommon at the time. In this atmosphere, noblewomen and courtesans, senators and slaves, all engaged in philosophical debate.

    While many early Epicureans have disappeared from the annals of history, we know of some women, such as Leontion and Nikidion, who were early proponents of Epicurean thought.

    Away from the main city of Athens, Epicurus’ Garden became a space for his followers to seek relief.
    gka photo/Shutterstock

    Philosophy as a way of life

    It isn’t just the Garden’s inclusivity that gives it contemporary appeal, but its entirely unique notion of what constitutes a philosophical life.

    According to Epicurus, a philosopher wasn’t someone who taught or wrote philosophical tracts. A philosopher was someone who practised what the French philosopher Pierre Hadot describes, in his work on Epicureanism, as “a certain style of life”.

    Epicureanism was a daily practice, rather than an academic discipline. Anyone who strove to live a philosophical life was part of the Epicurean community and was considered a philosopher.

    The concept of philosophy Epicurus promoted was more egalitarian and all-encompassing than the narrow definition we often see used today.

    The pursuit of pleasure

    But what did it mean to be a practising Epicurean? Epicurus conceived of philosophy as a therapeutic practice. “We must concern ourselves with the healing of our own lives,” he wrote.

    This process of healing involves developing an inner attitude of relaxation and tranquillity known as anesis in Ancient Greek. To do this, Epicureans sought to turn their minds away from the worries of life and focus instead on the simple joy of existence.

    Epicurus distinguished between different types of pleasure and advocated for a life of moderate pleasure, rather than excessive indulgence.
    Wikimedia

    According to Epicurus, unhappiness comes because we are afraid of things which should not be feared, and desire things which are not necessary and are beyond our control.

    Most notably, he rejected the idea of an afterlife, arguing the soul did not continue to exist after death. He also argued it was wrong to fear death as it

    gives no trouble when it comes [and] is but an empty pain in anticipation.

    Instead of fearing punishment in the beyond, he said we should focus on the possibilities for pleasure in the here and now. But that doesn’t mean chasing every pleasure which comes our way; the task of the Epicurean is to understand which pleasures are worth pursuing.

    The highest pleasures are not those which yield the highest intensity or last the longest, but those which are the least mixed with worry and the most likely to ensure peace of mind. In this vein, Epicurus sought to cultivate feelings of gratitude and appreciation for even the simplest everyday experiences.

    While his critics cast him and his followers as unrestrained hedonists, he wrote in one letter that a single piece of cheese was as pleasurable as an entire feast.

    For Epicureans, it is precisely the brevity of life that gives us such an exquisite capacity for pleasure. As one Epicurean Philodemus wrote:

    Receive each additional moment of time in a manner appropriate to its value; as if one were having an incredible stroke of luck.

    A philosophy for outsiders

    Epicurus’ perennial appeal resides in how his philosophy gave strength and inspiration to outsiders. In the late 19th century, aesthetes such as critic Walter Pater and playwright Oscar Wilde praised Epicureanism as a way of life.

    In Wilde’s letter De Profundis (From the depths) – written in 1897 while imprisoned in Reading Gaol on charges of indecency – he wrote that Pater’s novel Marius the Epicurean (1885) had given him both intellectual and spiritual solace during his trial.

    Pater, too, had faced discrimination at Oxford for having homosexual relationships. His novel is an evocative celebration of the possibilities of a life lived in the pursuit of sensual and spiritual beauty.

    In one of his earlier texts, The Renaissance (1873), Pater paraphrases Victor Hugo, writing

    we are all under a sentence of death but with a sort of indefinite reprieve […] we have an interval, and then our place knows us no more. […] Our one chance lies in expanding that interval, in getting as many pulsations as possible into the given time.

    This profoundly Epicurean sentiment, of a life lived in the interval, remains appealing to those who seek to turn their lives into a work of art.

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

    – ref. Long before debates over ‘wokeness’, Epicurus built a philosophy that welcomed slaves, women and outsiders – https://theconversation.com/long-before-debates-over-wokeness-epicurus-built-a-philosophy-that-welcomed-slaves-women-and-outsiders-250772

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The Australian economy has changed dramatically since 2000 – the way we work now is radically different

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland

    The most striking feature of the Australian economy in the 21st century has been the exceptionally long period of fairly steady, though not rapid, economic growth.

    The deep recession of 1989–91, and the painfully slow recovery that followed, led most observers to assume another recession was inevitable sooner or later.

    And nearly everywhere in the developed world, the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–08 did lead to recessions comparable in length and severity to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

    Through a combination of good luck and good management, Australia avoided recession, at least as measured by the commonly used criterion of two successive quarters of negative GDP growth.

    Recessions cause unemployment to rise in the short run. Even after recessions end, the economy often remains on a permanently lower growth path.

    Good management – and good luck

    The crucial example of good management was the use of expansionary fiscal policy in response to both the financial crisis and the COVID pandemic. Governments supported households with cash payments as well as increasing their own spending.

    The most important piece of good luck was the rise of China and its appetite for Australian mineral exports, most notably iron ore.

    This demand removed the concerns about trade deficits that had driven policy in the 1990s, and has continued to provide an important source of export income. Mining is also an important source of government revenue, though this is often overstated.

    Still more fortunately, the Chinese response to the Global Financial Crisis, like that in Australia, was one of massive fiscal stimulus. The result was that both domestic demand and export demand were sustained through the crisis.

    The shift to an information economy

    The other big change, shared with other developed countries, has been the replacement of the 20th century industrial economy with an economy dominated by information and information-intensive services.

    The change in the industrial makeup of the economy can be seen in occupational data.

    In the 20th century, professional and managerial workers were a rarefied elite. Now they are the largest single occupational group at nearly 40% of all workers. Clerical, sales and other service workers account for 33% and manual workers (trades, labourers, drivers and so on) for only 28%.

    The results are evident in the labour market. First, the decline in the relative share of the male-dominated manual occupations has been reflected in a gradual convergence in the labour force participation rates of men (declining) and women (increasing).

    Suddenly, work from home was possible

    Much more striking than this gradual trend was the (literally) overnight shift to remote work that took place with the arrival of COVID lockdowns.

    Despite the absence of any preparation, it turned out the great majority of information work could be done anywhere workers could find a desk and an internet connection.

    The result was a massive benefit to workers. They were freed from their daily commute, which has been estimated as equivalent to an 8–10% increase in wages, and better able to juggle work and family commitments.

    Despite strenuous efforts by managers, remote or hybrid work has remained common among information workers.

    CEOs regularly demand a return to full-time office work. But few if any have been prepared to pay the wage premium that would be required to retain their most valuable (and mobile) employees without the flexibility of hybrid or remote work.

    The employment miracle

    The confluence of all these trends has produced an outcome that seemed unimaginable in the year 2000: a sustained period of near-full employment. That is defined by a situation in which almost anyone who wants a job can get one.

    The unemployment rate has dropped from 6.8% in 2000 to around 4%. While this is higher than in the post-war boom of the 1950s and 1960s, this is probably inevitable given the greater diversity of both the workforce and the range of jobs available.

    Matching workers to jobs was relatively easy in an industrial economy where large factories employed thousands of workers. It’s much harder in an information economy where job categories include “Instagram influencer” and “search engine optimiser”.

    As we progress through 2025, it is possible all this may change rapidly, for better or for worse.

    The chaos injected into the global economy by the Trump Administration will radically reshape patterns of trade.

    Meanwhile the rise of artificial intelligence holds out the promise of greatly increased productivity – but also the threat of massive job destruction. Economists, at least, will be busy for quite a while to come.

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

    – ref. The Australian economy has changed dramatically since 2000 – the way we work now is radically different – https://theconversation.com/the-australian-economy-has-changed-dramatically-since-2000-the-way-we-work-now-is-radically-different-249942

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: In 2000, Australia was defined by the Olympics, border politics and reconciliation. So what really has changed?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Visitor, School of History, Australian National University

    The world had its eyes on Sydney in 2000. A million people lined the harbour to ring in the new millennium (though some said it was actually the final year of the old one) on January 1.

    US television reporters called it “the biggest party in Australian history”. Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, whose corporation seemed to represent the coming age, was among those watching on.

    Sydney offered not only a world-leading party, but also a litmus test for the much-feared Y2K bug, which threatened to knock planes out of the sky and bring the global economy to a halt. Australia and New Zealand were said to be the “tripwire for the world’s computer systems”.

    It was fine in the end, although plenty of work had in fact been undertaken behind the scenes to make Australia’s systems more millennium-proof than they might have been.

    This was arguably the defining feature of Australia in the year 2000: a confident display for the world concealing a lot of angst and uncertainty. Australia was the “oldest continent on Earth”, the US broadcasters told their viewers, but it was “much more of an Asian nation”, and much closer to the rest of the world “thanks to technology”.

    Those confident claims would probably have surprised many Australians. Theirs was an old country trying to keep up with a new, interconnected world, and also a relatively young one trying to reconcile itself with the ancient cultures that its settler forebears had dispossessed.

    A curated Australia

    In September, the world’s sporting and political elite, followed by a train of journalists, arrived in Sydney for the 2000 Olympic Games. It had been years in the making, and every level of government was involved. There were no fewer than 47,000 volunteers.

    There was something for everyone in the well-curated opening ceremony. The event opened with the crack of a stockman’s whip and a fleet of flag-waving bushmen on horseback. There were highly sanitised displays of European arrival, pastoral settlement and a tribute to an armour-clad colonial Victorian bushranger that must have baffled those viewers watching from abroad who had not seen a Sidney Nolan painting before.

    Ancient stories and new cultural sensibilities were on display too. There were stylised performances of the Dreaming, striking First Nations dances and the distinctive sounds of the didgeridoo. A section entitled “Arrivals” recognised the importance of migration in the nation’s story.

    A young Aboriginal sprinter, Cathy Freeman, lit the cauldron in what became one of the iconic images of the year. The cauldron’s hydraulics unfortunately got stuck as it ascended, and the flame was mere seconds from snuffing out in what could have been a global embarrassment. But big ambitions incur big risks.

    This global performance of Australian-ness was arrestingly simple: that of a nation confident in its own diversity and capable of catering to everyone’s tastes.

    Even the musical selections seemed to reconcile the needs of the youth (with performances from a young Vanessa Amorosi and even younger Nikki Webster), and the more mature (represented by John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John).

    Australia’s athletes had their best ever showing with 58 medals, including Freeman’s own gold.

    Not quite comfortable, not quite relaxed

    The Olympics masked as much as they revealed.

    In 2000, many white Australians still weren’t sure if theirs was, or should be, a multicultural society.

    The reactionary Pauline Hanson was out of parliament for the time being, but her One Nation Party had won 7.5% of the vote in New South Wales in the March 1999 state election, and nearly 23% of the vote in Queensland the year before.

    Eight weeks before millennium day, Australians had roundly rejected two referendum proposals, one to become a republic, and for a Constitutional preamble that, among other things, recognised Indigenous Australians as “the nation’s first people”.

    But whether Hanson liked it or not, her lifetime had coincided with great demographic and social change.

    In 1976, roughly 1.8% of the population said they were born in Asia or the Middle East. In the 2001 census, 1.6% of the population were born in China or Vietnam alone, and many more were the descendants of migrants from these places.

    The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population had more than doubled over the same period, while those identifying as Christian decreased from nearly 79% in 1976 to 56% in 2001.

    This increasingly diverse Australia claimed to be on a journey to “reconciliation”. That process had been sorely tested during the nasty debates about land rights and the Stolen Generations.

    Corroboree 2000, held on May 27 in Sydney, saw the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and the nation’s political leaders present their visions for the next phase of national healing. The leaders symbolically left their handprints on a “reconciliation canvas”.

    The following day, 250,000 Australians walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in a moving display of togetherness. John Howard, the prime minister, declined to participate.

    But his treasurer, Peter Costello, made a point of showing up for a similar event in Melbourne that December, leading Victorian Liberals and another 200,000 or so Australians.

    Their different approaches showed that the past was still a troubling present. Howard rebuffed suggestions of a treaty between Indigenous and settler Australians and maintained his refusal to apologise on behalf of the Commonwealth to the Stolen Generations, though all the states had done so by this time.

    The idea of such an apology was not as popular then as it seemed later on. The prime minister was sensitive to the fact that his was “an unpopular view with a lot of people”, but an opinion poll in The Australian newspaper showed a majority of voters were opposed to a national apology.

    Two survivors of the Stolen Generations, Peter Gunner and Lorna Cubillo, sued the Commonwealth for damages in 2000, giving their opponents the chance to challenge the legitimacy of their experiences. None of this looked like a nation that was as “comfortable and relaxed” as Howard had hoped it would be under his watch.

    Border politics

    Australian collective memory often gravitates toward 2001, the year of the Tampa affair and the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York.

    But Australia’s border was already highly politicised in 2000.

    In January, a boat arrived from Indonesia carrying 54 Christians fleeing religious conflict. They spent ten weeks at Port Hedland Immigration Detention facility, from which 39 went back to Indonesia and only 15 moved on to Adelaide to build new lives.

    Port Hedland and other detention centres made the news for all the wrong reasons. There were riots, hunger strikes and multiple breakouts. Authorities responded with upgraded security perimeters, character checks, and strip searches without warrants.

    Frustrated refugees set fire to South Australia’s Woomera facility, which former prime minister Malcolm Fraser publicly condemned as a “hell-hole”.

    In an end-of-year reflection for The Age newspaper, Gary Tippet said there had been a “touch of mean-spiritedness” about the handling of it all. Chris Wallace rightly suggests 2000 was a crucial moment in the “march towards an absolute offshore, extraterritorial approach” to refugees in Australia.

    In the intervening quarter-century, Australian officials have made mean-spiritedness an art form at the border and on the seas.

    First-rate democracy, third-rate economy

    Compared to the many legal challenges that came out of the US presidential contest in November 2000, Australia’s elections looked pretty smooth and sensible. The US seemed to have a backward democracy grafted onto its world-leading, information-age economy.

    Australia looked the opposite: a first-rate democracy with what looked increasingly like a “branch-office economy”.

    Reformers had tried for 20 years to make Australia efficient and competitive, but as one editorial in The Australian Financial Review explained, the country still suffered from its “old economy image”.

    The tech boom would soon become the tech wreck.
    Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

    Certainly, Australia still sold its minerals and farm products to the world in exchange for quality cars and cutting-edge computers.

    With global capitalists still enthralled by the global tech boom (though it was soon to become the “tech wreck”), they had little need for the Aussie dollar.

    The currency’s value declined through the year to just 50 US cents, and it would fall further in the following months. On its own, this mattered little, but a quarter of negative growth at the end of the year meant, as Paul Kelly later wrote, an “election-year recession” seemed a “real threat”.

    In the meantime, the much-debated Goods and Services Tax took effect around midnight on June 30 (a few hours later for businesses trading through the night).

    The 10% consumption tax was a big deal. Costello said in his memoir the “prices of three billion products were to change all at the same time”.

    The measure was politically brave, but soon became unpopular, helping raise petrol prices and alienate small business owners.

    The punters were pretty confident the Howard government was heading for defeat in 2001. They were wrong.

    Between the old and new

    The pace of social change accelerated from 2000.

    In the 2021 census, 2.6% of the population said they were born in India, and a further 3.2% in China and Vietnam. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians had more than doubled over two decades, such that they made up 3.2% of the total population in 2021.

    People increasingly related to their economy differently, too. Half of the workforce had been unionised in the 1980s, but coverage fell to roughly a quarter in 2000 and just 12.5% in 2022.

    These and other changes make our politics look different from that of 25 years ago. Nailbiter elections are now more common than thumping majorities and attitudes toward the once-feared “minority government” have softened.

    For all that, many of the challenges of 2000 are still with us.

    Many Australians are less tolerant of overt racism than they once were, but the 2023 Voice referendum and our offshore detention regime remind us that race still matters in this country.

    Kevin Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generations in 2008, but Treaty and Truth-Telling are left unresolved.

    And for all our talk about human capital and the digital economy, resources make up a much higher share of our total export mix today than in 2000.

    A quarter-century on, Australia is still caught between the old and the new.

    Dr Joshua Black is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Australia Institute.

    – ref. In 2000, Australia was defined by the Olympics, border politics and reconciliation. So what really has changed? – https://theconversation.com/in-2000-australia-was-defined-by-the-olympics-border-politics-and-reconciliation-so-what-really-has-changed-250791

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Following Ernst Advocacy, USDA Reduces Regulatory Burden, Provides Certainty for Pork Processors

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    WASHINGTON – After years of continued pressure from U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would maintain increased line speeds and reduce duplicative regulatory burdens on American pork and poultry processors.
    Under the new rulemaking, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will extend waivers allowing pork and poultry facilities to operate under higher line speeds, ensuring they can meet demand without unnecessary bureaucracy.
    “After years of working to cut the red tape and reduce regulatory burdens on our pork processors, I’m thrilled President Trump and Secretary Rollins have taken quick action on this issue,” said Senator Ernst. “By integrating proven results from research into policy, we can increase processing capacity, expand options when selling hogs, decrease transportation costs, increase certainty for producers, and more. Iowa is proud to lead the nation in pork production, and now our producers can go the ‘whole hog’ without the burden of excessive government oversight.”
    Background:
    Senator Ernst has long been at the forefront of discussions to protect Iowa’s pork producers and ensure they can remain competitive. In 2021, she spoke up in defense of producers after an unfair court decision to vacate a portion of the New Swine Inspection System (NSIS) line speeds. Then in February 2023, Ernst took action again to secure an additional nine months for the NSIS trial. In November 2023, she once again renewed her call for an extension to maintain critical pork processing capacity.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Blumenthal, 45 Colleagues File Amicus Brief To Protect Access To Reproductive Health Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    March 19, 2025

    HARTFORD—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)  joined the Senate Democratic caucus in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of protecting the right of millions of Americans to receive reproductive health care from the provider of their choosing. The case, Medina v. Planned Parenthood of South Atlantic, challenges South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster’s attempt to block in-state Medicaid program beneficiaries from accessing reproductive health care at the Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (PPSAT) affiliate’s health centers.
    The case is centered around whether individuals can privately enforce the “free-choice-of-provider provision” in the Medicaid statute, which gives Medicaid beneficiaries the right to choose among any qualified health care provider that agrees to participate in Medicaid. A loss at the Supreme Court would pave the way for states to arbitrarily exclude Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid program and deny tens of millions of Americans the ability to receive comprehensive, essential reproductive health care from the provider of their choosing.
    In their amicus brief, the senators argue that the plain text of the Medicaid statute and legislative history make clear that Congress enacted the free-choice-of-provider provision to provide any individual eligible for Medicaid with the right to choose among qualified health care and that Congress has provided beneficiaries the ability to enforce that right in court.
    “The right to select one’s own healthcare provider has been a core promise of the program ever since. And for decades, Congress has approved of — indeed, relied on — private enforcement in federal court as a critical means of protecting that right,” the senators wrote.
    The senators continued: “Limiting Medicaid beneficiaries’ access to healthcare providers who specialize in women’s health care — merely because they separately provide abortion services — limits their access to all healthcare and erects false barriers to care.”
    “Private enforcement enables Medicaid beneficiaries to hold states accountable when they accept federal taxpayer money while violating beneficiaries’ right to choose the providers on whom that money is spent. Without such individual enforcement, vital healthcare facilities shutter, leaving our least resourced without access to affordable or accessible healthcare,” the senators added.
    Close to 70% of Planned Parenthood’s health centers are located in communities with a shortage of primary care services and unmet health care needs. This makes them critical heath care access points for people across the country, providing a number of essential health care services from wellness exams, cancer screenings, contraception and more.
    “Congress intentionally established Medicaid beneficiaries’ right to receive health care services from the provider of their choice when it enacted the free-choice-of-provider provision nearly sixty years ago. That promise to Medicaid beneficiaries should be honored,” the senators concluded.
    U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) also joined the senators in filing the brief. 
    The senators’ amicus brief to the Supreme Court can be read in full HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on the resumption of attacks on Gaza

    Source: United Nations Population Fund

    UNFPA is shocked by the resumption of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip. Already a meaningful number of civilians have been killed. UN staff have also been caught up in the violence, with staff members tragically killed in attacks this morning. As fighting resumes, the number of dead will soar higher. 
     
    During the ceasefire, UNFPA and partners worked against immense odds to reinstate basic services for women and girls, delivering and equipping makeshift health centres, which have provided critical maternal health care to thousands of pregnant women. The resumption of hostilities and an aid blockade entering its third week, now threaten to erase even these small gains.
     
    This is subjecting women and girls to yet another cycle of deprivation and suffering. A lack of electricity and fuel has disabled hospital operations, and life-saving maternal health medicines have run out, again – particularly dangerous for the one in two pregnant women in Gaza who face a high-risk pregnancy.  
     
    Malnutrition is high among pregnant and breastfeeding women, leading to increased pregnancy complications. Folic acid, multivitamins, and other crucial supplements are on the verge of disappearing. In February, at least one in five newborns were born with complications, including low birth weight, requiring advanced medical care that is now increasingly unavailable. Portable incubators, ultrasound devices, and oxygen pumps, among other essential equipment, are now stalled at the border. 
     
    International humanitarian law is clear: civilians must be protected. They must be assured access to the essentials needed to survive, including food, water, shelter, and healthcare. UNFPA strongly appeals for the ceasefire to be respected. All hostages must be released unconditionally. The unimpeded movement of humanitarian assistance must be established and basic services restored. 
     
    Ultimately, women and girls need a permanent end to hostilities and a pathway to peace.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Statement from Secretary Rubio and NSC Waltz on Call with Zelenskyy

    Source: The White House

    “Today, President Donald J. Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a fantastic phone conversation.  President Zelenskyy thanked President Trump for a productive start for the work of the Ukrainian and American teams in Jeddah on March 11th. The meeting of the senior officials from both nations significantly helped in moving toward ending the war. 
     

    President Zelenskyy thanked President Trump for the support of the United States, especially the Javelin missiles that President Trump was first to provide, and his efforts towards peace. The leaders agreed Ukraine and America will continue working together to bring about a real end to the war, and that lasting peace under President Trump’s leadership can be achieved.
     

    President Trump fully briefed President Zelenskyy on his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the key issues discussed. They reviewed the situation in Kursk and agreed to share information closely between their defense staffs as the battlefield situation evolved.  President Zelenskyy asked for additional air defense systems to protect his civilians, particularly Patriot missile systems, President Trump agreed to work with him to find what was available particularly in Europe.

    The two leaders also agreed on a partial ceasefire against energy. Technical teams will meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to discuss broadening the ceasefire to the Black Sea on the way to a full ceasefire. They agreed this could be the first step toward the full end of the war and ensuring security. President Zelenskyy was grateful for the President’s leadership in this effort and reiterated his willingness to adopt a full ceasefire.

    President Trump also discussed Ukraine’s electrical supply and nuclear power plants.  He said that the United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise.  American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

    President Zelenskyy also thanked President Trump for continuing to push humanitarian concerns, including the exchange of POWs.  He noted they had just had a successful exchange and thanked the President for his leadership.  President Trump also asked President Zelenskyy about the children who had gone missing from Ukraine during the war, including the ones that had been abducted.  President Trump promised to work closely with both parties to help make sure those children were returned home.  

    They agreed all parties must continue the effort to make a ceasefire work. The Presidents noted the positive work of their advisors and representatives, especially Secretary Rubio, National Security Advisor Waltz, Special Envoy Kellogg, and others.  The Presidents instructed their teams to move ahead with the technical issues related to implementing and broadening the partial ceasefire. The Presidents instructed their advisors and representatives to carry out this work as quickly as possible. The Presidents emphasized that in further meetings, the teams can agree on all necessary aspects of advancing toward lasting peace and security.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New method to keep protein-based drugs stable without refrigeration

    Source: US Government research organizations

    Researchers develop technique for storing life-saving drugs in environments without temperature control

    A team of researchers led by the recipient of a U.S. National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development grant has developed a new storage method for protein-based drugs that could potentially eliminate the need for refrigeration of important medicines. Using an oil-based solution and a molecule acting as a coating to enclose the proteins in these drugs, researchers demonstrated a technique to prevent the proteins from degrading rapidly — a protection that traditionally requires refrigeration.

    The research is led by Scott Medina at Pennsylvania State University and published in Nature Communications. It demonstrates a possible practical application to eliminate the need to refrigerate hundreds of life-saving medicines like insulin, monoclonal antibodies and viral vaccines.

    The work could eventually reduce the cost of refrigerating such drugs throughout the supply chain and enable greater use of protein-based therapies where constant refrigeration isn’t possible, including military environments. 

    “Over 80% of biologic drugs and 90% of vaccines require temperature-controlled conditions. This approach could revolutionize their storage and distribution, making them more accessible and affordable for everyone,” says Medina.

    To accomplish this, researchers created an oil-based solution using perfluorocarbon oil, finding that it was naturally sterile and could not be contaminated by bacteria, fungi or viruses, which require a water-based environment to grow and survive.

    The team also developed a surfactant — a molecule that coats the surface of the protein — to shield the surface of the protein in a way that would allow it to evenly disperse throughout the solution. The surfactant created a protective shell around the protein, keeping it stable and preventing it from breaking down even at temperatures up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which would normally cause water to boil.

    “This method demonstrates a compelling potential approach to eliminating the need for cold storage of many life-saving drugs,” says Nitsa Rosenzweig, program director in the NSF Division of Materials Research. “Keeping these drugs stable without refrigeration could simplify our supply chain and improve healthcare in a wider range of conditions.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Filing a return could net thousands in tax credits for low-income families

    Source: US State of Oregon

    regon’s newest refundable personal income tax credit put more than $39 million into the pockets of low-income families in its first year in 2024.

    The Oregon Kids Credit, created by the Legislature in 2023, is a refundable credit for low-income people with young dependent children. For those with a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of $25,750 or less, the full credit is $1,000 per child for up to five dependent children under the age of six at the end of the tax year—a maximum benefit of $5,000. A partial credit is available for individuals and families with an MAGI up to $30,750.

    So far in 2025, more than 22,000 taxpayers have claimed $25 million in benefits from the Oregon Kids Credit.

    When combined with the federal Earned Income Tax Credit and the Oregon Earned Income Credit, it could help boost the tax refund for the lowest income families by a total of $13,770.

    The EITC is for people with an adjusted gross income of up to $66,818 in 2024. Families may be eligible for a maximum refundable credit of $7,830 on their federal tax return, and a maximum Oregon EIC of $940 on their state tax return.

    All three credits are fully refundable, meaning the portion of the credit that is larger than what a taxpayer owes can be refunded. Taxpayers may even be able to claim the credits and receive a tax refund if they don’t normally file a tax return.

    To claim the credits, taxpayers must file a return. To assist taxpayers, Oregon offers several free filing options, including free fillable forms and the new Direct File Oregon. Taxpayers who need help filing their taxes can also find free assistance options on the agency website.

    Families who are eligible for the Oregon Kids Credit are also likely eligible for the refundable Working Family Household and Dependent Care Credit (WFHDC), which helps low- to moderate-income families pay for the care of their dependents while they’re working, looking for work, or attending school.

    For more information about the federal EITC, the Oregon EIC, the Oregon Kids Credit and other similar credits, go to the Tax benefits for families page.

    Taxpayers filing their own 2024 income tax returns can get free assistance using the new combination of IRS Direct File and Direct File Oregon when Oregon Department of Revenue volunteers visit libraries across the state this tax season.

    The department offers special computer kiosks in four of its regional offices where taxpayers who don’t have access to computers can file their return using the free fillable forms and Direct File Oregon e-file options.

    The kiosks are available in the DOR regional offices in:

    • Bend, 951 SW Simpson Ave, Suite 100
    • Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (closed 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.)
    • Eugene, 1600 Valley River Drive, Suite 310
    • Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (closed 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.)
    • Gresham, 1550 NW Eastman Parkway, Suite 220
    • Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (closed 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.)
    • Portland, 800 NE Oregon St, Suite 505
      Monday – Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (closed 12 – 12:30 p.m.)

    Taxpayers can visit the Oregon Department of Revenue website to find free tax preparation sites by using the department’s interactive map.

    To get tax forms, check the status of their refund, or make payments, visit the Revenue website or email questions.dor@dor.oregon.gov.

    Taxpayers can also call 800-356-4222 toll-free from an Oregon prefix (English or Spanish) or 503-378-4988 in Salem and outside Oregon. For TTY (hearing or speech impaired), the department accepts all relay calls.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pictou — RCMP investigating suspicious incident in Pictou

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Pictou County District RCMP is asking for the public’s help in identifying a person of interest following a suspicious incident that occurred in Pictou.

    Yesterday, at approximately 10 p.m., RCMP officers responded to a report of an attempted abduction in the area of Denoon St. Investigators learned that an 18-year-old woman was walking home when she was approached by a man who offered her a ride. When the woman declined, the man exited his pickup truck and attempted to grab her.

    The victim was not physically injured and ran for help.

    The man of interest is described as white and in his 60s. At the time of the incident, he had a long white beard and was wearing a camouflage hat with an antlers emblem on the front, a camouflage jacket, and khaki pants.

    The vehicle of interest is described as a white Ford extended cab pickup with a black push bar. The truck was heavily rusted, had a very loud exhaust, and had a burned-out passenger headlight.

    Anyone with information about this incident, or with security camera footage of the area, is asked to contact the Pictou County District RCMP at 902-485-4333. To remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips app.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Discusses Attacks on Medicaid & Bipartisan Bill to Support Rural Access to Care in Brattleboro

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    BRATTLEBORO, VT – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, toured the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, where he discussed his new bipartisan bill to support rural health care providers, the Rural Hospital Support Act, and the impact of President Trump’s and Congressional Republicans’ proposed Medicaid cuts on Vermonters. 
    “Rural hospitals are in trouble—that’s true in Vermont and it’s true in Iowa. They need a lifeline like the bipartisan Rural Hospital Support Act, which will help keep the doors open for patients who rely on our rural health care providers every day,” said Senator Welch ahead of the tour.  
    Welch continued: “Medicaid is essential for patients and our rural hospitals in Vermont, and that’s true across America. Vermonters I speak with have a genuine fear for how this budget will hurt their access to care—I share that, and I’m pushing back on this appalling agenda. There should be bipartisan support to protect this essential service—not slash it.” 
    See photos from the event below:  
    Senator Welch has slammed President Trump and Congressional Republicans for their budget, which would slash Medicaid and increase health care costs for millions of seniors, children, veterans, people with disabilities, and people with chronic diseases like cancer—all to give tax handouts to the ultra-wealthy. 
    More than 157,000 Vermonters rely on Medicaid for their health coverage and access to care. Medicaid provides around 41% of children in Vermont with health care, and nearly 2,000 births per year are covered by Medicaid. More than 38,000 people with a disability in Vermont are covered by Medicaid. More than 60% of nursing home residents in Vermont rely on Medicaid to pay for the care in the nursing home. Every hospital in Vermont serves Medicaid beneficiaries. The Republican budget threatens to slash Medicaid funding by a third, which means 32,000 rural residents in Vermont could lose their coverage.  
    Nationally, nearly 80 million Americans rely on Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Medicaid covers nearly a quarter of Americans in rural areas. Medicaid pays for nearly half of all births in the U.S., covers nearly half of all of America’s children, provides care to 2 in 3 nursing home residents, and provides peace of mind to 17 million women of reproductive age. More than 15.5 million Americans with a disability are covered by Medicaid. This program is a lifeline for rural communities and our rural hospitals, and any cuts to this funding could result in hospitals closures in rural communities like VT and across the country. The Washington Post recently highlighted the impact of Medicaid cuts to rural hospitals and maternity care. The reporting highlighted widespread concerns from rural health leaders about the detrimental impact of the Republicans’ budget. 
    Senator Welch and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) recently introduced the bipartisan Rural Hospital Support Act, legislation to prevent rural hospital closures by extending and modernizing critical Medicare programs. The bill would permanently extend the Medicare-Dependent Hospital (MDH) program to ensure eligible rural hospitals are reimbursed for their costs. The bill would also permanently extend the Low-Volume Hospital (LVH) program to level the playing field for rural hospitals whose operating costs often outpace their revenue.  Rural hospitals provide critical care for patients, many of whom rely on Medicare and Medicaid. These hospitals also serve as economic anchors – accounting for around 14% of total employment in rural areas.  
    Learn more about the Rural Hospital Support Act. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Canada and France are “peaceful powers and reliable allies”

    Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development

    Statement by M. Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic, ahead of the working lunch with Mr Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada (excerpts) (Paris, March 17, 2025)

    = Check against delivery =

    Prime Minister, thank you for being in Paris today; I’d like to welcome you and say how pleased we are to have you here. Firstly, because it’s your first visit and you chose France for this first visit abroad. It’s a huge honour and it also shows the importance of all the challenges we share. On a more personal note, allow me to wish you a very happy birthday, albeit a day late.

    As you powerfully said on Friday when you took office, France – through its culture, way of life and language – is an irreducible part of Canada’s identity, just like the First Peoples and the British legacy. And we’re proud of this. We’re proud of this shared history, we’re proud of having with us an ally in every battle, a nation determined to champion a fairer world, and a people driven by a humanist ideal. During the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings, we paid tribute to the courage and exceptional self-sacrifice of a generation of Canadians who came to fight right here in France, like their ancestors at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, for a certain idea of freedom. That generation continues to inspire us, and Canada is a unique friend to us.

    This has been the case since the war of aggression waged by Russia against Ukraine; your country has unfailingly stood by Europe and France and the Ukrainian people. And on Saturday morning we were together at a video conference with our friend the British Prime Minister and all the other allies and partners, to talk about this. The aim of this shared commitment to standing with the Ukrainians has always been to bring about solid, lasting peace, i.e. peace with robust guarantees that will protect Ukraine against any further Russian aggression and ensure the security of the whole of Europe.

    Canada and France are peaceful powers and reliable allies who will take part in this effort together. It is in this spirit that we’ll carry on our support for Ukraine and continue to demand clear commitments from Russia, and take all necessary initiatives to make progress together with our American, European and [other] international partners. And it’s obviously one of the issues the Prime Minister and I will discuss in a moment.

    In the current international context, we also want to be able to develop our most strategic projects with our closest, most loyal partners, because we’re convinced – I believe this goes for both of us – that we are stronger together, better able to ensure that our interests are respected and to exercise our sovereignty to the full. We must be ambitious in the defence and security sectors, but also beyond, in organizing the ecological transition, developing new technology and tightening our links as much as is needed.

    We’ve already had initial successes, as proven by the recent announcement that a consortium including French businesses had been chosen for the first stage of the planned high-speed train between Quebec and Toronto, which is symbolic in every sense. Further proof is the very strong turnout by your investors and businesses at the artificial intelligence summit, which shows Canada’s strong presence and the partnership we have together in this area. Our businesses are also talking about mutual investments in the critical-metals sector – essential building-blocks for any energy transition.

    I know how much you’re also promoting fresh ambition on nuclear energy, which is the focus of long-standing cooperation between our two countries, and on quantum, where our research centres and businesses have knowledge unique in the world, which is going to be developed as part of a bilateral agreement. And after the recent artificial intelligence summit I mentioned, we’re going to continue making active efforts together, because we’re holding successive G7 presidencies, with challenges which await you in a few weeks’ time and which we’ll continue addressing, as we did from Charlevoix to Biarritz a few years ago.

    We’ll also make sure that our friendship is useful in promoting our values and our shared commitments to defending democracies, international solidarity, development, fair trade and protecting the planet. Indeed, I think we both believe that fair trade which respects international rules is a good thing for everyone’s prosperity, and it’s certainly more effective than tariffs, which create inflation and damage production chains and the integration of our economies. We too believe that the freedom of expression so precious to our countries is not the same as an outpouring of hatred, violence, online harassment and opaque algorithms. That’s why your G7 presidency in 2025 should be an opportunity for us to make progress on each of these points and basically uphold together a fair international order, in other words something that is neither the law of the strongest nor isolationism, and that’s why we’re fighting.

    The most important part of all this is still our people-to-people ties, which are both close and warm. Prime Minister, French people love Canada. The French language unites us. (…)

    In any case, Prime Minister, cher Mark, as you’ve understood, we’re welcoming a friend here, we’re welcoming him very joyfully, creating a lot of ambitions and plans together. And having known you for many years, I also know we’re welcoming here a man who loves his country, is committed to serving its interests, and thinks you can serve your country’s interests by being a good comrade on the international stage and forging effective, respectful partnerships.

    That’s the spirit that drives us too. Welcome!./.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Salt River Man Convicted of Murder and Conspiracy

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, a jury found Clifton Nez Hamalowa, 47, of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, guilty of First-Degree Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, and Discharging a Firearm During, In Relation to, and in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence. The guilty verdict followed a seven-day jury trial before United States District Court Judge John J. Tuchi.

    During trial, evidence showed that Hamalowa became angry with the victim one evening and then shot the victim in the head multiple times the following morning, August 29, 2020. Hamalowa dumped the victim’s body in a remote area of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation. Meanwhile, Hamalowa’s brother disposed of the victim’s car in Parker, Arizona, and Hamalowa’s sister made her daughter clean the victim’s blood from the crime scene on the Gila River Indian Reservation. Over the next two weeks, Hamalowa and his sister also intimidated witnesses into silence. Eventually, a witness was able to contact the Gila River Police Department so that officers could rescue the victim’s minor child who was still in the victim’s home.

    Hamalowa’s brother, Thomas Leon Hamalowa, pleaded guilty to Accessory-After-the-Fact to Murder and was sentenced to 108 months in prison on October 23, 2023. Hamalowa’s sister, Devonne Beth Hamalowa, pleaded guilty to Accessory-After-the-Fact to Murder and was sentenced to 84 months in prison on April 1, 2024.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Gila River Police Department jointly investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer E. LaGrange and Travis L. Wheeler, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
     

    CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-00751-PHX-JJT
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-037_Hamalowa

    # # #

    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: Stephenville — Man remains under investigation by Bay St. George RCMP for local crime spree

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    A 31-year-old Stephenville man remains under investigation by Bay St. George RCMP for a number of crimes committed on March 17, 2025.

    Shortly after 5:00 a.m. on Monday, a pickup truck was stolen from a business on Utah Drive and, around the same time, during a break and enter at a nearby business, generators and a number of propane tanks were stolen.

    While investigating the above matters, at approximately 7:00 a.m., police received a report of a stolen all-terrain vehicle (ATV) in Fox Island River. A 2022 Can AM Outlander was stolen from a residential property. The property owner witnessed the theft and followed the suspect. Police attempted to stop the operator of the ATV, who fled the area on the stolen side by side.

    Shortly before 11:00 a.m., Bay St. George RCMP recovered the stolen pickup truck in a snow bank near Crane Place in Stephenville. The abandoned vehicle was left running and was seized as part of the investigation.

    Shortly after this, the stolen Can Am Outlander ATV was observed by its owner, traveling along the T’railway. Police attended the area and, with the assistance of the owner, the ATV was located and recovered in Heatherton. The suspect was arrested nearby without further incident.

    Following these crimes, Bay St. George RCMP received a report of a second ATV that was stolen sometime overnight from a residential property in Point Au Mal, a 2019 black and blue 800 Can Am Commander XT.

    Police are continuing to look for the stolen property, including generators, currently of an unknown make or model, propane tanks and the 2019 Can Am Commander. An image of the Can Am Commander side by side ATV is attached.

    The investigation is continuing with charges anticipated.

    Anyone having information about these crimes or the current location of the stolen property is asked to contact Bay St. George RCMP at 709-643-2118. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers: #SayItHere 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit www.nlcrimestoppers.com or use the P3Tips app.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Hazleton Men Charged With Drug Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Cesar Altagracia Mateo Lara, a/k/a Miguel Carrasquillo Apolinaris, age 46, and Luis Mercado-Alicea, a/k/a Yensi Mateo, age 44, both of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, were indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking charges.

    According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that between November 2024 and February 2025, the defendants conspired to distribute over 40 grams of fentanyl. The indictment also alleges that during that time the defendants distributed fentanyl and possessed fentanyl with intent to distribute it.   

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office, and the Hazleton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case.

    This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

    This case is also 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 Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 40 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

    Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduran Citizen Sentenced For Possessing Fraudulent Social Security Card

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Roney Vasquez-Pineda, age 48, a Honduran citizen, was sentenced yesterday to time-served, after being in ICE custody and with the Bureau of Prisons for 36 days, by U.S. Magistrate Judge William I. Arbuckle, for a misdemeanor charge of possessing a fraudulent identification document.

    According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Vasquez-Pineda possessed a fraudulent social security card on February 10, 2025.

    Vasquez-Pineda will return to ICE custody and face immigration removal proceedings.

    This case was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Zenzinger prosecuted the case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Willis Lease Finance Corporation Announces Joint Venture with Global Engine Maintenance to Develop Engine Test Cell Facility

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    COCONUT CREEK, Fla., March 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: WLFC) (“WLFC” or the “Company”), the leading lessor of commercial aircraft engines and global provider of aviation services, today announced its subsidiary, Willis Engine Repair Center® (“WERC®”), entered into an agreement with independent MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) provider Global Engine Maintenance (“GEM”) to create a joint venture named Willis Global Engine Testing (“WGET”) to build an engine test cell facility in West Palm Beach, Florida.

    The new joint venture brings together WLFC’s decades of industry experience with GEM’s specialization in offering full CFM56 engine overhauls to address the significant shortage of engine test cell facilities in North America.

    “The market currently lacks adequate testing capacity, hindering lessors and operators from efficiently returning engines to service. Through this investment in our services business, we expect to improve turnaround times of customer shop visits for WLFC, GEM, and third-party customers,” said Austin C. Willis, Chief Executive Officer of WLFC. “This joint venture with a proven engine MRO provider efficiently shares each partner’s expertise to mitigate risk and accelerate market entry.”

    “This joint venture marks a significant milestone for GEM as we continue expanding our capabilities, elevating our presence in the global engine MRO market to better serve our customers and the broader aviation market. Willis Lease Finance Corporation is a globally recognized leader in aircraft engine leasing, asset management, and services known for its innovative solutions and deep industry expertise. By partnering with WLFC, we are combining our deep expertise in CFM56 MRO with their extensive leasing and asset management solutions to deliver a streamlined, high-quality engine testing experience,” said Dominic Raja, Vice Chairman and President of GEM.”

    The facility will initially service CFM56-5B and CFM56-7B engines with the ability to service newer generation engine types in the future. The joint venture plans to break ground on the site in late 2025.

    About Willis Lease Finance Corporation

    Willis Lease Finance Corporation (“WLFC”) leases large and regional spare commercial aircraft engines, auxiliary power units and aircraft to airlines, aircraft engine manufacturers and maintenance, repair, and overhaul providers worldwide. These leasing activities are integrated with engine and aircraft trading, engine lease pools and asset management services through Willis Asset Management Limited, as well as various end-of-life solutions for engines and aviation materials provided through Willis Aeronautical Services, Inc. Through Willis Engine Repair Center®, Jet Centre by Willis, and Willis Aviation Services Limited, the Company’s service offerings include Part 145 engine maintenance, aircraft line and base maintenance, aircraft disassembly, parking and storage, airport FBO and ground and cargo handling services.

    Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Do not unduly rely on forward-looking statements, which give only expectations about the future and are not guarantees. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which the forward-looking statement is based, except as required by law. Our actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to: the effects on the airline industry and the global economy of events such as war, terrorist activity and health pandemics; changes in oil prices, rising inflation and other disruptions to world markets; trends in the airline industry and our ability to capitalize on those trends, including growth rates of markets and other economic factors; risks associated with owning and leasing jet engines and aircraft; our ability to successfully negotiate equipment purchases, sales and leases, to collect outstanding amounts due and to control costs and expenses; changes in interest rates and availability of capital, both to us and our customers; our ability to continue to meet changing customer demands; regulatory changes affecting airline operations, aircraft maintenance, accounting standards and taxes; the market value of engines and other assets in our portfolio; and risks detailed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other continuing and current reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It is advisable, however, to consult any further disclosures the Company makes on related subjects in such filings. These statements constitute the Company’s cautionary statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

    About Global Engine Maintenance

    Global Engine Maintenance (GEM) is a leading independent CFM56 MRO provider, delivering high-quality, cost-effective, and customized engine solutions to airlines, lessors, and operators worldwide. With 15 years of expertise, GEM stands out for its flexibility, rapid turnaround times, and customer-focused approach, offering full-service capabilities with a wide range of solutions, including overhauls, performance restoration repairs, module swaps, hospital shop visits, and on-wing support. By combining cutting-edge technology, deep industry expertise, and a commitment to operational excellence, GEM provides tailored maintenance programs that maximize engine life and minimize costs.

    CONTACT:   Lynn Mailliard Kohler
        Director, Global Corporate Communications
        415.328.4798

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Eight ways to reduce your stroke risk – no matter what age you are

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Siobhan Mclernon, Senior Lecturer, Adult Nursing and co-lead, Ageing, Acute and Long Term Conditions. Member of Health and Well Being Research Center, London South Bank University

    Sarayut Sridee/Shutterstock

    As a nurse working in a neurocritical care, I witnessed the sudden and devastating effects of stroke on survivors and their carers.

    Following my nursing career, I became a researcher specialising in stroke. Knowledge of stroke risk factors in the general public is poor, so stroke prevention is a priority for public health.

    Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in England – yet it is largely preventable. It’s often considered an older person’s illness but, although stroke risk does increase with age, it can happen at any time of life. In fact, stroke incidence is increasing among adults below the age of 55 years.

    Stroke risk factors that tend to be more common among older people – such as high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, smoking, physical inactivity and poor diet – are increasingly found in younger people. Other lifestyle risks include heavy alcohol consumption or binge drinking and recreational drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine and heroin.



    Read more:
    Stroke: young people can have them too – here’s how to know if you’re at risk and what to look out for

    Some risk factors are not modifiable such as age, sex, ethnicity, family history of stroke, genetics and certain inherited conditions. Women, for example, are particularly susceptible to strokes – and women of all ages are more likely than men to die from a stroke.

    Stroke risks unique to women include pregnancy and some contraceptive pills (especially for smokers), as well as endometriosis, premature ovarian failure (before 40 years of age), early-onset menopause (before 45 years of age) and oestrogen for transgender women.

    Also, inherited vascular abnormalities such as cerebral aneurysms – a weakness in the artery wall – can increase the risk of haemorrhagic stroke.

    Some risk factors are social rather than biological, however. Studies have found that people with a lower income and education level are at a higher risk of having a stroke. This is due to a combination of factors. Unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as smoking, heavier drinking and lower physical activity levels are more common in people with lower incomes.



    Read more:
    Rising income inequalities are linked to unhealthy diets and loneliness

    However, research also shows that people with lower socioeconomic status are less likely to receive good quality healthcare than people with higher incomes.

    But, regardless of biological or social risk factors, there are things you can do – right now – to reduce your risk of having a stroke.

    Essential eight

    1. Stop smoking Smokers are more than twice as likely to have a stroke than non-smokers. Smoking causes damage to blood vessel walls, increases blood pressure and heart rate but reduces oxygen levels. Smoking also causes blood to become sticky, further increasing the risk of blood clots that can block blood vessels and cause a stroke.

    2. Keep blood pressure in check High blood pressure damages the walls of blood vessels, making them weaker and more prone to rupture or blockage. It can also cause blood clots to form, which can then travel to the brain and block blood flow, leading to a stroke. If you’re over 18 years of age, get your blood pressure checked regularly so, if you do show signs of developing high blood pressure, you can nip it in the bud and make appropriate changes to your lifestyle to help reduce your risk of stroke.

    3. Keep an eye on your cholesterol According to the UK Stroke Association your risk of a stroke is nearly three and a half times higher if you have both high cholesterol and high blood pressure. To lower cholesterol, aim to keep saturated fat – found in fatty meats, butter, cheese, and full-fat dairy – below 7% of your daily calories, stay active and maintain a healthy weight.



    Read more:
    How can I lower my cholesterol? Do supplements work? How about psyllium or probiotics?

    4. Watch your blood sugar High blood glucose levels are linked to an increased risk of stroke. This is because high blood sugar damages blood vessels, which can lead to blood clots that travel to the brain. To reduce blood glucose levels, try to take regular exercise, eat a balanced diet rich in fibre, drink enough water, maintain a healthy weight, and try to manage stress.

    5. Maintain a healthy weight Being overweight is one of the main risk factors for stroke. It is associated with almost one in five strokes, and increases your stroke risk by 22%. Being obese raises that risk by 64%. Carrying too much weight increases your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes, which all contribute to higher stroke risk.

    6. Follow a Mediterranean diet One way to eat a fibre-rich balanced diet and maintain a healthy weight is to follow a Mediterranean diet. This has been shown to reduce the risk of stroke, especially when supplemented with nuts and olive oil.

    7. Sleep well Try to to get seven to nine hours of sleep daily. Too little sleep can lead to high blood pressure, one of the most important modifiable risk factors for stroke. Too much sleep, however, is also associated with increased stroke risk, so try to stay as active as possible so you can sleep as well as possible.



    Read more:
    Exercise really can help you sleep better at night – here’s why that may be

    8. Stay active The NHS recommends that people should avoid prolonged sedentary behaviour and aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week. Exercise should be spread evenly over four to five days a week, or every day. Do strengthening activities, usually more than two days per week.

    The good news is that while the effects of stroke can be devastating and life-changing, it is largely preventable. Adopting these eight simple lifestyle changes can help to reduce stroke risk and optimise both heart and brain health.

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

    – ref. Eight ways to reduce your stroke risk – no matter what age you are – https://theconversation.com/eight-ways-to-reduce-your-stroke-risk-no-matter-what-age-you-are-251524

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How King Charles is sending Canada subtle signals of support amid Trump’s threats

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Justin Vovk, Royal Historian, McMaster University

    It started as a joke. In December 2024, Donald Trump glibly told Justin Trudeau that Canada should become the 51st state. Three months later, the “joke” seems to have become an American foreign policy goal for the second Trump administration.



    Read more:
    How Donald Trump’s attacks on Canada are stoking a new Canadian nationalism

    Canadian Parliament has been unanimous in its response: “Canada is not for sale.” But Canada’s head of state, King Charles, has remained largely silent on the matter — until recently.

    Over the last several weeks, observers have started to pick up on subtle signs of support for Canadians from the King. But many people have no doubt been wondering why there’s not been a direct statement of support from King Charles.

    The answer to that question isn’t as simple as many people might think.

    King of Canada

    Since 1689, Britain has been a constitutional monarchy. The sovereign is the head of state, but the prime minister leads the government. As such, the King can’t interfere with politics. He is supposed to remain neutral and be the embodiment of the nation.

    This crucial separation between palace and Parliament was solidified in Canada and throughout the Commonwealth in 1931 with the Statute of Westminster. In 1954, the Royal Styles and Titles Act separated the British Crown from the other Commonwealth realms. Queen Elizabeth became the first sovereign to ever be called Queen of Canada.

    As a constitutional monarch, King Charles is bound by parliamentary limitations on his authority. He cannot act without taking advice from the prime ministers in his various realms.

    This means King Charles can’t make a political statement about the ongoing tensions between Canada and the U.S. without the green light from Ottawa. When asked about the situation in January, a palace official said simply that this is “not something we would comment on.”

    As former Alberta premier Jason Kenney later explained on social media:

    “For Canadians disappointed that King Charles has not commented on President Trump’s threats to annex Canada: in his capacity as King of Canada, he can only act on the advice of his Canadian first minister, i.e. Justin Trudeau.”

    Or, at this moment, Mark Carney.

    Signs of support

    The King met with Trudeau at Sandringham, the royal family’s private estate in Norfolk, England, on March 3. This meeting seems to have prompted a series of symbolic gestures demonstrating the monarchy’s solidarity with Canadians.

    The next day, the King conducted an inspection of the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales in his capacity as head of the Armed Forces. Canadian medals and honours adorned his naval dress uniform during the inspection.

    A week later, the King planted a red maple tree at Buckingham Palace to honour Queen Elizabeth’s commitment to the preservation of forests and the bonds among Commonwealth nations.

    On March 12, the King met with representatives from the Canadian Senate.

    He presented a ceremonial sword to Gregory Peters, the Usher of the Black Rod (one of the Senate’s chief protocol officers). Raymonde Gagné, the speaker of the Senate, was also present for that meeting.

    And on March 17, the King met with Carney as part of new prime minister’s whirlwind diplomatic tour of western Europe.

    Some observers even pointed to the Princess of Wales’s red dress at the Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration on March 10 as yet another nod of recognition for Canada.

    Soft power and the Royal Family

    These sorts of gestures are examples of what is known as “soft power.” Unlike the hard power of military and economic force used by governments, soft power describes any number of ways that people or groups can influence others through culture, personal diplomacy and even fashion.

    As one Buckingham Palace source remarked: “The King knows that seemingly small gestures can send a reassuring sign of recognition about what is going on around the world.”

    One of the best known forms of the monarchy wielding soft power is through the use of state visits. At the British prime minister’s request, world leaders are invited to London by the sovereign. The red carpet is rolled out for them, they’re wined and dined in lavish dinners at Buckingham Palace and they often make a speech to Parliament.

    These state visits are a way for the Royal Family to use their soft power to positively influence diplomatic relations.

    In February, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer presented Trump with an invitation from the King for a second state visit to the U.K.. So far, no date for the trip has been announced, but the King’s meetings with Trudeau and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly irritated Trump.

    It remains to be seen how King Charles navigates his constitutional role as both king of the United Kingdom and of Canada. Will Trump’s state visit only be about British interests? Or will Charles use it as a chance to address the concerns of his Canadian subjects?

    Justin Vovk received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Justin Vovk is an advisory board member for the Institute of the Study of the Crown in Canada.

    – ref. How King Charles is sending Canada subtle signals of support amid Trump’s threats – https://theconversation.com/how-king-charles-is-sending-canada-subtle-signals-of-support-amid-trumps-threats-252142

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Revoking EPA’s endangerment finding – the keystone of US climate policies – won’t be simple and could have unintended consequences

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Patrick Parenteau, Professor of Law Emeritus, Vermont Law & Graduate School

    Several U.S. climate regulations aim to reduce burning of fossil fuels, a driver of climate change. Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    Most of the United States’ major climate regulations are underpinned by one important document: It’s called the endangerment finding, and it concludes that greenhouse gas emissions are a threat to human health and welfare.

    The Trump administration is vowing to eliminate it.

    Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin referred to the 2009 endangerment finding as the “holy grail of the climate religion” when he announced on March 12, 2025, that he would reconsider the finding and all U.S. climate regulations and actions that rely on it. That would include rules to control planet-warming emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane from power plants, vehicles and oil and gas operations.

    But revoking the endangerment finding isn’t a simple task. And doing so could have unintended consequences for the very industries Trump is trying to help.

    EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announces plans to reconsider more than 30 climate regulations.

    As a law professor, I have tracked federal climate regulations and the lawsuits and court rulings that have followed them over the past 25 years. To understand the challenges, let’s look at the endangerment finding’s origins and Zeldin’s options.

    Origin and limits of the endangerment finding

    In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Massachusetts v. EPA that six greenhouse gases are pollutants under the Clean Air Act and that the EPA has a duty under the same law to determine whether they pose a danger to public health or welfare.

    The court also ruled that once the EPA made an endangerment finding, the agency would have a mandatory duty under the Clean Air Act to regulate all sources that contribute to the danger.

    The Court emphasized that the endangerment finding was a scientific determination and rejected a laundry list of policy arguments made by the George W. Bush administration for why the government preferred to use nonregulatory approaches to reduce emissions. The court said the only question was whether sufficient scientific evidence exists to determine whether greenhouse gases are harmful.

    The endangerment finding was the EPA’s response.

    The finding was challenged and upheld in 2012 by the U.S. District Circuit for the District of Columbia. In that case, Coalition for Responsible Regulation v. EPA, the court found that the “body of scientific evidence marshaled by the EPA in support of the endangerment finding is substantial.” The Supreme Court declined to review the decision. The endangerment finding was updated and confirmed by the EPA in 2015 and 2016.

    Challenging the endangerment finding

    The scientific basis for the endangerment finding is stronger today than it was in 2009.

    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest assessment report, involving hundreds of scientists and thousands of studies from around the world, concluded that the scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is “unequivocal” and that greenhouse gases from human activities are causing it.

    According to the National Climate Assessment released in 2023, the effects of human-caused climate change are already “far-reaching and worsening across every region of the United States.”

    Summer temperatures have climbed in much of the U.S. and the world as greenhouse gas emissions have risen.
    Fifth National Climate Assessment

    During President Donald Trump’s first term, then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt considered repealing the endangerment finding but ultimately decided against it. In fact, he relied on it in proposing the Affordable Clean Energy Rule to replace President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan for regulating emissions for coal-fired power plants.

    What happens if the EPA revokes the endangerment finding?

    For the Trump administration to now revoke that finding, Zeldin must first recruit new members of the EPA’s Science Advisory Board to replace those dismissed by the Trump administration. Congress created the board in 1978 to provide independent, unbiased scientific advice to the EPA administrator, and it has consistently supported the 2009 endangerment finding.

    Zeldin must then initiate rulemaking in compliance with the Administrative Procedure Act, provide the opportunity for public comment and respond to comments that are likely to be voluminous. This process could take several months if done properly.

    If Zeldin then decides to revoke the endangerment finding, lawsuits will immediately challenge the move.

    Even if Zeldin is able to revoke the finding, that does not automatically repeal all the rules that rely on it. Each of those rules must go through separate rulemaking processes that will also take months.

    Zeldin could simply refuse to enforce the rules on the books while he reconsiders the endangerment finding.

    However, a blanket policy abdicating any enforcement responsibility could be challenged in lawsuits as arbitrary and capricious. Further, the regulated industries would be taking a chance if they delayed complying with regulations only to find the endangerment finding and climate laws still in place.

    Zeldin’s cost argument

    Zeldin previewed his arguments in a news release on March 12.

    His first argument is that the 2009 endangerment finding did not consider costs. However, that argument was rejected by the D.C. Circuit Court in Coalition for Responsible Regulation v. EPA. Cost becomes relevant once the EPA considers new regulations – after the endangerment finding.

    Moreover, in a unanimous 2001 decision, the Supreme Court in Whitman v. American Trucking Associations held that the EPA cannot consider cost in setting air quality standards.

    A repeal could backfire

    Repealing the endangerment finding could also backfire on the fossil fuel industry.

    States and cities have filed dozens of lawsuits against the major oil companies. The industry’s strongest argument has been that these cases are preempted by federal law. In AEP v. Connecticut in 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Air Act “displaced” federal common law, barring state claims for remedies related to damages from climate change.

    However, if the endangerment finding is repealed, then there is arguably no basis for federal preemption, and these state lawsuits would have legal grounds. Prominent industry lawyers have warned the EPA about this and urged it to focus instead on changing individual regulations. The industry is concerned enough that it may try to get Congress to grant it immunity from climate lawsuits.

    To the extent that Zeldin is counting on the conservative Supreme Court to back him up, he may be disappointed.

    In 2024, the court overturned the Chevron doctrine, which required courts to defer to agencies’ reasonable interpretations when laws were ambiguous. That means Zeldin’s reinterpretation of the statute is not entitled to deference. Nor can he count on the court overturning its Massachusetts v. EPA ruling to free him to disregard science for policy reasons.

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

    – ref. Revoking EPA’s endangerment finding – the keystone of US climate policies – won’t be simple and could have unintended consequences – https://theconversation.com/revoking-epas-endangerment-finding-the-keystone-of-us-climate-policies-wont-be-simple-and-could-have-unintended-consequences-252271

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: US isn’t first country to dismantle its foreign aid office − here’s what happened after the UK killed its version of USAID

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Sarah Stroup, Professor of Political Science; Director, Conflict Transformation Collaborative, Middlebury

    The U.S. and U.K. used to be major funders of global immunization programs for children. AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File

    The Trump administration’s dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled on March 18, 2025. The court order to pause the agency’s shuttering came days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that 83% of its programs had been cut.

    USAID was created in 1961 as the lead agency for U.S. international development. Until recently, it funded health and humanitarian aid programs in more than 130 countries. Despite the administration’s claim of cost-cutting, USAID was a relatively small and economical operation. Its US$40 billion budget accounted for just 0.7% of annual federal spending. Congress also required regular reporting and evaluations on USAID, helping to ensure substantial oversight of how it spent its taxpayer dollars.

    USAID’s swift destruction has sent shock waves across the globe. But as a scholar of the global humanitarian aid sector and donor agencies, I know this assault on foreign aid is not unprecedented.

    In June 2020, Boris Johnson, then the prime minister of the United Kingdom, used similar claims of budget-tightening to effectively close the Department for International Development, Britain’s equivalent of USAID.

    A COVID merger

    Both the U.S. and British foreign aid programs have long prompted heated debates over the proper relationship between development, diplomacy and national security. The U.S. and Britain have long been among the top five providers of development assistance worldwide, and both USAID and DFID have played leading roles in the development community.

    Countries give foreign aid for both altruistic and self-interested reasons. Treating global diseases and addressing civil conflicts is a way for wealthy Western governments to limit threats that could destabilize their countries, as well as the rest of the world. It also burnishes their reputation and encourages cooperation with other governments.

    Scholars from across the political spectrum and around the world have questioned the general efficacy of foreign assistance, arguing that these programs are designed to serve the interests of donors, not the needs or recipients. Other development experts contend that foreign aid programs, while imperfect, have still made meaningful progress in improving health, education and freedoms.

    Britain’s DFID was created in 1997 as an independent, Cabinet-level department deliberately independent of partisan politics. It quickly developed a reputation as a model donor, even among skeptics of international aid.

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the DFiD merger in June 2020.
    AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file

    For example, a staffer at the international medical charity Doctors without Borders told me in a 2006 interview that he had scoffed at the idea of a politics-free aid agency.

    Yet, he said, he had found DFID “relatively easier to work with” than other donors.

    “I have never heard of someone being told, as a result of accepting DFID funds, what to do, either explicitly or behind closed doors,” he told me.

    But its good reputation could not protect DFID. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson announced that DFID would merge with the Foreign Office, Britain’s equivalent of the State Department, to create a new government agency. By uniting aid and diplomacy, Johnson said, the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office would get “maximum value for the British taxpayer,” and he cited the economic impact of COVID to justify his decision.

    Foreign aid dropped sharply after the merger, from 0.7% of Britain’s gross national income to 0.5% – a cut of about US$6 billion.

    Development professionals decried Johnson’s merger, arguing it could not have happened at a worse time, with the pandemic heightening the need for global health funding. And coming shortly after Brexit, Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, DFID’s demise further called into question Britain’s commitment to global cooperation.

    Less money, less impact

    Five years later, it’s not clear that dismantling DFID has made British foreign aid more efficient or effective, as Johnson pledged.

    “We have seen evidence of where a more integrated approach has improved the organisation’s ability to respond to international crises and events, which has led to a better result,” reads one 2025 report by the U.K.’s National Audit Office.

    Two departments in one – but not twice the budget.
    Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images

    Yet, the auditors add, the British government has spent at least £24.7 million – US$32 million – to merge its aid and diplomacy offices, and it failed to track these costs. Nor did the leaders of the merger set out a clear vision for its new purpose.

    Britain’s slimmer new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also relinquished the U.K.’s past leadership in research and expertise, largely due to pay reductions and restrictions on hiring non-British nationals.

    From the outset, DFID had invested substantially in building expertise in global development, particularly in conflict-ridden states. In 2001, for example, it spent almost 5% of its budget – an unusually high amount – on research and policy analysis to design and assess its programs.

    DFID produced regular case studies of the projects it funded, which included getting Syrian refugee children back in school, building roads that help Rwandan farmers move their products to market, and providing health care after Pakistan’s 2010 floods.

    Given the “development expertise that was lost with the merger,” the U.K. government can no longer conduct “the kind of rigorous, long-term focus necessary to make a real impact,” said the Center for Global Development in a recent report.

    A 2022 study suggests that DFID’s dismantling was a fundamentally political move, “divorced from substantive analysis of policy or inter-institution relationships.”

    Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of the leftist Labour Party, initially promised to boost British foreign aid. But in early March 2025, he backtracked, announcing instead a further cut to foreign aid.

    By 2027, the U.K. government will spend just 0.3% of its budget on overseas aid. That’s roughly $11 billion less than before the merger in 2019.

    ‘Clear and easy target’

    USAID’s budget was much larger than DFID’s, and the administration apparently wants not to streamline U.S. foreign aid but halt it almost entirely. If this effort succeeds, it will have even more severe effects worldwide, at least in the immediate term.

    The global health programs administered by USAIDm which combat diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, have received bipartisan and global praise. The PEPFAR program, which USAID helps administer, distributes antiretroviral drugs worldwide. It alone has saved 25 million lives over the past two decades, including the lives of 5.5 million babies born healthy to mothers with HIV.

    Development professionals tend to see independent government agencies such as USAID and DFID as better able to prioritize the needs of the poor because their programming is run separately from partisan policies.

    Yet standalone agencies are also more visible – and so more vulnerable to political targeting.

    DFID was a clear and easy target when Johnson began his pandemic-era budget-slashing. USAID is now suffering a similar fate.

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

    – ref. US isn’t first country to dismantle its foreign aid office − here’s what happened after the UK killed its version of USAID – https://theconversation.com/us-isnt-first-country-to-dismantle-its-foreign-aid-office-heres-what-happened-after-the-uk-killed-its-version-of-usaid-250868

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: British start-up wins £1 million AI prize for breakthrough slashing materials development from years to days

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    British start-up wins £1 million AI prize for breakthrough slashing materials development from years to days

    A British AI-driven innovation that dramatically speeds up the development of materials used in wind turbines and electric vehicle batteries has won the UK government’s £1 million Manchester Prize.

    Manchester Prize winner announced.

    • Polaron awarded £1 million for revolutionary AI technology transforming materials innovation.
    • Breakthrough expected to fast-track new materials for energy, infrastructure, and electric vehicles.
    • Manchester Prize helping to unlock AI innovation to drive growth as part of government’s Plan for Change.

    A British AI-driven innovation that dramatically speeds up the development of materials used in wind turbines and electric vehicle batteries has won the UK government’s £1 million Manchester Prize.

    Advanced materials are essential to modern life, from metal alloys reinforcing bridges and skyscrapers to batteries powering electric vehicles. Yet, developing them has traditionally been slow, costly and unpredictable. 

    Polaron, a spin out from Imperial College London, speeds up the development of these materials from years to days – which could be game-changing for the government’s Plan for Change to get Britain building, deliver economic growth and accelerate net zero through British innovation.

    It will receive £1 million in UK government funding to further develop its groundbreaking AI solution which uses microstructural images – the microscopic features of a material visible under a microscope – to rapidly analyse and predict how materials will perform. This new approach helps manufacturers create stronger, lighter and more efficient materials for clean energy, transport and infrastructure. 

    Secretary of State Peter Kyle said:  

    Polaron exemplifies the promise of AI and shows how, through our Plan for Change, we are putting AI innovation at the forefront.

    AI could generate £400 billion to our economy over the next five years, supporting trailblazing companies like Polaron is essential to achieving that vision.  

    Technologies like these will help us meet our net zero targets while creating new jobs and opportunities for working people. Our commitment is clear – we are fully embracing AI to drive growth, improve public services and position the UK as a global leader in AI innovation. 1

    The Manchester Prize rewards innovative AI solutions addressing major societal challenges, with the first round focused on energy, environment, and infrastructure. Nearly 300 teams from across the UK competed in its first year, with ten finalists each receiving £100,000 and support to further develop their innovations. 

    Polaron’s win comes on the back of the UK government’s new blueprint for AI, which will unleash the technology to help deliver a decade of national renewal. Harnessing innovative AI solutions like this is key to realising the government’s Plan for Change and demonstrates the transformative potential of AI, not only to drive breakthroughs in industry but also to transform public services and improve the lives of citizens across the country. 

    Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said:

    Our Plan for Change will deliver economic growth, and for that to succeed we need to support companies such as Polaron across the UK in delivering the cutting-edge materials of the future, supported by our Industrial Strategy.

    This government is determined to embrace each and every opportunity of new technologies like AI, which will not only help British companies develop products we can use at home but also open up access for them to export them overseas.

    The government has already taken steps to accelerate how game changing technologies and innovations can be put into the hands of the British public – announcing the new Regulatory Innovation Office which will reduce burdens for businesses hoping to bring new products and services to market. This will involve supporting regulators to update regulation, speeding up approvals, and ensuring regulators can work seamlessly together – bulldozing barriers to innovation to help grow the economy.

    The Manchester Prize was launched in December 2023 by the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) and is delivered in partnership with Challenge Works. It supports UK AI innovations which will help to tackle some of society’s biggest shared challenges. 

    The second round of the Manchester Prize was launched in November 2024, focussed on ‘AI for Clean Energy Systems’. The 10 finalists selected to receive £100,000 will be confirmed in Spring, before a panel of judges selects the winner who will secure a £1 million grand prize to further support their innovation.  

    Notes to editors

    1. Public First, ‘Google’s Impact in the UK 2023’, 2024 

    For further information and to follow the Manchester Prize, visit www.challengeworks.org.uk//challenge-prizes/manchester-prize. 

    Challenge Works is a global leader in designing and delivering high-impact challenge prizes that incentivise cutting-edge innovation for social good.

    DSIT media enquiries

    Email press@dsit.gov.uk

    Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm 020 7215 300

    Updates to this page

    Published 19 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Revision to March 2024 Neighbourhood Policing Numbers

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Revision to March 2024 Neighbourhood Policing Numbers

    Neighbourhood policing statistics have been corrected today due to inaccuracies in the previous government’s police workforce data.

    The government has today published corrected neighbourhood policing numbers due to inaccuracies in the previous government’s police workforce statistics.  

    The issues were uncovered as part of a data validation exercise commissioned by the Home Secretary and carried out by the NPCC to establish an accurate picture of the number of officers serving in neighbourhood roles. It follows long-standing concerns from both the Home Office and police forces about the accuracy of previously published workforce figures for neighbourhood policing.  

    Whilst this does not mean that the overall police numbers were incorrect, it demonstrates that the real number of neighbourhood police officers working in our communities has been artificially inflated in recent years. The government is clear that the public – who have seen and felt the reduction in neighbourhood officers and PCSOs on their streets in recent years – deserve far better than this.  

    It comes as the government is introducing the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, to ensure that everyone has a named contactable police officer.

    As part of the data validation exercise, all police forces were asked to verify the previously published workforce data published under the “neighbourhood policing” category for March 2024. The work revealed substantial discrepancies between the previously published data and the updated figures being provided by forces which more accurately reflect the reality on the ground.  Of the 43 forces in England and Wales, 29 advised that their published combined neighbourhood officer and PCSO numbers should be revised down, whilst four forces revised their figures upwards. This resulted in an overall downwards revision of 2,611 compared to the figures published last year.  

    Forces have cited several reasons for revisions to their March 2024 data which have now been thoroughly tested by the Home Office with individual forces. Some forces say they made human resources (HR) errors after restructuring their neighbourhood policing model or relied on outdated HR systems. Others incorrectly categorised student officers in neighbourhood policing as default, despite them still being in the classroom and not out on our streets, fully trained. Errors also occurred through the incorrect categorisation of officers who perform roles that span multiple functions as in some cases, officers were recorded as working in neighbourhood policing roles when in reality they covered multiple duties, such as incident response. This blurring of the lines between officer duties did not accurately reflect the real number of dedicated neighbourhood officers patrolling our streets.  

    It is vital for both the government and police forces that they have a clear and accurate understanding of the state of neighbourhood policing in our communities.  

    The Home Office has now issued new instructions and guidance directly to forces on the categorisation of neighbourhood policing to ensure that we are recording them correctly, particularly on the distinction between response officers and neighbourhood police officers, and how to categorise classroom-based student officers. This means that systems are now in place to prevent these errors from happening in the future and to ensure that the data can be relied on going forward. The department will now require robust neighbourhood policing data returns from individual forces on a monthly basis to track the neighbourhood policing workforce more closely. This will be aligned with a strong performance framework harnessing national data to monitor performance and direct improvements in order to raise standards across the service.  

    The government’s flagship Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will put police back on the beat with 13,000 additional police officers and PCSOs in neighbourhood roles in communities across the country. Each neighbourhood will have a named, contactable officer to tackle the issues facing their communities, and there will be guaranteed, intelligence-led patrols in town centres and high streets, with new powers to tackle the criminality and anti-social behaviour plaguing our streets.  

    Due to the quick work by forces to rectify the statistical errors, the numbers published today are provisional and will be confirmed in an official statistical release in the usual way.

    The Home Secretary has today written to the Home Affairs Select Committee to set out this information in more detail.

    Further information

    Table 1: March 2024 published data and NPCC revised data (as at 18 March 2025) 

    March 2024 published data March 2024 data submitted by NPCC Difference % Difference
    Officers (FTE) 13,424 10,664 -2,760 -21%
    PCSOs (FTE) 6,210 6,359 +149 +2%
    TOTAL (FTE) 19,634 17,023 -2,611 -13%

    Forces making large reductions (either in terms of numbers, FTE, or as a proportion of neighbourhood policing workforce):

    West Midlands Police

    A revision in previous statistics downwards of 649 officers from 1,045

    Reason: Following being placed into ‘Engaged’ status by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in December 2023 (following serious concerns over its investigations and victim outcomes), the force had redeployed a number of neighbourhood resources into ‘Responding to calls for service’ and ‘Investigations’. However, system identifiers on HR systems had not been updated which generated the significant administrative inaccuracy. West Midlands have since been removed from ‘Engaged’ status by HMICFRS.

    Gloucestershire Constabulary

    A revision in previous statistics downwards by 66% and a slight decrease for PCSOs

    Reason: Specialist functions, investigative resources, and patrol had previously been included in the neighbourhood policing category in error. The inaccuracy of the original data appears to be primarily related to the unique post identifiers in a recently implemented HR System, which Gloucestershire are looking to update.

    Suffolk Constabulary

    A revision in previous statistics downwards for a large number of officers and some PCSOs that will result in data fall by 52%

    Reason: The force has identified a series of errors in the categorisation of roles, such as the inclusion of student officers in the neighbourhood policing category when they should have been included as category 1b (Incident (Response) Management). additionally, several of Suffolk’s specialist reassurance teams were included in neighbourhood policing when they should have been recorded as category 1c (Specialist Community Liaison) and several senior manager posts were included in neighbourhood policing rather than 1d (‘Local Policing Command Team’).

    Thames Valley Police

    A revision in previous statistics downwards by 33% for neighbourhood officers and 20% downwards for neighbourhood workforce overall

    Reason: Identified discrepancies in how neighbourhood policing roles were recorded, following a recent internal review. The issues stemmed from technical limitations and differences between job titles and the detail of roles performed by officers.

    Merseyside Police

    A revision in previous statistics downwards by 209 neighbourhood officers, although offset by a 182 increase in PCSOs

    Reason: Student officers were mistakenly included as neighbourhood policing officers. All PCSOs were incorrectly categorised under 1c “Specialist Community Liaison”.  In addition, they had included local public order / neighbourhood tactical teams under 1a, when they should have been classified under 5f “Advanced Public Order.

    Dorset Police

    A revision in previous statistics downwards by 38% in overall neighbourhood policing numbers

    Reason: The force revised the figures to ensure that only those officers and PCSOs dedicated to neighbourhood policing functions were included. They excluded those in functions that do not contribute to neighbourhood policing including specialist functions, investigative resources, and patrol, which had previously been included in the neighbourhood policing category in error.

    Updates to this page

    Published 19 March 2025

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