Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Retail – Woolworths New Zealand recalls 18% Fat Beef Mince 1kg and 500g sold in the North Island

    Source: Woolworths NZ

    Woolworths New Zealand is recalling Woolworths branded 18% Fat Beef Mince 500g and 1kg sold at Woolworths and Countdown stores in the North Island with the Best Before date of 05/07/2025.

    This recall is due to the potential presence of plastic.

    Any customer who has bought these products should not eat them, and is asked to return the product to their nearest store for a full refund.

    There have been no reports of illness or injury, however anyone who has consumed any of these products and has any concerns about their health, should seek medical advice.

    Woolworths New Zealand takes food safety very seriously and we apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused by this recall. 

    No other beef products are impacted by this recall. 

    Customers can call Woolworths’ Customer Care team for more information on 0800 40 40 40.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News

  • MIL-OSI USA News: WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Senate Approves Landmark One Big Beautiful Bill

    Source: US Whitehouse

    The Senate delivered a resounding victory for American workers, farmers, and small businesses by passing President Donald J. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill — a transformative legislative package that locks in historic tax relief, delivers border security, reforms welfare, funds critical infrastructure, and more.

    Industry leaders and stakeholders nationwide hailed the Senate’s vote and called on the House to swiftly send the bill to President Trump’s desk:

    Airlines for America: “We are grateful that the Senate understands the urgent need to overhaul our nation’s air traffic control (ATC) system and included $12.5 billion in their reconciliation package for that cause. This is an important first step as Secretary Duffy works to implement President Trump’s vision of a brand new, state-of-the-art system. We especially appreciate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz for his long-time dedication to the safety and efficiency of our nation’s airspace. We urge the House of Representatives to quickly pass this legislation so President Trump can sign the One Big Beautiful Bill into law, begin the work of upgrading our ATC system and revitalize our airspace.”

    America’s Credit Unions President and CEO Jim Nussle: “We thank the U.S. Senate for securing the credit union not-for-profit tax status and not adding a new tax on 142 million credit union members as part of H.R. 1. Hard working Americans and their communities rely on the competitive rates and personally tailored services offered by credit unions to achieve their American Dream. By preserving the credit union tax status, it provides consumers across the country with more opportunities to achieve financial freedom.”

    American Airlines: “American Airlines strongly supports the much-needed funding to bolster and modernize our air traffic control system in the Senate reconciliation bill. In addition to staffing challenges, the U.S. air traffic control system’s technology and infrastructure have fallen behind much of the world. As President Trump and Secretary Duffy urgently work to build a state-of-the-art air traffic control system, this down payment is an essential first step in making aviation even safer and more efficient. The reconciliation bill also extends other key pro-growth tax policies that provide businesses with the necessary certainty to continue driving the economy. We urge the House to move swiftly and pass the bill.”

    American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “Farm Bureau applauds the U.S. Senate for passing the reconciliation package. Farmers and ranchers are the foundation of America’s food supply chain, and they need the certainty that this legislation will provide. Improvements to farm safety net programs that reflect today’s agricultural economy and maintaining important tax provisions will directly benefit farm and ranch families … Important tax provisions will also help farmers save money that can be used to pay bills, invest in new technologies, and pass the family farm to the next generation. We now urge the House to pass the bill and get it to the president’s desk for his signature to ensure America’s farmers and ranchers can continue putting food on the table for America’s families.”

    American Federation for Children CEO Tommy Schultz: “The mission is clear: deliver school choice to every state in America. Today’s vote marks a monumental step toward that goal for the first time in history … We are eager to see President Trump sign school choice into law!”

    American Hotel & Lodging Association President and CEO Rosanna Maietta: “AHLA applauds the Senate’s swift action today to prevent major tax increases on both hotel employees and businesses. The tax provisions included in the Senate bill provide small business hotel owners with the level of certainty they need to effectively operate amidst tremendous uncertainty resulting from years of inflation, trade impacts, and a softening of demand within the broader travel sector. We commend Majority Leader Thune, Senator Crapo, and other Senate champions for securing passage. We urge Congress to swiftly get this package to the President’s desk for his signature to help put businesses back on a pro-growth footing.” 

    American Iron and Steel Institute President and CEO Kevin Dempsey: “Capital investment is crucial for economic growth and job creation in the American steel industry and the manufacturing sector as a whole. Many of the key capital cost recovery provisions of the 2017 tax law have expired or are being phased out. Restoring these provisions is essential to ensuring that many companies will be able to make new investments in steel-intensive facilities and machinery. We applaud Senate passage of this legislation which will permanently restore key provisions that have a proven record of fueling innovation and economic growth, including 100 percent bonus depreciation for business investment, immediate expensing for domestic research and development expenses and the EBITDA-based limitation on business net interest deductions. We urge the House to pass this bill and send it to President Trump this week so that he can sign it into law as soon as possible.”

    American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers: “We applaud the Senate for passing the One Big Beautiful Bill to bolster America’s energy advantage and support economic growth. This historic legislation will help usher in a new era of energy dominance by unlocking opportunities for investment, opening lease sales and expanding access to oil and natural gas development. We will continue to work with policymakers to get this final package to President Trump’s desk.”

    American Soybean Association President Caleb Ragland: “ASA applauds the Senate for its support of agriculture and the farm economy in this legislation. Soybean growers have long championed comprehensive revisions to the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit, an improved safety net for agriculture, and increased support for research and market expansion. The modified biofuel tax credits, enhancements to crop insurance and support for MAP and FMD, among other agriculture provisions included in this legislation will support U.S. farmers and expand market opportunities domestically. ASA urges the House to maintain these key agricultural provisions that support our rural economies as they consider this legislation.”

    American Trucking Association SVP of Legislative Affairs Henry Hanscom: “The American Trucking Associations is grateful to Senate Republicans for their hard work to craft a package that will guarantee tax certainty for our nation’s trucking companies. Trucking is the backbone of our economy, employing over 8.5 million Americans in companies that range in size from one-truck operators and small family businesses to enterprise carriers.  Enacting pro-business, pro-growth tax policies will ensure that all of those companies are able to better plan for the future, invest in their workforce and equipment, and move freight safely and efficiently.  As the industry that moves 72% of America’s freight by tonnage, and that is the sole source of freight services for more than 80% of American communities, ATA looks forward to President Trump signing this measure into law as soon as possible.”

    Americans for Prosperity Chief Government Affairs Officer Brent Gardner: “We are so close to delivering a generational win to Americans by making pro-growth tax policy permanent. When we pass this bill, job creators and families will have the certainty they need to invest in their businesses and futures, reigniting the American Dream. We are encouraged by the thoughtful and productive discussions that have brought this legislation back to the House and urge members to pass it expeditiously to ensure that Americans start reaping the benefits of this transformative legislation as soon as possible … It’s time to get this bill to the Oval Office for President Trump’s signature. We’re at the goal line, it’s time to punch it in. Let’s fulfill all those campaign promises and secure this victory for hardworking American taxpayers.”

    Associated Builders and Contractors VP of Government Affairs Kristen Swearingen: “Tax certainty and pro-growth policies are not abstract policy goals for construction businesses—they are the foundation that allows ABC members to invest, grow and keep America building. We thank the Senate for passing this important legislation and urge the U.S. House of Representative to take swift action to send it to the president’s desk.”

    Associated Equipment Distributors President and CEO Brian P. McGuire: “By permanently extending and restoring pro-growth, capital investment incentivizing tax policies, the Senate is ensuring long-term tax code certainty that will benefit the equipment sector and the broader economy. AED applauds Senate Majority Leader John Thune and his team for heeding our call for tax permanence, and we urge the House to pass this legislation and send it to the president’s desk expeditiously.”

    Association of Equipment Manufacturers SVP of Government and Industry Relations Kip Eideberg: “The Association of Equipment Manufacturers applauds the U.S. Senate’s passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act — a historic bill that will strengthen U.S. manufacturing, providing the certainty in the tax code necessary for equipment manufacturers to innovate, invest, and create more family-sustaining jobs right here in America. By extending and expanding the tax reforms from 2017, the OBBB will help equipment manufacturers build more in America, while also bolstering our global competitiveness. We commend Leader Thune for his leadership and commitment to ensuring the permanence of President Trump’s pro-growth tax reforms, and applaud the lawmakers involved in driving this effort forward. We urge the U.S. House of Representatives to act swiftly and send the bill to President Trump’s desk.”

    Business Roundtable CEO Joshua Bolten: “Today’s vote puts us on the cusp of extending and strengthening tax reform. Business Roundtable applauds the Senate for passing the One Big Beautiful Bill … The House now has the opportunity to send a swift, decisive signal that America will remain a premier destination for business to invest, hire, and grow. We urge the House to act without delay and send the bill to President Trump’s desk by the Fourth of July.”

    Center for Transportation Policy Executive Director Jackson Shedelbower: “… it’s clear that lawmakers are united in an effort to modernize the country’s aging air traffic control systems. The $12.5 billion that is appropriated in both versions of the package will be a strong down payment towards ensuring that the U.S. maintains its reputation as a global leader in air travel. Lawmakers need to work out the remainder of their differences so the legislation can be swiftly pushed over the finish line.”

    CTIA—The Wireless Association President and CEO Ajit Pai: “CTIA applauds the Senate for passing the One Big Beautiful Bill, which includes a solid spectrum pipeline and smart tax provisions to support wireless investment. Along with restoring FCC auction authority, establishing a robust 800-megahertz pipeline of mid-band spectrum with a specific timeframe for action is critical to meeting growing consumer demand, securing U.S. leadership in 5G, and strengthening national and economic security.  The bill’s targeted tax incentives will accelerate private investment in next-generation networks and support infrastructure deployment, job creation, and economic growth across the country. We thank Senate leadership, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, and Senator Marsha Blackburn for their commitment to securing America’s wireless future, and we urge swift action to pass this legislation so President Trump can sign it into law.”

    Concerned Veterans for America Executive Director John Vick: “This legislation represents a win for American families, small businesses, and veterans across the country―groups that form the backbone of a thriving and resilient nation. This is a monumental moment for Americans who believe in hard work, opportunity, and service. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act sets the stage for lasting prosperity and a stronger future for those who have sacrificed the most.”

    Global Business Alliance President and CEO Jonathan Samford: “I applaud Chairman Mike Crapo, Leader John Thune and their Senate colleagues for advancing international tax policies that keep the U.S. the top destination for global investment. These provisions will help sustain American jobs, drive innovation, and reinforce a stable tax environment that attracts cross-border capital and world-class know-how. I urge swift House action and final passage of this One Big Beautiful Bill Act in order to secure America’s competitive edge.”

    Iowa Biodiesel Board Executive Director Grant Kimberley: “These improvements to the biomass-based diesel tax incentive come at a pivotal moment for the industry, which has seen months of uncertainty, stalled production and investment hesitation. Together with EPA’s proposed increase in Renewable Fuel Standard volumes—projecting more than 2 billion additional gallons of biomass-based diesel in 2026—the tax developments point to a significant resurgence in clean fuel demand. This gives us much-needed certainty for the near future.”

    Information Technology Industry Council President and CEO Jason Oxman: “The One Big Beautiful Bill will advance President Trump’s vision of ensuring America outpaces global competitors and remains the world’s leader in technology. We’re pleased to see the Senate pass the reconciliation text with strong innovation-focused language that will empower companies to invest in America by restoring critical research and development expensing and stimulate economic growth and high-skilled job creation. We urge the House of Representatives to send this critical package to President Trump as quickly as possible.”

    Job Creators Network CEO Alfredo Ortiz: “By passing this tax cut bill, Republican Senators show once again that they are the party of Main Street. By expanding and making permanent the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including restoring full, immediate expensing, the Senate has delivered historic, pro-growth reform that can last for generations. These tax cuts empower small business owners to invest, hire, raise wages, and reinvest in their communities, ushering in America’s next Golden Age. On behalf of Main Street, JCN calls on the House to quickly pass this legislation and get it to President Trump’s desk by July 4, giving America the best birthday present it could ask for.”

    National Association of Home Builders Chairman Buddy Hughes: “NAHB commends the Senate for passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This legislation will help spur economic growth and allow our members to invest more resources in multifamily rental construction, land development to build more single-family homes, and new equipment to expand their businesses. In turn, this will create a better business climate that allows builders to increase the nation’s housing supply, which is crucial to help ease America’s housing affordability crisis. We urge the House to move quickly to pass this bill.”

    National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons: “The Senate just pushed the ball deep into the red zone. Now it’s the House’s turn to finish the drive and deliver a big win for manufacturers in America. The Senate advanced a tax package that will strengthen small businesses, family-owned operations and manufacturing workers across the country. It drives manufacturers closer to the goal line—growing businesses, creating jobs and powering stronger communities. After months of driving, months of endurance and effort, months of playing audacious offense and tenacious defense, months of partnership between manufacturers of every industry and our leaders in Congress and the administration, the House now can finish the job. We call on our partners in the House to send this bill to the president’s desk—the strongest tax bill for manufacturers we have seen in a generation. Because when Congress champions the 13 million people who make things in America, manufacturing wins—and when manufacturing wins, America wins.”

    National Business Aviation Association President and CEO Ed Bolen: “We thank the Senate for recognizing with this initial funding that a safe and efficient national airspace requires a robust, resilient ATC system that bolsters our nation’s global aviation leadership. As leading economists have found, immediate expensing helps companies and entrepreneurs relying on business aviation have access to a critical competitive asset, while strengthening America’s manufacturing base. These provisions represent an important investment in an essential American industry, and the citizens, companies and communities that depend on it. NBAA looks forward to their continued progress.”

    National Cattlemen’s Beef Association SVP of Government Affairs Ethan Lane: “The Senate version of the One Big Beautiful Bill protects family farmers and ranchers across the country from a massive tax hike at the end of the year, increases the Death Tax exemption, makes the Section 199A tax deduction permanent, increases the Section 179 tax deduction, funds foreign animal disease prevention programs, and delivers so many more wins for cattle producers … It’s time for the House to pass this bill and send it to President Trump’s desk so he can sign it into law.”

    National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman, Jr.: “NCGA has worked closely with members of Congress as they drafted and voted on this legislation. We are particularly pleased to see the permanent extension of certain tax provisions, which will provide more certainty to corn farmers around the country as they plan for the future of their businesses.”

    National Cotton Council Chairman Patrick Johnson: “The NCC appreciates the momentous effort that has gone into crafting and passing the One Big Beautiful Bill. We are grateful for the Senate’s commitment to delivering meaningful enhancements to the cotton safety net, which is absolutely critical for the stability and future of our industry.”

    National Council of Farmer Cooperatives President and CEO Chuck Conner: “We commend the Senate for advancing permanent tax relief through the extension of Section 199A, a key priority for farmer co-ops that ensures they are not penalized for doing business together. Equally important are the provisions extending Section 179 expensing and the clean fuel production credit under Section 45Z, which provide producers and co-ops with the incentives and tools they need to innovate, invest, and lead the transition to a more sustainable agricultural future. We also appreciate the Senate’s attention to the needs of production agriculture by updating reference prices and commodity title support to reflect today’s economic realities. Combined with a significant increase in funding for market development programs, these provisions will help producers reach new markets and stay competitive amid global uncertainty. Now, it’s time for the House of Representatives to act. We urge lawmakers to take up the Senate package without delay and send it to the president’s desk before the July 4th recess. America’s farmers can’t afford to wait.”

    National Council of Textile Organizations President and CEO Kim Glas: “On behalf of the U.S. textile industry, I would like to commend Senate leaders for including an important provision in the broader budget reconciliation bill that would permanently end de minimis for commercial shipments from all countries, effective July 2027. The Senate language mirrors a provision included in the House reconciliation package passed earlier in May … We are also grateful that the Trump administration has already used executive authorities to end de minimis access for Chinese goods—which represent approximately two-thirds of all de minimis shipments—while also laying the groundwork to close de minimis to commercial shipments from all countries.”

    National Foreign Trade Council VP for International Tax Policy Anne Gordon: “We welcome Senate passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill … We welcome the Senate’s decision to retain core international and business provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in its version of the bill, as well as including permanent immediate expensing of research and development and reinstating depreciation and amortization in the interest deduction limitation. We are also pleased to see the Senate make permanent the look-through for controlled foreign corporations and provide other long-needed international tax fixes for U.S. corporations. As the House considers the revised bill, we encourage swift consideration and passage of tax legislation that incentivizes investment, innovation, and global opportunity for America’s job creators.”

    National Milk Producers Federation President Gregg Doud: “Dairy farmers are grateful for legislation that will create several key opportunities for dairy. Following last month’s successful vote in the House, we are excited that the Senate’s legislation also positions these investments to benefit dairy farmers and the cooperatives they own. We hope they are enacted into law as swiftly as possible.”

    National Mining Association President and CEO Rich Nolan: “We urge the House to quickly pass this bill, which increases the competitiveness of the American mining industry and provides vital incentives, including funding to counter China’s mineral dominance. The bill also makes improperly withdrawn lands available for energy production, which is key to supplying a reliable electric grid capable of powering our nation’s future. Through these measures, the bill will directly support U.S. economic growth and security. Mining feeds and fuels virtually every American supply chain; a strong mining industry creates an equally strong foundation for every industry that depends on the products and energy we provide. More can be done, and the NMA will continue to advocate with Congress and the administration on ways to support additional domestic mining, and mineral production and processing.”

    National Pork Producers Council President Duane Stateler: “We appreciate the efforts of Agriculture Chair John Boozman and other Senate leadership to ensure key animal health provisions were included in the bill, along with tax and other measures important to agriculture. Foreign animal diseases (FADs) threaten not only the livelihoods of pork producers but also our food supply chain at large. We thank our congressional leaders for these important steps to help keep our pork supplies safe, secure, and affordable for American families.”

    National Restaurant Association EVP for Public Affairs Sean Kennedy: “This bill includes the most important pro-growth tax policies restaurant operators need to continue to power the national economy. The inclusion of permanent policies for 199A qualified business income deduction, full expensing of capital investments, and the return of depreciation and amortization in the calculation of business interest expense will give restaurant operators working capital to invest in their businesses and employees. We are also pleased to see the inclusion of policies like No Tax on Tips and Overtime that will benefit our workforce. We appreciate the work that has gone into getting this bill through the Senate and encourage the House to quickly pass it, sending it to the President for signature.”

    National Roofing Contractors Association CEO McKay Daniels: “This legislation is critical to providing certainty for all businesses to continue to invest in their employees and grow their companies. In particular, the bill is a huge win for ‘main street,’ family-owned and pass-through entities that represent 95% of all U.S. businesses and employ the majority of private-sector workers. Without passage of this legislation, our industry will face rising tax burdens and diminished global competitiveness. Congress must act now to secure a stable future for America’s job creators.”

    National Small Business Association President and CEO Todd McCracken: “NSBA applauds the Senate for passing H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act which includes NSBA’s #1 priority, permanency for the small-business tax rate cut in the form of the 199A Qualified Business Income deduction. Enacting this provision and several others—including reversing a very problematic change to the R&D tax deduction—is a major win for small business. As our nation celebrates Independence Day, I urge the House to pass the language approved in the Senate and give America’s small businesses the freedom and independence they need and deserve to keep their businesses thriving.”

    National Sorghum Producers Chair Amy France: “These are critical improvements that will help sorghum producers manage risk, plan for the future, and stay competitive. We’re grateful to Chairman Boozman and other leaders in the Senate Ag Committee who ensured these priorities were part of the final bill.”

    Nuclear Energy Institute President and CEO Maria Korsnick: “We applaud the U.S. Senate for advancing policies that recognize the important role of nuclear energy to achieve a reliable, affordable and increasingly clean energy system. The Senate version of the budget reconciliation bill restores the nuclear power production tax credit through 2032, and the tax credits for new nuclear generation through 2033, with transferability retained for both. The Senate version also preserves the viability of the Loan Program Office by extending the program’s authority and funding from 2026 to 2028, although the appropriation of $1B is less than available under current law. Maintaining the tax provisions in the Senate bill will continue to address economic hurdles and provide confidence to invest in today’s nuclear plants, while securing long-term, well-paying jobs. Further the bill allows us to continue down the path to achieve the Administration’s ambitious goals for deploying new, cutting-edge nuclear technologies that will meet the growing demand for more reliable energy.”

    Philanthropy Roundtable COO Elizabeth McGuigan: “Now more than ever, we need a strong, vibrant civil society. Government spending is shrinking – which is a good thing – and generous Americans are ready and willing to support causes and communities around the country. We’re especially grateful for the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, whose pro-growth, pro-America agenda continues to inspire strong economic stewardship. We encourage the House to pass the Senate bill quickly and without changes.”

    RATE Coalition Executive Director Dan Combs: “Today’s vote is a major win for workers, businesses, and the American economy as a whole. By preserving the 21 percent corporate tax rate, the Senate has reaffirmed its commitment to a competitive tax code that drives investment, fuels job growth, and ensures the U.S. remains the best country in the world to start and grow a business.  We applaud this strong, pro-growth action and urge lawmakers to expeditiously finalize the legislation and send it to President Trump’s desk without delay.”

    Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council President and CEO Karen Kerrigan: “We commend Republican Senate leaders for their tireless work in getting the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ to this critical stage for America’s small business owners and entrepreneurs. Their commitment to advancing this powerful package shows incredible dedication to the success of Main Street businesses across the country and to the future of U.S. entrepreneurship. Now, House members must focus on the widespread gains in the legislation for the U.S. economy, workers, families, and small business owners. We urge the House to promptly pass the bill so it can be signed by President Trump.”

    Steel Manufacturers Association: “Congratulations to the @SenateGOP for passing H.R. 1! The bill will make historic investments in Americans, our workers, our communities and our economy will all benefit.”

    The LIBRE Initiative President Daniel Garza: “We commend the Senate for passing H.R. 1 to make the Trump tax cuts permanent—measures that have proven to deliver real benefits to hardworking families, job creators, and entrepreneurs across the country. For Latinos—who are starting businesses at a notable rate and powering local economies—this bill is not just good policy, it’s essential.  By making the low tax rates and small business provisions permanent, this legislation helps ensure that Latino workers, small business owners, and families can thrive with greater certainty, flexibility, and opportunity. Tax relief allows families to keep more of what they earn, invest in their future, and weather economic uncertainty with confidence. We applaud the Senate for sending a clear message that the American Dream remains alive and within reach for all—especially those working hard to build a better life.”

    U.S. Chamber of Commerce EVP and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley: “With today’s vote, the Senate has taken decisive action to deliver the kind of permanent tax relief the American business community has been calling for. The tax provisions included in this bill will not only drive economic growth and sharpen America’s competitive edge but also put more money in workers’ pockets, increasing prosperity in communities across the country. The Chamber thanks Leader Thune, Chairman Crapo, and all who are working to make the pro-growth reforms of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, including the deduction for domestic R&D expenditures, 100% bonus depreciation for certain business investments, and an expanded business interest limitation. The Chamber applauds the Senate for voting to make these provisions permanent features of the tax code. We urge lawmakers to swiftly pass the OBBBA and deliver it to President Trump to be signed into law.”

    USA Rice Farmers Chair LG Raun: “USA Rice applauds the Senate for passing the OBBB Act including a historic and critical investment in the farm safety net. We urge the House of Representatives to take up and pass this bill with the key ag investments before the 4th of July.”

    Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America President and CEO Francis Creighton: “On behalf of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, I want to thank the United States Senate for passing President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act under Section 198A. This critical legislation empowers America’s family-owned wholesalers to reinvest, compete, and thrive. We urge the U.S. House to act swiftly and send this bill to the President’s desk without delay.”

    MIL OSI USA News

  • US Senate passes Trump’s sweeping tax-and spending bill, setting up House battle

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. Senate Republicans passed President Donald Trump’s massive tax-and-spending bill on Tuesday by the narrowest of margins, advancing a package that would slash taxes, reduce social safety net programs and boost military and immigration enforcement spending while adding $3.3 trillion to the national debt.

    The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives for possible final approval, though a handful of Republicans there have already voiced opposition to some of the Senate provisions. Trump wants to sign it into law by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement that he aimed to meet that deadline.

    The measure would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, give new tax breaks for income from tips and overtime pay and increase spending on the military and immigration enforcement. It also would cut about $930 billion of spending on the Medicaid health program and food aid for low-income Americans and repeal many of Democratic former President Joe Biden’s green-energy incentives.

    The legislation, which has exposed Republican divides over the nation’s fast-growing $36.2 trillion debtwould raise the federal government’s self-imposed debt ceiling by $5 trillion. Congress must raise the cap in the coming months or risk a devastating default.

    The Senate passed the measure in a 51-50 vote with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie after three Republicans – Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky – joined all 47 Democrats in voting against the bill.

    The vote followed an all-night debate in which Republicans grappled with the bill’s price tag and its impact on the U.S. healthcare system.

    Much of the late horse-trading was aimed at winning over Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who had signaled she would vote against the bill without significant alterations.

    The final Senate bill included two provisions that helped secure her vote: one that sends more food-aid funding to Alaska and several other states, and another providing $50 billion to help rural hospitals cope with the sweeping cuts to Medicaid.

    Following the vote, Murkowski issued a statement calling it one of the hardest of her Senate career said she had voted yes despite some continued reservations.

    “This has been an awful process — a frantic rush to meet an artificial deadline that has tested every limit of this institution,” she said. “This bill needs more work across chambers and is not ready for the President’s desk.”

    ‘NOT FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY’

    The vote in the House, where Republicans hold a 220-212 majority, is likely to be close.

    A White House official told reporters that Trump would be “deeply involved” in pushing House Republicans to approve the bill.

    “It’s a great bill. There is something for everyone,” Trump said at an event in Florida on Tuesday. “And I think it’s going to go very nicely in the House.”

    An initial version passed with only two votes to spare in May, and several House Republicans have said they do not support the Senate version, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates will add $800 billion more to the national debt than the House version.

    Republicans have struggled to balance conservatives’ demands for deeper spending cuts to reduce the impact on the deficit with moderate lawmakers’ concerns that the Medicaid cuts could hurt their constituents, including service cutbacks in rural areas.

    The House Freedom Caucus, a group of hardline conservatives who repeatedly threatened to withhold their support for the tax bill, has criticized the Senate version’s price tag.

    “There’s a significant number who are concerned,” Republican Representative Chip Roy, a member of the Freedom Caucus, said of the Senate bill.

    A group of more moderate House Republicans, especially those who represent lower-income areas, have objected to the steeper Medicaid cuts in the Senate’s plan.

    Meanwhile, Republicans have faced separate concerns from a handful of House Republicans from high-tax states, including New York, New Jersey and California, who have demanded a larger tax break for state and local tax payments.

    The legislation has also drawn criticism from billionaire Elon Muskthe former Trump ally who has railed against the bill’s enormous cost and vowed to back challengers to Republican lawmakers in next year’s midterm elections.

    House Democrats are expected to remain unanimously opposed to the bill.

    “This is the largest assault on American healthcare in history,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters. “It’s the largest assault on nutrition in American history.”

    TAX BREAKS, IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN, TIGHTER BENEFITS

    The Senate bill would deliver some of its biggest benefits to the top 1% of U.S. households, earning $663,000 or more in 2025, according to the Tax Foundation. These high earners would gain the most from the bill’s tax cuts, the CBO has said.

    Independent analysts have said the bill’s tightening of eligibility for food and health safety net programs would effectively reduce poor Americans’ incomes and increase their costs for food and healthcare. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office forecast that nearly 12 million more people would become uninsured under the Senate plan.

    The bill’s increase in the national debt effectively serves as a wealth transfer from younger to older Americans, nonpartisan analysts have said.

    Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the vote “covered this chamber in shame,” adding that the bill would be “ripping health care away from millions of Americans, taking the food out of the mouths of hungry kids.”

    Republicans rejected the cost estimate generated by the CBO’s longstanding methodology and have argued the Medicaid cuts would only root out “waste, fraud and abuse” from the system.

    Following the vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the bill “will permanently extend tax relief for hard-working Americans…that will spur economic growth and more jobs and opportunities for American workers.”

    -REUTERS

  • US Senate passes Trump’s sweeping tax-and spending bill, setting up House battle

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. Senate Republicans passed President Donald Trump’s massive tax-and-spending bill on Tuesday by the narrowest of margins, advancing a package that would slash taxes, reduce social safety net programs and boost military and immigration enforcement spending while adding $3.3 trillion to the national debt.

    The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives for possible final approval, though a handful of Republicans there have already voiced opposition to some of the Senate provisions. Trump wants to sign it into law by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement that he aimed to meet that deadline.

    The measure would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, give new tax breaks for income from tips and overtime pay and increase spending on the military and immigration enforcement. It also would cut about $930 billion of spending on the Medicaid health program and food aid for low-income Americans and repeal many of Democratic former President Joe Biden’s green-energy incentives.

    The legislation, which has exposed Republican divides over the nation’s fast-growing $36.2 trillion debtwould raise the federal government’s self-imposed debt ceiling by $5 trillion. Congress must raise the cap in the coming months or risk a devastating default.

    The Senate passed the measure in a 51-50 vote with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie after three Republicans – Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky – joined all 47 Democrats in voting against the bill.

    The vote followed an all-night debate in which Republicans grappled with the bill’s price tag and its impact on the U.S. healthcare system.

    Much of the late horse-trading was aimed at winning over Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who had signaled she would vote against the bill without significant alterations.

    The final Senate bill included two provisions that helped secure her vote: one that sends more food-aid funding to Alaska and several other states, and another providing $50 billion to help rural hospitals cope with the sweeping cuts to Medicaid.

    Following the vote, Murkowski issued a statement calling it one of the hardest of her Senate career said she had voted yes despite some continued reservations.

    “This has been an awful process — a frantic rush to meet an artificial deadline that has tested every limit of this institution,” she said. “This bill needs more work across chambers and is not ready for the President’s desk.”

    ‘NOT FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY’

    The vote in the House, where Republicans hold a 220-212 majority, is likely to be close.

    A White House official told reporters that Trump would be “deeply involved” in pushing House Republicans to approve the bill.

    “It’s a great bill. There is something for everyone,” Trump said at an event in Florida on Tuesday. “And I think it’s going to go very nicely in the House.”

    An initial version passed with only two votes to spare in May, and several House Republicans have said they do not support the Senate version, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates will add $800 billion more to the national debt than the House version.

    Republicans have struggled to balance conservatives’ demands for deeper spending cuts to reduce the impact on the deficit with moderate lawmakers’ concerns that the Medicaid cuts could hurt their constituents, including service cutbacks in rural areas.

    The House Freedom Caucus, a group of hardline conservatives who repeatedly threatened to withhold their support for the tax bill, has criticized the Senate version’s price tag.

    “There’s a significant number who are concerned,” Republican Representative Chip Roy, a member of the Freedom Caucus, said of the Senate bill.

    A group of more moderate House Republicans, especially those who represent lower-income areas, have objected to the steeper Medicaid cuts in the Senate’s plan.

    Meanwhile, Republicans have faced separate concerns from a handful of House Republicans from high-tax states, including New York, New Jersey and California, who have demanded a larger tax break for state and local tax payments.

    The legislation has also drawn criticism from billionaire Elon Muskthe former Trump ally who has railed against the bill’s enormous cost and vowed to back challengers to Republican lawmakers in next year’s midterm elections.

    House Democrats are expected to remain unanimously opposed to the bill.

    “This is the largest assault on American healthcare in history,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters. “It’s the largest assault on nutrition in American history.”

    TAX BREAKS, IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN, TIGHTER BENEFITS

    The Senate bill would deliver some of its biggest benefits to the top 1% of U.S. households, earning $663,000 or more in 2025, according to the Tax Foundation. These high earners would gain the most from the bill’s tax cuts, the CBO has said.

    Independent analysts have said the bill’s tightening of eligibility for food and health safety net programs would effectively reduce poor Americans’ incomes and increase their costs for food and healthcare. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office forecast that nearly 12 million more people would become uninsured under the Senate plan.

    The bill’s increase in the national debt effectively serves as a wealth transfer from younger to older Americans, nonpartisan analysts have said.

    Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the vote “covered this chamber in shame,” adding that the bill would be “ripping health care away from millions of Americans, taking the food out of the mouths of hungry kids.”

    Republicans rejected the cost estimate generated by the CBO’s longstanding methodology and have argued the Medicaid cuts would only root out “waste, fraud and abuse” from the system.

    Following the vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the bill “will permanently extend tax relief for hard-working Americans…that will spur economic growth and more jobs and opportunities for American workers.”

    -REUTERS

  • US Senate passes Trump’s sweeping tax-and spending bill, setting up House battle

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. Senate Republicans passed President Donald Trump’s massive tax-and-spending bill on Tuesday by the narrowest of margins, advancing a package that would slash taxes, reduce social safety net programs and boost military and immigration enforcement spending while adding $3.3 trillion to the national debt.

    The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives for possible final approval, though a handful of Republicans there have already voiced opposition to some of the Senate provisions. Trump wants to sign it into law by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement that he aimed to meet that deadline.

    The measure would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, give new tax breaks for income from tips and overtime pay and increase spending on the military and immigration enforcement. It also would cut about $930 billion of spending on the Medicaid health program and food aid for low-income Americans and repeal many of Democratic former President Joe Biden’s green-energy incentives.

    The legislation, which has exposed Republican divides over the nation’s fast-growing $36.2 trillion debtwould raise the federal government’s self-imposed debt ceiling by $5 trillion. Congress must raise the cap in the coming months or risk a devastating default.

    The Senate passed the measure in a 51-50 vote with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie after three Republicans – Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky – joined all 47 Democrats in voting against the bill.

    The vote followed an all-night debate in which Republicans grappled with the bill’s price tag and its impact on the U.S. healthcare system.

    Much of the late horse-trading was aimed at winning over Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who had signaled she would vote against the bill without significant alterations.

    The final Senate bill included two provisions that helped secure her vote: one that sends more food-aid funding to Alaska and several other states, and another providing $50 billion to help rural hospitals cope with the sweeping cuts to Medicaid.

    Following the vote, Murkowski issued a statement calling it one of the hardest of her Senate career said she had voted yes despite some continued reservations.

    “This has been an awful process — a frantic rush to meet an artificial deadline that has tested every limit of this institution,” she said. “This bill needs more work across chambers and is not ready for the President’s desk.”

    ‘NOT FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY’

    The vote in the House, where Republicans hold a 220-212 majority, is likely to be close.

    A White House official told reporters that Trump would be “deeply involved” in pushing House Republicans to approve the bill.

    “It’s a great bill. There is something for everyone,” Trump said at an event in Florida on Tuesday. “And I think it’s going to go very nicely in the House.”

    An initial version passed with only two votes to spare in May, and several House Republicans have said they do not support the Senate version, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates will add $800 billion more to the national debt than the House version.

    Republicans have struggled to balance conservatives’ demands for deeper spending cuts to reduce the impact on the deficit with moderate lawmakers’ concerns that the Medicaid cuts could hurt their constituents, including service cutbacks in rural areas.

    The House Freedom Caucus, a group of hardline conservatives who repeatedly threatened to withhold their support for the tax bill, has criticized the Senate version’s price tag.

    “There’s a significant number who are concerned,” Republican Representative Chip Roy, a member of the Freedom Caucus, said of the Senate bill.

    A group of more moderate House Republicans, especially those who represent lower-income areas, have objected to the steeper Medicaid cuts in the Senate’s plan.

    Meanwhile, Republicans have faced separate concerns from a handful of House Republicans from high-tax states, including New York, New Jersey and California, who have demanded a larger tax break for state and local tax payments.

    The legislation has also drawn criticism from billionaire Elon Muskthe former Trump ally who has railed against the bill’s enormous cost and vowed to back challengers to Republican lawmakers in next year’s midterm elections.

    House Democrats are expected to remain unanimously opposed to the bill.

    “This is the largest assault on American healthcare in history,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters. “It’s the largest assault on nutrition in American history.”

    TAX BREAKS, IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN, TIGHTER BENEFITS

    The Senate bill would deliver some of its biggest benefits to the top 1% of U.S. households, earning $663,000 or more in 2025, according to the Tax Foundation. These high earners would gain the most from the bill’s tax cuts, the CBO has said.

    Independent analysts have said the bill’s tightening of eligibility for food and health safety net programs would effectively reduce poor Americans’ incomes and increase their costs for food and healthcare. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office forecast that nearly 12 million more people would become uninsured under the Senate plan.

    The bill’s increase in the national debt effectively serves as a wealth transfer from younger to older Americans, nonpartisan analysts have said.

    Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the vote “covered this chamber in shame,” adding that the bill would be “ripping health care away from millions of Americans, taking the food out of the mouths of hungry kids.”

    Republicans rejected the cost estimate generated by the CBO’s longstanding methodology and have argued the Medicaid cuts would only root out “waste, fraud and abuse” from the system.

    Following the vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the bill “will permanently extend tax relief for hard-working Americans…that will spur economic growth and more jobs and opportunities for American workers.”

    -REUTERS

  • Amit Shah hails new criminal laws as India marks ‘A Golden Year of Trust in the Justice System’

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    India’s new criminal laws mark the beginning of a new era of affordable, accessible, and transparent justice, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday, addressing a gathering in the capital to celebrate “A Golden Year of Trust in the Justice System.”

    Lieutenant Governor of Delhi V.K. Saxena, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, and Director of the Intelligence Bureau were among the dignitaries present at the event.

    An exhibition on the new criminal laws was also inaugurated on the occasion. Shah noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier directed that this exhibition be organized across all states so that journalists, senior police officers, bar associations, judicial officers, and especially students could understand the new legal framework.

    Speaking at the event, Shah said the three new criminal laws—Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) 2023—are designed to make justice more citizen-centric. He said the new laws would replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and Indian Evidence Act with modern legislation created from an Indian perspective.

    “The old laws were made by the British Parliament to prolong their rule. The new laws have been framed under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, by a government elected by the people, for the welfare of the people,” Shah said.

    The Home Minister underlined that the new laws are aimed at ensuring timely delivery of justice, with strict timelines prescribed for investigation, charge-sheeting, framing of charges, and delivery of judgments. “Earlier, no one knew when justice would be delivered. Now, the system is being overhauled to guarantee time-bound justice, from the FIR stage to the Supreme Court,” he added.

    Shah said the laws incorporate technology-driven measures, inspired by the study of judicial systems in nearly 89 countries, to strengthen investigation and trial processes. Forensic examination is now mandatory for crimes carrying a punishment of seven years or more. Systems like the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) and DNA matching in POCSO cases have also been put in place to ensure offenders do not escape conviction.

    Highlighting the government’s preparedness, Shah said nearly 15 lakh police personnel, over 19,000 judicial officers, more than 42,000 prison staff, and over 11,000 public prosecutors have been trained in the past year. Delhi was acknowledged as the best-performing state in implementing the new laws swiftly.

    The Home Minister said that a separate chapter on crimes against women and children has been included for the first time. The laws now define terrorism and organised crime, with stricter provisions for punishment. A new post of Director of Prosecution has also been created to strengthen the prosecution system and raise the conviction rate.

    Shah added that the successful implementation of the new criminal justice system will depend not only on the police or the Home Ministry, but also on public awareness and understanding of their rights. He described the reforms as the biggest since Independence, calling them a “golden opportunity” for India’s Nyay Yatra towards a transparent, citizen-centric, and time-bound system of justice.

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tonko: Republicans Betrayed Working Americans in Favor of Billionaire Donors

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Paul Tonko (Capital Region New York)

    ALBANY, NY — At the Albany-Rensselaer Train Station before heading back to Washington, Congressman Paul D. Tonko blasted Republicans in the Senate for advancing President Trump’s budget, the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” that exacts the largest cut to health care and food assistance in American history, all to bring massive tax breaks to the wealthiest 0.1 percent. Tonko now heads to DC, where he will vote ‘NO’ on this budget.
    To view Tonko’s opening remarks at today’s press availability, click HERE.

    “On each and every page of this disgrace of a budget, the GOP’s utter distain for lower- and middle-income Americans could not be clearer.

     

    “Ripping away healthcare from millions of working families with cuts to Medicaid and Medicare is bad enough. Taking food out of the mouths of veterans, mothers, and children with cuts to SNAP and food assistance is bad enough. Forcing hundreds of rural hospitals to close their doors is bad enough. Killing countless jobs and raising utility bills by halting clean energy investments is bad enough.

     

    “But to do it all to fund a tax break for the wealthiest corporations and billionaire donors is despicable.

     

    “What’s more, Republicans had to cut last-minute backroom deals in an attempt to squeeze this bill forward. The reality is Republicans rammed through this a disgrace of a bill, knowing the pain it would cause Americans, all to meet some arbitrary deadline set by President and would-be king Donald Trump.

     

    “I remind my Republicans colleagues that they do not work for President Trump, they are beholden to the American people. The people have shared how much they hate this bill. To ignore their calls is complete abdication of duty. I urge any member who cares about the lives and livelihoods of their district and millions of Americans to join Democrats in the House in opposing this cruel budget.”

     

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tonko: Republicans Betrayed Working Americans in Favor of Billionaire Donors

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Paul Tonko (Capital Region New York)

    ALBANY, NY — At the Albany-Rensselaer Train Station before heading back to Washington, Congressman Paul D. Tonko blasted Republicans in the Senate for advancing President Trump’s budget, the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” that exacts the largest cut to health care and food assistance in American history, all to bring massive tax breaks to the wealthiest 0.1 percent. Tonko now heads to DC, where he will vote ‘NO’ on this budget.
    To view Tonko’s opening remarks at today’s press availability, click HERE.

    “On each and every page of this disgrace of a budget, the GOP’s utter distain for lower- and middle-income Americans could not be clearer.

     

    “Ripping away healthcare from millions of working families with cuts to Medicaid and Medicare is bad enough. Taking food out of the mouths of veterans, mothers, and children with cuts to SNAP and food assistance is bad enough. Forcing hundreds of rural hospitals to close their doors is bad enough. Killing countless jobs and raising utility bills by halting clean energy investments is bad enough.

     

    “But to do it all to fund a tax break for the wealthiest corporations and billionaire donors is despicable.

     

    “What’s more, Republicans had to cut last-minute backroom deals in an attempt to squeeze this bill forward. The reality is Republicans rammed through this a disgrace of a bill, knowing the pain it would cause Americans, all to meet some arbitrary deadline set by President and would-be king Donald Trump.

     

    “I remind my Republicans colleagues that they do not work for President Trump, they are beholden to the American people. The people have shared how much they hate this bill. To ignore their calls is complete abdication of duty. I urge any member who cares about the lives and livelihoods of their district and millions of Americans to join Democrats in the House in opposing this cruel budget.”

     

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: PRESS RELEASE: Rep. Barragán Blasts Senate Passage of Trump’s Big Ugly Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    July 1, 2025

    Contact: Jin.Choi@mail.house.gov

    Rep. Barragán Blasts Senate Passage of Trump’s Big Ugly Bill

    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senate Republicans advanced Donald Trump’s Big Ugly Bill — a budget reconciliation package that includes the largest Medicaid cuts in American history, strips health care from nearly 17 million Americans, slashes food assistance for children, seniors, and veterans, andadds $3.9 trillion to the national debtto fund more tax breaks for billionaires.

    To secure the votes, some Republican Senators carved out last-minute deals for themselves to ensure their states and industries escaped the worst of the cuts, while millions of other Americans are left to bear the brunt.

    Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (CA-44) issued the following statement following Senate passage of the bill:

    “The Senate took the largest health care cuts in history and made them even worse. The Senate’s version of Trump’s Big Ugly Bill would take health care away from nearly 17 million Americans, including nearly 2 million Californians, and raise health care costs for more than 20 million people who rely on the Affordable Care Act marketplace. 

    It slashes $1.1 trillion from Medicaid and the ACA, and still finds a way to give millionaires an average annual tax cut of $90,000.

    “This bill is a direct attack on working families. Kids will go hungry. Seniors will lose care. Hospitals in vulnerable communities will reduce services or close their doors. And all of that devastation will pay for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for billionaires and corporations.

    “Senate Republicans made sure their own states were shielded from the worst, carving out protections for their hospitals and industries, while throwing the rest of the country under the bus. That’s not leadership. That’s a backroom deal at the expense of people’s lives.

    “Democrats are united against this bill. I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to think hard about the people they represent and whether they’re willing to trade their constituents’ health and food security for tax breaks for billionaires.”

    The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will add at least $3.9 trillion to the national debt, a staggering cost that makes clear this isn’t about fiscal responsibility. 

    The bill now returns to the House of Representatives. Congresswoman Barragán voted NO on the original version and will vote NO again.

    La Congresista Barragán Critica la Aprobación de Trump’s Big Ugly Bill en el Senado

    Washington, D.C. — Hoy, los republicanos del Senado avanzaron Trump’s Big Ugly Bill — un paquete que incluye los recortes más grandes a Medicaid en la historia de Estados Unidos, elimina la cobertura médica para casi 17 millones de personas, reduce la asistencia alimentaria para niños, adultos mayores y veteranos, y agrega $3.9 billones de dólares a la deuda nacional para financiar más recortes de impuestos para los multimillonarios.

    Para asegurar los votos, los republicanos del Senado negociaron acuerdos de último minuto, como excluir a estados con altas tasas de error como Alaska y Florida de los nuevos requisitos de reparto de costos del programa SNAP. Estas excepciones garantizaron que ciertos estados e industrias evitaran los peores recortes, mientras que millones de estadounidenses cargarán con las consecuencias.

    La Congresista Nanette Barragán (CA-44) emitió la siguiente declaración tras la aprobación en el Senado:

    “El Senado tomó los recortes más grandes al sistema de salud en la historia y los empeoró aún más. La versión del Senado del ‘Gran y Horrible’ proyecto de Trump eliminaría la cobertura médica para casi 17 millones de estadounidenses — incluyendo a casi 2 millones de Californianos — y aumentaría los costos de salud para más de 20 millones de personas que dependen del mercado de la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA). Este proyecto recorta $1.1 billones de dólares a Medicaid y a la ACA, y aún así encuentra la manera de darle a los millonarios un recorte promedio de impuestos de $90,000 dólares al año.

    “Este proyecto de ley es un ataque directo a las familias trabajadoras. Niños pasarán hambre. Personas mayores perderán atención médica. Hospitales en comunidades vulnerables reducirán servicios o cerrarán sus puertas. Y toda esa devastación financiará $4.5 billones de dólares en recortes de impuestos para multimillonarios y grandes corporaciones.”

    “Los republicanos del Senado se aseguraron de proteger a sus propios estados de lo peor, negociando protecciones para sus hospitales e industrias, mientras abandonan al resto del país. Eso no es liderazgo. Es un trato turbio a puerta cerrada a costa de vidas humanas.”

    “Los demócratas estamos unidos en contra de este legislación. Espero que mis colegas del otro lado del pasillo a reflexionen sobre a quién representan y si están dispuestos a intercambiar la salud y la seguridad alimentaria de sus constituyentes por recortes de impuestos para los multimillonarios.”

    La Oficina de Presupuesto del Congreso, una entidad no partidista, estima que el proyecto de ley agregará al menos $3.9 billones de dólares a la deuda nacional — un costo asombroso que deja claro que esto no se trata de responsabilidad fiscal.

    El proyecto ahora regresa a la Cámara de Representantes. La Congresista Barragán votó NO a la versión original y volverá a votar NO.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Homicide investigation underway, Freeman’s Bay

    Source: New Zealand Police

    A homicide investigation has been launched following the discovery of a body on Renall Street, Freeman’s Bay last night.

    Auckland City CIB’s Detective Inspector Scott Beard says Police discovered the deceased around 10pm.

    “Police are continuing to gather information from the scene and enquires into the exact circumstances surrounding what has occurred are ongoing.”

    A person is in custody and Police are not looking for anyone else in connection at this stage.

    Detective Inspector Beard says a scene examination is under way at the address and there will be an increased Police presence in the area while the investigation continues.

    “Members of the public can be assured there is no risk to public safety.”

    A post-mortem will be carried out in due course.

    If you have any information that could assist the investigation, please make a report via 105, using the file number 250630/9878 and quote ‘Operation Yarrow’.

    Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-nz.org.

    Further information will be provided when we are able to do so.

    ENDS.

    Amanda Wieneke/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein Takes Action on 15 Bills

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein Takes Action on 15 Bills

    Governor Stein Takes Action on 15 Bills
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today Governor Stein signed 15 bills into law.  

    Governor Stein made the following statement on signing Senate Bill 124:

    “People shouldn’t have to have a four-year degree to get a good-paying job and support a family, and this bill brings us one step closer to that goal. It also will help us address vacancies across state government by simplifying job postings and streamlining application processes. I am grateful to Director Staci Meyer and the Office of State Human Resources for championing these efforts to modernize our processes and address our state’s workforce needs, as well as the General Assembly for its bipartisan support.” 

    Governor Stein made the following statement on signing House Bill 959:

    “When teachers don’t have to compete with cell phones for student attention, real learning happens. This bipartisan bill gives students a distraction-free learning environment so they can focus on their education, and it provides a seven-hour mental break from the unrelenting pressures of phones and social media. Earlier this month, my Advisory Council on Student Safety and Well-being released its first report recommending this step and outlining best practices for creating cell phone-free classrooms. It will serve as a resource for our school systems as they implement these common-sense policies. I appreciate the General Assembly’s work here. Let’s keep working together to set up North Carolina students for success.”  

    Governor Stein made the following statement on signing Senate Bill 321:

    “This bill gives people more paths to obtaining their CPA license without reducing rigor or lowering our state’s standards.”

    Governor Stein made the following statement on signing House Bill 67:

    “North Carolina is facing real problems filling health care jobs. To keep our people healthy, we need to reduce barriers for well-trained physicians, physician assistants, and providers from other states to practice here more quickly. The bill strengthens rural health by allowing qualified doctors to deliver care in North Carolina communities, and it develops a health care workforce enhancement program in community colleges.”

    Governor Stein made the following statement on signing House Bill 412:

    “We have much more work to do and investment needed to address the child care crisis facing our parents and child care programs, but I am pleased the General Assembly has taken a positive step forward with this bill to support early childhood educators and increase access to child care for young and school-age children.” 

    Governor Stein made the following statement on signing House Bill 948:

    “North Carolina is growing rapidly, and now is the time to make smart investments that will help us support our growing population. I commend the General Assembly and leaders across Mecklenburg County for their collaborative efforts.”

    Governor Stein also signed the following bills into law: 

    • House Bill 737
    • Senate Bill 77
    • Senate Bill 295
    • House Bill 975
    • House Bill 762
    • House Bill 537
    • House Bill 378
    • House Bill 388
    • Senate Bill 391
    Jul 1, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI: Plains All American’s 2024 Schedule K-3 Now Available

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HOUSTON, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (Nasdaq: PAA) (the “Partnership”) announced today that its 2024 Schedule K-3 reflecting items of international tax relevance is available online. Unitholders requiring this information may access their Schedules K-3 at www.taxpackagesupport.com/plainsallamerican.

    A limited number of unitholders (primarily foreign unitholders, unitholders computing a foreign tax credit on their tax return and certain corporate and/or partnership unitholders) may need the detailed information disclosed on Schedule K-3 for their specific reporting requirements. To the extent Schedule K-3 is applicable to your federal income tax return filing needs, we encourage you to review the information contained on this form and refer to the appropriate federal laws and guidance or consult with your tax advisor.

    To receive an electronic copy of your Schedule K-3 via email, unitholders may call Tax Package Support toll free at (866) 872-2829.

    About Plains:
    PAA is a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns and operates midstream energy infrastructure and provides logistics services for crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGL). PAA owns an extensive network of pipeline gathering and transportation systems, in addition to terminalling, storage, processing, fractionation and other infrastructure assets serving key producing basins, transportation corridors and major market hubs and export outlets in the United States and Canada. On average, PAA handles approximately 8 million barrels per day of crude oil and NGL.

    PAGP is a publicly traded entity that owns an indirect, non-economic controlling general partner interest in PAA and an indirect limited partner interest in PAA, one of the largest energy infrastructure and logistics companies in North America.

    PAA and PAGP are headquartered in Houston, Texas. More information is available at www.plains.com.

    Investor Relations Contacts:
    Blake Fernandez
    Michael Gladstein
    PlainsIR@plains.com
    (866) 809-1291

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Plains All American’s 2024 Schedule K-3 Now Available

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HOUSTON, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (Nasdaq: PAA) (the “Partnership”) announced today that its 2024 Schedule K-3 reflecting items of international tax relevance is available online. Unitholders requiring this information may access their Schedules K-3 at www.taxpackagesupport.com/plainsallamerican.

    A limited number of unitholders (primarily foreign unitholders, unitholders computing a foreign tax credit on their tax return and certain corporate and/or partnership unitholders) may need the detailed information disclosed on Schedule K-3 for their specific reporting requirements. To the extent Schedule K-3 is applicable to your federal income tax return filing needs, we encourage you to review the information contained on this form and refer to the appropriate federal laws and guidance or consult with your tax advisor.

    To receive an electronic copy of your Schedule K-3 via email, unitholders may call Tax Package Support toll free at (866) 872-2829.

    About Plains:
    PAA is a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns and operates midstream energy infrastructure and provides logistics services for crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGL). PAA owns an extensive network of pipeline gathering and transportation systems, in addition to terminalling, storage, processing, fractionation and other infrastructure assets serving key producing basins, transportation corridors and major market hubs and export outlets in the United States and Canada. On average, PAA handles approximately 8 million barrels per day of crude oil and NGL.

    PAGP is a publicly traded entity that owns an indirect, non-economic controlling general partner interest in PAA and an indirect limited partner interest in PAA, one of the largest energy infrastructure and logistics companies in North America.

    PAA and PAGP are headquartered in Houston, Texas. More information is available at www.plains.com.

    Investor Relations Contacts:
    Blake Fernandez
    Michael Gladstein
    PlainsIR@plains.com
    (866) 809-1291

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI USA: July 1st, 2025 Heinrich Votes Against Republicans’ Big, Beautiful Betrayal of New Mexico Families to Give Tax Handouts to Billionaires

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) stood up for New Mexico families by voting against Senate Republicans’ budget reconciliation that funds Republicans’ tax handouts for billionaires at the expense of working people.
    For over 27 hours, Heinrich pushed to amend Republicans’ reconciliation legislation, repeatedly voting to lower costs for families, block cuts to Medicaid, protect rural hospitals in New Mexico, extend tax credits for health care premiums, and prevent millions of Americans from losing their health insurance.
    “The largest cut to Medicaid in American history. The largest transfer of wealth to the rich in American history. The largest cut to food assistance in American history. The largest increase to the national deficit in American history: That’s what this bill represents. And it has one effect — billionaires win, American families lose. It’s a betrayal of working families masquerading as legislation.
    “If signed into law, this bill will hike electricity bills, leave tens of millions uninsured, cut food assistance for millions more, shutter hundreds of nursing homes, force rural hospitals to close, and send health insurance premiums soaring. The consequences of this bill will be deadly — and Republicans will own every single one.
    “Senate Republicans had a choice: stand with working families or bend to billionaires. They chose greed, cruelty, and a callous disregard for the people they represent. New Mexicans and all Americans will suffer for it. I urge all Americans to raise their voices and call on their elected leaders in the House of Representatives to stop this disaster before it becomes law.”
    Last night, Senate Republicans blocked Heinrich’s efforts to:
    Fight Increasing Costs
    Senate Republicans voted against:
    Lowering health care costs for working families and small businesses and ensuring the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes.
    Protecting food assistance for kids, veterans, and seniors, including 223,000 New Mexicans from losing all or part of their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in just the first year this bill is enacted into law.
    Preventing cuts to Medicaid that could lead to increased costs for people with private insurance.
    Increasing the Child Tax Credit by ensuring the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes.
    Lower energy prices for families and small businesses by preserving the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy tax credits.
    Providing permanent tax relief for overtime wages for working class Americans.
    Protect families and small businesses from cost increases by ending the trade war with Canada.
    Preventing any policy changes that raise the cost of electricity prices.

    Protect Rural Hospitals
    Senate Republicans voted against:
    Preventing rural hospitals from closing, converting, reducing, or stopping services, including emergency care, mental health care, and labor and delivery services.
    As a result, this bill could cause 6 to 8 rural hospitals to close in New Mexico, according to the New Mexico Hospital Association.

    Protect Medicaid
    Senate Republicans voted against:
    Stopping cuts to Medicaid and preventing over 90,000 New Mexicans from losing their coverage within the first year alone.
    Stopping cuts to Medicaid that put 4 four nursing homes in New Mexico at risk of closure.
    Stopping cuts to Medicaid that help fund substance use disorder treatment.
    Protecting millions of Americans from losing their health care as a result of new administrative burdens and paperwork requirements.
    Extending the health care premium tax credits created in the Affordable Care Act to prevent millions of people from losing health insurance.
    Keeping labor and delivery units open by stopping cuts to Medicaid that fund 40% of births nationwide and nearly 50% of births in rural communities.
    Ensuring access to reproductive care — including cancer screenings and birth control – by keeping Planned Parenthood funded.
    Expanding Medicaid to cover dental, vision, and hearing and to cut the price of prescription drugs under Medicare in half.

    Protect Our National Security
    Senate Republicans voted against:
    The financial, health, and well-being of our nation’s veterans by prohibiting any federal agency from carrying out mass firings of veterans.

    Prioritize Working Families Over Billionaires
    Senate Republicans voted against:
    Preventing tax handouts for people making over $10 million a year.
    Preventing tax handouts for people and corporations making over $100 million a year.
    Preventing tax handouts for people making over $500 million a year.
    Preventing tax handouts for people making over $1 billion a year.
    Preventing tax handouts for corporations making over $1 billion a year.
    Preventing more than $37 trillion from being added to the debt in 30 years—more debt than has accumulated over the past 249 years.

    Below is a list of amendments that Heinrich filed to amend Republicans’ budget resolution to cut taxes for billionaires at the expense of working people:
    Amendment to stop a new burdensome requirement that could strip health care from 64,000 New Mexicans on Medicaid.
    Amendment to stop a $268 million cost shift that could force New Mexico to cut SNAP benefits and kick families off their food assistance.
    Amendment to protect food assistance for hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans by stopping harsh, burdensome work requirements that would cut SNAP benefits for families, including 39,790 New Mexicans who could lose their benefits altogether.
    Amendment to expand Medicare to cover dental, vision and hearing and cut prescription drug prices under Medicare by 50%.
    Amendment to ensure no increase in cost for middle class families or individuals using Medicaid, CHIP, or private insurance marketplaces established by the ACA.
    Amendment to lower student loan payments by blocking a plan to force borrowers into a more expensive repayment option.
    Amendment to protect students from losing their Pell Grants to cover the cost of rising tuition costs.
    Amendment to protect a tax credit that helps families keep energy costs low by incentivizing clean energy upgrades like installing home heat pumps.
    Amendment to protect a tax credit that helps families save on energy bills and make their homes more comfortable and energy efficient.
    Amendment to protect a tax credit that incentivizes developers and home builders to build energy-efficient homes.
    Amendment to remove a provision in the bill that bars workers providing Medicaid home- and community-based services from obtaining job-based health insurance, retirement benefits, skills training, and the option to have a voice on the job through a union.
    Amendment to save the Inflation Reduction Act’s EPA Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles grant program that makes our air cleaner, improves public health, spurs important energy and fuel savings for public school districts, and creates high-quality jobs.
    Amendment to protect funding for air pollution reductions, greenhouse gas corporate reporting, methane emissions and waste reduction, environmental and climate justice block grants.
    Amendment to protect the $7,500 clean vehicle tax credit to help Americans with the upfront cost of electric vehicles.
    Amendment to provide $200 million in economic assistance for facilities and businesses harmed by the New World screwworm outbreak.
    Amendment to provide $500 million to combat the spread of and eradicate the New World screwworm through surveillance, training, biosecurity, research, and the construction of sterile fly production and dispersal facilities.
    Amendment to protect mixed-status families by removing unjust new vetting rules that discourage adults from sponsoring unaccompanied children in need of care.
    Amendment to eliminate $2 billion in wasteful spending for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which would fund unjust, extreme immigration enforcement measures that target vulnerable migrants and expand deportation efforts.
    Amendment to block nearly $30 billion from funding U.S. Immigration and Customs’ (ICE) extreme and unconstitutional immigration enforcement agenda.
    Amendment to stop steep new immigration fees that would block immigrants from applying for legal status and push more strain onto New Mexico border communities and law enforcement.
    Amendment to stop $46 billion in wasteful spending on President Trump’s border wall, which bypasses environmental regulations and threatens important wildlife habitats for dozens of endangered species, including Mexican gray wolves in New Mexico and Arizona.
    Amendment to shift funding away from unproductive, invasive background checks on immigrant families and instead invest in child welfare professionals at DHS to ensure unaccompanied kids receive safe, supportive care.
    Amendment to ban the President, Vice President, Senate-appointed Executive Branch Officials, Members of Congress, Special Government Employees, and their spouses and children from directly or indirectly issuing or profiting from cryptocurrencies.
    Below is a total list of amendments that Heinrich filed in his capacity as Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to amend Republicans’ budget resolution to cut taxes for billionaires at the expense of working people:
    Amendment to ensure meaningful Tribal consultation occurs on federal oil and gas leasing projects.
    Amendment that decouples Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) oil and gas leasing from renewable energy approvals.
    Amendment to protect clean energy manufacturing jobs.
    Amendment striking metallurgical coal from 45X Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credit, which has no phase out.
    Amendment prohibiting companies from receiving a royalty rate reduction authorized under OBBB if the price of oil rises above the price at the time of enactment, protecting taxpayers from high oil prices and pain at the pump.
    Amendment to strike provisions that would increase electricity prices on American households and force a debate on how OBBB raises costs.
    Amendment to strike the new Loan Program Office (LPO) title named “Energy Dominance Financing, which will give $1 billion to fund only coal, oil and gas projects, instead of opening financing to cleaner, cheaper energy options.
    Amendment reserving $100 million for Tribal Energy Projects from the $1 billion provided for “Energy Dominance Financing” program.
    Amendment to strike $1 billion from “Energy Dominance Financing,” which primarily finance coal, oil, and gas projects.
    Amendment grandfathering LPO pipeline projects in “Energy Dominance Financing,” ensuring that projects currently in LPO’s pipeline are still considered under the new program.
    Amendment eliminating Inflation Reduction Act recissions.
    Amendment to strike provision that expands oil and gas leasing in the National Preserve in Alaska, to protect Alaskan lands from additional leases.
    In February, Heinrich attempted to amend Republicans’ resolution by offering an amendment to reinstate blocked grants for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence and ensure law enforcement can hold predators and abusers accountable. Republicans voted against his amendment. Watch Heinrich’s video here.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen Statement on Senate Passage of Republicans’ “Big Betrayal”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    Published: 07.01.2025

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on Senate passage of Congressional Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill: 
    “I’m deeply disappointed that my Republican colleagues passed a bill that will rip away health care and food assistance for millions of Americans, spike health care premiums and increase energy costs for millions more, all so that the President can cut taxes for the ultra wealthy. What’s worse, they’re doing it on the backs of hardworking American families – making life even more expensive for the middle class to benefit the richest among us, all while driving our national debt through the roof. 
    “Americans want, expect and deserve elected representatives who work side-by-side to deliver solutions to the challenges they’re facing. This disaster of a bill does the exact opposite. When my Republican colleagues were scrambling to find support for their big betrayal, the President encouraged them to ‘close your eyes and get there.’ That’s no way to govern – and I can assure President Trump that Granite Staters’ eyes are wide open as we continue calling attention to each and every outrageous provision Washington Republicans crammed into this bill.” 

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement of U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine on FBI Headquarters

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) issued the following statement:
    “Moving the FBI from the Hoover Building to the Reagan Building isn’t a plan, it’s a punt. For years, Democratic and Republican administrations alike have agreed on the need for a secure, purpose-built headquarters that actually meets the FBI’s mission needs. This announcement brushes aside years of careful planning, ignores the recommendations of security and mission experts, and raises serious concerns about how this decision was made. Unfortunately, it fits a broader pattern from this administration — one marked by indiscriminate firings, canceled leases, and a general disregard for the federal workforce.
    “The law enforcement and intelligence professionals of the FBI deserve more than a hasty, improvised approach. They deserve a facility that matches the gravity of their work to keep Americans safe.”

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Releases Bombshell Records Showing FBI Headquarters Interfered with Alleged Chinese Election Interference Probe to Shield Christopher Wray from Political Blowback

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today released internal Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) emails revealing the FBI suppressed intelligence of alleged Chinese interference in the 2020 election to insulate then-FBI Director Christopher Wray from criticism, after Wray provided inaccurate and contradictory testimony to Congress.
    The FBI declassified and provided the requested records to Grassley, along with an accompanying cover letter, after Grassley initially received some information from whistleblower disclosures. The FBI emails offer an inside look at the Bureau’s decision to recall and suppress an Intelligence Information Report (IIR) from the FBI’s Albany Field Office on September 25, 2020. The IIR contained information from an FBI Confidential Human Source (CHS) alleging the Chinese government was producing “tens of thousands” of fraudulent drivers’ licenses to manufacture mail-in votes for then-presidential candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 election. 
    According to the FBI, these allegations, despite showing initial signs of credibility, were allegedly never fully investigated due to the FBI’s sudden and “abnormal” decision to halt the investigation and bury the IIR’s existence, preventing any additional FBI field offices, as well as other Intelligence Community elements, from accessing or studying the document. The FBI’s stated reason for doing so was because “the reporting will contradict Director Wray’s testimony.” 
    “These records smack of political decision-making and prove the Wray-led FBI to be a deeply broken institution. Ahead of a high-stakes election happening amid an unprecedented global pandemic, the FBI turned its back on its national security mission,” Grassley said. “One way or the other, intelligence must be fully investigated to determine whether it’s true, or if it’s just smoke and mirrors. Chris Wray’s FBI wasn’t looking out for the American people – it was looking to save its own image. Now’s the time to rebuild the FBI’s trust. Director Patel’s willingness to work with me to establish renewed transparency and accountability is a critical part of that process, and I applaud him for his efforts.” 
    Political ReasoningFollowing the IIR’s recall, an FBI Albany intelligence analyst summarized the concerning series of events that led to the suppression:
    “Most concerning to me, is stating the reporting would contradict with Director Wray’s testimony. I found this troubling because it implied to me that one of the reasons we aren’t putting this out is for a political reason, which goes directly against our organization’s mission to remain apolitical and simply state what we know. Likewise, at the field operational level, I do not feel it is our job to assess whether or not our intelligence aligns with the Director…. My concern is that I think it gets dangerous if we cite potential political implications as reasons for not putting out our information.” 
    Source CredibilityAn FBI Albany official noted “the IIR was coordinated and disseminated in textbook fashion.” Further, a re-interview of the FBI CHS yielded additional context that supported the initial IIR’s findings. An FBI Albany official described the CHS as “competent” and “authentic in his/her reporting.” The CHS described the confidence in his/her sub-sourcing as a “9-10 range. [V]ery, very confident.”
    Decision for RecallAccording to an Assistant Section Chief in the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, the IIR immediately generated “a lot of attention from all [Headquarter] divisions.” 
    Upon receiving the IIR, an FBI Albany official stated, “We have no reason to recall at this point.” Minutes later, the Albany Field Office was commanded to recall the IIR at the direct request of officials at FBI Headquarters, including Nikki Floris, then-Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. Months before dismissing the IIR, Floris provided an unnecessary briefing to Grassley and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) regarding their investigation into the Biden family. The briefing – though classified – was later leaked to the press in an effort to falsely smear the senators’ investigation as Russian disinformation.
    Following the IIR’s recall, FBI Headquarters informed field offices that “all raw reporting concerning the election will now require [Headquarters] coordination,” which had not been previously required. 
    Contradictory TestimonyDuring sworn testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee (HSGAC) on September 24, 2020, Wray stated: 
    “I think what I would say is this: We take all election-related threats seriously, whether it is voter fraud, voter suppression, whether it is in person, whether it is by mail. And our role is to investigate the threat actors. Now, we have not seen historically any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election, whether it is by mail or otherwise… [B]ut people should make no mistake we are vigilant as to the threat and watching it carefully, because we are in uncharted new territory.” 
    Wray doubled down on his assertion in response to further questioning from HSGAC Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-Mich.).
    Peters: “Right, but your answer is clear. You have not seen any widespread fraud by mail. It is something the FBI watches continuously to make sure that that is not happening.” 
    Wray: “That is something that we would investigate seriously.” 
    Peters: “Absolutely.” 
    Wray: “And aggressively.” 
    FITF-China Prevents Further Follow-upOn October 8, 2020, an official with the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF)-China division confirmed FITF-China had still not approved a reissue of the IIR. Despite FITF-China offering to “discuss next steps” for the IIR, the FBI on June 27, 2025 confirmed to Grassley that they had “found no information to indicate that FITF-China aggressively investigated the reported information, despite corroborating intergovernmental reporting and logical investigative leads.” 
    Wray established FITF with the stated goal to “identify and counteract malign foreign influence operations targeting the United States.” Grassley called the Trump administration’s recent decision to close FITF “a positive step, given what the task force had been twisted into,” noting specifically its conduct against his and Senator Johnson’s Biden family investigation.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven: Senate Passes One Big Beautiful Bill, Providing Permanent Tax Relief for American Families and Small Businesses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    07.01.25

    Legislation Will Grow Economy, Bolster Border Security, Rebuild Military, Empower Energy Dominance and Support Farmers and Ranchers

    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today helped secure passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, legislation to provide permanent tax relief for American families and small businesses, while delivering on key promises, including:

    • Securing the border. 
    • Rebuilding our military.
    • Supporting farmers and ranchers.
    • Unleashing American energy dominance.

    At the same time, the legislation finds savings of $1.6 trillion through common sense reforms and reducing waste, fraud and abuse, ultimately reducing the deficit by $507 billion.

    “The One Big Beautiful Bill will provide permanent tax relief, ensuring that Americans can keep more of their hard-earned dollars,” said Hoeven. “This legislation delivers on promises made by President Trump, including securing the border, investing in our military, empowering American energy dominance and supporting our farmers and ranchers. These are the priorities that will make our nation more prosperous and more secure.”

    Tax Relief for Families and Small Businesses

    The legislation permanently extends current individual tax rates and bracket changes of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, preserving $2.6 trillion in tax breaks for those earning under $400,000 per year, and preventing a $1,700 tax hike on the average family of four.

    The bill provides new and expanded tax deductions and credits for individuals, families and seniors, including:

    • No taxes on tips or overtime for millions of American workers.
    • Increasing and making permanent the enhanced child tax credit at $2,200, with $1,700 of that amount being refundable, adjusted for inflation.
    • Permanent relief from the death tax by setting the exemption to $15 million or $30 million for those married filing jointly, adjusted for inflation.
    • Savings accounts for newborns to help build financial security.
    • A new $6,000 tax deduction for millions of low- and middle-income seniors. Combined with other deductions, this will result in the average beneficiary paying zero taxes on Social Security

    The legislation helps small businesses, including agricultural producers and manufacturers invest in their operations by:

    • Permanently extending the Section 199A pass-through deduction for small businesses, farmers and ranchers.
      • Permanently extending the Section 199A(g) deduction used by agricultural cooperatives.
    • Increasing the Section 179 expensing amount to $2.5 million and increasing the phaseout for qualified property at $4 million.
    • Establishing a 100 percent accelerated depreciation for new industrial and manufacturing facilities that begin construction between 2025-2028.
    • Making permanent the 30 percent interest expense allowance.
    • Permanently extending the 100 percent domestic research and development deduction.
    • Making permanent 100 percent bonus depreciation.

    Support for Farmers and Ranchers

    The legislation provides strong support for the nation’s farmers and ranchers, and improves the farm-safety net to meet today’s markets and input costs by:

    • Increasing reference prices for ARC and PLC by 10% to 20% (specific increase varies by commodity).
    • Providing built-in future reference price increases with an inflation adjuster and improved price escalator formula to prevent reference prices from becoming outdated when market and input costs change.
    • New safety net begins right away – producers can receive the higher of the ARC or PLC payment for this crop year, 2025, with the new updated reference prices. North Dakota farmers will see tens of millions of dollars in relief in 2025 alone thanks to these updates.
    • Includes key provisions of Hoeven’s FARMER Act to strengthen and expand access to affordable crop insurance
      • Increases premium support for individual-based coverage across nearly all levels – starting at 55% — by an additional 3-5%.
      • Enhances the Supplemental Coverage Option by raising the coverage level from 86% to 90%, and boosts premium support from 65% to 80%.
    • Extends the sugar program through 2031, while increasing the sugar loan rate to meet current market conditions.
    • Improves livestock disaster programs
      • Sets Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) payments at 100% of market value for losses from federally protected predators and 75% for weather and disease losses.
      • Improves the Livestock Forage Program (LFP) to provide one monthly payment to eligible producers with grazing land in counties rated D2 (severe drought) for at least four consecutive weeks and two payments if D2 persists during any seven of eight consecutive weeks within the normal grazing period.

    Unleashing U.S. Energy Dominance

    The One Big Beautiful Bill will help restore American energy dominance by rolling back burdensome Green New Deal policies and empowering domestic energy production, including:

    • Increasing the value of the 45Q tax credit for captured carbon used in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and utilization to match that of sequestration.
    • Requiring the Interior Department to hold regular oil and gas lease sales across federal lands and waters.
    • Requiring the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to act timely on coal lease applications.
    • Reducing the royalty rate for oil, gas and coal produced on federal land to their levels prior to the Biden administration’s tax-and-spend legislation.
    • Stopping the Biden-era natural gas tax.
    • Investing in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
    • Providing regulatory relief for energy producers and repeals Biden-era Green New Deal policies and programs.

    Bolstering the Military

    • $25 billion to support the Golden Dome initiative, with investments in hypersonic testing, ground-based radars, and space-based sensors that support North Dakota-based missions and capabilities.
    • $15 billion to enhance nuclear deterrence, including the nuclear missions based at Minot Air Force Base:
      •  $2.5 billion for the new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program.
      • $500 million to sustain the existing Minuteman III ICBM.
      • $200 million for additional MH-1139 Grey Wolf helicopters.
    • Improves servicemembers’ quality of life through increased allowances and special pays, as well as improvements to housing, health care, childcare, and education.

    Securing the Border

    • Completes construction of the border wall, and upgrades barrier systems including access roads, cameras, lights, and sensors.
    • Improves border screening technology to help prevent drug trafficking and human smuggling.
    • Strong funding to hire and train more border security personnel.
    • Funds the Operation Stonegarden grant program to equip state and local law enforcements to cooperate with Border Patrol.
    • Invests in state and local capabilities to detect threats from unmanned aerial systems.

    Supporting Water Infrastructure

    • Provides $1 billion in funding for Bureau of Reclamation Water Conveyance Projects, including for eligible projects like the Eastern North Dakota Alternate Water Supply Project (ENDAWS).

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Risch Statement on the Senate Passage of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho James E Risch

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) today released the following statement on advancing President Trump’s America First agenda through the passage of the Senate budget reconciliation bill.

    “The American people gave us a mandate—secure the border, make the Trump tax cuts permanent, dismantle the Green New Deal, and address wasteful spending. While no bill is perfect, the One, Big, Beautiful Bill delivers on these priorities and provides working Americans with the largest tax cut in history,” said Risch.“Congress is not done tackling out-of-control spending. I remain committed to reining in the national debt and ending the waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars.”

    Key achievements of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill include:

    • Cutting $1.6 trillion in federal spending;

    • Providing the largest tax relief in U.S. history for working Idahoans and making the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent;

    • Directing historic funding to secure the southern border, finish border wall construction, and strengthen immigration enforcement;

    • Protecting Idaho’s public lands from being sold to the highest bidder;

    • Repealing Green New Deal subsidies for unreliable, intermittent renewable wind and solar and preventing Idaho tax dollars from bankrolling unwanted projects like Lava Ridge;

    • Modernizing and extending Farm Bill safety net programs to support Idaho farmers and ranchers;

    • Preserving Medicaid for vulnerable Americans by enacting common-sense reforms that prioritize resources for those who need care;

    • Eliminating taxes on most firearms under the National Firearms Act, including suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns; and

    • Enhancing national security through investments in servicemember quality of life, Golden Dome for America, and military procurement.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • Trump escalates feud with Musk, threatens Tesla, SpaceX support

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to cut off the billions of dollars in subsidies that Elon Musk’s companies receive from the federal government, in an escalation of the war of words between the president and the world’s richest man, one-time allies who have since fallen out.

    The feud reignited on Monday when Musk, who spent hundreds of millions on Trump’s re-election, renewed his criticism of Trump’s tax-cut and spending bill, which would eliminate subsidies for electric vehicle purchases that have benefited Tesla, the leading U.S. EV maker. That bill passed the Senate by a narrow margin midday Tuesday.

    “He’s upset that he’s losing his EV mandate and … he’s very upset about things but he can lose a lot more than that,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

    Though Musk has often said government subsidies should be eliminated, Tesla has historically benefited from billions of dollars in tax credits and other policy benefits because of its business in clean transportation and renewable energy. The Trump administration has control over many of those programs, some of which are targeted in the tax bill, including a $7,500 consumer tax credit that has made buying or leasing EVs more attractive for consumers.

    Tesla shares dropped more than 5.5% Tuesday.

    The Tesla CEO renewed threats to start a new political party and spend money to unseat lawmakers who support the tax bill, despite campaigning on limiting government spending. Republicans have expressed concern that Musk’s on-again, off-again feud with Trump could hurt their chances to protect their majority in the 2026 midterm congressional elections.

    Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pushed back on Musk’s criticism that the bill would balloon the deficit, saying, “I’ll take care of” the country’s finances.

    Musk spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aimed at cutting government spending, before he pulled back his involvement in late May. Trump on Truth Social on Tuesday suggested Musk might receive more subsidies “than any human being in history, by far,” adding: “No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE.”

    Trump later doubled down, telling reporters with a smile, “DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon.”

    In response to Trump’s threats, Musk said on his own social media platform X, “I am literally saying CUT IT ALL. Now.” He later added that he could escalate the exchange with Trump but said, “I will refrain for now.”

    CHALLENGES TO TESLA

    The feud could create new challenges for Musk’s business empire, particularly as the electric automaker — his primary source of wealth — bets heavily on the success of its robotaxi program currently being tested in Austin, Texas. The speed of Tesla’s robotaxi expansion depends heavily on state and federal regulation of self-driving vehicles.

    “The substance of Tesla’s valuation right now is based on progress towards autonomy. I don’t think anything is going to happen on that front, but that is the risk,” said Gene Munster, managing partner at Tesla investor Deepwater Asset Management.

    Analysts expect another rough quarter when the EV maker reports second-quarter delivery figures on Wednesday. Sales in major European markets were mixed, data showed Tuesday, as Musk’s embrace of hard-right politics has alienated potential buyers in several markets worldwide. The elimination of the EV credit could hit Tesla’s earnings by as much as $1.2 billion, about 17% of its 2024 operating income, J.P. Morgan analysts estimated earlier this year.

    Gary Black, a longtime Tesla investor who manages money for the Future Fund LLC, sold his shares recently as car sales declined. He told Reuters he is considering when to reinvest and that eliminating electric vehicle credits would harm Tesla. In a separate post on X, Black said: “Not sure why @elonmusk didn’t see this coming as a result of him speaking out against passage of President Trump’s big beautiful bill.”

    The U.S. Transportation Department regulates vehicle design and will play a key role in deciding if Tesla can mass-produce robotaxis without pedals and steering wheels, while Musk’s rocket firm SpaceX has about $22 billion in federal contracts.

    Tesla also gets regulatory credits for selling electric vehicles, and has reaped nearly $11 billion by selling those credits to other automakers who are unable to comply with increasingly strict vehicle emissions rules. Without those sales, the company would have posted a first-quarter loss in April.

    Trump had in early June threatened to cut Musk’s government contracts when their relationship erupted into an all-out social media brawl over the tax-cut bill, which non-partisan analysts estimate would add about $3 trillion to the U.S. debt.

    Asked if he was going to deport Musk, a naturalized U.S. citizen, Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Tuesday: “I don’t know. We’ll have to take a look.”

    -Reuters

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crypto Asset Exchange-Traded Products

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    As part of an effort to provide greater clarity on the application of the federal securities laws to crypto assets,[1] the Division of Corporation Finance is providing its views[2] on the application of certain disclosure requirements under the federal securities laws to offerings and registrations of securities by issuers of crypto asset exchange-traded products (“crypto asset ETPs”). Crypto asset ETPs are investment products that are listed and traded on national securities exchanges. They are typically structured as trusts that hold assets which consist of spot crypto assets or derivative instruments that reference crypto assets. These trusts are issuers of securities who must register their offerings and classes of securities under the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”) and Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), respectively. Issuers of crypto asset ETPs[3] are also subject to the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws. However, the crypto asset ETPs addressed in this statement are not registered as investment companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940.[4]

    The disclosures required in connection with offerings and registrations under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act protect investors, facilitate capital formation, and promote fair, orderly, and efficient markets. In recent years, issuers have registered offerings of crypto asset ETPs under the Securities Act and registered classes of these securities under the Exchange Act. This statement reflects our observations regarding disclosure practices in our reviews of crypto asset ETP filings. It also addresses our views about certain specific questions that market participants have presented to the staff. While disclosures should be based on an issuer’s specific facts and circumstances, we believe that issuers may benefit from the identification of common issues we have observed during our reviews.

    This statement addresses our views about certain disclosure requirements set forth in Regulation S-K and Regulation S-X as they apply to Securities Act registration forms (such as Form S-1). This statement does not address all material disclosure items, and the disclosure topics addressed below may not be relevant for all issuers. Each issuer should consider its own facts and circumstances when preparing its disclosures. Each issuer also should consider whether it is permitted to provide “scaled disclosure” with respect to any applicable disclosure requirements.[5] Moreover, issuers should note that disclosure is not required where a particular disclosure requirement is not applicable.[6]

    Cover Page

    SEC rules require issuers to provide information on the outside front cover page of the prospectus related to the offering, including the offering price of the securities, the nature of any underwriting arrangements and the name(s) of the underwriter(s).[7] Crypto asset ETPs are required to disclose on the cover page the initial offering price of the securities. We have observed cover page disclosure identifying the initial authorized participant (“AP”)[8] or the initial purchaser as a statutory underwriter.

    Prospectus Summary

    SEC rules require issuers to provide a summary in plain English of the information in the prospectus where the length or complexity of the prospectus makes a summary useful.[9] In this summary, we have observed issuers that have identified those aspects of the offering that are the most significant and highlighted those points in clear, plain language, avoiding merely repeating the text of the prospectus.[10] Examples of disclosure we have observed in the prospectus summary include:

    • An overview of the trust, including a clear description of the investment objective of the trust and the tracking index or benchmark it plans to reference;
    • A description of the underlying crypto asset(s) and the associated network(s);
    • The issuer’s policies regarding the management of the underlying crypto asset(s), including any limitations on how they are held or used;
    • The issuer’s policies regarding any incidental rights associated with the underlying crypto assets(s), including forks, airdrops, or similar events; and
    • That the amount of underlying crypto assets per share held by the trust will decline over time as the crypto assets are sold to pay the trust’s fees and expenses.

    Risk Factors

    SEC rules require a discussion of the material factors that make an investment in the issuer and product speculative or risky.[11] The content and scope of an issuer’s risk disclosure will depend on the nature of the security, the issuer’s business, the underlying crypto asset(s), the tracking index or benchmark, and, if material, may include factors such as the characteristics of the security, limited rights of holders, insurance coverage, valuation and liquidity risks, technological risks, cybersecurity risks, and legal, regulatory and tax risks. Discussion of risks that could apply generically to any issuer is discouraged.[12] The following are examples of risks that have been disclosed:

    • Risks related to the underlying crypto asset(s) and crypto asset markets that pose a risk of investor losses, including price volatility, theft of private keys and other hacking incidents, and the risk of price volatility from other parts of the crypto asset markets;
    • Risks of fraud, manipulation, front-running, wash-trading, security failures or operational problems on crypto asset trading platforms;
    • Risks of attacks on the associated network(s) by malicious actors;
    • Risks of concentration of ownership in the underlying crypto asset(s);
    • Risks from loss of incentives for miners and validators of the underlying crypto asset(s);
    • Risks from other competing products that have already entered the market or that charge lower fees; and
    • Risks from APs and other service providers or counterparties providing services for competitors.

    Description of Business

    The Trust, Crypto Asset Prices, and Calculation of NAV

    SEC rules require issuers to provide a narrative description of the material aspects of their business.[13] Crypto asset ETPs generally provide disclosure regarding the trust’s assets, including the characteristics of the underlying crypto asset(s), and describe the applicable index or benchmark methodology, as well as the methodology to calculate net asset value (“NAV”).[14] Disclosure should be presented in clear, concise, and understandable language, without overly relying on technical terminology or jargon.[15] For example, to the extent applicable, we have observed disclosure that:

    Underlying Crypto Asset(s) and Associated Network(s)

    • Provides material information about the underlying crypto asset(s) and associated network(s), including information about the launch of the crypto asset(s) and the initial development team, the method of generating, minting or mining the crypto asset(s), the process for staking, locking and burning the crypto asset(s), the process for validating transactions, the consensus mechanism, use cases, and any fees associated with use of the crypto network(s) or applications;
    • Includes a discussion regarding the total supply of the underlying crypto asset(s) covering the amounts outstanding, issued and burned, the market capitalization for the crypto asset(s), whether there is a cap on supply and what the minting and burning schedule is, as well as material events impacting the supply of the crypto asset(s), such as halving events, modifications to the protocol, and any recent or planned forks; and
    • Describes the spot and/or futures markets for the underlying crypto asset(s), including how those markets are regulated.

    Index or Benchmark

    • Identifies and provides tabular disclosure for each constituent trading platform used to calculate the index or benchmark price, including market share and volume information;
    • Describes how the constituent trading platforms are selected and how the index or benchmark price is calculated;
    • Includes the composition and operation of any oversight committee; and
    • Specifies whether the sponsor has discretion to select a different index or benchmark and discusses whether and how the sponsor will notify investors of material changes to the index or benchmark.

    Calculation of NAV

    • Describes the methodology the trust will use to calculate NAV and the policies and procedures if the index or benchmark is unavailable or the sponsor elects not to rely on it;
    • If the methodology used to calculate NAV differs from the methodology used to determine the fair value of crypto asset holdings for GAAP purposes, provides a discussion of the differences between the two methodologies; and
    • Discloses whether the sponsor has agreements with any third parties for use of their valuation methodologies and whether the sponsor has a license to use a secondary index or benchmark.

    The Trust’s Service Providers, Custody of the Trust’s Assets, and Fees and Expenses

    SEC rules require disclosure of information material to an understanding of the issuer’s business,[16] which may include the extent to which the issuer’s business is materially reliant on third parties. Issuers generally rely on the services of a sponsor and several third-party service providers, including one or more crypto asset custodians. Issuers generally pay a fee to the sponsor of the trust that typically covers the issuer’s operating expenses. Issuers generally disclose the various fees and expenses payable to the sponsor and third-party service providers. Additionally, issuers are required to file as exhibits to the registration statement material contracts not made in the ordinary course of their business, or in the case of ordinary course contracts, those on which they are substantially dependent, except where immaterial in amount or significance.[17] In this regard, we have observed issuers providing the following to the extent applicable:

    The Trust’s Service Providers

    • Identifying the APs, describing the material terms of the AP agreement, and filing the agreement as an exhibit to the registration statement;
    • Identifying any counterparties contracted to assist in the purchase and sale of the underlying crypto asset(s), describing the material terms of any agreement with such parties, disclosing the extent of any affiliations or material relationships between the counterparties and the APs, discussing the criteria for engaging the counterparties, and filing any material agreements as exhibits to the registration statement; and
    • To the extent the trust has an agreement with a counterparty to provide financing for purchases and sales of the underlying crypto asset(s), disclosing the material terms of that arrangement, including the rate of interest, describing the mechanics of financing in connection with creation and redemption orders, and filing any material agreements as exhibits to the registration statement.

    Custody of the Trust’s Assets

    • Identifying and describing the material terms of their agreement(s) with the custodian(s);
    • Storage policies for private keys, including the use of cold, warm or hot storage, whether the issuer’s crypto assets are commingled or held in wallets with assets of other customers, and how transfers of crypto assets from cold, warm or hot storage occur;
    • Who will have access to the private key information and whether any entity will be responsible for verifying the existence of the crypto assets; and
    • Whether and to what extent the custodian carries insurance for any losses of the crypto asset(s) that it custodies for the issuer and to what extent insurance coverage is shared among the custodian’s customers and not specific to the issuer.

    Fees and Expenses

    • How the sponsor fee is calculated, which fees and expenses are assumed by the sponsor, and which fees are capped or otherwise not assumed by the sponsor;
    • The fee arrangements with third parties, including transaction fees and other expenses; and
    • Any arrangements for the sponsor fee or other fees to be paid using the trust’s underlying crypto asset holdings.

    Description of Securities

    SEC rules require a description of the issuer’s securities.[18] In describing the securities offered by the trust, issuers are required to disclose the circumstances under which shareholders have voting rights.[19] Examples of disclosure we have observed in this context include the following:

    • Any limitations or restrictions on voting rights;
    • Whether the rights of holders may be modified other than by a vote of a majority or more of the shares outstanding; and
    • How shareholders will be notified of material amendments to or termination of the trust agreement.

    Plan of Distribution

    SEC rules require disclosure of the plan of distribution of securities offered and sold in a registered offering.[20] Additionally, issuers conducting delayed or continuous offerings under Securities Act Rule 415 undertake to include in a post-effective amendment to the registration statement material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed or any material change to that information included in the effective registration statement.[21] Among other information, issuers have provided the following information regarding the plan of distribution:

    • The mechanics of the creation and redemption process between the trust, the APs, the custodian(s), and any other third-party service providers, whether and to what extent creation and redemption orders will be settled onchain or offchain, and any risks associated with the settlement process;
    • The potential impact on the arbitrage mechanism from price volatility, trading volume, and price differentials across crypto asset trading platforms, and in the event crypto asset trading platforms are closed or otherwise unavailable; and
    • Whether and under what circumstances the sponsor may suspend creation and redemption orders and how the trust will notify shareholders if it has suspended creation and redemption orders.

    Directors, Executive Officers, and Significant Employees

    Management

    SEC rules require disclosure of information relating to the identity and experience of those entrusted with the management of the issuer, including executive officers, directors, and certain significant employees who make (or are expected to make) a significant contribution to the issuer’s business.[22] SEC rules also require such disclosure for persons who do not hold formal titles or positions as executive officers or directors but who perform policy-making functions typically performed by executive officers or perform similar functions as directors.[23] Crypto asset ETPs typically have a sponsor whose directors and executive officers perform functions similar to a board of directors and executive officers for the trust. To the extent that a sponsor performs policy-making functions, disclosure has been provided with respect to the directors, executive officers, or other employees of the sponsor performing such functions. Although disclosure regarding executive compensation of the issuer would not be applicable in this situation,[24] we have observed disclosure of the fees paid to the sponsor or third party for performing such functions, as discussed in “The Trust’s Service Providers, Custody of the Trust’s Assets, and Fees and Expenses” above.[25]

    Conflicts of Interest

    SEC rules require disclosure of material information about transactions with related persons and policies and procedures related to the review, approval, or ratification of transactions with related persons.[26] Issuers have disclosed existing and potential conflicts of interest between the sponsor and its affiliates and the trust, including the following:

    • Whether the sponsor or any insiders hold the underlying crypto asset(s) or have crypto asset-related exposure that could create conflicts of interest;
    • Whether the trust has a code of conduct or other requirements for pre-clearance of transactions in the underlying crypto asset(s) that apply to its employees, the sponsor, or any of its affiliates; and
    • The sponsor’s experience sponsoring other exchange-traded products and its specific experience in crypto asset markets.

    Financial Statements

    We have observed that some issuers are organized as statutory trusts or limited partnerships that are registering the offer and sale of beneficial units or limited partnership interests in multiple series. In these instances, for purposes of SEC reporting, the staff has taken the position that the trust or partnership should be treated as the sole registrant, not the individual series.[27] However, the staff has also taken the position that in addition to providing financial statements of the trust or partnership, issuers should provide separate financial statements of each individual series. Issuers have separately provided, prepared, or evaluated, as applicable, the following for the sole registrant and for each series:

    • Separate financial statements and audit reports;
    • Separate interim financial statements; and
    • Separate assessments of materiality for Regulation S-K and Regulation S-X purposes, including Regulation S-X Rules 3-05, 3-09 and 4-08.

    Filing Fee Tables

    Issuers electing to register the offering of an indeterminate number of exchange-traded vehicle securities[28] in reliance on Securities Act Rules 456(d) and 457(u) should be aware that the EDGAR fee tag for “Type of payment” is “2” and the EDGAR “Security type” is “Exchange-Traded Vehicle Securities.” Failure to include these tags may prevent the issuer from being able to file a form of prospectus under Securities Act Rule 424(i) and pay its registration fee not later than 90 days after the end of any fiscal year during which it has publicly offered securities.

    Contacting the Division

    The Division welcomes questions about the application of the SEC’s disclosure rules to offerings and registrations of crypto asset ETPs, as well as any ongoing reporting obligations. We also welcome requests for other assistance (including requests for interpretive or no-action letters) relating to these issues and questions. Information about how to contact the Division is available on our website.[29]


    [1] For purposes of this statement, a “crypto asset” is an asset that is generated, issued, and/or transferred using a blockchain or similar distributed ledger technology network (“crypto network”), including, but not limited to, assets known as “tokens,” “digital assets,” “virtual currencies,” and “coins,” and that relies on cryptographic protocols. References in this statement to “network” refer to a crypto network, and references to “application” refer to an application running on such a crypto network.

    [2] This statement represents the views of the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Division”). It is not a rule, regulation, exemption, guidance, or statement of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission” or “SEC”), and the Commission has neither approved nor disapproved its content. This statement, like all staff statements, has no legal force or effect: it does not alter or amend applicable law, and it creates no new or additional obligations for any person.

    [3] For brevity, we refer to crypto asset ETP issuers as “issuers” in this statement.

    [4] As a result, these crypto asset ETPs are not subject to the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940, such as the legal requirements related to valuation and custody of fund assets.

    [5] Scaled disclosure refers to disclosure accommodations that the federal securities laws sometimes provide for smaller or newly public companies, such as smaller reporting companies, non-accelerated filers, or emerging growth companies. These accommodations apply to a qualifying company’s registered offerings and its ongoing public company reporting. Scaled disclosure permits these companies to provide less extensive disclosure than other companies.

    [6] See, e.g., Rule 404(c) under the Securities Act and General Instruction II.B. of Form S-1. For example, disclosure regarding properties only is required where issuers have material physical properties. See Item 102 of Regulation S-K.

    [7] See Item 501(b) of Regulation S-K.

    [8] APs are financial intermediaries that provide liquidity for crypto asset ETPs by facilitating the creation and redemption of shares (often referred to as creation and redemption units or creation and redemption baskets). APs place orders to create and redeem baskets.

    [9] See Item 503 of Regulation S-K.

    [10] See Instruction to paragraph 503(a) of Item 503 of Regulation S-K.

    [11] See Item 105 of Regulation S-K.

    [13] See Item 101 of Regulation S-K.

    [14] NAV of a crypto asset ETP is the trust’s total assets minus its total liabilities.

    [15] See Securities Act Rule 421(b).

    [16] See, e.g., Items 101(c) and 101(h) of Regulation S-K.

    [17] See Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K.

    [18] See Item 202 of Regulation S-K.

    [19] See Item 202(d) of Regulation S-K.

    [20] See Item 508 of Regulation S-K.

    [21] See Securities Act Rule 415(a)(3); Item 512(a)(1) of Regulation S-K; and Part II, Item 17 to Form S-1 and Part II, Item 17 to Form S-3.

    [22] See Item 401 of Regulation S-K.

    [23] See Securities Act Rule 405. Disclosure is not required where a particular disclosure requirement is not applicable, or the issuer otherwise does not have responsive information. For example, crypto asset ETPs do not have a board of directors and, therefore, do not provide disclosure regarding members of a board of directors.

    [24] See Item 402 of Regulation S-K.

    [25] See Item 404 of Regulation S-K.

    [26] See Item 404 of Regulation S-K.

    [27] See Securities Act Sections Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations, Question 104.01. Compliance and disclosure interpretations reflect the views of the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance. They are not rules, regulations, or statements of the Commission. The Commission has neither approved nor disapproved these interpretations.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Security: Crack Cocaine Dealer with an Arsenal Sentenced to 84 Months in Federal Prison

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

                WASHINGTON – Freddie Lee Hall, Jr., 57, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 84 months in prison in connection with distributing crack cocaine while in possession of multiple firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

                Hall pleaded guilty Feb. 13, 2025, before Judge Trevor N. McFadden to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. In addition to the prison sentence, Judge McFadden ordered Hall to serve five years of supervised release.

                According to court documents, Hall was recorded on surveillance cameras 13 times in 2024 as he sold distribution quantities of cocaine base – in amounts ranging from 13.5 grams to 106 grams, for a total over three-quarters of a kilogram – to a confidential informant working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division.

                ATF agents arrested Hall on Aug. 22, 2024, in Northwest Washington. The same day, agents executed a search warrant at Hall’s residence in District Heights, Maryland.  ATF special agents recovered seven firearms in total: a Ruger LC pistol concealed on a basement air duct; a Panzer BP12 shotgun, stashed behind a bedroom door; and five additional firearms in a gun safe that included a privately made firearm, aka a “ghost gun,” a loaded Ruger P89 pistol, a loaded Taurus GX4 pistol with an obliterated serial number, a Ruger P95 pistol, and a loaded American Tactical AR pistol with obliterated serial number. They also seized 1,400 rounds of ammunition from 17 firearms magazines.

                During the search ATF agents observed what appeared to be freshly manufactured crack cocaine drying on paper towels in a basement bedroom. They additionally recovered a large quantity of marijuana, 547 grams of powder cocaine, 72.86 grams of cocaine base, two pounds of suspected magic mushrooms, assorted drug paraphernalia and manufacturing devices, and more than $61,763 in cash.

                This case was investigated by the DEA Washington Division, the ATF Washington Field Division, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Prince George’s County Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the Prince George’s County Fire-EMS, Office of the Fire Marshal. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared English and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney.

    24cr378

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: Crack Cocaine Dealer with an Arsenal Sentenced to 84 Months in Federal Prison

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

                WASHINGTON – Freddie Lee Hall, Jr., 57, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 84 months in prison in connection with distributing crack cocaine while in possession of multiple firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

                Hall pleaded guilty Feb. 13, 2025, before Judge Trevor N. McFadden to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. In addition to the prison sentence, Judge McFadden ordered Hall to serve five years of supervised release.

                According to court documents, Hall was recorded on surveillance cameras 13 times in 2024 as he sold distribution quantities of cocaine base – in amounts ranging from 13.5 grams to 106 grams, for a total over three-quarters of a kilogram – to a confidential informant working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division.

                ATF agents arrested Hall on Aug. 22, 2024, in Northwest Washington. The same day, agents executed a search warrant at Hall’s residence in District Heights, Maryland.  ATF special agents recovered seven firearms in total: a Ruger LC pistol concealed on a basement air duct; a Panzer BP12 shotgun, stashed behind a bedroom door; and five additional firearms in a gun safe that included a privately made firearm, aka a “ghost gun,” a loaded Ruger P89 pistol, a loaded Taurus GX4 pistol with an obliterated serial number, a Ruger P95 pistol, and a loaded American Tactical AR pistol with obliterated serial number. They also seized 1,400 rounds of ammunition from 17 firearms magazines.

                During the search ATF agents observed what appeared to be freshly manufactured crack cocaine drying on paper towels in a basement bedroom. They additionally recovered a large quantity of marijuana, 547 grams of powder cocaine, 72.86 grams of cocaine base, two pounds of suspected magic mushrooms, assorted drug paraphernalia and manufacturing devices, and more than $61,763 in cash.

                This case was investigated by the DEA Washington Division, the ATF Washington Field Division, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Prince George’s County Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the Prince George’s County Fire-EMS, Office of the Fire Marshal. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared English and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney.

    24cr378

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI: BigCommerce Appoints Former Adobe Fellow and Vice President of Technology Anil Kamath to its Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    AUSTIN, Texas, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BigCommerce (Nasdaq: BIGC), a leading open SaaS ecommerce platform for B2C and B2B businesses, announced today that former Adobe Fellow and Vice President of Technology Anil Kamath has joined the BigCommerce Board of Directors.

    “Joining the Board of BigCommerce is an exciting opportunity to support BigCommerce’s innovation agenda through strategic guidance on data and AI,” Kamath said. “I see immense potential to leverage predictive analytics, personalization and intelligent automation to drive transformative growth for merchants. Ecommerce is one of the most dynamic frontiers for applied AI, and I’m thrilled to contribute to a vision that empowers businesses to scale smarter, serve customers better and innovate faster.”

    Over his 30-year career as a technology entrepreneur, advisor and leader, Kamath has developed expertise in business strategy, scaling companies, strategic oversight, governance and corporate development that, combined with his industry perspective, will enable him to provide BigCommerce with critical strategic guidance.

    During his 13 years at Adobe, Kamath was responsible for data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence for the Adobe Experience Cloud. Prior to joining Adobe, he was the founder and primary architect of Efficient Frontier, a digital ad buying platform that managed more than $2 billion in advertising spend until its acquisition by Adobe. He led the integration of Efficient Frontier into Adobe Marketing Cloud and developed data science-driven solutions that optimized customer acquisition, engagement, retention and growth across B2C and B2B businesses. More recently, he spearheaded the generative AI transformation for enterprise marketing, leading to the launch of Gen Studio for Performance Marketing.

    After a successful 13-year tenure at Adobe, Kamath transitioned earlier this year to focus on mentoring and supporting early-stage innovation. He is a longtime member of the Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs, as well as lead mentor and advisor at StartX, a non-profit accelerator for Stanford University startups.

    “Anil brings an extensive blend of strong leadership and valuable technological expertise to BigCommerce at a time when our industry and our business are going through some exciting changes,” said Travis Hess, CEO of BigCommerce. “His addition to our Board will help strengthen BigCommerce’s core offerings as well as inform the innovations we are building to drive business outcomes for merchants. We are excited to leverage his experience and look forward to Anil’s perspectives and contributions.”

    Kamath was appointed to the vacancy created upon the departure of BigCommerce board member Lawrence Bohn who had served since 2011, when he became BigCommerce’s first investor through General Catalyst’s Series A investment in the company.

    “I want to personally thank Larry for his many significant contributions to the growth and success of BigCommerce,” Hess said. “Since the earliest days of the company, Larry has been invaluable to BigCommerce, and throughout his tenure, he has championed a deep belief in our mission and strategy.”

    About BigCommerce
    BigCommerce (Nasdaq: BIGC) is a leading open SaaS and composable ecommerce platform that empowers brands, retailers, manufacturers and distributors of all sizes to build, innovate and grow their businesses online. BigCommerce provides its customers sophisticated professional-grade functionality, customization and performance with simplicity and ease-of-use. Tens of thousands of B2C and B2B companies across 150 countries and numerous industries rely on BigCommerce, including Coldwater Creek, Harvey Nichols, King Arthur Baking Co., MKM Building Supplies, United Aqua Group and Uplift Desk. For more information, please visit www.bigcommerce.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “outlook,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “can,” “predict,” “potential,” “strategy,” “target,” “explore,” “continue,” or the negative of these terms, and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. However, not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. By their nature, these statements are subject to numerous uncertainties and risks, including factors beyond our control, that could cause actual results, performance or achievement to differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. These assumptions, uncertainties and risks include that, among others, our expectations regarding our revenue, expenses, sales, and operations; anticipated trends and challenges in our business and the markets in which we operate; the war involving Russia and Ukraine and the potential impact on our operations, global economic and geopolitical conditions; the impacts of changes in U.S. trade policy and global tariffs; our anticipated areas of investments and expectations relating to such investments; our anticipated cash needs and our estimates regarding our capital requirements and refinancing; our ability to compete in our industry and innovation by our competitors; our ability to anticipate market needs or develop new or enhanced services to meet those needs; our ability to manage growth and to expand our infrastructure; our ability to establish and maintain intellectual property rights; our ability to manage expansion into international markets and new industries; our ability to hire and retain key personnel; our ability to successfully identify, manage, and integrate any existing and potential acquisitions; our ability to adapt to emerging regulatory developments, technological changes, and cybersecurity needs; the anticipated effect on our business of litigation to which we are or may become a party; the anticipated benefits and opportunities related to past and ongoing restructuring may not be realized or may take longer to realize than expected; our ability to manage key executive succession and retention or continue to attract qualified personnel; our ability to implement a go-to-market strategy that focuses on efficient profitable revenue growth, operating leverage, and healthy cash flow, may be impacted by unforeseen challenges in streamlining our organization and adapting to market dynamics; and our ability to remediate the material weakness could negatively affect our business. Additional risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements are included under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, our Quarterly Report for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, and the future quarterly and current reports that we file with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made and are based on information available to BigCommerce at the time those statements are made and/or management’s good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events. BigCommerce assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, except as required by law.

    BigCommerce® is a registered trademark of BigCommerce Pty. Ltd. Third-party trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

    Media Contact:
    Brad Hem
    pr@bigcommerce.com

    Investor Relations Contact:
    Tyler Duncan
    investorrelations@bigcommerce.com

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-Evening Report: What did ancient Rome smell like? Honestly, often pretty rank

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas J. Derrick, Gale Research Fellow in Ancient Glass and Material Culture, Macquarie University

    minoandriani/Getty Images

    The roar of the arena crowd, the bustle of the Roman forum, the grand temples, the Roman army in red with glistening shields and armour – when people imagine ancient Rome, they often think of its sights and sounds. We know less, however, about the scents of ancient Rome.

    We cannot, of course, go back and sniff to find out. But the literary texts, physical remains of structures, objects, and environmental evidence (such as plants and animals) can offer clues.

    So what might ancient Rome have smelled like?

    Honestly, often pretty rank

    In describing the smells of plants, author and naturalist Pliny the Elder uses words such as iucundus (agreeable), acutus (pungent), vis (strong), or dilutus (weak).

    None of that language is particularly evocative in its power to transport us back in time, unfortunately.

    But we can probably safely assume that, in many areas, Rome was likely pretty dirty and rank-smelling. Property owners did not commonly connect their toilets to the sewers in large Roman towns and cities – perhaps fearing rodent incursions or odours.

    Roman sewers were more like storm drains, and served to take standing water away from public areas.

    Professionals collected faeces for fertiliser and urine for cloth processing from domestic and public latrines and cesspits. Chamber pots were also used, which could later be dumped in cesspits.

    This waste disposal process was just for those who could afford to live in houses; many lived in small, non-domestic spaces, barely furnished apartments, or on the streets.

    A common whiff in the Roman city would have come from the animals and the waste they created. Roman bakeries frequently used large lava stone mills (or “querns”) turned by mules or donkeys. Then there was the smell of pack animals and livestock being brought into town for slaughter or sale.

    Animals were part of life in the Roman empire.
    Marco_Piunti/Getty Images

    The large “stepping-stones” still seen in the streets of Pompeii were likely so people could cross streets and avoid the assorted feculence that covered the paving stones.

    Disposal of corpses (animals and human) was not formulaic. Depending on the class of the person who had died, people might well have been left out in the open without cremation or burial.

    Bodies, potentially decaying, were a more common sight in ancient Rome than now.

    Suetonius, writing in the first century CE, famously wrote of a dog carrying a severed human hand to the dining table of the Emperor Vespasian.

    Deodorants and toothpastes

    In a world devoid of today’s modern scented products – and daily bathing by most of the population – ancient Roman settlements would have smelt of body odour.

    Classical literature has some recipes for toothpaste and even deodorants.

    However, many of the deodorants were to be used orally (chewed or swallowed) to stop one’s armpits smelling.

    One was made by boiling golden thistle root in fine wine to induce urination (which was thought to flush out odour).

    The Roman baths would likely not have been as hygienic as they may appear to tourists visiting today. A small tub in a public bath could hold between eight and 12 bathers.

    The Romans had soap, but it wasn’t commonly used for personal hygiene. Olive oil (including scented oil) was preferred. It was scraped off the skin with a strigil (a bronze curved tool).

    This oil and skin combination was then discarded (maybe even slung at a wall). Baths had drains – but as oil and water don’t mix, it was likely pretty grimy.

    Scented perfumes

    The Romans did have perfumes and incense.

    The invention of glassblowing in the late first century BCE (likely in Roman-controlled Jerusalem) made glass readily available, and glass perfume bottles are a common archaeological find.

    Animal and plant fats were infused with scents – such as rose, cinnamon, iris, frankincense and saffron – and were mixed with medicinal ingredients and pigments.

    The roses of Paestum in Campania (southern Italy) were particularly prized, and a perfume shop has even been excavated in the city’s Roman forum.

    The trading power of the vast Roman empire meant spices could be sourced from India and the surrounding regions.

    There were warehouses for storing spices such as pepper, cinnamon and myrrh in the centre of Rome.

    In a recent Oxford Journal of Archaeology article, researcher Cecilie Brøns writes that even ancient statues could be perfumed with scented oils.

    Sources frequently do not describe the smell of perfumes used to anoint the statues, but a predominantly rose-based perfume is specifically mentioned for this purpose in inscriptions from the Greek city of Delos (at which archaeologists have also identified perfume workshops). Beeswax was likely added to perfumes as a stabiliser.

    Enhancing the scent of statues (particularly those of gods and goddesses) with perfumes and garlands was important in their veneration and worship.

    An olfactory onslaught

    The ancient city would have smelt like human waste, wood smoke, rotting and decay, cremating flesh, cooking food, perfumes and incense, and many other things.

    It sounds awful to a modern person, but it seems the Romans did not complain about the smell of the ancient city that much.

    Perhaps, as historian Neville Morley has suggested, to them these were the smells of home or even of the height of civilisation.

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

    ref. What did ancient Rome smell like? Honestly, often pretty rank – https://theconversation.com/what-did-ancient-rome-smell-like-honestly-often-pretty-rank-257111

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: Farming within Earth’s limits is still possible – but it will take a Herculean effort

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michalis Hadjikakou, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Sustainability, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering & Built Environment, Deakin University

    Patrick Pleul/Getty

    The way we currently produce and consume food takes a big toll on the environment.

    Worldwide, farming is responsible for more than 20% of greenhouse gas emissions and uses more than 70% of all fresh water taken from rivers, lakes and groundwater. It’s the leading driver of deforestation and nutrient pollution, largely from fertiliser run-off. All of these pose a serious threat to ecosystems.

    If this sounds serious, it’s because it is. If emissions and land clearing trends continue, the world’s food system alone could make it impossible to meet climate targets. If we continue eating and producing food in the same way we are now, we will almost certainly exceed crucial environmental limits by 2050.

    What can be done? In our new research, we looked for ways to keep the food system within environmental limits by 2050. We found only one approach worked: combine high-impact changes such as shifting to flexitarian (low meat) diets, improving farming practices and reducing food waste.

    Why will farming take us past environmental limits?

    Environmental limits are also known as planetary boundaries. These nine boundaries are Earth’s natural safety limits. They range from freshwater resources to the biosphere to the climate. Human activities have pushed past six out of nine safe boundaries through clearing too much land, overusing water for irrigation, overapplying fertilisers or emitting more than our shrinking carbon budget permits.

    If we cross these thresholds, we risk dangerous and irreversible changes to the conditions supporting a stable planet.

    Transforming the way we farm and eat is essential if we are to keep humanity in a safe operating space within environmental limits.

    The 2021 documentary Breaking Boundaries focused on the very real dangers of breaching planetary limits.

    What does this transformation look like?

    The challenge of making food production sustainable is long-running. Previous research has compared the effectiveness of different changes authorities and consumers could make. But most studies used different models, making it hard to compare changes.

    To overcome this problem, we synthesised information from previous studies and built a database of thousands of future food system scenarios and possible changes. Then we performed a meta-analysis to combine data from multiple studies and draw more robust conclusions.

    This approach allows policymakers and researchers to compare apples and apples, as well as see which combination of changes would let us stay within crucial safety limits by 2050.

    We focused on four vital indicators: how much land and water is used for farming; the amount of greenhouse gases emitted; and the flows of two key nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus.

    What works best?

    What stood out was the sheer variation in effectiveness. Some changes would work very well across several areas, while others would take a lot of effort for not enough result.

    Two changes punch well above their weight on land, water and emissions.

    The first is shifting to a flexitarian diet with fewer foods sourced from animals. This is similar to traditional regional diets such as the Mediterranean and Okinawan diets, where meat and dairy are eaten in much smaller proportions compared to whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes.

    Returning to this diet could shrink how much land we use for farming by almost a quarter (24%), cut water demand by 14% and slash greenhouse gas emissions by 47%.

    Traditional diets such as the Mediterranean diet rely less on animal products and more on plants, nuts, oils and legumes.
    monticello/Shutterstock

    The second is breeding better livestock. Livestock today are much better at converting their feed into meat or milk than their precursors. But this could be better still. More productive animals could enable an 18% reduction in land use, a 10% drop in water use and a 34% cut to emissions.

    Modern fertilisers have made it possible to produce many more crops and fodder. But if too much fertiliser is applied, it can wash off after rain and pollute waterways.

    Better timed and more precise application of fertiliser is by far the best way to cut nutrient pollution. Major improvements here could cut nitrogen pollution by 39% and phosphorus pollution by 42%. As a side benefit, it could save farmers money.



    Increasing crop yields, lowering agricultural emissions through better soil management and other practices, and taking up technologies such as methane-reducing supplements can significantly reduce our risk of exceeding environmental limits. So too can cutting food waste and using water more wisely in farming. Our extended results show the relative benefits of ten possible interventions.

    There is no silver bullet

    We found no single change was up to the task of making food production and consumption sustainable.

    We considered over a million possible combinations of changes. Of these combinations, only a tiny fraction – 0.02% – give us a fighting chance of staying within all environmental limits.

    In almost all successful combinations, the world would need to make significant cuts to how many calories come from animals, make big improvements to fertiliser use and nutrient management, and focus research and development on finding ways to farm land and livestock with less resources and emissions.

    Most successful combinations also rely on halving food waste and reducing overconsumption.

    Is it still possible?

    Farming within the limits of Earth’s systems will be hard. But it is possible.

    Some work is already being done. Global organisations such as the United Nations are making a concerted effort to accelerate changes to food systems across many countries.

    Research like ours can make people feel powerless. But individual change is always worthwhile. Reducing your intake of animal products benefits your health and the planet.

    Properly addressing these very real issues will take concerted, collective work. If we don’t succeed, we risk triggering ecological collapse – and threatening the foundation for human civilisation.

    The knowledge and tools are at hand. What’s needed now is ambition – and a sense of what’s at stake.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    ref. Farming within Earth’s limits is still possible – but it will take a Herculean effort – https://theconversation.com/farming-within-earths-limits-is-still-possible-but-it-will-take-a-herculean-effort-259901

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: Gum disease, decay, missing teeth: why people with mental illness have poorer oral health

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bonnie Clough, Senior Lecturer, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University

    mihailomilovanovic/Getty Images

    People with poor mental health face many challenges. One that’s perhaps lesser known is that they’re more likely than the overall population to have poor oral health.

    Research has shown people with serious mental illness are four times more likely than the general population to have gum disease. They’re nearly three times more likely to have lost all their teeth due to problems such as gum disease and tooth decay.

    Serious mental illnesses include major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. These conditions affect about 800,000 Australians.

    People living with schizophrenia have, on average, eight more teeth that are decayed, missing or filled than the general population.

    So why does this link exist? And what can we do to address the problem?

    Why is this a problem?

    Oral health problems are expensive to fix and can make it hard for people to eat, socialise, work or even just smile.

    What’s more, dental issues can land people in hospital. Our research shows dental conditions are the third most common reason for preventable hospital admissions among people with serious mental illness.

    Meanwhile, poor oral health is linked with long-term health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, and even cognitive problems. This is because the bacteria associated with gum diseases can cause inflammation throughout the body, which affects other systems in the body.

    Why are mental health and oral health linked?

    Poor mental and oral health share common risk factors. Social factors such as isolation, unemployment and housing insecurity can worsen both oral and mental health.

    For example, unemployment increases the risk of oral disease. This can be due to financial difficulties, reduced access to oral health care, or potential changes to diet and hygiene practices.

    At the same time, oral disease can increase barriers to finding employment, due to stigma, discrimination, dental pain and associated long-term health conditions.

    It’s clear the relationship between oral health and mental health goes both ways. Dental disease can reduce self-esteem and increase psychological distress. Meanwhile, symptoms of mental health conditions, such as low motivation, can make engaging in good oral health practices, including brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist, more difficult.

    And like many people, those with serious mental illness can experience significant anxiety about going to the dentist. They may also have experienced trauma in the past, which can make visiting a dental clinic a frightening experience.

    Separately, poor oral health can be made worse by some medications for mental health conditions. Certain medications can interfere with saliva production, reducing the protective barrier that covers the teeth. Some may also increase sugar cravings, which heightens the risk of tooth decay.

    Some medications people take for mental health conditions can affect oral health.
    Gladskikh Tatiana/Shutterstock

    Our research

    In a recent study, we interviewed young people with mental illness. Our findings show the significant personal costs of dental disease among people with mental illness, and highlight the relationship between oral and mental health.

    Smiling is one of our best ways to communicate, but we found people with serious mental illness were sometimes embarrassed and ashamed to smile due to poor oral health.

    One participant told us:

    [poor oral health is] not only [about] the physical aspects of restricting how you eat, but it’s also about your mental health in terms of your self-esteem, your self-confidence, and basic wellbeing, which sort of drives me to become more isolated.

    Another said:

    for me, it was that serious fear of – God my teeth are looking really crap, and in the past they’ve [dental practitioners] asked, “Hey, you’ve missed this spot; what’s happening?”. How do I explain to them, hey, I’ve had some really shitty stuff happening and I have a very serious episode of depression?

    What can we do?

    Another of our recent studies focused on improving oral health awareness and behaviours among young adults experiencing mental health difficulties. We found a brief online oral health education program improved participants’ oral health knowledge and attitudes.

    Improving oral health can result in improved mental wellbeing, self-esteem and quality of life. But achieving this isn’t always easy.

    Limited Medicare coverage for dental care means oral diseases are frequently treated late, particularly among people with mental illness. By this time, more invasive treatments, such as removal of teeth, are often required.

    It’s crucial the health system takes a holistic approach to caring for people experiencing serious mental illness. That means we have mental health staff who ask questions about oral health, and dental practitioners who are trained to manage the unique oral health needs of people with serious mental illness.

    It also means increasing government funding for oral health services – promotion, prevention and improved interdisciplinary care. This includes better collaboration between oral health, mental health, and peer and informal support sectors.

    Amanda Wheeler is an investigator on a MetroSouth Health 2025 grant exploring use of Queensland Emergency Departments for people with mental ill-health seeking acute care for oral health problems.

    Steve Kisely has received a grant on oral health from Metro South Research Foundation and one from the Medical Research Future Fund.

    Bonnie Clough, Caroline Victoria Robertson, and Santosh Tadakamadla do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    ref. Gum disease, decay, missing teeth: why people with mental illness have poorer oral health – https://theconversation.com/gum-disease-decay-missing-teeth-why-people-with-mental-illness-have-poorer-oral-health-258403

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: Gum disease, decay, missing teeth: why people with mental illness have poorer oral health

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bonnie Clough, Senior Lecturer, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University

    mihailomilovanovic/Getty Images

    People with poor mental health face many challenges. One that’s perhaps lesser known is that they’re more likely than the overall population to have poor oral health.

    Research has shown people with serious mental illness are four times more likely than the general population to have gum disease. They’re nearly three times more likely to have lost all their teeth due to problems such as gum disease and tooth decay.

    Serious mental illnesses include major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. These conditions affect about 800,000 Australians.

    People living with schizophrenia have, on average, eight more teeth that are decayed, missing or filled than the general population.

    So why does this link exist? And what can we do to address the problem?

    Why is this a problem?

    Oral health problems are expensive to fix and can make it hard for people to eat, socialise, work or even just smile.

    What’s more, dental issues can land people in hospital. Our research shows dental conditions are the third most common reason for preventable hospital admissions among people with serious mental illness.

    Meanwhile, poor oral health is linked with long-term health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, and even cognitive problems. This is because the bacteria associated with gum diseases can cause inflammation throughout the body, which affects other systems in the body.

    Why are mental health and oral health linked?

    Poor mental and oral health share common risk factors. Social factors such as isolation, unemployment and housing insecurity can worsen both oral and mental health.

    For example, unemployment increases the risk of oral disease. This can be due to financial difficulties, reduced access to oral health care, or potential changes to diet and hygiene practices.

    At the same time, oral disease can increase barriers to finding employment, due to stigma, discrimination, dental pain and associated long-term health conditions.

    It’s clear the relationship between oral health and mental health goes both ways. Dental disease can reduce self-esteem and increase psychological distress. Meanwhile, symptoms of mental health conditions, such as low motivation, can make engaging in good oral health practices, including brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist, more difficult.

    And like many people, those with serious mental illness can experience significant anxiety about going to the dentist. They may also have experienced trauma in the past, which can make visiting a dental clinic a frightening experience.

    Separately, poor oral health can be made worse by some medications for mental health conditions. Certain medications can interfere with saliva production, reducing the protective barrier that covers the teeth. Some may also increase sugar cravings, which heightens the risk of tooth decay.

    Some medications people take for mental health conditions can affect oral health.
    Gladskikh Tatiana/Shutterstock

    Our research

    In a recent study, we interviewed young people with mental illness. Our findings show the significant personal costs of dental disease among people with mental illness, and highlight the relationship between oral and mental health.

    Smiling is one of our best ways to communicate, but we found people with serious mental illness were sometimes embarrassed and ashamed to smile due to poor oral health.

    One participant told us:

    [poor oral health is] not only [about] the physical aspects of restricting how you eat, but it’s also about your mental health in terms of your self-esteem, your self-confidence, and basic wellbeing, which sort of drives me to become more isolated.

    Another said:

    for me, it was that serious fear of – God my teeth are looking really crap, and in the past they’ve [dental practitioners] asked, “Hey, you’ve missed this spot; what’s happening?”. How do I explain to them, hey, I’ve had some really shitty stuff happening and I have a very serious episode of depression?

    What can we do?

    Another of our recent studies focused on improving oral health awareness and behaviours among young adults experiencing mental health difficulties. We found a brief online oral health education program improved participants’ oral health knowledge and attitudes.

    Improving oral health can result in improved mental wellbeing, self-esteem and quality of life. But achieving this isn’t always easy.

    Limited Medicare coverage for dental care means oral diseases are frequently treated late, particularly among people with mental illness. By this time, more invasive treatments, such as removal of teeth, are often required.

    It’s crucial the health system takes a holistic approach to caring for people experiencing serious mental illness. That means we have mental health staff who ask questions about oral health, and dental practitioners who are trained to manage the unique oral health needs of people with serious mental illness.

    It also means increasing government funding for oral health services – promotion, prevention and improved interdisciplinary care. This includes better collaboration between oral health, mental health, and peer and informal support sectors.

    Amanda Wheeler is an investigator on a MetroSouth Health 2025 grant exploring use of Queensland Emergency Departments for people with mental ill-health seeking acute care for oral health problems.

    Steve Kisely has received a grant on oral health from Metro South Research Foundation and one from the Medical Research Future Fund.

    Bonnie Clough, Caroline Victoria Robertson, and Santosh Tadakamadla do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    ref. Gum disease, decay, missing teeth: why people with mental illness have poorer oral health – https://theconversation.com/gum-disease-decay-missing-teeth-why-people-with-mental-illness-have-poorer-oral-health-258403

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Shit in, shit out’: AI is coming for agriculture, but farmers aren’t convinced

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Lee, Senior Lecturer, School of Design, University of Technology Sydney

    David Gray / AFP / Getty Images

    Australian farms are at the forefront of a wave of technological change coming to agriculture. Over the past decade, more than US$200 billion (A$305 billion) has been invested globally into the likes of pollination robots, smart soil sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) systems to help make decisions.

    What do the people working the land make of it all? We interviewed dozens of Australian farmers about AI and digital technology, and found they had a sophisticated understanding of their own needs and how technology might help – as well as a wariness of tech companies’ utopian promises.

    The future of farming

    The supposed revolution coming to agriculture goes by several names: “precision agriculture”, “smart farming”, and “agriculture 4.0” are some of the more common ones.

    These names all gesture towards a future in which the relationship between humans, computing and nature have been significantly reconfigured. Perhaps remote sensing technology will monitor ever more of a farm system, autonomous vehicles will patrol it, and AI will predict crop growth or cattle weight gain.

    But there’s another story to tell about the way technological change happens. It involves people and communities creating their own future, their own sense of important change from the past.

    AI, country style

    Our research team conducted more than 35 interviews with farmers, specifically livestock producers, from across Australia.

    The dominant themes of their responses were captured in two pithy quotes: “shit in, shit out” and “more automation, less features”.

    “Shit in, shit out” is an earthier version of the “garbage in, garbage out” adage in computer science. If the data going into a model is unreliable or overly abstract, then the outputs will be shaped by those errors.

    This captured a real concern for many farmers. They didn’t feel they could trust new technologies if they didn’t understand what knowledge and information they had been built with.

    A different kind of automation

    On the other hand, “more automation, less features” is what farmers want: technologies that may not have a lot of bells and whistles, but can reliably take a task off their hands.

    Australian farmers have a ready appetite for labour-saving technologies. When human bodies are scarce, as they often are in rural Australia, machines are created to fill the void.

    Windmills, wire fences, and even the iconic Australian sheepdog have been a crucial part of the technological narrative of settler colonial farming. These things are not “autonomous” in the same way as computer-powered vehicles and drones, but they offer similar advantages to farmers.

    What these classic farm technologies have in common is a simplicity that derives from a clarity of purpose. They are the opposite of the “everything apps” that fuel the dreams of many Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.

    “More automation, less features” is in this sense a farmer envisaging a digital product that fits with their image of a useful technology: transparent in its operations, and a reliable replacement for or an addition to human labour.

    The lesson of the Suzuki Sierra Stockman

    When speaking with one farmer about favoured technologies of her lifetime, she mentioned the Suzuki Sierra Stockman. These small, no-frills, four-wheel-drive vehicles became something of an icon on Australian sheep and cattle farms through the 1970s, ‘80s and ’90s.

    By the 1990s, the Suzuki Sierra Stockman had an iconic status among Australian farmers.
    Turbo_J / Flickr

    Reflecting on her memories of first using the vehicle, the farmer said:

    Once I learnt that I could actually draft cattle out with the Suzuki, that changed everything. You could do exactly what you did on a horse with a vehicle.

    It seems unlikely that Suzuki’s engineers in Japan envisaged their little jeep chasing cattle in the paddocks of Central West of NSW. The Suzuki was in a sense remade by farmers who found innovative uses for it.

    Future technology must be simple, adaptable and reliable

    The combustion engine was a key technological change on farms in the 20th century. Computers may play a similar role in the 21st.

    We are perhaps yet to see a digital product as iconic as wire fences, windmills, sheepdogs and the Suzuki Stockman. Computers are still largely technologies of the office, not the paddock.

    However, this is changing as computers get smaller and are wired into water tanks, soil monitors and in-paddock scales. More data input from these sensors means AI systems have more scope to help farmers make decisions.

    AI may well become a much-loved tool for farmers. But that journey to iconic status will depend as much on how farmers adapt the technology as on how the developers build it. And we can guess at what it will look like: simple, adaptable and reliable.

    This article is based on research conducted by the Foragecaster project, led by AgriWebb and supported by funding from Food Agility CRC Ltd, funded under the Commonwealth Government CRC Program. The CRC Program supports industry-led collaborations between industry, researchers and the community. This project was also supported by funding from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).

    ref. ‘Shit in, shit out’: AI is coming for agriculture, but farmers aren’t convinced – https://theconversation.com/shit-in-shit-out-ai-is-coming-for-agriculture-but-farmers-arent-convinced-259997

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Shit in, shit out’: AI is coming for agriculture, but farmers aren’t convinced

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Lee, Senior Lecturer, School of Design, University of Technology Sydney

    David Gray / AFP / Getty Images

    Australian farms are at the forefront of a wave of technological change coming to agriculture. Over the past decade, more than US$200 billion (A$305 billion) has been invested globally into the likes of pollination robots, smart soil sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) systems to help make decisions.

    What do the people working the land make of it all? We interviewed dozens of Australian farmers about AI and digital technology, and found they had a sophisticated understanding of their own needs and how technology might help – as well as a wariness of tech companies’ utopian promises.

    The future of farming

    The supposed revolution coming to agriculture goes by several names: “precision agriculture”, “smart farming”, and “agriculture 4.0” are some of the more common ones.

    These names all gesture towards a future in which the relationship between humans, computing and nature have been significantly reconfigured. Perhaps remote sensing technology will monitor ever more of a farm system, autonomous vehicles will patrol it, and AI will predict crop growth or cattle weight gain.

    But there’s another story to tell about the way technological change happens. It involves people and communities creating their own future, their own sense of important change from the past.

    AI, country style

    Our research team conducted more than 35 interviews with farmers, specifically livestock producers, from across Australia.

    The dominant themes of their responses were captured in two pithy quotes: “shit in, shit out” and “more automation, less features”.

    “Shit in, shit out” is an earthier version of the “garbage in, garbage out” adage in computer science. If the data going into a model is unreliable or overly abstract, then the outputs will be shaped by those errors.

    This captured a real concern for many farmers. They didn’t feel they could trust new technologies if they didn’t understand what knowledge and information they had been built with.

    A different kind of automation

    On the other hand, “more automation, less features” is what farmers want: technologies that may not have a lot of bells and whistles, but can reliably take a task off their hands.

    Australian farmers have a ready appetite for labour-saving technologies. When human bodies are scarce, as they often are in rural Australia, machines are created to fill the void.

    Windmills, wire fences, and even the iconic Australian sheepdog have been a crucial part of the technological narrative of settler colonial farming. These things are not “autonomous” in the same way as computer-powered vehicles and drones, but they offer similar advantages to farmers.

    What these classic farm technologies have in common is a simplicity that derives from a clarity of purpose. They are the opposite of the “everything apps” that fuel the dreams of many Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.

    “More automation, less features” is in this sense a farmer envisaging a digital product that fits with their image of a useful technology: transparent in its operations, and a reliable replacement for or an addition to human labour.

    The lesson of the Suzuki Sierra Stockman

    When speaking with one farmer about favoured technologies of her lifetime, she mentioned the Suzuki Sierra Stockman. These small, no-frills, four-wheel-drive vehicles became something of an icon on Australian sheep and cattle farms through the 1970s, ‘80s and ’90s.

    By the 1990s, the Suzuki Sierra Stockman had an iconic status among Australian farmers.
    Turbo_J / Flickr

    Reflecting on her memories of first using the vehicle, the farmer said:

    Once I learnt that I could actually draft cattle out with the Suzuki, that changed everything. You could do exactly what you did on a horse with a vehicle.

    It seems unlikely that Suzuki’s engineers in Japan envisaged their little jeep chasing cattle in the paddocks of Central West of NSW. The Suzuki was in a sense remade by farmers who found innovative uses for it.

    Future technology must be simple, adaptable and reliable

    The combustion engine was a key technological change on farms in the 20th century. Computers may play a similar role in the 21st.

    We are perhaps yet to see a digital product as iconic as wire fences, windmills, sheepdogs and the Suzuki Stockman. Computers are still largely technologies of the office, not the paddock.

    However, this is changing as computers get smaller and are wired into water tanks, soil monitors and in-paddock scales. More data input from these sensors means AI systems have more scope to help farmers make decisions.

    AI may well become a much-loved tool for farmers. But that journey to iconic status will depend as much on how farmers adapt the technology as on how the developers build it. And we can guess at what it will look like: simple, adaptable and reliable.

    This article is based on research conducted by the Foragecaster project, led by AgriWebb and supported by funding from Food Agility CRC Ltd, funded under the Commonwealth Government CRC Program. The CRC Program supports industry-led collaborations between industry, researchers and the community. This project was also supported by funding from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).

    ref. ‘Shit in, shit out’: AI is coming for agriculture, but farmers aren’t convinced – https://theconversation.com/shit-in-shit-out-ai-is-coming-for-agriculture-but-farmers-arent-convinced-259997

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz